Seeing himself swept into this situation for no apparent reason, Ming Qi didn't even think of explaining anything.
At that moment, the first thing that came to his mind was the eternally unchanging iron rule of the immortal world: the bigger the fist, the more right it was. He didn't know how Mo Changli had offended these troublemakers, or why he was always so stubborn, but none of that mattered to him at the moment. What mattered was first blasting these noisy individuals out of the way, and then settling the score with Mo Changli.
Ming Qi remained silent, standing still. He suddenly opened his hands, and blazing flames erupted from his ten fingers.
Then, gathering strength in his hands, he swung them forward.
Swish!
The sound of flames piercing the air echoed endlessly.
The first move unleashed his innate magical power, the finger-tip fire thunder!
The raging crimson skyfire transformed into ten dazzling, blazing meteors, bypassing the bearded man's greatsword and heading straight for him and the thin man.
"How dare you, boy!"
The bearded man roared, his eyes gleaming. He sheathed his greatsword and swung it across the air, a dark curtain of light forming before him.
This bearded man was a powerful Xiantian cultivator, and Ming Qi judged his strength to be in the second level of the Xiantian realm.
The curtain of light that appeared with the bearded man's casual wave was surprisingly a magical power.
Almost instantly, the bearded man swung his sword to create the curtain of light, and the thin man standing beside him followed suit. Like Ming Qi, he didn't use any magical weapons, but his fighting style was truly bizarre. With a single wave of his hand, the once smooth floor cracked, and dozens of strangely shaped, sharp vines shot out, strangling upwards. This was a strange magical power, but Ming Qi didn't give it much thought. Furthermore, thanks to his amplified aura, he already had the advantage of anticipating his opponent's moves. The moment the vines emerged from the ground, Ming Qi waved his hands again, and his body quickly soared into the air.
Vermillion Bird Divine Wings!
A pair of flaming wings suddenly sprouted from behind Ming Qi, carrying him up and crashing directly into the roof.
But that wasn't the end. Just as Ming Qi's finger-tip fire thunder swiftly pierced the light curtain drawn by the bearded man with unstoppable force, he unleashed his magical power again!
Fire Intent!
With Ming Qi's previous position as the center, a wave of flames instantly enveloped an area three steps around him.
The crimson skyfire burned the vines, immediately emitting a crisp crackling sound.
Ding Ding!
Flames burned the vines, while on the other side, the bearded man saw the light curtain he had drawn instantly pierced. Without time to react in surprise, he immediately drew his greatsword back to block the oncoming fire thunder.
The fire thunder collided with the sword's edge with a clanging sound, sending countless sparks flying and scattering along with the fire thunder's sharp edge.
In the blink of an eye.
The bearded man's greatsword blocked Ming Qi's finger-flick fire thunder, and Ming Qi's Fire Intent, a single move, instantly reduced the hideous, bizarre vines growing on the ground to ash.
Ming Qi, facing two alone, was surprisingly not at a disadvantage, but the room was too small to fully utilize them. Ming Qi's fire-based magical powers were mostly area-of-effect attacks, so for the time being, his skills were still limited.
Meanwhile, Mo Changli, who had dodged to the corner of the room, stared with wide eyes in surprise at Ming Qi, whose head had already hit the roof. A glint flickered in his eyes, as if he had completely forgotten that he was the one being pursued.
He, who was supposed to be the protagonist of this incident, had clearly been forgotten.
Ming Qi had already put Mo Changli's matter behind him. He suddenly realized that he had unknowingly reached a point where he could completely rival innate masters of the same realm. This seemed to have aroused his desire to fight, and he was eager to engage in a fight with this group.
As for the cultivators chasing Mo Changli, they also looked eager and belligerent. The third innate master, who hadn't yet attacked, took a few steps forward and stood in front of the bearded man.
However, while both sides wanted to fight, there were also those who didn't want them to fight, such as the restaurant owner and the gatekeeper's brother.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? You'll have to pay for any damage!"
As the two sides were about to lash out, an angry voice rang out, and then a portly middle-aged man twisted his body and struggled to squeeze through the doorway.
The restaurant owner, the gatekeeper's brother, saw the mess in the room and his eyes immediately turned green.
When he saw Ming Qi flying through the air and crashing into the roof, especially when his dazzling Vermillion Bird wings were already setting the roof ablaze, his chubby face suddenly turned pale.
"It's not enough to just destroy it, are you going to burn the house down too?"
The restaurant owner was also a worldly-wise man. Although he didn't have a natural talent for cultivation, he had met many cultivators, including many with fire-related magical powers. Although he was surprised by Ming Qi's wings and bright eyes, he was clearly more concerned about whether his own belongings would be consumed by the fire.
