When Yu Sanliang heard the quiver in Fang Xing’s voice, he believed the boy was finally showing some fear and felt a bit relieved. As far as Yu Sanliang was concerned, Fang Xing’s reckless behaviors would have gotten the two of them into much more trouble if it wasn’t for his interference up to now.
"Of course it’s not allowed according to sect rules... but those are just the rules. If a talented A-Rank disciple is robbed of their belongings, someone from the sect will intervene. Now, if we as D-Rank disciples were to be robbed, who do you think would actually care?
"Even if we’re robbed, the elders would only think it’s some small grudge we have towards each other—nothing important enough for them to actually care. There was even a time when a newly-recruited shidi was beaten to death, only for the elders to declare it to be an accident. Do you know what happened to the murderer? He was sentenced to only one year of confinement…."
Fang Xing’s eyes lit up even more. Contrary to Yu Sanliang’s impression, Fang Xing wasn’t afraid at all—he was excited. ‘This sect is just… so understanding!’
However, Fang Xing wasn’t stupid enough to act rashly. He knew his mastery of only tier one didn't leave him in a strong enough position to prey on the other disciples; he'd need to utilize careful evaluation as well to make up the difference in strength.
Yu Sanliang wanted to get back to their cottages as soon as possible. There was an unwritten rule that a disciple would be safe once they were back at their own districts, and that such robberies would only happen outside of them. It was fortunate they’d gotten there quite early and not many disciples had received their Spirit Stones, as there weren’t too many people loitering about searching for easy targets.
Just as Yu Sanliang and Fang Xing walked past a mountain stream to the side of a bamboo forest and were only a few blocks away the safety of their living quarters, three men came into view. The group included the feeble disciple and the beefy man Fang Xing had verbally abused just moments ago, and all three seemed to be waiting for someone.
Fang Xing immediately understood the situation. "These bastards want to get their asses kicked for real this time, huh?" Fang Xing muttered to himself while cracking his knuckles.
Just as Yu Sanliang was about to stop Fang Xing from such impulsive actions, a fourth man raised his cold voice, "It seems Shidi Yu is up early today!"
Yu Sanliang turned around with a bitter expression after hearing those words, his face at odds with his polite greeting, "Good morning, Shixiong Liu. I wish Shixiong a good fortune...."
A man in his twenties—who Fang Xing could see was within the second tier—walked out from the shadows of the bamboo forest, his lips curled up in the shape of a false smile and his eyes filled with disdain and ridicule. His gaze swept past Fang Xing for a moment before landing on Yu Sanliang instead. "Where’s your tribute this time?"
The feeble man and his friends had come to cause trouble, but they stopped once they saw someone else blocking Fang Xing and Yu Sanliang’s path. At first they thought the newcomer was a friend of the duo, but when they noticed the terrified look on the plump Daoist’s face, they were filled with the satisfaction of seeing a show.
"Haha, Shidi Tzu, looks like we don’t even need to get our hands dirty. They’ve already gotten themselves in trouble with someone else," the beefy man laughed as he patted the feeble disciple’s shoulder.
"Now this is what I call karma!" All three of them laughed and prepared to watch the scene unfold….
—
Yu Sanliang's face was full of despair as he faced Shixiong Liu, and he bent down directly while practically begging, "Please, Esteemed Shixiong Liu. I have given you every Spirit Stone I earned from working at the Miscellaneous Department for the past three months, so can I please keep the one from the sect distributions? I gave you one just a few days ago…."
Shixiong Liu’s eyes narrowed with dissatisfaction. "You dare to bargain with me?"
Startled, Yu Sanliang quickly began to plead once more, "I would not dare to…. Please, have mercy…."
Shxiong Liu slowly looked over Yu Sanliang. "Yes, those were the rules before, but rules can always be changed." He then looked towards Fang Xing next to Yu Sanliang and cleared his throat before continuing, "It was just you before, but now I see you’ve gotten yourself a little monkey tag-along. Since there are two of you now, it’s only natural the Spirit Stone contributions must also double. I expect two stones every three months from you from now on."
Startled, Yu Sanliang began to beg even more desperately, "Shixiong Liu, please don’t do this. Shidi Fang joined the outer court only a few days ago. Please, don’t do this to him…."
