Chapter 152: I Don’t Care About Saving Face!

“Who did I think you were? It turns out you’re Master Wen of the Xuanyun Sect! To cause such a commotion here on my mountain.”
“Isn’t it because the demon clans have been rampant lately? We’ve all gathered here at Qinghe Mountain. What if we’re wiped out in one fell swoop? I’m just assessing Qinghe Mountain’s defenses.”

Wen Jinge didn’t originally know the man before her, but unfortunately, “Nonexistence” had awakened.

Qu Xiu.

The current mountain lord of Qinghe Mountain.

A peer of Wen Jinge.

Nearly the entire previous generation of influential figures within the secretive sects—Mizang Sect, Xuanyun Sect, and Qinghe Mountain—had vanished. Now, only a few juniors upheld their legacies, but these few were powerful enough to shake entire worlds in other sects.

The Moonlight Monk of Mizang Sect defected to the demons, the Diviner of Xuanyun Sect died of illness, and Qinghe Mountain’s previous leaders reportedly committed suicide when Qu Xiu ascended as mountain lord.

The disciples of these three mighty figures received extraordinary treatment.

The Moonlight Monk’s disciple was raised on the hunt, the Diviner’s disciple led an uprising within Xuanyun Sect, and as for Qu Xiu, his senior brothers died by their own hands alongside their master. Qinghe Mountain’s survival depended solely on this solitary figure.

Back then, the Diviner loved to flaunt his disciples, especially prodigies like Wen Jinge. Coupled with the youthful arrogance of her peers and her own dour demeanor, she made many enemies by the time she forcefully put down a few challengers.

Qu Xiu was one such figure, second only to the family’s own Shan Hongxing, who had been seriously alienated by Wen Jinge’s disdain.

Now, he was the mountain lord of Qinghe Mountain, while Wen Jinge was still merely the peak master of one faction within the Xuanyun Sect.

Qu Xiu’s previously gloomy mood had lightened considerably at this moment.

“Are you sick?” Wen Jinge asked.

“Nonexistence” had warned her before—she never showed Qu Xiu a friendly face to avoid revealing anything.

Though she no longer felt the need to maintain her old persona.

“I think you’re the one seriously ill!” Qu Xiu rolled up his sleeves, completely disregarding his mountain lord status, and swung his massive iron hammer.

Wen Jinge was inwardly embarrassed; she finally understood where that Thunder God’s Hammer had come from.

Qu Xiu’s weapon was like the mother mold of the Thunder God’s Hammer, carved from the same pattern but magnified fiftyfold.

Wen Jinge looked at the enormous hammer and then at Qu Xiu’s rolled-up sleeves. Night had fallen deep, surrounded by Qinghe Mountain disciples holding torches.

The torchlight was dim, illuminating only small areas, but that was enough for Wen Jinge to clearly see a person.

Qu Xiu, if not resembling the legendary beauty Pan An, was at least one of the finest men Wen Jinge had encountered since arriving in this world.

Yet swinging a hammer bigger than a person was simply...

Ruining the atmosphere.

Liang Si thought his master was about to fight and, worried like his mountain uncle, hurriedly guided several junior disciples to the side. However, Wen Jinge did not strike.

Instead, she grabbed Qu Xiu’s arm.

Rip!

“What are you doing?” Qu Xiu stared at his torn sleeve, eyes wide with anger, struggling to form a coherent sentence. “You, how could you be so shameless? I—I’m a man, and you—you tore my clothes.”

Wen Jinge raised her hands innocently and shrugged.

She really hadn’t expected the Qinghe Mountain’s clothing to be so fragile. Their Xuanyun Sect’s ceremonial robes—no, sect uniforms—had been so durable she thought of using one to hang herself, but it wouldn’t tear no matter how hard she tried.

Yet her innocent reaction was seen as provocation by Qu Xiu.

“Wen Jinge!” He threw down his iron hammer. “Today, we settle this once and for all!”

“I’ve got a demon elder in my carriage.”

“What?” Qu Xiu’s nose flared, but he turned his back to her, hiding his expression. “What do you intend to do?”

“He was supposed to be bled for my senior brother.”

The one named, Fan Zifan, was crouched on the ground hugging his knees, trying to shrink his presence. He even enlarged the Golden Crow to shield itself under its feathers.

However, the Golden Crow looked stiff and reluctant.

“Be good now, such things shouldn’t be spoken of openly.” Fan Zifan’s evasive tone made it clear that Xuanyun Sect was secretly harboring many demons. If this got out—

They’d never hear the end of accusations that Xuanyun Sect was controlling demons and bringing disaster to the world!

“Senior brother, bear witness for me! I’ll just play with him a bit.”

Fan Zifan peeked through a gap in the Golden Crow’s feathers and met Liang Si’s gaze. The child had been frowning since returning.

“Is your master really out of his mind from controlling that demon?”

“That demon was actually brought over by Mountain Uncle.”

Liang Si sighed, reluctant to reveal this truth. How he wished he could forget all his past and future burdens, like when they were on the mountain before.

If he spoke these words, it would only deepen suspicion around his master.

Still, his master hoped to keep things on their original course...

If anything went wrong, well, he would bear the burden.

This life was already very different from the last.

Fan Shibo, judging from the current situation, had been dragged onto the bandwagon by their master and trusted him without question.

This much could be said...

“No, or rather, it was Senior Sister Lu who brought him over.”

“...” Fan Zifan looked puzzled. “When did this happen?”

“Fan Zifan!” Wen Jinge called out.

Rip!

She tore the other sleeve of Qu Xiu’s robe.

“You... you...” Qu Xiu looked like a peasant robbed twice by the same thief, his panic now replaced by fury.

“Wen Jinge! I’ve had enough!”

“Keep holding back!” Wen Jinge pressed on his shoulder.

Rip!

Qu Xiu: ...

“Heh heh heh, believe me, I didn’t mean to,” she laughed nervously. Both she and Qu Xiu felt awkward.

The last time she heard such a tearing sound was probably when Huo Yongfei’s arm was injured!

“Wen Jinge, you...”

“Shh, so many disciples are watching. You’re a big shot now; big shots need to save face.”

Wen Jinge raised her hands, no longer touching him. She felt she needed to confirm whether Qinghe Mountain’s clothes were just too fragile or if her grip had grown stronger.

Those beads Ai Fengling gave her were with Yang Wennan when she died, leaving her unable to lift or carry for a while. She hadn’t expected this simple touch to cause such a problem.

“I don’t care about saving face! You’ve made me look ridiculous!”

“It’s fine. Later, you can hit me, and I won’t fight back.”

Qu Xiu glared at her. Seeing some disciples approaching from afar, he barked at them, “What are you staring at? Don’t you see Master Wen? Go notify the other sect leaders and heads—there’s an urgent matter to discuss.”