"Spill it, old man. Where are you keeping our people?"
Shui Ruohua sat on a bench in an inn, with a woman in blue and ten more people next to her. She was glaring at a tied-up red-nosed old man.
The grandpa had no care, his head swooning and wearing a silly smile, "G-give me wine."
"Screw you!"
Shui Ruohua snapped, "It's been five days, damn drunkard. No matter how much you have drunk, you should be sober by now. Quit your faking, or I'll have to get serious."
The threat went right over the old man, swaying all the same and saying wine again and again.
Rolling her eyes, Shui Ruohua raised her hand. She was going to slap some sense into the drunkard, one to break bones.
It was then that she heard something from outside, "One, two. One, two…"
Shui Ruohua tensed and glanced at the woman in blue.
"Go see what it is." Shui Ruohua said.
The woman looked out the window to see a bunch of zombies taking one painful step after another their way. In the lead were four totally average people while at the side were the ever familiar Chu Qingcheng and Dan'er leading them and chatting.
The woman in blue jerked as she witnessed junior sister Qingcheng's bright smile. She reported, "Senior sister Ruohua, it's junior sister Qingcheng returning. Though she brought a bunch of weirdos. They're all so stiff."
"She must've caught someone suspicious. Open the barrier and let them in." Shui Ruohua brightened.
The drunkard shook his head, "More innocent people are dragged into this. Such a heavy sin!"
"So you can listen, now stop faking. Once they come in, I'll deal with you." Shui Ruohua sent one last glare and had the rest watch him as he and the woman in blue went outside.
The drunkard chuckled as his head swayed.
[How unbearably naive. Any longer, and the kid would have played me to death…]
Hum~
The inn's barrier opened, and the girls walked toward the stiff guys and said, "Junior sister Qingcheng, did you find the bastard's lair? You got so many captives and even went so hard on them. They're barely alive."
"Who are you calling a dead captive? They may be crippled a tiny bit, sure, but you are not to mock them. Talk about discrimination!" Zhuo Fan growled.
Thanks to Shui Ruohua's words, the zombies were in lower spirits, if possible, looking at Zhuo Fan with dejection and bitterness, "Steward Zhuo, you're one to talk. You did this to us!"
Zhuo Fan shrugged, while Shui Ruohua froze, "Y-you're…"
"Oh, senior sister Ruohua, I forgot to make the introductions."
Chu Qingcheng flowed next to Zhuo Fan and grabbed his hand, presenting with utmost joy, "He is Zhuo Fan, an old friend from Tianyu. He now represents the Demon Scheming Sect in Double Dragon Gathering. You met once. He heard of our troubles and came to help."
Zhuo Fan snatched his hand back with an odd face, blurting, "Uh, yes, right. We just stumbled into each other while resting here. We don't care about your business."
"You guys, keep moving and go in, or any slowpoke will be stiff for life." Zhuo Fan went next to his victims and instructed.
Kui Lang mourned his plight, "Steward Zhuo, we'll never rest again in our lives."
"You'll go in either way. With how unnatural this place is, you'll be sitting ducks outside, especially in your weak states."
"Let's just go then!" Lu Xie sighed.
Zhuo Fan turned frosty, "That's for me to decide. I'm the boss here!"
Lu Xie was outraged.
"Fool, Steward Zhuo hardly cares about women, and now that he found one that took his fancy, he'll never leave. You can't even see this?" Qi Changlong glared.
Lu Xie was stubborn, "The sect rule says you can dual cultivate but not sprout feelings. Did you forget?"
"The rules are made for the strong. You have seen it and know it all too well." Qi Changlong snorted.
Lu Xie sighed and the others nodded. Feeling the malcontent in their voices, Zhuo Fan was at an impasse on what to do. Not that he gave a hoot for Demon Scheming Sect's rules, but they did have one he agreed on.
Feelings were a deadly poison to a demonic cultivator.
Chu Qingcheng saw the sullen Zhuo Fan and chuckled, whether from loss or disappointment.
She kept her face straight though, "He doesn't like meeting new people."
Chu Qingcheng went inside, ignoring Zhuo Fan. Shui Ruohua was stumped by her bright yet painful smile…
They all soon went inside, and the barrier was restored. The fiends rolled their eyes. They didn't give a damn about this, but since Zhuo Fan did, they had to oblige.
