âH-h-h-huh? W-w-w-why is it so quiet?â
A voice suddenly caught Qin Shuâs notice. He turned around and saw a figure standing not too far away. It immediately occurred to him that the other party was an expert, as he hadnât noticed his presence at all.
However, he was taken aback by the other partyâs appearance.
The other party had his top bare, but his body looked emaciated without the slightest trace of muscles. It was as if he had starved himself for many days and was on the verge of death. There was no reason for anyone to flaunt such a physique.
As for his bottom, he was dressed in loose, green pants embroidered with beautiful flowers.
It was a horrendous fashion sense that triggered Qin Shuâs sense of aesthetics. He wanted to curse, feeling that his eyes had been soiled.
In his peripheral vision, he suddenly noticed that Wang Qiangâs plaque had been extinguished. He thought about how he couldnât sense the aura of the person before him, and a thought arose in his mind.
As shocked as he was, he stepped forward, bowed courteously, and asked, âThis brother over here, are you the Divine Body Galaxyâs Wang Qiang?â
âW-w-w-who are you?â Wang Qiang asked.
âAre you Wang Qiang?â Qin Shu asked once more.âI-i-i-itâs me. W-w-w-whatâs wrong?â Wang Qiang asked.
âBrother Wang Qiang, I am Qin Shu, a disciple of the Heavenly Dome Immortal Sect. Qin Xuan is my blood brother,â Qin Shu introduced himself.
âOh. I-I-I-I have heard of Qin Xuan. W-w-what do you want?â Wang Qiang asked.
âYou see, Brother Wang Qiang, I believe youâre here at the Nine Heavensâ Zenith to make a name for yourself, but nowâ¦â Qin Shu stepped forward and repeated the words he had told Feng Ling earlier.
âChu Feng is here?â Wang Qiang was overjoyed.
âThatâs right, heâs already here,â Qin Shu replied with a nod.
âN-n-n-no, thatâs not right! What did you say earlier? You want to work with m-m-m-me to deal with C-C-C-Chu Feng?â Wang Qiang asked.
âYes, Chu Feng is scheming and despicable. Heâs a black sheep of all cultivators. I met him once in the Ancient Realm and nearly got done by him, but heâ¦â
Before Qin Shu could finish his words, Wang Qiang wrapped his arm around Qin Shu and said, âS-s-s-stop talking. Come here.â
He began pulling Qin Shu toward his residence.
Qin Shu was overjoyed, as it looked like Wang Qiang was much more interested in working with them than Feng Ling. Otherwise, why would Wang Qiang invite him into his residence?
He had a feeling that Wang Qiang was a formidable individual despite his odd appearance, though he probably wasnât too smart, or else he wouldnât have been dressed like that. Given so, it shouldnât be too difficult to manipulate him.
As long as he played his cards well, he could not only use Wang Qiang to deal with Chu Feng but also aid him in faring better in the Nine Heavensâ Zenith.
While Qin Shu was formulating his scheme, Wang Qiang had already dragged Qin Shu to his residence. There was a barrier around the residence that could be activated to isolate noise.
âCome come come⦠S-s-s-stand here,â Wang Qiang said.
âBrother Wang Qiang, are you trying to see how sincere I am in our partnership? Donât worry, I am most definitely sincere about it,â Qin Shu said.
He reached into his Cosmos Sack, intending to offer some benefits to the poor Wang Qiang.
âScrew you!â Wang Qiang raised his leg and kicked Qin Shu.
If not for the barrier, this kick could have very well sent Qin Shu flying out of the Nine Heavensâ Zenith. Qin Shu collapsed by the corner of the barrier in a daze, having yet to process what had just happened.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Qiang flitted up to Qin Shu and stomped down on him. The straw shoes he was wearing were of oddly good qualityâhe left shoe prints on not just Qin Shuâs face but all over his body too.
âY-y-you dare to hit me?â Qin Shu stared at Wang Qiang in anger, shock, disbelief, and indignation.
âA-a-are you making fun of me?â Wang Qiang pulled Qin Shu up by his hair and smashed his fist into him. âHow dare you copy me!â
Qin Shuâs head swelled up like a pig.
