Ye Shu's Three Refusals of Medusa

"Feng Mengli, I believe I said... you can leave?"

Ye Shu stood behind Li Qingran, speaking calmly.

His voice was not loud but it rang throughout the venue, carrying the disdain of one in a superior position.

Feng Mengli paused mid-step, slowly turning around, her gaze icy as she stared at Ye Shu.

"What did you say?"

"I said, did I give you permission to leave?"

Ye Shu showed no trace of fear, meeting Feng Mengli's gaze straight on.

"You come and then want to leave—there's no such easy deal in this world."

At these words, the entire crowd was shocked.

The disciples of Cloud Peak Sect watching the scene were utterly stunned.

"What... what is this guy saying?"

"Has he lost his mind?"

"That's the Sect Master, a top-tier Nascent Soul cultivator ranking high even in the Eastern Wasteland, and he's just a Core Formation cultivator at best. Even if he defeated Senior Sister Li and Elder Zhao, he's nothing more than a slightly larger ant before the Sect Master. Where does he get the nerve to talk like this? How dare he?"

"Senior Sister Li fought so hard to plead for him, but instead of appreciating it, he walks right into the line of fire."

"Hmph! He's definitely trying to show off in front of Senior Sister Li."

"This is the kind of man who doesn't know how to spell 'death.'"

The murmurs and whispers surged like a tide around them. Watching her master's face darken, Li Qingran's face turned deathly pale.

She wanted to turn around and ask why, but suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck, and then she found herself in someone's warm embrace. Her vision went dark, and the last thing she saw was Ye Shu's gentle face and his tender voice.

"What happens next isn't suitable for a child to watch."

"Just sleep for a bit... When you wake up, everything will be fine."

Ye Shu knocked Li Qingran unconscious with a single chop to the back of her neck, then lifted her horizontally into his arms.

To avoid softening his heart.

Stun the one who makes you weak right from the start—that way, you won't hesitate.

Simple, isn't it?

After picking up Li Qingran, looking at the peaceful sleeping face of the girl in his arms, Ye Shu swallowed hard and suppressed the urge to kiss her.

Even though the atmosphere right now seemed perfect for one.

After all, in all those films and shows from his past life, the scene was always like this: surrounded by enemies, the hero holds the unconscious heroine, gives her a gentle kiss, lays her down, and then turns to face the powerful foes alone.

But they weren't that close yet, so he decided to skip it.

"Here, take care of your mistress."

After handing the unconscious Li Qingran to her maid Yue'er, Ye Shu slowly lifted his head, smiling at Feng Mengli.

"Now, it's time to settle our accounts."

Just then, a childish, high-pitched voice came from his shoulder.

"Hey hey hey, you..."

Xiaobai tilted her head, staring at Ye Shu with suspicion.

"If you were planning to fight Feng Mengli from the start, why wait until Li Qingran finished pleading for you to begin? That's completely pointless—you're just putting your pants on after farting."

"You bastard... you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"..."

Ye Shu, who had been trying to look serious, felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Was he supposed to admit that it was all about the dramatic contrast, to make himself look cooler?

Of course not!

But with those words, the entire atmosphere was ruined.

"Xiaobai..." he gritted his teeth. "If you mock me like that again, I'll spank your little bottom!"

Hearing this, Xiaobai immediately covered her butt with her little hands, staring at him in terror, too frightened to say another word, afraid this brute would actually follow through.

After soothing that troublemaking Xiaobai, Ye Shu took a moment to compose himself again, lifted his head to face Feng Mengli, and sneered.

"Now, neither of us has any more worries."

"My disciple managed to let you live," Feng Mengli said darkly. "Do you not treasure a spared life even once?"

Hearing this, Ye Shu just smiled faintly.

"Remember what I said back in the Monster Beast Mountains?"

"Before I find you, run like a whipped cur."

His gaze gradually turned cold.

"And now, I've come for you."

As he finished speaking, he raised his right hand high. A pale green sword split the sky, materializing from the void into reality, its blade flowing with green light.

This was none other than—Qingxuan Sword.

Ye Shu held the longsword, its tip pointing to the ground, his eyes cold.

"Today is a personal grudge between Cloud Peak Sect Master Feng Mengli and me. Anyone unrelated, stand aside and leave quickly—otherwise, I, Ye Shu, will kill them all!"

His voice rumbled like thunder, spreading across the entire Cloud Peak Sect.

