CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33: DRAWN SWORDS

Nezha, having cultivated through the night with the aid of Li Gen’s inner core, found that the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi gathered faster than he had imagined. Figuring it was about time for Cui Yu to come over, he stopped cultivating and hopped out of bed.

Just then, Cui Yu, wearing a turquoise long skirt with a cinched waist, was knocking on the door. Before Nezha could attend to it, the door opened by itself.

Upon entering, Cui Yu’s slender, phoenix-shaped eyes surveyed the room, taking note of the hot water and clean towel already prepared. Her fair complexion flushed with a hint of pink as a trace of pleasure graced her lovely face.

She mused to herself that originally, bringing this maid into the mansion seemed like just another mouth to feed. The lady of the house had arranged for her to be in Nezha’s room, which she thought was unreliable, but to her surprise, the young maid proved rather capable.

Cui Yu gave Nezha a playful wink and said with a smile, "The effort spent these two days is truly worthwhile. It seems I, your sister, can sleep in more often from now on."

Nezha, being immersed in cultivation, was naturally aware of the movement in the room, but since Lu Zhu’er’s actions were so gentle, he didn’t perceive any danger and didn’t pay it much mind.

He turned to glance at Lu Zhu’er, who was struggling to stay awake while serving him, and inhaled the faint milky fragrance coming from her, contemplating whether the girl was perhaps too clever for her own good.

Nezha grabbed Lu Zhu by the collar with one hand and carried her back to her own quilt, remarking, "If you’re sleepy, continue sleeping. Since you are working for me, we will be in this together from now on. My room doesn’t have many rules, but there are two important ones - eat when you’re hungry and sleep when you’re tired."

Leaving the stunned Lu Zhu behind, Nezha started changing his clothes and stood by the mirror, waiting for Sister Cuiyu to tie up his hair.

"What’s with you, child? If the servants in our mansion have no discipline, it would be a laughingstock for all those troublemakers who can’t mind their own business," she said.

Cui Yu patted his head playfully and teased, "Actually, there was no need to get up so early today. Mr. Fan hasn’t even arrived yet."

"Oh? Did he say why?"

"No, there hasn’t been any message. It’s rather strange."

A thought crossed Nezha’s mind. Given Mr. Fan’s character, if he intended to cancel the lesson, he would certainly have sent a message ahead of time. It wouldn’t be this abrupt.

Could something have happened, or was he trying to convey some hint to me?

After washing his face, Nezha said, "Sister Cuiyu, I’m worried about Mr. Fan’s health since he’s quite elderly. I want to go check on him now, and I’ll have breakfast in Bailing Town."

"Nonsense, Bailing Town is so far away. You wouldn’t get there until noon. It’s not too late to go after having breakfast."

Cui Yu tried to persuade Nezha to stay for breakfast, but she saw him leap gracefully, transforming into a streak of light shooting towards the horizon.

"Good heavens, he’s really grown in power!"

Seeing this spectacle, Cui Yu was stunned, taking a while to recover her wits before remembering that Nezha, like his mysterious older brothers she had barely seen, had an Immortal as a teacher.

Thinking of this, her heart filled with joy, genuinely happy for the boy.

In Bailing Town, aside from Mr. Fan not setting out early today and Wang Er, the seller of tainted noodle soup, being hassled by his weepy, pear-blossomed daughter and thus not in the mood to open his stall, everything was business as usual.

Next to the Calligraphy and Painting Pavilion, there were even more patrons drinking in the tavern today than yesterday.

Apart from the town’s laborers who came to enjoy some cheap spirits after a day of toil, there were two tables of beautiful girls, hard to find in the whole town, who sat not drinking but eating peanuts and melon seeds, chattering and exchanging flirtatious glances.

The girls might have captured the interest of the laborers, but their affections were only for the gentleman, dressed in green robes, who was sitting alone at a table and had also been drinking there the day before.

The tavern keeper, having served through the night, dozed off at the counter but was now awake, to find the green-robed gentleman still there.

Although the gentleman took only small sips and barely touched his drink, he had finished five whole pots over two days and showed no signs of drunkenness.

