Zhao Yunxiao was not the only one who had recognised Wei Yuandi.
Gu Qiansi and Lu Zhiying did so as well, with the latter having seen him a few times during the New Year activities.
In fact, even Quan Hui and the members of the Vermilion Bird Sect managed to recognise him instantly.
Just like how Zhao Yunxiao knew of Quan Hui, Wei Yuandi was famous across the Four Great Symbol Sects.
No, not just across the Four Great Symbol Sects.
Even outside of the Four Great Symbol Sects, his name was considered rather well known in the entire Duyuan Empire!
Death Blade, Wei Yuandi.
Not counting the Smiling Swordsman, he was probably the most famous core disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect.
But unlike the Smiling Swordsman, Wei Yuandi's reputation was not the most positive one, as could be inferred from his alias – Death Blade.
Rather, it would not be too much of an exaggeration to consider him notorious instead.
His strength and talent could not be doubted, but that was only part of the reason why his name struck fear in people's hearts.
The reason he was feared by all was still largely due to his scheming and ruthless nature.
He was no stranger to killing, known for never showing mercy to his enemies. Anyone who crossed him could be sent straight to the gates of hell before they knew it.
Even within the Black Tortoise Sect, it was rumoured that he had directly plotted the death of his own brother just to steal his position as a core disciple. This matter had never been directly confirmed by any of the sect administrators, but neither had it ever been explicitly clarified.
Because of this, Wei Yuandi was feared not just outside the Black Tortoise Sect, but within the sect as well!
That was why, despite the appearance of a fellow sect member in Wei Yuandi, Zhao Yunxiao could not bring himself to be entirely excited.
Instead, he was feeling a mix of both relief and anxiety at the same time.
Relieved at the sight of a fellow member of the sect, and
Anxious at the uncertainty of Wei Yuandi's reason for appearing.
Was he here to help them after seeing the distress flare? Or was he simply passing by?
If he was here to help, would he feel angered about this matter, seeing it as an unnecessary chore that had been pushed onto him?
Everyone fell silent, closely watching Wei Yuandi as they tried to figure out his goal for being here.
But seemingly indifferent to the stares bearing down upon him, Wei Yuandi wordlessly continued to slowly approach on horseback.
He silently rode forward on his horse, and the members of the Vermilion Bird Sect slowly retreated.
With every metre that he advanced, they retreated by two.
The intimidation that his mere presence was effecting on them was clear for all to see.
This continued until Wei Yuandi stopped his horse right beside Zhao Yunxiao's group, who were still kneeling on the ground in an unsightly manner.
"...Greetings, Senior Martial Brother Wei," Zhao Yunxiao finally managed to mutter at this point.
"Disciple token?" Wei Yuandi said monotonously.
"R-Right! Here!" Zhao Yunxiao quickly pulled out his disciple token and presented it to Wei Yuandi.
Gu Qiansi and Lu Zhiying did the same.
Wei Yuandi took a cursory glance at the three of them while his spiritual sense swept over their disciple tokens.
His attention remained on them for no more than a second, but it was still enough to make Zhao Yunxiao's heart palpitate in nervousness.
Of course, he made sure to put on a straight face and not let his feelings show.
First impressions were important, after all!
Wei Yuandi then turned his attention towards the members of the Vermilion Bird Sect.
Compared to Zhao Yunxiao, the members of the Vermilion Bird Sect were far worse at controlling their emotions. Just this little shift in focus from Wei Yuandi was enough to cause them to take yet another step back in apprehension.
"G-Greetings, Brother Wei," Quan Hui clasped her fists towards Wei Yuandi. "May I know the reason for your presence here today?"
Wei Yuandi looked at her with the same indifferent gaze that he had had since the beginning.
This was not the first time that the two had met.
The Four Great Symbol Sects had close ties with one another, and there were plenty of occasions that allowed disciples from their factions to meet over the year.
Not all disciples would be allowed to attend these events each time. But as core disciples, the two of them were stars in each of their individual factions, so they were definitely allowed to attend any of these events as long as they wanted to.
It was only natural that they knew of each other's existence, but that alone did not guarantee that they would have a good relationship.
Then again, the two of them not having a good relationship was not entirely surprising, either.
When asked who in this world had a good relationship with the cold and ruthless Wei Yuandi, anyone would be hard pressed to find an answer!
"They are coming with me," Wei Yuandi stated matter-of-factly.
However, the fact that he made this demand without even trying to figure out the situation did not sit well with Quan Hui.
Wei Yuandi might be a core disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect, but she was also a core disciple of the Vermilion Bird Sect.
Her status was definitely not lacking in comparison!
If she were to let Wei Yuandi take these people away just like that, what would her junior martial brothers and sisters think of her in the future?
Of course, she knew better than to let her emotions rule over her head.
As far as possible, she would want to resolve this in a diplomatic manner.
"I'm afraid you might have some misunderstanding here, Brother Wei," Quan Hui said. "We found the three of them helping a deserter of my sect hide from us. That is equivalent to openly going against our Vermilion Bird Sect, so we can't just let this go without investigating further."
