Chapter 429: Some Reunions Are the Worst

Chapter 429: Some Reunions Are the Worst

(Just like the ending of the Little Lotus figurine, the main storyline and conclusion of this volume, "Little Master," had been planned out since the very first volume.)

The towering ship slowly docked, its hull so majestic and enormous that Fan Yan, Yuan Yuan, and Lv Caisang, standing at the shore, had to crane their necks to look up at it.

At the bow, Gu Can, clad in an ink-green python robe, jumped down from the railing. His senior sister, Tian Hujun, very naturally helped him brush the dust off his robe. Gu Can glanced at her and said, "You don't need to come ashore today."

Tian Hujun's face was full of worry. "That group of assassins lurking in Chishui City is said to be sword cultivators from the Zhu Ying Dynasty. They're not to be underestimated. With me here..."

Gu Can chuckled. "What use would you be even if you were here? If I were really in mortal danger, would you, Senior Sister, die for me? Since you definitely wouldn't, don't try to curry favor with me on matters like this. Do you think I'm a fool? Look, smoothing out the wrinkles on my python robe—that's something you can do and are willing to do, and I happen to enjoy it. Isn't that perfect?"

Tian Hujun's eyes dimmed, and she stopped insisting.

Qin Que and Chao Zhe exchanged a knowing smile.

Their little junior brother, Gu Can, could never be treated as a child.

Their shared master, the River-Cutting True Lord Liu Zhimao, had once said laughingly at a celebration banquet that only Gu Can had truly inherited his mantle.

Liu Zhimao had also glanced coldly around the room full of people and frankly declared that the future island master of Qingxia Island would only be Gu Can—no one else should even think of contending for it. Otherwise, without waiting for Gu Can to act, he himself would personally clean house, and the corpses would certainly not go to waste.

Back then, Gu Can was sprawled in an extremely wide chair, his feet stepping on the "loach" that had revealed its true form but had become much more "slender." Upon hearing those words, Gu Can burst out laughing and raised a cup of sweet fruit wine. "Master, let's drink, let's drink."

In the end, only Gu Can, his two senior brothers Qin Que and Chao Zhe, and two young women wearing veils that hid their faces and with open-fronted robes boarded the ship. Their figures were graceful, alluring and enticing.

Fan Yan, the young city lord of Chishui City, was nothing but a showy, useless velvet pillow. Tall and handsome, he strode quickly to welcome Gu Can and his entourage, bowing with clasped hands and flattering with a smile. "Brother Gu, last time you complained that eating crab was too troublesome, so this time your little brother put in the effort and specially selected for Brother Gu..."

Saying this, Fan Yan wore a mischievous grin and made a gesture of drawing a half-circle with both hands in front of his chest. "A young lady like this. But I have to say in advance—if Brother Gu doesn't fancy her, we'll just have her pick out the crab meat. But if she catches your eye and you want to take her back to Qingxia Island as a maid, you have to give me credit! Brother Gu, you don't know how much effort it took to bring her from Shihao Kingdom to Chishui City, and how many immortal money I spent!"

Gu Can said with a smile, "Could it be that this woman, who has a chance to get close to me, has actually been swapped out for an enemy bent on assassinating me?"

Fan Yan was dumbfounded. "Then what do we do? Have all those silver coins of mine gone down the drain?"

Yuan Yuan, who had been born with a silver spoon, laughed in malicious glee.

Before Gu Can came to Qingxia Island, Lv Caisang, who had been the previous little demon lord of Shujian Lake, looked down upon the fool Fan Yan from the bottom of his heart. But since Fan Yan was a willing "sucker" who would throw money at anyone who stopped him from spending, no one was unhappy. All the island masters of Shujian Lake needed a few moneybags who enjoyed spending more than earning. And Chishui City, being one of the three major cities around Shujian Lake, truly had deep pockets.

Lv Caisang was a slender, handsome young man dressed all in white. Huang He had once joked that if Lv Caisang put on a little rouge, he could easily pass for one of Gu Can's open-fronted maidens—though he'd have to stuff two big steamed buns in his chest. The result was that Lv Caisang flew into a rage and started a fight, on the spot killing a martial grandmaster who had desperately shielded Huang He. In the end, Gu Can had to step in and calm things down. But clearly, Lv Caisang's relationship with Huang He, the sole son of the Shihao Kingdom's Grand General, was shattered. Afterwards, Huang He regretted it deeply and tried many ways to mend the relationship, but Lv Caisang never gave him the face.

