A Busy Life

"I heard you guys are recruiting. Do you have weekends off?"

This was meant as a joke.

Still, Chen Xia was quite curious.

The solemn atmosphere was interrupted like this, the cultivator who was cursing frowned deeply, turned his head to look at Chen Xia, looked him up and down, and cursed.

"What stray dog is this?"

Rude words.

Chen Xia rubbed his nose and didn't respond. He smiled at the crowd of cultivators: "I heard you guys are recruiting, so I came to take a look..."

"I'm asking where you stray dog came from, didn't you hear me?!" This cultivator cursed again, raising his voice.

Chen Xia narrowed his eyes, looking at this cultivator, and calmly replied: "Say that again."

The cultivator quickened his pace, stepping forward with his palm open, walking directly towards Chen Xia's face.

The other passersby looked on in shock and horror, not daring to watch, only lowering their heads with trembling bodies.

The cultivator was about to get near, shouting curses at the same time.

"This old man is asking where you stray..."

Bang!

He didn't get the word "dog" out, nor could he say it.

Half of the cultivator's head was smashed into the ground, somewhat like it was plunged in. He didn't even get to cry out and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive.

Chen Xia casually waved his hand. "I think there should still be some courtesy between people. Being so aggressive is no good."

The expressions of the other Little Cinnabar Hall cultivators immediately became cautious, gathering spiritual energy in their hands as they confronted Chen Xia.

The passersby were even more afraid, quickly backing away, not daring to linger here.

"This is not a place where you can be arrogant. Don't think that just because you have some combat power and have learned some mystical arts, you can act recklessly at Little Cinnabar Hall!"

The cultivators shouted.

Chen Xia didn't expect the Little Cinnabar Hall cultivators to be so ill-mannered. Jokes couldn't even be cracked. He knitted his brows and asked:

"Then can I go?"

"After assaulting someone you want to leave just like that? Do you think Little Cinnabar Hall is something you can come and go from as you wish?!"

The Little Cinnabar Hall cultivators shouted again.

Chen Xia let out a sigh. One shouldn't let their own quality sink just because of others' low quality. So he bent down, pulled out the cultivator whose head was plunged into the ground, not knowing whether he was dead or alive.

Then he dusted the mud off the man's head, apologizing:

"Sorry about that."

This cultivator definitely couldn't speak now. He just lay there, not knowing whether he was dead or alive.

Chen Xia sighed. "I'll take it as you accepting the apology if you don't say anything."

Thus, Chen Xia clapped his hands and got up, preparing to leave.

"After hitting someone you want to just leave? It can't be that simple!"

"Daring to assault cultivators at Little Cinnabar Hall, even if you're an old monster at the Yuanying stage, don't expect to be able to leave safely today!"

Chen Xia let out another sigh. He really felt a bit annoyed. Pointing at the cultivator on the ground of unknown life or death, he said:

"The one who was hit didn't say anything. Why are you all so agitated?"

Indeed he didn't say anything, because he also couldn't speak.

"Besides, if I really wanted to leave, what gives you the right to stop me? All of you speak without thinking first. Old monster at the Yuanying stage? If you really annoy me later, I'll give you each a punch."

Chen Xia really couldn't help but complain.

Sitting in the back was a proud figure who seemed to have some interest, raising her eyes a little. They were a pair of sparkling green pupils.

The Little Cinnabar Hall cultivators really didn't expect Chen Xia to be so arrogant and rampant, to be able to act so self-righteous after assaulting a cultivator at Little Cinnabar Hall. They angrily cried out:

"Go ahead and try, let's see if our Little Cinnabar Hall can capture you, this madman!"

"Alright." Chen Xia nodded. He didn't say much more before directly walking towards the one who had shouted.

The other passersby ran to the side to take shelter, truly never having seen such a scene before.

It was clearly a shabbily dressed mountain climber, yet he actually dared to be so arrogant against the Little Cinnabar Hall gentlemen.

How had the world changed to become like this? It was truly somewhat incomprehensible.

Chen Xia's footsteps halted as he faced the cultivator. Head raised slightly, disdainfully he said:

"Come, I'm standing right in front of you now. Use whatever skills you have and come at me. I want to see if you can make me stay."

When this cultivator looked at Chen Xia, he felt an incomparable oppressive might, far greater than the pressure given off by those ancient powerful beings. It was like a god overlooking the heavens and earth!

The cultivator's body started to tremble uncontrollably as he didn't dare to look directly at Chen Xia, even slowly lowering his head, not daring to speak.

The group of Little Cinnabar Hall cultivators stood at the side, unable to say anything.

Squeak.

The sound of a chair moving could be heard.

That white-robed figure stood up, hands clasped behind, slowly walking out from among the Little Cinnabar Hall cultivators. Her sparkling green eyes looked straight at Chen Xia as she stopped.

"What is your name?"

This was an ethereal voice that seemed to appear out of thin air.

Chen Xia turned his head, first seeing the glistening jade-green eyes, then the elegant looks, and the charming touch of cinnabar mole at the corner of her mouth.

"Qiong Qi."

This was Chen Xia's reply.

The woman's fine brows slightly raised as her voice continued to echo forth:

"Qiong as in the heavens, Qi as in peaceful?"

Chen Xia nodded. "Yes."

One of the cultivators couldn't help but cry out: "What a pretentious name, to dare take such a name. He must either be very powerful, or have no fear of death."

Having heard this, Chen Xia agreed: "That's right."

Qiong Qi indeed had no fear of death, which was why he died later on.

The woman's sparkling jade eyes were still looking at him, with no discernible change in expression.

Chen Xia rubbed his eyes. If this woman still didn't say anything, he was going to leave.

But he had just taken a step when a violent pain surged within Chen Xia's body, making him break out in cold sweat. His divine sense looked inward.

The sea of swords inside him was churning. With heavy injuries on his body, and insufficient spiritual energy, he had to draw spiritual energy from the sea of swords to maintain the stability of his body.

But now, the spiritual energy in the sea of swords was also insufficient, so it started to fluctuate.

This wasn't because the three million flying swords were being disobedient, but because they were forcibly pulling in spiritual energy to fill Chen Xia's body, making up for his injuries. This was why there was such violent pain.

Truly, it was too painful. For ordinary cultivators, it would be like having countless tiny needles pricking at the divine sense sea.

Cold sweat beaded on Chen Xia's forehead as his body hunched over slightly. He didn't say anything, just gritted his teeth and turned to walk away.

After taking just one step, the sword intent in his body could no longer be contained, madly rushing towards the body's acupoints.

Chen Xia quickly stopped it. If the sword intent really rushed out, then his body would become a sieve, unable to retain spiritual energy for a short period of time.

He let out a breath, set the bronze sword to be on guard, then gritted his teeth to endure the pain as he slowly sat down.

Then, to the shock and bewilderment of the crowd, he slowly shifted into a lying position like an old man resting on a heated brick bed, softly saying to everyone:

"You guys slowly discuss what to do. I'm going to take a nap first."

After saying this, Chen Xia closed his eyes and lay there motionless, using his divine sense to comfort the three million sword intents.

The remaining Little Cinnabar Hall cultivators stared blankly, at a loss for words for a long time.

Even the proud woman's expression froze as she opened and closed her cherry lips, truly not knowing how to judge this.

What was the meaning of this?

Seeking leisure in the midst of busyness?

Could this really be understood as art?