Ziyuan stood ethereal, clad in a long-sleeved white gown, her hands crossed gently before her. Her sash fluttered in the breeze, her beauty breathtaking, like an incorporeal fairy descended from the Qingying Palace into the mortal realm. The moment she appeared, the entire crowd held its breath.
Shen Xiu caught sight of Ziyuan, and a sudden radiance erupted in his eyes. He paused, marveling inwardly: How could a woman be this stunning?
Though Shen Xiu was arrogant, he was instantly struck by Ziyuan’s astonishing beauty and presence. The arrogance visibly receded from his face. He sneered at the assembly, “Are there no cultivators left in the Chinese martial world? You send a woman up?” Then, turning to Ziyuan, he added, “I don’t fight women. Go back down!”
Ziyuan smiled faintly, saying nothing. She let her hands fall, and her sleeves trailed downward, nearly reaching her knees, resembling the flowing water sleeves of an opera performer. From within these long sleeves, a three-finger-wide silk ribbon, edged with purple and gold, drifted down.
Ziyuan remained silent. Some cultivators from other sects couldn't help but speak up for her. “Hey! You’re ignorant of true greatness! Do you even know who this is? This is the true master Ziyuan, hailed as the foremost expert among the younger generation of the entire Chinese cultivation world!”
Shen Xiu glanced at Ziyuan, appearing somewhat moved. “You are the foremost expert?”
Ziyuan kept her gaze lowered, resembling a statue of a jade goddess, her face utterly placid as she replied, “I am not.”
Shen Xiu was greatly confused. “Then why do they call you the foremost expert?”
Ziyuan stated coolly, “The mainland of China is a land of crouching tigers and hidden dragons; experts and powerhouses are as numerous as ox hair. How could I, Ziyuan, dare to claim the title of number one?”
Shen Xiu quickly pressed, “Then who is number one? Send the number one to fight me!” He pointed toward Li Yundong, who was sitting to the side. “Is it him?”
Ziyuan glanced at Li Yundong and said, “Whether he is number one is irrelevant. What matters is that you cannot defeat him, and you certainly cannot defeat me!”
Shen Xiu erupted in rage. “Baka! You dare look down on me!”
Ziyuan chuckled softly. “Quite the opposite. I know you are formidable, but I possess one method to defeat you. As for Li Yundong, he has countless ways to defeat you!”
Shen Xiu screamed in fury. “Have Li Yundong come fight me! I want to see these countless methods he supposedly has to win against me!”
With that, Shen Xiu shouted fiercely at Li Yundong, “Li Yundong, do you not dare to step up? You coward, you only dare hide behind a woman!”
Li Yundong slowly sipped his tea, acting as if he hadn’t heard a word. He turned to Zhou Qin and murmured quietly, “Ziyuan’s psychological warfare is excellent; she’s agitated this Shen Xiu beautifully. Work with me, let’s further provoke this arrogant little Jap and assist Ziyuan.”
Zhou Qin’s expression remained unchanged, but she winked at Li Yundong, signaling she understood.
Li Yundong took another sip of tea and deliberately adopted a serious tone. “Zhou Qin, why do I feel like someone was just yelling at me?”
Zhou Qin played along with an equally surprised expression. “Oh? Where? I didn’t hear anything.”
Li Yundong feigned disbelief. “No way, that was a loud shout. You couldn’t hear it?”
Zhou Qin looked bewildered. “Truly didn’t hear it, Master!”
Li Yundong chided, “It’s a shame you’re a cultivator. I clearly heard some kind of wailing just now. How could you say you heard nothing?”
Zhou Qin had a theatrical realization. She laughed. “Master, you must be mistaken. That wasn’t wailing!”
Li Yundong asked curiously, “Then what was it?”
Zhou Qin chuckled, “That was clearly a dog barking. Why would you call it human wailing?”
Li Yundong slapped his forehead in mock understanding. “Ah, I see. I must have misheard. Your ears work much better!”
The assembled crowd watched the duo’s exchange, which resembled a comedy duo performing, not using a single vulgar word or naming names, yet every syllable was a barb aimed at Shen Xiu. Roars of laughter erupted.
