Chapter 70: Demons and Monsters
Qin Mu felt a gentle and smooth touch as Ling Yuxiu held his hand, causing his heart to sway. However, Fu Tingyue's ruthlessness and brutality made him extremely uncomfortable.
He turned his head back to the platform in the lake, where Fu Tingyue had severed his opponent's ten fingers. Astonishingly, he hadn't stopped there but proceeded to cut the opponent's wrists, exhibiting an excitement surpassing that of a wild beast.
"This guy is a lunatic! But come to think of it, this young master Tingyue seems to have some connection with me."
Qin Mu contemplated in his heart. When he was picked up from the riverside by Aunt Si Po, she brought the recently born wife of the Lord from Xianglong City to secretly breastfeed Qin Mu. She had transformed into a cow to nourish him, enabling him to survive his early years.
The child born to the Lord's wife at that time should be Fu Tingyue.
Qin Mu grew up drinking the milk of his own mother, so the connection between the two lay in this fact.
As Qin Mu turned back, the young boy on the platform in the lake was already beyond saving. He had entered the Lord's mansion for the challenge, daring enough to come in because of the hundred dragon coins. Naturally, he possessed some abilities, but he never expected to lose his life in the process.
In Zhenjiang Tower, the atmosphere was lively with singing and dancing. Qin Mu followed Ling Yuxiu to the tower and saw the dancing girls inside. As their fingers glided through the air, they produced crisp sounds like tinkling bells, which were the sounds emitted by their Vital Qi. Every twist and turn of their bodies was accompanied by rhythm.
While gracefully dancing, they could also use their Vital Qi to create beautiful melodies, which amazed Qin Mu.
On both sides of the tower, there were many tables and distinguished individuals sitting on the ground, drinking and enjoying themselves. Some appreciated the singing and dancing, while others gazed at the platform in the lake, reveling in the showdown.
The situation on the platform had become extremely tragic. The boy with his bronze-like body had been tortured to the point of deformity, yet no one in the tower spoke up to stop it.
Ling Yuxiu pulled Qin Mu and sat down confidently at one of the tables, showing no signs of being unwelcome.
The people sitting in Zhenjiang Tower were all powerful individuals from various places, mighty and extraordinary. When they saw this young couple approach, they were surprised but didn't inquire further.
In their hearts, they thought this pair of jade-like individuals were disciples of some high-ranking experts, taking the opportunity of the Zhenjiang Tower event to come and enjoy themselves, broadening their horizons.
On the tables in front of them were exotic fruits and delicacies, with various rare and exotic animals cooked in a variety of flavors, tender and delicious, making Qin Mu's appetite uncontrollable.
Aunt Si Po had brought him along to sell livestock and buy things, and he hadn't had dinner yet, so he was already feeling hungry.
Qin Mu took a bite of the food in front of him, his eyes brightening. He felt like his tongue was melting and couldn't help but focus on devouring the delicious dishes. On the other hand, Ling Yuxiu said she was a bit hungry but only took a few bites before stopping her chopsticks, amusingly watching him eat with gusto.
Sitting beside Qin Mu's table was the city's enchanting martial arts mistress, who also watched Qin Mu and the girl beside him with interest.
"Is she really Aunt Si Po?" Qin Mu wondered.
Apart from her, there was another person who occasionally glanced in Qin Mu's direction. Qin Mu noticed this person's gaze, looked up, and was slightly taken aback. This person was wearing armor, and even at the banquet, he hadn't taken it off. It was none other than Qin Feiyue, the young general he had encountered on the Yangtze River.
"Qin Feiyue is here too? Didn't he return to the Yan Kang Kingdom?"
Qin Mu was surprised and then buried his head in the food in front of him. Ling Yuxiu chuckled and said, "That young general has been looking at you all the time. Does he recognize you?"
Qin Mu swallowed the food in his mouth, pondered for a moment, and said, "We had a brief encounter. He had a chubby companion with him, but I don't know where he went."
