Chapter 274

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Qin Shiyue smiled and said: “Precisely, it is I, Qin!”

“You?” Murong Jian pointed at the white-haired man before him in disbelief, then burst into uproarious laughter, as if he had just witnessed the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Qin Shiyue did not refute him, merely smiling as he looked on.

Only after laughing to his heart’s content did Murong Jian finally speak: “Uncle Qin, don’t tease your nephew. You are already at an age where you understand the Mandate of Heaven(TL_Note: He’s old XD), so why go against fate and indulge in frivolous affairs with the younger generation? Though you may have methods to preserve your appearance, age does not lie—why bother?”

Then, his expression darkened as he turned to Flood Dragon King Xu and said coldly: “Uncle Xu, your nephew has come with sincerity, yet you continue to evade me. Are you looking down on our navy? Are you disregarding the city’s defense?”

Qin Shiyue, still beaming, replied: “My dear nephew, your Uncle Qin has just taken in his sixth wife and concubine, one less than you. Now that this little beauty has chosen me, we are on equal footing, each with seven wives and concubines. Is that not delightful?”

“You… are you serious?” Murong Jian was furious, and in his eyes, Qin Shiyue instantly became no better than a pile of dung. He bellowed: “Qin Shiyue! I respect you as an esteemed guest of Uncle Xu, not because I fear your affiliation with any sect. In this Jingyue City, the Commander of the Guard holds absolute authority. The South Sea belongs to our navy! Whatever little tricks you wish to play, you will have to get past me first. Do not think I am blind to your bullying ways! You, an old dog with a head full of white hair, dare to vie for Jiaotong’s favor?”

After speaking, he flashed a dazzling smile at Xu Jiaotong and said: “Jiaotong, don’t worry. Now that I’m here, I’ll rescue you right away.”

Leaving aside Xu Jiaotong’s reaction, Zhang Xiaohua, who was standing nearby, immediately bent over and began retching. That smile was simply too nauseating.

To Murong Jian’s surprise, Xu Jiaotong stepped forward, walked up to him, and gave a deep bow before speaking in a delicate voice: “Commander Murong, I deeply appreciate your favor. But I am fated for misfortune and cannot serve by your side. I implore you to be magnanimous and let me go. I willingly choose to follow Lord Qin.”

By the time she finished speaking, even her neck was flushed red.

Such a display of shyness—where had Murong Jian ever seen the like? His heart itched even more, and he slammed the table as he declared: “Jiaotong, say no more! For you, I would gladly be shattered to pieces! Qin Shiyue, you disgrace your years. I cannot sit idly by. Today, I will surely rescue you from this torment!”

With that, he ignored Xu Jiaotong’s gritted teeth and turned to Qin Shiyue. “Lord Qin, since you insist on this course, I will dispense with pleasantries. Lay out the terms, and I will accept them all.”

Qin Shiyue chuckled. “What terms? Affection between men and women is only natural. Jiaotong and I are of one mind. What business is it of a commander like you?”

These words were precisely what Murong Jian had once said to General Lu. Now that Qin Shiyue was returning them word for word, it was most fitting.

But Murong Jian countered: “As a mere commander, I may not have authority over you, but I, too, admire Miss Jiaotong. Naturally, I have the right to compete. So? Set the terms.”

Qin Shiyue remained composed. “I, Qin, have no interest in setting terms with you. Miss Jiaotong has already made her choice—she will marry no one but me. Why bring disgrace upon yourself? Seeing that you sincerely admire her, I won’t make things difficult for you. Best you return home, wash up, and get some rest.”

Murong Jian flew into a rage. “You gutless coward! If you don’t dare set terms, then I’ll make the rules. If you lack the courage to accept, then scram back to whatever sect you belong to. Stop making a fool of yourself here! Jingyue City belongs to real men!”

Qin Shiyue’s eyes flickered. “Very well, let’s hear it. What are your rules?”

Murong Jian was overjoyed. “So, you’re ready to accept? If I lay them out and you can’t follow through, then you’d best leave Jingyue City at once.”

Flood Dragon King Xu, growing anxious, called out, “Lord Qin—”

But Qin Shiyue merely glanced at Flood Dragon King Xu, then at Xu Jiaotong, and smiled. “Just leave it to me.”

Then, he said to Murong Jian: “Go ahead and set the terms. I, Qin, will take them all on.”

Murong Jian pinched his stubby fingers around his chin, pretending to ponder before saying: “How about this, Lord Qin? I know you’re a martial arts expert, and I’m no match for you. But this guard of mine has spent some time in the Jianghu before joining my navy. Why don’t you spar with him? If you can defeat him in just one or two moves, I will yield to your wishes.”

These words were utterly unreasonable. The people in the hall were all enraged. Who was Qin Shiyue? He was the representative of everyone here! Murong Jian wasn’t just insulting Qin Shiyue but the entire Heavenly Dragon Divine Cult.

However, there were two exceptions—one was Zhang Xiaohua, an outsider to the situation. Unlike the others, he hadn’t been personally insulted, so his mind remained clear. He found this ugly man’s actions outrageous—coming into someone else’s territory to stir up trouble was already suspicious enough. No matter how brash a fool might be, they wouldn’t be so reckless.

