Chapter 146 Finally Found a Guide!

Leaving the Tea Fragrance House, Chen Xiang did not head toward the Xiao Residence. Instead, he altered his course and stealthily made his way in the direction of the City Lord’s Mansion.

In a spacious hall, Young Master Wang and the others were gathered. Pacing back and forth, they wore expressions of intense anxiety.

"Brother Wang, what should we do now? It is impossible for us to actually go back and tell them we need to scrape together one million taels, right?" Young Master Zhang said, his brows deeply furrowed.

"Today's events have undoubtedly already reached our households. My father and the others must be furious. I don't even dare go back now," Young Master Lin said, his face as pale as a sheet.

The others also furrowed their brows, sharing the exact same sentiment.

They had all acted on a sudden surge of impulse, combined with overconfidence in their own abilities, leading them to lose one million taels of silver just like that.

It was questionable whether the combined assets of all six of their families even amounted to one million taels. Moreover, this entire affair had been decided entirely by themselves. If their parents found out, wouldn't they be driven to death by anger?

"Hmph, rest assured. I refuse to believe that an outsider would actually dare to bring an IOU to our doors to collect a debt!" Young Master Wang furrowed his brow, letting out a cold hoot.

Silence fell among them as they had no idea what to do next.

Actually, whether they paid the one million taels or not came down to the same result. If they refused to pay, their families would merely endure a bit longer, while also earning themselves a notorious reputation. After all, so many people had been present to witness it today, and by now the news had likely spread across the entire city.

Furthermore, losing would have only slightly harmed their reputations; but in the end, by slandering someone else and accusing them of plagiarizing poetry, they wouldn't necessarily be targeted by everyone they met, but at the very least, anyone who saw them would disdain to be associated with them!

They truly regretted their actions so deeply that their intestines felt as though they were turning green.

"Rest assured, everyone. I have already contacted the resident cultivator of my family. That Chu Liuxiang will never come to our doors to collect the debt. Afterwards, we can simply announce to the outside world that the debt has been settled. At worst, our reputations will just remain poor for a little while," Young Master Wang suddenly declared.

His such anxious demeanor was actually because he was waiting—waiting for Elder Sun, the resident elder of his household, to arrive. However, for him to come, he first needed the approval of his father.

At the mere mention of Elder Sun, everyone's expressions turned stern.

"Brother Wang, you surely don't intend to..." Young Master Zhang said cautiously.

Usually good friends, they naturally knew that both Young Master Wang and Young Master Zhang had immortal cultivators stationed within their respective families. They simply hadn't expected Young Master Wang to be this ruthless.

"Hmph, or do you truly intend to hand over one million taels of silver to him?" Young Master Wang demanded with an angry hoot.

The others fell silent, saying no more.

A short while later, a black shadow suddenly materialized in the center of the hall.

Startled at first, the group soon realized that the newcomer was a gaunt-faced middle-aged man.

Overjoyed at the sight of the newcomer, Young Master Wang stepped forward and called out, "Greetings, Uncle Sun!"

Elder Sun did not reply. Instead, he raised a hand and delivered a sharp slap across Young Master Wang's face.

As a cultivator, Elder Sun did not pull his punches. The blow sent Young Master Wang spinning twice through the air before he crashed heavily onto a tea table, smashing it into countless splinters.

Shocked, the others lowered their heads even further, not daring to cast a single glance at Elder Sun, nor did anyone dare to tend to Young Master Wang.

Blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Young Master Wang struggled painfully to his feet. He looked at Elder Sun with a grievance-filled expression, completely at a loss as to why he had been struck.

In a hoarse voice, Elder Sun spoke, "Your father ordered me to strike you, telling me to discipline you, this unfilial son."

"Cough, understood!" Young Master Wang did not dare to say anything else. Gritting his teeth, he accepted the punishment with a nod.

"Explain to me what happened," Elder Sun said, ignoring Young Master Wang as he seated himself in a chair and looked toward Young Master Zhang and the others.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes! That person's name is Chu Liuxiang..." Snap back to reality, Young Master Zhang stepped forward with trepidation and recounted the entire incident involving Chen Xiang.

