Chapter 191 - 122: Qi Skill
The one who attacked was, of course, Luo Qingyi.
Jiang Ran hadn’t brought him here just to be a spectator.
Now that the fighting had started, he naturally wouldn’t be left behind.
The man who had tried to intercept Ye Jingshuang heard an ominous whistling through the air and whirled around, but Luo Qingyi’s fist was already upon him.
Without a second thought, he threw a punch of his own.
The two fists collided with a muffled BANG.
The ground beneath them trembled. Dust and debris flew into the air—it was an even match.
The man opposite him was stunned for a moment, then let out an angry roar and swung his fist again.
Luo Qingyi laughed heartily, his fists a continuous blur.
In an instant, a rapid series of BANGS echoed as their fists collided one after another, stirring up fierce winds that sent sand and stones flying.
Ye Jingshuang spared them a single glance before turning away. With a twist of her longsword, she unleashed the technique, Parting the Clouds to See the Sun.
Seeing this, the remaining two of Qianliu Manor’s four great experts could no longer afford to focus on Jiang Ran; they had to turn their full attention to Ye Jingshuang’s sword strikes.
They had planned to capture Ye Jingshuang first and then carry out their Manor Lord’s orders.
But they never expected that once the fight began, they would feel as if they had been plunged into a quagmire.
Amidst a swirl of mist-like sword light, Ye Jingshuang’s longsword seemed to attack from all directions at once. They were immediately put on the defensive. Forget about defeating her—under these circumstances, simply staying alive under her three-foot cyan blade was a feat in itself.
Meanwhile, in front of Qianliu Manor, a river of blood had formed at some unknown point.
Ding Feng and Shi Miao were still locked in a contest of Inner Strength.
The overflowing Sword Qi kept the disciples of Qianliu Manor from daring to approach.
Those who had been caught within its range now lay in pools of blood.
Qi Cheng cursed Ding Feng ten thousand times in his heart, but as he watched Jiang Ran stride through the gaps in the Sword Qi, he didn’t dare let his guard down for even a moment.
He watched as Jiang Ran cupped his fist and smiled.
"I heard from Shuang’Er that your family’s Thousand Streams and Ten Thousand Blades Finger is a rare and profound art, Manor Lord Qi.
"You yourself supposedly mastered this Thousand Streams and Ten Thousand Blades Finger before you even turned thirty.
"Today, I would be so bold as to ask for your instruction."
The very instant Jiang Ran cupped his fist, Qi Cheng unleashed a finger strike.
In a flash, the air was filled with the afterimages of his finger.
Jiang Ran’s figure blurred as he dodged out of the strike’s range.
Qi Cheng was not surprised. His footwork was like the wind, and his fingertips jabbed out continuously, giving Jiang Ran no room to breathe.
For a moment, the force of his finger strikes filled the air, creating a barrage as dense and impenetrable as a rainstorm.
But Jiang Ran used the Celestial Nine Steps to dodge with ease; no matter how formidable the Thousand Streams and Ten Thousand Blades Finger was, it couldn’t touch him.
Seeing that his attacks were having no effect, Qi Cheng did not grow discouraged.
’At least I’m the one on the attack,’ he thought. ’As they say, a prolonged defense will inevitably lead to a mistake.’
’Even if Jiang Ran’s skills are godlike, even if he can dodge to the ends of the earth, there will come a moment when I land a hit.’
However, just as this thought crossed his mind, his vision blurred—Jiang Ran had vanished from right in front of him.
He hastily glanced around.
"Where did he go?"
Then, a voice came from behind him:
"No wonder it’s called Thousand Streams and Ten Thousand Blades. When used, it truly is like a thousand torrents, its sharp edge pressing and oppressive.
"I would venture to guess that the name ’Thousand Streams and Ten Thousand Blades Finger’ is actually a misnomer, meant to deceive.
"To cultivate this martial art, I imagine one must first learn the sword.
"What appears to be the force of a finger strike is actually Sword Qi...
"The finger art you display is, in fact, Swordsmanship.
"And you then adapted it with your ’Thousand Streams and Ten Thousand Blades’ method, turning it into the finger art it is today."
"You!"
Qi Cheng whipped his head around, but there was nothing behind him.
Jiang Ran’s voice once again came from behind him:
"It’s a pity the Young Manor Lord didn’t learn this art properly. Or perhaps... he did learn it, but died before he had a chance to use it?"
"Dead?"
Qi Cheng froze. The next moment, he felt a grip on his neck as a stream of Inner Strength shot from his Dazhui acupoint and into his meridians.
His entire body went numb, leaving him completely paralyzed.
The hand slowly exerted its strength, lifting him into the air.
"Now you’ve gone too far, Manor Lord Qi. I was in the middle of a fight with you. Why did you let your attention wander?"
But Qi Cheng’s head was just buzzing.
"Kai’Er, my Kai’Er... is dead?"
Jiang Ran nodded.
"He’s dead. Died so... quickly, didn’t he? Are you heartbroken, Manor Lord Qi?"
"He was my son! I... Of course I’m heartbroken!!"
Qi Cheng roared angrily:
"Who was it? Who killed my son?"
"I did."
Jiang Ran smiled.
"You!!"
Qi Cheng roared as his Inner Strength surged, trying to blast Jiang Ran’s hand away.
But how could he possibly break free? Not when Jiang Ran was using his Barbaric Dragon Strength combined with his own Inner Strength.
Qi Cheng’s limbs flailed, clawing uselessly at the air. He struggled for a long while, but couldn’t budge Jiang Ran in the slightest.
Jiang Ran sighed.
"Enough, enough. Your love for your son is truly moving, Manor Lord Qi.
"I’ve always enjoyed helping people achieve their desires. Since... you miss your son so much, Manor Lord, I’ll send you to see him."
The color drained from Qi Cheng’s face. Before he could react, he felt himself being swung into the air by Jiang Ran.
With a flick of his wrist, he was thrown.
But the direction he was thrown was not toward the gates of Qianliu Manor.
As much as Jiang Ran wanted Qi Cheng to join Qi Kai in leaving a matching pair of ’fine paintings’ on the screen walls of Red Maple Manor and Qianliu Manor...
...seeing Shi Miao and Ding Feng still locked in their struggle, he threw him toward Ding Feng instead.
Though Ding Feng’s back was to Jiang Ran and Qi Cheng, he knew something was terribly wrong.
The problem was, he couldn’t move an inch.
He could only stand there, rigid, and take the full force of the collision with Qi Cheng.