Spells Grinding: From Basic Sparks to Divine Arts

Chapter 270: Righteous Intervention

The sudden shout of approval cut through the tension like a blade, drawing every eye in the room to its source.

It was Gu Can, sitting right beside Qin Lu.

He held his chopsticks mid-air, staring intently at the bowl of noodles in front of him, a wide, innocent grin plastered on his face.

“Truly excellent! These noodles are a masterpiece!” he bellowed, his voice booming through the silent shop.

The patrons exchanged glances before suppressing snickers. Everyone knew the dark-skinned youth wasn’t praising the chef; he was applauding the purple-clad girl for smashing a plate of food into the lackey’s face.

Qin Lu sighed, rubbing his temples. He had explicitly warned Gu Can to keep a low profile, but Gu Can’s righteous streak was a force of nature. He couldn’t just sit by and watch a tyrant bully a woman.

The goateed man, still dripping with oily broth and limp vegetables, slowly turned his head toward Gu Can. His eyes were sharp, filled with a venomous light.

Gu Can ignored him completely, leisurely slurping a mouthful of noodles as if the man didn’t exist.

After a long, hateful stare, the goateed man turned his attention back to the voluptuous girl in purple. He wiped a piece of greens from his face and sneered.

“Hmph! You ignorant little wrench. You really don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth! Men!”

“Here!”

Five burly cultivators stood up from a nearby table. They rushed to the goateed man’s side, glaring ferociously at the grandfather and granddaughter.

The goateed man pointed a trembling finger at the girl. “Take her back to the mansion! Let her learn how to properly serve the Young Master!”

“Yes!”

The five thugs moved in unison, lunging toward the girl with intent to capture her on the spot.

Bang!

A heavy hand slammed onto a table, the sound echoing like a thunderclap.

“Audacious!”

Gu Can shot to his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. He glared at the goateed man, his voice ringing with righteous fury.

“In broad daylight, you dare to forcibly abduct a woman? Does the Ten Thousand Treasures Market have no laws?!”

“Oh?”

Ren Longhu, who had been watching from his seat with a bored expression, let out a disdainful scoff. He turned to Gu Can, his lips curling into a sneer.

“And which scallion in the garden are you? A dog trying to catch mice—meddling in business that doesn’t concern you. Are you tired of living?”

“Hmph! Those who walk the path of cultivation must draw their swords when they see injustice!” Gu Can declared, his posture straight as a spear. “This is the code of the Jianghu! Today, I am making this my business!”

“Hahaha!” Ren Longhu threw his head back and laughed.

His lackeys joined in, their laughter mocking the naivety of the dark-skinned youth.

Ren Longhu wiped a tear from his eye and waved a hand lazily. “So naive. You actually believe that garbage? Forget it. Let me make this clear: My father is Ren Xiao. While this Young Master is still in a charitable mood, I suggest you scram.”

“You heard him! Get lost!” the goateed man echoed, emboldened. He signaled the five thugs again. “What are you waiting for? Take her away!”

The thugs resumed their charge, reaching out with claw-like hands to grab the girl by the shoulders.

But the girl in purple had no intention of being a damsel in distress. Her eyes flashed cold, and she thrust her palm forward, striking the leading thug square in the chest.

Bang!

The force was explosive. The burly man was launched backward, crashing onto the floor with a pained howl.

The shop fell silent again.

“Well, well. I didn’t expect a little pepper like you to be a Qi Condensation Late Stage cultivator! You have some talent!” The goateed man chuckled, though his eyes grew serious. “Stop playing around! Take her down!”

The remaining four thugs sobered up. They shifted their stance, moving into a coordinated battle formation to flank the girl.

Watching from the sidelines, Qin Lu frowned and glanced toward the counter.

The scholar-shopkeeper was still there, chin resting in his hand, watching the brawl with keen interest. He looked like a spectator at a play, showing zero intention of stopping the violence in his own establishment.

What is he doing? Isn’t this his shop? Qin Lu wondered.

