Chapter 46 Sea King Beast

Lu Qingyun originally had no desire to get into any further conflicts with people of that sort, especially since their intended destination was precisely the territory controlled by the family of the young master they had just encountered.

Offending such individuals would inevitably lead to a myriad of troubles upon arrival.

Yet this fellow was so utterly unreasonable that he demanded to purchase one of their companions right out of the gate.

Though this frantic behavior filled Lu Qingyun with immense anger, he had matured greatly over the recent period and would never resolve matters through mere impulse.

Upon hearing Lu Qingyun's response, Cui Jue and his cohorts behaved like a pack of rabid dogs, rushing forward with extreme frenzy and pointing aggressively at Lu Qingyun.

"To be favored by our Young Master Cui is her supreme blessing! What qualifications do you have to bark at us here? Are you courting death?"

"Do you have any idea what status the Cui family holds in Hanhai City? Do you know what kind of fate awaits you if you provoke us?"

"Hand this woman over immediately, or I will slaughter the lot of you right now!"

The commotion had already drawn the attention of many onlookers, who watched with the detached air of spectators enjoying a show.

Seeing that Cui Jue and his companions were dressed in such luxurious attire while Lu Qingyun and his group appeared so plain, the onlookers assumed the latter were bound to come to harm.

No matter the place, people always tend to make judgments through such superficial means.

In their minds, a group like Lu Qingyun's was simply destined to be bullied.

Especially when dealing with members of prominent families—people one simply could not afford to provoke!

"Isn't that the young master of the Cui family? He is doted upon immensely by the Cui clan. To offend him is tantamount to seeking death!"

"Could that be Lu Qingyun? The one who broke through multiple realms in succession over the span of just a few months?"

"Oh, in that case, this should be quite a spectacle. Who knows who will ultimately emerge victorious..."

Hearing snatches of the discussion, Lu Qingyun gained some insight into the kind of background the fellow before him possessed.

Naturally, backing down simply out of fear was never Lu Qingyun's usual style of conduct.

He spoke calmly, "I care not where you come from or what kind of power you wield; it has zero relation to me. But you cannot touch my people."

"I trust that in this continent, your Cui family has not yet reached the absolute peak, has it? If everyone were as tyrannical as you, wouldn't the entire world be thrown into chaos?"

Lu Qingyun was well aware of the nature and mindset of such people.

Yet sometimes, one simply had to reason with them so they could understand what was truly right!

Since rules still existed within this world, Lu Qingyun believed that adhering to reason was necessary on certain occasions.

However, these individuals acted like scoundrels, paying no heed whatsoever to his words.

Rolling up their sleeves, they charged forward, behaving less like cultivators and more like common street thugs.

"We have heard some tales of your reputation, but we place no faith in such falsehoods! No matter what is said, we believe none of it!"

"Don't waste any more useless breath on him. I say he's just begging for a beating, and talking is pointless. Kill him!"

The group lunged forward menacingly, clearly intent on striking.

Yet how could Lu Qingyun and his companions ever fear such a rabble? They were veterans of life-and-death struggles who had walked through the gates of hell.

Members of pampered aristocratic families like these, however much strength they possessed, could never compare to Lu Qingyun's battle-hardened group.

With an icy tone, Lu Qingyun declared, "Since you are so confident, do not blame us..."

His words acted like a command, and all of his companions surged forward swiftly.

At that very moment, however, an extremely terrifying pressure swept through the crowd.

Immediately afterward, a deep voice rang out, striking their eardrums like the tolling of a great bell:

"Cease this instant!"

The words carried an irresistible weight, causing even someone as formidable as Lu Qingyun to feel immense pressure.

Cui Jue and the others froze in their tracks, halting their movements without daring to offer the slightest resistance.

Lu Qingyun looked back and saw an elderly man with white hair, dressed in a red robe, slowly descending from the sky.

