Chapter 6

Jiang Xiaofan facing Zhu Youwei head on and sending him flying had the onlookers drop their jaws to the ground. In their eyes, Jiang Xiaofan was a seemingly delicate youth, yet he packed such explosive power.  Jiang Xiaofan had just arrived to this sect not long ago, but he was able to already beat the core disciple’s cousin until his opponent vomited blood. To them, this was incredulous. They were at a loss for words.

“Isn’t this guy a bit too strong? What godly strength!”

“He’s so fast too! I couldn’t see clearly back then.”

Everyone around them began to debate. Those outer disciples who had been with the sect for some time froze with terror after seeing Zhu Xidao’s cousin suffer a punch.

“Cough cough….”

Blood dripped from the corner of Zhu Youwei’s lips. With difficulty standing up, he felt the energy drain from his body.  He was taken aback because he didn’t think that his opponent’s physical strength would be that fearsome, overpowering him.

His eyes became frigid and his entire body raged with fury. Zhu Youwei wiped the blood from his mouth with his left hand and with a tremble of the Qingyun Sword in his right hand, thrust a sword of light with lightning speed at Jiang Xiaofan.

Alarmed, Jiang Xiaofan quickly dodged it in the nick of time. The light brushed him and chopped off a few strands of his hair. Not far away, another giant rock was cleaved in half.

“Even if I can’t stand up, I can still have your death!”

“You mean it’s difficult to stand up!” chirped Jiang Xiaofan.

He grew sullen. The Qingyun Sword emitted a strange howl. It flew from Zhu Youwei’s grasp and persistently hacked at Jiang Xiaofan, creating great pressure for the latter. As expected of a spirit weapon, it really was unique. Even though the user had not moved, the sword itself was able to annihilate enemies from afar.

Just as Jiang Xiaofan was distracted, the Qingyun Sword trembled again, and dozens of crescent moon-shaped swords of light appeared. They all launched at Jiang Xiaofan, slicing the air which caused whizzing sounds. Frightened, the onlookers retreated but sighed with admiration at the might of a spirit weapon.

He nimbly dodged. Jiang Xiaofan’s body was agile like a rabbit’s. None of the sword’s released qi were able to leave a mark on him. There were only deep cuts on the ground while grass flew everywhere.

“It’s no use. How long will your body be able to withstand the attack of a spirit weapon? Your only ending is death!”

Zhu Youwei ridiculed him with an overbearing attitude as if he had forgotten that he had just gotten punched. After casting another hex with one hand, the Qingyun Sword suddenly glowed again and released another howl, its echo rippling through the air.

Jiang Xiaofan continuously dodged. Even though he had no weapons at hand, his body was more than powerful enough. He swept out another couple of giant rocks to welcome the sword’s strikes.

*Fwoosh*

Dust was kicked up and swirled in midair. Each rock was at least fifty kilograms, but under the might of the spirit weapon, they were easily sliced through like tofu. The atmosphere was full of sand particles and rock bits, temporarily blocking both of their visions.

It was around this time that Jiang Xiaofan made his move. He was light-footed like the wind, and his every step created illusory shadows. Everyone looked on with anticipation. He instantly rushed over to the other side, avoiding the Qingyun sword.

“You!”

The color drained out of Zhu Youwei’s face, but it was too late. Jiang Xiaofan’s palm had already struck his cheek, akin to the force of an iron bar hitting him. He flew out another nine meters.

Half of Zhu Youwei’s cheek instantaneously swelled up. A few broken teeth rested on the ground with drops of blood around them. It was evident how terrifying this one slap was. Jiang Xiaofan showed no signs of mercy. Zhu Youwei nearly suffered a concussion. His vision was blurry, and he had difficulty controlling the sword.

He knew that it was difficult to battle on. With reddened eyes, he furiously glared daggers at Jiang Xiaofan. The aura of bloodlust emanated from Zhu Youwei. He hollered at everyone, “Whoever manages to kill this person today, I will bestow the Qingyun Sword upon him or her. As for the consequences, I will bear them.”

After he had spoken, an eruption of talks began. Temptation stirred among the spectators. Some even gulped. After all, it was a spirit weapon. To these outer disciples, it was unquestionably a gem.

The only problem was that no one dared to stand out and fight after just witnessing Jiang Xiaofan’s capabilities. Nobody wanted to be the next unlucky one.

Disappointed, Zhu Youwei’s complexion turned ashen. He wanted to kill Jiang Xiaofan, but he had no strength left in him. Even standing upright was too much effort for him. His head felt heavy. He declared, “Excellent. Very excellent, indeed. I’ll remember you. You better not go anywhere!”

“Are you threatening me?!” He coldly looked at Zhu Youwei.

“You can think of it that way if you like. There is no one within the Emperor’s Heaven Sect who would defy me. You…”

Zhu Youwei smirked, but before he could finish his sentence, he was lifted up in the air and sent flying backward another three meters. More specks of blood rained on the ground.

