Chapter 37: Nonsense

　　“Shijie!” The shidi and shimei all knew that the two of them going to fight right now was akin to facing death. The youngest disciples could not control their emotion and started to cry. Terror, frustration, sorrow, all kinds of emotions surrounded them and made them panic.

　　“Shixiong and Shijie are right. We will leave immediately.” The oldest female cultivator of the remaining disciples wiped away her tears. “Little Shidi, go into the town and see if any strong cultivators are willing to help us. If not… if not, notify the major for him to be on guard and try to protect the people.” The female cultivator jumped onto her sword, her eyes gradually becoming determined. “Everyone else, come with me. Remember to be obvious. At least… at least, have those evil cultivators know where we went.”

　　When Shixiong and Shijie could not delay any longer, the evil cultivators would chase them, and the people in this city would be spared. She feared death. But if they affected so many people in the city, she would not be able to live with it. At least, if she tried her best, she would die with no guilt.

　　Hearing the timid shidi and shimei follow her, crying but not running away on their own, the female cultivator said, “If we can survive this…” She watched as Shixiong was stabbed in the chest by the evil cultivator and choked out, “I will give my precious stones to you.”

　　“Go!”

　　In the inn, Kong Hou washed up, put on clean clothes and went downstairs. Huan Zhong and Lin Hu were waiting for her by the table, the dishes on the table still steaming. She quickly walked next to Huan Zhong to sit down and gave Huan Zhong a smile.

　　Huan Zhong smelled a fresh fragrance on Kong Hou after her bath. He looked sideways and saw ruby earrings swaying at her neck. Blinking his eyes, he hurriedly moved his gaze away.

　　“These are wild-grown vegetables we collected from the mountain; they taste better than ordinary ones. Guests, please enjoy your meal.” The greeter came over with more dishes. Kong Hou had not come out of her room for several days. On finally seeing her again, he couldn’t help but peek at her. But when he remembered that this miss may be the noble gentleman’s partner, he did not dare to look more and left with a bow.

　　“The greeter is exceptionally friendly today.” The day they came, the greeter had been enthusiastic because he wanted to keep them as guests. Today’s enthusiasm was unlike that day—it had more sincerity.

　　“Really?” He could not detect different kinds of enthusiasm. He used his chopsticks to pick up some of the wild vegetables and took a bite. While they did not have spirit energy like vegetables from spirit earth gardens, they were tender and fresh.

　　Kong Hou had not eaten for many days, and her appetite was much better than usual. She quickly and elegantly ate two bowls of rice. When she was preparing to add a third bowl, she heard a crying male voice shouting for help.

　　She put down her chopsticks and prepared to go see. Huan Zhong held her wrist. “Sit; have Lin Hu go look.”

　　As he spoke, Lin Hu had already flashed to the door. The other guests in the hall also heard the shouts of “help.” Without even thinking, they put down their chopsticks and fled back into their rooms. Only Huan Zhong, Kong Hou and the innkeeper hiding behind the counter remained.

　　“The cultivation world has had this occur before. Someone called for help during the night, and a good-hearted person went out but was killed.” Huan Zhong released Kong Hou’s wrist. “Some evil cultivators use the kindness of good cultivators to scheme against them. You are young—you do not know how evil people’s minds are.”

　　Kong Hou was shocked. So evil cultivators had so many ways of being bad?

　　“Some evil cultivators disguise themselves as children. They pretend to fall into water or cry for help. When cultivators come close, they will use the opportunity to destroy the cultivator’s spirit platform and absorb the other’s spirit power.” Huan Zhong saw Kong Hou’s shocked expression and told her some of the cases that had occurred in the cultivation world. “In any case, you have to be wary of others, understand?”

　　Kong Hou nodded obediently and had a new understanding of the cultivation world. No wonder there was a Cultivation World Guide in the storage ring Master gave her. It wasn’t that Master worried too much about her, but that the evil cultivators had many ways of being evil.

　　“Are there any path friends here? Help!” The wounded disciple’s throat was hoarse from running the entire way. He had used up all of his strength. But when the passersby heard the shouts and saw the still wet blood on his body, no one lent a helping hand.

　　Right now, he only had one breath left as he numbly called for help. He dazedly went forward. The snow under his feet was thick but not as cold as his heart. He knew he should not blame these people for not helping, but thinking of the unknown fates of his shixiong and shijie, he had no more tears to cry. He was in such pain he almost lost his senses.

　　Were they fated to die today, and so there wasn’t a single cultivator with high cultivation in this city? When he thought of this, he sat down powerlessly on the snowy ground and looked around blankly.

　　Who could save his shixiong and shijie?

　　Lin Hu stood and looked from the inn. He then turned his head toward the room and said, “Master, the caller is a Base Building second level cultivator. From his robes, he seems to be a disciple of Cool Breeze Sect.”

