Chapter 75: Pengzhou (2)

Fu Fengyan squatted by the door, secretly pulling the door panel open a crack. Behind the crack was a large hall. In the hall, bright pearls served as lamps, shining continuously day and night as if it were broad daylight. Inside, people were eating, drinking, playing finger-guessing games, gambling, and swearing profusely.

Many novel vocabulary words spat out of those people’s mouths like a volley of cannon fire. Fu Fengyan accurately captured each one but failed to understand their meaning, so he turned his head and asked He Tingtong, “The way they talk is so strange.”

He Tingtong was sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating. Over his years at Azure Cloud Academy, he had continuously suppressed his cultivation, advancing slowly. Now stuck at the peak of the Fourth Realm, it was long past time for him to break through. He had just been keeping his spiritual energy sealed inside his body, washing it back and forth through his spiritual meridians over and over again.

Having restarted eighteen lifetimes, cultivation was as simple as eating and drinking to him. He couldn’t be more familiar with his own physique. Only by widening his spiritual meridians as much as possible and laying a solid foundation could he allow his future cultivation to progress further.

Hearing Fu Fengyan’s question, he opened his eyes. “What’s strange?”

He Tingtong walked over, covered Fu Fengyan’s mouth with one hand, and conveniently pulled the door shut. He slapped another eight or ten soundproofing talismans on the doorway until not a single sound could be heard. Only then did he whisper, “Stop learning those messy things.”

Fu Fengyan whimpered wu wu wu against the door. He Tingtong understood: “Are you bored?”

The middle-class cabins were cramped. Pengzhou wasn’t too far from Yunzhou; although it wouldn’t take the two months needed for Jubei Province, a half-month voyage was still required.

They had already been in the room for ten days. He Tingtong had meditated for ten days. Fu Fengyan rarely cultivated; he just stayed quietly by himself. Most of the time he stared at He Tingtong, and a small portion of the time he looked at the drifting clouds outside. It wasn’t until today that he opened a small crack to peek.

Fu Fengyan blinked at He Tingtong with a pure, innocent face. “It’s very lively outside. I haven’t seen it before.”

After staring at each other for a long time, He Tingtong sighed and released Fu Fengyan. “Forget it, staying cooped up like this is boring anyway. I might as well take you out to play, and earn some spirit pearls for pocket money along the way. But we have a three-point agreement.”

Fu Fengyan instantly stood up. “What?”

He Tingtong undid his belt and changed into a more plain and tattered outfit. He took out a strip of cloth and neatly tied up his cuffs, then pointed outside. “First, no randomly learning swear words.”

Fu Fengyan nodded and promised, “I definitely won’t go around saying fck this and fck that.”

He Tingtong: “Second, you are not allowed to talk to strangers.”

Fu Fengyan: “I will only talk to you.”

Holding onto the door panel, seeing Fu Fengyan nod and agree, He Tingtong then reached out his hand to him, raised an eyebrow, and smiled. “Third, stick close to me.”

Pulling the door wide open, the clamor rushed in like a tidal wave, drumming in their ears and buzzing loudly. The smell in the cabin wasn’t as redundantly thick as when they first entered; there must have been array formations dissipating the odors once the spirit boat was moving. But there were truly too many people. The smell of alcohol, food, smoke, and dust mixed together, masked by an extremely strong incense, making it very stuffy.

The spirit boat shipping in the Nine Provinces was entirely controlled by the Xiangli clan. Spirit boats were divided by class. The upper decks were supplied to aristocratic families and immortal sects; the rooms were spacious, and every single room was elegantly furnished with many ingenious designs. The middle deck was for rogue cultivators and small sects; the cabins only provided a place to rest, not food or drink. However, right in the center of the middle deck were casinos and taverns for entertainment. Even though prices were ten percent higher than the outside world, because the voyage was so long, a massive number of people still loitered there to pass the time.

Rolling dice, leaf cards, liubo, shuanglu… Fu Fengyan was dazzled. He Tingtong pulled him along, whispering the rules in his ear, and guided him to make a few bets.

