Chapter 172

Chapter 172: Round-faced Fatty, Pale and Dumb
Jie Tan asked: “But is it related to the Cultivation World Grand Tournament?”

Jie Chen shook his head.

Jie Tan gave a faint smile: “Everything has its own fate. Just let things follow their course.”

Jie Chen nodded and kept turning his prayer beads.

After a moment, he still could not hold back and said: “Senior Brother, I suspect Bu Yan has caused trouble outside.”

A month ago, Bu Yan had suggested going ahead alone to Wen Ding Pavilion. Jie Chen had not wanted to agree, but he could not stand Bu Yan’s nagging and finally gave in.

As soon as Bu Yan left, Jie Chen regretted it.

Bu Yan had not been cultivating Vow of Silence Meditation for very long. His mind was still unstable, and it was easy for him to break his vow. If he got into an argument with someone…

He sucked in a cold breath. The scene in his head was too brutal; he did not dare think about it.

Jie Tan’s eyes stayed calm as he said: “Junior Brother, you are worrying too much. Bu Yan has Buddha nature in him, so he will surely be able to control his temper.”

Jie Chen opened his mouth, but closed it again.

He felt that his Senior Brother still did not understand Bu Yan well enough.

That kid, when he got angry, his mouth moved faster than his brain. If he could control himself, Jie Chen would not have told him to train in Vow of Silence Meditation.

However, Jie Tan had already closed his eyes and begun chanting scriptures. Jie Chen did not dare disturb him and could only press his worries down in his heart.

On the other side, Tang Rui jumped down from the second floor, landed in front of Bu Yan, and faced him head-on.

Tang Rui shouted: “You stinking bald donkey, try cursing me one more time! See if I don’t flay your skin and refine it into lamp oil!”

Hearing such a good chance, Bu Yan opened his mouth at once and made up a rhyme: “Round-faced fatty, pale and dumb, better bow down and quickly run.”

Because it rhymed so well, the onlookers could not help repeating it silently several times in their hearts, snorting as they held back their laughter.

Tang Rui’s pale face turned steel-blue with rage. He flipped his hand, pulled three flying needles from his waist, and shouted with killing intent in his eyes: “You stinking bald donkey, I’m going to kill you!”

A cold voice cut in: “Stop!”

Just as Tang Rui was about to fling the three needles, a cultivator wearing Wen Ding Pavilion robes rushed over.

He swept his gaze around, his presence imposing without anger, and said: “Inside Flameblaze City, fighting is forbidden.”

There was not even a trace of Spirit Power on him, yet he gave off a dangerous air.

The crowd understood at once.

This must be a Nascent Soul Elder of Wen Ding Pavilion.

Tang Rui also guessed the burly man’s identity and did not dare act rashly, though he felt very unwilling.

He hurried to explain: “Senior, I did not mean to cause trouble. It was this bald… monk who cursed me first!”

The Nascent Soul Elder looked at Bu Yan.

Bu Yan was dressed in white monk robes, his expression full of compassion. When he was not talking, he really did look like an enlightened High Monk.

Facing the Nascent Soul Elder’s questioning gaze, he did not explain. He only calmly pressed his palms together in a Buddhist salute and said: “Amitabha Buddha, this poor monk Bu Yan greets Senior.”

The Nascent Soul Elder’s eyes instantly softened, but when he turned his head to Tang Rui, they became fierce again.

He said harshly: “Slandering others is an added crime. If you dare do it again, you will be immediately expelled from Flameblaze City and stripped of your chance to join the grand competition.”

Tang Rui wanted to cry but had no tears. He did not dare argue with this Nascent Soul Old Fiend and could only grit his teeth and endure the scolding, yet in his heart he hated Bu Yan and Yu Zhao together.

In his mind, Bu Yan deserved to die, and the young woman who had been with him deserved to die too.

They had better pray they did not run into him in the Individual Competition. Otherwise, he would definitely let the two of them taste what it meant to wish for death.

Yao Ji and Ten-Thousand-Slayer in the teahouse had not been dragged into this, but their hatred for Bu Yan was no less than Tang Rui’s.

Bu Yan had cursed them as worthless in front of so many people. If they could swallow that insult, they would have long ago been eaten up, flesh and bones and all, with not even scraps left.

