Everybody looked at Fad with a surprised expression, they all knew who Yeng Xu is, how he behaves when his pride is touched, and since Fad was clearly trying to humiliate him by summoning him here like a child, they all knew how this was gonna end..
They understand how brutal Yeng Xu can be when humiliated, even from those close to him, and since this has happened, to them, Fad was just but a dead meat.
The air was thick with whispers. Not breeze. Not heat. Just tension, heavy, expectant, like a string pulled taut and trembling.
Fad had done the unthinkable.
He hadn't just blocked the sect gate.
He had summoned Yeng Xu publicly.
Like a servant.
Like a child.
Gasps had turned to murmurs. Murmurs to predictions. Predictions to dread.
"That boy summoned the storm." They spoke.
Everyone knew who Yeng Xu was. Not just by rank, but by reputation.
He wasn't just a cultivator. He was consequence.
Stories swirled: how Yeng shattered his own cousin's Qi core for forgetting a title; how one glance made an elder mute for a day; how even Feng lowered his voice in his presence.
To challenge him was to walk barefoot on blade tips.
So when Fad had just done what he did, everyone concluded the ultimate possible outcome.
"What a shame!" They cursed. "The runes suddenly resurfacing then vanishing to silence again."
Although the art of runes has a greater cost to utilize, there are still a few who wish to practice and bear the cost.
Runes are not just that simple, they are also powerful, and if it wasn't for the discovery of cultivation root, the runes could have still been in use to now.
Yes, it has two major disadvantages, like for instance, it takes a lot of time to prepare, requiring one to draw a specific symbol before channeling its powers, unlike the aura or elemental utilization that can be performed just through a slash of a sword or a sweep of a hand. Second, each drawn run consumes a lot of Qi as compared to the aura or elemental utilization.
But still, the art of runes has some major benefits, one among them being the fact that it can be utilized with no need of a cultivation root.
Another benefit that comes with the art of runes is the fact that the effect of a rune created can last forever, based on the rune level drawn.
"Mr. Xu is really gonna kill him. What a waste!" Another one spoke from the side.
"Don't worry, as long as he doesn't take down the barrier, he is safe for now." Another one addedl, "He still has a chance to run away."
But of course running away wasn't part of Fad's plan. He still had a lot of things to accomplish, among them finding a way to awake Que, and second and the most important, to take his family through hell like never before.
Thus, he found a rook on the side of the pathway, jump on top of it and peacefully sleep.
Fad didn't know how long it had passed, but he could've sworn he had started to doze off—until murmurs from the crowd began to ripple through the air like enchanted silk.
It wasn't about him anymore.
They spoke in praise. Not of runes. Not of defiance. But of beauty.
He blinked awake, slowly rising from the stone beneath him, eyes narrowing toward the commotion.
A group of women approached, robes fluttering in shades of pale rose, each step measured, graceful, lethal.The signature pink of the Ethereal Sect, ranked thirteenth among the empire's elite, and feared across all borders for their mastery of poison cultivation.
But Fad's gaze didn't linger on them long.
Leading the procession was a figure who stole the breath from the crowd like mist siphoned from flame.
She didn't walk.
She glided.
Movement as fluid as melting glass, weightless as wind over moonlit water.
Her robes shimmered with layered silk, dyed in hues that whispered venom, petal pink etched with iridescent gold. Every fold danced with toxins, visible only to trained eyes as the air warped faintly around her.
Where she passed, the wind twisted, soft, yet reactive. A natural repellent.
Even the breeze refused to touch her skin uninvited.
The crowd cheered with awe, but no one dared step forward as they all knew better.
Even a brush of her sleeve, a glance too bold, could trigger the venom in her aura. The soil beneath her feet darkened slightly, not from shadow—but toxicity seeping into the land like perfume with claws.
She was seventeen.
Young.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
But most of all, she was lethal.
With just a glance, Fad recognized her instantly, making his heart to pound faster and louder, not because of the girl's beauty, but because of the anger burning in his chest.
"Meng Lee." He muttered while clenching his fists tight, wanting to charge towards the girl and tear her limb from limb, skin from bone.
But that could just grant her an easy way out.
Thus, Fad held back and decided to play on.
"What's happening?" Meng asked while looking around. "Why isn't anybody entering?" She asked, perplexed.
"Now Ms. Lee is here! Let's see if you can keep her waiting out here!" The same young boy who first tried his luck against the barrier muttered, chest raised, but didn't see through Fad's cunning play.
"Aiyaah!" Fad muttered while hitting the back of his left hand to his right palm. "How could I? What kind of a husband would I be to leave my own fiance standing under this scorching sun?" He spoke.
"Fiance!?"
"What an audacity!"
"This boy is really courting death."
The crowd muttered.
But Fad didn't care as he jumped down, charged towards Meng, and before should could even react, Fad hugged her, then lifed her to the air and spin around as if he was really happy to see her.
This didn't just stop there as Fad placed her back down before planting a soft kiss of her cheek.
"Oh my."
"There's no need for Mr. Xu to intervene anymore, the poison has already taken root in him." They spoke.
But Fad couldn't care less as his eyes were locked just on Meng.
"Meng! I really missed you so much. There's no single day within those five years that I haven't think of you." He spoke with desperation and happiness painted on his face.
"Young man! Are you courting death?" Meng's colleague shouted from back while drawing her sword, but Meng quickly raised her hand, forcing her to stop, confused.
"It's you!" She spoke in surprise.
"Of course it's me!" Fad responded while looking behind Meng, seeing her colleagues carrying some expensive presents, clearly intended for Feng.
But this didn't matter to Fad as he planned to stir things a little.
"Meng," He called out with a sad face. "Although you didn't come to see me in prison, I'm sure you missed me a lot. And the moment you heard that I am out of prison, you decided to bring these all presents for me. You really didn't have to do that though. But since they are here. I'll take them all." Fad spoke while walking past her.
He walked to the first disciple holding a president, and the moment his hand landed on top of it, it disappeared from her hand, stored in his inventory. Fad didn't stop just there as he walked to the next, and the next, grabbing all of the presents.
"Meng!" A disciple walked towards her and called out, surprised that she hasn't done anything to stop Fad. "This presents were supposed to be given to Feng for his birthday, why aren't you stoping this boy from taking them?" She asked.
"How can!?" Meng awkwardly responded. "He is my fiance after all."
"Fiance!?"
"You mean...?"
"No wonder he has such a confidence, with Ethereal sect's backing, Mr. Xu wouldn't dare to touch him."
"Perfect! I'll find a way to get closer to him. That way I can learn about the runes, and at the same time gaining the favor of Ethereal Sect."
The voices came from the crowd.
But to Fad, he just smirked. 'So you still have some dignity?' he thought. 'But let's see for how long it's gonna last.'
Turning around, Fad quickly grabbed Meng's hand as he pulled her towards the gate, all along jumping up and down, like a baby welcome his mother back from the market.
And when he got close to the barrier, he placed his hand forward and, instantly!
[Wind barrier had been taken down.]
[-57 Qi points]
The text displayed as he walked through, making Meng unable to tell what had just happened.
But just ten minutes after they walked through the gate.
Boom!
A figured crushed, rasing the dust to the air as the ground beneath him cracked.
"Where is he?" Yeng Xu gritted his teeth with his eyes flushing, full of murderous intent.