Chapter 115: Going the Extra Mile
"Excuse me, sir?"
Chu Liang was about to leave the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts when someone approached him on the roadside.
This person was dressed in a blue and white robe with a long jade belt, and his handsome face exuded an air of elegance. Holding a folding fan, he displayed a carefree demeanor.
When Chu Liang heard the call, he responded, "What is it?"
The man came closer, lowering his voice, "I wanted to ask how you managed to get in just now?"
He gestured towards the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts, which was now off-limits.
Chu Liang recalled and said, "I just... I told them there was something inside that I really wanted to see. They were quite accommodating and let me in."
"Ah?" The man was slightly surprised, muttering to himself, "It was that easy?"
After a pause, he thanked Chu Liang, saying, "Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome." Chu Liang replied politely.
The man then walked towards the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts, and Chu Liang continued on his way.
The man clad in white stepped forward. In an attempt to enter the building, he knocked on the door. But then, the staff from the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts stopped him again. When the elderly guard, who has a lengthy beard, saw him, he immediately frowned and scolded, "Anyone who is not here for business purposes should stay away!"
The white-clad man smiled and bowed, saying, "There's something inside that I really want to see. Can I take a look..."
"Lecherous scoundrel! How dare you!" The elderly man with the long beard reacted furiously and instantly launched a fierce attack with his palm!
Boom!
Luckily, the white-clad man was not someone of low cultivation level. When he saw the sudden attack, he immediately unfolded his fan, revealing a large "Sea" character on the fan and creating a sound resembling waves crashing.
As the fan unfolded, a whirlwind formed in front of the man, deflecting a significant portion of the elderly man's palm strike.
Even so, there was still a substantial difference in their cultivation levels. The wind still struck the man and sent the man flying several zhang away!
Chu Liang was walking on the road when he heard a loud explosion from behind. A white figure then flew over his head and crashed heavily in front of him.
Bang!
He froze in surprise. Then, he looked again and realized that it was the man who had asked him for directions just moments ago!
Chu Liang turned around again and saw that the people from the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts had no intention of pursuing the white-clad man. It seemed they only wanted to prevent him from entering. But was the use of such force really necessary?
"Spit—" The white-clad man lifted his head. He stared at Chu Liang and was about to say something. But at that very moment, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Brother? What happened to you?" Chu LIang approached and inquired.
The man, as if hanging by a thread, weakly uttered, "Sir, if you're a kind-hearted person, please take me to a medicinal hall."
...
"Sigh..." In the largest medical hall in the southern part of Taotie City, a man in white lay on a sickbed as he sighed deeply.
Chu Liang had brought him here for medical treatment, and he didn't need to explain much. All cultivators would have known that he had suffered a serious internal injury. While waiting for the doctor's prescription, Chu Liang even paid for the medicine, which cost a few Vermilion-Bird coins.
Seeing Chu Liang approaching, the man in white struggled as he cupped his hand and said, "May I ask for your name?"
"Chu Liang from the Mount Shu Sect."
"Nice to meet you, Brother Chu. I am Wenren Mo from the Sea King Sect."
"The pleasure is mine."
The two exchanged polite greetings.
Chu Liang felt somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the severely injured person he had picked up from the street to be a disciple of the Sea King Sect, a sect that was one of the Terrestrial Ten.
Moreover, this Brother Wenren seemed to have a high cultivation level and was likely a core disciple within the Sea King Sect.
Feeling curious, Chu Liang asked, "Brother Wenren, how did you end up like this?"
"Brother Chu, you might not be aware..." Wenren Mo sighed again, "Alas, all this happened because a few days ago, I encountered a woman and fell in love with her at first sight. I wanted to pursue her."
"Oh..." Hearing this, Chu Liang suddenly remembered that the current sect leader of the Sea King Sect was known for being a playboy. It seemed like this disciple was following in his leader's footsteps.
In any case, the reputation of the men from the Sea King Sect has never been good among the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten sects.
"That lady is Xu Hongqiu, the Young Lady of the Four Seas Whale Gang," Wenren Mo added.
Chu Liang had heard of the name Xu Hongqiu, but he didn't know much about her. He only knew that she was the daughter of Xu Bashan, the current leader of the Whale Gang.
