Chapter 57: Phoenix Perched on the Wutong Tree (Part 4) “I just feel that if it weren’t for…
When Lian Qiang sat down, she was still feeling uneasy.
Chi Xingji naturally wouldn't miss what she and Zhu Wei were doing. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Are you... unhappy?"
After saying that, Lian Qiang glared at him and said unhappily, "Can't you see that?"
She made Chi Xingji realize he'd slipped up, and he wanted to say something to make amends. But Lian Qiang gave him another sidelong glance: "He looks down on me."
"This place is a mixed bag, and it's not surprising that there are some people without moral integrity among them." Chi Xingji followed suit and wanted to comfort her, but his hands clenched inconspicuously.
——That’s the posture of holding a sword.
"But I was very unhappy, so I beat him down," Lian Qiang said to herself, oblivious to this detail. Although she was still angry, her words had apparently dissipated a lot of it. "I figured he'd feel even worse than I did, beaten by someone he despised."
Chi Xingji smiled slightly: "Well, I see, you did a good job. He is a narrow-minded person, there is no need to be angry with him."
"Having said that..." Lian Qiang wanted to say something, but just as she was about to speak, she realized that her behavior was... inappropriate. She was used to being laughed at when she was alone, so why did she become so pretentious now that Chi Xingji was by her side?
She shuddered, chuckling to herself, then met Chi Xingji's concerned gaze and simply shook her head: "It's okay."
Most of the subsequent fights in the arena were a little lackluster. Even Qiang Jing had already lost interest after the previous fight, and he became even less interested. It was obvious that Chi Xingji was sitting as still as a bell, and he felt embarrassed to back out first.
She twirled her fingers for a long time, and finally raised her head out of boredom, only to see Chi Xingji looking at her leisurely: "Can't sit still anymore?"
Lian Qiang's face flushed, and she was about to retort, but Chi Xingji continued leisurely, "Focus on it for a moment longer. Concentrating your mind is also a form of spiritual practice."
Hearing this, Lian Qiang once again straightened up, determined to put on a proper demeanor. Once the time was set, it was much easier to get through it than if it were endless. Lian Qiang once again focused on the field, and as he looked, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
She witnessed the various people on and off the stage, watched them feel sad or happy because of winning or losing, envied others' talents that were hard to catch up with, and felt an indescribable sense of luck when facing those who were less talented than herself.
Isn’t Lian Qiang one of them?
She cast her gaze quietly on Chi Xingji. She had always wanted to know, but was always too shy to ask - would this brilliant genius ever feel confused?
"Why are you looking at me?" Chi Xingji noticed Lian Qiang's distracted mind and did not get angry. He just asked in a relaxed tone.
"I want to know if you have ever reached a bottleneck in your sword practice?" Lian Qiang was so focused on his thoughts that he asked the question without hesitation and regretted it the moment he said it.
If Chi Xingji had a bottleneck, it would be in the part of his memory he had lost. After becoming an immortal, he should have less time to draw his sword.
Chi Xingji hesitated for a moment, remaining silent. Lian Qiang understood, thinking he was embarrassed, and hurriedly said, "Don't be embarrassed, it's just a bottleneck, everyone has it..."
However, under her slightly sympathetic and relieved gaze, he slowly shook his head: "What I mean is, no. It has always been a natural process, there has never been a bright future."
At this moment, Lian Qiang was the one feeling embarrassed. However, having lived under the pressure of being a genius for so long, she knew that Chi Xingji was most likely telling the truth. She had long been accustomed to it and didn't hesitate now. She only murmured, "How enviable!"
Upon hearing this, Chi Xingji shook his head again cautiously: "Everything has its own laws of gain and loss. Gains and losses are the norm."
"...Is it because I gained talent but also lost the pain of studying?"
Lian Qiang wanted to joke, but Chi Xingji simply denied her seriously: "I just feel that if we don't cherish it, what we have today will be taken away tomorrow."
This wasn't a particularly heavy topic, and Lian Qiang's heart skipped a beat. Chi Xingji continued, "Coming from me, this might seem a bit self-deprecating and complacent, but if I hadn't constantly been thinking about this, I'd have been constantly worried all these years."
By the end, Chi Xingji's voice had become very soft, his eyes were looking into the distance, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
If these words were said by someone else, Lian Qiang would definitely think that they were overthinking and deliberately showing off, but when Chi Xingji said it, she just felt sad. These hundred years that were difficult for her were like a moment to Chi Xingji, or were they as long and eternal as hers?
Thinking of this, she unconsciously clenched her fists and wanted to speak to comfort him, but for a moment she didn't know where to stand, so she changed the subject stiffly: "...By the way, is it time?"
She turned clumsily, but Chi Xingji's expression softened after hearing this: "Yes, let's go."
The two of them stood up from their seats silently, leaving no one disturbed. Chi Xingji led the way a few steps ahead, while leaning over to Lian Qiang and patiently explaining the next steps.
The mountains were high in the sky, so the afterglow of the setting sun seemed particularly close to them, casting two long, parallel shadows behind them.
-
The next match after Lian Qiang came very quickly, and the opponent was a human cultivator.
