After Being Adopted by the Obsessive Male Lead - Chapter 9

The woman glared at the group. “You all should wash your mouths out in this river. My guests are the elite of Kyushu, how dare you speak so insolently.”

“Elite? Luo Feng, you’re being far too sycophantic. You only flatter them because they’re good-looking. But since when did looks count for anything? Everyone knows the elite of the thirty-six cities of Kyushu belong to the ten great sects. These two arrived alone, likely without even a sect to their name. I’ll test their spiritual power myself and see just how much talent they actually have.”

Seeing that the man was jealous and determined to undermine her today, the woman grew angry. Every time the Hundred Path Sword Debate came around, the various inns in Tangli Town made bets on which establishment would host the most ranked participants. Because of this, they didn’t just let anyone stay, they always gauged a person’s cultivation first to see if they had a chance at winning a rank.

During the last debate, five of the top ten participants were disciples from the Yuanyao Palace, making them the most sought-after guests. However, the Yuanyao Palace disciples hadn’t arrived early this time.

Since she had a vacant room anyway, she thought that even if they weren’t powerful, having two such handsome men around would at least be pleasant to look at.

She was standing very close to the younger fellow Daoist and felt no spiritual fluctuations at all. This person was likely not a cultivator.

The female innkeeper was worried sick, glancing at the two of them only to find they remained perfectly calm and composed.

Upon hearing the troublemaker’s words, Chang Le was already looking at him with pity.

The man released a thread of spiritual energy, attempting to probe Chang Le’s cultivation. Before it could even touch him, it was violently repelled. The spiritual energy snapped back with such ferocity that it rampaged through the man’s spiritual sea, throwing it into total chaos. The man let out a wretched scream, “Aaah! My spiritual sea!”

Everyone else by the river stared at Jun Wang and Chang Le in shock.

“Have you figured out how much talent I have yet?” Jun Wang asked with a mocking smile.

It was exactly the result Chang Le expected.

Even if Jun Wang was a Great Demon, he was still the protagonist. When facing him, Chang Le usually had to cling to Qiu He’s “thigh” just to feel safe about his own life.

Witnessing the protagonist slap the face of a secondary character didn’t bring Chang Le any sense of satisfaction. Right now, he was on the protagonist’s side, but in the future, he would be the one standing against Jun Wang to separate him from Qiu He. When that time came, he would be the one getting thrashed.

This is going to be difficult, truly difficult.

The woman was startled, but then her willow-leaf eyebrows arched in excitement. She had a gut feeling that she had accidentally picked up a treasure this time.

She spat at the hooligan and led the pair toward Tangxin Villa with even more enthusiasm.

Chang Le followed the woman into Tangli Town. The buildings here, with their green bricks and black tiles, looked far more affluent than those in Taoyin Town. The place was bustling with life, the long main street filled with people talking and moving about in a lively atmosphere.

However, the clothing of the pedestrians varied greatly. Some wore celestial silk robes with wide sleeves, looking infinitely elegant. Others wore silks and satins with neat collars, appearing in organized groups with a dignified air. There were also those dressed in coarse hemp clothes, walking with their heads down. The contrast was stark.

The most eye-catching person, however, was a red-haired youth riding a lion-like spirit beast. His robes fluttered as his powerful arms swung a whip, shouting, “Get out of the way! Out of the way!”

The spirit beast forced the cultivators to scatter in all directions.

Chang Le caught a glimpse of the red-haired youth from a distance. His first thought was that the boy had his hair in several small braids, apparently, the cultivation world had its own fashion trends.

Where the spirit beast’s hooves stepped, dust clouds billowed. Chang Le quickly covered his nose.

The female innkeeper shielded her face with her hand, saying dissatisfactorily, “Those from the Beast Taming Sect are truly lacking in manners. Every time they come, they make a mess of this place. If it weren’t for their high cultivation levels, I wouldn’t want to host them at all.”

“Are all these cultivators here for the Hundred Path Sword Debate?” Chang Le asked her.

“Indeed. Disciples from every sect are gathering here, just waiting for the Mount Jiu barrier to open tomorrow.”

Chang Le secretly thought things were looking bad. With so many people around, what if someone recognized Jun Wang? Jun Wang couldn’t afford to have any trouble before they got the Streamer Flowers.

“Brother Jun, this place is a mixed bag. Why don’t we buy a veiled hat?”

It was only natural for the young master to be afraid when seeing so many people. Jun Wang worried his fear might slow down the journey. Furthermore, the young master was exceptionally handsome and appeared quite fragile, he might be targeted by criminals, which would also cause delays. So, Jun Wang simply agreed and bought a veiled hat.

Chang Le looked at the hat placed on his head, then somewhat helplessly took it off and tied it onto Jun Wang instead. He made up an excuse, “Brother Jun’s looks are peerless in this world. If someone sees you and harbors ill intentions, it’s better to keep you hidden.”

Jun Wang was about to scoff at the idea, whoever dared to target him would be sent to their next reincarnation early. But then he saw the young master’s slender, white fingers carefully tying the knot of the hat right in front of his forehead.

He was so earnest and focused.

Jun Wang frowned, but he didn’t take the hat off. Instead, he simply bought another one and placed it on Chang Le’s head.

Seeing the veiled hats being passed back and forth between the two, the innkeeper couldn’t help but wonder about their relationship. Why are they so possessive of each other’s looks?

