Meister der Mehrdeutigkeit

Kapitel 111

Upon hearing that voice, Wen Su abruptly pulled Xiao Xiao behind him. "Master..."

Master? Wen Jing? Xiao Xiao couldn't help but feel a little scared.

Wen Jing slowly strolled out, his expression calm and gentle, as always. He walked up to the two of them, carefully examining Wen Su, and said with a smile, "So alike, so very alike. It's no wonder I've nurtured you for over a decade..." His tone turned cold as he spoke, revealing a murderous intent, "...even the 'betrayal of the sect' is exactly the same..."

The scorching June sun, at that moment, sent a chill down Xiaoxiao's spine. The hand holding her wrist remained icy cold, devoid of any warmth...

...

inaction

Wen Su released the small hand that was gripping her tightly, and gently pushed her away, signaling her to leave.

Wen Jing saw this action and his expression was slightly disdainful. "What, is it really as your master said, that you intend to betray the sect?"

Wen Su stepped forward and said, "Master, I have no intention of betraying you. She really knows nothing. Please let her go!"

Wen Jing smiled, his hands behind his back, a leisurely expression on his face. "Han Qing once said: 'If I die, the secret will remain a secret forever...'" He sighed softly, "It seems he was right. Indeed, there is no one else in this world who knows the secret of the Nine Emperors."

Wen Su's expression showed a hint of joy upon hearing those words.

However, the next moment, Wen Jing shook his head and said, "However, I have thought about it. This girl has many connections, and having her in hand will only bring benefits and harm."

“Master…” Wen Su wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Wen Jing.

"Wen Su, I thought you could find the Nine Emperor Artifacts for me and work together to achieve great things, but alas... what can you do with only three months left to live?" Wen Jing's tone grew colder as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiao knew that Wen Jing intended to kill her. She grabbed Wen Su's hand and ran away.

Wen Su was startled and was pulled several steps away.

Upon seeing this, Wen Jing strode forward and launched an attack with his palm, targeting Wen Su.

Wen Su sensed the palm strike and dodged to the side, avoiding the deadly attack. His expression was one of astonishment, clearly incredulous.

Wen Jing withdrew his inner energy, stood still, and looked at Wen Su: "I'll give you one more chance. Hand this girl over to me, and I'll let you fend for yourself!"

Xiao Xiao felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing these words. With Wen Jing's martial arts skills, capturing her from Wen Su would have been a piece of cake; there was no need for him to resort to such a deadly act. No matter how you looked at it, he clearly intended to kill Wen Su from the very beginning! As master and disciple, they should have been as close as father and son; how could he be so heartless?

Wen Su gradually calmed down and said, "My life was saved by Master, so I will leave it to Master to decide..."

Upon hearing these words, Wen Jing's expression instantly turned furious, so ferocious that it instilled fear in everyone.

"You wretched creature! You're asking for death!"

As he spoke, he launched a palm strike. Wen Su pushed Xiao Xiao aside and met the attack head-on.

She stumbled a few steps, knowing she should run, but seeing the situation before her, she couldn't move an inch.

Wen Su dodged the palm strike, then made a move to block Wen Jing's attack. He turned to Xiao Xiao and shouted, "Aren't you leaving yet!"

Xiao Xiao glanced at him and frowned. She rushed forward, pulled out a "Snow-Refined Silver Light" from her bosom, and thrust it straight at Wen Jing's Jianjing acupoint.

Upon seeing the needle, Wen Jing immediately pushed Wen Su away and took several steps back.

Xiao Xiao threw the needle over, and taking advantage of the opening, pulled Wen Su up and escaped without a care in the world.

Wen Su was stunned, and was pulled along by her once again.

Wen Jing dodged the silver needle, and muttered to himself with a mocking tone, "Exactly the same."

At this moment, his anger was beyond control, and he unconsciously gathered seventy percent of his true energy, focusing it in his palms. He let out a low shout, quickly pursued, and struck with a palm.

Knowing he would catch up, Xiao Xiao turned around and threw another silver needle.

Wen Jing spun around to dodge, then raised another palm and shouted, "You brat, do you think I wouldn't dare kill you?!"

Xiao Xiao had thought that since she still had some use, Wen Jing wouldn't kill her. But at that moment, the palm strike was incredibly powerful, clearly aimed at her. Startled, she hurriedly dodged.

Seeing this, Wen Su struck out with his palm.