Ling Yuxiu pinched his arm in annoyance.
Qin Mu didn't understand why the girl was angry and thought, "This girl is really strange. That General Qin Feiyue is also quite strange. When this girl pinched me, he almost jumped up but then held back. It was me who got pinched, not him. Why would he feel pain..."
Suddenly, an old man spoke, "Lord, is the young man outside your son? He is truly talented. I have heard of the exceptional skills of Young Master Tingyue, the strongest martial artist among the younger generation in Xianglong City, and now it seems he is indeed extraordinary."
Fu Yundi smiled, "Master Baishan, you flatter too much. The young one has only learned some crude techniques, bringing shame upon himself."
The old man with a smile on his face said, "That's not the case. I have long heard that Young Master Tingyue is the number one martial artist within hundreds of miles. Last year, Young Master Tingyue went through 352 challenges, killing 352 martial artists from all over, without a single person escaping from his hands. To have such combat power at such a young age is truly remarkable."
Qin Mu raised his eyebrows and continued to focus on eating.
Fu Yundi quickly smiled and said, "The people my son killed were all outcasts from the city. If they were from outside, my son would have shown mercy."
The old man Baishan smiled and said, "Even among the outcasts, there are strong ones. Young Master Tingyue's skills are truly remarkable." He praised him endlessly.
Fu Yundi chuckled, "My son is an honest person. He never forces others to compete with him. He goes to the streets and invites these outcasts from the city to come and challenge him, offering money as an incentive. But alas, people die for wealth, and these outcasts continue to come and challenge him, only to lose their lives. My son has never spent a single dragon coin from the hundred he has earned. Speaking of which, my son is truly good at managing his finances." He finished and burst into laughter.
Everyone joined in the laughter.
At that moment, an old man with a black face suddenly withdrew his smile. His voice thundered, overshadowing the laughter of the crowd, "Madam, Lady Dayu Tianmojing has been studying for many years. Now, can she let us witness her skills?"
This thin, gaunt old man sat opposite Qin Mu, his face withered, his eyes lifeless. He looked like a charred piece of charcoal, but his voice was incredibly loud.
With his words, everyone's gaze instantly focused on the enchanting martial arts mistress beside Qin Mu.
Qin Mu quickly put down his ivory chopsticks, remaining motionless and closing his mouth, unable to resist quietly chewing the food in his mouth.
As the food in his mouth was swallowed, the young man hesitated for a moment but couldn't hold back. He picked up the ivory chopsticks and quickly picked up a slice of slippery lung fish and stuffed it into his mouth.
The charcoal-like old man suddenly became furious, glaring at Qin Mu. "Stop eating!"
The martial arts mistress beside Qin Mu chuckled and said, "So it's Black Venerable. Why be angry, Black Venerable? The Lord of the City invited us here for a meal, so why can't we eat? Lord, don't you agree?"
Fu Yundi coughed and smiled, "This gathering is also a banquet. Please enjoy the exquisite delicacies of Xianglong City. Naturally, both guests and hosts should enjoy themselves."
The martial arts mistress laughed softly, picked a bright red fruit, and put it in her mouth. She leisurely wiped her delicate jade hand and then watched Qin Mu with interest as he continued to eat voraciously.
Ling Yuxiu was also surprised, never expecting that Qin Mu could still eat under these circumstances.
After a while, Qin Mu ate until he was half full, then he took out a oil-paper bag from his pocket, took out some dry rations from inside, and carefully picked some of the soft and delicious food from the table, placing it in the paper bag. He wrapped it up carefully.
The black charcoal-like Black Venerable on the opposite side couldn't help but scold, "Kid, if you can't finish eating, why are you packing it up?"
