Chapter 190 - 121: A Shakedown?
"This million silver—are you paying or not?"
"I..."
Qi Cheng’s expression darkened. He had just uttered the word "I" when he heard a soft chuckle from beside him.
He turned to glance at the cyan-robed man beside him.
He heard the man say,
"Manor Lord Qi, Red Maple Manor has been erased from the martial world.
"A few wet-behind-the-ears kids dare to run wild in Qianliu Manor.
"So what if she’s Ye Jingshuang?
"Ye Kong’gu’s bones are nearly dust. What are you still hesitating for?"
"You have a point."
Qi Cheng smiled at his words, then sighed.
"I suppose I’ve worn this mask for so long, I’ve forgotten how to take it off.
"But that young man’s martial arts are impressive. I’m afraid I’ll need your help..."
"Say no more."
The man in cyan nodded, his gaze fixed on Jiang Ran.
He recognized Jiang Ran’s voice, of course. He knew this was the person who had just used his Inner Strength to project his voice.
As his gaze landed, the faint sound of a sword being unsheathed echoed in the ears of the crowd.
The next moment, there was a sharp TING.
In mid-air, the tips of two longswords met, striking sparks.
Aside from a select few, everyone present couldn’t believe their eyes.
The owners of the two longswords were Shi Miao and the man in cyan.
Yet, just a moment before that sound, the two had been standing beside Qi Cheng and Jiang Ran, respectively.
’How did they draw their swords?’
’How did they clash so instantaneously?’
After that first TING, the sound never ceased.
The two clashed continuously, their longswords a blur. Using their Lightweight Technique, they fought higher and higher, ascending thirty feet into the air in the blink of an eye.
Their swords darted about within inches of each other’s bodies. Unable to maneuver freely in mid-air, they relied entirely on the force transmitted from their opponent’s blade to adjust their positions.
This made the exchange all the more perilous.
As Jiang Ran and the others looked up, they heard Ye Jingshuang speak.
"This man in cyan seems to come from a powerful background. His Swordsmanship is brilliant..."
"But Shi Miao’s Swordsmanship is just as impressive. Her mastery is truly extraordinary. She’s become much stronger since we were in Benma Town."
Jiang Ran chuckled softly.
"If she keeps this up, she might just become the number one fighter of the younger generation, don’t you think?"
"That’s hard to say.
"The martial world is full of hidden masters. There’s always a taller mountain. Who would dare to lightly claim to be number one? Besides, Brother Jiang, are you forgetting about yourself again?"
"Well..."
It wasn’t that Jiang Ran had forgotten; he just didn’t like to count himself among their ranks.
Just then, Shi Miao’s longsword suddenly slashed down from above.
The man in cyan plummeted downward. He spun several times before his toes touched the ground, steadying himself.
When he looked up again, his face was livid.
He prided himself on his status and considered himself a senior. He had thought Jiang Ran and his companions were mere fledglings, hardly a threat.
He never expected to be cornered so thoroughly by some young girl who was new to the martial world.
’To be so completely overwhelmed right from the start...’
He stared up at Shi Miao, who was now diving toward him upside-down, her blade’s edge descending like a meteor streaking through the sky. He finally took a deep breath.
A dark, obscure aura began to flow from the longsword in his hand.
A cold, deathly stillness immediately spread out in all directions.
Jiang Ran’s brow furrowed. As the deathly stillness enveloped him, he faintly felt a sense of decay creep over his body.
He looked up at Qi Cheng and saw that the manor lord was unaffected, but the faces of his men had taken on a faint, ashen hue.
Seeing this, Jiang Ran flicked his sleeve, placed a hand on the shoulders of Ye Jingshuang and Luo Qingyi, and abruptly pulled them back.
"Something’s wrong with this Swordsmanship..."
"It’s the Soul-Loss Sword of Death!"
Ye Jingshuang cried out in alarm.
"He’s ’Soulless Sword’ Ding Feng!
"Shi Miao, you can’t take that strike head-on!"
But her warning came too late. Shi Miao’s sword had already descended.
The two swords met again with a sharp TING. Wisps of invisible Sword Qi radiated outward from the point of impact.
Qi Cheng, who hadn’t retreated, was the first in line. But with a flick of his finger, he unleashed the power of the Thousand Streams and Ten Thousand Blades Finger, shattering the stray Sword Qi.
The other members of Qianliu Manor, however, were not so fortunate.
The streams of Sword Qi either pierced through hearts or arms; the unlucky ones were struck through the head and chest.
In an instant, the casualties were countless.
Yet the two combatants still had not ceased their clash.
Jiang Ran took a closer look and saw that something was terribly wrong with Shi Miao.
A bloody light faintly glowed in her eyes, and her killing intent surged sky-high.
Even the longsword in her hand was stained a faint crimson.
"Is she... still not free from the influence of Shi Pingzhang’s martial arts?"
Jiang Ran instinctively glanced at Ye Jingshuang.
Ye Jingshuang’s expression was grave as she slowly shook her head.
"I don’t know either..."
At that moment, Shi Miao seemed to be relying on this crimson aura, using it to clash with Ding Feng’s dark, turbid energy. Each collision sent Sword Qi scattering in all directions.
Qi Cheng almost cursed out loud.
’This Ding Feng is completely unreliable,’ he thought. ’I asked him to help kill Jiang Ran.
’Instead, he gets into a fight with some girl, and not only is it a stalemate, but they’re about to wipe out my entire Qianliu Manor!’
Seeing the two locked in a stalemate, Qi Cheng suddenly stepped forward, intending to lend Ding Feng a hand.
Seeing this, Ding Feng flew into a rage.
"How dare you!"
’I’m a senior in the martial world! Regardless of my reputation, I’m fighting a junior. Are you suggesting we have two old men team up to bully a young girl?
’Even if you had the nerve, I couldn’t afford to lose face like that!’
Jiang Ran just smiled and suddenly stepped forward.
"Manor Lord Qi, allow this junior to exchange a few moves with you."
Hearing this, Qi Cheng waved his hand without a second thought.
"Kill him!"
The four experts behind him immediately shot forward, making a beeline for Jiang Ran.
But just then, a mist swirled, and from within it, a blade’s edge emerged, piercing through one man’s throat in an instant.
The man’s body froze before he fell from mid-air.
The remaining three were stunned. ’Ye Jingshuang’s Swordsmanship is this incredible?’
One of them immediately broke off to intercept Ye Jingshuang, only to suddenly hear the sound of a fist, rumbling like thunder, as it came crashing toward them.