Li Ruoxian’s expression changed at once. Even she was unable to sense how he died.

The girl in yellow panicked. "What happened?! Is there an enemy?!"

However, the surrounding cultivators seemed oblivious and went about their business.

Qi Yuan stood still, half a drop of blood lingering upon his open palm. "Murdering someone in broad daylight, under clear skies. Is there no law?"

Such lawless killing would corrupt the moral fabric of the cultivation world. To Qi Yuan, it was akin to Sima Yi breaking the Oath of Luo River [1].

Did he have to remind them who he was? The enforcer of moral rectitude in the Canglan World! He had even slain many morally depraved cultivators for it. And now, someone had committed murder right before his eyes!

The open provocation enraged him.

The girl murmured sadly, "He’s an innocent man..."

Li Ruoxian warned, "Qi Yuan, be careful."

Qi Yuan stared at the blood and the letter. Unfortunately, he couldn’t glean anything useful.

Narrowing his eyes, he folded the letter away. "When I come out of the Seeking Dao Palace, I will bring that outlaw to justice!"

Killing in front of him was simply unforgivable.

Thus, they continued toward the Seeking Dao Palace. The matter seemed to pass. Other than Qi Yuan, no one seemed to remember the trivial life that had been abruptly snuffed out. Perhaps, people simply didn’t care.

The Seeking Dao Palace lay northeast of Qinghong City, built among continuous mountain ranges. From afar, grand buildings rose into the clouds, detached from the mundane world.

Due to how frequently Li Ruoxian visited, she was practically half a member. No one stopped them when she led Qi Yuan in.

After winding through corridors, crossing suspension bridges, and passing solitary peaks, they finally stood before a hall.

"The elder we'll meet is named Fu Lu, a peak Violet Palace cultivator," Li Ruoxian said. "He is in charge of all external affairs."

Qi Yuan nodded. "Many thanks."

The girl whispered, "People here are arrogant. We'll probably have to wait."

"There's no rush." Qi Yuan scanned his surroundings. "Do you think I'm too rule-abiding?"

Today’s incident weighed heavily on him. The beggar had merely been a messenger, he didn’t deserve to die. While Qi Yuan abided by the rules, many others did not, and that could hold him back.

Despite being unsure, Li Ruoxian voiced out her thoughts, "Before one is strong enough, abiding by the rules is what keeps one alive."

Qi Yuan pondered. "You're right. Rules are made by the strong to bind the weak. And I... should count as strong now. Then..." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He realized he had been too kind, too compliant. If he didn't live by the rules, would anyone dare commit murder before him?

"Seems I haven't killed enough," Qi Yuan muttered. "No one fears me. That's not good."

Perhaps he had the makings of an abominable demon king. In that case, why follow the rules at all? Why request for an audience step by step? Wouldn't it be better to go to Wujun right away?

His mind cleared in an instant. It was as if he had reached an epiphany, his thoughts suddenly falling into place.

Just then, Yang Kang’s mocking voice broke his reverie. "Elder Fu Lu is busy today. I'm afraid you won't be seeing him."

A plump middle-aged man appeared. Round as his belly was, it was still dwarfed by his enormous head. His gaze lingered greedily on Li Ruoxian, then burned even hotter upon Qi Yuan.

Seeing who had arrived, Li Ruoxian's expression shifted. It was the very man she had been avoiding like the plague! He was meddling again! Anger rose within her, yet she didn’t dare to do anything.

The girl glowered at the fatty.

Qi Yuan's gaze deepened. "Is Elder Fu Lu truly busy, or did you interfere?"

Yang Kang laughed, his eyes were filled with lust. "Well, someone doesn’t mince words! I did no such thing, don't wrong a good man. But if you're willing to pay a certain price, I might persuade Elder Fu Lu to make time."

Qi Yuan said calmly, "Mhm. I won't wrong you. I'll just cut off your dog head."

Yang Kang froze, sensing danger. "What?"

A sword flashed, and his head parted from his body. It all happened too quickly for any response.

Li Ruoxian stood in bewilderment. She could only watch as Qi Yuan spoke to the corpse.

"Your head was too big for your shoulders to carry. You asked me to pay a price, so I helped you lighten the load. Is this enough?"

It was a pity the dead could not answer.

1. This phrase refers to a pivotal historical event in 249 AD during the Three Kingdoms period of China, where Sima Yi (司马懿), a powerful Cao Wei official, promised his rival Cao Shuang (曹爽) safety if he surrendered. Sima Yi swore this oath by the Luo River. Sima Yi broke this solemn vow, executing Cao Shuang and his entire family (three generations) to take absolute control of the state. ☜