Chapter 85: Mercy of the Strong, Meeting

Chapter 85: Mercy of the Strong, Meeting

Xiao Hong took a deep breath and let it out. ‘... Fuck it. There is no point. That bitch Goddess of Fortune is definitely out to get me.’

‘More importantly,’ she eyed the nervous pair of Tengs. ‘What should I do about them?’

Leaving them free was a gamble, a potential powder keg waiting to explode. So, it was definitely impossible for her to simply let them go. There was almost no doubt they would bring even more trouble on her head.

It was their duty to inform their superiors about an overpowered Immortal Cultivator suddenly popping up in their territory. Were she in their situation, she would absolutely complain to her Senior Brothers and Sisters or Elders - and she would, without the slightest hint of doubt, add a few dozen embellishments to the story to make them suffer more.

Therefore, she held no illusions that they would help her keep her presence here a secret.

Then, what should she do?

It was obvious - eliminate them.

It was the logical solution - a cold calculation for survival.

Life was precious, yes. There was no doubt about that. However, Xiao Hong valued her own life far above those of these two not-very-nice people.

She wanted to experience this wonderfully brilliant life longer. Much, much longer - preferably an Eternity. So, her life and well-being were paramount! And anything that could threaten her life or happiness should be eradicated!

And she could easily justify the whole thing, too. If she were the weaker party, her fate would definitely not be positive. By the moral standards of this world, she would be completely in the right! It was them who provoked her first! They were the first to bear malintent. It was already a great mercy on her part to let them live as long as they had!

Yet...

She decided not to.

Why?

‘I don’t want to.’

It was as simple as that.

She did not desire to take their lives. Xiao Hong knew that she had taken many lives. And would continue to, without a single doubt.

But.

If she could help it.

If there was a sliver of a possibility, she would refrain from taking lives.

These two men before her could put her in immense, life-threatening danger. But they were also duty-bound to inform their superiors of her presence. They were not guilty of much, in her view. Yes, they had attempted to take over the Yun Family, threatening their positions as the top three forces of this city.

But that was about it.

They said it themselves - they feared the Yun Family’s Main branch - so it was unlikely that they would allow much harm to the members of the Yun Family. Plus, Xiao Hong did not truly care for the Yuns. She cared for Yun Hua because of the goodwill she had shown her when she was at her weakest - even if it was quite unnecessary.

She glanced at the two Tengs who were incidentally, also staring at her, fear practically oozing out of their skin, with a slight flicker of hope that dwindled the longer she remained silent. It was as if they were awaiting their judgement of the Death God... which might as well be true.

Xiao Hong took a deep breath. This time, she was the stronger party. Overwhelmingly so. Her backing - the Purple Spirit Sect was even stronger. And that gave her options.

She could afford to be merciful.

A strange grin carved itself on her face, causing the two Tengs to quake in their boots - were they finally going to die?!

***

“Hoooof~!” Xiao Hong let out a satisfied sigh and wiped away the non-existent sweat on her forehead. Gazing upon her handiwork, a great sense of accomplishment filled her chest.

A huge smile appeared on her lips. ‘This is, perhaps, my greatest masterpiece!’

“Aaaaaaargh!!! Nooo! Please don’t do this!!”

Nothing seemed to happen for a moment.

Just as Xiao Hong opened her mouth to say something, the teacup shook. Then, it slowly floated up, wobbling.

‘What the fuck?! Is that a Telekinesis-type Divine Ability?!’ Xiao Hong was stunned! ‘How in the tattered underpants of the King of Hell is there another wielder of Divine Ability here?!’

She cursed inwardly with a vehemence that could have shaken the very heavens! ‘You’re a Starter Village, dammit! Stop pulling random late-game abilities out of your backwater ass!’

Crash!

The abrupt sound of porcelain snapped Xiao Hong out of her shock.

“I-I-I am sorry Great Immortal!” The young woman bowed her head, almost kowtowing in the spot. “I did not mean to-”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Xiao Hong waved it away casually. Instead, she looked at this young woman named ‘Huang Zhixin’ with great interest. She had never expected that the beauty she spotted would really have talent in Immortal Cultivation. What a dang coincidence!

She extended her arm across the table and asked gently, “Can you give me your wrist?”

Huang Zhixin nodded hesitantly and stretched out her arm once again.

Taking the slender wrist into her hand, Xiao Hong placed her index and middle finger over the pulse points and sent a strand of Qi into her wrist.

Immediately, a frown came over her face. ‘What the...? What’s up with this abnormal resistance?’ As soon as she had sent the strand of Qi into the other party’s wrist, it rebounded - like a ball bouncing off a wall.

‘Interesting. What if I sent a stronger pulse of Qi?’ She gathered another strand of Qi - this time it was much more powerful than before. An ordinary mortal might actually suffer injuries if she drove this Qi into their bodies.

Yet, the result was the same!

Xiao Hong’s frown deepened and she repeated the process again and again, continuously strengthening her Qi.

‘Such powerful resistance to Qi. It's almost like...’ Her eyes narrowed. She let go of Huang Zhixin’s wrist.

“Ah, Mr. Yun, could you step out for a bit? There are a few things that I need to check and, erm,” she turned to Yun Cheng and smiled apologetically, “requires a bit of privacy.”

“Eh? Ah! Yes, of course!” Yun Cheng was startled and answered somewhat awkwardly.

He hastily got to his feet and said with a respectful salute, “Ahem, I shall return to my courtyard. Please feel free to call for me, should you need my assistance.”

“Of course, and thank you, Mr. Yun. Please accept this as a token of appreciation for your hospitality.” Xiao Hong also stood up and handed over a bottle of pills.

“Ah, no, no, no. This is too precious!”

“Not at all, Mr. Yun. It is hardly worth anything compared to our friendship.”

After a few more lines of polite nonsense, Xiao Hong sent him away.

Then, the polite smile slipped off her face.

Woom!

With a single stomp of her foot a massive, transparent dome covered the courtyard. It rose, encasing the entire courtyard in an impenetrable veil, effectively cutting them off from the prying eyes of any curious outsiders.

Boom!

A massive aura, like a tidal wave of pure power, exploded with Xiao Hong as the epicentre. It surged outwards with tremendous might, flattening the surrounding grass in waves! The very air seemed to crackle as if they were in the midst of an impending thunderstorm.

A shroud of Qi materialised around her in a vibrant red cloak. It thrummed with power, ready to be fashioned into whatever form of death she wished to bring upon her opponent.

With a gaze colder than the chilliest winter, she stared at ‘Huang Zhixin’.

“Who are you?”