In a small, quiet diner in Ironwood Village, seven Peak Golden Core cultivators, six men and one woman, sat around a table with expressions filled with boredom and impatience.
Kneeling on the floor nearby was a man drenched in sweat: Si Song, infamously known as the Hungry Bandit.
His voice trembled as he spoke carefully. "Seniors… I've already informed all my men, and I even used the City Lord's resources to assist in your search."
He cautiously lifted his gaze towards the man seated at the centre, Mo Kuan, whose face remained utterly expressionless.
Though Mo Kuan appeared nonchalant, his piercing gaze bore into Si Song, making him tremble like a lamb awaiting slaughter.
"Senior, please rest assured," Si Song hurriedly added. "With my reach and influence, I'll be able to find her soon."
One of the black-robed figures, a youth who looked no older than his teens, with narrow dark eyes and twitching black horse ears, leaned forward with a sinister grin. He pressed his foot down on Si Song's head.
"Spare me the excuses," he sneered. "You useless trash. You can't even find an injured woman, yet you dare speak of replacing your brother as Greenstone City's City Lord?"
'I'm a bandit, you bastard, not a bloodhound!' Si Song roared inwardly, though he didn't dare say it aloud.
"Forgive me, Senior," he said instead, bowing even lower. "Please… grant me a little more time. I'm personally overseeing the situation and will bring you good news soon."
The youth lifted his foot, preparing to stomp down harder, when Mo Kuan's cold voice suddenly cut through the air.
"Enough. Let him go. Even worthless trash can still be useful. Don't create unnecessary trouble."
At that moment, the only woman at the table, who had been quietly sipping wine as though enjoying the spectacle, slowly rose to her feet. With deliberate movements, she placed her foot against Si Song's chest, gently pushing him back before slowly sliding it downward.
"Why not let me… encourage him a little?" she asked with a teasing smile, leaning forward slightly and accentuating her cleavage.
Her ample curves were enough to make any man drool. Her fox-like eyes locked onto his, while an intoxicating fragrance drifted from her body and seeped into his senses.
"I'm sure he'll work much harder that way."
Si Song swallowed hard, his mind blurred instantly. His breathing became uneven, and his body heated as though set ablaze.
Beneath her seductive gaze and enchanting presence, his will rapidly crumbled, his eyes flickering with confusion and raw desire.
Just as things were about to escalate further, Mo Kuan casually waved his hand.
A surge of spiritual qi burst forth like a crashing tidal wave, sending the dazed Si Song flying out of the diner like a kite caught in a violent storm. As merely an Early Golden Core cultivator, Si Song hadn't even realised when the attack struck him in his dazed state and only became aware once he was suddenly airborne.
"Boring… you could've at least let me have some fun first," the woman murmured with clear disappointment, casting Mo Kuan a sideways glance before calmly returning to her seat.
Mo Kuan ignored her entirely, while the remaining four black-robed cultivators stayed silent from beginning to end. They simply sat there as though none of it concerned them, quietly sipping their wine as if it were just another ordinary morning.
Su Wen and Du Yue arrived at the massive stone-built guild standing prominently at the centre of the village.
Unlike the surrounding wooden houses, the structure appeared sturdy and imposing, constructed from thick green stone reinforced with weathered timber.
The building carried a sense of age and reliability, as though it had weathered countless winters and the rise and fall of countless cultivators.
Above the entrance hung a polished brown signboard carved with the image of a frothing beer jug beside a steaming plate of food. Beneath the carving, elegant flowing script displayed two simple words:
Central Guild
The moment they stepped inside, a wave of noise and activity greeted them.
To the left, a spacious seating area buzzed with chatter, clinking mugs, and bursts of rough laughter. It resembled a lively tavern where cultivators gathered to drink, boast about their exploits, and exchange rumours from distant regions.
To the right stretched a massive notice board covered in missions, bounties, escort requests, herb-gathering tasks, and monster subjugation notices.
Some sheets were freshly pinned in neat rows, while others had faded with age, their corners curling from constant handling.
Directly opposite the entrance stood the reception counter.
Behind it sat a beautiful young woman in her twenties, dressed in the formal brown attire of the Central Guild. A pair of soft bunny ears rose from her head, twitching faintly every now and then as she worked through stacks of documents.
The small movements added a gentle charm to her otherwise calm and professional demeanour.
A long queue had already formed before the counter. Some people waited patiently, while others shifted about with obvious impatience. Even so, most of the men in line found their attention repeatedly drifting back towards the receptionist.
Cultivators of every sort moved throughout the bustling hall. Some travelled alone with guarded expressions, while others gathered in groups around tables.
Their clothing ranged from simple travelling robes to reinforced light armour stained from battle, and nearly every person carried a sharp, distinct aura that hinted at experience gained through danger and bloodshed.
