Chapter 418: Chapter 14: Be Mine
In his past life, the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu could cause most cultivators to lose their courage upon hearing its name, but Yan Yu regarded it as nothing to fear.
The insect’s methods of attack were nothing more than pouncing, and it did not even know how to move in arcs or feint; it was far too simplistic and mechanical. Without a cultivator to command it from behind, defending against its attacks was not difficult.
But Tang Xiaolian could not do it.
One fears not the god-like opponent but the pig-like teammate. Considering the girl’s reaction speed and level of swordsmanship, it was likely she could not even take a single hit from the Golden Silkworm Gu—Yan Yu had no choice but to use most of his energy to protect her, attempting to quickly get her through the flower field.
When the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu attacked, it first hovered in the air, shrieking for a moment, its fierce maw opening and closing, then it transformed into a streak of golden light, pouncing viciously. If it collided with a person, it would immediately bore a bloody hole. The poison would permeate through the wound, circulating through the meridians to spread across the body and finally reach the heart, killing the person in an instant.
...
Seeing the ferocious insect repelled by Huang Tingjian each time it pounced, Tang Xiaolian, initially a bit frightened, gradually calmed down. She grew bolder and continued to hold Yan Yu’s hand, asking curiously,
“Captain Yan, can you kill it?”
“No,” Yan Yu shook his head.
“Why not?” Tang Xiaolian couldn’t understand. “Aren’t you able to defend against all its attacks?”
“I have no means of counterattack,” Yan Yu replied.
Impervious to knife and fire, it is destined that the only things in this world that can counter the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu are either some sort of sealing and trapping method or an extraordinary divine Immortal Sword or magic. Even Xie Ruoxi’s Shenxiao Thunder, known for its full-on lethal power and suppression of physical vitality, might not be effective against the Gu considering her current Marrow Cleansing Stage of cultivation—Yan Yu was unsure whether she could overcome the Golden Silkworm Gu.
Even with the demon’s terrifying might, I remain undefeated—a powerful stand!
As Yan Yu was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a strange female voice by his ear,
“For the second trial of combat, your level of swordsmanship has passed, but your companion has not made a move. Such trickery might deceive the stone gate challenge, but it won’t get past me.”
“I am the one pursuing the Long Eyebrows’ legacy,” Yan Yu replied gravely. “She is not.”
The woman’s voice chuckled lightly and continued,
“Since she entered with you, she must face the trial of swordsmanship; these are the rules here. You either figure out a way to get her through the combat, or you leave with her and come back alone next time.”
Yan Yu remained silent for a moment, then turned to Tang Xiaolian and said,
“Let’s go back.”
“At least let me try!” Tang Xiaolian suddenly became frantic, forcibly pulling away his hand. “My swordsmanship isn’t bad. Why declare I can’t win without even trying?”
“Then you try,” Yan Yu said.
“I will try.” Tang Xiaolian performed a sword technique, and the Peach Blossom Tender Sword transformed into a streak of pink light, advancing to attack the incoming Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.
Another ringing clang of metal rang out, the Golden Silkworm Gu’s advance was intercepted by Huang Tingjian, and the streak of pink light struck nothing but air, freezing in place, just like Tang Xiaolian’s expression.
Yan Yu: ………
Tang Xiaolian: ………
“Let’s go back,” Yan Yu said again, this time with much more determination.
“I don’t want to!” Tang Xiaolian refused to admit defeat, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at him and begged coquettishly, “Captain Yan, help me, please! You’re so powerful, give me some pointers on my swordsmanship, let me get through this trial, please, will you?”
“Please!”
Yan Yu also felt a headache coming on. After all, one should first show some… no, that is, you’re not even from our team, nor are you a Sword Immortal by profession, so what’s the point of insisting on getting through this swordsmanship trial?
However, upon further thought, there were indeed some benefits to helping the young girl.
It is well known that Zhou Hongyu was an incredibly tenacious fighter, stronger in the face of powerful enemies, recklessly courting death in battle. If Li Minghu was said to have been worn down by attrition, then she had thrown herself into her own demise, cutting the tragic intensity in half and adding a layer of humor.
At present, my relationship with Li Minghu is quite good, and it would be easy to intercede and change her fate later on, but Zhou Hongyu remained stubborn, possibly not replying even after three messages. Although I have some relationship with her, I still have no steady confidence in how to alter her tragic ending.
If I could cultivate Tang Xiaolian as one of my own… like inside the Huofeng Team, secretly giving me intelligence, helping me to improve my relationship with little Zhou, or even calling me to the rescue at critical moments?
Alright, let’s do that!
“I can give you pointers,” Yan Yu said.
Tang Xiaolian’s face lit up with joy, but then she heard him continue:
Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.
“But I can’t give you pointers for free.”
