Chapter 82: You little thief who stole my martial arts! Old man, I'll kill you!

Hearing that cold voice, Niu Dingtian's smile froze slightly; only then did he realize that his offhand remark had apparently poked a hole in Huang Lao Xie's little cotton jacket.

"Father!"

Before Niu Dingtian could reply, Huang Rong beside him let out an excited cry, sprang to her feet, and happily lunged toward the outside of the house.

Huang Rong had just run out the door when a flickering figure arrived, standing like a ghost in the middle of the courtyard.

Bathed in moonlight, one could see he was gaunt and tall, dressed in a straight blue robe, his head wrapped in a matching blue cloth; he possessed an elegant, spirited bearing, shining like a deity.

But at this moment, his face was unusually stern; he ignored the girl lunging at him, his eyes like lightning, fixed firmly on Niu Dingtian, who still held the clam meat between his chopsticks, and he spoke coldly:

"Kid, if you've got the guts, say that again!"

Niu Dingtian still held the plump clam meat in his hand; hearing this, he was at a loss whether to speak or to put it down, so he simply thickened his skin and said:

"Would Island Master Huang like to sit down and have a bite?"

Huang Rong puffed her cheeks, grabbed her arm, her spoiled look making it hard to refuse her.

But a competitive thought instantly arose; without hesitation, he circulated his inner strength, gripping the ivory chopsticks in his hand and thrusting them toward the green light.

Hmph! If that little thief were an ordinary person, I would have already shouted for you to attack!

Seeing his daughter protecting an outsider like this, Huang Lao Xie grew angrier the more he looked; he wanted to shout a rebuke, but upon seeing her stubborn little face, he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh from the depths of his heart.

After Huang Rong set her mind at ease, she didn't forget to remind him in a coquettish voice; then she rose onto her tiptoes, lifted her head, and whispered into her father's ear:

"Father, you must be careful! He's very formidable!"

Niu Dingtian's great mood was punctured by that needle; his face immediately darkened, he gripped the ivory tightly, preparing to strike back.

Indeed, after hearing that, Huang Lao Xie's stern face grew even sterner, his icy eyes even icier.

After a tremendous force surged into his hand, the green light suddenly halted, tightly clamped by the ivory chopsticks in his grasp.

Niu Dingtian spoke softly, then took two slow steps forward, smiling as he said:

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian's hand paused slightly; he glanced at the dishes on the table, pondered, and ultimately gave up.

A half-foot-long steel needle flashed before his eyes in an instant, its deadly poison giving it a green gleam; Niu Dingtian's gaze narrowed, and acting on instinct, he sidestepped to dodge.

Indeed, this Huang Rong is still someone else's little cotton jacket, but Huang Lao Xie disliked what she said.

"He's formidable? Have me be careful? Where would I put Huang Lao Xie's face?"

He lifted his foot to step forward, intending to let this brat see how formidable his martial arts were, but Huang Rong beside him grabbed his arm tightly once again.

"Hmm, just a sparring match!"

But Huang Rong in the courtyard glared again with her beautiful eyes and said in a coquettish voice:

"Good! Don't forget your promise to me!"

Before Huang Rong could finish speaking, Huang Lao Xie's face turned grim; he flicked a finger, and a green light shot out, racing straight toward Niu Dingtian.

"You surnamed Niu! You promised me!"

"It's just a simple spar; Huang Rong, you needn't worry—I've long wanted to test your father's martial arts."

Niu Dingtian gave a slight nod, smiling in response.

After speaking, he still popped that clam meat into his mouth.

"Just a spar?"

He knew what that clever girl was worried about, but he also wanted to test Dong Xie's strength; he therefore flashed his body into the courtyard.

In Huang Lao Xie's view, this action was undoubtedly a fierce provocation.

Huang Rong lifted her pretty face, her eyes filled with doubt.

"Hmph!"

"Huang Rong, just let go."

"I am Niu Dingtian; I have met Island Master Huang! Island Master Huang's hidden-weapon skill is indeed formidable!"

After all, one's mouth is short when fed; having chopped down their peach tree, eaten their food, and then beating their father as well would seem excessive to Huang Rong.

"Father, he."

Provocation!

Huang Lao Xie shouted softly.

A missed strike is a great disgrace!

Huang Lao Xie was about to launch himself into attack, but Huang Rong beside him had already seized his arm tightly, and she urged urgently:

"Father, you must not move!"

"Father, I forbid you to act!"

"Hey! Wait a moment!"

His eyes flickered slightly; he set down his chopsticks, bowed to Huang Lao Xie in the courtyard, and said with a grin:

Seeing this, Huang Rong's pretty face relaxed a little, while Huang Lao Xie's icy eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Hidden-weapon skill is formidable; hearing that, it doesn't sound very pleasant."

After the green light flashed, Huang Rong's face abruptly changed; before she could cry out in surprise, it had already flown before Niu Dingtian's eyes.

But Huang Lao Xie, being taciturn and disliking talk, gave a cold snort, then leapt like a ghost toward outside the courtyard.

"Rong'er, let go!"

