Actually, the South Heaven Sect learned about the news of its disciple's death earlier than Three Streams Manor.
As a disciple under the South Heaven Sect, because of her outstanding looks, even if Yan Ruoshui was not the most outstanding disciple in the young generation, she possessed a group of fans too.
After the news of Yan Ruoshui's demise spread, a considerable wave was set off in the entire South Heaven Sect. A group of young disciples gathered over at the sect's main hall, requesting for their masters to punish the murderer severely.
But in reality, after receiving the news long ago, those big shots had already sent a letter to the Three Streams Manor right away.
"Senior Apprentice Brother, Three Streams Manor has replied. That young disciple that they sent out this time is already dead."
A middle-aged man with a sad face stepped into the main hall and said to the purple-robed man who was seated in the master seat, "He was also killed by that warden. Three Streams Manor has already sent people out to capture that warden. What should we do?"
There was only one murderer, but it implicated three sects. Where this person ended up in the end would likely be a problem too.
The purple-robed man had a grim expression. Musing for a moment, he said, "No matter what, since he killed my South Heaven Sect's people, wouldn't my South Heaven Sect be ridiculed by people if we don't do anything?" "Junior Apprentice Brother, bring people to Wei Prefecture. Even if you can't triumph over the Three Streams Manor in the end, you have to show our South Heaven Sect's resolve too. If there's a possibility... directly kill that person and be done with it."
Since they could not bring him back, then they would directly kill him and get it over with.
The middle-aged man nodded his head, "I got it, Senior Apprentice Brother."
Watching the middle-aged man leave, the purple-robed man placed his hand on his forehead and massaged his brows rather tiredly. Then, he said softly, "Ruoshui died in Wei Prefecture, we shouldn't have sent her there for that matter in the first place. Although she's smart, she's a little too arrogant." "There are her fellow disciples in the sect to make her understand restraint. After going down the mountain, she was indeed still disadvantaged. Originally, I thought that she would suffer some hardships from Guo Xi this time. But I didn't think that she paid such a great price."
As he opened his mouth, a woman with a full figure slowly walked out of the shadows of the main hall. She was good-looking and bewitching; an existence that made people unable to forget after one glance.
Arriving next to the purple-robed man, the woman personally brewed a pot of tea for him before slowly saying, "A measly little warden, he's at most second-realm. He killed Ruoshui just like that? It should be noted that other than Ruoshui, Guo Xi was Divine Trove Realm."
The purple-robed man frowned and said, "What are you trying to say?"
"I just feel that things aren't so simple. On the surface, the Great Liang Dynasty seems to treat us foreign land cultivators with the same respect in these 200 over years. But in the dark, who knows how many things they have done? I even heard that the Divine Capital's emperor, His Majesty, seems to be a remarkable martial artist too."
A worried expression appeared in the woman's eyes, "If this was intended by the Great Liang Dynasty, things will be rather complicated."
The purple-robed man gave a cold snort, "Those uncouth martial artists have knelt for so many years, I don't believe that they want to revolt now!"
……
……
When Chen Chao returned to Peach Blossom Alley, dawn was just starting to break. Virtually all of the residences in the small alley did not open their doors.
When he arrived in front of his own house and saw the door lock that had already dropped off in front of the door, he furrowed his brows slightly.
Then, he raised his hand and was about to push the door and enter.
But with a creak, the door opposite opened.
The bleary-eyed man pushed open the door and walked out. Rubbing his eyes, he carried a large water ladle in one hand and a willow branch in the other. Plopping down on the doorstep, the man rinsed his mouth with the water. When he lifted his head, he just happened to see Chen Chao who was about to open his door and return home. He chuckled and said, "Done with your business?"
Chen Chao turned around and saw this old neighbor whom he had always been at odds with.
"Kid, your complexion doesn't look good. I said it long ago, don't visit those 'houses of ill repute' too often. You're already this frail at your age, your wife will suffer in the future!"
The man teased, "Could it be because of this that your wife returned to her parents' home previously?"
The corners of Chen Chao's mouth twitched, but he did not want to say much to him, "You'd best stay further away from me, I'm afraid that you'll regret it in the future."
"What are you talking about?"
The man put down the water ladle and asked rather curiously, "Kid, did you encounter some problem? Tell me about it and let me have a good laugh."
Chen Chao was silent.
The man guessed, "You wouldn't have killed that fellow before, right? Was that guy a demon? If he wasn't a demon, then you killed him just because he knocked off your door lock? I say, that guy looked like he has some background. Maybe he has a number of big shots in his family that are working as government officials. A measly little warden like you, by doing so, you've gotten into huge trouble."
Chen Chao glanced at the man suspiciously and said softly, "If I killed them all, what should I do?"
