Chapter 313: Chapter 313

“Hey, so the Boundless Heaven Sect has characters like this too?” Ling Zhe suddenly shouted in an absurdly exaggerated tone. Following his line of sight, Li Xun looked over and saw a Daoist wearing a cap and robe hurrying up from behind. The man slipped into the very end of the Boundless Heaven Sect’s formation. No one around him seemed to notice anything strange, so he was clearly one of their own…Except. That man looked noticeably fatter than he should, didn’t he?!

Staring at a body that looked like it was about to burst out of its Daoist robe, Li Xun’s heart skipped. Just then someone quietly moved up beside him. He turned and saw it was Ming Ji. The smile had vanished from her face, and the aura around her was drawing inward, tight and coiled. She was clearly on guard.

“That fat guy is off,” she said.

Hearing her say it out loud, something clicked in Li Xun’s head. He got it instantly. That bastard… he thought to himself, eyes narrowing. What the hell is he up to this time?

Way off in the distance, that fat man suddenly twisted his neck around and flashed them a big, toothy grin. Even though he was more than ten li away, everyone present had sharp eyes and ears that it might as well have been right in front of their faces. That smile was ridiculously vivid. Every inch of it. The rolls of fat on his cheeks jiggled and wobbled, up and down, up and down. Weird. And kind of hilarious.

Ling Zhe still hadn’t noticed anything wrong. He clapped his hands and laughed. “Didn’t expect the Boundless Heaven Sect to have someone this delightful!”

And all of sudden, a dull boom echoed through the air. To the utter shock of everyone from the Mingxin Sword Sect, two Boundless Heaven Sect cultivators suddenly went flailing as they dropped down, as if they had completely lost the ability to fly on their artifacts. Just a moment earlier, the fat man’s thick, meaty palm had lifted away from their backs.

The change came far too fast. Dozens of people nearby did not react in time. They could only watch as the fat man reached out again, slapping his palm toward the next unlucky victim, all while glaring furiously and shouting, “You demon from the One-Dou Rice Cult! Give me back my junior brother’s life!”

Li Xun held it in and held it in, but in the end it was hopeless. He turned his face away like Ming Huo and broke into a coughing fit that nearly knocked the wind out of him. Beside him, Ling Ji still had not caught on and cried out in confusion, “The One-Dou Rice Cult?”

The leading immortal master of the Boundless Heaven Sect finally reacted. He spun around in a wide arc and charged forward, riding a howling gale. With a sweep of his sleeve, it was as if the roar of ten thousand galloping horses erupted between heaven and earth. The sound kept rolling outward, louder and farther, with no sign of ever stopping.

A look of shock spread across the fat man’s round face. He stood there gaping at the tidal wave of force rushing toward him. Only when it was almost upon him did he let out a miserable scream. “The Great Boundless Mysterious Primordial Jade Emperor Scripture? You’ve got it wrong! This is all a mistake!”

Amid his miserable screams, the fat man sprang upward like a round ball of flesh, tumbling through the air.

In that split second, who knew how many different lights flashed across his body. They slammed head-on into the roaring tidal wave of primordial qi. And somehow, that insane collision ate away eight or nine tenths of the impact, leaving barely anything behind that could truly harm him.

If the attacker had kept up the assault, then no matter how many tricks the fat man had, he would have been pressed into a losing position, with no chance to turn things around.

But first the fat man had shouted “One-Dou Rice Cult,” and then kept yelling that it was a mistake. With something this bizarre, anyone would stop and think twice.

“I’m Ji Bucuo, the Master-in-waiting of the Four-Empty Thousand Treasures Pavilion! It’s all a misunderstanding, alright?!” the fat man added, after wriggling free.

The Four-Empty Thousand Treasures Pavilion was one of the “Four Oddities” of the Tongxuan Realm. Even with the word “deputy” tacked onto his title, it was more than enough to intimidate the vast majority of people. That included nearly everyone on the Mingxin Sword Sect’s side. High above, the assembled cultivators broke into an uproar, all of them except Li Xun… and Ming Ji.

