Xu Ziyan stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then turned to ask, “Did we offend him somehow?”
Xu Zirong considered the question and shook his head. “I don’t remember.”
And naturally he did not remember. During the examination, those senior disciples had all worn masks. How could he possibly have recognized Qilian Hongyun as the man in black whom he had hung from a tree and then thrown down? ╮(╯_╰)╭ Xu Zirong insisted he had no idea who that person was, so how could he have offended him?
Xu Ziyan hummed thoughtfully. He could not remember doing anything to offend Senior Brother Qilian either. The only possibility was that they had crossed paths during the inner-sect examination. But as he recalled, the person he had ambushed by the river was a senior sister… wasn’t it?
Forget it. If this senior brother disliked him, he would simply keep his distance. There was no reason to force himself on someone who did not welcome his company.
“Xu Ziyan.” Le Hu spotted him and strode over.
The normally taciturn Le Hu had few friends in the Flowing Light Sect. Perhaps it was because of his unusual identity as a member of the northwestern barbarian tribes. His appearance and dress retained such a strong tribal character that he seemed out of place within the sect.
“Hey, Le Hu! Long time no see.” Xu Ziyan got along well with him. Le Hu was not much for words, but Xu Ziyan knew that he preferred to show his feelings through action.
Making friends with someone like that was remarkably pleasant.
Le Hu nodded silently. He truly lived by the principle that every word should be precious. Of course, it was also possible that he was simply not very fluent in the language of the Central Plains…
Xu Zirong stood quietly behind his brother, his face devoid of expression.
He treated virtually everyone except his brother this way. Le Hu did not mind and merely nodded to him as well.
Xu Zirong clenched his fists imperceptibly. He disliked Le Hu. The man looked slow and foolish, but he was not stupid at all. Worse, for reasons Xu Zirong could not understand, he had somehow struck a chord with his brother and become a close friend.
Xu Zirong forced himself to exercise restraint. Of course he wanted his brother all to himself. He would have liked nothing better than to hide him away where no one else could see him. But he also knew that was impossible.
Since he could not achieve it, he could only endure. At least, for now, he remained the most important person in his brother’s heart. Only because of that could he grudgingly tolerate these other people standing beside him.
“Together?” Le Hu asked Xu Ziyan.
Xu Ziyan thought it over and nodded.
They were fellow disciples; traveling together ought to be safer. The Azure Spirit Secret Realm was said to be relatively safe, but safety was always relative. Most places inside the Flowing Light Sect were harmless, too, yet there were places like the Scripture Pavilion, Treasure Pavilion, and Qilin Tower where danger lurked at every step.
“Ziyan.” Wei Qing approached with his customary arrogance, feeling a little displeased with Xu Ziyan.
Xu Ziyan was a friend whom Wei Qing had personally acknowledged. Yet instead of seeking him out, he was getting so close to that barbarian! It was outrageous.
Whenever Xu Ziyan saw Wei Qing’s haughty expression, he felt a profound toothache coming on. Seriously, how had anyone raised such a brat? That superior look in his eyes positively begged for a beating.
If Wei Qing had been his younger brother, Xu Ziyan would have taught him a lesson long ago. Being so rude to others deserved a thorough spanking.
At that moment, Xu Ziyan conveniently forgot that, in his current body, he was actually a year younger than Wei Qing…
Wei Qing walked over without speaking, merely regarding Le Hu with the sort of gaze one might give an ant.
Le Hu frowned. His own master, Wei Ying, was also a member of the Wei clan. His master could be arrogant, too, but at least he possessed the strength to back it up. What was wrong with this brat? Was that disdainful stare an invitation to fight?
“Hmph!” Wei Qing snorted and turned his gaze from Le Hu to Xu Ziyan.
He had never taken Le Hu seriously. What abilities could a barbarian from the northwest possibly possess? To presume he could address Xu Ziyan as an equal was laughable.
Wei Qing was deeply dissatisfied that Xu Ziyan had chosen to befriend someone like him.
In Wei Qing’s eyes, Xu Ziyan’s abilities were comparable to his own, so his friends should at least be capable of keeping up. Even if others wished to follow him, he should not indiscriminately accept everyone. Especially not barbarians from the northwest, who possessed pitifully few spiritual roots. What great future could they possibly have?
He looked at Le Hu’s clothing with disgust. The Flowing Light Sect enjoyed springlike weather year-round, but Le Hu still dressed in animal skins, as people did in the northwest.
Wearing hides was one thing. Baring so much of his chest was another. Shameless!
“Want to fight?” Le Hu demanded, provoked by Wei Qing’s stare. The northwestern tribes were naturally combative; otherwise, how could they have become the principal force resisting demon cultivators?
If a tribesman tolerated that kind of insulting look without saying a word, the northwestern tribes would hardly have earned their reputation.
