Chapter 82: Senior Brother Wu of the Falling Feather Sect

“Sigh~~, Brother Xiao Feng, don’t be so distant. We’re idle anyway, so Brother Wu and I will accompany you.”
“Indeed, Brother Li’s words suit me perfectly. Let’s go together and meet that demoness.”
As they spoke, the three left the hall, transforming into streams of light as they flew towards the southern city. Gongsun Tong, delighted, followed along with his guards, trailing eagerly behind.

Chu Xin’er, accompanied by Xiao Yu’er, arrived at the Xiao family residence. Upon hearing that she had rescued his daughter from the hands of a villain, Master Xiao was not only grateful but also deeply worried.
After all, he could not afford to offend the Lord Governor, and Gongsun Tong, who always relied on his power to bully others, would certainly not let the matter go. At this point, currying favor with this cultivator and securing her protection for the Xiao family became the only path forward.
Thus, while he ordered a sumptuous banquet to be prepared, he also arranged for his most capable maids to clean out the most serene and comfortable bamboo courtyard in the estate.

“Sigh~~, I never thought that after a year away, I would return here again.”
Revisiting old grounds, Xiao Wenzi, though he had not left the spirit beast pouch, used his formidable demonic sense to follow Chu Xin’er’s steps, observing the Xiao residence inside and out as if reading a palm-sized manuscript, and could not help but feel a touch of emotion.

Boom~~
The banquet at the Xiao residence had only just been set when the main gate was violently blasted open. Seated at the head of the table, accompanied by Master and Mistress Xiao and Xiao Yu’er, Chu Xin’er abruptly stood.
Her and Xiao Yu’er’s arrival at the Xiao household had been witnessed by many, so anyone with intent could easily pinpoint her location.
The Governor’s mansion found her so swiftly; Chu Xin’er was not surprised. What made her frown, however, was the presence of three cultivators with considerable spiritual pressure—a most unusual occurrence.

When had so many cultivators gathered in a mortal city? Were they all retained by the Governor’s mansion? No wonder Gongsun Tong dared to brazenly abduct women.
But if the Gongsun family were truly so powerful, why wasn’t there a single cultivator guarding that young man? And their attire was distinctly familiar—she had seen it recently in South Mountain City. Could they be disciples of Falling Feather Sect?
Yet, since the enemies had already arrived, pondering their identities was pointless.

Chu Xin’er knew that even if she wanted to leave now, it would not be easy. She might as well stride toward the chaotic entrance.
Gongsun Feng, having knocked aside the Xiao family servants and kicked open the gate, did not start killing; instead, he stood with hands behind his back, his face full of disdain and arrogance.

He saw a beautiful, baby-faced girl approaching rapidly, followed by another elegant white-clad maiden. His face first showed surprise, then gradually turned cold. “Are you the one who injured my brother and killed servants of the Gongsun family?”
Though his tone was icy, Gongsun Feng was deeply shaken inside. He had considered that Chu Xin’er might be a late-stage Qi Refining rogue, but had not expected her to have reached the thirteenth layer.

“Who is your brother? That villain who tried to snatch women in public? He’s supposedly a young master from the Governor’s mansion. If you mean him, then yes—I intervened, and I killed him. What will you do about it?”
Chu Xin’er had already probed the cultivations of the group. Gongsun Feng was only at the mid-stage of the eleventh layer; the strongest, Brother Wu, was at the peak of Qi Refining, while Brother Li was a bit weaker, sharing her own early thirteenth-layer realm.

This lineup was not weak. She herself had only just entered the thirteenth layer, but with Xiao Wen’s help, she had slain more than one peak Qi Refining cultivator.
Though the trio was formidable enough to make her wary, she was far from afraid, so her tone was full of disdain and she offered little explanation.

“You—! How dare you! Do you truly think the Gongsun family is so easily bullied?”
Gongsun Feng had not expected Chu Xin’er to be so bold. Originally, upon discovering her cultivation exceeded his own, his fury had already subsided.
If she would just apologize and show humility, he would not press too hard.
But now, in front of the Xiao family’s servants and the crowd outside, he was riding a tiger. His youthful passion surged, and as he shouted angrily, he drew a magical artifact from his storage pouch.

“Brother Xiao Feng, step back. Let your senior handle this woman.”
The atmosphere grew tense. Seeing that Gongsun Feng was about to attack at the slightest provocation, Brother Wu suddenly stepped forward, motioning him aside.
Though the girl was beautiful, she was a thirteenth-layer expert, and in a one-on-one fight, Brother Xiao Feng was certainly not her match. Brother Wu knew he could not stand idle and decided to act decisively.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Brother.”
Glad to avoid overreaching himself, Gongsun Feng gratefully stepped aside, while the Dao-robed youth surnamed Li watched with a faint smile, clearly confident in Brother Wu.

From their manner of address, Chu Xin’er could now confirm their identities: the two Dao-robed youths were not guests of the Gongsun family, but disciples of Falling Feather Sect, brought here by coincidence.

As she pondered, Wu stepped forward, and Chu Xin’er addressed him, “Have you thought this through, friend? Do you really wish to stand up for that villain who oppresses men and women? As the saying goes, blades have no eyes—if we fight, I can’t guarantee your safety!”

“Hmph~~, such boastful words! Miss, you’d best consider how you’ll beg for mercy when you lose.”
Cultivators did not trouble themselves with notions of righteousness. Brother Wu could easily see through Gongsun Tong’s lies, but he still chose to help Gongsun Feng capture Chu Xin’er. How could he be deterred by a single threat?

Before his words finished, a fiery red flying sword wreathed in flames shot towards Chu Xin’er, its blade gleaming.

Clang, clang, clang~~
Battle was inevitable. Without hesitation, Chu Xin’er summoned her magical artifacts. Two long swords clashed fiercely in the spacious courtyard of the Xiao residence, sword-lights bursting and thunderous noise echoing.

In terms of realm, Chu Xin’er was weaker than Brother Wu, but her cultivation technique, the Drifting Cloud Falling Rain Art, was superior to his. The difference in their strength was thus not significant.
The collision of their magical weapons was terrifying, causing the Xiao family members to scatter, but for the moment, neither side could gain the upper hand.

This could not drag on. She needed to use a powerful move to quickly cut the Gordian knot.
Brother Wu was backed by Gongsun Feng and the youth surnamed Li, and the soldiers of Southern City were no pushovers. Chu Xin’er quickly judged that a contest of spiritual power would not favor her.

With that thought, she slapped her storage pouch. A pale golden long sword appeared in her hand. As spiritual power coursed through it, the mid-grade Vajra Sword radiated brilliant light, slashing straight at Brother Wu.

“Oh~~, a mid-grade magical artifact!”
Brother Wu’s pupils contracted, the spiritual pressure from the golden sword making him frown, though a greedy light flashed in his eyes.

The mid-grade artifact tempted him, but Brother Wu would not let it fall upon him unimpeded. He flicked his fingers, sending two fireballs to intercept the golden sword. At the same time, a layer of fiery red light appeared around his body, forming a protective shield.