Chapter 168 - 167: Huangfu Jianchen (2)

Chapter 168: Chapter 167: Huangfu Jianchen (2)

Ma Feng, Niu Dequan, Xue Yong, and the other gang members held their capable and organized boss and Gang Leader in high regard.

"We obey!" Ma Feng, Niu Dequan, Xue Yong, and the others respectfully withdrew.

Ye Xing then led the women into the rear residence of the inner courtyard.

The sun sank below the western hills. It was dusk, and the afterglow stained the horizon red, leaving behind a swathe of beautiful evening clouds.

Beneath the setting sun, weeping willows graced an open space beside a stone pavilion.

"SWISH!" "WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!"

Sword Roars echoed one after another as Ye Xing practiced the Gale Sword Skill. He was surrounded by a dense web of sword-shadows and flashes of cyan light. The Cyan Blade Treasure Sword kicked up flurries of falling leaves, whipping up a fierce wind. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Tantai Mengxue, Xia Girl, little Chunyu, and Qiao’Er were all watching from the side.

"Big brother is amazing!" the little girl, Qiao’Er, exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"That stinking rogue’s Sword Skill is getting better and better! His aptitude for the Martial Dao seems pretty good." Xia Girl pouted as she watched Ye Xing practice up ahead. Although she always loved to take digs at him, she couldn’t find any reason to do so when she saw how much his Sword Skill had improved.

"Little Yan, Ye Xing’s Sword Skill Realm is already getting extremely close to yours. In one or two months at most, he’ll probably surpass you." Tantai Mengxue’s lovely eyes were fixed on Ye Xing as he practiced, and she added thoughtfully, "Ye Xing’s aptitude is astonishing. If he hadn’t started his cultivation so late, he might have had a chance to be ranked on the Dragon and Phoenix List of the Central Plains Martial Arts."

Just as Tantai Mengxue was speaking, her slender brows furrowed slightly. She lifted her head, her beautiful eyes gazing toward the northern horizon.

A small black dot was visible in the distant northern sky, rapidly growing larger as it approached. From afar, it looked like a black eagle.

"Miss, what’s wrong?" Xia Girl asked quickly, noticing the unusual expression on Tantai Mengxue’s face.

"Little Yan, look! Over there on the horizon, isn’t that a Black Feathered Eagle heading right for us?" Tantai Mengxue asked hurriedly, a hint of unease on her face.

"Huh, it really does look like a black-feathered eagle. Miss, are you worried..." Xia Girl’s expression suddenly changed mid-sentence. "There’s someone on it!" she cried out in alarm.

......

The sky was vast, lit by the slanting rays of the setting sun.

A massive black eagle beat its enormous wings, soaring over the vast land and endless mountains. Atop the eagle stood a young man dressed in white robes. His garments were as bright as snow, reflecting the dazzling rays of the setting sun.

The young man in white carried a longsword on his back, his expression one of extreme cold and arrogance.

It was impossible to tell what grade of Demon Beast the black eagle was, but its speed was incredible. With just a few flaps of its wings, it crossed several miles in an instant. It quickly reached Green River Town and came to a halt in the air above the inner courtyard of a particular manor.

The gentle beat of its enormous black wings kicked up a gale in the inner courtyard, sending fallen leaves scattering into the air.

"Junior Sister, it’s been a while!" A smile touched the white-robed man’s lips. He moved, his body a blur of afterimages.

The onlookers’ vision blurred for an instant, and the white-robed man had already landed in the courtyard from the back of the Black Feathered Eagle, appearing right in front of Tantai Mengxue.

"Senior Brother, what are you doing here?" Tantai Mengxue asked, looking at the man in white.

"What’s the matter? Can’t I come visit my dear Junior Sister for no reason?" The white-robed man’s lips curved into a smile, his gaze toward Tantai Mengxue filled with doting affection.

"Er, I mean, did Master send you?" Tantai Mengxue’s eyes flickered as she asked at once.

"Yes." The man in white nodded. "Junior Sister, you’ve been out training for several months. Master is very worried about your safety, and so am I. This is a decree from Master. Here!" As he spoke, he tossed a scroll marked with a snowflake pattern to Tantai Mengxue.

Tantai Mengxue caught the scroll and read it, her expression immediately changing. "Master is ordering me to return at once? This... Can’t we wait a few—"

"I’m afraid not." The man in white frowned slightly, then sighed. "Master’s orders must not be defied. Moreover, Master has already learned about the Thousand-faced Man, Hu Yinjiu, hunting you down. He commands you to return immediately, without the slightest delay!"

Tantai Mengxue fidgeted, her brow creased with frustration.