Niu Dingtian was about to lift his foot to give chase, but Huang Rong stopped him with a coquettish cry, then lifted her pretty face and said with a giggle:

"Heeheehee~ My father uses a jade flute; you're not allowed to cheat by using weapons, heehee~ I'll lend you this! Remember to return it to me!"

As the crisp sound faded, she handed over the bamboo flute in her hand.

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian's face darkened; he thought she was trying to mediate. Still, he reached out and took it—he carried no weapons himself, and as the saying goes, 'an inch longer, an inch stronger'; having an extra bamboo flute is better than using a tree branch.

Once the bamboo flute was in his hand, a smooth sensation ran through it; Niu Dingtian then realized it had acquired a patina, likely from Huang Rong's constant handling over the years—no wonder she never lets it go whenever we see her.

"Thank you, Huang Rong!"

After expressing his thanks in a warm voice, Niu Dingtian grabbed his bamboo staff and flashed out toward the outside of the courtyard.

Seeing this, Miss Huang also hurriedly chased after the direction where the two had disappeared, rushing toward the outside of the courtyard.

After leaving the courtyard, Niu Dingtian leapt directly into the green bamboo forest, while Huang Lao Xie had already stood silently with his hands behind his back on the blue stone path.

Under the moonlight, upon seeing that cold silhouette, Niu Dingtian drifted down and finally landed ten steps away from Huang Lao Xie.

Upon seeing the bamboo staff in Niu Dingtian's hand, the opposite person's eyes suddenly froze, growing even colder, and then he spoke coldly:

"These years, anyone who dares to intrude on Peach Blossom Island either dies or is crippled! Today, you brat will be no exception!"

The cold echo had not yet faded when he instantly turned into a green shadow, rushing swiftly toward Niu Dingtian.

As fast as a gale, as quick as lightning, in the blink of an eye he had already brought a fierce momentum and attacked right before Niu Dingtian's face.

If one were to say Hong Qigong's attack was grand and overwhelming, unmatched in its ferocity, then Huang Yaoshi's attack was like a ghost—swift, fierce, and oppressive.

Niu Dingtian dared not be careless; this was the fastest person he had seen besides the old eunuch, so he immediately deployed the Microstep on the Rippling Wave, meeting the incoming green shadow and leaping backward.

The two green shadows, in an instant, had already swept up into the air—one charging forward rapidly, the other retreating swiftly—racing through the bamboo forest under the moonlight, fleeting as a flash, yet the distance between them remained unchanged, not differing by even a hair.

With one sustained effort that eventually waned, just as Niu Dingtian retreated to the edge of the green bamboo forest, seeing the moment ripe, he raised his hand and struck out a palm, fiercely slamming directly at the incoming Huang Lao Xie.

Although he said they were merely sparring, in a contest between masters, a hair's breadth decides victory; Huang Lao Xie would not stubbornly clash head-on with him in internal strength, nor would he foolishly truly engage in polishing and refining as if in a gentle exchange.

Niu Dingtian unleashed his palm; the palm force broke the air, the palm posture was oppressive. Seeing the fierce incoming attack, Huang Lao Xie did not meet it head-on, instead leaping into the air with several twists, and after a soaring jump, he flashed to Niu Dingtian's side, raised his hand and unleashed a Splitting Sky Palm without mercy, directly blasting forward.

Palm after palm split out, palm after palm struck empty, the palm wind shot forth, capable of injuring from afar. Niu Dingtian no longer dodged, quickly gathering power with one hand, also unleashing a Splitting Sky Palm that thundered forward to meet it. The two palms met, separated instantly, and after the energy radiated outward, an unmatched airflow surged along the ground beneath their feet, sweeping and cleansing, shaking the green bamboo forest below into a roaring green wave, endless and undulating.

"Splitting Sky Palm?"

After steadying his figure on the green bamboo, Huang Lao Xie exclaimed in surprise, then a fierce light flashed in his stern eyes as he spoke coldly:

"Speak! Where did you learn the Splitting Sky Palm?"

"What? Island Master Huang, do you have any instructions?"

Niu Dingtian raised his eyebrows lightly, directly retorted, and then continued with a smiling tone:

"This Splitting Sky Palm—could it possibly be that you, Island Master Huang, personally created it?"

If it were any other two martial arts, he would have openly admitted it, but the Splitting Sky Palm has been passed down since the previous dynasty; he could retort with a sentence if he could, and today the surname Niu has long taken a dislike to the surname Huang.

Upon hearing this, the cold light in Huang Lao Xie's eyes paused slightly, then he fell silent, saying nothing more.

The Splitting Sky Palm was naturally not his creation; it's just that nowadays it has been lost to the outside world, only Peach Blossom Island still retains its transmission. Seeing an outsider use it, he inevitably thought it had been leaked by those few rebellious disciples.

"Dad! Dad! Where are you?"

"Surname Niu! You promised Miss Huang!"

While the two remained silent, a frantic shout came from afar, the sound drawing near until it reached right beneath their feet.

She had just searched half a circle around for the two and found no trace, but fortunately saw the waves in the forest on this side; anxious, she shouted while running over hurriedly.

"Hmph!"

