Xie Shuci's inner thoughts were just as dramatic as those of the onlookers.

He opened his mouth, but hesitated, unable to speak, and fell silent.

What could he say? He thought Xie An, who was weak, blind, and mute, was just a show-off; he thought Chu Wenfeng, who acted all high and mighty, was just a pretentious show-off; and he thought Chu Guiyi, who was polite and courteous, was a gentleman who couldn't even kill a chicken. Among this group of people, only he could barely be considered to have some fighting ability. And what was the result?

As it turned out, those three were incredibly skilled, easily subduing the aggressive cultivators with just a few moves.

"Shall we continue?" Chu Guiyi asked softly, looking coldly at the cultivators lying haphazardly on the ground.

"Wait a moment--"

Xie Shuci raised his hand, interrupting everyone with a serious expression.

He walked up to the leading cultivator with an air of profound knowledge. The cultivator was filled with shame and anger, his gaze sweeping over Xie An and Chu Wenfeng, his expression full of apprehension.

"We were blind to your greatness and failed to recognize you as disciples of the Free and Unfettered Sect and the Chu family. Fellow Daoist..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Shuci picked up a stool leg from the ground and poked the cultivator's shoulder from a distance.

"Say it again, who stole something?"

Xie Shuci felt this was a great opportunity to boost his own prestige. He had to take advantage of their power to elevate his own standing. He was quite adept at using their influence to bully others.

Xie Shuci's force was very light; it was more of an act of humiliation than revenge. In reality, Xie Shuci just wanted to get away to avoid being ambushed by him.

The cultivator's face turned pale instantly. He gripped the sword hilt tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, and killing intent stirred within him.

The three people behind Xie Shuci seemed to sense something and made a move at the same time.

Xie An's longsword flashed with a cold light at one side;

Chu Wenfeng tightened his grip on the whip, poised to strike;

Chu Guiyi tightened her lip line, making her facial features appear somewhat stiff.

The cultivator was well aware of the changes in the three. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, loosened his grip on the sword hilt, and said with a forced smile, "Fellow Daoist, please forgive me. I was blind and wronged you."

"Hmph." Xie Shuci snorted coldly, threw away the stool leg, crossed his arms and walked back to Xie An's side.

Xie An tapped Xie Shuci's hand twice with two fingers. Xie Shuci was still upset that his martial arts skills were the lowest among the four of them, and felt cheated. He said angrily, "What?"

Xie An pursed his lips slightly and wrote in his palm: "Angry".

Xie Shuci knew he was asking her a question, so she turned her head away and said, "No."

The head of Manjiang Hall arrived late. After learning the whole story, he led his men to carry the cultivators away and changed Xie Shuci and the other three into a separate room.

As Xie Shuci passed through the lobby, he always felt that many eyes were secretly watching him.

He had initially walked at the back in a huff, but the stares from these people made his scalp tingle, so he had no choice but to clutch his small pouch full of treasures tightly and quicken his pace to Xie An's side.

Xie An's figure blocked most of his view, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Upon entering the room, Xie Shuci immediately sat on the farthest side, her resentful eyes fixed on the three of them.

The blind boy didn't take it seriously, but Chu Wenfeng glared back at him.

Chu Guiyi smiled helplessly and said, "Shuci, why are you doing this?"

Xie Shuci had been waiting for them to speak, and finally they did.

"You guys are such good fighters, why didn't you tell me sooner? Are we still friends?" Xie Ci muttered, slumped over the table.

Chu Wenfeng rolled his eyes. "Are you an idiot? Every cultivator who comes here is here for the Dragon Fang Secret Realm. If everyone were like you, unable to use their spiritual power and bringing their families to deliver warmth to others, wouldn't that be courting death? Hey, are you worried that there aren't any top-grade pills in the secret realm, so you came here specifically to give everyone some?"

"You..." Xie Shuci pointed at Chu Wenfeng, remembering the whip still wrapped around his waist, and dared not speak out in anger. Finally, she dragged Xie An out: "Are you blind? Can't you see how powerful my Xie An is? With him around, what could possibly happen to me?"

Xie An raised his lips in a half-smile. Speaking of Xie An, Chu Guiyi's brows furrowed.

