Chapter 48: Neither You Nor Your Master Is Normal

"Let me handle this matter myself; I won't trouble the two of you."

Instantly sensing the battle intent erupting from Yang Le and Li Qi'er, Xu Ruyan immediately realized that someone was approaching. "This trouble is probably coming for me."

At that moment, Xu Ruyan belatedly perceived the aura of cultivation techniques emanating from the figures at the foot of the mountain.

It belonged to the Xue family of Linqing City, a family with orthodox demonic heritage.

Throughout Linqing City, aside from Prefect Zhang Jun, the Xue family was the only remaining pure-blood demonic clan within the city walls.

In an instant, Xu Ruyan subconsciously deduced that the lingering scent of the Soul-Attracting Incense she had left behind earlier must have drawn this group here.

Under such circumstances, it was naturally impossible for Xu Ruyan to let Yang Le help her resolve this trouble.

"No, you just focus on doing what you need to do."

Yang Le glanced at the anxious Xu Ruyan before him, then directly drew his sword and stepped out the door. "You don't need to lift a finger for this."

"If you treat me this well, I won't know how to repay you."

Seeing this, Xu Ruyan smiled and said, "Between saving my life and now solving this trouble for me, aren't you afraid I won't be able to pay you back?"

"Not at all, because this trouble is coming for me, not you."

"What? This is the aura of the Xue family from Linqing City. How could it have anything to do with you?"

"Because shortly before this, I just killed a good-for-nothing named Xue Ting."

Having said that, Yang Le didn't bother to reply to Xu Ruyan any further; he simply drew his sword from its scabbard and headed straight down the mountain.

His task was exceedingly simple.

Go down there, draw his sword, and kill.

"The legitimate heir of the Xue family?!"

"You're saying you killed the legitimate heir of the Xue family, the renowned sixth-rank martial cultivator of Linqing City, Xue Ting?!"

Yang Le walked at a swift pace, completely ignoring Xu Ruyan.

Xu Ruyan remained frozen in place, her face a mask of utter disbelief.

Earlier, when names like Tianzong Gong or Qin Li were mentioned, Xu Ruyan hadn't reacted much. She only knew they were high-ranking figures within the Linghua Pavilion from other regions, and those names had merely left a fleeting impression on her.

As for their martial cultivation realms, or whether they belonged to the human faction or another faction within the Linghua Pavilion, Xu Ruyan knew nothing at all.

Therefore, even when Yang Le mentioned earlier that he had crippled a fellow named Tianzong Gong, Xu Ruyan hadn't really reacted. She had mostly just assumed that the person Yang Le killed was nothing more than an all-bark-and-no-bite phony.

After all, among the high-ranking members of the Linghua Pavilion, there were countless spoiled scions or good-for-nothing juniors lingering around with seventh or eighth-rank cultivation. It wouldn't be terribly strange for them to be defeated by Yang Le.

Well...

Of course, a major reason why Xu Ruyan assumed this so-called Tianzong Gong was a useless wastrel was...

Yang Le was merely a seventh-rank martial cultivator himself. Anyone defeated by him could not possibly be all that strong. At best, they were likely just collateral branches of the Tianzong lineage within the Linghua Pavilion.

Xu Ruyan was only a high-ranking member of the Cizhou branch of the Linghua Pavilion, not someone from the main headquarters. The internal intelligence she possessed was quite limited; she indeed knew that the contemporary young generation's prodigies at the headquarters belonged to the Tianzong family lineage, but...

It could never be the fellow named Tianzong Gong whom Yang Le had defeated.

At most, he was just a worthless parasite borrowing the name of the Tianzong lineage.

If Yang Le crippled him, so be it. Xu Ruyan truly hadn't taken the matter to heart.

Yet when Yang Le uttered the name Xue Ting, and now—just as the Xue family came knocking—told her that he had killed Xue Ting...

Xu Ruyan drew a sharp breath.

Xue Ting was no ordinary figure; at the very least, he was unquestionably considered a top-tier expert within Linqing City.

