Chapter 64: The Standoff of the Three Great Powers

The speaker was Master Ye of the Heavenly Qi Sect. Upon receiving reports from his disciples, he immediately led his people to follow Nie Huixiang’s trail.

Nie Huixiang had killed a disciple of the Heavenly Qi Sect—a matter of grave consequence. Both the Nie family and the Heavenly Qi Sect were among the four major powers in Pingyang City, and they had always kept to their own affairs. Now that Nie Huixiang had slain a disciple of the Heavenly Qi Sect, Master Ye would certainly not let the matter rest; otherwise, what face would the Heavenly Qi Sect have left to stand in Pingyang City?

Upon seeing Master Ye arrive, Nie Yuntian’s brow furrowed. With Ye present, it would be difficult to take action against Wu Tian without sparking an all-out conflict between the Nie family and the Heavenly Qi Sect.

“So it’s Master Ye of the Heavenly Qi Sect. A pleasure to meet you!” Nie Yuntian greeted with a cupped fist.

“Head Nie, what is the meaning of this? You led your people to storm into the Heavenly Qi Sect and kill one of my disciples! If you do not give a proper explanation today, I swear I won’t let this go!” The slain disciple’s master, who had come with Master Ye, pointed angrily at Nie Yuntian, his voice booming with rage.

“If we’re speaking of murder, your disciple Wu Tian killed so many of our Nie family’s guards. We won’t let that go easily either!” The Nie family members who accompanied Nie Yuntian shouted with arrogant bravado.

“It was your Nie family who started this—killing my disciple! That your guards were slain is getting off lightly!” the dead disciple’s master retorted bitterly.

“So our many slain guards died for nothing? It was your Heavenly Qi Sect bullying others with your power!”

“Who’s bullying whom? What of the Nie family? Are you so impressive? I’ll avenge my disciple myself!”

“Come on then! If it’s a fight you want, do you think the Nie family fears the Heavenly Qi Sect?”

A heated argument broke out between the two sides, nearly escalating into a brawl.

“Head Nie, the Heavenly Qi Sect and the Nie family have always kept to their own domains. But your son led men into my sect and committed murder—how do you explain this? Shouldn’t you give an account?” Master Ye’s voice was icy as he fixed his gaze on Nie Yuntian.

“Master Ye, it is indeed regrettable that your disciple perished, and I apologize for this accident. But if you want some form of restitution, very well; our Nie family can offer silver or spirit stones as a gesture of condolence to your sect,” Nie Yuntian replied, seeking to settle matters with money, knowing now was not the time for escalation.

“Nie Yuntian, are you out of your mind? Do you think the Heavenly Qi Sect is short on money? You think this can be settled with a mere payment after murdering one of our disciples? Fine, then let me kill Nie Huixiang and pay you some silver in return—does that sound fair to you?” Wu Tian sneered at Nie Yuntian. Though he was no match for Nie Yuntian, it did not stop him from provoking trouble.

“Well said! Kill one of our disciples and try to smooth it over with money? Never!”

“Your Nie family was clearly at fault yet refuses to admit it. Shameless!”

The Heavenly Qi Sect’s members echoed Wu Tian, itching to take down the Nie family on the spot.

Nie Yuntian’s expression turned dark. He glared coldly at Wu Tian and said, “You’ve already killed so many of my guards—what more do you want? Just a mere disciple, and now you want to destroy the whole Nie family?”

Suddenly, Wu Tian’s eyes widened as he declared, “That’s right. I intend to wipe out your Nie family!”

“Hmph! Absurd! You think you alone can destroy the Nie family? You’re only bringing humiliation upon yourself!” Nie Yuntian retorted with a cold laugh.

“Head Nie! The solution is simple. Your son killed a disciple of my sect—hand over the murderer. Let him face the punishment he deserves, and this matter ends. If you refuse, don’t blame the Heavenly Qi Sect for what comes next!” Although Master Ye appeared serene and otherworldly, he was not to be trifled with. The Heavenly Qi Sect’s foundation was vast; though he was only the head of the Pingyang City branch, his presence was formidable.

Nie Yuntian felt a headache coming on. In Pingyang City, the Nie family and the Heavenly Qi Sect were among the four great powers, but the local Heavenly Qi Sect was only a small branch of a much larger force—far more powerful than the Nie family.

“Master Ye, my son Nie Huixiang was at fault, but it was an accident. I will discipline him strictly. As head of the family, I give you my word that the Heavenly Qi Sect will have a satisfactory explanation in due time. Will that suffice?” Nie Yuntian’s tone softened somewhat.

“A satisfactory explanation? Head Nie, what does that mean? Unless you hand over the killer, there is no satisfaction! Do it now, or the Nie family will face the consequences!” the slain disciple’s master shouted, his anger unyielding.

At that moment, the sound of synchronized marching resounded, and a large contingent of city guards arrived.

“Master Ye, Head Nie, please calm yourselves! Both the Heavenly Qi Sect and the Nie family are pillars of Pingyang City. It would not do to let things escalate. For my sake, please hear me out,” said City Lord Song Ke, who had hurried over.

Song Ke had heard that the Heavenly Qi Sect and the Nie family had come to blows in the street and rushed to intervene. There were four major powers in Pingyang City: the Heavenly Qi Sect, the Nie family, the City Lord’s Mansion, and the Sun family. Of these, the Heavenly Qi Sect and the Nie family were the most formidable. If they clashed, the city would undoubtedly be bathed in blood.

“Father, you’re here—thank goodness!” Song Qianqian, who had been bewildered throughout, breathed a sigh of relief at her father’s arrival.

“This is all your fault. I’ll deal with you at home!” Song Ke shot her a stern look and muttered under his breath.

“City Lord, this was clearly instigated by the Nie family. Nie Huixiang led men into our sect, killed a disciple, and injured many others. Now we demand justice—shouldn’t the Heavenly Qi Sect pursue this to the end?” the elder of the sect confronted Song Ke.

“Nonsense! Look at what your disciple Wu Tian did—he killed ten of our guards! Are their deaths to go unanswered?” a member of the Nie family argued heatedly.

Song Ke could only smile wryly. He could not easily assign blame; his priority was to maintain peace between the two factions and prevent conflict.

“I believe this is all a misunderstanding. Surely the Nie family had no intention to kill, and as for Young Master Wu, he must have acted in the heat of the moment. Why don’t we all sit down and talk things through? If we can turn hostility into friendship, so much the better,” Song Ke advised both sides.

“Yes, yes, I was only looking for Wu Tian to settle a score—it was not my intention to kill a disciple of the sect,” Nie Huixiang hurried to explain, eager to calm matters as the situation escalated.

“Nie Huixiang, how can you lie so brazenly? I saw you kill him on purpose—and you even tried to kill the other senior brothers!” a disciple who had witnessed the scene shouted angrily.

“You’re slandering me! It was accidental!”

“You’re just making excuses!”

“No, it truly was unintentional!”

Suddenly, a crisp slap rang out. Before everyone’s eyes, Wu Tian struck Nie Huixiang across the face with such force that Nie Huixiang was sent flying.

“You killed and still refuse to admit it? I’ll beat you to death myself!” Wu Tian said coldly after striking him.