"Did Lord Mosquito... really kill Jiang Xinglan?"
Huo Lang stood in the crowd, staring blankly in the direction of the All Things Return to Origin Bell, completely dumbfounded.
He reached out and tugged on Big Y, who was standing beside him, his voice faint.
"You... pinch me. Pinch me hard."
Big Y said, "Oh," then pinched the soft flesh on the inside of Huo Lang’s arm and twisted it viciously.
HISS—
Huo Lang’s face contorted in pain, and tears welled up in his eyes.
This time, even though the pain was excruciating, he didn’t blame Big Y like he had back in the Land of Burial.
Instead, looking as if he’d lost his soul, he muttered to himself.
"Big Y, it’s real. It’s all real."
"Lord Mosquito really killed Jiang Xinglan."
"The sky over Luoping City... it’s about to fall."
Big Y scratched her head, looking utterly confused.
"Brother Lang, you didn’t react this strongly when Fairy Gu killed Jiang Qingyao just now."
"So why do you look like you’ve lost your soul now that Lord Mosquito has killed Jiang Xinglan?"
"Aren’t they both from the Jiang Family?"
"Besides, weren’t you the one just shouting for them to be killed?"
Huo Lang opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn’t know where to begin.
’I was just shouting to blow off some steam.’
’I never thought Lord Mosquito would actually dare to do it!’
’It’s like when two people get into an argument. They might yell about killing each other, but who would actually dare to go through with it?!’
Just then, a white-haired Elder Cultivator standing nearby sighed.
"Young lady, there are things you don’t understand."
"It’s true that Jiang Qingyao was the Patriarch Jiang’s most beloved daughter from his main lineage."
"And it’s also true that Master Jiang Wei doted on her far more than he did on Jiang Xinglan."
"But to the Jiang Family as a whole, Master Jiang Wei would, at most, be enraged by Jiang Qingyao’s death."
"The Jiang Family might have broken ties with Fairy Gu, or perhaps they would have demanded other compensation."
"In other words, with Jiang Qingyao dead..."
"...there was still a sliver of room for negotiation between Fairy Gu and the Jiang Family."
"But Jiang Xinglan is a different story."
The Elder Cultivator shook his head, his tone filled with concern.
"He’s the number one prodigy in Luoping City and, on paper, the only Immortal Seed here."
"The Jiang Family had placed immense hope in him, grooming him to be the next Patriarch."
"Now that Jiang Xinglan is dead, there’s a sudden gap in the Jiang Family’s younger generation."
"The Jiang Family now has no successor. For the next ten thousand years, they won’t be able to compete with the other Seven Great Clans."
"The Jiang Family’s standing in Luoping City will plummet, and they’ll become the weakest of the Eight Great Clans."
"This is a devastating loss the Jiang Family cannot afford, more severe than the deaths of ten Jiang Qingyaos combined."
"Therefore, with Jiang Xinglan dead, the only thing left between Fairy Gu and the Jiang Family is a fight to the death."
Big Y nodded, seeming to only half-understand what she’d heard.
She glanced at the other Loose Cultivators around them.
All the onlookers had expressions similar to Huo Lang’s, their faces pale.
They stared toward the All Things Return to Origin Bell, every one of them wearing an expression that said, ’We’re screwed.’
The few who had been shouting "Lord Mosquito is a badass!" the loudest were now silent, their faces etched with worry.
All of their earlier excitement and exhilaration had vanished completely.
Big Y blinked and asked another confused question.
"But just a moment ago, wasn’t everyone enthusiastically shouting to kill Jiang Qingyao and kill Jiang Xinglan?"
"Why is it that now that Fairy Gu and Lord Mosquito have actually killed them, everyone is scared and worried instead?"
Hearing this, the Elder Cultivator shook his head with a wry smile and continued his explanation.
"Luoping City has been ruled by the Eight Great Clans for many years. Everyone has suffered their share of abuse and holds resentment in their hearts."
"Then Fairy Gu came along. She’s powerful and dares to stand up to the Eight Great Clans, which got everyone’s hopes up."
"But what everyone implicitly assumed was this:"
"Fairy Gu wouldn’t actually kill Jiang Qingyao and Jiang Xinglan. At most, she’d teach them a lesson and let off some steam."