Ming Qi glanced at the restaurant owner and pointed at the men. "They were the first to attack."
Ming Qi knew that since the Fenglai Restaurant was operating safely in Fengxian City, it naturally had the protection of a powerful force. It wouldn't be long before someone arrived to deal with the situation.
Just as Ming Qi was thinking this, he heard voices outside.
"Black Panther, are you really not planning on staying in Fengxian City anymore?"
Upon hearing this, the bearded man wielding the giant sword's expression changed. A dark light flashed from his hand. When he looked back, the extraordinary sword had vanished, and he quickly turned and walked out of the room.
"Haha, so it's Steward Situ! Black Panther admits his mistake and promises never to do it again!"
The bearded man, Black Panther, was a quick-witted man, and he began to offer soft words the moment they met.
Seeing someone intervene, Ming Qi knew that Black Panther and his men were no longer prepared to attack again. Folding his Vermillion Bird wings, he set his sights on Steward Situ.
By this time, everyone had dispersed, and Ming Qi clearly spotted an elderly man in black standing in the courtyard.
Though his hair and beard had turned white, he held an imposing presence, especially his eyes, which gave off a sense of impenetrability. Furthermore, his stature was upright, with no trace of age visible.
After a few glances, Ming Qi understood that Steward Situ must hold a preeminent position within Fengxian City. While his abilities might not seem impressive, his presence exuded an invisible intimidation.
Ming Qi knew that this intimidation emanated from Steward Situ, stemming from an aura cultivated through his long tenure in a high position: unquestionable control.
The only person capable of controlling the entirety of Xiandu City was the City Lord's Mansion.
Upon hearing Black Panther's statement, Steward Situ nodded with apparent satisfaction. He glanced at Ming Qi, who was still in the room, and said to Black Panther, "This incident was caused by you. You will be held responsible for Boss Zhou's losses. Do you have any objections?"
"I'll do exactly as you wish, Steward Situ."
Black Panther didn't even bother to object and simply agreed.
"That's excellent. Black Panther, please discuss this with Boss Zhou. As for the others..." He glanced around, then waved his hand, "Disperse."
Standard Situ made no attempt to question Ming Qi until he left.
Black Panther and Boss Zhou had gone to discuss the compensation issue. Everyone else had also left, and Ming Qi's room was in ruins.
"What exactly do you want?"
Half an hour later, in a teahouse in Fengxian City, Ming Qi looked at Mo Changli with a grim expression.
Mo Changli lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the tea bowl before him, silent as a clay figure.
After a pause, Ming Qi, seeing this man's continued silence, lost the patience to question him further. He simply waved goodbye and left the teahouse on his own, heading towards the trading area in the south of the city.
Watching Ming Qi gradually disappear into the crowd, Mo Changli, who had been as still as a clay figure, suddenly raised his head and stared at Ming Qi's back, lost in thought. He muttered to himself, "Your aura can suppress divine punishment. You are my hope..."
Ming Qi naturally had no idea what Mo Changli was thinking. By the time he strolled into the trading area, his earlier annoyance had dissipated considerably. Looking at the dazzling array of goods on display, Ming Qi began to collect them.
Ming Qi's luck seemed to be quite good today. On a nondescript stall, he found several Demon Suppression Stones.
This Demon-Suppressing Stone is a magical mineral imbued with a small amount of innate righteous energy. Its uses are extremely wide, ranging from refining weapons and alchemy to setting up formations.
However, precisely because of its wide range of uses and relatively low rarity, Ming Qi could only purchase it at a relatively reasonable price.
Of course, the raw Demon-Suppressing Stone is incapable of helping Meng Ling suppress her demonic nature. It requires further refinement, and the final product must be refined to a form that can suppress her primordial demonic nature without harming her.
Ming Qi currently has no idea what to refine, as he has little experience in either refining weapons or alchemy. However, this did not hinder his efforts to gather materials.
After wandering around until dark, Ming Qi finally returned to the Fenglai Restaurant.
The owner had been waiting for him in the lobby for a long time. Upon meeting, he didn't mention anything about the day's events, but instead attentively arranged new accommodations for Ming Qi.
After a few pleasantries, Ming Qi returned to his room.
The newly arranged room was nearly identical to the previous one, maintaining every detail of the style, which greatly satisfied Ming Qi.
Tomorrow was the day of the grand auction at Junzilou, the venue where Ming Qi held his greatest hopes. That evening, he carefully observed Meng Ling's condition again, confirming that she was not seriously injured, before quietly returning to his training.