Chapter 238: Chapter 227: The Strong Dragon and the Local Snake (Part 2)
As soon as Li Taiqing finished, Little Moustache immediately cut in, "That’s right! It’s just a friendly match. Win or lose, the Mother-and-Son Sword is yours!"
’He never cared about the Mother-and-Son Sword anyway. All that mattered was winning back some face.’
"Interesting..."
A short distance away, several martial artists from the Western Regions with hooked noses and deep-set eyes stood with their arms crossed, watching coldly. The one on the far left spoke thoughtfully, "Li Taiqing? If I remember correctly, Elder Gu said this man is the lead disciple of the Cyan Bamboo Sect."
The tall, sturdy man in the center nodded. "You’re right. Now I remember. They say he’s a genius disciple who only just emerged this past year."
"But for him to be the Cyan Bamboo Sect’s lead disciple, he must be exceptional. This is a perfect opportunity for us to see what he’s capable of."
’The Cyan Bamboo Sect’s lead disciple?’
Zhao Lin had been using echolocation to monitor his surroundings. Hearing the conversation among the martial artists from the Western Regions, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, the thought of sizing up his opponent stirring within him.
He walked over to Zhong Yewu and said in a low voice, "Brother Zhong, you can accept."
Xiang Bao also chimed in with encouragement, "Old Zhong, take him on! With Brother Zhao here, what’s there to be afraid of?"
Zhong Yewu had been hesitating, but their words were all the reassurance he needed, and his confidence instantly returned.
’I’ve already won two matches,’ he thought. ’It wouldn’t be a disgrace to lose this one.’ He turned to Li Taiqing and said, "Alright, then. A friendly match it is."
"Excellent!"
Li Taiqing gave a relaxed smile and took a few steps forward. Little Moustache quickly made way for him and barked at the unlucky clerk, "What are you spacing out for? Start the count!"
"Yes."
The clerk jumped in fright and quickly chanted, "One... two, three!"
As he shouted "three," Zhong Yewu thrust his palm forward with all his might, and Li Taiqing swung a palm to meet it.
With a dull thud, Zhong Yewu felt a soft, insidious force wash over him. Though it didn’t feel particularly powerful, his feet suddenly felt as if they were on cotton, unable to find purchase.
His body lurched backward uncontrollably, and he staggered back four or five steps in a row.
Zhong Yewu hurriedly looked at his opponent and saw Li Taiqing standing in the same spot, his expression composed and unmoved.
"What an incredible move, Brother Taiqing!"
"Now you see the power of our sect, don’t you?"
The members of the Lotus Sect cheered in unison.
Zhao Lin reached out to steady Zhong Yewu. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Zhong Yewu shook his head and said in a low voice, "This man’s Wood Attribute Qi is quite strange. Be careful."
Zhao Lin nodded. He had noticed it too, even without Zhong Yewu saying anything.
Without another word, he walked to stand opposite Li Taiqing and cupped his fist. "Zhao Lin of the Xingyun Sect. I would be honored to receive your guidance."
At the sound of the name "Zhao Lin," the eyes of the martial artists from the Western Regions suddenly widened.
Although they didn’t know that Huo Shan had sent people to assassinate Zhao Lin, Elder Gu had specifically mentioned this name.
He had told them in no uncertain terms that if they encountered Zhao Lin during the Martial Gathering, they were to kill him the moment an opportunity presented itself!
When Li Taiqing saw that Zhao Lin was young and only at the First Layer of the Blood Realm, he didn’t think much of him at first.
But upon observing the expressions of Zhong Yewu, Xiang Bao, and Li Liang, he saw they were relaxed, even joking among themselves as if victory were already guaranteed. Realizing he might have met a worthy opponent, he slowly nodded. "I wouldn’t dare call them great techniques. Please!"
With a few rounds of experience under his belt, the clerk was no longer nervous—in fact, he was a little excited. He took the initiative to walk over and ask, "Are you two ready?"
Both Zhao Lin and Li Taiqing raised a hand in confirmation.
The clerk yelled at the top of his lungs, "One, two, three!"
