Anyone who could work as a storyteller in a place like this and blatantly recount the gossip and amusing anecdotes of major sects was certainly no nobody.
With a lean face, white hair and beard, and bright, piercing eyes, the storyteller leaped on the spot, spun gracefully in the air to effortlessly dodge a surge of sword qi, and looked at the newcomer with a smile. "Why must Daoist friend attack me?"
Li Li and the others followed the trajectory of the sword qi and saw a figure both unexpected and entirely within reason.
Lou Fengyin, a core disciple of the Dichen Sect and one of the five protagonists.
Sitting below, Li Li watched this former senior brother with a detached air of indifference.
The notion of him crying and embracing her corpse every night was undoubtedly false; after all, she was still very much alive, sitting here watching the show, so where would a corpse come from? It seemed the sect had discovered Yousong's true identity and simply fabricated an ending for her.
Lou Fengyin's condition was indeed poor. The once gentle and refined young master now had bloodshot eyes, a crooked hair crown, and an aura of decadence so heavy it felt almost tangible.
Pointing his sword at the storyteller, his voice was hoarse and gloomy: "You spout nonsense, distort the facts, and ruin Ah Li's pristine reputation. Today, I shall avenge Junior Sister by killing you, gossiping wretch."
His current cultivation was at the Ninth Layer of Deity Transformation, merely a step away from entering the Void Refinement stage. Fearing they would be caught in the crossfire, the onlookers below quickly relocated.
Yu Zhaozhao grabbed a handful of melon seeds and pulled Li Li down to squat behind a small stall.
The two stood at daggers drawn, their overwhelming pressure unleashed to the fullest until the air grew thick and congealed.
The crowd stared with blazing eyes, attempting to observe a master-level duel.
The sword qi forming in Lou Fengyin's hand was ruthlessly shattered the moment it took shape.
The city guards of Star Sinking City arrived at the noise, their leader flicking away Jiangjue from Lou Fengyin's grip with a single stroke of a sword. The leader rebuked sternly: "Nonsense! Is this a place for you to run amok? Tie them all up and bring them to the Law Enforcement Hall."
The storyteller stretched lazily, raised an eyebrow at the leader Gong Xiuzhu, and said in a bantering tone: "Ah, it's my nephew's turn on duty today. It was this uncle's fault; next time I'll bring you a pot of plum wine to make amends, alright?"
As she spoke, her figure and appearance underwent a heaven-shaking transformation. Her originally aged skin became supple and fair, her slightly hunched silhouette turned alluringly curvaceous, and a cascade of dark hair was casually and loosely secured by a single jade hairpin.
The cultivators nearby, who had been squatting and cracking melon seeds just like the others, instantly lit up with excitement and shouted at the top of their lungs: "It's Elder Ran of the Quanzhan Sect."
The crowd stirred into a commotion.
Ran Xinran cast a flirtatious glance at the people below, her tone devil-may-care: "Thank you all for your support today. Tonight, I will continue the story of the Dichen Sect's junior sister in the Tongguang Mirror, so remember to come watch."
With that, she turned to leave, only to be blocked by an outstretched arm. Ran Xinran raised her head with a helpless expression. "What is Nephew Gong doing?"
Gong Xiuzhu had rugged facial features and was teasingly nicknamed the iron-faced and impartial old hen. With a cold face, he ordered the guards behind him to tie up Lou Fengyin and Ran Xinran and take them away.
Ran Xinran squeezed out a stiff smile. "Can't you show some flexibility? I am your uncle, an elder of the Quanzhan Sect, and furthermore, the public face of Star Sinking City."
"Since you know you are the public face, Elder Ran, I must ask you not to knowingly commit offenses!"
An utterly unyielding old hen! Ran Xinran was bound in defeat, during which she shot a vicious glare at Lou Fengyin, who was still staring blankly at his natal sword.
"A good-for-nothing man who only thinks of the toilet paper's worth when it's time to wipe his own backside! Lou Fengyin, you just wait for me!"
There were quite a few Quanzhan Sect disciples present. Hearing their own elder utter such vulgar words, they blushed fiercely and scurried away from the scene with hunched backs.
The once bustling teahouse instantly grew deserted.
Having enjoyed enough of the spectacle, Yu Zhaozhao contentedly patted the melon seed shells from her clothes.
"Oh right, what was that Tongguang Mirror that the gorgeous Ran-whatever mentioned just now?"
Li Li shifted her gaze away from Lou Fengyin's natal sword and explained with careless indifference: "It's a communication magical artifact that transmits images synchronously through a certain medium. She tells stories to many people through the Tongguang Mirror, and then helps Star Sinking City sell some talismans, magical artifacts, and pills. She's a well-known figure throughout the cultivation world."
In modern terms, she was a livestreaming influencer who performed talents and sold products on the side.
"Then do you know the story of the Dichen Sect's pentagonal love affair?"
Li Li walked on without stopping, unwilling to speak, but Yu Zhaozhao kept chattering away relentlessly. "How do you know so many things about the Qintian Realm? Are you actually from around here?"
"I am not from here."
To be precise, she wasn't from this world at all.
While chatting, the two returned to the Hehuan Sect's contingent.
Li Lixin had changed into a set of water-blue brocade ceremonial robes traced with gold thread, the silver borders of ice-silkworm silk fluttering around him, giving him an ethereal and graceful bearing.
He cast a seemingly casual glance at Li Li and the other, his voice carrying no discernible emotion: "Do not wander away from the group without reason. The Lingnan Secret Realm is about to open. Once you enter, if you encounter danger, crush your identification token, and the elders of the Hehuan Sect and I will go in to rescue you."
The other elders also gave anxious instructions: "The secret realm is fraught with danger. Disciples with lower cultivation must act together with inner sect disciples and not bite off more than you can chew. It doesn't matter if you fail to complete the sect missions; your lives are what's important."
The Hehuan Sect had a total of 210 disciples participating in the secret realm this time. These people chorused their assent, their voices booming like a great bell, deafening and completely drowning out the sounds from the other sects.
From somewhere within the crowd came a cold snort: "A heterodox demon sect, where do they get the face to show off like this?"
"You're wrong about that. Look at them, they're quite proud of themselves."
Once someone started, the questioning and mocking voices swelled, brimming with extreme arrogance and provocation.
The Hehuan Sect disciples clenched their fists. Since ancient times, their sect had faced immense criticism, and by all rights, they should have been long used to it—at worst, they could endure until they entered the secret realm and exacted their revenge.
"Look at the pretty boy leading them in front. Who knows how many times he had to sell himself to reach his current cultivation level, hahahahaha."
Unable to tolerate it any longer, the Hehuan Sect members angrily drew their natal magical artifacts.
Anyone daring to hurl such insults at the young master truly deserved to die.
Li Li's previously closed eyes snapped open, instantly locking onto the person who had spoken.
It was someone from the Dichen Sect, looking somewhat familiar; he must have been an insignificant outer sect disciple.
The team leaders were two elders of the Law Enforcement Hall and Shan Bai, the peak master of the Third Peak. Since Lou Fengyin had not yet been released by the Quanzhan Sect, Liu Qing was the only one standing at the very front. Hearing that the person who spoke came from her own sect, she furrowed her brows and looked disapprovingly at the crowd.
Yet that person remained oblivious to the fact that he had been exposed, the corners of his mouth curling up as he prepared to hurl another round of taunts.
A chilling glint flashed in the depths of Li Li's eyes, and Yu Linglang's Flowing Cloud Brocade was flicked out. The feather-thin crimson brocade instantly split into millions of fine threads to bind the man, burrowing into his meridians with lightning speed, pulling out raw flesh alongside crimson, throbbing blood vessels.
The speed was so astonishing that even Shan Bai failed to react in time. However, as a senior, it would not do for her to openly attack Li Li in public, so she could only pressure Li Lixin instead: "Young Master Li had better give me an explanation!"
Li Lixin lowered his eyelids, and after a long moment, a faint smile surfaced on his lips. In a remarkably pleasant mood, he shielded Li Li behind him, but the words that followed next practically ground the Dichen Sect's dignity into the dirt beneath their feet.