When Wenren Ying arrived, he happened to witness the exact moment Miao Langjun was being shocked until his eyes rolled back in his head by Wu Guanyue.
Er… this…
The corners of Wenren Ying’s lips twitched upward—clearly, he wholeheartedly approved of Wu Guanyue’s actions.
Still, there was no problem using a lightning-struck wooden fishing rod to shock a fish or two. But if she wanted to electrocute someone to death, it was still a little lacking in power.
The current soon stopped, and Wenren Ying was finally able to see what the man looked like when his face was normal.
The man stood in the pool with his clothes soaked through. He was handsome and tall, a thin layer of blue-green robes clinging to his body and revealing the shape beneath. A thin layer of muscle covered his frame, its lines smooth and graceful.
…and he didn’t have a single scar on him, either.
As a fellow man, Wenren Ying’s sensitive nerves were practically touched at once. What was this man trying to do, standing in front of Little Yue like that?
And don’t say he hadn’t meant to. A man who accidentally fell into the water in front of a young woman would certainly turn his back immediately, lest he offend her.
Yet this man gave off a wild, flirtatious air from head to toe, the kind that attracted bees and butterflies. Anyone who saw him would inexplicably find him irritating.
And what was even more irritating was what he did next. He actually went out of his way to help Little Yue fish!
Wenren Ying’s brows drew together tightly.
Something was wrong… There was something wrong with this man’s intentions.
Little Yue was indeed an exceptionally adorable girl. It was perfectly normal for other men to take an interest in such a wonderful woman. That wasn’t Little Yue’s fault; it was simply a reflection of her charm.
However—the man’s reaction was wrong.
He had only known Little Yue for a short while. According to Bai Yunsheng, he was a guest staying at the inn. As a guest, even if he had taken a fancy to the lively and adorable innkeeper, after being shocked until his eyes rolled back, did he really need to be so attentive?
People had tempers, and cultivators tended to be even more arrogant and high-handed. Even if it had been love at first sight, surely he wouldn’t have been so tolerant.
Besides, Wenren Ying had clearly caught a fleeting glimpse of ruthlessness in the man’s eyes.
His intentions toward Little Yue were not so simple!
The realization sent a cold fury surging through Wenren Ying. Without giving it a second thought, he strode forward. By the time the man stepped ashore, Wenren Ying’s blade was already pressed against his neck.
Of course, he had also placed Little Yue behind him to protect her.
Wu Guanyue’s entire field of vision was, naturally, immediately filled by Wenren Ying’s broad back.
Like an owl with an extraordinarily flexible neck, she stretched her neck out as far as it would go from behind Wenren Ying’s back, looking at Miao Langjun, who seemed rather surprised…and at Brother Ying, whose expression was decidedly unfriendly.
The blade’s aura had already raised gooseflesh along Miao Langjun’s neck.
Yet his expression showed not the slightest hint of fear.
He seemed to smile, then looked straight at Wenren Ying and said, “You must be Brother Wenren. Little Shopkeeper Wu mentioned you to me. I am Miao Langjun.”
Wenren Ying: “…”
Wu Guanyue: “…”
What a shamelessly manipulative thing to say… And when had she ever mentioned Brother Ying to him?!
A vein bulged on the back of Wenren Ying’s hand as he held the blade.
It wasn’t as though he had never encountered people like this before. One of their most distinctive traits was that they constantly stirred up other people’s anger through their words, then turned around and blamed those people when they lost their temper. Someone simple-hearted could easily be manipulated by them and suffer a great loss.
The problem was that people like this often paid close attention to what others cared about most, then struck precisely at their sore spots.
And now, without question, Miao Langjun had touched upon the thing Wenren Ying cared about most, effortlessly provoking his anger.
Miao Langjun’s expression remained relaxed. Looking at Wenren Ying’s tightly clenched jaw, he smiled lightly and continued, “Has Brother Wenren misunderstood something? There is nothing going on between Little Shopkeeper Wu and me… Besides, a young woman is free to speak with whomever she wishes. Isn’t Brother Wenren being a little too controlling?”
As he spoke, a drenched folding fan slipped from his sleeve. With the jade ribs of the fan, he lightly pushed Wenren Ying’s blade aside.
Wenren Ying: “…”
This time, veins even bulged on Wenren Ying’s forehead. Clearly, Miao Langjun had succeeded in enraging him completely.
Go on, get angry, Wenren Ying!
That was precisely Miao Langjun’s purpose: to provoke Wenren Ying into losing his temper.
Once Wenren Ying was angry, it would naturally prove that he was a narrow-minded man, and it would also widen the rift between him and Wu Guanyue.
After all, for a girl like Wu Guanyue, who ran her own business, there was no insinuation she hated more than, “Your man won’t even let you speak to another man.”
A vicious glint flashed through Miao Langjun’s eyes.
Wenren Ying’s face, however, had not the slightest trace of emotion left on it. It had turned utterly cold and hard.
As for Wu Guanyue… Wu Guanyue was still in owl mode. In other words, her neck was extremely flexible. She kept turning to look at Miao Langjun, then at Wenren Ying, her expression solemn for some reason—so solemn that it was almost bizarre.
Wenren Ying said coldly to Miao Langjun, “You’re trying to provoke me?”
Miao Langjun put on an astonished expression. “Brother Wenren, how could you say that? I have absolutely no such intention!”
Wenren Ying said, “Then I’ll oblige you.”
Before the words had even left his mouth, he had already thrown a punch straight at Miao Langjun’s face!