"Why? Why would I listen to the request of someone like you?" Shixiong Liu’s expression grew cold before he landed a harsh slap against Yu Sanliang’s fat face. "I think I’m already quite reasonable to allow you to keep one stone between the two of you! If you continue on like this, you’ll be left with none!"
Yu Sanliang’s face immediately swelled up after receiving the blow. He wanted to say more, but after seeing Shixiong Liu’s expression, he handed over his Spirit Stone and guiltily looked towards Fang Xing, motioning for him to do the same without causing any trouble….
"Shixiong Zhu, why didn’t you tell me you were friends with such a good man like Shixiong Liu? You should have introduced me earlier!"
Fang Xing had acted like a bystander the entire time until the moment Shixiong Liu’s gaze crossed with his. Fang Xing was all smiles, and he took out his Spirit Stone without a hint of hesitation. "Shxiong Liu, I only needed one look to tell you’re not only extremely powerful, but also a very good man with a righteous spirit. I’m new to the outer court and would like to meet my shixiongs, so it would actually be my utmost pleasure to gift you with this Spirit Stone as a sign of my admiration. Please do kindly take this."
Seeing the bright red Spirit Stone handed over so easily left Shixiong Liu surprised.
Fang Xing’s behavior before now had been closer to that of a mountain bandit’s than a disciple of a well-respected sect, but Shixiong Liu couldn’t help but to be happy with the offering and felt this little monkey was quite entertaining. Perhaps Fang Xing mistook him for a big name within the sect and wanted to get on his good side for protection?
Seeing this turn of events, the feeble disciple and his friends were filled with disdain; this kid had talked the talk, yet he’d immediately bowed his head when faced with someone stronger. A kid like this was truly despicable, and they decided they’d have a go as well once Shixiong Liu was finished.
Fang Xing’s smile was very sincere, and his young appearance made it seem even more innocent than usual—it was hard for anyone to question his sincerity.
Shixiong Liu immediately showed a smile and laughed. "This little shidi here understands a lot more than you, Shidi Yu. You should have introduced us earlier! Haha, don’t worry, little shidi; with my protection, no one will be able to bully you here…." He smiled wider and moved to pick up the stone without standing on politeness.
However, just as Shixiong Liu’s fingertips were within reach of the stone, Fang Xing suddenly shivered and dropped it to the ground. "Ahh— don’t break…." the boy said in shock while hurriedly bending to pick up the Stone.
‘Sure enough, he must be really new. Never heard of a Spirit Stone breaking…’ Shixiong Liu thought to himself while smiling and waiting for Fang Xing to pick up the Stone for him.
The contempt of the three men looking from afar grew even more after such a display, but this was only because they didn’t notice Yu Sanliang’s expression at what he saw.
"Shixiong Liu, please kindly accept my offering to you…." Fang Xing stood back up with a small smile right before his wrist abruptly thrusted forward.
Just as Shixiong Liu was about to reply, he felt something cold on his abdomen. His Spirit Shield subconsciously tried to deflect something to no avail, and before he even knew what it was, Fang Xing pulled a shiny dagger out of Shixiong Liu’s stomach. With some peculiar footwork, Fang Xing then moved forward and landed a small yet fierce fist to Shixiong Liu’s torso.
"Eht…." Shixiong Liu’s body suddenly folded at the waist as he broke out in a cold sweat. Fang Xing’s second blow hadn’t only shattered his Spirit Shield, but had also landed right against the dagger wound. The pain he felt was beyond description.
The three onlookers slowly began to realize what had happened, and their expressions twisted into shock and fear. The feeble disciple was so frightened by the display that he nearly dropped to the ground himself, as though he was the one being stabbed instead.
Picking up the Spirit Stone had all been a cover for Fang Xing to draw out his dagger, thrust it into Shixiong Liu’s body, and then land a punch to prevent the man from counterattacking or reforming his Spirit Shield. Shixiong Liu was already within the second tier, after all. Although Fang Xing might only be a step away from second tier himself, the difference between first and second was still quite noticeable; if the man was ever given the chance to attack, it would not end well for Fang Xing.
Either do something to the absolute or don’t do it at all—this mindset had been drilled into Fang Xing from a young age. Although Shixiong Liu was in the second tier, being stabbed and then punched in the same location filled his body with pain and weakness.
"Shixiong Liu, how is my tribute?" Fang Xing grinned before moving behind the man and following up with a dropkick.
