Volume Twelve: Invitation to Hell Chapter Forty-Five: A Rematch Challenged

Just as Yaoguang was about to lead everyone back, an arrogant voice stopped her. "Phoenix, stay right there. I have a few words for you."

Yaoguang turned her head and saw none other than Qian Shou.

"But I have nothing to say to you." Yaoguang held not an ounce of affection for this fellow.

Perhaps not expecting Yaoguang to be so arrogant toward him, Qian Shou's expression darkened instantly. He turned exceptionally ferocious, his eyes flickering as if he wanted to strike at any moment.

Yaoguang simply turned to face him fully. Through her Third Eye, she had already figured this person out—he was a petty villain through and through, one who would exact revenge for the slightest grievance, and deeply greedy to boot. A falling-out was inevitable sooner or later, so there was no need to maintain any "hypocritical" relations. Therefore, she paid his ferocity no mind whatsoever. She had no intention of showing mercy to this man; if she didn't kill him, she would cripple him.

Sure enough, after glaring at Yaoguang like that for a few seconds, he ultimately did nothing. Instead, he suddenly said, "Do you dare to fight me?"

As soon as his voice fell, the crowd, which was already on the verge of dispersing, instantly stopped in their tracks. A continuous wave of murmurs and derisive jeers began to rise. *What qualifications do you have? You're actually challenging a young girl to a duel?* Even the most indifferent onlookers would let out a scoff at that.

That old man certainly had plenty of breath; he could practically be used as a loudspeaker. And his skin was remarkably thick too—he remained completely unfazed in the face of the crowd's jeers.

Yaoguang, however, merely smiled and asked, "On what grounds?"

Before Qian Shou could reply, old man Bai stepped forward. He said to Qian Shou, "How bizarre. A grown man like you, aren't you ashamed to bully a young girl?"

Old man Bai's words elicited a wave of cheers from the surrounding onlookers. Evidently, no matter how eccentric or bizarre the people in this circle of cultivators might be, a sense of justice still resided in human hearts.

"Old man Bai, aren't you sticking your nose a bit too far into other people's business? What's wrong with being a young girl? Besides, you call her a young girl, but in the cultivation world, seniority isn't ranked by age. In what way does her ability resemble that of a young girl?" Qian Shou truly possessed a very thick skin.

Yet, what did it mean for old man Bai to be shielding her?

Yaoguang glanced at old man Bai, feeling baffled. She and this old man couldn't be considered familiar with one another at all.

Faced with Qian Shou's tit-for-tat retort, old man Bai merely chuckled and said, "Qian Shou, no matter what you say, forcing others into duels is not allowed here. Under my watch, don't even think about pulling any dirty tricks!"

When he uttered the final sentence, old man Bai's aura surged abruptly, completely stripping him of the appearance of an ordinary elderly grandfather.

Faced with such an aura from old man Bai, Qian Shou did not dare to challenge his sharpness directly. He let out a few dry laughs and said, "I never said I was going to pull any dirty tricks. I simply want a fair fight with her. As you said yourself, if she refuses the duel, no one can force her; but if she agrees to the duel, you have no right to interfere, do you?"

As soon as Qian Shou said this, sounds of ridicule arose from the surroundings. Old man Bai couldn't be bothered to entertain him further; clearly, in their eyes, there was no way Yaoguang would ever agree to such an unfair duel. But everyone had guessed wrong.

Unbothered by the surrounding gazes, Qian Shou looked straight at Yaoguang and said, "Phoenix, for the sake of fairness, I promise not to take your life in our duel. As long as you can manage to scratch me even slightly, I will consider myself defeated. Furthermore, I will only use a single technique throughout the entire fight. What do you say?"

"Not interested!" Yaoguang lazily stretched and turned to walk away.

"Phoenix, I will use a spot in the Dark Night Ghost Market as the stakes for our duel. I'll cede my spot to you—are you still not interested? Do you know anything about the most mysterious Dark Night Ghost Market? Only those with a certain status in the circle are qualified to attend." Qian Shou's voice came from behind Yaoguang.