He asked tentatively, "Young Master Xie is a disciple of the Free and Unfettered Sect, but why don't you travel with the sect's eldest disciple?"

Xie Shuci paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked at Xie An.

By the way, someone just said that Xie An uses the Free and Unfettered Sword Technique, and that he used to be a disciple of the Free and Unfettered Sect? Then who is the person chasing him?

Although Xie Shuci promised not to pry into Xie An's past, there was a very close connection between the Xiaoyao Sect and Xiao Xun. He was too sensitive about matters concerning Xiao Xun and did not want to let go of any clues. So, following Chu Guiyi's words, he asked, "Xie An, are you a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect?"

Xie An lowered his eyes, his lips moving slightly, "It used to be."

"Was it before?" Xie Shuci repeated suspiciously.

Chu Guiyi and the other man turned their gazes toward Xie An, scrutinizing him.

Xie An continued, "My current appearance is inextricably linked to Xiao Xun."

Xie Shuci frowned. "Is it related to Xiao Xun?"

The other two did not know what Xie An said, and could only infer it from Xie Shuci's words.

Xie An said calmly, “As you said, Xiao Xun is ruthless and cruel. After injuring four elders of the Xiaoyao Sect, he forced me to take him into the Jubao Pavilion to burn a secret treasure before fleeing. The Xiaoyao Sect then concluded that I was his accomplice and expelled me from the sect, secretly hunting me down.”

"It's exactly the kind of thing he would do!" Xie Shuci slammed his fist on the table and stood up, indignantly saying, "How could he be so evil? It's one thing for him to commit numerous evils, but what kind of skill is it to drag innocent people into it?"

Xie An remained calm and said, "Senior Brother Deng is very understanding and righteous. If I have the opportunity to explain things to him, he will definitely not make things difficult for me again."

"I'll take you to him, and I'll explain for you. Xiao Xun looks like a jinx; how could he have accomplices?"

If it weren't for the idiotic protagonist in the original book, Xie Shuci thought that someone like Xiao Xun would definitely be a ruthless and lonely man for life.

Xie An slowly shook his head, "No need. If I use the Free and Unfettered Sword Technique in public, it will surely reach his ears in no time, and he will come looking for me on his own."

"Oh." Xie Shuci nodded, then belatedly asked, "Xie An, if you explain things to him, do you have to go back to Xiaoyao Sect?"

Xie An paused for a moment, sensing the caution in Xie Shuci's words.

He smiled meaningfully and said, "I don't plan to go back to Xiaoyao Sect."

Xie Shuci's eyes lit up immediately. "Then will you stay with me from now on? I have money, I can support you."

Xie An remained silent for a long time. He pursed his lips, took Xie Shuci's right hand, and wrote in his palm: "I can follow you."

Xie Shuci was overjoyed, and Xie An wrote again: "...until you die."

Whether it was Xie Shuci's imagination or not, the word "death" felt somewhat heavy in his palm.

Seeing them talking privately as if no one else was around, Chu Wenfeng was the first to lose interest. He found a handkerchief somewhere and carefully wiped his Nine-Section Flying Bird Whip.

Chu Guiyi sighed helplessly. He had a gut feeling that Young Master Xie was a very dangerous person, and his original intention was to remind Xie Shuci to be wary of Xie An. However, it now seemed that Xie Shuci trusted Young Master Xie completely, and the latter didn't seem to have any ill intentions. Perhaps his intuition was inaccurate; he shouldn't needlessly undermine the trust between them.

The four of them had a meal at Manjiangtang, and when they were about to return to their small inn, they were stopped by the waiter.

Upon seeing Xie Shuci, the waiter smiled broadly, bowing and scraping as he said, "Gentlemen, we apologize for the fright you had today. The manager has prepared superior rooms for you. However, the city may be in turmoil these days, so for your safety, please stay at Manjiang Hall. I will have someone fetch your luggage for you."

Chu Guiyi pondered for a moment and asked, "Is this the intention of the head of Manjiangtang?"

Xie Shuci asked in a low voice, "Who is the big boss?"

Chu Wenfeng said, "I met you during the day, Helian Jue."