âBrother Wang Qiang, I-I was wrong!â Qin Shu burst into tears.
His big brother wasnât here with him. He was afraid that Wang Qiang would really beat him to death here; the latter didnât look bright to him, and his actions proved that too.
âW-w-what did you do wrong?â Wang Qiang asked.
âI-I-I donât know!â Qin Shu was distressed.
âW-w-why are you still copying me?!â Wang Qiang flicked his wrist and took out a leather whip.
Qin Shu was appalled to see the leather whips. âAH!â
â¦
The following morning, Chu Feng and the others were still seated in Little Fishyâs residence. They had remained there the entire night, as endless conversation topics surfaced one after another.
All of a sudden, they heard a voice outside.
âCome out, Chu Feng! The sun is already up, so why arenât you out yet?â
Long Muxi, Xian Miaomiao, and Little Fishy stood up with displeased looks, thinking that someone was here to mess with Chu Feng.
âThat voice⦠It sounds like that lady,â Long Chengyu remarked.
Chu Feng also figured out whose voice it was, so he stood up and headed out. Little Fishy, XIanhai Shaoyu, and the others quickly followed him.
There were quite a few people gathered in the square outside since the cultivation ground had already closed. Most of them decided to head out as they knew this was a good opportunity for them to make new friends and expand their connections.
And Feng Lingâs shout only drew more people out of their residence.
âSheâs Feng Ling, the prodigy from the Bloodline Galaxy right?â
âShe looks pretty. It doesnât fit her vicious image. Does she have something against Chu Feng though? It looks like thereâs some drama between them.â
Many had heard about Feng Ling, but few had seen her true face. The crowd was curious to see what would happen.
Soon, Chu Fengâs group emerged from Little Fishyâs residence.
âHaha, Chu Feng!â
Feng Ling skipped her way up to Chu Feng, but Little Fishy immediately stood forward and blocked her path.
âWhat a fierce girl. Are you going to beat me up?â Feng Ling looked at Little Fishy with a smile.
Little Fishyâs eyebrows shot up.
âLittle Fishy, we know each other,â Chu Feng interjected.
âYou know each other?â Little Fishy and the others were taken aback.
Feng Ling walked up to Chu Feng and grabbed his shoulder as if they were good brothers, though this action looked extremely intimate as she was a woman, after all.
Qin Xuanâs eyebrows shot up.
It was one thing for Chu Feng to be acquainted with Long Chengyu, Xianhai Shaoyu, and others, but to think that he would be on close terms with Feng Ling as well. The fact they had expressed their close ties in public showed that they werenât afraid of the Seven Realms Sacred Mansion.
This made him realize that it would be nigh impossible for them to deal with Chu Feng here.
âIâll have to properly think things through if I want to deal with Chu Feng,â Qin Xuan thought.
He didnât want to get involved with Chu Feng anymore, as the latterâs faction was proving to be a hassle to deal with.
Chu Feng, you seem to have offended quite a few people, including the Heavenly Dome Immortal Sect,â Feng Ling remarked as she glanced at Qin Xuan.
The crowd also turned their eyes to Qin Xuan, making him the center of attention. In particular, Little Fishy and Xian Miaomiaoâs eyes were even colder than the sharpest swords.
Qin Xuan was stunned. He hadnât expected to be cued here. While he did think about dealing with Chu Feng, he hadnât acted on it yet. He was still spectating the situation at the moment, so why did they suddenly turn on him?
âYou can say so,â Chu Feng replied.
âNo wonder,â Feng Ling replied.
âWhat made you ask that?â Chu Feng asked.
âI came out to take a breather from cultivating last night, and I bumped into a nasty insect. He said all sorts of bad things about you and insisted that we should work together to deal with you. He harbored so much hostility toward you that anyone who didnât know better would have thought that you stole his wife. Ah, that nasty bug is Qin Shu. He said that heâs Qin Xuanâs little brother, and he came to look for me under Qin Xuanâs order.â
Those words shocked the crowd, but the one who was the most astounded of all was Qin Xuan.
Despite his usual composure, his face turned ghastly pale as he cursed under his breath, âThat damned little brother of mine.â