Five days later.
Zhuang Xun controlled Bai Yujing to personally lead the team to Gaolin County.
Although the enemy was a Second Rank martial artist, he remained fearless, relying entirely on his own courage—and the fact that Guan Ren'ai would be following them in secret.
Of course, the former was the key; he was just that brave.
Gaolin County was brightly lit and decorated with colorful lanterns.
As the most powerful local tyrant in Gaolin County, the Liu family was hosting Old Master Liu's seventieth birthday. Every notable local faction had come to offer their congratulations, forming a long queue outside the Liu Manor in a bustling stream of carriages and horses.
But suddenly, the crowd parted to both sides. Standing beside a stone lion, Steward Liu let out a soft exclamation of surprise and raised his head in bewilderment.
He saw an incomparably handsome young man walking at the very front. Clad in white, he looked like an exiled immortal, followed by a group of high-spirited Wanxing Martial Academy disciples.
Steward Liu's pupils instantly contracted, and he opened his mouth to shout.
Pfft!
Clutching his throat, which had been pierced by a piece of gravel, he made a gurgling sound as the strength drained from his body and he collapsed to the ground.
Zhuang Xun walked past him, his voice as calm as still water. “Yujing is merely paying a casual visit. There is no need to be so dramatic, Steward Liu.”
Only after the last disciple had entered the Liu Manor did the crowd realize what had happened. Gasps of horror erupted as people fled in panic, constantly looking back over their shoulders.
In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the street was completely cleared, leaving behind nothing but a scattered mess.
Inside the main hall of the Liu Manor, the guests who had already arrived heard the commotion outside and craned their necks curiously to look.
Meanwhile, the members of the Liu family frowned. The Second Master of the Liu family, a gentle and elegant-looking man with a fair complexion and a light beard, cast a meaningful glance at a nearby servant.
The servant nodded and hurried outside, only to freeze before he could even cross the threshold. At the edge of his vision, he saw a tide of people approaching.
“Surround the place. Don't let anyone escape.”
Zhuang Xun arrived at the entrance of the main hall. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked at the restless crowd inside and gave his orders.
“Yes, sir.” The disciples nodded and immediately fanned out, blocking every single exit from the main hall.
“I heard the magpies chattering wildly this morning, so it turns out a distinguished guest has arrived... Ahhh!”
With a single strike, Zhuang Xun severed the arm of the Second Master of the Liu family, who had run up to him with a sycophantic smile. He then grabbed the severed limb and displayed the cross-section to the guests on both sides. Inside were several hollow tube-like structures—the signature characteristic of the Chiyang martial physique.
Before the guests could even react, he swung his sword again, decapitating the screaming, noisy Second Master.
This casual attitude toward killing struck terror into the hearts of everyone present, save for the Wanxing Martial Academy disciples.
A few guests panicked and tried to run, but the disciples pointed their weapons and barked, “Nobody move! Anyone who moves will be treated as a Shengxue Cultist!” They immediately shrank back, shivering in fear, desperate to distance themselves from the Liu family.
Roll, roll.
The head, its face still frozen in a grimace of agony, rolled all the way to the feet of Old Master Liu, who was seated in the guest of honor's chair.
Yet, Old Master Liu did not spare it a glance. His eyes were locked onto Bai Yujing. Every wrinkle on his weathered face remained perfectly still, radiating a calm yet commanding authority.
The two stared at each other for a moment, neither willing to back down.
Zhuang Xun gently raised his hand.
“Do it.”
Clang! Instantly, the sound of countless weapons unsheathing echoed behind him.
“Wait! Wait! Chief Disciple Bai! This is all a massive misunderstanding!” The Eldest Master of the Liu family ran forward, throwing himself between Bai Yujing and Old Master Liu.
Bowing low with a forced smile, he cupped his hands to Bai Yujing. “Chief Disciple Bai, Chief Disciple Bai, our Liu family truly had no idea that Liu Fang had joined the Shengxue Cult! He has always coveted my position as family head. He must have secretly colluded with them out of jealousy and hatred! Please, Chief Disciple Bai, be discerning! Our Liu family is fully willing to cooperate with your investigation!”
Zhuang Xun said slowly, “There is no need to worry, Family Head Liu. Yujing is not an unreasonable man. Please, sever one of your own arms, along with the rest of your family, to prove your innocence to me.”
“Must you truly go this far, Chief Disciple Bai?”
“Please.” Zhuang Xun politely proffered the Shiliu sword.
