The door of the VIP room opened silently on its own.
Ye Que slowly walked in with his hands clasped behind his back. He was the one who chided the little fox for not knowing the rules earlier.
"Who are you? You"re not welcome here. If you don"t want to die, scram." The little fox retrieved her tail the moment when Ye Que came in, but she didn"t let go of Qian Shuxiao. It hadn"t been easy to find such a matching incense stove. Moreover, this man was the first human she absorbed Qi from. She mustn"t let him go no matter what.
"Didn"t your elders tell you that you can absorb Yang Qi but not the Blood Essence of humans is the bottom line? You"ll have to pay with your life for absorbing another"s Blood Essence." Ye Que walked to a position about five meters away from the little fox demon and stood still as he looked at her with great interest. He wasn"t in a hurry. With him here, it was impossible for the fox to take away the man"s Blood Essence. What he was curious about now was who had given her so much courage to do so. Moreover, they were in the capital Luoyang. Was there no righteous sect governing the place?
The demons had all come to the foundation of the imperial city.
Ye Que might not be in a hurry, but someone else was. Qian Shuxiao felt as he had found his savior. Though he couldn"t speak, he couldn"t help grimacing in pain. He mouthed at Ye Que, imploring him to save him immediately. He would agree to any of Ye Que"s conditions or any sum of money the latter demanded. He had nothing but money, after all.
Qian Shuxiao was so frantic that he was nearly crying, but Ye Que didn"t even look at him. He just stared at the little fox demon in front of him.
"Back then, you people had flattened the entire Fox Mountain. How could there be the elders you speak of? Stop being a hypocrite and show me your phony mercy. This old woman doesn"t buy it," the little demon fox retorted fiercely, changing her gentle and lovely manner.
"Old woman? How old are you even? How unbridled for a little demon fox that has just taken human shape." Her words nearly caused Ye Que to burst into laughter. However, he was able to guess this fox"s experience. Most likely, her clansmen were wiped out by the righteous faction and she was the only one who escaped the genocide. She cultivated each day while in hiding and once she was able to shapeshift into a human, she came to the Human World for revenge. Unfortunately, she was unlucky enough to meet Ye Que the first time she moved against humans.
"Either way, I"m older than you. To think a boy whose hair hasn"t even finish growing would be this daring. Aren"t you afraid? I"m a demon, you know. I"ll eat you up."
The little demon fox"s reply was cold but before she finished her words, she abruptly pushed Qian Shuxiao aside and sent a burst of magical power at Ye Que.
"Sneak attack?" Ye Que curled his lips. "Aren"t you moving a little too slow?"
Ye Que extended his forefinger and middle finger and put them together like they were a sword. Facing the fox"s ferocious claws, he lifted his fingers and flicked. Ye Que didn"t even move his feet but the little demon fox had been thrown two meters away. The fox stepped on the bedhead and rebounded without any pause, her speed and strength even greater this time. Simultaneously, purple light glinted in her pupils. She had quietly activated the innate charm of the fox demon clan.
"Insignificant little talent!"
Ye Que didn"t even use the Divine Energy in his body for his mental force alone was enough to shatter the incomparably crude enchantment. His cultivation was now in the Pre-heaven Realm. A little fox demon that had just left her mountain like her was in the second rank Martial Arts Realm at most. It was impossible for her to charm Ye Que.
However, this little demon fox was really trying her utmost and didn"t give up even after her enchantment had failed. Be it her fists or claws, she spared nothing in fighting back. However, she failed to touch even the corner of Ye Que"s jacket as he blocked her attacks with his finger-sword.
"Impudent!" Ye Que snorted. His finger-sword swiftly danced in the air, producing a mysterious sword flower. Then, he pointed to the wine jug on the table inside the room before pointing to the little fox demon.
In a split second, the previously unusually fierce little fox widened her eyes in horror.
It was like magic.
The wine jug on the table split open suddenly while the wine inside was frozen in midair. The next moment, the wine seemed to be endowed with life and turned into an inch-long water-sword in an instant. With the flash of dim light, the water-sword struck the little fox demon.
When the water-sword was less than an inch away from her in an instant, a bright orange psychic shield appeared out of thin air to block the water-sword. Simultaneously, a bronze compa.s.s appeared on the little fox demon"s waist.
"Boom!"
A loud explosion resounded. The sound was similar to the sound of a bullet hitting a steel plate. The aftermath instantly shattered all the decorations inside the room. The wooden bed beneath Qian Shuxiao also collapsed.
"It"s a defensive magic treasure!" Ye Que muttered while frowning.
He hadn"t made a killing move earlier because he wanted to ask the little fox demon some questions. However, he never expected the fox, which had just been transformed, to possess such a powerful defensive magic treasure. Moreover, she was able to discard her magic treasure, give up her white foxtail to push her speed to its limit at the last moment and escaped right under Ye Que"s nose. She left behind only a pile of magic weapon fragments and a pool of blood.
"There are too few skills I can use since I have just started cultivating." Ye Que shook his head, looking a little regretful. However, after picking up the bronze compa.s.s that was broken in half on the ground and looking at it, his eyes became penetrative. "This is a skill of the Demon World!"
"Has the Human World invasion started? So fast?"
"Is their first stop the capital, Luoyang?"
"How audacious!"
Such a great commotion soon disturbed the tavern owner, who brought two waiters as he rushed to the door of the VIP room. They didn"t dare to enter for they were cautious of Qian Shuxiao"s ident.i.ty. Everyone could tell what he was trying to do earlier. If they rashly push the door, enter, and see something they shouldn"t, the Peony Pavilion might not be able to continue operating in Luoyang.
