Chapter 899: Chapter 898 Three Days Deadline_1
"Fujiki Naotsugu?"
In the lakeside pavilion of Drunken Spring Breeze, where a cool breeze was blowing and a cold fragrance cleansed the heart, a man and two women were sitting opposite each other, chatting by a stone table, with steaming cups of tea before them.
"This man has crossed to the Central Plain and has successively killed three false-emperor experts. His strength is unfathomable. Many believe that without a Martial Emperor from the Void Origin Realm, no one can match him."
Du Ziyan couldn’t help but glance at Shi Xiaole.
To be the first in the Divine Barrier Realm and undefeated under the Void Origin Realm were two entirely different concepts. The latter was undoubtedly more terrifying, indeed much more so. If Shi Xiaole were given a few more years, perhaps the Martial World of the Central Plain wouldn’t be so passive.
Shi Xiaole sipped his tea.
The name Fujiki Naotsugu reminded him of Fujiki Naoaki. Back at the eastern platform of Wuyuan Palace, that man had bad luck and encountered a Martial Emperor from the Void Origin Realm in the second round, forcing him to give up. Shi Xiaole wondered where he was now.
Thinking of this, Shi Xiaole recalled something very strange.
Logically, since the Wuyuan Palace had collapsed for over half a year, everyone inside should have come out by now. However, according to the intelligence he had gathered, aside from a few like Zhang Xiangfeng, the whereabouts of most others remained unknown!
This led him to a rather unsettling guess.
Pushing aside his miscellaneous thoughts and looking at the frosty woman beside him, Shi Xiaole said with a smile, "Elder Sister Mei, I have bothered you these days. As a token of my appreciation, I’d like to give you a gift."
With that, he took out a scroll from his sleeve.
In his past life, he was a college graduate focused solely on climbing the social ladder. In this life, he was immersed in martial arts and truly didn’t know how to win a girl’s favor, much less had experience in pursuing one. He simply resorted to the most common strategy.
A gift?
Du Ziyan arched an eyebrow.
Over the years, Mei Junyi had received countless gifts, all kinds of precious things. Du Ziyan didn’t think that Shi Xiaole could move the heart of a beautiful woman with a mere gift; poorly chosen, it could even backfire.
However, Shi Xiaole had already spoken, and it was not her place to discourage him.
To the astonishment of the two women, the scroll was unfurled, revealing a painting.
The woman in the painting was dressed in a white gown, her posture lazy as she stood at a window bathed in moonlight, with cold plum blossoms outside the courtyard. Yet her expression was colder than the plums, the mood within the painting exuding a lonely and desolate aura.
But in the woman’s eyes, there was an indomitable strength, a force gathering to rebel against the world. Though seemingly worn by wind and rain, nothing could erode her yearning for beauty.
Mei Junyi’s delicate hand, hidden within her sleeve, suddenly tightened.
Du Ziyan exclaimed in surprise.
Unlike the typical vagueness of ink paintings, the features of the woman in this painting were clear and distinct, a living image of Mei Junyi, yet with the mood rendered to perfection, as if combining two different techniques.
What truly moved Mei Junyi was that the artist seemed to have penetrated her innermost being, exposing the true self she had hidden for many years.
"Did you paint this?"
Mei Junyi looked intently at Shi Xiaole.
"The technique is rather crude; I hope Elder Sister Mei won’t laugh at it."
Back on Yun Tai Cliff, Shi Xiaole had learned painting techniques from Shui Lingping and also incorporated methods from sketching. In his opinion, this gift was not ostentatiously valuable but was full of thought and should satisfy her.
Thud thud thud.
Just then, a woman approached briskly, glanced at Shi Xiaole, and whispered a few words to Du Ziyan. Du Ziyan’s expression changed slightly, and she promptly got up and left.
Soon after, a cacophony of footsteps sounded.
Shi Xiaole felt several chilling gazes fall upon him, and as he turned to look, he spotted the members of Wuyi who had challenged him a few days ago.
