Ch 137: A Coward’s Defiance

For a moment, complete silence descended over the mountainside. No one spoke.

“So feisty.” Zhu Jia finally broke the silence with a mocking laugh. "Daring to speak like that in front of your seniors... Young people really are so hot-blooded."

She gave Du Yue one last lingering glance before shifting her gaze to Su Wen, slowly licking her lips. "And hot-blooded men... I like them young the most."

The moment she finished speaking, a dense fragrance suddenly erupted from her body and swept toward Su Wen. The fragrance was overpowering. A strange force seeped through his senses, invading his mind and soul as it silently tried to seize control of his thoughts.

Su Wen immediately frowned as a wave of nausea churned in his stomach. "Wife, what is this smell?"

He couldn't help blurting out, “Why does it smell like a raw cesspool?”

Zhu Jia's smile froze.

Even Mo Kuan's eyes twitched.

The other black-robed cultivators looked at Zhu Jia strangely, but Su Wen didn't seem to notice their expressions at all. Instead, Su Wen stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Du Yue from behind. Without hesitation, he buried his face against her neck and took a deep breath of her familiar scent. "Sigh... That's much better."

Du Yue's face immediately flushed, and her body stiffened. She hadn't expected him to hug her in front of everyone. Her body was completely free of impurities. Even her breath, skin, and sweat carried a faint, naturally pure fragrance reminiscent of blue lilies.

The moment he inhaled her familiar scent, the nausea vanished. His entire body relaxed, and he fell into a daze. For a moment, he completely forgot about all the black-robed cultivators standing in front of him.

Zhu Jia's face burned with humiliation, her expression twisting with rage. Never in her life had she suffered such an insult. She glared at Su Wen. “You bastard! How dare you humiliate me! I'll capture you and turn you into a living furnace! I'll drain your Spiritual Qi, Soul, and Vitality until nothing remains!”

Her fragrance was her greatest pride, yet this man had compared it to the stench of a cesspool. To Zhu Jia, this was no longer simple disrespect. It was an outright humiliation.

The other black-robed cultivators frowned as well. They hadn't expected this couple to be so infuriating. With their cultivation and status, countless people normally fawned over them. Some would even kneel at the mere mention of their names. Yet these two didn't seem to take them seriously at all.

"Enough!" The arrogant young man with black horse ears, Gush Swiftmane, finally stepped forward. A black spear adorned with red patterns appeared in his hand. The moment his fingers closed around it, a sharp aura radiated from its tip.

Grade 3 Spear Intent surged toward the tip as he levelled the weapon at the couple. "Since when did insects have the guts to be so insolent in front of us?"

Without another word, he lunged at them, his figure tearing through the air as he thrust his spear forward.

Du Yue's face was still faintly flushed. She reluctantly slipped out of Su Wen's embrace and reached for her White Snow Sword. But just as her fingers touched the hilt, a thin black needle shot toward Gush from behind. It cut silently through the air, aimed straight at the back of his head.

Gush's pupils contracted. He abruptly halted his charge, but he was still a step too late. The needle struck his left shoulder.

Gush's body jolted. He ripped the needle from his shoulder and turned toward the direction it had come from, his gaze turning cold.

"As expected… I was aiming for your head, but you still managed to dodge. What a pity. I just wasted a Grade 4 treasure." A man draped in a black cloak slowly stepped out from the shadows. The moment he lowered his hood, the aura he had concealed was revealed.

It was Young Master Rush. His eyes remained calm, but beneath that composure, countless emotions churned... fear, anger, frustration, despair, and revenge.

“It's you…” Gush's lips curled into a mocking smile. “What? The bastard finally wants to rebel?”

Rush's expression didn't change. “Second Brother… I'm the son of our father's first wife. You were born to a mistress. So perhaps you shouldn't throw the word bastard around so carelessly.”

Gush's cheek twitched. For an instant, anger and shame flashed through his eyes before he buried them beneath another mocking smile. “Little brother… it's only been a few months since you were sent to the countryside as punishment. Before that, you wouldn't even dare look me in the eye.”

“But now… I didn't expect you to grow some feathers and actually dare to disrespect me.” His smile faded as his pressure descended upon Rush. “Looks like I need to clip those feathers before you forget your place.”

Rush's body trembled despite himself. His legs weakened, and cold sweat broke out across his back. It was instinctive... a fear that had been drilled into him over years of humiliation.

Yet he didn't retreat. Fear screamed at him to retreat. Another part of him refused to move.

Finally, Rush's restraint snapped. “Shut up… You fucking… bastard. You ugly piece of shit.”

The other black-robed cultivators stared in disbelief. Rush had actually cursed at Gush?

Something hardened in Rush's eyes. “You spend all day pretending to be some great genius and noble young master. But underneath it all, you're just a jealous piece of trash... a pathetic scumbag who happened to be born a few years before me. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be worthy of carrying my shoes... Bastard!"

Rush reached into his storage ring, pulled out a greenish pill, and hurled it at Gush. The pill shot through the air like a bullet.

A sneer crossed Gush's face. He didn't bother dodging, clearly convinced that Rush had finally lost his mind. He simply raised a hand and caught it.

Bang!

The pill exploded in his palm.

