Chapter 415: Senior Brother, Agu~
As the last ray of sunset fell behind the distant sand ridges, the starry night sky emerged above Donghuang. The brothels and taverns on the street, which only operated at night, opened their doors to welcome guests.
The street was even more crowded than before, with the chatter of local cultivators filling the air.
“Brother Liu, I heard three girls from the Western Regions have arrived at the Nan Family Pavilion. Shall we go take a look later?”
“Girls from the Western Regions? What’s so great about them?”
“No, I heard that one of them, with silver hair, ate over thirty roasted chickens this afternoon by herself.”
“Oh? That impressive? Then we have to go see, let’s go…”
… …
The street was bustling, yet not a single pedestrian noticed the dense, unseen dark clouds that seemed to have gathered above.
Xiao Tian and Xue E, amidst the crowd, were locked in a fierce battle, colliding and fighting with all their might.
“Take this punch!!”
“Are you crazy?!”
“Ouch… Aowww—!”
“Hiss— You bit me again! You dumb golden fool!!”
… …
Ye Anping still held Yun Yiyi, calmly facing the three people watching him from the rooftop. Internally, he broke out in a cold sweat.
How could they run into each other here?
Could it be that by seeing Yun Yiyi, Yun Xi had passed on her decades of destiny to him through her?
With Feng Yu Die and his junior sister not around, if a fight broke out, he wouldn’t dare to bet on his ability to protect Yun Yiyi and Yun Jiujiu from Gu Mingxin, especially since he wasn’t alone.
Even if the Xing Tian Division detected the disturbance and arrived, it would take at least the time it takes an incense stick to burn…
Ye Anping’s brows furrowed slightly as he contemplated the best way to escape. However, a small hand reached out an index finger and gently smoothed his furrowed brow.
Yun Yiyi, seeing him standing there stunned for a long time, asked in confusion:
“Anping, what’s wrong? Why are you frowning so tightly?”
Looking down at Yun Yiyi in his arms, Ye Anping hesitated for a moment before relaxing his expression slightly:
“…Nothing.”
Then, he glanced around and simply walked into a nearby tavern with her in his arms. However, he deliberately turned back and gave Fu Yuanhua on the rooftop a meaningful look.
“Miss Yun, let’s sit here…”
Yun Jiujiu was utterly bewildered. “Didn’t you say this place wasn’t suitable for lingering? What’s going on?”
“Meeting some guests.”
“…What guests?”
“You’ll know soon enough.”
… …
Fu Yuanhua, standing with her hands behind her back on the rooftop, saw Ye Anping’s signal and entered the adjacent tavern. Her brows also furrowed.
She didn’t understand what Ye Anping’s look meant.
But judging by his actions, it seemed like an invitation to meet in the tavern.
But why?
The woman the young man was holding earlier, judging by her hair color and clothing, seemed to be a young lady or an inner disciple from the Moon Shadow Sword Sect. The girl beside him, wearing pants, was also likely from there.
An immortal family cultivator, who was familiar with the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, inviting her for a meeting upon their first encounter?
Fu Yuanhua pondered for a moment but still couldn’t figure out the reason. She glanced at He Jiming beside her, and then at Gu Mingxin on the other side.
Noticing Gu Mingxin looking somewhat dazed, her eyes narrowed, and she asked:
“Young Master Gu, do you recognize the young gentleman who was just looking at us?”
“… …”
Gu Mingxin was currently staring at Xiao Tian and Xue E slapping each other on the street, and after a moment of daze, she came back to her senses. Seeing Fu Yuanhua’s serious expression, she quickly nodded:
“I do, he…”
Without giving Gu Mingxin a chance to finish, Fu Yuanhua, upon seeing her nod, immediately interrupted again:
“So, you’re saying he recognized our demonic cultivator identities?”
