Chapter 91: From Afar to Right Under Your Nose
Within the Youxiang Restaurant, in another of the four private rooms.
“Let’s stop here, Medicine Gang,” Rao Weiyi said in a deep voice. “We are both under the major sects of the Immortal Domain, and both belong to the two major sects of You Province. We shouldn’t fight amongst ourselves.”
“Moreover, Ghost Demon Pass hasn’t completely fallen under the control of the Immortal Domain yet. Our fight will only weaken us both, letting the Ghost Demon Gang and the Temple of the Nether Spirit watch and benefit.”
The Core Formation elders sitting beside Rao Weiyi had unfriendly expressions, looking at the Tianhai Gang with disdain.
The elders of the Medicine Gang always looked down on these rough and unrefined individuals, who had cultivated for thousands of years but lacked any refinement.
Although the cultivators of the Tianhai Gang were slightly stronger in battle, they didn’t understand management or business at all, only knowing how to dominate through force.
The territory controlled by the Tianhai Gang was extremely chaotic, with even their own disciples participating in the disorder. There was no order at all.
Because of this, the Tianhai Gang’s businesses were pathetically bleak. Compared to the Medicine Gang, their output was less than one-tenth.
The Tianhai Gang only guaranteed that transactions within their shops followed the rules, but they took no responsibility for what happened outside. Countless innocent cultivators had been robbed after leaving their shops.
Although the two gangs were currently equal in power, in another hundred years, the Medicine Gang, with the abundant resources gained through proper management, would surely produce more Core Formation cultivators or recruit more powerful retainers, greatly increasing their strength.
As long as the price was right, even buying off Nascent Soul old monsters wasn’t impossible.
“Heh, Gang Leader Rao, our gang has never mentioned starting a conflict,” Wu Hai said with a sneer, his arms crossed. “As long as you hand over the culprit who destroyed one of our alchemy shops a few days ago, the Tianhai Gang will immediately back down.”
The Medicine Gang looked down on the Tianhai Gang, and the Tianhai Gang felt the same way.
These Medicine Gang cultivators only had their cultivation because of resources and pills. Their combat experience was lacking, and in a one-on-one fight, they were just paper tigers with inflated realms.
Even the powerful retainers they recruited with generous rewards were only there for the money and wouldn’t risk their lives for the Medicine Gang.
Once they encountered a truly dangerous battle, these retainers would be the first to flee.
Wu Hai didn’t know what tricks the Medicine Gang was playing. He only knew that he had personally witnessed the thief robbing the alchemy shop, escaping into the Medicine Gang’s territory, and using a top-grade pill that only the Medicine Gang could provide.
A single top-grade pill could buy several alchemy shops. Why would she risk robbing one?
There was only one possibility: it was related to the Medicine Gang.
Rao Weiyi’s expression darkened.
“Elder Wu, I’ve said it many times. The Medicine Gang hasn’t found this thief, and this thief is definitely not one of ours.”
He turned slightly and looked at the only person leisurely eating at the table, a large man beside Wu Hai, and said coldly,
“Gang Leader Yu, the Tianhai Gang invited our Medicine Gang for a discussion, but is this your attitude? Where is your sincerity?”
Yu Haoqiang picked up a piece of expertly cooked beast meat, swallowed it in one gulp, took a sip of wine, and then said while chewing,
“Wu Hai invited you, talk to him.”
After a pause, Yu Haoqiang continued,
“If you want to fight, I’ll fight you.”
Then he continued eating, having already devoured most of the dishes on the table. No one else dared to touch their chopsticks.
At such a tense moment, only Yu Haoqiang remained calm.
“Is it that you don’t have her, can’t find her, or… don’t want to hand her over?” Wu Hai’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Gang Leader Rao, you should be well aware that rumors have been spreading recently, saying that our Tianhai Gang is weak, unable to even protect our own alchemy shop.”
“If we can’t capture this thief, skin her alive, and devour her flesh and bones, it will be difficult to appease the anger of our Tianhai Gang disciples…”
Rao Weiyi’s cloudy eyes sharpened, and he said in a low voice,
“Elder Wu, are you saying… that you intend to send people into our territory to search?”
“If the Medicine Gang is incompetent, the Tianhai Gang will naturally offer assistance.” Wu Hai said faintly.
“Insolent!”
One of the Core Formation elders of the Medicine Gang immediately stood up and shouted angrily, “The Tianhai Gang’s intentions are obvious! If we allow you to send cultivators into our territory, the Medicine Gang will be gone by tomorrow!”
Rao Weiyi’s face also darkened. This scene was too familiar.
