by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
After hearing the overseer's words, she was no longer in a rush to teach Xiang Shaoyun a lesson, so she instead stopped and headed toward the palace master's residence on her mount. When Xiang Shaoyun found that Gong Qinyin was no longer chasing him, he headed straight toward the eleventh elder's place.
That fierce girl is also a Martial Hall Palace member. Looks like there will be a lot of trouble in the future, Xiang Shaoyun sighed inwardly. He shook his head and threw the issue to the back of his mind. He called out to the residence before him, "Is the eleventh elder here? Xiang Shaoyun requests an audience."
A leisurely figure strolled out of the residence. This person was a rarely seen beauty, her face as beautiful as a blooming flower, her skin as fair as the fairest white jade, and a youthful vigor surrounded her. She was dressed in an elegant silk outfit that perfectly showcased her hourglass figure. She was a young woman of around 18 years old, possessing an air of maturity that set her apart from many of the younger girls in the palace.
When the young woman saw Xiang Shaoyun, she smiled gently and said, "So you're my junior sister's crush, Xiang Shaoyun? Not bad, you look decent."
"You have good taste, big sister. You look decent too," Xiang Shaoyun praised the woman as well.
"Decent? What do you mean by decent? Am I not as pretty as my Junior Sister Lu?" the young woman grumbled resentfully.
"Hehe, you both are beautiful in your own ways. She is pure and innocent, while you are enchanting and alluring!" Xiang Shaoyun gave his evaluation.
"Ohhh, you sure have your way with words. No wonder my Junior Sister Lu is dreaming of you even when she’s sleeping," teased the young woman.
"Is that so? Can I see her?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
"No," the young woman said, a crafty look covering her face.
"Why so? Are her injuries that bad?" Xiang Shaoyun asked anxiously.
"She is fine, but if you want to see her, you have to first satisfy my requirement," said the young woman.
"I see. What is your requirement, then?" Xiang Shaoyun asked, amused.
"Simple. Praise me. If I'm happy with your praise, I'll let you in," said the young woman in excitement.
"Is that proper? You are already so beautiful, if I continue praising you, even Lady Chang'e on the moon will pale in comparison. For the sake of the moon, I think we should forget it," Xiang Shaoyun said with a reluctant look on his face.
"Haha...you're amusing. How can I compare with Chang'e?" A wide smile bloomed on the young woman's face when she heard those words.
"How can you not? If you ask me, I say Lady Chang'e is not even half as pretty as you. I must've exhausted eight lifetimes' worth of good fortune to be able to meet you today," Xiang Shaoyun continued. One ought to admit that Xiang Shaoyun's mouth was truly much more powerful than his hands. With a few short sentences, the young woman could no longer stop laughing.
"Little Xin, what are you doing? Invite Shaoyun in," eleventh elder's voice rang out from inside the building. The young woman immediately stopped laughing and whispered to Xiang Shaoyun, "Alright, pass. Go on in. Remember, this big sister's name is Chen Xin."
"You got it wrong. It's Big Sister Chang'e," Xiang Shaoyun said.
"No wonder my Junior Sister Lu is completely smitten by you. I can't allow this. I have to warn her to stay far away from you. You are too much of a sweet talker!" Chen Xi said, seemingly praising and admonishing him at the same time before rushing into the building.
Xiang Shaoyun smiled before stepping in too. When he entered the yard, He Yinghua was walking out of the building too. When she saw Xiang Shaoyun, she smiled and said, "Come in and have a seat, Shaoyun."
Ordinary disciples would definitely not be greeted by an elder when they visit. This was a treatment only accorded to Xiang Shaoyun.
"Greetings, Elder He," Xiang Shaoyun greeted politely.
"You're too polite. I am of the same generation as your senior brother. If you don't look down on me, just call me senior sister," He Yinghua said enthusiastically. When Chen Xin heard that, she staggered and nearly planted her face on the ground. That caused He Yinghua to send her a dissatisfied glance. "Why are you so clumsy?"
"N-nothing, m-master. I-I forgot to watch my step," Chen Xin quickly explained herself. She shouted inwardly, Since he is calling master senior sister, wouldn't the seniority be completely messed up when he marries Junior Sister Lu in the future? Oh my heavens!
One ought to admit that Chen Xi had quite an active imagination.
