Chapter 23: If You Want to Thank Me, Just Thank Me. Why Are You Whispering in My Ear…

Wang Jianbai awkwardly dodged the Gold-Devouring Rat’s attack and took the chance to glance back. The few Foundation Establishment disciples had been bound by the quicksand the moment they got close; they couldn’t even unleash a single sword technique.

“A bunch of trash,” Wang Jianbai cursed under his breath.

If not for Junior Brother Bai’s kind heart, he would never have brought these good-for-nothings along. They were useless except for holding him back!

The Gold-Devouring Rat had been clawing for a long time without catching Wang Jianbai. Its beast pupils flickered with growing irritability, and its hooked claws moved faster and faster.

Wang Jianbai was careless for a moment and couldn’t dodge. He was caught in the abdomen. A sharp pain lanced through him. He screamed and fell heavily from the sky onto the sand. In a matter of moments, his clothes were soaked in blood.

Smelling the blood, the Gold-Devouring Rat became even more agitated. Its slender tail whipped rapidly behind it as it turned and charged at Wang Jianbai.

Ignoring the pain in his heart, Wang Jianbai pulled out a porcelain bottle, poured out a pill, and swallowed it quickly. The pill entered his stomach, transforming into a wave of warmth, and the bleeding wounds on his body began to slowly heal.

“Damn it…” Due to severe blood loss, Wang Jianbai’s face turned deathly pale, but he had no chance to rest.

Why was this beast only following him? Weren’t there clearly other pieces of food over there?!

Wang Jianbai held no sense of sect brotherhood. Seeing the Gold-Devouring Rat about to attack him again, he didn’t hesitate to turn tail and run behind the few Foundation Establishment disciples.

And those disciples had just barely escaped from the quicksand.

The Gold-Devouring Rat was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of them. The disciples’ faces instantly went white with terror. They didn’t even have time to curse Wang Jianbai; they could only use their spirit power to block the Gold-Devouring Rat’s incoming hooked claws.

Seizing this opportunity, Wang Jianbai quickly fled from the Gold-Devouring Rat.

The disciples frantically released their spirit power. However, they were only at the Foundation Establishment Stage after all and utterly couldn’t withstand the Gold-Devouring Rat’s assault. In just moments, they were in grave danger.

Not far away, Bai Linghan’s tone was quite anxious, but he showed no intention of stepping in to save them.

In the end, it was actually Feng Xixing who intervened, throwing those people out from under the Gold-Devouring Rat’s massive jaws.

The group was tossed onto the sand, tumbling into a heap. Finally, dusty and disheveled, they each scrambled up and looked at each other, their hearts full of shame. They wanted to say something to Feng Xixing, but after throwing them to the ground, Feng Xixing simply stood coldly to the side, the Azure Wood Sword in his arms, showing no intention of acknowledging them.

Having lost its little playthings, the Gold-Devouring Rat slowly remembered its original target. Its beast pupils swiveled around and locked onto Wang Jianbai again.

Wang Jianbai was truly panicked now. He roared at Feng Xixing, “Hurry up and finish off this beast!”

Feng Xixing glanced at him indifferently and actually nodded. “I can. But this Gold-Devouring Rat’s Demon Core…”

The Gold-Devouring Rat’s value over other demon beasts lay in its demon core. Gold-Devouring Rats would devour any precious ores they encountered, and these ores would eventually be fused into their demon core. It could be said—the Demon Core of a Gold-Devouring Rat was the best material for tempering a spirit sword.

Wang Jianbai naturally knew this too. Hearing this, he immediately hesitated. However, the Gold-Devouring Rat wasn’t waiting for them to negotiate and charged straight at him. Frightened by this, Wang Jianbai blurted out, “It’s yours, it’s yours! Quickly, quickly, stop it!”

Feng Xixing raised an eyebrow. The Azure Wood Sword left its scabbard and landed directly in front of the Gold-Devouring Rat. The Gold-Devouring Rat crashed into the Azure Wood Sword, stunning itself with the impact.

With his life no longer in danger, Wang Jianbai sighed in relief, only then having time to feel the sting of regret. Although he already had a spirit sword, he could also use the Gold-Devouring Rat’s Demon Core for tempering. And now he had just given it away to Feng Xixing…

Wang Jianbai’s eyes flickered slightly.

On the other side, Feng Xixing looked down at the Gold-Devouring Rat at his feet, and the corner of his lips secretly curved upwards. Before the Gold-Devouring Rat could recover from its dizziness, he directly used the Azure Wood Sword to sever one of its front claws.

The Gold-Devouring Rat let out a shriek and swiped at Feng Xixing with its remaining hooked claw. However, whether due to the injury or something else, the Gold-Devouring Rat’s movements were noticeably much slower.

Feng Xixing easily dodged its attack and countered with another sword strike.

What’s going on… Wang Jianbai watched from the side, puzzled.

Why had this beast suddenly become so much weaker…?

