Chapter 121 - 117: The Tide Turns (Part 2)
In town? Second Training?
A martial arts master?
Lu the Third froze for a moment before realizing Xie Yuan was mocking him. His face flushed crimson. With a sneer, he snarled:
"Well, well, well. It’s been a long time since I met a young man with such guts!
"There’s been no sign of her for a while now. Looks like that woman really doesn’t know you, yet you still dare to speak to me like this. Fine. Since you love to run your mouth, I won’t kill you. I’ll just chop off your limbs first and drag you behind my horse. Then you can talk all day, every day!"
Lu the Third raised his horse-chopping saber, his expression turning vicious, and swiftly swung it down!
Just then, a circular blade of black and white light shot out from the woods. It was silent and incredibly fast, reaching Lu the Third’s back in the blink of an eye!
Lu the Third was halfway through his swing when he suddenly sensed something was wrong. He instinctively twisted around, bringing his saber back to defend.
But the blade of light was already upon him. In his haste, he held up his saber to block it head-on.
A flash of black and white light erupted in the forest. The light blade melted through the aura of Lu the Third’s saber and his protective energy. Although the light blade had shrunk to a small point, it still struck him squarely in the chest.
Lu the Third stumbled back several steps. With a cry, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, gasping for breath.
Xie Yuan felt a gust of wind rush past him. His body suddenly felt light, his collar tightened, and he was lifted and carried away at high speed.
A strong wind battered his face. The trees on either side flew backward, their lines blurring into a fuzzy painting.
Xie Yuan struggled to lift his head, but from this angle, he could only see a sharp chin and a swan-like neck, as white as frost and flawlessly elegant.
’I’m saved, after all.’
He breathed a huge sigh of relief and smiled. The rushing wind distorted his lips, and he mumbled:
"Glad you came. For a second there, I thought you weren’t going to make a move."
"You knew I was going to save you?"
A clear, cold voice cut through the wind and reached Xie Yuan’s ears, as refreshing as a mountain spring, jolting his senses.
"You were nearby the whole time. You couldn’t have just been watching the show."
Xie Yuan shook his left hand. The mark on his arm was still warm.
After the initial outburst, he had noticed something was off with his arm and guessed that this Miss Yun must be close by and hadn’t gone far.
The woman’s voice paused. When she spoke again, there seemed to be a hint of surprise:
"So you provoked him on purpose to create an opportunity for me?"
"What, you think I’d provoke a Grandmaster for fun?"
Xie Yuan said with a laugh.
The woman was silent for a moment, then said:
"Then if I hadn’t been here, you would have had to suck up to him."
"If there’s a chance to live, you have to take it."
Xie Yuan smiled.
"But there’s no need to wag your tail and beg."
’If I had to die, I’d still get some curses in. Even if I couldn’t land a blow, I’d at least get some verbal interest.’
The woman couldn’t help but glance down at Xie Yuan, a strange look flashing in her misty eyes.
The young man’s face was handsome and refined. His expression was calm, a faint smile played on his lips, and his tone was full of confidence.
Miss Yun looked at him for a moment, then turned her head away, pouting slightly as she said:
"Tough talk, but your face was white as a sheet."
Xie Yuan didn’t dwell on it, replying in a completely straightforward manner:
"When a forty-zhang-long saber is swinging at your head, you’re going to be scared."
The woman didn’t answer, merely glancing at him.
’This young man isn’t concerned with saving face. He acts quite mature.’
’But how could that saber be forty zhang long? What an exaggeration.’
"Mm, your saber technique isn’t bad. To make a seasoned saber-user like Lu the Third take a second look is quite remarkable."
The woman praised him. If the young man’s saber skills hadn’t been so unexpected, and if he hadn’t been clever enough, she probably wouldn’t have found a good opportunity and would have had to act hastily, making their escape difficult.
"My skill is still too far behind yours."
Even though two Grandmasters thought his saber technique had some merit, Xie Yuan wasn’t pleased, shaking his head slightly.
The woman heard this and thought little of it. He was currently just at the External Training stage; what was the point of comparing himself to a Grandmaster?
Xie Yuan looked up again. He still couldn’t see the woman’s face, but he could tell she was extremely tall—tall enough to carry him while dashing through the forest without it being awkward.
"Why did you save me?"
With nothing else to do while being carried, Xie Yuan couldn’t help but ask.
"You... were implicated because of me."
The woman said, her voice slightly evasive.
Xie Yuan asked again:
"That Lu the Third is injured. Can you take this chance to kill him?"
The woman shook her head.
"The difference in our strength is too great. He’s only lightly injured. We can only use this opportunity to escape."
"There are gaps between Grandmasters, too? You look so young. Are you also a Grandmaster? Or are you just skilled in preserving your youth?"
Xie Yuan rattled off a series of questions.
Even though they were fleeing for their lives, the woman was a little speechless and couldn’t help but say:
"Why do you have so many questions again?"
Xie Yuan’s expression turned slightly awkward. Clearly, they both remembered the time in the carriage when he had interrogated her.
’But her act as Miss Lin was completely flawless, from her tone to her manner of speaking. What great acting...’
If it were any other Grandmaster, Xie Yuan would never dare to ask such questions. But with this Miss Yun, especially considering their tacit understanding when facing Lu the Third, he felt a special connection.
Even though this was only their second meeting, and Xie Yuan didn’t even know her name.
The mark on his arm, in particular, seemed to allow them to sense each other, creating a bond between them that dispelled any sense of unfamiliarity.
Thinking of this, Xie Yuan frowned and said:
"What exactly did you do to me in the woods? And what is the Black Celestial Book?"
Hearing this, the woman’s expression changed. Just as she was about to explain, her look suddenly shifted:
"He’s caught up!"
She pulled Xie Yuan and dodged to the side in a flash.
In the direction they had been heading, a red saber aura flashed past. With a BOOM, a massive tree, so thick it would take several people to encircle, was sliced in half at the trunk. It fell slowly, blocking their path.
Lu the Third’s figure appeared in the woods. There was blood on his chest, and his aura was slightly weaker than before, but he was still an unstoppable force.