“Is your poison cured?” Chu Xia’s heart leaped with joy, unable to help but ask, while Cang Qianlang and Su Feng Hua were taken aback. Jun Ye’an shook his head, “No.” Her face darkened instantly.
Jun Ye’an smiled faintly, “Chu Xia, who told you that without internal energy, you would lose?” The room fell into silence.
After a long time, Cang Qianlang coldly said, “Losing internal energy doesn’t necessarily mean defeat, but—without the Fish Yang Sword in hand, Jun Ye’an would surely die.”
Chapter Forty (Part Two)
Cang Qianlang held the renowned Fish Yang Sword in his hand, his thumb and index finger pressing down to leave two indentations on the scabbard. He threw the sword to the ground with a clang, sneering, “I fear you can’t even draw the blade at this moment.”
Jun Ye’an was not offended, turned around to pick up an ordinary steel sword from the table, sighed, “Qianlang, you pay too much attention to so-called famous swords. Remember, for a true master, even a leaf or thread can be a weapon. Half a year ago, I pawned this sword, used the money to buy wine, and now you’ve gone to retrieve it.”
Cang Qianlang was not angered: “Honestly, I know Young Master Ye’an isn’t someone who can be easily killed. I’m looking forward to seeing what you have to fight me with.”
“My swordsmanship remains, but I’ve lost all my internal energy. Indeed, I have no chance of winning. But at this moment, I’m betting on you.” Jun Ye’an stated confidently, “Betting that you’ve practiced the martial arts manuals left in the secret chamber on Mount Jun.”
Cang Qianlang was startled.
“You might not know how my father died. Years ago, he accidentally read a manual your father had plundered, and his initial progress was very rapid. Later, however, his three yin channels were severely damaged.” Jun Ye’an slightly pursed his lips, softly saying, “This technique conflicts with our Jun family’s original method. Did you notice, every day at noon when the yin energy is strongest, your channels become unstable, and the three yin energies surge chaotically—isn’t that right?”
Cang Qianlang frowned, silently adjusting his breath, recalling the strange energy surges in his body over the past six months, showing a look of horror.
Jun Ye’an’s smile grew more serene, “Qianlang, why not try channeling your inner breath to the points of Taixi, Sanyinjiao, and Lougu, and see how it feels?”
Su Feng Hua, noticing something odd in Cang Qianlang’s expression, stepped forward half a step, “Be careful, don’t fall into his trap.”
Cang Qianlang waved his hand lightly, his face grim, “It’s fine; these points aren’t critical.” Following Jun Ye’an’s instructions, he slowly channeled his inner strength upwards. Suddenly, his left leg felt numb and heavy as if weighed down by a thousand pounds. Jun Ye’an, hands clasped behind his back, smiled faintly, “How does it feel?”
Cang Qianlang’s face turned dark, and without a word, he lashed out with his soft whip, aiming straight for Jun Ye’an’s chest. Yet Jun Ye’an stood his ground, not dodging or evading: “Don’t you want to know how to resolve it?”
As the whip was about to strike Jun Ye’an’s chest, Chu Xia’s heart pounded wildly. Cang Qianlang slightly relaxed his grip, solemnly asking, “Are you willing to tell?”
Jun Ye’an only smiled, not speaking. At this moment, with the fierce wind from the whip, his black hair was disheveled, yet his expression showed no trace of panic, a smile lingering at the corner of his mouth, seemingly unconcerned about the life-and-death situation at hand.
Time slipped away silently, and Cang Qianlang’s expression grew increasingly stiff. A chilling Yin energy started from his ankles, slowly rising up until it spread to his waist. Jun Yean weighed the Qinggang Sword in his hand and laughed, “Do you still want to compete with me in swordsmanship?” “Noon… it’s not even noon yet, why is this happening?” Cang Qianlang was greatly alarmed at this moment; he tried to move his fingers, only to find that even his fingers were as stiff as stone, unable to move an inch. “The Taixi, Sanyinjiao, and Lougu points are naturally harmless to ordinary martial artists,” Jun Yean said with a meaningful smile, “Before my father died… these three acupuncture points were blocked, it was extremely terrifying. He once told the divine physician that if these three points were triggered by one’s own internal energy, the whole body would stiffen, causing unbearable pain.” Cang Qianlang’s face was stiff, his long whip hanging down, and he said with a bitter smile, “It seems you have ultimately won.” Jun Yean held the Qinggang Sword to Cang Qianlang’s throat and sighed softly, “Qianlang, if you feel that the Jun family owes you, originally, I would have returned everything to you, but you shouldn’t have killed innocent people, especially not Qinglong. This sword, I will make it quick for you.” With a swift motion of his hand, Cang Qianlang’s eyes bulged slightly, and he fell heavily to the ground.
Su Fenghua, seeing the situation take a drastic turn for the worse, turned pale, his folding fan dropped somewhere unknown, and he trembled, “A-Hui, you—” Chu Xia turned her gaze away indifferently, not looking at him. “I, I’ll tell you where Bai Xue is hidden. She… can cure the poison in Young Master Jun.” He swallowed hard, “Spare me—” “Su Fenghua, you aren’t seeking revenge on Jun Yean for the so-called family massacre. Search your heart, isn’t it for your own selfish desires?” Su Fenghua remained silent. Chu Xia gave a cold smile, about to speak when a gust of cold wind came from behind. She couldn’t dodge in time, but heard the white leopard beside her roar, flipping Su Fenghua, who held a dagger, onto the ground, and bit into his throat. Chu Xia stepped back, looking at Su Fenghua struggling in the pool of blood, her eyes filled with unbearable sorrow. Su Fenghua let out a few hoarse cries, his eyes full of venom and unwillingness, and with his last strength, he laughed, “A-Hui… you—” Before he could finish, he breathed his last.
Chu Xia stepped back half a step, right into Jun Yean’s embrace. He wrapped one arm around her waist, the other covering her eyes, whispering, “Don’t look.” Chu Xia’s trembling gradually stopped. She turned around in his arms, her delicate fingers touching the spot on his chest where the needle had struck, “I really thought… we were going to die.” Jun Yean smiled and kissed her forehead, “My girl, there’s nothing in this world that I, Jun Yean, wouldn’t dare to bet on. Except… you.” He slowly pulled her into his embrace, “I bet Cang Qianlang would come out, I bet he would go mad from his training, but I wouldn’t bet on you—That’s why I didn’t dare to seek the truth of the past these two years.” In his arms, Chu Xia couldn’t help but sob quietly.
