Someone from Tianji Pavilion?

At that moment, four tables of guests were scattered across the first floor. All told, there were only six or seven people. Yet every single one of them was a Nascent Soul realm cultivator! In other words... The Yellow Sand Inn was filled exclusively with Nascent Soul cultivators, while the somewhat shabbier inn across the street was meant for everyone else. The moment Li Guanqi stepped inside, a swirl of yellow sand billowed in from outdoors. Though everyone present was a Nascent Soul cultivator—such a meager gust of wind and sand naturally could not contaminate the wine on their tables—a middle-aged man turned toward Li Guanqi, scowling and muttering under his breath, "You bastard, don't you know how to shut the door behind you? Did you grow a tail?" A saber rested on the table before the man. He had slightly prominent cheekbones and narrow, sinister eyes. Li Guanqi had just taken off his veil. He grinned, flashing a striking row of white teeth. Just as the onlookers were waiting to see what would happen next, their vision blurred, and Li Guanqi vanished! In an instant, blade glints and sword shadows flashed in a blur! Yet before anyone could make out what had occurred, a resounding clang rang out, and the saber in the man's hand was knocked flying! The onlookers watched as Li Guanqi's burly figure hoisted the man clean off his feet, followed by his right hand forcefully pressing the man's head down and slamming it ruthlessly into the table! *Bang!!!* The table shattered to splinters. The man's head smashed directly into the floor, carving out a deep crater, his eyes rolling back as foam bubbled from his mouth. Meanwhile, the web between the thumb and forefinger on the man's right hand was already torn apart, his palm mangled and bloody. Li Guanqi calmly and casually straightened up, spat on the ground, and cursed, "If you're not strong enough, what the hell are you acting so cocky for?" With that, he flicked his foot fiercely, and the man's body crashed through the inn's front doors like a tattered sack, flying outside. Just as Li Guanqi was establishing his persona, an enraged roar suddenly erupted in his ears. A woman's voice abruptly echoed down from upstairs. A woman clad in a green dress stood with hands on her hips, puffing clouds of smoke from a long pipe in her mouth as she cursed, "Which bastard is fighting on my turf this time?!" "If you want to die, die outside! Don't throw your weight around in my place!" "I have to repair this goddamned inn eight hundred times a year! If you smash it to pieces, where the hell are you bastards going to stay?!" Such fierce, domineering words came from the mouth of a stunningly beautiful woman; the contrast was striking. Looking at this woman of peerless beauty yet violently brazen demeanor, Li Guanqi was secretly startled. In his perception, the woman before him was higher in cultivation than he was! At the very least, she was a mighty late Nascent Soul cultivator! The woman's beautiful eyes soon landed on Li Guanqi. Seeing him staring straight at her, her expression darkened with displeasure. "Fix the front doors. A hundred spirit stones. You fix them for me." "If you don't, I'll beat you senseless." Before Li Guanqi could speak, he noticed the complexions of several people on the ground floor change at her words. It seemed this woman was not joking; she had genuinely beaten people before. Slapping his own forehead, Li Guanqi produced two large logs with a wave of his hand and swiftly carved two neat door leaves. After setting them in place, he leaned closer to the woman and grinned affably. "Aiya, my apologies, elder sister~" "I just got here, and someone decided to pick a fight with me. I couldn't hold back for a moment." With that, paying no mind to the woman's disgusted expression, he produced three mid-grade spirit stones and offered them. "Don't worry, elder sister, your younger brother certainly won't let you get the short end of the stick." Watching this stubble-faced brute repeatedly call her "elder sister," Ning Xiu felt her stomach churn! It was bad enough that he had said it once, but the bastard wouldn't stop! In an instant, primal energy surged within Ning Xiu as she struck a palm forcefully toward Li Guanqi! *Bang!!!* The palm caused the surrounding space to warp and ripple, scorching flames instantly sweeping across the entire Yellow Sand Inn! Surprise flickered in Li Guanqi's eyes. He crossed his arms before his side to block. The strike was not overwhelmingly powerful, so he took the opportunity to ride the momentum and fly backward, deliberately dropping that section of his primal energy barrier. As a result, a small scorched patch appeared on his left arm—and that was even with Ning Xiu holding back. Yet the moment Li Guanqi flew outside, the scorching flames instantly vanished into thin air. Still, Li Guanqi's voice drifted back again: "Aiya, elder sister, why are you getting angry?" Ning Xiu's expression turned grim as she snorted coldly. "Consider these spirit stones your apology. Get lost and stay across the street!" "And another thing: my name is Ning Xiu. Don't call me elder sister. It disgusts me." Li Guanqi, landing steadily on his feet, pursed his lips. He stroked his face and muttered under his breath, "Could it be that elder sister doesn't like my dashing, handsome face? Ah, still too shy..." *Boom!!!!* In an instant, all the windows of the Yellow Sand Inn blew outward, and countless tongues of fire erupted from inside! Seeing this, Li Guanqi hurriedly took off, fleeing toward the inn across the street. He kept muttering under his breath, "This elder sister really has quite a temper. Don't get so upset... Getting worked up ages you quickly." Immediately afterward, a nearly frantic screech rang out! "You dog, you're looking for death!!" *Clang!!!* A streak of light glittering with cold brilliance shot out from the second floor! Holding a crimson longsword, the woman lunged forward in a single stride! Seeing this, Li Guanqi bolted toward Blazing Flame Valley, not forgetting to tease her as he ran. "Elder sister, your fire is far too great. Could it be that you're... Ouch!!" Ning Xiu's face was as dark as stagnant water. She had never imagined someone would repeatedly provoke her deepest sore spot! For so many years, she had been entirely on her own, so it wasn't like... that... "Hmph! Don't let me catch you! If I catch you, I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" *Boom!!!* A long trail of fire stretched behind Ning Xiu! Everyone in Blazing Flame Town craned their necks to watch, all silently mourning for the bearded brute for a moment. Ning Xiu's fiery temper was notorious; otherwise, she could never have held her ground in such a godforsaken place. Yet Li Guanqi, fleeing up ahead, had a sharp glint in his eyes. He glanced back at the pursuing woman and smiled faintly, unnoticed. Soon, the two arrived in the depths of Blazing Flame Valley. The surrounding temperature rose steadily, the scorched earth utterly devoid of moisture. The fire-attribute spiritual power between heaven and earth grew exceptionally active. Just as Ning Xiu was inwardly astonished, she realized the man ahead had suddenly stopped. Standing where he was, Li Guanqi slowly turned around to face her. Then, he directly dropped the disguise of the face-changing bug. Looking at the strikingly handsome young man before her, Ning Xiu felt her heart skip a beat. Li Guanqi's lips curved slightly as he said softly, "Tianji Pavilion truly is everywhere..." "To be honest, I'm quite curious: why is Tianji Pavilion so interested in me?" Hearing this, though Ning Xiu maintained a composed facade, she furrowed her brows and said coldly, "What are you talking about?" Yet inside, tumultuous waves crashed through her heart! *Could it be that my identity was truly seen through?* *No... That's impossible...* *No, I must have slipped up somewhere. Otherwise, he wouldn't have shed his disguise right in front of me.* At this thought, Ning Xiu flicked her wrist and tossed out a unique jade pendant, casting an invisible barrier that enveloped them both. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Li Guanqi as she asked in a deep voice, "How did you know?"