262 There, all fixed

Wu Long’s group were led to a rather remote area as the last rays of sun illuminated the upper parts of the rocky peaks on which the sect was situated while the sprawling forest below that they had recently passed through had already submerged into darkness.

“Halt!”

As they approached a certain distance from the peak they were led to on a long suspended wooden bridge, they heard a sharp shout as a man in different robes than the sect members came forward a dozen men and women in similar clothes blocking the exit to the bridge.

“We may have given you a part of this area as your lodging while you are our guests, Elder Miu, but I do not appreciate the way you treat it as if this is your sect’s territory”

Elder Jue who was standing in the front of the group that was escorting Wu Long and the others said as a stern expression appeared on his face. While there were many escorting sect protectors for people who came with goodwill, it was not entirely out of norm for any large group to be supervised by an even larger group within a sect.

“Oh, my apologies Elder Jue, I have not recognized you in the twilight. Still, it seems your sect lacks discipline since there were disciples roaming around these guest quarters, annoying Grand Elder Fu, which was why we had to raise the levels of alertness”

The man who seemed to be an Elder of another sect said with a smirk as it was obvious that this level of illumination was not a problem for a cultivator at the Revolving Qi Realm.

A vein popped out on the forehead of Elder Jue as he struggled to keep his cool.

“It is nonetheless the guest lodging area, and you are not the only guests who will be staying here, at least for tonight, so I would appreciate it if you mind that fact”

Elder Jue’s tone was rather cold but still polite, indicating that the opposite party was not so simple.

“Hm? Other guests? What a farce, are you now going to send in disciples in disguise to spy on us?”

“Please do not cross the line, Elder Miu. These guests have just arrived and must be quite weary from travel. I respectfully ask you and your men to clear the road”

The frown on the face of Elder Jue intensified as he started to lose his temper. He would not have bothered if this was not a bridge-type entrance, which was fully occupied by the dozen men and women of the opposing party.

“Heh, so much for your Music Dao that ‘cleanses the mind of all mundane’, poke a little and there’s rock underneath the gold”

Elder Miu, as he was called earlier, said with a scowl as his white teeth almost shined in the surroundings that were rapidly getting darker with two perfect rows.

“You…!”

As Elder Jue finally almost lost his temper a sect protector beside him placed his hand on his shoulder, and the man swallowed the words that were about to pour.

“Anyway, even if they truly are guests, we cannot simply allow Heaven Knows Who to stay in the same area.

You lot, move aside so we can see your so-called ‘guests’.

State your identity and report your goal of stay”

Elder Miu, seemingly satisfied with getting the reaction he wanted then turned his head to the area behind Elder Jue and lazily said, speaking in a nauseating manner of elongated vowels, almost like a 09:47

royal court official who visited a remote province.

As the sect protectors in front of Wu Long’s group stepped aside, not wishing to argue with this man, the man’s eyes widened at the sight of so many beauties.

“Ah, so you were bringing company for Grand El-…”

As his eyes shone with a greedy light, the sound of steel wires being pulled and sliding across surface edges resounded as the very last ray of sun shone with brilliant spiderweb on the bridge and Elder Miu’s legs were strung together while his arms were tightly pressed against his torso, making him stand at attention, turning him from a self-important court official into a recruit soldier. The wires then flickered as some of them moved again and his knees bent as he plopped on them with a loud *bam*, hitting the hard wooden floor of the bridge at the same time as the sky completely turned dark.

“Urgh!”

As he gasped in pain a dark figure leisurely approached him, and as he looked up…

*Slap*

A loud slap resounded on the bridge. Soon, the eyes of everyone could adjust to the moon light and they saw an incredibly handsome tall young man standing before the kneeling Elder Miu with his right hand raised in an almost aritistic motion of a finished slap, and a wizened, impeccably neatly clothed old man with a refined bearing standing behind him as moonlight danced on the steel wires he held.

The scene left everyone except Wu Long’s group unable to process it for a while. Elder Jue and the others escorting the group were looking on with widened eyes, completely speechless at the sudden turn of events.

