https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-72-Seventh-Stage-Peak-The-Pillar-of-the-Cao-Family-/13021706/
Chapter 73: Cao Rong's Wariness!
Chapter 73: Cao Rong's Wariness!
Canglang Martial Academy.
Wang Jin saw Cao Rong in the distance, his bowstring taut.
"Oh no!"
His heart sank.
In the next moment, Wang Jin's body suddenly surged forward, covering the distance of three zhang in a single step.
Swish—
The long sword held by a patrol officer was instantly seized by Wang Jin, now in his grasp.
At this moment, Cao Rong loosened his bowstring again.
Boom—
The arrow pierced through the wind and waves, leaving a long white trail as it shot straight towards Jiang Ning's front door.
From a distance of less than two hundred meters, at the speed of Cao Rong's arrow piercing the air, it would take only about a quarter of a breath to reach Jiang Ning's front door.
At this moment, Jiang Ning didn't have time for excessive thoughts. His vital energy instantly surged through his legs, and his muscles and bones erupted with all their might.
His organs were fully activated, his potential unleashed, providing him with overwhelming support.
"Faster!"
"Even faster!!!"
Awareness of the approaching arrow filled Jiang Ning's mind, leaving only this thought.
Facing Cao Rong's arrow, he could only do his utmost to dodge at this moment.
He had no qualifications to block it directly.
This arrow, capable of producing a sonic boom, would cause blood and flesh to fly with a mere graze, let alone a direct hit.
On the other side, after seizing the sword, Wang Jin's body seemed to defy inertia, instantly changing direction. With the long sword in hand, his figure leaped into the air.
His gaze was firmly fixed on the arrow piercing through the air.
Suddenly, a fivefold essence force burst forth.
Buzz—
The sword, empowered by the vast and mighty essence force, trembled incessantly.
"Break—!"
Wang Jin roared, and the long sword in his hand instantly cleaved towards the approaching arrowhead.
The qi wave was divided by Wang Jin like flowing water.
Then, the blade met the arrowhead.
Boom—
A thunderous sound reverberated in the air.
Wang Jin's body was propelled in the direction of the arrow's force.
At this moment, the long sword in his hand was already twisted beyond recognition.
Wang Jin's right arm, hidden beneath his robe, was slightly trembling.
"The might of a single arrow is indeed terrifying, worthy of the Phoenix Son of the Cao family! He has already entered the seventh stage of martial arts, a master at the muscle-refining level!" Wang Jin was somewhat startled.
His arm felt weak, and his palm tingled.
He could sense that, against such a powerful arrow, he could only withstand two or three direct hits at most.
Normally, facing Cao Rong's arrows, he wouldn't need to block them directly; evasive maneuvers would suffice.
He could even use the technique of guiding essence force to deflect and dodge with minimal effort.
But now, it was impossible because Cao Rong had already enlightened.
Jiang Ning was his weak point. As long as Cao Rong aimed at Jiang Ning, he had to take the hit.
Wang Jin's heart sank, and he smiled bitterly.
He hadn't felt this sense of frustration in a long time.
He couldn't wait to charge forward and show Cao Rong his true strength.
With the mastery of the Canglang Blade Technique, he could unleash a fivefold essence force burst, which, in Wang Jin's eyes, was enough to dominate his peers.
As long as he got close and unleashed a single strike, he could secure victory.
But at this moment, Wang Jin could only imagine it in his mind.
Unless he disregarded Jiang Ning's life, he couldn't rush out of the martial arts academy's front door.
On the other side, Cao Rong smiled, "As expected, that little fellow, Jiang Ning, is your soft spot, old man! I never thought that you, an old fellow, would place such importance on this young man, even at the cost of offending my Cao family."
His gaze then focused, "Since it is so, regardless of the reason, this young man is even more unworthy of being spared!"
Then, Cao Rong drew his bowstring again, locking his arrow on Jiang Ning, his face exuding confidence.
Archery masters like Cao Rong relished this very scenario.
Having an ally that the enemy must protect meant the enemy couldn't close the distance or choose to dodge and retreat; they could only engage in a head-on confrontation.
In this situation, even if Wang Jin was a seventh-stage martial arts master like Cao Rong, he would dare to fight a sixth-stage master.
With a soft spot, an archery expert like Cao Rong had an innate advantage, able to either aggressively exploit the soft spot or retreat and attack it, ensuring an unbeatable position.
Just then, a strong sense of heart palpitations engulfed Cao Rong. He felt that he was in a state where a single move could trigger a chain reaction.
If he dared to move, he would unleash a force powerful enough to crush him.
The next moment, Cao Rong shifted his gaze towards the direction of a street below.
"Shen Congyun!!!" His pupils constricted.
Then he saw Shen Congyun standing beside a woman in a green dress, and his pupils contracted again.
"Why are these two deputy lords of Wanhua Tower suddenly here, and why is Shen Congyun's qi mechanism locking onto me?"
Cao Rong's gaze once again fell on the green leaf between Shen Congyun's fingers.
He saw that the green leaf was enveloped in white mist, and hissing. His pupils constricted again.
"Inner breath!"
"This... inner breath!!!"
At this moment, Cao Rong's heart was filled with terror.
As the Phoenix Son of the Cao family, Cao Rong, who had left Luo Shui County and participated in the Dongling Prefecture martial examination, naturally recognized the inner breath permeating the green leaf held by Shen Congyun.
