Chapter 271: The Crazy Fan
As they arrived at the gates of the White Cloud Village, it was close to dusk and the rain was drizzling down from the sky.
Their feet treaded on the ground, wet and slippery, splashing mud onto their pants.
Ji Ling liked beauty and she held onto her dress, squeezing out a handful of water, stomping on the muddy ground. She had a hint of complaint on her face.
"When will this rain stop?"
Hu Yue also felt a bit overwhelmed by the rain.
Shi Jinyi pondered for a moment and asked everyone's opinion, "Do you all still want to visit Taoist Friend Xie today, or should we postpone it to another day?"
"Let's go!" The young boys didn't hesitate at all, nodding in agreement and talking excitedly all at once.
"I heard that Taoist Friend Xie is just taking a rest in the White Cloud Village. If we wait until tomorrow and he's already gone, what do we do?"
"But we look like this right now..." Shi Jinyi hesitated a bit.
It's not that he didn't want to go, but their current appearance was indeed a bit unattractive.
But Shi Jinyi quickly realized that he had underestimated the enthusiasm of Xie Xingzhi's devoted fans.
"Let's go, Brother Yi! If we don't go now, we'll miss this opportunity!"
"Besides, Taoist Friend Lu is still there!"
Ji Ling turned his head excitedly and kicked the ball to Qiao Wan. "What do you think, Taoist Friend Lu?"
It was a decision that required careful consideration. Qiao Wan noticed Shi Jinyi's uncertainty and thought for a moment. "Opportunities should not be missed. Let's go and see."
Seeing that Qiao Wan agreed, the group of youths started pushing and joking with each other.
Shi Jinyi smiled helplessly and turned the horse's head. "Alright, let's go and see if Taoist Friend Xie is there."
After all, Xie Xingzhi and Qiao Wan were regarded as legendary figures by these young cultivators. Who wouldn't want to see legends in person?
News of Xie Xingzhi's stay in the village of Baiyun had spread within a ten-mile radius a day ago.
The town of Baiyun was not very big, and there was only one inn in the city. They didn't need to ask around, and the group arrived at the inn.
When they reached the inn, Qiao Wan paused for a moment, looking surprised.
This was such an enthusiastic fan scene!!!
There were many carriages crowded in front of the inn, mostly young people similar to Shi Jinyi and others. They were all coming to join Buping College, and they had heard that Xie Xingzhi was staying here. Some young boys and girls who were not on the way purposely took a detour just to see Xie Xingzhi.
Ji Ling almost dropped his jaw and asked, "How do we get in?"
Qiao Wan stood quietly, her mind spinning, as she stood in the chaotic wind. Her worldview had collapsed but was now being reshaped.
One of the leading boys nearby suddenly laughed and said, "Are you all taoist friends here to see Taoist Friend Xie?"
Shi Jinyi twitched his mouth and said, "Yes, but we didn't expect all of you to be so...so enthusiastic."
The group of young people were dressed in luxurious clothes, clearly from wealthy families. Despite the continuous heavy rain in recent days, these young lads' robes were spotlessly clean.
One of them eagerly approached and started a conversation, "Are you also going to Buping College, taoist friend?"
"Yes," Shi Jinyi responded with excitement, "Are all of you going too?"
The person chuckled and threw away his horse whip, saying, "Yes, my surname is Yin, given name Zicheng. May I know the honorable name of this taoist friend?"
Shi Jinyi was momentarily taken aback, "Yin? Are you from that distinguished Yin family who named the Fengluan River?"
Yin Zicheng smiled, "Exactly."
Shi Jinyi felt a little embarrassed and looked at the group of young people before him, feeling a sigh escape his heart.
"My surname is Shi, given name Jinyi," he said.
And that was the end.
He was originally born into a commoner family, and his surname couldn't compare to the impressive lineage of these young nobles.
Both sides gradually introduced themselves to each other.
"My surname is Lv, from Cangwu State. My name is Lv Jin."
"My surname is Guo, from Fengqiu. I am Guo Tailin."
"My surname is Fang, Fang Lingjun."
"Fang Lingjun?" Ji Ling asked curiously, "Who is Fang Lingqing to you?"
The young man smiled and said, "He is my older brother."
But after realizing they were not on the same path, the atmosphere became a bit cold.
In fact, these young people were feeling quite exhausted. They took a detour just to meet Xie Xingzhi, but they were robbed by a demonic cultivator along the way. They not only lost a lot of money and belongings but also encountered rain when they finally arrived at Baiyun Village. And now, they were stuck in front of an inn.
Qiao Wan glanced to the side, slightly surprised.
With an objective attitude, she had been observing this world with an "academic" perspective these past few days.
This world was... contradictory.
Qiao Wan couldn't help but ponder, getting lost in her thoughts.
It was like a crumbling feudal dynasty, on the verge of collapse, yet many powerful families clung to their arrogance and resisted.
Even though people had the ability to move mountains with a sword, ride a sword in the air, and even control lightning like Qiao Wan did before, there was no new technology being developed.
There was no rebellion, no innovation, as the powerful families held onto their resources.
This world could have been better, Qiao Wan clenched her lips.
Hu Yue seemed to sense the other party's coldness and his expression became unpleasant.
What time is it? Why are we still doing this?
Immediately, Qiao Wan proudly stepped forward and said, "This is Miss Lu... a senior."
Hu Yue proudly smiled and said, "She is an incredibly powerful person among us. Don't underestimate Miss Lu's delicate appearance, Yin, you might not even be able to defeat her."
Yin Zicheng and the others looked at Qiao Wan in surprise.
Yin Zicheng, one of the young men in the group, said, "But this... this girl doesn't seem to have any cultivation skills."
"You don't understand, my taoist friend," Hu Yue chuckled, "It's because..."
