Chapter 40: Blood-Stained Jasmine (Part 1)

Qinglin Town is located less than two hundred kilometers west of Flowing Cloud City. Though situated in a remote area, it has a fair number of residents, and pedestrians occasionally pass through. It is also considered a necessary route from Flowing Cloud City to New Moon City.

The scorching sun had baked the ground, leaving it full of cracks, which made people's tempers shorter. At this moment, a group of six walked down the town's street. The leader was a burly man wearing light silver-white armor. He carried a bronze saber, a meter and a half long, on his shoulder. He had a fierce face and malicious eyes. The two people behind him were dressed in animal hides and carried various weapons like knives, swords, and hammers.

Their appearance immediately made the atmosphere on the town street tense. Passersby quickly moved to the side of the road, their steps becoming cautious, and fear showed on their faces. It wasn't until the six men entered the town's small tavern that people sighed in relief and quickly left.

Bang! The large saber, almost as tall as an adult, was slammed directly onto the largest table in the center of the tavern by the silver-armored man. He then roared, "This table is mine! If you don't want to die, get out!"

Four people who were drinking heavily at the table were about to get angry, but upon seeing the man's face, their expressions instantly changed. They didn't dare say another word and meekly left. The burly man swept his thick arm across the table, and amidst the grating sound of shattering wine glasses and plates, he growled, "Serve me all the best food and wine in the house!"

The innkeeper had already personally come forward. Looking at the shattered pieces of glasses and plates scattered across the floor, his heart bled with pain. But on his face, he humbly smiled, "Silver... esteemed gentlemen of Silver Dragon, please rest for a moment. The food and drinks will be ready right away, right away."

These six people belonged to the infamous Silver Dragon Mercenary Group of Qinglin Town. The burly man wielding the large silver saber was Yin Long, the leader of the Silver Dragon Mercenary Group, who called himself "Silver Dragon." He was just over forty years old, but his Profound strength had already reached the True Profound Realm, second level. In Qinglin Town, where anyone above the fourth level of the Entry Profound Realm was considered a master, he was undoubtedly an invincible presence. The Silver Dragon Mercenary Group had thus become the strongest mercenary group in Qinglin Town, acting without restraint, and no one dared to provoke them.

As the six sat down, the five members began showering their leader with flattery. The sounds of their talking, laughing, and cursing filled the entire tavern. They were already accustomed to such bullying behavior. The people around them, deterred by Silver Dragon's notorious reputation, dared not utter a single extra word.

Just then, another group of five appeared at the tavern entrance. The leader was a young man, seemingly in his early twenties, with a medium build and ordinary looks. However, his clothing was incredibly luxurious. Anyone from the town who saw his attire would gaze enviously for a long time, unable to look away.

He stood at the tavern entrance, surveying the people inside with an incredibly arrogant gaze, as if looking at a group of insignificant, inferior beings. Immediately, he raised an eyebrow and let out a disdainful snort.

Behind him, a handsome youth, who appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen, quickly stepped forward. He bowed at the waist in front of the young man and chuckled, "Young Master Xiao, taverns in small places like this are all the same. You probably won't find anything decent within a hundred li radius, so let's just make do with this."

These five people were Xiao Kuangyun, Xiao Moshan, Xiao Ba, Xiao Jiu, and Xiao Chengzhi, who had traveled from Flowing Cloud City back to the Xiao Sect.

Xiao Chengzhi had been overjoyed throughout the journey. The thought of being taken back to the Xiao Sovereign Sect made him laugh aloud even in his sleep. In front of Xiao Kuangyun, he was even more subservient, flattering and fawning, not daring to show the slightest negligence. If he could serve this young master of the Xiao Sovereign Sect well and receive a few good words from him later in the sect, he would certainly thrive there.

"Hmph!" Xiao Kuangyun snorted, blew a puff of air from his nostrils, and cast another disdainful glance at the place before walking in.

Xiao Chengzhi immediately took the lead, rushing ahead to claim the best seat. He squatted down and quickly wiped the wooden stool with his sleeve. Then, with a fawning expression, he watched Xiao Kuangyun sit down, before loudly calling out, "Innkeeper, bring the food and wine at once... choose the best!"

As soon as Xiao Kuangyun's group entered, the six members of the Silver Dragon Mercenary Group fixated their gazes on them. One of them laughed disdainfully, "Hey! That kid is really arrogant. Just look at the way he looked at us earlier, tsk tsk."

"He's probably some young master from a wealthy family out for a stroll. Look at his tender skin; he'd probably bruise just from a pinch. But to dare to be arrogant on our territory, he really doesn't know what death means."

"Boss, should I go teach them whose territory this is? No matter what wealthy family he's from, on the Silver Dragon Mercenary Group's turf, he needs to learn how to behave."

"Thwack!" Yin Long slammed his half-eaten chicken leg onto the table and grabbed the large saber by his feet. "I'll go myself," he declared. "Because I fancy the clothes that kid is wearing. I'll take them back for my son; he'll be thrilled, ha ha ha ha..."

With that, he picked up his saber and swaggered toward Xiao Kuangyun's table. From three steps away, he slammed his saber onto the table, his face a menacing scowl, and snarled, "Kid! Nice clothes you've got there, huh? But with your scrawny appearance, it's a damn waste for you to wear them. Take them off, now!"

