Chapter 525: Chapter 524: Presenting a Painting
"You’re all going to die."
Young Master Julang swung his iron rod, aiming at the experts brought by Yu Chengzhi.
"Young Master Lian, let it go."
At the critical moment, the woman sitting on the rock said softly.
Yu Chengzhi seemed to have anticipated this. He subtly hooked the corner of his mouth, put away his iron rod, and said, "You should thank Miss Shui, or else you would have all died today."
The group of experts were terrified. They knelt and bowed before the woman, not daring to harbor any further desires. Just as they were about to escape down the mountain and heave a sigh of relief, a person in the shadows chuckled sinisterly and clapped his hands three times.
Bang bang bang.
All the people turned into a mist of blood.
"What a bunch of fools. The news about this place is top secret. How could the young master let you leak it out?"
A slender-faced elder stepped out from the forest and said to the people behind him, "Kill everyone in the Qiankun Gate where Yu Chengzhi is. Don’t let a single person who knows the truth live."
With a few whooshing sounds, the wind-breaking noises faded into the distance.
Atop the mountain.
The woman’s face suddenly showed a hint of regret.
"What’s wrong, Miss Shui?"
Lian Yi took a few steps forward, and even with his experiences of seeing beautiful women in the martial world, he was still somewhat infatuated.
Most beautiful women are stunning from afar, but when observed closely, small flaws inevitably emerge. However, the woman in front of him only became more beautiful the closer he looked, with no imperfections at all.
"I have caused the deaths of dozens of people again."
Lian Yi felt a jolt in his heart: "I do not understand what Miss Shui means."
"Does Young Master Lian really not understand? Just as Yu Chengzhi was about to try to coerce me, you appeared in time and saved my life. Later, you listened to my advice and deliberately spared that group of people, earning yourself a second favor in my eyes. However, you exude an aura of murderous intent. How could you possibly let them go?"
While the woman spoke, her left hand habitually brushed the long hair near her temples.
"Miss Shui, you suspect that I deliberately let them go as a favor? This assumption is quite chilling."
Lian Yi pretended to be upset, but he was shocked inwardly.
"Don’t blame me, I guess I’m just particularly sensitive because I’ve been blind for so many years."
With a charming smile, the woman’s star-like eyes were unmoving, she truly had no focal point.
"Who is it?"
Suddenly, Lian Yi shouted at something behind him.
A figure in green clothes landed lightly on the ground. He had an easy-going demeanor and an ordinary face. It was Shi Xiaole after disguising himself.
"Miss is incredible."
Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but praise.
"What’s so incredible about me?"
The woman asked.
"Did Miss know I was coming, so she deliberately mentioned that she was blind, causing me to reveal a flaw?"
With Shi Xiaole’s personality, he could easily dismiss life and death. He wouldn’t reveal his presence just because the other person was blind, of course.
The strange thing was that his curiosity was too strong. Since he hadn’t realized the woman was blind previously, he wanted to investigate further. His aura fluctuated slightly, and Lian Yi sensed it.
"When did you arrive, and what are you doing here?"
Lian Yi narrowed his eyes.
Aside from practicing martial arts, his biggest hobby was women, especially the latter. Each conquest gave him a sense of accomplishment.
But as he got older, there were very few women that caught his attention. A few months ago, he accidentally discovered this woman, was astonished by her beauty, and immediately began to pursue her.
Lian Yi was rebuffed, but this only increased his interest. Over the past few months, Lian Yi had already considered the woman his property and believed that he could win her over with his charm, so he wouldn’t allow anyone to spy on her!
As soon as he saw Shi Xiaole, Lian Yi became alert.
Most notably, the fact that this person had managed to hide for so long undetected, while somewhat due to Lian Yi being distracted by Miss Shui, demonstrated that he must have some skill.
The woman seemed disinterested in the two men, stood up, and walked towards the stone steps inside the rock, moving no differently than an ordinary person.
"Sky Heart Lake, Jade Moon Hairpin."
Shi Xiaole suddenly said.
The woman paused, her wonderful eyes flickered with a bright, inexplicable gleam, and she asked, "Where did you come from?"
"Daze Wall."
After a long silence, the woman said, "You two come in." She walked up the stone steps alone.
Lian Yi’s face was overjoyed.
Having known her for so long, he had never walked up the stone steps. With his skills, he could have forced his way up, but Lian Yi knew better than anyone how terrifying Miss Shui was.
This woman had no martial arts skills, but the feeling she gave him was even more unfathomable than the young master or young mistress of those top forces.
At least from what is known, this woman’s knowledge of medicine and the Array System are unparalleled among his peers. Lian Yi was sure that even if he hadn’t acted just now, that fool Yu Chengzhi wouldn’t have been able to succeed.
"Friend, how about we part ways here?"
Lian Yi spoke to Shi Xiaole without turning his head.
"I apologies, but I have some matters of importance to attend to."
"Don’t push me, you can’t handle the consequences of my wrath."
As he spoke, every word was filled with a freezing coldness, the murderous intent even solidifying into a melody that rushed into Shi Xiaole’s ears, attempting to shake his soul.
"A spiritual power approaching the Divine Border Realm?"
Shi Xiaole was somewhat surprised.
It was said that the Martial World was vast and full of prodigies. Indeed, this was no hoax. Even in this remote hill, he encountered an extraordinary genius whose spiritual power was approaching the Divine Border Realm.
