The instigator always speaks with righteous indignation.
It was a day of public humiliation—a description that perfectly suited Director Ji.
Having first sworn to the assembled martial artists that this operation was destined for certain victory, he then discovered that the East Bamboo Immortal’s strength far exceeded all prior estimations.
Before arriving at East Bamboo, he had confidently asserted that the East Bamboo Immortal would accept the challenge, yet when the invitation was actually extended, even he harbored doubts about her willingness to fight.
In truth, the pronouncements of ‘certain victory’ and ‘absolute certainty’ were not for Director Ji’s own ears, but rather for the ears of these martial artists.
Sometimes, even when uncertain, one must speak with an air of absolute conviction, for if one lacks confidence in their own words, how can others be expected to believe and support them?
As for the humiliation, personal honor and disgrace were mere trifles; achieving his objective was paramount.
Descending the mountain, Director Ji noted the somewhat dampened spirits of the black-cloaked figures.
The East Bamboo Immortal had agreed to all conditions, just as he had envisioned, without a single counter-offer.
Yet, despite this, the black-cloaked figures felt no particular sense of ease.
Having witnessed the East Bamboo Immortal’s prowess firsthand, they knew victory would be far from simple.
The village they had passed through earlier now appeared before them, and Director Ji, observing it, allowed a faint smile to grace his lips.
Mr. Yu, standing beside him, caught sight of his expression and couldn’t help but offer a slight smile in return.
“Mr. Yu, what amuses you?”
Director Ji glanced at Mr. Yu, already aware of the reason for his smile, yet he still posed the question.
“Director Ji, you’re merely feigning ignorance! You had already noticed this village upon our arrival, otherwise you wouldn’t have specifically mentioned ‘ambush’ to Manager Ren.”
Mr. Yu narrowed his eyes, his normally heroic face twisting into a chilling, insincere smile that truly unsettled those who witnessed it.
“This village is indeed an excellent location for an ambush; with sufficient manpower concealed, a sudden attack could certainly catch us off guard.”
Director Ji halted his steps midway down the mountain, surveying the entire village below.
“It’s a pity that Ren Du didn’t bring enough men…”
Director Ji looked towards the village entrance, then turned and spoke.
“Night has fallen, everyone. Let us rest here for the night.”
The group exchanged glances, offering no objections.
Built into the mountainside, this village boasted a staggered layout, yet every vantage point held strategic importance, allowing a comprehensive view of the surrounding area from its elevated position.
In the event of war, deploying even a small force here could yield unexpected results—it was precisely the kind of place described as ‘easy to defend, difficult to attack’.
Director Ji had initially offered a considerable sum of money to the villagers, but they appeared uninterested in it—especially money originating from the Academy of Sciences. Nevertheless, they still allowed Director Ji and his companions to stay, a courtesy Director Ji attributed to the East Bamboo Immortal’s influence.
The moon now hung in the sky, yet the black-cloaked figures in the courtyard remained awake, perhaps unsettled by the impending duel, each harboring a sense of apprehension.
“Everyone, take off your cloaks! We originally intended to conceal your identities, but now that Ren Du has arrived, nothing can be hidden from him. When the duel begins, he will undoubtedly reveal all your identities to the East Bamboo Immortal. Given this, there’s no longer any need for us to be so secretive.”
Upon hearing Director Ji’s words, the assembled crowd promptly removed their cloaks, as if expelling a long-held breath of frustration.
“Wearing this thing was suffocating me! It feels so much better to take it off!”
The middle-aged strong man let out a long sigh of relief, bursting into hearty laughter.
The others observed that beneath his cloak, he wore only a vest. Despite his robust physique and rugged demeanor, his muscles were surprisingly fair and soft, bearing no resemblance to those of a martial artist.
“Director Ji, everyone witnessed your contest with the East Bamboo Immortal today. Did you glean any insights?”
Chi Yiheng, the scholarly man, his brow furrowed, idly fanned himself and spoke to Director Ji with a distracted air.
At this crucial juncture, everyone grew attentive, their eyes fixed on Director Ji, awaiting his revelations.
Even those who prided themselves on their composure and disdained making a fuss, continuing their own affairs, found their peripheral vision involuntarily darting towards Director Ji several times.
“Her internal energy is profound, and her control over *xingqi* is flawless. Had I known her earlier, I might very well have sought to become her disciple.” Director Ji’s tone was laced with playful mockery, eliciting a few chuckles from those present.
“Director Ji, I observed your confrontation with the East Bamboo Immortal, and it seemed she had no intention of treating you as an adversary.”
Mr. Yu spoke, his eyes subtly observing Director Ji’s expression, for these words were hardly pleasant to hear, implying that Director Ji had exerted his full strength yet gained no advantage, while his opponent had defeated him without even trying her hardest.
“Remarkable insight, Mr. Yu! To have discerned that!”
Director Ji looked at Mr. Yu, yet inwardly remained unfazed; with Mr. Yu’s cultivation, failing to perceive such a detail would truly mean he had lived for two centuries in vain.
“I merely stated the truth.”
Mr. Yu smiled, then discreetly withdrew to the side.
“Mr. Yu is correct; the East Bamboo Immortal indeed harbored no animosity towards me. While ordinary practitioners can gather *qi* swiftly, it is exceedingly difficult to do so without leaving a trace. The East Bamboo Immortal’s gathering and dispersal of *qi* were accomplished in a single, seamless breath, demonstrating her exquisite internal cultivation. All of you, if you intend to contend with her in internal arts, I urge you to exercise extreme caution.”
Director Ji made no attempt to conceal his inferiority, for it was as obvious as a louse on a bald man’s head—an undeniable fact.
