Chapter 31: Chapter 31

On his way back, Zhuo Feiyang looked dejected as Chu Li’s strong words kept reverberating in his mind, and it seemed to have taken a toll on him. Moreover, he could not get his mind off the way Zhao Ying had reacted when they had met just now. He got increasingly worried as those thoughts cycled through his mind and eventually showed through his expression. Would he lose Zhao Ying? That was his biggest fear of all.

His mind helplessly wandered off to the memories of the day he and Zhao Ying first met.

It was his second day of serving the Resident, and he had to attend a lecture regarding the rules of the Resident. Out of twenty plus people inside the lecture hall, his eyes met with Zhao Ying’s just as he had entered the hall. At that moment, his eyes lit up and his heart started to race. It was as if the world had suddenly lit up.

From that moment onwards, he had made up his mind that she was the girl he was looking for!

Zhao Ying was a quiet girl in lectures as she seldom spoke. She was a reserved girl by nature, and everyone had their eyes on her because she was the only female in the lectures.

The memories halted there as Zhuo Feiyang’s mind snapped back into reality. He shook his head slightly, recalling that the bastard Chu Li had a liking for Zhao Ying too. That situation was exactly like a toad that was trying to get a goose to marry him — he would not match Zhao Ying at all; how foolish of him!

He thought that it was funny, but he did not let his guard down as well. Although that fellow could not practice the inner energy, he was a smart person. Since Zhao Ying had always been kind-hearted and innocent, what if she had fallen into one of Chu Li’s tricks? Hence, that was why Zhuo Feiyang was so determined to defeat Chu Li. Even when there was no decent opportunity to strike, he would strive to create one.

However, the reality could be harsh at times. Every single time he attempted to beat Chu Li, he would always end up on the losing end, conceding crushing defeats. Never once had he succeeded, and he had instead brought more shame upon himself with every attempt.

He witnessed that bastard Chu Li getting a step closer to Zhao Ying with his every failure, yet it was his weakness and inability that had contributed to that. Now more than ever, he could not stand this excruciating experience any longer!

What if Chu Li was already very close to victory, and would soon win Zhao Ying’s heart once and for all?

He then dragged his deflated self back to his own home. That night, he rolled and rolled on his bed but sleep eluded him. The very next day, he woke up at the break of dawn and decided to head to the training grounds of the Grand Martial Arts Hall early. When he arrived, Zhao Ying was in the midst of her training.

The morning sunlight was soothing and gentle, neither was it too hot or too cold. Zhao Ying was dressed in an azure-green robe. Her every movement seemed to sync with the swaying rhythm of the morning breeze; it was every bit graceful. Under the Sun, she looked as if she was glowing with a type of spiritual force, the kind that would form a fatal attraction. However, around her was many other people who were training as well.

Zhuo Feiyang scanned his surroundings for a brief second, then called out to her, “Sister Zhao!”

Zhao Ying did not stop with her sword training but she unwillingly replied, “You’re here, Brother Zhuo.”

Zhuo Feiyang unsheathed his sword and said, “Sister Zhao, let’s spar for a bit, shall we?”

Zhao Ying hesitated for a second, then withdrew her sword. “Spar?”

If it was in the past, she would have accepted that challenge without a hint of hesitation. Yet now, she was aware of how her sword skills had improved and Zhuo Feiyang might not be her match anymore.

Zhuo Feiyang nodded. “My Delusion Split sword skill has made some big improvements lately, so let’s just spar for a bit. Take this!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he threw a strike at her. Now, Zhao Ying did not have a choice but to return the strike. She drew out her long sword and engaged in a battle with Zhuo Feiyang.

Though Zhuo Feiyang started to have some doubts. Initially, he did not give his all in fear that he might hurt her, but as the battle ensued, he could see that she had no problems at all in coping with his skills. Hence, he slowly upped his game, using more force with every strike.

Towards the end, he had exhausted all his skills and tricks. Although the “Delusion Split” technique was stretched to its limits, Zhao Ying still seemed to be untouched. In fact, she looked like she was the one who was holding back to save him some pride.

This made him feel disappointed in himself and so, he struck back at her with greater force.

Zhao Ying noticed that something was amiss but she did not give it much thought. Her “Flying Swallow” technique was elegant yet deadly as she handled each of her opponent’s strike with ease. She felt that she had more control over the match as time progressed.

The two of them soon exchanged over hundreds of strikes; Zhuo Feiyang’s sword struck with increasing force and mounting fury.

Secretly, he deployed one of his latest-learned-tricks which sparked an increase in his strength. With that, his face became as blushed as a drunkard, and the blood vessels in his eyes were almost popping. Even though his sword skills improved insurmountably, his anger was terrifying.