The man was expressionless. Taking the water ladle and heading inside the house, he cursed while walking, "If you killed them, why haven't you hurried up and ran? Are you waiting here to die?! Also, don't freaking say that you know me, Your Father will be moving out immediately."
Chen Chao spat out spittle and said with a smile, "Alright, if I get captured, I'll say that it was Zhou Gouqi who instigated me to do it."
The man stopped and said with a mournful face, "You punk, you aren't really messing with Your Father, right?"
Chen Chao walked over for the first time and sat down over at the doorstep here. Rubbing his head, he asked, "If I really caused a huge catastrophe, what should I do?"
The man came back to the doorstep and sat down again. Smacking his own face, he casually asked, "How huge? Did you dig up the Great Liang Dynasty's imperial mausoleum or kidnap the Great Liang Dynasty's princess?"
Chen Chao frowned and said, "What if it's even bigger than these two things?"
The man said disdainfully, "Could it be that you really provoked those foreign cultivators?"
Chen Chao nodded his head honestly.
The man gave an oh and pulled a long face as he said, "Then there's nothing to say. Wait to die, kiddo!"
Chen Chao stared at the man and was silent for a long time.
The man felt goosebumps being stared at and said with a frown, "What the f*ck are you looking at?"
After a while, Chen Chao said faintly, "Are you really not some reclusive expert?"
The man opened his eyes wide and had a look of disbelief, "What are you talking about?"
Chen Chao turned his head somewhat disappointedly.
The man rubbed his face. Then, he reached his hand out and patted the youth in front of him. He smiled as he said, "Kid, could you have heard about my story before?"
"No. But your face is full of stories."
Chen Chao's face was full of sincerity.
The man was very satisfied and said with a nod, "When Your Father was young, I was indeed a handsome fellow everywhere in the world. This is no joke."
"... ..."
Chen Chao was silent for a moment and said softly, "I killed four qi refiners, one of them was the one that you saw before."
The man covered his ears and muttered to himself, "I'm not listening, not listening. Lalalala."
"... ..."
"That year, when I came here, I checked the county government's files. In the entire Tianqing County, there was only Peach Blossom Alley which had no incidences of demons eating people. Among all of Peach Blossom Alley's residents, you're the only outsider."
Chen Chao remembered the contents of the file back then and smiled. At that time, he was still unsure whether or not the man in front of him was some incredible expert. He only drew a conclusion after these two years of continuous observation.
"How did you tell?"
The man put his hands down and dug his teeth.
"Actually, no matter how friendly the neighborhood of an alleyway, everyone has a kind of fear towards the likes of cultivators. Only you don't, you don't care at all. Doesn't this explain anything?"
Chen Chao had also been observing the man countlessly during their countless arguments.
He discovered that this man staying opposite him was really not afraid of him at all. At first, he also wondered whether or not the man was heartless to begin with. But very soon, he overturned his own conclusion.
"Alright, I'll stop pretending. I originally wanted to get along with you as an ordinary person..."
The man let out a sigh and looked at Chen Chao with a grin.
Chen Chao raised his brows.
"Kid, you want me to help you, but you seem to have forgotten one thing, that is that if I'm as amazing as you think, why would I be staying in this godforsaken place?" "It's true that I'm a cultivator, but if you're asking me to go and deal with those few sects, you want me dead. If Your Father were to die, what will happen to my wife?"
The man narrowed his eyes and changed his tune as he said with a smile, "However, I still admire you a lot. You dare to kill people with ease."
"Did you kill too many demons? Is your brain broken?"
Chen Chao smiled bitterly. If not for those few people being hellbent on killing him, he also would not have killed them just like that.
It was just that he could not say the reason for it.
"Kid, although I can't help you, I have a few words that you can listen to."
The man dug his ear and finally became serious.
Chen Chao clasped his hands and said seriously, "Sir, please teach me."
The man turned to look behind him and then smiled and said, "Kid, you've gotten into huge trouble, but you're too weak yourself. So there's a good chance that you'll be crushed to death silently." "However, in these troubled times, if you're dead, then you're dead. That's normal too."
The corners of Chen Chao's mouth twitched. What was he saying...
Ants on the ground might be trampled to death by people someday. But the person who trampled it to death would be completely clueless.
This was the most ironic thing.
Chen Chao furrowed his brows.
The man narrowed his eyes and said lazily, "You have to know, there are too many places in the world that are dark. No matter how dazzling the sunlight is, it can't illuminate those places too. Hiding in those places might evade many dangers, but one will likewise avoid the illumination of sunlight..."
"You're not something that can't be exposed to the sunlight. You might not die if you're standing in the sunlight."
