The man was taken aback, but Ning Xiaoxian knew that Changtian was speaking to her. Her secret had just been exposed, so she swiftly poured a steaming cup of tea and handed it to him with diligence.

Changtian didn’t even glance at her. As their fingers touched, Ning Xiaoxian sensed the coldness like ice from his fingertips, realizing that his heart was filled with murderous intent. She couldn’t help but shiver slightly, causing the water in the cup to sway. Before she could recover, Changtian had already taken the cup, sipped it leisurely, and said:

"You want to take away my wife and make her the Water God’s new bride?"

The man had brought seven or eight others with him, all of whom were now standing at the entrance, staring dumbfoundedly at him. The handsome man before them had an intimidating look without being angry, naturally exuding authority. They were speechless for a moment, only watching Ning Xiaoxian pour him tea.

When he spoke, the man seemed to awaken from a dream: "Ah, yes! This, uh..." He reached up to touch his own forehead. How could a young girl like her already have a husband? Would the Water God consider marrying a woman to be his bride, isn’t that snatching someone’s wife? Such precedence had never happened before. In the past, those who volunteered for the temple were all unmarried girls.

Ning Xiaoxian had entered the Dao long ago, and her appearance now seemed to be only around seventeen years old, so it’s no wonder that he and the temple priest were mistaken.

When the man spoke, Ning Xiaoxian noticed that he seemed quite guileless, and not wanting to see him die on the spot, she quickly diverted the topic: "Who told you I live here?"

Changtian gave her a fleeting look, as if seeing through her intentions.

The man’s attention was indeed diverted, and he replied: "It was identified by Ms. Xu from the Xu Family, saying that you must be staying in the largest and best inn in town. We searched all the way and it turned out to be true."

Ms. Xu? She wondered who this person was, as she’d never heard of her before. Subconsciously, she glanced at Changtian, only to see him with lowered eyebrows, seemingly lost in thought. Quickly, she added: "We were just passing through, I didn’t seek that lot from the temple. We’re about to leave, so please instruct your Water God to choose another virtuous bride."

The man hadn’t spoken yet when another man next to him sneered: "Trying to run away? Brother, just take this woman straight back and throw her into the Water God Temple. Why waste words with her..." The rest of his sentence was swallowed back as a formless force suddenly sent him flying out, breaking the railing of the second floor and sending him three feet away before he fell diagonally.

With a loud "bang," live humans fell from above, and exclamations immediately erupted from below.

The man exclaimed in shock, rushing to the railing to look. He saw his brother sprawled on the ground, arms and legs spread wide. Even though the fall was merely from ten feet high, his neck had bent at a strange angle, indicating he was already dead before hitting the ground, hence his silence.

"You, this..." Terrified and horrified, he rasped at Changtian. Though somewhat simple-minded, he wasn’t stupid. The fact that his comrade flew out and lost his life without Changtian even raising a hand was surely the work of an immortal?

Could it be the immortal bore malice towards the Water God and the man found himself caught in the middle as an unwitting victim? With this thought, a cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

Changtian slowly asked, "Where does Ms. Xu live?"

His voice remained calm yet it exerted immense pressure on the man. Under enormous pressure, his mind raced, and he recalled Ms. Xu’s home address at once: "The third house inside Tian Ding Alley, the one with the jujube tree out front!"

Before he finished speaking, his body suddenly felt like riding on a cloud, uncontrollably flying outwards. Terrified that he was about to meet the same fate as his comrade just now, he instinctively closed his eyes, screaming in fear. Then came the pain—

After a while, he opened his eyes, panting, and found to his surprise that he was still alive.

He had only been thrown from the second floor, but his fellow men had also been tossed out at the same time. Most of them were now crying out in pain, for having been flung out by a Giant Strength and falling from a height of over ten feet, some had broken legs on impact, and one unfortunate soul had snapped his neck and was obviously not going to survive. As for him, he was relatively lucky, his legs hitting the ground first, but a bone in each leg and his chest was fractured, and the pain was excruciating with every breath.

Ignoring the commotion downstairs, Changtian gave Ning Xiaoxian a cold look; she was offering him a polite smile.

It wasn’t Changtian who threw the men out but her. If left to the violent figure beside her, many more lives would have been taken. Her action seemed harsh but in fact, it saved a few.

He scoffed lightly, "Busybody." He grasped her hand, taking step by step down the stairs.

They walked slowly, but with the intimidation of their earlier actions, the clerks and guests on the inn’s first floor stared dumbly at them, not daring to speak or obstruct. Once they stepped out of the inn’s door, Changtian wrapped his arms around her slim waist, demonstrated his Divine Skills, and with a single step, they were a hundred feet away!

The fuss, why not just jump out of the window a moment ago and escape? She pouted secretly, the man must care about appearances, thinking jumping out of a window would be undignified?

Changtian didn’t look down at her, yet he seemed to be fully aware of her every move, and indifferently remarked, "Is your skin itching again?"

His voice was tense, clearly brimming with anger. This was absolutely not the time to provoke him, so Ning Xiaoxian obediently stuck out her tongue, "Not at all, not at all!"

Not daring? Was there anything she dared not do? Changtian snorted angrily, unintentionally squeezing his hand a little, until her delicate body suddenly shrank, only then did he realize he had pinched her too hard. Seeing her tears about to fall, wanting to cry out but too afraid to speak, he subconsciously relaxed his grip, filled with helplessness.

Ning Xiaoxian, however, was in so much pain that her tears almost fell. Whose waist isn’t the most sensitive spot? He squeezed so harshly, does he want her life? So cruel, using her up and then throwing her away, she regretted letting him have his way last night!

Amidst their awkwardness, Changtian’s pace never slowed. Ning Xiaoxian now saw that the direction they were heading in was definitely not Tian Ding Alley, as he was running out of town, into increasingly desolate and secluded areas. Before long, they heard the sound of gently flowing water ahead, the air mingled with a hint of damp moisture.

She remembered that when they arrived at this small town two days ago, seeing from high above that there was a winding river outside the town, this must be the one now. However, from the sky, it was impossible to tell that this river was so full of water vapor, with such abundant water flow, the river stretches over six hundred feet wide (about two kilometers). On the surface, it didn’t seem turbulent, yet the center of the river was spun by countless swirling vortexes, clearly indicating a presence of swift undercurrents and treacherous reefs below. Such a hazardous place, an experienced ship owner definitely wouldn’t dare to come near. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)