110: Thunder Lord

Seeing Xiao Shaoyou’s dumbfounded expression, Xiao Zhuo finally felt a bit of satisfaction from showing off.

He flicked his sleeve, and his Divine Thought, like an invisible hand, lifted the chubby man. The two passed through a blue-tinged spatial rift, and as a chilling aura brushed their skin, they were already in a moss-covered, dim alley.

“Zhuo… Brother Zhuo! You…!” The chubby Xiao Shaoyou stumbled to the ground, his round face flushed red, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but he couldn’t form a complete sentence.

Xiao Zhuo curved his lips and put an arm around his sweaty neck. The gold-trimmed cuff of his sleeve brushed against the carved brick wall, and the clamor from the alley entrance, mixed with the scent of cosmetics, wafted over.

This was Huayue City (Flower Moon City), where most of Jizhou’s famous red-light districts were located.

As the two walked, they saw a sea of people.

It was already evening, and Huayue City (Flower Moon City)’s glazed lanterns lit up one after another, making the long street as bright as day.

News of the great victory at Demon-Subduing Pass had already spread throughout Jingji and Jizhou. Officials and nobles spent lavishly, vying to celebrate, and even carriages from the six neighboring cities jammed the gates of Huayue City (Flower Moon City).

At this moment, Xiao Zhuo had brought Xiao Shaoyou to do what he loved most—listen to songs in a brothel.

In no time, the two entered Juanyan Tower, the largest brothel in Huayue City (Flower Moon City).

Amidst the fluttering wine banners, the sound of pipa and cheers rose and fell.

Familiar with the routine, they ordered thousands of taels worth of food and wine, called a few girls to accompany them, and Xiao Zhuo and Xiao Shaoyou chatted while watching the courtesan perform on stage.

They discussed Xiao Shaoyou and the Xiao Family’s situation, and Xiao Zhuo also shared many of his own experiences.

Of course, he didn’t mention the panel.

Xiao Shaoyou merely thought that Xiao Zhuo’s talent and Comprehension Ability were even more abnormal than his own, and he didn’t think much of it. He was happy that his brother was strong.

The chubby Xiao Shaoyou was never the type to be jealous of talent.

He felt no jealousy towards Xiao Zhuo’s current strength, only envy and admiration.

In his heart, Xiao Zhuo had always been stronger than him.

Even when he was the Young Master and Xiao Zhuo was his attendant, it remained true.

Especially in the year before Xiao Zhuo left, his various audacious actions astonished the chubby man. In truth, Xiao Zhuo had merely acted as a plagiarist, gaining some notoriety with the chubby man a few times in the brothels of Peng City.

One must know that what brothel courtesans most cherished was not silver or gold, but timeless verses that could make their names endure for generations.

As the two chatted and enjoyed the warm, soft service of the beauties beside them, Xiao Shaoyou felt as if he had returned to several months ago.

The amber wine reflected the candlelight. Xiao Shaoyou’s cheeks puffed out as he chewed on a crystal pork hock. When Xiao Zhuo spoke of his slaughter in Yuzhou Prefecture, the thrilling parts not only made the beauties beside him gasp repeatedly, but even guests at a nearby table occasionally cast strange glances.

Suddenly, a porcelain cup was set down heavily at the next table.

A burly man with a bushy beard swayed over, carrying a wine jar, and the strong scent of alcohol sprayed onto Xiao Zhuo’s face: “How dare a yellow-mouthed brat claim the achievements of Thunder Celestial Venerable!”

“Thunder Celestial Venerable?” Xiao Zhuo genuinely didn't know when he had acquired such a rustic title. He turned to the side, looking at the man with interest.

The man, seeing Xiao Zhuo’s ignorant expression, immediately grew angry: “You brat, you haven’t even heard of Thunder Celestial Venerable, and you have the nerve to brag about the Celestial Venerable’s deeds that you heard from God knows where?”

At this moment, several of his friends at the same table came over to pull him back.

One of them, with a benevolent face and dressed like a merchant, pushed the man, who was about to erupt, back. Then he smiled at Xiao Zhuo and said, “Please don’t mind him, brother. My brother here admires Thunder Celestial Venerable the most. He’s a bit rough, but he means no harm!”

Xiao Zhuo nodded, displaying an understanding smile. Just as he was about to turn back to chat with the chubby man, he saw the drunk man push away his companion and rush towards them again.

He was still yelling, “Don’t stop me, all of you! Today, I’m going to show this madman, who appropriates the Celestial Venerable’s deeds, my Iron Wuqing’s sandbag-sized fists.”

“Brother Zhuo! Looks like you even have supporters here,” Xiao Shaoyou teased, seeing the situation, yet he wasn’t worried about the charging strongman at all.

Xiao Zhuo showed a helpless expression. He also realized that discussing his affairs in such an environment might be a bit inappropriate.

Just as Iron Wuqing’s fists were about to land on Xiao Zhuo’s face, Xiao Zhuo lightly tapped the table with a bent finger, and the celadon wine cup trembled slightly with his Divine Thought.

