Chapter 144 Settling Accounts

When Luo Xingtao heard Liu Zhongguo laying down the rules, he dared not utter a word.

Liu Zhongguo continued, “Luo, go back and tell your sect leader this: no matter who wants to take Pi Yangxi’s life, your sect must not interfere anymore. That fiancé of Bai Xiaoli you mentioned—if he truly has the ability, let him come himself. Tell that person clearly: Pi Yangxi’s life is under the protection of the Cao Gang!”

My life is protected by the Cao Gang!

Hearing Liu Zhongguo’s words, I finally breathed a long sigh of relief. With the Cao Gang shielding me, I no longer feared any tricks Luo Xingtao might try to pull.

Luo Xingtao remained silent; whether he heard or not, I couldn't tell. But with the Cao Gang guarding me, I doubted he would dare act rashly.

“Leave now,” Liu Zhongguo waved his hand, dismissing Luo Xingtao.

Yet Luo Xingtao’s eyes, burning with hatred, fixed on me as he said, “Pi Yangxi, you destroyed my sect’s sacred artifact. How do you intend to settle this score?”

Liu Zhongguo was momentarily taken aback—he hadn’t expected Luo Xingtao to be so stubborn. Then, staring him down, he said firmly, “You turned a perfectly good wedding into this disaster—that’s even now. If you insist on settling scores, remember the Cao Gang shattered your sect’s Twenty Corpse Formation. Will you count that debt too?”

Liu Zhongguo’s words were a clear threat: if the Duhe City sect wanted to keep reckoning with me, the Cao Gang would ensure the debts between them were settled thoroughly. In the end, the ones who’d suffer would be the Duhe City sect.

“Little sect leader, let it go. Let’s head back,” said a sect member, eyes still bleeding, shoulders hunched with a fierce aura. He approached Luo Xingtao cautiously, unwilling to seek revenge despite his injury inflicted by the Cao Gang.

Luo Xingtao’s expression betrayed his unwillingness to let go. He glared at me venomously, then turned to leave the room.

“Stop!” I called coldly as he tried to walk away. When he looked back at me, I said icily, “Luo Xingtao, the rules of the geomancy world forbid harming the family of those outside it during a geomantic duel. If you dare lay a hand on my family, I, Pi Yangxi, will make your sect pay dearly.”

Luo Xingtao’s lips curled into a sly smile. “You’re nothing but a bully with borrowed power. You have no right to lecture me. If it weren’t for the Cao Gang protecting you today, your life wouldn’t still be yours.” He then pointed eastward with a cunning grin. “We’ll see about that.” With that, he turned and led a group of blinded sect members away.

Because these sect members had lost their sight, they leaned on each other, shoulders linked, following Luo Xingtao in a line out of the hall. The formation looked oddly comical.

But I couldn’t find any humor in it. The direction Luo Xingtao had pointed—due east—was where Duhe City Experimental Middle School stood. Pi Lin’er was still studying there. His meaning was clear: he had set his sights on Pi Lin’er.

Though I knew Pi Lin’er’s identity was no simple matter and Luo Xingtao might not dare provoke him, I didn’t want my own troubles to drag Pi Lin’er prematurely into the geomantic world. After all, I still hoped my sister could live a normal life, going to school and achieving success like any ordinary child, rather than becoming entangled in the geomancy realm.

Seeing Luo Xingtao’s sly smile, utterly dismissive of our world’s rules, I feared he would sooner or later make a move on Pi Lin’er. Unease gnawed at me as I turned to Liu Zhongguo for help.