Zhao Lin and Li Taiqing unleashed a palm strike at the same instant. Their movements were like lightning; onlookers saw only a pair of afterimages, followed by a loud BANG.
Each of them swayed, but neither one budged an inch.
’What immense strength!’
Li Taiqing remained outwardly impassive, but inwardly he was shocked. ’This young man’s palm force is incredibly fierce! If I hadn’t held back some of my power for defense, I might have made a fool of myself.’
Zhao Lin was just as astonished. ’Ever since I began my training, I have rarely met anyone in the same realm who could match me in pure strength.’
’Li Taiqing’s palm force was soft on the surface but hard within, like a needle hidden in cotton; it almost broke through my own protective Qi.’
’But I held back as well. I only used a normal palm strike, without adding my Cold Ice True Qi or Wind Attribute True Qi.’
’The real showdown will be at the Martial Gathering. Revealing my strength too soon might just get me targeted, and the losses would outweigh the gains.’
Whether it was Zhong Yewu’s group or the Lotus Sect disciples, no one expected the result to be a draw. For a moment, they were all stunned.
The expressions on the faces of the martial artists from the Western Regions changed drastically. Although they hadn’t personally participated in the contest, they could clearly feel the surge of Qi unleashed by the collision of their palms.
The tall, sturdy man in the lead took a deep breath and remarked with a sigh, "I never thought these two would be so strong. I suspect even Brother Mai wouldn’t be guaranteed a victory against them."
Another man chimed in, "Brother Huang is absolutely right. We should report what we’ve seen and heard to Elder Gu and Brother Mai as soon as we get back..."
Back in the center of the yard, Li Taiqing quickly regained his composure. He looked at Zhao Lin and said, "A martial contest should know when to stop. To continue fighting would be crude. What do you think, Brother Zhao?"
"That’s reasonable," Zhao Lin said.
Li Taiqing said to the clerk, "Sell them the swords."
The clerk froze for a second, then looked to Little Moustache for confirmation.
Little Moustache barked, "What are you waiting for? Do as he says!"
"Very well."
The clerk hurried to the center of the courtyard, took the Mother-and-Son Sword from the Lan Qi, and respectfully handed it to Zhong Yewu.
"Sir, here is your Mother-and-Son Sword..."
Seeing this, Li Taiqing cupped his fist toward Zhao Lin. "I’ll take my leave, then!"
Zhao Lin returned the gesture. "Until we meet again."
Li Taiqing strode toward the exit. Just as he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped, turned back, and said, "Brother Zhao, your skills are impressive. I presume you’re heading to Lotus Mountain?"
The Martial Gathering was held at Lotus Mountain, so this was a veiled way of asking if Zhao Lin planned to participate.
Zhao Lin naturally understood and replied, "Of course."
"Good. Then I’ll see you in the arena."
"See you in the arena."
Li Taiqing left the weapon shop, and the group of Lotus Sect disciples hurried out after him.
Little Moustache bowed respectfully. "Today is all thanks to Brother Taiqing for stepping in. Otherwise, I would have completely lost face for the Lotus Sect."
Li Taiqing replied calmly, "You’re too kind, Brother Huang. It was nothing. Besides, the Cyan Bamboo and Lotus Sects are two branches of the same tree; it’s only right that I help."
Seeing that no one else was around, Little Moustache lowered his voice. "Brother Taiqing, why didn’t you use the Yin Wood Palm just now? Were you afraid of injuring him and making things complicated?"
Li Taiqing hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Martial Gathering is imminent. I don’t want to use my full strength over a trivial matter. Didn’t you see the martial artists from the Western Regions and Wuche standing right there?"
Realization dawned on Little Moustache. "You’re right, Brother Taiqing. I was being short-sighted. Still, that fellow Zhao is just a bit strong. If it came to a real fight, he’d be no match for you!"
A disciple with a dark complexion beside them said, "Of course! Brother Taiqing is the first disciple in a hundred years to master the Yin Wood Force before the age of thirty. How could that Great Yue barbarian with nothing but brute strength possibly compare?"
Li Taiqing waved his hand, signaling for them to stop talking. A suspicion formed in his mind: ’I didn’t use my full strength... but could he have been holding back as well?’
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