Xie An's sigh was tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Xie Shuci glanced back at him, feeling that he had thought too much about him, but he still felt a little awkward. He pulled Xie An's hand off him and didn't rush to urge Chu Wenfeng to walk faster.

He walked side by side with Xie An, while Chu Wenfeng and the other man intentionally or unintentionally distanced themselves from them. Sikong Ye, that scoundrel, had no sense of propriety and loved to cause trouble, so he came up to Xie Shuci and tried to talk to him.

Xie Shuci was preoccupied and ignored him. Not getting any response, he simply turned to talk to Chu Guiyi.

The three of them walked forward, leaving Xie Shuci and the other person to walk slowly behind.

Xie Shuci deliberately turned his head to one side. He thought this was too bizarre. He found it funny. Yesterday they were all lovey-dovey, but today, standing together, Xie Shuci didn't know what to say to him.

It wasn't that Xie Shuci didn't want to talk; it was that he genuinely didn't know what to say to Xie An.

Yes, he knew Xie An was Xiao Xun, but he still couldn't bear to leave. That didn't mean he could get along with Xie An without any barriers. He wasn't Chu Guiyi or Chu Wenfeng; he hadn't seen much of the world and wasn't knowledgeable enough. He really couldn't be as insightful as others.

"What are you thinking about?" Xie An, who was beside him, turned his head and looked at him.

Xie Shuci raised her eyes and gave him a resentful look. "You."

Xie An pursed his lips, and touched Xie Shuci's hand with his hand hanging at his side. His warm palm enveloped the back of Xie Shuci's hand, and Xie Shuci subconsciously tried to pull back, but couldn't.

“I’m right here. Instead of thinking about me, why don’t you talk to me?” Xie An said.

Xie Shuci sighed sincerely, "What should I tell you? Talk to you about which method of killing is faster? What did it feel like to kill for the first time? How many people have you killed in total?"

Upon hearing this, Xie An fell silent.

He knew that truly eradicating Xie Shuci's fear of him was not something that could be done overnight, and he was not a patient person. However, it seemed that he was more patient with Xie Shuci than with anything else.

Xie An held his hand in his palm, his gaze deep and intense. "Xie Shuci, I was indeed the person you knew in the past. Life was nothing to me, like an ant. But I've changed, because of you."

Xie Shuci taught him many lessons, made him try to cherish a weak life for the first time, and made him have the first thought of regret and retreat.

Xie An's words echoed in her ears, and Xie Shuci felt as if she had been burned, her ear tips flushed red, and she lowered her head.

He knew Xie An had changed, and he could feel that Xie An truly loved him, but Xie An was unwilling to leave with him, unwilling to live an ordinary life with him.

On the way down the mountain, Xie Shuci remained silent. His mind was in turmoil, and he didn't know what to say.

If Xie An doesn't want to live an ordinary life with him, then why doesn't he just stay with Xie An?

However, Xie Shuci was just an ordinary person. Being by his side, getting involved in all sorts of dangerous and magical things with him, and having to face Xie An who might not be able to suppress his murderous intent at any time, Xie Shuci truly felt that he wouldn't live much longer.

If everything eventually goes back to its original trajectory, even if Xie An doesn't kill him, Xie Shuci will eventually be "killed by the plot," because he was originally cannon fodder who should have died long ago.

Perhaps sensing Xie Shuci's absent-mindedness throughout the journey, Xie An tightened his grip on Xie Shuci's fingers and, after a long silence, said, "Xie Shuci, if you want to leave, I can let you go."

Xie Shuci paused, staring blankly at the person beside him.

Xie An looked at him with his deep eyes and said in a deep voice, "For now, I'll let you leave."

Xie Shuci's gaze was blank, and his heart felt as if it had suddenly gone empty.

He would rather let himself leave than leave with me?

Xie Shuci felt suffocated again. Compared to staying by his side with trepidation, it was actually... that he took the initiative to let her leave that made Xie Shuci feel more suffocated?

Xie Shuci's expression gradually darkened. He pushed Xie An's hand, which was holding him, away forcefully. This time, Xie An didn't use any force and simply let go of him.

"I understand." Xie Shuci nodded, without looking at him again.

He strode forward, trying to catch up with Chu Guiyi and the others, his heart heavy with a sense of emptiness. At the same time, he didn't understand why he felt this way. Didn't he just want to leave Xiao Xun? Didn't he just want to get away from him and Sikong Ye? Xie An had granted his wish and didn't force him; shouldn't he be happy?

