After entering Luofang City, Xie Shuci nudged Xie An beside him as he watched the immortal disciples coming and going.

"Xie An, will you run into your enemies here?" Xie Shuci asked worriedly.

Xie An said calmly, "Don't worry, we won't make a move even if we encounter them."

Xie Shuci nodded with some doubt. It seemed that the little blind man was not worried about his identity being discovered. Moreover, there were cultivators from various sects gathered here, so they probably wouldn't dare to make a move easily.

"Alright, let's find an inn to stay in first, and then I'll show you around."

Xie An nodded slightly, then casually glanced behind him, a cold, murderous intent flashing between his brows.

Xie Shuci knew nothing about this. Like a country bumpkin who had just arrived in the city, he stared wide-eyed at the various passersby around him with curiosity.

With the secret realm about to open, countless cultivators and ordinary people from outside Luofang City came to join the fun. The slightly more luxurious inns were filled with wealthy people of noble status and prominent families. After wandering around, Xie Shuci and his companion finally found a small inn that looked more normal. The innkeeper was an old lady.

After packing his valuables and belongings, he tossed the little white horse into the stable, then, with a bag of silver in his pocket, eagerly pulled Xie An out the door.

"Auntie, are there any fun places to visit in Luofang City?" Xie Shuci asked.

The inn was doing exceptionally well, earning a considerable amount of money. The old lady beamed and said, "Today, Manjiang Hall is quite lively. They say they've set up a stage for all the Taoist priests to compete. If you become the champion, you can eat and drink as much as you want at Manjiang Hall until the secret realm closes, free of charge. You two gentlemen can go and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci happily expressed his gratitude and led Xie An away from the inn.

Although he didn't like fighting, martial arts competitions were the most direct way to satisfy a man's vanity, practically a man's romance. Xie Shuci definitely had to join in the fun.

Xie Shuci asked for directions all the way before finally finding the location of Manjiangtang. Along the way, he had a craving and bought two skewers of sugar figurines. He wanted to give one to Xie An, but Xie An wouldn't eat it, so Xie Shuci held one in each hand and swaggered through the crowd.

Holy crap! Can a human waist really be that flexible?

Passing by an art gallery, Xie Shuci was stunned by the sight of a white-clad dancer bending over backwards on a small platform by the door.

Compared to his tendency to jump around in surprise, Xie An was far too quiet.

Whether it was because of his outstanding appearance or his aloof demeanor, passersby would glance at him but instinctively avoid him, making the bustling street feel spacious and comfortable only for the two of them.

At this moment, Xie Shuci's attention was completely drawn to the new things around him. If Xie An hadn't occasionally tugged at him, he would have almost abandoned Xie An to go and see the new things on his own.

He slowly made his way to Manjiang Hall, and seeing the crowds of people, Xie Shuci tiptoed and peeked ahead. He could vaguely see two cultivators dressed differently fighting on the arena, their battle raging fiercely. But he was too far away to watch properly.

"Xie An, there are a lot of people here, so stay close to me and don't get lost," Xie Shuci said, turning around to remind him.

Xie An nodded and naturally reached out to grasp Xie Shuci's free hand.

"good!"

"Helian Zhu is indeed exceptionally talented!"

"Yes, no one in the younger generation can rival him. I think he's the undisputed champion today!"

A huge cheer erupted from the front row. Xie Shuci pulled Xie An and squeezed in. Xie Shuci was like an eel and quickly squeezed in. But Xie An obviously didn't like doing this. There were three or four passersby between them. Xie An tried to pull Xie Shuci back, but Xie Shuci was like a puppy that hadn't been out for hundreds of years. As soon as he stepped out, he ran forward happily.

Their clasped hands were quickly separated.

At this moment, Xie Shuci was completely unaware that someone was missing from his side. He squeezed through the crowd, endured several scoldings, and finally managed to squeeze into the front row.

The disciple, dressed in a moon-white robe, held a silver soft sword. His movements were fluid and graceful, and his expression was arrogant and unrestrained. He took a step forward and clashed fiercely with the disciple opposite him. But as the blade pierced the opponent, the soft blade suddenly wrapped around the disciple's arm like a water snake. The disciple cried out in pain, his arm went limp, and his weapon instantly fell to the ground.

