Exactly how she had safely brought Fu Chaosheng back from Lanke Tower, Jian Chou no longer wanted to recall. She only knew that the moment Fu Chaosheng uttered those words, the Lanke Tower discourse had come to a complete end.

After a moment of stunned silence, Tongling Pavilion’s Pavilion Master Lu Song nearly jumped up to overturn the entire building!

Even Zheng Yao, who usually spoke human words to humans and ghost words to ghosts, looked toward Jian Chou with a face full of despair that said, “Senior Sister, I really can’t cover for this one.”

When they emerged from the building alive, everyone felt as if they were walking on clouds.

Their legs were weak!

When a Void Refining Stage great cultivator starts making a fuss, it’s not so easy to stop them, especially with the Tongling Pavilion cultivators involved. When the Pavilion Master calls for battle, you can’t exactly ignore it, can you?

Inside the building, it nearly became a complete melee with heads being knocked about like dog heads!

Shen Jiu, Jianghe, and even Zuoliu and Fang Xiaoxie, who considered themselves minor players, all took inexplicable beatings and were mysteriously dragged into the battle.

In any case, everything was in complete chaos.

At this moment, a group of people walked down the main street with strange expressions, while Fu Chaosheng, the instigator of it all, followed beside Jian Chou without the slightest inappropriate expression on his face.

He showed neither the arrogance of a great demon nor the guilt of a troublemaker.

It was as if he had done nothing at all…

Shen Jiu touched the corner of his forehead that had been bumped earlier, feeling that the atmosphere was indescribably strange and heavy. He forced a laugh, trying to lighten the mood with a few words: “Well, it’s not too bad, a little excitement is good too…”

“…”

Everyone raised their heads to look at him, seeing his peach blossom folding fan with a torn corner in his hand, but no one spoke.

Shen Jiu immediately realized this topic was inappropriate.

But what else could he say?

This incident really left anyone who witnessed it both crying and laughing.

Originally, it had been about to end peacefully, with everyone getting along harmoniously without any problems. But who could have expected that Fu Chaosheng, whether genuinely stubborn or naturally arrogant, would say such provocative words…

It would have been strange if a fight hadn’t broken out!

However, speaking of which, he was genuinely curious about what kind of relationship his Senior Sister had with this “Fellow Daoist Fu” that would make the other party say such things.

With this thought, several traces of contemplation crossed his handsome, well-defined face.

Shen Jiu was always restless and loved to find things to occupy himself with. He directly changed direction, squeezed past Zuoliu and Fang Xiaoxie who were still in a daze, and moved to Jian Chou’s side.

But when he looked up, he saw that her expression was somewhat dazed.

Waving his broken fan with a dashing air, he leaned over and called out: “Senior Sister?”

“Hmm?”

Jian Chou was indeed lost in thought. Hearing his voice, her slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and she turned to look at him with a casual smile.

“What do you want to ask now?”

“Well…”

By turning the question back on him, she clearly had already guessed what he wanted to ask.

Shen Jiu immediately felt somewhat helpless, deeply puzzled by how he had ever thought his Senior Sister was simple and easy to deceive. He could only spread his hands and say: “I’m just rather curious about Fellow Daoist Fu.”

He didn’t try to hide his words, and Fu Chaosheng beside them heard immediately.

At this moment, Fu Chaosheng glanced at him.

To be honest, Shen Jiu’s feeling toward Fu Chaosheng was the same as Fudao Shanren’s feeling toward Fu Chaosheng—he always felt there was something strangely uncomfortable about him.

But at this moment, he didn’t show it.

Jian Chou turned back to glance at Fu Chaosheng.

He had now restrained his demonic aura, wearing his azure-colored long robe, looking only like a great cultivator who had secluded himself for cultivation for a long time.

Others might not notice anything, but she felt there seemed to be some turbulent undercurrent in the depths of his eyes.

In this instant, what surfaced in her mind was Lu Song’s earlier words.

“Young Friend Jian Chou, I, Lu Song, ask you just one thing: do you truly know how many people your Fellow Daoist Fu has killed, how much innocent blood he has been stained with?!”

Lu Song was held back by cultivators who came to break up the fight. Knowing that the matter would end there, he stopped and said this to her.

“He is stained with blood and is certainly no good person! Today you may be seeking skin from a tiger, but beware lest you be devoured by the tiger in the future!”

She remained silent upon hearing this, then gave him a light reply: “That’s a matter for the future.”

After speaking, she walked out of Lanke Tower to this main street.

Lu Song’s words were not concealed from anyone, so quite a few people heard them.

Fu Chaosheng naturally heard them too.

When Jian Chou looked at him, he also looked at Jian Chou, but said nothing.

Suixian City was at midday, with the sun lazily shining down and quite a few pedestrians on the street.

Those desperados of the Star Sea continued drinking and making merry on the tall buildings, seemingly unaffected by the current tense atmosphere between the Nineteen Continents and the Extreme Domain, caring neither about life and death nor reincarnation.

They lived only for today, too lazy to think about tomorrow.