But in reality, Xie Shuci was not happy at all.

A sense of panic even arose in his heart, the same panic he felt when he discovered Xie An's true identity.

He ignored Xie An behind him and went to Chu Wenfeng's side, dejected and numb.

Seeing this, Chu Wenfeng turned around and glanced at Xie An, who remained expressionless, then nudged Xie Shuci's shoulder and asked, "What's wrong with you now?"

Xie Shuci murmured, "Maybe I'm going through early menopause."

Chu Wenfeng: "..."

"ill."

Xie Shuci sighed, "Yes, I am sick, seriously ill, with cancer, and it's incurable."

Chu Wenfeng frowned as he looked at him, then glanced back at Xie An, who was following leisurely behind him. He moved his lips as if to say something, but then hesitated. After all, this was a matter between Xie Shuci and Xie An, and as an outsider, he had no need to interfere. He just felt that Xie Shuci, who was usually so carefree, seemed unusually subdued at this moment, which was a little unsettling.

After a long silence, he clicked his tongue and said, "What is love in this world...?"

Xie Shuci glared at him. "Shut up. What's with all this talk about romance? Isn't it better to focus on your career?"

"What kind of career do you even have?"

"I have one. Starting tomorrow, I'll refine ten pills every day and work myself to death."

Chu Wenfeng pursed his lips, "Be careful not to go astray and become possessed."

"Pah! Can't you say something auspicious?"

After exchanging a few words with Chu Wenfeng, Xie Shuci felt much of the gloom in his heart dissipate. He snorted coldly, "Let him go then. I'm too lazy to live in fear every day anyway."

It was still early, with two full hours before the auction was scheduled to begin.

The streets were still bustling with traffic, presumably because the auction was about to begin. The visiting cultivators in Jiyue City had all put on their own disciple robes, and Chu Guiyi and his companion had also changed their clothes before they left.

As for Sikong Ye, this guy has been wandering around the Nine Provinces for many years, and he probably has forgotten what the disciples' robes of the Sikong family look like. This kind of place is not suitable for the disciples' robes of the Sikong family, one of the four great families of the Floating Pagoda Realm.

Xie Shuci suppressed his emotions and looked around curiously, hoping to see if there were any familiar faces inside.

The streets were bustling with cultivators, each with an air of otherworldly elegance and extraordinary bearing. Some cultivators, in a hurry to get on their way, were even seen leaping across rooftops, which Xie Shuci watched with great envy.

"Have you heard? Elder Meng has expelled the Yin family disciples from Jiyue City!"

"really?"

“It’s absolutely true. I personally saw a large group of people from the Yin family leave Jiyue City overnight. They came from afar to participate in the auction, and as soon as they arrived, they couldn’t wait to let everyone know that Elder Meng had invited the Yin family. But what happened? They left Jiyue City in disgrace that very night.”

"It is said that on that night, Elder Meng hosted a banquet in the Immortal Sect to entertain several visiting cultivators. One of them was the mysterious alchemist. The Yin family disciple, ignorant of his own limitations, barged in and offended the alchemist, and was expelled from Jiyue City by Elder Meng in a fit of anger."

"Hmph! Those Yin family folks need to be taught a lesson! Do they still think Jiyue City belongs to the Yin family?"

"Serves you right!"

Listening to the conversations in the teahouses along the street, Xie Shuci couldn't help but glance over there. He hadn't expected the news to spread so quickly. It seemed that everyone in Jiyue City already knew about the Yin family being kicked out.

I wonder how my senior brothers are doing? Have they already left? Come to think of it, Xie Shuci hasn't seen them since that day.

"Mr. Du, please write this here."

In the crowd ahead, Xie Shuci glanced around and seemed to catch a glimpse of something.

He stopped and, together with Chu Wenfeng, looked curiously into the crowd.

A group of men and women were gathered at the entrance of an inn, and screams could be heard coming from inside.

Xie Shuci saw a woman gather her hair to one side, bend down slightly, revealing one shoulder. There seemed to be someone sitting behind her, but Xie Shuci couldn't see clearly.

Immediately afterwards, a hand held a wolf-hair brush dipped in ink and smoothly wrote three characters on the woman's shoulder.

Xie Shuci tilted his head and vaguely saw that it was three characters starting with "Du".

Xie Shuci didn't see the last two characters clearly: "Du..."

The woman, beaming with joy after receiving the autograph, walked to the side, while another immediately stepped forward, saying, "Mr. Du, write here."

"Me! Write it first!"

"Why should I write yours first? Get to the back!"

