Volume 2 Chapter 42

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Volume 2 Chapter 42: Venting Anger

After seeing Old Beggar off, Xu Qingfan thanked the Watchman for the introduction, and they bid farewell to each other. The Watchman, eager to refine the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast’s core into a magical tool for finding Spiritual Herbs and testing medicines, also left the market after inviting Xu Qingfan to visit Medicine King Valley sometime.

Once the Watchman left, Xu Qingfan leisurely walked in the direction where Ting’er had been. But when he reached the spot, Ting’er was nowhere to be found. He frowned slightly, knowing she wasn’t one to wander off. She would have waited quietly as he asked. Her absence suggested something had happened. The thought made Xu Qingfan anxious.

As Xu Qingfan searched for any sign of Ting’er and Little Green, a sudden commotion erupted in a quiet corner of the market, with what seemed like Little Green’s cries mixed in, before quickly subsiding. Without hesitation, Xu Qingfan hurried towards the source of the noise.

When Xu Qingfan arrived at the scene of the commotion, he found Ting’er standing silently, with a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth, her face pale. Her veil had fallen off, lying some distance away. Little Green lay unmoving at her feet, seemingly unconscious.

In front of them was a bearded man, meditating with eyes closed, possessing about the middle stage of the Lingji Stage in cultivation. Upon sensing Xu Qingfan’s arrival, he opened his eyes briefly, his gaze filled with relief and disdain upon seeing Xu Qingfan’s early stage of the Lingji Stage level, then returned to his meditation. His stall had several spiritual herbs, not as valuable as the Millennium Lingzhi Xu Qingfan carried but still quite precious.

Seeing this scene, Xu Qingfan quickly understood what had happened. The Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast, being fond of spiritual herbs, must have tried to steal from the man’s stall, only to be caught and knocked out. Ting’er, either being nearby or trying to save Little Green, got hurt in the process.

Even though Xu Qingfan knew it was their fault, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anger. With the man’s level of cultivation, he could have subdued Little Green without harming Ting’er. Yet, he had deliberately knocked Little Green out and hurt Ting’er as well.

To Xu Qingfan, Ting’er was not only a promise to his cousin Xu Lin but also his only family in this world. Unless Ting’er committed some unforgivable mistake, he would not allow anyone to harm her.

So, after Xu Qingfan arrived, he ignored the monk waiting for an apology and first checked Ting’er’s pulse. Discovering that her internal organs were only slightly shaken and she wasn’t seriously injured, he breathed a sigh of relief. He then infused her with Wood-type Spirit Qi to heal her internal wounds, picked up the veil that had fallen far away, and placed it back on her. After that, he awakened Little Green by channeling Spirit Qi into its unconscious body.

When Little Green woke up, it blinked its big eyes in confusion at its surroundings. Once it spotted the monk, it let out a roar and lunged at him, revealing the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast’s known traits of holding grudges and being aggressive.

"Hmph…"

Seeing Little Green’s actions, Xu Qingfan let out a light snort. After several days of flying with Xu Qingfan, the sky-fearing Little Green had developed a deep respect for him. Hearing Xu Qingfan’s snort, it hesitated, quickly stopped its charge, and ran back to Ting’er’s feet, whimpering in frustration. Meanwhile, Ting’er bent down to comfort Little Green in her arms, her cool gaze fixed on Xu Qingfan, appearing both unchanged and mysterious.

Yet Xu Qingfan didn’t spare a glance at Little Green. Instead, he walked directly up to the monk, looked at him indifferently, and softly asked, "How should I address you?"

Xu Qingfan’s earlier disregard had already infuriated the monk. Seeing Xu Qingfan finally speaking to him, the monk huffed and said, "I am Tian Huan, a protector of the ‘Xuan Ling Sect.’ May I know your name?"

Xu Qingfan had heard of the "Xuan Ling Sect" before, knowing it to be a faction weaker than Medicine King Valley. Although it had some reputation in the cultivation world, Xu Qingfan did not regard it highly.

Just as Xu Qingfan was about to introduce his own sect, he hesitated, recalling the look of relief and disdain in Tian Huan’s eyes upon realizing Xu Qingfan’s cultivation was lower. Understanding that Tian Huan likely bullied the weak, Xu Qingfan decided not to reveal his real affiliation. Instead, to teach Tian Huan a lesson and stand up for Ting’er, he casually replied, "I am Xu Fan."

To prevent Tian Huan from discovering any secrets from his name, Xu Qingfan used his previous name.

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s introduction, Tian Huan felt slightly relieved. The Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast had just tried to steal his spiritual medicine, and in his anger, he knocked it out, accidentally injuring the little girl nearby. But after the act, Tian Huan regretted it, realizing the beast was evidently a spirit beast belonging to a cultivator, and the girl, despite the strange patterns on her face, was clearly a mortal. To appear in the marketplace for cultivators, she must have an elder guiding her. He feared offending a master unintentionally.

