"Hmm? What's this..."
Just as he stepped out of the auction house, Deng Tiancheng began aimlessly strolling through the marketplace.
By now, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators a man and a woman who had previously accompanied him were nowhere to be seen.
It wasn't clear whether Deng had dismissed them after the auction ended, or if they had simply realized that, given his temperament, he wasn't someone they could cozy up to and had left of their own accord.
As for why Deng Tiancheng lingered here instead of leaving, it was because he intended to give Li Ye some time to sort through his gains before paying him a visit.
To someone like him, a talent such as Li Ye even if he couldn't be recruited into his sect was still worth befriending. Sooner or later, such a connection was bound to prove useful.
Naturally, he wanted to speak with Li Ye in private first.
Even though there were surely plenty of others who shared this idea, Deng Tiancheng was confident that his offer of friendship far surpassed anything those minor sects or loose cultivators could present.
But after only a short while of wandering, Deng suddenly raised an eyebrow. Putting down the trinket in his hand, he turned and looked off in a specific direction.
Even with the formation barriers between them, he could faintly see two figures cloaked in spiritual light flying toward the marketplace at high speed.
And from the look of it, this wasn't just travel it was a blatant pursuit.
A smirk of amusement crept onto Deng Tiancheng's face.
"So someone's that impatient? The auction just ended, and most cultivators haven't even left the marketplace yet, and already they can't help but ambush their peers..."
"And now that someone's running back to the marketplace for refuge, Li Ye what will you do?"
As this thought crossed his mind, Deng Tiancheng promptly began walking in that direction.
Meanwhile
Other Foundation Establishment cultivators who hadn't yet departed also noticed the disturbance from afar. Though most had no intention of getting involved and preferred to remain neutral, they were still watching closely, eager to see how Li Ye would respond to this turn of events.
...
"You've been caught in this young master's Peach Blossom Miasma you won't get away!"
The man in the conical hat flew ahead at full speed, while behind him, the elegant and refined Quan Chaoliang pursued closely, a peach blossom-patterned fan in hand.
However, the man in the hat didn't seem to be in good shape. The spiritual light around him flickered erratically though his spiritual energy remained stable, it was clear he was struggling, his movements clumsy and uncoordinated.
Whenever Quan Chaoliang sent a gust of confusing wind with his fan or hurled it to slash through the air, the man in the hat reacted sluggishly, as if his spiritual perception had dulled. He fumbled in defense time and again.
Had it not been for a silk handkerchief-type artifact that automatically circled him for protection, he would've already lost his head several times over.
But facing even a low-grade spiritual artifact especially one not meant for offense his handkerchief wouldn't hold up forever.
If he didn't find a way to break free soon, it was only a matter of time before Quan Chaoliang took him down.
Still, the man in the hat said nothing the whole time, merely gritting his teeth as he flew back toward the Sanhui Market they had just left.
Despite the confusion clouding his mind his perception dulled, his spiritual control chaotic he felt a surge of regret.
Focused solely on acquiring the Firecloud Pill, he had passed up several chances to bid on the Barrier-Clearing Pill that could've neutralized the Peach Blossom Miasma's effects.
Had he taken just one, it would've cleared most of the poison's influence, and he wouldn't be in this sorry state, hunted down so viciously.
But it was too late now.
His only hope was to make it back to the marketplace.
Once inside, no matter what grudges existed, Li Ye as the host would be forced to step in. That would give him at least a sliver of hope.
The plan wasn't bad and Quan Chaoliang saw through it.
What frustrated him most was that even under the miasma's influence, the man in the hat was still moving with shocking speed. Though his power had been cut by half, his flight speed hadn't dropped much.
Even with both using Wind-Treading Talismans, Quan still couldn't close the gap.
As the marketplace came into view, Quan Chaoliang's patience finally snapped.
"I was going easy on you out of some sympathy, not wanting to take your life. But if you insist on resisting, I'll just claim the treasure from your corpse!"
His voice turned icy as he poured spiritual power into the peach blossom fan and threw it again.
The fan spun through the air, catching up to the man. Blossoms bloomed along its surface, and a mist of pink miasma spread out, wrapping around him.
The mist clouded the mind and blurred perception, making it impossible for the target to orient themselves or respond to incoming attacks.
Whoosh
There was no obvious motion, but a soft tearing sound echoed in the air a tiny bone dart, no larger than a thumb, shot forward.
Taking advantage of the man's dazed state, it bypassed the handkerchief's defense, pierced through his protective aura, and slammed into his chest.
Smack! Blood splattered as he grunted in pain but the sharp jolt snapped him out of his stupor.
He quickly made a hand sign, pushing the handkerchief artifact to its limits. It wrapped around the fan, temporarily binding it.
He slapped another talisman onto himself, and with a gust of wind, his speed surged as he burst free from the miasma's range.
Rip!
The handkerchief tore apart. Its spiritual energy and attached consciousness were completely wiped out. The fan broke free and chased once more.
But by then, the man in the hat had forcefully thrown himself into the protective formation around the marketplace.
Whoosh
As the fan tried to follow, the array's defenses lit up. Beams of spiritual light shot down, locking it in place.
At the same time, the man was also caught in the formation. Injured and unable to move, he was completely pinned by its force.
Li Ye descended gracefully, blocking Quan Chaoliang's path.
With a flick of his hand, the formation's power surged around him, coalescing into solid beams of light. He spoke calmly:
"Fellow Daoist Quan, whatever grievance you have with this person is no concern of mine…"
"But the purpose of opening this marketplace is to promote peace and prosperity. I've made it a rule that no violence is allowed within."
"Since this Daoist has entered the market, to avoid further conflict, I must ask you to leave."
Quan Chaoliang's expression turned ugly. The prey was already within his grasp, and now it was snatched away it was hard to accept.
Attacking someone mid-flight was already considered banditry. His reputation wasn't great, to begin with, and now that it had come to this, not only was he publicly embarrassed, but other Foundation Establishment cultivators might not give him any more opportunities in the future.
Especially since the man in the hat had some skill. Failing to take him down today might earn him a deadly grudge in the future.
"You…"
Quan Chaoliang glanced at the formation around Li Ye, its power faintly pulsing. It was nearly identical to the one used in the auction house.
Though it seemed like a first-rank formation, it could easily be elevated to a second-rank one if needed. Even though Li Ye was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, with the array backing him, Quan was no match.
Thankfully, he had the sense not to utter something as foolish as "Hand him over and I'll leave."
He forced a grim smile. "Since Fellow Daoist insists on protecting her, I'll give you face."
With that, a swirl of pink spiritual light enveloped him, and he flew off into the distance.
Just like that, he left?
Many of the Foundation Establishment cultivators watching from afar were disappointed.
They had hoped Quan would get angry and clash with Li Ye then they could rush in to help and forge a connection with him.
But then again, their mood quickly lifted.
As Quan disappeared, Li Ye, face expressionless, returned to the marketplace and walked over to the man who was now completely immobilized injured, and pinned by the formation.
Her conical hat had been knocked off. Long black hair cascaded down her back, revealing a delicate and beautiful face. Though blood stained her lips, it only made her look more pitiful.
"Many thanks to Alchemist Li for stepping in. I, Yang Yuqing, am deeply grateful!"
But Li Ye merely nodded and replied indifferently,
"As a guest of the auction, of course, I couldn't let you die before my eyes… Otherwise, this business would be hard to maintain, wouldn't it?"
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