Chapter Twenty-One: The Wrath of Xia Yunxue

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"Song Changsheng! How dare you treat me like this! I swear I’ll have you torn limb from limb!" Chang Tianhua shrieked, his voice sharp and grating.

But in the next instant, Song Changsheng landed two more resounding slaps, cutting off Chang Tianhua’s furious roar in an instant.

"Shut your filthy mouth. Say another word and I’ll cut out your tongue." Song Changsheng’s tone was as cold as a winter wind.

His eyes brimmed with killing intent so intense that Chang Tianhua shuddered inside, finally yielding to his overwhelming menace.

Everyone stared at Song Changsheng as if they’d seen a ghost—how could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dare to behave so brazenly?

The elder from the Earthfire Sect’s face darkened, a terrifying pressure radiating from him, but Song Changsheng stood his ground, back ramrod straight, meeting the elder’s gaze without a trace of fear.

For a moment, the atmosphere was fraught with a strange, heavy silence.

At last, Song Changsheng spoke first. "And who might you be?"

"Hmph. I am Qu Jinsheng. Boy, my patience is not unlimited. Release Tianhua, or I’ll kill one member of your Song Clan every interval until you do!" Qu Jinsheng glared at Song Changxiu and the others, his threat shameless and raw.

"If you so much as lay a finger on any of them, I’ll send your young master straight to the underworld," Song Changsheng retorted, tightening his grip and refusing to back down.

For a moment, Qu Jinsheng felt caught between a rock and a hard place and couldn’t help but regret his earlier decision. He had only left for a short time to drive away some demon beasts, never expecting that Chang Tianhua would be captured.

"Why don’t you just die!" Qu Jinsheng shot Chang Tianhua a look filled with bitter disappointment. If only the boy had simply perished, today’s mess would have been so much easier to handle.

Instead, not only had he survived, he’d become a hostage!

"Boy, name your terms. What will it take for you to release him?" Qu Jinsheng finally relented.

Song Changsheng loosened his grip slightly. "Your Earthfire Sect trespassed on Song Clan territory and injured my clansmen. You must make ample compensation!"

Qu Jinsheng forced down his fury. "One hundred spirit stones."

Song Changsheng snorted, glancing at the trembling Chang Tianhua in his grip. "I thought you’d be worth more. Turns out it’s just a hundred spirit stones? For that, I might as well just return him one of his hands."

He made as if to break an arm, and Chang Tianhua’s eyes filled with terror. He cried out, "Elder Qu, save me! Whatever he wants, give it to him! My father won’t treat you unfairly!"

Qu Jinsheng barked, "Enough! One thousand spirit stones. If you get any greedier, I’ll risk punishment and kill you myself."

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Song Changsheng, knowing when to stop, nodded. "Let me inspect them first. If all’s in order, I’ll let him go."

"Hmph, you’re not afraid of choking on your greed, are you?" Qu Jinsheng barely suppressed the urge to swat Song Changsheng dead, but instead took out a storage pouch and tossed it over.

Using his spiritual power, Song Changsheng drew the pouch to himself, preparing to inspect the contents. Just as he glimpsed the glimmer of spirit stones, Qu Jinsheng, who had been lying in wait, suddenly unleashed a burst of spiritual energy straight at Song Changsheng’s head.

"Despicable!" Song Changhu and the others cried out in shock. Just as they thought Song Changsheng was doomed, a figure appeared before him. With a wave of her slender hand, she deflected the attack with ease.

"It’s the Fifth Elder!" Seeing who had arrived, the Song clansmen burst into cheers—finally, the two sides were evenly matched.

Realizing his attack had been blocked, Qu Jinsheng understood that today’s affair had become truly troublesome.

Song Changsheng saw the figure standing protectively in front of him and smiled faintly. He had anticipated that the Earthfire Sect might bring a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so on the way he had secretly asked for Xia Yunxue’s help.

In fact, Xia Yunxue had been present for a while, but since only the younger generation had been fighting, she had hidden nearby, guarding them from the shadows.