Jian Chou calmly withdrew her gaze and only replied to Shen Jiu: “Why don’t you ask Fellow Daoist Fu yourself?”

“…”

Shen Jiu choked for a moment, then couldn’t help but glance at Fu Chaosheng again.

Considering the feeling he gave people, did he dare to go ask? Ask what kind of demon you are, how you cultivated, how you know our Senior Sister, exactly how deep your friendship with our Senior Sister runs?

This wouldn’t be asking questions—it would be seeking death.

Fine, he wouldn’t ask.

Shen Jiu pursed his lips, feeling somewhat disgruntled. He folded his broken fan bit by bit, each finger as slender and elegant as the fan ribs, presenting the image of a refined gentleman.

Unfortunately, no one appreciated it.

Fang Xiaoxie nearby saw this and quietly rolled his eyes, obviously having seen enough of this Uncle Shen’s posturing and feeling no admiration whatsoever.

“There aren’t even any pretty female cultivators here, and your fan is broken, Uncle Shen. Could you please stop pretending?”

“Hey, you little brat!”

He hadn’t even finished his performance!

Shen Jiu lifted his fan, about to give him a good beating to tighten his loose skin, but unexpectedly, Zheng Yao, who had been silent all this time, suddenly exclaimed “Eh?”

All around them, on the streets and in the tall buildings, people immediately began exclaiming in surprise.

“Look quickly!”

“It’s getting smaller, getting smaller!”

“It’s the tribulation vortex above Kunwu, look quickly!”

“Is it about to end?”

“What’s the situation…”

The group from Yashan also heard these voices and almost immediately turned toward Kunwu’s direction. They were all immediately surprised.

Everyone knew that the tribulation clouds above Kunwu had been covering the area for more than two days without dissipating.

But at this very moment, the entire vortex that had pressed down to the peak of Mount Kunwu was already beginning to reverse, just like when Jian Chou had finished her tribulation a few days ago, carrying the cloud qi it had originally gathered toward the surroundings!

The originally blackened vortex, as it reversed, continuously rose and continuously lightened.

In just the short time they had been watching, it had already returned to mid-air and turned back to its original golden color. At the same time, the deep black at the very center of the vortex gradually faded.

The previous oppressive feeling finally gradually dissipated as the vortex retreated.

But for some unknown reason, as Jian Chou watched, she actually sensed a strange lingering anger and unwillingness coming from this tribulation…

“Has the tribulation been successfully overcome?”

Zuoliu had never understood this tribulation and couldn’t help but ask upon seeing this.

Zheng Yao’s spiritual sense was also quite strong, but at this moment he still couldn’t penetrate the barrier set up around Kunwu. He could only shake his head: “It looks like it should be over, but this is truly unheard of, unseen before. What does Senior Sister think?”

“It should be considered finished for now.”

Since crossing the Heart-Questioning Dao tribulation, Jian Chou felt she had a strange connection with the Heavenly Dao—a mysterious consciousness that allowed her to understand one or two aspects of it.

But she wasn’t certain whether this was just her imagination.

Zheng Yao felt that the word “temporarily” was used quite subtly, but it wasn’t appropriate to ask more on the main street. After pondering for a moment, he said: “Let’s go back first. Today’s events should be reported to Uncle Fudao, and if there’s any news from Kunwu, he’ll be the first to know.”

After all, everyone knew what kind of friendship existed between Fudao Shanren and True Person Hengxu.

Everyone had no objections.

At this point, they put the earlier incident at Lanke Tower with Lu Song behind them and directly returned to Yashan’s residence in the east of Suixian City. But they hadn’t expected that just as they turned the street corner and saw the gate of that courtyard, they would spot a familiar figure.

At this moment, except for Fu Chaosheng, everyone else had the urge to cover their faces.

Zheng Yao said with a mixture of crying and laughing: “Uncle Fudao, what are you doing sitting here?”

On the steps by the courtyard gate, the famous Fudao Shanren sat in tattered clothes, his nine-section bamboo staff thrown beside his feet like a broken bamboo pole. He held a plate of cut roasted chicken in his hands, looking up at the tribulation clouds in the sky that were almost completely dissipated, eating casually.

Hearing the voice, he lowered his upturned head with a lazy expression and snorted: “You bunch finally know to come back after causing trouble? I thought you had such backbone that you’d take the opportunity to chop off that fellow Lu’s dog head for me. In the end, I still overestimated you. A bunch of useless people! Raising you all for nothing!”

“…”

All the words of justification couldn’t be spoken. Nearly ten people stood on these steps, rendered speechless by his single rebuke!

Fudao Shanren had no intention of listening to their explanations either. He obviously already knew about their incident at Lanke Tower but didn’t take it to heart at all.

“Hurry up and scram, don’t block me from sunbathing.”

“About Fellow Daoist Fu…”

Zheng Yao was somewhat hesitant.

Fudao Shanren glanced at him and threw a piece of chicken at him: “Didn’t you already tell people we’d discuss it during the meeting? If you’re capable, go ahead and drive him away, see if that pile of old bones underground agrees! Where’s your brain?”