Su Wen and Du Yue joined the queue, though Su Wen's attention soon drifted towards the nearby notice board.
"Wife, wait here for a moment. I'll go take a look over there," he said softly, glancing with curiosity at the wall covered in missions and bounty notices.
"Mmm…" Du Yue nodded lightly and remained where she was.
Dressed in flowing light blue robes, she radiated an almost unearthly beauty.
Her skin was fair as jade, her features delicate yet captivating, and her figure graceful and perfectly proportioned.
She appeared utterly flawless, untouched by blemish or imperfection, resembling a celestial maiden who had wandered down from the heavens.
Blessed with a Pure Yin Immortal Physique, her mere presence was like a magnet, effortlessly drawing the attention of everyone around her.
A faint, cheerful smile rested upon her lips as she quietly waited in line.
Amid the rough-looking cultivators surrounding her, she seemed strangely out of place, like someone untouched by the cruelty and harshness of the cultivation world.
Two men lingered near one corner of the hall, their attention fixed on Du Yue with undisguised intent. One had a mouth full of gold-capped teeth, while the other wore a stiff, unmoving expression that made him appear permanently displeased.
"Brother Kael, weren't you complaining about being bored?" the stiff-faced man said quietly, nodding towards Du Yue. "Look at that beauty over there."
The man was named Thane. Because of the paralysis in his facial muscles, even the slightest expression made him appear unsettling.
"Oh?"
Kael lifted his gaze towards Du Yue. His eyes slowly swept across her figure as he licked his lips.
"She's practically a goddess," he muttered with a greedy grin, his golden teeth glinting beneath the hall lights. "A woman like that would fetch an excellent price at the Flower Pavilion."
Thane narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Strange… I feel like I've seen her somewhere before," he said slowly. "But I can't remember where."
Kael chuckled under his breath, revealing his crooked golden smile.
"If that's the case, why not ask her ourselves?"
With that, he casually strode over and stopped far too close to Du Yue's side.
"Well now, beautiful miss, I don't believe we've met before," Kael said in what was clearly meant to be a refined and charming tone. Unfortunately, the grin full of gold teeth only made him look like a street thug pretending to be a nobleman. "I know just about every beauty around these parts, yet somehow I've never seen you before."
His gaze shamelessly roamed over her body before returning to her face.
"And standing here all alone too. You're not from around here, are you?"
Thane stepped up beside him. Though his face barely moved, the hunger in his eyes was impossible to miss.
"You really do seem familiar," he said slowly, openly sizing her up from head to toe. "Can't remember where I've seen you before… though I suppose it doesn't matter."
A stiff smile awkwardly tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Why don't you let us keep you company? A delicate woman like you shouldn't be left alone in a place like this."
The cheerful expression on Du Yue's face vanished the moment she heard them. The warmth in her blue eyes faded, replaced by cold indifference.
She turned towards them briefly, silently studying the pair disturbing her peace before replying flatly,
"There's no need. I'm here with my husband."
Before the sentence had even fully left her lips, she had already turned away again, no longer paying them any attention.
"Don't be so quick to refuse," Thane continued, his voice growing bolder. "Stay with us and you'll live comfortably. A woman with a body like yours deserves to be properly appreciated."
"That's right," Kael added with a smirk. "Stick with us and no one within Greenstone's territory will dare trouble you. We can show you a far better life than whatever wandering cultivator husband you came here with."
"I said I'm not interested. Leave."
Du Yue's voice was cold and detached, sounding utterly uninterested in wasting another word on them.
The rejection caused Thane's expression to darken instantly.
A powerful pressure burst from his body as he released the aura of a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator. The surrounding crowd stiffened, and several nearby cultivators hurriedly stepped aside, unwilling to get dragged into trouble.
"You bitch, don't mistake our patience for weakness," Thane said coldly, his stiff face making his expression appear even more sinister. "We already gave you respect by speaking nicely. Don't force me to repeat myself."
His eyes narrowed arrogantly as he stared at her.
"In the surrounding region, very few people dare reject us to our faces. Stop acting so high and mighty and know your place."
Unlike Thane, Kael had already lost all patience.
With a vulgar chuckle, he directly reached towards Du Yue's waist, openly attempting to grope her.
"You can keep acting cold all you want," he sneered. "But once I subdue you and let my brothers have their turn, I'd like to see whether you can still look at us with that same expression."
His greedy gaze openly swept across her body.
"And afterward, a beauty like you will still sell for a fortune. Plenty of young masters enjoy obedient maids."
The nearby onlookers shook their heads, silently cursing the two scum for causing trouble again while pitying the beautiful young woman for attracting the attention of trash with powerful backing.