Likewise, Yu Zhao was also on their list for revenge.

Yu Zhao had appeared together with Bu Yan. The two were clearly on the same side. If they wanted to pull up the weeds, they had to pull up the roots, so both of them had to die.

Yu Zhao still did not know she had just gained three more deadly enemies.

After the elder of Wen Ding Pavilion left, she and Bu Yan left this place of trouble together.

With that earlier example before them, no one else dared joke with them, much less block their way. They could only watch them walk off into the distance with complicated looks.

Bu Yan’s image was also deeply engraved in their minds and would not fade for a long time.

After they left the city, Bu Yan suddenly stopped, guilt in his eyes.

He said softly: “This poor monk offended three people, and none of them are good folk. I fear they already hate you as well. This is my fault.”

Just now it had felt great to curse them, but once he calmed down and thought about it, Bu Yan regretted it.

If he had been alone, it would not have mattered. But at that time, Yu Zhao had been standing beside him.

Given those three people’s tempers, Yu Zhao had definitely become a thorn in their side too.

Yu Zhao had gotten dragged into trouble for nothing.

Yu Zhao said calmly: “Monk Bu Yan, you don’t need to worry. I will face them sooner or later. The only difference is whether it happens earlier or later. It will not change the result.”

Bu Yan was startled.

He asked: “You did not come to join the Sect Competition, but the Individual Competition?”

Yu Zhao answered: “Yes.”

Bu Yan started to say: “But…”

He wanted to say, You are clearly a sect disciple, so why are you not competing for your sect? But remembering that they had just met, he swallowed the words.

Yu Zhao had no intention of explaining. She only said: “Let us keep moving. I need to reach Wen Ding Pavilion before registration for the Individual Competition ends.”

Bu Yan replied: “Alright.”

Even though Yu Zhao acted like she did not mind, Bu Yan still felt that he had brought trouble to her. So he listened to everything she said and spoke far less than usual.

The two of them rushed on for another two days and finally reached Wen Ding Pavilion before sunset.

By then, a long line had formed outside Wen Ding Pavilion’s mountain gate.

Shouts, exclamations, and dull banging sounds mixed together, making it very noisy.

A Wen Ding Pavilion disciple walked over and asked politely: “May I ask, Fellow Daoists, are you here for the Individual Competition or the Sect Competition?”

Yu Zhao and Bu Yan together drew attention wherever they went.

They had only just stopped when the Wen Ding Pavilion disciple came up to ask this.

Yu Zhao answered first: “Individual Competition.”

Right after that, Bu Yan answered: “Sect Competition.”

The completely different answers stunned the Wen Ding Pavilion disciple.

So these two were not together after all.

He said: “Senior Brother, please wait a moment.” Then the Wen Ding Pavilion disciple called over another disciple and told him: “Take this Senior Brother to your sect’s resting area.”

The young disciple replied: “Yes. Senior Brother, this way please.”

Bu Yan looked at Yu Zhao.

Yu Zhao nodded to him.

Bu Yan pressed his palms together and gave Yu Zhao a solemn bow in farewell, then left together with the young disciple.

Yu Zhao, guided by another Wen Ding Pavilion disciple, went to stand at the end of one of the lines.

For those who wanted to join the Individual Competition, there was a screening right at registration, and the method of screening was decided by the sect that hosted the grand competition.

This year, Wen Ding Pavilion’s screening method was ringing a bell. Only those who could make the bronze bell ring and then pass the bone age test could sign up.

Wen Ding Pavilion was famous for artifact forging, so the bronze bell it had refined was not something an ordinary cultivator could ring. The minimum level required was late Foundation Establishment.

Besides, the bell sounds were very different from each other.

A late Foundation Establishment cultivator could only barely make the bell ring. To make the sound long and clear depended on a person’s strength.

Standing at the back of the line, Yu Zhao swept the area with her Divine Sense and roughly understood the screening process.

Ringing the bell was no problem for her at all. She could instead think about how to make the sound last longer and spread farther.

As the muffled dang dang dang of the bell sounded again and again, the line slowly moved forward.

Every now and then, cultivators with long faces would leave with sighs. Their mood infected the ones still in line. Some were so nervous their hands were sweaty and their backs were damp.

Suddenly, a long, clear “Dong -” rang out.