Chapter 904: Chapter 903 Witch Granny_1
The long sword reached for the heavens, and in an instant, unprepared, Fujiki Naotsugu drew his blade across his own neck, his face a mix of tragic determination and calm.
Several Japanese swordsmen struck as if by lightning, wanted to stop him, but they were too far away.
Clang!
The sword was knocked away, crashing to the ground.
Fujiki Naotsugu stared blankly at Shi Xiaole: "Why stop me? This duel, it has determined the victor and decreed life and death."
"To regard victory or defeat as more important than life and death, you may think this is the spirit of Bushido, but in my view, it is nothing but the act of a coward."
"You dare insult the Young Sect Leader!"
Several Japanese swordsmen were furious but didn’t dare to make a move against Shi Xiaole.
Ignoring them, Shi Xiaole simply said, "Then why didn’t you kill the Mind Fire Master, the Six Heroes of Sky Mountain?"
Fujiki Naotsugu said, "Because though they were defeated, they blocked my sword. A samurai never kills a fallen opponent."
A young man of noble spirit stepped forward and laughed loudly: "Fujiki Naotsugu, my master Wang Weiguo died by your hand. Live well, for someday I will avenge him myself!"
Then, turning to Shi Xiaole with unprecedented respect, he said, "Thank you, Kirin swordsman, for upholding the dignity of our Central Plain’s martial arts!"
Master, you no longer need to have any regrets, because someone has fulfilled your wishes.
"Remember, you owe me a life."
A whisper entered Fujiki Naotsugu’s ears as he watched dumbfoundedly as Shi Xiaole returned to his seat, picked up a cup of wine, and drank as if the earlier fierce fight was nothing more than an insignificant warm-up to him.
The Central Plain has many a strange fellow; it was only at this moment that Fujiki Naotsugu understood the meaning of his father’s words. But in his eyes, Shi Xiaole was not just a mere unique individual; he was the uniqueness among the unique.
And with that, the great battle was diffused.
Many people didn’t understand and even silently resented Shi Xiaole for stopping Fujiki Naotsugu. This executioner, who had killed three top-notch experts from the Central Plain, deserved to die!
But no one dared to voice their doubts.
After Shi Xiaole easily defeated Fujiki Naotsugu, everyone realized that his status in the Martial World would rise yet again!
If before he was just one of the genius leaders, the first person in the Divine Barrier Realm, then after this battle, he had become an important figure in the martial arts world, a pillar that everyone looked up to. Without anyone from the Void Origin Realm, who could compete with him?
Who would dare to question?
No one dared.
"At thirty-five, the publicly acknowledged number one man of the Flying Horse Dynasty, from now on, he can no longer simply be called Kirin, but should be referred to as the Kirin Young Emperor," muttered Zhuang Junzi, the leader of the Six Heroes of Sky Mountain.
"Isn’t that title a bit too exaggerated?"
The woman beside Zhuang Junzi covered her lips, inhaling sharply, but as she carefully recalled the series of epic battles that marked the rise of the Kirin until today, she had to admit that if anyone in this world deserved such a title, it could only be Shi Xiaole.
Emperor, the son of heaven, the extreme of the human world. Young Emperor represents an emperor who is about to ascend to the throne. Those simple two words are incredibly heavy, carrying the utmost glory and honor.
To put it more plainly, except for the Void Origin Realm, he is the number one man in the Flying Horse Dynasty’s Martial World!
"The Kirin Young Emperor?"
Feng Guoting’s face twitched, Tao Baishan’s hand holding his folding fan turned white at the knuckles, and Zhang Baichuan stared blankly by the side.
They had gone through so much trouble to arrange men inside King Jin’s mansion, intending to use Fujiki Naotsugu as a pawn to kill their enemy, but their plan backfired, not only failing to achieve their goal but also bolstering Shi Xiaole’s influence. The regret in their hearts was difficult to describe.
Yao Mie Sheng’s face was ashen, his massive body frozen as if under a spell, immobile.
If he had been a few levels below Shi Xiaole, his overwhelming self-confidence might have allowed him to stay calm, but now, the gap was not just a matter of a few levels; it was the difference between heaven and earth.
How could he possibly catch up?
"Young Sect Leader, each person has their own path, and everyone progresses in their own time zone. There’s no talking of who is ahead or who is behind. I believe you are the strongest," consoled a black-clad elder from the Divine Sect, but as he spoke, his voice grew softer, probably not even convincing himself. The other experts from the Divine Sect fell silent.
The heartbroken and fishermen also stopped talking, drowning their sorrows in heavy drinking.
"Damn it!"
Mu Ling couldn’t help but curse loudly, he grabbed the wine in front of Shi Xiaole and drank it, then suddenly burst into laughter: "No matter who you are, you’re still pouring wine for me, hahaha!"
The feast that followed, under King Jin’s direction, became lively again, but the atmosphere could never return to what it was before. Countless gazes were fixed on Shi Xiaole, both overt and covert.
Some bold young ladies from official families even took the initiative to approach Shi Xiaole and strike up a conversation, their eyes full of implied affection and enthusiasm, leading one to suspect that with a little bit of attentiveness from Shi Xiaole, he could take a beauty home that very night.
Of course, King Jin’s behavior was the most peculiar. He didn’t seek out Shi Xiaole for a conversation; instead, he pulled aside some people who were preparing to approach Shi Xiaole and chatted with them.