And standing behind him was the formidable, colossal presence of the Xue family. The entire Cizhou region had been the Xue family's managed territory for many years, and their current patriarch even held the imperial office of a third-rank侍郎 (Vice Minister) in the central prefecture of Daqian.

With such immense influence, even when armed with the backing of the Linghua Pavilion, Xu Ruyan would never dare to openly provoke them. Yet Yang Le...

Upon hearing that members of the Xue family had come looking for him, he simply grabbed a sword and strode out just like that?

For a moment, Xu Ruyan didn't know whether to praise Yang Le for his fearless defiance of tyranny or to write him off as an absolute reckless fool...

"Little sister, you should go hurry and persuade him. The Xue family coming to the vicinity of Bamboo Mountain is just the beginning; more factions will be coming to make trouble after this."

Realizing that the situation had already exceeded her expectations, Xu Ruyan immediately looked at Li Qi'er, who was still in the courtyard. "We'll probably have to pack up and move elsewhere tonight. This is not a mess that a mere seventh-rank martial cultivator like Yang Le can handle."

"First of all, I need to make something clear to you: I am no little sister, troublesome woman. From now on, just call me Li Qi'er."

Compared to Xu Ruyan's frantic panic, Li Qi'er appeared completely calm and collected. Noticing a plate of crispy fried pork on the table, she couldn't resist picking up a piece and popping it into her mouth.

After chewing the crispy meat thoroughly with muffled sounds, Li Qi'er continued, "Secondly, the trouble you mentioned already came earlier, but my master scared them away. This so-called Xue family is already the second batch."

"What?!"

Upon hearing Li Qi'er's words, Xu Ruyan was even more shocked. "Who was it that came..."

"A sword-wielding good-for-nothing, and a bald brute."

"The head bailiff of Linqing City, some constables, and a few other nobodies whose names I don't know."

Li Qi'er counted on her fingers while smiling. "However, my master took care of all of them."

"Qu Zhe, Ye Yun, Lin Cangbei..."

"If it really was them... then I truly underestimated Yang Le..."

The more Li Qi'er spoke, the more alarmed Xu Ruyan became.

On one hand, she hadn't expected so many events to have transpired during the time she was unconscious.

On the other hand...

Could Yang Le really have relied solely on his own strength to keep all these troubles at bay?!

"No, the Xue family is definitely not something Yang Le can handle. I have to go down and see for myself."

Although Xu Ruyan had been left speechless by Yang Le's prior actions, with the Xue family members right outside Bamboo Mountain at this very moment, she naturally couldn't continue lingering in the courtyard.

She had to go down the mountain too.

"Hold on. Before my master left, aside from telling me to help clean the outer courtyard, there was actually one more thing."

Before Xu Ruyan could even take a step, Li Qi'er had already blocked her path.

"What is it?"

Xu Ruyan hadn't taken Li Qi'er seriously in the slightest. "If we don't go now, your master might be in danger."

"The other thing is that Master told me to watch you and make sure you don't run around."

Li Qi'er smiled brightly as she barred Xu Ruyan's way. "Troublesome woman, you'd better behave yourself."

"A tenth-rank quasi-martial cultivator—you can't stop me."

Only then did Xu Ruyan look at the girl before her with a slightly serious gaze. "Also, I am not a troublesome woman; if you must, you can call me elder sister."

"Is that so? Elder sister?"

Just as Xu Ruyan's words fell, Li Qi'er's expression shifted. "You think... I can't stop you?"

"Of course—"

Xu Ruyan instinctively wanted to nod, but when she looked up at Li Qi'er again, she froze completely in her tracks.

Before she even realized it...

Li Qi'er had already appeared right behind her, a razor-sharp dagger pressed lightly against her neck.

"The two of you, master and disciple... neither of you is normal..."

At that moment, as she felt the intense, chilling intent to kill, Xu Ruyan finally understood...

Yang Le wasn't normal.

And this Li Qi'er, who claimed she was just supposed to keep an eye on her...

Wasn't normal either.