However, Liu Ruoxi soon could not sit still anymore because Man Tian had reached the Chapter on "A Marriage Fallen from the Heavens."
That meant she was the female lead of the story.
At this moment, a pair of young actors were on stage, playing the roles of her and Ye Xuan. The dialogue they exchanged, while not word-for-word identical to what she and Ye Xuan had said that day, was incredibly close to the truth.
Liu Ruoxi clenched her fists, biting her lip so hard it nearly bled. She was on the verge of losing control and slaughtering this storyteller! Moreover, she felt deeply astonished. She thought, "How does this old man know such intimate details?"
"It’s coming, it’s coming!"
"Ye Xuan’s timeless maxim is coming!"
The audience suddenly grew excited. Then, in unison with the male actor on stage, they roared in low voices.
"Even if I, Ye Xuan, am nothing but a puddle of mud, as long as I hold my head high, I can still look up at the starry sky!
"Even if I am a stubborn stone, as long as I—"
"Enough! Shut your mouths!" Liu Ruoxi finally snapped.
Why should someone she looked down upon have the right to look up at the starry sky? Why should a stone she despised ever become a star? Wasn’t this a direct slap to her face?!
"If anyone dares to repeat those words, not only will I tear their mouth wide open, but I will also exterminate their entire clan!"
The moment Liu Ruoxi erupted in anger, pin-drop silence descended upon the venue.
The crowd was shocked. They thought, "Holy shit, isn’t this the female lead of the story, Liu Ruoxi? Why is she here in person?"
"Old man, who told you these things? Why are you glorifying Ye Xuan? Besides, isn’t Ye Xuan dead yet? An entire city should have already besieged and killed him by now!"
Man Tian took a sip of tea and replied calmly, "I haven’t glorified anyone. When I tell a story, I only state the facts. Moreover, didn’t I make it quite clear just now? Miss Ruoxi didn’t want to marry Ye Xuan because she felt his status as an illegitimate child made him unworthy of her; she believed she deserved better. Liu Ruoxi wasn’t wrong. Ye Xuan wasn’t wrong, either."
"I don’t care about right or wrong. Stop telling this story. If you utter even one more sentence, I will—"
Before Liu Ruoxi could finish her sentence, Liu Yan’s voice drifted over.
"Sir, please continue. I wish to know the full story."
"Liu Yan, you—"
Liu Ruoxi was furious. She then looked toward Taishu Shen.
Taishu Shen said indifferently, "Yan’Er wants to hear it, and so do I. This Ye Xuan is rather interesting..."
As he mentioned Ye Xuan, a faint, hidden killing intent flashed in Taishu Shen’s eyes. He hadn’t expected that in just a few short days, Ye Xuan would seemingly become a pillar of support and a spiritual mentor to these weaklings. They all appeared to be cheering for Ye Xuan’s actions. But unfortunately, Taishu Shen could not empathize with these people. Instead, he firmly believed that someone like Ye Xuan had to die. A person who dared to provoke the authority of the strong had to be eliminated! If he didn’t die, where would the dignity of experts like them be?
"Very well. Then I shall continue," Man Tian said.
"In the end, Liu Ruoxi was defeated by Ye Xuan, this country bumpkin. Although she didn’t want to marry him, she had no choice. The City Lord’s word carried absolute weight. She was even personally handed over to Ye Xuan by the old City Lord Liu.
"Liu Ruoxi felt deeply wronged. She believed life was unfair. Why was she treated like a tool, completely stripped of her autonomy even in marriage? She refused to accept it."
As Man Tian’s words fell, the actress on stage looked up and delivered a monologue expressing her unwillingness to accept her fate. This inner monologue made the character of Liu Ruoxi feel much more fleshed out. However, hearing these words was incredibly jarring to the real Liu Ruoxi. As the supposed female lead, she felt humiliated.
She thought, "Ye Xuan, I will definitely kill you! I definitely will!"
Liu Ruoxi had no idea what Man Tian talked about next. She sat there, her mind wandering far away. She was like a student distracted during class. Her mind was completely filled with scenarios of capturing Ye Xuan and mercilessly torturing him.
