Chapter 233: Tit for Tat
This new batch of incoming players could only be described as a chaotic free-for-all.
There were people of all sorts of backgrounds.
Some of them knew veteran players and tried to contact them as soon as they arrived.
Others weren’t in a hurry to join a Sect.
After all, they just started out here. There was no mandatory requirement to join a Sect.
Since the Longevity Sect was providing them with standard resources, some people had other ideas.
Around the time the new players were being initiated, the duo of Honghuang and An Xiu witnessed a bit of a spectacle.
Zhang Sheng had already left Liu Xian City, but since Honghuang and An Xiu were headed to the Dragon Frost Swamp, they were allowed to stay for the time being.
With nothing better to do, the two of them went to a restaurant in Liu Xian City for a meal.
Although it mostly served mortals, the recent popularity of Spiritual Wine and improvements to some of the dishes meant that more and more Cultivators had started frequenting it.
Fortunately, Liu Xian City was well-managed. Cultivators and mortals could dine in the same establishment, just not at the same table.
Some Cultivators didn’t reveal their identities and preferred to remain hidden, but unfortunately for them, they would occasionally be called out.
Just like what Honghuang and An Xiu were witnessing right now.
"Well, well, if it isn’t the Supreme Mysterious Sect’s very own Divine Eagle Heroic Couple, Lü Rufeng and Yi Tianhe?"
On the second floor, all the Cultivators who had been eating raised their heads.
Liu Xian City had sound insulation arrays, so for someone to shout this loudly, it was clear they only wanted to humiliate the pair they were addressing.
Humiliate them how?
One could guess just by hearing the names.
There were generally no mortals on the second floor; everyone present was a Cultivator.
An Xiu and Honghuang, both at Late-stage Qi Refining, exchanged a glance. They could immediately sense that the speaker was at least at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
They immediately lowered their heads, quietly ate their food, and kept their mouths shut.
The man who had spoken was fanning himself, appearing suave and debonair.
The ones he had called out to were a man and a woman at a table by the window.
Both were dressed in white robes and looked quite handsome, but their expressions turned sour the moment their names were called.
If Song Jiulai had been there, she would have recognized them in an instant.
Enemies always find a way of crossing paths.
Weren’t they that unscrupulous pair who tried to rob her in the Secret Realm?
Of course, she didn’t need to be there to know what was happening.
After all, the System was here.
Lü Rufeng looked up, staring coldly at the fan-wielding man. "Shen Hai’an, is your Blood Prison Sect that idle these days?"
"Oh, my, my. Look at this," Shen Hai’an said with a teasing smile to the crowd on the second floor. "I was just saying hello. Why bring our Sects into it? I said you two are a match made in heaven, the Divine Eagle Heroic Couple. Was I wrong? Lü, I heard you suffered a grievous injury some time ago. Are you all better now?"
Lü Rufeng practically ground his teeth to dust.
Ever since that fiasco in the Liuyao Secret Realm, he had lost his Magic Treasure and been punished by his Sect.
If he hadn’t had connections within the Sect, he would have been expelled long ago.
And it was because of those connections that he and Yi Tianhe had now been sent to Liu Xian City to atone for their failures.
But that didn’t mean others who knew about the incident would let him off the hook.
Especially people from the Blood Prison Sect.
Regarding the Liuyao Secret Realm incident, the wanted criminal Song Abao still hadn’t been found. None of the Four Great Sects were pleased, and a terrible theory was gradually beginning to form.
’Did someone from another Sect infiltrate the Secret Realm?’
’But how could they have gotten a key!’
If that wasn’t the explanation, then where did this Song Abao come from?
No one wanted to take the blame, so Lü Rufeng and the others who had caused the incident became the targets of ridicule for the other Sects.
And now, of all people, they had run into Shen Hai’an of the Blood Prison Sect.