"If you wished to lose your hand, you could've simply said so. Why waste my time with so much nonsense?" Du Yue said coldly, her eyes turning sharp.
Just as Kael's hand was about to touch her, Du Yue calmly raised two slender fingers.
A faint strand of icy sword qi gathered at her fingertips. With a casual flick...
A pale arc flashed.
Slash.
His hand was severed cleanly, as though it were nothing more than paper, before falling heavily onto the ground.
For a brief moment, Kael's arm remained suspended mid-air as he stared blankly at the wound. No blood flowed out. Instead, a thin layer of ice rapidly spread across the severed stump, sealing it completely, while his detached hand twitched faintly on the floor nearby.
The bustling hall fell into instant silence.
Every cultivator froze in shock.
Kael did not even realise what had happened at first, his mind going completely blank before the searing pain finally snapped him back to reality.
"AAAAAHHH!! MY HAND!"
His scream tore through the hall as he clutched the frozen stump, his body trembling violently while terror flooded his face.
Meanwhile, Su Wen was casually scanning the notice board, his eyes moving steadily across the postings.
E-Rank (Low): Gather 10 Red Spirit Grass; Reward: 20 low-grade spirit stones.
D-Rank (Mid): Hunt 10 Ice Goblins (at least Mid Grade 2); Reward: 45 mid-grade spirit stones. Capture "Golden Teeth" (Peak Foundation Establishment); Reward: 40 mid-grade spirit stones.
C-Rank (Mid): Capture "Hungry Bandit" (Early Golden Core); Reward: 40 high-grade spirit stones.
"Interesting," he murmured, his gaze lingering briefly on the higher-ranked missions before slowly moving on.
Just then, his attention was drawn by the sound of a violent scream echoing through the hall. He turned towards the commotion.
There, he saw his wife, surrounded by two unsavoury men bothering her.
He hurried over to her side, gently taking her hand as he spoke in a concerned and protective tone.
"Wife, are you alright? Did they bully you?"
Moments earlier, the only sound filling the hall had been Kael's agonised screaming. Yet the instant Su Wen spoke, even he stopped cursing.
Everyone in the guild looked at Su Wen strangely, as though wondering whether he was blind and somehow failed to notice the severed hand lying on the floor.
Du Yue tightly held his hand and looked at his worried expression.
The cold indifference she wore earlier vanished instantly, replaced by the appearance of a weak and wronged woman. Tears quickly welled in her beautiful blue eyes.
"Husband…"
She buried her face against his chest, rubbing her tears onto his robes while not forgetting to secretly take advantage of the moment, as her hands roamed around his waist and abs.
"These people were bullying me," she said pitifully. "That disgusting man even tried to touch me with those filthy hands."
Su Wen gently patted her head before finally turning his gaze towards Kael and Thane, ignoring the severed hand on the floor entirely.
A surge of fury rose in his heart.
His precious wife, whom he treasured like flawless jade, had almost been tainted by this kind of trash.
Behind Kael, Thane trembled slightly and no longer dared to speak arrogantly. The earlier sword intent from Du Yue had already frightened him badly, and now Su Wen's presence only made things worse.
Instinctively, he quietly took several steps backwards.
"Y-You bitch…!" Kael, oblivious to Thane's growing dread, roared like a beaten dog while clutching his frozen stump. "How dare you cut off my hand! Do you even know who my brother is?!"
Hatred and pain twisted his face viciously.
"When my brothers arrive, we'll strip you naked, break that arrogant attitude of yours, and make your man watch while we ruin you!"
Su Wen's eyes instantly turned ice-cold.
The sight of Kael's revolting golden teeth only intensified the killing intent in his heart.
In a calm voice, he said,
"Wife, next time some disgusting trash tries to touch you… don't just cut off their hands."
As the words fell, Su Wen drew his sword.
Using Celestial Void Steps, his figure vanished from beside Du Yue like a ghost. In less than a blink, he appeared directly in front of Kael.
The oppressive aura of a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator refined through seven layered tempering erupted from his body, instantly freezing Kael in place.
Without giving him any chance to react, Su Wen directly unleashed the Cloud Sword Step sword art.
His sword moved as smoothly and naturally as flowing water.
A silver flash swept through the air.
Thane's eyes widened in horror. He had not even seen when Su Wen moved, let alone when he attacked.
As for Kael, trapped beneath the overwhelming pressure, he only felt a cold sensation brush across his neck before the world suddenly spun around him.
Thud.
Kael's severed head rolled across the floor like a ball, while his headless body collapsed backwards with a heavy crash.
As his consciousness rapidly faded, the final thing he heard was Su Wen calmly finishing his sentence:
"…Cut their heads off instead. That way, the trash disappears from this world and won't bother anyone again."