Lv Caisang spoke softly to Gu Can, "Cangcang, don't worry. I've checked her out. She's just a cultivation seedling at the Lower Fifth Realm. She's really quite pretty and quite famous in Shihao Kingdom. Those women you've gathered in Qingxia Island's main courtyard? Compared to her, they're just vulgar girls that dirty the eyes."

Gu Can swept his leg out, lightly kicking Lv Caisang, and scolded with a laugh, "Are you brain-dead? Why did you have to be so meddlesome? You've ruined all the surprise!"

Lv Caisang rolled his eyes at Gu Can, which actually carried a hint of charm. Qin Que and Chao Zhe found it bizarre, but dared not show it.

Although everyone was among the Ten Heroes of Shujian Lake, everyone knew that each of the other nine had to know his own weight. Huang He had once been clueless, mistakenly thinking he and Lv Caisang were true bosom brothers, only to be thoroughly snubbed. Reportedly, after returning to the Grand General's mansion, he started complaining about the injustice, only to get a thorough scolding from his father.

Yuan Yuan, the young island master of Huangli Island, who had been given the nickname "Round-Round" by his parents, looked around and asked in puzzlement, "Gu Can, what about your big loach? Isn't it coming ashore with us? We walked the roads of Chishui City last year—they're wide enough for the big loach to pass."

Gu Can tucked both hands into the wide sleeves of his python robe and said with a smile, "Little Loach is staying in the lake this time. Not coming to join the fun in Chishui City. It needs to move around more and drink more water lately, because last year it ate too many Qi refiners and directly swallowed the water transport essence that two large islands had accumulated for centuries. So this year it's often in seclusion at the lake bottom. Let me tell you good news—since you're my brothers, I'm only telling you this secret. Remember not to spread it! Little Loach will soon be a genuine Nascent Soul stage! Then, in this Shujian Lake of ours, even my master the River-Cutting True Lord won't be its match. Hmm, maybe only that old geezer from Gongliu Island who left many years ago would be qualified to fight Little Loach."

Fan Yan said blankly, "Brother Gu, you promised me that one day when you're happy, you'd let me touch the big loach's head so I could brag about it everywhere. Does that still count?"

Gu Can looked up slightly at this simpleton. There really were fools in this world—not the kind who pretended to be foolish, but truly simple-minded. It had nothing to do with how much money they had or whether their parents were smart. Gu Can smiled. "It counts. Why wouldn't it? When have I, Gu Can, ever said something and not kept my word?"

Fan Yan's face lit up with joy, and he began dancing around.

Gu Can gave him a kick right in the crotch. "What a waste of such a tall frame. Your bird is so small."

Fan Yan bent over in pain, clutching his crotch, but still wasn't angry. He begged, "Brother Gu, don't do that. My parents are easygoing about everything except passing on the family line—they won't allow me to fool around! That time you taught me that line about how all heroes under heaven aren't fit to greet people on the martial arts circuit unless they pursue dying alone—it made my mother so angry she chased me and gave me a beating. She didn't hit hard, so it didn't hurt, but when I saw her eyes redden, I started to feel bad."

Gu Can stood on his tiptoes and patted Fan Yan's head. "A fool has fool's luck. You'll definitely marry some wife who hasn't even been born yet and have a litter of little fools."

Fan Yan grinned to himself.

Gu Can rolled his eyes.

He could never tell good words from bad, nor good people from bad.

But everyone could see that if a simpleton like Fan Yan left his parents' wings and sight, he'd be cheated wherever he went. Yet Gu Can was most tolerant of Fan Yan. He did cheat him out of money, but not excessively, and he wouldn't let others bully Fan Yan too much.

Lv Caisang's eyes sparkled. He seemed even happier than Gu Can. "This is a great thing! Later at the banquet, Cangcang, let's drink a few more cups of Wuti wine together!"

Yuan Yuan, the round-faced young master of Huangli Island, was the most carefree among the "brothers." He smiled at everyone and never got angry no matter what joke was played on him.

But upon hearing such a shocking piece of news, Yuan Yuan's face stiffened for a moment, fleeting, then quickly returned to normal. He clicked his tongue. "From now on, the few of us, basking in Gu Can's glory, will have to swagger sideways across Shujian Lake just to match our status, right?"

