Fang Xuan was deducted another 0.5 points by the system, leaving him in a bit of a gloom. He decided to turn his grief and indignation into an appetite, preparing to launch another assault on the braised pig’s trotter.
A commotion broke out at the restaurant entrance.
A group of people crowded in, led by a corpulent figure—none other than Fei Wu.
Behind him followed five or six disciples also wearing Qingyun Sect inner disciple robes. Judging by their demeanor, they all deferred to Fei Wu as their leader; clearly, they were members of the Fei family.
As soon as Fei Wu entered, his small eyes scanned the hall, and his gaze quickly fixed on Fang Xuan by the window.
A flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes, which was immediately replaced by a surge of malicious excitement.
Within the sect, he didn't dare cross the line due to the rules.
But in this small town on the edge of the sect's influence, where the waters were murky...
His Fei family had deep roots and vast wealth. As long as there were no "witnesses" to his disciplining of a newcomer who didn't know the rules, who could say anything?
Even if someone did see, who would dare speak up?
Next, he spotted Ning Xian sitting across from Fang Xuan, and his heart skipped a beat in surprise.
However, he quickly remembered that she was now a cripple, and his heart settled. A hint of contempt even flashed in the depths of his eyes.
"Senior Brother Fei, isn't that..." a member of the Fei family behind him noticed Fang Xuan and Ning Xian and whispered.
Fei Wu gave a cold snort, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the nearby tables to hear: "Just a newcomer who doesn't respect etiquette and doesn't know the height of the heavens."
The Fei family disciples behind him immediately caught his drift and began to flatter him.
"Exactly. To think he doesn't even show respect to Senior Brother Fei; he really needs to be taught a lesson."
"What a high status Senior Brother Fei holds. How could someone like him be so negligent?"
"To be this arrogant only a few days after joining—if we don't discipline him now, what will he become later?"
These words were music to Fei Wu's ears. His fat face puffed up with pride as he puffed out his stomach.
At that moment, a waiter nervously stepped forward, wearing a forced smile. "Gentlemen, please come inside. We have..."
"Get lost!" Fei Wu glared at him. The waiter trembled in fear and hastily retreated.
The main hall instantly grew much quieter. Many gazes shifted toward them—some curious, some amused, and others showing the indifference of those who didn't want to get involved.
Most of the people present were cultivators, and many were Qingyun Sect disciples. Naturally, they recognized the direct disciple robes Fei Wu was wearing.
"It's Senior Brother Fei from Sword Peak..."
"Shh, keep it down."
"Is Senior Brother Fei... looking for trouble?"
"It looks like it, but Senior Sister Ning is also there..."
"Senior Sister Ning? Isn't she..."
At another table, a few Qingyun Sect disciples with steady auras and decent cultivation also looked over.
One of them frowned and whispered, "It's that idiot Fei Wu again, stirring up trouble."
Another shook his head. "It has nothing to do with us. Just focus on our mission."
That table ceased their discussion, merely watching the situation develop in silence.
Fang Xuan naturally saw Fei Wu's group as well, and his brow furrowed slightly.
Trouble really did follow one after another.
However, it was truly inconvenient for him to engage in a major fight right now; otherwise, he might very likely lose control and break through on the spot.
Fei Wu saw that Fang Xuan only glanced at him before looking back down to deal with the pig’s trotter, completely ignoring him.
The fire in his heart flared up instantly.
He gave two dry laughs and moved his bloated body, walking straight toward Fang Xuan's table.
"Junior Brother Fang, you're in quite a good mood, aren't you? Enjoying the delicacies here?"
Fei Wu stopped by the table, looking down from above, though Fang Xuan wasn't much shorter than him even while sitting.
His tone was mocking and sarcastic. "What's this? Now that your senior brother is here, have you forgotten even the most basic etiquette? Why aren't you standing up to greet me?"
The Fei family disciples behind him also closed in, vaguely forming a circle with malicious smiles on their faces.
Fang Xuan ignored him.
Fei Wu's face darkened, feeling immensely insulted.
He suddenly reached out, his hand carrying a gust of wind as he tried to grab Fang Xuan's shoulder. "Is your senior talking to you, or are you deaf?!"
Shred.
A soft sound rang out as the sleeve on Fei Wu's arm, from the elbow to the shoulder, shredded into pieces and fluttered down.