At that moment, old man Bai suddenly gave Qian Shou a hard shove and shouted, "Qian Shou, information regarding that ghost market cannot be leaked! Don't violate the rules and bring punishment down upon yourself."

Yaoguang glanced back at Qian Shou, who put on a rogue's expression and retorted, "Did I leak even half a sentence? I don't think so. What's the matter? Even this name isn't allowed to be spoken?"

Old man Bai looked anxiously at Yaoguang, who then said, "I accept your challenge. But I want to play for keeps—a fight to the death."

"I've put up my stakes, so you must put up yours as well, right? You have to let me have the Quanhuang," Qian Shou said in a low voice.

His goal was the Quanhuang?! Could it be that this Qian Shou had some connection to Die Wuying? Yesterday, her high-profile purchase of the Quanhuang was meant to flush the snake out of its hole; she never expected that the one taking the bait wouldn't be Die Wuying, but Qian Shou instead. This was starting to get interesting.

At that moment, Qian Shou was also gazing at Yaoguang with a trace of tension on his face. He was afraid that the spot in the Dark Night Ghost Market wouldn't be alluring enough for Yaoguang, seeing as many people had no idea what the Dark Night Ghost Market actually was.

Yet little did he know that all of this was simply a move in a chess game set up by Yaoguang herself—designed specifically to fish for a bite.

Yaoguang nodded. "Fine! Also, spare me your fake benevolence; use whatever tricks you have. Since we've agreed on a fight to the death, whatever abilities you possess, I'll take them all on."

Qian Shou burst into wild laughter and said to me, "Phoenix, a gentleman's word is worth a thousand taels of gold; don't forget what you've agreed to today. Go back and get a good rest; our duel is set for the afternoon of the final day. Hahaha!"

Amidst Qian Shou's wild laughter, Du Ping had already walked over. Looking at Yaoguang, he said, "Phoenix, I believe you won't lose. As for this ghost market, I'll take my leave a step ahead." Mid-sentence, his voice suddenly dropped a fraction lower as he added, "Thank you for leaving a way out for me."

"I've already been injured; surely you won't stop me from leaving the ghost market early, will you?" Qian Shou looked toward old man Bai and Du Ping.

Old man Bai indicated that he didn't mind, but Qian Shou grinned and said, "Leave your natal sword behind, and naturally there will be no resistance." This was a threat. It seemed Qian Shou cared nothing for reputation or face; he was inherently a practitioner of the crooked path, cultivating through miscellaneous yin Qi, so his nature was naturally self-willed, extreme, and sinister.

Du Ping said only one sentence: "Leave my natal sword to you? Can you afford to take it? If I remember correctly, it was given to me by a senior within our hidden faction. I can hand it to you, but think carefully—do you really want it?"

Du Ping was not someone who could be kneaded and squeezed at will. As soon as those words left his mouth, Qian Shou's expression changed abruptly. After a long moment, he finally said, "You can scram."

Clearly, he didn't dare to take it. With a disdainful chuckle, Du Ping turned and walked away.

At that very moment, Yaoguang finally felt a sliver of appreciation for Du Ping.

With matters thus far settled and the dust finally settled, everything that needed to be said had been said. Ignoring Qian Shou, Yaoguang pulled Jiang Yun along and led the rest of the group away as the crowd dispersed.

One wave hadn't even settled before another rose. Just investigating a case, and it brought up so many complications—Yaoguang was truly speechless.

"Damn it, am I some kind of trouble magnet? Why is trouble always finding its way to me? What the hell..." A million mystical horses were galloping across Yaoguang's mind, and she couldn't help but curse out loud.

Hearing her master curse, Jiang Yun had already burst out laughing.

Hahaha... The rest of the group laughed uncontrollably as well.

Through this battle, Yaoguang regained her fame in the cultivation world. Along the way, for the very first time, people looked at Yaoguang with a trace of something called awe, and whenever others mentioned the name Phoenix, they would sigh with praise.