40: That's it? Not even as good as the roast chicken.

“Clang!”

A sharp, piercing metallic scraping sound, and sparks splattered “sizzle”!

The inn’s main hall was completely chaotic!

Tables, chairs, and benches?

They had long been sent flying by the violent wind, shattered into pieces, with wood splinters flying everywhere!

“You bastard, how dare you ambush Senior Brother Zhao, you’re tired of living!”

“Emei Sect Disciples, form a formation! Let these shameless scoundrels know our power!”

Angry curses, sharp shouts, and the clashing of weapons, mixed with the terrified screams of the patrons, made it even livelier than a big opera in the countryside during the New Year!

On one side were seven or eight Quanzhen Sect Daoists, holding long swords and wearing apricot-yellow Daoist robes, each with eyes high above their heads, yet their Moves were insidious and tricky.

On the other side were more than a dozen Emei Sect female Disciples, dressed in plain clothes and wielding sharp swords; their sword formation was well-coordinated, their movements elusive, and their sword light like snow.

The two sides went back and forth, fighting with great “flair.”

…

Second floor.

By the window of the private room.

“Crack.”

Nanny precisely put a plump melon seed kernel into her mouth, her little cheeks puffed out, watching with great interest.

“Xiao Jiu, look at that one in yellow, he’s hiding so ugly, his butt is almost sticking up to the sky!”

“And that nun, her sword is almost poking someone’s nose, but she’s still hacking blindly with her eyes closed, it’s hilarious!”

The little girl, while cracking melon seeds, became a live commentator, her little mouth chattering, her critiques incredibly sharp.

Qin Jiu’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly as he picked up his teacup and took a light sip.

Out of sight, out of mind.

In his opinion, these so-called “Martial Forest experts” downstairs were no different in essence from a bunch of street thugs fighting each other with iron pieces.

That chaotic Internal Energy, those Moves full of loopholes…

He even had an urge to go down and teach them what true “fighting” was.

Forget it, it’s beneath him.

Only Xiao Huohuo’s heart was in his throat, his fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands.

His gaze was fixed on the green figure in the battle circle.

Cloud Mirage!

Her every Move seemed to be etched into his heart, both familiar and strange.

That aloofness, that decisiveness, just like back then…

Just as both sides were genuinely heated, a young Emei Disciple failed to dodge in time, and was about to be pierced through the shoulder by Zhao Zhijing’s sword!

“All of you—stop!”

A furious roar, like a sudden clap of thunder, carried a terrifying, suffocating pressure that descended from the sky!

It wasn't just a loud sound, but a tremor originating from the Soul!

“Boom!”

The air in the entire inn seemed to be sucked out at that instant, solidifying into a tangible form!

Everyone in the main hall who was fighting, whether Quanzhen or Emei, was struck as if by lightning, their bodies stiffened, their Internal Energy instantly suppressed, making even moving a little finger a luxury.

Weapons clattered to the ground.

Everyone turned back in horror!

At the inn’s entrance, two figures had appeared silently.

The one on the left, in a green Daoist robe, possessed an ethereal Aura, with a gaunt face, holding a whisk, and with eyes that, when opened and closed, shot out brilliant light, radiating an imposing Aura like a prison!

It was Master Qiu Chuji, one of the seven great Disciples under the Quanzhen Sect Leader, Changchunzi!

The one on the right, in a plain monk’s robe, had a solemn and dignified appearance, holding a whisk, with a face like frost, and an Aura that was in no way weaker than Master Qiu Chuji’s!

It was Master Abbess Jingxuan, the current Sect Head of the Emei Sect!

These two were Great Grandmasters of the highest caliber, capable of making the entire Great Song Martial Forest tremble with a mere stomp of their feet!

“Master…Master?!”

Zhao Zhijing’s Soul almost flew out when he saw Master Qiu Chuji’s face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot; his legs went weak, and he plopped to the ground, trembling like a sieve.

“Sect Head!”

The Emei Sect Disciples also bowed one after another, each with their heads lowered, like elementary School students who had made a mistake, not daring to breathe loudly.

