Chapter 70: Monsters and Ghosts

Clutched in her hand, Qin Mu felt the girl's palm to be soft, delicate, and smooth, stirring a ripple in his heart. Yet, Fu Tingyue's ruthless and vicious nature made him intensely uncomfortable.

He turned his head to gaze at the lakeside platform. Fu Tingyue, having already severed the opponent's ten fingers, showed no sign of stopping. He proceeded to hack at the man's wrists, a frenzy exceeding that of a wild beast.

*This is a madman! Yet, now that I think about it, this Young Master Tingyue seems to have some connection to me.*

Qin Mu pondered inwardly. That year, Granny Si had found him by the riverbank. Fearing he would perish early, she had secretly entered Xianglong City and abducted the City Lord's wife, who had recently given birth. She had transformed herself into a cow to nurse Qin Mu, allowing him to survive his fragile infancy.

At that time, the child born to the City Lord's wife should have been Fu Tingyue.

Qin Mu had been nourished by his mother's milk, and this was the connection between them.

Qin Mu turned his gaze away. The young man on the lakeside platform was beyond saving. Drawn by the allure of a hundred dragon coins, he had dared to enter the City Lord's Mansion for the fighting contest. To have come in at all indicated some skill, yet he had not anticipated losing his life.

Within Zhenjiang Building, song and dance flourished. Qin Mu followed Ling Yuxiu into the structure, where he saw dancing girls performing. As these dancers moved, their five fingers swept through the air, emitting a crisp, bell-like sound – the manifestation of their vital energy. Every lift of the head, every stamp of the foot, was accompanied by a rhythmic resonance.

While dancing gracefully, they could also project vital energy to produce exquisite melodies, making Qin Mu marvel at their skill.

Along the sides of the building and pavilions were numerous tables, with many distinguished individuals seated on the ground, drinking and making merry. Some were engrossed in the singing and dancing, while others directed their attention towards the lakeside platform, observing the duel.

The scene on the platform was already utterly tragic. The copper-skinned, iron-boned youth had been tormented into a grotesque form, yet within the building, no one spoke up to intervene.

Ling Yuxiu pulled Qin Mu along and directly seated them at a table, completely unconcerned with outward appearances.

The individuals seated within Zhenjiang Building were formidable experts from various regions, possessing imposing demeanors. Seeing this pair of youngsters arrive, they were all surprised but refrained from questioning them.

They speculated that this young boy and girl were disciples of some renowned master, attending this Zhenjiang Building gathering to experience the spectacle and broaden their horizons.

Spread across the table were exotic fruits, rare delicacies, and various strange beasts prepared in an array of fragrant, flavorful styles. The sight alone made Qin Mu's mouth water.

He had been dragged by Granny Si to sell cows and sheep, run errands, and hadn't eaten dinner yet, so he was already feeling hungry.

Qin Mu took a bite of the food before him, his eyes lighting up. It was so delicious he felt his tongue would melt. He couldn't help but focus on devouring the rare delicacies. Ling Yuxiu, who had claimed to be hungry, only ate two mouthfuls before putting down her chopsticks, watching him devour his food with amusement.

Seated at the table beside Qin Mu was the renowned beauty, the Matriarch of the Alluring Beauty Sect. She too watched Qin Mu and the girl beside him with interest.

*Is she or isn't she Granny Si?* Qin Mu wondered inwardly.

Besides her, there was another person who occasionally glanced towards Qin Mu's table. Qin Mu detected this person's gaze, looked up, and was slightly startled. This individual was clad in a full set of armor, even for the banquet. It was precisely the young general Qin Feiyue, with whom he had a brief encounter on the Yong River.

*Qin Feiyue is here too? Didn't he return to Yan Kang Country?*

Qin Mu was surprised but quickly buried his head in the food before him. Ling Yuxiu giggled, "That young general keeps looking at you. Does he recognize you?"

Qin Mu swallowed the food in his mouth, thought for a moment, and said, "We had a chance encounter. He also had a rather chubby Young Master Fei Qi with him, I wonder where he went."

