Wayfarer

Chapter 158: It's All Mr. Qin's Fault

Ye Sanshui and the others stared gobsmacked at Xiao Nanfeng. They had been forced back just from the crane's aura, but Xiao Nanfeng had easily caused the entire crane to explode!

The outburst of spiritual power caused waves to swell in the sea all around them. Ye Sanshui suddenly gained an understanding of Xiao Nanfeng's monstrous strength that went far beyond the likes of his.

Xiao Nanfeng paid no heed to their gasps; he continued activating the Immortal's Destruction time and time again.

Golden swords struck the Isle of Nalan like meteors, causing the cracks in the protective mist to propagate. It looked as though the array was about to break down at any moment.

"Senior Brother, the elders of Taiqing Island are flying over!" Ye Sanshui cried out.

From afar, countless figures in black were heading straight toward the Isle of Nalan, moving so quickly that the water parted beneath them.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned as he launched attacks with the Immortal's Destruction more and more quickly.

The protective mist around the island finally exploded, transforming into a raging storm.

Instantly, Xiao Nanfeng noticed Nalan Feng and Mr. Qin on a plaza not too far away. His eyes cold, he sent another attack from the Immortal's Destruction straight toward them.

"Insolence!" an incensed shout came from behind Xiao Nanfeng, but it was already too late. The attack shot toward the two cultivators on the plaza. Nalan Feng tried to avoid it, only to find that its target was Mr. Qin

"Hold it!" Nalan Feng cried out. Just as the attack was about to strike Mr. Qin's unconscious body, a black figure appeared before Nalan Feng, reaching toward the air and suspending the imminent blow.

"What?" Xiao Nanfeng gasped.

A black-haired, middle-aged man appeared in sight, his mien severe, his eyes stern with rage. As he squeezed, the golden blade of the Immortal's Destruction burst into a shower of qi.

Killing intent surged from the man and coalesced around Xiao Nanfeng.

"Disciple Ye Sanshui greets the Ascended division leader!" Ye Sanshui stepped forward and bowed down toward the man in black, forestalling the conflict.

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes widened. This was the Ascended division leader, Zhao Tianheng?

"How dare you make such a fuss here!" Zhao Tianheng shouted at Xiao Nanfeng.

Ten more figures descended from the sky amidst howling gales, surrounding Nalan Feng.

"Nalan Feng, are you alright?"

"Who dares attack the Isle of Nalan? Don't you know where you are?!"

The elders were outraged, clearly very concerned about Nalan Feng. Many of them brimmed with killing intent, causing Xiao Nanfeng's back to be drenched with sweat.

"Disciple Ye Sanshui greets the honored elders of the sect." Ye Sanshui, steadfast under pressure, bowed toward the gathered cultivators.

"Ye Sanshui? You dare collude with an outsider to attack the Isle of Nalan? Are you intending to betray the sect?"

"How will we answer to Emperor Tianshu if Nalan Feng is injured?!"

"No matter who you are, even if you're a disciple of the Taiqing sect, your actions today have condemned you!"

"Do you think to bully those of the Mortal division? Lad, do you have a death wish?!"

The elders roared at Xiao Nanfeng in outrage, an elder of the Mortal division the most ferocious among them.

Xiao Nanfeng calmly waited for their tirades to end before he took a deep breath and bowed. "Son of Xiao Hongye, Xiao Nanfeng, greets the Ascended division leader and gathered elders."

Xiao Nanfeng's introduction caused even the rampaging elders to be taken aback. Clearly, Xiao Hongye was a name known to one and all.

The killing intent surrounding Xiao Nanfeng abated, though not completely. The elders didn't take Xiao Nanfeng's assertion on faith; rather, they stared at him dubiously.

"You claim to be the son of Elder Xiao Hongye. Have you any proof?" Zhao Tianheng asked coldly.

The elders all looked toward Xiao Nanfeng. Xiao Hongye was an important figure, and impersonation of a man of such stature would be taken seriously.

Just then, one of the elders spoke up. "I can verify that he is Xiao Hongye's son."

The gathered elders saw Zhao Yuanjiao stepping forward.

"Zhao Yuanjiao?"

Zhao Yuanjiao bowed toward Zhao Tianheng. "Uncle, this is my master's second disciple, Xiao Nanfeng, as well as the son of Elder Xiao Hongye. The blackguards I command have investigated his background fully."

Zhao Yuanjiao's support was within Xiao Nanfeng's expectations; he had tasked Ye Sanshui with securing his help last night. He even knew that Zhao Yuanjiao was the nephew of the Ascended division leader, and from the looks of it, both men were helping him by playing contrasting roles.

"What? He's Elder Ku's disciple, along with the son of Elder Xiao Hongye?" The elders were all shocked.

