Li Xian and Xue Ling stood in front of Shen Qing and Hong Chaoyang unhappily, blocking Master Li's gaze.
Master Li clicked his tongue and said in a very unfriendly tone, "What are you four little cultivators doing here? Don't you know it's a special period now? They've been hunting down the remaining members of the Ling family. It's really stupid of you to show up at this moment. Are you just plain dumb?"
Hong Chaoyang had already felt extremely uncomfortable under Master Li's gaze. Now, hearing his sarcastic voice, she immediately flared up.
"You're so sleazy, disgusting, and foul - mouthed. How can you even be called a master? It's just outrageous!"
"Hey!! You, girl!" Master Li got so excited after being insulted by Hong Chaoyang that he immediately stood up from his seat and slapped the table beside him hard.
"Do you know who I am? My master, Yuan Tongtian, is the national teacher of the current dynasty. He was personally invited into the palace by the emperor, bowed to by all the officials, and worshipped by all the common people. He is second only to the emperor. Even the queen in the palace has to pay respects to my master, Yuan Tongtian!
"And I, the only disciple of my master, am the immortal Li Tianyun. In the palace, my status is only second to my master. How dare you, a bunch of ants I could crush with a wave of my hand, insult me!!"
Li Tianyun got more and more excited. By the end, his face and neck turned bright red, and his eyes were full of pride.
Seeing Li Tianyun so excited, the little soldier beside him didn't even need to be reminded. He pointed at Shen Qing and the other three and started scolding, "You bunch of ignorant country bumpkins. Are you scared now? Our Master Li is not someone ordinary people can meet. You're lucky to see him. Why don't you kowtow three times and bow nine times? Maybe you can even get a bit of Master Li's immortal aura!"
After saying that, the little soldier flatteringly helped Li Tianyun sit back down, then served him tea and massaged his back, making Li Tianyun feel extremely comfortable.
Li Tianyun proudly glanced at Shen Qing and the others, thinking that they would be so scared that they would kneel on the ground and beg for mercy after hearing his and his master's names.
But to his disappointment, the four of them remained expressionless, standing upright in the middle, their eyes showing no sign of fear.
Hong Chaoyang even showed a sarcastic smile, her eyes full of contempt.
Li Tianyun immediately flew into a rage. He slapped the table hard, but the table didn't move at all. Instead, he winced in pain.
"You, girl over there! How dare you look at me with such a look. Don't think you can be so arrogant just because you're a bit good - looking.
"Let me tell you, I've seen ladies in the palace who are a hundred times more beautiful than you. I've heard so many compliments from beautiful women. If you keep looking at me like this, I'll dig out your eyeballs!!"
Li Tianyun's so - called intimidation didn't scare Hong Chaoyang at all. Instead, she stuck out her neck and took a step forward. "Do you know who I am! I..."
Seeing that Hong Chaoyang was so angry that she was about to expose her true identity, Shen Qing immediately pulled on her sleeve, signaling her to calm down.
Xue Ling and Li Xian also looked at her. Li Xian's eyes showed a bit of helplessness, while Xue Ling was just enjoying the show.
Hong Chaoyang knew she had been impulsive. They couldn't expose their identities on this trip to avoid unnecessary trouble. So she forced herself to hold back her anger and stepped back behind Shen Qing.
Seeing that Li Tianyun's malicious gaze was still on Shen Qing, Li Xian stepped forward and bowed. "We're from the countryside. Please forgive us if we've done anything wrong, Master Li.
"We're here in the capital to visit our relatives. We have our travel passes and identity documents. We don't know why we've been detained here."
Only then did Master Li remember his purpose for coming here.
The little soldier handed over the four travel passes and identity documents to Li Tianyun. Li Tianyun checked them repeatedly and used his spiritual power to detect if there were any traces of magic on them.
But the four of them weren't nervous at all. The lowest - level cultivator among them was at the late stage of the Golden Core Realm. With Li Tianyun's mere seventh - level of the Artifact Refinement Realm, he couldn't find anything wrong with these four documents.
Sure enough, after looking through them for a good while, Li Tianyun couldn't find any problems with the documents. He reluctantly returned them to Shen Qing and the others.
"The travel passes and identity documents are all in order. But..."
Li Tianyun gave them a sly look and rubbed his fingers, making his hint very clear.
They immediately understood that Li Tianyun was asking them for money.
But they didn't have any silver coins in circulation in the mortal world, and this was clearly against the rules.
Hong Chaoyang, who had endured Li Tianyun for a long time, erupted again. "What do you mean? We have all the proper documents. Why do you still ask us for silver? Which rule says that we need to pay a fee to enter the city?"
Li Tianyun snorted and glared coldly at Hong Chaoyang. "There's really no rule that says we need to pay a fee...
"But... I just want you to pay. What can you do about it?"
The little soldier showed a hesitant look on his face and whispered in Li Tianyun's ear, "Master Li... This really goes against the rules. There are many noble and powerful people in the capital. These four people look quite extraordinary. We don't know who their relatives are..."
With the little soldier's reminder, Li Tianyun put away some of his arrogance.
The little soldier's words made sense. Most of the people living in the capital were royal relatives and high - ranking officials. If these four people were visiting someone very powerful, it would be hard for him to deal with the consequences if he offended them.
So Li Tianyun pretended to ask casually, "Or you can tell me who you're visiting. I'll send this little soldier here to deliver a message to their mansion. If they're a good family, I'll waive this silver for you."
Li Xian and Shen Qing looked at each other, and they both saw impatience in each other's eyes.
Li Xian: Should we make a move?
Shen Qing: Isn't it a bit too much?
Li Xian: Can you really bear this?
Shen Qing: I really can't bear it at all.
Li Xian: Then...
Shen Qing: Take him down!
After reaching a consensus, they both turned to look at Hong Chaoyang.
Hong Chaoyang was looked at by them inexplicably and asked in confusion, "Wh... What's wrong?"
She didn't say anything wrong, did she?
Shen Qing hooked the corner of her mouth and whispered, "Chaoyang, be good. I asked you to endure before, but now you don't have to.
"Take him down!"
Hong Chaoyang's eyes immediately lit up with great excitement. "Okay!!"
Shen Qing, Li Xian, and Xue Ling turned around and unceremoniously sat on the stools made of golden nanmu. They started munching on the fruits on the table.
Li Tianyun and the little soldier were stunned to see them so presumptuous.
Li Tianyun even shouted, "This is outrageous! You're all going against the heavens!!
"You're so arrogant! You must be the evil Ling family members. Guards, arrest them all and throw them into the dungeon!!"
But Hong Chaoyang, who had endured for a long time, had already set up a magic formation with a flick of her fingers. The sounds inside couldn't be heard outside at all.
She waved her wrist and took out a shiny whip from her storage bag. The end of the whip had tiny thorns on it. Coupled with her cold expression, it made Li Tianyun shiver all over.
Only then did Li Tianyun realize that these four people looked so extraordinary because they were not ordinary mortals at all!