Chapter 307: 316 By One's Own Hand

Shi Chunqing's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he immediately fell into a deathly silence. The dilapidated small building became quiet at once.

Tang Zhao knew he had hit the mark—here and now, the only force the Turtle Bandits had was Shi Chunqing himself; that East Pillar of State was not hiding here. And Shi Chunqing himself was the key to opening everything.

This unexpected remark was not a wild guess.

One must know, he had clashed with the Turtle Bandits twice; even the Imperial Court's yamen specifically tasked with exterminating the Turtle Bandits might not have fought them head-on as much as he had. Having fought these few times, he had reached a few small conclusions.

If one were to ask what impression he had of the Turtle Bandits, it was that they had cannons, could teleport, and were all Spirit Officials.

Although this was a purely subjective impression, it influenced Tang Zhao's primary defensive focus. Of course, because he had never formally "seen" a proper East Pillar of State, he could not have any impressions, only prepare for the worst and maintain all-around vigilance.

Among these, cannons should not have been deployed in the vicinity; Zhuoyu Villa had repeatedly sent out owls to keep watch, and no positions capable of placing cannons had been left on Jiugao Mountain. Even if a cannon were to fire from some unknown location, Tang Zhao had left a contingency plan sufficient to deal with it.

As for the Spirit Officials, the villa had also thought through how to deal with them category by category, having already practiced it once while defending against the bandits at the edge of the swamp.

What remained was the impossible-to-guard-against teleportation.

Teleportation alone was truly impossible to defend against perfectly, because it could be activated at any time and any place. Moreover, it could transport an entire army. Or rather, once teleportation was activated, it could not be stopped once reinforcements arrived.

Unless one did not allow it to be activated from the start.

Tang Zhao had once seen the moment a certain "acquaintance" activated teleportation; although he hadn't seen it clearly, he roughly knew it required someone to activate it. Perhaps there were other ways to activate it, but it was a fact that someone present could open a teleportation gate and bring in enemies from the outside.

Therefore, seeing Shi Chunqing hiding alone in the Sword Hut with no one else around, he already had a guess.

Perhaps the East Pillar of State was not unfound, but had simply not arrived yet.

He was waiting for Shi Chunqing to choose the timing, to pull that strongest person in at an agreed-upon moment.

And once he opened the teleportation gate, it wouldn't be just one or two who could come through. Besides the East Pillar of State, who knew how many hidden troops the Turtle Bandits had; perhaps there were even Tang Zhao's acquaintances among them.

Therefore, the teleportation gate could not be allowed to open from the start.

Jiang Shenyi, who had half-experienced this, also understood in an instant. He stared at Shi Chunqing and said angrily, "You spoke of shielding us from worries, but it turns out the worry was brought by you! You clearly tricked us into giving up the Treasure Sword, intending to open the teleportation once we let our guard down, lure the enemies in, and destroy the villa. This is a wicked, exterminating scheme; Shi Chunqing, you are truly insane!"

Shi Chunqing said impatiently, "Do not judge a gentleman by the heart of a villain..."

Tang Zhao could no longer be bothered to waste words with him and said in a deep voice, "Master, we must go all out. You should leave first."

Xue Xianyun was silent, and Shi Chunqing sighed, "You really won't give the sword to me? All my painstaking efforts are about to go down the drain."

Before Tang Zhao could speak, Jiang Shenyi already sneered, "Stop with the hypocritical posturing. Isn't it disgusting enough? Master, sit tight; my junior brother and I will deal with him. I will fight him head-on, and my junior brother will hold the line for me. If his Spirit Official tries to sneak attack, you clear it away. One physical body and one Spirit Official—even if it's two against two, it's very fair."

Although he was sophistical, regarding the idea that "one doesn't need to speak of martial arts morality when dealing with evil outsiders, everyone should just pile on," Tang Zhao didn't have an addiction to fighting alone, so he nodded. Shi Chunqing sneered; he didn't use words to goad them into a one-on-one fight, but instead stood in the room with calm composure, possessing the spirit of "What do I, Shi Chunqing, have to fear if you two come at me together?"