Chu Liang couldn't help but guess that Xu Hongqiu was the woman who had killed the panther.
"The Young Lady of the Whale Gang is like an untamed red-maned horse that is very difficult to control," Wenren Mo continued, "I tried every method, but I couldn't get close to her. She treated me with indifference and even kicked me out several times."
"But I, upholding the spirit of perseverance, followed her all the way from the Southern Regions to Taotie City. When she had finally settled down, I wanted to visit her and engage in a good conversation with her. That's why I asked how you were allowed in that building. But even when I gave the same reason as you..."
"..."
Chu Liang suddenly realized...
You are after a girl who had just settled down, which meant that she was showering and changing her clothes. No wonder you got beaten after saying that there was something you really wanted to see inside.
What I said had completely different intentions.
While suppressing his laughter, Chu Liang changed his tone and said, "Brother Wenren, you are indeed persistent."
"Brother Chu, you don't understand. I have a lifelong love for this kind of woman. Since I laid eyes on her, I knew I was captivated," Wenren Mo said with an intoxicated expression. "Even if she orders someone to kill me, I would accept it."
"Brother Wenren, do you like bold and unrestrained women?" Chu Liang asked.
"No..." Wenren Mo shook his head as he answered, "I like rich women."
"..." Chu Liang felt so speechless.
Okay.
Even if they had beaten you up to death, that would be fair.
Just when he was thinking about how to excuse himself and leave, he saw Wenren Mo take out a spirit-stone coin from his sleeve. Then, he was given a spirit-stone coin.
"Brother Chu, you've gone through the trouble of inquiring and buying medicine for me just now. Let me repay you for the medicine cost," Wenren Mo said.
Chu Liang glanced down and saw the carving on the spirit-stone coin. It was unmistakably a small dragon head.
One Azure-Dragon coin was equivalent to ten Tiger-Head coins, which in turn were equal to one hundred Vermilion-Bird coins...
"Brother Wenren, you're too courteous. The medicine cost doesn't require so much," Chu Liang said.
Chu Liang tightly held the Azure-Dragon coin between his fingers and pushed it back towards Wenren Mo. Despite Chu Liang pushing the coin back, had Wenren Mo attempted to take it, retrieving the coin would have been challenging.
Fortunately, Wenren Mo hadn't tried the aforementioned behavior. Instead, he pushed the coin back and said, "Eh—Brother Chu, you've brought me here for treatment and looked after me here. It's already a great kindness. How can I be so stingy?"
With a slight push, Chu Liang accepted the Azure-Dragon coin in a calm and effortless manner before he stood up and said, " I won't be too courteous then. Brother Wenren, let me collect the medicine for you."
With that, he stood up and went to the counter outside to collect Wenren Mo's medicine.
The urgency to bid farewell dissipated. Having received payment, he concluded it was acceptable to extend his care for Wenren Mo a while longer. After all, going the extra mile was a commendable practice.
Unbeknownst to him, as he retrieved a tray of assorted medicinal herbs from the counter and prepared to return, a sudden, loud shout erupted from behind, "Thief! How dare you steal my spirit herb!"
Upon turning around, he saw a burly man with a curly beard vehemently shouting and reaching out his huge hand in his direction.
"Hmm?" Chu Liang deftly sidestepped to evade the attack. Nevertheless, as the relentless burly man opened his hands, they transformed into ten long vines that entwined towards Chu Liang.
The sudden attack caught Chu Liang off guard, leaving him confused.
As the burly man pushed forward, he had no choice but to fight back.
In the midst of this sudden rush, Chu Liang swiftly shook his hand, launching the Razor Leaf before activating his flying sword to shield himself.
Whoosh—
The Razor Leaf flashed with a green light, creating afterimages reminiscent of the wind. The burly man with the curly beard was taken aback and instinctively stepped back, only to discover that he was entirely unscathed, leaving him in a state of perplexity.
Ah. I missed again...Chu Liang sighed helplessly. It wasn't too surprising. Nevertheless, as long as he managed to delay the opponent's attack for a moment and seize a chance to ask a question, his goal would be considered achieved.
Just as he was thinking, a familiar-sounding scream echoed from a corner not far away.
"Ahhhh—"