I Don't Like People Looking at My Teeth

Chen Lingxi fell silent.

Taking advantage of the brief standoff, he secretly regulated his breathing and slowly suppressed the surging blood and qi within him.

Yet his eyes remained nailed to Qiu Chihu's saber-wielding right hand, not daring to look away for even an instant.

Qiu Chihu frowned, his expression growing increasingly serious.

Even the killing moves of the Radiant Gold Saber Method had failed to take down this official slave. If he dragged things out any longer, his saber momentum would ebb instead, giving Chen Lingxi a chance to catch his breath.

Moreover, that thread of azure sharpness stirred a vague sense of foreboding within him.

He began driving the Radiant Gold Saber Method with twelve parts of his strength. His saber momentum grew heavier still, and with every slash, the golden light on the blade surged explosively.

This slave can't hold on much longer.

Qiu Chihu snorted coldly to himself.

At that moment, however, Chen Lingxi pushed the Concealed Edge Method to its limit.

The thread of azure qi in his dantian was wrapped tightly in an extremely thin yet resilient barrier, while the blood and qi throughout his body were restrained until they were almost nonexistent!

From the outside, he looked no more than a man whose blood and qi had been exhausted, teetering on the brink of death.

The silvery gleam of the Silver Bone Realm had dimmed until it was nearly invisible. The Mountain-Crushing Force on his fists was thin as paper, and every punch he threw seemed a desperate effort to keep himself going.

Qiu Chihu slashed down with his saber, and Chen Lingxi raised an arm to block.

The blade struck the light shield, shattering it at once. Chen Lingxi gave a muffled groan and staggered backward. His right arm dangled limply at his side, his fingers involuntarily loosening. He looked as though he had reached the very end of his rope.

A flash of savagery crossed Qiu Chihu's eyes.

His saber came faster and faster. Chen Lingxi retreated again and again, scrambling to defend himself, utterly bedraggled.

Every backward step was unsteady, every block strained to the utmost!

But of that miserable appearance, three parts were real and seven parts were an act.

What he was waiting for was a flaw in Qiu Chihu's saber momentum.

Chen Lingxi blocked another five strikes.

At last, Qiu Chihu's patience ran out.

He abruptly changed moves—gripping the saber with both hands. The silver bones throughout his body rang in unison as silver marrow blood and qi erupted from every bone in his body, his bone-piercing force driven to the limit.

The silver patterns on the blade suddenly lit up, shifting from silver-white to pale gold, then from pale gold to blazing white, before finally settling into that nearly transparent pale golden radiance that made hearts quail.

The killing move of the Radiant Gold Saber Method appeared once more.

This slash was heavier, faster, and more absolute than the last.

The saber light was like a setting sun sinking into an abyss. Heaven and earth darkened, leaving only that streak of gold, so intense it seemed ready to burn Chen Lingxi, along with the ground beneath his feet, into ash.

This was exactly the moment Chen Lingxi had been waiting for!

Qiu Chihu's saber momentum had reached its peak. The pale golden light on the blade blazed at its utmost brilliance, its tip lifting slightly as it came cleaving down at Chen Lingxi's head.

This strike could no longer be withdrawn!

The saber wind pressed down, blowing every loose strand of hair on Chen Lingxi's forehead upright and rippling the skin of his face in layers.

One slash, and this slave will be split in two!

Killing intent filled Qiu Chihu's eyes...

Except...

Chen Lingxi shot forward like an arrow loosed from the bow. Rather than retreat, he charged directly into that saber light!

A flicker of surprise crossed Qiu Chihu's eyes.

Had this official slave gone mad?

Mad?

Yet Chen Lingxi's gaze remained calm throughout.

Until the instant when the blade was less than three inches from Chen Lingxi's brow...

He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a streak of purple light!

Purple True Treasure Aura!

The purple light was as fine as a cow's hair, yet so brilliant it was impossible to keep one's eyes open.

The instant it left his body, heaven and earth abruptly darkened.

Its sharpness made scalps prickle.

It tore through the air, leaving countless fine ripples in its wake.

It passed through the saber light like a red-hot steel needle piercing a sheet of thin paper—silent and unhindered.

Before it, the golden saber radiance of the Radiant Gold Saber Method was fragile beyond a single blow.

Qiu Chihu's pupils shrank violently, every hair on his body standing on end!

He saw the purple light. He wanted to dodge—but it was already too late.

His saber momentum had been built to its peak. All the blood and qi in his body, all his silver marrow, all his bone-piercing force had been poured into this single slash.

Once the saber momentum had taken shape, it was like an arrow that had left the bow, like spilled water that could never be retrieved.

He could not evade it!

Sst!

In a single instant!

The purple light entered his chest, passed through his body, and emerged from his back, bringing with it a spray of exceedingly fine blood mist.

Qiu Chihu's whole body jolted.

That slash froze in midair.

The pale golden light on the blade flickered violently a few times, then went out with a sizzle like a candle snuffed by the wind.

The silver patterns dimmed. The blade returned to its original silver-white, then slipped from his loosened fingers, point-down into the yellow earth, its hilt still trembling faintly.

Qiu Chihu lowered his head and looked at his chest.

There was now a finger-thick hole running straight through him from chest to back, its edges smooth as a mirror.

No blood poured from it, because the blood vessels along the purple light's path had been seared shut by the heat. All that remained was a clean, transparent hole.

The hole lay directly above his heart, less than half an inch from its tip.