Without hesitation, the disciple wielding the soft sword turned around and kicked the opposing disciple off the stage.

"Awesome!" Xie Shuci clapped along with everyone else, and cheers erupted from the audience.

Helian Zhu walked to the edge of the arena, kicked his disciple's weapon off the stage, and, holding a soft sword in one hand, clasped his hands and said, "You are too kind."

His expression was undisguisedly arrogant, as if he didn't care about the disciple who had fallen off the stage.

The disciple blushed with embarrassment, scrambled to pick up his weapon, and pushed through the crowd to escape.

Xie Shuci was watching the commotion when he was suddenly pushed aside. He lost his footing and tumbled forward.

"Damn it, don't you have eyes?"

Xie Shuci staggered forward a few steps, almost falling flat on his face. If he fell in front of so many people, would he, Xie Xiaoci, still have any face left?

Xie Shuci rolled his eyes and was about to turn back when Helian Zhu on the arena called out to him: "Brother, would you like to give it a try?"

Xie Shuci turned around in confusion and found the disciple on the stage holding his sword in his arms, looking at him with a mocking expression.

Xie Shuci pointed to himself suspiciously, "Are you talking to me?"

Helian Zhu raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise?"

"No, no." Xie Shuci hurriedly shook his head. He just wanted to join in the fun. Asking him to go up and fight with someone would just be embarrassing.

Helian Zhu snorted coldly, raised his chin, and said contemptuously, "Coward."

Three big question marks appeared on Xie Shuci's forehead. "Who are you calling a coward?"

Xie Shuci was puzzled. He was just standing there, and not only was he pushed, but he was also inexplicably called a coward. He was a pacifist, so what did he do to deserve this?

"If you don't even dare to go up on stage and fight me, what are you if not a coward?"

"Who says I wouldn't dare? I'm just saving face for you, afraid that you'll be the one who loses face later." Xie Shuci boasted as if it were true, and even imitated the disciple's manner, raising his head disdainfully.

Helian Zhu was a rare genius among his peers, and he was like a star surrounded by the moon in the immortal sect. No one had ever dared to underestimate him!

Now, being mocked by a seemingly weak rogue cultivator, he was instantly enraged. "Then let's have a match and see who really loses face!"

Xie Shuci wouldn't dare go up there. He could only rely on his verbal skills. If he went up, he would just get chased and beaten.

"I refuse to compete with you, what can you do to me?" Xie Shuci said defiantly. "I love peace and don't like to solve problems with violence."

Helian Zhu nearly twisted his neck in anger, "Enough nonsense, if you're a man, come up here!"

Xie Shuci didn't think so; he was still a pure boy, both in body and mind.

Just as Xie Shuci was about to speak, a clear and melodious male voice sounded behind him, with a slight chuckle in it. The voice was not loud, but it was clear and pleasant to hear.

"This young master carries a bronze medicine cauldron with him, so he should be a pill cultivator. For Young Master Helian to challenge a pill cultivator to a duel in front of everyone, even if he wins, it would be an unfair victory."

Xie Shuci turned around and saw a man sitting in a wooden wheelchair speaking. The man was handsome and had a gentle demeanor, with a warm smile on his face. When Xie Shuci looked at him, he nodded slightly in response.

Upon hearing this, Helian Zhu on the stage and everyone below the stage focused their attention on Xie Shuci.

For convenience, Xie Shuci bought a pouch when he left the town, equivalent to a bag carried in modern society. He filled the pouch with a lot of silver and pills, and also casually put in a bronze cauldron, thinking that it was useless and he could probably pawn it.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on his small pouch, he slowly lowered his head and noticed that half of the small bronze cauldron was sticking out. He simply took the bronze cauldron out.

"It really is a bronze medicine cauldron!"

"This young master is indeed a pill cultivator!"

"The disciples of the Helian family are truly impressive, actually threatening a pill cultivator to fight them? Aren't they afraid of being laughed at?"

