The Profligate

“Saving me?” A late-winter breeze swept across the battered street. Qin Weishu wore a peculiar expression, the corners of his mouth curling upward as he glanced toward Xu Mengxi. “You don't actually think I was trying to kill her, do you?” *Denying it?* Xu Yuan glanced at Xu Mengxi, who had been set down on the ground and was struggling to get up. His tone remained calm. “From what I saw, Second Young Master Qin, if that strike from your female companion had landed clean, her heart vessels would almost certainly have shattered. Do you need me to spell out the consequences if she died?” “So you know it was only 'almost certainly'?” “Hm?” “...” Qin Weishu lightly leapt down from the carriage, the aloof woman following closely at his side. His voice carried an airy chuckle. “I don't know who you are, sir, though judging by the woman at your side, your family background must be quite distinguished. Still, I find myself curious...” He rubbed his chin. “...Did your family never teach you not to meddle in other people's business when you're away from home?” Xu Yuan raised a brow, the faint smile fading from his face. “So you're saying this can't end amicably?” “Amicably? End what amicably?” His words turned aggressive. Qin Weishu cocked his head, staring at Xu Yuan as the warmth bled from his chuckling tone. “When she was humiliating me earlier, I didn't see you speaking up to dissuade her. Now that my victory is sealed, you step forward to play the hero saving the damsel in distress?” Xu Yuan let out a soft snort of laughter and shook his head, sounding almost regretful. “Second Young Master Qin, measuring other people by your own yardstick is hardly a good habit.” With a brief chuckle and a sideways glance at Qin Weishu, Xu Yuan turned his back on him and waved a hand dismissively. “I wasn't entertaining nearly as many schemes as you. Since you know what you're doing, I'll return this woman to you. Let's go, Changxi.” With that, Xu Yuan walked straight toward his own carriage. Bai Muxi cast a calm glance at the two cold-eyed figures across from them, then fell in step right behind him. *Tap.* *Tap.* Footsteps echoed as the chilly wind swept dust through the air. Whether Qin Weishu was putting on a show or not, on the surface he clearly had no intention of letting things drop here. This reaction genuinely caught Xu Yuan off guard. He had assumed any rational person would grasp the current situation. On paper, both sides had three people, and their cultivations were matched. Each side had two Grandmasters, one of whom was disabled, plus one Body Integration cultivator. From the moment he intervened, the entire standoff had entered a deadlock. Regardless of how annoyed one might feel inside, the situation forced their hands. Only by each taking a step back and moving past this farce could everyone walk away happy. After all, though barely the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed since the fighting began, with the speed of the Di'an City Defense Bureau, their experts would soon be arriving. To keep causing trouble like this—could Qin Weishu truly be nothing more than a mindless profligate? If that were the case, Xu Yuan could actually understand his motives. While these idle thoughts ran through his mind, Xu Mengxi, suffering from the sneak attack, dragged her pudao and slowly pushed herself up from the ground. She silently glanced at the departing brocade-clad back. Hesitating briefly, her lips moved as she sent a voice transmission: *“Thank you, young master... I will remember this favor.”* “...” Hearing the transmission, Xu Yuan's opinion of the female constable improved quite a bit. After all, had this been in the past, the woman would definitely have used high-sounding moral righteousness to guilt-trip him into staying to lend a hand— *Bang!* Right in the middle of that thought, a dull thud erupted as a violent gust surged from behind. A Five Elements Shield formed behind Xu Yuan in an instant. Yet the force was not aimed at him; only the surging gale blew fiercely, snapping the hem of his robes. Despite the sudden turn of events, Xu Yuan did not turn around. Glancing sideways, he saw a blur fly backward past his flank. Tied-up hair scattered in the wind, a grim and pained expression etched upon handsome features as drops of bright red blood blossomed in midair. The female constable had barely gotten to her feet before she was taken out in one strike again. Genius though Xu Mengxi was, she had no cheat codes, let alone an absurdly thick health bar like Xu Yuan's. After being ambushed by the