Crossing Over: The Strongest Mage

"Jin Yi Wei!? Officials from the government!?" The crowd on the first floor immediately scattered. Some who were eager to watch the drama climbed to the second floor, clearing the space. The person wearing the conical hat remained seated, and he muttered to the white-robed youth beside him, "Shixiong, look what you've done. It's all because of your greed for food that we've attracted unnecessary trouble."

The people in the tavern were puzzled. The white-robed youth appeared to be only around fifteen or sixteen years old, yet the person with the conical hat addressed him as Shixiong. That meant the one wearing the hat must be even younger. The most confusing part was that both youths didn't appear to have anything special about them, but when they acted, they possessed things worth 30,000 taels of silver. What was even stranger was that even though the Jin Yi Wei had come to arrest them, they remained calm and composed.

The crowd began to speculate. Could the two youths be sons of high-ranking officials in the imperial court? But they addressed each other as Shixiong and Shidi—could they be disciples of a powerful martial arts sect? Curious onlookers whispered and kept their eyes fixed on the unfolding drama downstairs.

"Hmph! It's not like you said the timing wasn't right. Otherwise, would I have brought you here? What trouble are you talking about? Do they think they can trap us?" The one with the conical hat, Hu Bai, said with a look of disdain.

"Heh, Shixiong is right," Yan Huo replied with a smile.

If it weren't for the fact that the two cultivators had just emerged from seclusion less than a month ago, Yan Huo wouldn't be wasting time in the capital with Hu Bai. Based on his calculations, the two cultivators should enter seclusion again in three days. Yan Huo planned to strike at Long Mountain, kill the other two princes, and then find an opportunity to take care of the remaining two cultivators.

"Once everything is done, I can finally set off on my journey. The affairs of the Liu family are no longer my concern," Yan Huo thought to himself. A few days ago, when Yan Huo killed the two princes of Water and Fire and arrived at the Liu family's estate, he was shocked to find it in ruins.

Two-thirds of the large escort agency had been destroyed. Fortunately, the Liu family's members were unharmed. It had been a year since Yan Huo had last seen them, and Liu Yiqing now seemed to have aged ten years. His hair had turned white at the temples, and his skin had become yellow and thin. He sat in the broken hall to meet Yan Huo. Also present were Liu Zheng, Liu De, and Wang Mang.

At this point, Liu Yiqing had lost his former ambition. The Liu family could no longer bear such a blow, so Liu Yiqing decided to take his family and leave Yan City.

"This might be for the best. Living a simple, peaceful life isn't necessarily a bad thing," Yan Huo said coldly to his father.

"Will you visit us again?" Liu Yiqing asked.

"I don't know," Yan Huo replied, not even knowing how long his own journey would be.

"I hope that day will come," Liu Yiqing said, with a hint of hope in his voice.

"Then that's good," Liu Yiqing sighed with relief.

Wang Mang wanted to follow Yan Huo, but Yan Huo refused. Instead, he handed Wang Mang the four scrolls of the *Xiaoyao Heart Method*. Yan Huo didn't go to see his mother one last time, leaving with no sentimental attachments. He flew off on his sword. Liu Yiqing gazed at the sky where Yan Huo had disappeared for a long while before finally sighing, "Ah, my son truly is no longer a mere mortal."

"Do you also hope that day will come, Xiuning Jie?" Yan Huo's thoughts were interrupted by Hu Bai's scolding.

"Little brat, what gives you the right to capture us? Have we broken any laws?"

"Little brat!? How dare you call me that!? Do you know who I am?" Chen Qing shouted angrily. He was the heir of the Prince's Mansion. His father was a powerful prince, second only to the emperor in authority! Born with a golden key, Chen Qing had never suffered such humiliation.

"Kill them right now, and feed their corpses to the dogs!" Chen Qing ordered in a fit of rage.

"W-Wait, Young Master Chen! You can't kill them!" When he heard the order to kill, Jia Fu panicked. If a life were lost here, Young Master Chen's father, the prince, would surely protect him. However, Jia Fu knew he would be the one to suffer. After all, who knew who these two young men were? What kind of background did they have? Anyone who could produce a Dragon Pattern Pearl was definitely not an ordinary person.

"Master Chen! It's better to clarify things first! We don't even know who they are!" But Chen Qing, who was notorious for being a fool, couldn't care less about Jia Fu's concerns. He was a well-known wastrel who spent his days indulging in wine, women, and gambling, throwing money around without a second thought. If it weren't for his sharp eyes and his interest in antiques and treasures, he wouldn't have recognized the Dragon Pattern Pearl.

Chen Qing had originally been in a bad mood from losing in the bidding earlier. Now, with Hu Bai openly insulting him, he couldn't swallow his pride. He wasn't concerned about the consequences of killing them. After all, there were many witnesses here, and if word got out, how could he ever show his face in the capital again? He had already abandoned the idea that "the emperor and the common people are equal before the law." His thoughts were clear: his father, the prince, would cover for him. Plus, the Dragon Pattern Pearl was a relic of the previous imperial palace. Even if he captured these two, he could accuse them of treason, which would be punishable by death anyway. This was just a case of "kill first, report later."

"Kill them. I'll take responsibility for everything," Chen Qing said coldly, giving orders to the four burly guards.

At first, the four inner court experts hesitated after Jia Fu spoke up, but upon hearing Chen Qing's command, their hesitation vanished. With a flash, they drew their knives and leaped forward.

"Humph! They're asking for it. Shidi, don't interfere. Watch as Shixiong shows you how it's done," Hu Bai said with a mocking smile.

"Well, I'm eager to learn today. Hehe, Shixiong, take it easy. They're not ordinary people," Yan Huo smiled and raised his cup of wine. The osmanthus wine was truly something one could drink endlessly. Yan Huo thought to himself, "Perhaps I should buy more to bring with me. I wonder if I'll ever find wine this good again once I leave here."

"Don't worry about it. Come, come! Let me show you how it's done," Hu Bai gestured with a smile toward the four experts.

Not ordinary people? The four inner court experts saw that the two young men seemed to completely disregard them, and their anger flared. They had originally planned to hold back some of their strength, but now they couldn't help but go all out. The four inner court experts unleashed a series of powerful slashes, each cut quick and fierce, targeting Hu Bai first. In the blink of an eye, the blades were already in front of him.

"It's over!" the people upstairs cried out, seeing the white-robed youth about to be sliced into pieces.

But just as the blades were about to land, the white-robed youth let out a light chuckle. A flash of white light suddenly surrounded him.

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Four crisp, metallic sounds echoed, and when everyone looked again, they were stunned. The four burly guards who had been attacking the white-robed youth were now lying on the ground. Their blades were shattered into pieces, and even more terrifying was the fact that each of them had five bloody gashes on their chests.

"Did you see the young man using a weapon?" one person from the second floor asked another.

"No... it was too fast. I didn't see anything. I kept my eyes on him, but I couldn't see him holding a weapon. All I saw was a flash of white light around him, and then everything was over," the other person replied, equally astonished.