Lord of the Desert

Chapter 519 Dharma Protector
With a single thought, the sand puppet disintegrated and collapsed as it ran.

Hong Fan hurried into the front courtyard and saw Qu Luoyi looking travel-worn with drooping shoulders. In his left hand, he was carrying a pair of worn-out boots, and in his right hand, he was pulling a bell-shaped azalea flower from the green leaves and sucking on it.

"Shen Hong, quickly go and buy Young Master Qu a pair of boots!"

He couldn't help but grin, and following suit, he picked a flower to taste the honey; it was indeed sweet.

"I remember the Asura Sect opens its gates to recruit new members every April, so why are they here now?"

"Of course, it's for the battle at Tiantai on April 12th; everyone in the world knows about our friendship, if Yi She wants to get rid of you, he'll get rid of me!"

Qu Luoyi frowned and spoke with a fierce tone.

Hong Fan smiled upon hearing this, grabbed his forearm, and led him into the hall.

As soon as the two entered the house and sat down, Tao Hong served tea.

The tea was excellent, and Qu Luoyi drank several cups in a row, but his stomach started growling.

"Brother Qu, are you hungry again?"

Hong Fan recalled how the other person looked when they first came to Shenjing before the New Year and asked with a smile.

"Yes, a little. I was so busy traveling that I didn't have time to eat."

Qu Luoyi patted her empty belly.

"But you don't need to pay this time. Master knows I'm here to help my brother fight, so he specially provided for my expenses."

He was full of confidence and waved to summon the maids waiting outside the hall.

"Tao Hong, I'm a bit hungry after my long journey. I'll treat your young master to a few drinks. Go to a restaurant outside and order two tables of food and drinks. Remember to order the best restaurant and the highest-class food and drinks. Money is no object!"

As Qu Luoyi spoke, he leaned back in the armchair, placed his right foot on his left knee and made circles, revealing his dark instep.

"I understand, Young Master Qu. The best place nearby is Qingchang Residence. Their first-class food and wine costs about two hundred taels per table."

Tao Hong responded and returned the greeting with a deep bow.

"This servant will go right away..."

"Wait!"

Qu Luoyi's eyebrows furrowed, revealing a wary expression.

"Two hundred taels per table, wouldn't two tables cost four hundred taels? With that price, you could win the title of the most beautiful courtesan in Xijing. Is this 'Qingchangju' a swindler or a fraud?"

Tao Hong was stunned for a moment—her family had been wealthy for a long time, and she had become accustomed to viewing money as just a number.

"Young Master Qu, Qingchang Residence is indeed a top-tier den of extravagance in the entire capital, so this price is certainly justified..."

She answered tactfully.

"How about we go somewhere cheaper? Cuifang Tavern in the next alley only costs three taels a table, and the food is pretty good too."

"No, let's go to Qingchangju."

Qu Luoyi stiffened his neck.

"I want to see what's so special about this two-hundred-tael banquet; besides, if we don't order from this place today, people will think your young master is stingy."

【No, why would people think my young master is stingy if you're treating? So who's paying this time?】

Peach Blossom stood there, her brain overloaded.

"Go, Peach Blossom, go to Qingchang Residence."

Hong Fan laughed and said, "How could I not know that Qu Luoyi simply can't afford four hundred taels of silver?"

"Don't take any other wine, just take their best twenty-year-old vintage; if they say they don't have it, just say you want it."

Qingchang Residence dared not delay the arrival of food from the prestigious Chixingdian; half an hour later, the wine and dishes were delivered one after another, and Qu Luoyi was shouting and fighting on the table, even breaking several sets of bowls and chopsticks in the process.

As one of the four major sects in the world, the Asura Sect is not short of money at all, but in order to cultivate the perseverance and fighting spirit of its disciples, the sect has always forbidden extravagance.

Especially martial arts talents like Qu Luoyi.

"How could news of my affair with Yi She, separated by thousands of miles, have reached Xijing so quickly?"

Hong Fan held his wine glass, watching his good brother wolf down his food.

"Of course. The news traveled along the special post road, and when it arrived on the 23rd, it caused a stir in the streets and alleys of Xijing. Even in the Shura Sect, everyone was talking about it—after all, you are the hope for Liangzhou to once again top the list of geniuses after your brother."

Qu Luoyi sucked on a shad skeleton, his tone unusually worried.

“Your decision to fight this battle was so vague and unpredictable that I couldn’t stop feeling uneasy. I had to come and check on things.”

"You think I can't win?"

Hong Fan raised an eyebrow.

Do you think you can win?

Qu Luoyi glanced at him after hearing this.

"I'm not trying to boost their morale, but I watched the whole battle where Yi She defeated Zhong Lianyun. That kid is a scoundrel, but his strength is undeniable. His fighting style is incredibly fast and fierce. Even I wouldn't be confident against him now, let alone someone like you who has reached the Innate Fourth Harmony realm?"

"A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation."