A cloud of greenish smoke engulfed Gush, clinging to his body. Gush waved his hand, trying to disperse the smoke, but much of it had already settled on his skin and seeped into his body.

"You…" Gush's eyes hardened. "What's gotten into you? You're actually rebelling against me? Do you think being in this backwater makes you safe? Are you going against Elder Brother as well?"

His gaze sharpened. “What is this smoke? What game are you playing?”

Killing intent radiated from him as his hand tightened around his spear. Before Gush could make another move, Mo Kuan stepped forward. "Gush, wait! Young Master Edrick's orders are absolute. We're not to cause any trouble here under any circumstances."

Mo Kuan gave him a warning look. “Let this go for now. You can deal with him later.”

Gush's expression was unwilling, but after a moment, he finally stopped. Rush immediately sneered. "Oh... so the dog has a mission from his owner? Hahaha! You're always acting so high and mighty. But when your owner stole your lover away for a few days, you weren't nearly so proud."

"Hahaha!" Rush laughed again. The surrounding cultivators stared at him with varied expressions, but no one said anything. They all knew about Gush's complicated relationship with their young master.

But Gush could no longer hold himself back. His face turned completely gloomy, and intense killing intent erupted from his body. He spoke in an eerily calm voice. "Little brother... Do you really think I wouldn't dare to kill you? Although we're in the countryside, accidents can still happen. And there seems to be a dungeon here as well."

A cold smile touched his lips. "Father won't be pleased to hear that his third son was led astray by the wrong people and somehow ended up being killed by a monster inside a dungeon."

Rush didn't speak. But the last bit of hesitation in his eyes disappeared. "Die, you bastard!"

He pulled out another greenish pill and hurled it at Gush. Once again, he deliberately called him a bastard. He had finally discovered the one word capable of striking the deepest wound in Gush.

Gush caught the pill and crushed it between his fingers. He brought the powder to his nose and sniffed. It carried only a faint, sweet fragrance. He detected nothing unusual.

“What exactly is this?” Gush looked at Rush. "You really have gone insane."

Rush sneered. "You're nothing but trash, and you smell like it, so I thought using this pill might at least make you smell like a human."

This time, Gush's expression completely changed. The last trace of reason in his eyes disappeared, and his face twisted with rage.

"You..." His fingers tightened around the spear. "Looks like you've truly lost your mind. You really want to die, don't you?"

With that, he hurled his spear at Rush.

"Yes. I've lost it. I lost it a long time ago.” Rush's voice was low. “Now, I just want you to pay." Rush growled as his legs transformed, reshaping into those of a centaur. A spear appeared in his hand, Spiritual Qi surging toward its tip as he charged straight at Gush.

"Impudent." Gush scoffed. The next instant, the tips of their spears collided. A terrifying shockwave erupted from the collision, blasting snow in every direction. Rush was sent flying backwards. He twisted his body in mid-air before finally regaining control.

A thin trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth. His right arm had gone numb, while his internal organs trembled from the impact. Gush's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Oh? You've actually broken through to the Mid Golden Core Realm. No wonder you managed to take that attack head-on and still remain standing. But… do you really think that's enough?"

Spiritual Qi surged into Gush's spear, and Grade 3 Spear Intent erupted from its tip. Rush's entire body tensed. The sharp aura radiating from the spear seemed capable of piercing straight through him. But this time, he didn't dare block. The fear that had been drilled into him for years seized him once again.

He lowered his hind legs, then shot forward like a bullet. Instead of continuing the fight, he fled around the mountain toward the dungeon entrance. Gush's spear cut through empty air. His jaw tightened, and he immediately gave chase.

Mo Kuan's face darkened. "Gush, stop!"

Gush didn't even turn around. "You take care of her yourself. She's only one woman." Without another word, he chased after Rush.

Su Wen watched Rush's retreating figure and a strange feeling stirred within his heart. He knew Rush was a coward. Yet watching him now, Su Wen felt as though he were witnessing a coward face the very thing he feared most. Despite that fear, Rush had still chosen to fight.

A trace of respect appeared in Su Wen's eyes. Beside him, Du Yue quietly watched them disappear. She then took a step forward, her cold gaze fixed on the remaining six black-robed cultivators.

She slowly raised the White Snow Sword, silently challenging them to make the first move. The peaceful atmosphere around her vanished.

Mo Kuan's patience finally ran out. "Let's seal her inside the formation first. I don't want any unforeseen inconveniences."

He pulled out a circular formation plate and flicked his wrist. The formation plate shot toward Du Yue and hovered above her head. Du Yue's eyes narrowed slightly. She glanced at the formation plate before turning towards Su Wen.

Before he could react, she grabbed him by the collar and spoke softly. "Husband, I'll be back in a few minutes. Why don't you take care of those bandit trash first?"

"What...?" Su Wen stared at her in confusion. "Where are you goi-"

He didn't even have time to finish. Du Yue swung her arm, sending Su Wen flying toward Thane and the other bandits like a cannonball. "Y-You...! W-Wife...!" That was all he managed to say before his body was sent flying through the air.

At the same time, the formation plate above Du Yue flared with dazzling light, enveloping her and the six black-robed cultivators around her. In the next instant, Du Yue and the six black-robed cultivators vanished.

Silence descended over the mountainside once more. The only thing left behind was a hundred-meter-wide black ring hovering in the air.