"Flowing Space's Nine Forms, Space Rupturing Form!"
"Purple Lightning Gold Eye!"
"Cold Jade Palm!"
"Peony Finger!"
Following many yells, four attacks of great power descended. They were composed of purple lightning, lofty sword intent, a deep chilling wind, and a deep yet flexible power.
They hammered Huangpu Qingyun and forced him to withdraw three steps as four figures stood in front of Zhuo Fan and Chu Qingcheng.
Jian Suifeng, Long Jiu, Iris Overseer and Peony Overseer. The overseers rushed to Chu Qingcheng and checked her wounds while the first two were on high alert for any of Huangpu Qingyun's sudden movements.
When the dust settled, Huangpu Qingyun had a frosty expression, but unharmed in any way.
This caused a great deal of shock. The four elders used their most masterful skills against Huangpu Qingyun. But even though they lacked the intent to kill, he had no damage whatsoever, not even a bruise or a cut.
This only worked to put them on guard.
[No wonder Regent Estate's Golden Tyrant Body Art was the strongest of the seven houses! This is monstrous!]
Whoosh~
Three more figures landed, Vicious Pill King, Lin Zitian, and Hell Valley's 5th elder next to Huangpu Qingyun. They took a glance at the situation and could guess what happened.
"He-he-he, such gall you have to strike the second young master!" Vicious Pill King laughed coldly, taking advantage of the occasion to sow chaos, "If you want to fight, we will gladly entertain you!"
Lin Zitian and 5th elder exchanged glances, then looked at Huangpu Qingyun. They had no choice but to bear through this.
Not stepping forth now was getting on the Regent Estate's bad side.
With shivering hearts, Long Jiu's group looked at each other with determination on their faces. Huangpu Qingyun was bad enough, but now that the other three showed up, it would be hard to come out on top in this battle.
In an instant, Long Jiu and Jian Suifeng looked at Zhuo Fan without even realizing it.
Zhuo Fan had You Guiqi's killing under his belt. He was both brave and devious. The most dependable man here weren't they, the elders, but him.
Squinting, Zhuo Fan locked his eyes on Vicious Pill King.
If battle erupted, Vicious Pill King posed the biggest threat. Long Jiu and the others would suffer at this old dog's poisonous tricks. Before anything happened, he had to remove this danger from the equation.
This may diverge from Zhuo Fan's original plan, but things kept coming one after the other. [Who knew it would come to this? I have no choice but to be firm with my decisions and get rid of this headache first.]
Zhuo Fan slowly moved, boring into Vicious Pill King with killing intent. Yan Song was in the dark regarding Zhuo Fan's threat. Killing him would be easy when his guard was down.
Jian Suifeng and Long Jiu noticed his eyes and understood he came to a decision. Trading blows here was the same as falling out with Regent Estate and the other three houses. The seven houses war would erupt.
None of them could see if this was a fortune or disaster for their house.
What they did know, was that the die was cast and they had to strike!
"Hold on!"
Huangpu Qingyun shouted to stop everyone in place and he looked at Chu Qingcheng, "Qingcheng, think this through! Are you going to side with them?"
Chu Qingcheng wiped the blood from her mouth and stepped in front of the others. She turned to Zhuo Fan, then the black cloak, and her eyes steeled, "Yes, I have never been more certain!"
"Fine, be that way. I wish you all a long life!"
Huangpu Qingyun spat the last two words with thick sarcasm, evident of the rancor and curses running through his head.
He said his piece and left with his group. As they passed by Zhuo Fan, he gave a laughter seeping with contempt, "Punk, Drifting Flowers Edifice never had males, are you… ha-ha-ha…"
"Hold up, where did you get that idea?" Zhuo Fan raised a taunting eyebrow, "Wasn't Chu Qingtian a man? His actions were foolish, true, but he was a man through and through!"
He hid for a decade for Drifting Flowers Edifice, only to die at Drifting Flowers Edifice's hands. Yet, this pitiful hero was now viewed as a black stain.
Zhuo Fan didn't condone such idiotic behavior. Why would anyone throw away their lives for a bunch of broads who treated men like nothing more than tools. Only using them to secure their little sanctuary?
That was no mere idiocy, but downright madness!
However, his loyalty was praiseworthy even in Zhuo Fan's eyes.
"If he was truly a man, it would've been best if he stuck to sleeping with women, ha-ha-ha…" Huangpu Qingyun mocked, loathing displayed on his face.
