Fanfiction System in the world of Eastern Fantasy

Vendors froze and shoppers stumbled back, following the announcement. The crowd, just moments ago vibrant and surging with energy, parted like dried leaves with a gust of wind.

Qin Wei narrowed his eyes as a figure stepped down from the carriage, cloaked in crimson brocade trimmed with gold, his shoulders broad, his hair tied high in a martial knot, and deep scars visible along his jaw and neck. Despite the stately robes, his demeanor appeared more like someone who had gone through battles.

"The Duke of Nanjing. Now, it makes sense where I have witnessed that carriage," Qin Wei muttered.

Roulan immediately grabbed his sleeve. "Young master," she hissed, "we have to leave."

Qin Wei turned to her, confused. "Why?"

She leaned close, voice low and urgent. "That's the Duke of Nanjing. It's well known that your clan is on bad terms with him. And those masked men…"

Qin Wei's eyes flicked to the black-robed cultivators circling the carriage.

"They're the Grim Squad," she said. "All Rank-8s. The eunuch is even Rank-9. And him…"

She glanced at the Duke, who now scanned the crowd with a cold, controlled gaze.

"He's a Grand Sorcerer. He can kill us with a snap of his fingers. We shouldn't be anywhere near this place. Let's go."

Before Qin Wei could respond, another figure emerged from the carriage. A younger man, about Qin Wei's age, stepped down. Clad in sleek blue robes, with a feathered crest pinned to his chest.

Qin Wei's pupils shrank.

"That guy…" he whispered, taking half a step forward.

Roulan noticed the shift in his expression immediately. Her hand latched onto his arm. "This fellow?" She recognized the young man, too. The one Qin Wei offended just a while ago.

As Qin's lips pressed into a hard line, Roulan's expression darkened. "We're definitely leaving."

Without another word, she wrapped one arm around his waist, stepped back, and with a surge of internal Qi, they shot into the sky, trying to vanish into the rooftop shadows.

But they didn't make it as a voice, firm and cold, rang out behind them, shaking the very air around them:

"Since you're here, why run, Li Clan Elite?"

Qin Wei and Roulan were both frozen in paralysis, mid-flight.

And then, like a mountain falling from the heavens, it slammed into them. Roulan gasped as her legs gave out, and both she and Qin Wei crashed onto a nearby rooftop, cracking the tiles under the force.

"Ugh!" Qin Wei coughed, the impact jarring his ribs.

The pressure didn't ease at all.

Roulan gritted her teeth, "This… this is the strength of a Grand Sorcerer. We're ants to him…"

Everyone turned at once.

The thud had drawn eyes like a drop of blood in water.

Even the young man who had just stepped out of the carriage shifted his gaze toward the collapsed figures on the rooftop.

But then his expression twisted the moment he recognized the fallen figure. "You!" he spat.

Qin Wei slowly pulled himself upright, brushing dust from his robes. Roulan stepped forward, trying to be composed despite the tremor in her body.

She bowed low, her hand to her chest. "Battle maid Roulan greets the Duke."

Duke Xu Xiao turned. His gaze swept over her like a blade, then fell to the man beside her. A subtle flicker passed across his face by faint recognition. "This boy… he looks familiar… Hmm?"

Before he could speak, the young man beside him stormed forward. "Everyone, kill that bastard!"

"He's the one who tried to kill me!"

"Hmm?" The Duke blinked, glancing at his son. Meanwhile, the Grim Squad immediately shifted. Their hands dropped to hilts, and Qi began to surge, enveloping them.

Knowing they had nowhere to run, Roulan steeled her mind and with one step, she placed herself firmly in front of Qin Wei, and in a flash, a sword of pale golden Qi formed in her hand, showing the rank-8 prowess.

"Lord Xu, please think twice before laying hands on this man," she declared loudly, her voice like steel wrapped in silk, "is the Li Patriarch's only son-in-law and the Emperor's nephew."

A beat of silence as the guards halted. They glanced at their master, unsure of whether to proceed or not.

Then a scoff escaped from the Duke. "Oh, Qin Zhenhai's youngest son. No wonder I feel familiar. Xu Xiao, stepped forward, his heavy boots grinding against the stone. His voice was low but cutting through the air as he asked his son. "Xianfeng. Are you saying… he tried to kill you personally? Not the woman?"

Xu Xianfeng growled like a dog denied a bone. "It was him. That bastard himself. The woman didn't interfere."

He then jabbed a finger toward Qin Wei. "Father, he knocked down a Rank-5 martial artist and a bunch of Rank-4 martial artists… with lightning techniques. Making him try to act like a cripple was clearly an act presented by those cunning Qin Clan bast*ards."

There was a murmur among the Grim Squad as they exchanged glances. One even raised a brow behind his mask.

Duke Xu Xiao's brows furrowed deeply. He gave Qin Wei another long, scrutinizing look. "Strange," he muttered. "His dantian… is completely empty."

He looked back at the shop, at the rush of customers still crowding its entrance.

Then he muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else, "Could it be… the weaponized talismans? The Li Clan owns the store while a Talisman Master from the Qin Clan crafts them. It is no means a sheer coincidence."

Exhaling a mouthful of air, the Duke of Nanjing shifted his gaze to Roulan. "Li Clan Elite," he said evenly, "this squabble between juniors is beneath me. I won't act on my son's behalf today."

His voice held no warmth… well, it seemed harsh as he further said. "But, when you return, tell your master to clear his any pre-arranged meetings or events. There's a pressing matter I have to discuss with him."

Roulan bowed gracefully, her head low but her spine rigid. "As you command, Duke Xu."

Without another word, she took Qin Wei's arm and pulled him close. Before he could protest, she leapt into the air, wings made of Qi flashing briefly behind her, leaving the market in almost an instant. Their horse-drawn carriage was abandoned in the street below.

Xu Xianfeng scowled, watching them vanish into the skies. "Father," he snapped. "So what if he has a little background? Even the Emperor won't punish us for teaching that trash a lesson. The whole Empire knows the Qin Clan has thrown him away. And the Li Clan only has three Grandmasters. Of those three, one of them is presumed to be missing or dead. Are you going to let this slide, fearing the consequences?"

Duke Xu Xiao didn't look at his son. He stared instead at the busy store, the stream of buyers, the fluttering banners, the whispers in the crowd. "If you are going to lose your emotions over petty squabbles, how will you inherit my position in the future?"

"Father?" Xu Xianfeng blinked.

Xu Xiao glanced at him and said. "When you do things, you have to make sure to put yourself in the right. At least, for the onlookers. What would happen if we let the Grimm squad kill the boy? How would you look in the eyes of the crowd?"

Xu Xianfeng clenched his fist. "But… if we don't do anything, won't the same crowd see us as cowards who fear the Li Clan?"

Xu Xiao shook his head, letting out a sigh. "You don't understand a thing. Since when did I say that we will let him go?"

"Eh?"

"No one humiliates the Xu family," he said coldly, "and walks away from it. You'll get your chance, and when you do, no matter what your actions were, no one will judge you."

Xu Xianfeng blinked a couple of times, not understanding his father.