Volume One: The Divine Kingdom of the Endless Night Chapter Forty-Six: He Resembles a Swordsman More Than You Do

At the third quarter of the亥 hour, on Qixia Street.

Luo Xianshan sat with an air of unhurried calmness and smiled, saying, "So these are the disciples taught by Dean Chang? The Yuyuan Academy is truly adept at leading people astray. Perhaps this is also why the Chief looks unfavorably upon the Imperial Tutor. Being arrogant when one has genuine ability is only natural, but to clamor everywhere while lacking skill is truly nothing more than an absolute fool."

Cai Tanggu did not have time to stop Su Lingyi, and with Luo Xianshan blocking his path, he said with a gloomy expression and a muffled voice, "Su Lingyi has remarkable innate talent, but he was discovered far too late. Given time, he will certainly achieve great heights. Venerable Luo should understand how deeply the imperial court values talented cultivators."

Luo Xianshan replied, "Whether Su Lingyi's talent is high or not, I cannot tell, but Jiang Wang's talent is undoubtedly exceptional. I am, after all, merely a martial artist and lack the esoteric arts of you cultivators. I imagine you understand Jiang Wang's aptitude better than I do. Which of them would the imperial court value more?"

Cai Tanggu fell silent.

Even if there were suspicions that Jiang Wang relied on the treasures left behind by the Qi State, such items would be useless without any natural aptitude of one's own. Facts had proven that Jiang Wang's talent was indeed extraordinary.

Having witnessed him defeat Dong Chongyang, Cai Tanggu could not even estimate just how high Jiang Wang's aptitude truly was.

He only knew that the highest tier of talent was to be born with a forged Yellow Court.

He could naturally perceive that Jiang Wang possessed a Yellow Court, but could not discern whether it was innate or forged later in life.

The most bizarre thing was that when Jiang Wang lay lazily in his rattan chair, Cai Tanggu could not sense his Yellow Court at all. This caused him to initially think Jiang Wang was merely an ordinary person, yet the moment Jiang Wang truly made a move, his Yellow Court became detectable.

He could only reasonably suspect that the treasures left behind by the Qi State enabled Jiang Wang to conceal his Yellow Court.

Regardless, Jiang Wang's talent was undoubtedly top-tier.

Just as he was pondering these thoughts, he suddenly saw the scene of Jiang Wang brandishing his saber to strike down Su Lingyi.

"Brother Chongyang!" Cai Tanggu shouted loudly.

Dong Chongyang had already stepped forward with his saber to intercept.

Luo Xianshan's expression also grew solemn.

Xie Wuxing asked in astonishment, "He actually dares to kill Su Lingyi?"

The man surnamed Xiao glanced at him and said, "Jiang Wang is indeed more like a swordsman than you are. What is there to be surprised about? The sword in a swordsman's hand should be straight. If he hesitates and is full of misgivings, how can he be called a swordsman?"

Xie Wuxing frowned and said, "Though a swordsman would rather break than bend, he is certainly no reckless fool. The consequences of killing Su Lingyi at this moment are simply beyond what he can bear."

The man surnamed Xiao looked thoughtful. It seemed the swordsmen of this realm were rather different from the ones he was familiar with—everywhere bogged down by so-called worldly sophistication and human sentiments. With such tangled reservations, how sharp could a sword possibly be?

If the Sword God of this place was also like this, he would likely be deeply disappointed.

The saber in Jiang Wang's hand swung toward Su Lingyi, while he cast a sideways glance at Dong Chongyang. The Changye saber whipped back, colliding with Dong Chongyang's blade, but his left hand curled into a fist and fiercely smashed into Su Lingyi's chest.

Dong Chongyang was forced to retreat step by step by the rebound force of the clash.

Meanwhile, spitting blood with a caved-in chest, Su Lingyi flew dozens of feet away.

Jiang Wang propped himself up with his saber, swinging it with a single arm before halting midway. Although he had repelled Dong Chongyang, his arm suffered the backlash and trembled slightly.

Looking at Su Lingyi, who had tumbled right to his feet, Du Yanruo's face turned ashen.

Blood continuously gushed from Su Lingyi's mouth as his entire body convulsed.