Gu Can laughed. "Fan Yan, you and Caisang and Round-Round, take my two senior brothers and go to the place for crab. Secure the best spot. I'll take a slight detour to buy a few things."

Fan Yan was furious—he actually dared to glare at Gu Can. "Buy? Buy?! Brother Gu, are you looking down on me, your brother? In Chishui City, if you set your eyes on something, why would Brother Gu need to pay for it?!"

Gu Can jumped up and slapped Fan Yan across the face. "Who the hell said buying things means spending money? 'Taking' sounds so ugly, doesn't it?"

Fan Yan, though slapped, beamed brightly. One hand covered his cheek, while the other stuck out a thumb. "Brother Gu sure knows how to handle things!"

Gu Can waved his hand dismissively. "Get lost, don't waste my time sightseeing. If I stay with you lot, how am I supposed to have any fun?"

Lv Caisang frowned and said sternly, "No. Shujian Lake is chaotic right now. I need to stay by your side."

Gu Can said helplessly, "Fine, fine, fine. You can just follow behind me and eat my dust, like a woman."

Lv Caisang snorted coldly.

They parted ways at the dock. Fan Yan had naturally prepared a luxurious carriage for his Brother Gu.

Gu Can and Lv Caisang walked toward a carriage, while the two open-fronted young women took another.

Among the tens of thousands of motley wild cultivators of Shujian Lake, the only common point between Gu Can and Lv Caisang, in their eyes, was probably that they both had good masters. Yet the two of them were actually on good terms.

Gu Can still had his hands tucked in his sleeves. He suddenly elbowed Lv Caisang beside him and whispered with a sly grin, "If you went to my hometown and happened to lose all your cultivation, I dare say that if you walked down a narrow alley, those lecherous bachelors passing by would have their eyes light up and chase after you, groping you all over. Then you'd run crying to my doorstep, pounding on the door, shouting: 'Gu Can! Gu Can! Something terrible! A man is trying to strip me!' Haha, just thinking about it makes me laugh my ass off. But you know what's even funnier? What if those bastards pull down your pants and start cursing—'Damn it, he's got a dick!' And then the funniest part? What if they grit their teeth, steel their nerves, flip you over, and have their way with you anyway... Ai-yo-weh, I can't, my stomach hurts."

Gu Can bent over laughing as he walked.

Lv Caisang's face was icy. "Disgusting!"

They climbed into the carriage one after the other. Lv Caisang then asked quietly, "Why are you dressed like this? You didn't used to like wearing such flashy clothes, did you?"

Gu Can closed his eyes and didn't speak.

Lv Caisang hesitated for a moment. "Yuan Yuan is a deep one. His mother is distantly related to some Nascent Soul sword cultivator of the Zhu Ying Dynasty. Many people on Shujian Lake think this is just Huangli Island trying to scare people, but my master said it's absolutely true. Yuan Yuan's mother was originally the most favored concubine of that formidable sword cultivator. Though she couldn't get a formal status, the ties of affection certainly remain. You must be careful. Once you kill the scheming Yuan Yuan, it means you'll be targeted by a Nascent Soul sword cultivator!"

Gu Can didn't open his eyes, but a smile curved his lips. "Don't think so badly of Yuan Yuan."

Lv Caisang said angrily, "I'm doing this for your own good! If you don't take it seriously, you'll suffer! Yuan Yuan and his whole family are the kind of nasty seeds who like to secretly harm others!"

Gu Can finally opened his eyes. "Can Yuan Yuan be as bad as me, Gu Can?"

Lv Caisang suddenly covered his mouth and laughed.

Gu Can mimicked his tone, cooing, "Disgusting."

Lv Caisang suddenly felt a pang of melancholy. He looked at Gu Can, this "child" who changed every year. Who could treat him as a child? Who dared?

Even his master, one of the few old cultivators who made River-Cutting True Lord feel wary, had said that this freak Gu Can—unless he suddenly died violently, truly fulfilling that nonsense about "he who sows evil reaps evil"—once he managed to gather a momentum not too reliant on Qingxia Island, even Upper Fifth Realm immortals might not dare to get involved.

Lv Caisang asked softly, "Gu Can, when will you finally open your heart to me?"

