Shall I go first?
Upon hearing this, Ye Qiu shot a fierce glare at Master Longbrow.
You old git, you’ve taken all the harshest words for yourself. If you’re so capable, why don’t you go first?
How dare you tell me to go first? Have you no shame?
The guests in attendance were also taken aback. They had assumed that after Master Longbrow’s harsh words, he’d engage in a grand battle with Master Du’e. Who could’ve predicted this outcome?
Master Du’e smiled and said, “Friend Longbrow, why don’t you join Benefactor Ye and go together? Otherwise, Benefactor Ye alone won’t be a match for me.”
Master Longbrow replied, “If I join him, two against one, wouldn’t that be bullying?”
“No matter,” said Master Du’e. “This old monk isn’t afraid of being bullied.”
“Fine then. Ye Qiu, you go bully him.”
Bloody hell, why is it me again?
Ye Qiu had seen shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless.
He was fuming.
Master Longbrow declared loudly, “As the old saying goes, ‘Why use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken?’”
“Du’e, don’t underestimate Ye Qiu.”
“Though he’s young, his strength might not be inferior to yours. If you dare to take him lightly, you might end up capsizing in the gutter.”
“Let me tell you something, last night, Ye Qiu took down Cao Tianding.”
What?
He killed Cao Tianding?
Master Du’e raised an eyebrow, his gaze towards Ye Qiu turning cautious. If Ye Qiu had truly defeated Cao Tianding, he’d need to tread carefully.
After all, even if he fought Cao Tianding himself, he wasn’t certain of victory.
However, based on their two brief exchanges earlier, Master Du’e had gauged Ye Qiu’s strength and didn’t believe he could’ve killed Cao Tianding.
“Benefactor Ye, is what Friend Longbrow said true?” Master Du’e asked.
“What do you think?” Ye Qiu countered.
“I think Friend Longbrow is deceiving this old monk.”
“Master, your insight is as sharp as a torch.”
Hearing this, Master Du’e let out a slight sigh of relief.
Bai Yujing, standing to the side, grew irritated watching Master Du’e prattle on endlessly. Impatiently, he snapped, “Master, enough chit-chat with him. Get on with it!”
“Don’t delay the wedding ceremony.”
“The guests are getting antsy.”
Indeed, the guests were growing restless.
It was like watching a TV drama, knowing an exciting plot twist was coming, but the main characters kept waffling, making you want to fast-forward.
“Master, get on with it!”
“We’re still waiting to toast at the wedding!”
“If you don’t act soon, we won’t get to drink today.”
Finally, Master Du’e made his move, stepping towards Ye Qiu. As he walked, he said, “Benefactor Ye, this old monk is getting serious now. I hope you’ll give it your all from here on.”
Nonsense!
You’re about to take me down, why wouldn’t I go all out? Am I waiting to be caught?
When Master Du’e was three metres from Ye Qiu, he stopped and said, “Benefactor Ye, make your move!”
“No offence intended!”
Ye Qiu clenched his right fist and charged forward like lightning, smashing a punch towards Master Du’e’s face.
Master Du’e formed a claw with his five fingers and grabbed at Ye Qiu’s fist.
Just as it seemed Ye Qiu’s fist would be caught, his arm twisted at an unbelievable angle, his body shifted slightly, and he drove his elbow towards Master Du’e.
Master Du’e reacted quickly, adjusting his right hand’s trajectory, still in a claw shape, to seize Ye Qiu’s elbow.
Bang!
Ye Qiu’s elbow clashed with Master Du’e’s hand, and both retreated five steps.
In this round, they were evenly matched.
Master Du’e said with an appreciative tone, “Not bad. Benefactor Ye knows the Iron Mountain Lean from Baji Quan, and your skill is profound. It seems you’ve trained for at least ten years, haven’t you?”
“You’ve misjudged, Master. I’ve only just come across Baji Quan and haven’t practised it much.”