"Him?" Xie Shuci frowned. Wasn't Helian Jue the one who was chased and beaten by his Daoist partner for frequenting prostitutes?

The waiter nodded. "Yes, it was the boss's idea. He wanted to come and apologize to you all in person, but he couldn't get away at the moment."

The four looked at each other, and finally decided not to refuse any longer and stayed.

Xie Shuci and Chu Wenfeng went back to the small inn to retrieve their luggage, a round trip that took about the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

"What breed is your white horse?" Chu Wenfeng asked, pointing to the crane.

Xie Shuci shook his head and said, "I don't know, it was given to me by my fellow disciples."

"Judging from its coat color, it does resemble the Cloud-Piercing Horse of Yingzhou."

The crane snorted, seemingly dismissing Chu Wenfeng's words with disdain.

Chu Wenfeng asked in bewilderment, "What exactly does your family do? There's no Xie family among the top-ranking immortal sects in the cultivation world. Could it be that you're a disciple of the Free and Unfettered Sect like that blind man? But even the Free and Unfettered Sect couldn't possibly produce so many top-grade pills all at once."

Xie Shuci smacked his lips blankly; he also wanted to know what his family did for a living.

Chu Wenfeng stared at him suspiciously for a long time before saying, "Could it be that you came from the Floating Pagoda Realm?"

"The Floating Pagoda Realm?" Xie Shuci frowned as he recalled.

In the original book, the Floating Pagoda Realm is different from other secret realms; it is the only one that will never close. It is said that the spiritual energy there is abundant, far surpassing anything in the cultivation world. One day of cultivation in the Floating Pagoda Realm is equivalent to one month in the cultivation world. The Xiao family, one of the four great immortal sects, and the main branch of the Free and Unfettered Sect are located within the Floating Pagoda Realm.

It is said that in the cultivation world, only the top ten immortal sects in the Immortal Sect Selection are qualified to relocate their main sect to the Floating Pagoda Realm. For this reason, many immortal sects go to great lengths for the selection, just to move into the Floating Pagoda Realm.

"Impossible." Chu Wenfeng quickly dismissed his own idea. "There's no way there's a piece of trash like you in the Floating Pagoda Realm."

Xie Shuci rolled her eyes at him. "That's not necessarily true. What if I'm from the Floating Pagoda Realm, here for training?"

"You?... Xiao Xun?!" Chu Wenfeng suddenly looked ahead with a look of horror.

Xie Shuci shuddered and almost reflexively jumped behind Chu Wenfeng, her heart pounding. "Holy crap—where is he?"

He grabbed Chu Wenfeng's clothes, feeling the latter's shoulders tremble, and thought...

He was trembling with fear, and patted him twice reassuringly, "Don't, don't be afraid, why don't you run first, I'll cover your retreat..."

"Puhahaha..."

Before Xie Shuci could finish speaking, Chu Wenfeng couldn't hold back any longer and bent over, bursting into laughter. "Idiot! You think you're at the Floating Pagoda Realm?"

"..."

Xie Shuci paused for a moment, realizing that this guy was playing him for a fool.

He stood up, took a deep breath, and then slapped Chu Wenfeng on the head.

"Hey! Xie Shuci, are you looking for death?" Chu Wenfeng glared angrily.

Xie Shuci, with a stern face, picked up the little white horse and left.

Chu Wenfeng grumbled as he watched his retreating figure, then reluctantly chased after him.

As the two walked to the entrance of Manjiang Hall, Xie Shuci suddenly stopped and listened carefully. He could faintly hear the sounds of fighting coming from inside.

"careful!"

Chu Wenfeng's voice rang out from behind. Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment. A whip was wrapped around his waist, and he was dragged backward forcefully.

At the same time, the crane took small, quick steps to the side, and a figure burst out from inside the door, landing where Xie Shu had been standing. The figure staggered back two steps before regaining its balance.

The man, dressed in a dark yellow Taoist robe, landed and looked warily into the Manjiang Hall.

Xie Shuci steadied himself, still shaken, when he heard Chu Wenfeng say solemnly, "He is Deng Fengming, a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect."