The two of them noticed something off about the other at the same time. Their eyes met, and Li Xun spoke first. “I’ve seen him once from a distance. He’s a slippery one, but that title of his does seem real.”

Ming Ji gave a small nod. “He once stole the Stabilizing Star off the Gathering Stars Platform of the Xingji Sword Sect. He’s not to be underestimated. This whole farce feels way too fishy. We should stay alert.”

Li Xun acknowledged her quietly and shifted his gaze again. Just in time, he saw two cultivators from the other side swoop down and snatch up their fellow disciple who was about to be smashed into paste. The two men were unconscious, and no one could tell if they were alive or dead. Both sides had stopped fighting and were now talking things out.

By now, Fat Ji had finally dialed back his exaggerated antics. His chubby face had taken on a grave expression, and at a glance he almost looked like the head of a sect.

Even so, it was not enough to intimidate the aggrieved Boundless Heaven Sect. They could not hear what was being said over there, but it was obvious the fat man had lost the upper hand. The leading immortal master from the Boundless Heaven Sect was staring daggers. His eyes like sharpened blades, drilling holes through the guy with murderous intent.

Later on, the fat man reached out and handed over an item, which eased the tension somewhat. What was even stranger was that after their discussion wrapped up, the two of them turned and looked this way at the same time. There was something distinctly unsettling about those looks.

“What are they up to?”

Ling Ji was the youngest among them, and this kind of situation made him nervous. The qi flowing through his body was already stirring, restless and ready to burst out. At any moment, a flying sword might shoot out and strike.

Li Xun glanced at him, about to say something to calm him down, when someone behind them spoke in a low voice. “Don’t worry. They have no justification. The Boundless Heavenly Sect won’t make a move against us.”

The speaker was neither Ming Ji nor Ming Huo. It was Wu Lingquan, the undisputed big brother among the third-generation disciples on this journey. If Li Xun remembered correctly, this was the first time Wu Lingquan had taken the initiative to speak to Ling Ji since Shan Zhi was killed. There was nothing especially striking about what he said, but still… it felt right.

Ling Ji was moved. With a choked “mm,” his eyes were already rimming red. Wu Lingquan did not say anything more after that, but from the looks in Ming Ji’s and Ling Zhe’s eyes, Li Xun could see the same sense of relief and approval. He felt it himself as well.

Of course, he quickly brushed aside such thoughts. Cold-eyed, he watched Fat Ji led a cultivator from the Boundless Heaven Sect floating over. He weighed their intentions and subtly shifted his stance, placing Ming Ji and Ming Huo at the forefront.

While they were still half a li apart, Fat Ji was already cupping his hands from afar and calling out, “Could that be Fairy Ming Ji of the Mingxin Sword Sect ahead of us… hmm, and Fellow Daoist Ming Huo as well, standing there in person?”

Li Xun’s eyebrow twitched. This fat fellow was quite the schemer. Recognizing Ming Ji was one thing, but Ming Huo rarely ever left the mountain. Even when he did, it was usually to walk the mortal world and cultivate outer merit. Very few people in the Tongxuan Realm knew of him.

And yet this guy had identified him at a glance. Just that level of attention to detail alone was enough to make you look at him in a new light.

Up ahead, Ming Ji and Ming Huo exchanged a glance, clearly surprised themselves, but they still returned the greeting with courtesy. Besides greeting Fat Ji, they also properly acknowledged the Infinite Boundless Sect cultivator. It took Li Xun a second to place him. He was Miaochang Zhenren, the Commanding Immortal of the Boundless Heavenly Sect, the one in charge of the sect’s punishments and disciplinary laws.

Miaochang absolutely lived up to his title. Dark face, cold stare, thick eyebrows and thin lips. His look was sharp and intimidating.