Azure Cloud Academy covered room and board these past few years. During holidays, He Tingtong would occasionally take on private odd jobs outside—running errands for Headmaster Xu or finding herbs for classmates in the Hundred Herbs Pavilion. Scrimping and saving over three years, he had accumulated fifty spirit pearls on him.

In the past, this would be considered a huge sum, but now that he and Fu Fengyan were going to Pengzhou to take up a post, that money seemed a bit tight.

Since they were already here, He Tingtong didn’t mind scooping up some pocket money.

He and Fu Fengyan had both disguised themselves, changing into plain, unadorned robes without a single accessory. One look and anyone could tell they were dirt poor, with no fat to skim off them, so naturally, no one paid them any attention.

He Tingtong took out ten spirit pearls and gave them to Fu Fengyan to gamble with, only betting on points. At first, he leaned into Fu Fengyan’s ear to give a few pointers, but later on, Fu Fengyan quickly grasped the rules and won every bet. It was just that under He Tingtong’s control, the bets for each round were extremely small, making them look very inconspicuous.

The gambler next to them glanced at them. Seeing Fu Fengyan hand over his winning spirit pearls, he couldn’t help but mock, “So stingy. Coming out to gamble and play, yet you brought a bean-counter with you!”

After speaking, the man aggressively pushed forward all the spirit pearls in his arms.

Fu Fengyan pressed down five spirit pearls. Not looking sideways, he calmly spat out a sentence, “According to what others say, does this make me hen-pecked?”

He Tingtong: “…?”

The bamboo cylinder opened, and Fu Fengyan won again. He silently raked in the fifty-something spirit pearls in front of him, stuffed all the money into He Tingtong’s arms, and said affectionately, “I’ll give it all to you. Being managed by you makes me happy.”

He Tingtong’s mouth twitched, but he considerately didn’t expose him. He just pinched Fu Fengyan’s waist, flirting back, “Then you’re not allowed to talk to anyone else.”

Fu Fengyan: “I only talk to you.”

The man: “…” He felt like a public display of affection had just been forcefully shoved in his face.

Holding the spirit pearls in his arms, He Tingtong only felt they were exceptionally hot. He quickly grabbed Fu Fengyan’s arm and dragged him away.

There were an enormous number of people on the middle deck, with seventy or eighty casino tables. He Tingtong took Fu Fengyan to win a few pearls, then switched tables. The two silently rolled ten spirit pearls into five hundred, stopped while they were ahead, sneaked away, and ran to the nearby tavern to order wine.

The woman selling wine revealed half of a round, powerful arm. Seeing the two young lads, she raised a ladle to shoo them away without a word. “Go, go, go! What are you greenhorns joining the fun for? Go play somewhere else!”

He Tingtong hugged a wine jar in front of him and flicked three spirit pearls onto the table. “Just to get a taste! Thank you for the wine, big sister!”

The middle deck wasn’t ventilated, and they couldn’t go up to the top deck either. The two wandered around, passed through food stalls separated by small partitions, and returned to their room. Upon opening the window to ventilate, the air instantly cleared. He Tingtong poured out the wine from the jar, took a sip, and his eyebrows twitched. “They actually watered it down.”

Fu Fengyan leaned over and took a sip directly from He Tingtong’s hand. “Let me taste.”

The wine tasted spicy. Fu Fengyan coughed twice, uncharacteristically feeling a resistance towards a thing. He shook his head. “Spicy. Doesn’t taste good.”

Thus, He Tingtong finished a jar all by himself.

With the alcohol going to his head, he pulled open his collar and looked out the window at the earth beneath the clouds. As they gradually went north, the lush greenery decreased, and one could see rolling yellow sands beneath the clouds. When the wind blew, yellow sand filled the sky, as if covering it in a veil.

Fu Fengyan propped up his head and looked down. “There are no more trees once we reach here.”

Under the sunlight, at the end of the oasis, where it bordered the yellow sand, there was a patch of sparkling silver, reflecting a mirror-like halo.