To the perceptive observers, this was clearly an act of shielding Shi Xiaole from trouble, a smarter and more restrained way of showing the greatest goodwill.
"Brother, why the glum look?"
Making the excuse of needing to relieve himself, King Huan left the banquet, followed by Princess Miaoyan.
King Huan said with a wry smile, "I met the Kirin first, but now it seems that in his heart, my impression is still not as good as that of our fourth brother. I really am incompetent."
Princess Miaoyan’s eyes flittered, and she whispered, "Eighth brother should not belittle himself. In my view, a proud and aloof person like the Kirin is hard to subdue. Therefore, the strategy towards him should not be to court him, but to bend and interact, treating him as a friend. Fourth brother’s gift today might just backfire."
A glint appeared in King Huan’s eyes as he said, "A friend? Sadly, friends are not controllable, especially those like the Kirin. Without restraint, they are too dangerous."
Princess Miaoyan, with a smile, said, "Brother, you are gravely mistaken. Such a person, in his pursuit of reaching the pinnacle of the martial path, would never act against his principles. Therefore, he is actually the easiest to control! Just be honest with him, and he will not let you down."
King Huan didn’t speak for a long time before turning his head and suddenly bowing to Princess Miaoyan, "My sister, I have learned much from you."
How many people in the world knew that the playful and innocent Miaoyan was actually one of King Huan’s most relied upon aids?
As the hour approached midnight.
The banquet ended amidst the joy of the guests, who bid their farewells one after another.
Shi Xiaole did not leave with Mu Ling or Duanmu Keren, but instead headed towards Mei Junyi, only to find at the entrance that Mei Junyi had already mounted a carriage and sped away.
Initially, this seemed unremarkable, but suddenly, Shi Xiaole’s expression changed, and he swiftly followed the carriage, hiding in the shadows of the night.
Inside the carriage.
"Witch Granny, I had not expected you to find me."
With the two maids inside the carriage unconscious, an old woman dressed in black with white hair sat regally on a brocade couch, smirking at Mei Junyi with amusement, as a cat would at a mouse.
"The first Saintess of our Sect has become the most beautiful woman in the world, using flamboyance to conceal moderation. Xianglei, Granny almost got fooled by you. The person you’re now following actually sent two Half-step Void Origin Experts to protect you."
Witch Granny snickered.
The only thing to blame was that Mei Junyi’s portrait had not circulated outside; otherwise, Witch Granny would not have wasted more than a decade. With this thought, a fierce glint passed through Witch Granny’s murky eyes, and her expression turned ferocious.
"What do you want?"
Mei Junyi’s expression remained unchanged.
"Heh heh, Xi Xianglei, my Xianglei, Granny has treated you like my own since you were a child, spoiled you in every way, and gave you the best things first. Yet, because you refused to marry the Sect Leader, you allied with outsiders to kill Granny’s only son. He was merely following orders! But it seems you have no sense of remorse at all!"
The air inside the carriage was frosty, numbing flesh and bone, and even the blood seemed to freeze.
Xi Xianglei fell silent for a moment before saying, "I have never regretted what I have done."
"Cackle, cackle, cackle, such lack of regret! My son, the most outstanding talent of the Divine Sect, fell for a heartless woman. Do you think that with you and the outsider, you could really kill him? He just deliberately let you go. I hadn’t expected you to be so decisive!"
Witch Granny’s eyes bore a layer of blood, and her withered hand snatched out like lightning, tightly gripping Xi Xianglei’s swan-like neck and slowly tightening her grip, making it hard for her to breathe.
"You should feel lucky you were born with the Heavenly Charm Bones; before the Sect Leader obtains your maiden blood and assimilates your pure Yin energy, I won’t kill you. But the Sect Leader has already promised that once he is done using you, he will hand you over to me. Xianglei, enjoy the time you have left, for you will regret ever coming into this world afterward."
Xi Xianglei said, "Granny, given the Oath of Golden Abyss, are you not afraid to invoke fate and be punished for your actions?"
"Do not worry on my behalf; Tian Jizi has calculated that the time of the Oath of Golden Abyss is nearly up, and then the Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor will also emerge."
Xi Xianglei closed her eyes.
Witch Granny, one of the Divine Sect’s four Protectors and known for ’making good on her word’, had always followed through on whatever she said.
"Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor?"
Shi Xiaole, who had been following afar behind the carriage, felt his heart lift.
There was definitely a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor inside the carriage, emanating an aura as brilliant as the sun. Yet he couldn’t fathom which Martial Emperor would be interested in Mei Junyi, or why the carriage was heading out of the city.
To follow or not?
Shi Xiaole did not hesitate for long; Mei Junyi was the only clue to saving Gui Zhihang, and he could not abandon that. Moreover, with the constraints of the Oath of Golden Abyss, he supposed the Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor would not dare to be too presumptuous.
It was past curfew, yet strangely, the city gates were opened. Once the carriage was far gone, they were rapidly closed. Shi Xiaole soared up, using his supreme Flying Skill to leap over the city walls without attracting any attention.
If anyone had been present, they would have been shocked, for the skill he displayed was far greater than what he had shown earlier at the banquet.
Meanwhile, at the residence of King Jin.
King Jin pushed open the heavy door of the secret chamber and walked hundreds of meters through multiple Array Systems to arrive at a hidden stone chamber.
Inside, a Japanese man, who was of unremarkable build, stood up as soon as he saw him and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, "Ookubo has seen the Young Sect Leader!"