Shen Xiu was no fool. His face flushed crimson with anger. He roared at Li Yundong, “Baka! I demand a duel! If you have any guts, come up! I demand a duel with you!”
Li Yundong ignored him, continuing to chat and sip tea with Zhou Qin with a smile. He remarked, “My, oh my, in this deep winter, whose dog isn’t tied up? Why are they allowed to run loose and bark everywhere?”
Zhou Qin chimed in with a laugh, “It’s not just barking, they’re biting people everywhere too!”
The crowd burst into uproarious laughter. Shen Xiu’s forehead veins throbbed with rage, and he began spitting angry Japanese curses at Li Yundong.
Ci Nian, standing nearby, couldn’t help but frown. He let out a deep shout, “Shen Xiu! You came here for a contest of powers, not a contest of sharp tongues!”
Ci Nian’s great shout struck Shen Xiu like a thunderbolt. The teacups on the floor above vibrated. A shiver ran through the onlookers; that old Japanese monk was truly formidable!
The powerful shout caused Shen Xiu’s entire body to tremble. The fury quickly vanished from his face, and his agitated aura gradually calmed. He glanced at Li Yundong and asked, “Li Yundong, I ask you one last time: Do you dare fight me?”
Li Yundong glanced at Ci Nian, thinking: This old monk has discerning eyes. He turned back to Shen Xiu and stated, “If you can defeat Ziyuan, then I will fight you.”
Shen Xiu took a deep breath, his gaze shifting back to Ziyuan. “It seems I must fight you then?”
Ziyuan smiled faintly. “That appears to be the case, unless you concede and return the magic artifacts and weapons you stole.”
Shen Xiu laughed heartily. “Return something that was taken by force? What a ridiculous notion! Come then, let me see what is so special about the ‘Number One of the World’! Once I defeat you, I’ll see what kind of verbal tricks the rest of you Chinese cultivators can pull off!”
Ziyuan smiled, seeming too disdainful to waste more words on Shen Xiu. She held her hands before her and asked calmly, “Shall we begin then?”
Shen Xiu grunted, his body suddenly wreathed in black energy. “Come on!”
Ziyuan nodded. “Very well.”
As she spoke, her figure moved instantly, streaking toward Shen Xiu like a meteor rushing toward the moon. She flicked her sleeves, and the fabric surged toward Shen Xiu like an endless river.
Shen Xiu sneered inwardly and didn't hesitate to reach out, seizing the sleeve firmly. He yanked hard, intending to slam Ziyuan to the ground just as he had in the previous bout. He roared, “Get up!”
Ziyuan’s sleeve was caught, but instead of evading, the purple and gold-edged ribbon within the sleeve whipped out with astonishing speed, coiling around Shen Xiu’s arm like a fast-growing vine. Shen Xiu pulled harder, but Ziyuan used that very force to gracefully float upwards, soaring lightly over his head, her toes barely touching his scalp like a dragonfly skimming water.
The crowd erupted in laughter. Shen Xiu, enraged, clawed at the air above his head with his free hand, but Ziyuan was too fast. Her movement was like a startled swan skimming the earth; every grab he made only caught the residual shadow of her departure.
Shen Xiu reacted quickly, using the hand holding the purple ribbon to pull sharply, while simultaneously unleashing his full body of black energy, sending it surging along the ribbon toward Ziyuan.
But Ziyuan remained unhurried. Her feet tapped and pivoted, her body lightly spinning and bending. The onlookers could only watch as Ziyuan danced with ethereal grace, her sleeve-swirling steps displaying myriad elegant postures!
For a moment, everyone was mesmerized. No one had expected such a tense battle of powers to be so light and otherworldly, devoid of any hint of killing intent!
Everyone felt that Ziyuan wasn't fighting at all; she was simply dancing alone in the arena, serene and silent, oblivious to everyone else.
Li Yundong watched, slightly dazed. His gaze fixed on Ziyuan’s nimble, delicate feet, and he murmured to himself, These are not feet meant to tread the mortal dust, yet the woman possessing them must struggle through the thorns of this world.
