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【Mysterious Girl in Black Takes On Two at Once at the Xuanling Sword-Debate Platform, the #1 and #2 on the Heaven Rankings Can’t Even Fight Back】
“Junjun’s Sword-Training Diary”, IP: Jiuli, Lingyun Sect
“Daily-Update Blogger”, “Little Nuggets of Sword Dao”
“Junjun’s Sword-Training Diary”:
【I’ve clearly overdosed on something, because I think I just watched the #2 on the Heaven Rankings get pinned to the ground and beaten up.】
Top comment: 【I’ve overdosed too, because I just watched the #1 go over to break up the fight and get beaten up right along with him.】
Comment: 【Wild. I trained swords all night, walked out of the Sword Pavilion, and immediately caught a scene like this. That’s You Yujing AND Xu Shaoqian, folks, a one-on-one would already be crazy, but she’s taking on TWO.】
Comment: 【Almighty netizens, does anyone know whose disciple this is?】
Comment: 【Latest live update, blah blah blah…】
Comment: 【Boohoo, why am I not at the Lingyun Sect’s main branch? I want to watch it live too. I WILL pass the entrance exam next year, aaah.】
Comment: 【The weak are still watching the broadcast on their glazed mirrors, while the truly strong have already hailed a Didi flying sword to go see it in person. See you there in three minutes [rose-in-teeth/.]】
On an ordinary day, the disciples at the Xuanling training grounds mostly cultivate inside the Sword-Testing Pavilion, sparring against illusory demon beasts, the sword-debate platforms where you spar against actual people usually hold no more than a handful of people.
But right now the ordinarily deserted platforms were packed with disciples wedged in so tight not a drop could leak through (jammed shoulder to shoulder), especially the one in the corner by the wall, No. 47, where the crowd under the huge platform stood body to body.
You Yujing knelt on one knee, clutching his chest and gasping, staring at the two figures in the center.
The girl in black had Xu Shaoqian firmly pinned. Her arms looked slender and delicate, yet seemed to carry the force of a thousand jun (unstoppable, crushing strength). Every time Xu Shaoqian resisted, he got hit, his face was already swollen.
Not long ago, Xu Shaoqian had tried to lift Junior Sister Little Yun’s veiled hat, only to have her seize his wrist and flip him clean over her shoulder. He’d hit the platform with a thud, cracking even the thousand-year xuan-iron surface.
From that shrill, agonized scream, everyone could tell it was no light blow.
While You Yujing was still stunned, Junior Sister Little Yun hadn’t let Xu Shaoqian off, she’d pinned him to the ground and rained down a flurry of utterly formless punches.
As she beat Xu Shaoqian, there was no ripple of spiritual energy around her at all. She wasn’t using spiritual power, just the raw strength of her flesh-and-blood body.
But Xu Shaoqian was a Golden Core cultivator. Even if his sinews and bones didn’t match a body-cultivator’s, he had spiritual energy shielding him, there was no way he should be this fragile. By all rights, Junior Sister Little Yun shouldn’t have been able to hurt him in the slightest.
And yet the Xu Shaoqian before them was getting genuinely pummeled, with no power to fight back. He strained to draw his sword, but the moment his fingers touched the hilt she hoisted him up like a stray chick and flung him at the corner of the platform, his sword clattering off to one side.
Realizing something was wrong, You Yujing rushed over and grabbed Yun Xiu’s hand. “Junior Sister Little Yun—”
Before he could finish, he got treated to the exact same deluxe package Xu Shaoqian had just enjoyed.
And at last he understood why Xu Shaoqian couldn’t fight back: the instant Junior Sister Little Yun grabbed him, all the spiritual energy in his body seemed to congeal, unable to circulate.
Cultivators had long grown used to spiritual energy flowing through their meridians in an endless cycle, to have it cut off so suddenly felt like sinking into the depths of a muddy swamp, the slowly descending body unable to move, even breathing a struggle.
You Yujing finally got up with great effort, propped himself on his sword, and took a deep breath.
There was nothing left to puzzle out. Junior Sister Little Yun had been perfectly fine before, she’d only turned strange after eating the spirit-plant he’d given her, as if she’d lost her reason. Clearly there was something wrong with that plant.