“According to the General History of the Nine Provinces, Pengzhou is the burial ground of the last tyrant of the Divine Dynasty. The act of regicide was a great treason; the Emperor died with everlasting grievance. Divine blood burned, stretching for thousands of miles, starting from the northwest. Water couldn’t extinguish it, and it threatened to burn down all the Nine Provinces. The fire burned for three years. Afterwards, not a single blade of grass grew, and no living creatures approached. Pengzhou became a dead land until Divine Lord Ruoshui arrived here. Moved to tears by the hardships of the common people, he shed a tear at Jialing. That drop of tear turned into a torrential rainstorm that extinguished the great fire. After the rain stopped, Pengzhou had already been burned to white ash, leaving only this large lake.” He Tingtong pointed at the calm lake surface below. “From then on, with the lake as the boundary, not a blade of grass grew in the north, while water and grass were lush in the south. The remaining living people of Pengzhou gathered in Jialing City, developing and growing.”

Fu Fengyan stared blankly below, listening to He Tingtong’s seemingly drunken voice. “In the center of Pengzhou lie the ancient ruins of the Divine Dynasty. For many years, countless people wanted to investigate, but as soon as they left Jialing City for eight hundred miles, they all disappeared without a trace, leaving no corpses or bones behind.”

“But because of the reputation of the Divine Dynasty, for thousands of years, cultivators still flocked in wave after wave to explore,” He Tingtong curled his fingers around the wine cup. After drinking, his eyes were somewhat hazy, displaying an unreal luster. “Finally, four hundred years ago, a team survived a near-death experience, crossed Pengzhou alive, carved out a path of survival, brought out a top-tier divine artifact, and drew a brand new, safe map, claiming to have found the old capital of the Divine Dynasty inside.”

“And then?” Fu Fengyan asked.

“The ancient Divine Dynasty—whether it be immortal arts, curses, immortal artifacts, or elixirs—were all absolutely top-tier. With such massive benefits at stake, naturally, people rushed in like moths to a flame to seek heavy treasures.”

“And then Pengzhou became the most uncontrollable place in the entire Nine Provinces. Over there, it’s full of outlaws exploring and treasure hunting. They are completely unreasonable. Major factions are entrenched there, and the Immortal Alliance only has a nominal presence; they can’t control anyone. It’s extremely chaotic inside.”

“So don’t run around blindly when we get there,” He Tingtong emphasized. “There are many human traffickers. If you get caught, who knows, you might be forced into some treasure hunting team as a pathfinding stone. I won’t be able to save you.”

Fu Fengyan: “Oh.”

He Tingtong leaned in. “What, are you angry?”

Fu Fengyan turned his head back and forth, and finally muttered, “Not angry. It’s your freedom. But if you get caught, I will definitely go save you.”

He Tingtong: “…”

After a long while, he turned his head away and laughed. “I was lying to you. We are good friends. Whether in life or death, I won’t abandon you.”

Three days later, the spirit boat landed within the sandbank.

As soon as they landed, they were met with a fire-roasting scorching heat. The last sparse bits of moisture in the air evaporated completely. Every breath brought a dull pain like a blunt knife cutting flesh.

Most people in the city covered their heads and faces. Doing as the locals do, He Tingtong and Fu Fengyan also wrapped themselves up tightly, leaving only their eyes exposed.

He Tingtong took out the appointment letter from his robes, held it up to the sun, and followed the map marked on it to look for the Immortal Alliance outpost.

Fu Fengyan: “What is he doing? Do you have friends in Pengzhou too?”

He Tingtong adjusted the gauze on his face. “I don’t know him. Looks like an arrangement from the Immortal Alliance.”

Fu Fengyan: “Shall we go over?”

He Tingtong paused his advancing footsteps, turned a corner, and ultimately led Fu Fengyan to stand in front of the boy. “Are you the person from the Jialing City outpost?”

The youth’s entire face was wrapped in a veil. He looked He Tingtong up and down a few times and asked in an extremely brisk tone, “Are you He Tingtong?”

“I’m not.” He Tingtong pointed at Fu Fengyan. “I’m the lackey, he is.”

Fu Fengyan: “?”

“I am Yuan Qing, a Daoist boy from the Jialing City Immortal Alliance outpost. Following my master’s orders, I have come specially to receive you two senior brothers.” The boy turned around holding his wooden sign, stared at Fu Fengyan for a long time, and nodded. “You two senior brothers, just follow me.”