Xie Shuci was stunned. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the man was not ugly and met the aesthetic standards of modern Westerners, although his features were somewhat abstract.

Just then, a clear bell rang out from inside the door, and Xie Shuci looked up.

Xie An, dressed in white, walked out unhurriedly, hands behind his back, sword in hand, as if strolling leisurely in a courtyard.

Xie An's eyes were lifeless, and he lowered his head slightly, listening intently to the sounds around him.

He was slightly taller than his peers, with well-defined muscles. The bright yellow lamplight and the pure white moonlight shone on him like two distinct streams of light, surrounding Xie An and adding to his sacred and radiant aura.

As Xie An slowly approached, Deng Fengming tensed all his muscles, the veins on the back of his hand gripping the sword hilt bulged, and spiritual energy floated around him like mist for defense. He looked extremely tense, ready to strike.

Seeing this, Chu Wenfeng asked in a deep voice, "Just who is Xie An?"

"A man," Xie Shuci replied dismissively.

Chu Wenfeng: "..."

Do you think I'm blind?

He nervously watched the two men facing off in front of him, fearing that Deng Fengming would rush up and chop Xie An in half with a single blow.

"Misunderstanding! Brother, it's all a misunderstanding!" Xie Shuci forced himself to step forward and stand between Xie An and Deng Fengming.

Xie Anxu heard his voice, and the stern look in his eyes softened. He looked up and looked in Xie Shuci's direction.

"Who are you?!" Seeing Xie Shuci come out, Deng Fengming glanced at Xie An warily, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. "Get out of the way!"

Many cultivators gathered at the entrance of the inn to watch the commotion. Xie Shuci thought that a disciple of the prestigious Xiaoyao Sect would not make fun of an ordinary person like him, so he mustered up his courage and said, "Hero, please put down your sword and let's talk this out."

Seeing this man recklessly blocking Xie An's path, Deng Fengming became extremely tense, his drooping eyes wide open. He dared not make a move, fearing that any rash action would anger Xie An and cause him to pierce the man's heart with a sword.

"Are you looking for death?" Deng Fengming cursed through gritted teeth.

Xie Shuci chuckled dryly, "Great hero, it's all a misunderstanding."

At the same time, disciples of the Helian family chased after them from Manjiang Hall.

"Senior Brother Deng, isn't this a disciple of the Free and Unfettered Sect? Why are you drawing your sword against him?" Helian Zhu walked slowly to Deng Fengming's side, followed by Helian Jue, the chief disciple of the Helian family, who seemed uninterested.

The latter was clearly the eldest disciple, yet Helian Zhuge was clearly superior to everyone else.

“Who said he was a disciple of the Free and Unfettered Sect? He is clearly…” Deng Fengming’s face turned red, but he didn’t finish his sentence.

The sect leader had instructed that, for the sake of the Xiaoyao Sect's reputation, Xiao Xun must be killed, even at the risk of offending the Xiao family, and absolutely not allowed to fall into the hands of other immortal sects. What Xiao Xun held was related to the Xiaoyao Sect's main family within the Futu territory, practically holding the lifeline of the entire Xiaoyao Sect in his hands. He must be eliminated as soon as possible to prevent others from getting there first.

This is why, even though the Xiaoyao Sect knew Xiao Xun's whereabouts, they never revealed it to the outside world.

Fortunately, in the cultivation world, there are very few people who have seen Xiao Xun's true face and are still alive. Therefore, they can only take advantage of the opportunity when Xiao Xun suffers from a qi deviation and loses all his cultivation to kill him in the cultivation world in order to eliminate future troubles.

"In short, this person is definitely not a good person. The tragic deaths of the Hehuan Sect disciples were not Xiao Xun's doing, but are probably related to this person. I ask you all to lend me a hand and make sure to kill him here." Deng Fengming clasped his hands and said to everyone.

Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci turned and glanced at Xie An.

The latter stood beside Xie Shuci with her eyes lowered, quiet and naive. Her eyes were vacant due to her apparent loss, and her lips were pale, probably because she was frightened. She hid most of her body behind Xie Shuci, her brows slightly furrowed, inadvertently revealing a hint of vulnerability.

