Hurt someone without resorting to physical attacks; kill someone without destroying his will.
Ye Que"s words were like a sharp sword that pierced the chests and hearts of all the guests present. Moreover, they were powerless to retort.
There was nothing to be said, for none of them had stepped out to fight the Devious Iguanas to death. To make things worse, none of them even had the courage to step out of the entrance. Ye Que had the right to say these things because his arrows had killed more than 10 Devious Iguanas.
The right to speak was won through strength.
A complicated mood cast over the guests.
Were they upset? A little.
Were they ashamed? A little.
Their strongest emotion was embarra.s.sment. They had lost their face!
Who were these people in Luoyang City? They were all wealthy, respectable people! They had never suffered such great humiliation in their lives.
Lin Mei"er had never experienced it, and Ye Yunhai even more so!
"Stop spouting nonsense that is easier said than done. Did you think your shabby bow is all that impressive? If you"re that great, go out and fight the demonic beasts face-to-face! What does a country b.u.mpkin like you know? Let me tell you. The one you killed earlier was the owner of the Moon of Virtue Pavilion, not some cultivator who"s nearly in the Pre-celestial Realm. You"ve murdered him out of malice. I"ll be reporting this to the Court of Judicial Review after we return to Luoyang City. Just sit still and wait to be imprisoned!"
Ye Yunhai"s voice was loud but he didn"t take a step forward.
"You"re right! If you"re that great, go out now and fight the demonic beasts face-to-face! Otherwise, shut your d.a.m.ned mouth!" Lin Mei"er said contemptuously. However, like Ye Yunhai, she didn"t take a single step forward either.
"That"s right! What right do you have to chide us? What status do you even have?" someone yelled.
"Creak, creak!"
While the guests were still yelling, a burst of unnatural sound came from the direction of the deck.
More than 10 thick tentacles climbed onto the bow of the ship as a large flock of Bloodied Zombie Birds burst out of the horizon. Finally, another type of demonic beast had appeared on the dragon ship aside from the Devious Iguanas.
"Humph, humph."
Ye Que snorted. He looked disdainfully at the guests. "You"re a bunch of rubbish indeed; all you know is standing here and yapping. You don"t even have the courage to take a step forward."
"You people want to see me fighting the demonic beasts face-to-face?"
"I"ll grant your wish."
After handing the Firebird"s Nest in his hand to Qian Shuxiao, Ye Que walked toward the deck with his right hand behind his back. He lifted his left hand ever so slightly and a circular brocade box appeared in the hollow of his palm. The box contained the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords.
Ye Que raised his foot to step over the doorstep of the hall while muttering, "Distinguish not between family and strangers, distinguish not between n.o.bles and peasants; once decided to follow the Way, I now proclaim ownership!"
"These swords formerly belonged to the 13 sages of the Spring and Autumn Period."
The hilt of the small sword that had been hovering inside the hall after piercing the owner of Moon of Virtue Pavilion suddenly changed direction after Ye Que finished speaking. Its blade stood erect, with its sharp end pointed to the nearest Devious Iguana to the hall. With the flash of a green glint, the Devious Iguana died.
"Human nature is evil, all that is good about human nature is man-made. Nature is the true law. Where a human acts in evil, his character will follow."
The center of the sword case revolved and an exquisite small sword of red color flew into the sky. It paused ever so briefly before charging toward a Devious Iguana that had just climbed onto the deck.
"Tao that can be described is not universal and eternal Tao. Name that can be named is not universal and eternal Name. The nameless is the origin of heaven and earth; the namable is the mother of all things. Heaven and earth don"t act from any wish to be benevolent; they deal with all things as the straw dogs are dealt with."
Ye Que moved his right hand forward and wiped the sword case. Extending his forefinger and middle finger, he made a gentle flick at the air. "Where one has attained the Tao, one may mow down the straw dogs."
Two small swords of blue color flew out of the case and made a spin while riding the wind. In the distance, two Devious Iguanas collapsed loudly.
"Did Zhuangzi dream he was a b.u.t.terfly? Did the b.u.t.terfly dream it was Zhuangzi? The dream of a b.u.t.terfly!"
"Heaven and Earth aren"t omnipotent, sages aren"t good at everything, and nothing can serve all purposes. Celestial signs!"