He Tingtong pulled his veil down a bit and smiled amiably at the boy. “May I ask which Immortal Elder is stationed here?”

“It is none other than Daoist Master Zhuji, Nan Bozhi. The old man has been waiting for you two for a few months. Please come with me quickly.” The youth tilted his head and smiled, looking pure and innocent.

He Tingtong nodded without the slightest bit of scheming and followed behind him. Reaching out, he grabbed Fu Fengyan’s palm. He seemed to be scalded by the temperature, so he had to settle for the next best thing and hooked his pinky finger instead.

Fu Fengyan sent a voice transmission: “Is there a problem?”

He Tingtong replied: “Too attentive. I was tossed over here through underhanded means. Do you think with the temperaments of those teachers in the Langhuan Pavilion, they would make things comfortable for me? Not to mention, Daoist Master Zhuji is a person from the Yuanchen Palace. It’s already good enough if they don’t torment us, so how could they send a boy over to guide us?”

“The most important point: the Immortal Alliance always verifies things when conducting business. Three days before I came to take up my post, my appearance, identity, and information were already transmitted via spirit letter. How could he not be able to tell the difference between you and me?”

“Play it by ear. Don’t let go of my hand.”

Pengzhou’s architecture was not as exquisite as the south, nor as grand as the north. The brick and stone houses were severely eroded by wind and sand, heavily worn. There were hardly any people visible on the streets. It was noon now, and most people were sitting in the shadows of their rooms, looking listless, drooping and dozing off.

They walked on the street for about half a shichen. He Tingtong’s clothes were almost soaked with sweat. He looked up at the sun. “May I ask how far this place is from the Immortal Alliance outpost?”

The little Daoist boy turned around and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Soon, soon. I’m familiar with this place. I’m taking you through a shortcut. It’ll be very quick.”

Fu Fengyan, however, didn’t sweat. His entire body was just burning hot, and a faint pink flush appeared all over his face, showing signs of getting redder and redder.

Finally, upon arriving at a narrow alley, the little Daoist boy smiled. “The outpost is right across. Hurry, Senior Brothers!”

After saying that, he took the lead and slipped into the long alley alone, his steps brisk.

He Tingtong stopped at the alley entrance. A gust of wind blew by, carrying an indescribably gloomy, bloody smell.

He Tingtong looked up and down the narrow alley in front of him. It was only one person wide—not enough for a sword cultivator to draw their sword, nor suitable for using large immortal talismans. It was like a long-mouthed fish trap, waiting for the fish to swim into the cage themselves.

Perhaps thinking he was just a fledgling young disciple, the array formations on the wall weren’t disguised very meticulously. A corner of a yellow talisman was still hanging on it, fluttering with the alley wind, making a rustling sound.

The Daoist boy carrying the wooden sign ahead stopped in his tracks. He turned around, looked at the two at the entrance of the alley, and tilted his head. “Why aren’t you coming in?”

He Tingtong pointed at the half-exposed yellow talisman and smiled. “If we go in, won’t we be caught like turtles in a jar?”

The Daoist boy put down the wooden sign and scratched his head. “You guys really don’t put any effort into your work.”

As soon as the voice fell, He Tingtong heard the sound of sharp blades piercing the wind. His long sword instantly left its sheath. With several clinking sounds, throwing knives fell all over the ground. Behind He Tingtong, an old woman leaning on a crutch appeared at some point.

“This damn weather is too hot,” the old woman’s hoarse voice sounded like it had been rubbed by sandpaper. “A Fourth Realm and a Third Realm. Hurry up and kill them so we can go back and enjoy the cool.”

The little Daoist boy let out an “oh,” smashed the wooden sign with his palm, revealing the long axe hidden underneath, and dragged it backwards as he chopped towards Fu Fengyan.

He Tingtong drew his sword. “You take the front, I take the back?”

“No need.” Fu Fengyan softly refused. In just an instant, he had already broken the little Daoist boy’s arm, hoisted him up, and flung away that axe. From top to bottom, he cleaved the old woman’s face covering in half. Amidst the sound of ripping fabric, Fu Fengyan said flatly, “A Second Realm, a Third Realm, and a Fifth Realm. Piece of cake.”