In his hand, the elder held a wooden staff crafted from what was clearly superior thunder-struck wood.

Most terrifying of all was the powerful aura radiating from him—a presence that far transcended anyone present.

The old man spoke in a cold voice:

Who gave you permission to strike at will?

For a moment, Lu Qingyun failed to grasp the full meaning. Cui Jue, however, seemed well-versed in the local customs; he stepped forward quickly and said with utmost respect, "Elder Hong, I am Cui Jue of the Hanhai City Cui family. Our family respects the rules above all else and would never violate your regulations here, Senior!"

"It was they who provoked us unprovoked. We had no choice but to defend ourselves. We could hardly just stand here and take a beating, could we?"

A classic case of the villain crying victim first. Listening to Cui Jue spin falsehoods so effortlessly without needing any preparation, Lu Qingyun could only shake his head.

The elder, addressed as Elder Hong, turned his gaze toward Lu Qingyun and demanded in a deep voice, "Are you unaware of the rules here? On this pier, no one is permitted to attack others casually. What is the meaning of this?"

With a grave expression, Lu Qingyun shook his head and replied, "Everyone here can bear witness for us. We never provoked them in the least; they started the trouble entirely on their own, and we merely acted in self-defense."

"They are completely turning things upside down and playing the victim. I cannot understand why they are targeting us so relentlessly. Are we perceived as easy prey?"

Knowing he was in the right, Lu Qingyun naturally chose to argue his case firmly.

His resolute attitude left no room for doubt.

An upright person walking a straight path never fears a crooked shadow!

They could play the villain first, but that did not make their actions right.

Lu Qingyun refused to bear a false accusation under any circumstances, nor would he submit to their bullying.

If the elder before him proved equally unreasonable, Lu Qingyun would still refuse to bow!

Such was his inherent nature, one that would never change no matter where he went!

Elder Hong turned back to look at Cui Jue, his expression grim as he warned, "I have known your grandfather for many years. If you dare to deceive me, you know what methods I possess!"

"I will give you one final chance. If you do not speak the truth, do not blame me for being ruthless; I shall simply return a corpse to your grandfather!"

Lu Qingyun breathed a slight sigh of relief. The presence of such a relatively fair-minded elder was fortunate; encountering someone even more unreasonable would have complicated matters immensely.

Cui Jue hesitated, clearly aware of the elder's terrifying methods.

Refusing to be suppressed by such people any longer, Lu Qingyun stepped forward and said earnestly to Cui Jue, "I never had any intention of provoking you. We merely passed by this place. Do you truly think we are so easily bullied?"

"Had this senior not intervened, I assure you that you would not be standing here talking to me right now. In that case, I would have been the one returning your corpse!"

Lu Qingyun argued his case forcefully, knowing he must never bow his head to such people. Allowing them to suppress him now would only lead to even greater oppression once they reached Hanhai City!

He was determined not to let his companions be dragged into further trouble!

Upon hearing these words, Elder Hong looked somewhat surprised. He could sense that Lu Qingyun was not simply trying to throw his weight around.

Clearly, the young man was speaking the simple truth!

Naturally, no one wishes to be wrongfully accused, and that steadfast defense of the truth struck a chord with the elder.

Realizing he was in the wrong, Cui Jue hesitated for a moment before frowning and saying, "Elder Hong, perhaps this was all just a misunderstanding..."

At this point, Fatty Wang's fiery temper finally got the better of him, and he interjected loudly, "Misunderstanding? You were clearly being unreasonable and insisted on buying our companion..."

Before Fatty Wang could finish, Lu Qingyun stopped him. Indeed, continuing the argument now served little purpose.

Lu Qingyun understood the wisdom of turning a major issue into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing at all. Making enemies of them yielded no benefits and could easily create stumbling blocks for the future.

Though somewhat baffled, Fatty Wang ultimately chose to trust Lu Qingyun's judgment.