Vicious Pill King snickered at Zhuo Fan, making it obvious he was speaking to everyone present, "Chu Qingtian was once my disciple. To be honest, his alchemy skill was top-notch, but he was too blinded by pride, holding everyone beneath him. He was a helpless dreamer, believing he alone was enough to refine the antidote and cure Drifting Flowers Edifice. The results speak for itself. He is more of a fool than anybody else!"
Vicious Pill King walked away, pleased after seeing Chu Qingcheng clenching her fists, but still couldn't help pouring more salt on the wound, "This is a world of men and wisdom. Fools and women that dare covet it will only get burnt!"
"Damn that Vicious Pill King!"
Long Jiu knew the ins and out of the situation and his lone eyes flickered in rage. He looked back at Chu Qingcheng to see her trembling in anger.
Long Jiu shook his head and whispered to Zhuo Fan, "Little brother, talk to Chuchu about the alliance between us three houses!"
"No need!"
Zhuo Fan's eyes flickered with coldness and spoke, eyeing the departing group, "That is your matter. What I want is to make that insufferable guy know the true meaning of being a man!"
Long Jiu's heart seized. He opened his mouth many times but Zhuo Fan's unfeeling face stopped him. He never saw Zhuo Fan looking so scary before…
When Huangpu Qingyun's group got back to Drifting Flowers Edifice's guest rooms, the Vicious Pill King asked, "Second young master, why did you let them go? We were more than enough to deal with them!"
"Fool!"
Huangpu Qingyun berated, "Killing them is easy, but what then? It will incite war among the seven houses. Even if we win, we will have to pay a heavy price for it."
"Second young master, why do you say that?" The others asked.
Huangpu Qingyun laughed mockingly and said, "Don't forget, Tianyu holds not just the Seven Noble Houses, but the Four Pillars…"
His voice drifted off, but everyone was clear. So Regent Estate's ambition was to reach such a height.
"In any case, Drifting Flowers Edifice is already close to fall. Don't mind those cornered dogs. As for Veiled Dragon Pavilion and Sword Marquise Abode, humph, I am now certain they are opposing us. We would've had to deal with them sooner or later!"
"Brilliant, second young master!"
They all bowed, but each thought differently.
Pill King Hall had long surrendered, while Hell Valley was grinning at his enemy's predicament. [Veiled Dragon Pavilion kicked an iron board this time.] As for Merry Woods's Lin Zitian, he was an opportunist. Seeing others bowing, he did the same, to avoid trouble befalling on his head!
Meanwhile, Zhuo Fan walked out of Drifting Flowers Edifice's guest room and sighed towards the sun.
Yesterday, he was caught up in his own delusion. He thought the world was made of just he and Chu Qingcheng, where the others mattered little. Today, he reentered the mortal world and shook his head out of regret.
[If not for Huangpu Qingyun's disturbance, I would've still been with Chu Qingcheng in that quaint house as nothing but simple farmers.]
But even without yesterday's event, he would have only one day until the Hundred Pill Meeting, where he had to put his plan in motion. His future didn't lay in that quiet farmhouse.
[I am but a simple worker!] Zhuo Fan sighed at the sky,
A white figure suddenly landed, Chu Qingcheng. But before he could scream, she took him into the air.
"Come with me!"
An hour later, they landed in the slums again. But they weren't the only ones there this time. There were the Dong siblings and Xiao Dandan.
Zhuo Fan was puzzled as to what it was about.
Chu Qingcheng giggled, "You visited Grandmother and my family. Now it's only reasonable that I visit your parents, but it's a way off and can only see your friends for now."
Chu Qingcheng pulled Zhuo Fan and invited the others into a small run-down house.
Xiao Dandan was dumbstruck. [Why is Edifice Lord with him, here?] She accomplished her master's order by bringing the Dong siblings here, where in fact they were meeting with Edifice Lord.
While she was dumbstruck, the Dong siblings were floored.
Meeting the evil Xiao Dandan first thing in the morning, they thought Drifting Flowers Edifice was about to settle the score with them and were on edge the whole way here. But seeing Edifice Lord holding hands with his brother, their whole world collapsed.
[Just how did Song Yu do it? How did a third rate clan young master end up with the leader of one of the Seven Noble Houses, Drifting Flowers Edifice? The number one beauty in Tianyu, Chu Qingcheng.]
"Sister, I often told you, you should've caught him first! Now, all hope is lost!" Dong Tianba stared at the couple, in a daze.
Dong Xiaowan lamented inside, not expecting this to happen, "How could I have known brother Song Yu and Drifting Flowers Edifice's Lord would have become an item?"
While they were bitter, Xiao Dandan felt like crying. She finally found herself a worthy man only to have her boss become her love rival. What could she possibly do now?
The three were now more bitter than ever…