After speaking, he looked up, his wooden, icy eyes staring at the assassin hiding under the eaves above. “Come down.”

He Tingtong looked up at the young girl under the eaves, pitch-black like a swift, and waved his hand. “Little sister, are you going to come down yourself, or do we have to beat you down?”

The girl clinging to the roof, originally intending to launch a sneak attack, looked at the two below whose depths she couldn’t fathom. Her eyes widened in terror, sweat pouring down her face like a fountain. Her fingers trembled so much she could barely hold her dagger.

“Sis, run!” The boy suddenly sprang up. Disregarding his twisted joints, he grabbed Fu Fengyan’s arm and clamped down on him with his body. “Don’t worry about me! Run!”

The old woman with the ripped outer robe also charged over leaning on her crutch. With a wave of her robe, she threw out all sorts of messy gadgets. He Tingtong threw out a Wind Talisman, directly blowing that pile of miscellaneous junk right back. Just as he was about to throw a Lightning Talisman to shock the person down, the little Daoist boy beside them muttered an incantation, detonating the talismans buried at the alley entrance. The bricks and stones instantly exploded. Dust, dirt, and stones flew everywhere. He Tingtong waved away the chaotic dust and watched as the girl deftly slipped into the shadows and fled without looking back.

Fu Fengyan, holding the boy, wanted to chase, but He Tingtong stopped him. “Forget it.”

Lowering his gaze, he looked at the “little Daoist boy” with the broken arm glaring ferociously at him, and the old lady lying on the ground clutching her waist groaning aiyo, aiyo. He just felt a headache coming on. “One old, one young. These old, weak, sick, and disabled people… anyone who didn’t know would think we were some kind of local bullies.”

“Let’s go.” He Tingtong took out a rope and tied up the seventy-something-year-old lady who had lost her ability to resist. “Walked in circles for half the day, and in the end, we still have to find it ourselves.”

Holding the appointment letter up to the sun and looking at the faint map on it, He Tingtong led the way. Fu Fengyan carried a kid in one hand and an old lady in the other. After traversing the city for an hour, they finally found the Immortal Alliance’s outpost in Jialing City before dark.

It wasn’t even as big as an inn. A tattered, faded flag hung at the door. One could only vaguely distinguish the Nine Luminaries Mountain emblem on it and the words “Immortal Alliance”.

The main door wasn’t locked. He Tingtong kicked the door open and helped Fu Fengyan carry the two assassins inside. Tossing them into the main hall with a thud, it startled the middle-aged man lying on a reclining chair in the hall.

“Holy crap, where did these bandits come from?” The middle-aged man had a face like a round plate, a belly protruding like he was eight months pregnant, and short, thick limbs. He struggled and rolled in the slightly curved reclining chair for a long time before scrambling up. Holding a whisk, he pointed at He Tingtong and Fu Fengyan. “Look carefully! This is an Immortal Alliance outpost! Daring to run wild here, wait until the Immortal Alliance patrols come over, you definitely won’t have a good end!”

He Tingtong was covered in sweat. He directly pulled the appointment letter from his robes and pressed it right in front of the middle-aged man’s eyes. “This junior is a disciple of Azure Cloud Academy under the Gui Li Sword Master. I have been ordered to come and assist the Immortal Elder in guarding Jialing City.”

The perfectly round middle-aged man swayed left and right twice in the room. His eyes stared fixedly at the appointment letter in front of him. He took out a spirit letter from his robes, compared He Tingtong’s face to the portrait on it, then looked at Fu Fengyan beside him and the two half-dead assassins on the ground. He finally breathed a sigh of relief, then turned sarcastic. “Azure Cloud Academy said only one person was coming over. Now you’re dragging your family along! My resources here are limited. I won’t provide food, clothing, housing, or transportation for anyone else!”

He Tingtong smiled very sincerely. “It’s fine. Those are all no problem. I just want to trouble Senior to clarify a confusion for me. Why would there be assassins claiming to be Daoist Master Zhuji’s seated boys, waiting in advance at the spirit boat exit with the intent to murder for money?”