“…! Release-…!”

The people behind Elder Miu finally seemed to come out of their stupor, and leaned forward as if they would rush forward the next moment, but froze as a pressure of a Foundation Building Realm practitioner pinned them down while Old Yen’s figure appeared in front of them, slowly raising his index finger and waving it from side to side while his other hand was behind his back.

Elder Jue’s side also looked like they wanted to interfere but Ye Ling turned, and her beautiful blue eyes that were always tranquil made them stop in their tracks as they felt an incredible pressure from that calm look.

Wu Long’s eyes coldly, yet somewhat indifferently looked down on the astonished and incredulous kneeling man. Elder Miu’s face was still turned to the side as his lip was broken and blood dripped from the wound on the hard wood of the bridge, making loud sounds in the silence that followed the initial commotion.

“You have an unpleasant mouth”

Wu Long’s cold voice resounded and as the man’s astonishment was finally going down and anger and indignation started to appear in his eyes Wu Long grabbed him by the hair with his left hand, raising his head up so it looked straight at him again.

“…!”

The man’s face grimaced at that and he opened his mouth to start shouting at this impudent youngster, but…

*slap!!!*

An even more resounding slap shook the people of two sects as a bruise appeared on the man’s cheek and blood now profusely started dripping down from his both broken lips.

“What do you thi-…”

*Slap!!!*

Another slap resounded and a white tooth flew to the side with drops of blood.

*Slap!* *Slap!* *Slap!!!*

Loud slapping sounds reverberated on the bridge, echoing between the rocky peaks lit by the moonlight as teeth flew out of the man’s mouth that was now constantly spewing blood, almost the whole side of his face was now bloody.

*Slap!!!* *Crack!!!*

Elder Miu’s cheekbone and jaw cracked at the same time with a goosebumps-raising sound and his face now looked crushed from one side as his eye turned bloody, his previously neat two rows of white teeth were now missing more than half, completely disappearing from one side. The man’s eyes were already unfocused as he continued to try and speak, at the end only mumbling remotely resembling the word ‘stop’ being repeated over and over before even that ended. As he turned completely silent, Wu Long finally unclenched his left hand.

The wires came undone at the same time and the man plopped to the side like a sack of potatoes while Butler Bang came a little forward and retrieved a napkin. Wu Long took the piece of cloth handed to him and thoroughly wiped his bloodied hand as well as the hand that held the man’s hair, tossing the napkin on to him when he was done with the words “there, all fixed”.

Old Yen who stood at the exit from the bridge moved forward with a shooing gesture, prompting the people who were blocking it to back away with cold sweat covering their backs.

“Elder Jue, if you please”

Wu Long then turned to the people who were escorting them with a pleasant smile.

Elder Jue and the sect protectors surrounding him looked on in astonishment, and then, as if suddenly woken up hurried to move forward, mumbling something along the lines of “Yes, of course, this way”.

“Y-you… do you even realize who you messed with?!?!”

One of the men who were previously blocking the bridge exit finally shouted out when they passed by them and Old Yen rejoined the group. A few of them already rushed to the bridge to retrieve the ‘fixed’ elder of their sect.

“Not really but I have a feeling you are about to tell me”

Wu Long shrugged his shoulders as he went forward. He had his guesses, but they were only guesses until proven.

“T-that’s right! You have assaulted an Elder of the Piercing Cloud Sect! The first of the Five Great Sects!!!” 𝒃𝒆𝙣𝒐𝒗𝙚𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝒎

The man seemed to find courage in the name as his voice turned steady and vigorous toward the end, a hint of pride and superiority in them.

“Good to know”

Wu Long nodded as he confirmed one of his guesses, the other being the only other member of the Five Great Sects he had not yet encountered.

“Y-You will regret this!!!”

The man seemed unsatisfied with the lackluster reaction, but did not receive any more, as he was left standing near the bridge, the moonlight illuminating his figure somewhat highlighting the vanity of

his attempt at intimidation.