2026-07-02 23:29:06The young woman stirred, her lashes fluttering before her eyes snapped open. The moment they met Shen Wuyin's calm gaze, she lurched upright and shoved him aside.
He staggered back a step.
A sharp pain shot through her shoulder. She winced and looked down to find the wound tightly wrapped in a strip of bloodstained cloth.
"Where did you bring me?" she demanded, clutching her injured shoulder.
Her gaze swept across the room.
"Cracked walls... an algae-covered ceiling..." she muttered, her face twisting with disgust.
A faint smirk tugged at Shen Wuyin's lips.
"You were struck by my spike technique," he said.
She glared at him."So you dragged me into this shithole without my permission?"
Manners, Shen Wuyin thought.
Without another word, he walked to the door, pulled it open, and stepped aside.
"You seem fully recovered," he said calmly. "Please excuse us and our shithole."
The young woman stared at him for several seconds, studying him in silence.
"So he isn't the rookie I thought he was..."
She turned and walked out without another word.
The moment she stepped outside, Shen Wuyin slammed the door shut, rattling the wooden frame.
"Such an ingrate," he scoffed.
Mei and Qing exchanged stunned looks.
"Did... did she just call our home a shithole?" Mei asked, her eyes wide.
Qing frowned.
"Brother... you fought a woman?"
Shen Wuyin nodded.
"What?"
The sisters exclaimed in unison.
Their mother coughed softly before speaking.
"Why would you fight a woman, Yun?" she asked weakly. "Don't you know women aren't allowed to engage in combat?"
Fragments of Yun Li's memories surfaced.
Within the Ashen Sky Clan, women were forbidden from cultivating and engaging in any form of combat. Anyone who defied the law faced execution.
Interesting...
So she's a lawbreaker.
"She seemed more than willing to fight me," Shen Wuyin replied as he walked toward the table.
His mother watched him carefully.
"Please be careful, Yun."
After a brief pause, she asked, "Is something troubling you?"
He turned to her.
"No."
She sighed.
"But you seem strangely calm about Ruoxi."
Mei folded her arms.
"It almost feels like you never cared about her."
A small smile appeared on Shen Wuyin's face.
"Running after her now would only create more trouble for all of us."
Mei lifted a brow….. Before she could utter a word, Shen Wuyin excused himself and left for the market.“Seventy thousand gold coins…” He thought, “That should be enough to keep this family fed for a very long time.”
The bustling market soon came into view.
Shen Wuyin walked toward one of the meat stalls.
"How much is one kil…."
Before he could finish, a bucket of filthy water splashed across his body.
Rotten blood and scraps of meat clung to his clothes.
"Take your bad luck somewhere else!" the butcher shouted.
Her voice drew the attention of everyone nearby.
Water dripped from Shen Wuyin's hair.
His clothes clung to his body.
"Get out!"
This time she hurled a wooden stick at him.
It bounced harmlessly off his shoulder.
Another butcher pointed toward the exit.
"Didn't you hear her? Leave!"Shen Wuyin slowly lifted his head.
His dark eyes locked onto the woman's.
"You are lucky I do not hit women," he said coldly before turning away.
He approached another meat stall.
The butcher sneered.
"And you think I'd sell to you?""It seems you've forgotten," another merchant mocked, "that no one in this market would sell even a single leaf to you."
Laughter erupted around them.
"He reeks of bad luck."
“Not just bad luck, poverty too.”
Another wave of mocking laughter followed.
Fragments of Yun Li's memories surfaced once more.
For years, Yun Li and his family had been shunned by the entire clan. No merchant would sell to them. No household welcomed them. They were barred from festivals and treated as if they carried a curse.
A crippled dantian.
That alone was enough to brand Yun Li and everyone related to him as ill-fated.
His father had once been a respected member of the merchants' association before dying shortly after Mei and Qing were born.
Everyone blamed Yun Li's misfortune.
No one cared that the man had actually been poisoned.
“And so what?”
Shen Wuyin stepped forward.
"Leave before I throw you out myself," the butcher growled, grabbing a heavy wooden stake.
The butcher swung the wooden stake.
Shen Wuyin moved first.
BANG!
He snatched the stake from the man's grasp and drove it across his face. The impact snapped the butcher's head to the side, sending him sprawling against the counter.
The bustling market fell silent.
"You will sell me what I came for," Shen Wuyin said calmly.
The butcher wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and glared at him.