Cultivators tempered their bodies externally and cultivated their souls internally. Training the body inevitably involved practicing martial arts. The so-called Eighteen Martial Arts referred to the eighteen common types of weapons found across the Nine Provinces and Eighteen Territories, while “unarmed combat” was naturally one of them as well.
Unarmed combat meant fighting with one’s bare hands. Martial artists skilled in it usually possessed a fierce, unstoppable force.
And aside from blades and swords, Wenren Ying was actually proficient in unarmed combat too!
When he threw his punch, even the force of the wind behind it was savage. His movements were crude and brutally simple. Other than smashing Miao Langjun’s face to pieces, he had absolutely no other objective!
So fast! So precise!
Miao Langjun’s heart was thrown into turmoil. He had never expected that Wenren Ying, this man with a shattered spiritual residence, could identify an opponent’s openings with such accuracy!
No…perhaps it was precisely because he was a crippled man with a shattered spiritual residence, capable of gathering only the spiritual energy within a single Small Circulation, that every move he made had to focus on killing his opponent with one strike!
…Was he actually trying to kill him with one blow?!
In that instant, three thoughts flashed through Miao Langjun’s mind. But he had, after all, spent many years roaming the martial world. The multitude of thoughts in his head did not slow his movements. His entire body shot backward like a kite being reeled in by its string, while the folding fan in his hand suddenly shifted into the technique of a judge’s brush, its jade rib stabbing straight toward the “Inner Pass” acupoint on Wenren Ying’s wrist.
Not a trace of emotion crossed Wenren Ying’s face. He flipped his wrist, raised the knuckle of his index finger, and struck with all his might—
His index-finger knuckle slammed heavily into the “Inner Pass” acupoint on Miao Langjun’s right wrist!
—Returning his opponent’s own method upon him.
What Wenren Ying had just used was actually one of the most basic moves in swordsmanship, known as “Flower-Turning Wrist Tap”—a disarming technique that used the tip of the sword to strike an opponent’s wrist. Ordinarily, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it—but one must not forget that Wenren Ying had no sword in his hand at all!
With weapons, every inch shorter meant greater danger. Yet Wenren Ying, bare-handed and using his knuckles as a sword, had somehow struck first despite moving second, landing a blow precisely on the pressure point at Miao Langjun’s wrist. His timing, eyesight, and speed had all been flawless. It was truly terrifying.
The pain was so intense that even the muscles beneath Miao Langjun’s eyelids began to twitch. With a sharp clang, the jade-boned folding fan fell from his hand.
Wenren Ying, however, had no idea what it meant to stop after making his point. He seized Miao Langjun by the wrist and pulled him toward himself. At the same time, his left fist clenched and shot toward Miao Langjun’s face!
Miao Langjun was scared out of his wits. He let out a strange cry, and his soul-fire sprang to life!
Blue flames erupted from his wrist. This soul-fire did not burn people, but being seized by it was even more agonizing than being scorched!
Just as he thought—the fellow’s true abilities had finally been forced out!
Indeed, although Wenren Ying appeared impulsive, he had actually been testing Miao Langjun’s capabilities all along. Unfortunately, while he had succeeded in drawing them out, the technique was something he had never heard of or seen before.
A violent pain, like scorching fire, suddenly exploded in his palm, forcing Wenren Ying to release his grip.
Miao Langjun took the opportunity to perform a hawk’s turn in midair, flipping to the side and evading the force of Wenren Ying’s punch.
The corner of Wenren Ying’s lips curled into what looked like an especially sinister smile.
He suddenly changed his fist into a palm and turned his hand over.
Smack!
A remarkably crisp slap rang out beside Suwen Pool.
Wenren Ying—a Wind-and-Cloud Saberman standing eight feet tall, with a powerful, imposing build—had actually slapped Miao Langjun hard across the face.
He had clearly made no attempt to hold back. Miao Langjun let out a shriek and was sent sprawling to the ground by the blow, unable to get back up for quite some time!
Wenren Ying exhaled a long breath of stale air. Only now did he finally feel that the anger in his chest had eased a little.
Then he turned his head—and saw Wu Guanyue staring at him with her eyes opened wide.
Wu Guanyue: O-O
Wu Guanyue gazed at him in a daze.
Wenren Ying immediately panicked. He opened his mouth and awkwardly tried to explain, “Little Yue, I didn’t mean to—”
“Brother Ying, you can stand up now? Are you all healed?”
As it turned out, Wu Guanyue did not care in the slightest why he had hit Miao Langjun. All she cared about was the state of his injuries.
Wenren Ying suddenly felt his heart swell with warmth.
He gazed intently at Little Yue and opened his mouth. Even his voice seemed to have grown gentler.
“Mmm… I’m all right now. It’s all thanks to you taking care of me these past few days, Little Yue.”
Wu Guanyue: O-O
Wu Guanyue stared at Wenren Ying, watching as his eyes lowered tenderly… and her face gradually turned red…
“Um… I was planning to make Brother Ying crucian carp and tofu soup today… Would you like some? Even though your injuries aren’t serious anymore, you should still rest and recuperate for a while longer…”
“I’ll make it today… You’ve worked hard taking care of me all this time, Little Yue…”
“Brother Ying…”
“Little Yue…”
“Brother Ying…………”
“Little Yue…………”
Miao Langjun: “…………”
Miao Langjun: “………………”
Lying on the ground with his swollen face covered, Miao Langjun listened to the two of them call each other’s names back and forth for no apparent reason…
He felt that he had suffered the most severe humiliation of his entire life!
