At that moment, no thought was given to the propriety of men and women's interactions, as several pairs of hands urgently supported Shi Chun, to prevent him from crashing directly to the ground.

A gust of wind approached, and a figure had already reached their side.

It was Ji Qinghe, who immediately reached out to feel the pulse at Mulan Qingqing's wrist, examining her internal injuries. After a brief diagnosis, his brow furrowed.

He had previously thought that she had been injured in the fight with Shi Chun, but now he realized the main issue was the stagnation of her energy meridians, seemingly self-inflicted.

This is despair, Ji Qinghe thought as he let go of her hand and sighed. He could understand; even he found it difficult to accept what he saw in the mirror, let alone the person involved.

He gestured to his disciples with a wave of his hand, "It's not a big problem, take her to where she is staying and we can adjust her condition there."

His gaze then fell upon Guann Yingjie, who was being carried over. Upon seeing his severed leg, he let out another sigh.

As soon as Guann Yingjie saw him, he let out a mournful cry, "Elder, we've been deceived!"

Deceived? Ji Qinghe's eyes showed confusion, "Deceived? By whom?"

"A man claiming to be Wang Sheng, impersonating a disciple of Youxia Mountain, played us terribly. Elder, the details…" With a pale face, Guann Yingjie glanced at the surrounding crowd, indicating some matters were not to be spoken of openly, "Allow your disciple to report back in detail after returning."

With Ji Qinghe's experience, he naturally sensed that some things were not to be publicly disclosed, and immediately had a carriage brought over to swiftly remove the group from the scene.

Wan Daoyuan and others watched them go with a sigh, as if waking from a dream.

Their mindset was still good, as they say, when the sky falls there is a tall one to bear it. Relying on the fact that Mulan Qingqing declared Wang Sheng was her fiancé, they could push all blame away cleanly, and the sect could not pursue their responsibility for the defeat.

Still, there was an undeniable feeling of unwillingness. To be played for fools.

"Who exactly is that person? Deceived round and round, and until now, we don't even know his name. It's ridiculous."

"We will find out. With so many Insect Extreme Crystals, it won't be long."

"I just don't understand, can a fiancé be mistaken?"

"I think the fiancé is not mistaken. Like I said, no ordinary person is worthy of her, and the husband chosen for her given her family background must not be a commoner. The strength of that Wang Sheng is indeed a match for what's been claimed of the fiancé."

"But when Wang Sheng acted, he really beat her as if to kill her. Does anyone treat their fiancée like that?"

"Mulan didn't hold back when she attacked Wang Sheng, either, aiming to kill."

Listening to Tang Zhen and Li Shanshan's chatter, Wan Daoyuan sighed to the heavens, "Who knows what's really going on."

The gates of Weng City opened with a heavy, sonorous movement, as the Domain Masters standing above watched the departing figures leave the city.

For the participating disciples of the various sects, stepping out of this door meant, to some extent, that the Sky Rain Meteor Conference was over. What remained were matters concerning the rankings.

Or rather, what remained were the matters the Domain Masters were concerned about: to guard against tampering, unfairness, and influence over the rankings. These were matters the sects couldn't manage; they could only accept their fate.

So, a group of Domain Masters had already taken their stand.

While the Domain Masters maintained their haughty postures, Young Master Nan found no need to do so, and with a push off the wall, he vaulted down, directly jumping toward Shi Chun and his companions emerging from the gates.

Ignoring the others who were leaving, he made his way through with "excuse me, excuse me", and finally stood in front of Shi Chun's group, smiling and greeting them with clasped hands: "Brother...ahem, oh no, what a surname you have – it's born for taking advantage. Amazing, amazing. Brother Chun, Brother Wu, Miss Bian, Miss Xiang, I am Namo Yu, at your service."

Where did this oddity pop out from? Shi Chun and his companions couldn't help but size him up and down scrutinizingly.

The middle-aged man, dressed in lavish brocade that managed to look loose and casual, had an indolent look even his face of fascination couldn't erase. With a small mustache,

His features weren't bad, it was just that his complexion was decidedly poor, a sauce-like hue with an oily sheen – not the darkness of skin, but a subsurface blackness, purpleness, and a back-to-light reddish glow that was hard to explain; clearly, he was someone who hadn't rested properly in ages, always pushing himself to keep going despite his disheveled and down-and-out appearance.

Even if Shi Chun and his companions lacked experience in the outside world, compared to the others, it was obvious that this man was not living a fortunate life.

No ordinary person could go without proper rest for so long; he must have really hit rock bottom to look like this.

Shi Chun was puzzled but maintained politeness in the face of the unknown, "So you're Brother Nan; have we met before?"

Young Master Nan laughed and waved his hand, "No, no, we haven't, but that's taken care of now. I have long admired you all!"

Shi Chun and Wu Jin exchanged glances, sensing how fake this unkempt fellow was. We've just come out from the Land of Exile not long ago, not yet known, so poor even ghosts don't know who we are, and you admire us my ass.

If it weren't for being in the royal city, aware that this place was a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and exercising caution as newcomers, Wu Jin would have already sliced this annoying obstruction aside. What's the use of being in the way?

Shi Chun tentatively asked, "Brother Nan, do you have something to command, stopping us on our way?"

"Command?" Young Master Nan suddenly widened his eyes, seeming to be startled, and waved his hands repeatedly, "You're too serious, too serious, I would never dare to give commands."

He soon squeezed out a fawning smile, "I just wanted to ask, Brother Chun, how many Insect Extreme Crystals you all obtained on this trip and under whose name they were registered?"