Master Qiu Chuji completely ignored the others, his eyes, which seemed to be spitting fire, stared fixedly at Zhao Zhijing.

He walked over step by step, each step seemingly treading on everyone’s heart.

“You scoundrel!”

Master Qiu Chuji stood before Zhao Zhijing, his voice squeezed through gritted teeth.

“The face of my Quanzhen Sect has been completely disgraced by a shameless person like you!”

Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand.

“Smack!!!”

A crisp, extremely loud slap echoed throughout the hall!

This slap carried no Internal Energy; it was a pure, anger-filled, powerful slap!

Zhao Zhijing was spun three and a half times like a top, a mouthful of blood mixed with seven or eight teeth spewed out, and then with a “whoosh,” he flew backward more than ten meters like a kicked ball, successively smashing through four tables and five benches, finally hitting the wall with a “thud,” hanging there like a dead dog, his eyes rolling back as he completely fainted.

The entire place was silent.

You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned by that slap.

“Tie up these disgraceful wretches and bring them back to Chongyang Palace!” Master Qiu Chuji snapped, shaking his slightly numb hand, to the several Disciples who had followed him, “Three years of facing the wall! Whoever dares to offend again will be expelled from the School!”

“Yes!”

After dealing with his own School, Master Qiu Chuji then turned to Master Abbess Jingxuan, forcing a hint of apology onto his face: “Abbess, this humble Daoist has failed in teaching his Disciples and has made you laugh.”

Master Abbess Jingxuan remained expressionless, only nodding coldly.

Her gaze passed over Ding Minjun and finally landed on Cloud Mirage.

Her eyes were cold and sharp.

“Cloud Mirage.”

The voice was not loud, but it made Cloud Mirage’s delicate body tremble violently.

“You, why did you ambush a Quanzhen Sect Disciple?”

Cloud Mirage suddenly looked up, her pretty face filled with disbelief and immense grievance.

“Sect Head! This Disciple did not! This Disciple truly did not!”

She argued anxiously, her voice tinged with a sob, “It…it was this Disciple’s sword, it itself…”

“Enough!”

Master Abbess Jingxuan coldly interrupted her.

“Absurd! A sword is an inanimate object, how could it injure someone on its own! Do you take this Master for a three-year-old child?!”

“In plain sight, you still dare to speak cleverly and show no remorse!”

“Do you know how much trouble this one sword strike of yours, if successful, would have brought upon my Emei Sect?!”

“After returning to the mountain, go to the Cliff of Contemplation in the back mountain yourself and face the wall for three months! You may only come out when you have truly understood!”

“Sect Head…” Tears welled up in Cloud Mirage’s eyes, and she still wanted to argue.

But what she met was Master Abbess Jingxuan’s unyielding, utterly cold gaze.

All words were stuck in her throat.

Ultimately, she could only lower her proud head, her voice choked: “…This Disciple obeys.”

A momentous clash between two Schools thus ended abruptly with the powerful intervention of the two Great Grandmasters.

The Great Grandmasters came and went quickly.

Leaving behind a mess, and a group of onlookers who exchanged glances, still wanting more.

In the private room.

“Sigh…”

Nanny let out a long sigh, tossing the melon seed shells out the window, her small face clearly showing the words “disappointment.”

“Is that all?”

“I thought they’d fight to the death, but it turns out the adults came out, gave one slap each, and that was it.”

“How boring!”

The little girl slid off the chair, stretched, and her little tummy grumbled twice in timely fashion.

Her bright, dark eyes instantly lit up, and all the boredom and disappointment from before vanished in an instant!

“Let’s go, let’s go! Xiao Jiu! Xiao Huohuo!”

“Watching a show is not as good as eating!”

“This Senior Sister knows there’s a Liu’s Roast Chicken at the corner of this town, the taste is absolutely amazing! Quick! If we’re late, it’ll be gone!”

With that, she dragged the still somewhat dazed Qin Jiu and Xiao Huohuo, and rushed downstairs in a flurry.

As if the Jianghu incident, which concerned the face of two major Schools, was truly less important to her than a steaming hot roast chicken.