Ye Qiu wasn’t lying.
He hadn’t known about Baji Quan before. It was only when Xiao Zhan and Han Long sparred that day, and he watched from the side, finding it interesting, that he mentally noted a few moves.
As for practice, he hadn’t trained a single day.
But Master Du’e didn’t buy it.
To execute the essence of Baji Quan without much practice? Either Ye Qiu was showing off, or he was taking him for a fool.
Before Master Du’e could respond, Ye Qiu spoke first.
“If I’m not mistaken, what you just used was the Dragon Claw Hand, one of the 72 Ultimate Techniques of Buddhism, wasn’t it?”
“Benefactor Ye is correct, it was indeed the Dragon Claw Hand.”
“How many of the 72 Ultimate Techniques does the Master know?” Ye Qiu asked curiously.
Master Du’e replied, “The 72 Ultimate Techniques of Buddhism are vast and profound, and some have been lost to time. This old monk has studied hard for years and only mastered five. Besides the three you’ve already seen, I also know the One-Finger Zen and the Radiant Fist.”
“If the Master only knows these five techniques, I’m afraid you won’t be able to take me down,” Ye Qiu said with a smile.
“Oh? Then let this old monk see what you’re capable of, Benefactor Ye.”
“As you wish.”
As Ye Qiu’s words fell, he appeared right in front of Master Du’e.
This time, he unleashed the Nine-Turn Dragon Technique, throwing a punch at Master Du’e.
Master Du’e countered with his own fist, using the Radiant Fist from the 72 Ultimate Techniques.
Boom!
Their fists collided with an explosive sound, piercing the guests’ eardrums.
Master Du’e’s fist surged with internal energy, like a tidal wave crashing down, but Ye Qiu, at full strength, packed nearly 3,000 pounds of force into his punch.
After the clash, both retreated swiftly.
This punch was a draw.
Then, they charged at each other again, quickly becoming locked in combat.
They traded punches relentlessly, their speed increasing until all that could be seen were two blurry figures.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of fists colliding echoed nonstop.
Even though the guests couldn’t clearly see the two figures in the fray, they widened their eyes, adrenaline pumping, blood boiling.
It was thrilling.
Though they couldn’t see, Master Longbrow had a clear view.
The more he watched, the more shocked he became.
“This little rascal, what kind of miraculous encounter did he stumble upon? How did his skills improve so much overnight? He’s almost on par with Du’e now.”
Master Longbrow’s eyes gleamed with intrigue. He could tell Ye Qiu’s power had surged since last night when he faced Cao Tianding.
Unbeknownst to him, it was all thanks to the Blood Bodhi.
After consuming it, Ye Qiu had gained ten years’ worth of inner strength.
Five minutes later,
Bang!
With a massive collision, the two fighters finally broke apart.
Ye Qiu stumbled back over a dozen steps, dropping to one knee, blood trickling from his mouth.
Master Du’e, meanwhile, no longer looked serene and dignified. His robes were torn in several places, and his nose was bleeding.
Both were injured.
But Ye Qiu had taken the worse hit.
“Master, I heard you once used your ultimate move to injure Xiao Jiu. I’d like to see it,” Ye Qiu said, wiping the blood from his mouth and standing up.
“If this old monk uses my ultimate move, you’ll surely die,” Master Du’e said gravely.
“Master, if you don’t use it, not only will you fail to capture me today, but you might end up dying here yourself.”
Master Du’e stared at Ye Qiu for a moment before nodding slowly. “Very well. I’ll use my ultimate move. Be careful, Benefactor Ye.”
With that, he raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, then extended his little finger, pointing it at Ye Qiu from a distance.
Whoosh!
An invisible sword qi erupted, fast as lightning and utterly ferocious.
Ye Qiu’s expression shifted dramatically as a legendary, profound martial art flashed through his mind,
The Six Meridians Divine Sword!
—