Gu Can withdrew a hand from his wide python sleeve, lifted the carriage curtain, and said casually, "Don't even think about it, Lv Caisang. There are only two people in this world I'd ever show my heart to. That will always be the case. I know it's unfair to you, because you're one of the few Shujian Lake cultivators who genuinely treats me as a friend. But it can't be helped—we met too late. By the time you knew me, I'd already made a name for myself. So you don't count."

They had entered the city. Gu Can let the curtain fall and said to Lv Caisang with a smile, "But don't worry. If you ever get killed, I, Gu Can, will definitely avenge you."

Lv Caisang pouted.

He leaned against the carriage wall and asked, "Gu Can, you're still so young. How did you manage it?"

Gu Can said, "Back home, when I was about three or four years old, I started watching my mother curse people and fight. I learn everything very quickly."

Gu Can held up one finger. "A little older, I could lie motionless on a ridge under the scorching sun for at least an hour, just to catch a loach. Even he couldn't match me."

Lv Caisang asked curiously, "Who is this 'he'?"

Gu Can narrowed his eyes. "Do you want to die?"

Lv Caisang, who feared nothing on Shujian Lake, actually felt a little daunted at that moment.

Gu Can's expression suddenly changed, becoming all smiles. "That little villain Yuan Yuan—one day I'll say the same thing to him, just changing one word: 'Do you want your mother to die?' What's so great about having a cheap father who's a Nascent Soul sword cultivator? If he crosses me, I'll strip his mother naked in front of that Nascent Soul sword cultivator, hang her from the bow of my ship, and tour every island on Shujian Lake."

Lv Caisang looked puzzled.

Gu Can lifted the curtain again, distracted. "It's a dialect from my hometown. You wouldn't understand."

---

At the top floor of that tall building in Chishui City, Cui Dongshan was still surrounded by a golden lightning pool.

Cui Dongshan sighed.

Cui Chan leaned slightly forward, looking at two scrolls on the ground, and smiled. "Disappointed, aren't you? That last bit of hope in your heart is gone too. That's not a good mindset—putting your hopes in others."

Cui Chan, probably knowing that Cui Dongshan wouldn't reply, continued to himself, "These are two dead knots tied together. Chen Ping'an slowly worked out the reasoning; Gu Can gave birth to evil as naturally as breathing. You thought that 'one' might be in Gu Can—that if Chen Ping'an appealed to this little guy's emotions and reason, he could have an epiphany? Never mind that this reasoning is hard to argue; even if there's a heavy bond of affection, Gu Can would never change his nature. That's Gu Can. Niping Lane was only so big—do you think I wouldn't keep an eye on this little fellow with such a strong 'backbone' that even Liu Zhimao couldn't lift him?"

"Do you, Cui Dongshan, underestimate Cui Chan himself? If I couldn't even grasp Gu Can's true heart, would I dare set up this trap? For people like us, making a mistake once is already too many. But I can't blame you. When backed into a corner, people always grasp at a straw—that's human nature. In fact, back when we were still one person, I saw it, so naturally you saw it too. It's just that you've lost your composure now."

Cui Chan pointed at the Chen Ping'an secretly following the carriage on the scroll. "Do you know where your bigger mistake lies?"

Cui Chan answered his own question. "Back then, in that old house in the small town, after Qi Jingchun completely broke with us, he let out a statement: if we dared scheme against Chen Ping'an again within sixty years, our realms would keep falling. Naturally, this wasn't Qi Jingchun bluffing. You and I both know that. But after we separated, you still retained some youthful recklessness—you didn't believe it, right? Then, at the bottom of that well in the inn, you nearly got killed by a strand of sword qi from Chen Ping'an at the well's mouth. After that, you went to the other extreme and began to believe that statement wholeheartedly. That is your final straw on your current chaotic heart-lake, Cui Dongshan."

Cui Dongshan's mouth twitched.

Cui Chan remained calm, gazing at the scroll, muttering to himself, "That stubborn ghost Qi Jingchun, really dead beyond dead. So let's look at this problem cautiously. Suppose Qi Jingchun had divine skill in chess and far-reaching calculations, that he had already foreseen this calamity on Shujian Lake. So before he died, he used some secret art, placing a part of his soul somewhere on Shujian Lake. But have you ever thought: what kind of scholar is Qi Jingchun? He would rather let Zhao Yao, whom he had high hopes for, not inherit his scholarly lineage, and instead let Zhao Yao study and travel in peace. Do you think that 'Qi Jingchun' with an incomplete soul, even if he's hiding in some corner watching Chen Ping'an, would only hope that Chen Ping'an could survive—carefree, safe, and sincerely wish that from now on, Chen Ping'an wouldn't have to bear so many messy things on his shoulders? Even you, Cui Dongshan, feel sorry for your new master. Wouldn't that Qi Jingchun feel even more sorry for him?"