"How dare you!"
Ignoring the outburst, Shen Wuyin walked behind the stall. He selected three large cuts of meat and placed them on the scale.
With a furious roar, the butcher drew a dagger from his waist strap and lunged.
"You useless brat!"
Shen Wuyin didn't even look up. A thin layer of qi enveloped his body.
PAM!
The dagger bounced the instant it struck the barrier. It flew back, the hilt striking the butcher's cheek before clattering onto the ground.
His eyes widened.
"Qi... barrier?"
"How is that possible?"
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
Shen Wuyin lifted the meat from the scale and turned to him.
"How much?"
The butcher's face twisted with rage.
"Are you deaf? I said I won't sell to you!"
A faint smile curved Shen Wuyin's lips.
"No," he replied. "You're the deaf one."
"I wasn't asking."
Three burly men stepped out of the crowd.
"Looks like someone needs a lesson."
One of them charged forward, throwing a heavy punch.
Shen Wuyin caught the fist with one hand.
Before the man could react, Shen Wuyin twisted his arm, spun him around, and smashed his face onto the butcher's table.
The crack echoed through the market.
A scream tore from the man's throat.
Shen Wuyin pinned him down with one hand.
The remaining two hesitated.
"How... how did he do that?"
"Didn't they say Yun Li was a cripple?"
More men rushed in, hoping to overwhelm him with numbers.
They came one after another.
Each was thrown aside ruthlessly. One crashed into a vegetable cart.
Another rolled across the ground.
A third collapsed unconscious after a single hit.
Within moments, six men lay scattered across the market, groaning in pain.
The butcher's confidence vanished.
His hands trembled as he wrapped the meat.
"Take it..." he said hurriedly. "Just leave."
Shen Wuyin accepted the package.
"How much?"
"Nine silver coins."
"And how many silver coins make one gold coin?"
The butcher blinked.
"A... a hundred."
Shen Wuyin nodded.
"Good."
He placed a single gold coin on the counter.
"You owe me ninety-one silver."
The butcher hurried to his cash drawer, counted the coins with shaking hands, and returned the change.
Shen Wuyin calmly pocketed the silver before walking away.
No one dared stop him.
The crowd instinctively stepped aside, creating a path through the market.
Fear had replaced mockery.
Those six men were among the strongest fighters in the market.
Yet none of them had managed to force Shen Wuyin back a single step.
"But... his dantian is broken."
"Then how is he this strong?"
No one had an answer.
Shen Wuyin continued shopping, purchasing vegetables, grains, spices, and other daily necessities.
This time, every merchant welcomed him with forced smiles.
None dared refuse his business.
Before long, he carried six medium-sized sacks—three in each hand.
As he left the market, a frantic cry echoed through the street.
"Thieves!"
"Thieves!"
"Somebody stop them!"
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 17
“Dao masters, cultivators, and beautiful ladies. We have come to the last round of the 13th Moon Meet,” Lin Xue announced.An uproar of applause thundered across the valley.Lin Xue adjusted his collar, a brown scroll in his hands. “At this stage, we have four top contestants left. Tan Su, Yun Li, Mo Yueli, and Li Wei.”Cheers filled the air.Xie Linger cheered the most as though her brother was amongst them.“I pray he wins.” She clasped her hands together, her eyes dazzling.Lin Xue cleared his throat, controlling the cheers.“Now, these four will fight against each other in pairs.”He gestured for the four to come onto the platform, and they obliged, three except one—Mo Yueli.Lin Xue swept his gaze across the crowd, searching for Mo Yueli.Just then, a young maiden walked up the platform and approached Lin Xue.“Where is the princess?” Lin Xue asked quickly, his voice low as though he was afraid of the crowd hearing.The young maiden dipped her head. “I passed your message to her.
