Chapter 2481 — Running into Obstruction

From what Wei Zhao observed, any cultivator of slightly lower strength would be more or less picked on, and the pretexts for the harassment were endless—they had even resorted to "improper attire." Of course, a small minority escaped unscathed.

But these cultivators dared not voice their anger; they meekly and helplessly handed over their bribes before being allowed through into the cultivator market.

Cultivators of higher rank, however—those at Earth Rank and above—were never harassed. A glance at their invitation letters and they were waved through without delay. Clearly these people only bullied the weak and feared the strong.

"Out of the way, out of the way! Let my grandfather pass first!" Just as Wei Zhao and the others drew near the entrance behind the crowd ahead, an angry shout came from behind them, and a gorgeously dressed youth came striding toward them, shoving the people on either side apart as he walked. The youth wore no mask, nor did the short old man following at his heels. The two came on one behind the other, quickening their pace, utterly indifferent to everyone else.

The youth's strength was not high—a single glance told Wei Zhao he was merely at the peak of early Earth Rank. But the old man behind him was another matter: a fine hand at early Heaven Rank! What startled Wei Zhao somewhat was that this Heaven Rank expert was none other than the short bandit the Hidden You Clan had sent to waylay and rob them—the one Wei Zhao had wounded.

The fellow's injuries had already healed? Then again, he was a retainer of the Hidden You Clan, and the Hidden You Clan was a family of alchemists. Pills would naturally be plentiful. For someone like Yu Dake they might not be generous, but for a Heaven Rank expert they would surely be well supplied. After all, Heaven Rank experts were exceedingly rare among the hidden clans.

The short old man made not the slightest effort to conceal the Heaven Rank aura radiating from him. In fact, he was surely doing it deliberately, to flaunt how extraordinary he was.

Among those the youth shoved aside were experts of mid and late Earth Rank as well. Yet all of them obediently shrank to the side, silent as cicadas in winter—their fear of a Heaven Rank expert was heartfelt and inborn.

Wei Zhao, however, neither dodged nor flinched, perfectly calm. As the youth came at him, Wei Zhao merely twisted aside, evading the youth's hand.

At Wei Zhao's dodge, the youth seemed thoroughly incensed. He gave a cold snort and shot Wei Zhao a glare, but with his grandfather following behind, he had no time to wrangle with Wei Zhao. Still, he had committed the look of Wei Zhao's mask to memory, resolved to find a chance to deal with him once inside the market.

The two guards who had been squeezing bribes now caught sight of a Heaven Rank expert approaching, and their faces at once broke into broad smiles. "Please, come in—both of you, please come in!" they welcomed him respectfully.

"Mm..." The short expert gave a nasal hum, then strode quickly into the cultivator market with the youth. The two guards did not even bother to check their invitation letters!

A Heaven Rank expert, after all, was fully entitled to attend a low-end cultivator market like this. Even without an invitation letter, they would not have barred his way.

Watching this, Yang Qiqi could not help but give a snort, thinking to herself: bullies, all of them, cringing before the strong and preying on the weak! These two guards were cut from the same cloth as that scrawny beanpole who had robbed her earlier—like one family! What Yang Qiqi did not know was that she had guessed right: these three were indeed one family—three brothers!

The short expert's entry into the cultivator market had no effect on anyone else. Most seemed inured to it, taking it as the natural pomp a Heaven Rank expert deserved. The two guards, meanwhile, reverted to their former petty faces and went on bullying the soft targets.

When it came to Wei Zhao, Han Xiaopo, and Yang Qiqi's turn, Wei Zhao had assumed that once Han Xiaopo and Yang Qiqi showed their invitation letters, they would pass without trouble. To his surprise, the two guards stopped Han Xiaopo and Yang Qiqi short!

"Nice figure, little lady. Quite the firecracker, aren't you? What sect are you from? Is this invitation letter real?" The young guard glanced at Yang Qiqi and asked in a lewd tone.

"I'm a lone cultivator," Yang Qiqi said.

"A lone cultivator from an outside family? That's rare enough." The older guard chimed in as well: "You don't look like decent folk to me. I suspect you're carrying dangerous items. Take off your clothes and let us search you!"

"You...!" Hearing such shameless words from the two of them, Yang Qiqi was so furious her little face went red. Though it was hidden behind the black veil, the flames of wrath were plain to see in her eyes. "This invitation was issued properly, with a deposit paid to the cultivator guild—how could it be fake?"

"Hey, we two brothers have been guarding this gate for years—you think we can't tell real from fake? If we say it's fake, it's fake. No more nonsense—either submit to a search or get lost!" the young guard sneered.

"Then what's wrong with our invitation letters?" Han Xiaopo was irritated too. These two guards, for all their bribe-taking and bullying of the weak, did have a sense of who to pick on: they knew to prey on Yellow and Profound Rank experts, they let all Earth Rank experts through, and they greeted Heaven Rank experts with utmost respect!

But now there was trouble with Wei Zhao and Han Xiaopo, and Han Xiaopo could not help feeling aggrieved. "We're Earth Rank experts—we have invitation letters!"

"We know you're Earth Rank experts—one early Earth Rank, one peak mid Earth Rank." The older guard spoke coldly. "Our eyes aren't blind. We can see that much!"

As the older guard spoke, Wei Zhao finally understood. So that was it—the older guard held a curious compass in his hand. It must be thanks to that compass that they could discern a cultivator's strength!

Toward their earlier conduct, Wei Zhao had had no intention of meddling. But now that the trouble had landed on his own head, he was certainly not about to indulge them. Looking at the two men before him, he said coldly, "Since your eyes aren't blind, then let us through. Otherwise I won't mind making you truly blind!"

"Insolent!" At Wei Zhao's words, the young guard flew into a towering rage. "A mere peak mid Earth Rank expert, and you dare raise your voice at me? You must have a death wish! This invitation is fake—I'm confiscating it. You can all get lost!"

With that, the young guard seized the invitation letters of Wei Zhao and his companions, tore them to shreds offhand, and flung them into the air. The wind caught the scraps and scattered them in every direction...RQ

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