Chapter 35: Chapter 33: I Told You to Beat Him, Not to Hurt Him
Dozens of saber shadows slashed toward him. They were not feints; every strike was real—or rather, could *become* real.
Behind him, though there was no sound of piercing air, Du Youqian could sense that Lin Lisan’s Judge’s Pen was striking.
He could even feel a tingling, electric sensation on his Fengfu Acupoint—the combat sense of an Innate Grandmaster warning him that this was the intended target.
And yet, Du Youqian also knew this was merely a feint from Lin Lisan. The true point of impact could be anywhere—anywhere *but* his Fengfu Acupoint.
In that instant, Du Youqian made his move. He suddenly accelerated, plunging headfirst into the saber shadows while spinning around.
He deliberately took several of Du Gubian’s strikes on his back.
His left hand parried the Judge’s Pen. *Crack!* The sound of breaking bone echoed.
At the same time, his right hand chopped down like a blade, fiercely striking Lin Lisan under the ribs.
Lin Lisan recoiled in pain. Having broken Du Youqian’s left hand, his Judge’s Pen lost all momentum, unable to press its advantage.
Du Youqian let out a dark chuckle. Though he had traded wound for wound—and had gotten the worse end of the exchange—he had at least broken their suppressive assault. He would no longer be on the back foot.
Though Du Gubian had left several gashes on Du Youqian’s back deep enough to reveal bone, none of them were fatal.
He was not satisfied with this outcome. With a frown, he took a sharp breath and swung a backhanded slash.
But before the saber could land on Du Youqian’s neck, the arm holding it flew through the air.
As Du Gubian and Lin Lisan stared in astonishment, the Immortal Master let out a quiet sigh.
"I only told you to beat him. I didn’t say you could injure him!"
What Du Gubian and Lin Lisan felt upon hearing these words was unknown.
But Yang Wenwan and Mr. Si felt it was all utterly absurd, as if they were still dreaming.
At the same time, a surge of joy from this miraculous escape washed over them, making them want to laugh at the sky.
Du Gubian quickly pressed several points on his arm, staunching the gushing blood. He looked at Lin Sha, perplexed, his voice hoarse. "Why?"
Lin Lisan’s lips moved with great difficulty, but no sound came out.
He was already considering how to escape.
Yang Wenwan, now in high spirits, actually sheathed his sword and laughed. "Perhaps this great Immortal Master and Young Master Qiu are old friends... old lovers... ah, old acquaintances."
He had originally wanted to say "old lovers," but the thought of the Immortal Master’s terrifying power made him wisely change his words.
"A match made in heaven," came a voice as grating as scraping metal.
This was only the second time Du Youqian had heard Mr. Si speak.
He never expected that Mr. Si, who always maintained a cold and aloof image, was such a sycophant.
"Continue," Lin Sha said coldly.
Du Gubian’s eyes widened in fury. "What... what do you mean?"
"I am telling you to continue beating him," Lin Sha’s voice was without the slightest ripple of emotion.
"Haha, hahaha!" Du Gubian’s laughter was filled with sorrow and indignation. "Continue beating him, but we can’t injure him?"
"Correct."
"Hahahaha!" Du Gubian laughed so hard he doubled over.
The instant he bent over, several black glints of light shot out like lightning.
"Foolish." With Lin Sha’s cold voice, all the throwing knives Du Gubian had unleashed were instantly deflected by a flash of white light.
The white light continued to circle Lin Sha several times before coming to rest on her shoulder.
Looking closely, one could see it was a fresh flower.
Others might not know, but Du Youqian knew very well. That was clearly a Defensive Magical Artifact shaped like a flower.
And its grade was not low; it should be Middle Grade.
To disappear for three years and not only become a Cultivator but also possess a Middle Grade Defensive Magical Artifact worth nearly a thousand Spirit Stones—this young lady was truly fortunate.
She had either found a predecessor’s long-lost grotto-heaven or found a good master, perhaps even entered a Major Sect.
Du Gubian laughed bitterly. "And what if I refuse to listen to you?"
"Then die," Lin Sha said, her voice devoid of emotion. "And don’t worry about being lonely on your way to the Yellow Springs. Your entire family, from the old to the young, will soon be joining you."
"Is that so?" Du Gubian stared at Lin Sha for a few seconds, seeming to confirm the resolve in her eyes, before saying no more.
Instead, he bent down and picked up the Yanling Saber from his severed right arm, attempting to swing it with his left hand.
For an Innate Grandmaster like him, even if he didn’t normally train his left hand, its flexibility and strength wouldn’t be much worse.
However, his Saber Technique would inevitably be a step weaker.
But it no longer mattered. After all, he was just a sparring partner, only allowed to "beat" and not "injure." What else could he do?
After a bitter smile, Du Gubian’s expression became solemn, his aura climbing once more.
He was a proud Innate Grandmaster; he would not pull his punches or fight timidly just to save his own skin.
If injuring this lucky young man earned him death at the hands of the Immortal Master, then so be it. That was his fate.
"Young man, let us fight!"
Du Youqian, having already stanched the bleeding from his back, sneered, "Old man, come and get your death!"
~~~~~~~~
Three bloody corpses and the surrounding toppled trees, the forest floor looking as if it had been trampled by a herd of giant elephants, testified to the ferocity of the battle that had just taken place.
Du Youqian sat bare-chested on a smooth, bare stone.
Yang Wenwan and Mr. Si watched with envy as the Immortal Master personally bandaged his wounds and gently fed him healing medicine.
"Is your anger gone now?" it was Du Youqian who spoke.
"Hmph."
"Does it satisfy you, watching me get beaten up?"
Lin Sha gave him a mournful, resentful glare, then suddenly lowered her head and bit his shoulder.
She wanted to bite down hard, to make pain tear through his very soul.
But the moment her teeth touched his skin, she feared she might truly hurt him—and then, she would be the one whose heart ached the most.
And so, unconsciously, the bite turned into a gentle nip, like a cat holding its master’s finger, a soft protest.
If she had truly felt better watching him get beaten, she wouldn’t have stepped in to kill Du Gubian and Lin Lisan.
Seeing him in pain caused her pain. What could she do?
Even after becoming a Cultivator, he remained an unhealable scar on her heart.
This was a result of the Demon Sect Technique she had practiced as a Mortal: the Emotionless and Desireless Skill.
Lin Sha was from the Jin Kingdom.
At the age of two, her outstanding martial aptitude was discovered. Members of the Demon Sect slaughtered her entire family, took her to the sect to train, and began grooming her to be the next Saintess.
The Demon Sect Elders believed she had been too young to remember her past.
In reality, blessed with a brilliant mind, she still remembered the faces of the enemies who had murdered her parents and siblings, even if the memories had grown hazy.
But she had always concealed this knowledge perfectly.
At seventeen, using an external training mission as an opportunity, she escaped the Demon Sect’s surveillance and fled to the Han Kingdom to live in anonymity.
Because the Emotionless and Desireless Skill she practiced required one to experience Entering Emotions before Breaking Emotions, Lin Sha went so far as to sell herself into a brothel. She hoped to temper her spirit in that den of depravity and advance her martial arts.
She wanted to break through to the Innate realm quickly, because her enemy was an entire sect.
Only by becoming an Innate Grandmaster would she have the right to avenge her family.
But then, she met Du Youqian.