"Thank you for the favor you have shown me, El—Senior Sister He. How is Lu Xiaoqing?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
"She's fine. You can see her inside," He Yinghua said before telling Chen Xin to bring Xiang Shaoyun to Lu Xiaoqing. Little did Xiang Shaoyun know that this meeting with Lu Xiaoqing would put him in a predicament.
Chapter 75: Shit! I Really Wasn't Lying!
Lu Xiaoqing had been injured by Li Xuemeng. Although the injury wasn't fatal, it was still rather serious. Fortunately, Zi Changhe treated her in time, allowing her to recover without much trouble. After she woke up, she was incredibly worried about Xiang Shaoyun. After all, even after the Martial Hall Palace sent out a huge search party, they still failed to locate Xiang Shaoyun and the kidnapper. That was worrying.
"Junior sister, look who's here to visit," Chen Xin said the moment she arrived outside Lu Xiaoqing's room with Xiang Shaoyun. Lu Xiaoqing walked out of the room, her face still pale. When she noticed Xiang Shaoyun, tears dripped from her eyes.
"Ahhh, girl, don't cry. You look ugly when crying!" Xiang Shaoyun was as flippant with his words as ever. In the past, whenever he said something like that, Lu Xiaoqing would be furious. But this time, she pounced on him instead.
"Wuuu...wuuu...I was so worried about you!" Lu Xiaoqing wailed in Xiang Shaoyun's arms.
Huh? What's with this? The excessive reaction stunned Xiang Shaoyun. He had never expected that Lu Xiaoqing would act this way. It was completely different than what he had expected.
"What a lucky guy. Remember to treat my junior sister well in the future." Chen Xin glared at Xiang Shaoyun before swaggering away. Xiang Shaoyun felt even more awkward after hearing that.
He patted Lu Xiaoqing’s shoulder and said, "Lu Xiaoqing, are you still asleep or something? Wake up!" Inwardly, he muttered to himself, Shit, she's taking advantage of me!
In truth, they hadn't known each other for that long. At most, he only considered her a good friend.
Why was she hugging me under broad daylight? A man and a woman should not touch before marriage!
"No, my mind is clear. Shaoyun, I-I've fallen in love with you!" Lu Xiaoqing dug her face into Xiang Shaoyun's chest and wrapped her arms tightly around him as she confessed to him.
Bang!
Xiang Shaoyun felt his mind go blank.
"I-is this a joke?" Xiang Shaoyun asked. He was definitely not here to pick up girls. He was only here so that he could have a place to cultivate in peace. As for a romantic relationship, he hadn't even considered it. In any case, he only saw Lu Xiaoqing as a good friend, and he had no romantic feelings for her.
Lu Xiaoqing slowly released Xiang Shaoyun and gazed straight into his eyes. "Will I joke about something like this? D-do you n-not like me?"
Xiang Shaoyun did not know how to answer.
"I have always thought of you as a close friend. I have never seen you romantically," Xiang Shaoyun answered honestly.
"No, I don't want to merely be your friend. I want to be your other half. Didn't you say that I'm pretty? Were you saying that just for fun?" Lu Xiaoqing said stubbornly.
Shit! I really did say that just for fun! Xiang Shaoyun inwardly cursed.
Lu Xiaoqing was certainly a beauty, but Xiang Shaoyun had seen too many beauties, each of them with an extraordinary bearing. In comparison, Lu Xiaoqing seemed bland.
"Lu Xiaoqing, listen to me. I am a person with a blood feud, and my only goal is to reach the King Realm or an even higher realm as soon as possible. Only then
will I be able to take my revenge. Before that, I have no interest in romance. This is no time for me to be distracted by something else. Do you understand?" Xiang Shaoyun said seriously.
"You're not lying?" Lu Xiaoqing asked.
"I swear! May lightning strike me if this is a lie!" Xiang Shaoyun swore.
Rumble! Rumble!
Suddenly, the sky turned dark, and thunder rumbled, scaring Xiang Shaoyun shitless.
"Shit! I really wasn't lying!" Xiang Shaoyun shouted.
"Fine. I can bear that burden with you. I am willing to work hard with you, to one day reach the King Realm and get revenge with you!" Lu Xiaoqing, grabbing Xiang Shaoyun’s hands, said with agitation. She really did look like she was prepared to give her entire being to Xiang Shaoyun. A woman was indeed unstoppable when she fell in love.