"Gyah!! So terrifying!" a young disciple watching from nearby shrieked with a pale face.

"He's a master! We'd better retreat!!!"

Bang!

A fist as big as a sandbag slammed into the back of his head, making him see stars. An older disciple withdrew his fist and said irritably,

"Retreat?! He's just a Core Formation nobody!"

"With so many elders here and the Sect Master herself as a Nascent Soul, you think we're scared of him?" the older disciple sneered. "He's just bluffing."

"Uh..." The younger disciple rubbed his head, breaking into a cold sweat. "I... I was just playing along to match the mood, Senior Brother. You know I'm always loyal."

Meanwhile, several figures appeared in midair.

The Cloud Peak Sect's elders, big and small, had all rushed over upon hearing the commotion. At Ye Shu's declaration, their faces darkened.

"Arrogant!"

"Young man, I advise you not to tread the wrong path!"

"Do not think that defeating Elder Zhao makes you invincible. Remember, there is always a sky beyond the sky and a man beyond the man!"

"A mere Core Formation cultivator dares to spout such nonsense here! Surrender now, kowtow five hundred times, scatter your cultivation, and we will let you live today! "

Dozens of high-ranking elders all roared in unison. Their voices rolled like crashing waves, drowning out Ye Shu's voice entirely, and their pressure cascaded down like a mountain collapsing or a tsunami sweeping in.

Just the aftershock made every ordinary disciple too afraid to even breathe.

The entire mountain shook, the oppressive scene truly terrifying!

The sky grew dark, dark clouds pressing down on the city, as if adding a touch of carnage to the tense atmosphere.

And what about Ye Shu, standing directly in that overwhelming pressure?

His expression didn't change. He pulled a blade of dogtail grass from somewhere and held it between his teeth. The combined pressure of the many elders swept past him, only rustling the grass slightly.

He looked... almost melancholic?

Even Medusa had to admit this rascal could always strike the coolest pose in moments like these.

No wonder he could charm so many young maidens.

"Sect Master Feng is resorting to numbers to bully an outnumbered opponent?"

Ye Shu's gaze swept over the elders glaring at him in midair. Not one of them was below the Nascent Soul stage, not one with a lower cultivation than his, all of them above it.

The leading few felt even deeper, like a bottomless ocean; they were evidently peak-level cultivators in their own right, the true foundation of Cloud Peak Sect.

Their numbers were no less than several hundred.

"It seems Sect Master Feng has called everyone."

Ye Shu let out a cold laugh. “What’s the matter? Afraid that you, a late-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator, can’t defeat me, a mere Golden Core stage cultivator?”

Hearing this, Feng Mengli snorted coldly.

“You little thief, do you take me for some fool? Even a lion must exert its full strength when hunting a rabbit. Last time, I was too hasty and unprepared, which allowed you to slip away.”

“Now, you won’t be so lucky.”

“There are over a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators and five Nascent Soul Great Cultivators here. How can you possibly stop me?”

For Feng Mengli, this was already the best formation she could think of. In truth, if Ye Shu hadn’t arrived so abruptly, she would have summoned friends and invited a few more Nascent Soul Great Cultivators to aid her.

“Tsk…”

Ye Shu held a blade of grass between his teeth and shook his head.

“I didn’t expect Sect Master Feng to think so highly of me, bringing an entire sect’s strength to kill me.”

“Hundreds of Nascent Soul cultivators and six Nascent Soul Great Cultivators—two hands can’t beat four fists.”

“From this perspective, it seems I’m doomed.”

“Is that so?”

Feng Mengli said nothing, but in her eyes, Ye Shu was already a dead man.

“Shu’er, this time you were indeed too reckless,” came Danxia’s anxious voice, transmitted from the ring on Ye Shu’s left ring finger. “I can briefly take over your body to get you out of here, and we can fight another day.”

Medusa’s sarcastic voice rang out as well.

“Hmph! Brat, looks like your big talk backfired, huh? Even when I was in my Nascent Soul stage, I couldn’t escape unscathed from a situation like this.”

“Though your attitude earlier really annoyed me—”

“I’ll still give you a chance. If you apologize to me in person, I’ll step in once and wipe out these ants. How about it?”

“My merciful heart only extends this far, and only once.”

“Is that so?”

Ye Shu gazed at the united assembly of the Yunxiao Sect’s elders before him, and faced Danxia and Medusa’s offered help.

Yet he merely smiled calmly.

“But I refuse.”