“Baam—!”
The girl in black threw Xu Shaoqian in another back-slam. He crashed heavily to the ground, forced himself up against the wall, clutched his heart and coughed violently, blood seeping from lips gone blue-purple.
His sword lay a meter away. He wiped the blood and reached for it with a trembling hand.
Before he could reach it, the girl seized his arm, twisted it up behind his back in a single flip, and pressed him against the wall, pinning his head flat to the stone.
To stop Junior Sister Little Yun, one couldn’t let her touch one’s body, one could only use a sword.
You Yujing’s sword was half-drawn when he hesitated again.
…But using the sword would hurt Junior Sister Little Yun.
After eating the cotton candy You Yujing gave her, Yun Xiu had felt off, her body started heating up, itching all over.
These were the symptoms of an allergic reaction.
But it seemed far worse than any allergy she’d had before. In the space of a single breath, her vision blurred and she couldn’t see clearly in front of her.
Her mind, too, was turning muddled, her ears filled with only a droning buzz, unable to make out what anyone was saying.
So hot.
Her whole body burned.
Sensing an assailant reaching for her, the gaze malicious, she instinctively grabbed the outstretched hand and fell into close-quarters combat.
The more she fought, the hotter she got, her brain felt like it was smeared with paste, or tangled into a ball of yarn, impossible to sort out, only getting messier and messier.
At last the assailant was subdued, pinned to the wall.
Yun Xiu should have felt relieved, but she only grew more miserable, mouth dry, throat parched, itching all over.
Hot…
She wanted water…
Suddenly a drop of water landed on the side of her face, warm.
Yun Xiu’s lashes trembled. Water… seemed to be… in her hand?
She tried hard to blink her surroundings into focus, and dimly saw the thing she was gripping slowly dripping water downward.
The color seemed a little off… but with her paste-brained head she couldn’t be bothered with that. She leaned in, mouth open to bite down.
Before she could, cool fingertips pinched her little face.
A faint scent of white sandalwood enveloped her from behind. The calming fragrance sobered her for a fleeting instant, and she vaguely heard a young man’s voice fall over the top of her head.
“…Why do you bite at everything.”
Yun Xiu scrunched her little brows and was about to protest that she was only drinking water, when, the next second, a spot of coolness touched her brow, and her consciousness cut out entirely.
Catching the girl as she slumped softly, Xie Wuwang lifted Yun Xiu up with ease and spoke calmly to You Yujing beside him. “Bring him to Miaoshou Peak.”
This “him” clearly referred to the unconscious Xu Shaoqian.
You Yujing nodded again and again and helped Xu Shaoqian up.
With that, His Excellency the Sword Venerable left the platform, taking them with him, as though he had never appeared at all.
But those few short seconds were more than enough to send the crowd at the Xuanling training grounds into an uproar.
“Junjun’s Sword-Training Diary”:
【Good news: the mysterious girl in black’s identity has been revealed.】
【Bad news: she’s Sword Venerable Wuwang’s new disciple.】
Comment: 【Everyone was guessing the Sword Venerable’s disciple might be some sword-dao master. Well, now we know, she’s a real master, all right.】
Comment: 【Two-on-one on the debate platform. To everyone who declared they’d challenge Sword Venerable Wuwang’s disciple: you don’t have to line up anymore. Just rush her all at once.】
Comment: 【Announce which session ahead of time so I can grab a spot early. I got here late today and the bad seats meant I saw nothing.】
Comment: 【Off topic, but Sword Venerable Wuwang is really good-looking.】
Comment: 【Person of taste.】
Comment: 【Person of taste +1】
Comment: 【Person of taste +10086】
Comment: 【What sword-dao master? She never even drew her sword.】
Comment: 【She beat Xu Shaoqian into a baby chick WITHOUT drawing her sword. Imagine if she had.】
Comment: 【True. Did anyone actually see what cultivation stage she’s at? Because I sure didn’t.】
Comment: 【Weird, I couldn’t tell either.】
Comment: 【Looks like the #1 spot on this year’s Heaven Rankings is getting a new owner [munch munch munch/.]】
……
Lingyun Sect, Miaoshou Peak.
