146 Chapter 145: How troublesome (1/2)

As they howled in fury and charged at me, I cursed under my breath for not having moved faster and freed Ling Qing Zhu before her fellow disciples showed up. With an enraged horde bearing down on me, I reacted quickly, plunging my sword into the ground.

”Enhance Armament!”

”…seriously?” Lei Yong Chun slapped his forehead. ”Why the fuck are you ripping off Sword Art Online now?”

”Because the Alicization arc is the best part of an otherwise mediocre series?” I replied. The Incendiary Ifrit Sect disciples quickly reacted, all of them jumping back and withdrawing to a safe distance as they watched me cautiously.

Shin…

Nothing happened.

”Oh, right…” the color drained from my face when I realized what was happening. I had just absorbed the pure yin qi from Ling Qing Zhu and had yet to assimilate it. Right now, I was completely vulnerable and unable to execute any qi techniques.

In other words, I was a helpless, sitting duck with no means of fighting back. Or at least no spiritual means of fighting back, anyway. I could always use harsh language.

”You…” one of the Incendiary Ifrit Sect disciples growled when he realized that I had failed to execute any techniques. ”Are you making a fool out of us, you bastard?!”

”No, I wouldn't dare!” I protested, raising both my hands and shaking my head frantically. Putting my Azure Lotus Sword back in my spatial device, I tried to placate their anger. ”Listen to me! I'm not attacking Miss Ling Qing Zhu!”

”What do you think you're doing? Making an enemy out of the Incendiary Ifrit Sect? I mean, I know they're a demonic sect, but you've got to be crazy, antagonizing so many of them like this!”

It was Nan Ke who spoke up next. She wasn't paying any attention to what I said, and was shaking her head in disapproval.

”Hmph.” Flanked by Qing Xin Xia and the other Green Dragon Sect disciples, Li Chun Long sneered. ”Just as I expected from you, Fei Wu. Always getting into trouble. One of these days, you're going to run out of lives.”

”Can you guys stay quiet for a moment and let me explain?!” I snapped. ”I'm trying to free Ling Qing Zhu from the ice, not attack her!”

”Why should we believe you?” one of the other Incendiary Ifrit Sect disciples retorted. ”We know you're an ice user.”

”Uh, how did you know that?” I didn't remember using any ice techniques in front of them, but apparently my reputation preceded me.

”You…I remember you! You're that bastard Zhu Jiao's accomplice! Helping him steal the Spirit Treasure Weapon from me after he launched a sneak attack on me!” Jiang Jun Hao poured more oil onto the fire as he jabbed an accusatory finger at me.

”You're the one who launched the sneak attack, not Zhu Jiao,” I shot back, getting a headache as more trouble began to pile up. Bloody hell, these guys just wouldn't leave me alone!

”Hah!” Jiang Jun Hao snorted. ”Who's going to believe a liar like you?!”

What the fuck?! Who was the liar, dude?!

Unfortunately, Jiang Jun Hao's fellow Heavenly Way Sect disciples gathered around him, siding with him and reinforcing the Incendiary Ifrit Sect disciples as they surrounded me. I braced myself, getting ready to fight back without qi techniques.

”Stop right there!”

A familiar voice rang out, and Bai Ning Xue and the White Tiger Sect showed up, along with Zhu Jiao. Lightning crackled around them, clashing with the flames emanating from the Incendiary Ifrit Sect disciples. The two groups faced off fiercely.

”We all saw what happened!” Bai Ning Xue declared. ”That's utter bullshit! Zhu Jiao took the Spirit Treasure Weapon fair and square! But you're the one who launched the sneak attack! All of us can testify to that!”

”Ugh…!” Jiang Jun Hao's face turned pale, but he didn't back down. Seeing that, Zhu Jiao glowered at him.

”Besides, this is between you and me! Why are you targeting Fei Wu?!”

”Because I happened to be here first,” I replied dryly. ”Trust me, if you were the one here instead of me, he would have happily looked for any excuse to attack you!”

”Bastard…” Zhu Jiao growled. ”If you want a fight, I'll give you one!”

”Hah!” Looking around, Jiang Jun Hao saw that the two sects – the Incendiary Ifrit Sect and the Heavenly Way Sect – had the White Tiger Sect members outnumbered. Not that Kuang Hu minded. He was grinning gleefully as he prepared for battle. Similarly, Zhu Jiao had allowed his righteous fury to sweep him along with the flow, and was getting ready to fight. Bai Ning Xue and the others looked a little more reluctant, but they refused to back down on their morals. Seeing that his side had the advantage, especially with the Red Phoenix Sect seeming neutral and the Green Dragon Sect more inclined to join him, he grinned. ”That doesn't change the fact that this fucker attacked the head disciple of the Incendiary Ifrit Sect!”

”That's right.” Li Chun Long stepped forward. Most of his sect members looked around, not sure what to do – especially Qing Xin Xia, when she saw that Zhu Jiao was on the opposite side – but a significant number of Green Dragon Sect disciples also moved to support him. ”We'll have to make sure justice is served.”

”You call this justice?!”

This time, it was a new but familiar voice. Trampling through the door was the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. Tang Qi Hong burst in, her spear already on hand. Following closely were Lian Rou, Tong Xue, and to my surprise, Zi Xiao Ji and her bodyguards, Zhao Shi and Da Ge. Basically, the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect members who I was closest to.

