Chapter 771 - 692: Ascend to the Peak 91
When Shuangshuang saw Liang Ziqian and Hua Qingcheng, Hua Qingcheng and Liang Ziqian also noticed Shuangshuang. Upon seeing Shuangshuang for the first time, Hua Qingcheng’s beautiful face instinctively showed a strong sense of vigilance, while Liang Ziqian’s expression was somewhat dazed as he looked at Shuangshuang.
However, before Liang Ziqian and Hua Qingcheng could react, the strong man who had crashed through the wall into a human-shaped hole stood up, took a few steps forward, and kicked the wall, widening the human-shaped hole into a huge opening. Without saying a word, he took an axe from his storage bag and charged at Liang Ziqian.
Looking at the aura on Liang Ziqian, Shuangshuang noted that his cultivation wasn’t bad, and he seemed to be close to reaching the Martial King level. Although his progression speed wasn’t as fast as hers, it was still quite rapid. Hua Qingcheng, on the other hand, had cultivation at only the level of a Great Martial Artist’s perfection for some reason.
In the past life, although Hua Qingcheng’s talent did not match the rare genius of Liang Ziqian, she was not inferior to Tan Feiyu. Surprisingly, her current cultivation had fallen behind so much that even Tan Feiyu surpassed her.
Tan Feiyu’s current General Level was because he spent time in his youth cultivating the Triple Revolve Body Molding Technique. Otherwise, he should have at least reached the perfect Martial General by now.
With the same talent and without having cultivated the Triple Revolve Body Molding Technique, Hua Qingcheng was still only a Great Martial Artist’s perfection, clearly showing she must have neglected her cultivation. The reason for this neglect was evident from how she was worried about Liang Ziqian.
Liang Ziqian and Hua Qingcheng seemed to be traveling alone, with no helpers around them, but the fight against Liang Ziqian involved more than just the axe-wielding strong man. Several other sturdy men who appeared to be with the strong man also rushed forward with weapons and began attacking Liang Ziqian and Hua Qingcheng.
Shuangshuang had no intention of meddling and wasn’t particularly curious; she only felt pity for the signature dishes that the strong man had knocked over, covering them with dust, making them inedible.
However, Lu Tianyi displayed his talent for gathering information, pulling aside a waiter and quickly finding out the whole story in a few words. He then came back to recount it to everyone.
The incident originated from Hua Qingcheng’s famed captivating beauty. The strong man was a well-known mercenary leader at the border, and the other men were his subordinates.
On arriving at the border, Liang Ziqian and Hua Qingcheng were immediately noticed by the strong man for Hua Qingcheng’s beauty. Liang Ziqian’s cultivation was similar to the strong man’s, but Hua Qingcheng’s was much lower, while the strong man’s subordinates were quite capable.
The locals at the border were tough and close to another country, so they didn’t care much about the Five Great Sects whose names would cause anyone to retreat, because even if they offended disciples from the Five Great Sects, they could quickly flee to another country.
Once in another land, the Five Great Sects of Baiyue Country couldn’t reach them. Hence, border folks preferred a world where the strong ruled. Not only did sects not intimidate them, but they dared to provoke even the Imperial Family if pushed too far.
In such circumstances, upon spotting Hua Qingcheng, the strong man didn’t care about her and Liang Ziqian’s origins; he brazenly demanded that Hua Qingcheng leave this "pretty boy" and be with him.
To show his wealth and promise a good life with him, the strong man emptied a bag full of mid-grade spirit stones, forming a small pile on the ground for Hua Qingcheng to see, indicating they were hers if she joined him, trying to win over her heart.
But the ordinary-looking strong man was far from Hua Qingcheng’s taste. Though a bag of mid-grade spirit stones was a fortune, Hua Qingcheng was proud and couldn’t tolerate such insults or being flirted with so brazenly.
Seeing the pile of mid-grade spirit stones on the ground, Hua Qingcheng was instantly furious. She slammed the table, cursed the strong man until his face turned red with rage, and kicked over the pile of spirit stones, then flipped the table.
This infuriated the strong man, who was a border bully and had a reputation for harassment. Though he typically had to resort to spending spirit stones on women, he would usually not persist if refused.
Therefore, although his mercenary team had a bad reputation, it wasn’t considered irredeemable, and they hadn’t attracted the Border City Lord Mansion’s attention for a sweep; besides, his team’s fighting prowess was strong, and no one dared to provoke them under normal circumstances.
This time, having targeted Hua Qingcheng, the strong man tried his usual tactic of flaunting spirit stones. If Hua Qingcheng had firmly refused and mentioned she was from the Bishui Sect, coupled with Liang Ziqian’s not weak strength, the strong man might not have dared to pursue them, had he been calm.
But with Hua Qingcheng going straight to a fierce argument, cursing the strong man to fury, and then trying to use the Bishui Sect to intimidate him when he was already enraged, the strong man couldn’t endure it.
Border people were inherently hotheaded, impulsive, and wouldn’t hesitate to take drastic actions over small matters, especially when provoked to the extreme like in Hua Qingcheng’s case.
Hua Qingcheng’s attempt to use the Bishui Sect as a threat was the last straw that broke the camel’s back, directly igniting the strong man’s fury, causing him to act, intending to teach Hua Qingcheng a lesson and tear apart her maddening mouth!
In his fiery rage, the strong man forgot about Liang Ziqian. Before he reached Hua Qingcheng, Liang Ziqian kicked him into Shuangshuang’s adjacent private room, and the subsequent events were as Shuangshuang had witnessed, with the strong man and his subordinates attacking Liang Ziqian and Hua Qingcheng together.
Watching the struggle of Liang Ziqian and Hua Qingcheng, Shuangshuang, although reluctant to interfere, was thoroughly disgusted by Hua Qingcheng’s defensive demeanor toward her, as if she were after Liang Ziqian at any moment.
However, seeing Liang Ziqian in such a perilous situation, Shuangshuang couldn’t really ignore it. The relations among the Five Great Sects, though not close-knit, were harmonious, for any discord among them could lead to disaster, which wouldn’t bode well for the future of both the sects and the country.
The interests of sects and the country were aligned; their enemies were foreign nations and other foreign sects, with humanity’s common enemy being the Demon Clan. Thus, historically, major sects within the same country have always maintained close relations.
Whenever a disciple of any sect travels, if they encounter disciples from other sects in danger, they must lend a hand. Therefore, regardless of whether Shuangshuang was willing, she couldn’t watch Liang Ziqian and Hua Qingcheng fall into danger without stepping in.