Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

Chapter 123 The Manor Lord

Guan Xun seemed not to hear the shouts of obstruction, and his hands moved even faster.

But just as the old man's voice rang out, the man who had been lying on the ground suddenly rolled his body at an imperceptible speed, easily dodging her attack.

The spiritual energy struck the ground, but missed its target.

Guan Xun's gaze followed the white figure closely, and he saw her suddenly retreat, creating a long distance between them, and standing in front of her.

At the same time, the sound of wind breaking through the air rang out from all directions, and three white figures quickly swept in from all directions, heading towards the man's location. When the commotion stopped, the single figure standing in front suddenly became four.

They stood side by side, and they were exactly the same in appearance, build, and height.

If it weren't for the burn marks on one of them, Guan Xun truly wouldn't have been able to identify the person who had just been struck by the sword.

The sound of wind suddenly reached her ears. Guan Xun looked up and saw a black shadow, like a dot, rapidly descending. She frowned and prepared to retreat.

"Boom!"

A little old man suddenly jumped down from the sky. Whether it was because of his short stature or some other reason, when he landed on the ground, it was as if a feather touched the ground, and he didn't even stir up a single grain of sand.

He was wrapped in a pink robe, which clashed drastically with his dark gray skin, creating a strong visual impact that made people feel uncomfortable.

The old man's exposed skin was covered with wrinkles, his muscles sagged, and his skin was loose and sagging.

The moment he landed, the white mist that surrounded him quickly receded to within a few meters of him, and Guan Xun happened to be within that range, finally regaining his long-lost vision.

The old man ignored his surroundings, swished his short, black and white tail a few times, and hurriedly ran towards the four guardians. His wrinkled and withered hands patted them back and forth, seemingly checking them over.

Guan Xun squinted and sized him up. The old man was stronger than her, but he didn't seem to have any killing intent.

She examined it closely, a hint of astonishment rising in her eyes. It was neither human nor beast, what exactly was it?

"Take a look." She tilted her head slightly to look at Chi Rong and asked in a low voice.

This is the first time I've ever seen something so strange and peculiar.

Could it still be the legendary Ancient Fierce Phoenix? Did it fail to transform into human form, hence this state? Recalling the noble appearance of the Ancient Fierce Phoenix described in the Divine Beast Encyclopedia, and then looking at its somewhat lewd appearance before me…

Guan Xun immediately banished this terrible thought from her mind. She still preferred beautiful things; such an ugly appearance made her feel goosebumps rising on her arms.

Chi Rong raised his chin and shook his head: "Master, isn't this just a human?"

“No human being would look like this.” Although Guan Xun’s words were a denial, there was no doubt in his tone.

In fact, with her current level of cultivation, she could easily tell whether the other party was human or not; she just couldn't believe it.

Before Chi Rong could say anything more, Guan Xun raised his head slightly and looked at Xiao Yu: "Take a look too."

The little fish glanced at it indifferently: "It is indeed a human."

Well, having received the same answer, she accepted it.

Humans who are half-human and half-beast... No wonder it's Zhongzhou, there are all sorts of strange and wonderful things here.

The four guardians simply let the old man pat them without the slightest resistance or dissatisfaction, indicating that their status must be above theirs, and perhaps... they are even the masters of this Burning Phoenix Manor.

It's very likely that the old man was the one who made her go with them.

Having thought this through, Guan Xun's murderous intent subsided somewhat, but he still remained highly vigilant.

The old man put his hands behind his back, tilted his head back, and stared intently at the charred spot on the guardian's chest. His tail swung much faster than before, and his ears twitched slightly.

She doesn't seem to be in a good mood.

He turned around, his cloudy, triangular eyes staring straight at Guan Xun. He then pointed to the burned area behind him, his tone full of shock and anger: "You little brat, look what you've done! You've beaten my precious boy into this state! You, you, you!"

Their eyes met, and Guan Xun's eyes flashed with a hint of fearlessness: "These people said they wanted me to go with them, but they started attacking me non-stop right away. I can't just stand there and take a beating, can I?"

"Then you can't...!" The old man gasped for breath, but stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

His face twitched a few times, and after flicking his sleeves, he put his hands behind his back again: "Ahem, this was my oversight, I didn't explain it clearly, um..."

Before he finished speaking, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from all around, as if someone was about to emerge from the smoke. It was normal for someone to notice such a commotion.

The old man's expression suddenly changed drastically. He immediately covered his face with one hand and waved his other hand heavily several times.

Such a simple and casual movement caused the approaching footsteps to stop abruptly, and even the noise of the crowd disappeared completely into the bamboo forest.

All of their presence vanished after the old man waved his hand.

He then immediately turned around and began muttering to himself.

"Oh dear, I panicked for a moment and forgot there were still people around..."

"What should we do? Did you see everything?"

"You all must have seen it, right? Oh my god..."

As he spoke, he would occasionally sneakily peek at Guan Xun from behind, like a little thief.

Guan Xun: ...

What is this old man doing?

“If you mean that face, then I did see it,” she said calmly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man abruptly stopped rambling. His short body trembled incessantly. After a short while, he resignedly raised his head and let out a long breath.

He turned around abruptly, his face serious: "Hmph, so what if I'm ugly! No matter how ugly I am, I'm still the owner of this manor!"

Guan Xun: ...

Guan Xun was slightly speechless. It was true that she was ugly, but she hadn't said anything, so why was she reacting so strongly?

However, she was right; the old man was indeed the master of Burning Phoenix Manor.

Her eyes flickered as she looked around, then changed the subject, saying, "Where have they all gone?"

"Oh." Seeing that the other party was expressionless and did not show any obvious disgust, the old man's agitation subsided a bit. "I have already sent them all out of the magic circle."

"what?"

Guan Xun was slightly taken aback at first, then her expression turned grim. She hadn't forgotten a word Duan Huaiyan had said: they could only venture into the inner village, whose appearance time was unpredictable, after leaving the formation. What if they encountered it as soon as they left, while she was still trapped here...

That won't do!

Wasn't what the old man just did exactly cheat for them?

Her eyelids twitched involuntarily. She raised her hand, pointed to herself, and frowned, saying, "What about me?"