Chapter 397: Treasure Exchange

There was no doubt. The one who had just attacked was not You Yunzi, but Gu Huaxi!

“Deputy Pavilion Master Gu, you…” Kong Yuanba looked utterly bewildered. Gu Huaxi had an extremely deep friendship with one of the Giant Sect’s Grand Elders. Furthermore, with Jin Zhongming as her pre-designated disciple, her relationship with the Giant Sect was practically intertwined. So what was happening now? It would have been understandable if she merely didn't stop You Yunzi, yet she had actually attacked Kong Yuanba!

“Hmph!” Gu Huaxi’s dragon-headed staff thumped heavily on the ground as she spoke with a cold expression: “You are far too audacious! A dignified Sect Master, ambushing a junior? And asking this old woman to abet your villainy? Who do you take this old woman for?”

Her words left Kong Yuanba speechless. However, what truly astounded him was this: After reprimanding him, Gu Huaxi turned to look at Jiang Fan, her angry expression replaced by a benevolent one. “Little one, don’t be afraid,” she said. “With this old woman here today, no one will be able to harm a single hair on your head.”

Uh—

Jiang Fan secretly wondered, wasn’t this Gu Huaxi affiliated with the Giant Sect? Why would she be helping him? But it wasn’t a bad thing, after all. He calmly put away his Tianshan Silk, cupped his hands, and expressed his gratitude: “Thank you, Senior, for resolving this difficulty.”

Gu Huaxi gazed at him with an affectionate expression and said: “Child, you’re being too polite. Your master, Liu Wenchen, and I have a very deep friendship. His disciple is naturally also my disciple. How could I stand by and watch you get hurt?”

You Yunzi, standing by, felt something was increasingly amiss the more he listened. Her initial warm greetings were fine; at most, she was stealing his lines. But what was the meaning of trying to establish a connection later on? He quickly walked over and said: “Deputy Pavilion Master Gu, Jiang Fan is a descendant of an old friend of mine. I will naturally take good care of him. You don’t need to worry too much about that.”

Declaring ownership? Gu Huaxi scoffed: “What if he’s a descendant of an old friend? I have a connection with his master!”

You Yunzi couldn't be bothered to expose her lie. *What kind of friendship do you have with Liu Wenchen? At most, you’ve met once or twice and exchanged a few words!* He said with a straight face: “Deputy Pavilion Master Gu, you yourself just said earlier… that you wouldn’t be so improper as to snatch up any promising disciple you see!”

Gu Huaxi's expression stiffened, but she quickly retorted: “Then you lied to me, saying his strength was just average. Do you dare repeat that now?”

You Yunzi felt guilty. It truly proved the saying, ‘A gem will shine wherever it is placed.’ He couldn't conceal it even if he wanted to.

He couldn't help but glare angrily at Kong Yuanba, then without a word, he lunged forward. Kong Yuanba’s pupils contracted, and he exclaimed in alarm: “What are you doing?”

Splat—

You Yunzi lashed his horsetail whisk across Kong Yuanba's face, instantly splitting it open and bruising it. “This is all your fault!” he snapped. Jiang Fan wouldn’t have had to reveal his strength if it weren’t for Kong Yuanba and his disciple being so aggressive. This was what led Gu Huaxi to discover Jiang Fan’s astonishing talent. It was no longer possible for him to secretly recruit Jiang Fan under his wing. To contend for Jiang Fan, Gu Huaxi was even willing to turn against the Giant Sect. How could she possibly yield him so easily?

Kong Yuanba grimaced in pain. Within a single day, he had been struck by two Deputy Pavilion Masters in a row. In a sense, he was truly the first person among the Nine Sects to achieve this. He felt both pain and humiliation, secretly glaring at Jiang Fan and hating him to the core. A flicker of killing intent incessantly danced in his eyes.

You Yunzi was someone who had emerged from battlefields; how could he not sense such killing intent? His robes billowed without a breeze, his eyes filled with coldness, and his tone turned chilling: “Kong Yuanba, do you perhaps think that if you kill Jiang Fan, I would merely give you a beating?”

His innermost thoughts exposed, Kong Yuanba’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly stammered: “No… no.”

