Chapter 196: Chapter 120: Elder Mu Takes Action, and the Peach Opera Garden Approaches

Even an ordinary person could have made such a thrust.

But as the sword lunged forward, the black skull suddenly froze in place.

Immediately after, the surrounding wind became incredibly sharp, coalescing into innumerable streams of Sword Qi that surged forward.

A moment later, everything stopped, and a calm fell over the area.

The black skull vanished.

Elder Mu slowly descended from the bamboo grove and walked toward the Changbai Temple Master.

The Changbai Temple Master looked down, saw no wounds on his body, and burst out laughing. "The Sword King of Fenglin State? Is that all? I don’t even have a scratch on me. Your skills have regressed, Mu Jianlin!"

As soon as he spoke, the Changbai Temple Master suddenly felt something spray out.

He instinctively looked down and saw hundreds of bloody holes that had suddenly appeared all over his body.

Blood sprayed from innumerable wounds. With defiance in his eyes, the Changbai Temple Master collapsed to the ground, convulsing.

"You... you’ve grown stronger. Ten years ago, I could at least block one of your strikes. Why..." the Changbai Temple Master rasped.

Elder Mu said flatly, "To be devoted to the sword is to truly begin with the sword, and only then can one reach the peak."

The Changbai Temple Master’s eyes widened. "You’re still the same as ever... always so preten—"

Before he could finish, the last of his life force dissipated, and he became a corpse on the ground.

Elder Mu clasped his hands behind his back and sighed. "I really should have let that brat Shen Bai see this. What a shame."

With that, Elder Mu began dragging the body with one hand, heading for the Observatory.

...

「The Observatory.」

When Shen Bai saw the corpse on the floor and Elder Mu sipping tea, he couldn’t help but shake his head.

Elder Mu had already explained what had happened. The Changbai Temple Master’s crimes were unforgivable, and as for Qingyun Cloud Temple, it was now under strict investigation. No one involved would escape.

Normally, this would be a happy occasion, but for Elder Mu, it was simply exasperating.

Elder Mu slammed down his teacup, his eyes wide with feigned anger. "What’s all this nonsense about ’only through great passion can one master the sword’? Rubbish! What passion do I have? You’ve completely ruined the mood. My words were the ones with real gravitas!"

He was a little speechless.

He had come here to boast a bit and teach the kid a lesson, but instead, he was the one who got schooled.

It was so infuriating!

Seeing Elder Mu huffing and puffing, Shen Bai comforted him, "It’s alright, Elder Mu. There’s always next time. We’ll make it even cooler."

At these words, Elder Mu immediately picked up the sword beside him.

"Go on, get out of here! For tonight, at least, I don’t want to see your face!"

Shen Bai ducked his head and chuckled. "What about tomorrow?"

Elder Mu scoffed, "We’ll see about tomorrow." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Soon, Shen Bai was chased out by Elder Mu.

’You have to joke around with old folks to help them relax,’ Shen Bai thought, watching Elder Mu’s retreating back.

Just now, Shen Bai hadn’t actually been trying to provoke Elder Mu on purpose.

After entering the Observatory, Shen Bai had sensed a trace of loneliness about the old man.

But through his interactions with Shen Bai, much of that loneliness had dissipated.

Generally, with old men like him, you needed to joke with them from time to time. Elder Mu wasn’t truly angry; in fact, the banter would probably cheer him up.

’First, I’ll go back and grind my Skill Level,’ Shen Bai thought, standing in the courtyard outside.

Now that Elder Mu had acted, the matter of the Changbai Temple Master had come to a close.

As for the aftermath, the Observatory would naturally handle it.

With this case serving as a precedent, anyone in Qingyun Cloud Temple who was involved had no hope of escape.

And those who were innocent, the Observatory would not trouble.

Therefore, Shen Bai didn’t need to involve himself any further in the matter.

Having eliminated an enemy, Shen Bai was naturally pleased.

Plus, he had also gained ten wisps of Evil Qi from the state celebration. Shen Bai felt the trip had been more than worthwhile.

For now, he didn’t have to worry about Evil Qi, so Shen Bai needed to focus on grinding his Skill Level.

Thinking this, Shen Bai saw that it was getting late and prepared to head home.

In his arms, Amber gave a bored yawn and nuzzled its head against his chest.

Cradling Amber, Shen Bai walked toward the main gate of the Observatory.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

Shen Bai had only taken a few steps when he saw a familiar figure about to leave the Observatory.

Long Yan was dressed in plain clothes, hurrying along with her head down.

Among the Observatory’s Landlords, Long Yan was one who didn’t live on the premises, as the Registration Office itself didn’t contain anything particularly important.

Normally, Long Yan always had a rather flippant air about her.

Shen Bai knew that anyone who could become a Landlord was not to be underestimated.

He felt that today, Long Yan seemed a bit different, more subdued.

Out of courtesy, Shen Bai still greeted her.

Long Yan saw Shen Bai as well and replied calmly.

Her reply only made Shen Bai find her behavior stranger.

Before long, Long Yan had left the Observatory.

Although Shen Bai found it odd, he didn’t dwell on it. After all, he still had to go home and grind his Skill Level.

With that thought, Shen Bai prepared to turn and leave.

Just then, a figure appeared before him.

"Shen Bai, come on. Let me treat you to a late-night snack?" Qin Shuang said, patting his shoulder.

Shen Bai snapped back to reality. "Now?"

It was already late at night, but Fenglin State still had some late-night food stalls.

Qin Shuang nodded. "You haven’t had a late-night snack with me in Fenglin State yet. They’re absolutely delicious."

Seeing as it was just an invitation for a snack, Shen Bai figured it wouldn’t take much time and agreed.

The two of them left together.

Because they hadn’t wasted much time, Shen Bai caught sight of Long Yan’s figure disappearing around a street corner.

Shen Bai asked subconsciously, "Why has Landlord Long seemed so out of it lately?"

Qin Shuang tilted her head. "The Peach Opera Garden is arriving in a few days. Landlord Long has some history with them. You didn’t know?"