Gu Mingxin was silent for a moment and then quickly said, “Elder Fu, I’ll go take care of him…”
“Young Master Gu, our mission here in Donghuang is to investigate the movements of the Xing Tian Division. Don’t do anything rash.” Fu Yuanhua raised her hand to stop her, but after a moment’s thought, added, “However, we can’t let someone who recognizes us report to the Xing Tian Division. Since that kid invited me personally, I’ll go and see what he’s up to…”
“Invited?”
Gu Mingxin had also intended to go down, but upon hearing this, the incident she encountered in the East City of Tianan City resurfaced in her mind.
Fu Yuanhua had never fought Ye Anping before, but she had fought him twice.
If Ye Anping was inviting them voluntarily, it was bound to be a Hongmen banquet. Who knew what strange things he had prepared in the tavern…
“Elder Fu, let me go in first to scout the situation. You and Senior Brother He wait outside for my news…”
Fu Yuanhua glanced back at Gu Mingxin and chuckled, “Young Master Gu, you’ve always been straightforward and direct in your actions. This is the first time I’ve heard you cautious…”
“Elder Fu, he was the one who revealed the matter of the Northern Region’s demonic cultivators to the Hantian Kingdom, and he was also the one who intercepted me and Junior Brother Xu in the Central Domain. He’s not as simple as you think…”
Gu Mingxin hurriedly tried to explain Ye Anping’s danger to Fu Yuanhua, but halfway through, He Jiming interrupted with a laugh:
“Junior Sister Gu, Senior Brother has never heard you praise someone so much before. If you go in first, aren’t you going to warn him? Could he be your inside contact with the immortal families?”
“He Jiming…”
“Besides, I don’t see anything special about him. He’s in the early Foundation Establishment stage, and there’s no aura of treasure about him… Compared to him, I think the girl carrying the wine jar next to him is more difficult to deal with.”
Hearing the two of them bickering again, Fu Yuanhua inexplicably felt like she was raising children. She took a deep breath and sternly stopped them:
“Enough!”
“… …” “… …”
Fu Yuanhua looked at Gu Mingxin and chuckled, “Young Master Gu, since you have such a high evaluation of him, I’m also curious, how can a cultivator in the early Core Formation stage possibly deal with me, a cultivator in the mid Nascent Soul stage?”
With that, Fu Yuanhua leaped from the rooftop, landing lightly in a dark alley by the street, and walked towards the tavern where Ye Anping and the others had entered.
He Jiming glanced at Gu Mingxin with a fawning smile and followed.
Gu Mingxin watched the two of them leave, a sense of panic inexplicably rising in her heart.
It wasn’t that she was afraid of Ye Anping; she really wanted to settle the score with him.
But if Fu Yuanhua and He Jiming were also killed by Ye Anping, then when she returned to the Tian Mo Sect, she would have no way to explain herself…
“Ye Anping…”
Glancing at Xue E and Xiao Tian still fighting in the street, she ignored them and leaped down, following Fu Yuanhua towards the tavern.
The tavern was called “Yushafang.” The main hall was filled with local Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators, all drinking, eating meat, and talking loudly.
As Fu Yuanhua stepped across the threshold of the tavern, the waiter waiting at the entrance sized up the three of them and quickly stepped forward, bowing and asking:
“Are you three friends of Young Master Ye? Young Master Ye just gave instructions. Two young ladies and one young master will be coming later. If you see them, bring them to their seats.”
He Jiming raised his eyebrows at this. “Wow, this is interesting. Junior Sister Gu, he’s even treating us to a meal.”
“… …”
Gu Mingxin did not answer. She carefully scanned every person in the tavern’s main hall, but no matter how carefully she looked, she couldn’t find the slightest clue.
What exactly did he want to do?
Why did he invite us voluntarily? Did he have something to say to us, or was there an ambush upstairs in this tavern?
Fu Yuanhua was quite composed. She nodded, “Thank you for your trouble. Please lead the way.”
“Alright! Three of you, please follow me. Young Master Ye is on the second floor.”
The tavern waiter nodded and led the three of them up the stairs from the first-floor hall, along a corridor, to a private room in the corner, and gently knocked on the door:
Bang bang—
“Young Master Ye, your three guests have arrived…”
—”Thank you. Please invite them in.”