Ling Yuxiu grew annoyed and pinched his arm.

Qin Mu couldn't understand what this girl was angry about. *This girl is really strange. That General Qin Feiyue is also quite peculiar. When this girl pinched me, he almost jumped up, then held himself back. I'm the one being pinched, not him, so why is he in pain…*

Suddenly, an old man spoke up, "City Lord, is the one outside your son? Truly skilled. I have long heard that Young Master Tingyue is the strongest warrior of the younger generation in Xianglong City, and now I see that it is indeed extraordinary."

Fu Yundi chuckled, "Old Man Baishan overpraises. My child has only learned some crude methods and has made a fool of himself."

That Old Man Baishan smiled, his eyes narrowed. "Not at all. I have long heard that Young Master Tingyue is the foremost among warriors within a thousand li radius. Last year, Young Master Tingyue accepted three hundred and fifty-two challenges, defeating and killing three hundred and fifty-two warriors from various regions. Not one could escape his grasp. To possess such combat prowess at a young age is truly remarkable."

Qin Mu raised his eyebrows slightly and continued to focus on eating.

Fu Yundi hastily laughed, "My child only defeated the abandoned people of Great Ruins. If they were from outside, my child would still show mercy."

Old Man Baishan laughed, "Among the abandoned people, there is no lack of strong individuals. Young Master Tingyue's ability is indeed remarkable." He then continued to lavish praise.

Fu Yundi chuckled, "My child is an honest person, never forcing others to spar with him. He always goes to the streets to invite these abandoned people of Great Ruins to participate in fighting contests, offering money as incentive. Alas, people die for wealth just as birds die for food. These abandoned people still come one after another to challenge my child, and as a result, they all lost their lives. My child has never spent a single one of those hundred dragon coins. Speaking of which, my child truly knows how to manage his affairs." He then burst into hearty laughter.

The crowd also joined in the laughter.

Just then, a dark-faced old man's smile abruptly vanished. His voice, like thunder, drowned out the laughter of the crowd, "Matriarch, you have been studying the Great Yu Demonic Scripture for many years now. Can you enlighten us now?"

This thin, dark-faced old man was seated across from Qin Mu. His appearance was withered, his eyes lifeless. He sat there like a section of burnt black charcoal, yet his voice was extremely loud.

With his words, all eyes in the building immediately focused on the charming Matriarch seated beside Qin Mu.

Qin Mu hastily put down his ivory chopsticks, remained still, and closed his mouth, unable to resist secretly chewing the food in his mouth.

Having swallowed the food, the young man hesitated for a moment, then unable to resist, picked up his ivory chopsticks and quickly put a piece of tender fish slice into his mouth.

The charcoal-like old man suddenly became furious, glaring at Qin Mu, "Stop eating!"

The Matriarch beside Qin Mu chuckled, "So it's Venerable Hei. Why must Venerable Hei be angry? The City Lord invited us here to eat, so why can't he eat? City Lord, am I right?"

Fu Yundi coughed, then laughed, "This grand gathering is also a banquet. I invite everyone to taste the rare delicacies of my Xianglong City. Naturally, both guests and host must eat to their heart's content."

The Matriarch lightly laughed, picked up a bright red fruit and put it in her mouth. She slowly stripped the peel with her slender jade hands, then watched with interest as Qin Mu continued to devour his food.

Ling Yuxiu was also surprised, completely not expecting that Qin Mu could still eat in this situation.

Not long after, Qin Mu was about half full. After a moment's thought, he took out a paper package from his bosom, took out the dried food inside, then picked some soft and delicious food from the table and placed it in the paper package, carefully wrapping it up.

The charcoal-like Venerable Hei across from him couldn't help but scold, "Boy, you're still packing leftovers?"

Qin Mu said somewhat awkwardly, "Granny and Blind Grandpa just entered the city today. We only ate some dried food on the way and haven't eaten proper food yet. The food here is very fragrant. Granny and Blind Grandpa's teeth aren't good, so I'm taking some back for them." As he spoke, he looked at the Matriarch, wondering in his heart, *Is she or isn't she Granny Si? Wait, isn't this rouge fragrance exactly the same as the rouge scent that Granny Si and I bought together?*

A gentle light flickered in the Matriarch's eyes, appearing very moved. She laughed, "You're a filial child. The more I look at you, the more I like you."

