“Selling candied hawthorns…”

Just then, a pleasant voice came from nearby.

Qi Fei and Luo Weichen looked over at the same time and saw a veiled girl in purple holding a candied hawthorn stick, skipping and hopping towards them from the direction of the city gate.

Although the girl’s face was veiled, her eyes, which were visible, were exceptionally beautiful, like stars in the sky. With bright eyes and white teeth, coupled with her slender figure and long legs encased in sheer pink and white stockings, she appeared even more alluring.

Qi Fei was stunned for a moment. This girl was the one who had asked him to tell his fortune in the capital last year. When she escaped from the capital, she even brought them a carriage and helped them fend off a group of experts under the command of the Ninth Prince. She was a great benefactor of the Diancang Sect.

Luo Weichen recognized her as well, his expression changed slightly, and he said, “It’s you again!”

“Yes, yes, it’s me. Want to buy some candied hawthorns?” The girl walked over, put a hand on Qi Fei’s shoulder, and a fragrant aroma wafted over, almost intoxicating Qi Fei.

Qi Fei looked at her and said, “Aren’t you a fortune teller? How come you’ve become a candied hawthorn seller?”

The girl patted him on the shoulder and said, “I can have my fortune told if I want, and I can sell candied hawthorns if I want. I’m even planning to sell dolls tomorrow. Is it any of your business?”

Qi Fei asked doubtfully, “But if you do such a variety of businesses, it’s hard to make money, isn’t it?”

The girl glared at him speechlessly, stuffed a candied hawthorn into his mouth, and said, “Did you just use ‘Bright Moon Phoenix’?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Fei’s eyes widened. He wanted to speak, but the candied hawthorn blocked his way, so he could only nod and say, “Um…”

The girl pinched his ear and said, “Then we’ll kill both of them, do you hear me?”

“Hmm…” Qi Fei nodded.

Luo Weichen naturally overheard their conversation and sneered, “You underestimate me too much. Although you cultivate ‘Bright Moon Flying Phoenix,’ one of the four great martial arts of our time, do you think my Luo family’s spear technique is just for show?”

As he spoke, a silver spear appeared from behind him and landed in his hand.

“Let’s do it!”

The girl gave a shout and suddenly leaped into the air, striking Luo Weichen with a palm!

Luo Weichen flicked his spear, which shot out like a dragon, aiming to pierce the girl’s palm.

At the same time, Qi Fei also brandished his longsword, using the “Panlong Sword Technique” to coordinate with the girl’s attack.

The three instantly engaged in battle. Luo Weichen and the girl were both top experts at the Innate Realm. Their protective aura swept outwards, creating gusts of wind, with sand and stones flying around them and the wind howling.

Luo Weichen’s silver-white aura and the girl’s blue-purple aura collided, producing a series of explosions that caused Qi Fei’s ears to ring, rendering him completely unable to intervene.

Seeing that the group had started fighting, Kuroko immediately got up from the ground and dragged her heavily injured body away step by step, trying to escape.

Upon seeing this, Qi Fei immediately leaped forward and chased after him, thrusting his longsword into his back!

“Ugh…” Black Eyes groaned, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and collapsed to the ground, instantly killed.

Qi Fei drew his longsword and looked at the battlefield. He saw that the battle between the girl and Luo Weichen had reached a fever pitch. The violent innate qi was accompanied by the roar of tigers and the cry of dragons, and the momentum was terrifying!

Luo Weichen’s spear was like a dragon, from which his innate qi fell, transforming into dragon-shaped qi that lunged at the girl. The girl’s qi was equally powerful; she struck out with a palm, and moonlight flashed, shattering Luo Weichen’s dragon-shaped qi.

At this moment, Qi Fei rushed forward again, his blood-dripping longsword flying out of his hand and attacking Luo Weichen.

Luo Weichen deflected Qi Fei’s longsword with a single thrust of his spear, unleashing the “Luo Family Spear Technique,” sweeping his spear horizontally and enveloping both Qi Fei and the girl.

As the sun rose in the east, pedestrians were already entering and leaving the city gates, and the sounds of people bustling about the city could be heard.

The girl didn’t delay any longer. She suddenly shouted, and a bright moon appeared from her chest, which she pushed towards Luo Weichen!

Luo Weichen dared not be careless. He let out a long roar and thrust his spear at the bright moon. With a loud “bang,” the spear tip pierced the moon, and a powerful force exploded out. Luo Weichen was forced back, and the spear flew out of his hand. Then, a phoenix appeared from the shattered moon and flew quickly toward him.

Luo Weichen took a deep breath, channeled all his inner energy, and spread it throughout his body, creating a silver aura around him.