The Eldest Master's cheeks twitched, his smile turning vicious. “Bastard! I gave you a way out and you refused it. Then let me see what you're made of—”
Before the Eldest Master could finish his threat, he suddenly realized his vision was dropping, and the sounds around him were rapidly fading.
“To test Yujing's worth, it seems you are not quite qualified, Family Head Liu.”
Zhuang Xun stepped past the headless corpse of the Eldest Master, the bright Shiliu sword in his hand dripping a trail of blood onto the floor.
He sheathed his longsword, looked at Old Master Liu, who remained as steady as an old dog, and said calmly:
“Perhaps Old Master Liu is barely qualified to test Yujing.”
Senior Brother Bai is so cool!
The disciples behind him were so excited they could hardly keep still. Xu Jianxing raised his longsword high and roared at the top of his lungs:
“Let's go! Clear the path of all other obstacles for Senior Brother!”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than his eyes widened at the sight of Yang Ling, who had already cut down a member of the Liu family.
Cursing him inwardly for being shameless, he quickly charged forward as well.
The chaotic battle around them did not affect the two in the center.
Old Master Liu slowly narrowed his eyes, and a sound like waves crashing against a reef began to emanate from his body.
Listening closely, everyone present was shocked to realize that this was actually the sound of the blood qi flowing inside Old Master Liu.
Though the tiger was old, its majesty remained.
As a Second Rank martial artist, the mere sound of Old Master Liu's blood qi struck fear into everyone's hearts, causing the surrounding battle to grind to a halt.
He sat firmly in his chair, propping up his head with his hand. His old eyes were half-closed, as if the consecutive deaths of his two sons had not affected his emotions in the slightest.
He spoke slowly, “Junior, do not be too arrogant... %@&*￥#!”
The moment he opened his mouth, Old Master Liu was suddenly sent flying forward like a lunging frog, his face landing squarely in Bai Yujing's palm.
Sizzle!
The sound of flesh being seared rang out.
Thick smoke billowed from Old Master Liu's face as it was held in a death grip by Bai Yujing's single hand.
After a brief moment of daze, he reacted swiftly. First, he fired blood arrows from both hands, forcing Bai Yujing to release him and retreat. Immediately after, a blast of air erupted beneath him, instantly widening the distance between them by dozens of meters.
A hand-shaped burn mark was seared onto his face. The stinging pain made the corners of his eyes twitch uncontrollably, and his voice was filled with utter horror:
“The Chiyang Technique and Wrathful Resolve... How is this possible?!”
It was common knowledge in Mount Dazhou that the Wanxing Martial Academy's Formless Method could imitate other martial arts. However, as far as they knew, the Formless Method could only imitate one martial art at a time.
Yet, Bai Yujing had seamlessly executed two high-tier martial arts back-to-back. This deeply shattered Old Master Liu's understanding of martial arts.
“In this world, there is nothing Yujing cannot do.”
Executing the Chiyang Technique with one hand, Zhuang Xun drew a hundred-refined steel spear held by a nearby disciple, causing the spear to float in front of him.
He pressed his palm against the butt of the spear.
Instantly, the spear began to spin at high speed. Amidst the sharp buzzing sound, a mini-tornado whipped up around the weapon.
The fierce wind whipped Bai Yujing's black hair, forcing everything around him to recede. The guests nearby were blinded by the gale, their hearts filled with immense shock.
Another high-tier martial art!
Whoosh!
The spear broke the sound barrier, the sonic boom only catching up after it had already shot forward.
The spear, flying like a swift arrow, was reflected in Old Master Liu's pupils. Only a single thought remained in his mind:
I can't block it!
It's impossible to block!
His face contorted with madness as he raised both hands, blasting out massive amounts of air currents, but the spear continued to close in on him at extreme speed.
Just as Old Master Liu was about to be impaled by the spear—
Suddenly, a broad back appeared before his eyes.
The Left Protector stood sideways, raising one hand horizontally in a highly aggressive stance.
The peerless spear stopped right in front of him, hovering in midair.
One-half millimeter away, completely motionless.
“A mere parlor trick,” the Left Protector sneered.
But a split second after he spoke, the spear suddenly surged forward another short distance, piercing straight through the Left Protector's hand.
The Left Protector's eyes blinked rapidly. Then, he calmly clasped both hands behind his back. However, upon closer inspection, his right hand, which had been pierced by the spear, was trembling slightly.
And the spear was still stuck in it, unremoved.
Jesus... Zhuang Xun bit his lip as he stared at the hole in the Left Protector's hand.
Rate on N.U.