A thought struck Li Yundong, and he couldn't help but chant softly, “Her form is graceful as a startled swan, supple as a swimming dragon. Splendid as autumn chrysanthemums, luxuriant as spring pine. Her presence is like light clouds obscuring the moon; her movement is like the flowing wind stirring the snow.”
The audience froze, recognizing the lines from Cao Zhi’s Ode to the River Goddess. They inwardly applauded, feeling those two lines perfectly described Ziyuan!
Zhou Qin, standing nearby, immediately picked up the verse: “Viewed from afar, she shines bright as the morning sun rising through the rosy clouds; observed closely, she burns clear as the lotus emerging from clear water.”
Su Chan, seeing Ziyuan gaining the clear advantage, couldn’t help but feel happy. She smiled and picked up the next line: “Her slenderness possesses balance, her height and shortness perfectly proportioned. Her shoulders seem carved, her waist slender as wrapped silk. Her neck is long and graceful, her pure complexion revealed. No fragrance is needed, no powder applied. Her cloud-like hair piles high, her finely arched brows meet beautifully.”
Ruan Hongling and the little fox spirits nearby also chimed in with laughter, taking up the verses line by line. When Ling Yue finished her recitation, Li Yundong smiled and took the next part: “Alas for the fruitless gourd, the lonely tending of the ox-herder. Her light sash flutters gently, her long sleeves held out in lingering waiting. Swift she flies like a startled swan, elusive as a spirit. Treading the ripples, her silk stockings stir up dust!”
As he finished the final word, Ziyuan suddenly brought her movement to a halt on the stage. She gave her sleeves a sharp shake, and the purple ribbon unfurled like a vast waterfall. Her sleeves danced in the air, lightly fluttering and scattering like a wisp of pale, faint mist still moving before the eyes of the spectators.
Shen Xiu had initially tried to wrestle with Ziyuan’s purple ribbon, but the ribbon in her hands seemed inexhaustible. He’d pull a meter, and another meter would appear. He’d pull two meters out, and two more immediately followed.
But the more he pulled, the faster Ziyuan wrapped, like a spider weaving its web. Strand after fine strand coiled around Shen Xiu, gradually enveloping him until he was covered in silk.
When Ziyuan finally stopped, Shen Xiu was wrapped into a giant zongzi (rice dumpling), possessing all his divine power and eerie Yin energy but with no way to utilize them.
Shen Xiu struggled furiously, but no matter how strong a mortal man was, how could he break free from such binding?
After a few failed struggles, finding the silk around him unyielding, he roared, “You cheated! I refuse to accept this!”
Ziyuan smiled faintly. “You refuse to accept?”
Shen Xiu shouted, “Let me go, and we’ll fight again!”
Ziyuan smiled slightly. “Very well!”
At this, the cultivators from Zhengyi Sect and Qingcheng School cried out in unison, “True Master Ziyuan, do not let the tiger return to the mountains!”
But before their voices faded, Ziyuan suddenly shook both arms, and the silken bindings abruptly contracted inwards!
Shen Xiu felt as if he were caught in the palm of a giant who was squeezing hard. He shrieked as the bones throughout his body cracked audibly!
With a flick of her wrist, Ziyuan tossed Shen Xiu high into the air. In the blink of an eye, the purple ribbons coiled back into her sleeves completely.
Shen Xiu crashed to the ground with a thud, blood seeping from his seven orifices, froth bubbling at his lips.
Ziyuan glanced at him coolly and stated, “I told you I had a way to win. That method is using softness to overcome hardness. If you are unconvinced, heal your wounds, and then go find Li Yundong. See for yourself if he truly possesses the countless methods I mentioned that can defeat you.”
It was then that the crowd awoke from their daze and erupted into earth-shattering cheers.
Tachibana Chiko, who had arrived with Shen Xiu, let out a cry of alarm and rushed to Shen Xiu’s side. After checking his injuries, she found that not a single bone in his body was intact, and his internal organs were severely damaged from the violent compression. Even if he recovered, he would suffer severe long-term sequelae!
Tachibana Chiko’s face flushed crimson with shame and anger. She stood up and shouted at Ziyuan, “You used such vicious force to injure Shen Xiu like this! Damnable! I challenge you!!”