“My good friend and I narrowly escaped with our lives,” He Tingtong wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking as if he was still in shock. “It was truly fraught with danger just now. If Senior doesn’t give me an explanation, this junior wouldn’t dare move in. I’ll just have to write a letter to my Master and ask if there are any traitors in Lord Zhuming’s Immortal Alliance.”

Fat Daoist: “…”

He was still a bit half-asleep just now, but now he tasted the threat in He Tingtong’s words. He carefully sized He Tingtong up again. “You kid are the disciple of the Gui Li Sword Master? That top ranker on the Azure Cloud Rankings?”

He Tingtong silently pulled out his Sword Sect saber. “Indeed.”

The fat Daoist instantly changed his expression. He let out an “Aiya!” and then rolled around on the ground. “Heaven have pity! It has nothing to do with me! I’ve been sleeping in my room ever since I received the message. The Immortal Alliance in Jialing City is just here for show; anyone who comes can step on us. You coming to help me is something I couldn’t be happier about. Why would I think of making a move to kill you?”

The fat Daoist waved his whisk and struck towards the grandparent and grandchild pair on the ground. “Where did you petty thieves come from? How dare you falsely accuse me!”

As he was hitting, the veil covering the boy’s head fell off, revealing a childish, round face with red cheeks. He glared at the fat Daoist, then suddenly burst into loud, bitter tears with a waah. “Immortal Master, I was wrong! Immortal Master, I was also deceived by others!”

The boy rolled on the ground, crying incredibly miserably. “My grandmother and I just took an order. My parents are severely ill and need very, very expensive spiritual medicine. We had no other way, so we could only go to the nearby ghost market to take an order.”

“The order just said to receive a person named He Tingtong today and then kill him, and we could get fifty spirit pearls. I also had no choice!”

The boy scrambled up, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed with loud thumps. “You two Immortal Lords possess superb immortal arts, far beyond our reach. Offending you two was because this lowly one had eyes but failed to see. I only beg that, seeing as neither of you Immortal Lords were hurt, you spare my life! This lowly one will definitely work like a horse or ox, and repay your kindness!”

The boy looked up, snot and tears streaming down his face, his forehead bleeding from kowtowing. Then the old woman beside him groaned, slowly woke up, and also followed suit crying mournfully. She cried out, “My grandson ah!” and claimed this old body was willing to pay with her life, and so on.

The fat Daoist beside them also sniffled twice, wiped the tears from his round face, and said pitifully, “Monastics are merciful. You two young Immortal Lords, look at this… You guys are also fine. Why not be forgiving when possible and let them off the hook? They are all pitiful people.”

“Ah, since this matter has nothing to do with Senior, then it’s very easy to handle.” He Tingtong drew his sword. “Being merciful is for the Buddhist sect. This one is untalented; just like my Master, I cultivate the Dao of Slaughter.”

Fat Daoist: “…”

He Tingtong placed exceptionally heavy emphasis on the word “slaughter”. “People in the martial world, since they engage in the business of murder and robbery, shouldn’t they be prepared for ‘today you kill me, tomorrow I kill you’?”

“They desired to harm me. If I do not kill them, it will be hard to quell the anger in my heart, which will damage my Dao heart.”

The bright silver longsword left its sheath, reflecting two pairs of extremely terrified eyes. Seeing He Tingtong about to chop down, the fat Daoist rushed over without a word and blocked He Tingtong. “Hey, hey, little brother, you can’t say it like that. Look, the heavens care for all living things. Isn’t this just attempted murder? Can’t we exempt them from the death penalty?”

He Tingtong stared at the cold sweat popping out on the fat Daoist’s forehead, a half-smile on his face. “Then tell me, how should I quell my anger?”

The fat Daoist threw an arm around He Tingtong’s shoulder. “Let’s put it this way. It wasn’t easy for you to come all this way, and you have to stay for half a year, right? Killing someone as soon as you arrive is bad luck. Let’s do this: you can choose any room in this house, room and board are completely free, and I won’t ask you to clean, contact the merchant guilds, or write document reports.”

“I’ll cover all these trivial chores. And when you return to the academy in half a year, I guarantee you’ll get excellent grades in everything. As long as you let them off, how about it?”