Suddenly, a commotion arose in the crowd, and someone shouted, "Don't rush, everyone, don't rush! Everyone gets a share! Everyone gets a share!"

Xie Shuci squinted, feeling that the voice sounded slightly familiar.

Chu Wenfeng was about the same height as Xie Shuci. He crossed his arms and glanced inside, then read out each word slowly and deliberately: "Du, Ping, Sheng?"

Then, he looked at Xie Shuci expressionlessly, "Isn't this your brother?"

Xie Shuci: "..."

Xie Shuci gritted his teeth and squeezed into the crowd like an eel.

"Hey? What's wrong with you?"

"Don't you know about first come, first served? Why are you pushing?"

Xie Shuci glanced over and said, "I have no manners."

passerby: "..."

Xie Shuci squeezed his way to the front and, sure enough, saw a table set up at the entrance. Du Pingsheng was behind the table, looking humble and easygoing. After signing his name for the person in front of him, he immediately called for the next person.

Xie Shuci was furious at his expression. "Fine! You've even organized an autograph session? What other surprises do you have up your sleeve that I don't know about?"

Xie Shuci stopped the passerby who wanted to step forward, and under the other person's glare, took a step forward and walked up to Du Pingsheng.

"Young master, where do you want to sign...?" The pageboy's voice gradually faded.

Xie Shuci looked at him with a half-smile. His smile froze, and he lowered his head guiltily, secretly nudging Du Pingsheng, who was dipping his brush in ink.

"Young master, young master..."

Du Pingsheng glanced at him but ignored him.

"Young master!" The pageboy's face turned red with anxiety, and he gave him a hard nudge.

Du Pingsheng's hand slipped, and the wolf-hair brush flew out of his hand, landing on the man in front of the table and immediately leaving a deep ink stain on his clothes.

The pageboy's face immediately turned even uglier. He glanced tremblingly at Xie Shuci and slowly took two steps back.

Du Pingsheng was startled and quickly got up to wipe it, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Before his hand could even touch the other person's clothes, his wrist was grabbed.

“Young master…” Du Pingsheng raised his head with a serious expression, meeting a pair of eyes that did not reach the eyes with a smile.

"Long time no see, Brother Du, you're really doing very well." Xie Shuci narrowed his eyes, his tone sounding somewhat resentful.

Du Pingsheng stared blankly at Xie Shuci's face for a long while before taking a few steps back as if he had seen a ghost.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you..." He pointed at Xie Shuci, his tongue almost slurred.

Xie Shuci smiled and said, "You're welcome."

"Brother Du is now very famous in Qizhou. I have long wanted to meet with you alone. Today is the perfect day. Please come over, Brother Du," Xie Shuci said with a smile.

Du Pingsheng looked at his smiling face and couldn't help but shiver. "You, you, you..."

Xie Shuci pinched his fingers and twisted them backward forcefully, causing Du Pingsheng to immediately fall silent from the pain.

Xie Shuci turned to the others and said, "I'm sorry everyone, Mr. Du has important matters to attend to today. After he finishes dealing with them, he will compensate everyone for working tirelessly for several days and nights to sign the documents."

The pageboy, not wanting Du Pingsheng to become a laughingstock, immediately chimed in, "Everyone, please disperse for now. Mr. Du will make it up to you later."

Upon hearing what the pageboy said, the crowd, though unwilling, still dispersed with regret.

"Thank you, brother," Du Pingsheng said shamelessly, covering his fingers.

Xie Shuci cracked his knuckles and slowly walked toward Du Pingsheng. "My good brother, my dear brother who is as close as neighbors even when separated by vast oceans."

"Watch out!" Du Pingsheng suddenly pointed behind him with a look of horror.

Xie Shuci coldly raised the corners of her lips, "Do you think I'm a three-year-old? You think you can fool me with this kind of trick? I wouldn't have done such a stupid thing since I was five."

“Hey, no!” Du Pingsheng still pointed behind him.

Xie Shuci turned his head and felt a gust of wind flying towards him. He frowned, stepped on the table, and used the momentum to leap into the air, dodging the flying object.

However, the ultimate target of that thing did not seem to be Xie Shuci, but Du Pingsheng, who was behind him.

"Help!" Du Pingsheng shouted, and a commotion immediately broke out in the crowd.

Chu Wenfeng flicked his longsword, flipping up the wooden table and blocking Du Pingsheng and his companion. With a clang, a short knife was plunged into the wooden table, its tip hovering precariously above Du Pingsheng's nose.