Not only that, considering the aura on the other person, this person’s strength should be even above that of Yu He from Kuangyun City.
Carefully recalling the prodigies on the talent list of Shuntian Capital and comparing them one by one, none matched the handsome Young Master before him. Shi Xiaole asked, "Are you from one of the top power’s subordinates?"
Lian Yi was taken aback but then scoffed, "Since you know, get lost quickly!"
The last word ’get lost!’, like a massive bell, brutally drilled into Shi Xiaole’s ears. Clearly, Lian Yi had used some kind of secret technique that damaged the spirit.
In Lian Yi’s eyes, a nobody like Shi Xiaole, who appeared out of nowhere, had no right to enter the dwelling of Miss Shui with him. If Shi Xiaole was wise, his death would at least be swift. If not, there were a thousand ways to torture him.
"Whether you are from the top power’s subordinates or not, it’s not your place to decide where I can go."
Shi Xiaole narrowed his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a blade, shooting out two beams of invisible light.
Craack..craack.
In mid-air, sparks flew around.
Lian Yi, who assumed his spiritual attack was a sure win, not only failed to achieve his desired result, but he himself had been hit by the invisible knife-like gleam, resulting in severe pain in his head and his face changing dramatically.
"Secret Art of Spirit Division!"
With boundless rage and humiliation filling his chest, Lian Yi’s eyes suddenly turned eerie, as if tiny orbs of light were revolving around his pupils. With each revolution, a wave of power invaded Shi Xiaole’s mind, slicing through his spiritual sea.
This was a second-rate top-class secret spiritual tactic. When used by Lian Yi with his spiritual power, it could instantly severely injure most of the experts at the ninth layer of the Dragon Gate Realm.
However, he had met Shi Xiaole.
Similarly using the invisible knife gleam, this time, unreservedly urged by Shi Xiaole, the two beams shot out with the ferocity and sharpness of the wind, piercing Lian Yi’s spiritual sea first.
"Ah!"
With bloodshot eyes and veins prominent on his forehead, Lian Yi clutched his head and staggered back a few steps before finally stopping. When he looked at Shi Xiaole again, his eyes held an undeniable fear and dread.
"Who are you, really? You’re not a nobody."
Lian Yi demanded fiercely.
Only two or three peers who could match him in spiritual power from the top forces in Xuanwu State existed. However, none could suppress him.
Ignoring the other party, Shi Xiaole headed straight for the stone stairs.
He could see deeper than Lian Yi.
The surrounding space seemed calm, but traces of a terrifying Array System were clearly intersecting. As soon as he showed killing intent towards Lian Yi previously, there were signs of the Array System activating. Clearly, those hidden would not allow him and Lian Yi to fight to the death, which was why he stopped.
Of course, although the Arrays were quite powerful, they didn’t scare Shi Xiaole. Otherwise, with his character, he wouldn’t have revealed himself so recklessly.
Staring intently at Shi Xiaole with murderous eyes, Lian Yi eventually did not ascend the stairs and instead swooped down the mountain.
All that had transpired was likely noticed by Miss Shui. Going up now would only embarrass him further, but he will not let Shi Xiaole off the hook either, just wait and see!
There were ninety-nine stairs, and upon stepping onto the last one, a platform approximately a hundred feet wide appeared in front of him, appearing as if it was levelled by a giant sword. The smokes and clouds were rolling in from all sides, colored with a myriad of hues under the sunlight.
To the east of the platform, a crystal-clear spring cascaded down, the murmuring stream sending wafts of tea fragrance every time the mountain wind brushed past.
"Young Master, please have a seat."
The woman, with a hairpin and in a homespun skirt, was sitting on a chair beside the brook. Her unadorned demeanor was even more celestial than any painting. Even someone with Shi Xiaole’s experience couldn’t help but be intoxicated by the otherworldly scene before him.
He complied and sat down.
"Young Master, I already know why you’re here, thank you for your kindness."
The woman brewed a pot of tea and pushed it in front of Shi Xiaole.
The table, chairs, and utensils were all somewhat old, probably used for many years. Shi Xiaole noticed that they were all in pairs, indicating there was not only one person in the mountain.
"My mother left the mountain long ago. She said that even though I’m blind, my heart isn’t blind, and I am well-equipped to handle all sorts of things. So, I’ve been living alone here for many years."
The woman chuckled.
Shi Xiaole wanted to say that he was willing to help if she needed anything, but the words died on his lips.
Her mastery over the array far exceeded normal imagination.
Without mentioning other things, from just the table in front of him, Shi Xiaole had already identified several horrifying arrays. He feared any sudden impulses would trigger an attack from the array.
This woman may seem weak, but she was scheming. Despite being blind, her movements were no different from normal people. Did he even have room to intervene?
A bitter smile crossed Shi Xiaole’s face.
The woman also smiled, "Young Master Lian is from the Blood Emperor Sect. Now that you’ve provoked him, you won’t be able to leave safely. Why not be my guest for a few days?"
Blood Emperor Sect, one of the seven sects of the Flying Horse Dynasty.
"After all, Young Master, you attracted Young Master Lian’s attention because of me. There’s nothing valuable in the mountain, so I can only offer you this amateur painting as an apology."
She fetched a painting from a house in the distance and handed it to Shi Xiaole.
At first, Shi Xiaole didn’t think much of it. He unfolded it symbolically. Just one glance and like a magic spell, he could no longer take his eyes off the scroll.