With a loud bang, the phoenix crashed into the air shield, shattering the shield and breaking apart along with the phoenix.

Just as Luo Weichen was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw an even smaller phoenix emerge from the broken phoenix, let out a cry, and pounce on his chest!

Luo Weichen was taken aback. In a hurry, he clenched his fists, wrapped them in a burst of qi, and slammed them down on the small phoenix. With a loud bang, the phoenix finally shattered completely. He felt a violent tremor throughout his body, and his iron fists were cracked. He could no longer muster any strength.

Just then, Luo Weichen suddenly trembled. His eyes widened as he looked down at his chest. A long sword had pierced through his back, the tip of which was still dripping blood.

“Ugh…” Luo Weichen cried out in pain, looking unwilling, “You…you have no martial ethics…” before collapsing to the ground.

“Done!”

The girl clapped her hands, walked up to Qi Fei, took the candied hawthorn from his mouth, took a bite, and said, “Let’s go, someone will be here soon.”

“Oh.” Qi Fei followed behind her. “I need to go find my master’s wife first.”

The girl said, “Your master’s wife and the others encountered another group of thieves last night. They lost the fight and fled the inn with Li Huiyu. They’ve probably already left the county town. Where are you going to look for them?”

“No way?” Qi Fei’s expression changed.

He hadn’t expected that after he lured away Black Eyes and the others, another group would appear; it was truly impossible to guard against them.

“If you don’t believe me, you can go to the inn and see for yourself.”

…

Qi Fei arrived at the inn where he had stayed the previous night and found that Gu Yinzhang and the others had indeed left long ago. Moreover, there were signs of a fight in the inn. According to the innkeeper, thieves broke into the inn last night and fought with those very beautiful women. They then left the inn, and he didn’t know where they went.

Left with no other choice, Qi Fei followed the girl to a restaurant to eat and replenish his strength.

At this moment, the girl also lifted the veil from her face, revealing her true face, which was an incomparably beautiful oval face with beautiful big eyes. She was simply a beauty of unparalleled grace, a fairy descended to earth, unlike any other mortal woman, and a peerless beauty in the world!

Qi Fei dared not look at her; his heart was pounding wildly.

Seeing his hesitant manner, the girl asked in surprise, “What are you doing? Hurry up and eat! Aren’t you hungry?”

He looked at the girl in front of him, blushing, and said, “Um… I don’t know your name yet.”

“If you make a nice sound, I’ll tell you.” The girl winked at him.

Qi Fei shouted, “That sounds great!” All the diners around looked over.

The girl paused for a moment, then said, “I’m not asking you to repeat those three words, I’m asking you to say them in a nicer way, understand?”

“Oh…” Qi Fei thought for a moment, then said, “Jingle bells… does that sound nice?”

The girl froze.

Seeing her dissatisfaction, Qi Fei continued, “Bilibili… glug glug…”

The girl put down her chopsticks, stood up speechlessly, and slowly brought her head closer to him.

“W-what are you doing…” Qi Fei shrank back in fear when he saw her expressionless face.

The girl looked him up and down a few times, then pinched his nose and cheeks, saying, “Apart from being a little short, you don’t seem to have anything wrong with you. How come you’re so slow-witted? Like someone with an intellectual disability, so strange…”

“What did I do wrong? Didn’t you want me to call you something nice?” Qi Fei looked at her with a puzzled expression.

The girl was completely defeated by him. She clenched her fists, resisting the urge to beat him up, and said irritably, “Call me ‘sister’!”

Qi Fei said, “Sister…”

The girl reluctantly nodded and said, “Alright, hurry up and eat, then come with me!”

“oh……”

Qi Fei lowered his head, about to ask her name, when suddenly a voice came from downstairs:

“Kazami Haru…”

Then another voice rang out: “Kazami Haru, I’m here!”

Qi Fei turned his head and saw two young men rushing up from downstairs.

The man on the left is tall, with a square and rugged face, piercing eyes, and a powerful stride. He exudes a fierce aura. He wears a silver-gray brocade robe, has a long sword at his waist, and has exceptionally large hands.

The other man was tall and thin, with a handsome face and smiling eyes. He had a gentle and refined demeanor and exuded the air of a scholar. He was dressed in white and held a folding fan, looking very elegant.

The girl’s expression changed when she saw the two young men. She said, “It’s those two persistent pests again! They’re so annoying! You keep eating, I’m going now…”

Before she could finish speaking, she stood up, jumped out of the window, and left the restaurant.

Just then, the two young men saw the girl disappear through the window. They rushed over immediately, looked out the window, and said with regret, “Oh dear, she’s gone again…”

“It’s all your fault!”

“It’s your fault!”