When he faced the other person on the stage, he was a young monk whose depth was hard to tell. He was tall and graceful, carrying a three- or four-foot-long zither on his back. After Lian Qiang, he stepped onto the stage and stood still. He expected the other person to look down on her like an ordinary monk, but he was only briefly surprised, quickly suppressing his insignificant emotion and saying with a friendly smile, "My name is Lin Yuanfan. I would like to ask for your guidance, young lady."
Lian Qiang was startled, then raised his sword and clasped his fists, saying in a friendly manner, "I am Lian Qiang."
After a brief greeting, the two started fighting.
Lian Qiang was not very knowledgeable about music, but she knew that most music practitioners specialized in magic and were generally only good at long-range attacks. Lin Yuanfan had quite a few redundant rings on his body, so she concluded that she would have the upper hand in close combat.
She had previously learned a little about this opponent, who had a perfect record. Therefore, even though it seemed that the sword cultivator had an advantage over the magic cultivator, Lian Qiang did not dare to be careless and took every step carefully.
Lin Yuanfan seemed to know what her strategy was, and he also defended impeccably. For a moment, the two of them were deadlocked. Lian Qiang could not move forward, and Lin Yuanfan could not hit her farther.
However, Lian Qiang still had enough strength to swing her sword, and her fingering techniques on the piano became more complicated, with the music flowing one after another. Seeing that he was not having the advantage, Lin Yuanfan's heart became a little restless, and he accidentally missed a few semitones.
If people outside the venue do not listen carefully, they will not be able to hear the mistakes in the music. However, as an insider, Lian Qiang, even without a pair of fine ears, can detect where the other party's piano sound has weakened.
She wouldn't miss such an opportunity, preferring to advance even under the opponent's torrential music attack. In a short while, Lian Qiang had broken through half of Lin Yuanfan's layers of defense.
Lin Yuanfan knew his blind defense wouldn't work, so he sighed softly. His fingers paused, and he touched the strings again, a completely different sound pouring out. The soft, heavy melody was swept away, replaced by sharp and passionate sounds of attack.
Lian Qiang raised her eyebrows. The opponent's fighting spirit did not decrease but increased. She also put a little more strength into the sword, wanting to compete with Lin Yuanfan!
But gradually, Lian Qiang realized that the power contained in the string sound was not as strong as before, as if... as if the opponent had no intention of attacking at all.
But how could this be possible? Lian Qiang frowned, and suddenly saw the light reflected on the sword's edge, and glanced up at the sky distractedly -
The sky, which was covered with dark clouds just now, is now gathering with dark clouds. Dull thunder can be vaguely heard, and it seems that a heavy rain is coming.
Lian Qiang's pupils shrank, and she finally understood Lin Yuanfan's intention.
At the same time, Lin Yuanfan's piano music became faster and faster. It was impossible to tell where his ten fingers were. He played skillfully almost by instinct, which was so dazzling that people felt that the strings would be broken in the next moment.
He must be dealt with quickly - Lian Qiang made up his mind secretly, with a little cold sweat on his forehead.
Otherwise, otherwise...
She warned herself not to be impatient or careless, as this was a taboo, but her sword movements were still inevitably a little chaotic. Every distant thunderclap sounded like thunder exploding in her ears.
Not afraid, not afraid. Lian Qiang forced herself to remain calm, not realizing that her lips were turning pale.
After the song ended, Lin Yuanfan stopped playing, the color on his face faded, and a hint of red appeared on his fingertips. He didn't care at all, and his spirits were high. He whispered, "You are a very strong opponent. This thunder song was accidentally written by me during a tribulation, and it is also my specialty. Heavy rain will fall with thirty-two thunderclaps."
"I won't attack before the rain stops. If you come to me before the rain stops, it means I'm inferior to you."
In just a few words, Lin Yuanfan expressed his satisfaction with his own music score, but Lian Qiang turned a deaf ear to it. She only gritted her teeth and thought: Thirty-two...
Only thirty-two! She calmed her mind and stared at Lin Yuanfan not far away.
As we were talking, the rain started to fall, and the ground was covered with a few drops of rain, and then a bunch of raindrops, and a piece of raindrops...
In this heavy rain, the first thunder arrived as expected!
"Boom—"
Lian Qiang tried to keep her sword-wielding hand steady, but her subtle movements didn't escape Lin Yuanfan's notice. His opponent showed a second hint of surprise: "Are you... afraid of thunder?"
Throughout history, no cultivator or demon cultivator has ever been heard of being afraid of thunder. Even if they are afraid of it, they will eventually force themselves to face it. However, judging from Lian Qiang's reaction, it is obvious that the thunder has a great impact on her.
Lian Qiang didn't say anything and let the first lightning strike her. She was not prepared and took it head-on. Her skin was torn apart and a large blood stain appeared on her back in an instant.
The second thunder is coming! The third thunder is brewing...
Lian Qiang endured four or five thunders like this, and just when the audience and even Lin Yuanfan thought she had temporarily lost her mind, she finally moved.
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The author has something to say: I'm very sorry for the unexplained hiatus and disappearance during this period. I'm really not in good shape, and I have no excuses for myself. I accept criticism and correction. I dare not make big promises about the update frequency, but I will definitely finish it. Please rest assured that you are welcome to read it after it is finished or after it is finished. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution between 2023-06-18 23:11:10 and 2023-09-27 00:07:44~
Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: Liu Chenshu 1;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: 1 bottle of Yilou Tingfengyu;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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