However, when he realized the newcomer only had the early stage of the Lingji Stage cultivation, Tian Huan felt relieved. When Xu Qingfan introduced himself and didn’t mention his sect, Tian Huan assumed he was a rogue cultivator and felt even more disdain. So, after Xu Qingfan finished speaking, Tian Huan arrogantly said, "Your spirit pet nearly stole my spiritual medicine earlier."

The implication was that Xu Qingfan should apologize.

Hearing Tian Huan’s arrogant words, Xu Qingfan remained calm, slightly bowed, and said, "I failed to manage properly and caused you trouble. I apologize for this."

Just as arrogance grew on Tian Huan’s face after hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Xu Qingfan suddenly changed his tone and said, "But with your cultivation level, couldn’t you have simply restrained the little beast? Why not only injure it but also accidentally harm my niece?"

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Tian Huan’s eyes flashed with sharpness, his aura surged, and he stared at Xu Qingfan, slowly saying, "Are you here to blame me?"

Xu Qingfan replied calmly, "How dare I? I already apologized to you for the little beast’s mistake. If you apologize to my niece whom you accidentally injured, then we can part ways with no further issues."

Tian Huan stared at Xu Qingfan, seemingly incredulous at his words, and after a long time, he slowly said, "What if I refuse?"

Some cultivators often think of themselves as celestial beings, and asking them to apologize to a mere mortal is a great humiliation, especially for Tian Huan.

Hearing Tian Huan’s words, Xu Qingfan smiled lightly and said, "If that’s the case, I guess there’s no choice but for us to have a match."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s response, Tian Huan laughed angrily and said, "Do you really think you can spar with me?"

It is known that the gap in power between a rogue cultivator and one from an established sect is significant. Not only are the abilities they cultivate different in their profoundness, but sect members often receive magical instruments from their masters, whereas rogue cultivators rarely have such items, and if they do, they’re usually of low grade. Of course, the difference in quality also exists between disciples of large and small sects.

So, seeing a "rogue cultivator" who clearly wasn’t as skilled as him daring to challenge him, Tian Huan found it unbelievable.

Naturally, Tian Huan assumed Xu Qingfan to be a rogue cultivator because disciples from sects usually wear their sect’s uniform when traveling, but ever since the battle of Southern Wasteland, Xu Qingfan had changed out of his tattered robe from Jiuhua Gate and was wearing ordinary clothes bought in the mortal realm.

"You’ll know if I’m qualified after we compete," Xu Qingfan said calmly, unaffected by Tian Huan’s dismissive words.

After speaking, Xu Qingfan stood still, feet firmly planted, his gaze calm as he watched Tian Huan, as if inviting him to attack.

Seeing Xu Qingfan’s demeanor, Tian Huan regained his composure. He wasn’t ignorant, having achieved a certain level of cultivation and serving as a guardian in his sect. He knew Xu Qingfan must have some confidence to challenge him, so he calmly replied, "Very well, I shall learn from your skills."

As Tian Huan spoke, his fingers moved swiftly, conjuring dozens of golden swords in front of him that surged towards Xu Qingfan. At the same time, a golden hammer appeared above Xu Qingfan’s head, ready to strike down hard. Tian Huan aimed to gauge Xu Qingfan’s strength, so he held back a little in his attack.

The other cultivators who had set up stalls near Tian Huan quickly packed up and stood at a distance, merely watching the clash between the two, not intending to help either side and just enjoying the spectacle.

Seeing Tian Huan’s attack, Xu Qingfan smiled slightly and stood still, allowing the golden swords and hammer to approach him.

As the golden swords and hammer passed through Xu Qingfan’s body, it faded into nothingness. Tian Huan’s expression changed drastically, but before he could react, Xu Qingfan’s true form was already behind him, a blade of grass lightly pressed against his neck. Xu Qingfan spoke calmly, "Are you ready to apologize now?"

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan felt a sense of relief, thinking the battle was too easy. By simply using his speed and a trick of illusion, he had easily deceived Tian Huan. Xu Qingfan had been prepared for a fierce fight since Tian Huan’s cultivation level was higher.

Little did Tian Huan know, after the grand competition and the Southern Wasteland battle, Xu Qingfan’s combat skills had far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators. If Tian Huan had any combat experience, he would have used a "Sky Eye Skill" before the fight, which would have made it harder for Xu Qingfan’s speed and illusion to deceive him.

Though Tian Huan was alarmed with the blade of grass at his neck, he remained composed and said coldly, "Friend, I can apologize to your niece, but in doing so, my ‘Xuan Ling Sect’ would lose all its honor."

Tian Huan’s words were meant to exert pressure on Xu Qingfan using the name of his sect.

Just as Xu Qingfan was about to say something, a surprised voice from the crowd was heard, "Junior Brother Xu, what is happening here?" It was Zhao Qingxuan speaking.