Chapter 42: Are You Trying to Stop Me?

The next morning, Ziying was awakened by the sound of voices.
Inside the room, Zhou You was talking with his two disciples.
She slowly opened her eyes and yawned, only to find a blanket draped over her.
Having protected the two little ones through the night at the cost of a decade of her cultivation, she had fallen asleep without realizing it.
Ziying looked at the blanket in her hand, then glanced up at Zhou You inside the room with a knowing smile, before perking up her ears to eavesdrop on the master and his disciples.
Xiaoyu asked, "Master, where did you go last night?"
The burly man smiled and patted the head of his senior apprentice, "I had a bit to drink last night. Seeing that it was getting late, I just slept outside for the night."
Yuchi whispered, "Master, last night Sister Zi seemed to be waiting for you to come back."
Hearing this, Zhou You's expression darkened slightly, "Focus on your cultivation and don't let your mind wander to such matters."
Of course he knew whether his second disciple's words were true or false, seeing as he had found her asleep in the courtyard when he returned in the morning.
Immediately after, the man added, "Last night, to help the two of you cultivate, your Sister Zi performed the secret technique *Green Waist* of the Melody Pavilion, sacrificing nearly ten years of her cultivation. Never let her down in the future."
The two children exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
Yuchi said with sudden realization, "No wonder! I was wondering why my cultivation went much smoother than usual last night, and even my soul felt much stronger."
Xiaoyu nodded repeatedly, "I had the same feeling. I never expected Sister Zi to have helped us."
"Since Girl Ziying has been so good to you, remember to repay her once you achieve success in your cultivation."
"Understood, Master," the two children replied in unison.
Outside, Ziying heard the conversation among the three in the room, and the corners of her mouth curved upward slightly, looking very pleased.
————
In the afternoon, Zhou You left.
He soon walked out of Ruyi Lane, heading toward an unassuming alley nearby.
Meanwhile, the news of Zhou You's departure from the Melody Pavilion also reached the courtyard located in the deepest part of Dyeing Clothes Lane.
The white-robed old man wore a bitter smile, "He has come after all."
The purple-robed man beside him was trembling slightly, "Old Ancestor, what should we do now?"
The old man glanced at the fellow beside him and sighed inwardly. This current head of Dyeing Clothes Lane, whom he had handpicked, was ultimately just mud that could not be plastered onto a wall.
With a gloomy expression, the white-robed elder instructed, "Do not act rashly. I will go and meet him myself."
Just at that moment, the brawny man had already arrived outside Dyeing Clothes Lane.
A man in gray robes blocked his path.
Zhou You's gaze was as calm as water, "You intend to stop me?"
There was no aura fluctuation around the man whatsoever, yet these four ordinary words alone caused Lu Zhi's mind to tremble and his body to instantly tense up.
It felt as if the person standing before him was not a plain-looking man, but an insurmountable, towering peak whose summit could not be seen.
Lu Zhi's mood grew heavier by the second. He swallowed hard and braced himself, "Everything started because of me. My life is worthless. If Senior wants it, take it. I only ask that Senior not vent your anger on anyone else in Dyeing Clothes Lane."
Lu Zhi received no reply from the other party; the dull-looking man had already vanished from sight.
The next moment, like a kite with a broken string, Lu Zhi was sent flying backward through the air. His chest collapsed, having already suffered heavy injuries, before he slammed heavily into the wall behind him, where spiderweb-like cracks spread out from the point of impact.
Zhou You twitched the corner of his mouth, "What kind of thing are you, to think you're worthy of negotiating with me."
The next moment, the man walked up to Lu Zhi, picked up the notorious expert of Dyeing Clothes Lane as if he were a little chick, and strode toward the alley.
Before long, Zhou You kicked open the gate of the first household in the alley.
Inside, a group of cultivators dressed in black robes, holding sabers and swords with fierce auras, stood in strict formation.
Their eyes were filled with wariness as they looked at Zhou You. As for Lu Zhi, he received not a shred of their attention; since he had failed to stop the intruder, they had nothing to say even if he was beaten to death.
Zhou You said indifferently, "If you keep waiting, you won't even have the chance to make a move."
Hearing this, the people of Dyeing Clothes Lane felt utterly aggrieved. One of them immediately let out an angry shout and charged at Zhou You with a sword.
Zhou You looked at him expressionlessly, and only when the man was merely five steps away did he slowly raise his other palm.
In an instant, deep blue lightning arcs danced across his palm, and upon closer inspection, a miniature thunder pool was slowly forming in his hand.
Just as the sword-wielding cultivator was a single step away, Zhou You dropped Lu Zhi, abruptly thrust out two fingers, and applied gentle pressure.
The long sword, which was of talisman-artifact grade, snapped instantly.
Before the man could retreat, a bolt of lightning leaped from Zhou You's palm and blew him away in the blink of an eye.
The man crashed to the ground, charred all over, and passed out cold.
The next moment, more azure lightning arcs flew forth, leaping and dancing in the air. Wherever they passed, screams echoed without stop.
In an instant, the courtyard was enveloped by lightning arcs, and an overwhelming, peerless aura continued to spread. Not a single person was a match for those lightning bolts even for a single round.
Soon enough, all the cultivators of Dyeing Clothes Lane lay quietly on the ground, wisps of white smoke still rising from their bodies in a miserable state.
Zhou You picked up Lu Zhi once more and headed toward the next courtyard.
Instantly, throughout the entire Dyeing Clothes Lane, accompanied by rumbles of muffled thunder, piercing cries of agony rang out continuously.
A man with a dull expression moved like a god of slaughter; wherever he passed, not a single person remained standing.
By the time the purple-robed man appeared, Zhou You had already swept through several courtyards.
He had originally received orders from the Old Ancestor to warn everyone against acting rashly.
Yet he had still arrived a step too late; this senior's strength was indeed unfathomable.
The purple-robed man wore a bitter smile. Although he had been wary earlier, he still held a sliver of luck, thinking that since this senior had maintained a low profile for nearly a century, perhaps he had long since lost the prowess of his youth.
Now, however, it seemed far worse than before. Leave alone Dyeing Clothes Lane, even the immortal sects of Dafeng and the surrounding nations were probably no match for him at all.
Just then, Zhou You was stepping out of a courtyard, inside which lay a multitude of Dyeing Clothes Lane cultivators in miserable states.
The man raised his gaze slightly and spotted the purple-robed man not far away.
He frowned slightly, then shook his head in disappointment, "Living peacefully for too long has made Old Zhou truly regress in his old age, actually sending a piece of trash like you to your death."
Ever since entering Dyeing Clothes Lane, this was the first time Zhou You's expression had changed.
The man said indifferently, "Since that's the case, then go and die."
As he spoke, another bolt of lightning darted from his palm. Amidst the roaring sound of wind and thunder, the lightning condensed in mid-air into a two-zhang-long spear, radiating a terrifying aura that made the purple-robed man's heart palpitate with dread.