You Yunzi grabbed his neck and lifted him up: “This Deputy Pavilion Master never considers status when killing. I’ve killed enemies, I’ve killed Grand Elders of the Nine Sects, but I haven’t yet killed a Sect Master of the Nine Sects! You, may try to provoke me.”

Kong Yuanba’s heart trembled violently. Only then did he realize he had underestimated Jiang Fan’s importance in You Yunzi’s eyes. What made his blood run even colder was this: Gu Huaxi also spoke in an unhurried tone: “Kong Yuanba, you’d best not do anything unnecessary. If you truly cause Jiang Fan’s death, then out of consideration for my connection with your Giant Sect, I will leave your corpse intact.” Like You Yunzi, she had seen Jiang Fan’s limitless potential. If brought back to the Heaven's Secret Pavilion for cultivation, his achievements would not be inferior to those of the several mythical prodigies within the Pavilion. It would be an immense pity if such a rare talent were to perish due to the revenge of a scoundrel like Kong Yuanba.

Seeing that even Gu Huaxi had issued an ultimatum, Kong Yuanba’s last shred of hope was completely extinguished, and he said: “This junior wouldn’t dare!”

Jiang Fan cast grateful glances at both Deputy Pavilion Masters. With their protection, Kong Yuanba truly wouldn’t dare to act against him. But, he could get others to do it.

“What if I die accidentally?” Jiang Fan asked.

You Yunzi and Gu Huaxi instantly understood Jiang Fan’s concern. You Yunzi clenched his five fingers and coldly said: “If you suffer an accident, Sect Master Kong will also have to be buried with you!”

“Why?” Kong Yuanba struggled to say: “If someone else kills him, how does that concern me?”

You Yunzi scoffed: “Then you’d better pray that Jiang Fan lives until the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion recruits disciples! Otherwise, if anything happens to him, regardless of the cause, this Deputy Pavilion Master will be the first to slaughter you!”

This completely cut off all of Kong Yuanba’s potential avenues. In fact, the person in the world who most wanted Jiang Fan to live was now Kong Yuanba. Kong Yuanba felt utterly aggrieved! These Deputy Pavilion Masters were simply unreasonable! He had forgotten, however, how tyrannical he himself was when dealing with weaker cultivators.

After repeatedly warning Kong Yuanba, You Yunzi and Gu Huaxi accompanied Jiang Fan to the Mission Hall in person to claim the rescue mission. They then arrived at the mountain gate. Jiang Fan cupped his hands and said: “Thank you both, Seniors, for your care today. Should this junior be fortunate enough to gain the favor of the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion in the future, and if you two Seniors do not disdain this junior, I will certainly prioritize taking one of you as my master.”

Upon hearing this reply, both You Yunzi and Gu Huaxi broke into smiles. Their efforts to look after him were not in vain. With this answer, they could temporarily rest easy. There was no need to worry about more people extending olive branches to Jiang Fan.

You Yunzi, having prepared in advance, pulled out three ancient-looking copper coins from his embrace. “These are defensive magic artifacts I used in my youth,” he said. “Each one can withstand a blow from someone at the ninth level of the Core Formation stage. They are no longer useful to me, so I’ll give them to you.” With the beast tide surging now, and Jiang Fan needing to frequently undertake Grade-1 missions, he had to consider Jiang Fan’s safety.

“Thank you, Deputy Pavilion Master You,” Jiang Fan accepted them delightedly. Since they had already spoken so openly, and his intention to take a master was clear, there was no need to be overly polite. Besides, he was indeed very short on high-level defensive magic artifacts at the moment. It was just that three coins were a bit excessive. In reality, one would have been enough. Because a peerless enemy that one coin couldn’t block would likely not be blocked by three either. And for those it could block, one coin would be more than sufficient.

Upon seeing this, how could Gu Huaxi fall behind You Yunzi? She immediately fumbled around in her sleeve and pulled out a cloak as thin as a cicada’s wing, covered in turtle shell patterns. “This is the Turtle Breath Cloak,” she said. “Although its name is ordinary, its uses are extraordinary.” Gu Huaxi smiled and poured spiritual energy into it, then draped it over herself.

Instantly, she vanished into thin air right in front of Jiang Fan! Yes! Vanished into thin air!