Wei Qing raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways at Le Hu with unconcealed disdain. Trading blows with this barbarian was beneath his dignity.
Le Hu frowned, then immediately threw a punch.
Wei Qing had not expected him to strike without further warning. Caught off guard, he barely had time to form a thin shield of spiritual energy.
With a bang, Le Hu’s fist smashed through the shield. His fist, as large as a cooking pot, struck Wei Qing squarely in the eye, leaving an enormous black eye.
The entire square fell silent. Every gaze turned toward Wei Qing.
With one eye surrounded by a dark bruise, Wei Qing’s face twisted in fury. To be caught off guard by a barbarian’s sneak attack! What an unbearable humiliation!
He formed a spell seal, sending a dark-red fire dragon surging toward Le Hu. Le Hu’s expression did not change. He drew a curved saber from his back, circulated his spiritual power, and slashed fiercely at the fire dragon.
The clash drew cries of alarm from the nearby disciples. Private fighting between fellow disciples was forbidden inside the Flowing Light Sect. Were these two out of their minds, fighting in front of so many witnesses?
Xu Ziyan stared at them, dumbfounded. How had they started fighting just like that? Alarm rushed through him.
Their escorting martial uncle was due to arrive at any moment. If the two were caught fighting privately, they would undoubtedly suffer the consequences.
“These two idiots!” Xu Ziyan cursed under his breath, hurriedly drawing his longbow. He released a lightning spiritual arrow, aiming precisely at the spot where their attacks were about to meet. The lightning exploded with a tremendous crash. It destroyed Wei Qing’s fire dragon, and the resulting shock wave nearly knocked Le Hu off his feet.
“Both of you, stop!” Xu Ziyan charged over through clenched teeth and gave each of them a sharp knock on the head.
These two little brats were simply impossible!
Fuming, Xu Ziyan glared at both of them. “Private fighting between sect disciples is forbidden! Are your lives too comfortable? Do you want to find out what punishment feels like?”
Wei Qing, still sporting his black eye, glared furiously at Le Hu. If that bastard had not attacked first, he would never have retaliated.
Le Hu was in a sorry state as well. He had blocked Wei Qing’s spell with a weapon, and his cultivation was weaker. If Xu Ziyan had not interfered, that fire dragon would have done far more than singe some of his hair and eyebrows.
The two disheveled young men glared at each other, giving Xu Ziyan a tremendous headache. He had thought Le Hu was sensible, but apparently he was another hopeless brat.
Did I transmigrate into this world just to raise and discipline a bunch of troublesome kids?!
“Big Brother, don’t be angry,” Xu Zirong said softly, tugging at Xu Ziyan’s sleeve.
He had been delighted when Le Hu and Wei Qing started fighting. Both were stealing some of his brother’s attention. In his eyes, they were enemies.
Naturally, seeing two enemies fight was wonderful. It would have been even better if they had managed to destroy each other.
Unfortunately, his pleasant mood vanished the instant Xu Ziyan intervened.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, calculating whether the two had risen in his brother’s affections. If they had become too much of a threat, he would not mind disposing of them secretly.
After all, accidents were everywhere in the cultivation world. The deaths of one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators were hardly unusual.
Seeing his brother frown over them soured Xu Zirong’s mood even further. Fortunately, he could tell from Xu Ziyan’s expression that his brother was annoyed, too, so he immediately stepped forward to play the part of the considerate younger sibling.
Xu Ziyan’s heart instantly eased at his brother’s gentle words. Of course! Wei Qing and Le Hu are such brats because neither of them has a wonderful elder brother like me!
Xu Zirong caught Xu Ziyan’s triumphant expression and felt a surge of delight. He continued softly, “Big Brother, if they want to fight, let them. The martial uncle leading us will be here soon. If he sees them fighting so fiercely, he might simply forbid them from entering the Azure Spirit Secret Realm. That would teach them a lesson.”
Both Le Hu and Wei Qing went rigid at those words. The chance to visit the Azure Spirit Secret Realm was not to be missed. Neither knew which martial uncle would escort them. If the man turned out to be inflexible and old-fashioned, he might indeed deprive them of this opportunity over a single fight.
They exchanged another furious look but reached an unspoken agreement. Both stopped, then hurried to make themselves presentable before the escorting martial uncle arrived.
Xu Ziyan sighed in relief when they stopped glaring at each other like enraged bulls. At least these brats were not completely beyond reason.
His master had told him how precious the opportunity to enter the Azure Spirit Secret Realm was. Missing it over a momentary quarrel would be a terrible waste.
Fortunately, they managed to tidy themselves before the escort arrived. A layer of medicinal ointment quickly made Wei Qing’s black eye disappear, while Le Hu simply cut off his scorched hair, leaving only a thin layer behind.