"That's not tr-" Zhao Yunxiao tried to explain, only to be cut off by Wei Yuandi.
"I am telling you my decision, not making a request," Wei Yuandi answered nonchalantly. "I will be bringing the three of them back with me. If you wish to stop me, then I will just bring all of you back to Purple Plum Mountain as well, even if it means having to carry your corpses with me."
He spoke with the same indifference from the start, as though he was talking about something as natural as the weather.
His facial expression never changed either, making it impossible to tell if he was joking or not.
But considering his reputation, nobody would ever assume that he was someone capable of joking.
Zhao Yunxiao felt the corner of his lips twitch.
He had felt that Quan Hui was acting in a tyrannical manner earlier, but his Senior Martial Brother Wei was going one step further right now!
Quan Hui had at least tried to reason a little before demanding to bring them back for questioning.
Wei Yuandi did not even try to find out what was happening, and immediately threatened to kill them all if they defied him!
And this was despite the fact that there was a core disciple of the Vermilion Bird Sect on the other side.
As expected of the infamous Wei Yuandi!
His reputation might not be the best. But at this very moment, it could not be more reassuring to know that they were on the same side!
The saying was indeed right – having a strong and reliable teammate was even better than having a bad opponent!
"W-What? Wei Yuandi! Don't push your luck!" Quan Hui was enraged to be spoken to in such a condescending manner, especially in front of her junior martial brothers and sisters. "We of the Vermilion Bird Sect are not afraid of you!"
"It seems like you have made your choice," Wei Yuandi answered in the same monotonous manner. "Let's save the talking, then."
Wei Yuandi opened his palm, and a sword appeared in his hands.
Zhao Yunxiao's eyes lit up upon seeing this.
He was capable of retrieving a sword with a flick of his wrists as well, as long as he had access to his spatial pouch.
However, what Wei Yuandi just did was not something as simple as that.
The sword had not been retrieved from a spatial item, but had been summoned into existence with a mere thought from Wei Yuandi.
This meant that even if Wei Yuandi did not possess any spatial items, he could still summon this sword to his side any time he wanted!
It was a sword that had garnered as much fame as its owner, which was why Zhao Yunxiao could recognise it with a glance.
As white as snow from end to end, this made the small strip of black in the centre of the blade stand out even more. At the same time, this difference in colour did not feel incongruent at all. Instead, it served to create a balancing effect, further accentuating the beauty of the sword.
Just from looking at the beautiful exterior of this sword, one would never be able to guess the sheer number of people whose blood had stained its blade.
World Reformer – a beautiful sword that was elegant enough to make others let their guards down.
This was none other than Wei Yuandi's life-bound treasure.
Life-bound treasures were special treasures unique to cultivators, with each cultivator only able to choose one in their entire lifetime.
Each of these treasures was so closely tied to their owner that perhaps it would be more accurate to consider them as a single entity instead of two.
Not only would a life-bound treasure be able to grow along with a cultivator, but the two were also linked on a spiritual level.
And this spiritual link was what allowed their owners to summon them into existence with a mere thought, as well as unsummoning them whenever it proved inconvenient!
But while Zhao Yunxiao was marvelling over Wei Yuandi's summoning of the World Reformer, Quan Hui could not bring herself to feel nearly half as thrilled.
She might not have been willing to back down after hearing Wei Yuandi's unbridled threat, but that did not mean she wanted to fight him, either!
Quan Hui knew just how strong Wei Yuandi was.
If a fight truly broke out here, she had little confidence in holding her own against this fearsome opponent. And that was the case even if she enlisted the help of her various junior martial brothers and sisters!
"In consideration of the close ties between our two sects, I shall not stoop to your level today," Quan Hui said. "But don't think that this is over just like that, Wei Yuandi. I will definitely report this matter in full detail to the sect administrators when I get back, including how you threatened us earlier!"
"Hmm? Weren't you very arrogant earlier?" Lu Zhiying quickly interjected upon realising that the situation had shifted in their favour. "Why are you suddenly choosing to run instead of standing your ground?"
"Who are you to speak here?!" Quan Hui roared.
She was already feeling extremely frustrated right now, so Lu Zhiying's words easily triggered her.
In addition, it was not even like she was being talked down to by an equal or a superior. Having to hear such words from Lu Zhiying, who was in such a sorry state herself, only further amplified Quann Hui's irritation.
"I said my name earlier, do you have a bad memory or something?" Lu Zhiying tilted her head in confusion. "If anything, you are the one who didn't introduce yourself, so... who are you actually?"
"You...!" Quan Hui had to force herself to stop after noticing that Wei Yuandi was still looking at her with his sword drawn.
"Don't say anything more, Junior Martial Sister Lu..." Gu Qiansi whispered nervously while lightly tugging on Lu Zhiying's sleeves.
"Fine, I won't say anymore then..." Lu Zhiying shrugged.
Zhao Yunxiao could not help but salute Lu Zhiying in his heart.
He had felt the urge to taunt Quan Hui as well, but did not nearly have as much courage to do so to the face of a core disciple of the Vermilion Bird Sect.
Nevertheless, he had to admit that it felt extremely good to hear Lu Zhiying go on and on like that for once!