Inside Bright Moon Tower, opposite Drunken Fragrance Garden, sat Qin Lie, Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian, and Kang Zhi beside the window.
Bright Moon Tower was also a famous brothel in Icestone City, and it was situated just at the opposite end of Drunken Fragrance Garden. But its fame and level of luxury was a tad inferior to Drunken Fragrance Garden.
Originally, Tu Ze had also booked a spot in Drunken Fragrance Garden, but because Liu Yuntao had risen in power and booked the entire place, Drunken Fragrance Garden’s boss had one-sidedly cancelled Tu Ze’s reservation.
“Dammit, that old dog is another one of those snobby bastards!” Kang Zhi cursed, “When we went to Drunken Fragrance Garden in the past, that old dog would always fawn up to us and was terrified of slighting us in any way. Now that you and the Pavilion Master are leaving and my father did not succeed the Pavilion Master’s position, that old dog immediately changed his attitude and actually cancelled our reservation!”
“A businessman has to be realistic. Actually, never mind, let’s all take it easy.” Tu Ze drank quietly as he stared at the brightly lit Drunken Fragrance Garden.
Across the street, they could see faint outline of Du Haitian in high spirits through the window. They were boisterously talking with each other and clinking cups over and over again with the Elders of Crimson Flame Association and Water Moon Sect.
“Qin Lie, you must be more careful tomorrow,” Zhuo Qian told him again and again.
Qin Lie kept his head bowed and sipped at his wine with a terribly preoccupied look. He only nodded slightly in response when he heard her words.
“Kang Zhi, are you sure the information you acquired is correct?” he suddenly asked as he remembered something and lifted his head.
“Qin Lie, why do you want to know where the Du family members live?” Kang Zhi appeared doubtful. “Naturally my information is correct. Du Jiaolan and Du Fei cannot enter Nebula Pavilion, and they are at the locations I’ve told you. But what does it have to do with you? Can it be you want to take revenge against these two? Do you really think Du Haitian can’t kill you?”
“Qin Lie, you must not be rash! If you dare to act against Du Jiaolan and Du Fei, Du Haitian will definitely leads his hall masters and subordinates to exterminate you!” Tu Ze’s expression was heavy. “Right now Du Haitian is at his most powerful. You must not provoke him or all that will remain for you is death.”
“Yeah, you must not be impulsive at this time. You must hold it down!” Zhuo Qian exclaimed.
“Even I’m holding back when my father’s about to be unseated. You have to hold yourself back too!” Kang Zhi said.
Han Feng and the others also threw their own arguments into the mix so he wouldn’t act impulsive to avoid giving Du Haitian the opportunity to kill him straight away.
“Senior Sister Lu, why haven’t you eaten anything? Do you not like the dishes? Should I switch out a table for you?” At Drunken Fragrance Garden in another VIP room beside the window, Li Zhongzheng and a few youths from Seven Fiends Valley were also drinking around a table. Li Zhongzheng looked towards Lu Li sitting by the window and had asked that flatteringly.
Lu Li’s expression was cool. She did not open her eyes to look at Li Zhongzheng. Instead, she just coolly said, “Remember to wait by the city gates the first thing tomorrow. The Ling Family clansmen should have rushed there quite early. This is also the only thing you can do for Junior Sister Ling.”
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister Lu. I will make sure to properly carry everything out and safely deliver the Ling Family clansmen to Seven Fiends Valley’s domain,” Li Zhongzheng promised with a smile. “By the way, thank you for your reminder, Senior Sister Lu. I could not have figured out a way to please Junior Sister Ling otherwise. Hehe, after this matter is done, Junior Sister Ling should treat me seriously from now on.”
With a cold face Lu Li nodded, “At least you’re slightly more useful than that Qin Lie.”
“Qin Lie?” Li Zhongzheng snorted once. “What is he? How can he possibly compare to me? Such a pitiful character would never be able enter a Black Iron rank power in his lifetime. What can he give to Junior Sister Ling?”
“He certainly is nothing,” Lu Li muttered.