CHAPTER 16
Xie Ling’er slammed her hands together.WHOOSH!A heavy gush of wind tore from her hands, rippling through the valley.Ladies struggled to hold their gowns in place. Trees around them swayed in the rhythm of the wind.“That’s one heavy wind blast,” Lin Xue commented, squinting against the wind.Mo Yueli stood still, her dao robe swaying in accordance with the wind. “Interesting.” She scoffed and adjusted the collar of her robe.Shen Wuyin stood unwavering by the torrent, his expression unreadable.After a few seconds, the wind settled.Xie Ling’er grinned. “Princess, you asked for it.”With a single flick of her wrist, two metallic crimson hand fans materialized in her grip with a sharp click.Mo Yueli stepped forward. “Show me what you’ve got.” She raised her hand, and a sword appeared in her grip, purple gemstones embellishing the hilt.A smug smirk tugged at the corners of their lips.A thick film of qi swirled around the blade.“Okay, let’s go,” Lin Xue shrieked with excitement.X
CHAPTER 15
“Lin Xue,” Luo Yuyan muttered. Lin Xue leaned closer. “I haven’t seen Tan Su before. Is he from our sect?” Luo Yuyan asked. Lin Xue straightened, adjusting his robe. “He isn’t from here. He is from the Luoxia Sect,” he responded, his voice low. Luo Yuyan tilted his head in amusement. The Luoxia Sect is the second Eminent Sect in the South Region, he thought as he locked his gaze on Tan Su. Suddenly, Luo Yuyan’s expression hardened. “Then why is he here? Why wasn’t I informed about it?” Lin Xue lowered himself beside Luo Yuyan, his gaze locked on the ground as though it held the answer. “His mother is Xiao Lengyue, one of the merchants at the main market.” Luo Yuyan glared at him for a second, sending shivers down Lin Xue’s spine. “He is only here for a visit,” Lin Xue said quickly. “He asked to participate in the Meet, nothing more…” “To show off,” Luo Yuyan cut in sharply. Lin Xue swallowed hard. “Maybe.” On the platform, two guards carried Shang Li out
CHAPTER 14
The moon rested over the horizon, casting silver rays over the valley.Men and women gathered from across the sect, their gazes locked on the Meet platform, made from palm wood and molten metal.Luo Yuyan sat on a wooden bench, with two high-level cultivators standing at his sides.On the platform stood Lin Xue, the Meet’s host.“Dao masters and ladies, welcome to the 13th Moon Blade Meet. For the first time in years, we have nearly twenty competitors, each possessing great techniques and combat skills,” Lin Xue announced.An outburst of cheers and applause rippled through the valley.“Unlike previous Meets, Sect Master Luo Yuyan pledges a winning prize of Gale-Step Boots, crafted from the hide of a Cloudwing Beast, and the Baiyun Spirit Blade Sword.”Gasps echoed faintly.“The Baiyun Spirit Blade Sword?”“Sect Master had previously denied access to it, and now he is giving it as a reward?”The villagers murmured amongst themselves.For decades, the Moon Blade Meet had been a traditio
CHAPTER 13
“Come buy! Freshly captured Crimson Flame Lion’s core! Only a thousand gold coins!” a man cried out.A bronze cart stood beside him, with a teenage girl standing behind it.“Come buy! Freshly captured Crimson Flame Lion’s core! Only a thousand gold coins!” The man cried out once more.Just then, people began walking up to him.“Crimson Flame Lion? Do you even know what you are saying?” A man in a white dao robe asked with a raised brow.Moving past the gathering, Shen Wuyin’s carriage propelled toward Luo Yuyan’s Palace.The palace was built entirely from fine wood, its polished surface gleaming beneath the light. Tall cherry trees surrounded it like silent guardians, their lush leaves adding to the palace’s natural beauty.“Woah. This is so beautiful,” Qing muttered, her lips parted.Their mother sat behind Shen Wuyin, resting her head on his shoulder.Upon entering through the palace gates, a hundred men stood before them, their eyes locked forward on Luo Yuyan as he walked out of h
CHAPTER 12
Shen Wuyin dipped his head briefly. His mind rummaged through Yun Li’s memories searching for a possible connection Yun Li might have with the old man.But found none.The old man glanced at the dead bodies of the brothers briefly, before returning his gaze to Shen Wuyin.“Your combat skills are impressive.” The old man said, a small smile pressed on his lips.Shen Wuyin lifted a brow before tilting his head slightly.“Who are you?”“Oh, my bad.” The old man muttered. He took a step back, sun rays dazzled in his pupils. “I am Luo Yuyan, leader and founder of the Baiyun Sect.”A fragment of Yun Li’s memory flooded Shen Wuyin’s mind.The Baiyun Sect was one of the most formidable sects in the eastern region, acclaimed for their impeccable healing techniques and combat techniques. Unlike the Tiaxun Sect they weren’t feared, but their praises were sung like a mantra.Shen Wuyin stared at him for a few seconds. “What brings you to the Ashen Sky Clan?” He asked his voice firm.The old man's
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