They had used this tactic hundreds of years ago.
Now… were they going to use it against them?
No, he absolutely couldn’t agree.
“If the Medicine Gang is truly so weak, being under the protection of the Tianhai Gang wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
Wu Hai didn’t back down. He glanced at Yu Haoqiang and, seeing his unchanged expression, sneered even more.
The reason Wu Hai had asked the Gang Leader to come personally was to adopt a more aggressive stance towards the Medicine Gang.
“Is this the Tianhai Gang’s attitude towards negotiation, so arrogant and overbearing?”
Rao Weiyi looked directly at Yu Haoqiang, who was still eating, his cloudy eyes flashing, a rare hint of anger on his face.
“Don’t look at me, look at Wu Hai.” Yu Haoqiang said without looking up. “I’ve entrusted this matter to him. He can do as he sees fit.”
“Either hand over the thief,” Wu Hai continued, his tone aggressive, “or let the Tianhai Gang in, and we’ll find the thief ourselves and bring her to justice.”
Hearing this, the elders of the Medicine Gang immediately stood up, glaring at Wu Hai.
The Tianhai Gang didn’t back down either, standing up to confront them.
In an instant, only Wu Hai, Rao Weiyi, and Yu Haoqiang, who was still eating, remained seated.
The atmosphere instantly froze, a hidden killing intent permeating the air, gradually becoming suffocating.
If anyone made a move at this moment, it would inevitably lead to a battle between Core Formation cultivators, and the Tianhai Gang and the Medicine Gang would have no choice but to go to war.
Just then, two crisp sounds were heard.
Yu Haoqiang had put down his chopsticks. He leaned back in his chair and said lazily,
“I’ve finished eating. Why aren’t you done talking yet?”
Rao Weiyi frowned slightly, just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed.
At the same time, Wu Hai and Yu Haoqiang’s expressions also changed slightly.
The three of them, with the highest cultivation and the sharpest senses, immediately noticed a faint, extremely pure ghostly aura permeating the surroundings.
This was the unique aura of the Demonic Ghost City.
Soon, all the Core Formation cultivators present sensed the ghostly aura, faintly sensing the violence contained within.
Was someone fighting?
Right here in the Youxiang Restaurant, it seemed to be with a cultivator from the Demonic Ghost City…
What was going on?
Not to mention why the fight was so coincidentally happening in the Youxiang Restaurant, how could there be a cultivator from the Demonic Ghost City, which was so far from Ghost Demon Pass, here?
The borderlands were vast, and there were quite a few passes similar to Ghost Demon Pass, at least a dozen or so. Ghost Demon Pass and the Demonic Ghost City had always been unrelated.
Just as everyone was puzzled, they heard the sound of a zither.
When the melodious music reached the room, Rao Weiyi and Wu Hai’s expressions instantly turned to shock, and even Yu Haoqiang’s face showed a rare hint of seriousness.
“The Zither Witch… has actually intervened?”
Although it was only for a moment, the Zither Witch had indeed made a move.
Judging from the surrounding aura, she had only blocked an attack for someone, not actively attacking.
But even so, she had still intervened.
The Zither Witch’s presence in the Youxiang Restaurant had significant implications. Even if the entire restaurant was destroyed, she would remain unfazed. So why would she deliberately protect an unknown cultivator?
The relationship between the Temple of the Nether Spirit and the Demonic Ghost City… shouldn’t be that good, right?
Rao Weiyi and Yu Haoqiang exchanged glances, both seeing the same thought in each other’s eyes.
Find that Demonic Ghost City cultivator, immediately!
No matter why they were in Ghost Demon Pass, as long as it involved the Zither Witch, they had to be captured!
Anyone who could make the Zither Witch intervene couldn’t be simple.
Moreover, they were Demon Abyss cultivators. The two gangs were backed by Immortal Domain sects, so naturally, they wouldn’t hesitate to act.
Although they had their disputes, when facing the Demon Abyss, the Medicine Gang and the Tianhai Gang would temporarily put aside their differences and work together to deal with the situation.
But before the two gangs’ elders could locate the source of the aura, they suddenly heard a series of strange cries from outside the window.
Everyone instinctively looked over and saw a tall woman in a girly pink dress diving towards the Youxiang Restaurant.
…What was going on?
As everyone watched in astonishment, this strangely dressed woman crashed through the Youxiang Restaurant’s barrier with her momentum.
Since the restaurant’s barrier was mainly designed to intercept techniques and abilities, after the barrier was broken, the woman’s momentum didn’t decrease at all.