At this moment, Xue Xianyun suddenly sighed, "Since it has come to this, it should be ended. Shen Yi, Azhao, you two step back; this match should be handled by me. You, come out with me." As he spoke, he slowly retreated, yielding the window, letting the white cranes dance, and descending like a feather on a wisp of clear breeze.

The three people in the room were stunned simultaneously. Jiang Shenyi said, "Master, if there is work, the disciple should do it—" Halfway through, seeing Xue Xianyun landing steadily, he shut his mouth and said no more.

Tang Zhao was also startled, then suddenly realized: in truth, it really should be Xue Xianyun who makes a move to end this tangled past. It was just that he had never seen Xue Xianyun fight; before, Xue Xianyun only taught him Rune Formula knowledge, and when mentioning martial arts, he only told him to learn from Jiang Shenyi, as if his own martial arts were not good? However, since Xue Xianyun had spoken, he should support him, at most acting as a backup.

He stared at Shi Chunqing and said coldly, "Shi Chunqing, Master told you to come out."

Shi Chunqing said nothing, slowly moved forward, stepped over the window, and landed on the ground with a thud. He had already drawn his long sword in mid-air, the Sword Light like frost. Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi followed behind like two bailiffs, standing to one side to hold the line for Xue Xianyun.

In the night, Shi Chunqing and Xue Xianyun faced each other from a distance; although there were no extra movements, their demeanor, emotions, gazes, and determination were clearly already at daggers drawn.

This was the first time they stood in opposing positions, facing each other head-on; the first time, and they were already fighting for their lives.

It was deep in the night, the swamp had receded, revealing a large Blue Stone on the shore. Tonight the moon was dark and the stars were sparse; the Blue Stone did not reflect light, appearing pure black in the dark night.

Back then, when the two first came to the side of the Blue Stone, Shi Chunqing had not yet grown up, his height only reaching Xue Xianyun's chest, but now he was already a few inches taller than him. The two faced each other from afar; looking at their figures and momentum, they were already evenly matched.

Although the two no longer hid their hostility, they both seemed to have concerns, and surprisingly, neither made the first move. Shi Chunqing's blade was already bright, but Xue Xianyun still hid his edge, holding the newly forged Treasure Sword in his hand.

Tang Zhao couldn't help but swallow his saliva. He was now a veteran of many battles and had seen many grand scenes; if he were to fight Shi Chunqing, he wouldn't be panicked at all, but seeing his master fight, he was a hundred times more nervous than if he were fighting himself.

Xue Xianyun said, "Make your move, you go first. You've already drawn your sword, why pretend..."

Before the word "pretend" could leave his mouth, Shi Chunqing thrust his long sword straight forward!

He had made the first move after all!

Once the sword was out, there were no more scruples. Xue Xianyun also used the sword with its Sword Sheath to block horizontally. The two engaged in battle instantly; for a time, sword shadows flew by the swamp, gold and iron clashed, and it was extremely dangerous.

Once the two exchanged blows, Tang Zhao was taken aback. He discovered that their martial arts styles were almost identical. Both prioritized solid defense, their moves seeking stability rather than speed, ensuring they could not be defeated first, waiting for the enemy to become vulnerable. Aside from the moves, their martial arts energy circulation, force-exertion methods, move transitions, and footwork were all like mirror images. As one made a move, the other would dismantle it and counterattack; everything was natural, just like practicing drills. Except for the moves being extremely proficient, Xue Xianyun was more seasoned, and Shi Chunqing was more refined; each had their strengths, and for a time, they could not determine a winner.

Thinking carefully, the two were master and disciple by blood; it was only natural that their martial arts styles were the same. On the contrary, Tang Zhao and the other small disciples, although they received true teachings in Rune Formulas, had not inherited Xue Xianyun's mantle in martial arts. Like Tang Zhao, who was seeing Xue Xianyun fight for the first time today, in terms of martial arts, Jiang Shenyi was more like his teacher than Xue Xianyun was.

