A Chaotic World

Chapter 369: Decisions

"This brat..." Squad Leader Lingmu spoke through gritted teeth.

But at the same time, he could not help but feel slightly apprehensive of the young man standing before him.

He had not held back at all earlier, wanting to completely overwhelm Lu Tianzi with his Origin Force.

Yet despite being subjected to the full might of his Origin Force, Lu Tianzi did not even flinch.

Squad Leader Lingmu was at the Fifth Cycle Origin Core realm, two full boundaries above Lu Tianzi.

But if one simply looked at what was happening now, it was almost as though Lu Tianzi was the one with the cultivation advantage!

"Squad Leader...?" Ganyuan muttered in disbelief.

Every member of the Sacred Cliff City Guards had to go through a stringent test before being selected, ensuring that all of them had martial talent far beyond the norm.

It was understandable that Ganyuan had succumbed to Lu Tianzi since he had a lower cultivation level, but Squad Leader Lingmu had a higher cultivation level.

There should be absolutely no way for Lu Tianzi to be able to just shrug off the pressure from Squad Leader Lingmu!

The only explanation Ganyuan could think of would be that Lu Tianzi had a defensive treasure in his possession.

Yes, that must be it.

Otherwise, how could Lu Tianzi's Origin Force pressure have felt so overwhelming earlier?

How sneaky!

"Tch! Let's go!" Squad Leader Lingmu clicked his tongue in irritation before turning to leave.

No matter the reason for Lu Tianzi's strength, there was not much they could do to Lu Tianzi here.

Just as Lu Tianzi had thought, the three of them were nowhere near the top echelons within the Sacred Cliff City Guards. Even if they wanted to deal with Lu Tianzi, they would have to first seek permission from their superiors.

Of course, they did not think that they would have any issue convincing their superiors at all.

All they had to do was mention how Lu Tianzi disrespected the Sacred Cliff City Guards, and their superiors would surely be fine with them taking care of Lu Tianzi.

After all, the Sacred Cliff City Guards were the strongest influence in the city.

Their reputation could not be sullied!

Lu Tianzi might have a strong defence against his Origin Force pressure for whatever reason. But when the time came, Squad Leader Lingmu did not believe that Lu Tianzi would be able to stand against him in an actual fight!

"I won't be seeing you out then!" Lu Tianzi said as they were leaving. "Housekeeper Changyu, make sure that the door is closed behind them."

Squad Leader Lingmu clenched his fist in rage. He turned around to look, only to see that Lu Tianzi was already leaving the room through another door.

Lu Tianzi was not even going to wait for them to leave the room first?

He truly had no respect for them whatsoever!

Squad Leader Lingmu had to take a deep breath to calm himself down. Otherwise, he really might just charge forward and kill the insolent brat!

Housekeeper Changyu had completely broken out in cold sweat by now.

He could only watch on helplessly as Squad Leader Lingmu led his two subordinates out of Sky Snow Manor in rage.

Yet despite the worry in his heart, Housekeeper Changyu could not help but to feel excited at the same time.

Those were members of the Sacred Cliff City Guards!

How many people in Sacred Cliff City would dare to treat them the way that his master did?

That was exactly why members of the Sacred Cliff City Guards had become arrogant over the years, and many people started hating them deep down in their hearts.

Even though it seemed reckless, Housekeeper Changyu had to admit that it felt truly refreshing to see his master act so domineeringly towards the members of the Sacred Cliff City Guards!

The question was, did his master truly have the capability to back his attitude?

After all, there was good reason why nobody dared to go against the Sacred Cliff City Guards despite their arrogant ways.

Now that his master had treated the three of them in such a manner, there was absolutely no way that the Sacred Cliff City Guards would take it lying down.

Housekeeper Changyu currently had two options.

He could either stand with his master, or abandon ship before the Sacred Cliff City Guards took action.

And he had to decide fast as well.

If he took too long to decide, then he would simply be seen as just another servant in the Sky Snow Manor, and would simply be treated as such by the Sacred Cliff City Guards.

After a few moments of contemplation, Housekeeper Changyu clenched his fists in determination.