"The Mystical Heaven Sect must be relaxed to send the disciples without elders." Fiend Yang noticed the cultivations around and smirked.
Shui Ruohua sighed, "We had three elders with us but the demonic cultivator captured them, leaving us alone."
"My, how the mighty Mystical Heaven Sect has fallen, to even have its elders captured, ha-ha-ha…" The fiends mocked.
The zombies joined in.
Mystical Heaven Sect's group was furious. [Have you demons come to help or kick us when we're down? You were better off not coming at all!]
Zhuo Fan said, "Now, now, you might be captured next as well."
Ugh!
Fiend Yang groaned, "Zhuo Fan, what are you doing helping outsiders? Don't you know girls are like clothes while brothers are your hands and feet?"
Zhuo Fan's face fell, while the people from Mystical Heaven Sect looked startled.
[How tough is he? While we fawn over elders, he has venerables fawn over him.]
[An unnatural and disturbing reversal!]
"Ha-ha-ha, demonic cultivators are always funny. Running your mouth then contradicting yourselves. Since girls are clothes, you might as well sell your brothers out to get some. Why all the hesitation?"
The fiends were annoyed. The dumb speaker was none other than a drunkard wearing a taunting smile.
"Old fool, say that again." Fiend Yang pointed at him.
The old man belched and mocked, "Am I wrong? Sure, girls are like clothes and brothers your hands, but look around you. There are plenty of guys without hands, yet have you ever seen someone skipping around buck naked? "
Pff!
Shui Ruohua's side giggled. It was the first time since they captured the old man that he defended their dignity.
Fiend Yang's forehead sported an extra thick vein.
Zhuo Fan interfered though, "Uh, and he is…"
"Seeing the town suspicious we investigated and only found him around. So we captured him for interrogation, but he never talked."
Having helped her once, Shui Ruohua found it natural to explain.
Fiend Yang grinned and glared at the old guy, having found the excuse to get back at him, "Leave him to me. I'll loosen his mouth. Soon he'll be begging to talk, hi-hi-hi…"
The others chilled at his tone.
Zhuo Fan blocked him and stared, before speaking with respect towards the old man, "Senior, we have been most rude. Please forgive our transgression."
The rest were dumbfounded. [Does he know him?]
The old man jerked, [What's the kid playing at?]
"You know him?" Chu Qingcheng turned her soft eyes to Zhuo Fan.
Zhuo Fan shook his head, "Never seen him in my life."
"Why then do you show such respect? It's not like you." Chu Qingcheng asked.
Demon Scheming Sect's gang was most intrigued.
[If Steward Zhuo never cursed an old man openly, it was already showing respect.]
Zhuo Fan shrugged, looking around before fixing his gaze on Mystical Heaven Sect's side, "You said everyone in this town was captured, and only he remained, right?"
"Yes, when we arrived, it was bustling, but over a few days, it became like this. After much searching, we only found him." Shui Ruohua said.
Zhuo Fan sighed and pointed, "Tell me, what is his cultivation?"
"None whatsoever. Isn't he just an average old man?" Everyone shook their heads.
Zhuo Fan grinned, "Is it that he has no cultivation that you're mocking? Or maybe he's so high up the realms you can't even sense it."
"What?!" All he got was gasps of disbelief.
There were even Ethereal Stage experts here, yet they still couldn't tell. Just how strong was this old coot?
"You can tell, then?" Shui Ruohua asked.
"Nope." Zhuo Fan shook his head, "And that's what makes it frightening."
Everyone rolled their eyes and eased up with Shui Ruohua glaring, "Then stop spouting bullshit. You got us scared for a second there we messed with an expert. "
"Ha-ha-ha, messing or not, it depends on your fortune and the old man's mood."
Zhuo Fan sported a vague grin, "You said it yourself. Everyone in the town was gone except for this elderly man. That means two things. Either this elder escaped, and the culprits disdained going after him, or the elder is so powerful the culprits had no way of dealing with him. Yet you jumped right to accusing him without so much as a clue how it happened. This offense, I fear… "
Mystical Heaven Sect's side hearts tightened.
[But he's so plain! How is he supposed to be a world expert? Does that mean we're dead?]
