Mission: Seduce the Master!

Yang Jia and Liang Junjie behaved quite carelessly, not even caring that their words might provoke enmity between them and Xie Qing – it seemed they didn't even think about it.

Although, the young man was not surprised, considering they were disciples of the inner court. Understanding this was not so difficult. From their manner of speech, to how they carried themselves, and the frightened glances of those around them.

All of this easily gave them away, so Xie Qing didn't have to think too much about it.

"They need Devil's Blood Flower? Strange, this thing isn't very effective in small quantities, and the cost is too high. What do they even need it for?" Xie Qing wondered.

In fact, he had plenty of these flowers. One of his spatial rings was filled with them.

And…

"Actually, there's a frenzy for these things in the inner court. Although I could go and get these flowers right now, I'm just too lazy, dude… but I heard from some acquaintances that you gave them a small amount…" Liang Junjie smiled and rubbed his hands, saying calmly: "Share with us… brother?"

"…"

Xie Qing frowned. Of course, he couldn't expect anything good from these two. After all, they were devilish cultivators, so kindness from them was not to be expected.

With a smile on his face, he threatened Xie Qing. Although at first glance, Liang Junjie appeared friendly, polite, and forgiving… however, appearances are always deceiving.

"I don't have any more of these flowers, if that's what you came for," Xie Qing replied indifferently – his voice was even, almost monotonous, and he looked not the least bit frightened or nervous. It got to the point where Liang Junjie couldn't even tell if the young man was lying to him or not.

Therefore, the man's first reaction was a frown with a hint of irritation. It seemed to him that this guy from the outer court was trying to play him.

Yang Jia had been sweetly smiling all this time, attracting the attention of many passersby. Despite the fact that Xie Qing and these two were in a rather remote and deserted place, for some reason, disciples were gathering here, curiously watching them.

The girl smacked her lips and licked them, moistening her dry lips. She smiled gently and spoke in a voice as if honey had been applied to her tongue.

"Come on, brother… won't you help your sister? I swear, I'll repay you… and do whatever you ask…"

Yang Jia leaned forward so much that Xie Qing could clearly see her cleavage and even her soft pink nipples. The disciples watching this made a strange sound, and their eyes showed excitement.

Xie Qing barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes. He couldn't believe this girl was so bold. She was even trying to seduce him in front of so many people!

"Sister is too kind…" Xie Qing said in the same calm voice and uttered words that instantly wiped the smile off Yang Jia's face: "However, I don't have any more flowers. This is my final answer."

"Hm!"

Liang Junjie snorted, releasing his aura. He turned out to be a cultivator at the seventh stage of Soul Nascent!

The burst of aura ruffled Xie Qing's hair, who still stood in place, showing no sign of excitement, fear, or even nervousness on his face.

Like a stone, watching what seemed to him nothing more than a circus. Therefore, at the moment when Liang Junjie jerked his hand, Xie Qing narrowed his eyes.

Boom!

A loud explosion sounded along with Yang Jia's scream.

"W-what happened?!"

"Is that... was that guy from the outer court killed? Damn, as expected, you can't offend anyone from the inner court. Otherwise, you're asking for trouble!"

"What a show-off! If you didn't have the flowers, just go get them! A request from the inner court disciples is not something to be ignored!"

"Yeah... poor guy..."

"Poor guy? Hmph! You don't know him? He's that bastard who received the elders' favor! I've wanted to teach him a lesson for a long time, but I was afraid of offending the elders! Haha, serves him right!"

Loud conversations, whispers, and the like spread through the crowd. Many were gloating, while some showed discontent – they found it unbearable to see the inner court disciples humiliating them, but... what could they do?

In this sect, there has always been a clear hierarchy. As long as you have enough contribution, you can advance. Ordinary cultivators did not have such power and wealth!

The Sect of Bone Circle practices dark rituals, and for that, they require a vast amount of resources – not just natural, but also human!

And most of the inner court disciples are people of high status or very powerful cultivators! Everyone fears them, and the outer court disciples… well… they are just another source of free labor.