Tang Zhao had no feelings of injustice; he had good teachers who taught him martial arts, and... looking at the current battle, not having Xue Xianyun's instruction was no loss.

Perhaps both were in the testing stage; from Tang Zhao's perspective, the battle at this moment was by no means brilliant or exquisite, and neither the moves nor the techniques had anything stunning, only intensity and tension. The intensity was real; even with defense as the priority, the attacks and defenses in a short instant were heart-stopping.

Seeing the two silent, not shouting or cursing like typical martial arts brawls, but just fighting with their heads down, and becoming increasingly dangerous as if life and death would be decided in the next moment, Tang Zhao's heart gradually rose to his throat, and he glanced at Jiang Shenyi.

Jiang Shenyi shook his head and mouthed, "Master's martial arts go beyond this."

Tang Zhao understood; although the battle was intense, Xue Xianyun hadn't actually used his true strength yet.

It was just unclear if this was only Xue Xianyun, or if both were hiding a hand?

Suddenly, the momentum in the arena changed, a ray of light shone, and it was as if a flame had risen in the midst of the battle!

That was Qi!

Someone had used Qi first!

It was Shi Chunqing!

Shi Chunqing's sword was coated with Qi, dazzling in the dark night. Once the Qi appeared, it immediately presented a crushing momentum like Mount Tai. Xue Xianyun's figure fell into a disadvantage.

Tang Zhao, however, felt a joy in his heart: Shi Chunqing used Qi first, indicating that his pressure was greater and the situation was more unfavorable. Using Qi was merely an attempt to turn the tide. Moreover, Shi Chunqing's Qi was far less solid and refined than his martial arts moves, appearing as if it had been practiced for a short time; it could only suppress those who didn't know Qi. As long as Xue Xianyun also used Qi, there was no reason for him to fall behind.

Sure enough, in a moment, Xue Xianyun also used Qi; his whole body was glowing like fire, and the quality of his Qi was vigorous, even surpassing Shi Chunqing's. It was just that his Qi was not attached to the sword, but only covered his whole body. Because he was not the Sword Guest of this sword, the sword rejected all extra power being added to it.

But, it was enough.

At this time, the two's Qi was completely different. Shi Chunqing's Qi was like the bleakness of autumn, carrying a sense of killing and withering; Xue Xianyun's Qi was as elegant as the Yuna in the mountains. However, the withering of the autumn wind could not do anything to the light and floating clouds. Once the Qi was out, the situation did not reverse; instead, the two increasingly showed who was superior.

Tang Zhao knew in his heart that Shi Chunqing's Qi was definitely not taught by Xue Xianyun, so the foundation was not that solid, but rather floating and thin; sooner or later, he would be defeated. He could trade blows with Xue Xianyun only because Xue Xianyun had taught him so diligently and polished his moves so well; once it exceeded the scope of these decades of tempering, Shi Chunqing would reveal his true colors.

His natural talent was not supposed to have such good martial arts. It was Xue Xianyun who spent effort polishing it bit by bit, and now his skills had reached their limit.

As Shi Chunqing's Qi suffered repeated setbacks and his moves gradually became scattered, Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi looked at each other and stepped forward together.

It was the moment for Shi Chunqing to fight like a trapped beast; they had to be strictly on guard to prevent him from jumping over the wall in desperation.

Tang Zhao even held the Time Jar he had prepared early on—if Shi Chunqing sacrificed a teleportation gate, he would use the prepared move to destroy it at the first opportunity.

But unless necessary, neither of the two would make a move; Xue Xianyun likely wanted to handle everything from beginning to end himself.

Suddenly, Shi Chunqing was heard shouting loudly: "Is this it? Open for me—"

In an instant, Shi Chunqing's body suddenly grew larger!