Chapter 411: Si Jin’s Return 6
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
What Jiang Yeqian was afraid of did not happen in the end.
Si Jin began chatting with Qi Qingyao again, talking about his recent hards.h.i.+ps. She just smiled occasionally and caressed Si Jin’s head.
They arrived at the lakeside peacefully.
After getting off the carriage, Si Jin slightly nodded once at Qi Qingyao, then raised his inner energy and flew up. His whole body seemed as light as a feather. His feet lightly stepping on the surface of the water, he quickly flew toward the pavilion at the center of the lake.
“Light Floating Water Technique!!” Qi Qingyao’s eyes widened and she had a shocked expression on her face. She muttered to herself, “How amazing.”
“Is this kid really so amazing?” Li Ruoxuan also knew about Light Floating Water Technique, but for a rank-nine… The distance from here to the center of the lake was over three miles, which was quite far. He would have to reposition himself a few times midway, otherwise he would definitely fall into the water!
Jiang Yeqian half-narrowed his eyes and said, “A grand master… is certainly amazing.”
Li Ruoxuan looked at Si Jin’s receding figure and whispered, “But can a grand master teleport? He wasn’t near the Qi Residence earlier, so how did he appear all of a sudden when Qi Qingyao shouted his name? It’s not teleportation anymore at that point, it’s s.p.a.ce s.h.i.+fting!!”
“…”
After listening to his words, it looked like he had learned the array somewhere before this, and then he instantly appeared after hearing Qi Qingyao calling him. In that case, it really was not teleportation anymore, but rather s.p.a.ce s.h.i.+fting. But to be able to hear her voice from hundreds of miles away, this… even a grand master would probably not be able to do so! Qi Qingyao was not a cultivator herself, nor could she perform a Distant Calling. She was just shouting ordinarily! If he really had been able to hear her… That would be very scary. Did that mean that he could hear everyone within a radius of several hundred miles?
Jiang Yeqian was suddenly a little dazed.
Because the figure of Si Jin flying away on the surface of the water was very eye-catching, many people on the lakeside road stopped and looked over.
“What’s happening over there?” someone asked.
After a while, a man standing under the willow tree said, “It looks like two grand masters have gone to the small building at the center of the lake again!”
More and more people gathered around.
Everyone was whispering.
“They just fought once just a few days ago. Are they going at it again? Geez!”
One had to know that the previous battle had frightened everyone in the coastal area. It also made sure many ordinary people understood a grand master’s ability. Thus, everyone felt their scalp tingling upon hearing that the two grand masters were going to fight on the surface of Qingyang Lake again.
Suddenly, someone said, “It’s not two people, but three.”
“???”
Everyone was stunned.
What was going on?
Where had the third person come from?
Were there not just two old foreign men?
Could it be that the grand master from Northern Liang had also shown up? The one who had always been in the Capital City? What was he called?
He was called old Mr. Shang Li, but people liked to call him Shang Chongchong!
Someone pointed at a dark shadow that had turned into a small black dot and said, “I saw a young boy stepping across the water and flying over just now.”
“Huh?”
It could not be!
The pa.s.sers-by thought for a while.
Then, someone reacted.
“Could it be that young grand master the rumors speak of!”
“It looks like it.”
“Oh my G.o.d, three grand masters! Are they going to fight?”
“The young grand master is one of us from Northern Liang! Is he going to deal with two grand masters alone? Isn’t that a death wish?!”
“Oh boy, we were just still boasting about Northern Liang finally having two grand masters to protect us a few days ago. Who would’ve thought that one of them would fall so soon.”
“Watch what you say! What if he wins?”
“Wins? Man, how is he going to win?! There are two old monsters over there who have been grand masters for a few decades. How are you going to compare a young man who has just ascended to the level of grand master with those two old monsters? And it’s two against one! It’ll be crazy if he can actually win.”
“That’s true…”
“Does the imperial court not have a powerhouse who can lend a hand?”
If Old Man Shang in Northern Liang’s Capital City was willing to intervene, then it would be two grand masters against two grand masters. He might not lose!
…
…
The pa.s.sers-by were twittering. Lu Yan had gotten out of his carriage and was standing together with Li Ruoxuan and Jiang Yeqian. Qi Qingyao was staring closely at Si Jin’s figure, which had almost completely disappeared, with a worried expression.
Li Ruoxuan touched the eyepatch on his right eye once again. He quietly asked, “Is Shang Li in the Capital City?”
Jiang Yeqian answered, “He was traveling in Jiangzhou some time ago. Actually, he was also looking for a breakthrough. According to the latest intel, he has returned to the Capital City.”
Li Ruoxuan raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. “As expected of the Head Grand Secretariat, news reaches you fast.”
“Likewise, State Preceptor.” Jiang Yeqian sneered.
Lu Yan heard the discreet conversation between the two. He carried the cat, walked toward Qi Qingyao’s side, and asked in a low voice, “Do you think he can win?”
“I don’t know.”
Qi Qingyao was very honest. “But I hope he does!”
Lu Yan said, “If he wins, the situation in the entire Mainland will completely change.”