To the surprise of the disciples, there was no smell of blood… After a few seconds, another gust of wind swept away the cloud of dust, allowing everyone to see an astonishing sight.

"This…"

"How is this possible?"

What the disciples saw was Xie Qing, completely unharmed, still standing in the same spot. In front of him was none other than Liang Junjie, who looked somewhat worse for wear.

"H-how…"

The man's arm was bent at an unnatural angle, but that was not what frightened him! His attack… had been completely nullified! And yet, Xie Qing hadn't even moved! And he hadn't suffered a single scratch.

This… what an absurdity!

"How is this even possible? Are you a monster?" Yang Jia shouted, looking as if she had seen a monster – her pupils dilated, and her body trembled.

Xie Qing's indifferent gaze swept over her terrified face, but he didn't linger for long, just a second.

Throughout all this, he hadn't even moved his hand. Normally, he could simply kill these two for their rudeness, but… he didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble now.

"Hm…"

Making a strange sound, Xie Qing began to dust himself off, which only infuriated Liang Junjie more, but… he didn't move. He was afraid to attack the youth again and suffer the consequences.

"You've done enough. I'll overlook your rudeness since you're an inner court disciple. However, next time such a prank will cost you your life," the youth's eyes flashed with malice, and he released his aura, which was twice as strong as Liang Junjie's. "Got it?"

"Kh!"

Liang Junjie gritted his teeth, his gaze filled with bloodlust and a desire to kill, but… there was also helplessness and fear.

What could he do? Even if he hadn't attacked with full force, such an attack should have been able to kill his opponent almost instantly. However, instead of his opponent's death, Liang Junjie ended up with a broken arm.

Glaring malevolently, he turned around and walked away towards the west. Although he walked at a calm pace… it seemed as if he was fleeing.

Yang Jia only reacted after a few seconds. She looked at Xie Qing with narrowed eyes and then left, appearing thoughtful.

The youth stood there for a few minutes before leaving. His gaze was grim.

It would be surprising if Xie Qing didn't face any trouble after such an incident. That very evening, Elder Zhang Hong summoned him for a talk.

In a secluded room, there were only the two of them. Zhang Hong looked grim as he gazed at Xie Qing, who bowed and folded his hands in greeting.

"Boy, do you think you can be rude to the inner court disciples just because I have shown you kindness?" the elder's raspy voice was filled with slight disappointment and irritation. "I, Zhang Hong, am a man who stands by his words. And let me tell you, if it weren't for my efforts, your dantian would have been destroyed, and then you would have been tortured to death.

Even after death, your soul would suffer! Don't you understand that messing with the sect elders is not a wise move?!"

Xie Qing remained silent. Outwardly, he appeared calm, but in reality, he was greatly annoyed. This elder was weaker than him, a weakling whom Xie Qing could defeat in twenty minutes of combat.

However, now he was forced to listen to this reprimand and show such respect… it was sheer madness for someone as arrogant as Xie Qing!

But he could do nothing about his helplessness. The other party was an elder, and offending him directly was not a wise decision.

Zhang Hong snorted maliciously. In truth, he was not as angry as he appeared. In fact, he was even pleased!

As an old fox, he had connections with the elders in the inner court. And the fact that those two from the inner court had encountered him was part of his plan!

What is the easiest way to gain someone's trust? Help them in a desperate situation! Other elders preferred not to get involved and offend other elders, but… Zhang Hong decided to take the risk!

"Hm, let it be known, boy, that only I among the five of us decided to support you! Your respectful behavior that day impressed me… so of course, I couldn't let my junior suffer!" Zhang Hong spoke as if he were not a devilish cultivator but a saint. He looked at Xie Qing, and his eyes gleamed with cunning.

"Of course, this incident is very difficult to erase, but… hm… a few red salvations should suffice."

Xie Qing smiled, but his smile was hidden due to the position of his head, so Zhang Hong saw nothing.

"Want to use me?" Xie Qing's eyes filled with cruelty. "Hah, then don't be surprised by the consequences!"