Chapter 166: The Truth?
"So petty. Is it okay if I just shut up now?" Fàn would have to be out of his mind to want to spar with Zhou Fan.
"Actually, it's not that Zhou Fan is petty. It's just that everyone has their own unique fighting style," He Yi said softly. "Sometimes, what you think is a correct and logical way to fight might not be suitable for someone else." He had also noticed many flawed techniques in the sisters' offensive choices.
But after watching a little longer, he realized that while the two women made errors in their offensive choices, any single strike that connected would unleash a ferocious storm of follow-up attacks. Their opponents would either die of exhaustion or be cut down by the sisters' blades at the slightest misstep.
"There's a reason Tiger Teeth is stronger than Wolf Fang!" Zhou Fan chimed in from the side, not missing a chance to get a jab in. Of course he had noticed the issues with the two women's techniques.
However, he didn't want to correct the two women too much. He preferred to let them follow their own instincts, choosing instead to have them learn through trial and error in real combat. That way, they could ultimately forge an offensive style that was entirely their own.
SMASH!
Suddenly, the glass window behind Xiaobu shattered and a figure darted inside. Before anyone could react, the figure grabbed Xiaobu and leaped back out.
Zhou Fan was the first to react. Without a moment's hesitation, he shot after them. As he passed the two sisters, he grabbed one with each hand and, following the figure, leaped out of the window as well.
"Holy shit, this is the fifth floor! They just jumped?" Fàn cursed as he came to his senses. He had no choice but to follow them and jump out the window too. For people like them, a prepared jump from over ten meters wouldn't cause any injury.
A sharp glint, however, flashed through He Yi's eyes. 'That person must have been the Elder Witch,' he thought. After all, jumping down from the fifth floor wasn't hard, but arriving outside a fifth-floor window in complete silence was a feat not just anyone could accomplish.
"Friend, since you've come, don't be in such a hurry to leave. This old man has been waiting for you for a long time!" The moment Zhou Fan landed with the two women, Lingling Daoist appeared before them, blocking the path of Xiaobu's kidnapper.
Zhou Fan now had a clear view of Xiaobu's kidnapper. The man was dressed in a long, black robe that shrouded his entire body, leaving only his face exposed. It was the face of a wizened old man, etched with numerous wrinkles.
"May I ask what business you have, friend?" the black-robed man asked in return, showing no signs of panic and smiling faintly.
"Leave this person here," Lingling Daoist's voice was deep, laced with an authority that allowed no room for argument. "Then you will return with me to the Capital City to stand trial!"
"Oh? And what crime might I have committed?" the black-robed man's voice was as calm as ever. "This person is of great use to me. Giving them to you is quite impossible." He spoke as if the people surrounding him were of no concern at all.
Then again, it made sense. Even that madwoman from Dragon Fang had only lasted three moves against him before being struck by his Gu poison and fleeing back to the Capital City for treatment. So, in this mysterious man's eyes, perhaps no one here, with the exception of Lingling Daoist, was a threat—Zhou Fan included.
"Are you the Grand Elder of the Witch Race?" Lingling Daoist asked.
"Correct. I am he," the black-robed man admitted without hesitation.
"Then there's no mistake. Stay where you are!" Lingling Daoist barked, stepping forward and thrusting a hand out to grab the Grand Elder.
"Hmph. Then I shall take this opportunity to test the strength of an Elder Dragon Soul!" the Grand Elder snorted. Still holding Xiaobu with his right hand, he struck out with his left palm to meet Lingling Daoist's attack.
In the next instant, their palms met. As the others watched, Lingling Daoist swayed slightly and took half a step back to steady his stance, while the Grand Elder was knocked back a full step.
"Looks like Master is still more powerful after all!" Fàn murmured, seeing the exchange.
"The Elder has cultivated Inner Strength; of course his power is immense!" He Yi also remarked with admiration.
Zhou Fan, however, remained silent. His eyes were glued to the two combatants—or to be more precise, to the Grand Elder.
'For some reason, even though I've never met the Grand Elder before, from the very first moment I laid eyes on this man, I felt there was a huge discrepancy between the person in front of me and the Grand Elder I had imagined.'
'The Grand Elder I imagined was a mastermind. Someone who could plant a spy by Chu Yan's side for twenty years. Someone who could orchestrate the control of Chen Feng to annihilate the Chen Family. Someone who could use Chu Yifeng to nearly massacre Gu Feifei's entire family so secretly that not even Wolf Fang had a clue. This was a man so elusive that even the fake Chu Peiyang, a plant who had been hidden for two decades, had never met him in person.'
'So, in my mind, this Grand Elder—the so-called Elder Witch—was supposed to be a meticulous schemer with a shrewd and calculating mind. A man like that wouldn't fail to see the danger here. He certainly wouldn't risk coming to rescue Xiaobu so recklessly, much less fall into such a simple trap laid by Lingling Daoist.'
'Especially after that palm strike, which clearly showed the Grand Elder was a notch weaker. Could the real Grand Elder be so foolish?'
'In that case, there was… probably only one truth…'