Cui Chan smiled. "Of course, I don't deny that even if Qi Jingchun had split his soul into three parts back then, I still have some wariness. Now, as long as he dares to show his head and I catch a trace, I won't give him a chance to say even one word—not even a single syllable."

Cui Dongshan turned his head, staring blankly at Cui Chan—this grown-up, aged version of himself. "Tell me, why did I have to become the you I am now?"

Cui Chan smiled faintly, shifting his finger to point at the carriage. "Chen Ping'an should say the same thing to Gu Can after they meet: 'Why did you become the kind of person you hated most back then?'"

Cui Chan didn't look at Cui Dongshan or the slightly wavering golden lightning pool. He said slowly, "Not to mention that you can't kill me even if you try. Even if you did, this deadlock would remain a deadlock, just like the general trend under heaven—it can't be changed. So you'd better sit tight. While I still have some time before returning to Dali, you, Cui Dongshan, can still ask me, Cui Chan, about the things you don't understand."

When Cui Chan fell silent, the building became deathly quiet.

Cui Chan seemed to recall something interesting and asked with a smile, "You won't ask, so I'll ask you instead. What do you think Chen Ping'an's mood would be if Gu Can answered that question like this? For instance... hmm, Gu Can might say to him with a clear conscience, 'I don't think I'm wrong. If you, Chen Ping'an, have the guts, kill me.' Or maybe... 'Where were you, Chen Ping'an, when me and my mother were being bullied by those villains on Shujian Lake?'"

Cui Dongshan's vision blurred, staring blankly at that old man in scholar's robes—the one who had walked step by step unswervingly to where he was today.

Cui Chan said with a slight smile, "Actually, after everyone grows up, whether they study or not, they all feel lonely to some degree. Those who are a little more intelligent can vaguely sense that heaven, earth, and people, at some fleeting moment, don't seem to be completely still. Some soul-searching questions receive a vague response—guilt, regret. Do you know what that's called? You don't, because this is something I, Cui Chan, only figured out in recent years. You, Cui Dongshan, are rowing upstream, retreating step by step. If I don't tell you, you won't understand. That's called a person's innate conscience."

Cui Chan continued, "Oh, and while you were wasting time at the Great Sui Academy, I told the Old Divine Lord about those ideas we came up with back then. It helped him untie a small knot in his heart. Think about it—for an existence like the Old Divine Lord, even a mental obstacle takes nearly ten thousand years to wear down. How long do you think it will take Chen Ping'an? Moreover, if it were me, Cui Chan, I wouldn't have cried my heart out just because of Chen Ping'an's casual words of 'think again'—just because it was a different answer from Old Scholar's. Like the state you're in now."

Cui Dongshan raised his arm and covered his eyes.

Cui Chan laughed. "You don't even have the spirit to curse me as an old bastard anymore. You're really heartbroken, almost as pitiable as Chen Ping'an. But don't worry—next, the master will only be more pitiable and more heartbroken than the student."

Cui Dongshan leaned back and fell flat, his face a mess of tears and snot, whimpering.

Cui Chan's expression was blank. "If I remember correctly, such a miserable state of mind first occurred a long time ago—back in that study on the top floor of the house in our hometown, where Grandfather had taken away the ladder. That time, I was about this age, similar to this body of yours. I was sulking with Grandfather and deliberately tore up a book by a sage that Grandfather revered most, using its pages to wipe my ass and then throwing them down. When Grandfather saw those paper balls, he didn't fly into a rage. He didn't even speak, didn't curse. He just put the ladder back and left."

Cui Chan smiled. "What I told the Old Divine Lord was only half the truth. That is the strength hidden in frail human nature—those things later interpreted as 'empathy,' 'sympathy,' 'compassion'—things that allow individual humans, no matter how powerful or how great their future prospects, to do stupid things that those lofty, indifferent, flawless deities cannot imagine. They will die generously for others; they will rejoice and grieve for others' joys and sorrows; they will willingly shatter themselves for someone they've only just met. A tiny flame of human heart will burst into dazzling brilliance. They will sing as they go to their deaths; they will gladly use their own corpses to help later climbers ascend one step higher, to the mountaintop, to the jade towers visible from the peak—to tear them down! To smash those deities who look down on the human world and devour human destiny as if it were sacrificial food!"