Since he was already here in Sky Snow Manor, he might as well throw in his lot with his current master.

Even though it was a gamble against the odds, what other opportunities would he have to join the top echelons of Sacred Cliff City?

If his master truly had what it takes to go against the Sacred Cliff City Guards, then it would be no exaggeration to say that his master's future path would be a path of riches and fame!

As his housekeeper, Housekeeper Changyu would definitely enjoy the benefits that came with it.

But for that to happen, he would have to prove his worth now while he still had the chance to.

Otherwise, when his master's fame started to spread, there would be nothing stopping his master from replacing him with the countless people who would be queuing up to take his place!

"Housekeeper Changyu."

Lu Tianzi's voice broke him out of his daze.

"Yes, Master?" Housekeeper Changyu hurried over immediately.

Lu Tianzi looked at him in confusion.

For some reason, he felt that Housekeeper Changyu had suddenly become a lot more submissive to him, but he decided not to bother about such trivial matters.

"Are you familiar with the tax system in Sacred Cliff City?" Lu Tianzi asked.

Earlier, the trio from the Sacred Cliff City Guards had mentioned something about collecting taxes. Lu Tianzi might have postured strongly against them, but he was still concerned about this matter.

That was the reason why Lu Tianzi had immediately returned to find Housekeeper Changyu after making sure that the guests had left.

He knew just as well that the Sacred Cliff City Guards would not leave him alone just like that.

When they returned, Lu Tianzi had to make sure that he at least knew what was going on. Otherwise, he would simply be led by the nose.

Housekeeper Changyu understood Lu Tianzi's intentions as well.

"I do know a little about the different taxes to be paid, but I will go find out more before briefing Master of every single detail you need!" Housekeeper Changyu patted his chest in assurance. "I will be back before sunset!"

"Good, I will be relying on you then!" Lu Tianzi nodded.

By the very next day, a shocking piece of news had already reached the ears of most people within Sacred Cliff City.

It was said that the Sacred Cliff City Guards visited Sky Snow Manor to collect taxes, only to be rejected and thrown out of the residence.

There were mixed reactions from everyone upon hearing of this.

Some were shocked and felt that the recent fame must have gotten to the head of Sky Snow Manor, preventing them from thinking rationally.

Some thought that this rumour was nonsense and did not believe a word.

Some were simply excited to see chaos within the city.

In the Fortune Queen Inn, Young Master Xuan Hao was finally done with the consolidation of his new cultivation level.

He was just getting prepared to leave Sacred Cliff City when Ruan Ling came to him with the shocking piece of news.

This caused Young Master Xuan Hao to shake his head in disapproval.

His Brother Tianzi had acted too recklessly this time.

Others might not be aware, but Young Master Xuan Hao and Ruan Ling knew perfectly well that Lu Tianzi and Nanlan Qianxue came to Sacred Cliff City alone and did not have any mysterious master backing them.

Unless they somehow managed to join some mysterious influence within the short time that they had been here, the owner of Sky Snow Manor was none other than them.

While Young Master Xuan Hao was surprised to hear that Lu Tianzi or Nanlan Qianxue was an inscription master, he did not think too highly of them.

The news brought back by Ruan Ling was only of the recent incident, so Young Master Xuan Hao did not know of the Glorious Soul Inscription that Lu Tianzi had invented.

And how good could they possibly be, considering that they were both still so young?

Regardless, with just the two of them, they would never stand a chance against the Sacred Cliff City Guards!

"Looks like we would need to step in and do something about this!" Young Master Xuan Hao said with determination in his eyes.

"That's what I thought you would say," Ruan Ling said with a smile. "I have already arranged for it. Let's go!"

***

A beautiful figure sat in the room, her brows knitted in concentration as she gently guided the sculpting knife in her hand, carving into the surface of the life-sized wooden sculpture in front of her.

Around her, others could not help but to steal multiple glances at her.

Even other females were no exception.

It was like a scene out of a painting, as though a fairy that had descended from the heavens to grace them with her presence.

Even though this was not the first time they had seen her at work, they still could not take their eyes off of her.

It was just too mesmerising a scene!