　　“Cool Breeze Sect?” Huan Zhong had a memory of this sect. This sect called Cool Breeze was a sword cultivation, but their conduct was hard to describe. More than two hundred years ago, Cool Breeze Sect almost became a subordinate sect of Radiance Sect. Cool Breeze Sect desired it, and the sect was also moved. In the end, the matter did not continue.

　　It was not because Cool Breeze Sect was filled with evil people; rather, it was that, as sword cultivators, the disciples of Cool Breeze Sect liked to embed all kinds of precious stones on their lifebond swords, and had many different kinds of tassels and decorations. This manner of not competing in swordsmanship but with the appearance of the sword was completely the opposite of Radiance Sect. All of Cool Breeze Sect felt that their lifebond swords should be made beautiful and grand. In the end, both sects decided not to mention this matter again.

　　While the matter did not succeed, after this, Huan Zhong remembered this sect. He felt that the people of this sect were abnormalities among sword cultivators. Learning that it was a disciple of Cool Breeze Sect asking for help, he walked to the door, Kong Hou hurriedly following behind him.

　　The disciple sitting in the snow did not look old. His clothing was disorganized and he was wounded. Kong Hou looked at this person and then turned to look at Huan Zhong without speaking.

　　“Never mind, he isn’t an evil cultivator in disguise.” Huan Zhong who did not like speculating on other people’s thoughts understood what Kong Hou meant.

　　After receiving Huan Zhong’s confirmation, Kong Hou said, “Path Friend, has something happened?”

　　The disciple of Cool Breeze Sect thought that he desired someone to rescue his shixiong and shijie so much that he was hallucinating. He looked dazedly at the three people standing at the inn door. He rubbed his eyes hard. Those three were still there.

　　He could see that two of them had higher cultivation than his own. He knelt and kowtowed. “This one is a disciple of Cool Breeze Sect, Feng Qi, and asks Path Friends to rescue my shixiong and shijie.”

　　Huan Zhong looked towards the city gates. With a wave of his sleeve, a jade ship appeared in the sky. He grabbed Kong Hou’s hand and jumped onto the ship. Using spirit energy, he pulled the dazed Cool Breeze Sect disciple onto the jade ship and said coldly, “Lin Hu, follow.”

　　Feng Qi was pulled into the jade ship, his mind still blank. Was this noble gentleman who did not appear to have cultivation the one in charge? Thinking of his shixiong and shijie, he hurriedly climbed up and looked down from the ship. In the blink of an eye, the ship had flown out of the city. In the nearby sky, a dense group of black birds swarmed.

　　“Path Friend, please be careful. These birds are controlled by the evil cultivator. Their beaks and claws are extremely sharp, and they are fast. They will ambush when people do not pay attention.” Feng Qi had suffered from those black birds and warned this young master who looked sickly.

　　“Huan Zhong, what birds are those?” Kong Hou heard the bird cries which were like the wails of ghosts. She touched the goosebumps that appeared on her arms.

　　“Those are not birds.” Huan Zhong stood with his hands behind his back. “These are bone-eating beasts—they don’t just eat the flesh of humans, they also eat the bones.”

　　Several bone-eating beasts flew towards Huan Zhong. He extended a hand and gripped around empty air. Before the incoming bone-eating beasts could cry out, their bodies had separated and they fell down.

　　The jade ship quickly passed through the bone-eating beast swarm, and the bone-eating beasts fell down like dumplings into water. Feng Qi looked dazedly at the scene and did not dare to believe that the bone-eating beasts who had caused them to flee were weaker than mosquitos in front of this sickly young master.

　　“Big Brother, that woman has some beauty—do not kill her.” A grey-robed cultivator with a goatee, small eyes and a large mouth stood in the air. He looked at the female cultivator who was covered in wounds and about to fall. He laughed sinisterly. “Why don’t you capture her to become a furnace; it is a pity to kill her.”

　　“What time is it that you are still thinking about women?!” The older evil cultivator pointed at the male cultivator on the ground. “First take the spirit energy from this one’s spirit platform.”

　　“Stop!” the female cultivator shouted. “You bastards, do not touch my shixiong.”

　　“Oh, oh, the little girl has a temper. I won’t just touch your shixiong, I will also touch you.” The evil cultivator with the goatee laughed, and controlled the bone-eating beasts to tear away a piece of the female cultivator’s clothing. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, such white skin.”

　　“Why aren’t you going to absorb the spirit energy?!” The older evil cultivator slapped the goatee-wearing cultivator. “Have you never seen a woman before?”

　　The goatee saw Big Brother was angry. While he was reluctant to part with the beauty, he did not dare to disobey Big Brother’s orders. He took out a gourd and flew towards the male cultivator.