Du Pingsheng was completely terrified, sweating profusely, and dared not move.

"Young master? Young master? Are you alright?" The pageboy reacted and immediately stepped forward to help him up.

Who is it?

After Xie Shuci landed, he looked in the direction from which the short sword had come. Several cultivators stood in the middle of the road, staring coldly at Du Pingsheng.

Upon seeing their clothes, Xie Shuci was taken aback. He recognized the disciple robes; they belonged to the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect.

Xie Shuci frowned. These disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect were different from the ones he had met before. They exuded a mature and experienced aura, and carried a hint of arrogance from those in positions of power. When they looked at Du Pingsheng, their gazes were so cold they could pierce the skin.

Seemingly noticing that Xie Shuci was watching them, the group slowly shifted their gaze to Xie Shuci, then slightly narrowed their eyes.

They didn't seem like ordinary disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect to Xie Shuci; their gazes sent a chill down Xie Shuci's spine.

Just then, a burst of red spiritual energy propelled the dagger stuck in the wooden table, sending it swiftly flying towards the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect.

Things happened so fast that Xie Shuci hadn't even seen what was going on before the flying dagger had already slashed the arm of a Xiaoyao Sect disciple.

"Ah—" the disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect cried out in pain.

Almost none of the cultivators present could see what was going on, but Xie Shuci realized that he had seen that spiritual power before, and couldn't help but turn his gaze to Xie An, who was not far away.

The leading disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect seemed to have noticed something as well, and looked coldly in Xie An's direction.

Xie Shuci immediately tensed up. He hadn't forgotten that Xie An had been hunted down by the Xiaoyao Sect and had almost died at their hands.

Will they recognize Xie An?

Xie An is still very weak and may not be able to defeat them, especially considering he previously suffered a qi deviation...

Xie Shuci couldn't help but feel worried.

Xie An was probably unconcerned about his identity being exposed. Instead, he looked at Xie Shuci opposite him and met Xie Shuci's worried expression. A smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

The leading disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect lingered on Xie An for a moment, but after just a second he looked away, not wanting to make a scene or attract attention. Finally, he gave Du Pingsheng a cold look and said, "Take care of yourself."

Then, he left with the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect.

It seemed that Xie Shuci hadn't recognized Xie An, and Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief.

Indeed, the people who want to kill Xie An should be the Xiaoyao Sect in the Floating Pagoda Realm, and there shouldn't be many people who know his true identity.

Xie An walked up to Xie Shuci as if no one else was there, and opened his mouth as if to say something, but Xie Shuci looked away first.

Seeing this, Xie An's eyes darkened, and he pursed his lips.

Xie Shuci looked at Du Pingsheng, who was pale with fright, overturned the table, stepped forward and asked, "How did you offend the Xiaoyao Sect?"

Moreover, they are probably not ordinary disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect.

Du Pingsheng said with a bitter face, "I don't even know them, how could I have offended them?"

Xie Shuci rested his chin on his hand and asked in confusion, "Then why are they targeting you?"

Du Pingsheng pondered for a moment, then looked up at Xie Shuci and tentatively asked, "Could it be... jealousy of my talent?"

The pageboy's face paled, his lips trembled, and he whispered, "Young master... young master..."

"What?" Du Pingsheng turned his head to look.

The pageboy swallowed hard and said, "Xiao Bao's mother told me something, but I forgot to tell you."

"What's up?"

Xie Shuci also looked over curiously.

Xiao Bao's mother? She's the girl they met at the inn a few days ago, right? She said she knew Du Pingsheng.

The pageboy glanced at him, lowered his head, and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Xiao Bao's mother said that if he wasn't with her, he should run away immediately if he saw any disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect."

"Why?" Xie Shuci and Du Pingsheng asked in unison.

The pageboy's voice was even lower, and he lowered his head even further. "It's said that your book circulated in the territory of the Xiaoyao Sect. When the sect leader saw it, he was furious and ordered the destruction of all the records of strange tales in the territory. Xiao Bao's mother said they would kill you."

Du Pingsheng gasped upon hearing this, stood up, and slapped the pageboy on the back of the head. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

The pageboy shrank back and stammered, "I... I forgot by accident."

Xie Shuci clicked his tongue in amazement; these two guys were still the same as before, each one dumber than the other.

"Brother Xie, I'm sorry, but these are extraordinary times, and I have to escape!" Du Pingsheng grabbed the bundle on the ground and ran off in the opposite direction with his page.

"You!" Xie Shuci was still seething with anger, how could she let him leave like this?

