Book 9: Chapter 109

Jin Caitan would’ve been diagnosed with epilepsy if a doctor saw the way he opened and closed his mouth repetitively.Shen Yiren: “Don’t tell me…”On the left of flag on the empyrean was “piss off”. On the right flag was “riot”. Both were masterpieces of Xiao Huangquan. In the empyrean’s right hand was Xiao Huangquan’s Core Sword. In his left hand was a swordplay manual. As he paced around in circles in place, he recited, “Heavens, please show mercy on the humans suffering from this disaster.”Elder Shou sat erect as a student would in his teacher’s presence, stroking his beard: “Motherflipper, we’ve found ourselves a professional. I need to ask him for some pointers later.”Even though nobody had heard of Feng Jian before, the way he silently and swiftly entered the ring was a testament to his speed. His style stressed speed, which meant that he forewent superfluous movements and aimed to finish his target in his first strike, yet he was unable to close the gap by even one step due to the gales battering him.Cornered, Feng Jian resorted to a style reserved for assassination missions, seemingly teleporting. Yet, Empyrean Zha apparently saw Feng Jian in slow motion, whacking the latter into the ground to reveal his location. The spectacle left everyone speechless, well, except for one person.“Empyrean Zha is peerless. Empyrean Zha is unparalleled! I knew you would fight! I have been waiting for this day!”Empyrean Zha’s fan – Luo Siming – was the impetus for the next man to cheer, “Empyrean Zha is a wizard!” and the next one to shout, “Long live Empyrean Zha!”“You know why I’m called Wind Sword?” Feng Jian queried out of the blue.“Hmm?”“Because… I can read the wind.” Feng Jian charged forward at a higher velocity. Empyrean Zha performed an ugly swing once again, but Feng Jian found a way through the wind this time. “Your style is simple and straightforward. It didn’t take me long to read the trajectory of the wind!”Feng Jian sent Core Sword out of Empyrean Zha’s hand and the ring. Having seen Empyrean Zha wield a sword, everyone expected him to be a swordsman, so they were taken aback when he lost his grip on it. Meanwhile, Feng Jian rode his wave of momentum to chase down Empyrean Zha’s chest. Unfortunately, he hit a wall of wind that was even stronger than previous gusts.“You jerk! I rented that from Ol’ Xiao for twenty-five taels an hour!” With one flick of his sleeve, a wind blast came out and blew Feng Jian into the air.Everything proceeded as Shifu planned, so why did this random come out of nowhere to come after me…?“Oh, it’s him.”Xiao Huangquan turned to see the commenter was Shen Yiren, who was standing at the entrance of their pavilion. She glared at Zha Pi, who served Xiao Huangquan a cup of tea. “I haven’t had time to sort you out. You’ve fooled me for long enough.”Zha Pi profusely shook his head: “Big Bro forced me!”“Tsk.” Shen Yiren walked up a bit closer to get a clearer view of the Empyrean Zha in the ring. “He’s back in the ring… What’s he thinking?”Xiao Huangquan chortled: “Does it matter? It’s a good thing whatever his reasons are. Haven’t you noticed the look on Luo Ming’s face?”Shen Yiren hadn’t had time to pay attention to Luo Clan’s pavilion. Luo Ming’s face had “confounded” written all over it.Feng Jian barely stuck his landing, eyes still on Empyrean Zha at all times.I should have the chance to mount an offence as long as I don’t let him fetch his sword, but… why hasn’t he even tried to retrieve it?Empyrean Zha pulled out the two flags: “Let’s roll like this.”What is he up to now?“Piss off! Riot! Piss off! Riot!” Empyrean Zha chanted as he waved his flags side to side, generating criss-crossing gales. As a consequence, Feng Jian had to restart his reading from scratch whilst trying to stay grounded in the ring.Since he keeps trying to keep me away and considering the fact that I managed to disarm him once I bridged the gap, he must not be good at close-quarters combat and is trying to avoid it. Using almost his full power, Feng Jian propelled himself through the wind. Seeing as Empyrean Zha stopped his motions, Feng Jian saw it as an opportunity to go for the finishing thrust.  Empyrean Zha reacted even quicker, catching Feng Jian’s extended arm and wrestling him into the ground on one hand. Feng Jian arched into a bridge upon landing to get up, only to feel internal energy gush into his body. He saw the smile of a cunning villain prior to being thrown up.Empyrean Zha swung his other arm over at full power: “Son of a Doggy Kid’s Ruthless Dog- Father -Slaying Slash!”As Feng Jian went through the ring, the audience, the woods… he questioned, “Who in the world is he?!”Luo Ming: “Yeah, so, what in the world?”