Turning to Elder Hong, Lu Qingyun said, "I do not know your identity, Senior, but your strength is extraordinary—far beyond what we can compare to. I am genuinely glad that you were willing to step forward and speak a fair word."

"We have no other demands; we merely wish to board our ship in peace..."

In a similar situation, others might have pushed their advantage further or engaged in outrageous behavior, perhaps even leveraging Elder Hong's strength to force their adversaries to bow and apologize.

Yet Lu Qingyun chose not to abuse authority, merely putting forward a simple request that left even Elder Hong somewhat astonished.

Cui Jue frowned and muttered, "Are you plotting some sort of scheme?"

Finding the man utterly impervious to reason, Lu Qingyun could no longer be bothered to engage with him.

Elder Hong added sternly, "Cui Jue, enough is enough!"

Nodding stiffly, Cui Jue offered no further retort, though he shot Lu Qingyun a venomous glare before leading his men away.

Once they had departed, Elder Hong cast a meaningful glance at Lu Qingyun, uttered not another word, and vanished in a flash.

Seeing them all leave, Fatty Wang grumbled in bewilderment, "Qingyun, why didn't we teach them a lesson? Letting them off just like that leaves a bad taste in my mouth!"

Understanding his friend's feelings, Lu Qingyun looked around at the rest of the group, who shared the same perplexity, and smiled.

"Better to avoid trouble than to invite it. Even if we had taught them a lesson, or even killed them, word would eventually reach Hanhai City, which would bring us no good."

"We should not be overly rash; doing so brings us zero benefits. With any luck, if he possesses even a shred of conscience, he will not trouble us further..."

Though uncertain of the opponent's true intentions, Lu Qingyun was resolved not to court unnecessary disaster.

Meng Li understood him deeply and nodded approvingly. "I think you handled this correctly, Qingyun. The Cui family holds considerable influence; let us hurry and board the ship..."

Despite the earlier disruption, the sea breeze sweeping across the deck as they boarded soon washed away the unpleasantness, restoring a sense of calm.

Though they could have afforded the most luxurious quarters, Lu Qingyun and his group chose mid-tier rooms to maintain a low profile.

Their quarters turned out to be exceptionally lavish, and the massive vessel provided all meals for the half-month voyage.

About half an hour later, the grand ship finally set sail...

Sitting on the deck, Lu Qingyun and his companions felt not the slightest tremor from the ship's movement.

They drank wine and conversed, having rarely experienced such tranquil leisure.

Suddenly, however, the vessel jolted violently, as if something had struck its hull with tremendous force.

"Boom..."

The deafening crash and the severe rocking of the ship sent a wave of panic through the passengers.

Unsure of what was happening, Lu Qingyun heard a voice call out from nearby:

"It's a Sea-Vanquishing Beast..."

Having learned a bit about marine beasts upon boarding the vessel, Lu Qingyun knew that due to a lack of detailed knowledge regarding ocean beasts on the continent, most large benthic creatures were collectively classified as Sea-Vanquishing Beasts, while even larger ones were termed Sea-Emperor Beasts.

Such creatures possessed immense might, yet records concerning them in the continent's texts were sparse.

Clinging to the railing to avoid being tossed overboard, Lu Qingyun suddenly spotted a flash of red light darting toward the bow of the ship.

Recognizing the figure immediately, he realized it was Elder Hong, whom they had encountered at the pier.

The moment Elder Hong appeared, the panicky crowd instantly quieted down, transforming into relaxed spectators.

Puzzled, Lu Qingyun heard someone nearby chuckle and say, "As long as Elder Hong makes a move, we're safe."

"Who knows how many Sea-Vanquishing Beasts Elder Hong has slain..."

Knowing Elder Hong's strength was extraordinary, Lu Qingyun had not imagined he was powerful to such a degree.

At that moment, Elder Hong was hovering mid-air, holding his darkwood staff while chanting incantations before shouting in a booming voice:

"Die!"