At this point, Xiang Shaoyun no longer knew what to say. His heart would always be soft when it came to his friends, and he couldn't bring himself to be too harsh with the truth. Nevertheless, he was still a quick-witted person. He quickly said, "Lu Xiaoqing, I am very touched, but if you really do love me, you have to prove it with your actions. How about this...if one day your cultivation level catches up to mine, I will let you be my woman. I have a five-star physique with a bright future ahead of me. I can't allow my woman to be too weak either. What do you think?"
Lu Xiaoqing was rather simple minded, and she found his words reasonable. She therefore nodded. "Ok! Those are your own words! When I catch up to you, we will be together, and we will take your revenge together!"
"Um. I am now at the fourth-stage Astral Realm. You need to continue working hard. Otherwise, our gap will only widen," Xiang Shaoyun said.
"No, that won't happen. I will catch up to you!" Lu Xiaoqing vowed solemnly before landing a peck on Xiang Shaoyun's cheek. Then, she released him, turned around, entered her room, and shut the door. Everything she had done earlier were things she would never do usually. Thus, she was too embarrassed to continue facing Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun merely rubbed his face with a bitter smile, his heart filled with melancholy. Unfortunately, there were some things he just couldn't accept. If this was in the past, he wouldn't mind fooling around with her. But he was now a different person. He had to be responsible for himself and the people around him. He did not want to hurt her.
"Rest well. I'm leaving," Xiang Shaoyun said and left.
But he had barely left when Chen Xin came out from a certain corner and said, "Brat, you dare take advantage of my junior sister! I'll tell my master!"
"Impudent. Your master is my senior sister. So I am your martial uncle," Xiang Shaoyun said with a solemn look on his face.
When Chen Xin saw Xiang Shaoyun's serious display, she immediately felt guilty and said, "I-I did not intend any disrespect!"
"Haha! I was just kidding!" Xiang Shaoyun roared with laughter. He continued, "Advise your junior sister to leave me. I am not a good person."
Right after saying that, Xiang Shaoyun stepped forth toward Chen Xin, as if he was going to molest her.
"If you come one step closer, I will crush your balls!" Chen Xin said fiercely. Her threat frightened Xiang Shaoyun so much he felt a chill enveloping his lower body for no apparent reason. He quickly fled.
"Fine, you win!" Xiang Shaoyun did not forget to stop and shout with his thumb raised before he continued fleeing.
"Haha, of course. Don't forget who I am," Chen Xin laughed smugly. Chen Xin might seem playful here, but that should never mislead someone. She was in fact one of the top 10 disciples in the Martial Hall Palace.
Chapter 76: Before the Match
Wu Clan had already received news that Xiang Shaoyun was still alive. When Wu Hongxi arrived at the hidden room, the corpses of his father and their subordinates greeted him. The discovery frightened him greatly.
"How? How did this happen? Did Elder Zhen Peng find this place? That's not possible!" Wu Hongxi muttered blankly to himself. If it was Elder Zhen Peng, he would have come for them long ago. How would everything stay so peaceful?
Filled with sorrow, Wu Hongxi returned to his study. Only after a long while did he remember to request help from the Wu Clan of Cloud Margin City. No matter what, they had to get a King Realm expert to come back them up. Otherwise, their only option would be to pack up and leave town.
At the same time, Li Xuemeng, Li Hong'er, and Li Tianba were gathered at Li Xuemeng's residence.
"Father, are there no other options?" Li Tianba asked with indignation. His father had just told him to intentionally lose during the match with Xiang Shaoyun tomorrow, and he found it hard to accept.
"Yeah, Father. So what if he is backed by Elder Zhen Peng? That bastard is the challenger! In an arena battle, even killing the opponent is allowed!" Li Hong'er said viciously.
"No, you don't understand. Things are not as simple as you think," Li Xuemeng sighed. He couldn't bring himself to tell them about the kidnap job.
"Father, I think you worry too much. Even if I do kill him tomorrow, Elder Zhen Peng might be angry for a while. But isn't that a good thing for him as well? Like you said, he had sworn allegiance to Xiang Shaoyun before everyone's eyes. With Xiang Shaoyun dead, he would be free again. His loyalty would remain with the Martial Hall Palace, and he won't easily kill us," Li Tianba analyzed.
Li Xuemeng hesitated slightly. His eyes shone, and he said, "Fine! We'll do it! But don't mess it up!"