In this state, let alone killing someone, even if the disciples of the Hehuan Sect really wanted to refine him into a furnace, he would be completely powerless to resist.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Xie An is not only blind, but he also has absolutely no cultivation. Are you suggesting that the disciples of the Joyful Union Sect should just stand still and have to remind him of their position, and then wait for him to come and chop them up?"

Xie Shuci subconsciously felt that even if Xie An's swordsmanship was good, it didn't change the fact that he was blind and had no cultivation. He might be able to handle ordinary people with ease, but once he encountered a cultivator with some cultivation, Xie An would always be the one getting beaten up.

After hearing this, Helian Zhu looked at Xie An with a probing gaze. He was always proud and arrogant, so he naturally wouldn't take a good-for-nothing who had no spiritual power and was blind seriously. He turned to Deng Fengming and said, "Senior Brother Deng, you may not underestimate the disciples of the Hehuan Sect. Even if their cultivation methods are criticized, their strength is absolutely not to be underestimated."

The cultivators present all scoffed at Deng Fengming's words.

Chu Wenfeng scoffed, "Is this how your Xiaoyao Sect does things? You pin all the blame on a blind man and then go back to report with a clear conscience?"

He had witnessed Xie An's swordsmanship and could only describe it as mediocre, certainly not impressive. It was fine for dealing with small fry, but once he encountered someone with brains and cultivation, even the Free and Unfettered Sword Technique was far from enough.

He was just puzzled as to why Xie Shuci would get together with this blind man.

Helian Jue, who had been showing little interest, frowned and his expression gradually became serious after hearing Deng Fengming's words.

Upon seeing so many people speaking up for Xie An, Xie Shuci straightened his back and said, "Brother, let me tell you, it's all a misunderstanding. How could Xie An kill someone? Moreover, regarding what happened at Xiaoyao Gate, Xie An was coerced. He even praised you to me today, saying that you are a person of great integrity and will definitely listen to his explanation."

Deng Fengming laughed out loud. He realized that this person was in cahoots with Xiao Xun.

"What did you call him? Xie An?" Deng Fengming sneered.

"Yes, so what?" Xie Shuci said matter-of-factly, "Since he left the Xiaoyao Sect, what his name is has nothing to do with you."

Deng Fengming laughed in anger, pointing a trembling finger at the two of them, "Do you know what's behind you? And you're protecting it?"

His words made Xie Shuci a little uncomfortable. She frowned and said, "What? What's wrong with me protecting him? Let me tell you, I'm here..."

Xie Shuci felt a little guilty saying this, so he simply pulled Chu Wenfeng over from the side, saying, "With us here, you won't be able to lay a finger on Xie An!"

Chu Wenfeng straightened his clothes, which had been disheveled by the man, and muttered, "Virtue," but did not leave their side.

Deng Fengming said angrily, "Then don't blame me for being impolite!"

He wielded his longsword, his spiritual energy surging forth, causing all the cultivators present to warily turn their gazes in his direction.

Xie An, who had been standing silently behind Xie Shuci, raised his head.

The mist in his eyes vanished in an instant, revealing his dark pupils clearly reflecting the moonlight and the surrounding scenery.

Those eyes were clear and bright, like stars in the night sky, yet they radiated endless malice as they looked at Deng Fengming opposite them.

His gaze was cold and malevolent, full of warning, as if telling Deng Fengming that if he made the slightest move, he would be beheaded immediately.

Xie Shuci had no idea what had happened. He only saw Deng Fengming's face drain of color in an instant, his lips trembling, looking at him in disbelief.

Xie Shuci blinked innocently, wondering if he looked that scary.

Chu Wenfeng noticed that Deng Fengming's gaze had passed over the two of them and was fixed on Xie An behind them. He turned around suspiciously and found that Xie An was still standing obediently beside Xie Shuci, without any sign of anything amiss.

Of the countless cultivators present, only Deng Fengming knew what had happened.

At this moment, his mind went completely blank. The sect leader had miscalculated. Xiao Xun hadn't suffered a qi deviation at all; he was faking it all. He was the one who killed the Hehuan Sect disciples, yet his cultivation hadn't disappeared; in fact, it had even improved! How could this be? This was absolutely impossible! His spiritual energy was in complete disarray back then, and he'd also been hit by an arrow… How could this be?