The front of the peak was the infirmary that treated ailing sect disciples, busy with foot traffic.
The back of the peak was the residence of Senior Uncle Fang Cheng, who ran the infirmary, disciples were normally forbidden there.
You Yujing dumped Xu Shaoqian on the healers at the front of the peak and hurried to the back.
No spiritual energy had been used in the beating anyway, so the damage wasn’t severe, just some superficial flesh wounds. At worst he’d swallow some medicine and lie flat for a couple of days and be fine.
Junior Sister Little Yun’s situation was the important one.
When You Yujing arrived, the girl was no longer the mindless creature from before. She lay on a couch, quietly draped across the young man’s lap, her little face pillowed on his leg.
Her veiled hat had come off in the fight long ago, shattered into several pieces, and now her face was exposed, flushed an abnormal red, cold sweat beading at her temples.
He asked anxiously, “Senior Uncle Wuwang, how is Junior Sister Yun?”
Xie Wuwang pressed his knuckles to her wrist, the spiritual energy inside her was in utter chaos. He lifted his gaze. “What happened?”
You Yujing recounted the whole sequence quickly and in detail.
Xie Wuwang furrowed his brow. There was nothing wrong with the spirit-plant, by rights it shouldn’t produce an effect like this…
Then he suddenly remembered, she had once mentioned being allergic to mushrooms, and that spirit-plant happened to be a variety of spirit-mushroom.
“I understand. You may go for now.” Xie Wuwang lowered his eyes, his tone calm. “Go see how that disciple’s injuries are, and get your own treated while you’re at it.”
Of course You Yujing wanted to stay and watch over Junior Sister Little Yun, the whole situation was his fault, and his heart was heavy with guilt.
But since Xie Wuwang had said so, he could only nod obediently and leave the room.
The boy gone, the room fell quiet again.
Xie Wuwang lowered his lashes, his gaze resting on the girl’s cold-sweat-beaded little face.
That morning, before going down the mountain, she’d sworn up and down she wouldn’t cause trouble, and in less than half a day she’d gotten herself into this state.
He’d made too few preparations when he sent her down.
Xie Wuwang released her wrist and reached out to support her arm, meaning to lay her back down on the couch. The moment he touched her, the girl’s eyes snapped open as if startled awake, and her hand shot out and grabbed his.
Then, with a surge of strength, she lunged forward and pinned him down. Xie Wuwang’s back hit the bedpost with a thud.
Xie Wuwang: “……”
He looked at the girl before him, her eyes brimming with a hazy mist, unfocused and dazed, clearly she hadn’t come to, this was pure instinct.
And her mind seemed to still be stuck at the fighting stage.
Both her hands gripped his wrist tightly, one pinned above his head, the other pressed along with her whole arm against his throat, holding him in a rather skilled, thoroughly immobilizing lock.
The girl swayed unsteadily and mumbled something indistinct.
“Thirsty…”
Xie Wuwang let out a soft sigh and was about to withdraw his arm when the girl suddenly leaned close to it and, chomp, bit down.
Xie Wuwang froze.
The next second, sharp little fangs pierced his cool, pale skin, and warm blood welled out, leaving a faint touch of red at the corner of the girl’s mouth.
As if she’d tasted something she loved, her tightly knit brows finally relaxed, and she squinted with a kind of pleasure, her warm little tongue gently licking the wound, the tip of it rolling a bead of blood into her mouth.
Xie Wuwang watched, brows drawn.
A young man’s voice suddenly rang out beyond the door.
“Xie Wuwang, I was right in the middle of my afternoon nap and you just barge over to my place, and you broke my ward, too. Trespassing on private property, careful I don’t report you to the Immortal Alliance and have you arrested…”
Fang Cheng strode brashly into the room, and as he spoke his gaze turned toward the couch inside. His voice abruptly cut off.
Fang Cheng: ?
The air went silent for several breaths.
Fang Cheng raised a foot and stepped back over the threshold.
He lifted a hand and slowly pulled the door shut.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to intrude.”