Chapter 51: Old Man, I'm Here to Collect Your Corpse

"It's you, Duan Chuan!"

Following Lü Ci's angry roar, almost the vast majority of the people in the small town turned their gazes over in unison.

"It really is this old bastard. I never expected he'd still dare to show his face in front of so many of us. He's simply courting death!"

"Does he seriously think we're going to be that obedient and wait until some Karmic Concluding ritual to make a move on him?"

"What a joke! What rules are there to speak of with these Quanxing scumbags? Let's all go together and just kill him!"

"That's right! Kill this heinous scumbag!"

...

Just as the atmosphere at the scene grew increasingly tense and it looked as though someone was about to lose self-control and strike Duan Chuan first, a lazy voice suddenly rang out.

"You are all people from righteous and reputable sects. The so-called righteous sects are supposed to uphold the rules that we in Quanxing do not. But if you gentlemen are unwilling to abide by the rules yourselves, how are you any different from us in Quanxing?"

The crowd cast sidelong glances. Behind Duan Chuan, Wugen Sheng slowly emerged with a smile on his face.

Trailing close behind him were a group of distinct figures with varying appearances, sauntering along unconcernedly.

"Is that... Ghost Hand Wang Yaozu?"

"And that's Wild Goose of the Longing Song, Yuan Jinggui!"

"Not just them. Isn't that fat man the heinous White Owl Liang Ting? And the person behind him seems to be the Unnamed Layman who killed several elders of the Wang family, Wu Man!"

"These are all famous and formidable masters within Quanxing. I never imagined so many of them would show up all at once!"

...

"Hahaha, Exalted Master, you're causing such a huge spectacle here, how come you didn't call us along to join in the fun?" Liang Ting shouted at the top of his lungs with a loud laugh.

"Old Duan, this is uncalled for on your part. You wanted to quit Quanxing without saying a peep, and you didn't even bother to tell an old friend like me. You're being far too heartless."

Wu Man slowly walked up to Duan Chuan, then swept his chilling gaze across the disciples of the major orthodox sects surrounding them.

"Tch, you really have a lot of pull, Old Duan. Holding a Karmic Concluding ritual managed to draw this many people. You're really about to put the rest of us to shame..."

With the appearance of these Quanxing masters, the people who had just been clamoring to execute Duan Chuan on the spot instantly fell silent.

Anyone with even a shred of common sense knew that almost none of the people standing here now were soft touches.

White Owl Liang Ting, the supreme master of sinewy tendons and supple bones, a grandmaster who wielded mechanisms and talismans.

The white owl was a large species of owl belonging to the Strigidae family, with a round, small head; that nickname was likely just a metaphor for Liang Ting's appearance.

He was universally recognized in Quanxing as a man guilty of the most heinous crimes. Since childhood, he had been despised by his father for his ugly appearance. After being taken in by his master, he was consistently discriminated against by his martial brothers, and what he craved most in the world was the gaze of others paying attention to him.

Therefore, for the sake of that "gaze," he murdered his master and fellow disciples, and committed every conceivable misdeed thereafter—it was no exaggeration to say his crimes reached the heavens.

The Unnamed Layman Wu Man had shaved his head to become a monk three times and returned to secular life three times, finally adopting the moniker of the Unnamed Layman after his last return to secular life.

After joining Quanxing, he similarly wreaked havoc in the martial world and had even killed several elders of the Wang family among the Four Prominent Clans.

The mere presence of these two individuals alone was enough to make people hesitant and afraid to act rashly.

What's more, right in the middle of this bunch of Quanxing scumbags was an even more heavyweight figure—the leader of Quanxing, Wugen Sheng!

"Tch, being watched by so many gazes all at once really does feel pretty great. But it's a pity none of these people are looking at me. Hey, Exalted Master, do you think if I slaughtered all these righteous sect folks during your Karmic Concluding ritual, their gazes would shift from you to me?"

At these words, everyone present stiffened, especially the two brothers Lü Ci and Lü Ren, who were standing right in front of Liang Ting.

No one thought Liang Ting was joking, because everyone knew this fellow was entirely capable of doing such a thing!

"Old Liang, we're only here today to witness Old Duan's Karmic Concluding ritual. If you dare to stir up trouble at this juncture, don't blame us for dealing with you first," Wu Man said softly.

"That's right. This Karmic Concluding ritual is one of the few rules we have in Quanxing. If you still want to be a member of Quanxing, you'd better not mess around." Wang Yaozu stroked his beard, a hint of complexity appearing in the eyes with which he looked at Duan Chuan.

"Tch, I was just making a joke, don't take it seriously..."

Even Liang Ting reined in his arrogant temperament when confronted by the combined gazes of so many of his own kind.

"Liang Ting, this time I merely wish to bring closure to the bonds of my lifetime, so please refrain from creating any more karmic debt through bloodshed."

Duan Chuan was not angry; he merely shook his head slowly, and then continued speaking to the orthodox crowd: "Gentlemen, since old man I am here for my Karmic Concluding ritual this time, I will certainly not run away.

You may have had grievances with old man I in the past, but since so many years have already passed, you wouldn't mind waiting another day or two, would you?

The Karmic Concluding ritual lasts for seven days. I will resolve our past grievances one by one, until I pay with this life of mine. So before that, I ask everyone to please remain patient."

"What on earth are these Quanxing scumbags up to?"

"Who knows? But the enemy has superior numbers; it's best we wait and see for now. Once some of the senior figures from the righteous sects arrive later, we won't have to fear these Quanxing scumbags anymore."

"Well said. Then we'll wait a few days for him."

...

Listening to the discussions among their peers, Lü Ci and Lü Ren exchanged glances.

"Eldest brother, what should we do?"

"Father and the others haven't arrived yet. Right now, Quanxing has the numerical advantage; we must try our best not to conflict with them."

Meanwhile, Duan Chuan turned his gaze back to the two brothers.

"Little friends, what are your thoughts?"

"Very well, we'll wait until the day of your Karmic Concluding ritual."

Lü Ren nodded. After cupping his fists in a salute toward Zhao Zhen, he hurriedly pulled Lü Ci back.

"Hahaha, a couple of cowards~"

Liang Ting laughed heartily, then cast an amused glance at Zhao Zhen, who was standing in place.

"Isn't this little bastard not part of those two brats' group? Why isn't he running away with them?"

"Liang Ting, this is Old Duan's disciple, Zhao Zhen," Wang Yaozu said.

"Oh? He's that Zhao Zhen who made Zuo Ruotong and the Celestial Master join hands to vouch for him at the Lu family banquet?" A flash of surprise crossed Liang Ting's eyes.

"Tch, how truly bizarre. The Exalted Master actually managed to cultivate a disciple like this? It's like a cotton ball popping out of a muddy ditch!"

Zhao Zhen ignored Liang Ting. He simply took a deep look at Wugen Sheng, and then slowly said to Duan Chuan, "Old man, I've come to collect your corpse."

Duan Chuan chuckled softly, his face completely devoid of its past arrogance, leaving only the warmth of an elder.

"Good. With those words from you, this old man can truly rest easy."