Cui Chan laughed again. "But that's only half. The other half of human nature is that a person instinctively knows that to survive, no means is off-limits. No matter how insignificant 'I' am, I am unique in this world. So countless 'I's want to live, live longer, live better. We don't know that we already know the 'one'—relying on the instincts once bred by deities who raised us like poisonous insects to fight and snatch. Since there is only one 'one,' we have to snatch it from others' hands, to make our own 'one' bigger, greater. This pursuit has no end."

Cui Chan extended his finger and pointed at Chen Ping'an and the carriage respectively. "Gu Can may not know Chen Ping'an's difficulties, just as Chen Ping'an back then may not have known Qi Jingchun's thoughts."

Cui Chan withdrew his hand and asked with a smile, "So, guess what? That last time when Qi Jingchun held an umbrella for Chen Ping'an as they walked on the street outside Yang Family Pharmacy, and Qi Jingchun had already given Chen Ping'an reasons not to feel guilty in the future—but the point I think most worthy of scrutiny is: did this youth from Niping Lane, at that moment, already guess that he himself was the key pawn that caused Qi Jingchun's death?"

Cui Chan turned his head and shook his head with a smile.

Cui Dongshan had already shut off all sensation and perception.

Cui Chan continued to watch the two scrolls. "Old Scholar, if you saw this, what would you say? Hmm, you'd tug at your beard and say, 'Not very good, huh.'"

Cui Chan suddenly sneered. "A whole Tongye Continent, and only one Xun Yuan isn't blind. Truly mind-boggling."

Cui Dongshan lay there stiffly like a corpse.

Cui Chan turned his head. "What exactly is written in that brocade pouch of yours? That's the only thing I'm curious about. Don't play dead. I know that even if you've closed your Bridge of Longevity, you can still guess my thoughts. You, Cui Dongshan, still have that much wit."

Cui Dongshan didn't move a muscle, playing dead to the end.

---

On the busiest market street in Chishui City, at a place where an assassination should have been least likely, a thrilling ambush unfolded.

A Zhu Ying Dynasty Eighth Realm sword cultivator, an Eighth Realm Far Traveling martial artist, and a Golden Core formation master who had set up an array.

A foolproof arrangement.

But the result disappointed the onlookers.

First, the assassination was too sudden. Second, the outcome came too quickly.

The carriage of the second vehicle burst apart, revealing an "open-fronted young woman" wearing a veil.

She let the Eighth Realm sword cultivator's lifebound flying sword pierce her heart, then punched the Far Traveling martial artist who had lunged at her, killing him instantly. In her hand, she clutched a heart she had ripped out of his chest. Then she swept forward, opened her mouth wide, and swallowed it whole. Next, she chased down the sword cultivator, punched him in the back of the heart, cracking his soldier's Golden Crow armor, grabbed again, and dug out another heart. She hovered in the air, not bothering to look at the corpse falling to the ground, allowing the cultivator's Nascent Soul to flee far away with his Golden Core.

This had been agreed upon in advance between her and her master—kill them all at once, otherwise there'd be no fun later.

And this "open-fronted young woman" was precisely that "little loach."

It had already quietly broken through to the Nascent Soul stage.

For a dragon-kind creature at Nascent Soul, its combat power was equivalent to a Ninth Realm martial artist plus a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Moreover, it was no ordinary dragon-kind—it was one of the last five remaining true dragon descendants in the world.

It returned to the side of the first carriage, still savoring the taste of the Eighth Realm sword cultivator's heart. Truly exquisite. It had been hard to find such delicious feasts on Shujian Lake lately.

Gu Can, dressed in an ink-green python robe, jumped down from the carriage, followed closely by Lv Caisang.

He walked over to it, extended a finger to wipe the corner of its mouth, and scolded, "Little Loach, how many times have I told you? No more of this ugly eating style! Do you still want to eat at the same table as me and Mother in the future?"

It smiled shyly and turned its head away, a little embarrassed.

Watching this, Lv Caisang shuddered.

