A man had his reputation, just as a tree had its shadow.
Bai Zhan's fearsome reputation in Rongcheng was beyond question, so much so that media outlets throughout the city were reporting on the duel. As his opponent, the unfamiliar name Wu Moling also leaped into the public eye.
Although many were curious about her, their opinions were almost unanimous: she was overestimating herself.
Someone as cautious as Nightmare was an exception. Although rational analysis said that a nobody could not possibly pull off an upset against Bai Zhan, he always had a strange intuition, something that could even be called a sixth sense, telling him this really was fucking possible!
Nightmare did not dwell on the issue, because he did not care who won or lost.
His claim that he would have Bai Zhan test Wu Moling's skills had merely been a smokescreen-the target worth two million was Ji Yaoguang, not the person protecting her.
As long as Bai Zhan draws that Wu Moling away, I can finish the job easily, Nightmare considered privately. I'm not close to either Bai Zhan or Wu Moling. Whether they live or die has nothing to do with me.
This should have been something to celebrate, yet Nightmare could not smile. Instead, his brows knitted tightly.
He kept feeling that something about this was fishy, but he could not put his finger on it.
Why would Black Rose insist on offering two million for me to handle something so simple personally? His cautious nature sent Nightmare into thought once again.
Was Black Rose really worried about her lover's safety, only reluctantly sending Bai Zhan to draw Wu Moling away after he threatened her with this information?
That doesn't make sense, Nightmare thought, growing more uneasy. How could a woman as arrogant as Black Rose lack confidence in Bai Zhan?
Nightmare's gaze gradually turned cold. "That bitch Black Rose must be hiding something," he sneered.
In fact, his guess was correct.
Black Rose had sent out two groups of assassins. The first had vanished without a sound, yielding not a scrap of information. But the second group's infiltration of the Ji Family villa had earned Black Rose a warning from Lin Fei.
In other words, Black Rose knew perfectly well that the true expert at Ji Yaoguang's side was a man, not Wu Moling.
Yet she had not breathed a word of it. Instead, she had gone along with the intelligence Nightmare had gathered, letting him firmly believe Wu Moling was that expert!
Nightmare's plan was to drive a tiger to devour a wolf, having Bai Zhan deal with Wu Moling.
But Black Rose was the oriole behind the mantis stalking the cicada, intending to have Nightmare and Lin Fei fight to the death. Whether Nightmare completed the mission or Lin Fei killed that thorn in her side, Nightmare, she stood to gain without losing a thing.
Of course, the ideal outcome was for those two scourges to perish together...
Merely imagining that scene filled Black Rose with delight, body and mind.
This was a contest of scheming bitches plotting against each other. Only, Nightmare's scheme was laid openly on the table, while Black Rose's was hidden in the shadows, exploiting her advantage in information.
Until the moment of the duel atop Mount Qingcheng less than two days later, no one knew who would fell the deer and claim victory.
Rongcheng's ancient martial arts community was only so big, and Bai Zhan was a focal figure. Wu Moling kept seeing people discussing her in the chat group. At a loss, she simply became a lurker and stopped surfacing to say anything.
Wu Moling looked away from her phone screen. Unable to hold back any longer, she asked Lin Fei, "Master, what do you think our respective chances are, Bai Zhan's and mine?"
Without even looking up, Lin Fei answered without hesitation, "Sixty-forty."
Such odds were simply jaw-dropping. Had the ancient martial artists heard this, they would certainly have considered the speaker insane. Wu Moling, however, believed him without a shred of doubt.
With those words from Lin Fei, Wu Moling immediately felt reassured.
Ji Yaoguang, by contrast, seemed a little uneasy beside them. She asked with considerable concern, "Only a sixty percent chance? Can't it be any higher?"
Lin Fei nodded slightly and said calmly, "The Spirit Mountain Immortal Art is the perfect cultivation technique for the Shaman Clan's constitution, but Wu Moling's Shaman Clan bloodline is thin. This is the best she can achieve."
Ji Yaoguang sighed softly. Instead, it was Wu Moling who comforted her. "It's all right, Sister Yaoguang. Those odds are already very high. Without Master's guidance, I wouldn't have dared dream of anything like this."
"Rather than worrying about me, you should think about how you're going to deal with the Song Family."
Ji Yaoguang shook her head with a bitter smile and rubbed her temples without speaking. Against the Song Family's relentlessly advancing offensive, her strategy could charitably be called "taking things one step at a time." Less charitably, it was "smashing an already cracked pot."
Thinking about it was useless anyway and only added to her troubles, so she might as well not think about it.
Seeing Ji Yaoguang so weighed down with worry, Lin Fei frowned slightly, then changed the subject without betraying anything. "I can make certain Wu Moling wins this fight."
Both women instantly looked at Lin Fei in shock. Wu Moling, in particular, could not conceal the delighted surprise on her face.
Lin Fei said no more. He casually extended a finger, sending a wisp of a mental imprint into Wu Moling's mind.
This time, it was not a cultivation art, but a supreme combat technique.
It contained only one move, named True Martial Ultimate Strike!
It had been created by Great Emperor Zhenwu, the god who assisted Zhuanxu, the Black Tortoise among the Four Sacred Beasts, the deity who presided over the northern heavenly court!
Shock covered Wu Moling's face, and she could not recover for a long time.
"Isn't this a little excessive?" Wu Moling suddenly felt a little reluctant, thinking Bai Zhan was truly pitiful.
I won't end up beating him to death, will I?
Ji Yaoguang looked utterly astonished. "Is it really that extreme?"
Wu Moling glanced at Lin Fei with a complicated expression, then nodded solemnly.
Lin Fei's expression remained unchanged. He merely said mildly, "Unless you intend to kill your opponent, try not to use this move. Your current body cannot withstand the backlash of its power."
Wu Moling bowed earnestly. "I understand. Thank you for your instruction, Master!"
Hearing the word "Master," Ji Yaoguang sighed beside them. After repeated unsuccessful attempts, she had given up correcting the way Wu Moling addressed Lin Fei.
Lin Fei murmured an acknowledgment and glanced casually at the time.
It was still early. There were four hours left until the Qing family's banquet that evening.
Leaving them with, "I'm heading out for a bit," Lin Fei rose and departed.
Last time, he had planned to buy a car at a dealership, only to be interrupted by the trash Han Enci had sent. With nothing to do now, this was a good opportunity to take a look.
Lin Fei soon arrived alone at the nearest dealership, where a young man in formal attire attended to him.
The employee, whose name badge read "Liu Yang," gave Lin Fei a single look before curling his lip disdainfully.
Dressed so plainly and casually, he clearly was not anyone with money. It was bad enough that there was little profit to squeeze out of people like this, but they also tended to nitpick over cars, chasing the best possible value. He might even calculate how much fuel cost per kilometer. Just thinking about it was a headache.
With these thoughts, Liu Yang appeared rather cold, offering only a perfunctory, formulaic greeting. "Welcome. How may I help you?"
He looked slouchy and indolent, and even his voice lacked energy.
"Buying a car." Lin Fei casually glanced around.
"Do you have a model in mind, sir?" Liu Yang picked up a cup of cola and drank it himself, showing no intention whatsoever of getting Lin Fei one.
"No. Recommend something," Lin Fei said with a smile.
Liu Yang said, "Oh," then led him over to a white Alto. "Sir, I think this car really suits your style."
Lin Fei frowned slightly.
Seeing his expression, Liu Yang's inward contempt turned to shock.
Holy shit, don't tell me this country bumpkin can't even afford a fifty-thousand-yuan car?!