At the same time, seven or eight fine bloodstains instantly appeared on his exposed, fatty arm, with blood quickly seeping out.
Fei Wu hissed in pain and pulled his hand back, looking at his bleeding arm with a mix of shock and rage.
Fang Xuan still hadn't looked up, but his hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly.
He knew it was Ning Xian's warning.
Silent and invisible, it only damaged clothes and skin without touching bone, yet it was enough to be a deterrent.
It seemed that even though his senior sister's cultivation was damaged, some of her methods remained terrifyingly sharp.
Fei Wu was both startled and furious, his gaze snapping toward Ning Xian, who had been sitting quietly the whole time.
In this place, who else could have done this besides the woman he had consistently viewed as a cripple?
Ning Xian slowly set down her chopsticks and looked up.
Her cold eyes were like eternal ice, devoid of any warmth, as she calmly watched Fei Wu.
Fei Wu felt a chill in his heart from her gaze, but in front of everyone, especially with his followers watching, where would his face be if he backed down now?
"Ning Xian! You dare lay a hand on me?!"
Fei Wu roared with blustering courage, and the middle-stage Foundation Establishment spirit power within him erupted. Though it was unstable, it created quite a scene.
He suddenly raised his other uninjured hand and clenched it into a fist.
In a reckless move, he threw a punch toward Ning Xian, who was sitting next to Fang Xuan!
In the end, he didn't dare attack Fang Xuan directly, fearing that Fang Xuan might have some strange tricks up his sleeve. But striking the crippled Ning Xian would allow him to reclaim his pride and intimidate Fang Xuan at the same time—a killing of two birds with one stone in his eyes.
However, he underestimated Ning Xian and overestimated himself.
There was no fluctuation of spirit power, and no sound of wind.
Yet Fei Wu felt a sharp, absolute "intent" instantly lock onto him.
"Sword... sword intent?!" A horrified thought flashed through Fei Wu's mind, but it was already too late.
Thud!
It was as if an invisible blade had slashed through.
The spirit power gathered in Fei Wu's fist shattered instantly. He felt as if he had been struck by a massive weight, spitting out a mouthful of blood as his corpulent body was sent flying backward.
Crash!
He knocked over two tables, sending cups and dishes shattering across the floor, before finally slamming heavily against the wall and sliding down to the ground in a heap.
For a moment, he couldn't even crawl back up. He could only clutch his chest, staring at Ning Xian in utter horror, his face as pale as paper.
"Impossible... It must be the power of some magical artifact."
The entire Fuchun Restaurant hall was silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Everyone stared at the scene in a daze, looking at the cold woman who sat there quietly, as if she had done nothing more than brush off some dust.
Then they looked at the pathetic, blood-spitting Fei Wu slumped in the corner.
The Fei family disciples behind Fei Wu were even more terrified, frozen in place, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
They hadn't even seen how Ning Xian had struck just now.
All they saw was Fei Wu throwing a fierce punch, only to inexplicably spit blood and be sent flying!
"What... what are you standing around for?!"
Fei Wu managed to catch his breath, his voice raspy with shame and rage as he roared, "Go! All of you, together! Break them! I'll take the blame for whatever happens!"
The Fei family disciples snapped out of it. Though they were afraid, they dared not disobey Fei Wu's command.
They exchanged looks, drew their weapons, and with spirit power surging, they nervously surrounded Fang Xuan and Ning Xian.
They didn't dare attack Ning Xian directly after that terrifying display, so they focused their primary target on Fang Xuan, who had barely moved.
"Let's go."
Ning Xian whispered quickly to Fang Xuan, reaching out to grab his wrist to pull him up and flee.
That seemingly effortless display of sword intent had taken a massive toll on her current body and mind. Her face was several shades paler than before, and her breathing was slightly erratic.
Fei Wu had decent protective artifacts on him, so that blow hadn't truly incapacitated him; it had only caught him off guard and intimidated him.
Fang Xuan, however, gripped Ning Xian's somewhat cold hand in return, giving it a light squeeze to signal her to stay calm.
He didn't want to use spirit power because he feared he wouldn't be able to control the opportunity to break through, which would delay his business.
But not wanting to and not being able to were two different things.
Rate on N.U.
