Chapter Ninety-Two: Victory Without Battle

At the sight of this, Xun Qing, who had assumed Xiahou Jian would never dare lay a hand on her, was so frightened by the vicious face bearing down on her that she clutched her head and stumbled backward.

"Stay away from me!"

She shouted at the top of her lungs, utterly ignoring Tianming's words.

"You told me to stop, so stop I shall! Then wouldn't I be..." Xiahou Jian had not even finished speaking when he abruptly cut himself off.

With a soft thud, the moment Xun Qing raised her hand, Xiahou Jian, who had been only a few steps away, was sent flying backward. A mouthful of blood burst from his lips in midair and scattered down like a rain of crimson drops, spattering the nearby inner disciples and dyeing them all into a sorry band of red-haired wretches.

Where am I?

What am I doing?

...

In an instant, those unfortunate inner disciples exchanged bewildered looks with one another. To whom were they supposed to appeal for justice over this? Still, they were all experts at the Spirit Void realm, and using the vitality of heaven and earth came naturally to them. Very quickly, they burned the bloodstains from their clothes and bodies.

What?

Tianming, who had been about to rush forward and stop the fight, stood frozen on the spot, staring in utter disbelief at what had just happened. He was not the only one; the surrounding inner disciples were equally baffled.

How had a perfectly fine person suddenly collapsed like that?

"So powerful! You are actually a rare spatial-type manipulator. I yield..."

At that moment, Xiahou Jian suddenly propped himself up on both hands and climbed to his feet.

When the inner disciples heard those words, they were even more stunned. Hadn't nothing happened just now?

"Unbelievable..."

"That girl is actually a spatial-type constitution?"

"Too terrifying!"

"To think she could defeat Senior Brother Xia, who is at the seventh level of the Spirit Void realm, in one move. Inconceivable..."

...

Yet the disciples who had originally supported Xiahou Jian seemed not to dwell on such questions. Their only concern was the outcome. At once, they all turned their gazes toward Xun Qing with expressions of admiration. One person, however, was an exception, coldly watching from the side without saying a word.

This person's eyes were deep and bottomless, as though one glance too many would be enough to draw a soul in.

"So that's how it is."

After muttering to himself, he accidentally caught sight of the scene on the distant high platform. His expression changed at once, and he hurriedly slipped into the crowd, disappearing without a trace.

Looking at the dazed Xun Qing, Tianming quickly went over.

"Are you all right?"

He patted her shoulder and faced her, his eyes showing concern, though a trace of puzzlement also lingered within him.

"...Did I really do that?" Xun Qing shook her head and looked down at her own hands, asking in a low voice.

Still hesitant, she lifted her head to look at Tianming, her voice as faint as a mosquito's. Had Tianming not been standing so close, her words would likely have been swallowed by the surrounding noise.

"Do you want the truth or a lie?"

At this, Tianming smiled and said.

"Of course I want the truth. Hurry up and tell me. I just risked myself to stand up for you, after all." Xun Qing nudged him and looked up eagerly. Though she had already guessed the answer in her heart, she still wanted to confirm it.

"If I tell you, don't get angry. Actually... Xiahou Jian was faking the injury."

Tianming did not know the full extent of Xun Qing's abilities, but from her performance, it was clear that she had not been pretending. And there was another crucial point: if she had truly been absolutely certain of victory, how could the proud and self-willed Xun Qing have made such a move?

Clearly, it did not make sense.

"You bastard! How dare you trick me?" Xun Qing cursed furiously and was about to rush forward.

Earlier, she had already felt that something was strange. She had never expected Xiahou Jian to be pretending not to know her. Although this had the effect of giving her prestige, Xun Qing could not tolerate such mockery.

"Calm down," Tianming said softly, stepping in front of her.

"Damn it... why are you stopping me?"

Xun Qing glared at him, her bright eyes wide with a hint of grievance.

Tianming...

Hearing that, Tianming took a deep breath and shook his head, looking away. He truly could not bear to meet Xun Qing's expression.

Hmph.

Seeing this, Xun Qing snorted coldly and, ignoring Tianming standing in front of her, simply moved around him and tried to walk off.

"Can you beat him?" Tianming said. "Yes, Xiahou Jian may not dare lay a hand on you, but what will the people watching think? They'll only assume you're relying on your identity and background to stage a show. Of course, if you don't care what others think, then go ahead."

Soon after, Tianming reached out and pulled Xun Qing back once more. His gaze was stern as he looked at her, his expression growing increasingly grave.

"...Coward."

Blocked again and again, Xun Qing instantly lost interest. She snorted at Tianming one more time, then turned away.

Seeing that Xun Qing had turned her back on him, Tianming no longer paid her any mind. Instead, he turned his gaze to Xiahou Jian.

"Senior Brother Xia, what superb acting. I wonder whether those spirit stones..."

"No need, no need. How would I dare be called senior brother by you? Heh." Before Tianming could finish, Xiahou Jian had already replied with a cold laugh.

How could he not see the girl's background? Though she rarely appeared in public, Xiahou Jian had once glimpsed her by accident. That exquisitely lovely, petite figure in purple had long stirred his heart, though it had been impossible for him to meet her again.

...

"So he can endure humiliation after all."

Tianming muttered under his breath and stopped paying Xiahou Jian any further attention. From his attitude alone, it was clear that Xiahou Jian must have learned Xun Qing's identity, or else he would never have lowered himself so completely. Thinking of this, Tianming shook his head. He did not know whether this man would one day become an enemy.

"Brother Tianming..."

Just as Tianming had taken a few steps, he noticed someone calling out to him from behind.

"Brother Chu, Brother Sikong?" Tianming turned around, delight lighting up his expression. He had just been wondering where the two of them had gone, and he had not expected them to appear so quickly.

"Well now, you two arrived at quite the right time." Looking at Chu Qingchen and Sikong Shi as they came over, Tianming seemed to have guessed something and smiled helplessly.

"Ah, well, we were afraid of disturbing your good fortune," Chu Qingchen said with an innocent look. "By the way, what happened to this fellow?"

"Exactly," Sikong Shi on the side chimed in without the slightest hesitation, as if the two had planned it together.

"Alas, it is hard to explain in a few words." Tianming sighed again and shook his head with a wry smile.

"Do you want me to teach him a lesson?" Chu Qingchen seemed to grasp the situation at once and shot Tianming an eager look. Sikong Shi, meanwhile, was trying hard to suppress a laugh as he turned away, as though he could not bear to look at Chu Qingchen's expression, as if something were hidden deep in his heart.

"Nothing much. Just a minor misunderstanding, nothing worth mentioning."

Looking at the two men before him, Tianming shook his head, seeing through everything but saying nothing.