Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Fuck Your Mother

City Hall.

“Second Senior Brother.” The mayor, a refined-looking man with glasses, bowed respectfully. “Please, have some tea.”

Sitting across from him was a Confucian Celestial Human, one who had achieved the Dao through scholarship. He, too, possessed a scholarly air, and his presence felt like a great lake—deep and unfathomable.

The Celestial Human took a sip of tea and said lightly,

“You’ve had some terrible luck. Your political career was going so smoothly. With your next promotion, you could have used your official fortune to nurture your righteous spirit; becoming a Celestial Human would have only been a matter of time. But then this whole mess had to happen in the city under your jurisdiction. I’m afraid there are already dozens of Celestial Humans here, and who knows how many Earth Immortals have snuck in.”

The mayor gave a bitter smile.

“It truly is a disaster from out of nowhere. I was supposed to be promoted next year, but if I can’t handle this incident properly…”

He sighed, his expression growing more solemn.

“Everything else is manageable, really. It’s *him* I’m afraid of.”

“Who?”

“The Commander of the Federation’s Seventh Army, Lu Xiuyuan.”

The Confucian Celestial Human’s expression froze, and he immediately grew serious.

“Who did you say? Commander Lu?? He’s in East Sea City?”

The mayor nodded with a bitter smile.

“After Lord Lu was severely injured and went into seclusion, he came here to our East Sea City. I recall a rumor that the thing Lord Lu hates most is any living being from beyond the Great Wall…”

“That’s no rumor.” The Confucian Celestial Human was on his feet now, his expression grave. “Commander Lu’s Seventh Army was completely wiped out at the Great Wall. An army of eight hundred thousand men, and he was the only one who survived…”

After a pause, he added,

“Still, nothing should come of it. A Demon King might be in East Sea City, but it shouldn’t matter even if Commander Lu finds out. His injuries from back then were catastrophic. Rumor has it he was struck down by a Little Saint. His Dao Foundation was shattered, and his Celestial Gate and Divine Ladder both collapsed. He’s likely not even a Celestial Human anymore.”

“No.”

The mayor of East Sea City shook his head.

“Second Senior Brother, I saw him a few days ago. There’s still a fire in his eyes. Even if Lu Xiuyuan’s Dao Foundation is shattered now, what if he takes up his blade and goes looking for that Demon King in his Jade Tower body? What do we do then? Just watch him die?”

The Confucian Celestial Human’s expression became utterly grave.

…

The little old man with the broken leg leaned against a planter, quietly watching the sparsely populated street. From time to time, sorrow would flicker in his cloudy eyes.

After so many years, he’d seen more than his share of suffering. But whenever he thought of the little girl with the blue hairpin, his heart still ached with a sharp pain.

’Heaven is blind…’

“The streets are getting more and more deserted,” came a sycophantic voice from nearby.

Chen Tu kept his head bowed, speaking with the utmost reverence to the burly young man beside him.

“Brother Qingshan, should we pay a visit to the Inspectorate? We could have them transfer over some prisoners for you to choose from.”

Hou Qingshan, dressed in a long black robe with his hands hidden in its wide sleeves, kept his head lowered and said indifferently,

“Prisoners? They have no flavor. The tender-skinned and soft-fleshed ones are best.”

Chen Tu nodded and bowed obsequiously.

Beside them, Du Xueling spoke in a saccharine, high-pitched voice,

“Brother Qingshan, how about I have my father screen some for you from other places…”

Hou Qingshan gave the two a nonchalant glance, as if looking down on a pair of insects, and spoke slowly.

“Do as you please. But don’t make too big a scene. That… Death Tower of you Human Race is still quite a hassle…”

After a pause, he reached out and patted Chen Tu and Du Xueling on their cheeks. Looking down on them, he spoke with a wide smile.

“If only everyone in the Human Race were like you two. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

The two of them forced careful, cautious smiles and agreed in subservient tones, showing none of the pride befitting the direct son and Chief Disciple of a Celestial Human.

Or rather, they had such pride, but they didn’t dare show it in front of this man. They saved it all for the common folk.

Hou Qingshan gave a contemptuous laugh and said no more. He walked straight ahead with the other two following close behind. As they passed the little old man, he stared at the three of them intently.

To be precise, he was staring at Chen Tu. The longer he looked, the more certain he became. The one who took the girl… it was him… It was him!

Chen Tu noticed the gaze and turned with a frown.

“You old bastard. Head down, eyes lowered. Who gave you permission to look directly at us?”

Hou Qingshan also turned his head and shook it.

“See? This kind is no good. Too old, too useless. His qi and blood are also weak. He’d provide me with no nourishment whatsoever. You either find me some Cultivators, or find someone like that little girl with the blue hairpin from a few days ago—tender-skinned and soft-fleshed. Although she offered no real benefits, she still counted as high-grade blood food.”

