Chapter 23

"Stop right there!"

Contrary to his wishes, just as the two parties passed each other, Qiu Qianhua on the opposite side of the street, with his keen eyes, spotted his presence and immediately led the group through the crowd to come over.

"Like I’d stop!"

Li Chen cursed in his heart, and without hesitation, he took off running. His sudden sprint made Qiu Qianhua and his group slightly stunned, but they quickly regained their senses and began to chase after him.

In an instant, the entire street was in chaos, with people falling and curses flying.

Whoosh!

The sound of his clothes flapping, Li Chen pushed the Youfeng Step to its limit, weaving through the crowd as if he were back in the jungle. Only a few of Qiu Qianhua’s fellow disciples could keep up, while the rest charged through the crowd, angering many martial artists.

As martial artists, none of them lacked a temper. Although they were in large numbers, they were all young, with the highest being at the Eighth Layer of Inner Breath.

Moreover, these independent martial artists had some discernment. They recognized that these might be the offspring of some family, so they had been tolerating them. Now, being so rudely pushed, they were not about to let it go.

In a moment, many independent martial artists gathered, having been bullied by these family forces many times before. The tension between the two sides had reached a breaking point.

"Quick, chase him! He has a treasure!"

Just as a conflict was about to break out, Yang Rongfeng, who was leading the chase, suddenly shouted.

The martial artists who were about to attack all paused, but then silently changed direction and pursued Li Chen, their eyes glowing with terrifying light.

For them, nothing was more tempting than a treasure.

"Damn it!"

Li Chen, who was running, naturally heard the shout. He was furious but dared not turn back to explain.

Firstly, he had already seen the greed of these martial artists, and secondly, he did indeed have a treasure, the monkey wine from the Monkey Valley.

The people in front did not understand the situation, and as Li Chen darted past, they only realized what was happening when they caught up, and immediately joined the chase.

Looking around, the entire street was in chaos as the many martial artists chasing Li Chen knocked over stalls and trampled many ordinary people.

The cries of pain filled his ears, and Li Chen’s eyes blazed with anger, but he knew he couldn’t stop, or he would be killed outright.

Even if these martial artists later discovered it was a misunderstanding, no one would speak up for him. He could only blame his bad luck, the sorrow of the weak.

At this moment, the desire to become strong, which had been suppressed in Li Chen’s heart, was reignited.

Relying on his powerful physique and peak Sixth Layer cultivation, he continuously overtook the martial artists trying to block him, with the city gate just a few dozen meters away.

Whoosh!

A figure moved at an incredible speed, swooping down on Li Chen like a great bird spreading its wings.

"An expert!"

Li Chen was greatly alarmed. This speed was something he had rarely seen. Without time to think, he rolled forward.

Rip!

The sound of tearing fabric, Li Chen felt a tightness in his shoulder, followed by a sudden lightness. The backpack hidden under his cloak had been forcibly torn away.

Knowing he was no match for the attacker, Li Chen, ignoring the burning pain in his shoulder, rolled and crawled, using his small frame to dart into the crowd, catching a quick glimpse of the attacker.

Dressed in purple, with a graceful figure, he looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a long sword at his waist, clearly the attire of an inner disciple of the Xuan Yun Sect.

From the moment the attacker struck, Li Chen knew that the target was not the backpack but his life. Otherwise, with the attacker’s speed, if he had missed, the force would have grabbed his neck.

Given the strength of the backpack, which was torn apart, it was clear that a human neck would have been even more vulnerable.

The young man merely glanced at him disdainfully, then called over several other blue-clad Xuan Yun Sect disciples, calmly examining Li Chen’s backpack.

The martial artists who had been chasing him recognized the attire of the Xuan Yun Sect, which was renowned for its power over thousands of miles. More importantly, these inner disciples were all at the Seventh Layer or higher, not to be trifled with.

Though they wanted a share, no one dared to step forward.

"Hey, where’s that little thief?"

Qiu Qianhua, out of breath, called out.

"Ha ha, I am Zhang Chulong, an inner disciple of the Xuan Yun Sect. These are my fellow disciples. May I ask for your name, Miss?"

Zhang Chulong smiled and turned the backpack upside down.

A clatter of items fell to the ground, mostly mid-First Rank spirit medicines and demon cores.

"Hmph!"

Qiu Qianhua snorted, about to react, but was stopped by someone.

"I have heard that the Xuan Yun Sect’s four inner courts are filled with talented individuals. Could you be the top disciple of the Southern Court, Mr. Zhang?"

A robust young man, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, bowed.

"Not at all, I am just one of the Southern Court’s disciples, and I dare not claim to be the top!"

Zhang Chulong waved his hand, though his face betrayed a hint of pride.

"Indeed, it is you, Mr. Zhang. I am Qiu Qianzheng of Songyang City, and this is my sister, Qiu Qianhua. My elder brother, Qiu Qianyi, is a disciple of the Xuan Yun Sect. I believe you know him?"

Qiu Qianzheng smiled.

"Qiu Qianyi? Ranked fifth among the elite disciples!"

Zhang Chulong’s eyes narrowed, then he stepped forward with delight, "Ha ha, so we are family. What brings you here?"

"Alas, half a month ago, my junior brother took my sister to train in the Ancient Cang Mountain, but they were ambushed by a villain. That person fled when the situation turned bad, and it must have been him!"

Qiu Qianzheng sighed.

"Hmph, what a bold thief. Unfortunately, I was lenient and did not take his life. If I had known, I would have captured him and left him to your disposal, Miss Qiu!"

Zhang Chulong’s face darkened, then he smiled at Qiu Qianhua.

"Let’s not talk about these unpleasant matters. Come, let’s find a place to drink!"

Qiu Qianzheng waved his hand, enthusiastically grabbing Zhang Chulong to leave.

"Alright! Wait a moment, Brother Qiu!"

Zhang Chulong nodded, then turned and picked up a bamboo tube from the ground, followed by a black key. He then bowed to the crowd, "Everyone, I have a fondness for alcohol. I will take this wine, but as for the other items, you have all worked hard in the chase, so feel free to divide them!"

"Good! Good!"

"Mr. Zhang is truly righteous!"

"Truly worthy of being from a prestigious sect!"

The crowd applauded. These martial artists, who lived on the edge, had keen eyes. They could see that the items on the ground were numerous, and though there were no outstanding treasures, most were very useful to them.

More importantly, Zhang Chulong handled the situation with great skill, showing no sign of bullying, and his demeanor earned him the admiration of the crowd.

Zhang Chulong and Qiu Qianzheng’s group left together. Among them, Qiu Qianhua’s eyes occasionally flickered, her face tinged with a blush, and her beautiful eyes sparkled.

Which young girl does not dream of love?

This scene did not escape the notice of her fellow disciples, who, despite their reluctance, could not compare to the charismatic Zhang Chulong.

Even Zhang Rongfeng, who was about the same age, felt inferior, let alone the others.