The two argued incessantly, giving Qi Fei a real headache.

The tall man suddenly looked at Qi Fei, walked over, and said fiercely, “Kid, tell me quickly, where did Feng Jianqing go?”

Qi Fei shook his head blankly: “I don’t know.”

The refined-looking man stepped forward, eyeing Qi Fei warily, and said, “Who are you to Feng Jianqing? Why is she having dinner with you? Are you her lover? Speak up! Or I’ll kill you…”

Qi Fei looked surprised and said, “No, she’s my sister.”

“What?!”

In that instant, the tall man and the refined man widened their eyes simultaneously, and their attitudes changed instantly. They sat down on either side of Qi Fei, their faces full of flattery.

The tall man said, “My name is Wang Hongyu, greetings to my brother-in-law!”

The refined-looking man said, “Brother-in-law, Hua Yushu pays his respects!”

What’s going on?

Qi Fei looked completely bewildered and said, “Are you two mistaken? I’m not your brother-in-law.”

“You are!” Wang Hongyu said. “Not now, but you will be!”

Hua Yushu also said, “Don’t listen to his nonsense. I, Hua Yushu, am your brother-in-law! Brother-in-law, what’s your name?”

“My name is Qi Fei.”

“Oh… I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”

Hua Yushu waved his fan and said, “The name isn’t great, and he’s not as handsome as me, but! A brother-in-law is a brother-in-law, irreplaceable!”

Qi Fei looked at the two neurotic young men and was speechless.

Wang Hongyu patted his chest and said, “Brother-in-law, don’t worry, from now on your business is my business! But… I’d like to ask you, brother-in-law, where did your sister go?”

Qi Fei shook his head: “I really don’t know.”

“It’s alright!” Wang Hongyu patted his shoulder and said, “Once we get to know each other, you’ll see. I, Wang Hongyu, am a man of honor. You have to let me be your brother-in-law; no one else is qualified!”

“Nonsense!”

Hua Yushu, standing on Qi Fei’s other side, said, “A woman as beautiful as Feng Jianqing is a celestial being. How could a rough and brute like you be worthy of her? Only a dashing and elegant gentleman like me is worthy of her!”

After some arguing between the two, Qi Fei finally understood the gist of it.

It turned out that the girl’s name was Kazemi Haru. When she was in the capital, these two young men accidentally saw her face and learned her name. They were immediately amazed by her beauty and began to pursue her relentlessly. They chased her all the way from the capital to Qingzhou, covering most of the country, and refused to let go. They were truly persistent, which made Qi Fei secretly admire them.

Seeing that they were about to argue again, Qi Fei quickly raised his hand: “Stop!”

The two then stopped talking and looked at him. Wang Hongyu asked, “What are your orders, brother-in-law?”

Qi Fei said, “Brothers, I have other matters to attend to, so please excuse me!”

He reached into his pocket, intending to pay the bill. But after searching for a long time, he couldn’t find a single coin. It turned out that all his money was with Mei’er, and now that they were separated, he was penniless.

Hua Yushu quickly said, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it…”

“I’ll do it…”

Hua Yushu and Wang Hongyu both insisted on paying his bill.

The three of them walked out of the restaurant and onto the street. They heard a cacophony of noise around them. It was a small county town, yet it was bustling with activity.

Suddenly, a group of people walked up from the front. The leader was a middle-aged man dressed in white with a long sword at his waist. He was tall and elegant, and he led more than a dozen men in white and more than a dozen imperial guards. They stepped forward and blocked Qi Fei’s way.

Qi Fei frowned. This middle-aged man was none other than Qiu Haixuan, who had participated in the siege of Diancang Sect that night. Later, Qi Fei learned from Gu Yinzhang that this man was from Aojian Manor, the number one sect in the world, and was the right envoy among the left and right envoys of Sword Saint Bai Xifeng—Qiu Haixuan!

This man possesses superb swordsmanship, having received the true teachings of the Sword Saint Bai Xifeng. He is virtually unmatched even among those at the Innate Realm, and his martial arts surpass those of Du Ao.

Qiu Haixuan said coldly, “Qi Fei, you might as well surrender.”

Surrendering was out of the question. Qi Fei gripped the hilt of his sword and was about to draw it when Wang Hongyu and Hua Yushu stepped forward and blocked his way.

Wang Hongyu said, “Hey, hey, what’s going on? Why is this kid blocking my brother-in-law’s way?”

“Exactly!” Hua Yushu chimed in, “Are you tired of living? How dare you speak to my brother-in-law like that?”

Qiu Haixuan frowned slightly, looked at the two men, and asked with a somewhat surprised and uncertain expression: “What do you two young heroes mean by this?”

