Chapter 46: Shackles and Using the Situation
Chen Fuchen’s chest rose and fell rapidly, as his eyes sprayed fire.
Seeing Chen Fuchen unable to control his anger upon her acceptance of the challenge, Jing Liuli slowly raised an eyebrow. “Regardless of how highly you think of yourself, you have to understand at least, you count for nothing in Changling right now. If you cannot even control your mind, I fear you will not last long in Changling.”
She was Jing Liuli. One of the two great cultivation monsters publicly recognized in the entire Qin Dynasty, and the heir to the Min Mountain Sword Sect. Even if she appeared like Ding Ning’s attendant right now, her words still had an unique authority. Chen Fuchen’s breathing unconsciously stilled. His anger invisibly halved, and his mind calmed down.
In the next moment, Chen Fuchen had a slight self-deprecating smile. He thought, other than his cultivation, he had nothing worthy of being proud, and his ident.i.ty was not very different from Ding Ning’s attendant.
His mind calmed down even more. In a breath, his anger dissipated, and so did his smile into seriousness.
“Please.” He nodded gravely, and held his sword horizontally across his chest. He looked at Jing Liuli who remained motionless and was confused. “Where is your sword?”
Jing Liuli looked coldly at him and said, “When you attack, I will draw my sword.”
Seeing Jing Liuli’s presence, Chen Fuchen did not dare to underestimate the enemy and said, “If so, then I will attack now.”
As he spoke, he attacked with his sword.
Zzt zzzt zzt zzt!
The sound of energy bursts came from the hilt of his sword. The light grey sword hilt was connected to the light grey blade which separated completely from the scabbard before his words had finished. There were many grey sword energies flowing out of his sword tip like a long ta.s.sel.
At this moment, Chen Fuchen’s palm had separated from his sword hilt.
As the hilt left his hand, it still followed his will and moved according to the path he wanted.
This was a flying sword. The light grey sword spun backwards, turning like a grey comet and sweeping towards Jing Liuli.
The flying sword skill Chen Fuchen displayed in this moment was not especially stunning, and was not very different from throwing his sword as he pulled it out. But gasps sounded as the floating dust on the ground in front of him started to move forward as his sword spun away from his hand.
Previously, the dust had been moved by the sword essence of his body to form a block on the road. Now, the tip of this dust sword had turned directly against Jing Liuli, and gave off a sharp sword essence.
In the next moment, this dust sword was going to fly, and it appeared faster than the grey flying sword.
One sword formed two sword essences that could face the enemy at the same time. This was rare swordsmanship!
Many of the spectating cultivators looked in disbelief at Chen Fuchen. They could not believe this unknown youth could use such a move… They were sure that only a few among Changling’s youthful talents could withstand this blow.
No one thought that Ding Ning’s attendant could withstand it.
But at this time, there was an unexpected surprise.
Jing Liuli stretched out her hand. She had no sword in her hand. No light came from her sleeves or robes, but as her right hand stretched out straight, energy rippled from her fingertips. The dust sword about to stab towards her suddenly collapsed back into dust.
To everyone’s shock, as the dust collapsed, it accelerated and moved backwards, growing faster and drawing white energy flows in the air. Each speck of dust had their own path, and immediately formed into a dust sword.
The tip of the sword faced Chen Fuchen. Even the sword essence was the same as Chen Fuchen previously, but it had grown stronger.
Crack!
The s.p.a.ce in front of Chen Fuchen seemed to be cleaved apart by this dust sword as it reached Chen Fuchen’s sword at an unimaginable speed.
Chen Fuchen’s flying sword had flown ten feet away from his hand and would not be in time to block this dust sword. Chen Fuchen was basically empty-handed!
Chen Fuchen was pale white, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. In this moment, his hands immediately came together. He compressed all of his vital energy through his palms into a blade that sprayed out.
Boom!
A dust ball exploded in front of him. There were flames within the dust ball as though it was burning.
Among the tsunami of gasps, Chen Fuchen could not stand still, and his body was thrown into the air backwards.
Jing Liuli’s body did not move at all.
In the collision of the dust sword and Chen Fuchen’s power, she seemed to be unconnected to the dust sword at all. Before the spreading flows of energy even reached her, she took a step forward with a calm expression and grasped forward with her hand.
The spinning light grey longsword in the air fell into her hand. This sword appeared to belong to her, not resisting at all as it went along with her momentum and sword essence slashed forward.
Snap!
The dust ball that had just exploded, appearing to be on the verge of burning, was cut by this sword essence in half.
The powerful sword energy reached Chen Fuchen.
Chen Fuchen screamed and pushed forward with his hand once again.
Bang!
His body was thrown flying to the ground, crashing violently as ripples of dust spread outwards.
Jing Liuli bowed her head as though she did not even want to look and casually threw the sword she held away.
The light grey longsword landed on the ground in front of Chen Fuchen, stuck in the stone as it wavered slightly.
Chen Fuchen forced himself off the ground and opened his mouth to speak. But in this moment, the power rippling out of the swaying light grey sword hit his chest in a wave.
He could not make a sound when he opened his mouth. He sprayed bright red blood on the ground in front of him.
**
Jing Liuli did not pause at all and turned to return to the carriage. The surrounding streets had grown deathly silent.
Many people rubbed their eyes. They did not seem to have seen clearly and did not understand. But even so, they could clearly sense the power of the “attendant”.
“Why is it like this?”
Many cultivators looked at Jing Liuli’s figure and were so shocked their hands uncontrollably trembled.
This was not a difference in cultivation… Jing Liuli had not used her sword at all. She did not carry a sword with her!
First, it was the dust sword, then Chen Fuchen’s sword.
Chen Fuchen had formed two swords, but Jing Liuli first took his dust sword, and then casually picked up his personal sword. She had used Chen Fuchen’s sword to defeat Chen Fuchen and he had no ability to fight back.
Who was this attendant!
How could she be so strong!
“I understand what you mean.”
Under everyone’s shocked and speechless gaze, Jing Liuli bowed slightly to Ding Ning in the carriage. She said at a volume only the pair of them could hear, “You do not have me carry the sword, not because you do not want me to rely on my sword and force me to think of more tactics against enemies, but because you do not want me to gain fixed habits.”
Ding Ning nodded and said with a small smile, “Some fixed ways of thinking and habits are the greatest shackles of a cultivator.”
The surrounding people could not hear Jing Liuli and Ding Ning’s words, but they all saw Jing Liuli and Ding Ning’s movements and expressions.
In everyone’s view, this was a true and natural meeting of a student and their teacher. So people found it even harder to understand where Ding Ning’s powerful attendant had come from.
“This is using the situation. Sometimes, Zheng Xiu does not need to care about the thoughts of Changling’s commoners. But most of Changling’s people are ordinary people, and they can help us accomplish many things,” Ding Ning said softly to Jing Liuli.
Then he looked up and raised his folded hands in a bow to all the spectators in the streets and said, “That Palace Attendant Rong forced White Goat Cave’s Cave Master Xue to the point he could not see the end of the event before the Min Mountain Sword Trials even started. She forced me to use up my vital energy before the event. Everyone, comment, do I have reason to challenge her publicly?”
After saying this, he indicated to Jing Liuli they could leave.
He knew he did not have to speak of the details. Just the words were enough for these people who had heard to investigate what had happened. This was enough for today’s events and what had happened before the Min Mountain Sword Trials to reach every corner of Changling.