Cai Tanggu was consumed by fury, shouting harshly, "Jiang, how dare you do this!"

Jiang Wang raised his gaze and smiled lightly, "Old Cai, you heard him too. He kept threatening me. Although I usually have a very good temperament, sometimes my temper is also quite terrible. Keeping a good-for-nothing like him around is useless and will only bring trouble to your Yuyuan Academy. I am merely helping you clean house."

He waved his hand to interrupt Cai Tanggu, who was about to speak again, and looked at Luo Xianshan, asking, "Venerable, can you protect me?"

Luo Xianshan paused in silence for a moment, then smiled, "Since I am standing here, I can naturally protect you. As long as Dean Chang dares to come, I will make him leave in tears."

Jiang Wang also smiled along, "The Venerable is indeed imposing."

Watching them, Cai Tanggu's chest heaved with anger, and his wrinkled face trembled uncontrollably.

"This is truly fine..." Cai Tanggu said to Luo Xianshan, "Is the Martial Arts Shrine truly willing to make an enemy of Yuyuan Academy for his sake? You must realize that once the Dean personally arrives in Hun City, it will likely trigger a war between the Martial Arts Shrine and Yuyuan Academy. Your Chief is in closed-door seclusion in the Divine Capital; if things are truly blown out of proportion, he will not have time to protect the Kutan Martial Arts Shrine!"

Luo Xianshan said in a deep voice, "You should also think carefully. The Martial Arts Shrine holds far greater influence in Kutan than Yuyuan Academy. All the martial artists throughout Kutan hold the Martial Arts Shrine in reverence like gods. If the Imperial Tutor does not intervene, would Dean Chang truly dare to provoke my Martial Arts Shrine?"

"If you blow things up to the point where even the Divine Capital knows about it, all for the sake of a mere Su Lingyi, can you bear the consequences?"

Seeing Cai Tanggu's face filled with grief and indignation, Luo Xianshan continued, "A living Su Lingyi is one thing, but if he dies, would Dean Chang choose to let the matter rest, or would he risk destroying the entire Yuyuan Academy, only to end up with nothing in the end?"

Cai Tanggu was left speechless.

Although Su Lingyi was the Dean's personal disciple, he had not yet truly stepped onto the path of cultivation, and no one could guarantee how far he could go. If this were to genuinely spark a war between the Martial Arts Shrine and Yuyuan Academy, even the Emperor would not consent to it.

Watching Su Lingyi cough up blood once more until he lay motionless on the ground.

Cai Tanggu felt a towering fury in his heart, yet he had no choice but to force it down.

It seemed that the moment Luo Xianshan arrived and declared his stance with the Marquis's Estate, Su Lingyi's fate of dying in vain had already been sealed.

He knew very well that Luo Xianshan certainly did not wish to see Su Lingyi actually die either.

Yet who could have imagined that Jiang Wang would be so decisive, without a single shred of hesitation?

He even felt a degree of resentment toward Su Lingyi for being utterly foolish. Had he not uttered those provocative words, how could things have come to this?

By now, they would have already left Hun City.

As long as one stayed alive, were there not plenty of opportunities to take revenge on Jiang Wang later?

Cai Tanggu let out a long breath, said nothing more, and stooped to pick up Su Lingyi's corpse, striding away.

Du Yanruo followed closely behind. She no longer dared to utter any nonsense about saving her father and brother; preserving her own life was paramount.

Dong Chongyang merely glanced at Jiang Wang and Luo Xianshan before quickly stepping out of Qixia Street.

Not leaving all of them behind here was, of course, out of respect for Dean Chang; otherwise, the situation truly would have become irreconcilable.

Moreover, there was also the deliberate intention of leaving behind certain hidden variables.

Jiang Wang waved his hand, signaling the green-robed cultivator to bring over a rattan chair. He reclined directly outside the mansion gates, lifted his gaze to scan the man surnamed Xiao suspended mid-air, and finally let his eyes rest upon a nearby rooftop.

Feng Linghuai was sitting there, breathing heavily with a pale complexion.

Xie Wuxing walked to Jiang Wang's side and said, "If not for Venerable Luo being here, killing Su Lingyi so directly would have meant completely offending Yuyuan Academy to the death—though the situation isn't much better now anyway."