The scene came to a standstill. Many onlookers, including Liu Ruyan who hadn’t had the time to intervene and the three youths from before, froze like statues. They didn’t think that Jiang Xiaofan would strike without warning.

“This….”

Everyone around them whispered. They thought that Jiang Xiaofan was beyond vicious. That was right. Vicious was the word to describe him. Who within the Emperor’s Heaven Sect didn’t know of Zhu Youwei? Anyone with the status below that of a core disciple feared and respected him, yet this guy had no care at all. From start to finish, Zhu Youwei had never been a concern for Jiang Xiaofan.

Lying on the grass, Zhu Youwei gingerly touched his swollen right cheek. He was stunned for a while as if he couldn’t accept the fact that Jiang Xiaofan had actually slapped him. He then screamed out loud, “You actually hit me?! Do you know who I am?! I’m Zhu Xidao’s elder cousin!”

“I hate people who threaten me!” Jiang Xiaofan’s tone was icy. He cracked his knuckles as he boldly strode forward. He looked at Zhu Youwei with disdain and continued, “Also, stop pretending like you’re some big shot. I don’t care whose cousin you are!”

“You….”

*Pah*

He had not yet completed his words when Jiang Xiaofan arrived at where he was. Drawing the back of his hand, Jiang Xiaofan smacked him flying again. This time, there was a little more force in the hit. Zhu Youwei flew out six meters. His left cheek swelled up.

“How dare you?! How dare you hit me?!” Zhu Youwei’s face contorted with savagery and his eyes burned with wrath.

“Bullshit! But if this makes you feel bad, just pretend that I’m lecturing a wild beast instead!”

“You…. You…. Pff….”

Livid, he raised his finger at Jiang Xiaofan. His whole body quivered. Finally, he vomited one last draw of blood and passed out.

“Erm…. This really isn’t my doing. He passed out himself.” Jiang Xiaofan quickly recomposed himself after a short daze and put on a look of innocence. It disgusted those who watched him, wanting to stomp shoeprints on his face.

“Punk, just you wait! The Respected One is still in closed-door training, but once his younger brother comes out, you’ll die a gruesome death!”

The three young men who attacked him earlier carried Zhu Youwei off but not before snarling at Jiang Xiaofan. They walked away from the crowd and disappeared along with Liu Ruyan.

The onlookers saw them off until they vanished before their eyes. They started to chatter. Many of them looked at Jiang Xiaofan and shook their heads, eliciting pity.

“I say, everyone, you may now leave. Go do whatever you must do. My girlfriend and I still have a house to build.” After he spoke, he glanced discreetly at Ye Yuanxue.

“What does ‘girlfriend’ mean?” After everyone had dispersed, Ye Yuanxue tugged on Jiang Xiaofan’s arm and asked him.

“A girlfriend is…. Um….” Jiang Xiaofan rubbed his chin and explained, “A girlfriend means…. You have a boy and a girl who have a really close relationship. A girlfriend is the boy’s female friend while a boyfriend is the girl’s male friend.”

“Oh, I see. So you’re my boyfriend, is that it?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s correct. Xiao Xue, you’re so clever! From now on, I’m your boyfriend.” Jiang Xiaofan nodded in approval like a bobblehead and then clarified, “Also, a girlfriend can have only one boyfriend. Therefore, Xiao Xue, you can’t have any other boyfriends, got it?”

“Mhm, I understand. Hurry up and construct the house. There will be a mist settling in tonight.”

“Okay, okay. Just wait here. It’ll be ready in no time!”

Despite his beaming smile, his heart welled up with guilt. How could he deceive such an innocent and cute girl? Nevertheless, the perverted wolf in him was exuberant. The roof was completed. The two of them would soon live together. To be with a peerless beauty was something that he could have never dreamed of.

“It’s finished, Xiao Xue. Let’s go take a look at our new house.”

Very soon, a simple but delicate wooden hut was built. Because Jiang Xiaofan was an orphan, he knew a lot of basic life skills.

“Huh?”

Walking into the small house, Ye Yuanxue’s expression was that of surprise. She turned her head and eyed Jiang Xiaofan from head to toe.

“Um, that…. We don’t have enough building materials so there’s only one bed but don’t worry. I’m a real gentleman. You sleep on the bed and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Jiang Xiaofan blushed but felt guilty at the same time. He shyly waved his hand at her.

“That’s not what I had in mind. I was just thinking that you’re actually quite skilled. I mean, you built such a fine house with a bed included. Even I can’t do it.”

Ye Yuanxue snickered and shook her head. “Actually, I don’t mind a bit of a squeeze. Ever since you saved me, I have trusted you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t tag along with you to the Emperor’s Heaven Sect. But now, I’m even surer of it. Xiaofan, you’re really a good person. A true gentleman.”

Looking at her happy yet playful expression made his heart flutter. He wanted to give himself a good smack in the face. Depressed, he lowered his head as he walked to the other side and lay down on the floor.

“Argh…. I hate being a gentleman!”