He Tingtong instantly sheathed his sword, his face breaking into a wide smile. “Aiya! It seems this was all a misunderstanding! Speaking of which, Senior, are you also a disciple of the Yuanchen Palace?”

Fat Daoist: “Outer sect, I’m outer sect! I’m not familiar with that group of people, not familiar at all!”

He Tingtong: “I’m familiar! Furthermore, your Young Palace Master and I are good friends who have eaten at the same table!”

The fat Daoist’s eyes instantly filled with alarm and suspicion. Xie Xuanxiao was a cut-sleeve; the disciples of the Yuanchen Palace basically all knew a little bit about his romantic affairs. Remembering the news transmitted from over there, he asked hesitantly, “May I ask, in what aspect are you good friends?”

He Tingtong had a ‘what are you thinking’ look on his face. “Classmates, naturally. What were you thinking?”

The fat Daoist breathed a sigh of relief and immediately laughed out loud. “You scared me. I thought it was that person coming.”

He Tingtong: “That person is my life-and-death friend. Don’t worry, I don’t hold grudges. I won’t let him whisper in the master’s ear, nor will I let him tattle.”

Fat Daoist: “…”

“Seeing how this little assassin set up the array today, he’s most likely your seated boy, right?” He Tingtong gave a half-smile, suddenly tearing away all pretenses. “Senior, you are quite lax in your discipline.”

The smile on the fat Daoist’s face froze completely. He squinted his eyes into slits and looked at He Tingtong. “Little friend, what are you…”

“How about an interrogation?” He Tingtong turned to look at the alarmed and uncertain boy on the ground. “Who told you to come kill me? Yuanchen Palace, or your master?”

Seeing the boy’s face full of stubbornness, He Tingtong crouched halfway in front of him. “You’d better think carefully before answering. Otherwise, even if you deserve death, don’t implicate others. Do you know the laws of the Immortal Alliance’s Disciplinary Hall? If an Immortal Alliance official bends the law for personal gain, abuses power for private benefit, or colludes with evil outsiders, according to the law, they will face the Lightning Punishment.”

Amidst crackling sounds, He Tingtong took out a Lightning Talisman. Faint blue electrical arcs flickered at his fingertips. In the crisp crackles, even his hair floated up. “Do you want to try it first?”

The boy’s face was covered in blood. Coupled with his complexion turning white and green alternately, looking at that lightning talisman, his eye rims uncontrollably turned red, and the corners of his mouth began to tremble.

He was scared.

After a long time, the old woman next to him couldn’t take it anymore first. “Aiya! This matter has nothing to do with the Immortal Elder! It was us who went against our conscience. We really took the order from the ghost market! We inquired about it—it was because the client offered too little reward, no one in the Pathless Road would take it, so it was transferred out and ended up in the ghost market. The Yuanchen Palace only sent a message telling the Immortal Elder to wear you down for half a year and give you an extremely poor grade.”

“We saw your name and knew your movements, which is why we decided to ambush you. Killing you was decided by us privately. It truly has nothing to do with the Immortal Elder!”

Watching the two hugging their heads and crying bitterly, He Tingtong slowly stood up. “Then write a confession letter. The death penalty can be avoided, but living punishment cannot be escaped.”

The fat Daoist stepped forward and asked hesitantly, “Little friend, how… how do you plan to sentence them?”

“Just punish them to clean the rooms for me here for this half year, and copy the rules of the Immortal Alliance’s Disciplinary Hall three times every day.” He Tingtong stretched his back and looked at Fu Fengyan, who had been standing blankly to the side. “A-Fu, what do you think?”

Fu Fengyan looked down from his high vantage point. His eyes were as cold as frost, devoid of any emotion, as if looking at two dead people, terrifying them so much they shivered. “You arrange it.”

He Tingtong raised his sword and cut the ropes on them. He patted the dust off his hands, then as if suddenly remembering something, said, “It’s so hot. Now go draw a bucket of water for me. I want to take a bath.”

He smiled at the grandparent and grandchild, like a gentle spring breeze. “Sorry for the trouble.”

Everyone else: “…”