Chapter 323 - 166: Qingyuan
’So direct?’
Jiang Ran looked at the man before him and smiled faintly.
"And what business is it of yours?"
He had always treated others amicably.
However, that was contingent on the other party being amicable in return.
It was clear that Feng Wu had a pride of his own.
That was why he could criticize Jiang Ran’s decision the very first time they met.
But... who in the martial world wasn’t proud?
’If you want to place your pride above mine, then as far as I’m concerned, you are in the wrong.’
A glint flashed in Feng Wu’s eyes.
"Fine. In that case, I’d like to see what skills you possess that make you worthy of protecting this Jiaowei zither!"
With that, he flicked his sleeve, his body leaping into the air. With a thrust of his palm, he struck straight for Jiang Ran’s chest.
Jiang Ran, still seated on his stool, saw the ferocious attack coming but didn’t even rise.
He reached out with one hand, engaging his opponent with the techniques of the Cold Moon Play.
This Feng Wu was indeed worthy of his title as the young master of Qifeng Manor.
His palm techniques were grand and majestic, faintly evoking the image of a phoenix soaring to the nine heavens. His movements were controlled, his power profound yet measured. Beneath the stately and orthodox style was a sharp edge, all aimed at overwhelming his opponent with sheer momentum.
Jiang Ran channeled the Sutra of Creation and the Righteous Heart to power his Cold Moon Play, his claw techniques weaving between reality and illusion.
His style followed the true path of the strange and unpredictable.
Thus, when the two clashed, it was a confrontation between the orthodox and the unorthodox, each with its own strengths.
It was clear that Feng Wu was fighting with restraint, not intending to deliver a killing blow or seize the Jiaowei zither.
Therefore, Jiang Ran also held back from using his own killing moves.
He didn’t even use his Inner Strength to overwhelm his opponent, instead taking the opportunity to appreciate the subtleties of Qifeng Manor’s palm techniques.
In the blink of an eye, the two had already exchanged more than ten moves.
Jiang Ran remained seated, perfectly still, while Feng Wu was bent over the table, completely unable to force Jiang Ran to his feet.
For a moment, he was taken aback.
Suddenly, his palm strike transformed. Shifting from palm to claw, he descended from the air—this was the ’Phoenix Perching on the Parasol Tree’.
This move was from Qifeng Manor’s ultimate art, the [Nine Chapters of the Heavenly Phoenix], and was one of its killing blows.
Jiang Ran’s eyes sharpened. With a push of his feet, he shot backward, chair and all.
His hands blurred through a series of movements, leaving layers of afterimages in their wake.
After a rapid succession of three sounds and three transformations of his technique, Jiang Ran’s arms shifted between illusion and reality. Feng Wu felt a sudden tightness on his wrists. He looked down to see both his arms caught in Jiang Ran’s grip.
"When did—?"
’Feng Wu’s heart clenched. ’Everything seemed normal just a moment ago. How did I suddenly end up at a disadvantage?’
He didn’t realize he had fallen for a move from the Cold Moon Play, a technique within the Cold Moon Skill, called ’Faint Chill of the Waning Moon’.
Just as a waning moon’s shape is hard to grasp, so too was this move.
Once it connected, the move would channel the chilling yin Inner Strength of the Cold Moon Skill to attack a person’s acupoints, seal their meridians, and then strike directly at their heart meridian.
But while Feng Wu was proud, his crime wasn’t punishable by death.
And Jiang Ran had no reason to make a mortal enemy of Qifeng Manor. With the victor decided, he let out a soft chuckle.
"I was lucky."
As the words fell, he sent a pulse of internal energy through his grip.
Feng Wu was thrown backward, landing in a state of shock and horror.
He felt that Jiang Ran’s Inner Energy was like a vast, endless ocean. ’If he had attacked me with that kind of Inner Strength from the very beginning, how could I possibly have defended myself?’
Lost in this thought, he almost forgot how to react.
Fortunately, he felt a supportive pressure on his back. Turning, he saw that his senior martial sister, Ning Jiuyuan, had caught him and was setting him gently on the ground.
"Truly impressive martial arts."
Ning Jiuyuan looked at Jiang Ran. "I never expected such skill even before the Shocking God Saber was drawn. It seems what the Great Master said was true: ’When the Shocking God Saber appears, life and death are set in stone.’ It really wasn’t an empty boast..."
The Great Master was sitting right beside them.
He let out a huff when he heard this.
"Of course it wasn’t. When have I ever spoken empty words?"
Only then did Ning Jiuyuan remember he was there. She quickly offered a fist-and-palm salute.
"This junior misspoke. Please forgive me, Great Master."
The Great Master glanced at her.
"Speaking of which, Miss Ning... no, that’s not right. I should be calling you Mrs. He.
"I heard that three months ago, you married into the He family of Cyan Willow Manor.
"You are now the wife of the Second Young Master He.
"As a newlywed, shouldn’t you be attached at the hip with your husband? What are you doing all the way out here?"
Ning Jiuyuan felt a headache coming on.
She knew her last comment had offended the Great Master, so she could only explain:
"This junior grew up in Qifeng Manor and sees my master and his wife as my own parents.
"Now that the three-month period has passed, it is customary for me to return home to visit them.
"My junior martial brother was on his way to fetch me for this very reason..."
"Then where is your husband? Even for a homecoming visit, shouldn’t Second Young Master He be the one to escort you back?
"Cyan Willow Manor is supposed to be a prestigious household. How can they not even understand such basic etiquette?"
The Great Master said with a grin.
Ning Jiuyuan sighed. "As you must know, Great Master, my husband has always been in poor health. Cyan Willow Manor and Qifeng Manor are too far apart; the arduous journey would be too much for him.
"Besides, I am a woman of the martial world, accustomed to traveling on my own. There’s no reason my husband must accompany me on a simple visit home."
The Great Master looked at her with a smile, then shook his head gently.
"Mrs. He, there’s no need to explain. I was just asking casually, just asking casually."
Ning Jiuyuan quietly let out a breath.
She didn’t dare say another word.
’One wrong word brought on this whole interrogation. If I say something else wrong, who knows what else he’ll ask.’
’This man has seniority, his martial arts are supreme, and his background is profound.’
’You can’t fight him, you can’t curse him, and you certainly can’t kill him.’
’Otherwise, you’d never have another day of peace.’
Hearing this, Jiang Ran withdrew his gaze from them.
"To meet is to be bound by fate. It’s been a long time since we last met, Brother Daoist. Why not sit down and catch up?