Before long, Young Master Zhang finished recounting the affair.

Elder Sun nodded. "Hmm, he might be somewhat troublesome to deal with at the Xiao Residence. The Xiao Family also has cultivators, and I am no match for them. However, that Chu Liuxiang is merely an outsider. I presume the Xiao Family will afford me some face."

Hearing the first part of Elder Sun's words, their expressions tightened, but the latter part brought a wave of relief.

"The lot of you, take him back to the Wang Residence," Elder Sun said, standing up, casting a glance at Young Master Wang, and addressing the others.

"Yes, yes, yes! Safe journey, Immortal Master!" The group hastily agreed.

Elder Sun nodded and soared into the air.

Yet, at that exact moment, a sudden change occurred. A colossal force struck down without warning. Utterly powerless to resist, Elder Sun was slammed violently into the ground with a thunderous crash.

Young Master Zhang and the others were utterly dumbfounded, having no comprehension of what had just transpired.

The blue stone slabs of the floor were shattered into cracks, and Elder Sun’s face turned rather pale.

Struggling unsteadily to his feet, he cupped his hands toward the empty air and said, "Junior Sun Hao pays respects to Senior. I know not which senior has graced us with your presence. If there has been any offense, I beg your magnanimity!"

A hoarse voice, impossible to distinguish as male or female, echoed from the void: "Cease your scheming. Do not provoke him; you are not even worth the pinch of a single finger to him. I am showing immense mercy today by sparing your lives. Best conduct yourselves accordingly!"

As soon as those words fell, the sky returned to complete silence.

Yet Elder Sun remained standing there in a respectful posture, and seeing this, Young Master Zhang and the others did not dare to move.

Meanwhile, in a certain corner of the empty air, a figure clad in red cast a faint glance downward before departing the scene.

After the span of roughly half an hour, Elder Sun could no longer maintain his posture. He collapsed, gasping heavily for breath.

The blow he had taken earlier had severely shaken his internal organs, and having stood there for so long without tending to his wounds, he had simply reached his limit. That senior should have left by now, shouldn't he?

Cold sweat beaded profusely on Elder Sun's forehead. He still had no way of gauging the cultivation realm of the senior from just now, but whoever it was, they were vastly superior to him, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator. The words spoken had been firmly etched into his mind.

Drawing a medicinal pill from his bosom, he swallowed it and began to circulate his energy to heal his wounds.

Moments later, feeling somewhat recovered, Elder Sun stood back up.

Glaring at the group, he barked, "Return to your respective households immediately! You are forbidden from plotting against Chu Liuxiang again. Wait until I report this to the Family Head today before we decide our next move!"

"Yes!" Terrified out of their wits, the group had also overheard the voice from earlier and realized they had provoked a colossal trouble—one that most likely involved an immortal!

Grabbing Young Master Wang by the collar, Elder Sun departed the scene via a flying sword.

The City Lord’s Mansion was heavily guarded. Several Qi Condensation cultivators kept watch at the entrance, led by a Foundation Establishment captain.

Exhibiting practiced ease, Chen Xiang cast a basic invisibility spell and sauntered right through the front gate as none of them detected any anomaly.

With utmost caution, Chen Xiang reined in his divine sense, condensing his aura to the absolute limit without leaking even a sliver.

"Damn it, which way am I supposed to go?" Chen Xiang muttered under his breath.

The City Lord’s Mansion was massive, and Chen Xiang happened to have a terrible sense of direction. If not for the restrictive barriers shrouding the place, he would have taken to the skies long ago to scout the path.

Furthermore, he did not dare to unleash his divine sense to survey his surroundings. Given the unknown number of powerful experts stationed here, should he be discovered, it would be game over for him.

"Eh? Could these be the fellows?" Suddenly, Chen Xiang's expression flickered as he glanced toward a narrow pathway.

Several Golden Core realm men were strolling down the path, chatting and laughing amongst themselves.

They were precisely the men from the Heavenly Yin Sect whom he had encountered earlier in the marketplace.

"Hehe, I've finally found my guides!" Chen Xiang chuckled softly, trailing quietly behind them.