Qin Mu let the girl lead him by the hand. He felt the softness and smoothness of her fingers, and his heart stirred. But Fu Tingyue's cruelty still made him deeply uncomfortable.
He looked back. On the platform in the lake, Fu Tingyue was cutting off his opponent's ten fingers, and he still hadn't stopped. He had moved on to cutting at the boy's wrists, his excitement exceeding that of any beast.
"This boy is a madman! But come to think of it, this young Master Tingyue seems to have some connection to me."
Qin Mu recalled that years ago, Grandma Si had picked him up by the riverbank. Fearing he would die young, she had infiltrated Xianglong City and kidnapped the City Lord's wife, who had recently given birth. She had transformed the woman into a cow to feed him, allowing Qin Mu to survive his early years.
The child the City Lord's wife had borne at that time should have been Fu Tingyue.
Qin Mu had grown up drinking his mother's milk—their connection lay precisely in this.
Qin Mu turned back. The boy on the platform in the lake was beyond saving. For a hundred dragon coins, he had entered the City Lord's Mansion for the arena. He had dared to come in because he had some skill, but he had never expected to lose his life.
Inside the Zhenjiang Tower, songs and dances filled the air. Qin Mu followed Ling Yuxiu into the building and saw dancers performing. As their fingers brushed through the air, they produced a tinkling sound—the sound of their primordial energy. Every lift of the head, every step, accompanied a melody.
They danced gracefully while simultaneously using their energy to create beautiful tunes, leaving Qin Mu marveling in admiration.
On both sides of the tower, numerous low tables were arranged, and many impressive-looking people sat on the ground, drinking and enjoying themselves. Some watched the dancers, while others looked toward the platform in the lake to observe the duel.
The situation on the platform had grown extremely brutal. The boy with the copper sinews and iron bones had been tortured beyond recognition. But no one in the tower spoke up to stop it.
Ling Yuxiu pulled Qin Mu directly to a low table and sat down without ceremony, acting as if she belonged there.
The people seated in the Zhenjiang Tower were all powerful figures from various regions, imposing and formidable. Seeing this pair of young man and girl arrive, they were surprised but asked no questions.
They assumed these two fine-looking youths must be disciples of some expert, also taking advantage of the Zhenjiang Tower gathering to join the excitement and broaden their horizons.
Before them on the low table were all manner of rare delicacies—strange fruits, fine dishes, and various exotic beasts cooked in a dozen different styles. The food was fresh and delicious, making Qin Mu's appetite stir.
He had been dragged around by Grandma Si to sell cattle and buy things, and hadn't eaten dinner yet. He was already hungry.
Qin Mu tasted the food before him, and his eyes lit up. His tongue nearly melted with pleasure, and he couldn't help but focus entirely on the feast. Ironically, Ling Yuxiu had said she was hungry but took only two bites before setting down her chopsticks, watching with amusement as he wolfed down his food.
At the table next to Qin Mu sat the beauty who had captivated the entire city—the Cult Master's Wife. She too watched Qin Mu and the girl beside him with interest.
"Is she Grandma Si or not?" Qin Mu wondered.
Beyond her, another person kept glancing toward Qin Mu. He sensed the gaze, looked up, and was momentarily startled. This person wore armor, having not removed it even for the banquet—it was none other than the young general Qin Feiyue, whom he had met twice on the Yong River.
"Qin Feiyue is here too? He hasn't returned to the Yan Kingdom?"
Qin Mu was surprised, then lowered his head to continue eating. Ling Yuxiu giggled softly. "That young general keeps watching you. Does he know you?"
Qin Mu swallowed his food, thought for a moment, and replied, "We've met twice. He had a chubby Seventh Young Master with him—don't know where he went."
Ling Yuxiu pinched him on the arm in annoyance.
Qin Mu didn't understand why the girl was angry and thought, "This girl is really strange. That General Qin Feiyue is also quite strange—when she pinched me, he nearly jumped up, then held himself back. I'm the one being pinched, not him. Why would he feel pain..."
Suddenly, an old man spoke up: "City Lord, is that young man outside your son? What remarkable skill. I've long heard that young Master Tingyue is the strongest warrior of Xianglong City's younger generation. Now I can see it's true."
Fu Yundi smiled. "Hundred Goods Elder flatters me. My son has only learned some crude techniques. He would only make a fool of himself before experts."
The Hundred Goods Elder smiled warmly. "Not at all. I've long heard that Master Tingyue is the number one warrior within a thousand miles. Last year alone, he went through three hundred and fifty-two challenges, killing three hundred and fifty-two warriors from all over—not one escaped his clutches. To possess such combat power at such a young age is truly formidable."
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow slightly, then continued eating intently.
Fu Yundi quickly added, "The ones my son killed were all abandoned people of the Great Ruins. If they came from outside, my son would show mercy."
The Hundred Goods Elder laughed. "Among the abandoned people, there are also powerful ones. Master Tingyue's skill is truly remarkable." He continued to praise at length.
Fu Yundi chuckled. "My son is an honest boy. He never forces anyone to fight him. He goes to the streets to invite these abandoned people of the Great Ruins to compete, offering money as bait. But people die for wealth and birds die for food—these abandoned people keep coming to challenge him, and they all end up losing their lives. My son has never actually spent those hundred dragon coins. You could say my son is quite frugal." He burst into hearty laughter.
The others laughed along.
Just then, a dark-faced old man suddenly stopped smiling. His voice boomed like thunder, drowning out everyone's laughter: "Cult Master's Wife, you've studied the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra for years. Surely now you can let us see it?"
This thin, dark-faced old man sat across from Qin Mu, his features gaunt and his eyes dull. Sitting there, he resembled a piece of charred charcoal, yet his voice was incredibly loud.
