Although Zhou Ting did not fear Tang Manqing, that was all it was—a lack of fear.
Not fearing her did not mean he did not feel some apprehension.
After all, Tang Manqing's status was that of a royal princess-royal. Both her parents were renowned Immortals, and she was also a Cloud Noble conferred by the Immortal Dynasty—her status could not be called anything less than noble. Even though the title of Cloud Noble was unilaterally bestowed by the Immortal Dynasty, which Tang Manqing had never acknowledged nor failed to refuse, the Immortal Dynasty had still insisted on conferring it upon her.
Moreover, beyond that, Tang Manqing's cultivation and strength were unfathomably deep. At the very least, the first-rate and even top-tier prodigies within the borders of Yanluo Kingdom were wary of her to some degree.
Most importantly, Tang Manqing was also a great beauty, and Zhou Ting was even more unwilling to offend her.
Seeing that Tang Manqing seemed genuinely angered, he was quite tactful. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, turned, and looked at Liu Yue. "Miss Liu Yue," he said, "this young master just recalled something and was actually planning to look for you. Since we've met here, it saves me the trouble of seeking you out."
Liu Yue gazed at him indifferently, saying nothing.
"I heard that on the day at the Mountain-River Branch, you were present at the scene."
"What if I was?"
"What if? Heh, nothing much. This young master merely wishes to ask about the whereabouts of that person who calls himself Gu Tianlang. Might Miss Liu Yue be willing to inform me?"
"I don't know."
"Is that so!"
Zhou Ting looked at Liu Yue and chuckled softly, lowering his head to play with the small black snake coiled around his hand. "Since Miss Liu Yue says she doesn't know, then she certainly doesn't know. I won't ask again. However..." His tone shifted as he turned and began to walk away. "If Miss Liu Yue happens to encounter him, please do me the favor of passing on a message. Tell him that I, Zhou Ting, care not whether he is a helper Black Buddha Dong Laohu found, nor whether he is the real Gu Tianlang. He'd best continue hiding and not show his face. If he dares to appear, I, Zhou Ting, will make him understand what it means that Heavenly Destiny cannot be defied!"
With that, Zhou Ting snorted coldly and left with an air of arrogance.
Watching Zhou Ting depart, Qiao Yu and the others also left. Lan Xingyu and Li Juncai had initially wanted to chat with Tang Manqing for a bit, as they were all disciples of the Taiji Sect and familiar with each other. However, Tang Manqing still had matters to attend to. After exchanging greetings with the group, she took Princess Rou and left.
Once everyone else had gone, Liu Yue saw Haoyang still rubbing his chest and felt quite concerned. "Brother, are you injured?"
"No! I just got careless for a moment during that fight with that bastard Zhou Ting."
Recalling the formidable power Zhou Ting had displayed earlier, Haoyang couldn't help but mutter, "Damn it all, that bastard Zhou Ting's strength has become anything but ordinary after fusing with the Minor Mandate!"
"Although the Minor Mandate is not the true Heavenly Destiny, it is, after all, a Breath of Destiny. Integrating it into oneself is equivalent to being half a person of Destiny—one's body undergoes rebirth, gaining immense strength, and one's Nascent Soul Dharma Aspect becomes vast and boundless."
"That powerful?" Haoyang was quite astonished. He had heard tales of how remarkable the Minor Mandate was, but he had always thought them exaggerated. Hearing Liu Yue say this now made him realize the existence of the Minor Mandate might be three parts more terrifying than he had imagined.
"Far more terrifying than you imagine. And from what I know, Zhou Ting hasn't fully integrated the Minor Mandate into himself yet. If he truly integrates it, the power of an ordinary punch from him would be enough to obliterate an ancient Earth Immortal."
"This..." Haoyang was dumbfounded, opening his mouth but unable to speak. After a long moment, he said in amazement, "Really?"
"Absolutely true."
Haoyang knew his younger sister well and understood she wouldn't lie to him. However, the sheer terror of the Minor Mandate far exceeded his imagination, leaving him somewhat unable to accept it.
"In the future, try to avoid conflicts with those who possess a Minor Mandate."
"Sigh..." Haoyang let out a deep sigh, then cursed again, "Damn it all!"
This sigh was one of helplessness in his heart.
This curse was one of unwillingness in his heart.
To be honest.
Not feeling envy would be a lie. Who wouldn't want to possess such a powerful destiny?
Alas.
Haoyang also knew he simply didn't have that kind of fate.
He could only resign himself to it.
What else could he do?
"By the way, little sister, where have you been running off to these past few days?"
The incidents at Linglong Mountain Villa and the Mountain-River Branch had caused quite an uproar recently. After hearing about them, Haoyang had immediately gone to the Mountain-River Branch, but unfortunately, he had neither seen his sister nor that newly emerged Chixiao Monarch.
"I heard from Elder Fengxu that you suspect that newly emerged Chixiao Monarch is a fake, and that he's actually the Chiyan Young Master Gu Qingfeng who killed dozens of the Immortal Dynasty's noble sons in the Great Northwest nine years ago?"
Liu Yue nodded in response. "Now it's basically confirmed—he is indeed the Chiyan Young Master Gu Qingfeng from the Great Northwest!"
"What! This... Could you be mistaken?"
Liu Yue wished she were mistaken. To investigate this matter, she had specifically gone to Linglong Mountain Villa. It wasn't until she met her good friend Tang Manqing that she finally confirmed that person was indeed Chiyan Young Master Gu Qingfeng.
"It's true. Moreover, it was Manqing who saved him, though she only found out after saving him that the person was Gu Qingfeng from the Great Northwest."
"Wait! I heard that so-called Chiyan Young Master Gu Qingfeng was reduced to ashes nine years ago, and it was Fairy Su Hua herself who said so."
"Fairy Su Hua might have lied."
"Lied? That's Fairy Su Hua we're talking about! How could she possibly lie? And she'd have no reason to, would she? Fairy Su Hua deceiving the Immortal Dynasty for some fraud? This... Is that even possible?"
"I originally thought it impossible too, but upon careful reflection later, it's not entirely impossible. Fairy Hua has been searching for the Monarch all along, and that Gu Qingfeng fused with a wisp of the Monarch's remnant consciousness. Perhaps it was for this reason that Fairy Hua deliberately lied to the Immortal Dynasty to protect him."
"You mean to say that Gu Qingfeng really fused with a wisp of the Monarch's remnant consciousness?"
"It should be so. Otherwise, the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant would never have shown him such reverence. I heard he even played the Monarch's 'Youthful Journey' back in the Great Northwest. Only by having fused the Monarch's remnant consciousness could he likely achieve that. Presumably, Fairy Hua personally verified this before shielding him."
"This..." Haoyang frowned, his mind in turmoil. "If he really is Chiyan Young Master Gu Qingfeng, why did he call himself the Monarch's successor in the Great Northwest, but now claims to be the Monarch himself?"
"That's something I can't figure out either, but it's not important right now. What matters is what he intends to do, what his purpose is."
Thinking of this matter gave Liu Yue a headache as well. "He killed dozens of the Immortal Dynasty's noble sons in the Great Northwest. Once his identity is exposed, the Immortal Dynasty will definitely not spare him. And now he's posing as the Monarch, which will implicate our Chizitou. Our Chizitou is already in enough chaos. If we get implicated because of this... then our Chizitou might truly be finished this time..."