A look of amusement spread among the crowd in the building, and they regarded Qin Mu with full sympathy. *The Matriarch is originally a famous witch, and she detests these tedious rituals like filial piety the most. This boy will definitely die a miserable death!*

The charcoal-like Venerable Hei waited until Qin Mu had finished packing his food, then said coldly, "Full?"

Qin Mu said honestly, "Half full."

Venerable Hei choked with anger and let out a cold snort. The sound echoed, causing the hundreds of window frames in Zhenjiang Building to rattle loudly.

Qin Mu couldn't help but admire him immensely, praising, "Senior's cultivation is truly vigorous. I cannot do that."

Two blue veins pulsed on Venerable Hei's forehead. He suppressed his anger, quietly waiting for Qin Mu to finish eating. The Matriarch, who had been smiling all along, also put down her ivory chopsticks, no longer eating.

Venerable Hei expelled a long, turbid breath that had been trapped in his chest. He said coldly, "Now that everyone has eaten, can we discuss proper matters?"

The gazes of the crowd in the building were sharp and focused, all falling on the Matriarch.

The Matriarch smiled, radiating charm that seemed to brighten the eyes of everyone in the building. She laughed, "Venerable Hei, even if I were to give you the Great Yu Demonic Scripture, do you truly believe you could leave Xianglong City alive? I fear the City Lord would be the first to seek your life, and everyone present here would likely not allow you to leave Great Ruins alive either."

Venerable Hei stood up. The vital energy behind him suddenly turned pitch black. In the air behind his head, it condensed, forming a four-armed celestial demon, ferocious and malevolent!

To use vital energy to such an extreme degree, even manifesting it into a demon god, this kind of technique was no less inferior to Fu Yundi's Eight Phases Heavenly God Skill!

Venerable Hei's four eyes swept down, and he said coldly, "The holy scripture of the Heavenly Demon Cult has fallen into my hands. It is mine. Who dares to covet it? Aren't you afraid I will kill you?"

The crowd in the building laughed without speaking.

The Matriarch giggled, "In this hall are noble guests from Yan Kang Country and hidden experts from Great Ruins. Which one can you exterminate? Is this young general from Yan Kang Country?"

She pointed precisely at Qin Feiyue, laughing, "I have long heard of the country's master, known as the foremost person under the heavens. I would assume his disciples are also extraordinary."

Qin Feiyue bowed slightly and said, "This humble general is Qin Feiyue. My family master is indeed the country master of Yan Kang, however, I have not come for the Matriarch and the Great Yu Demonic Scripture. Though the Matriarch is said to be the world's foremost beauty, and the Great Yu Demonic Scripture is called the method to achieve godhood, the country master does not care."

There was a natural arrogance in his words. As the country master, the foremost person under the heavens, he cared for no skill, not even the demon cult scripture that could lead to godhood!

Suddenly, a voice was heard coldly laughing, "This is Great Ruins, not Yan Kang Country. What does it matter to us whether your country master is here or cares?"

Killing intent flickered in Qin Feiyue's eyes. He followed the sound and saw that the person speaking was seated directly across from him, a large man with a curly beard. His clothes were half-open, and he sat sprawled on the ground. With one hand, he was grabbing things to eat, while with the other, he was rubbing ash from his chest. Soon, he rubbed out a dark, round ball and casually flicked it, sending it flying to an unknown destination.

Qin Feiyue frowned, showing a look of disgust. "These rude fellows from Great Ruins are truly vulgar. No need to argue with him. Once the country master's army arrives, all demons and ghosts must submit!"

He then looked at the girl beside Qin Mu, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles. He was truly troubled. *Why did the Seventh Princess run off and get involved with a youth from Crippled Village? The princess was just pinching him, it was a bit too intimate. If this matter spreads, what will happen to the royal family's reputation?*