"Those who kill ought to die, those who injure ought to be punished. Ink steel!"
Three swords flew out in unison. There was no longer any trace of Devious Iguanas on the deck.
Ye Que didn"t stop and made four consecutive flicks at the air. "Distinguishment, impermanence, careful speech, five elements."
While the swords dance in the air, the entire flock of Bloodied Zombie Birds above the dragon ship died. The number of swords remaining inside the case was 11.
"Confucius claims kindness. Mencius claims to give up life for justice. Only be persevering in what is right can benevolence be attained."
Finally, two milky-white small swords flew out of the sword case. The Progeny Sword sought justice while the Maternal Sword sought to die for a good cause.
With the emergence of the swords, an overwhelming Qi descended!
One of the swords soared into the sky and cut off the 19 tentacles on the deck. The other plummeted into the water and cut off the hideous head at the end of the tentacles.
"Struggles, evil nature, enlightenment, straw dogs, the dream of a b.u.t.terfly, auspicious heaven, ink steel, distinguishment, impermanence, careful speech, five elements, the pursuit of justice, dying for a good cause!"
13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords. With the launch of the 13 swords, all the demonic beasts on the deck of the dragon ship died. None managed to escape.
Inside the hall of the dragon ship, Lin Mei"er who had worn a look of contempt and glared earlier was so frightened that she went pale in the face. Ye Yunhai, who had wanted to send Ye Que into prison, widened his eyes and frowned. The hands that he rubbed on his sleeves were soaked with sweat. The guests, who had been so suggestive in questioning Ye Que earlier, looked at each other in dismay. Many of them held their breath, unable to believe their eyes.
How could there be such a mystical martial arts technique in this world?!
How could there be such terrifyingly precise flying sword?!
Everyone followed Ye Que"s fingers with their gaze and witnessed how the demonic beasts were slaughtered. When they recovered their senses, they stared at the 13 small swords stopping in front of him and the strange, unfathomable brocade box in his left hand. All of them thought, "Is he still a human?"
"Leng Wuxin of the Mortal World Pavilion is a so-called Post-celestial Realm expert yet was only able to fight more than 10 Devious Iguanas. There"s no clear difference in power between both sides. But this so-called illegitimate child of the General"s Manor, a country b.u.mpkin, is able to kill all demonic beasts as soon as he makes a move? Are all these beasts made of paper?"
"This isn"t scientific!"
Never mind all these people who didn"t know Ye Que. Even Qian Shuxiao, who had been mentally prepared, had to pick up his jaw from the floor. To him, Ye Que was already an incredible expert, an expert many times greater than the rest. He thought that Ye Que was capable of solving the crisis at hand and turning peril into safety, but never in such a manner.
"Decaying forces are easily destroyed!"
"This isn"t logical!"
These were the only descriptions that Qian Shuxiao could come up with.
Standing in the spot between the hall and the deck, Ye Que turned around and smiled faintly. "Now, who dares to say I don"t have the right?"
"Who still wishes to see me fighting the demonic beasts face-to-face?"
"Who"s willing to slay demons and get rid of devils with me?"
His three questions were like three sharp swords that pierced the crowd"s hearts. Only silence remained inside the hall, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing. One second, two, and then three. The sound of breathing became louder and louder. The eyes of some guests began to redden. Some of them even felt a burning heat in the pit of their stomach, an unprecedented sensation of heat.
Ye Que"s words were like a blaze that swept the hall and ignited everyone"s hearts.
It burned all negative emotions of cowardness, weakness, fright, selfishness, and narrow-mindedness to ashes, leaving only immense pa.s.sion that filled one"s heart.
Out of the blue.
A woman dressed in a hanfu slowly stepped out of the crowd.
She lifted the long dress covering her legs and cut them off with a wave of her sword. She then wrapped the torn piece of cloth around her waist and effortlessly gathered her neat hair and placed them on the back of her head. "The death of a person is akin to the extinguishment of a light. It"s just mere trauma on our left and right; don"t tell me that we"re really allowing these creatures to be so unbridled on our territory?! And you dare call yourselves men even though you don"t even have the courage to put your life on the line. Your words are just nonsense! Even I feel ashamed on your behalf!"
"I"m Bai Yu, secret messenger of the Adjudication Department. I"m willing to follow you to slay demons and rid of devils, Sir!"