The purple light had shredded nearly half his stomach, then grazed the edge of his heart, taking away a thumb-sized piece of cardiac muscle.

That piece of flesh was nowhere to be found. It had been ground into powder by the purple light and scattered into the air.

He staggered back two steps, each landing heavily, like a drunkard struggling to keep his balance.

His right hand instinctively reached for his chest, as though to cover the hole, but his fingers touched only its smooth edges.

He lowered his head, watching his fingers rub back and forth along the rim of the hole. An immensely complicated expression appeared on his face.

There was shock.

There was disbelief.

And there was also a faint, indescribable bewilderment.

He had been born into great privilege! His father was a third-rank official of the current dynasty, holding the vital command of the Capital Guard!

He had trained in martial arts since childhood. He had entered Foundation Establishment at seven, the Iron Body Realm at twelve, the Copper Scarlet Realm at sixteen, and Silver Bone Perfection at twenty-one!

He had practiced the Radiant Gold Saber Method for fifteen years, and nurtured this Gold-Slaughtering Saber for eight.

Among his peers, few could match him.

Even those old fellows at Silver Bone Perfection could gain no advantage beneath his blade.

Yet today, he had been reduced to this state by an official slave from a marquis's estate—a slave who did not even possess his freedom?

"Who... exactly are you..." He raised his head to look at Chen Lingxi. His lips moved twice before he could barely force out the words.

His voice no longer held its earlier composure. It came in broken fragments, like a bellows with a hole in it.

With every word, a thread of fine blood mist sprayed from the hole in his chest.

Chen Lingxi did not answer.

Qiu Chihu stretched out a hand, as though trying to seize something.

His hand clawed blindly at the air twice. His fingers closed, but grasped nothing but air.

All color had vanished from his face. Now, there was only the ashen pallor of death.

His body swayed twice before falling straight backward.

His back struck the yellow earth with a dull, heavy thud, kicking up a cloud of dust!

Lying on the ground, Qiu Chihu gasped heavily as life began to drain from him.

More terrifying still, that official slave was right beside him now!

"You..." Qiu Chihu began in a trembling voice, all his former composure and disdain gone. "You don't dare kill me."

Chen Lingxi did not answer. He merely looked down at him.

"My father is Qiu Huai, Commander of the Capital Guard." Qiu Chihu's breathing grew more and more ragged. "His Highness the Crown Prince... is waiting outside this treasure. If you kill me, then once you leave, you'll be walking straight into a dead end."

Chen Lingxi's expression did not change.

Qiu Chihu seemed to have thought of his family background, of the Crown Prince beyond the Beast-Fighting Palace.

The flame in his eyes brightened by several degrees, like a drowning man clutching at a floating log.

With effort, he tugged at the corners of his mouth, seemingly trying to reveal his usual bright smile. Yet the smile froze halfway across his face, turning into something exceedingly strange—an almost fawning attempt to please.

"You... you can leave with me." His voice became urgent, carrying an irrepressible desperation. "The Crown Prince values talent. If you can defeat me, then you are stronger than I am. His Highness will surely place great importance on you. And I will never seek revenge against you. Let today's matter be treated as a sparring match.

You are the winner, and I am the loser. Let it end here! In the future, under the Crown Prince's command, you and I will have plenty of chances to work together."

He spoke with great sincerity, and there was even a note of heartfelt openness in his tone.

But in those eyes, at the very instant his words fell, an exceedingly faint glimmer flashed from the depths of his pupils.

That glimmer was killing intent.

It was buried deeply, concealed cleverly, almost completely hidden beneath the earnestness in his words and the brightness in his smile.

Had Chen Lingxi not lived two lives, and had he not seen through countless smiles that hid daggers in the business world of his past life, he likely would never have caught that fleeting cold gleam.

Chen Lingxi's expression remained unchanged.

He believed Qiu Chihu's words—like hell he did.

Qiu Chihu had run rampant through the capital for more than ten years, arranging flowers with human bones and taking pleasure in tormenting others.

How could such a narrow-minded man, one who repaid even the smallest grievance, so easily let go of the hatred of having his chest pierced?

Thus...

Chen Lingxi bent down and pulled the treasured saber from the yellow earth.

The blade felt heavy in his hand. The layer of silver patterns upon it had already dimmed, but its edge remained fiercely sharp, its chill piercing to the bone.

Grasping the saber, he straightened.

Watching his movements, the flame in Qiu Chihu's eyes suddenly trembled.

He opened his mouth, as though he still wanted to say something.

Perhaps he meant to offer more leverage, perhaps to invoke an even more illustrious name, or perhaps he simply wanted to spit out a few threats to bolster his courage.

But his lips moved several times, and not a single word came out.

Because Chen Lingxi had already raised the saber.

"You—" The fear in Qiu Chihu's eyes finally overwhelmed the arrogance born into him.

He desperately tried to prop himself up. His left hand clawed wildly at the ground, his nails plowing five deep furrows through the yellow earth. Soil wedged beneath his nails, yet he did not notice in the slightest.

"You can't..."

"I don't like people looking at my teeth."

Chen Lingxi raised his hand and brought the saber down. A flash of blade light streaked forth.

Qiu Chihu's voice stopped abruptly. His head rolled from his neck, tumbling twice across the yellow earth before coming to a stop face-up.

Those eyes remained open, staring at the jade bottle in the heavens, at the purple radiance pouring down like a waterfall, utterly motionless.