Chapter 250

"Hahaha, this girl's fighting spirit is truly scorching hot! Since she insists on fighting, boy, will you respond?" Suiyang's sinister laughter echoed above Xuanqing's head.

Xuanqing nodded and said, "Xuanqing will not retreat."

"Well, this is a matter among the Cloud Cavalry comrades. Losing isn't a big deal, but abandoning comrades and bringing shame to the Cloud Cavalry—wouldn't that be a disgrace to the sword in my hand?" Su Shang turned to look at Huohuo, urging: "I estimate I can't hold out for more than a few moves. You guys go find the General quickly! Before he arrives, I will not fall easily!"

The group immediately left the Praying Dragon Altar and arrived at Sui Garden. After finding the General and informing him of all the details, the General's expression also became unusually solemn.

"Suiyang, who manipulates people's hearts under the guise of pointing out sword techniques? If he could teach according to aptitude, that wouldn't be bad. Unfortunately, this demon's obsession with winning is too strong; for this boy Xuanqing, it's truly troublesome."

Before leaving, the General also asked for more information about this Rongju. Fuyan said it is Liaoyuan's martial courage, and the toughest among these fragments. But he also wondered: "Who is this swordsman called Xuanqing?"

"My disciple." Jingyuan replied calmly.

Fuyan immediately broke into an excited sinister laugh: "Hehehe, no wonder I caught a whiff of sorrow on you. Oh—I get it. To rescue your inept disciple, must the master personally step onto the battlefield? I truly envy the Rongju."

"You only know the 'taste of sorrow,' but not what sorrow truly is. The disciple's obsession with winning has clouded his mind; trying to improve his swordsmanship, he chose a shortcut—this is my failure as a master, and also the cause of my sorrow."

Fuyan coldly said: "I advise you not to pretend to be leisurely here; the Rongju is extremely murderous—once it possesses someone, they won't even recognize their own kin, let alone a master."

——

A Certain Scientific Railgun

"Could something like that really happen?" Misaka Mikoto's voice suddenly dropped, a flicker of unease passing through her amber eyes: "Teacher-student mutual slaughter... This kind of thing has already happened once to Jingyuan, right? Last time he attacked his own master; this time he attacks his disciple... I don't want something like that!"

"Stay calm, Misaka." Touma stared at the girl's eyes, "Unless Xuanqing kills Su Shang, the situation can still be salvaged. Honestly speaking, this possession hasn't caused any damage from Xuanqent."

Misaka's shoulders visibly tensed: "But I'm still worried; if Su Shang can't hold him back, Suiyang could completely take over Xuanqing's mind and body, making him go on a killing spree in the Yunji camp..."

Touma slowly turned the teacup on the table: "... I'm saying, since just now I've noticed, you wouldn't be substituting Suiyang's possession for the abilities of the Honeybee, would you? Although both affect people's hearts, the difference is still quite clear."

"Who, who would think about that woman!" Her voice unintentionally rose eight degrees, drawing nearby café patrons to glance over. Realizing her faux pas, she immediately lowered her voice: "Just seeing this kind of manipulated possession scene, I can't help but associate it with her abilities."

"Well, Suiyang itself is a conscious fire spirit; possession manipulation is highly precise, but the possessed person does not lose self and can still resist Suiyang. However, the Honeybee's manipulation... that is total puppetry; although its precision is inferior to Suiyang's, its numbers can be many."

"If the General rescues Xuanqing, it'll probably be like last time when Qingque saved Fu Xuan, letting his self-awareness first waver and resist—if it truly comes to the point where the General must act..." Kamijou Touma showed a helpless smile: "Then Xuanqing can only fend for himself."

——

Arriving at the Praying Dragon Altar, seeing Su Shang standing off against Xuanqing, everyone let out a sigh of relief in unison.

"The brave guards of Shence Prefecture... are nothing more than this... I thought I'd have to hit the ground as soon as you drew your sword." Su Shang panted, using the Xuanyuan Sword to prop up her body: "I never expected... I never expected I could hold on until now. I... I'm not as useless as I imagined."

"The Rongju's drifting voice carried a hint of disappointment: 'Young man, you hesitated, you've been hesitating.'"

"Facing a swordsman with such a disparity in strength, you actually spend so much time. As a swordsman, don't you have any pride? The crushing defeat at the Praying Dragon Altar—must it be staged again?"

"It's time to act; only blood can wash away the shame on the sword."

Xuanqing's face stiffened, he held his breath. His hand gripping the sword trembled slightly—a feeling he had never experienced when facing Ren and Tan Heng. He tightened his grip on the hilt, swallowed, and said: "I..."

"He won't make a move." A lazy voice came from behind Su Shang.

Seeing the master appear, Xuanqing's aura was instantly halved: "General..."

——

Baki

Seeing Jing Yuan appear, Huashan Xun's mouth corner floated a faint, almost imperceptible smile; at the same moment, only feeling that Liehai Wang let out a breath of relief, his tense body almost immediately relaxed.

Among everyone, only Tokugawa was a little disappointed. Given Jing Yuan's nature, he would probably find it hard to strike his own disciple—of course, if he were willing to personally intervene to educate his disciple, that would be quite a sight; he hasn't yet seen a formal match between Yan Qing and Jing Yuan.

He has had enough of watching battles with Su Shang; bored, he wants to see blood flow like a river!

"Yan Qing little brother is still afraid of his master, huh." Miyamoto Musashi chuckled, "I just don't know if he has the courage to draw his sword against his master. If he can draw his sword, counting Jing Yuan... among the Five Heroes of the Cloud Realm, he has already lost to three here."

"Miyamoto, you don't have that much confidence in Yan Qing?" Guo Haihuang calmly shook his head, took off his sunglasses, revealing eyes as deep as ink, showing no emotion: "Having experienced this incident on the Immortal Ship, Yan Qing little brother has already undergone a transformation; plus the personal guidance of his master Jingliu, he has gained much. In the way of swordsmanship, Yan Qing may not suffer a crushing defeat."

"Hehe, Guo Haihuang, you're not getting senile, are you?" Hanma Yujiro bared his teeth in a smile, "His divine lord—even his master Jingliu doesn't dare to avoid its sharpness; relying on Yan Qing's current means, wanting to survive is probably not easy either."

"Of course, if Jing Yuan uses the divine lord, that's another matter. However, the divine lord is a force only used against those detrimental to the Immortal Ship; would he really use the power granted by the Hunt Star God upon a disciple whose conscience has not yet been extinguished?"