"Then she’d use Jiang Qingyao and Jiang Xinglan as hostages to negotiate with the Jiang Family and the other Great Clans."
"She’d demand resources and status, and fight for the rights of us Loose Cultivators."
"Then we Loose Cultivators could finally hold our heads high, and life would get a little easier for us."
"From then on, Fairy Gu would act as our representative, a tenth great power alongside the Eight Great Clans and the City Lord’s Mansion."
"We rootless Loose Cultivators would finally have a pillar of support, a backbone, and we wouldn’t have to suffer the bullying of the Eight Great Clans anymore."
The Elder Cultivator sighed, his voice full of regret.
"This is what you call social grace, or being tactful."
"Always leave a way out for others, so that you may meet again on good terms."
"When everyone was shouting to kill them, they were just venting their frustrations, just running their mouths. No one actually meant it."
"But Fairy Gu... she didn’t stop after killing Jiang Qingyao. She went and killed Jiang Xinglan too, leaving no room for negotiation."
"She left the Jiang Family no room to negotiate whatsoever, creating a dead-end scenario where one side must be annihilated."
"Now that it’s come to this, there’s no way the Eight Great Clans will let Fairy Gu and Lord Mosquito off the hook."
"They’ll surely hunt them down with everything they have."
"The hope that we Loose Cultivators could stand on equal footing with the Eight Great Clans and get a fair share of resources has been completely shattered."
"And what’s worse, the Eight Great Clans might take their anger out on all of us, accusing us of standing by and doing nothing to help."
Big Y finally understood most of it. She mulled it over for a moment before raising a new question.
"But Jiang Qingyao and Jiang Xinglan were the ones who tried to kill Fairy Gu and Lord Mosquito first. They just ended up getting killed instead."
"According to the laws of Luoping City, shouldn’t that count as self-defense for Fairy Gu and Lord Mosquito?"
"Isn’t the City Lord’s Mansion going to do anything about it?"
This time, before the Elder Cultivator could answer, Huo Lang sighed and said a single word.
"Power."
Just that one word, heavy with meaning.
Upon hearing that word, Big Y didn’t ask any more questions.
It wasn’t that she understood.
It was because Huo Lang had once told her something.
’When you’re trying to survive in Luoping City, the moment you hear the word "power," you shut up.’
’Don’t ask questions. Asking too many questions will only get you into trouble.’
Just as the Loose Cultivators were fraught with anxiety, worrying endlessly about the fate of Gu Yuexi and Chu Sheng...
...a few sharp-eyed Cultivators who had been staring at the All Things Return to Origin Bell for some time suddenly noticed something amiss.
"Wait!"
"Isn’t Jiang Xinglan dead?"
"Why is the All Things Return to Origin Bell still active?"
"Look at the side of the bell! Is that a little mosquito clinging to it?"
"That can’t be right. The All Things Return to Origin Bell is a Divine Level Upper-Grade Treasure. Besides Lord Mosquito, how could any other mosquito possibly get inside?"
Staring at the motionless little mosquito, then back at the steadily operating All Things Return to Origin Bell, an astonishing theory instantly formed in their minds.
"Jiang Xinglan isn’t dead?!"
"That mosquito... it must be Jiang Xinglan in disguise!"
"He must have used some sort of Secret Technique!"
As soon as this theory was voiced, the surrounding Loose Cultivators were instantly re-energized.
’As long as he’s not dead!’
’If he’s not dead, there’s still room to salvage this!’
They immediately turned toward the All Things Return to Origin Bell and began shouting at the top of their lungs.
"Lord Mosquito! Don’t kill Jiang Xinglan!"
"Spare his life so we can negotiate with the Eight Great Clans!"
"Lord Mosquito, we’re saying this for your and Fairy Gu’s own good!"
"Where there’s life, there’s hope!"
"If you really kill Jiang Xinglan, there will be no turning back!"
"We’re begging you, Lord Mosquito, please stop!"
"You’ve already done more than enough! You’ve stood up for us Loose Cultivators, and we’ll all remember your good deed!"
"That’s right! We’re all grateful to you and Fairy Gu, but you really can’t kill him!"
...