Phoenix Ascending

Chapter 173: House of Heavenly Fiends

Nan Xun huffed. He didn't care how pitiful Rong'er looked right now. The resentment he bore for Rong'er could not be stronger. He led Jun Huang away.

Everything had happened so suddenly. Before Jun Huang quite realized what had happened, Rong'er fell to the ground. Nan Xun took Jun Huang's wrist once she had put away the jade. Before they could get away, a group of people showed up. From their clothes it was obvious that they were Rong'er's senior brothers and sisters.

"Are the gentlemen going to just leave after hurting someone?" one of Rong'er's senior sisters said after helping Rong'er up. She stared at Nan Xun and Jun Huang with cold eyes.

Nan Xun and Jun Hang exchanged a look. The guards tensed up and got ready to jump in. The somewhat narrow street suddenly felt a lot more crowded. Both sides were gearing up for the impending conflict. The owners of the street stands fled without even stopping to gather their wares.

Nan Xun scoffed at the woman in red dress. "You're blindly taking your sister's side, or you wouldn't have thought that I was in the wrong. Besides, what Rong'er has done over the past few days is inexcusable. If you truly want the best for her, you will teach her how to behave and rid her of her malicious thoughts."

"You - how dare you?" Rong'er's sister had believed that she had the moral high ground, but Nan Xun managed to render her speechless with a few words. She ground her teeth together and glared at Nan Xun and Jun Huang.

Jun Huang's gaze swept over these disciples of prestigious sect with a smile and said, "We all know what had actually happened. Why must you provoke this conflict? We're leaving this town soon. There's no need for us to make enemies." Her tone was soft, but she was loud enough for everyone to hear her.

"Ha! You certainly talk big. If not for you, however, Rong'er wouldn't have done those things."

Jun Huang let out a silent scoff. She didn't expect these people to twist the facts like this. She turned to Nan Xun, who pursed his lips in annoyance.

"You are the ones who made her the hateful and ill-mannered woman she is today," said Nan Xun. "We're leaving now. What are you going to do?"

Nan Xun didn't have the patience to argue with these people. His expression darkened and his eyes turned cold.

Rong'er's seniors shared a look. They knew this was a fight that had to happen. There was no fear in their hearts. No matter how good Nan Xun was, he couldn't fight more than a dozen people with only four helpers at his side, could he?

Someone made the first move. In an instant the two sides were engaged in a chaotic fight. Nan Xun told the guards to keep Jun Huang safe even though Jun Huang had said she could help.

He knew Jun Huang shouldn't be tapping into her inner energy in this state, or the poison in her body might act up again. He would not risk Jun Huang's life for anything. Besides, these people were no threat to him. It wouldn't take long for him to deal with them.

Rong'er was watching the fight from behind her senior sister. One by one, her seniors were defeated. This was the first time Rong'er had ever seen Nan Xun fight. She never knew anyone could gain such a mystery in martial arts. He was moving so quickly that all she could see was a blur.

While Rong'er was pleased that the man she loved was a master fighter, she was worried about her seniors. Her eyes went red in concerns. She pointed at Jun Huang and shouted, "Are you a man or not, Feng Baiyu?! You always hide behind other people and never deal with your own problems. You shameless and disgusting man!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Nan Xun leveled her with a sharp and threatening glare. His eyes were as cold as ice. Rong'er shuddered and backed away, pressing a hand over her chest. It looked as if he was going to strangle her to dead.

Soon, all of Rong'er's seniors had been defeated by Nan Xun. They lay on the ground grimacing in pain. Some held onto their stomachs while others held onto their arms. It was quite a scene.

Nan Xun stood tall among them with Jun Huang behind him, graceful and dignified. He cast those people a cold glance and let out a huff. Now he wasn't in a hurry to leave.

Rong'er's face paled in fear and her eyes were filled with tears. Her careless words had caused her seniors' pain. She felt her heart ache.

The oldest of the group got to his feet and wiped away Rong'er's tears before helping his companions up. They supported each other's weight and glared at Nan Xun.

"You'll pay for this!" the man said. "You better remember that." He led his fellow disciples away, limping. Rong'er snuck a glance at Nan Xun before walking away. The tears in her eyes created the illusion that she was forced to part with him.

Jun Huang snorted before turning away. Nan Xun turned to her with a frown. His scowl melted when he saw Jun Huang's carefree expression. A smile tugged at his lips, unbidden. He smiled simply because the woman he loved was smiling.

"Come on, you must be tired," Nan Xun said gently as he walked up to Jun Huang.

Jun Huang turned to him with her beautiful eyes fixed on him. Nan Xun twisted his lips nervously under her scrutiny.

"Your Highness is unexpectedly popular," said Jun Huang. "One after another, women are falling for you left and right. It is clear that Rong'er has fallen hard for you."

Her teasing words were uttered with a smile. Nan Xun realized what she was saying and broke into a wide grin. "What does she have to do with me?" he said. "I will surrender myself to one and only one."

He had not specified who he was talking about, but his eyes were glued to Jun Huang. She blushed and looked away with a cough.

"It is said that Your Highness has fought many battles in many places," Jun Huang muttered. "But they don't know that Your Highness can spout off such shameless lines. This gentleman admires Your Highness for switching between your two personalities so easily."

She walked away. Nan Xun sighed as he stared at her back. He swallowed down his unspoken words before they were given a voice. It is known that this gentleman does not offer my affection freely, he wanted to say. My love is reserved for you.

He wanted to laugh. After years of fighting, his name had reached every part of the country. Everyone knew who he was. No one, including he himself, could predict that he would fall for this aloof woman.

They returned to the inn. Nan Xun was worried that they would run into Rong'er again. After what had happened today, he didn't know what Rong'er would do if they met. He went to Jun Huang to plan for their departure.

They were both in a dark mood because of what had happened. Jun Huang sat at the desk once she entered their room and looked down at the floor.

"We've stayed in this town for a while," Nan Xun said seriously, pulling a chair over to sit beside Jun Huang. "You're health is getting worse. We should return to the imperial city. We can find better doctors there."

Jun Huang frowned and gazed at Nan Xun with unfocused eyes. After a while, she shook her head. "What if they are in Yun Town? If I leave now, I may be losing my chance to find them. Then I'll have no clue where they are."

Nan Xun sighed. He had expected this reaction from her. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll have someone stay here to keep searching. There's a tournament going on now. Many people are coming and going in this town. It's difficult for us to find your brother ourselves. We can go to the House of Heavenly Fiends and request for their help."

Jun Huang had heard of the House of Heavenly Fiends. It was a mysterious organization with a long history. Very well-known among the martial arts community. The House of Heavenly Fiends would take any requests and could offer help to anyone.

She had thought about asking the House of Heavenly Fiends for help, but she didn't know how to contact them. How was she going to track down a secret society like that?

Nan Xun realized what the problem was as soon as he looked at Jun Huang. Jun Huang had been staying in the palace until Western Que was destroyed. Even if she knew about the House of Heavenly Fiends, she most likely didn't know its true nature and how one could contact them.

"We should check out of this inn first," Nan Xun said. "We should see if there are other places we can stay in. Then I'll take you somewhere." Nan Xun got to his feet and started packing.

Jun Huang frowned. "Why?" she asked. "This inn is comfortable. The clerk told me that another room has become available, and he could reserve it for us. If your feel troubled…"

"That's not it," Nan Xun cut her off and said casually. "We picked this inn because it was clean, but it turns out that anyone can enter the inn. This is not a safe place for us to stay in. Besides, if we run into that certain someone again, it's going to be awkward. We might as well move out and prevent the troubles from happening."