27. Back-End Incident
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Luoyin slowly turned to Zhang Cheng. "Hmph. Even if you remained silent, I'd still address you. *How many layers of skin do you have? Trying to bully someone of a lower level into marrying you."
(*He's thick-skinned/shameless)
The disciples began to mutter at once!
"Is that why they were duelling?!"
"How Shameless!"
Zhang Cheng's rage stepped up a level. "You Garbage!! Stay out of our business! The world of the strong is beyond your comprehension! I have the right to challenge whoever I want!"
"Oh? But I'm the one who begged the little Miss to take me back..." He shrugged. This was a necessary lie, so no one would point fingers at Weiyan. The happier she was, the quicker Luoyin's grievance would be solved!
"Don't you think that makes it my business?" Luoyin continued. "I'm her fiance, so your real opponent should be me!"
The disciples began to mutter at once!
"Oh! Is that how it is?!"
"So the two were still involved?!"
"Ahahaha! Disciple Zhang is the third party here?!"
"Heh! Was Disciple Xu never even interested in Disciple Zhang?!"
"But when did Luoyin become so bold? What can he do here?"
Meanwhile, Zhang Cheng was huffing in unbelievable anger, and one could almost see smoke rising from his skin.
"Hao! You want to be my opponent?! Then I'll gladly fight you!!"
"Ei? Did I hear you agree I'm your opponent?" Luoyin folded his arms. "Then I accept this victory, since you forfeit."
"Aargh!" Zhang Cheng growled. "Forfeit?! I'm going to beat you so badly, you won't walk for a year!" His sword appeared in his hand and he was about to lunge at Luoyin...
But then he suddenly fell to his knees, and he barely managed to swallow down a wave of nausea. His qi flared instinctively, trying to suppress the discomfort, but it was no use.
His entire body clenched with a sudden, urgent pressure in his mid region and cold sweat gathered at his brow as he clutched his stomach.
"Y- You Trash! What did you do to me?!"
"Me?" Luoyin pointed to himself, feigning ignorance. "What do you mean? I'm all the way over here!"
"Yo- You poisoned me!" Zhang Cheng complained, and they were surrounded by gasps, but Luoyin shrugged.
"There's no rule against poisoning, as long as there's no lasting damage, and I don't harm your cultivation."
He shrugged.
"Won't you forfeit? I gave you a powdered variant of that poisoned grass you fed me long ago... If you don't forfeit now... I'm afraid the disciples will witness a spectacular wave of diarrhea!"
The disciples were snickering into their hands, including Head Disciple Xu Haoyuan.
Zhang Cheng nearly exploded from anger and shame, but his mid region and backside indeed felt like they were about to explode as well in a completely different way!
He shakily raised a hand. "I will forfeit, since my dear brother is too weak to be my opponent!"
"Pfft-" Someone in the crowd snorted. "Just say you need to quickly find an outhouse!"
Then the entire arena erupted in laughter.
Zhang Cheng shot one last hate-filled look at Luoyin, and then quickly vanished.
Luoyin watched him leave. 'Hmph. Zhang Cheng, you should get used to being on your knees in Luoyin's presence!'
"Zhang Luoyin! H- how could you d- d- do such an underhanded thing?!" One of the disciple accused, amidst uncontrollable laughter.
Luoyin raised an amused brow before replying. "Won't you comport yourself first? And besides," Luoyin smirked. "...he'll be fine as long as his offerings are pleasant to the toilet deity!"
More laughter rippled through the crowd, and several junior disciples collapsed from the sheer effort of holding back their giggles.
"Disciple Zhang won't be able to show his face after this!"
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That Evening...
"Son, why don't you eat something? Will you see your mother die first?!" Madam Zhang coaxed Zhang Cheng.
Hours had passed since the 'back-end incident', as the disciples were now calling it.
Zhang Cheng had been so ashamed that he hid his face... when he wasn't emptying his bowels in the outhouse.
After drinking several tonics, he was relatively back to normal.
"Mother, you don't know what your son faced today!" He said in barely controlled rage. "That Trash made me a laughing stock in front of the Sect disciples!!!"
Madam Zhang gently patted his back. "A-Cheng, you will have many opportunities to retaliate. If you don't eat now, how can you teach him a lesson later? Umm?"
She reached for the bowl of light porridge. "Tch! That brat thinks he is safe because he left the Zhang Manor, but relax and eat... Watch what your mother does to him!"
'I was a bit surprised to hear that the useless brat dared return, but we are untouchable in this Sect! I won't let such useless waste live after offending my son!'
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The next night...
It was late, and amidst a chorus of crickets and cicadas, a trader returned home, pushing his small cart, the squeaking cart wheels adding to the sounds.
But along the way, he noticed all had gone silent, and the cold creeped across his skin like ice fingers reaching out...
His breath was beginning to release white clouds in front of his face, and it was darker than usual.
An uneasy feeling settled over him, and he stopped, all the hairs on his body standing on end.
But though he wasn't moving, the darkness began to draw closer, and a sudden ghostly laugh ahead broke the silence.
"Gh- Ghost!" He whispered in fright, and began to back away.
But there was a sudden cold draft from behind him, and he froze, afraid to move a muscle.
"Can you see me?" A ghostly voice said behind him, and he slowly turned his head to look.
But his eyes widened, and the still silence was broken by his tortured screams...
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At the moment of the man's death, Weiyan opened her eyes sharply.
She had been drinking atop a roof, but had dozed off, only to be awakened by a strange presence...
'Immortal... Pei?' She was off the roof in a split-second, and she swiftly darted into the dark shade of a copse of trees.
But it was no use. The aura had vanished as quickly as she sensed it.
'But how can he be here?!' She wondered.
Weiyan had met Immortal Pei in Red Grove City.
Red Grove City was where the Fate Immortal met the Caoyang Challengers each year, so it was common to see Cultivators from every sect gather here at this time of the year.
It was also one of the cities mostly affected by the Black Dragon's attacks, and her heart had broken as she strolled through the City, witnessing the burned regions, the squalor survivors were leaving in, the grieving faces, and the orphaned children.
One of those days, a child, a little girl who looked like she had been starving, had clutched Weiyan's robes.
"Beautiful Lady, I ask as many cultivators every year but, can you kill the Black Dragon? Can you kill the demon who took my parents away?"
Weiyan simply replied, "If fate permits it."
That same night, an unexpected individual appeared in her inn room, and Weiyan instantly pointed her sword at him.
It was an old man with long wavy brown hair, woven at the and he simply just smiled.
"I'm Immortal Pei, the Soil Deity of this region." He held up a jade pendant with the 'Tian' character on it.
Weiyan made her sword disappear, then cupped her hands and bowed. "Greetings, Immortal. Forgive me for not recognizing you."
"I did come unannounced." He said jovially. "But I had to see you.
"As you can imagine, I don't have a great life, because the Black Dragon insists on constantly bathing the soil in blood, and as the Soil Deity, I remember every drop of blood that is spilled in Red Grove City."
Weiyan could empathize with him, but it didn't explain why he was here.
"Immortal. Perhaps, is there something I can do for you?" She asked with a polite bow.
Immortal Pei sighed. "In all my time here, one particular incident has always weighed heavy on my mind..." He waved a hand, and a vision appeared before Weiyan.
"This was from eighteen years ago."
Weiyan's eyes widened at the sight, and she stumbled back in horror...
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