The Reckless Assault

With a sharp shout, Linghu Ruoxu lunged towards Murong Fan, chopsticks held like a weapon. Seeing this, Guo Hao also braced himself, palms raised, ready to strike.

However, Linghu Ruoxu’s chopstick thrust covered a vast area. The tip trembled, glinting with elusive silver light, making it incredibly difficult to pin down. If Murong Fan were to dodge, the girl standing beside him would surely be caught in the crossfire.

This man was truly remarkable. Seeing such a predicament, he swiftly turned, pulling the girl named Yiyi into his arms. His body swayed, carrying her several feet away, thereby evading Linghu Ruoxu’s enveloping attack. Only then did he set her down.

Following this, he spoke with a grim expression. “My friend, if you wish to fight, then fight. Why involve an innocent bystander?”

Linghu Ruoxu was never one for eloquent speech. Aside from brawls and arguments, he rarely managed to think on his feet or respond smoothly in front of strangers. Now, with Murong Fan’s accusation and the clear fault lying with him, he stammered, unable to form a coherent reply. After a long silence, he finally managed to blurt out, “This whole thing was provoked by her! What ‘innocent’ are you talking about?”

Murong Fan’s face darkened further upon hearing this somewhat specious retort. With a swift shift and spin, he gracefully returned to the center of the arena. My vision blurred for a moment, and then I saw Murong Fan standing tall between Guo Hao and Linghu Ruoxu, his feet spread neither wide nor narrow, his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an air of effortless calm.

“Since that is the case, for Yiyi’s sake, Murong must unfortunately teach a lesson to such an ill-mannered fellow as yourself!” he stated coldly. Yet, he remained with his hands behind his back, seemingly waiting for his opponent to make the first move.

Guo Hao and Linghu Ruoxu exchanged a glance across their opponent, then nodded in unison. Immediately, both men rushed forward and engaged Murong Fan in battle!

Xiao Ru, my senior sister, had entered the circle at some point, standing not far from me. She watched the flurry of fists, palms, and glinting silver in the arena with a frown, her lips, full like an unopened bud, lightly bitten. I vaguely heard her softly curse, “These young rascals of this generation, why are they so stubborn and senseless?”

****

After dozens of exchanges, Murong Fan, despite facing two opponents, remained at ease and unhurried. He moved with the ethereal footwork of the “Swimming Dragon Playing with Phoenix” technique, his hands shifting between fists, palms, fingers, and claws. He effortlessly employed techniques from various academies and specializations of Tianwu University, showcasing the vast breadth of his martial arts knowledge, truly living up to his reputation of “returning their methods upon themselves.”

In contrast, Guo Hao and Linghu Ruoxu were beginning to show signs of exhaustion. Guo Hao was slightly better off; after all, he wielded the eighteen palms of the Dragon-Subduing Palm, a technique of unparalleled ferocity and extreme yang. Though it might have lacked the strange and potent internal energy of Yang Guo’s “Sorrowful Palms of the Heartbreak Kid” (used in a state of profound grief), it excelled in its unstoppable momentum and concise, exquisite moves. Even with Murong Fan’s high level of martial arts, he was reluctant to directly confront Guo Hao’s palm force.

Linghu Ruoxu, however, fared worse. His martial arts focused on agility, emphasizing understanding the enemy’s situation and countering moves with moves. Yet, Murong Fan’s techniques were simply too complex and dazzling. As soon as Linghu Ruoxu deciphered one move, the next would take an entirely different path. Moreover, the transitions between moves were as fluid as flowing water, without any stagnation, leaving Linghu Ruoxu with no way to counter.

I had been intently watching the battle, while also observing Yang Guo’s reaction, when I suddenly heard Senior Sister Xiao Ru exclaim from beside me, “Oh no, those two rascals are in trouble now!”

No sooner had her words fallen than, inexplicably, Guo Hao’s “Arrogant Dragon Repents” strike landed squarely on Linghu Ruoxu’s shoulder, who had been thrusting his chopsticks forward. At the same moment, Linghu Ruoxu’s chopsticks, using the “Palm-Breaking Style,” pierced Guo Hao’s upper arm.

This sudden turn of events happened too quickly for anyone to clearly understand what had occurred, as if Murong Fan had cast some demonic spell!

Yet, in that fleeting moment, I clearly saw that after achieving this advantage, the coldness in Murong Fan’s eyes did not recede; instead, a hint of fierce intent flickered within them.

A shiver ran down my spine from that gaze. Without a second thought, I lunged forward. Sure enough, Murong Fan, who had already achieved a decisive victory, had not stopped. As Guo Hao and Linghu Ruoxu fell, having both been struck, he suddenly spun around. Bending his index and middle fingers on both hands, as if holding sword-chants, the wind howled, and sharp sounds cut through the air as his two fingers mercilessly thrust forward.

It was precisely at this critical juncture that I stumbled and threw myself in front of them. I saw that both fingers were aimed at vital points on their bodies. These two, unfortunately, were injured by each other’s techniques, their true qi momentarily blocked, leaving them unable to even shift their bodies! In desperation, I could only use my own body to shield them. The reason I dared such a reckless act was simply the thought that if my body were haphazardly positioned, at least Murong Fan’s thrusting fingers would not strike my vital organs!

Just as I, disgracefully, squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact, a clear and melodious cry suddenly rang out from the side.

“Murong, you brat, don’t you dare go too far! You would ruthlessly attack my junior brothers from Five Absolutes Academy, and my roommate, right in front of me? Do you truly take me for a sick cat?” As she spoke, I felt an incredibly fierce gust of wind sweep over from the direction of her voice, accompanied by that clear, dragon-and-phoenix-like sound. “You, young man from the Guo family, watch closely! This is how the Dragon-Subduing Palm should be used!”

Immediately after, I heard a low shout from Murong Fan. I couldn’t help but open my eyes to see Senior Sister Xiao Ru closing in, delivering a palm strike. In mid-air, her palm collided with Murong Fan’s two fingers, which had inexplicably changed direction. With the clash of palm and fingers, they exchanged a move, then both leaped back, retreating three feet from each other, standing as stable as mountains, facing off with palpable tension.

“Well, Murong, it’s been over a month since our last encounter, hasn’t it? Do you want me to teach you a few more moves?” Senior Sister Xiao Ru, with her straightforward nature, asked with a颯然 smile, though her words carried a subtle hint of threat.

I slumped to the ground, watching the shifting expressions on Murong Fan’s face. Finally, he managed to regain his previous composure, then cupped his fists and smiled faintly. “How could I dare? How could I dare? Senior Sister’s lesson is well taken. Murong made a momentary mistake, and thankfully, Senior Sister arrived in time to save me, preventing me from making a grave error. I should truly be thanking Senior Sister!”