"Take them off! Hurry up and take them off! Did you hear me!"

"If you don't want to take them off, we can help you, you know."

"And if our boss has to take them off for you later, it won't be so gentle, ah ha ha ha ha!"

The younger members of the Silver Dragon Mercenary Group cheered from behind. The other guests in the tavern also distanced themselves, looking at Xiao Kuangyun's group with pity. The innkeeper and his assistant had already hidden far away, not daring to come forward to intervene.

To everyone's surprise, facing the notorious Silver Dragon Mercenary Group, Xiao Kuangyun's group remained remarkably calm, a tranquility that felt somewhat unnatural. Xiao Kuangyun reached out and fastidiously brushed off the wine splashed on his clothes, then said coldly, "Cripple them all!"

"Hmm? Cripple us? What did he just say?"

"He said he'd cripple all of us! Ah ha ha ha ha... Aaaargh!!!"

The mockery from the Silver Dragon Mercenary Group had barely begun before it transformed into deafening screams. Xiao Ba's body shot out like lightning, directly slamming the three loudest-shouting men, sending them flying, accompanied by the "crunching" sound of breaking bones.

Yin Long's wild laughter vanished. He stumbled back a step, a look of terror on his face. "Spirit... Spirit Profound Realm!!"

The four words "Spirit Profound Realm" rang out like a clap of thunder in the small tavern, causing everyone to tremble and stare in disbelief! That was a level of super expert found only in sects and large cities, a realm they had never seen in their lives, let alone dared to dream of, in this tiny Qinglin Town!

No sooner had Yin Long finished speaking than his other two subordinates were slapped by Xiao Ba, sent flying over ten meters, and collapsed unconscious on the ground. Yin Long's whole body began to tremble, then he dropped to his knees with a thud, desperately kowtowing. "So... so... so sorry... I was blind... I didn't recognize a great master. I... I deserve to die... I deserve to die!"

If he had known earlier that the opponent was a Spirit Profound Realm expert, he wouldn't have dared to provoke them, even if it meant death.

"Cripple him," Xiao Kuangyun said coldly.

As the words fell, Xiao Ba's hand swept down, brutally shattering Yin Long's two arms amidst his screams.

Just then, a young man's figure appeared at the tavern entrance.

After Yun Che left Flowing Cloud City, he had no specific destination. Thinking of the wooden token Xiao Lie had given him, he inquired along the way and consciously headed in the direction of New Moon City. He also needed to go to a larger place, as such a place would be more likely to have something that could restore his profound veins.

His body was too weak, and he was reluctant to spend his meager profound coins on a horse, so he walked, moving very slowly. By the time he reached Qinglin Town, he was exhausted and hungry. Seeing the small tavern by the road, he checked his remaining profound coins, gave a self-deprecating smile, and walked over.

As soon as he stood at the entrance, he heard a pig-like scream. Following the sound, he immediately saw Xiao Kuangyun and Xiao Moshan sitting together, and Xiao Chengzhi standing on the other side. He paused, then quickly turned to leave. At the exact moment he turned around, Xiao Ba, who had just shattered Yin Long's arms, happened to look towards the entrance, and his expression instantly changed.

"Innkeeper, get these eyesores out of here!!" Xiao Kuangyun ordered coldly. A bunch of trash, not even worth comparing to ants, had ruined his appetite.

"Ah... Yes, yes, yes!" The innkeeper, startled, shivered, then nodded frantically. He and the assistant nervously carried the members of the Silver Dragon Mercenary Group out of the establishment. Yin Long, at True Profound Realm level two, was someone no one dared to provoke in Qinglin Town. Yet, this arrogant and ruthless-looking young man had a subordinate who was a Spirit Profound Realm expert. How could they dare to disobey in the slightest?

"Young Master," Xiao Ba approached Xiao Kuangyun and whispered a few words in his ear.

"Hmm? You mean that good-for-nothing who was expelled from the Xiao Sect?" Hearing Xiao Ba's words, Xiao Kuangyun's eyes narrowed, and then he sneered, "Very good, I almost forgot about such a person. Since heaven has brought him right to my doorstep... Xiao Ba, go and ruin his face for me."

"The Sect Master said we should not bully others using our power when outside," Xiao Moshan said expressionlessly.

"Hmph! That good-for-nothing from the Xiao Sect actually made me lose face in public that day. It was merciful enough that I didn't leave his corpse exposed in Flowing Cloud City that very day. Xiao Ba, after you ruin his face, cut out his tongue for me. He's quite a talker, isn't he? Let's see how he'll 'speak eloquently' after this!" Xiao Kuangyun said in a low voice.

That day at the Xiao Sect, Yun Che had publicly exposed his false accusations, making every word he spoke turn into a self-inflicted slap. How could he not bear a grudge? As for wanting to ruin Yun Che's face, it was of course out of jealousy... even more so, jealousy that this good-for-nothing had married Xia Qingyue, whom he couldn't obtain!

Xiao Moshan said nothing more. Xiao Ba nodded silently, then slowly walked out of the tavern, heading directly in the direction Yun Che had gone.