The other exception was Qin Shiyue himself. Anyone setting a trap would normally use their own strengths against their opponent’s weaknesses—never the other way around. Yet Murong Jian had managed to rise to the position of naval commander. Even if he lacked intelligence, surely he had at least seen enough to know better? This behavior was too odd. Qin Shiyue immediately grew wary.

With a smile, Qin Shiyue looked at the smug Murong Jian and said: “Good nephew, you’re really considerate of your Uncle Qin. Let’s go with that, then. This old body of mine could use some exercise.”

With that, he strolled to the front of the hall, arms crossed, standing as steady as a mountain.

The soldier behind Murong Jian said nothing, merely removed his armor to reveal the clothing underneath. After tidying himself up slightly, he picked up a curved blade from the ground and stepped into the circle.

A true expert can tell skill with just a glance. In fact, from the moment this soldier followed Murong Jian off the boat, Qin Shiyue had been observing him closely. He had already noted from the man’s footwork and posture that he was no ordinary guard—there was the presence of a true expert in his bearing. And now, seeing the way he held his blade, along with the aura he exuded, Qin Shiyue’s suspicions were confirmed. How could Murong Jian be making a joke out of this?

There was definitely something fishy going on.

The soldier stood opposite Qin Shiyue, gripping his curved blade tightly in his right hand. “Lord Qin, I am but a nameless wanderer, but since my commander calls you ‘Lord’, I shall do the same. Please offer me your guidance.”

With that, he assumed a standard blade stance—a common technique among naval forces, nothing extraordinary. Even so, Qin Shiyue did not let his guard down. He casually drew a flexible sword from his waist. With a slight exertion of internal force, the soft sword twisted like a serpent, radiating a chilling aura.

Faced with the biting sword aura of the flexible sword, the soldier remained unfazed. He merely gripped his blade tightly, standing firm in defense without making a move. Seeing this, Qin Shiyue chuckled and said: “Since you refuse to give your name, I won’t press the matter. However, since I, Qin, am a man of some renown in the Jianghu, I won’t take advantage of you. You have come from afar, so as the host, I will let you have three moves first. Only after three moves will I strike back—what do you think?”

A sharp glint flashed in the soldier’s eyes, his face momentarily lighting up with joy before he quickly collected himself, maintaining his stance. Murong Jian smirked and said: “Since Lord Qin is being so generous, what are you waiting for?”

The soldier said nothing. Stepping forward, he suddenly slashed down with his blade, the force behind it immense. Qin Shiyue furrowed his brows slightly and sidestepped just enough to evade the strike, his muscles tensing in anticipation of a follow-up move. However, to his surprise, the soldier did not alter his attack. When his curved blade missed, he simply retracted it and swung diagonally again, just as forcefully as before. Qin Shiyue’s frown deepened as he flipped backward to avoid the attack. Yet again, there was no change in technique—the soldier merely retracted his blade and swept it horizontally in a standard strike.

At that moment, Qin Shiyue’s brows completely relaxed. He understood now—this was a warrior’s dignity. This soldier may have been just a guard under Murong Jian’s command, but in the Jianghu, he was no nameless nobody. Qin Shiyue had only offered the three-move handicap to test the waters, yet this soldier had refused to take advantage of it. A sense of admiration arose in Qin Shiyue’s heart—heroes recognized heroes.

Sure enough, as the curved blade swept toward him, Qin Shiyue only needed to slightly draw in his abdomen to narrowly dodge it with ease. Laughing heartily, he said: “Brother, you have fine character! Come, let’s start over—”

Before he could finish speaking, an abrupt change occurred. The soldier’s curved blade did not follow the expected trajectory and withdraw as normal. Instead, it suddenly changed direction—tilting at an angle, with the dull spine in front and the sharp edge behind, slashing toward Qin Shiyue’s chest from an unexpected angle!

At that moment, Qin Shiyue was in the middle of exhaling to speak, completely off guard. He had believed this soldier to be honorable and had lowered his vigilance. By the time he noticed the curved blade closing in, it was already too late to dodge fully. He could only twist his body at the last moment, allowing the blade’s spine to scrape past his armpit.

Even so, a soft tearing sound was heard—“tzzt!”

A thin red line appeared where the blade’s tip had grazed him, slicing through his robe and drawing a trail of blood.

Qin Shiyue took a deep breath, regaining his composure. With a sudden burst of movement, he shifted sideways by half a step, his body floating lightly. The smile across his face became even brighter as he said: “Fine blade technique, cunning trick… Oh? You actually used poison?”

A strange numbness tingling in his armpit instead of pain—a sign of something amiss. Looking down, he saw that the shallow wound had already turned black, the discoloration spreading rapidly through his veins. The poison was clearly potent.

Just as Qin Shiyue was about to react, the soldier advanced swiftly, unleashing another strike. This time, the attack was not only powerful but also filled with unpredictable variations, as if one slash contained countless hidden moves. Qin Shiyue’s expression changed drastically. This was nothing like the previous three strikes—the level of skill and mastery was entirely different. The soldier had been deliberately holding back!

With no choice but to respond, Qin Shiyue raised his sword to meet the attack. Blade and sword clashed with a crisp ring, neither man retreating even half a step. Their strength was evenly matched! The soldier withdrew his curved blade in a flash and immediately pressed forward again, each strike more intense than the last.

Forced into full defense, Qin Shiyue found himself unable to spare a moment to expel the poison, let alone retrieve the Antidote Pill from his robes!