middle-aged coachman, she had already lost most of her combat prowess. Facing a full-powered strike from the thinly clad woman, falling in a single blow was entirely normal. None of that mattered, however. What mattered was that Xu Mengxi had been flung straight toward his carriage. To be fair, this was only natural. After all, Xu Yuan had spoiled their fun, so to speak. Still... Sighing softly in his heart, Xu Yuan spoke once more, a chilling smile coloring his voice. He had already conceded a step, and they still refused the face he gave them? Without any superfluous words, he gave just two: “Do it.” The moment the words fell, Bai Muxi lowered her bright eyes slightly. A layer of brown fungal armor spread from the ring on her fingertip, a smile gracing her red lips. In an instant, a towering barrier of water condensed out of thin air, catching Xu Mengxi and absorbing her tremendous momentum before she could smash her young master's carriage. At the same time, Bai Muxi's qi dynamic locked onto the thinly clad woman. The moment she felt the tide-like qi dynamic rushing over, the expressionless, thinly clad woman sprang into motion without hesitation. Stamping her foot, she charged straight toward Xu Yuan and Bai Muxi. Evidently another crude martial artist. Unlike Xu Yuan, Bai Muxi was a bona fide, purebred spellcaster; she had no intention of letting the opponent get close. The instant her qi dynamic locked on, countless scorching fireballs coalesced around her alongside Gengjin profound spines. With the dip of her slender index finger, they shot forth like driving rain. The thinly clad woman's expression remained impassive. Her cold eyes quickly tracked the trajectories of these spells, preparing to weave and dodge while closing in, when she suddenly realized that the target of the onslaught was not her at all, but Qin Weishu standing before the Jiugui carriage— “...” “...” *Boom!* The exploding fireballs swallowed the entire street. A rising mushroom cloud of black smoke laced with blazing flames was faintly visible even more than a dozen li away. As a violent squall dispersed the flames, two figures gradually emerged at the center of the blast. The rule that smoke equals no damage did not exist in reality. The thin clothing on the female death soldier was already in tatters. Though the coat she had casually thrown on was a runic robe, it could not withstand taking such powerful spells head-on. Beneath the shredded, battle-damaged remnants, skin scorched by searing flames was covered in scratches from the Gengjin profound spines, bright red blood continuously seeping out. Beside the female death soldier, however, Qin Weishu was entirely unharmed. Qin Weishu stared at the cold-eyed young man across from him, uncertainty flickering in his gaze. In all his years, Qin Weishu had never met anyone more arrogant than himself. He had merely thrown someone at his carriage, and this guy was gunning straight for his life? After a moment of astonishment, Qin Weishu lightly licked his lips. A glint of excitement entered his eyes, and he laughed loudly: “Hey, hey... are you trying to kill me outright?” “You misunderstand.” Xu Yuan shook his head, his tone as nonchalant as ever as he pointed toward the Jiugui carriage that had overturned in the explosion. “I only wanted to destroy your carriage. Who told you to stand right in front of it? Your carriage is built quite well, though—it should be able to take another hit.” With that, Xu Yuan grinned. “Of course, if you're willing to kneel and apologize, this young master might spare it.” Qin Weishu opened his mouth, closed it, and finally broke into laughter. “You're the first person I've ever met who is this arrogant.” “And I might be the last.” “...” Qin Weishu's eyes turned cold. Wasting no more words, he pushed his cultivation method to its peak, rolled his wrists, and commanded icily: “Fei Qing, pin down that woman beside the kid for me. I'm going over to rip his mouth apart with my own hands—” “No need to make it so complicated,” Xu Yuan interrupted with a smile, snapping his fingers casually. In an instant, the entire street fell dark. A bizarre black substance deepened from faint to pitch-black in the air, quickly blanketing more than half of Huaijiu Lane. From within the eerie mist, a leisurely voice echoed like a shout through a valley: “Second Young Master Qin, at the last Tianyuan Grand Tournament, your elder brother Qin Weijiu was defeated in three strikes by the eldest son of the Prime Minister's Manor. I wonder how many moves you, the younger brother, can take from me?”