Hong Fan suddenly tilted his head back and downed the wine in his glass.

"I am now at the Five Elements of the Primordial State, having obtained the essence and blood of the Dragon's offspring, and have also forged a divine weapon."

"A divine weapon? Ha, you really have connections everywhere. How did you manage to get your hands on this?" Qu Luoyi was slightly surprised and scratched his chin with his oily left hand.

"Are you planning to use this weapon to scheme against Yi She?"

"No, I told Yi She all of that."

Hong Fan shook his head.

"Since we're going to the Heavenly Terrace, we should have a fair and square competition; the new list of three rankings will be released in three days, and then the whole world will know."

Qu Luoyi suddenly felt it was a pity.

“Yi She is a shameless bastard who bullies his superiors. You are right to complain. I saw through his two-faced nature before the New Year.”

He was clearly still upset about not receiving the compliment of being "outstandingly good-looking".

The two chatted and drank, and when they had only finished half a jar of wine, Tao Hong hurriedly ran in again, followed by a familiar footstep.

"Young master, young master, we have another distinguished guest."

"This time, Gu Qiangkui has arrived!"

Hong Fan jumped up, never expecting that the joyous occasion of meeting an old friend in a foreign land would come twice in one day.

Outside the door, Gu Yixin, dressed in white and carrying the old gun, walked through the winding path; Hong Fan went out to greet him and was about to speak when he heard a crisp snap behind him.

"I never expected to meet Gu Qiangkui here!"

After the dinner table, Qu Luoyi put one foot on the stool, stretched out his greasy right hand to wipe the strands of hair from his forehead behind his head, revealing a sharp gaze at a 45-degree angle.

Both Gu Yixin and Hong Fan were trapped in place.

"The battle between us many years ago is still vivid in my mind, I never expected to meet you here."

His words were full of a sense of vicissitude and a deep appreciation for his opponent.

The hall was silent for a moment.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

Gu Yixin scratched his head.

Qu Luoyi never dreamed that her words could be so hurtful. Her composure crumbled abruptly, and even her breathing became labored.

"Little Emperor Dou..."

Hong Fan quickly reminded him in a whisper.

"Little, little rascal?"

Gu Yixin still didn't react.

"Tianpeng Mountain, Asura Sect!"

Hong Fan added another sentence.

"Ah, oh, it's Junior Brother Qu!"

Gu Yixin noticed the bluish light flashing in the other person's eyes and finally realized what was happening.

"I'm sorry, our fight was seven years ago, and I really didn't remember it just now; Junior Brother Qu is famous throughout the land, how could I not remember? You were rolling around in the hall back then..."

His expression was so sincere that Gu Yixin hurriedly recalled the past; Hong Fan, standing to the side, gritted his teeth and barely managed to suppress his laughter.

Qu Luoyi is twenty-six years old this year, and she can understand to some extent how embarrassing it was for her to act so shamefully in front of a group of distinguished guests when she was nineteen.

But he had done it himself, and the Six Harmonies of the Innate Realm was no match for the Yuan Magnetic Realm. Gu Yixin was his brother's brother, so what could he do but swallow his anger?
Another set of chopsticks and a bowl was added to the table.

"The news arrived in Erbai City yesterday; it was Wei Gong who specifically sent someone to inform me."

Gu Yixin has gained a little weight compared to before, but still doesn't drink alcohol.

"Brother, did you arrive overnight?"

Hong Fan was moved, but pretended to be relaxed.

"Although Yi She made a big fuss, it was just an ordinary challenge in the Heavenly Pride Ranking; I recently created a few new killing techniques and I am quite confident in this battle."

"Human hearts are unpredictable; you can't say that."

The old meaning is presented in a new light with great care.

“Some people will try to use dirty tricks before a duel. I encountered this more than once when I was on the leaderboard. Moreover, this battle involves the top spot. As the elder brother, I have to come and protect you. I'm sure Junior Brother Qu will do the same.”

“You just mentioned that you’ve created several new killing techniques. We can help you with that too—Junior Brother Qu is resolute and has the best recovery ability, so he can help you test out his moves.”

He said this while looking at Qu Luoyi.

The latter, while eating and drinking, was still preoccupied with the dark history he had just unearthed. At this moment, he was only thinking about breaking through the Yuan Ci and Gu Yi Xin to compete again, and he kept nodding regardless of what they were talking about.

With Hong Fan's connections in Shenjing, he was not short of sparring partners.

Xiao Chu has been away from the capital these days, "begging for alms"—the Crown Prince's private treasury is in trouble, and the military pay subsidies for the Shengyu Army have to be temporarily suspended—but before that, she had already ordered Hu Zhuang to help.

In terms of resilience, the Destiny Star "Elephant Eater" is no less powerful than the "Asura Battle Scripture".

But people are different.

Hong Fan couldn't help but drink several cups in a row. After the wine warmed his stomach and intestines, he felt even more that his decision to take on this battle was incredibly wise.

(End of this chapter)