Seeing that Feng Xixing was about to easily finish off the Gold-Devouring Rat, jealousy burned in Wang Jianbai’s heart.

It had been so fierce when chasing him earlier, so why now… Wait, Wang Jianbai suddenly froze. Right, this Gold-Devouring Rat had chased him for so long. Even if he hadn’t managed to injure it, the chase had still consumed a great deal of its demon power.

This Gold-Devouring Rat was clearly already at the end of its strength, yet he had practically handed it over to Feng Xixing on a silver platter!

Now Wang Jianbai was even more unwilling. Watching Feng Xixing’s sword about to pierce the Gold-Devouring Rat’s throat, he finally couldn’t hold back and moved to block the Azure Wood Sword.

Feng Xixing’s gaze lowered, a cold smirk appearing on his lips.

He took the bait.

When he raised his eyes again, Feng Xixing’s brow was tightly furrowed, his gaze at Wang Jianbai filled with wariness and displeasure. “What is Senior Brother doing?”

Wang Jianbai didn’t take him seriously at all, except that Bai Linghan was still watching. In front of his beloved, he had to make things look good. “Senior Brother just saw that Junior Brother Feng was struggling a bit and wanted to lend a hand. As for the demon core, Senior Brother won’t bully you. We’ll see who lands the killing blow; it’ll belong to whoever does.”

After saying this, without even waiting for Feng Xixing’s agreement, he charged forward, his spirit sword aimed directly at the demon beast’s vital point.

However, he didn’t notice a wisp of Devil Qi, seeping out from under the Gold-Devouring Rat, silently drilling into the sand. At the same time, the Gold-Devouring Rat’s hooked claw twitched slightly.

Several disciples saw Wang Jianbai’s actions and their expressions changed.

That Gold-Devouring Rat had clearly been heavily injured by Junior Brother Feng, and Junior Brother Feng had even saved Senior Brother Wang! Yet Senior Brother Wang wanted to steal Junior Brother Feng’s spoils of battle!

So shameless…

One of the disciples couldn’t stomach it and was about to speak, but a companion beside him bumped his arm. They were all disciples of Spirit Fire Peak; if they offended Wang Jianbai, there would definitely be trouble later.

The disciple gritted his teeth and could only swallow his words.

Contrary to the other disciples, Bai Linghan’s face lit up with joy at the sight.

If Feng Xixing got the demon core, he would absolutely never give it to him. But if Wang Jianbai got it, with just a few casual words from him, that fool would definitely hand the demon core right over!

Thinking this, even Bai Linghan’s breathing grew heated.

Wang Jianbai also heard the discussion from those over there, but he had no interest in what others thought. It was fine as long as he could fool Bai Linghan. Junior Brother Bai was so naive; he would surely believe him as long as he casually explained things later.

Thinking this, Wang Jianbai even began to fantasize: after he got the demon core, he would temper his spirit sword to a higher grade, shine brilliantly in the next Disciple Grand Competition, and then Junior Brother Bai would be moved by him, and finally…

The smile had just appeared on Wang Jianbai’s face when he saw the Gold-Devouring Rat, lying motionless on the ground, seem to shudder slightly. He couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. Yet before he could realize what was happening, the Gold-Devouring Rat violently raised its head and bit down at Wang Jianbai.

Wang Jianbai’s pupils instantly dilated. He had no time to wonder why the Gold-Devouring Rat suddenly moved. To steal the kill, Wang Jianbai had thrust his sword practically point-blank against the Gold-Devouring Rat, and now he had no time to dodge.

He could even smell the foul, putrid stench from the Gold-Devouring Rat’s mouth!

Its razor-sharp fangs were about to pierce his chest. Wang Jianbai’s expression changed drastically, his hand hurriedly pulling out a stone slab. Just as the Gold-Devouring Rat bit down on him, the stone slab shattered with a crack, yet Wang Jianbai was completely unharmed.

Wang Jianbai scrambled out from under the Gold-Devouring Rat in a sorry state, only to see someone else charging toward the beast. He turned his head and saw Feng Xixing deliver just one sword strike, and it had already struck the Gold-Devouring Rat’s vital spot.

The Gold-Devouring Rat collapsed to the ground, twitched a couple of times, and then lay still.

“It was you!!!” Wang Jianbai’s eyes nearly burst from his skull. Only now did he realize he’d fallen into a trap. That Gold-Devouring Rat’s severe injuries were clearly a ruse created by Feng Xixing to trick him, and it had even cost him a high-grade defensive artifact!

That stone slab could have blocked a strike from a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, yet he had wasted it on a mere Core Formation Stage demon beast.

There was no way Wang Jianbai would swallow such a loss. He stepped directly in front of Feng Xixing and roared in fury, “You dare scheme against me?!”

Feng Xixing stowed the demon core safely before looking up and smiling at Wang Jianbai. “What do you mean? Didn’t Senior Brother say that whoever killed the Gold-Devouring Rat, the demon core would belong to?”

