Chapter 45: Your Surname is Song?

GULP.

Zhu Yiqun swallowed hard, muttering with a dazed expression, "That was way too fierce. My old man seems downright gentle compared to him."

Song Changsheng was also dumbfounded. ’A Late-stage Foundation Establishment Blood Demon was just obliterated like that? Annihilation of Body and Spirit?’ he thought. ’Even if my own grandfather were to act, this would be the best he could do, right?’

"Second Senior Brother, don’t let those Blood Demons get away!" Zhuang Yuechan, however, seemed unfazed, shouting at the burly man.

"Hahaha! Don’t you worry, Junior Sister. Since they dared to make a move on you, I’ll go twist their heads off for you to kick around like balls." Having received his orders, the burly man let out a savage grin and pounced on the Demon Cultivators who were scattering in every direction.

His methods could be described as simple and brutal. He would chase someone down, clamp his large hand over their head, and with a forceful twist, separate it from their body.

He did this to every last one of them, as if he really planned on leaving the heads for Zhuang Yuechan to kick around like balls.

Zhuang Yuechan’s pretty face instantly darkened. ’This eccentric senior brother of mine would actually do something like this.’

"Er... Fellow Daoist Zhuang, this senior brother of yours is really..." Watching the burly man twist off heads while spewing profanities, Zhu Yiqun was momentarily at a loss for words.

Song Changsheng was also left speechless. ’This has to be the Foundation Establishment Cultivator who cares the least about his image I’ve ever seen,’ he thought. ’Not only are his methods brutal, but his mouth is full of filth. He doesn’t seem like a Righteous Cultivator at all.’

...

About half an hour later, the burly man returned to the group, drenched in blood. He carried over twenty dripping heads and walked with a swagger that suggested he didn’t give a damn about anyone.

He tossed the heads down at Zhuang Yuechan’s feet, cracked a wide grin that revealed two rows of large, yellow teeth, and said with a chuckle, "Junior Sister, they’re all here. Tell me, what’s the most satisfying way to kick them?"

Staring at the pile of heads, Zhuang Yuechan felt an overwhelming urge to facepalm. ’What cosmic sin did I commit,’ she wondered, ’to deserve such an eccentric senior brother?’

"Why did you bring these back? They’re disgusting!" Zhuang Yuechan said, taking a deep breath and speaking through gritted teeth.

The moment the burly man heard his junior sister’s tone, he knew he was in trouble. He quickly grabbed the heads, tossed them aside, and scratched his head with an embarrassed laugh. "I’ll be more careful next time. I’ll be more careful."

Zhuang Yuechan shot him an irritated glare before turning to the others. "This is my second senior brother, Niu Dazhuang."

"Niu Dazhuang... What a... simple name." Zhu Yiqun suddenly felt his own name wasn’t quite so unbearable anymore.

While Zhu Yiqun was focused on the name itself, Song Changsheng merely found it familiar. After wracking his brain for a moment, he blurted out, "Niu Dazhuang? The First Disciple of the Second City Lord of Luoxia City?"

"Heh, this little brother is pretty well-informed, huh? You’ve even heard of Old Niu’s great name." Niu Dazhuang showed none of the airs of a senior, just grinning widely and laughing.

"Luoxia City? The Luoxia City where all three City Lords are Purple Mansion Great Cultivators?" Xu Yunhe’s eyes widened. That place was a paradise for Loose Cultivators.

"Mm, you’ve got good judgment, kid. It’s a shame you’re missing an arm, but that’s no great matter. There’s still hope for you to reach Foundation Establishment." Niu Dazhuang glanced at Xu Yunhe and nodded in approval.

"Elder Niu’s master is City Lord Zhan Tianxia... then, Fellow Daoist Zhuang, doesn’t that mean your master is...?" The realization dawned on Zhu Yiqun, and he stared at Zhuang Yuechan with eyes full of astonishment.

Zhuang Yuechan nodded. "My master is the Great City Lord, Muu Guibai."

Upon receiving her confirmation, Zhu Yiqun gasped. Muu Guibai! He was the most formidable expert in the entire Qii Kingdom Cultivation Realm beneath the Golden Core stage. Legend had it that even Golden Core Masters had to give him face.