Qin Mu felt embarrassed and said, "My grandmother, blind grandfather, and I just arrived in the city today. We only had some dry rations on the way and haven't eaten anything yet. The food here smells delicious. My grandmother and blind grandfather have poor dental health, so I'm picking some for them to take back." He looked at the martial arts mistress and wondered, "Could she really be my grandmother? Wait a minute, isn't this scent the same as the scent of rouge that my grandmother and I bought together?"
A soft light flashed in the martial arts mistress's eyes, seemingly touched. She smiled and said, "You are a filial person. The more I look at you, the more I like you."
The people in the building all had a look of amusement, filled with sympathy for Qin Mu. "The martial arts mistress was originally a famous witch, and she detests all these filial piety and formalities. This kid is bound to have a miserable death!"
The charcoal-like Black Venerable waited until Qin Mu finished packing the food and coldly asked, "Are you full?"
Qin Mu honestly replied, "Half full."
Black Venerable became infuriated. He snorted coldly, and the snort echoed through the hundreds of windows of Zhenjiang Building with a clattering sound.
Qin Mu couldn't help but admire him and praised, "Senior, your cultivation is truly powerful. I could never achieve such a level."
Black Venerable's temples twitched twice, suppressing his anger. He waited patiently for Qin Mu to finish eating. Meanwhile, the martial arts mistress, who had been smiling all along, also put down her ivory chopsticks and stopped eating.
Black Venerable let out a long breath that he had been holding in his chest for a while and coldly said, "Now that everyone is full, can we discuss the matter at hand?"
The people in the building focused their gaze, all looking at the martial arts mistress.
The martial arts mistress smiled enchantingly, making everyone's eyes seem brighter. She said, "Black Venerable, even if I were to give you the Dayu Tianmojing, do you think you can leave Xianglong City alive? I'm afraid the Lord of the City would be the first one to take your life, and I doubt anyone here would allow you to leave the city alive either."
Black Venerable stood up, and the qi behind him suddenly turned pitch black. It condensed in the air above his head, forming a fearsome four-armed heavenly demon!
To utilize qi to such an extreme level, even materializing it into a demon god, this technique was no less impressive than Fu Yundi's Eight-Phased Heavenly God Technique!
Black Venerable swept his gaze around and coldly said, "If the scriptures of the Heavenly Demon Sect fall into my hands, they belong to me. Who dares to covet them? Are you not afraid of being slaughtered by me?"
The people in the building remained silent but smiling.
The martial arts mistress chuckled and said, "There are distinguished guests from Yankang Kingdom and experts hiding in Xianglong City. Whom can you annihilate? This young general is from Yankang Kingdom, I presume?"
She was referring to Qin Feiyue and continued, "I've heard of the reputation of the country's top scholar. I believe you are extraordinary as well."
Qin Feiyue slightly bowed and said, "I am Qin Feiyue, a disciple of the country's top scholar. However, I didn't come here for the martial arts mistress or the Dayu Tianmojing. Although the martial arts mistress is the most beautiful woman in the world, and the Dayu Tianmojing is said to be the method to become a god, the country's top scholar doesn't care about such things."
There was a natural arrogance in his words. As the country's top scholar, he didn't care about any cultivation techniques, even the demonic classics that could lead to godhood!
Suddenly, a voice sneered, "This is the Great Expanse, not Yankang Kingdom. Do we care whether the country's top scholar cares about us?"
Qin Feiyue's eyes showed a murderous intent as he followed the sound. The person speaking was sitting opposite him, a burly man with a beard, his clothes half-open. He sat casually on the ground, eating with one hand while the other hand was rubbing dust in his pocket. After a few rubs, he formed a pitch-black sphere and casually flicked it away.
Qin Feiyue frowned, showing disgust. "The commoners in the Great Expanse are truly vulgar. There's no need to quarrel with them. When the country's top scholar's army arrives, all demons and monsters will have to submit!"
He glanced at the girl next to Qin Mu, feeling anxious. "Why did Princess Qi go and mingle with the youths from Canlao Village? She even pinched him intimately just now. If this matter spreads, what face will the royal family have..."