Chapter 80: The Predicament of the Plant Spirit Clan
"Little girl, this Starshine Grass belongs to our Moonflower Pavilion. Ten low-grade spirit stones, take it." The youth in splendid robes casually tossed out a few spirit stones and reached out to snatch the herb.
The plain-clothed girl quickly shielded her stall, stubbornly saying, "Not for sale! This Starshine Grass is worth at least fifty mid-grade spirit stones. You… are going too far!"
"Pa!"
The youth slammed his palm on the stall, making the herb tremble violently. "Don't know what's good for you, huh? In Huiyue City, anything Moonflower Pavilion wants, we get!"
"You… you are unreasonable!"
"Reason? In Huiyue City, Moonflower Pavilion is reason! Ask them if it's true."
He pointed toward the crowd, and the bystanders he indicated all lowered their heads, furious but not daring to speak.
"See?" The robed youth revealed a proud expression.
"Is that so? Then I want to see just how large the face of your Moonflower Pavilion really is."
A clear voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.
Everyone turned to see a black-robed youth standing with a sword in his arms, his expression cold and stern. It was Xiao Chen!
"Where did this stray brat come from? Someone dares meddle in Moonflower Pavilion's affairs?" The robed youth sneered and waved his hand. "Teach him a lesson!"
Several Moonflower Pavilion disciples instantly surrounded him, true essence surging. All of them were at the Spirit Nurturing Realm!
The corner of Xiao Chen's lips lifted as his right hand pressed against the sword hilt. "Perfect! Just right for me to test my sword."
"Nine Heavens Thunder Movement—Thunderclap!"
"Zheng!"
Sword light flashed like lightning, thunder roared!
In an instant, several streams of sword qi wrapped in thunder force swept out. The Moonflower Pavilion disciples had no chance to react before being blasted several zhang away, crashing heavily to the ground, bodies charred and pitiful.
The street fell silent.
Everyone stared in shock at the scene—Moonflower Pavilion's disciples, defeated in a single strike by an unknown youth?!
"You… you are seeking death!" The robed youth shouted in anger and fear, pointing at Xiao Chen. "You dare strike members of Moonflower Pavilion!"
Xiao Chen sheathed his sword, lazily digging at his ear. "And what of it?"
"Hm?!" The youth narrowed his eyes. "So you are determined to stand against Moonflower Pavilion?"
"No, no, no…" Xiao Chen shook his head, then turned to Elder Yao who had been standing among the crowd as a spectator, winking. "Everyone heard me, from beginning to end—did I ever say I wanted to oppose Moonflower Pavilion? Did I?"
Elder Yao chuckled, pretending to join the crowd's clamor. "No, he never said he opposed Moonflower Pavilion."
Following his lead, the onlookers also stood out and affirmed Xiao Chen had not said so.
The robed youth grew furious. "You… you all…"
Xiao Chen walked forward with a smile, patting his shoulder. "From start to finish, I was only opposing you. Or… have you already killed your pavilion master and taken his place? If so, then I'll admit you can represent Moonflower Pavilion."
At these words, the youth's face instantly turned panicked. "The pavilion master enjoys immortal blessings, his longevity equal to heaven! If you dare to sow discord, today it will be either you dead or me alive!"
"You dead?" Xiao Chen pointed at him, then himself. "Me alive?"
He laughed. "Isn't that the same thing?"
Laughter instantly burst out all around.
"Good, good, good…" The robed youth roared in fury. "Just you wait!"
Unable to win in battle and unable to win in words, he turned and left.
Xiao Chen then turned and helped up the plain-clothed girl, who was still shaken. "Miss, are you alright? I'll take this Starshine Grass. Fifty mid-grade spirit stones, is that enough?"
The girl nodded blankly, still not recovered from her shock.
In the distance, the Moonflower Pavilion disciples he had struck down finally managed to get up. Running alongside the robed youth, they shouted, "Moonflower Pavilion will never let you off!"
Xiao Chen shrugged, amused in his heart. Compete in fighting? I might not always win. But compare backing? Are they serious?
Just then—
"This Starshine Grass… I won't sell it." The girl suddenly pulled the herb back into her arms, speaking softly.
Xiao Chen was stunned. "Why?"
The girl raised her eyes, a trace of helplessness and worry within them. "You stepped in righteously just now, and I am deeply grateful. But if you buy this Starshine Grass, you will truly form a feud with Moonflower Pavilion…" She bit her lip. "I cannot drag you into this."
Elder Yao stroked his beard and chuckled. "The little girl does have a kind heart. But such a high-grade herb is best not sold on the street."
"I don't want to either." The girl sighed and continued, "My name is Shuang'er. My ancestors have belonged to the Plant Spirit Clan, specializing in cultivating rare spiritual herbs. In past years, the Great Zhou imperial merchants always came to purchase them, but this time…"
Her voice dropped, "The royal merchants never arrived. We waited several days before learning something major had happened in Tianjing City. Our clan of hundreds relies on this batch of herbs for survival, so we had no choice but to bring them to Huiyue City to sell."
As she spoke, her fingers gently brushed the crystal-clear leaves of the Starshine Grass. "But Huiyue City is Moonflower Pavilion's territory. These past days, the herbs we brought have often been seized and sold by force. Just the day before yesterday, my cousin's Nine-Leaf Lingzhi was snatched by them for only three low-grade spirit stones…"
Xiao Chen's brows furrowed tightly. "Isn't there anyone to intervene?"
"Intervene?" Shuang'er gave a bitter smile. "Moonflower Pavilion has a Heavenly Origin Realm expert overseeing them. They are among the top forces even in Qingzhou. For small outsider clans like ours, how could we dare resist?"
Elder Yao suddenly interjected. "Girl, you said the Great Zhou imperial merchants did not arrive… do you know what exactly happened in Tianjing City?"
Shuang'er shook her head. "I only heard that Princess Jinxiu colluded with the demon race to assassinate Emperor Chengping. Even the retired emperor fell…"
What? Even that Saint Venerate had fallen? Could this be real?
Xiao Chen drew a sharp breath, then exchanged a glance with Elder Yao. Isolated in the valley, they had not expected such earth-shaking events outside!
"In that case," Xiao Chen suddenly slapped the table, "Miss Shuang'er, I'll take all the herbs your clan has left!"
"What?" Shuang'er stepped back in shock. "Young master, you…"
"Just lead the way." Xiao Chen grinned, showing his white teeth. "I've been studying alchemy recently and need fine materials. Money is no issue. As for Moonflower Pavilion…"
All beneath the Saint Realm were mere ants. From the depths of his heart, he did not take them seriously.
…
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