The strongman’s fist froze three inches from Xiao Zhuo’s nose. Xiao Zhuo used two fingers to push away the sandbag-sized fist and quipped, “Brother, how do you know Thunder Celestial Venerable doesn’t look like me?”

Iron Wuqing’s drunkenness had nearly dissipated when the Divine Thought descended upon him. Realizing that he couldn’t move no matter how he struggled, he immediately knew he had poked a hornet’s nest.

Under the pressure of the Divine Thought, cold sweat drenched Iron Wuqing’s clothes, but he stiffened his neck and stubbornly held on: “A Ce… Celestial Venerable would never come to such a place of debauchery!”

In his heart, however, he was wailing, “It’s all the alcohol’s fault!”

But at this moment, he was unwilling to back down. Thunder Celestial Venerable was his idol, almost single-handedly reversing the decline of the Human Race in the Yuan Realm.

Even Immortal Master Azure Heaven of the Taiyi Sect was said to have received his assistance to lead the Taiyi Sect back to the Yuan Realm.

He, an individual, absolutely could not allow any scoundrel to tarnish the reputation of such a hero of the Human Race. It was just a pity his intentions were good, but his strength was insufficient.

Thinking of this, Iron Wuqing simply stopped struggling. Even if he couldn’t win, he wouldn’t lose face. At worst, he’d get beaten up, but he couldn’t yield to a madman who blasphemed Thunder Celestial Venerable’s achievements.

Seeing him close his eyes and say no more, looking as if he was ready to be killed or flayed as they pleased, Xiao Zhuo couldn’t help but smile.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Iron Wuqing was thrown back to his seat, regaining his freedom.

Seeing that the young man didn't say much, he didn't dare to provoke him again, though there was a hint of unwillingness in his eyes. However, the other party had immobilized him without even moving, clearly not a Mortal. What could he, a mere minor figure in the Pulse-Opening Realm, do?

Even if he was unwilling, he had to endure!

Xiao Zhuo turned to Xiao Shaoyou: “Chubby! Let’s buy some good wine and find a quiet place instead!”

“Brother Zhuo, I’ve lost a lot of weight! Now I’m called robust, not chubby!” Xiao Shaoyou grumbled unhappily but didn’t object. He also knew that Xiao Zhuo’s experiences were truly too shocking to be discussed in such a crowded and public place.

He instructed the beauty beside them to fetch several jars of Huayue Tower’s finest wine. The two then took the wine jars and left.

The merchant-dressed friend at Iron Wuqing’s table’s eyes darted around, and he followed them out.

He saw Xiao Zhuo and his companion had already entered the alley next to Huayue Tower. When he reached the alley entrance, he saw a Void Realm rift slowly closing.

The man’s eyes immediately widened. He subconsciously pointed at the spot where the rift was healing, making continuous “gurgling” sounds in his mouth, but he couldn’t utter a word.

After a long while, the man stumbled back into Juanyan Tower.

“Old Tie! Old Tie!” The man patted Iron Wuqing, who was once again drinking in silence, his face full of excitement.

“Old Huang! What are you doing! Did you pee on yourself in the outhouse?” Iron Wuqing hadn’t spoken yet when another friend beside him jokingly looked at Old Huang, dressed as a merchant.

Old Huang’s excited expression disappeared. He glared at his friend and said to Iron Wuqing, “I followed those two Young Masters out just now. Guess what I saw?”

“What?” Iron Wuqing looked dejected, seemingly still annoyed that he hadn’t been able to defend his idol’s authority.

Then Old Huang said mysteriously, “As soon as those two left, they went into the alley next door. I had just thought they weren’t ordinary people and wanted to go out and get acquainted, but I didn’t expect that by the time I reached the alley entrance, I saw a dark rift slowly disappearing, and both of them were gone!”

Upon hearing this, Iron Wuqing trembled. He grabbed Old Huang’s arm with a large hand, unconsciously exerting force: “Old Huang! You mean…”

“The power of space! That was Thunder Celestial Venerable himself just now!” Old Huang’s arm was aching from Iron Wuqing’s grip. He patted his hand while still speaking.

As soon as these words came out, everyone whose attention had been drawn to him froze in shock.

Even the madam who had just passed by was stunned.

Iron Wuqing’s face turned completely red, and he burst into laughter.

He had met his idol and even tried to attack him! Yet, he was unharmed. His idol truly had an extraordinary demeanor. Just this one incident, he could brag about it for a lifetime!

The next day, Juanyan Tower was renamed Thunder Elegant Pavilion.

Everyone knew that Thunder Celestial Venerable had once visited this brothel. From then on, Thunder Elegant Pavilion, despite its not-so-elegant name, far surpassed its competitors in Huayue City (Flower Moon City) in business.

But these were all later developments.

Xiao Zhuo and his companion had now appeared on a beautiful mountaintop.

Under a large tree at the summit, a bluestone was casually smoothed by Xiao Zhuo, and a low table with cushions was set up. As night fell, the two lit a bonfire, enjoying the mountain breeze and drinking fine wine, utterly at ease.