Turmoil Within the Sect: Chapter 24: I Just Want to Beat Him Up

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“Qingcloud Sect? Isn’t that one of the sects as renowned as the Mystic Star Pavilion?”

“Hmph! A disciple of the Qingcloud Sect has come to our Mystic Star Pavilion’s territory to run wild. They’re becoming more and more brazen!” an Outer Sect disciple of the Mystic Star Pavilion said indignantly.

Chu Xing’s eyes lit up, and he added fuel to the fire.

“So that’s how it is! No wonder they’re so arrogant!”

He turned to the young woman and suggested, “Miss, since they’re disciples of the Qingcloud Sect, I’m afraid sending them somewhere ordinary wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“Why don’t the two of us make the trip and personally escort them back to the Qingcloud Sect, leaving them to their elders for punishment? That way, Old Li can receive the justice he deserves!”

“Send them back to the sect?”

At those words, the blood drained from the faces of the two burly men pinned to the ground.

Being sent back under such accusations—their expulsion from the sect would be the least of their troubles!

Extreme terror flashed through their eyes. They instinctively looked toward the young woman, their gazes filled with pleading, yet they clenched their teeth and dared not utter a word.

The young woman’s expression finally darkened completely.

As she looked at Chu Xing, her beautiful eyes held nothing but icy chill. She knew that the performance she had put on had been utterly ruined by this seemingly insignificant fellow.

Seeing that her two subordinates would rather die than betray her, the young woman drew a deep breath. She knew she could no longer keep up the act.

“That’s enough.”

Her cold voice silenced the entire scene.

She then kicked one of the burly men on the ground. There was not the slightest trace of embarrassment on her face at being exposed. Instead, she wore an air of pride, as though everything were only natural.

“That’s right. I wanted this old man gone. I took a liking to his stall. Is that not allowed?”

The moment those words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

No one had expected this righteous young woman to admit everything herself.

“You… you…” The old man pointed at her, so furious that he could not speak.

Chu Xing also pretended to be astonished. “Miss, what do you mean by this?”

“What do I mean?” The young woman sneered. “There was no need for this to become a big deal. You just had to stick your nose into other people’s business!”

She took a step forward, instantly narrowing the distance between herself and Chu Xing.

“Who are you? What is your name?”

Chu Xing merely watched her in silence, allowing her furious gaze to envelop him without offering an answer.

His silence only enraged her further. Her eyes swept over his faded servant’s robes, and she gave a cold snort.

“An errand disciple of the Mystic Star Pavilion? Very well. I’ll remember you.”

With that, she barked at the two men on the ground, “Are you going to keep lying there pretending to be dead? Get up and move!”

At her command, the two burly men jolted and scrambled to their feet, then followed behind her in utter disarray.

When the young woman reached Chu Xing’s side, she paused and said coldly, “I’ll settle this score with you sooner or later.”

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As soon as she finished speaking, she led her men away without looking back, departing beneath the crowd’s complicated gazes.

Only then did the surrounding discussion surge forth again like a rising tide. People exchanged bewildered looks, each seeing a similar mixture of realization and lingering fear in the other’s eyes.

No one had expected the young woman who had been speaking up for justice moments earlier to turn out to be the mastermind behind a scheme of coercive buying and selling.

What a brilliant ploy—shouting “Stop thief!” while being the thief herself. The depth of her scheming had truly opened everyone’s eyes.

Yet despite their private condemnation, the young woman clearly came from an extraordinary background, and no one dared provoke her for real.

With no further spectacle to watch, the crowd exchanged a few glances before dispersing with silent understanding.

The open space before the stall soon returned to its former quiet.

In the end, only Chu Xing and the old stallkeeper remained standing there.

“Young brother…”

The old man turned around. His gaze as he looked at Chu Xing was filled with indescribable complexity.

“Thank you for what you did today. It’s just that… I’ve dragged you into this as well.”

The old man sighed, the wrinkles on his face deepening. “That girl is obviously not someone to be trifled with. You must be extremely careful from now on.”

Chu Xing was completely unconcerned. “She was the one being unreasonable first. Were we supposed to kneel down and let her take your stall?”