Shixiong Liu lost his balance and fell to the ground face-first. The movement caused his injury to tear even further, and his body jerked forward outside of his control from the pain. He rolled on the ground like a freshly-cooked shrimp, holding his stomach tight while fresh blood seeped through his fingers.
Rather than pleading for mercy, Shixiong Liu gritted his teeth in anger. "Little bastard… you... dare to... sneak attack… me?"
"How can you expect to rob people with only this much awareness?" Fang Xing teased Shixiong Liu while frisking him to see if he had anything of value.
While he was being searched, Shixiong Liu silently moved one of his arms into one of his inner pockets and deliberately said, "You little bastard, you may have gotten me today… but don’t think you—"
"Shidi Fang, be careful!" the fat Daoist suddenly interrupted in alarm. With where he was standing, he was in a good position to see what Shixiong Liu was up to.
"Heh," Fang Xing allowed a laugh to leak out before he leapt towards Shixiong Liu once more, his dagger still in hand. Shixiong Liu tried to raise his arm only to let out a loud cry as it was nailed into the ground by Fang Xing’s dagger, and a small sword fell out of his grasp. The small sword wasn’t an ordinary sword, either—it was only a few inches long and covered in exquisite symbols and spells.
With Shixiong Liu no longer able to move, Fang Xing proceeded to repeatedly kick him in the stomach. "You’re not going to shed a tear until you see your own coffin, huh? You dare try to ambush me with your sword?"
Shixiong Liu was truly a tough man, but there was still a limit no matter how robust somebody was; with the child repeatedly striking the same location, even a tough man like him couldn’t help but to cry out in pain.
Fang Xing picked up the small sword from the ground and stowed it into his pocket, treating it as though it had belonged to him from the very beginning. He’d already appraised the weapon earlier and found a total of seven perfectly intact spells, definitely making it a decent weapon. Although the Nine Snakes’ Sword might be higher in category and quality, the amount of Qi it required was well above what Fang Xing could handle right now, so it wasn’t exactly a good idea to be showing it around in broad daylight. This small sword, on the other hand, was just perfect for him right now.
"Shidi Fang, you have to give him back the sword. It’s what he chose from The Pavilion of Spirit Tools; if you take it from him, the elders will come and punish you for this…" Yu Sanliang hastily whispered to Fang Xing after seeing what he was doing.
Shixiong Liu gritted his teeth when he overheard the plump Daoist’s words. "You… you really are something, aren’t you, fatty? You planned this out with this little bastard from the beginning, didn’t you? Once I heal… I’m going to make sure you both pay for this with your pitiful little lives…."
Yu Sanliang’s expression changed from bad to worse as he imagined all of the crazy things Shixiong Liu would do for revenge. When Fang Xing heard Shixiong Liu’s threat, however, he showed a cold smile and began dancing the dagger up and down the man’s neck. "How funny. Do you really think I’ll give you a chance to take revenge?"
"You dare… try... to kill me?" Shixiong Liu hesitantly asked, although he still managed to retain his tough image.
Yu Sanliang was taken aback and subconsciously tugged on Fang Xing’s sleeve. From what he knew of Fang Xing, it was legitimately possible he would kill Shixiong Liu out of anger, but they were still under the watchful eyes of the sect elders. Although the other disciple who killed somebody had only received a one-year punishment, that was because he had extraordinary aptitude and a wealthy clan backing him; someone like Fang Xing wasn’t even a comparison….
Let alone expulsion, it was possible D-Ranks like them would have to pay for it with their lives!
—
Some ten miles away on a mountain peak, an ancient pine provided shade to two men playing a game of
This particular game of Weiqi had been going on for a month. More specifically, it had been thirty-three days since the game began, yet it was still only at its halfway point.
After a long time of thought, the white-haired young man suddenly broke the silence, muttering a soft question with a game piece still in his fingers, "How many of the new disciples have you taken notice of?"
The black-haired elder laughed. "It’s not bad, actually. We got ten A-Rank disciples this time, more than I’d expected!"
The white-haired young man smiled at the answer while staring at the board.
The black-haired elder gave it some thought and realized he hadn’t fully answered the question. He considered it some more before adding, "Within those ten disciples, three come from wealthy families, two from well-known clans, and there’s a boy named Hou Qing who was already at tier two when he joined. If all goes as expected, he should be the first person to become an inner court disciple within this group."