This scholar was a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator. He could suppress these Qi Condensation insects with a single thought. Yet, he sat idle.

To everyone’s surprise, however, the girl in purple didn’t need saving. Her movements were fluid and practiced. She didn’t even require her grandfather’s assistance. In just a few exchanges, she dismantled the formation, sending all four thugs sprawling to the ground, groaning in agony.

“Good! Excellent! Beautiful kung fu! Hahaha!”

Gu Can clapped loudly, his laughter booming. He made no attempt to hide his admiration.

Slap!

Ren Longhu slammed his table and stood up, his face twisted in rage. He pointed a shaking finger at Gu Can.

“Who the hell do you think you are?! I’m handling my business, and you’re here barking like a mad dog! Hey! Capture that brat first! We’ll deal with the girl later!”

“Understood!”

The goateed cultivator acknowledged the order. He stopped watching the girl and turned toward Gu Can, his demeanor shifting instantly.

Boom!

A powerful aura erupted from his body. An invisible shockwave blasted outward, rattling the wooden tables and chairs.

“Foundation Establishment!” a bystander gasped.

“Heh, of course. That’s the enforcer the Ren Family Head assigned to protect Ren Longhu. He has to be at Foundation Establishment, otherwise, a Qi Condensation brat like Ren Longhu would have been beaten to death ages ago for his womanizing.”

“That kid is done for…”

“He’s too young. He doesn’t know the depth of the waters here. Offending the Ren Family in their own territory?”

As the goateed man’s pressure filled the room, the spectators shook their heads, ready to watch Gu Can get crushed.

But just as the crowd prepared for the inevitable beatdown…

BOOM!

Gu Can took a single step forward.

His aura exploded like a dormant volcano waking up. A ferocious gale swept through the hall, far more violent than the goateed man’s pressure. Tables slid across the floor, and cups rattled off shelves. Gu Can’s robes snapped in the wind generated by his own spiritual power.

“Another Foundation Establishment!”

“He’s so young!”

“Whoa, he’s actually strong! I misjudged him!”

“Tsk tsk! Ren Longhu kicked an iron plate this time!”

The two auras clashed in the center of the room. To the untrained eye, it might have looked even, but anyone with experience could see that Gu Can’s momentum was crushing the goateed man’s.

“Hehehe…”

Gu Can grinned at the frozen enforcer, crossing his arms over his chest. “What’s wrong? Don’t you want to exchange a few moves? Let’s see who’s better at fighting.”

The goateed man stiffened. He hadn’t expected this country bumpkin to be a Foundation Establishment expert, and a powerful one at that. The pressure radiating from Gu Can was thick and heavy—he was clearly outmatched.

He hesitated, unwilling to advance, and cast a questioning glance back at Ren Longhu.

Ren Longhu’s face was dark as a thundercloud. His cultivation was low, but his eye for strength was sharp. He knew instantly that his bodyguard would lose.

After a tense silence, Ren Longhu glared at Gu Can. “You outsider. You really dare to block my path?”

“Hmph! Why wouldn’t I dare?” Gu Can scoffed, placing his hands behind his back in a posture of high-expert indifference. “Scum like you should be swept away by anyone with a conscience!”

Ren Longhu stared deeply at Gu Can, memorizing his face. He nodded slowly, his voice dripping with malice.

“Good. Very good. I, your Young Master, will remember you. In the Ten Thousand Treasures Market… I advise you to watch your back when you step outside. Let’s go!”

Ren Longhu spun around and stormed out of the shop. His battered lackeys scrambled up from the floor and limped after him, looking thoroughly wretched.

“My name is Gu Can! If you have a problem, come find me!” Gu Can shouted cheerfully at their retreating backs, waving his arm enthusiastically.

Ren Longhu stumbled slightly but didn’t look back, his face turning an even deeper shade of liver-purple as he quickened his pace.

Once the Ren Family group had vanished, the shop erupted in cheers.

“Hahaha! Senior is truly a hero!”