“This is Tangxin Villa. Please, come in.”

This was a two-story bamboo building. Outside, Chang Le saw the spirit beast that had been charging through the streets earlier, now tied to a post. It looked like a fiery red lion. He stared at the cool mount for a few extra moments before entering. The first floor of the inn was a tavern, while the second floor housed the guest rooms, with the entire structure arranged in a traditional courtyard style.

The tavern was already packed. Chang Le scanned the crowd, judging by their clothes, there were disciples from at least a dozen different sects.

They sat in their respective groups. Seeing the innkeeper bring in more people, they all looked over. A cultivator with his foot propped up on a stool teased, “Innkeeper, which sect did you bring this time? Why are they afraid to show their faces?”

“Why does it matter which sect they’re from? When you meet on the martial arts field, you can see their skills for yourself,” the innkeeper replied sharply. The tavern erupted in laughter. They knew her blunt personality well, so no one took offense.

The uncle of the man who had spoken sat upright, quietly observing the two newcomers. He was startled to find the taller man’s figure looked somewhat familiar, though he couldn’t quite place him. Regardless, anyone he could remember must have a remarkable cultivation level. Seeing his disciple being so rude, he shot him a glare. “Don’t be impolite. Sit up straight.”

There was only one premium room left. Chang Le figured they had been living together anyway, so he just took that one room. The innkeeper gave Chang Le a knowing smile.

Chang Le thought her smile was odd but didn’t understand why. He simply followed her up the stairs. On the second-floor corridor, they ran into the red-haired youth from the street.

The youth had changed his clothes into a short red robe adorned with a gold lock and black trousers. A red whip was coiled several times around his wrist. He walked with a fiery energy, appearing no older than seventeen or eighteen. His face still held a hint of childishness, but his eyes were narrow, and his pupils were a fiery red, giving off a streak of wickedness.

Chang Le was suddenly pulled aside by Jun Wang. “A person of the fire phase, stay away from him.”

“Huh?”

Jun Wang saw that Chang Le was interested in the fire lion pet. To prevent him from going to look for it, he explained patiently, “People of the fire phase carry deviant flames. Getting close to them will result in burns. Cultivators have spiritual energy to protect them, but since you have none, getting near him might cause you to catch fire.”

Jun Wang found it strange. He was the one with amnesia, yet it felt like the young master knew even less than he did. No matter how much his parents pampered him, they shouldn’t have failed to teach him basic common sense. Or did they plan to find him a powerful husband so he could spend his life as a sheltered pet in some pavilion?

“Fellow Daoists, we’ve arrived. I’m not boasting, but this premium room faces the Tangli Orchard, and further out is the Sunset Valley. The scenery is excellent.”

The innkeeper wanted to introduce more to get closer and ask for their names, but she suddenly felt the air pressure around Jun Wang drop significantly. She was certain this sudden heavy atmosphere wasn’t because of her, but she wisely stopped talking. “You two must be tired from the journey. Please go in and rest. Call me if you need anything.”

Before Chang Le could even say thank you, the innkeeper had hurried away.

“The competition doesn’t start until tomorrow. Brother Jun should rest and recharge,” Chang Le said.

“Mhm.” Jun Wang took off his veiled hat, his expression still solemn. He sat at the table and poured two cups of tea.

Chang Le examined the ancient inn. The room was decorated with elegant simplicity, with wooden walls draped in pale blue curtains. There was a square table in the center, a lounging platform at the front, and the bed was on the left. On the right, near the window, was a small round table covered in pale blue cloth, holding several stalks of white crabapple blossoms.

The room felt a bit stuffy, so Chang Le took off his hat and opened the closed window. A breeze blew in, carrying a rain of crabapple petals that plastered themselves across his face.

“Ugh.” Feeling slightly suffocated, Chang Le wiped his face, brushing all the petals away.

Jun Wang, who happened to see this, couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile. The heavy atmosphere vanished instantly, replaced by the elegant air of a young noble.

Annoyed, Chang Le tossed the petals in his hand out the window.

“Who’s so blind as to throw things at my head!”

A rowdy voice rose from outside. Chang Le peeked through the window to see what was happening and found the red-haired youth standing right below. The youth was furious, but when he saw a clear, refined face appear behind the crabapple branches, he froze.

Chang Le didn’t want to cause trouble, so he gave an apologetic smile. “It was an accident. I hope you can overlook it, fellow Daoist.”

Framed by the green leaves, his face looked as lovely as jade. His gentle smile made the blossoms seem dull in comparison. The red-haired youth felt as if the wind were too strong, making his heart sway along with it.

Mother, I only just left the Beast Taming Sect to find there are people this beautiful outside.

“I’ll overlook it, I’ll overlook it. If it were anyone else, I’d have taken a layer of their skin, but since it’s you, why not come down and have a few drinks with me?”

The red-haired youth was used to having his way and was incredibly overbearing. Chang Le’s tone turned cold. “I am not good with alcohol, I won’t disturb you.” With that, he moved to close the window.

Seeing this, the youth grew anxious. “It’s just a drink, don’t go!”

A large burst of fiery spiritual energy shot toward the window. A scorching sensation rushed toward Chang Le’s face, but it was suddenly dissipated by a flash of golden light. The fireball bounced back, and the window slammed shut with a bang.