In short, among the thousands of new recruits, only six had caught his attention.
The white-haired man continued to hold his Weiqi stone, still smiling without a single word.
The black-haired elder showed a bitter smile and politely asked, "Have you noticed any,
"One, and only just now," the white-haired young man replied.
The black-haired elder’s expression suddenly changed before he swept his Spirit Sense off towards where the white-haired man was facing. From this, he immediately understood who the white-haired young man was talking about. "So young, yet so ruthless. Shishu, do you want me to punish him?"
Another piece was added to the game board in reply. "We continue the game!"
As the small stone touched the board, the young man’s gaze shifted up ever so slightly towards the sky.
Upon the curve of the heavens, nine coffins hung high and mighty, intertwined amidst the planets of the galaxy. They overlooked the world like watchful guardians, poised to protect all below them… or, perhaps, like poison-soaked blades, ready to drip chaos upon the land….
—
"No, I won’t kill you," Fang Xing smiled at the tough Shixiong Liu, "but I’ll make sure you can’t easily avenge yourself in the future!"
Fang Xing never stopped smiling, but his eyes suddenly turned cold. He picked up the sword from the ground and began to stab out repeatedly, causing spurts of blood from Shixiong Liu’s knees, waist, and shoulders while the man howled out in pain.
Fang Xing stood up and glanced at the sword in his hands, his eyes filled with regret. "It’s unfortunate that I can’t take such a nice sword for myself." He then crouched down and placed his foot against Shixiong Liu’s neck to keep him in place while searching around his body for the Spirit Stones that had been taken. Once that was finished, Fang Xing pulled his dagger free from Shixiong Liu’s arm, wiped the blood off onto the man’s robe, and clapped his hands. "Time to go!"
The plump Daoist followed closely behind Fang Xing, his face as grey as ash. The speed and certainty Fang Xing had shown filled him with fear, and he wanted to leave the scene as soon as possible. "Shidi Fang… did you cripple him for good?"
"How could it be so easy to cripple a cultivator? All I did was slow him down a little; he’ll be in bed for around a good four or five months?"
"Then in five months from now, won’t he take revenge?" Yu Sanliang hurriedly asked with a blank gaze.
"Hah, but in five months’ time, he’ll be no match for me!"
Fang Xing was filled with so much confidence that his words came across more as arrogance. Although Yu Sanliang listened, he couldn’t help but to feel bitter; Shixiong Liu was in the second tier, so how would Fang Xing be able to match against him in only a few months’ time?
It was at this moment that the trio that had looked on from afar attempted to leave, only to have Fang Xing stop them. "Isn’t that the sissy? What a coincidence to find you here, too!"
The feeble disciple’s legs trembled in horror at the voice, making it impossible for him to walk. The beefy man tried to force himself to stay calm and maintain an expressionless face, but only barely managed to do so. "We’re waiting for someone. Wh— what do you want?" Despite his attempts at staying calm, his voice still trembled a bit.
Fang Xing snatched his sleeve away from Yu Sanliang’s grip and advanced towards the trio with his dagger in hand. "Shut up and hand it over!"
The feeble disciple hid behind the beefy man just as Fang Xing closed in. The beefy man had actually wanted to hide, too, but the dagger was already right in front of him; pale-faced, he could only reluctantly reply, "Hand… what over...?"
"Hand what over? Perhaps you’ll know what I’m talking about if I poke some holes in you?" Fang Xing scoured him up and down, as if looking for the best location to start making good on his threat.
Although the beefy man wasn’t willing, the feeble disciple took out his Spirit Stone while continuing to hide. "Hurry and take this. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have looked at you before; I won’t do it again…."
Fang Xing took hold of the Spirit Stone before tilting his head up towards the beefy man. "And yours?"
"You want…mine, too?" Panic hit him soon after Fang Xing began impatiently waving his dagger as though preparing to stab him, and he finally handed his over as well. "H— here…."
After placing the second stone safely into his pocket, Fang Xing looked towards the third man who’d been asked to come along to help the other two. Without a hint of delay, the man obediently passed his Spirit Stone to Fang Xing as well.
Finally satisfied, Fang Xing gave one last glare to the trio before letting them off. As the three men ran away in panic, he turned to the fat Daoist with pride. "See, this is how I earn my Spirit Stones…."
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