The two exchanged blows, and Wen Jing frowned, saying, "You are a martial arts prodigy. Given time, I'm afraid I won't be your match either... I can't let you live!" After he finished speaking, he gathered another bit of his inner strength.

Wen Su felt a chilling internal force surge through his arm, instantly losing his palm strike and being knocked back several steps. Once he regained his footing, he felt numbness in his right hand, and his entire arm trembled uncontrollably.

Without hesitation, Wen Jing struck again.

Xiao Xiao was shocked. She leaped forward and kicked Wen Jing in the waist.

Wen Jing did not dodge and took her attack. Unfortunately, Xiao Xiao had no internal energy, so this attack was ineffective and had no effect on Wen Jing.

The next instant, Wen Jing changed his palm into a claw, clamping down on her ankle. With Xiao Xiao unable to move forward or backward, Wen Jing pulled her forward forcefully, releasing her ankle and instead locking her throat.

Xiao Xiao felt a tightness in her throat, her vision went white, and she almost fainted.

Despite the pain in his arm, Wen Su reached out to help. Just then, Wen Jing looked up and smiled. He released Xiao Xiao and struck out with his palm, hitting Wen Su squarely in the chest.

Xiao Xiao fell to the ground, and in her terror, she saw Wen Su being knocked several feet away. She choked on blood and collapsed helplessly.

"Uncle-Master!" she cried out, hurriedly standing up and stumbling to Wen Su's side.

Wen Su was already unconscious. The blood made his face look even paler. His eyes were slightly closed, his breathing was faint, and his pulse was so weak that it could not be detected.

Xiao Xiao was terrified. She held him in her arms, stunned and not knowing what to do.

Wen Jing straightened his clothes, walked up to them, and looked down at them. "Miss Zuo, do you want to come with me, or be buried with my unworthy disciple?"

Xiao Xiao looked at Wen Su in her arms, her mind buzzing, unable to process what was happening. At that moment, she suddenly noticed that the skin below his collar was slightly bluish, with prominent veins, which looked extremely strange.

"Nether Thunder Palm." Her voice trembled slightly. How could she forget that her master had died with the same injuries?

She looked up, her eyes filled with tears.

"Why, why did you kill my master? Why did you even kill your own disciple? Why?!" Xiao Xiao cried out, unable to contain herself.

Wen Jing sneered, "Why?... When your master destroyed my East Sea and killed my disciples, he didn't tell me why!"

Xiao Xiao was slightly taken aback. The Ghost Master had once conquered nine sects and seized the Nine Emperor's Divine Artifacts; could it be that the East Sea also…?

“I endured humiliation and hardship, offered up the divine weapon, and submitted to the Divine Firmament in order to be spared. For more than twenty years, only the word ‘revenge’ has remained in my heart!”

"I..." Xiao Xiao's heart was filled with anguish, her voice filled with unbearable sorrow, "My master is already dead... what more do you want?"

Wen Jing looked at Xiao Xiao and said, "The moment I killed your master, I realized that this wasn't 'revenge' at all. Your master was just a pawn. Obtaining the Nine Emperors and unifying the world—that's the real great cause! For that, I can abandon anything and kill anyone!" Wen Jing looked at Wen Su with cruel satisfaction, "This pawn is no longer of any use... Hahaha, just as I thought. Your master betrayed the Celestial Master, and he betrayed me. Now, even the way we died is the same, hahaha!"

Xiao Xiao could no longer ask. The person before her had long since lost his mind and could no longer be fathomed by human nature.

Wen Jing suppressed his smile, calmed his emotions, and returned to his usual gentle demeanor, saying, "Miss Zuo, if you are willing to help me, I naturally will not harm you..."

"Kill me." Xiao Xiao suppressed her sobs, looked up, and smiled contemptuously. "If you want me to help you, you might as well kill me."

Upon hearing this, Wen Jing's face darkened. Without uttering a word, he gathered his strength in his fingers and grabbed Xiao Xiao's shoulder.

Since Xiaoxiao couldn't avoid it, she didn't. She stared straight at Wen Jing without the slightest fear.

That look only enraged Wen Jing more, and he unconsciously increased the force in his hands, as if he wanted to crush her shoulder bone.

Just then, a sharp shout rang out, "Who dares to touch my men!"

The voice was deep, powerful, and domineering, startling Wen Jing and causing him to loosen his grip. He turned around and saw Jiang Ji. He didn't recognize Jiang Ji, but he knew that the person in front of him was skilled in martial arts, so he temporarily put Xiao Xiao aside and focused on dealing with the situation.