“Haha, I guess this is it for the day. I have something else to do later, so I’ll have to take my leave.” At the front entrance of Drunken Fragrance Garden, Du Haitian said apologetically to Ge Hong and Luo Wei, “Tomorrow, if you all are still here tomorrow, then I will definitely lay down everything and drink with you all until we pass out.”
Liu Ting, Du Heng, and Wei Li were accompanying the other juniors, Xiong Ba and Na Nuo, inside another Drunken Fragrance Garden VIP room.
Seeing that Du Haitian was about to leave, Liu Ting and the other had also gathered around the window and looked down at the streets.
“Vice Pavilion Master Du is planning to receive new instructions from the First Hall Master while Shattered Ice Manor’s Yan Wenyan is at Nebula Pavilion, am I right?” Crimson Flame Association’s Ge Hong said with a look of envy and understanding, “We will surely not delay Vice Pavilion Master Du’s matters any longer. Today has been a very enjoyable day. Crimson Flame Association would like to communicate with Nebula Pavilion more frequently in the future.”
“That is true.” Water Moon Sect’s Luo Wei also smiled and nodded. “Pavilion Master Liu and Vice Pavilion Master Du’s future will be bright under the First Hall Master’s guidance.”
“You flatter me.” Du Haitian joined his hands in a thanks. Then, he stepped onto the street with his tens of subordinates and was about to leave for Nebula Pavilion.
“Will you look at his complacent look?” Kang Zhi scowled, “Despicable scumbag! To think he used Elder Chu Yan’s sacrifice and the Ling Family’s tragic deaths to acquire his achievements. One day he will be met with retribution.”
“That will be in the future. At the very least, no one can touch him at the moment,” Zhuo Qian said helplessly.
“I would like to try!”
It was at this moment, Qin Lie, who had been drinking quietly and only seldomly interrupted, had abruptly stood up.
A sharp aura abruptly burst forth from Qin Lie’s body, causing surprised expressions to appear on Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian, and Kang Zhi’s faces.
While they were stunned, Qin Lie flew over the table, went through the window, and abruptly landed on the street.
“Bang!”
His figure stabbed the center of the street like a straight spear, directly blocking Du Haitian and the others’ path. He vehemently yelled out, “Du Haitian, I, Qin Lie, challenge you to a fight!”
The windows of both Drunken Fragrance Garden and Bright Moon Tower abruptly opened all at once. Heads popped into the open from the second and third floors’ windowsills.
Lu Li, Li Zhongzheng, Liu Ting, Xiong Ba, Na Nuo, Ge Hong, Luo Wei, Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian…
Everyone had gathered at the windows on both sides, looking absolutely shocked under the bright red lanterns and moonlight as they saw Qin Lie standing at the center of the street.
“Qin Lie!”
“What are you doing Qin Lie?”
“What the hell are you doing?”
“This kid has gone insane, hasn’t he? Why is he challenging Vice Pavilion Master Du?”
“It seems that the clansmen from Ling Town and his friends are among the people Vice Pavilion Master Du had sacrificed… Who knows? I also heard it from someone else.”
“What realm is he to dare challenge the middle stage Natal Opening Realm’s Du Haitian? Does he know how the word death is written?”
Loud noises abruptly exploded from the restaurants on each side of the street.
Those who knew the inner details looked even more shocked by Qin Lie’s challenge on the street. They all leaned over to look.
Qin Lie’s street challenge had ignited the fiery passion from every martial practitioner who had drunk themselves into a high, causing them to scream out like a blasted cooker.
Holding the windowsill, Lu Li looked coldly at Qin Lie on the streets. An odd light appeared in her cold eyes.
Xiong Ba, Na Nuo and the looked looked amazed. They were all focused upon Qin Lie, eyes shining with an odd light.
Elders such as Crimson Flames Association’s Ge Hong and Water Moon Sect’s Luo Wei were frowning, suddenly caught by surprise by his actions.
“Qin Lie! Get back here!” Tu Ze shouted from the windows.
“Don’t be stupid!” Zhuo Qian was also shouting.
“By Nebula Pavilion’s rules, I, Qin Lie, challenge Vice Pavilion Master Du Haitian to a fight. May Vice Pavilion Du grant me this opportunity,” said Qin Lie with a cold expression and dark voice. “Unless you’re scared of me that is?”