Further back, a middle-aged lady was watching this young girl as well, but her thoughts were full of worry rather than admiration.

Fairy Pingxi let out a helpless sigh before walking over to the young girl.

"Qianxue, are you all right?" Fairy Pingxi asked.

"Why would I not be?" Nanlan Qianxue replied without turning to look at Fairy Pingxi. Her attention continued to be focused upon the wooden sculpture as she continued to carve through the wood.

"Don't try to hide things from me," Fairy Pingxi crossed her arms. "Sky Snow Manor is now the biggest topic in the whole city, and everyone is looking to see what the Sacred Cliff City Guards will do next. As a member of Sky Snow Manor, how can you be all right?"

"If Young Sister Qianxue needs a safe place to stay, you can stay here at Fairy Talisman House for now!"

"Fairy Talisman House will do our best to protect you from harm, even if it means against the Sacred Cliff City Guards!"

The people around them said excitedly.

"When did you brats become the master of Fairy Talisman House? Who gave you the right to give out such promises?" Fairy Pingxi snapped at them immediately.

"Haha, Fairy Pingxi, we all know that's what you think as well!"

"Who said that? Do you believe I will skin you alive today?" Fairy Pingxi glared at the person who just spoke, and he immediately looked away in guilt.

Nanlan Qianxue simply ignored them altogether, choosing to concentrate on her sculpting.

"The brats might be annoying, but I have to admit that their suggestion is not too bad," Fairy Pingxi told Nanlan Qianxue. "It might be better for you to stay here for a while, at least until the matter blows over."

"Thank you for the offer, Fairy Pingxi, but I'm really fine," Nanlan Qianxue shook her head in response.

Nanlan Qianxue smiled lightly, but that only caused Fairy Pingxi's frown to deepen.

"Look, Qianxue, you really need to learn some situational awareness. The world is not as simple as you think it is," Fairy Pingxi chided. "The Sacred Cliff City Guards are not a joke! If things escalate further than this, not even a powerhouse like the Sacred Lotus Treasury will be able to help you. I'm telling you right now, it is not safe for you to continue staying at the manor!"

This was the case when they first met as well.

Back then, Nanlan Qianxue was going around the city alone, and was not intimidated one bit even after she had been targeted by a martial artist at the Third Cycle Origin Core realm.

But now, the opponents are in a completely different league!

And yet she is acting the same as before?

Just how did Nanlan Qianxue manage to get to the Origin Core realm with such poor situational awareness?

Nanlan Qianxue finally stopped carving the wooden sculpture and turned to look at Fairy Pingxi.

When their eyes met, Fairy Pingxi was genuinely surprised.

She might not be an expert at reading faces, but Fairy Pingxi had still accumulated a fair share of experience over the years.

Perhaps one could call it a martial artist's instinct, but in Nanlan Qianxue's eyes, Fairy Pingxi saw resolution and strength, as well as a strong sense of belief.

Those eyes bore absolutely no resemblance to the eyes of a naive little girl that she had believed Nanlan Qianxue to be!

"No matter what happens next, even if it brings me danger, I will not leave the Sky Snow Manor," Nanlan Qianxue said with determination. "If I am needed there, I will be there. Of course, I still believe that Fairy Pingxi is being overly worried now. Things will be fine."

"Me? Overly worried?" Fairy Pingxi scoffed. "You are probably the only one in this city who would not be worried!"

"Then that just means I am the only one in this city who knows that there is nothing to worry about," Nanlan Qianxue answered with a smile. "No matter the odds, he has always pulled through. This time will be no different."

"He?" Fairy Pingxi raised an eyebrow. "Who are you talking about?"

"No, it's nothing," Nanlan Qianxue muttered under her breath before turning back to the wooden sculpture.

She trusted that Lu Tianzi knew what he was doing.

And even if he had messed up this time, there was no use in worrying.

Rather than that, Nanlan Qianxue would rather trust in Lu Tianzi and just focus on what she could do instead.

She was already far lacking as compared to Lu Tianzi.

Only by working hard to improve could she ensure that when Lu Tianzi truly needed help in the future, she would at least have the ability to be his pillar of support!