Chapter 27: Wei Sheng Embracing the Pillar (Part 3) “So…what do you think…
A gentle yet undeniable pressure slowly spread from Chi Xingji's center. It not only prevented An Chen from attacking again, but also prevented Lian Qiang's demonic energy from escaping.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, you have excellent skills!" An Chen stood up and praised. "I apologize for my indiscretion earlier. I apologize to both of you."
After saying this, he actually stood up and bowed deeply. "If it weren't for this, I wouldn't be able to judge you two so easily. I hope you won't mind my inadequacies."
"Let's talk about it later. If someone is really hurt, isn't it a little too late?" Lian Qiang was a little annoyed. No matter how confident she was in Chi Xingji's strength, she was still frightened when she recalled the moment just now.
"Don't be offended," the City Lord's wife hurriedly stood up to offer solace. "My husband saw that your cultivation was unfathomable, unlike the guests he had previously encountered. He was afraid that ordinary means would be insufficient to ascertain your strength, so he resorted to this desperate measure. Rest assured, if we hadn't been able to handle it, we would have found a way to resolve it. We wouldn't have put you in vain."
Mrs. An spoke in a sincere and frank tone, her syllables trailing off long and low, as if she feared the two would become so angry that they would immediately withdraw. She had an extremely kind face, but a subtle worry was always in her brow, which must have been more than just a short period of time. Lian Qiang couldn't help but glance at her a few more times; she hadn't expected her to be so worried about this matter.
Chi Xingji was still feeling the pressure. He tilted his head slightly and looked at Lian Qiang, silently asking for her forgiveness. Despite her anger, Chi Xingji was still unharmed, and their attitudes were genuinely sincere. Lian Qiang then sat back down quietly.
Only when she no longer looked worried did Chi Xingji return to his seat and wait for An Chen's next words.
An Chen spoke for several moments without saying anything, and after a long while, he finally found his words. "To be honest, I'm ashamed to say this. This demon has been cultivating for a hundred years and has transformed into a human form. It originally made its home in the nearby mountains, and we used to keep to ourselves. It occasionally sneaked into Lin'an a few times, but we just assumed it was just a casual whim and didn't want to start a fight and disturb its peace."
At this point, he slammed the table in anger, almost standing up and shouting, "I didn't expect him to get even worse recently! He's been frequently coming to Lin'an and wreaking havoc. In just one month, he's already kidnapped over a dozen young girls from the city. Everyone in the city is in a state of panic, feeling insecure!"
Chi Xingji said thoughtfully, "Only capture young women? I heard that City Lord An also sent monks there before?"
"Yes, they only captured young girls around twenty years old." An Chen didn't think this was important information and just brushed it off. "Of course, after learning about this, we quickly organized a team to go there... But as the saying goes, 'a cunning rabbit has three burrows.' They couldn't even find the monster, let alone capture it alive. We returned empty-handed."
"Returned empty-handed? Didn't the monster kill anyone?" Lian Qiang noticed his choice of words and pointed it out bluntly.
"Yes... For some reason, he never harmed those people's lives, but none of the abducted girls ever came back..." Mrs. An answered at the right time, her face becoming more and more gloomy.
An Chen shook his head and sighed, "Don't worry if you two laugh at us, we really... are out of people. I've sent all my men out, and my son is still young and can't handle it on his own. Even an old man like me, whose cultivation has been stuck at the Nascent Soul stage for years, has fought him a few times, but I have to admit defeat."
Hearing this, Lian Qiang was slightly moved. If the situation was not urgent, the lord of a city would probably not want to expose his shortcomings in front of outsiders.
"I see that your cultivation is higher than mine. You came to visit me so late at night, and I think you also want to help the citizens. If you are willing to help, I... will be very grateful! Just tell me what you want!" Having said that, An Chen stood up again and bowed deeply to the two of them.
Mrs. An also bowed after him.
The two of them no longer have the aura of superiors, but more like elderly parents who are making painstaking plans for their children.
"Father! Why are you doing this?" Suddenly, a figure rushed out and blocked An Chen's way. "Why are you busy offering a bounty again? That damn fox demon is nothing to worry about, it's nothing to be afraid of! Tomorrow I'll take people up the mountain to capture him and skin him to make clothes for my mother!"
Behind him was the butler, who felt he had failed to stop the attack and felt he had failed in his duty. An Chen waved his hand, and the butler retreated without hesitation.
Lian Qiang could see clearly that the figure was definitely a young man who had already reached adulthood. If he was young, he was indeed not very old. If he was not able to stand on his own... Twenty-year-old Chi Xingji had left home alone for the Wuji Sword Sect, and everyone had high hopes for his ascension. However, the young man in front of him who was full of big words was only in the middle stage of foundation building.
If there were no other opportunities, he would probably only be able to reach the Golden Elixir stage in this life and would find it difficult to make further progress.
Lian Qiang thought about it, but was shocked by her own inexplicable thoughts. She was shocked that she compared others with Chi Xingji, and she was also shocked that her first reaction was to compare them with Chi Xingji.
"Don't be so presumptuous in front of our guests!" An Chen shouted. "You don't know your own worth, but I do! Go back to your room!"