Everyone’s gazes shot to Du Haitian in unison. They could all see the murderous light beaming from his eyes.
“Sure. I will grant you this opportunity right now.” Under the crowd’s gazes, Du Haitian nodded before suddenly instructing his hall masters in a low tone, “Go block the front of Bright Moon Tower. Do not allow Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian to interfere with this fight.”
The hall masters under his command broke into nasty grins as they immediately led their men away and arrived at the entrance to Bright Moon Tower. They lifted their heads and looked at Tu Ze and the others’ position. They waited and guarded below so the others could not rush out to stop this fight.
“Qin Lie’s going to kill himself!” Tu Ze suddenly jumped down from the window.
Zhuo Qian, Kang Zhi, and Han Feng’s expressions had also turned to shock as they fell straight down from the windows in succession to drag Qin Lie away.
“My apologies, but you will not be getting over!” A few of Du Haitian’s hall masters and even high ranking martial practitioners blocked Tu Ze’s path, not allowing them to interfere.
“Qin Lie is soon a goner.” Na Nuo sighed softly.
“What is he doing? Sending a message with his death?” Li Zhongzheng sneered, “I know a little about Nebula Pavilion’s rules. As long as no one dies, every martial practitioner inside the pavilion can challenge each other. But since Du Haitian is the newly appointed Vice Pavilion Master, even if he ‘accidentally’ kills Qin Lie, there should not be a huge problem. Even if Qin Lie by some miraculous luck killed Du Haitian, he would absolutely not escape death due to his low status!”
His gaze was one with ridicule. “He’s going to die either way, but he just had to jump out and make some noise. What a complete idiot.”
“Maybe he’s looking to die in the first place?” someone interrupted.
“Hehe, you’re right. He’s here to commit suicide.” Li Zhongzheng smiled cheerfully.
While the people in the restaurants were deep in discussion, Du Haitian bent over and spat out the alcohol inside his stomach a few times. Then, he pulled out a deep blue shortsword about the length of a forearm from his sleeves. “If you think you can surpass my realm and beat me just because I drank more than usual, then you are sorely mistaken.”
The deep blue shortsword was about two fingers wide and half a meter long, and it faintly glittered with a deep blue light.
As Du Haitian poured spirit energy into it, the two sides of the incredibly narrow blade suddenly formed into many blue leaves.
As if they were born from the very blade itself, the blue leaves appeared wondrously exquisite and immeasurably sharp. It was as if they could soar into the air at any moment, and they also appeared to be sharp beyond ordinary.
“The Blue Leaf Sword, a Profound Grade One spirit artifact. Du Haitian had spent a large amount of capital to buy it from Armament Pavilion.” Someone exclaimed softly from the windows, “Rumors say that the Blue Leaf Sword was crafted by Armament Pavilion’s Artificer Mo Hai when he was still young, and everyone knows that Mo Hai… is now a Profound Sixth Rank Artificer and one of the most well-known artificers in Armament Pavilion.”
“Isn’t he overreacting a little to bring out the Blue Leaf Sword already?”
“He has always been careful and alert regardless of who he faces. Even if his opponent is a Refinement Realm martial practitioner, he would not be overconfident at all and would still use everything he had.”
“What a scary person!”
The crowd talked.
Qin Lie took out the wooden sculpture and sucked in a deep breath as his gaze abruptly cooled.
“Zzzt Zzzt Zzzt!”
Strands of thumb-sized blue lightning abruptly shot out of the wooden sculpture’s head. He looked at Du Haitian, his figure suddenly darting forward as if dragging a long rainbow of electricity. Qin Lie had actually been the one to make the first move.
“Reckless.” Du Haitian’s expression was indifferent as he waved his Blue Leaf Sword.
Many deep blue leaves suddenly danced out into the air from the Blue Leaf Sword like spirit cicadas. Carrying a deadly and sharp aura, they fell down from the sky like scattered and fallen leaves.
Scattered like rain, murderous intent filled the streets.
All the noise was abruptly silenced.