Qi Qingyao said nothing.
Lu Yan continued, “In the past, Eastern Ling and Daming relied on their two grand masters to constantly probe at our borders for a fight. If the results are in Si Jin’s favor, and he kills Pang Juan, then Eastern Ling will only be left with the grand master who is currently practicing at Yunwu Mountain. And even if Gongsun She doesn’t die, he’ll be seriously injured, which is also extremely beneficial to Northern Liang.”
Qi Qingyao was not interested in politics.
However, Li Ruoxuan heard Lu Yan’s words, and he could not pretend not to know what was going on. He moved over and said, “Let’s put aside whether Pang Juan should die or not. If he alone can tie against the two of them, Eastern Ling and Da Ming wouldn’t dare to act rashly anymore. After all, the strengths of the grand masters are somewhat balanced on the surface. It isn’t possible for a grand master to tie in a battle of one against two!!”
“…” Jiang Yeqian nodded slightly.
As long as Si Jin tied one against two, the outcome of this battle would spread throughout the Continent!
By that time, Eastern Ling and Daming would have a complete cease-fire.
However… the bad thing was that Si Jin would then become the focus of the entire continent.
If he really won by a stroke of luck, and really killed Pang Juan as he said he would. Jiang Yeqian thought that if that happened, things would become really troublesome.
They were all grand masters.
If a grand master could single-handedly kill another grand master in a battle of one against two, that meant something.
Perhaps after Gongsun She had recovered from his injuries, he would make a comeback with the other Grand Master of Daming! The next time, if it was two against one, there would not be such great fanfare.
They would surely resort to all kinds of underhanded tricks!
….Thus, under these circ.u.mstances, if Si Jin really had the confidence to kill the opponents, he had to kill one in private. It could even be announced to the public that it had been a one-on-one, that Pang Juan had been defeated and that our side had won by a stroke of luck!
Unfortunately, he could not rush over to tell Si Jin this plan now.
He could only wait.
“It’ll be best to have a tie. Don’t win by too much,” Jiang Yeqian murmured a little helplessly.
Qi Qingyao frowned unbelievably. “What are you saying? You’re not looking forward to him winning? Are you even a citizen of Northern Liang, aiding the enemy like that?”
“…” Jiang Yeqian had a lot to say, but he could not say a word when he looked at her face.
Li Ruoxuan’s left eye was watching the small building at the center of the lake in the distance closely and attentively. He said, “He’s right.”
“Huh?” Qi Qingyao said.
Li Ruoxuan a.n.a.lyzed the situation. “If it’s a tie, Si Jin will, at most, become the focus of the whole Continent. However, if he wins too much in a one-on-two, it’ll make the other grand masters join forces to get rid of him first! By that time, the remaining grand masters will probably all be on the same side and want to try to get rid of him for transcending the norm.”
“…” ‘Will the grand masters from other countries see it as a threat if you’re too strong?’ Qi Qingyao said anxiously, “But if he doesn’t kill Pang Juan now, it’ll be tantamount to releasing a tiger back into the mountains.”
“Releasing a tiger back into the mountains is fine too. Anyway, no matter what, the outcome is not up to us anymore.” Li Ruoxuan sighed slightly. He looked at the small building in the center of the lake and said, “Let’s see.”
Qi Qingyao, “…”
It was not good to lose, but it was not good to win either.
‘These shrewd guys think so much.’
She shook her head weakly and s.h.i.+fted her gaze over to the small building at the center of the lake.
The small building at the center of the lake that was a few miles away could not be seen with the naked eye. Only a pavilion could be vaguely seen.
However, after waiting for a while,
The wind started to blow on the surface of the lake again.
Qi Qingyao knew that the battle would have already begun.
Immediately afterward, within a few seconds, the water on the lake surged toward the sh.o.r.e with a vast and roaring momentum, like the tidal bore of Qiantang River. The waves were as high as twenty-three to twenty-eight meters, just like last time.
Just from looking at this wave, Qi Qingyao’s breathing almost stopped.
She was about to shout at the people by the sh.o.r.e to run, but someone had already beaten her to it.
“Run!!!”
Qi Qingyao, “…” ‘Their reaction was faster than mine!’
The pa.s.sers-by had already lost the mood to watch the battle and were fleeing in fear.
Qi Qingyao wanted to flee as well.
However, Lu Yan held her back.
Qi Qingyao, “???”
Lu Yan said, “My cat held me down. It thinks we’ll be fine. We won’t drown to death.” His tone was a little aggrieved.
Qi Qingyao lowered her head and glanced at the white cat in Lu Yan’s arms.
The white cat was as languid as always, lying in Lu Yan’s arms with a bored expression. It even yawned lazily.
Qi Qingyao knew that this white cat had always had a good relations.h.i.+p with Si Jin. She also knew that this cat was a little fishy… and quite unique.
She stood still.
Sure enough, before the wave hit the sh.o.r.e…
It seemed to get blocked by an invisible barrier. The huge wave seemed to crash into an invisible wall and ebb, then crashed up against it again.