After a long while, she spoke to Taishu Shen. "Taishu Shen, could you grant me a request and do me a favor?"
"Oh? What favor?"
"Kill Ye Xuan for me."
"Kill Ye Xuan? Of course." Taishu Shen agreed without hesitation. He actually wanted to kill Ye Xuan as well! This kid was stealing way too much of the spotlight; he deserved to die.
"Nonsense!" Liu Yan glared at Liu Ruoxi, then turned to look at Taishu Shen. "My sister is used to being willful, but you cannot do her this favor."
"Why?"
Liu Yan said indifferently, "How much longer do you think Ye Xuan has to live?"
Taishu Shen paused for a moment before chuckling. "I suppose he won’t live much longer. The Sub-City Lords must have already taken action. You’re right, there’s absolutely no need for me to step in."
As they conversed, enthusiastic applause erupted around them. Man Tian had finished telling the entirety of Ye Xuan’s story. At this moment, someone asked a question.
"Mr. Man Tian, you’re the most well-informed here. Do you know what Ye Xuan’s current situation is? Is he dead?"
"Yeah, fifty Sub-City Lords set out days ago. What’s going on with Ye Xuan now?"
These words roused Liu Ruoxi’s spirits as well. She also wanted to know whether Ye Xuan was still alive!
While packing up his belongings, Man Tian replied, "Ye Xuan is still alive."
Hearing that Ye Xuan was still alive, Liu Ruoxi was stunned, yet she simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Ye Xuan was alive, she still had a chance to kill him with her own hands. Taishu Shen was her hope. If Taishu Shen made a move, Ye Xuan would absolutely only be on the receiving end of a beating. The pressure exuded by a Divine Beast Soul was indeed immense, but it definitely had a limit. She firmly believed that Ye Xuan was no match for Taishu Shen.
After all, Taishu Shen was universally acknowledged as a Dragon among Men. A Dragon among Men going up against Ye Xuan, who had awakened a Divine Dragon Soul—who was the true dragon in the end?
"He’s still alive... it’s good that he’s alive."
"Badass! Fifty City Lords personally made a move, and he still isn’t dead."
Man Tian spoke up again, "He isn’t dead because the City Lords haven’t found him yet. Who knows if he will be found at all.
"Oh, right. Ye Xuan also said one other thing. He said that everyone believes killing a City Lord guarantees death. But he, Ye Xuan, intends to create a miracle where he kills a City Lord and lives."
"What?! Ye Xuan actually said something so domineering?"
"Domineering! Too domineering! I truly don’t want him to die now!"
"Alright, everyone, that concludes today’s story. Tomorrow, I will tell the tale of the Battle for Chasing Moon City. This story is just as thrilling. Originally, the Liu Family was on the brink of annihilation, but in the nick of time, a young man radiating golden light descended from the heavens. With a single sword strike, he shattered the earth, terrifying tens of thousands of Cultivators into freezing in their tracks."
"Interesting. It sounds like he’s talking about me. His phrasing and description make even me want to come back and listen tomorrow." Taishu Shen smiled faintly. That single smile tugged at the hearts of all the female Cultivators present.
In the Big Mountains.
A few days had passed, and numerous bamboo cabins had popped up on the mountain peak. The bamboo cabins were a dark green, and living inside them came with the fresh, fragrant scent of bamboo. All the clansmen had been properly settled.
At this moment, on the peak of the back mountain, Ye Xuan had been standing in place for three days. He was comprehending Arrays.
The reason he chose to focus on comprehending Arrays was simply his lack of cultivation resources. He had meticulously inspected his spoils of war, yet he couldn’t find a single Beast Pill inside the Storage Rings of either Sun Zhenwu or those Elders. Although there were a few Demon Spirit Pills, the vast majority were of low-grade quality. No matter how many Elixirs of such pitiful quality there were, Ye Xuan wouldn’t use them.
Demons had the bottom lines of Demons. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be Demons at all.