Shi Jinyi interrupted, "Ah, Yue!"
This gentle reprimand immediately woke up Hu Yue, who was still showing off. As soon as he regained his senses, he became nervous.
Oh no, he had been too caught up in his display and forgot that Senior Lu didn't want to reveal himself in front of others. Hu Yue sneakily glanced at Qiao Wan and realized his mistake.
Qiao Wan didn't think it was rude at all. She politely greeted them and quietly stepped back.
Seeing Qiao Wan's indifferent expression, Hu Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Yin Zicheng and the others exchanged glances, finding it a bit amusing.
This girl clearly doesn't possess any cultivation skills.
These young men were not young anymore, yet they were still being fooled by a swindler and treating him as an honored guest.
Though they found it slightly amusing and disdainful, they would never show it.
They were not traveling together, so there was no need to talk more.
After exchanging a few more words, they went their separate ways again.
As the sky grew darker, they waited for Xie Xingzhi and Yin Zicheng to leave the inn first and go to a nearby restaurant to get something to eat.
Unfortunately, they bumped into Qiao Wan and her group.
They sat down at the table and everyone took out their money bags to count the amount and silently calculate the price of the food and drinks.
It felt a bit sad when students had to be cautious with their money while eating and drinking.
Qiao Wan also reached into her pocket and found some spirit stones, which she put on the table.
Shi Jinyi interrupted, "Senior Lu, you saved all of us a few days ago. Let us pay for this meal."
Qiao Wan shook her head and whispered, "Even close brothers need to keep track of expenses. We're all on the same journey, and there will be many expenses along the way. It's better to be clear about money to avoid conflicts in the future."
This made sense, so Shi Jinyi couldn't easily stop them any longer.
The young noble boys at the nearby table ordered a table full of food and drinks, laughing and talking loudly, attracting many glances.
This is a chaotic world... and with such strong financial power.
Hu Yue , while biting into a steamed bun, looked envious.
Perhaps a little annoyed by Hu Yue's previous offense, these young boys, full of arrogance, intentionally or unintentionally joked, "Did I tell you about that thing? It was about my family's servant and the incident with a swindler in the martial world."
"My family's servant is also foolish, that swindler doesn't even have any martial arts skills, but he still pretends to be a reclusive master..."
Qiao, the swindler of the martial world, suddenly realized that he had been tricked.
Clearly, the other party mistook him for a swindler of the martial world.
Although the young boys' words held a hint of jest, their intentions were not bad. They mainly wanted to remind Hu Yue and the others not to be deceived by this person wearing pink clothes.
Ji Ling gritted his teeth and his face turned red with anger as he quietly exclaimed, "What... What do they mean by this!"
Shi Jinyi scolded softly, "Ah Ling, don't say too much."
He then looked at Qiao Wan.
Qiao Wan, with a gunshot wound in her knee, wore an expressionless face to show that she didn't care.
Shi Jinyi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Let's finish eating and leave, don't provoke them."
As they descended the stairs after finishing their meal, the young boys upstairs were still laughing and chatting.
Seeing Shi Jinyi and his group's reaction, one of the young boys expressed his dissatisfaction, "What's up with them? We were just trying to give them some advice, why don't they listen?"
Yin Zicheng shook his head in disagreement, "Let it go, it's no use arguing."
The young boy still looked frustrated, "I'm doing this for their own good too, Zicheng, you know how much trouble we were in before because of that dark-cloaked sorcerer."
"If only this guy..."
Just the thought of that sorcerer with a black cloak made Fang Lingjun shiver involuntarily.
That sorcerer was too strong, even when they combined their strength, they couldn't handle him alone.
Maybe it's true that what you fear comes true. After talking for a while, a familiar figure suddenly appeared from the stairs.
He was wearing a black cloak and had a sword engraved with the words "Azure Waves" at his waist.
This person was Zang Dajiang, who rushed here in a hurry after hearing the news from Zhang Changfeng.
As soon as he lifted his hood, he came face to face with the people who had been robbed by him before. Zang Dajiang immediately felt delighted.
Yin Zicheng and the others' expressions changed instantly, and they silently whispered "this is not good".
How could this sorcerer be here?!
Just as Zhang Changfeng was scolding him angrily, Zang Dajiang's mood was not good at all. He then forced a smile and said, "Oh, what a coincidence, my taoist friends."
Fang Lingjun, who had been furious just a moment ago, turned pale immediately.
More than ten people became silent, their backs drenched in cold sweat, watching Zang Dajiang casually and with a smile on his face walking towards them, as if nothing was wrong.
One person secretly glared at Fang Lingjun and thought to himself, "It's all because of you! If it wasn't for your loud voice, would this evil cultivator have been attracted here?"
Fang Lingjun immediately felt unjustly treated and also realized that he was at fault, so he didn't dare to say anything.
Zang Dajiang casually placed the sword on the table and smiled, "I just heard our taoist friend mentioning something interesting about Xiaoxiao. Why aren't you saying it now?"
None of the more than ten people present dared to make a sound.
Zang Dajiang picked up a wine jug and took a sip nonchalantly, saying, "Continue, don't mind me. Where did you leave off? Keep talking."
Zang Dajiang clearly took pleasure in intimidating these young people, especially when they turned pale and couldn't say a word.
"Do you all really fear me?" Zang Dajiang chuckled oddly. "Am I that scary?"
The more than ten people's breaths became rapid, and deep down they felt despair. Their lives were in danger.
Under Zang Dajiang's relentless pressure, Fang Lingjun gritted his teeth and reluctantly continued the previous topic.
"If... If this Lu Wan person is really a liar..."
"I saw them crying."
Zang Dajiang, holding a jug of wine, paused and his expression immediately became serious. "What did you say?"
"Lu Wan? Senior Lu?"