"Don't worry. With my strength, killing him is as easy as killing a bug," Li Tianba promised confidently.
"Don't underestimate him. That kid has probably swallowed some spirit medicine. He is already at the fourth stage," Li Xuemeng reminded.
"So what? I'm still two stages above him." Li Tianba remained indifferent.
...
Naturally, Xiang Shaoyun was unaware of their conversation. He was presently practicing his Lightning Bolt Fist and Lightning Spear Technique. With his present strength, he was able to unleash even more might from his battle techniques. His mastery over his Lightning Spear Technique had reached about 85 percent. His actual focus was placed on the Lightning Bolt Fist.
The first stage of Lightning Bolt Fist's mastery was to unleash attacks akin to lightning bolts. He blasted the empty air, punch after punch. The purple qi swirling around his fists made him look rather domineering.
"Haa!"
Shouting, Xiang Shaoyun dashed forward with the ferocity of a tiger and punched out with the might of a lightning bolt. A purple lightning bolt snaked out of his fist and shot straight at a stone not far ahead of him.
Bang!
Instantly, the nearly 500-kilogram, heavy stone was blasted into smithereens.
"I am already capable of transforming energy into lightning. Looks like the lightning bone has indeed benefited me greatly," Xiang Shaoyun muttered to himself.
Even sixth-stage Astral Realm cultivators might not necessarily be able to unleash an attack that destructive. Xiang Shaoyun had relied on himself to accomplish it and had indeed grown much stronger in recent days.
...
A day and a night passed, and the news of the match had spread all over the Martial Hall Palace.
"What is Xiang Shaoyun doing? He has just returned, and he immediately challenges Li Tianba? Does he not know that Li Tianba is one of the top-10 inner court disciples?"
"Yeah. Even if he is now in the Astral Realm, he is still not Li Tianba's match. Is he trying to create another miracle?"
"Or perhaps Li Tianba was the one who had provoked him into a match? Since Xiang Shaoyun couldn't find an excuse to reject him, he agreed?"
"We shall see. I have a feeling this will be a match worth watching."
...
The match had yet to start, but all the disciples were already gathered. Nobody was optimistic about Xiang Shaoyun. After all, for them, the gap between Xiang Shaoyun and Li Tianba was too big.
"Huh? Isn't that Senior Brother Leng Han? He hasn’t been seen for a long time, but he has actually shown himse
lf?" a certain outer court disciple cried out in alarm. The cry turned numerous heads; all the gazes congregated on a certain cold-looking youth.
The youth was Leng Han, an outer court disciple, also the current strongest outer court disciple. He was a cultivation addict and was rarely seen ever since he had grabbed the spot of being the number one outer court disciple. He spent most of his time tempering himself outside the palace. This time, he had likely appeared because it was coincidentally the end of one such excursion. Thus, he was here to see the new rising star, Xiang Shaoyun.
At a different corner, Mo Buhui and Mei Lianhua appeared as well. After the Hundred Beast Mountain Range trip a month ago, Mo Buhui had been missing. Today, he finally showed himself again. But for some reason, he had an odd look on his face, as if there was something wrong with him.
Apart from them, Xia Liuhui had also appeared. He was just done with his secluded cultivation session. Using the Earth Star Spring Xiang Shaoyun had given him, he managed to reach peak first-stage Astral Realm. His growth was very obvious as his cultivation had grown two stages in one go.
"My boss will definitely win! My boss will definitely win!" This time, he was behaving in a very conspicuous manner. He had a white cloth wrapped around his head, and he shouted while waving a white flag.
The people around him all stepped far away from him, looking at him like he was some idiot. Inwardly, they were cursing, What an idiot. Isn't a white flag a sign of surrender?
But one certain girl did not leave. She stood beside him, waiting with a longing gaze. This girl was Lu Xiaoqing. She was here to cheer on Xiang Shaoyun.
Shaoyun will definitely win! Lu Xiaoqing thought to herself.
Suddenly, there was a disturbance at a certain corner of the arena.
"Roar! Roar!"
Several roars rang out, attracting the attention of many disciples. When they looked over, they saw several youths mounted on different beasts. Each of them were fully equipped with weapons and armor, looking incredibly impressive and mighty.
"What's happening here?" the handsome young man who was leading the group asked a junior brother beside him.