After Ye Anping’s voice came from inside, the private room door was opened with a surge of spiritual energy, and at the same time, five or six spirit stones flew towards the waiter.
The waiter took the spirit stones, bowed, gestured for Fu Yuanhua and the other two to enter, and then quickly left.
Fu Yuanhua’s brows furrowed slightly as she looked into the room.
Inside was a slightly larger round table. Ye Anping was seated at the innermost position, while Yun Yiyi and Yun Jiujiu sat to his left and right.
Upon seeing Fu Yuanhua enter, Ye Anping immediately stood up, putting on a welcoming smile, and beckoned, “Seniors of the Tian Mo Sect, please don’t be polite. Have a seat anywhere.”
At the mention of “Tian Mo Sect,” Yun Yiyi and Yun Jiujiu beside him widened their eyes in disbelief and looked at Ye Anping.
Yun Yiyi remained silent, but Yun Jiujiu couldn’t help it. She slammed the table and stood up, her hand reaching for her storage bag, demanding:
“Tian what sect?!”
Ye Anping immediately grabbed her wrist and appeased her, “Hey~ Miss Yun, it’s alright. They’re all old acquaintances of mine. We agreed to meet here earlier.”
Agreed to meet here…
Hearing this, Fu Yuanhua and He Jiming narrowed their eyes and unconsciously glanced at Gu Mingxin.
?
When Gu Mingxin saw their gaze, she was utterly incredulous. She also widened her eyes and pointed at Ye Anping, shouting:
“Ye Anping!!”
“Hey! What’s wrong?” Ye Anping feigned ignorance. “Agu, didn’t we discuss this when we last contacted each other? You said you’d help me find two more informants in the Tian Mo Sect, preferably with high status. You also said you persuaded the Elder of the Prison Hall of the Tian Mo Sect and the youngest son of Elder He…”
???
Gu Mingxin’s eyes widened, and she was completely stunned.
Ye Anping put on a smiling face, cupped his fists, and bowed to Fu Yuanhua and He Jiming, “This fairy must be Elder Fu of the Prison Hall, just as Agu wrote in her letter, magnificent and powerful!”
“… …”
“As for this young master, you must be Young Master He? I see you’re also a fine young man. Why did Agu say in her letter that he was uneducated and a weakling?”
“… …”
At these words, both Fu Yuanhua and He Jiming’s gazes turned towards Gu Mingxin.
Setting aside He Jiming, Fu Yuanhua herself didn’t initially believe Gu Mingxin was an immortal family informant. However… this young man knew their identities the moment he saw them.
If someone hadn’t tipped him off, how could this be explained?
Gu Mingxin’s eyes nearly popped out. She immediately took out her spirit sword and wanted to charge up and hack Ye Anping to death, but Fu Yuanhua grabbed her shoulder and chuckled.
“Young Master Gu, this is the Young Master Ye you told me about before…”
Gu Mingxin didn’t know how to respond, her lips moving incessantly.
“Elder Fu, I…”
Ye Anping smiled, raised an eyebrow, and quickly interjected, “Oh? Senior Fu, how did Agu speak of me to you?”
“Heh heh.” Fu Yuanhua’s gaze returned to Ye Anping’s face. “She said you were talented, a brilliant strategist, and a great enemy of demonic cultivators.”
“Oh ho ho, you flatter me, you flatter me.” Ye Anping couldn’t help but chuckle and cupped his fists, “This is all thanks to Agu. If it weren’t for the information Agu provided, I wouldn’t have been able to help the Snow-clothed Guard wipe out the demonic cultivators so quickly, right? Oh, and by the way…”
Saying this, Ye Anping made a sword finger gesture and took out a bag of spirit stones from his storage bag.
“Agu, this is your share. We agreed on a seven-three split when I got it from the Hantian Kingdom.”
Fu Yuanhua intercepted the spirit stone bag and glanced inside, looking slightly surprised.