The four elders of the Mortal division, who had been the most outspoken in lambasting Xiao Nanfeng, now held their tongues. Xiao Hongye had vanished for eleven years, but his status within the Mortal division was no inferior to that of Emperor Tianshu. They didn't know whom to support in this fight between their direct descendants.

"Even if he is Senior Brother Xiao's son, and even if he is Senior Brother Ku's disciple, that doesn't allow him to act as he pleases. Is he intending to kill a fellow disciple in cold blood?" Zhao Tianheng asked.

"Disciple Nalan Feng pleads for intercession from Division Leader Zhao and the gathered elders. If not for your timely arrival, Elder Zhao, I would already have been struck dead," Nalan Feng began, choosing the most opportune time to take control of the narrative.

"Is that the case?" The gathered elders frowned at Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng stepped forward and replied, "Elder Zhao, you intercepted my blow, so I'm sure you must have sensed that I was striking at this Mr. Qin, not Nalan Feng. I deny any charges of attacking a Taiqing disciple."

"Oh?" The elders turned to Zhao Tianheng, waiting for his judgment.

Nalan Feng frowned. He too looked at Zhao Tianheng expectantly.

Zhao Tianheng stared at Xiao Nanfeng for some time before shaking his head. "I did not feel as though that attack was targeting anyone in particular."

Xiao Nanfeng gave Zhao Yuanjiao a raised eyebrow, as though asking why his uncle had suddenly dropped the ball.

However, Zhao Yuanjiao didn't respond to Xiao Nanfeng. His face fell. Was something wrong?

The elders looked toward Xiao Nanfeng suspiciously.

"If Elder Zhao was unable to discern whom I was attacking, then there is no proof that I was targeting Nalan Feng," Xiao Nanfeng concluded, making the best of his situation.

Zhao Tianheng was a little surprised. He thought that Xiao Nanfeng would attempt to argue the point a little longer, but he had turned things in his favor regardless.

"Are you attempting to distort the truth now that there's no evidence?" Nalan Feng suggested.

"I am doing no such thing. It's evident that I was fighting Mr. Qin, and you were simply in the way," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"What?"

Everyone glanced at Nalan Feng curiously. What Xiao Nanfeng had stated didn't seem to agree with what they had observed.

"If you don't believe me, Elders, I'm sure there are plenty of witnesses around," Xiao Nanfeng continued calmly.

The elders immediately did so, performing a logical investigation without blatantly favoring one side or another. Neither the guards in purple nor Ye Sanshui dared hide what they knew, and they reported everything they had witnessed.

Just then, Mr. Qin began to stir. His face was pale as he heard the witness accounts. "That's nonsense! I wasn't sparring with him. He was attacking the Isle of Nalan!"

"Mr. Qin, don't be ridiculous. The elders of the Taiqing sect have been summoned, and you won't be able to deny a thing."

"What's there to deny? I've only spoken the truth. You're the unreasonable one, and you tried to kill His Highness!" Mr. Qin shouted.

"Let me help jog your memory. I arrived at the Isle of Nalan, reporting my name and identity, then expressing my desire to meet Nalan Feng. Your guards rudely refused me, but I patiently corrected them and continued waiting for Nalan Feng. Then, you showed up. Do you contest my summary?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"As I said, His Highness refused to meet you, but you insisted on doing so," Mr. Qin replied.

"What I said was, 'And if I insist?' I'd appreciate it if you paraphrased me precisely, considering our circumstances. I was inquiring as to how you would resolve this matter, but you suddenly challenged me, and I accepted the challenge. You were simply a worse fighter and unable to defeat me," Xiao Nanfeng replied disdainfully.

"That's nonsense! I never challenged you," Mr. Qin cried out.

"Not only did you unleash your aura, causing the waves to buffet my ship and force it back, you provoked me by claiming that I could try attacking you. Is that not so?" Xiao Nanfeng retorted.

Mr. Qin was flabbergasted. He was only attempting to frighten Xiao Nanfeng—who would have expected him to take that invitation literally? Had Xiao Nanfeng been planning this from the beginning?

"Elders, this was a challenge made by a foreign cultivator to me on Taiqing sect lands. In order to preserve the dignity of the sect, I accepted the challenge and, fortunately, won," Xiao Nanfeng explained.

The elders gaped at Xiao Nanfeng. He was clearly attacking the Isle of Nalan, but his analysis had thoughtfully positioned him as the victim. Who would be able to argue against preserving the sect's dignity? This was a trap laid out for Mr. Qin!

"Mr. Qin? Xiao Nanfeng came to the Isle of Nalan to visit Nalan Feng as part of regular sect business. Not only did you deliberately make things difficult for Xiao Nanfeng, you even challenged him. Why did you do so?" Zhao Yuanjiao suddenly asked.

Everyone looked toward Mr. Qin.

Mr. Qin was flabbergasted. He was the victim here, and he was the one who had suffered! How had he become the instigator?