As he spoke, he casually raised the black stone he had just obtained and examined it before his eyes. Almost at the same moment, the mysterious stone pearl within his dantian sent out wave after wave of increasingly voracious pulses.

A thought stirred in Chu Xing’s heart. Pretending to ask casually, he said, “Old sir, this stone looks rather unusual. Where did you get it?”

The old man glanced at the pitch-black stone and thought for a moment.

“This? I dug it up in the Northern Mountain mining district. It’s as black as coal, and I have no idea what it is.”

“The Northern Mountain mining district?” Chu Xing pressed.

“That’s right.” The old man nodded, then lowered his voice. A trace of apprehension appeared on his face. “But, young brother, that place hasn’t been peaceful lately. You’d best not go there.”

“Oh? What happened?”

“Who can say?” The old man shook his head, as though recalling something unpleasant. “A few nights ago, there were always strange noises after dark. Now, I hear that both the Mystic Star Pavilion and the Qingcloud Sect have sent people there to investigate. The entire area has been sealed off, and outsiders aren’t allowed anywhere near it.”

Chu Xing’s eyes narrowed slightly. His expression remained unchanged, yet he committed every word the old man had spoken to memory.

It seemed this stone really was peculiar.

Without revealing anything, he slipped the stone back into his robes and cupped his hands toward the old man.

“Thank you for the warning, Old sir. I’ll remember it.”

After bidding farewell to the old man, Chu Xing turned and merged into the crowd, slowly making his way away.

At a corner on the other side of the market—

“I’m furious! Absolutely furious!”

Luo Shuyao stamped her feet in rage, her pretty face covered in frost.

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“If that bastard hadn’t suddenly jumped in and meddled in other people’s business, I would have beaten him senseless today!”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Whenever she recalled the way Chu Xing had forced her into such an awkward position, her teeth itched with hatred.

“No! I refuse to swallow this insult!”

A trace of resentment and ruthlessness flashed through Luo Shuyao’s eyes. She ordered the two men beside her, “Follow him! Find a deserted place and pin him down for me!”

“Miss!” the tall, powerfully built man said uneasily. “It isn’t worth it for some unrelated nobody.”

“I don’t care! If I don’t get even today, I won’t be able to rest easy!” Miss Luo’s temper flared, leaving no room for further persuasion.

The two subordinates exchanged glances, their faces bitter, but they could only steel themselves and follow.

Before long, however, they realized that something was wrong.

Instead of taking the main road filled with people returning to the sect, Chu Xing began strolling leisurely through the market.

One moment he would pause before a stall selling talisman paper; the next, he would pick up a string of unknown beast-bone beads and examine it for a long while. His relaxed manner was nothing like that of someone who had just offended others and was eager to make his escape.

“What is he doing? Why is he dragging his feet?” the tall, thin man could not help muttering.

Luo Shuyao frowned as a trace of irritation rose within her.

This fellow… Was he truly unafraid of death, or was there something wrong with his mind?

She had intended to strike immediately in some secluded place, but he kept wandering around in crowded areas, leaving her with nowhere to act.

At last, Chu Xing’s behavior became even stranger.

He actually turned onto a quiet woodland path. The road was so remote that it was clearly not the route back to the Mystic Star Pavilion.

“Hmph. He’s finally wised up.”

Luo Shuyao sneered inwardly, assuming that he had finally decided to leave. She immediately gestured to the two men beside her.

“Stay close. Don’t let him get away!”

The three of them lightened their steps at once, like three ghostly shadows trailing silently behind him. The light in the forest gradually dimmed, while mottled shadows fell across the ground.

This was the perfect place to make their move.

Luo Shuyao grew increasingly pleased with herself, already deciding whether to strike his left cheek or his right first.

She was just about to raise her hand and signal her subordinates to surround him from both sides when Chu Xing, walking in the middle of the path ahead, stopped without warning.

He stood there in the center of the path with his back to them, utterly motionless.

The hearts of all three gave a sudden lurch. They stopped as well and slipped behind a thick tree.

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