Shi Chun and his three companions exchanged glances once more, really wanting to ask, who are you? A complete stranger, digging at our roots and inquiring about our secrets as soon as you arrive, is that appropriate?

Looking around, they noticed that most people who had come out from Weng City had left, with only a few passing by, and the entrance of Xun Gate occasionally saw someone emerge.

However, some people turned back, and Bai Shuchuan, who had already left, unexpectedly returned with two fellow sect members.

After he got back to where Shi Chun and his group were, Bai Shuchuan had learned his lesson, and this time he skipped asking Shi Chun and went straight to Bian Weiyin, "Bian Weiyin, are you sure you want me to burst this bubble?"

While speaking, he couldn't help but cast another glance at Xiang Laner.

After all, he still harbored hope, that if it really came down to a confrontation and things got public, he might miss out on this beauty—they were public affairs after all. Yet, he still wanted to try and see if he could get a grip on the situation.

Bian Weiyin furrowed her brows, unsure how to respond, should she directly say that they had obtained a great number of Insect Extreme Crystals and not fear you bursting it out?

What she worried about now was that if the two families broke off relations, it would bring trouble to Wukang Mountain. Problems like deserting in the face of battle were no longer an issue, as Shi Chun had already solved it in another way.

Young Master Nan, who had seen Bai Shuchuan pointing at Shi Chun earlier, couldn't help but check, "Brother Chun, is this your friend?"

Shi Chun calmly responded, "I couldn't possibly climb that high."

Bai Shuchuan, who already felt Young Master Nan was an obstacle in his way, saw his down-and-out appearance and heard him calling Shi Chun "brother," he could imagine the caliber of someone who could call Shi Chun a brother. He casually pushed the man aside, "None of your business, scram!"

Young Master Nan, having stepped back twice, felt a bit stunned, as if wondering, what have I done to you?

He had combed through the elite sects of Shengshen Continent but couldn't think of any disciple who would be so domineering toward him. He sized up Bai Shuchuan, gave a hey, and wore an expression of bewilderment.

He then turned his head to ask Shi Chun, "Brother Chun, he really isn't your friend? Then may I take offense?"

Shi Chun, too, was surprised but was quite interested to see how this individual would be impolite to Bai Shuchuan, sharing the same reaction as Wu Jinliang.

The two almost simultaneously shook their heads to indicate their stance.

Bai Shuchuan also chuckled, hearing a threat from this down-and-out man's mouth, he couldn't help but "Hehe..." but before he finished laughing, he saw the shabby man suddenly step forward, his hand swift as a shadow.

Smack! A crisp slap rang out, and Bai Shuchuan fell to the ground with a loud thud.

It felt like a heavy daze as his face quickly swelled and a mouthful of blood with two teeth flew out.

Clearly, the slap was not light-handed.

"..." Shi Chun and the others were dumbfounded right then, as the saying goes, a skilled craftsman is revealed by a single stroke.

This was no sneak attack; it was upfront, and with the warnings said beforehand, Bai Shuchuan astonishingly couldn't even dodge in time, showcasing a strength quite surprising.

The problem was that this strength was incongruous with his haggard appearance.

The two brothers were shocked to their core, now aware of the hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the capital.

Bai Shuchuan shook his head in a daze on the ground, struggling a few times without being able to stand up, and his two companions, also intimidated by Young Master Nan's skill, didn't dare to assist, only helping Bai Shuchuan up.

"What's going on here?" A voice called out.

The group turned to look and saw several people dressed in snow-white robes approaching, led by an old man with white temples and an aura of a celestial, none other than the Chief Elder of Jieyun Mountain, Wu Handong, accompanied by Elder Lin and several fellow sect members.

When news spread that the conference participants had been released, the various sects rushed to pick them up. They did not expect to find upon arrival one of their own disciples beaten to the ground. As a sect elder, it was natural to step forward.

Then, behind these people, several more appeared, recognized by Shi Chun and the others, among them Wukang Mountain Sect Leader Bian Jixiong and others.

Even farther away, under the lamplight, figures flickered, and the scenes of sect disciples meeting with their own sect were much more lively than at the gates of Weng City.

Upon seeing Wu Handong and the others arrive, the Jieyun Mountain disciples immediately felt emboldened, supporting the staggering Bai Shuchuan and confronting them. One pointed at Young Master Nan, "Great Elder, he hit Brother Bai, you must seek justice for Brother Bai!"

Jieyun Mountain elders have taken action? Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang secretly panicked and instinctively moved a few steps to the side, their intent to distance themselves from Young Master Nan was quite clear—to avoid being splattered with blood.

It wasn't that they were unloyal; they truly were not acquainted with this Mr. Nan.

Wu Handong immediately moved to Young Master Nan and after sizing him up, his disheveled and gaunt appearance could not help but trigger the instinctual bias of social hierarchy. He sternly reprimanded, "What riffraff dares to cause trouble here!"

He did not recognize Young Master Nan, who in turn also did not recognize him.

Although Jieyun Mountain was the number one sect in Sheng Province, there were over a hundred "number one" sects on Shengshen Continent, with no prior dealings, Young Master Nan indeed could not recognize all.

The two had no interaction in their regular dealings and did not know each other.

Without getting the facts after arriving, he just barks; very good!" Young Master Nan nodded in amusement, his face bearing a feigned smile, and turned his gaze toward the city wall figures, "You all saw it; it's not that I don't give face to everyone, but some have gone too far! I'll leave my words here, no matter who he belongs to, if this old thing doesn't give me a proper apology today, don't think of leaving the capital alive, mark my words!"

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