“But I helped you find this place,” Tang Xiaolian quickly retorted.
“That was to repay the debt of gratitude for me teaching you the Marrow Cleansing technique,” Yan Yu replied as he once again used his sword to knock away the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, correcting her at the same time.
“Don’t be so petty, you’re a grown man!” Tang Xiaolian exclaimed.
“What did you say? I can’t hear you,” Yan Yu feigned, “Oh no, the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu is attacking again, I have to defend against it and have no time to talk to you anymore.”
With her cheeks puffed out, Tang Xiaolian huffed and pondered for a while before tentatively asking:
“So, can I owe Captain Yan another favor, would that be okay?”
Yan Yu had originally intended to have Tang Xiaolian owe him a favor, and surprisingly, she offered it herself – this girl was quite clever!
“That’s fine,” he nodded with a reserved air.
Tang Xiaolian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Captain Yan had no romantic interest in me, thank goodness, I would never betray Captain Zhou… Even though Captain Yan was indeed powerful, domineering, dependable, and also of the opposite sex, in life, I belong to the Huofeng Team, and in death, I will be the ghost of the Huofeng Team!
However, now that I owed Captain Yan another favor, it was an opportunity to cultivate a good relationship with him—I mean, a friendship. After all, the more friends you have, the more paths you have; and with Captain Yan’s strength and status, being friends with him would surely open thousands of paths to me, letting my life get broader and broader.
“I’m ready,” Tang Xiaolian stated solemnly, her hands forming a Sword Technique.
Sensing the golden light rushing toward him again, Yan Yu uttered deeply:
“White Rainbow Across the Sky.”
“What is White Rainbow Across the Sky?” Tang Xiaolian asked.
Yan Yu nearly stumbled on the spot, quickly urging the Huang Ting Sword to intercept the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu as he asked:
“Don’t tell me, you don’t even read the Sword Control Technique materials?”
“No, why would I?” Tang Xiaolian asked, puzzled, “I’m not a Sword Immortal, why bother with that?”
Yan Yu was speechlessly choked and after a long pause, he solemnly advised her:
“You need to read it. For cultivators who aren’t in the Sword Immortal profession, I don’t expect you to master the Sword Control Technique, but you should at least know the four basic Sword Techniques. For offense, use White Rainbow Across the Sky; for containment, use Bai Niao Chao Feng; for interception, use Cang Song Ying Ke; and for parrying, use Night Battle in All Directions. These four Sword Techniques, once mastered, will do you nothing but good.”
“Captain Zhang also mentioned these four basic moves,” Tang Xiaolian recalled, explaining to Yan Yu, “But he said, Magic Cultivators and Sword Immortals need to learn them, but Assistant Officers and Envoys don’t have to, since our duties aren’t about output. Learning them is just icing on the cake, not a necessary aid.”
“Captain Zhang doesn’t know jack!” Yan Yu immediately swore, “He can’t even beat our team’s Ningning and yet dares to mislead others! Without mastering these four basic moves, how will you protect yourself if you’re ever alone? Do you think the enemy will go easy on you just because you’re not a damage-dealing profession?”
“Hahaha.” Tang Xiaolian laughed awkwardly and continued, “Captain Zhang also explained that if we end up on our own, it signifies a major tactical error in the team. Even if we learned the basic moves, we might not be able to hold our own against damage-dealing professions, so it’s better to spend our limited time and energy improving our own abilities to better coordinate with the team’s strategy. Once we have spare time, we’ll gradually learn the basics of Sword Control Technique.”
“And what if the team system gets abolished in the future?” Yan Yu scoffed, “If teams are disbanded and you have to fight alone on the battlefield, how will you protect yourself?”
“Huh?” Tang Xiaolian was befuddled, “The teams won’t be disbanded, right?”
Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, then changed the subject:
“Nevermind, I’ll demonstrate it for you. The so-called White Rainbow Across the Sky is actually very simple; it’s a long-distance thrust. This technique has three variations: a pure straight line, a curved approach followed by a straight thrust, and a straight approach followed by a curved thrust. The pure straight line is the fastest engagement with the enemy; the curved approach followed by a straight thrust has even more killing power due to a longer acceleration distance; the straight approach followed by a curved thrust is for making a sudden turn in the sword path’s latter half, usually used for deceitful tactics like feinting and distraction, sort of a trickery strategy.”
“Hold on, let me write this down!” Tang Xiaolian quickly pulled out her phone and started typing, murmuring to herself, “White Rainbow Across the Sky, three variations…”
“What are you writing for!” Yan Yu snatched away her phone, “You won’t have time to take notes on the battlefield! Raise your Flying Sword and mimic my sword movements to make the moves!”
“Watch carefully, this is White Rainbow Across the Sky!”