Even so, everyone on this side could tell that beneath that stern face, there was a trace of awkwardness, as though he was not quite sure how to begin.

As usual, the fatty was the one with the thickest skin. He sidled right up, grinning from ear to ear. “Sorry about that, really,” he said breezily. “Total misunderstanding just now. A couple days ago, one of my junior brothers was killed by a demon cultivator from the One-Dou Rice Cult. I chased the bastard all the way, but he pulled a vanishing act and slipped away. I went after him again with my head full of steam and ended up mistaking the wrong people. Good thing it didn’t turn into a disaster!”

Miaochang, standing to the side, snorted angrily. “Two disciples of my sect had their meridians sealed by your vicious magical artifact. Their cultivation is completely ruined, and you call that not a disaster?”

The fatty scratched his head and laughed. “That’s hardly incurable, so of course it’s not a disaster. Once we reach the Water Mirror Sect, I’ll return both of your disciples safe and sound. At most, I’ll even pour them some tea and apologize properly. How about that?”

He sounded humble enough, but Miaochang found himself speechless for a moment. The fatty made it sound nice, but with his status as a sect master, personally pouring tea and admitting fault to two third-generation disciples, those two poor fellows would never be able to hold their heads up again.

Miaochang fell silent. The fatty, meanwhile, acted like nothing had happened. He turned his head with another big grin. “Those two were restrained by a new treasure I picked up called Soul-Binding Thread. Unfortunately, it was treated with a bit of poison. I don’t have the antidote on hand, so I can only suppress it for now. That’s why I was hoping to ask your honored sect for a few Clear Void Pills to use. Would that be all right?”

This time Li Xun was genuinely puzzled. Clear Void Pills were nothing more than standard sect medicine, used to dispel evil influences and purge poison. They were a far cry from any famous miracle pill of this realm. Not to mention the Thousand Treasures Pavilion, even the Boundless Heavenly Sect should have had something similar. Why go out of the way to ask others?

Ming Ji was probably thinking the same thing. Still, something so simple was hardly worth refusing. She nodded, first adding mildly, “The medicinal strength is quite limited. It may not do much.” Then she turned back toward Li Xun and began, “Do you happen to have any…” She paused as a thoughtful look flickered through her eyes. After a brief hesitation, she turned instead to Ling Ji. “You brought Clear Void Pills with you, didn’t you? Take out a bottle.”

Li Xun blinked, something clicking into place in his head. Right on cue, Ling Ji fished out the bottle of Clear Void Pills and passed it to Ming Ji. Ming Ji gave Fat Ji a glance but didn’t pass it to him. She stepped forward and put the bottle into Miaochang’s palm.

Whatever bad blood there was between the two sects got shoved aside for the moment. Miaochang cupped his hands in a proper salute, though his eyes flicked toward the fatty.

Fatty Ji burst out laughing. “With this pill, and one more Detoxifying Pill from the Mystic Cycle Sect, the medicine can be combined. Much appreciated, truly, much appreciated.”

He grabbed Miaochang and started flying back. Looked like the matter was finally wrapping up. Except they had gone a few dozen yards when the fatty clapped his hands and let out an “oh” of sudden realization. “Look at my memory. Wasn’t that over there…”

He abruptly turned around. His gaze locked on Li Xun, who was standing behind Ming Ji.

Meeting the crafty fat man’s stare, Li Xun finally reached his conclusion. A cold laugh echoed in his mind, but his face stayed blank. Secretly, he started circulating his qi, all while watching the fat man perform with a cold eye.

After a moment of exaggerated shock, the fat man started dancing with excitement. “Honestly, what’s wrong with my brain? Daoist friend Miaochang, why go the long way around when the simplest solution is right in front of us? That one, that one right there. Isn’t he the rising star who trapped and killed the Skyhawk Demon King three years ago? Spirit Bamboo himself?”

The moment the words left his mouth, every pair of eyes turned toward Li Xun.