Receiving her signal, Song Changsheng knew his protector was close at hand; otherwise, he would never have risked such a careless mistake.

"You old dog—stooping so low as to attack the young! Is this the kind of conduct the Earthfire Sect is known for?" Xia Yunxue’s beautiful eyes flashed with anger as she berated Qu Jinsheng.

His expression ugly, Qu Jinsheng replied coldly, "Elder Xia, mind your words."

But Xia Yunxue’s temper only flared hotter at this. Pointing at his nose, she rebuked, "You dare act this way but won’t let me speak of it? Come here and receive your death!"

The crowd felt an odd sense of déjà vu; just moments ago, someone else had uttered almost the same words.

"Do you really think I fear you? Let’s fight!" Qu Jinsheng, a well-known figure in Lingzhou, couldn’t stand such public humiliation.

"Get up here!" Xia Yunxue transformed into a streak of rainbow light, sword beneath her feet, soaring into the sky. Qu Jinsheng, burning with rage, shot up after her.

Soon, the sounds of battle thundered overhead. Those below looked up, seeing only two streaks—one blue, one red—clashing again and again in the sky, the rest obscured from view.

Having somewhat recovered, Song Changhu nudged Song Changxiu and whispered, "Weren’t they always saying that the Fifth Elder is the gentlest among the family elders? How come she seems even fiercer than the Second Elder?"

Song Changxiu shot him a glare. "Changsheng is her reverse scale. Anyone who touches him, the Fifth Elder will never let them off."

Song Changhu understood, sighing to himself once again, "It’s truly different to have such a good mother."

The same words, but this time the meaning was entirely different.

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Song Changsheng watched the battle in the sky with nervous intensity. Both combatants were at the early Foundation Establishment stage—who would emerge victorious was impossible to say.

But he had entirely underestimated a mother’s power when pushed to her limits. After half an hour of battle, a blinding flash of light streaked across the sky.

A figure plummeted to the ground, landing with a heavy crash. All eyes turned to the spot, and when they saw who it was, the Song Clan erupted in jubilant cheers.

On the other hand, every member of the Earthfire Sect looked as if they’d lost their dearest kin.

Xia Yunxue descended, sword beneath her feet. Her breath was slightly ragged, but she bore no visible wounds—clearly, she had won an overwhelming victory.

"Cough, cough…" With the help of his disciples, Qu Jinsheng struggled to his feet, bitterness in his voice. "They always said the Song Clan’s Fifth Elder was just a pretty face. Turns out the rumors couldn’t have been more wrong."

"Hmph, old dog, you’d best give me a satisfactory explanation today, or I’ll bury all of you here as fertilizer!" Xia Yunxue’s domineering aura was unmistakable.

"I already gave you a thousand spirit stones," Qu Jinsheng spat through clenched teeth.

"That was to ransom your young master. Now you must ransom your own lives as well."

In the end, under Xia Yunxue’s fierce might, Qu Jinsheng and his men scraped together another thousand spirit stones and pledged most of their valuables as collateral. Only then were they allowed to leave with their lives, too cowed to even utter a threat.

Xia Yunxue distributed some of the spoils among the others, keeping the lion’s share for herself. As for the thousand spirit stones Song Changsheng had received, they naturally remained his.

While Song Changxiu and the others tended to Song Changhu’s wounds, Song Changsheng complained, "Mother, why did you let them go? If Qu Jinsheng had died here, it would have dealt a far greater blow to the Earthfire Sect than just these paltry treasures."

Xia Yunxue flicked his forehead with a finger as delicate as a spring onion, rolling her eyes. "You think you can lecture your own mother now? Killing Qu Jinsheng is easy, but have you considered the consequences? The clan needs a period of peace to grow and prosper. Now is not the time for war.

Besides, that man is weakened now—he’ll never be much use again. And as for that young master of the Earthfire Sect, didn’t you leave him a hidden injury? We’ve already gained plenty today; let’s spare their miserable lives."

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