“Well done! That profligate son has been bullying us loose cultivators for years. It took a hero like Senior to finally put him in his place!”

“Senior! To reach Foundation Establishment at such a young age… which sect are you from? Does your sect accept novices?”

Amidst the shower of praise, Gu Can beamed, waving to the crowd with a modest yet pleased smile.

“Honestly…” Qin Lu shook his head, sighing.

He was helpless against Gu Can’s nature. The boy was simply too warm-hearted. He was the type who couldn’t walk past a fire without trying to put it out.

Qin Lu knew this personality was a magnet for disaster. In the cultivation world, playing the hero often meant dying young. But looking at Gu Can now, standing tall with a clear conscience, Qin Lu couldn’t find the words to scold him.

Qin Lu wasn’t a hero. If he saw someone drowning, he would calculate the risk to himself before dipping a toe in the water. But he wouldn’t stop someone else from jumping in.

Sigh… trouble has found us.

However, Qin Lu wasn’t overly worried. He had assessed the threat. Even if the Ren Family patriarch came personally, he was confident he could escape. Based on the rumors, Ren Xiao was likely only at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage—the same level as Qin Lu.

He could handle that.

At that moment, the curvaceous girl in purple, led by her grandfather, approached Gu Can. She bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Senior, for your life-saving grace! If not for you, we would have been no match for those vicious dogs. Yaoyao, thank the Senior.”

The girl stepped forward and curtsied elegantly. “Fang Yao thanks Senior for his righteous help. I am endlessly grateful.”

“No need for such ceremony.” Gu Can grinned, his dark face flushing slightly. He gently gestured for her to rise. “Your skills were impressive, too! Defeating five cultivators of the same rank while breaking their formation… that’s not easy.”

“It was… just luck,” Fang Yao murmured, lowering her head shyly at the praise.

Her grandfather stroked his beard and laughed. “Senior is too kind. My granddaughter is diligent in her practice, so she managed to scrape by.”

“Hahaha! Right, I imagine you two haven’t finished eating.” Gu Can turned to the counter. “Shopkeeper! Another table of wine and dishes, please!”

All eyes shifted to the scholar behind the counter.

The mysterious shopkeeper smiled faintly. “Hehe. Very well. This table is on the house. Please, head up to the third floor.”

He stood up and gestured toward the stairs, his demeanor casual, as if the earlier violence hadn’t happened.

The crowd gasped.

The locals knew exactly what an invitation to the third floor meant. The scholar rarely engaged with customers. To be invited up was a sign of immense respect.

“Tsk tsk. The third floor… amazing.”

“I can’t remember the last time he invited someone up there.”

“If I had known, I would have helped too! Maybe I could have gotten an invitation.”

“A pity, a pity.”

The room buzzed with envy.

Gu Can turned back to his own table, grinning at Qin Lu. “Brother Qin! Looks like we’re getting a feast. Come on!”

“You go ahead.”

Qin Lu’s refusal was immediate.

“The shopkeeper invited you, not me,” Qin Lu said calmly. “I won’t intrude. I’ll take the three disciples to the auction house to look around. We’ll meet back at the inn later.”

“Oh? Alright then. I’ll find you later.” Gu Can didn’t press the issue.

He turned and followed Fang Yao and her grandfather up the stairs, leaving the envious gazes of the crowd behind him.

“Senior Gu is so cool…” Cao Mo murmured, staring at the empty staircase.

The three disciples—Cao Mo, Feng Xi, and Wu Zhengtian—had watched the entire event with wide eyes. Gu Can’s fearlessness in the face of power had elevated him to idol status in their minds. They looked ready to charge out and fight injustice themselves.

Qin Lu stood up, placing a few Spirit Stones on the table to pay for their consumed meal.

“Alright, snap out of it. Let’s go.”

“Oh! Right, yes.”

The three disciples scrambled to their feet, following Qin Lu out of the noodle shop.

Their destination lay ahead: the most imposing structure in the Ten Thousand Treasures Market—the Auction House.