What was even more astonishing to the keeper was that, despite not having slept all night, the green-robed gentleman still appeared refreshed and impeccably clean, otherworldly like an Immortal who transcended the mundane.

He has been running this tavern for many years, and in his early days, he had also ventured far and wide, seen all sorts of people, but never has he encountered anyone with such an ethereal spirit, who could give off such a lofty air even while drinking wine and eating pickles.

He could vaguely tell that this young man in green clothes was waiting for someone, but he had no idea who he was waiting for, and what kind of person would be worth the wait for someone like him.

Before long, several stories began to take shape in the tavern keeper’s mind: tales of brothers reuniting after many years, of past promises made long ago, and so on and so forth.

Nezha arrived at the old street alley of Bailing Town and stood at the entrance of the Calligraphy and Painting Pavilion, instantly spotting Ao Bing.

There was no helping it, in Cultivators’ eyes, Ao Bing stood out even more conspicuously than to common folks.

His aura uncovered, amidst the noisy, laughing, chaotic crowd, among the ordinary and dull white lights, a rich and noble cyan-golden hue enveloped Ao Bing’s entire body.

Just like Shi Ji, there was no need for any other action, anyone could sense his power just by being there.

Who is it?

Nezha was momentarily puzzled but didn’t stop. He walked straight up to Ao Bing, sat down with a smile, and said, "Where did this handsome young man come from? Mind if I share a table with you?"

When Nezha took his seat, the tavern, which was already paying attention to this spot, burst into noise, and people began discussing whose bold child he was.

Some savvy folks began to pontificate, saying it was normal, kids are fearless when they’re young, while others with keen eyes noted Nezha’s attire, suggesting that he must also be a young master from an official’s family, and perhaps he even knew the young man in green.

Seeing that Nezha had struck up a conversation with Ao Bing, the tavern keeper knew better than to join in the excitement at that moment.

Nezha squinted at Ao Bing, and since Nezha’s arrival, Ao Bing had no eyes for anyone else.

Those slightly blue-green eyes narrowed slightly, as Ao Bing examined the young man before him. His gaze swept from the golden bracelet on Nezha’s wrist to the red silk at his waist, and finally settled on his face, asking, "Are you Nezha?"

"(⊙o⊙)... No."

"Since I’ve seen through you, there’s no point hiding your aura anymore. Besides you and me here, all are merely mortals."

Nezha sighed, relaxed his will, and his aura slightly loosened, now covered by a warm yellow halo, much like the one around Mr. Fan.

He grinned and asked, "And who might you be, Daoist brother?"

"Ao Bing."

"The Crown Prince of the Dragon Palace, huh? You seem quite famous at Chentang Pass, many families there have enshrined your statue."

Ao Bing replied indifferently, "The incense of devotion is trivial, I could take it or leave it."

Nezha nodded and said, "I feel the same, an Evil God like you that devours men, yet fishermen still deify you. Truly, they must be blind. You’re not here sitting around just to meet with me, are you?"

"Eat humans?" Ao Bing chuckled and shook his head, "Nevertheless, I am indeed here waiting for you."

Nezha asked, "For what matter?"

With a cold and supremely arrogant tone, Ao Bing declared, "Blind greed leads to foolishness. I was lost in the matter of Divine Enthronement, even thinking yesterday that through you, I could broker a connection with the Chan Sect. Having drunk here for two days, I now reflect on how foolish I was just two days ago. The reason I wait for you now is simply to kill you."

Upon hearing this, Nezha’s face took on a respectful expression because the world is full of fools, but very few can realize their own folly.

His face still wore a smile, but now there was a chill to it as he lowered his voice, coldly saying, "Are you planning on starting a fight here?"

Ao Bing glanced around, whether it was the bare-chested men or the tank-top-wearing lads, or the human women who turned away shyly upon his gaze, the disdain in his merciless eyes didn’t fade in the slightest.

Finally, his eyes dropped and he stated, "Although the wine in this wretched place is terrible, the pickles are somewhat tasty. It would be a pity to destroy it."

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