Jiang Lingxin’s expression was slightly moved. After a long while, he finally said, “Zhou Yan.”
Shen Guan actually heard a hint of helplessness in his master’s voice.
“Coming out of nowhere to disrupt such a great day, no wonder your disciple is annoyed with you.” Old Zhou placed the remaining jar of wine in his hand on the table.
Jiang Lingxin’s tone was still calm: “After all these years, you’ve fallen into such destitution.”
Old Zhou burst out laughing as if he’d heard the funniest joke, doubled over for a long moment before finally propping himself against the table and saying, “Exactly. You’re always calling a life like ours ‘destitute.’”
“Is it not?”
The smile on the corner of Old Zhou’s lips was full of mockery: “You can go ahead and ask your precious disciple if he feels living here counts as destitution.”
Jiang Lingxin frowned and said, “My unworthy disciple is ignorant.”
Old Zhou tilted his head to look at him and said softly, “It seems you are the most cold-hearted, unfeeling, and unrighteous person in this world.” As soon as he finished speaking, Old Zhou’s hand snapped into a blade. A surge of palm wind burst out in every direction and forced Jiang Lingxin to let go of Xiao Ning’s hand. Feeling a wave of relief, Xiao Ning drew his willow-leaf dagger. His figure flickered like a ghost as he darted back into the fight. Jiang Lingxin faced two attackers at once, yet he stayed seated, his body utterly still. However, every punch and palm strike was filled with steady dominance, without any retreat at all.
Shen Guan’s face turned even paler and cold sweat broke out. Dizziness surged through him, the shapes of the three men wavered in his sight, and a stabbing pain tore through his mind. He couldn’t discern who had the upper hand for a moment. All he could hear was the relentless roar of palm winds. The wine jar on the table burst apart, porcelain shards shooting through the air like blades, only to be knocked down one after another. In that same instant, Shen Guan saw a fragment fly from Jiang Lingxin’s fingertips, heading straight for Xiao Ning’s heart.
The porcelain shard sank into flesh, making a muffled sound.
Xiao Ning’s eyes were bloodshot. He steadied Shen Guan with one hand, and with the willow-leaf dagger in the other, he drove straight for Jiang Lingxin’s throat.
Jiang Lingxin blocked the willow-leaf dagger with two fingers, neutralizing the killing intent in the blade, but his eyes were only fixed on Shen Guan. Shen Guan blocked the porcelain shard with his hand. His palm was almost pierced through.
“Shizun…” Shen Guan struggled forward, insisting on using his bloody hand to pull at Jiang Lingxin’s sleeve, just as he did when he was a child while pleading, “There’s no need to fight anymore. Just as Shizun said, I will destroy my own foundation and internal energy. But Shizun… I owe my Young Master too much. Shizun, spare me, do not destroy my mind and leave me an idiot to be a burden to him for the rest of his life.”
Shen Guan let out a bitter smile. Blood curled around his wrist and fell onto his red wedding robes. He pressed his fingers together and vowed, “I swear before Shizun, if I have any intention of rebellion or leak any secrets of Tianyi Division after leaving, then may I die a terrible death, unable to achieve anything I desire, and may the good fortune of my descendants be completely severed.”
Jiang Lingxin’s brow furrowed slightly. Just as he was about to interrupt, Shen Guan’s face turned white, the veins on his neck bulged, and in an instant, patches of red appeared beneath his skin. Shen Guan suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Xiao Ning hurried over and caught him in his arms. Shen Guan’s hands were freezing, yet even in his fading strength he still managed to give Xiao Ning a faint smile.
Jiang Lingxin’s expression was downcast as he murmured in a low voice, “Why go through all this trouble…”
Shen Guan closed his eyes and chuckled softly: “I have no regrets.”
Old Zhou raised his fingers to seal several major acupoints on Shen Guan. After checking his pulse again, he noticed that his meridians were completely destroyed. He sighed with emotion and looked up at Jiang Lingxin: “I didn’t expect the disciple you personally taught would not be like you.”
Jiang Lingxin rose to his feet with a desolate look and walked away. When he passed by Zhou Yan, a barely audible sigh slipped from him: “He’s like you…”
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