Wang Hongyu said, “What do you mean? Get out of here!”

“I am from the Proud Sword Manor…”

“So what if it’s Proud Sword Manor?” Hua Yushu glared at him angrily. “Do you know who I am?”

“I haven’t asked yet…”

“Have you heard of the young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Fengyun镖局 (Fengyun Escort

Upon hearing this, Qiu Haixuan’s expression changed slightly: “So you are Young Master Hua, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Fengyun Escort Agency. My apologies, my apologies.”

Qi Fei was also shocked upon hearing this.

This guy is actually the young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Fengyun镖局 (escort agency), no wonder he’s so arrogant.

Although Fengyun Escort Agency is not one of the nine major righteous sects, it is the number one escort agency in the world. Fengyun Escort Agency has never lost a shipment. If someone in the martial arts world needs to escort valuables, Fengyun Escort Agency will definitely be their first choice.

Fengyun Escort Agency is top-notch in the martial arts world in terms of both reputation and strength. The key is that Hua Zhenbei, the chief escort of Fengyun Escort Agency, has friends all over the world. Even Aojian Manor has to give him some face.

At this moment, Wang Hongyu said, “Hey, hey, hey, you were disrespectful to him, but you weren’t disrespectful to me?”

“Who are you…?”

“My surname is Wang.” Wang Hongyu said, head held high and chest puffed out, his face full of arrogance.

Qiu Haixuan looked astonished and said, “There are many people with the surname Wang. Please forgive my ignorance.”

“You…” Wang Hongyu said indignantly, “You’re looking down on people!”

Qiu Haixuan took a deep breath and said, “Young heroes, please step aside. This Qi Fei is a thief, and I must capture him.”

“A thief? What thief? What did he do?” Wang Hongyu asked.

“This…” Qiu Haixuan was speechless.

Wang Hongyu said viciously, “Get the hell out of here right now, or I’ll punch your eyeballs out!”

Qiu Haixuan’s eyes narrowed: “If you two insist on going against my Aojian Manor, then I have no choice but to offend you.”

“Let’s fight then, who’s afraid of who?” Hua Yushu closed his folding fan and assumed a fighting stance.

“Get them!”

At Qiu Haixuan’s command, more than twenty experts, wielding swords and knives, rushed forward. The surrounding civilians scattered in fear of getting into trouble.

Qi Fei, Wang Hongyu, and Hua Yushu all made their move at the same time.

Qi Fei hadn’t slept a wink last night, and after his battle with Hei Tong, he was still recovering and could only handle ordinary experts. However, he was shocked when he saw Wang Hongyu and Hua Yushu’s skills.

The two men were agile and possessed profound inner strength. Their moves were exquisite and unparalleled. Most importantly, both of them exuded a kind of innate qi, which made them unstoppable wherever they went. They were simply no match for the people brought by Qiu Haixuan!

Qiu Haixuan, standing to the side, was instantly moved. He had truly misjudged Qi Fei; he hadn’t expected that Qi Fei would be accompanied by two such top-tier experts. He immediately drew his longsword, and with a flash of sword light, attacked Wang Hongyu.

Although Wang Hongyu was unarmed, he was not afraid of him. He clenched his fist into a dragon claw, and a dragon claw aura emerged from his hand, which blocked Qiu Haixuan’s sharp sword and made a “clanging” sound of metal clashing.

Qiu Haixuan, enraged, unleashed a powerful sword move from the Aojian Manor. Suddenly, his longsword split into three, and three sword lights fell simultaneously towards Wang Hongyu.

Wang Hongyu used both hands simultaneously to block one of Qiu Haixuan’s sword lights each, while another struck him. With a muffled “whoosh,” Qiu Haixuan’s longsword landed in front of Wang Hongyu’s chest.

At this moment, a dark golden aura appeared around Wang Hongyu. This aura was like a cloth shirt. When Qiu Haixuan’s long sword slashed across it, it drew a streak of fire on the dark golden cloth shirt, but it did not harm Wang Hongyu in the slightest.

Qiu Haixuan immediately sheathed his sword and retreated, saying with emotion, “The Great Zen Temple’s ultimate techniques, ‘Dragon Claw Hand’ and ‘Iron Shirt’?”

Wang Hongyu dusted himself off and chuckled lazily, “You do have some knowledge.”

At this moment, Hua Yushu also used her fan to repel the men brought by Qiu Haixuan. In addition, Qi Fei’s long sword was also formidable. For a time, Qiu Haixuan’s men retreated and dared not step forward.

Qiu Haixuan stared at Qi Fei, snorted coldly, and said, “Consider yourself lucky today. Come back another day to learn from me!”

After saying that, he led a group of people away from there.