Now that they had shown up, the odds had become a lot more even. The other side still outnumbered us slightly because of half of the Green Dragon Sect stepping in, but they recognized Tang Qi Hong, Zi Xiao Ji, Zhao Shi and Da Ge. Even Tong Xue had some reputation as one of the Blood Blades. They didn't dare to move carelessly because they knew they would suffer heavy casualties if they forced the issue.

Furthermore, Liang Shao Yang and Hu Mei Er chose to show up too. They maintained a slight distance, Liang Shao Yang's lip curling to a sneer as he watched me. The guy didn't harbor a grudge against me, but he didn't seem very enthusiastic about fighting for me either.

I didn't blame him. At least he wasn't going to join the other party and try to drag me down. It would call into question his commitment to the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect if he openly sided with outsiders against someone from his own sect, and threaten his position as the current head disciple (he was currently tied with Tang Qi Hong).

”You guys…when…?”

I was baffled at how they got here, given that I couldn't find them ever since I began this whole expedition.

”We were the ones who deciphered the Spirit Engravings of the Sea of Fire Spirit Formation outside and decoded them,” Zi Xiao Ji explained with a satisfied smile. ”Without us, none of these people would have made it in here.”

That was true. When I first passed through the Sea of Fire, I only saw Lei Yong Chun, Sui Sha Yu, Nan Ke, Li Chun Long and the most elite of disciples. Suddenly, a huge number of normal disciples had flooded into the room, and I was pretty sure they didn't just waltz through the Sea of Fire or gotten to here through luck alone.

I see. So the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect had deactivated the spirit formation in order to allow everyone to pass through it.

”If you want to attack our fellow sect member, you'll have to get through us too!” Tang Qi Hong growled as she stood in front of me protectively.

”That's right!” Tong Xue grinned.

”Ahem…”

Everyone turned to Feng Tian Yong, who was clearing his throat. He raised a hand, trying not to look too confused.

”I don't mean to dampen your parade when all of you have your fighting spirits ignited like this, but don't you think we should listen to what Fei Wu has to say before we all start fighting?”

Finally, someone with some common sense. I breathed a sigh of relief and bowed gratefully to the red-haired guy, who winked at me.

”Tian Yong is right,” Nan Ke agreed. ”That boy over there was saying that he didn't attack Ling Qing Zhu. How did she get in that ice then?”

”The Ninety Yin Ice Hell Formation,” I replied. Everyone turned to stare at me.

”But weren't you the one who inscribed that whatever formation into the chamber?” Jiang Jun Hao insisted. Well, I was, but I wasn't sure I should admit that. Unfortunately, there was no point lying. Everyone could sense my qi from the Niniety Yin Ice Hell Formation.

”Yeah, but it was an accident…”

”Like we'll believe you!” one of the Incendiary Ifrit Sect members shouted.

Nan Ke sighed. ”Well, before we start judging anyone, don't you think the most important thing is to ask the victim herself?”

Another person with common sense. Who would have thought they would come not from the antagonists' sects or the protagonists' sects, but from a neutral sect such as the Red Phoenix Sect. Everyone realized that Nan Ke had an excellent point and fell silent.

”Wait…”

Everyone turned to Ling Qing Zhu. This whole time, she had tried to speak up, but weak from being ravaged by the pure yin qi, she was unable to project her voice, and everyone's shouting and squabbling had drowned her out. She looked sternly at her fellow sect members.

”Sir Fei Wu was indeed trying to free me from the ice before you all came in. he's the one who saved my life.”

”Huh? Saved your life?! How?!”

The Incendiary Ifrit Sect members stared at her in disbelief. Ling Qing Zhu merely shook her head, looking weary.

”It's a long story, and not something I want to elaborate on right now. Could you just help me out?”

”Sure thing.”

Tang Qi Hong was the first to approach her, using her Nine-Tailed Fire Fox Formula to melt the ice. It took a while because of the Ninety Yin Ice Hell Formation still engraved within the chamber, but Zi Xiao Ji, Lian Rou and Tong Xue deciphered and destroyed the Spirit Engravings that I made, which made it easier.

And finally, Ling Qing Zhu was freed. She turned to Tang Qi Hong, an odd expression on her pretty face.

”So you're the one.”

”Huh?” Tang Qi Hong blinked, bewildered by her statement. Ling Qing Zhu smiled gently, and shook her head.

”Never mind, it's nothing.” She placed a hand on Tang Qi Hong's shoulder before walking away to join her fellow sect disciples. ”You're really lucky. You should treasure what you have.”

”Huh? What?”

”Oi,” I growled. ”Don't act like the classical spurned heroine!”

It sounded like Ling Qing Zhu had fallen for me just because I helped her out a bit. What bullshit. If only it was that easy to get someone to fall for you!

Then Ling Qing Zhu turned to me, and I realized I had misunderstood. She was smiling, not sadly or pitifully, but because she was genuinely impressed. She didn't develop a crush on me or fell for me. She just learned something invaluable from this encounter, and she was simply thankful for that.

”I'll make sure to repay you in future, for saving my life.”

”You don't have to!” I hollered. Then I turned to her sect mates. ”Your senior is being ravaged by pure yin qi at the moment, so you should bring her back to your sect as soon as possible and ask your masters to help her out.”