From the pearly white smile the old guy was giving, Shui Ruohua's side was panicking. Then Zhuo Fan gave another bow, his tone so annoying he got Mystical Heaven Sect's side fuming.
"Elder, see that? We've only met by chance here. We don't know them. Sir needs to be clear about the guilty parties here. If you have any grudge, take it out on them without any restraint. We'll just stay on the sideline, cheering you on. If you find us an eyesore, then we would gladly leave."
Shui Ruohua's side had dark faces.
[Did you come to help or dig us a bigger hole?]
Demon Scheming Sect's side laughed it up.
"Zhuo Fan, get lost already, and stop spinning wild tales and making it worse for us!"
"Damn vile demon spawns, they're all evil. None will help us for real." Shui Ruohua spat and Dan'er followed.
Demon Scheming Sect's gang showed a nasty smile, like second nature to them.
Zhuo Fan huffed, [Think I want to butt in? I only…]
He peeked at Chu Qingcheng only to see her looking at him with lovely eyes. He swished his head away at once, his heart a mess…
"Ha-ha-ha…"
The ol' drunkard laughed, nodding, "Nice one, boy, you got me, unlike these softies. Let me give you a warning as a reward, go now while you're not involved. They have set the trap and are about to reap the joys of the hunt soon enough. You have no chance against his sharp mind. Leave while you can."
The rest were startled.
[Zhuo Fan was right?]
As if to cement his theory, the drunkard flexed, and the ropes binding him fell to pieces just like that. Even Zhuo Fan shuddered. Just the fact the rope was dealt with without the single sign of Yuan Qi leaking showed he had reached a godly level in raw power. Such precise control pointed at high cultivation and heart. The old man was far worse than he thought, and Zhuo Fan was stern.
Stretching about, the old man chuckled, "Where's the wine? How can this be an inn without a drink?"
"Venerable Fiend Yang, take out the wine you took from the tavern and offer it to senior." Zhuo Fan said.
Fiend Yang complied, his brow soaked. He realized, at last, the old man was a monster, so much that his skills looked like parlor tricks by comparison.
Then came the crushing regret. [What's wrong with me? Why had I been taunting the old guy?]
[He just has to be petty, and my poor life would be gone!]
Shui Ruohua's side was struck by abject fear. They were the ones who messed with the monster most.
The old guy chuckled, "It's far too late for regrets though. Do you know how all who messed with me ended up? Ha-ha-ha…"
He scared the kids, though Zhuo Fan didn't buy it, "Sir shouldn't scare the kids, they did it out of ignorance. If sir were to nitpick, they'd be goners ages ago. I can see sir doesn't stoop to their level, seeing their naive nature. I must say, I admire sir's jovial nature in playing with people's feelings."
"Ha-ha-ha, nice one, kid. You turned it around so it'll make me look bad if I do strike them." The old man's eyes glittered, "Since you gave me some wine, I'll give this one for free. Leave now, you won't stand a chance if you stay."
The old man then walked out of the inn and everyone jumped out of his way.
Creak~
The brilliant sun shone through the open door and the old man sighed, "So late, there's no escape now. Kid, you're on your own. This had nothing to do with you, alas, this is fate…"
The old man went through the barrier like nothing. The rest gasped. They captured a monster who could cross barriers without a sign meaning his cultivation must've reached the pinnacle.
"See that? If not for our Steward Zhuo reminding you of your offense, you'd be dead. Thank him already!" Kui Lang shouted at the girls from Mystical Heaven Sect.
They all stood dumbfounded, then thanked Zhuo Fan with their eyes.
Fiend Yang held Zhuo Fan's shoulder, reproaching, "I told you not to get involved. You were this close to getting instantly killed by a worldly expert. I almost peed my pants from fear. Got that, muddled kid…"
"Shh."
Zhuo Fan gestured and pointed outside, "Fog is coming."
The others saw the sun covered in thick fog and the world darkening.
Fiend Yang asked, "What's odd about evening mist?"
"True, but have you ever seen a fog that blocks divine sense?"
They all released their Discerning Field to find nothing in its range.
The fog was eerie, stopping everyone's Discerning Field dead in its tracks.
Zhuo Fan's mood was heavy, "The old man was right. We're stuck here now…"