“Wow, two hundred thousand spirit stones? That’s a lot…”
“It’s mainly because the demonic cultivators who went to the Northern Region were only in the Core Formation and Foundation Establishment stages. This is nothing.”
Ye Anping waved his hand and continued, “If the two of you can provide some information about the current demonic cultivators attacking the three cities of Donghuang, the reward will only be more, not less. For example, how many demonic cultivators are hidden in Donghuang now? What are their cultivation levels, and where are they located?”
“… …”
Fu Yuanhua looked at Ye Anping’s smiling face, her sword finger slightly raised. She took out several talismans from her storage bag and affixed them to the room’s doors and windows.
Ye Anping rolled his eyes left and right. Seeing that Fu Yuanhua was about to make a move, he also put his hands behind his back, made a sword finger gesture, and prepared to fight at any moment.
Unless his junior sister, Feng Yu Die, and Xiao Yunluo were present, it was unrealistic to defeat Fu Yuanhua here.
However, when he came up to book the private room earlier, he had also set up a few small formations and a stack of talismans inside the tavern. He could block her attacks for a few rounds and escape with Yun Yiyi and the others.
As long as the tavern exploded, the Xing Tian Division would definitely notice. If they ran then, Fu Yuanhua and the others would definitely not dare to pursue.
“Hey? Elder Fu, what do you mean by this? Agu… didn’t you say…”
“Ye Anping!! You…”
Fu Yuanhua flipped her wrist, and a black, snake-like curved sword appeared in her right hand, its tip hanging down to the wooden floor.
Then, she glanced at Gu Mingxin and asked, “Young Master Gu, you’re not going to make a move, are you?”
“… …”
“Hey, hey, hey! Agu, this is unethical! Don’t you hate the Tian Mo Sect? We agreed that you would provide me with information, and I would give you spirit stones. I’ve already spoken to the Sect Master of the Xuan Xing Sect. After some time, I’ll let you live in the Western Regions…”
Ye Anping smiled, made a sword finger gesture, and took out his Snow Jade Myriad Spirit Sword.
Yun Jiujiu, who had been stunned for a long time, saw the situation. Although she didn’t understand what was happening, she knew a fight was about to break out.
“We’re going to fight, right?! Damn it!! If you’re going to fight, stop mumbling about nonsense! Big sister, stay behind me. I’ll protect you!”
Ye Anping slowly exhaled and said, “Elder Fu, aren’t you going to reconsider? If you provide information, I can put in a good word for you with the Sect Master of the Xuan Xing Sect. Perhaps Dan Yue Shang Xian will be willing to give you an elder position, which would be much more comfortable than being an elder in the Prison Hall of the Tian Mo Sect.”
“Heh…”
Fu Yuanhua chuckled.
Then, she gently flicked her sword-wielding right hand, but before she could draw her sword.
Boom—
A golden blur smashed through the window and flew in.
“Yi’er!! Jiu’er!!”
” ” “… …” ” ”
Yun Tianchong’s sudden crashing through the window caused all six people inside to freeze.
Yun Tianchong was initially slightly confused to see Ye Anping there, but when he turned and saw Fu Yuanhua and the two cultivators beside her exuding an aura of demonic evil energy, the double plum blossoms embroidered on his brows formed a “川” shape, and a hint of sword intent appeared in his eyes.
… …
… …
Silence descended upon the room.
Fu Yuanhua stared at the double plum blossom embroidery on Yun Tianchong’s brow, her lips parting slightly.
Then—
“Withdraw!!”
With a command, she quickly retracted her spirit sword, grabbed Gu Mingxin with her left hand, He Jiming with her right, and summoned a sparkling golden jade token from her storage bag, shattering it in front of her.
Cras—
With a sound like shattering glass, the three figures disappeared from the room.
The bag of spirit stones that Ye Anping had sent over earlier fell to the ground.
Yun Tianchong blinked and stared blankly for a moment. Seeing Yun Jiujiu and Yun Yiyi looking at him, he suddenly grinned and said, “Heh, they were fast enough to run…”
… …