　　“Shixiong!” The female cultivator flew and landed in front of the male cultivator, throwing all the seals she had towards the cultivator with the goatee. The cultivator with the goatee was prepared, and took out a talisman to block all the seals. He said with a dark expression, “I like obedient women more. Little Beauty, if you leave now, I will spare your life.”

　　“Go away!” The female cultivator twirled her sword and engaged with the goatee-wearing cultivator. But she was heavily injured. In a few breaths, the opponent gained the upper hand.

　　“Shijie!” Feng Qi saw the female cultivator fighting with the evil cultivator on the ground. He was going to jump off the jade ship when Huan Zhong pulled him back.

　　“Do not get in the way.” His tone was sedate and emotionless, as though he was just describing reality.

　　Feng Qi could not care about this right now. He said urgently, “Even if I die, I cannot watch as Shijie is insulted by the evil cultivator.”

　　Huan Zhong ignored him and said to Kong Hou, “Have you ever fought an evil cultivator?”

　　Kong Hou shook her head.

　　“Go.” Huan Zhong pointed to the ground. “You will only know where your shortcomings are when you truly fight.”

　　He stepped forward, coming less than ten inches away from Kong Hou. He reached out to pat Kong Hou’s hair, his movement extremely light. “Do not be afraid, I will be watching from the side.”

　　Seeing the female cultivator unable to continue, Kong Hou took a deep breath. She nodded and said, “All right.” Then she jumped out of the jade ship and flew towards the female cultivator.

　　Huan Zhong looked at Kong Hou and had the jade ship fly lower. However, he showed no intentions of acting. Behind him, Lin Hu silently went to engage the other evil cultivator. When he started, the older evil cultivator was unable to fight back.

　　Feng Qi was astounded. Who were these three people?!

　　The evil cultivator with the goatee did not that his Big Brother was already pressed to the point where he could not fight back or call for help. He knocked down the female cultivator’s sword and said with a cold smile, “Since you desire to die so much, I will fulfill your wish.”

　　His fingers turned to claws as he swiped towards the female cultivator’s throat. This would be a fatal blow—the female cultivator had nowhere to flee.

　　Yet his hand had no opportunity to touch the female cultivator because someone blocked him. It was a female cultivator dressed grandly and with a sword in hand.

　　“Another beauty coming to die?” The goatee-wearing cultivator licked his cracked lips. A Base Building level nine cultivator dared to save someone from him, a Mind Activation level five beast tamer. Such delusions.

　　Powerful beast cultivators had the ability to talk to beasts. The cultivator with the goatee was not so powerful, but had no problem controlling some powerful beasts. With a loud shout, the bone-eating beasts flew towards him.

　　“Path Friend, run!” The female cultivator did not want to also affect the girl who had suddenly appeared. “This person is an evil beast tamer. You are not a match for him.”

　　Kong Hou looked up towards the bone-eating beasts flying at her like moths to a flame. She took out a handful of seals and throw them to the female cultivator. “Protect yourself.” Her magic robe could block several attacks from a Mind Manifestation cultivator. Against this evil cultivator with only Mind Activation cultivation, she could hold on for a while.

　　If she could not…

　　She looked at the man standing on the jade ship. As a woman, she could not easily be seen as useless.

　　Beast cultivators were most skilled at controlling beasts, but their close combat ability was average. Kong Hou used her half-learned swordsmanship and was able to engage in several moves with the goatee-wearing cultivator. The goatee-wearing cultivator was not skilled in close combat but had high cultivation. Her cultivation was low, but she had many seals and talismans. In this moment, they fought and no one had the upper hand.

　　The cultivator with the goatee found that he could not defeat Kong Hou quickly. He did not linger in battle and flashed a dozen meters away from her. The bone-eating beasts circling in the sky received the goatee-wearing cultivator’s order and dove down viciously. It appeared like a black cloud pressing down, and the entire sky darkened.

　　“Miss!” The female cultivator wanted to shield Kong Hou, but as she walked forward, she fell down and started spitting blood onto the ground.

　　“Ah, I told you not move.” Kong Hou looked into the sky and gripped the phoenix head hairpin in her hair.

　　“Go save her!” Feng Qi shouted from on board the jade boat. “So many bone-eating beasts—she will die!”

　　Huan Zhong raised his arm. As he prepared to help, he saw Kong Hou take down a phoenix head hairpin. His brow shifted and he slowly let his hand fall.

　　“Hey!” Feng Qi ignored how much he feared Huan Zhong and was full of urgency. “Are you a man? If you are a man, you won’t watch as your woman is in danger!”

　　“Shut up!” Huan Zhong looked coldly at Feng Qi. Even after two hundred years, the sword cultivators of Cool Breeze Sect were still so unstable.

　　Ravings and babbling nonsense!