Lian Qiang and Chi Xingji watched intently, pretending not to notice the quarrel between father and son. Lian Qiang thought silently that although her father was strict, he never lectured his children in front of outsiders. An Chen's strictness was really...evident.
The young man was very dissatisfied. He turned to face the two people who looked only a few years older than him, and the rings on his body jingled. "My name is An Ziliang, and I always speak directly..."
The moment his eyes met Lian Qiang's, something lit up in his eyes, and his movements froze. After a moment, he stiffly picked up his words: "...I don't know where you are from. After all, this matter is our Lin'an's business, and outsiders are not allowed to interfere. You two should return as soon as possible."
The young master was born with a smudge of cinnabar on his forehead, which made his features look innocent and naive. Lian Qiang was a little amused and was about to speak when Chi Xingji asked in a deep voice, "Are you going to be your father's boss?"
"Don't be offended, Fellow Daoist Chi. My son is young and has spoken out of turn. I'll drag him down and teach him a lesson later." An Chen was afraid that the two of them would regret it, so he hurriedly expressed his sincerity and turned to An Ziliang, who was even more furious. "Get out of here!"
"I won't!" An Ziliang seemed stubborn, stiffening his neck and refusing to compromise. "You know far more about how many charlatans Father has met with these days than I do. Are you still counting on outsiders?"
Veins popped up on An Chen's face. "Don't you dare talk nonsense to me again!"
Mrs. An, who was standing by, wanted to persuade them, but she didn't know where to start. She covered her chest with her hands, her expression even more worried, and she just bowed to the two of them to apologize.
The incident happened so quickly that Lian Qiang was dumbfounded. Even if they were willing to let outsiders witness this chaotic farce, she didn't want to watch it any longer.
The young master was, at best, innocent and naive; at worst, completely reckless and unrestrained. The fact that Lord An and his wife, knowing his true nature, allowed him to do what he did was equally outrageous.
Lian Qiang was about to say goodbye, but An Ziliang's next words were even more shocking: "Father has always only trusted my eldest sister, but never me. He said I was young and inexperienced. But isn't it also because Father has never thought of sharing responsibilities..."
“Snap—”
A crisp sound startled everyone. An Ziliang covered his cheek, looking at the man who hit him in disbelief, and uttered two words: "Mother..."
Mrs. An's chest was shaking violently. She pointed at her son with her index finger, trembling several times, but she couldn't utter a single word. Only by closing her eyes could she calm her inner indignation: "...If you say another word, I will punish you according to the family rules."
Everyone had different thoughts during the argument, and no one said anything for a while.
Chi Xingji calmly interrupted the silence: "It's late tonight, let's say goodbye first and visit again tomorrow."
An Chen wanted to invite them to stay, but Chi Xingji repeatedly refused. Finally, he said firmly, "It is really inconvenient for us to stay at your house. Please don't make things difficult for us. We will come to visit you tomorrow at 9:00 PM."
"Okay, okay." Seeing that there was still hope, An Chen said okay repeatedly and wanted to send the two out personally, but Chi Xingji politely declined, so he sent the housekeeper to see the guests off.
When the two of them left, An Ziliang was still standing there stiffly in a daze, while Mrs. An had calmed down and was sitting there, not knowing what to think.
Walking along the winding corridor, most of the lights we had come from were extinguished. After a long time, Lian Qiang looked back as if possessed by a ghost. She could no longer see the scene on the other side, but she felt that in the bleak night, the little light seemed to be swallowed by the darkness, and it no longer felt so warm.
She shivered suddenly. Chi Xingji glanced sideways, took a step faster, and stood in front of her.
Lian Qiang was stunned, thinking it was her illusion, and continued to move forward, but Chi Xingji did the same.
Their shadows suddenly drifted away, then were deliberately brought closer, dragging long lines across the ground. This back-and-forth only brought them even closer. The housekeeper, not intending to turn around, took in their small movements and unconsciously let out a slightly meaningful smile.
When they arrived at the gate, the butler respectfully handed them a token-like object and said, "If you two don't want to stay overnight, we won't force you. Show this and you can choose any inn in the city."
The two were surprised for a moment, but Chi Xingji accepted it calmly.
There were no major setbacks in checking into the inn. Even though it was late at night, the two decided to get together and talk for a while before resting.
To prevent the walls from having ears, Chi Xingji specially created a soundproof barrier before asking, "What do you think?"
"I think City Lord An knows far more than he lets on," Lian Qiang thought without hesitation, his face slightly serious. "It's just that there seems to be some hidden secret that he doesn't want to tell us."
"I think so too," Chi Xingji's expression was not as serious as hers, but much more relaxed. "But it doesn't matter. Those shouldn't be the key points."
Lian Qiang nodded, and Chi Xingji concluded the conversation with a word. Silence fell between the two of them. She was about to say something to make amends, but Chi Xingji suddenly sat up straight and flicked the dim candlelight. The candle flame suddenly jumped, which made Lian Qiang's heart jump as well.
The immortal, whose features softened in the candlelight, gently opened his lips, completely unaware of the shocking words he was saying: "So...what do you think of An Ziliang?"
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The author has something to say: Due to the default time set by the system, it may occasionally swallow your nutrient solution records. I will try my best to adjust it. Thank you for your irrigation~
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2023-04-22 09:07:35 and 2023-04-23 21:07:35~
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