But the two of them scurried away like mice, and Xie Shuci couldn't catch up at all. He gritted his teeth and was about to curse when he saw a figure fly out from beside him and land in front of Du Pingsheng and the other person in an instant, blocking their way. Then, the figure grabbed the two of them by the collar, picked them up one by one, and brought them back to Xie Shuci.

Xie Shuci: "..."

This was the first time he had directly experienced Xie An's speed. He appeared on the opposite side in a flash, and before he could even see him clearly, he appeared in front of Xie Shuci in another flash.

He threw Du Pingsheng and the other man in front of Xie Shuci, then looked at Xie Shuci as if he were seeking credit and trying to curry favor with him.

Xie Shuci had mixed feelings. It was like a weak NPC who had been interacting with you in a game, but suddenly he transformed into the biggest and strongest boss here. No one could adapt to that for a while, right?

Xie Shuci stiffened her neck, pretending not to see his gaze, and looked away.

"You can run away, but you can't hide. If the Xiaoyao Sect really wants to kill you openly, they can find you no matter where you are. Judging from their appearance, they probably don't want to make a big fuss about it; they're just giving you a warning," Xie Shuci said.

The page nodded and said, "Xiao Bao's mother also said that if you can't run away, you must stay in a crowded place. The Xiaoyao Sect will not take your life in public."

Du Pingsheng: "..."

He flicked the boy's forehead with his hand, and the boy cried out "Ah!" and covered his head with a pitiful expression.

Du Pingsheng cursed, "Can't you just say it already? Say it all at once?"

The pageboy stammered, "I forgot."

Du Pingsheng wanted to continue cursing, but suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He turned around and saw Xie Shuci's sworn brother standing behind them with a cold face, staring intently at Xie Shuci. Xie Shuci, however, turned his head as if he were blind and refused to look at him.

Du Pingsheng knew at a glance that the person behind him was not someone to be trifled with, and said with a shameless smile, "Look at you, if you had said so earlier, we wouldn't have needed Brother Xie to help us."

Xie Shuci noticed that many passersby on the street were staring at them, and whispered, "Let's go inside and talk. I'd like to settle some accounts with you."

Du Pingsheng's face fell, but there was nothing he could do. Not to mention that he was just an ordinary person who couldn't run away even if he wanted to, what if he was assassinated by the Xiaoyao Sect even if he did run away? With Xiaobao's mother not around, he should find a backer first. Xie Shuci, his sworn brother, and the two disciples of the Chu family were obviously the best choices.

Du Pingsheng gave his page a wink, and the page, having served Du Pingsheng for so many years, was perfectly at ease. He bowed and gestured for Xie Shuci and the others to come in, saying, "Please come in, everyone."

"Brother Xie, come, come, it's been so long since we last met, I've been wanting to catch up with you for a while now."

Xie Shuci gave him a half-smile and said, slowly and deliberately, "I've been wanting to catch up with you for a while now."

Du Pingsheng: "..."

Clearly, this is the legendary "smiling while hiding a dagger".

Xie Shuci entered the inn first, followed by Chu Wenfeng and the others.

As Chu Guiyi walked toward the inn, she noticed that Sikong Ye on one side was not moving.

He called out in confusion, "Brother Sikong?"

Sikong Ye looked calmly into the distance and said to Chu Guiyi, "An old friend has arrived."

Chu Guiyi nodded knowingly, "Please go ahead."

Without uttering a word, Sikong Ye leaped into the air, soared onto the roof, and disappeared from Chu Guiyi's sight.

Chu Guiyi withdrew her gaze and walked into the inn.

A whooshing sound rang out in the long street as a dagger was thrown at Sikong Ye from who-knows-where.

Sikong Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, easily catching the flying dagger with both hands. A jade artifact was embedded in the dagger, but unlike ordinary jade artifacts, it was surging with spiritual energy.

Sikong Ye chuckled, took off the jade artifact, and activated it with his spiritual power. The green snake that had been coiled around his wrist excitedly flicked its tongue and crawled out of his sleeve.

At the same time, a purple light surged into the green snake's body, establishing a connection with the purple aura far away in the Floating Pagoda Realm.

"Brother, the elder of the Si Ming Pavilion has given an order."

Sikong Xin's voice rang out from the jade artifact.

Sikong Ye suppressed a smile. "Tell me about it."

“Assist the Xiaoyao Sect in leading Xiao Xun astray, and kill him when he goes on a killing spree. Then the Xiao family will be unable to pursue the matter.”