The old man’s heart seized violently. His hands clawed at the ground, his fingernails breaking and dripping with blood.

’High-grade blood food… blood food…’

Then, he broke into a fawning smile.

“My three lords…”

The trio turned again, looking in surprise at the filthy beggar.

The little old man prostrated himself on the ground and began to crawl closer, his frail back bent, his face covered in a placating smile.

“What is it?” Du Xueling took a step back in disgust, her brows knitting together.

The little old man raised his head. His cloudy eyes held an unprecedented resolve. He opened his mouth, spat, and then lunged forward with all his might.

“FUCK YOUR MOTHERS!”

…

「Meanwhile, on the next street over.」

’Teacher Lu??’

Lu Xuan was a bit stunned. He and Xiaoyan exchanged a look, both at a loss for words.

A moment later, he came to his senses and hurried forward with the young woman, asking,

“Teacher Lu, what are you doing here?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” Lu Xiuyuan said with a frown. “School was suspended, but not to give you a vacation. You should know the reason why. So why are you still wandering around outside?”

He paused, then looked at the young woman beside Lu Xuan, who was wearing a mask, sunglasses, and a small hat. “And who is this?” he asked, puzzled.

He clearly hadn’t recognized Yan Jiangxue.

Xiaoyan slyly pulled down her mask for a split second before quickly putting it back on. Only then did understanding dawn on Lu Xiuyuan.

“Oh, it’s Jiang Xue…”

He paused, then said with a sense of relief,

“Well then, you two carry on. I suppose I was being nosy.”

Lu Xiuyuan knew Yan Jiangxue’s background, so he was well aware that with Xiaoyan around, the boy Lu Xuan couldn’t possibly run into any danger.

After all, she was the young lady of Longque Technology, the apple of Yan Huang’s eye… It would be strange if she didn’t have a couple of Earth Immortals or a Grand Earth Immortal protecting her in secret!

Lu Xuan blinked, asking curiously,

“Teacher Lu, you know things are unstable right now, so why are you…”

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the Broken Blade in Lu Xiuyuan’s hand.

The blade was covered in a dark crimson; whether from old bloodstains or its original color, it was hard to say. The blade’s edge was sharp, and though it was broken, it couldn’t hide the deadly glint of cold light.

“And this blade…” Lu Xuan was puzzled, and Yan Jiangxue grew curious as well.

Lu Xiuyuan chuckled softly.

“Your teacher is pretty capable, you know. I’m not afraid, no matter how unstable things get.”

Saying this, he gently stroked the Broken Blade in his hand, his eyelids lowered.

“As for the blade… Oh, right.”

Lu Xiuyuan changed the subject.

“Xiaoxuan, how is your cultivation progressing? You have an excellent temperament, so don’t worry even if your natural talent is a bit lacking. Take it slow, one step at a time. With steady progress, you can still reach great heights.”

“Also, I have a few Great Medicines at my home that are good for improving one’s foundational roots. Go find Teacher Xiaohe later. She knows where I live; have her give them to you…”

“Oh, right. Xiaoxuan, let me give you a phone number. If you ever think about joining the Federation in the future, just call this number and say my name. Someone will help you…”

Lu Xuan couldn’t help but gently interrupt Lu Xiuyuan’s rambling.

“Teacher Lu… The more you talk, the more it sounds like you’re about to leave.”

“Does it?” Lu Xiuyuan paused, taken aback.

“Yes,” Lu Xuan said seriously. “If you were really giving me Great Medicine, I should come to your home to thank you properly. Why would you have Teacher Xiaohe pass it along? And it’s the same with this phone number.”

He had a sharp sense that something was wrong. To put it nicely, Teacher Lu’s rambling sounded like he was about to leave. To put it bluntly… it was like he was arranging his final affairs.

Beside him, Xiaoyan also noticed something was off. From behind her sunglasses, her big, watery eyes glanced at the Broken Blade in the old man’s hand, a thoughtful look on her face.

Lu Xiuyuan rubbed his nose, then burst out laughing.

“You brat, are you questioning your own teacher now?”

He paused, about to laugh and scold him a bit more, when suddenly—

A figure like a broken ragdoll crashed through a wall and slammed onto the ground in front of the three of them.

It was a little old man, filthy and disheveled. Half of his body was caved in, and blood constantly trickled from his mouth. His consciousness was fading—he clearly wasn’t going to make it—but he was still muttering a broken curse: “Fuck… your mothers…”

The little old man’s head tilted to one side, and a big, bright red apple rolled out from his shirt.

Lu Xuan’s eyes also turned red.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep