He Was More Like a Swordsman Than You

At the third quarter of the Hour of the Pig, Qixia Street.

Luo Xianshan stood there calm and composed, smiling as he said, "So these are the disciples Chancellor Chang taught? Fish Abyss Academy really knows how to lead people astray. Perhaps that is why the leader cannot stand the Imperial Tutor. It is only natural for those with ability to be arrogant, but for those without ability to still shout and bluster everywhere—they are truly fools."

Cai Tanggu had not managed to stop Su Lingyi, and with Luo Xianshan blocking his way, he said darkly, "Su Lingyi's aptitude is quite high. He was merely discovered too late. Given enough time, he will surely achieve great things. Venerable Luo should understand how highly the court values gifted cultivators."

Luo Xianshan said, "I could not tell whether Su Lingyi's aptitude is high or not, but Jiang Wang's aptitude is indeed very high. I am ultimately just a martial artist, without the methods you cultivators possess. Presumably, you understand Jiang Wang's aptitude better than I do. Which one will the court value more?"

Cai Tanggu fell silent.

Even if Jiang Wang had relied on treasures left behind by Qi Kingdom, they would have been of little use if he himself had not possessed any aptitude. The facts proved that Jiang Wang's aptitude was indeed extraordinary.

Having defeated Dong Chongyang, Cai Tanggu could not even estimate just how high Jiang Wang's aptitude had to be.

It was said that the highest aptitude was to have a Yellow Court forged from birth.

He could naturally tell that Jiang Wang possessed a Yellow Court, but how could he tell whether it had been there since birth or forged later in life?

Most strangely, when Jiang Wang lay lazily in the wicker chair, Cai Tanggu could not detect his Yellow Court at all. That was why he had initially thought Jiang Wang an ordinary person. Yet when Jiang Wang truly made his move, the Yellow Court became detectable.

He could only reasonably suspect that the treasures left behind by Qi Kingdom could help Jiang Wang conceal his Yellow Court.

No matter what, Jiang Wang's talent had to be among the very best.

Just as he was thinking these things, he suddenly saw Jiang Wang swing his saber at Su Lingyi.

"Brother Chongyang!" Cai Tanggu shouted.

Dong Chongyang had already drawn his blade to intercept.

Luo Xianshan's expression also turned grave.

Xie Wuxing said in surprise, "He actually dared to kill Su Lingyi?"

The man surnamed Xiao glanced at him and said, "Jiang Wang is indeed more like a swordsman than you. What is so surprising about that? The sword in a swordsman's hand ought to be straight. If he hesitates and is burdened with misgivings, how can he be called a swordsman?"

Xie Wuxing frowned. "Though swordsmen would rather break than bend, they are by no means reckless brutes. The consequences of killing Su Lingyi at this moment are simply not something he can bear."

The man surnamed Xiao looked thoughtful. It seemed the swordsmen of this place differed greatly from those he knew. So-called worldly ties and social conventions filled every corner, with such tangled concerns—how sharp could their swords possibly be?

If that Sword God was the same, he feared he would be deeply disappointed.

Jiang Wang's saber swung toward Su Lingyi, while he cast a sideways glance at Dong Chongyang. The Long Night Saber returned and collided with Dong Chongyang's blade, but Jiang Wang's left hand clenched into a fist and slammed viciously into Su Lingyi's chest.

The force rebounding from the blades drove Dong Chongyang back again and again.

Su Lingyi sprayed blood as his chest caved in completely, sending him flying dozens of yards away.

Jiang Wang propped his saber against the ground. Though he had driven Dong Chongyang back, his arm had also been injured from the impact and trembled faintly.

Du Yanruo's face turned deathly pale as she looked at Su Lingyi, who had fallen at her feet.

Blood continuously welled from his mouth, and his entire body convulsed.

Cai Tanggu flew into a towering rage and shouted sharply, "Jiang, how dare you!"

Jiang Wang raised his eyes and chuckled. "Old Cai, you heard it too. He kept threatening me. Though I usually have a good temperament, sometimes my temper is very bad indeed. There is no use keeping trash like him around. He will only bring calamity upon your Fish Abyss Academy. I am helping you clean house."

He waved a hand to interrupt Cai Tanggu, who was about to speak again, then looked at Luo Xianshan. "Venerable, can you protect me?"

Luo Xianshan was silent for a moment before smiling. "Since I stand here, I can naturally protect you. So long as Chancellor Chang dares to come, I will make him go back crying."

Jiang Wang smiled as well. "The Venerable is indeed imposing."

Cai Tanggu looked at them, so furious that his chest heaved while his wrinkled face trembled.

"Well done indeed..." Cai Tanggu said to Luo Xianshan, "Is the Martial God Temple truly willing to make an enemy of Fish Abyss Academy for his sake? Do you understand that if the Chancellor personally comes to Hun City, it may very well become a war between the Martial God Temple and Fish Abyss Academy? Your leader is in secluded cultivation in the Divine Capital. If this affair grows too large, he will not make it in time to protect the Kutan Martial God Temple!"

Luo Xianshan said in a deep voice, "You should also think clearly. The Martial God Temple holds far greater power in Kutan than Fish Abyss Academy. All martial artists in Kutan revere the Martial God Temple as though it were divine. If the Imperial Tutor does not intervene, would Chancellor Chang truly dare provoke my Martial God Temple?"

"If you let this matter grow until even the Divine Capital knows of it over nothing more than a Su Lingyi, can you bear the consequences?"

Looking at Cai Tanggu's grief-stricken and indignant face, Luo Xianshan continued, "So long as Su Lingyi lives, that is one thing. But if he dies, would Chancellor Chang be better off choosing to let the matter rest, or gambling on destroying the entire Fish Abyss Academy only to gain nothing in the end?"

Cai Tanggu was left speechless.

Although Su Lingyi was the Chancellor's personal disciple, he had not truly set foot upon the path of cultivation. No one could guarantee how far he might go. If this truly caused the Martial God Temple and Fish Abyss Academy to go to war, even His Majesty would not agree to it.

He watched as Su Lingyi coughed up blood once more, until he lay motionless on the ground.

Cai Tanggu's heart brimmed with towering rage, yet he could only force himself to swallow it.

It seemed that once Luo Xianshan had arrived and declared his intention to stand with the Marquis's Estate, Su Lingyi had been doomed to die in vain.

He knew very well that Luo Xianshan certainly did not wish to see Su Lingyi truly die either.

But who could have imagined that Jiang Wang would be so decisive, without the slightest concern?

He even felt some resentment toward Su Lingyi. The man had truly been stupid beyond measure. If he had not said those things, how could this have ended this way?

By now, they might already have left Hun City.

So long as he was alive, would there not be plenty of chances to retaliate against Jiang Wang later?

Cai Tanggu let out a long breath and said nothing more. He bent down, picked up Su Lingyi's corpse, and strode away.

Du Yanruo followed closely behind. She no longer dared mention saving her father and younger brother. Staying alive was what mattered most.

Dong Chongyang merely glanced at Jiang Wang and Luo Xianshan before quickly stepping out of Qixia Street.

Not leaving them all here was naturally also a way of giving Chancellor Chang some face. Otherwise, the matter truly would have become impossible to settle.

Besides, there was also the deliberate intention of leaving behind some hidden troubles.

Jiang Wang waved for the green-robed cultivator to bring over a wicker chair. He lay down directly outside the estate gates, lifted his eyes toward the man surnamed Xiao suspended high in the air, then finally fixed his gaze upon a rooftop.

Feng Linghuai sat there, his face pale as he panted.

Xie Wuxing came to Jiang Wang's side and said, "If Venerable Luo had not been here, killing Su Lingyi so directly would have utterly offended Fish Abyss Academy to the death. Though things are not much better now."

Jiang Wang smiled. "If Venerable Luo had not been here, I might not have killed him either."

Hearing this, Luo Xianshan's brows twitched slightly. "Fish Abyss Academy has the Imperial Tutor behind it. If a fight truly breaks out, the Martial God Temple may not gain much of an advantage. It is only because so much is involved that Chancellor Chang knows how to weigh gains and losses. This move was still somewhat rash."

A thought crossed his mind, and he continued, "If Xiaoyu can truly enter the Martial God Temple and even gain the chance to become the leader's personal disciple, then matters will be much simpler. No matter how great the disaster, the leader will help smooth it over."

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow.

When he had considered borrowing Luo Xianshan's prestige to shut Cai Tanggu up, he had already guessed that trouble would surely follow. The Martial God Temple's leader was indeed the best teacher Xiaoyu could have, but compared with that, Xiaoyu staying alive was more important.

Luo Xianshan was very confident at this moment. By helping Jiang Wang block Fish Abyss Academy, he had shouldered immense pressure. Had he not spoken too boldly earlier, his first response when Jiang Wang asked whether he could protect him would have been to refuse.

But words once spoken were like water spilled from a basin. Whether he was willing or not, the reality was already thus. Jiang Wang therefore had no reason not to let Xiaoyu go to the Martial God Temple.

In truth, if Xiaoyu had not borne a blood-deep feud, and if the threat had not pointed directly at the Divine Capital, how could Jiang Wang possibly refuse such a good thing? But many things would not unfold as beautifully as one imagined.

Jiang Wang was troubled too.

Was I the one insisting on refusing?

There was simply no choice at all.

"Can the Martial God Temple's leader block every trouble? Can he guarantee Xiaoyu's safety even in the Divine Capital?"

Luo Xianshan said, "My leader is not, after all, Sui Kingdom's true number one. If the trouble is absurdly great, there is naturally no guarantee. But so long as you do not punch a hole through the heavens, the leader can provide protection."

Jiang Wang considered it for a moment. "Allow me to think it over."

Xiaoyu did not even know who all her enemies were. Even if the chance of trouble great enough to punch a hole through the heavens was very small, Jiang Wang was unwilling to let Xiaoyu take that risk.

This matter required careful consideration and long-term planning.

Since Jiang Wang had not directly refused, Luo Xianshan was in high spirits.

He then looked at Rong Yulu, who stood there dumbly, and angrily rebuked him, "Idiot! You were used by others without even realizing it. Get back and accept your punishment!"

Rong Yulu did not dare make a sound.

Jiang Wang's defeat of Dong Chongyang, followed by his killing Su Lingyi directly before Cai Tanggu, had actually stirred a trace of admiration in Rong Yulu.

But with his pride getting in the way, he could not say anything. In the end, Luo Xianshan dragged him back to the Half-Day Leisure Inn.

Jiang Wang looked once more toward the rooftop, but Feng Linghuai was already gone.

The man surnamed Xiao, suspended high in the air, had vanished as well.

Jiang Wang frowned. Feng Linghuai really had a tough life—he was actually still alive.

He searched within the Divine Kingdom. "Night Roaming God, what happened to you? You made such a huge commotion back then and cost me so much silver in compensation, yet he was completely fine. So I was the only unlucky one?"

The Night Roaming God did not appear, but the stone statue's eyes flickered faintly as its voice emerged. "He should have died. Someone must have used some miraculous method to bring him back to life. That man carrying the woman's sword has a very peculiar aura. I seem to have encountered it somewhere before. In any case, that aura is very dangerous."

Jiang Wang asked doubtfully, "What realm is he in, if even you sense danger from him?"

The Night Roaming God said, "I cannot see through him because his path of cultivation belongs to no school in this world. It leans toward that of a swordsman, yet it is also different."