Retake *Discontinued*

Chapter Twenty-Three: Talking Trash

Chen Linjian's eyes widened slightly, the shock evident; however, much to his credit, that was the only outward sign that could have alerted the three following the party. His shock quickly ebated as anger came over, evident by the narrowing of his eyes; his posture remained relaxed as he merrily clapped the twins on the shoulders and said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

The handsome noble then approached Biu Hao and Ming; he began speaking to them and left the twins to their own devices. Nie Li and Nie Tai shared a devious smile before Nie Li left to find Ye Ziyun. Shen Yue wanted to play with them? That was the same as playing with fire: the whelp was bound to be burned.

Not too long later, Nie Tai could sense ripples of soul force coming from the forest. Normally, there would be no murdering among the families because that would lead to Glory City being weakened, but the Dark Guild was an entirely different story. The Dark Guild had a history of tormenting and attacking the residents of Glory City, often taking them as victims, slaves, or unwilling members. The three Silver-Ranked members of the Sacred Family couldn't state their purpose of why they were following the party: it would cause trouble for the family. Chen Linjian, having been told that they were a part of the Dark Guild, would only be satisfied with their lives. Nie Tai watched Shen Yue closely when one of his subordinates whispered in his ear; the noble brat threw a small tantrum, which could have been missed if one wasn't watching.

"Linjian! What happened?" asked Tu Ruan shrilly upon the noble's return.

"There were three of the Dark Guild following the party. Two were killed and one escaped heavily injured." replied Chen Linjian evenly.

"They were so strong that you had to take five Silver-Ranked demon-spiritualists?" asked Nie Tai curiously, inserting herself in the conversation; she caught Chen Linjian glancing at her in slight confusion.

Biu Hao laughed loudly and skillfully dodged the question, "Little Scholar! It is not better to be over prepared?"

The five Silver-Ranked followers nearby quickly regaled her with details of the battle, amusing her with the cowardice of the silent Dark Guild members and the valiant victory led by Chen Linjian. Seeing some of the core members of Chen Linjian's group becoming friendly with Nie Tai, more came over and introduced themselves; one such person was Huyan Lanruo.

In the past life, Huyan Lanruo was able to gain the position of the Substitute House-Master of the Huyan Family: a powerful position that was highly coveted. Huyan Lanruo was of the Three-Star Silver-Rank and would quickly grow in a few years. Her demon-spirit is a Snow Sakura, which is known for its mesmerizing techniques that captivates its prey through its powerful charming abilities.

Sauntering up, showing off her beautiful figure through charming clothes, Huyan Lanruo introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Huyan Lanruo; I'm from the Huyan Family; I'm also friends with Chen Linjian."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Nie Tai. I come from the Heavenly Marks Family." Nie Tai replied calmly; Huyan Lanruo blinked in surprise. She was used to girls being extremely intimidated by her and often received deadly glares from one in particular: Tu Ruan. Seeing her arch-nemesis, in her mind at least, Tu Ruan gritted her teeth and approached the two; when seeing Tu Ruan approach, Huyan Lanruo sighed lightly and left to talk with Nie Li.

Ignoring Tu Ruan, Nie Tai walked over to Chen Linjian and heard him ask curiously, "How much do you know about inscription patterns?"

Smirking slightly, Nie Tai replied, "I know a small amount."

"Ha!" laughed Biu Hao, "Little Scholar is indeed modest: she says she knows a small amount. I bet that she knows more than anyone here!"

Chuckling, Nie Tai shook her head, "Biu Hao, you flatter me far too much. What causes your confidence in me?"

"Why, I must agree with him. You certainly seem to be one who pulls strings." said Chen Linjian.

"Surely, she can't know that much," interrupted Tu Ruan, walking up on Nie Tai's side, "I mean, how old are you, Nie Tai?"

"Far older than you." thought Nie Tai, but she remained silent and let Biu Hao answer for her.

"Age does not measure one's knowledge or intelligence. Shouldn't you know this, Tu Ruan?" Biu Hao said slyly, his cheerful persona driving the insult.

"She is a weak little girl! Why is she here?" shrilled Tu Ruan, her spoiled attitude rearing its ugly head.

"That—" started Chen Linjian, growing irate at Tu Ruan's comments.

"Why don't you try to make me leave then?" asked Nie Tai amicably, hiding her indignance towards Tu Ruan while startling the surrounding people.

Ming and Biu Hao both opened their mouths in disagreement before Tu Ruan laughed loudly, "Why, what a joke! Someone of your rank challenging me! You must have a death wish, little girl!"

"Hmm, if you aren't brave enough to try, then I guess we'll never know." replied Nie Tai evenly, crossing her arms behind her back before walking off.

"Get back here!" Tu Ruan ordered, gritting her teeth. The observers made a circle around the two as Tu Ruan reached out to grab Nie Tai; however, before she could, Nie Tai side-stepped it and caused Tu Ruan to trip. When hitting the ground, the older girl gaped at Nie Tai in embarrassed rage while Chen Linjian and Biu Hao stifled their laughter. Huyan Lanruo, however, didn't bother stifling her laughter, further enraging Tu Ruan.

"Not only were you insufferable in your mannerisms, but you also dared to attack someone from behind after refusing to fight," said Nie Tai distantly, her cold attitude shocking Tu Ruan, "Hmph, what a waste of time."

"Sister, would you mind helping me? You look like you need some stress relief," Nie Li came up to Nie Tai and whispered while looking at a pale young man dressed in white. Seeing Nie Tai smirk, he brought her closer to the young man.

Scoffing, Chu Yuan said, "You two dare to try and challenge me? I estimate that neither of you will reach One-Star Bronze-Rank in this life!"

Huyan Lanruo stepped forward saying, "You two can just ignore him, he is nothing."

Looking wounded, Chu Yuan said, "This boy greatly insulted my honor, Lanruo! I gave him permission to bring anyone he wanted to a fight and he chose this girl with the same talent! She even insulted Tu Ruan!"

"You mentioned a fight?" asked Nie Tai, rolling up her sleeves to reveal the blue metal bracers strapped on her arms.

"Let's not be rash," interrupted Chen Linjian, "our goal is the ruins. If some of our party were to be injured then it will only make the journey harder."

"Why are you protecting them? They will only hold us back if they aren't strong enough!" said Tu Ruan, who had completely dusted herself off. The young woman shrank back when Huyan Lanruo threw her a glare.

"We challenge you, Chu Yuan! The loser has to crawl like a dog for three rounds around the winner!" said Nie Li strongly, ignoring the gasps of the onlookers.

"What rank is this guy anyway?" thought Nie Tai as she probbed Chu Yuan. She was slightly shocked to find that he had a Three-Star Bronze-Rank. Smirking, she mused, "He doesn't focus on his cultivation and hasn't grown at all lately. Between his age and family rank, he should have been Silver-Rank by now."

"Hahahaha," laughed Chu Yuan boisterously, "I accept this challenge! With my strength I can easily defeat the two of you; however," he paused and looked maliciously at Nie Tai, "I would hate to beat a young woman, so if you want to back out, I'll let you."

Nie Tai ignored him and cracked her finger loudly, the popping sound telling him her answer. Grabbing the inside of his robe, Chen Linjian barely refrained from defending Nie Tai: he knew that the younger girl could handle herself and repay any injustice ten-fold.

Nie Li, however, did not hold his tongue, "You know, there are some people you shouldn't anger," the boy's tone quickly turned harsh, "If garbage like you doesn't know what you're seeing, then I'll have to forcefully open your eyes. I don't even care how busy it makes me!"

Heya! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!