However, the rolling and turbulent twenty-plus-meter-high wave right before her eyes still terrified Qi Qingyao!
Stifling her panic, she asked, “What’s going on?”
No one answered.
Qi Qingyao turned her head to look at Li Ruoxuan and Jiang Yeqian.
The two of them were also a little dazed.
Li Ruoxuan seemed like he was talking to himself. “Is this a technique by Pang Juan and Gongsun She or by Si Jin?”
“…” He had no idea. Jiang Yeqian frowned.
Qi Qingyao stepped forward and tried to touch the huge wave out of curiosity, but she was quickly pulled back by Li Ruoxuan.
“It looks like a water barrier on the surface, but it’s actually a special array barrier which s.h.i.+elds all the force so the battle between the few grand masters won’t extend onto the sh.o.r.e. I think it’s probably your Si Jin who made it.” Li Ruoxuan continued, “If you forcibly reach out and touch it, you’ll surely be able to touch the wave, but with the current pressure in the water, I’m afraid your hand and arm will be immediately crushed by the water pressure!”
Qi Qingyao immediately retracted her arm.
She thought.
Si Jin had said he had learned some skills for casting arrays before.
Li Ruoxuan had spoken calmly, but he was extremely terrified on the inside. To be able to block all the force from reaching the sh.o.r.e? Did that mean Si Jin had instantly set up an array that spread over more than half the lake?
This… technique was much more powerful than anything he was capable of.
Perhaps… “This is the divine power of a grand master.”
Jiang Yeqian listened to his awe and said in a deep voice, “To be able to guard an entire city alone, that is a grand master. Their abilities are much stronger than that of rank nines.”
Li Ruoxuan, “…”
Was it?
There had not been such an outrageous sight the last time Pang Juan and Gongsun She fought.
Wait a minute.
Perhaps Si Jin was too powerful.
Suppose he managed to kill Pang Juan and severely injure Gongsun She today!
Then he was certainly stronger than the other two.
Hold on!!
If he really could do it, did that mean that his strength was… more than that of a Grand Master!!
Otherwise, there was no way he would be able to accomplish that kind of ‘grand ambition’!
…
Wait.
All of this had been merely established on possibilities for the time being.
There was no result yet.
Li Ruoxuan subconsciously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He thought to himself, ‘Don’t scare yourself.’
Maybe Si Jin, that little brat, had just been bragging.
Maybe he would be the one that got killed later!
…
…
Minutes and seconds pa.s.sed.
Qi Qingyao and the others could not see the situation behind the huge wave at all. They only saw that the sky darkened and brightened intermittently. The sky above the entire Qingyang Lake was filled with dark clouds, and the view was terrifying.
After about half an hour, huge waves came cras.h.i.+ng down and the surface of the lake seemed to resume its past serenity.
It was calm as if nothing had happened.
Qi Qingyao, “???”
What was happening?
She weakly asked, “Is the battle over?” Li Ruoxuan gulped, and said, “It seems… so…”
Qi Qingyao anxiously looked at the surface of the lake and asked, “What’s the outcome?”
“Beats me,” Jiang Yeqian said.
Lu Yan stared at the small building at the center of the lake with a solemn and thoughtful gaze, then looked up at the sky, his gaze growing more and more grave.
Suddenly, a pa.s.ser-by who had been nosing around at the side of the road yelled, “Ahhhh!”
Qi Qingyao and the others turned their heads and saw an old man lying in the middle of the road.
He was b.l.o.o.d.y…
A pa.s.ser-by pointed and said, “An old man fell from the sky.”
An old man?
Qi Qingyao and the others rushed over quickly. Jiang Yeqian, whose legs were not that flexible, was the slowest.
After Qi Qingyao, Lu Yan, Li Ruoxuan, and the others went over, they took a look and could not help but gasp.
“It’s Old Mr. Pang!!” Lu Yan said.
Li Ruoxuan lowered his head to check the injuries. Then, he got up and said with a pale expression, “He’s dead…”
Qi Qingyao could not help but gulp, not making a sound.
When Jiang Yeqian was about to walk over to speak, a crisp and sweet yelling voice was heard.
“Big Sis!”
Qi Qingyao heard the voice and quickly turned her head. Her eyes lit up when she saw the person coming over. “Si Jin, you’re alright.”
Si Jin climbed over the stone fence, a few mischievous water droplets still adorning his face. After walking up to Qi Qingyao, he said with a smile, “I’m alright.”
Qi Qingyao looked at his perfectly scratch-free appearance in disbelief. Then, she pointed at the b.l.o.o.d.y Pang Juan on the road and asked, “Did you kill him?”
Si Jin nodded innocently. “Yes.”
Qi Qingyao, “…”
“…” ‘What kind of a monster is he?!’ Li Ruoxuan thought to himself.
‘He killed Pang Juan? That man was a grand master!
‘Killing him is one thing, but why don’t you feel any exhaustion from the battle?’
‘You look all cheery and cute! How does it not look like you’ve just gone through a destructive and terrifying battle just now?’
‘What the h.e.l.l is going on… with this young boy’s strength!’