Jiang Wang smiled, "If not for Venerable Luo being here, I might not have killed him after all."

Hearing this, Luo Xianshan's brow twitched slightly, and he said, "Yuyuan Academy has the Imperial Tutor backing it. If a true war breaks out, the Martial Arts Shrine might not necessarily hold a distinct advantage. It's just that too much is involved, and Dean Chang knows how to weigh gains and losses. Still, this move was ultimately a bit reckless."

A thought flickered in his mind, and he continued, "If Xiao Yu can truly enter the Martial Arts Shrine and even stand a chance of becoming the Chief's personal disciple, then matters become much simpler. No matter how huge a disaster she stirs up, the Chief can help smooth it over."

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow.

When he decided to leverage Luo Xianshan's prestige to shut Cai Tanggu's mouth, he had already anticipated that subsequent troubles would follow. The Chief of the Martial Arts Shrine was indeed the best teacher for Xiao Yu, but compared to that, Xiao Yu staying alive was far more important.

Luo Xianshan was quite confident at the moment. By shielding Jiang Wang from Yuyuan Academy, he was shouldering immense pressure. Had he not spoken too firmly earlier, his very first reaction when Jiang Wang asked for protection would have been a refusal.

However, words spoken were like water spilled. Regardless of his inner reluctance, the reality was already set, and Jiang Wang had no reason to prevent Xiao Yu from heading to the Martial Arts Shrine.

In truth, if Xiao Yu did not harbor a sea of blood feuds and direct threats pointing straight to the Divine Capital, how could Jiang Wang possibly refuse such a wonderful opportunity? Yet many things never unfolded as ideally as one wished.

Jiang Wang was deeply troubled as well.

Was it that he stubbornly wanted to refuse?

He simply had no choice at all.

"Can the Chief of the Martial Arts Shrine ward off all trouble? Can he guarantee Xiao Yu's safety even within the Divine Capital?"

Luo Xianshan replied, "Our Chief is, after all, not truly the supreme number one person in the Sui State. If the trouble grows to an absurd degree, it is naturally difficult to guarantee. But as long as the heavens are not pierced through, the Chief can provide protection."

Jiang Wang pondered for a moment and said, "Allow me to consider this."

Xiao Yu did not yet know the identities of all her enemies. If the trouble grew large enough to truly pierce the heavens, even if the probability was minuscule, Jiang Wang was unwilling to let Xiao Yu take that risk.

This matter required deep contemplation and deliberate planning.

Since he did not issue a flat refusal, Luo Xianshan was in a remarkably good mood.

He then turned his gaze toward Rong Yulu, who stood stunned to the side, and rebuked sternly, "Fool! Used by others and completely oblivious to it! Get back and take your punishment!"

Rong Yulu did not dare to utter a sound.

Jiang Wang's defeat of Dong Chongyang and his execution of Su Lingyi right in front of Cai Tanggu had inexplicably stirred a sense of admiration within Rong Yulu.

Yet pride held him back; wanting to say something, no words came out. In the end, he was hauled away by Luo Xianshan back to the Half-Day Leisure Inn.

Jiang Wang glanced toward the rooftop once more, but Feng Linghuai had already vanished without a trace.

The man surnamed Xiao, suspended in mid-air, was also gone.

Jiang Wang furrowed his brow. Feng Linghuai certainly possessed a stubborn grip on life—he was actually still alive.

He probed into the Divine Kingdom, "Night Wandering God, what went wrong? You made such a huge commotion back then, causing me to lose a mountain of silver coins, yet the fellow turned out completely unharmed. Does that mean only I get to be unlucky?"

The Night Wandering God did not manifest physically, but the eyes of the stone statue flickered faintly as its voice echoed, "He should have died. Undoubtedly, someone employed some esoteric divine art to save him. That man carrying the feminine sword possessed a very peculiar aura. It felt as though I had encountered it somewhere before. In short, that aura is extremely dangerous."

Jiang Wang asked in confusion, "Capable of making you feel danger—what cultivation realm does that person possess?"

The Night Wandering God replied, "I cannot tell. It is because his path of cultivation belongs to none in this world. It leans toward a swordsman, yet possesses distinct differences."