Chapter 47: One Person Does the Work, One Person Bears the Consequences

However, since Ancestor Xu's actions were always absolutely correct, Ling Qingshu didn't say anything. She simply nodded slightly and said firmly, "Ancestor Xu, rest assured."

Xu Yang nodded. He naturally trusted Ling Qingshu to handle matters.

Just then, Xu Yang suddenly heard a sound slice through the sky.

He looked up to see a cultivator at the fifth stage of the Nascent Soul realm, streaking across the sky, leaving a white trail behind him like a wisp of cloud, moving at an incredibly fast speed.

The person then slowly descended near the pond from earlier.

"It's him!" the woman accompanying Xu Yang suddenly exclaimed, her face filled with terror.

Xu Yang raised an eyebrow. Connecting this person's arrival with the pond, Xu Yang immediately understood what was happening.

"What's wrong? Do you know him?" Xu Yang asked calmly.

A flicker of fear and hatred crossed the woman's eyes. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Even if he turned to ash, I'd still know who he is!"

"Is that so?" Xu Yang replied indifferently, his expression unchanged.

He had seen such things countless times—either feuds leading to family annihilation or revenge for a parent's murder; in short, all sorts of grievances. Having lived too long, there was nothing he hadn't witnessed, so he no longer found these matters particularly interesting.

The woman looked at Xu Yang's detached expression, feeling a bit bewildered. She had expected Xu Yang to be interested, but it seemed he wasn't. Nevertheless, she decided to continue speaking. Her entire clan had suffered heavy casualties, and the remaining members were scattered, their whereabouts unknown. The clan was on the brink of collapse. Xu Yang's earlier display of power had astonished her, making her feel that if he intervened, there might still be some hope for her clan.

"This man is from the Assassin Pearl organization, a vile scoundrel who killed my entire family." Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke.

"Just as I thought," Xu Yang nodded.

"Were those two Nascent Soul cultivators from that assassin organization too?" Xu Yang asked.

"Yes," the woman nodded, a faint hint of joy in her heart. It seemed she had successfully piqued Xu Yang's interest.

However, just as she expected Xu Yang to continue questioning, he said nothing more, appearing completely unconcerned about the matter.

Whoosh...

At that moment, a whooshing sound echoed as a figure suddenly materialized before them. Dressed in a long black robe, his face was contorted with murderous intent.

"Heh, your escape speed is truly pathetic. You've only made it this far," the person sneered, looking at Xu Yang and his companions as if they were sheep awaiting slaughter.

Xu Yang calmly took out a fruit, leaned against a tree, and began eating it. Someone else was putting on an act again. Xu Yang felt incredibly exasperated. Why were there so many people seeking death in this world?

"Tell me, who was it? Stop dawdling and face me in a fight to the death," the person demanded, his gaze sweeping over the Golden Core cultivators. Soon, his eyes landed on Xu Yang and the woman.

"Bai Ningmei, you're still alive after all," Ji Tai said with a cold laugh.

A look of fear appeared on Bai Ningmei's face, and she quickly hid behind Xu Yang.

Xu Yang frowned, slightly annoyed that Bai Ningmei was using him as a shield. "Although this person isn't even a minor inconvenience to me, I still don't like being exploited by others."

Bai Ningmei awkwardly stepped forward, but her pretty face was still filled with terror.

"Who are you? How can you only be at the Qi Condensation stage? No, that's impossible. You must be hiding your true cultivation," he said.

"Heh, my cultivation level isn't important. What matters is that I advise you to scram immediately," Xu Yang replied. His words were calm, yet they carried a suffocating murderous intent.

A sinister smile spread across Ji Tai's face. With a wave of his hand, the surrounding space suddenly twisted, and five Nascent Soul cultivators appeared around them. If the Golden Core cultivators had been relatively calm a moment ago, they instantly panicked upon seeing the five Nascent Soul cultivators, whispering nervously amongst themselves. Some opportunistic individuals suddenly dropped to their knees with a thud, crying and pleading.

"We have nothing to do with him! We were forced by him! Please don't kill us!"

"Yes, yes, yes, none of this concerns us! We were all coerced into coming here to collect spiritual herbs!"

With the first two as examples, the others immediately fell to their knees. All the Golden Core cultivators who had been following Xu Yang betrayed him, beginning to speak ill of him. Xu Yang stared blankly at the scene, the corner of his mouth twitching. How little trust did these people have in him?

"You've been abandoned by everyone. Why don't you consider, like them, kneeling and begging for mercy? Perhaps if I'm in a good mood, I'll grant you an intact corpse," Ji Tai mocked.

Ji Tai hadn't expected these Golden Core cultivators to kneel so readily, without a shred of loyalty or courage. What he didn't know was that these Golden Core cultivators weren't Xu Yang's people at all; they were merely strangers who had temporarily banded together for personal gain. A group like that would naturally prioritize their own lives.

"Hehehe, I'm suddenly a bit curious. Where does your confidence come from? Why do all of you think you can kill me?" Xu Yang said calmly, still eating a red fruit in his hand, completely ignoring the six Nascent Soul cultivators. It was as if he wasn't facing six powerful Nascent Soul experts, but merely six flies.

"Ancestor Xu, what should we do now?" Bai Ningmei nudged Xu Yang, asking anxiously.

"What to do? I don't know what to do. However, I do know this has nothing to do with me; it's your problem. You decide how to handle it," Xu Yang replied.

Xu Yang genuinely didn't want to get involved. After all, this matter truly had nothing to do with him. Why should he act as someone else's shield and solve their problems?

Bai Ningmei trembled, a complex expression appearing on her face. After a long moment, she softly murmured, "Yes, it's just my problem. Since it's my problem, I won't implicate you. Thank you for saving me just now."

With that, Bai Ningmei bowed to Xu Yang, then stepped out from behind him and walked over to Ji Tai's side.