Due to the fact that he hadn’t achieved the state of enlightenment yet, his inner energy could not overcome his physical form. Despite that, that kind of sword skills was rare and it attracted a crowd watching beside them.

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Zhao Ying’s sword technique gradually reached its peak. Facing blow after blow of fierce strikes, she became more and more agile. Then as she indulged herself in the battle, everyone around them thought they saw a smile flashed across her face.

Back when she sparred with Chu Li, he would always defeat her within a couple of moves; it was very difficult for her to master the elegant flow of the “Flying Swallow” technique. Whenever she faced the masters from the Raging Tiger Troupe, the urge to kill would overwhelm her so much that it would also disrupt her ability to fully showcase her technique.

However, this “Flying Swallow” technique was unique. During the process of the technique, the more relaxed a person was, the more powerful it would become. The sword would then gleam with force and even a simple strike could be deadly.

“Ding…” Zhuo Feiyang stood rooted to the ground. Out of the blue, his sword was struck out of his very own hands and landed with a clang. As he turned and walked away, his face was visibly stunned.

Only then did Zhao Ying realize what had happened. She hurriedly called out to him, “Senior Zhuo…”

As if Zhuo Feiyang did not hear it, he continued to walk away in big strides before he quickly leaped onto his boat.

Bai Zhijie was already on the boat, waiting for his orders. After listening to the cold commands that he was given, he could only manage a faint, bitter smile back at Zhao Ying. Then, the boat was rowed away.

Zhao Ying stood by the bank, and she could only watch as Zhuo Feiyang departed. She let out a sigh. Zhuo Feiyang had always been narrow-minded. Whenever he lost to her, he would become agitated. Could it be that Senior Chu Li was right? That he looked down on women and could not allow himself to be inferior to women?

On the previous occasion when they had sparred, it came down in a similar fashion. He purposely held back his strength to give her a chance, but he did not feel embarrassed at all when he lost at that time. So why did he react today?

She shook her head in disbelief as she returned to the training ground to resume her routine. The “Flying Swallow” sword technique was truly phenomenal, but she was still far from mastering it completely.

After a few days following the event, she had isolated herself from the outside world to cultivate her inner energy. Occasionally, she would spend some time out in the training grounds to work on her sword skills as she found it to be relaxing — a relaxed mind would speed up the improvements in her inner energy training.

Whereas Zhuo Feiyang never showed himself after what happened the other day. It seemed like he had started his Isolated Cultivation as well.

On the tenth day, Zhao Ying finally broke the 36th forcefield and the full innate mastery would complete itself by the day after tomorrow. Hence, she decided to meet with Chu Li so they could pay a visit to the Raging Tiger Troupe together.

…

When she arrived at the East Garden, she knocked on the main door but no one had answered it. Hence, she had no choice but to leave. She thought that they must have traveled to town.

Senior Chu Li had always stayed inside the East Garden, refusing to make contact with anyone outside. Even his previous colleagues had not been in touch with him since. This was because everyone looked down and laughed at him.

As she realized his difficulties, she started to sympathize with Chu Li. Senior Chu Li had endured way too much mocking; he had suffered too much!

However, Chu Li and Li Yue were indeed touring the town with a businessman. They circled around the central street and finally arrived at their destination — a house near the river.

This river flowed across and into the heart of Chong Li Yuning town. It was around 10 feet wide with waters that were clear as crystal, and rows of willow trees grew along its banks. The branches of the willow trees swayed with the rhythm of the breeze as if it was smoke.

“My Lords, this house belonged to a wealthy man who has unfortunately succumbed to an accident while he was out at sea. The accident tore his family apart, leaving them no choice but to liquidate all his properties, including the sale of this house.” The businessman that accompanied them was a middle-aged man who bore a humble and modest look. The man shook his head and sighed. “This world is unpredictable, anything can happen. The accident itself was beyond anybody’s control. Sigh… Just because the owner is dead, everyone assumed that the Fengshui of this property is bad. That’s why people seldom enquire about this house, and that explains its low price as well.”

Currently, they were living in an era where everyone practiced martial arts and people held strong beliefs on the ways of Buddhism as well. In fact, many were followers of Buddha.

Chu Li nodded in agreement.

The house was huge. Only a few rich ones would be able to afford it, and it was precisely the rich ones who always had concerns over things like Feng Shui. They knew that even with all the riches in the world, they still could not bend fate. Hence, they were fearful towards it.

Fengshui was of utmost importance to a property, so they were not ready to take this risk. Moreover, there were still many decent options in town; there was no urgent need to break the deal immediately.

“Tell me, what’s the price?” Chu Li asked.

“Hehe, I will sell it at ten thousand taels!”

“Why, isn’t that cheap?!”