"Yeah, this is the first time I've ever seen someone challenge a pill cultivator to a fight. They're shameless."

Alchemists are generally kind-hearted and compassionate healers, and require a special constitution, making them extremely rare and precious. Among all types of cultivators in the cultivation world, alchemists hold the highest status. Although they generally lack the strength to protect themselves, there is an unwritten rule in the cultivation world: never easily harm an alchemist, or you will be hunted down by disciples of the various immortal sects.

This concept is similar to the "Red Cross" on the battlefield; it is something that must never be violated or harmed.

As the discussion grew louder, some people, envious of Helian Zhu's talent, took advantage of his misfortune.

Helian Zhu's expression grew increasingly grim, and he gritted his teeth as he asked, "Are you a pill cultivator?"

Xie Shuci blinked innocently, raised the bronze medicine cauldron in his hand, and asked in return, "What do you think?"

"How dare you question others?"

"Bronze is the most precious material in alchemy cauldrons, and usually only well-established alchemy families can afford to use it."

"I wonder if this gentleman is capable of refining the Soul-Returning Pill? I have prepared the necessary ingredients. If you can refine it, I will certainly reward you handsomely."

Xie Shuci rarely gets to enjoy such a star-studded treatment, and he was practically strutting around with pride. "It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm not the kind of person who cares about money. I refine pills purely based on my mood."

Xie Shuci, that braggart, never hesitates to boast.

Helian Zhu had never been so verbally attacked before, but the immortal sects had rules that they could not easily make enemies with alchemists. Even the Helian family had many pills that needed the help of other alchemists to refine.

Furthermore, alchemists are extremely rare, so they cherish each other. If any sect harms or intercepts an alchemist's belongings, it will face the hatred of all alchemists and may never be able to obtain a single pill again.

He was furious but couldn't vent his anger; his face turned pale and then red. "You're a pill refiner, why aren't you at home refining pills? What are you doing here?"

Xie Shuci rolled her eyes at him. "Do you live in the Pacific Ocean? Why are you so nosy?"

Helian Zhu was so angry he almost vomited blood. Seeing that things were going wrong, the head of Manjiang Hall immediately stepped in to smooth things over.

"Please calm down, everyone, so as not to frighten this young master Danxiu. Today's events were an accident. To apologize to the young master, he and his companions may dine at Manjiang Hall before the secret realm closes, and the restaurant will not charge them a penny."

The person in charge stepped forward to help Helian Zhu out of the predicament, and the others stopped arguing.

Xie Shuci never expected that joining in the fun would lead to such a windfall, and he became quite giddy for a moment.

At the same time, the sound of galloping hooves suddenly rang out from behind the crowd.

Several disciples of the Helian family leaped from their horses, skimming over the heads of the crowd, and landed gracefully on the arena.

"Senior brother, something terrible has happened! All twelve female disciples of the Hehuan Sect have been brutally murdered in the city!" A disciple knelt down before Helian Zhu.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the cultivators present all became solemn.

The Hehuan Sect's "furnace" cultivation method has always been despised by outsiders, but no one dares to question their strength. Most of the disciples who came to the secret realm this time are powerful disciples from various sects, and the Hehuan Sect is no exception. Who has the ability to make twelve highly skilled disciples die in the city at the same time?

Just as everyone was filled with doubt, the disciple said in a trembling voice, "These twelve corpses were all killed by someone who severed their golden cores and cut off their life vessels with a single stroke. This person is vicious and their methods of killing are ruthless..."

At this point, the disciple's teeth chattered, and his face showed fear.

Gasps rose from the crowd, and the faces of some of the spirited young disciples changed.

Xie Shuci was initially a little scared, but when he found that the others seemed even more scared than him, he couldn't help but wonder, what was it about these cultivators who were used to fighting and killing that he was afraid of?

At this moment, the disciple added, "This man is vicious, and his methods of killing are no different from those of Xiao Xun, the Dao of Slaughter!"

Xie Shuci's mind went blank for a moment, as if it had gone completely empty.