“Director Ji, from your exchange with the East Bamboo Immortal, it appeared her application of *xingqi* leaned more towards the vigorous and forceful path…”
The husky voice belonged to a thin, small middle-aged man seated at the very back of the group. Being unremarkable in stature and positioned so far behind, his presence had gone unnoticed by many until then.
However, many harbored significant doubts, for it was evident from Director Ji’s contest with the East Bamboo Immortal that her control over *xingqi* was exceptionally refined. When countering Director Ji’s imposing aura, she had employed softness to overcome hardness, her *xingqi* seamlessly blending with her surroundings. In contrast, Director Ji had progressively intensified his might, attempting to overwhelm her with sheer force. Had this man perhaps misspoken?
Mr. Yu, who was positioned at the front, and the dwarf beside him, involuntarily cast a glance towards the speaker, as if sensing something profound.
“Remarkable insight, Mr. Xu, to have noticed even that.”
Director Ji nodded towards the speaker, but the man offered no response.
“You must all be wondering why, despite the East Bamboo Immortal clearly using softness to overcome hardness in our confrontation, she is still described as following the vigorous and forceful path…”
Director Ji surveyed the crowd. Only Mr. Yu, the dwarf, and a few others wore contemplative expressions, while most others appeared bewildered.
“It must be said, the East Bamboo Immortal is indeed a martial prodigy. Forging her own unique path and developing her own technique is commendable, yet it is precisely this that limits her deeper understanding of martial arts. She unilaterally transforms ‘hardness’ into ‘softness’ through her exquisite control, rather than integrating ‘softness’ seamlessly with her own *xingqi*. It is akin to forcibly redirecting a river to flow into the sea, instead of guiding it naturally to its destination.”
The assembled individuals exchanged glances, marveling inwardly that Director Ji was truly worthy of being Gong Ce’s disciple, capable of seeing through superficialities to a core they had entirely missed. They, on the other hand, had been misled by appearances all along. Some even connected Director Ji’s analysis of the East Bamboo Immortal to their own cultivation, feeling as though this insight had illuminated their own shortcomings, causing cold sweat to break out on their palms.
“Since the East Bamboo Immortal has deficiencies in her cultivation, our chances of victory have significantly increased!”
“Precisely! Precisely! As long as we seize the opportunity to target her weaknesses, we can still achieve victory!”
“Since she specializes in forcibly transforming hardness into softness, then we shall forcibly transform softness into hardness to counter her.”
Listening to the crowd’s invigorated exclamations, Mr. Yu couldn’t help but chuckle softly. These people clearly did not grasp the East Bamboo Immortal’s true extraordinary nature. Director Ji understood this well but refrained from speaking, perhaps fearing that revealing it now would dampen their enthusiasm or even offend the pride of certain self-satisfied ‘experts’. Rather than undertaking such thankless effort, it would be better to let them suffer a setback in tomorrow’s actual combat, thereby curbing their overconfidence.
From Director Ji’s confrontation with the East Bamboo Immortal, Mr. Yu could distinctly sense that even if the East Bamboo Immortal was as Director Ji described, she remained a formidable opponent.
For even though the East Bamboo Immortal forcibly transformed hardness into softness, like a river being compelled into the sea, she must have devised a unique cultivation method to mitigate any adverse effects arising from this. Employing the same technique against her would likely yield no results.
Mr. Yu even suspected that the reason the East Bamboo Immortal’s self-created martial art could forcibly transform hardness into softness was likely because the very core of this technique lay in the interplay of hardness and softness.
If this were the case, then with the East Bamboo Immortal’s talent, practicing this martial art would undoubtedly grant her greater power than others. Yet, precisely because of this, the more she focused on cultivating this technique, the more she would be constrained by it. It was like everyone using a sickle to cut grass, but one person, exceptionally gifted, mastered the trick of cutting grass with an axe. The axe, in their hands, cut grass faster than a sickle. Consequently, the deeper this person delved into this trick, the more blinded they became by the advantages it offered, to the point of overlooking a crucial question: no matter how quickly an axe cuts grass, was an axe truly created for cutting grass in the first place?
“Then, in Director Ji’s estimation, who among us should be the first to face the East Bamboo Immortal tomorrow?”
An elder, who had been amusing a child with a small flower nearby, asked without looking up.
An immediate silence fell upon the assembled group. Regardless of their boasts of greatly increased chances, no one stepped forward to be the first to act.
‘A bunch of armchair strategists…’
The arrogant youth wiped dust from his face, preparing to be the first to step forward, but unexpectedly, a loud voice preempted him.
“I’ll go!”
All eyes turned to see that the speaker was none other than Tian Qi, squatting by the courtyard gate, gnawing on a roasted chicken like a village beggar. The others already disliked his boisterous demeanor, and seeing his greasy mouth and comical gesture of holding the chicken, they unanimously agreed that he was the most suitable candidate to go first.
“Good. Brother Tian will be the first to enter the arena. What are your thoughts, everyone?”
Director Ji’s gaze swept across the crowd, which erupted in cheers.
“Excellent! Brother Tian Qi possesses extraordinary courage and combines both wisdom and bravery. He is indeed the best choice; how could we presume to go before him!”
“Brother Tian Qi! Tomorrow, we rely on you!”
“Your Uncle Chen has high hopes for you too!”
Seeing the crowd cheer for him, Tian Qi hastily clamped the roasted chicken in his mouth and cupped his fist in response, conveying his intention not to disappoint.
Conversely, Mr. Yu and a select few others found the scene utterly comical, chuckling inwardly.
Director Ji, however, subtly tilted his head back, gazing towards the bamboo forest high above, a faint smile playing on his lips.