Just then, Helian Jue suddenly stepped forward and said, "There may be some misunderstanding here. How about this, the real culprit who killed the Hehuan Sect disciple is still in Luofang City, and everyone here could be the murderer."

After saying that, he suddenly turned to Xie An and the others and continued, "If you fellow Daoists wish to prove your innocence, why not assist us in tracking down the murderer? Once the real culprit is brought to light, your innocence will naturally be restored."

"Senior Brother, who gave you permission to act on your own?"

Having grown accustomed to disregarding Helian Jue, Helian Zhu's expression immediately darkened when he saw that Jue had bypassed him and made the decision directly.

Helian Zhu's disrespect towards Helian Jue displeased even those around him, who felt that the young man was too arrogant.

Upon hearing this, Helian Jue immediately admitted his mistake with a grin: "Yes, yes, I just mentioned it casually. This is not my business. Xiao Zhu, you tell me what to do."

"Useless," Chu Wenfeng muttered under his breath.

Although Xie Shuci hated Helian Jue, that scumbag, she had to admit that Helian Zhu was even more detestable than the scumbag.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Helian Jue lowered his voice and said, "Xiao Zhu, don't forget the patriarch's instructions, you must win over that alchemist."

Upon hearing this, Helian Zhu frowned deeply and looked at Xie Shuci with hostility.

Xie Shuci was inexplicably glared at, and shrank back, "Why are you looking at me?"

Helian Zhu gritted his teeth, resenting this person for making him lose face, but due to the family head's instructions, he took a deep breath and said, "Senior Brother is right. The elders of the Hehuan Sect will arrive in Luofang City in a day. Please come together to discuss the murderer's matter then."

After saying that, he looked at Deng Fengming, who was pale-faced, and asked, "Senior Brother Deng, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Deng Fengming looked in Xie An's direction.

Xiao Xun is the young master of the Xiao family in the Floating Pagoda Realm, while he is merely a disciple of a branch of the Free and Unfettered Sect in the cultivation world, vastly different from the main disciples of the Floating Pagoda Realm. He only dared to pursue Xiao Xun because Xiao Xun had suffered a cultivation deviation and his cultivation was in grave danger. If Xiao Xun's cultivation had not been damaged, he would never have been a match for him!

It's too late to send a message to the sect leader now. If he wants to deal with Xiao Xun, he only has one last method, and he needs the assistance of the Helian family to do it!

Thinking of this, Deng Fengming forced himself to calm down, put his sword back at his waist, clasped his hands and said, "I apologize, I was too impatient. I will follow Junior Brother Helian's advice and ask you all to help us track down the murderer."

Xie Shuci frowned, listening to their few words without any intention of consulting Xie An, and hastily made a decision.

What the hell? We haven't agreed yet.

He had no desire to get involved in anything related to Xiao Xun. What if Xiao Xun was the one who killed the Hehuan Sect disciples? Wasn't Xie Shuci just courting death?

But now that things have come to this point, if he were to refuse on behalf of the blind boy, it would be as if they were confirming that the boy had a guilty conscience.

Xie Shuci cleared his throat and asked Xie An, "Little blind man, do you want to go?"

Although he was talking with Helian Zhu, Deng Fengming's attention remained on Xie An.

This person acts mysteriously and is extremely cunning; he never does anything unnecessary. Deng Fengming has no doubt that everything that happened before was intentionally orchestrated by him.

Deng Fengming had heard many stories about him. After he began cultivating the Path of Slaughter, countless cultivators died at his hands. Even fellow cultivators who followed the Path of Slaughter were terrified of him. He was like a god of death and a demon, and no humanity could be seen in him.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to imagine that such a genius, born accompanied by twelve startled birds, and the highly anticipated young master of the immortal sect, had transformed into a demon whom everyone wanted to kill.

The demon, looking completely harmless, stood to Xie Shuci's right.

Upon hearing Xie Shuci's words, he lowered his eyes and smiled indifferently, his lips slightly moving.

Only Xie Shuci knew what he said.

"I'll listen to you."