But shortly, his attention shifted to the man at the center.
The man, over seven feet tall, dressed in black gauze lined with gold, had an abnormally pale face. Despite his handsome features, his mismatched eyes seemed to reflect mountains of corpses and seas of blood, bringing a bone-chilling coldness wherever they rested.
"Junyi, I have returned."
The man in black ignored Shi Xiaole, speaking directly to Mei Junyi.
Mei Junyi remained silent.
"Shi Xiaole, this is General Shentu Jue. A mere grass-roots like you, why aren’t you rushing over to greet him?"
Feng Guoting stepped forward and shouted at Shi Xiaole.
Shentu Jue?
Shi Xiaole had never imagined that the youngest and most famous general of Flying Horse had the appearance of a scholar. From him, Shi Xiaole sensed an overwhelming martial aura, one that only those who had seen the battlefield possessed.
"Shi Xiaole, have you gone deaf? According to our dynasty’s laws, commoners must kneel before seventh-rank officials and bow before third-rank officials. General Shentu is a full third-rank; why don’t you roll over and greet him?"
Feng Guoting roared again, this time with Vigorous Air, ensuring not only those in Drunken Spring Breeze but also passersby on the streets outside could hear him clearly.
His words were not entirely fabricated, but such formalities weren’t taken seriously in many places and were only applicable in formal settings. Feng Guoting was deliberately making it public to embarrass Shi Xiaole.
"Young Master Shi, just a friendly reminder, this is the law of the dynasty. Your reluctance to act—do you mean to disregard the royal authority?"
The young man holding a folding fan said with a confident and light-hearted smile.
Outside Sky City, they really had no way to deal with Shi Xiaole, but inside, individual martial might was severely restricted. One man might not overpower Shi Xiaole, but what about ten, a hundred, a thousand?
They refused to believe he couldn’t be subdued!
As for whether Shi Xiaole would seek retribution after leaving Sky City, first, with their official backgrounds, would he dare? Second, considering the egregious act of coveting another’s wife, from the moment he sought after Mei Junyi, with Shentu Jue’s character, there was no way he would let him live to leave!
So even if Shi Xiaole had unparalleled talent and the potential to surpass the Martial Emperor in the future, what was there to fear from a man with no future?
Bundles of gazes turned towards Shi Xiaole, who sat on the stone chair.
Du Ziyan shook her head secretly.
When people from the Martial World came to Sky City, dragons had to lie low and tigers had to coil up. This young man had not given face to the Wuyi before, and now he was in trouble.
Shentu Jue, looking down from a high position, shifted his gaze onto Shi Xiaole, with a look of indifference, devoid of any emotion, like a tiger high above waiting for a lamb to come and worship, to submit.
"Shi, what are you still dazed about? Roll over here!"
Feng Guoting bellowed loudly, his mouth curved up to his ears in pleasure.
So what if his talent was unparalleled and he was first in the Divine Barrier Realm? Today, he would press down the other’s head and make him submit obediently. In front of the dynasty’s power, so-called experts were nothing.
Elder Sister Mei glanced at Shi Xiaole and, remembering their days together, his smile as refreshing as the spring breeze, she felt somewhat reluctant to speak. But just as she was about to say something, she heard Shi Xiaole speak, "The master hasn’t spoken yet, but two dogs are barking happily."
"What did you say?"
Feng Guoting doubted what he had heard.
The fan-wielding Tao Baishan narrowed his eyes as well.
"You scoundrel! Shi Xiaole, you have no respect for the laws, showing no reverence to the general is clearly harboring ulterior motives. I have the right to inform the Ministry of Justice and have Six Fan Gate arrest you!"
Another young man dressed in luxurious clothes sneered incessantly, with murderous intent, "I forgot to tell you, my uncle is the Vice Minister of Justice, Qiu Tang."
"Shi Xiaole, come and pay your respects!"
"Get over here, now!"
Behind Liu Yi, there were many loyal guards, each of them loudly denouncing Shi Xiaole, their voices spreading in all directions. They had been informed beforehand to make a big deal out of this.
