—“Come like a fleeting spring dream, gone like morning clouds beyond reach.” These two lines of poetry describe Ling Long Manor’s supreme martial arts techniques: the inward-focused Whisper of Flowers Heard Overnight in the Tower and the outward-focused Glimpse of the Soaring Phoenix.
Even if he couldn’t deduce that the finger strength came from the inner power of Whisper of Flowers Heard Overnight in the Tower, the sight of two things confirmed it: the fine deerskin boots on Huo Xiao Di’s feet and another item now in his view.
Huo Xiao Di’s Yin Yang An was pointed directly at Zhan Ri Fei’s throat.
The Yin Yang An let out a faint sound, almost like a sigh. Its black blade gleamed in the firelight, resembling the menacing grin of a black demon. The demon’s breath was sharp enough to leave Zhan Ri Fei’s throat stinging.
Huo Xiao Di’s voice came from above, cold and detached, tinged with a sigh.
“You shouldn’t have—under any circumstances—let me see your back.”
As he spoke, his tone grew more severe, yet his hand inexplicably began to tremble slightly.
—“Who are you, really?”
—“Is your goal the Chang Hong Bi too?!”
His voice grew louder without him realizing it. Zhan Ri Fei, with his eyes half-closed, remained calm. His expression betrayed no panic despite his fatigue and pain, which left him temporarily unable to respond.
—“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
At that moment, a raspy voice broke the tension. It sounded almost like a child learning to speak, halting and fragmented, coming from beside the fire. “You… you…”
Though Zhan Ri Fei was at Huo Xiao Di’s mercy, pinned by the Yin Yang An, he had remained composed. Even with the blade poised to slit his throat, his demeanor hadn’t changed. But the moment he heard that faint, hoarse voice, a glimmer sparked in his eyes, and for the first time, his expression faltered.
* * *
Huo Xiao Di also heard the strange, dry voice. But before it could fade, he had already moved like a phantom toward the source of the sound. His sword shifted from his right hand to his left, the blade now pointing back without hesitation toward the speaker.
Under the overwhelming speed of his ghostly movements and the oppressive aura of his sword, the one who spoke let out a startled cry, “Ah!” and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Huo Xiao Di froze. Who was behind him? Who could possess such martial skill as to approach him undetected? And yet, if they were so skilled, why had they collapsed so easily?
It wasn’t until he saw the faint smile tugging at Zhan Ri Fei’s lips that he realized the voice behind him lacked focus and strength.
Finally, Huo Xiao Di turned his head.
He had barely let out a sigh of relief when he froze again.
—Even if the most hideous monster with green faces and fangs had appeared behind him, it wouldn’t have fazed him. But at this moment, his expression truly looked as if he had seen a ghost.
His already large eyes widened to the point they seemed ready to pop out of their sockets, and his two prominent rabbit-like teeth were unconcealed in his astonishment.
—The one who had collapsed on the ground was none other than the frail boy!
The boy was clearly startled out of sleep, and his gaze mirrored shock.
—But no one could tell whether his surprise was due to Huo Xiao Di’s deliberately fierce glare or because he had just heard his own voice.
At that moment, the flames on the ground flickered, making the boy blink reflexively. In the brief instant his eyes were closed, Huo Xiao Di was suddenly back at Zhan Ri Fei’s side, seated as though he had never moved. Even his posture was identical to before. His sword, now returned to his right hand, still pointed unwaveringly at Zhan Ri Fei’s throat.
The boy gasped audibly.
—Had he really seen a ghost?
—This youth’s martial skill and movement truly lived up to the phrase “a glimpse of the soaring phoenix”!
The only difference was that while Huo Xiao Di’s sword remained directed at Zhan Ri Fei, he hadn’t turned back to face him.
—His gaze was still fixed on the boy, filled with confusion.
—“So, it’s you? You can speak? Were you pretending to be mute this entire time?”
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