On the surface, Shen Hai’an was taunting Lü Rufeng, but his eyes held a deeper meaning. "Lü, for you to come to Liu Xian City before your injuries have even fully healed... could it be that you’re also planning to head to the Dragon Frost Swamp with us?"
Yi Tianhe couldn’t stand it anymore. "Shen Hai’an, cut the crap. Don’t act like you don’t know perfectly well why you’re here."
Their conversation was like a series of riddles.
An Xiu and Honghuang, however, perked up their ears slightly at the mention of the Dragon Frost Swamp.
"My, my, why is Sister Tianhe in such a rush? I am merely curious. What sort of person was it, back in the Liuyao Secret Realm, who could not only injure Lü but also snatch his Magic Treasure? This is simply unheard of. To think such a capable person has appeared among our Four Great Sects?"
Although Shen Hai’an was from the Blood Prison Sect, he hadn’t participated in the Liuyao Secret Realm expedition that day.
Besides, the Liuyao Secret Realm was only for those in the Qi Refinement Realm. The Supreme Mysterious Sect had used a special method to forcibly suppress their Foundation Establishment Stage disciples’ cultivation down to the Qi Refinement Realm to let them enter, and even brought along a Magic Treasure that broke the rules. In the end, the tables were turned on them and they suffered a massive loss. It was enough to make one die of laughter!
Although the Cultivators present weren’t too familiar with the incident, they had at least heard of the Blood Prison Sect and the Supreme Mysterious Sect.
Now, hearing Shen Hai’an’s words, they were starting to get the gist of the story.
Well now.
’So the Liuyao Secret Realm is a Qi Refinement Secret Realm, but Lü Rufeng and Yi Tianhe are Foundation Establishment disciples.’
’They brought a Magic Treasure in with them, and still got wrecked and lost it?’
Shen Hai’an was all smiles. "That Song Abao... I wonder who on earth they could be."
’Song Abao?’
’Isn’t that the person wanted by the Four Great Sects?’
Lü Rufeng slammed his hand on the table, unable to listen anymore. He glared at Shen Hai’an, his eyes looking as if they were laced with poison.
Utterly unafraid, Shen Hai’an just smirked back at him.
Yi Tianhe tugged on Lü Rufeng’s sleeve. The two of them were seething, but they knew that if they let Shen Hai’an continue, the situation would spiral out of control.
’The Blood Prison Sect never did things by the book anyway.’
In the end, Lü Rufeng and Yi Tianhe stormed out in a rage.
Shen Hai’an watched them leave in a hurry, a thoughtful look on his face. "A pity. This Spiritual Wine is delicious, yet the two of them don’t know how to appreciate it."
Only after Lü Rufeng and Yi Tianhe had left did the surrounding tables erupt in hushed discussion.
This time, however, Honghuang and An Xiu couldn’t hear the details.
Honghuang made a face. "Song Abao... what a half-assed name. You can tell it’s fake from a mile away. And what’s this Liuyao Secret Realm? It seems the outside world is pretty exciting after all."
An Xiu just kept eating. "It’s none of our business."
"How is it none of our business? All this stuff is important intel! Besides, what’s our Sect’s goal? To become the number one Sect on the Yunzhou Continent! Don’t we have to swallow up all the other Sects to do that? They’ll all be family in the future, so what’s wrong with caring about our future family members?"
An Xiu: "..."
’Could you please take a look at our Sect’s current level before you say something like that?’
The System lamented, "Listening to you, anyone would think the Yunzhou Continent was already in our pocket."
Honghuang immediately shot back, "Just try opening up a hundred million player slots! It’s only a matter of time!"
The System stated coolly, "Useless. A population of a hundred million would be too conspicuous. A Nascent Soul Stage cultivator could kill them all with a single finger."
’A large population would only attract unwanted attention.’
Honghuang thought about it and realized it was true.
They’d have to wait until the Longevity Sect had some real influence before they could bring in players in large numbers.
But just as Honghuang and An Xiu were enjoying their bull session, Shen Hai’an’s thoughtful gaze suddenly landed on them.