Chapter 75: Chu Fan’s Bluff

Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Chu Fan’s Bluff

Hearing the shocked cries from the Lingyun Sect disciples, the others were also filled with suspicion and surprise. Most of them had only heard the names Yun Xi and Chu Fan, but had never seen them in person.

But the matter of Yun Xi’s marriage to Shui Yuntian on the eighth day of the twelfth month had been announced by the Celestial Derivation Sect and the Lingyun Sect half a year ago.

In other words, they all knew about it before coming to Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain for their training excursion.

But they never expected to see Yun Xi and Chu Fan here today.

And what’s more, Yun Xi was even wearing a red wedding dress with a phoenix crown. ℯℯ𝘭.

Subsequently, many people’s gazes toward Chu Fan and Yun Xi were tinged with mockery and contempt.

Because they had all arrived at the same conclusion: Chu Fan and Yun Xi had eloped and fled to Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain.

There was simply no other explanation.

But some people were puzzled. ’Isn’t Chu Fan dead? Even if he isn’t, wasn’t his cultivation crippled more than half a year ago?’

’So how did he manage to bring Yun Xi all the way out here?’

Watching Yun Xi fight the Falcon while Chu Fan merely stood by, they suddenly understood. ’Chu Fan really is crippled. Otherwise, how could he just stand there and watch, letting a woman like Yun Xi fight that beast alone?’

"Senior Sister Yun, do you need our help?" one of the Lingyun Sect disciples called out to Yun Xi.

The one who spoke was named Cen Xuewen, a disciple of Lingyun Sect’s Third Elder, Mu Jingsong, though not a Direct Disciple.

Most of the Lingyun Sect disciples had received guidance from Chu Fan before. But because Cen Xuewen was rather introverted and not one for conversation, his relationship with Chu Fan could only be considered average.

"Cen Xuewen? Are you sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong? The number one beauty of the Eastern Domain has her own man, doesn’t she? What help could she possibly need from you?" The one who spoke was a disciple from the Xuanming Sect.

Chu Fan could tell from his attire.

Cen Xuewen glared at that disciple, drew his sword, and called for the other Lingyun Sect disciples to help.

The moment they made their move, the Falcon immediately fled.

Yun Xi glanced at the distant Falcon, then hurried over to Chu Fan and whispered, "These people can’t say a decent word. Don’t take it to heart."

"I won’t," Chu Fan said, shaking his head.

Yun Xi walked over to Cen Xuewen and the others and gave them a slight bow. "Thank you all for your help."

"Senior Sister Yun, we are all disciples of the Lingyun Sect. It’s only right that we help. But why are you and Junior Martial Uncle Chu here?" Cen Xuewen asked in a low voice.

After asking his question, he looked at Chu Fan again and noticed the bloodstains seeping through the cloth strips wrapped around his chest.

"Junior... Junior Martial Uncle Chu!" Cen Xuewen greeted Chu Fan after a moment of hesitation.

Chu Fan waved his hand. "I am no longer a disciple of the Lingyun Sect, so you can just call me by my name."

The moment Chu Fan finished speaking, the Xuanming Sect disciple sneered again. "I bet you, a cripple, eloped with Yun Xi, didn’t you? Cen Xuewen, I suggest you capture them both and send them back to your Sect. You might even get a huge reward for it!"

Upon hearing this, Yun Xi’s face turned frosty as she stared at the Xuanming Sect disciple. "If you dare speak so rudely again, don’t blame my sword for being merciless."

"Heh, why don’t you show me just how merciless you can be! This is Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, and it’s obvious you two are eloping. If all of us here join forces to capture you, it would definitely be a great service, whether we send you to the Lingyun Sect or the Celestial Derivation Sect."

"Dai Tingxiang, shut your mouth! Do you really think we disciples of the Lingyun Sect wouldn’t dare to do anything to you?" Cen Xuewen roared angrily.

"Cen Xuewen? Have you lost your mind? What Brother Dai said makes sense. Look at the wedding dress on the number one beauty of the Eastern Domain. Isn’t it obvious? They must have run away during the wedding ceremony. The Celestial Derivation Sect and the Lingyun Sect must be searching the whole world for them right now. Are you really going to protect people like this who have disgraced all morals and ethics?"