"Fellow Daoist Zhuang, you truly are a hidden dragon," Zhu Yiqun said with a wry smile. ’Compared to her,’ he thought, ’both my own old man and the entire Song Clan pale in comparison.’

"All right, all right, enough of that," Niu Dazhuang interrupted, waving his hand impatiently. "Junior Sister, you still haven’t told me who these people are."

Zhuang Yuechan nodded. "This is Fellow Daoist Xu Yunhe. His Swordsmanship is superb, a rare quality among Loose Cultivators.

This is Fellow Daoist Zhu Yiqun. He’s a Medicinal Chef, and he has taken very good care of me lately."

Upon hearing this, Niu Dazhuang stretched out a hand the size of a fan and started slapping Zhu Yiqun’s shoulder. WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! He said boisterously, "You know, with those shifty eyes, I thought you were up to no good. Looks like I judged a book by its cover. You’re all right, kid. Thanks for looking after my junior sister."

Zhu Yiqun felt like the blows were about to shatter his bones, but he still managed to force a smile. No matter how one looked at it, though, it was clearly a pained one.

"Junior Sister, what’s his name?" Niu Dazhuang asked, pointing at Song Changsheng with a finger as thick as a carrot. "This little brother seems pretty decent."

A complicated look entered Zhuang Yuechan’s eyes. "This is Fellow Daoist Song, Song Changsheng. He..."

"Hold on." For the first time, Niu Dazhuang cut his junior sister off. His eyes narrowed to slits as he stared at Song Changsheng. "Your surname is Song? What’s your relationship with the Song Clan from the Moon Viewing Mountain Range?"

His tone was hostile, which startled Song Changsheng. ’Is he an enemy of the clan?’ he wondered. ’I’ve never heard Grandfather mention any feud with Luoxia City.’

He was tempted not to answer, but his identity was an open secret. If this man was truly an enemy, there was no hiding. Steeling himself, he replied, "I am, in fact, a disciple of the Song Clan."

"What?" Niu Dazhuang’s eyes flew wide. A ferocious aura exploded from his body, and the crushing pressure made Song Changsheng’s chest tighten.

"Senior Brother, what are you doing?" Zhuang Yuechan stepped in front of Song Changsheng, positioning herself between them and staring directly at Niu Dazhuang.

"Junior Sister, are you protecting him? You said you wanted to come out to train, and our masters and I had no objections. But you’re getting mixed up with someone from the Song Clan! If I had known this was going to happen, I would never have let you leave the city!"

Niu Dazhuang’s eyes were wide with anger. It was the first time he had ever spoken so harshly to Zhuang Yuechan.

Zhu Yiqun and Xu Yunhe were completely stunned by this turn of events. Weren’t things fine just a moment ago? How had it suddenly turned into a confrontation between mortal enemies?

"Senior Brother, I know what you want to say, but Fellow Daoist Song saved my life. I won’t let you touch him. Besides, Master himself said that our city and the Song Clan should not interfere with one another. Are you going to defy Master’s orders?"

Zhuang Yuechan tilted her head back to look up at Niu Dazhuang’s furious face, her own expression unwavering.

"You! Fine! I won’t touch him. But you are coming back with me today. No more getting mixed up with people from the Song Clan!" Steam snorted from Niu Dazhuang’s nostrils. He grabbed Zhuang Yuechan’s hand and prepared to leave.

Zhuang Yuechan was no match for his strength and was helplessly pulled onto his flying sword. They turned into a streak of light and vanished into the distance...

After a long silence, Zhu Yiqun sighed and patted Song Changsheng’s shoulder. "Don’t bother looking. They’re long gone.

Doesn’t your Song Clan have trade dealings with Luoxia City? So where does this ’not interfering with one another’ come from? Old Zhu here is a bit confused."

Faced with Zhu Yiqun’s question, Song Changsheng could only shake his head in confusion. "I don’t know either."

"Ah well, no use thinking about it then," Zhu Yiqun said, rubbing his hands together. "Let’s hurry and clean up the battlefield. They didn’t take anything, which means it’s all for us." He immediately started looting the bodies.

...