He was obviously in a bad mood.

Zheng Yao sensed this. Usually, while Uncle Fudao’s words weren’t pleasant, he didn’t often complain about everything he saw.

As for the reason, need it be asked?

He didn’t dare say anything more and should have just walked away directly, but at the last moment he remembered the tribulation above Kunwu and asked: “Cough, well, Uncle, about that tribulation above Kunwu?”

“It’s passed.” Fudao Shanren was concise, but for some reason glanced at Jian Chou, then continued: “The old monster said he’s arranged all matters at Kunwu and will come tomorrow. At the latest, the day after tomorrow we can begin the meeting.”

“Ah…”

Although it was expected, hearing Fudao Shanren personally confirm that Xie Buchen had passed his tribulation, Zheng Yao was still somewhat surprised. But thinking that True Person Hengxu would be coming soon, he felt relieved.

“Finally we can begin. This has been delayed quite a while.”

“Hmph, the little disciple the old monster is bringing isn’t simple either. Who knows what the situation is with this master and disciple.”

Fudao Shanren laughed, looking cheerful as he picked up a chicken wing from the plate, but after staring at it for a while, he put it back and picked up a piece of ordinary chicken meat instead, putting it in his mouth to eat.

“Go busy yourselves with your affairs. I’m just an old bag of bones—can you all stop blocking my light?”

“…Yes.”

Everyone thought to themselves: where would we dare block your light, old sir?

But they didn’t dare say it aloud. They all properly cupped their hands in response and passed by him one by one, looking completely terrified.

But when it was Jian Chou’s turn, she paused: “Master…”

“Bah, such a trivial matter.”

Fudao Shanren directly rolled his eyes, as if guessing what she was going to say, his face showing particular disdain for her.

“At least you’re a great cultivator now. Lu Song just has the dog temper of getting beaten up whenever he goes out—why bother with him? Go back quickly and think carefully about how to fool—ah no, how to explain things at the meeting.”

Fool…

Jian Chou immediately understood and almost couldn’t help laughing aloud. She only coughed once and bowed: “Then Master, enjoy your sunbathing. This disciple will withdraw first.”

“Go on, go on.”

Fudao Shanren paid no attention.

How many great storms had he weathered over all these years? Like that Green Leaf old demon hag back in the day—she could cause much more trouble than these current bunch.

Recalling the tragic experiences of the past, he had only one feeling.

This current situation was truly trivial!

Not to mention comparing it to Green Leaf Laozu, even compared to his own youth, it was vastly different.

Accidentally thinking of his youth, Fudao Shanren began feeling smug, but when his gaze shifted and he saw Fu Chaosheng following his disciple inside, he couldn’t help but frown and mutter to himself.

“Are demons these days particularly easy to fool? Can’t understand, can’t understand…”

His muttering was very quiet.

Jian Chou, who had already passed by, didn’t hear it, but Fu Chaosheng, who hadn’t completely passed by yet, heard it clearly. But even hearing it, he didn’t understand.

Demon—was he referring to him?

But why “easy to fool”?

Fu Chaosheng knew this phrase but didn’t understand why Fudao Shanren would say this, nor did he think he belonged to the “easy to fool” category.

After returning to this temporary residence, somehow Zuoliu and Fang Xiaoxie ended up together. Having heard that there was some conflict between the Yin-Yang Sects, they immediately rushed over to watch without a second thought.

Halfway there, only Jian Chou and Fu Chaosheng remained walking together.

She actually had some questions she wanted to ask, but before she could speak, Fu Chaosheng spoke first.

Walking beside her, he turned to look at her, not quite understanding: “Why didn’t my old friend let me kill him?”

Yes, it was about not letting him kill Lu Song, not about standing out to block Lu Song’s attack for him.

Though she had indeed done that too.

When Fu Chaosheng asked this question, he probably hadn’t thought much about it. Jian Chou knew this and only laughed: “It was both to save him and to prevent you from being attacked by everyone. Sometimes, when reasoning can solve problems, why resort to violence?”

“Then why did my old friend stop him?”

Fu Chaosheng felt that moment’s sensation was very strange. With his current cultivation level, he really didn’t need anyone to stand in front of him, yet she had come.

“If a real fight had broken out, the strength between my old friend and that person would be fifty-fifty, with no decisive advantage.”

This question…

How should she answer it?

Jian Chou was momentarily stumped by his question. After thinking for a long time, she suddenly remembered something and winked at him: “I thought Fellow Daoist Fu knew—we humans are all like this with friends, aren’t we?”

“…”

Indeed, Fu Chaosheng also remembered that half a month ago, he had asked Jian Chou in confusion, “Don’t you humans all treat friends this way?” Now Jian Chou was returning these words to him.

He inexplicably smiled, not even knowing why himself.

But recalling the situation at that time, he still shook his head.

“If there’s a next time, there’s really no need to do this. My old friend is someone I recognized upon birth. I only wish that while I’m not yet dead, I can continue to associate with my old friend. Having recognized you in life, in this life and this world, I don’t wish to be separated by death.”

Her existence was proof that he still remained in this world.