"Enough, Junior Sister. Don’t be so willful," the man in white said gravely. "If you anger Master and he confines you to Imprisonment Cliff, it will be very difficult for you to get out again."

"Mengxue, what’s wrong? What’s happening?" With all the commotion in the inner courtyard, Ye Xing had naturally stopped his sword practice and rushed over.

The man in white fixed his cold gaze on Ye Xing, his brow furrowing slightly. "You call my Junior Sister ’Mengxue’? Who are you? You know my Junior Sister?"

Ye Xing replied, "Of course. Mengxue and I—"

Tantai Mengxue quickly interjected, "Senior Brother, he’s a friend of mine. Just an ordinary friend!"

"Oh." The man in white nodded. "Junior Sister, it’s not my place to lecture you, but you should be more careful about who you befriend. There’s no point in associating with trash from the Martial Arts Third Realm."

"It’s nothing. I’ve only known him for a few days. I just think he’s a little interesting, that’s all," Tantai Mengxue said with a forced smile.

Ye Xing, standing nearby, froze. ’Interesting?’

’In an instant, he felt his heart go cold. So in Mengxue’s eyes, I’m just... interesting? MP3 players, TVs, chess... those things are interesting. Heh. And here I am, a piece of trash at the Martial Arts Third Realm...’

’Wait, that’s not right!’ Ye Xing wasn’t a fool; he had just been caught off guard. He snapped back to his senses instantly. Memories of their time together flooded his mind. ’We’ve known each other for so long. How could she say we’ve ’only known each other for a few days’?’

"Let me introduce you," Tantai Mengxue said to Ye Xing with a smile. "This is my Senior Brother, Huangfu Jianchen. He’s a prodigious expert on the Dragon and Phoenix List of the Central Plains Martial Arts. His Martial Arts are exceptional—he’s much, much stronger than I am!"

"Senior Brother, this is my new friend, Ye Xing. His Martial Arts might be lacking, but he’s a good person." Tantai Mengxue then added with a huff, "And you’d better not bully him, Senior Brother, or I’ll be really angry."

"Fine. I certainly won’t bully him," Huangfu Jianchen said with a faint smile. His cold gaze swept over Ye Xing with casual disdain. It was obvious that he thought nothing of Ye Xing’s paltry strength.

"Alright, Junior Sister, no more hesitating," said Huangfu Jianchen. "It won’t be good if we delay our return and anger Master. Celestial Snow Mountain isn’t very exciting, I know. But once your cultivation reaches the Innate Realm, Master won’t be so strict with you."

"Mm, alright then. Huh? Senior Brother, aren’t you returning with me?" Tantai Mengxue asked in confusion.

"I have another matter to attend to. That Thousand-faced Man, Hu Yinjiu, surely hasn’t gone far. He dared to touch you, Junior Sister, so I will hunt him down and kill him!" A vicious light flashed in Huangfu Jianchen’s eyes, and a terrifying killing intent erupted from his body.

"Oh, alright then." Tantai Mengxue bit her lip and glanced at Ye Xing, a flicker of anxiety in her eyes. She then called out to the Little Purple Eagle on his shoulder, "Little Zhi, come here! We have to go back!"

The Little Purple Eagle was remarkably clever. Its little eyes darted about as if it understood her completely. It flapped its small, lavender wings and flew over to Tantai Mengxue, landing on her shoulder with its tiny claws and beginning to preen its feathers.

"Haha! Junior Sister, it seems your journey has been quite fruitful. You’ve even obtained a Purple Lightning Golden Eagle," Huangfu Jianchen boomed with laughter.

"I was just fortunate enough to come across it," Tantai Mengxue said with a small smile, releasing her Wind-Chasing White Crane from her Qiankun Bag.

Thanks to Ye Xing’s treatment, the Wind-Chasing White Crane’s injuries were more than halfway healed, and it could fly without any issues. With a light touch of her foot to the ground, Tantai Mengxue leaped into the air, her white sleeves fluttering, and landed gracefully on the crane’s back.

Xia Girl and little Chunyu followed, using their Lightweight Skills to land on the Wind-Chasing White Crane’s back as well.

"WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!"

The Wind-Chasing White Crane beat its wings, creating a powerful gust of wind. It quickly ascended high into the air, flying off into the distance until it shrank to a tiny black dot and vanished from the sky.

In an instant, only Ye Xing and the white-robed Huangfu Jianchen remained.

’That’s strange. Why did Mengxue take Little Zhi with her?’

Watching Tantai Mengxue and the others fly away on the Wind-Chasing White Crane, Ye Xing felt a wave of disappointment. His mind was also swirling with questions. ’Why did Mengxue say all that? Is she hiding something? Does she have some reason she can’t talk about?’