At his words, every eye in the tower turned toward the charismatic Cult Master's Wife sitting beside Qin Mu.
Qin Mu quickly set down his ivory chopsticks, froze completely, and closed his mouth—though he couldn't help secretly chewing the food inside.
After swallowing the food in his mouth, the youth hesitated, then couldn't resist. He picked up his ivory chopsticks, grabbed a slice of quick-fried lungfish, and swiftly stuffed it into his mouth.
The charcoal-like old man flew into a rage, glaring at Qin Mu. "Stop eating!"
The Cult Master's Wife beside Qin Mu chuckled. "Ah, it's Black Venerable. Why such anger? The City Lord invited us here to eat—why shouldn't we eat? City Lord, wouldn't you agree?"
Fu Yundi coughed lightly. "This gathering is also a banquet, offering our guests a taste of Xianglong City's finest cuisine. Naturally, both hosts and guests should enjoy themselves to the fullest."
The Cult Master's Wife smiled gently, popped a red fruit into her mouth, delicately wiped her slender jade hands, and then watched with interest as Qin Mu continued to wolf down his food.
Ling Yuxiu was also surprised—she hadn't expected Qin Mu to keep eating under these circumstances.
Before long, Qin Mu had eaten his fill. He thought for a moment, then pulled a waxed paper packet from his robe. He took out some dried provisions from inside, then selected soft, tender delicacies from the low table and placed them in the packet, carefully wrapping it up.
Across the table, the charcoal-like Black Venerable couldn't help but snap, "Boy, you can't even finish eating, and you're packing food to take with you?"
Qin Mu replied sheepishly, "Grandma and I came to the city today with Grandpa the Blind One. We only had some dried provisions on the road and haven't eaten properly. The food here smells wonderful. Grandma and Grandpa the Blind One don't have good teeth, so I'm picking out some soft things for them." He glanced at the Cult Master's Wife, puzzled. "Wait—this rouge fragrance is the exact same one Grandma Si and I bought together!"
A soft light flickered through the Cult Master's Wife's eyes, as if she were touched. "You're a filial boy. The more I look at you, the more I like you."
Everyone in the tower wore the expression of those watching a spectacle, filled with sympathy for Qin Mu. "The Cult Master's Wife was originally a notorious demoness, who despises all those tedious rites of filial piety. This boy is surely going to die a miserable death!"
The charcoal-like Black Venerable waited until Qin Mu finished wrapping the food, then asked coldly, "Are you full?"
Qin Mu replied honestly, "Half full."
Black Venerable seethed with frustration and let out a cold huff. The sound carried outward, and a hundred window lattices of the Zhenjiang Tower rattled in response.
Qin Mu couldn't help but admire him. "Senior, your cultivation is truly formidable. I could never manage that."
Black Venerable's forehead veins pulsed twice. Suppressing his anger, he waited quietly for Qin Mu to finish eating. Meanwhile, the always-smiling Cult Master's Wife also set down her ivory chopsticks and stopped eating.
Black Venerable exhaled the turbid breath he had held in his chest for so long, then spoke coldly, "Everyone's full now, I trust? Can we discuss business?"
Every eye in the tower gleamed, turning toward the Cult Master's Wife.
The Cult Master's Wife's smile, radiating a hundred charms, seemed to brighten the entire room. "Black Venerable, even if I gave you the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, do you truly believe you could leave Xianglong City alive? I'm afraid the City Lord would be the first to want your life. And everyone here would likely not allow you to leave the Great Ruins alive."
Black Venerable rose to his feet. Behind him, his primordial energy suddenly turned pitch black, coalescing in the air behind his head to form a four-armed Heavenly Demon—ferocious and terrifying!
To wield primordial energy to such a peak degree, even manifesting it as a demonic deity—such a technique was no less impressive than Fu Yundi's Eight Aspect Celestial Deity Technique!
Black Venerable swept his gaze around. "If the Heavenly Demon Cult's sacred scripture falls into my hands, it becomes mine. Who dares covet it? Do they not fear being slaughtered by me?"
The people in the tower smiled but said nothing.
The Cult Master's Wife laughed. "There are distinguished guests from the Yan Kingdom here, as well as experts hidden within the Great Ruins. Which one can you destroy? This young general is from the Yan Kingdom, isn't he?"
She pointed at Qin Feiyue. "I've long heard of the National Teacher being the number one under the gods. Surely his disciple is also extraordinary."
Qin Feiyue bowed slightly. "I am General Qin Feiyue. My master is indeed the Yan Kingdom's National Teacher. But I did not come here for the Cult Master's Wife or the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra. Though the Cult Master's Wife is the most beautiful woman in the world, and the Great Nuttering Heavenly Demon Sutra is said to be the method of becoming a god, the National Teacher does not care."
There was a natural arrogance in his words. As the number one under the gods, the National Teacher did not care for any cultivation technique—even a demonic scripture said to grant godhood!
Suddenly, a voice sneered, "This is the Great Ruins, not the Yan Kingdom. What the National Teacher cares or doesn't care about is none of our damn business!"
Qin Feiyue's eyes flashed with killing intent as he looked toward the speaker. The man sat across from him—a burly, bearded warrior with his shirt half-open, sitting casually on the ground. With one hand he grabbed food to eat, while the other hand scratched inside his robe, quickly producing a black ball of dirt, which he flicked away without care where it landed.
Qin Feiyue frowned, his disgust evident. "These vagabonds of the Great Ruins are truly uncouth. There's no need to argue with them. When the National Teacher's army arrives, all demons and monsters will bow in submission!"
He glanced again at the girl beside Qin Mu, feeling like he was sitting on needles. "Why has the Seventh Princess gone off to mingle with a boy from the Invalid Village? She even pinched him earlier—that was far too familiar. If word got out, would the royal family still have any dignity..."