Gu Can swaggered over to the Golden Core formation master, who was standing at the side of the street, not daring to move a muscle. The crowd around this earthly immortal had already scattered like a tide.

It wasn't that the formation master lacked mental fortitude and was too scared to move.

It was that she had been locked onto by that monstrous creature—if she moved, she'd die.

Gu Can, hands still tucked in his sleeves, walked a circle around the Golden Core cultivator, who looked like an ordinary woman. Finally, he stopped in front of her and sighed. "Too bad, Auntie. You're too ugly. Otherwise, you might not have had to die."

The woman fell to her knees with a thud. "Gu Can, please spare my life! From now on, I can serve you!"

Gu Can smiled without speaking, seeming to weigh the pros and cons.

That creature, who had lost her veil but still wore the open-fronted young woman's outfit, let out a burp. It quickly covered its mouth.

Gu Can turned his head and glared at it.

Then he said to Lv Caisang with a smile, "How about it? Wasn't it worth eating my dust?"

Lv Caisang nodded, his smile bright.

If it weren't like this, it wouldn't be the Gu Can who was the biggest demon lord of Shujian Lake.

Gu Can kept his neck twisted and said with a grin, "Lv Caisang, tell this auntie about the rules I, little master, set for all of Shujian Lake earlier."

Back in the early days on Qingxia Island, there had been many assassinations and sneak attacks. For some reason, Gu Can had told the exposed River-Cutting True Lord Liu Zhimao not to trace back the instigators.

But whether it was the enemies on Shujian Lake or wild cultivators who simply disliked Gu Can's style and hired assassins, none of them were fools. They stopped spending money or risking their lives to send people to die and waste money on Qingxia Island.

Lv Caisang glanced sideways at the woman and said with a faint smile, "For any assassination or provocation outside Qingxia Island: the first time, only the attacker dies. The second time, besides the attacker, add one close relative—a matching pair. The third time, if the attacker has a family, kill the whole family. If no relatives, then kill the instigator's whole family. If the instigator is also a loner, then kill closest friends—whatever it takes so they don't travel to the King of Hell's court too lonely."

Gu Can nodded, turned back to face the woman full of terror and despair, withdrew one hand, and held up three fingers. "Why go to your deaths for nothing? A cultivator's revenge is never too late—a hundred years is fine. But you're right: a hundred years later, where would you dare to court trouble? You three were too incompetent. Remember the year before last on Qingxia Island, there was an assassin—that one was truly something. Not very skilled, but an excellent idea. He hid in the latrine and lunged at me with his sword. A goddamn genius! If Little Loach hadn't bitten too fast, I'd have hated to kill him!"

Gu Can had one hand still tucked in his sleeve, the other holding up three fingers. "Before you, outside Qingxia Island, there have already been three times. Last time, I told that guy: a family must be complete—together wherever they are. First time, the killer dies. Second time, a close relative also dies. Third time, the whole family dies. Now, this is the fourth time. What's the saying?"

That creature swallowed its saliva. "Exterminate the nine clans."

Gu Can looked enlightened. "Right, that's it."

He withdrew his fingers, tucked both hands into his sleeves, and bent slightly at the waist. Talking to a woman was convenient—they were usually short, so he didn't have to strain his neck looking up.

Gu Can said softly, "You're about to have your nine clans exterminated. Exterminating nine clans? No need to be afraid—it's a big reunion! Usually, even during holidays, you all can't get together."

At that moment, from under the eaves of a roadside building not far away, a middle-aged man carrying a sword and a wine gourd stepped out.

He walked straight toward Gu Can.

Lv Caisang turned around, his eyes sharp and murderous.

Gu Can also turned and laughed. "Let him come."

Lv Caisang hesitated for a moment, then still moved aside.

That man named Chen, this "middle-aged" fellow, walked up to the "youngster" in the python robe.

That little loach, now in human form, suddenly took a step back.

Gu Can, who shared a spiritual connection with it, frowned, but before he could react, the man slapped him across the face.

The man said, "Say that again."

Lv Caisang's mouth fell open.

Almost everyone on the street was the same.

The man raised his hand again and slapped Gu Can hard, his voice trembling but fierce. "Gu Can! Say that again!"

Gu Can turned his head, spat a mouthful of blood on the ground, then tilted his head, his cheek swollen, but his eyes were full of laughter. "Haha! Chen Ping'an! You're here!"