Chapter 890: Leave Her

Chen Wuji stared blankly at the solemn Kong Jianshi, "Old Kong, isn't this feeling of yours a bit… too exaggerated? That wild woman—where is she? How can you even sense her heavenly gui aura?"

Before, he thought grandmasters were too flashy—soaring about, flying through heaven and earth, basically the best identity for showing off—but now he suddenly felt that this strength wasn't all that wonderful.

If he plunged into a crowd, wouldn't he be smoked out and faint?

"Due west, in the trees by the mountain, less than two hundred zhang away." Kong Jianshi said, "This woman is strong; she feels dangerous to me. Once one enters the grandmaster realm, within three hundred zhang everyone's aura is laid bare—it just depends on whether one wants to sense it."

Chen Wuji then relaxed a little, "So you mean this feeling is something I can control at will, not just passively sensed?"

"That's natural; everything follows the mind's intent." Kong Jianshi said, "Young Master, a strong enemy is nearby—are you worrying about this now a bit untimely?"

"What's untimely about it? Can you beat her?" Chen Wuji asked.

"I can!"

"Then it's settled—since you can beat her, what do I have to worry about?" Chen Wuji chuckled lightly, "She's just one person, but we have you, a grandmaster, plus several masters and three thousand personal guards—what do I have to fear from her? Now it should be her who's afraid!"

Kong Jianshi thought about it and agreed—he had simply been overthinking.

A flash of cold light passed through Chen Wuji's eyes, "Old Kong, do you have confidence in capturing a live one? This woman is likely an agent of the court; if we catch her, we might be able to find Liu Yan."

"It's difficult." Kong Jianshi shook his head, "At the peak of the master realm, in terms of strength I'm only slightly inferior to a grandmaster—I can defeat her, but if she fights desperately I'd find it hard to keep her alive. Experts at this level have plenty of life‑saving tricks; trying to capture and kill her is extremely hard."

Chen Wuji rubbed his eyebrows, "Then it's a bit troublesome—a wild woman from the wilderness came to spy; if we can't detain her, I'll be somewhat displeased."

"Like this, whether we succeed or not, let's give it a try. If we can't capture her, we'll find a way to kill her."

Kong Jianshi quickly picked up the small pot, gulped down several big mouthfuls of fish soup, then wiped his mouth with satisfaction, sprang to his feet, tapped the tip of his foot hard on the ground, and shot like a phantom toward the hiding place of that wild woman.

Chen Wuji glanced at Kong Jianshi's empty small pot, wanting to say something but held back.

Having just finished eating, doing such vigorous exercise—doesn't that seem bad for the body?

"Leave a few people; the rest go help Old Kong." Chen Wuji ordered the nearby Chen Clan personal guards.

"Yes!"

Several Chen Clan personal guards shot out quickly, closely following behind Kong Jianshi as they lunged forward.

In the hazy moonlight night, a sword light suddenly flashed, like a startled swan cutting through the deep twilight, pausing for several breaths before slowly fading away.

Chen Wuji's eyelids twitched violently—really fierce.

He couldn't tell whether that move was Kong Jianshi's strike or the wild woman's doing; with his eyesight he couldn't see through it at all.

But Kong Jianshi was indeed using a narrow sword; Chen Wuji had simply never seen him employ this technique before.

Chen Wuji watched the battle ahead, then suddenly fell into contemplation.

Fortunately, experts like Kong Jianshi and Lu Daye are rare in this era; if there were more such powerhouses, the situation of war would likely undergo a huge change.

Such experts care about dignity and prestige; they rarely take the initiative to join various factions, and they disdain to act under ordinary circumstances.

But no one can deny their peak combat power.

These people—each one is a elite unit with off‑the‑charts lethality.

And they can fly!

A battle at this level instantly startled all the soldiers.

The personal guards formed three layers inside and three outside around Chen Wuji, each person having their crossbow bolt nocked.

Chen Wushuang's expression was tense as he stood beside Chen Wuji; his whole aura seemed condensed into a long spear bristling with killing intent, ready to strike at any moment.

"Those two in the air—how many exchanges can you handle?" Chen Wuji suddenly asked.

Kong Jianshi had already forced that wild woman out; the two were now entangled in midair, both wielding swords, but to Chen Wuji's eyes their swords were not swords at all—rather, they were massive heat weapons.

With each sword strike, everything around suffered; the earth was split open, and any tree that touched the blade was instantly cut in half, the cut so smooth it looked as if the damned thing weren't a tree but tofu softened to the extreme.

Chen Wushuang's eyes seemed to ingest metallic energy; he stared intently, shook his head, clasped his fists, and said, "Within ten exchanges I can guarantee I won't be killed, but beyond ten exchanges I will surely die—their combat power is just too overwhelming."

"Wushuang, it looks like you still need to work harder." Chen Wuji said.

Chen Wushuang felt a bit embarrassed, "Family Head, upon reaching the master realm, strength isn't simply a matter of effort; it also requires talent and opportunity."

"It's fine; I believe you, you can definitely do it. Our Chen clan now needs a grandmaster who can stand in the open for all to see—among you lot, one of you has to come out on top."

"……"

Chen Wushuang truly didn't know what to say for a moment.

Truly, one cannot just wish for a grandmaster realm and have it.

"Whatever you need, report it at any time; I'll do what I can and will certainly find a way to satisfy you." Chen Wuji said earnestly.

He really wasn't joking when he said that.

The Chen clan has two grandmasters; as for who exactly they are, Chen Bushi—that conscience‑less scoundrel—hasn't revealed his hand yet, but Chen Wuji suspects Chen Bushi might be one of them.

However, he isn't particularly curious now about who those two actually are.

Keeping these hidden cards concealed continues to benefit them, with no downside.

But before that, having a newly promoted grandmaster stand out in the open could further deepen the world's understanding of the Chen clan's hidden strength and also confuse the various factions.

The Chen clan currently has no shortage of experts out in the open, nor does it lack grandmasters.

But these forces cannot directly represent the Chen clan.

"Family Head, I… I'll do my best." Chen Wushuang said thus.

That's all he can say for now.

As for the grandmaster realm, he'd like to achieve it too, but this step is truly too difficult.

A veteran of the Rivers and Lakes once likened the promotion from master peak to grandmaster to a minor ascension; just those three words alone show how difficult this matter is.

"Look at this wild woman—the Snake Staff Elder, Lao Zamao, is truly useless; if he could send out someone like this, I wouldn't have been driven to distraction by now? At his age, he still has the nerve to scheme in the shadows—useless!" Chen Wuji shook his head, uttering contempt.

Chen Wushuang:???