The speaker was a disciple from the Purple Gold Sect.

"I know more about this than you do!" Cen Xuewen shouted. "Junior Martial Uncle Chu and Senior Sister Yun were childhood sweethearts! And Junior Martial Uncle Chu ended up like this for the sake of our Lingyun Sect! It is our Sect that has wronged him! But my words carry little weight; I can’t influence the Sect’s decisions at all. Every single one of us nineteen Lingyun Sect disciples here applied to come to this place for training because we couldn’t bear to see Senior Sister Yun marry into the Celestial Derivation Sect!"

Chu Fan glanced at Cen Xuewen in surprise. He hadn’t expected this to be the reason they came to Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain for training.

He especially hadn’t expected that Cen Xuewen, who was usually so quiet, would say so much today just to defend them.

As Cen Xuewen’s voice fell, the rest of the Lingyun Sect disciples all walked over to stand in front of Chu Fan and Yun Xi, turning their backs to them and shielding them protectively.

"Cen Xuewen, have you considered what kind of punishment you’ll face when your Sect Leader finds out you protected them today?" said Dai Tingxiang from the Xuanming Sect.

"That’s our business, and it has nothing to do with you!"

Chu Fan, who had remained silent until now, patted Cen Xuewen on the shoulder and said, "Cen Xuewen, and all the Lingyun Sect disciples present, I, Chu Fan, will remember the favor you’ve done us by standing up for us today. But you should not get involved in my affairs. This lot can’t do anything to me."

Chu Fan stepped forward because he had already sensed more than a dozen Nascent Soul Realm experts rushing toward them.

He didn’t want to implicate them because of him and Yun Xi.

After all, he and Yun Xi were headed for the depths of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain.

If the conflict between Cen Xuewen’s group and the other Sects truly escalated, then after he and Yun Xi fled into the depths of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, Cen Xuewen and his fellow disciples might be ostracized, targeted, or even secretly harmed by the others.

His recent experiences had taught Chu Fan one thing: when dealing with strangers, especially hostile ones, one must always assume their moral bottom line is as low as possible.

Chu Fan’s words were met with uproarious laughter from the disciples of the other Sects.

Dai Tingxiang, in particular, adopted a highly punchable expression and a bizarre tone, mimicking, "’This lot can’t do anything to me.’ Chu Fan, you’re already a cripple, are you still deceiving yourself like this? Do you still think you’re the number one prodigy of the Eastern Domain?"

The moment he finished speaking, the dozen or so Nascent Soul Realm experts arrived.

"Chu Fan, I didn’t think you two could run this far. All the way to Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain." Chu Fan recognized the speaker. It was a Steward Elder from the Mixed Element Sect named Cheng Dingzhi.

The group of disciples on their training excursion saw the seniors from their own Sects and hurriedly bowed in greeting.

The dozen or so Nascent Soul Realm experts merely gave a slight nod in response to their own disciples’ greetings. Their attention remained fixed on Chu Fan and Yun Xi, as if afraid they would run off the second they looked away.

"Cheng Dingzhi, I also didn’t think you all were so persistent, chasing us all the way here from the Celestial Derivation Sect."

"You slaughtered so many disciples from the Six Sects and Eight Gates at Zao Ying Mountain and in Jiangdong County, and then you caused such a monstrous disaster at the Celestial Derivation Sect. Don’t even mention a mere thousand li. Even if you fled to the ends of the earth, we would still hunt you down and drag you back," Cheng Dingzhi said.

Chu Fan shook his head and sneered. "Hunt me down? What gives you so much confidence? I killed Luo Zefeng, a Divine Separation Realm expert, with a single strike of my sword. I severely wounded Shui Zebo of the Integration Realm. Qu Lingce and his four other Divine Separation Realm experts attacked me together, and I kicked them all flying for dozens of li. And you think a dozen or so Nascent Soul Realm cultivators like you can capture me?"

Yes, Chu Fan was bluffing. But his words did indeed make them hesitate.

And when the disciples on their training excursion heard Chu Fan’s words, every one of them wore an expression of disbelief. They were all thinking pretty much the same thing: ’He’s got to be bullshitting, right?’