She crashed through the window and into the banquet room where the Tianhai Gang and the Medicine Gang were gathered, overturning the entire table.
The food on the table had already been swept clean, so thankfully there was no waste.
The elders of the Tianhai Gang and the Medicine Gang stared blankly at the woman. She got up, patted her clothes, looked around with a puzzled expression, and scratched the back of her head.
“Eh, that’s not right, I seem to have come to the wrong place…”
Nangong Mengxiang had initially rushed over following Little Martial Aunt’s aura, but because the aura disappeared for a while, she had deviated slightly from her course and crashed into the next room.
“Sorry, sorry, wrong place…”
Nangong Mengxiang apologized, seemingly unaware of the growing anger around her, and was about to leave.
“Stop!” Wu Hai shouted, his face filled with rage. “Who are you? Why did you deliberately disrupt the negotiations between the Tianhai Gang and the Medicine Gang?”
Wu Hai didn’t recognize Nangong Mengxiang. It was simple: Nangong Mengxiang had been wearing a nightwalker suit and a mask back then, which didn’t match her current girly pink dress at all…
And this dress also concealed Nangong Mengxiang’s impressive figure. Wu Hai didn’t connect her with the previous robber.
“Ah, it wasn’t intentional, just a mistake.”
Nangong Mengxiang’s expression was a bit troubled. “Sorry, old man, I’ll come back and apologize later. I have to go save someone now. Wait, where did Little Martial Aunt’s aura go…”
After saying that, Nangong Mengxiang walked directly towards the door. She vaguely remembered that Little Martial Aunt’s last aura was nearby, not too far.
Seeing that this strange woman was ignoring him, Wu Hai was enraged. He drew his sword and casually slashed at her, not using his full strength.
In his mind, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn’t possibly withstand a sword strike from a Core Formation cultivator.
Such an exception appearing once was already astonishing enough, it couldn’t happen twice in such a short time.
But when the sword beam struck, it was absorbed by the incongruous pink dress.
The strange woman just groaned, unharmed.
“This is… a protective magical treasure!”
Wu Hai’s eyes widened.
As the future Peak Master of Falling Flower Peak, how could the dresses in Senior Sister’s collection be ordinary items…
In fact, each one was made of materials close to that of a second-grade magical treasure, just without any special effects.
After all, they were meant to be worn as clothes, not as protective spiritual artifacts.
Moreover, with Nangong Mengxiang’s physique, even without a magical treasure, this sword strike would at most cause her minor injuries.
“Eh, it doesn’t hurt much…”
Nangong Mengxiang also realized that this dress seemed to have a protective effect. Looking back, she recognized Wu Hai.
“Ah, you’re that Elder Wu!”
“What?” Wu Hai frowned slightly, this tone seemed familiar. “Are you…”
A memory flashed through his mind, a similar back.
“Catch her, she’s the thief!” Wu Hai immediately shouted, charging forward with his sword. “Elders of the Tianhai Gang, listen to my command, capture this woman!”
Nangong Mengxiang didn’t care what Wu Hai was saying. She was in a hurry to save someone.
If he was unhappy and wanted to attack her, so be it. She wasn’t injured anyway.
So after being struck by the sword, Nangong Mengxiang immediately turned and left, heading in the direction where Little Martial Aunt’s last aura had appeared.
But in everyone’s eyes, Nangong Mengxiang was fleeing because she was guilty.
Wu Hai wanted to strike again and kill Nangong Mengxiang directly, but recalling the Zither Witch’s intervention earlier, he hesitated and could only sheathe his sword and give chase.
Since the Zither Witch had already intervened once, who could guarantee that she wouldn’t do it again?
Who could guarantee that her next intervention wouldn’t take someone’s head?
It was better… not to provoke her and capture this thief as quietly as possible.
The Tianhai Gang elders didn’t hesitate and immediately followed Wu Hai.
Yu Haoqiang seemed detached, still sitting in his seat, lost in thought.
This series of events also caught the Medicine Gang off guard. After a moment of contemplation, Rao Weiyi said in a low voice,
“Everyone, follow me to investigate.”
With that, he hurriedly left.
Before leaving, Rao Weiyi glanced at Yu Haoqiang again.
What was this Tianhai Gang Leader thinking…
Soon, after the Medicine Gang also left, Yu Haoqiang finally chuckled softly.
“The Supreme Forgetfulness Scripture, interesting, it’s actually the Supreme Forgetfulness Scripture…”
He looked up slightly, silent for a moment, then sighed deeply.
“After all these years… Fengyin, you still haven’t let go of your obsession?”
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