Hearing his daughter's voice and recalling the scene just now, Huang Lao Xie, with a stern face, spoke coldly:

"I never expected you, so young, to have cultivated such skill, but you will die for daring to deceive my daughter, Huang Lao Xie!"

After saying that, he reached out, took down the jade flute at his waist, infused it with internal energy, waved the jade flute like a sword, directly executed the Jade Flute Sword Technique, leapt up again, and attacked Niu Dingtian.

Its speed was like electricity, its momentum like a dragon—this is precisely the "Flute Historian Riding the Dragon" move of the Jade Flute Sword Technique.

The sword technique shifted in an instant, already arriving before his eyes, but this fierce, unmatched, seemingly unstoppable strike was easily blocked by Niu Dingtian when he raised his internal energy and lifted the bamboo staff.

For a long time, this set of sword techniques he relied on for combat had never before been directed straight at him.

Seeing his attack blocked so easily, Huang Lao Xie felt a bit surprised, but after a moment's thought he did not hesitate and unleashed another move, "Pure Sound Beyond the Mountains," which shot out horizontally again.

Huang Lao Xie's attack was fierce; Niu Dingtian decisively turned his bamboo staff into a sword, likewise executed the Jade Flute Sword Technique, and leapt forward to meet him.

After exchanging a few moves, Huang Lao Xie's face grew increasingly grim; after his final move missed again, he directly flashed to the side, his body suddenly erupting with a brutal aura, and he roared at Niu Dingtian:

"Speak! Where did you steal the Jade Flute Sword Technique from?"

This question left Niu Dingtian momentarily unsure how to answer, but stealing it certainly wasn't the case! Could it be that he honestly found it?

"Dad! Don't fight!"

"Didn't you say it was just a spar?"

"Come down quickly!"

Upon noticing the commotion here, Miss Huang hurriedly ran over. However, Huang Lao Xie paid her no attention, his stern eyes still fixed firmly on Niu Dingtian.

After a moment of thought, Niu Dingtian softly explained:

"When I was young, I once adopted a mentally disabled sister; her lame father was called Qu San, and this sword technique, along with Qu San's remains, were found in his hidden chamber."

Qu San? Ling Feng? Dead?

Upon hearing this, Huang Lao Xie's face suddenly froze, but after a moment of daze, he seemed to recall something else, his stern expression turning ferocious as he bellowed repeatedly:

"This rebellious disciple! All of them are rebellious disciples! They killed my Ah Heng!"

"Who let him privately copy my martial arts! This rebellious disciple! Who gave him the guts!"

"Heh! Rebellious disciple?"

Upon hearing Huang Lao Xie's words, Niu Dingtian let out a scoffing laugh, then wore a mocking look:

"Hehe. Your rebellious disciple is constantly thinking of ways to win your favor, Huang Lao Xie."

"If not for sneaking into the imperial palace to steal some trinkets and calligraphy for you, he wouldn't have been pursued and killed by the palace's masters, ending up dead, and he even abandoned that mentally disabled maiden in the village, left uncared for."

"Island Master Huang, you're right to scold—this rebellious disciple is just a worthless bone!"

"Shut up! You little thief who stole my martial arts! Old man, I'll kill you!"

Huang Lao Xie, struck where it hurt, eyes red, roared and directly seized the jade flute, lunging toward Niu Dingtian.

"Dad! Quickly stop! Don't fight!"

"Surname Niu, you promised me!"

Meanwhile, Miss Huang below was so anxious she kept stamping her feet, lifting her head, and urgently urged the two above to stop fighting.

However, both of them acted as if they hadn't noticed.

Hey! Huang Lao Xie! I've long been displeased with you! Listen! I only ever rob, never steal!

This is a fucking lunatic!

Niu Dingtian could no longer bear it, let out a cold snort, directly exerted his full strength, and swung his bamboo shield to meet him.

In an instant, two powerful auras collided with a boom; after the aura dissipated, the bamboo flute in Niu Dingtian's hand could no longer withstand it and snapped.

After Huang Lao Xie repelled the attack and stepped back, seeing his jade flute also damaged, he threw it aside, his eyes reddened, he raised both palms and lunged again.

Niu Dingtian did not yield, likewise swinging his palms and rushing forward.

In that moment, wherever they passed, flying sand and rolling stones rose, and booming sounds erupted all around.

"Boatman! Wake up!"

"They're fighting! They're fighting on the island!"

On the distant sea, the bowman and the boatman were sleeping in the cabin; the boatman was suddenly awakened by the commotion on the island, and hurriedly called the bowman.

"What? They're fighting on the island?"

"Raise the anchor quickly! Hurry up and leave!"

After the bowman woke up, he saw the commotion on the island in the distance, without a word, directly raised the anchor.

Not long after, the sea-going ship gradually drifted away, until it disappeared from the sea surface.

Looking again at the island,

After discarding their weapons, Niu Dingtian and Huang Lao Xie, bare-handed, fought from the bamboo forest to the peach forest, and from the peach forest to the seaside.

Meanwhile, Miss Huang in the distance kept pursuing them urgently, shouting to dissuade them.

(End of chapter)