Zanxing

Chapter 74 - Li'er Country (2)

"Indeed," the vendor laughed. "The cultivators from various sects love to take a gamble or two. Winning is considered a good omen, and it brings joy when they enter the secret realm. You all look like fortunate people; why not try your luck inside and surely you'll have a successful outcome."

Yanxing thought to himself that the vendor was mistaken; luck had never been on her side.

Tian Fang Fang quietly said, "Forget it, junior sister. We don't have any spirit stones."

Mu Chengxiao added, "Not interested."

The three disciples of Miaokong Palace had little interest in gambling and were about to turn away when Mimi suddenly jumped onto Yanxing's shoulder with a loud "meow," making her shoulder sink. Just then, a loud crash echoed from the gambling house as a figure flew out, crashing right in front of the vendor, spilling sweet syrup everywhere. The person struggled, half of their body stuck in a barrel, and took a while to get up.

"What happened?" Tian Fang Fang asked, stunned.

The young man in the barrel scrambled to his feet amid the vendor's scolding; he looked pale, wearing a light blue wide-sleeved robe, with bruises at the corners of his lips. Ignoring the dirt on himself, he rushed back into the gambling house without looking back.

"Should we go check it out?" Tian Fang Fang suggested.

Yanxing nodded.

The three entered the "Qiangqiang Gambling House." Before they could walk in, they heard a cacophony of voices inside, mixed with angry shouts from men. Tian Fang Fang pushed through the crowd, creating a narrow path for Yanxing and Mu Chengxiao to follow. As they stepped forward, they saw a copper long table in the center of the gambling house, covered with spirit stones, jewels, and various elixirs and magical artifacts—likely used as chips. An overturned bowl for dice lay on the table, and a few dice rolled on the ground.

Surrounding the table were two people locked in a fight, or rather, a one-sided beating. A man in a black robe, looking fierce and menacing, was beating the other man on the ground mercilessly, who was unable to evade and was spitting blood, visibly close to losing consciousness.

Within the Taiyan Sect, fighting was forbidden, and they had never witnessed such a violent scene. Tian Fang Fang quietly asked someone nearby, "What's going on here?"

"Ah, he came to gamble but didn't bring enough spirit stones and tried to default," came the reply.

"But they shouldn't be beating him to death!" Tian Fang Fang exclaimed. "Why isn't anyone trying to stop it?"

"It's not that they don't want to intervene," the onlooker whispered, "but it's just too risky."

As they spoke, the young man who had climbed out of the barrel called out, "Senior brother!" and stepped in front of the man being beaten, pleading, "Young Master Tan, please stop! Spare my senior brother!"

"Get lost!" Young Master Tan kicked the young man aside and picked up a copper bowl from the table, aiming it at the downed man's head. If he succeeded, it would surely cause a serious injury.

Just as the bowl was about to smash down, a golden axe appeared in mid-air, dazzling the onlookers. With a swift stroke, the axe split the bowl in two, dropping the pieces to the ground.

The earlier young man was momentarily stunned, and the noisy crowd gradually fell silent.

Young Master Tan slowly turned his gaze towards Tian Fang Fang.

Tian Fang Fang stood in front of the injured man, speaking gently, "Brother, spirit stones are just material possessions. What's the point of resorting to violence over this? Can't we resolve this peacefully..."

"Who's this wild dog?" Young Master Tan interrupted, his tone arrogant. "Do you think you have the right to speak in front of me?"

Yanxing's heart skipped a beat; the way he spoke reeked of the typical cannon fodder.

"Get out of the way," Young Master Tan ordered.

Tian Fang Fang remained unfazed and continued to persuade, "How much does he owe you? You can write an IOU. There's no need for such an extreme approach."

"Since you're helping him," Tan Tianxin glared at him, his voice chillingly soft, "it seems you want to die together." With that, a radiant long sword appeared in his hand.

"Oh, this guy really doesn't know the sky from the earth," a young man in a royal blue robe nearby fanned himself, reveling in the spectacle. "He's crossed paths with someone from the Chi Hua Sect; he's in for a tough time now."

"Chi Hua Sect?" Yanxing was taken aback.

The young man laughed, "Yes, Tan Tianxin from the Chi Hua Sect isn't someone with a good temper."

Yanxing fell silent. Before coming here, Xuan Ling had warned him repeatedly that the Taiyan Sect was not well-regarded among the hundred sects in the cultivation world. The Chi Hua Sect was arguably their nemesis. Years ago, the previous head of the Chi Hua Sect and Saint Yushan were equally talented, both approaching the Transformation stage. When they faced tribulations together, Saint Yushan succeeded and ascended, leaving behind legends, while the Chi Hua Sect's leader failed and perished.

Both were gifted cultivators, yet their fates diverged drastically. The cultivation world buzzed with gossip, and the Chi Hua Sect suffered a heavy blow. It wasn't until twenty years ago during the great war between humans and demons that the Taiyan Sect was weakened, allowing the Chi Hua Sect to grow rapidly. In just twenty years, they matched the Taiyan Sect's reputation and resources. Even among the new talents they recruited, the Chi Hua Sect had far more than the Taiyan Sect.

Xuan Ling had strongly advised against any conflicts with the Chi Hua Sect. However, fate had it that they encountered them immediately upon arriving in Li'er Country, before even entering the secret realm.

Tian Fang Fang showed no fear of the sword in Tan Tianxin's hand, holding his axe with a smile. "Are you looking to spar with me, young master?"

"Spar?" Tan Tianxin scoffed. "It seems you still don't know who you've offended." He advanced with the tip of his sword aimed straight at Tian Fang Fang.

Tian Fang Fang met him with his axe.

In the sect, several senior brothers had mentioned that despite Tian Fang Fang appearing greedy and careless, he was actually quite perceptive and thoughtful. He possessed immense strength, making it difficult for ordinary people to injure him. Therefore, when Tian Fang Fang clashed with Tan Tianxin, Yanxing did not worry, thinking Tian Fang Fang was simply looking to test his skills.

However, the Chi Hua Sect had gained a solid reputation over the years for good reason. Tan Tianxin's swordsmanship, compared to that of Huayue, was a thousand leagues apart. He was also quite arrogant, not putting much effort into his swordplay, merely relying on his spiritual energy to suppress Tian Fang Fang, making it hard for his Qianyang Axe to approach.

Yanxing was astonished, "How can he be so strong?"

"Tan Tianxin is at the late stage of Golden Core, while this brute has only recently achieved his Golden Core. Naturally, he's no match for Tan Tianxin," the blue-robed young man said, fanning himself. "How tragic; if he falls into Tan Tianxin's hands, he'll be lucky to escape without any injuries."

Yanxing's heart raced with worry as she gripped the flower-patterned staff at her waist, about to rush in to help, when suddenly someone flashed by on the other side. With a crisp sound, Tan Tianxin's sword aimed at Tian Fang Fang was blocked by an iron sword in mid-air.