"I am Wen Jing, the island lord of the seventy-two islands of the East Sea. May I ask who you are?" Wen Jing asked politely.

Jiang Ji glanced at Xiao Xiao, whose tear stains were still visible behind Wen Su, and the dying Wen Su, and said contemptuously, "So you are Wen Jing, who abandoned the East Sea and allied with the Japanese pirates... My name is Jiang Ji."

“Jiang Ji…” Wen Jing frowned, pondering.

"No need to think about it, this name is nothing special." Jiang Ji gathered his energy and laughed loudly, "Take one of my palm strikes, and you'll know who I am!"

After he finished speaking, he swiftly attacked and struck with a palm.

Wen Jing immediately channeled his energy, retaliating with the "Nether Thunder Palm." He thought victory was assured, but unexpectedly, the clash of their palms unleashed a powerful surge of energy that sent him staggering back several steps. He caught his breath, a dull ache in his chest, and his brow furrowed in utter astonishment: "The Supreme Unity Heart Sutra!!!"

Jiang Ji withdrew his hand, his expression calm. He put his hands behind his back and said, "I won't kill anyone, so get lost."

Wen Jing was unwilling to give up. He waved his hand, and immediately more than a dozen Japanese ninjas appeared around him.

At that moment, the masked men arrived, and the situation in the forest suddenly reversed.

Seeing this, Wen Jing had no choice but to stop and leave with his men.

Jiang Ji smiled, turned around and walked to Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao looked up at him, still somewhat bewildered. Jiang Ji, however, did not hesitate. He squatted down, pulled Wen Su up, and took her pulse.

“This kid can still be saved,” Jiang Ji said, and without hesitation, he poured his true energy into Wen Su’s body from the top of his head.

A moment later, Wen Su choked and slowly woke up.

Xiao Xiao was stunned. Then, she burst into tears with a smile, choking out, "Uncle-Master..."

Wen Su looked at her, but he no longer had the strength to speak. He could only slightly twitch the corners of his mouth, wanting to laugh, but he was too weak to do so.

Seeing this, Jiang Ji smiled and said, "Girl, I only pulled him back from the brink of death. His injuries are too severe; he won't last much longer. Sending him to the Shennong Family might offer a glimmer of hope."

When Jiang Ji addressed her as "I," his tone softened. Touched, Xiao Xin nodded vigorously and reached out to hug Wen Su.

At this moment, Yin Xiao and Li Si also arrived. Luo Yuanqing followed behind them with his disciples from the South China Sea Sect. When he saw Wen Su, a strange expression flashed across his face.

Upon seeing these people, Jiang Ji ordered, "Go to the Shennong Family. Set off immediately. I'll hold off the pursuers for you."

Although Yin Xiao and his group were puzzled, they still agreed.

Xiao Xiao finally felt relieved, but suddenly felt a little tired. But when she thought of the person in her arms, she loosened her grip and forced herself to stay awake.

Yin Xiao walked to her side, smiled, patted her head, and said, "Girl, it's alright. Let's go."

Xiao Xiao was silent for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

...

The chaos continued until nightfall, when it finally subsided. As soon as the sunlight disappeared, the masked people vanished without a trace.

When Jiang Ji returned to Zuikeju, a smile still lingered on his face. Defeating the imperial army was obviously out of the question. But a feint, leading them astray, was quite simple. Even so, it still took considerable effort to escape. The Lian family was not to be underestimated.

He walked into the restaurant lobby, only to find it already full of people. Jiang Cheng saw him return and immediately went up to him, saying, "Father, Uncle Helan is here."

Jiang Ji looked up and saw a middle-aged man with a fair complexion and a slight beard sitting at a table in the center of the hall, leisurely sipping tea. It was none other than Helan Qifeng, the owner of "Qu Fang," with Ye Li standing respectfully beside him, massaging his shoulders. Beside him sat a young woman; though her clothes were simple, her demeanor was graceful and polite, suggesting she was from a well-to-do family.

"Why are you here?" Jiang Ji stepped forward and asked.

Helan Qifeng raised his eyes and said, "I heard that the Lian family's garrison has surrounded this town, so I came here specifically to see what's going on."

Jiang Ji snorted, sat down, and said, "You're here to see me make a fool of myself, aren't you?"