They could no longer hear any sound coming from the room. The tavern owner knocked on the door before urging his waiter to ask, "Young Master Qian, are you inside? What happened earlier? Are you okay? Please call for us if you have any problem. We"re waiting outside the door."
No reply came from inside the room.
"Younger Master Qian? Are you inside?"
The tavern owner pestered the waiter, pointing at the room with his lips. He gestured for the waiter to push the door.
"Younger Master Qian, I"ll be coming in then," the waiter said, making a last-ditch effort to inform Qian Shuxiao. He placed his hand on the door as he spoke.
The second before the door was pushed open, a voice finally came from inside.
"What are you shouting about?! Are you trying to press me to death? Or are you afraid I won"t be able to pay for the room? Since when did the Peony Pavilion cultivate such a habit? Are you hoping to eavesdrop on me bedding someone?" Even though the sound was faint, it was indeed Qian Shuxiao"s voice.
"We dare not, Young Master Qian. Please calm down. We heard a loud noise coming from your room just now. We"re just afraid of something happening to you. We"re not courageous enough to spoil your good mood, Young Master. We"ll be taking our leave right away." The tavern owner immediately tried to mediate the situation.
"Get out of here. Whatever happens, I"ll take care of it. If I damage your belongings, I"ll also compensate you. I can even afford to buy your entire Peony Pavilion. Do you still worry that I can"t pay for the room?" Qian Shuxiao"s voice carried a hint of impatience. His desire to send them away was obvious.
No one dared to reply again. The sound of footsteps leaving in a hurry resounded.
Inside the room, it was a whole other scene.
Ye Que sat squarely on the stool, looking calm and restrained. The pale-faced Qian Shuxiao sat on the collapsed wooden bed in a daze.
"Sir, I wish to thank you for your help with more than just words. Please accept a bow from Qian Shuxiao." Qian Shuxiao struggled to get up as he panted. He bowed deferentially to Ye Que while trembling, making a 90-degree bow before straightening his back. If Qian Shuxiao"s father saw this scene, his jaw would surely drop. Not even he had received such a great show of respect after working like an ox for his son for nearly 20 years.
"Don"t mention it. It"s no big deal." Ye Que casually waved.
"It might not be a big deal for you, but it is life-and-death for me. No matter how shameless I am, I can still tell good from bad." Qian Shuxiao looked moved. "Please tell me what you need. I"ll give them to you with both hands and without objection as long as it"s something I, Qian Shuxiao, have."
Qian Shuxiao patted his forehead with a smile as if he had recalled something. "You"re a deeply unfamiliar face. Perhaps you don"t know me. I"m the only son of the Qian family of Luoyang. My family is wealthy, incredibly so. It"s not a problem for me as long as it"s a problem that money can solve or something money can buy."
"You don"t know, my family, ahem, ahem, ahem!" Qian Shuxiao coughed violently before he could finish his words, and the cough even worsened. He looked as if he was going to cough up all his insides.
"Half of your Yang Qi has been absorbed and your Blood Essence was nearly stolen as well. Don"t speak so much. You sure are different. Qian Shuxiao, is it? Sit down here. I"ll examine you." Ye Que patted the stool beside him.
"Half of my Yang Qi! Stolen Blood Essence! Cough, cough. How am I still alive" Qian Shuxiao asked in horror.
Ye Que smacked his lips as he scanned Qian Shuxiao"s body from top to bottom. "No wonder the little fox demon has a crush on you and is desperate to absorb your Blood Essence. Just how many supplements have you ate since young?! Your blood is more exuberant than that of regular people, to the extent you yourself is almost akin to a living ginseng."
"Ginseng?"
"I have plenty of ginseng at home. Usually, I eat them like I eat pickles," Qian Shuxiao said in a show-off manner.
After Qian Shuxiao sat down on the stool, Ye Que gave him a quick pulse examination. "I suppose this is what they call karmic retribution. But your life is definitely safe. You"ll experience a serious illness, at most."
"Oh, please don"t! It feels terrible to be sick! I won"t be able to leave home for many days! Moreover, I have something important to do the day after tomorrow. I definitely can"t get sick. Sir, would you be kind enough to help me again? I know you must have a way," Qian Shuxiao said pitifully. A perfectly flirtatious young master now looked like a mistreated young wife. Someone who didn"t know what was going on might a.s.sume Ye Que was bullying him.
"Sir!" Qian Shuxiao was about to get up and beg him again. He noticed Ye Que was amenable to coaxing but not coercion. Neither did the latter cared for his money. In his understanding, an expert like this generally valued etiquette and friendship.
"Sit down," Ye Que said helplessly. "Turn around."
"Sir?" Qian Shuxiao was puzzled.
"Shut up!"
Ye Que reached out to clap Qian Shuxiao"s head. He thought to himself, "This man speaks and lacks too much. No wonder the demon would latch onto him."
He pointed at the middle of Qian Shuxiao"s back and Divine Energy poured into the latter"s body like the rush of a scalding heatwave. He replenished Qian Shuxiao"s Yang Qi and steadied the latter"s Blood Essence almost immediately. The process took no more than a few minutes and was so comfortable that Qian Shuxiao almost moaned aloud.
Right then, three young masters dressed in expensive clothes stormed into the lobby of the Peony Pavilion. "Qian Shuxiao, you a.s.shole! You only care about your own pleasure and forgot about your brothers. This time, you"re dead."