"Are you finished?"
After the noise had gone on for a while, Shi Xiaole finally opened his mouth.
"What, you’re ready to..."
Feng Guoting sneered with mockery, ready to say more.
Slap!
A resounding slap, like thunder, boomed in everyone’s ears. Feng Guoting’s smug expression froze on his face as he flew three hundred and sixty degrees like a straw man and crashed heavily onto the ground without getting up for a long while.
"If you’re done, then take a rest," Shi Xiaole said lightly.
"You dare..."
Another slap!
Tao Baishan rolled next to Feng Guoting, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, having lost several teeth. The noise at the scene suddenly choked, like ducks being strangled at the throat.
Zhang Baichuan, who claimed his uncle was the Vice Minister of Justice, turned pale and red, and those who had been shouting loudly earlier now showed faces filled with terror.
"Cacophony."
Shi Xiaole slowly stood up, his stature a few inches taller than Shentu Jue.
At that moment, people seemed to see a sword, its sharpness unbearable to eyes, causing pain. Fortunately, the sword energy came quickly and left quickly too, but still made hearts race.
"Do you know what you’re doing?" Shentu Jue asked coldly, his gaze still imposing, his tone still arrogant.
"You command troops on the front lines, said to have protected the security of the borders, worthy of my address as General Shentu, just that I have some friendly advice for you, General Shentu—be cautious in your associations and be wary of being dragged down by others."
Shi Xiaole’s words were forceful, devoid of any intimidation, yet they instantly dissolved the pressure Shentu Jue had been contriving. It felt as though Shentu Jue’s earlier covert pressure was bullying based on merits and was arrogance based on favoritism.
Feng Guoting and Tao Baishan, who had been slapped, lay on the ground like dead dogs, but no one paid them attention any longer; all eyes were drawn to the green-clothed young man in front of them.
Du Ziyan’s heart thumped wildly, a fierce counter-attack, a response without losing pride. It turns out Shi Xiaole was not a warrior obsessed, but a true mastermind.
In that instant, a rolling murderous intent surged in Shentu Jue’s heart, but he masked it well, bypassed Shi Xiaole, and said to Elder Sister Mei, "Three years ago, I gambled in chess with Great Dragon Head and narrowly won a move, and he has already handed your bond of sale to me. I will be reporting to the palace accompanying the Empress Dowager in the next three days. In the evening three days from now, I will come looking for you!"
Leaving behind those words without looking at Shi Xiaole any further, Shentu Jue turned and left.
What he wanted, he had never failed to obtain, especially the spectacle of watching others coveting yet only being able to stare in vain. A piece of swan meat, isn’t it only through many toads fighting for it that its value is highlighted?
Feng Guoting let out a wild laugh, the coldness in his eyes disappeared in a flash as he left, wiping the blood away. The others also left with faces full of ridicule, feeling immensely satisfied, thinking to themselves about competing with a general—they should look in the mirror.
Du Ziyan’s face changed drastically, and she quickly left. When she returned, her look at Shi Xiaole was filled with pity.
Great Dragon Head was peerless in chess; of course, he had lost to Shentu Jue intentionally. And earlier, he had given the Harmony and Soul Venomous Insects to Elder Sister Mei, clearly giving Shi Xiaole a chance, alas, Shi Xiaole had not won Elder Sister Mei’s heart!
With Shentu Jue now highlighting this matter, there was no longer any possibility between Shi Xiaole and Elder Sister Mei.
And as for forcefully taking Elder Sister Mei from the clutches of Drunken Spring Breeze, not to mention Shi Xiaole, even a Martial Emperor of the Void Origin Realm would certainly not have the capability.
"Elder Sister Mei, what do you plan to do?"
Du Ziyan admired Shi Xiaole for still being able to smile at this point.
"It seems that there is no other way but to resign to fate," Elder Sister Mei said.
"It seems you have no feelings for Shentu Jue. Three days, a lot could happen."