“You!” Wang Jianbai gnashed his teeth. “Then why didn’t you help me sooner?! Why did you only attack the demon beast after I’d already dodged!”

Feng Xixing put on an innocent face. “This Junior Brother only feared that intervening would cause a misunderstanding with Senior Brother, so I didn’t move. When I saw Senior Brother had voluntarily given up, this Junior Brother dared to make a move.”

His words were so perfectly logical that Wang Jianbai couldn’t even refute them. So furious his face turned pale, Wang Jianbai threatened in a low voice, “Feng Xixing, I advise you to be sensible and hand over the demon core, otherwise…”

Feng Xixing raised an eyebrow. “Otherwise what?”

“Otherwise, when I get out, I’ll have a nice, long chat with Steward Liu,” Wang Jianbai sneered.

Feng Xixing said nothing, merely weighing in his mind whether this was sufficient reason to beat Wang Jianbai up.

After all, if he acted rashly, what if someone used it to make trouble for Lin Chuyun?

Seeing Feng Xixing’s silence, Wang Jianbai thought he was scared and felt even more smug. “Not just the demon core. You caused me to waste a defensive artifact. You’ll have to compensate me with another one. I think this Ice Void Robe is quite nice…”

The expression on Feng Xixing’s face instantly turned icy cold, his gaze at Wang Jianbai like looking at a dead man. “You said… you want the Ice Void Robe?”

“Of course!” Wang Jianbai didn’t notice his change in attitude, his eyes full of greed.

That stone slab was, at best, a one-time-use defensive item. The Ice Void Robe was a Heaven Grade artifact!

Feng Xixing laughed. As his brows curved, the tear mole at the corner of his eye seemed to deepen. Then, the Azure Wood Sword slashed directly at Wang Jianbai without a shred of hesitation.

Wang Jianbai hastily parried, the impact forcing him back three steps. “What are you doing?!”

Feng Xixing didn’t say a word, lifting his sword to strike again. Wang Jianbai had just been injured, his spirit sword was suppressed by the Azure Wood Sword, and his only remaining advantage—his spirit power—was also completely depleted. In this state, he was absolutely no match for Feng Xixing. He could only dodge miserably, shouting for Feng Xixing to stop.

“Quickly, stop Senior Brother Feng!” Bai Linghan cried out in alarm. “How can he attack a senior brother of the sect!”

The other disciples looked at each other, then suddenly, one by one, began clutching their chests and howling in pain. Bai Linghan couldn’t very well force people to push through their injuries to help, so he could only watch as Wang Jianbai was beaten into running around like a headless chicken by Feng Xixing.

“Stop! Stop now!” Wang Jianbai dodged a sword blade aimed at his brow, a chill running down his spine.

Feng Xixing really intended to kill him!

“I don’t want it anymore! I don’t want the Ice Void Robe!” Wang Jianbai shouted. However, the Azure Wood Sword’s assault didn’t weaken in the slightest. He slowed down for just a moment, and half his hair was sliced off. “The demon core is yours too, all yours!!”

Feng Xixing ignored him, beating him until his own anger subsided before reluctantly stopping. “Then this Junior Brother thanks Senior Brother for his generosity.”

Finished speaking, he collected the Gold-Devouring Rat’s corpse into his storage bag, then turned and returned to Lin Chuyun’s side.

After this pummeling, half of Wang Jianbai’s hair had been cut, his back bore several sword wounds, and his head had been struck by ice qi, mixing ice water with blood streaming down. His clothes were caked with blood and gravel. He looked utterly wretched.

This time, not only had he wasted an artifact, but he had also been beaten by a junior brother in front of everyone. He had lost all face completely.

Wang Jianbai glared at Feng Xixing’s back, grinding his teeth, his eyes full of resentment.

Just wait until he got back to the Sect!!!

Feng Xixing didn’t care in the slightest about the resentful stare aimed at his back. However, when he saw Lin Chuyun looking his way, a trace of unease inexplicably rose in his heart. After all, he didn’t know if this level was enough to satisfy Lin Chuyun.

If he wasn’t satisfied…

Then he’d just go beat him up again.

Thinking this, Feng Xixing landed beside Lin Chuyun and returned the Azure Wood Sword.

“Master… Junior Brother, are you satisfied?” Feng Xixing asked expectantly. He actually felt like he was being tested on his schoolwork by his Shizun.

Lin Chuyun had seen everything that just happened clearly. Although Wang Jianbai looked miserable, remembering how he’d bullied his little disciple for so many years, Lin Chuyun still felt it wasn’t enough.

Forget it. He’d help his little disciple get even after they returned to the Sect.

“Hmm,” Lin Chuyun nodded lightly. “Leave the rest to me.”

“Alright.” Feng Xixing, smiling, leaned close to Lin Chuyun’s side and whispered softly, “Then Xixing… thanks Shizun in advance.”

Lin Chuyun: “…”

Lin Chuyun: “Oh.”

If you want to thank me, just thank me. Why are you whispering in my ear!