The inner energy that Shen Congyun had cultivated.
Even an ordinary flying leaf, when imbued with inner energy, could shatter rocks and cleave metal.
It could even change direction in mid-air and strike at an invisible target.
At this moment, he had no idea that Shen Congyun's inner energy had locked onto him.
As long as he dared to release this arrow, his entire body would be affected, and the leaf in Shen Congyun's hand would fly straight towards his face.
The correct version is in Book 69! 6 = 9 + Book, the first release of this novel.
Inner energy, normally speaking, is a symbol of the fifth stage of martial arts.
He knew that as long as Shen Congyun made a move, even with just the inner energy contained in this leaf...
He would be severely injured, if not killed.
Moreover, this represented Shen Congyun's intention, a warning to him.
At the same time...
Shen Congyun noticed Cao Rong looking over, a faint smile appearing on his face.
His lips moved slightly, and his voice seemed to not propagate in the air, but it immediately rang in Cao Rong's ears.
"Cao Rong, how about giving me some face? How about letting that young fellow live?"
Upon hearing this, Cao Rong's thoughts raced through his mind.
Then, he slowly loosened the tension on the bowstring, completely stopping.
"Since Shen Louzhu has spoken, I will give him this face!" Cao Rong laughed.
He slung the bow on his back and then leaped down from the roof, heading towards Shen Congyun.
On the other side...
Lin Qingyi frowned slightly, looking at Shen Congyun.
"Have you thought this through? If you suddenly intervene in the conflict in Luo Shui County, you're violating the Louzhu's taboo. You will be punished."
Shen Congyun smiled, "Qingyi, since I've chosen to intervene, I've naturally thought through the consequences."
"I don't understand!" Lin Qingyi shook her head, "A mere young fellow who hasn't even entered the ranks of martial arts, how is he worth you doing this for?"
Shen Congyun smiled and shook his head, "What's there to understand or not understand! I just find that kid likable and feel sorry for him, so I want to help him."
"In my eyes, you're not that kind of person!" Lin Qingyi shook her head, but she didn't continue to ask.
Having worked with Shen Congyun for many years, she knew his temperament and personality well. If he didn't want to talk about something, it was pointless for her to force the issue.
But at this moment, she felt a strong curiosity about Jiang Ning.
It was precisely because of this curiosity that she had followed Shen Congyun out of Wanhua Tower.
She wanted to see what was so special about Jiang Ning that Shen Congyun would violate the tower's taboo, stand up for Jiang Ning, and resolve his predicament.
Such an exaggerated cost, without even thinking, she knew that after this, Shen Congyun would inevitably be held accountable by the Louzhu.
On the other side...
Cao Rong's thoughts were complex, filled with doubts.
The sudden appearance of Shen Congyun and Lin Qingyi, the two deputy Louzhu of Wanhua Tower, caught him completely off guard.
Especially Shen Congyun's intentions were even more incomprehensible to him.
Wanhua Tower's permanent neutrality is the foundation of its presence in the thirty-six prefectures of the Great Xia Dynasty.
Today's actions by Shen Congyun clearly violated the rules set by Wanhua Tower.
Regarding this, he couldn't understand at all.
Especially since Shen Congyun's intervention was for such an inconspicuous young fellow, who, in his eyes, had no outstanding qualities.
This made it even more incomprehensible! Then he thought about Wang Jin's performance today.
"Could it be that that fellow is an undiscovered genius?"
A moment later...
Cao Rong appeared before Shen Congyun.
"Shen Louzhu! Lin Louzhu!" Cao Rong bowed.
Shen Congyun smiled, "I should also thank Younger Brother Cao for giving me some face."
Cao Rong immediately smiled, as if the previous tension had never existed.
Then he said, "Since Elder Brother Shen has spoken, how can I not give him face! But I'm curious, did Elder Brother Shen speak up because of the person I aimed my arrow at?"
Shen Congyun nodded slightly, "Exactly!"
"So that's the case!" Cao Rong's face showed realization.
"Should Younger Brother Cao come with me?" Shen Congyun asked.
"Yes!" Cao Rong nodded.
Then Cao Rong said, "I'm curious, what's the relationship between Elder Brother Shen and that fellow? To be worth Elder Brother Shen standing up for him like this."
Shen Congyun smiled, naturally understanding the true intention behind Cao Rong's words.
He opened his mouth, "What relationship? I just find that kid likable!"
"Impressive!" Cao Rong said, "Elder Brother Shen is indeed a man of character!"
Then Cao Rong sighed softly, continuing, "I was born into the Cao family, cultivated by the family, but I'm also constrained by family responsibilities, unable to act as freely as Elder Brother Shen."
Shen Congyun, smiling again, and saying no more.
At this moment, Lin Qingyi, another deputy Louzhu of Wanhua Tower, quietly followed beside Shen Congyun, like a silent observer, not uttering a word.
Then, the three of them walked down the quiet street, heading towards the direction of Canglang Martial Arts Academy.
The brief conflict just now had caused the surrounding streets to be empty within a short time, as everyone had hidden in their houses to avoid being affected by the aftermath.
Now, with the commotion outside subsiding, they secretly peered through cracks in doors and windows, curious about what was happening outside.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
