Truly, damned disgusting!

The several Mixed Origin Grandmasters cursed inwardly, Yu Yuehu above all — had Chen Zhong not been shielding the man, he'd have wished to flay this bastard alive here and now. What a rotten wretch, blessed with such fine luck. That this could let him crawl on living, while his own elder brother's fate hung between life and death this very moment, no telling yet whether he could even be saved.

"My thanks to Senior for the rescue."

Yu Yuehu composed his feelings and saluted the young man once more. With the other's strength and cultivation, he was fully worthy of that word, Senior.

"It's nothing."

Shen Yi nodded and walked toward Zheng Zisheng.

"Senior, don't believe his devil's nonsense..."

The other few murmured a reminder. They'd already offended Xuanguang Cave to the death anyway, and weren't afraid of offending it once more. Nothing else needed saying — the two treasures alone on the young man's person were enough to stir this pack of dog-scraps to scheming. Should he come before that Perfected Master Zhang, bullying the small with the great and seizing another's treasures wasn't a thing Xuanguang Cave couldn't do.

"Senior."

Chen Zhong nodded slightly and yielded a path. Since the others had given their warning, there was no need for him to add anything more. Whether or not to befriend the man was the other's own affair.

Aqing shot Zheng Zisheng a glance, his expression rather complicated, but Grandmaster Shen said nothing, so he still followed obediently behind Chen Zhong. That the man was willing to bring him along was generous treatment already; better to give him as little trouble as possible. Only, the hundred-odd lives passed down by word of mouth among his clansmen left him feeling that Grandmaster Shen's dealing with Xuanguang Cave might well end in a great loss.

Before every watching eye, Shen Yi walked up to stand before Zheng Zisheng.

"..."

Zheng Zisheng, a dignified upper-tier Mixed Origin, simply couldn't bring himself to call out that "Senior." He could only smile and nod.

Then a palm abruptly appeared before…