Zhang Ergou saw from afar a woman in gorgeous and noble attire, surrounded by a group of people, walking towards him.
As she drew closer, Zhang Ergou recognized her as the woman named Ling Feng'er whom he had met at the black market.
Back then, she had even used Zhang Ergou as a shield to escape the harassment of her senior brother, Hua Ying.
Even after the black market auction ended, Ling Feng'er was almost violated by Hua Ying. If Zhang Ergou and his companions hadn't appeared, Ling Feng'er would have been beyond rescue.
At that time, Zhang Ergou, who was still in the Qi Refining stage, fought a Foundation Establishment cultivator alone. It was extremely dangerous.
However, he eventually repelled Hua Ying, but this also created a hidden enemy for Zhang Ergou.
Now, encountering Ling Feng'er again, Zhang Ergou was reminded of those past events.
Just as he was preparing to greet Ling Feng'er, who was walking towards him.
Ling Feng'er merely lifted her eyelids slightly, glanced at him, and then, as if no one else was there, walked past with her entourage.
It was as if she had never seen Zhang Ergou before.
Zhang Ergou's hand, raised in mid-air, froze. Judging by her demeanor, she truly didn't seem to recognize him.
"Who is that? It looks like they wanted to greet Senior Sister Ling?"
"Never seen them before. Probably a disciple from another sect participating in the Grand Competition between the two sects. They must have heard of Senior Sister Ling's fame."
"Hmph, what kind of stray cat or dog tries to get acquainted with Senior Sister Ling? They should look at themselves."
"Exactly. Senior Sister Ling is the pride of our Liuhai Sect. How could an ordinary person get close to her?"
Those people didn't lower their voices, and their sarcastic remarks reached Zhang Ergou's ears word for word.
Zhang Ergou didn't know what had happened to Ling Feng'er.
But judging by her current appearance, she had clearly become a core member of the Liuhai Sect.
Otherwise, so many disciples wouldn't be surrounding her.
What Zhang Ergou couldn't understand, however, was that Ling Feng'er didn't recognize him, even though he had saved her life.
Hearing the sarcastic words of the people surrounding Ling Feng'er.
Zhang Ergou's expression darkened. No matter how good-tempered he was, he wouldn't allow these people to slander him.
Besides, he hadn't shown any eagerness to get acquainted with her.
"Hmph, so self-important. Even a rooster dares to call itself a phoenix!"
Zhang Ergou spoke as if to himself, his voice not too loud nor too soft, but it carried clearly to the ears of the group.
"Kid, what did you say? Say it again if you dare!"
As soon as Zhang Ergou finished speaking, someone jumped out. The person was holding a long sword and thrust it directly at Zhang Ergou.
With a dismissive wave, Zhang Ergou blocked the attack. He could naturally sense the opponent's cultivation level, only peak Foundation Establishment.
Perhaps before his breakthrough, he would have treated a Foundation Establishment cultivator with caution, but now that he had broken through to the early Golden Core stage.
Foundation Establishment cultivators posed no threat.
The Liuhai Sect disciple, who was repelled by Zhang Ergou's palm, lost his balance and stumbled back several steps, only managing to stop with the help of the person behind him.
"You!" The man exclaimed in shock, "Who exactly are you? What are your intentions in coming to our Liuhai Sect?"
The man was clearly trying to turn the tables, feeling greatly embarrassed by being repelled by Zhang Ergou's palm. He didn't know that Zhang Ergou had only used ten percent of his strength with that casual flick.
Those surrounding Ling Feng'er were also greatly surprised by Zhang Ergou's display of strength.
Lin Chen was a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Among the Foundation Establishment disciples of the Liuhai Sect, his cultivation was already among the very best.
No one had expected Zhang Ergou to so easily neutralize Lin Chen's attack.
Just as everyone was marveling, they heard Lin Chen's words, and their expressions changed drastically, becoming tense.
Their gaze towards Zhang Ergou also turned unfriendly...
Zhang Ergou keenly noticed this change, but there was no one around to explain it to him. Everyone looked at him as if he were an mortal enemy.
Not only the people around him, but even Ling Feng'er's gaze towards Zhang Ergou turned cold.
"Speak, who sent you? What unspeakable secrets do you have for coming to our Liuhai Sect?"
Lin Chen glared at Zhang Ergou with hostility, and the others were on high alert.
The main reason was Zhang Ergou's sudden and mysterious appearance, coupled with his unfathomable cultivation. In their eyes, Zhang Ergou undoubtedly harbored unspeakable secrets.
"Uh, is this the hospitality of the Liuhai Sect?"
Zhang Ergou's face showed a mocking smile. He swept his gaze across the group, then turned to leave.
But if he wanted to leave, others didn't want him to.
"Kid, I hit the mark, didn't I? Now you're thinking of running away?"
Lin Chen said bluntly, looking at Zhang Ergou with a smug expression, as if proud of guessing Zhang Ergou's ulterior motives.
"Are you blind? Which eye of yours saw me running away?"
Zhang Ergou was speechless. Was this the level of the Liuhai Sect?
"You! Then why aren't you answering my question?" Lin Chen pressed, believing that Zhang Ergou's evasion meant he had been right and simply unwilling to admit it.
"My master told me not to play with fools."
Zhang Ergou dropped the remark and turned to leave. The Liuhai Sect disciples surrounding Ling Feng'er wanted to stop him.
However, they were hesitant to act due to their fear of Zhang Ergou's strength.
"Senior Sister Ling, look, are we just going to let this person of unknown origin leave like this?"
Lin Chen saw Zhang Ergou about to leave. Among the people present, Ling Feng'er had the highest cultivation, so naturally, everything revolved around her.
Ling Feng'er frowned slightly. She was quite displeased with Lin Chen's previous actions.
However, she didn't say anything. Zhang Ergou's attire clearly wasn't that of the Liuhai Sect.
Zhang Ergou, for convenience when wandering around, wasn't wearing any robes with the insignia of the Misty Sect. Su Dan Novel Network.
Therefore, when Lin Chen questioned Zhang Ergou, Ling Feng'er was also observing him. Although Zhang Ergou gave her a sense of familiarity, she couldn't recall anything.
Seeing Zhang Ergou about to leave, Ling Feng'er spoke, "Brother, are you just leaving like this?"
Zhang Ergou turned back in surprise. Did Ling Feng'er truly not recognize him? She had just addressed him as "Brother"?
"You don't recognize me?"
Earlier, when Zhang Ergou had raised his hand to greet her, he hadn't received a response from Ling Feng'er, and he had thought she was doing it intentionally.
Now, it seemed things weren't as he had imagined.
"Hmph, who do you think you are? How would Senior Sister Ling know you?"
A sarcastic voice rang out. Without looking, Zhang Ergou knew it was Lin Chen.
Zhang Ergou cast a cold glance at him. Lin Chen flinched back three steps, startled.
"What are you doing?"
"Incapable of putting up a fight!" Zhang Ergou turned his head, his gaze meeting Ling Feng'er's...