Chapter 86

(86) The Demon's Selection

Jadual immediately turned and started to run away.

The moment he realized who the voice belonged to, his body reacted before his will could catch up.

'Why is Bloodwater Venerable here...!'

There was no such thing as a bolt from the blue.

Fortunately, Chao E Liang did not chase after him.

Perhaps he did not expect Jadual to flee so quickly.

He could not afford to miss this golden opportunity.

However, even a vicious day has its way of tripping you up.

A massive rock that had been crouching in the darkness suddenly stood up...

"Seems like Jadual is busy again today?"

A chilling voice echoed.

Jadual's face, drained of blood, twisted in shock.

'Even Wanshan Fairy!'

The sight of Fan Jie Wei waving his hand felt like the King of Hell beckoning him.

'Damn it!'

Jadual clenched his teeth and summoned all his life's energy.

At the same time, his figure swayed slightly.

"Ooh?"

Fan Jie Wei let out a low exclamation.

Jadual had vanished from his field of vision and reappeared five feet away.

"You know the Move and Change Position technique? Not bad."

Jadual's lightness of foot had improved significantly since they last met.

However, there was another person waiting for him.

Han Xuehua.

Just then, the clouds parted, revealing the full moon.

Under the pale moonlight, Han Xuehua stood with a dignified posture, her beauty truly unmatched in the world.

He was so stunned by her presence that he momentarily forgot he needed to run.

But that was a mistake.

'Oh no!'

Jadual came to his senses late.

However...

'Huh?'

He found himself unable to move his feet, as if they were glued to the ground.

His eyes widened in shock when he realized that white ice had crept up to his ankles.

Suddenly, he recalled the woman in front of him waving her sleeve a moment ago.

'No way!'

Jadual's face turned ashen as he tried to run away.

The two monsters, Chao E Liang and Fan Jie Wei, were approaching with smiles, making the situation even more terrifying.

"Ha ha..."

Jadual forced a smile.

It was a smile that would have been better off as tears.

"Have you been well?"

A moment later.

Jadual, who had shrunk back, looked up at Han Xuehua with a face full of doubt.

"Is she the Ice Jade Immortal?"

At first, he thought it might be a title passed down through generations.

But it wasn't.

Even fifty years ago, and a hundred years ago...

The title belonged only to her.

At first, he thought it was a joke, but it wasn't.

Neither Chao E Liang nor Fan Jie Wei were the type to waste time on idle chatter.

Jadual sighed deeply, as if the ground had opened up beneath him.

Despite his long experience in the martial world, he could not maintain his composure in this situation.

"Good people do not come, and those who come are not good."

He was acutely aware of this saying at this moment.

Chao E Liang alone was terrifying enough to make his heart drop, and now there was the walking mountain of blood and sea of fire, Fan Jie Wei, and the legendary martial figure, Han Xuehua, whom he had only heard about from gossip.

'Am I dreaming?'

The situation of being surrounded by these three people was so surreal.

Jadual looked up at the three with the most pitiful expression he could muster.

"Why are you doing this to me...?"

Fan Jie Wei stepped forward as if he had been waiting for this.

"You sprinkled lime powder in my eyes. I'm here to collect the debt."

"Really? All of a sudden?"

Jadual's eyes welled up with tears of injustice.

"That was over ten years ago, and I already paid for it back then."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Jadual, recalling the incident, shouted in protest.

"At Qingzhou's Fragrant Pavilion! There was a courtesan who was Bloodwater Venerable's lover, right? You asked me to secretly deliver a letter to her. I went through so much trouble to approach her without being noticed..."

Jadual stopped speaking.

Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, and his hair stood on end.

"Was that you?"

Turning his head, he saw Chao E Liang glaring at him with a chilling voice.

The cold light in his eyes almost made Jadual wet his pants.

Jadual clung to Fan Jie Wei's pants.

"Please, say something!"

But Fan Jie Wei ignored his pleading gaze.

"Would you have any complaints if you died here at my hands?"

Jadual stammered.

"But she asked me to do it..."

"All debts between us have been settled long ago."

"Really?"

"We decided to settle all our entanglements."

Fan Jie Wei nodded, and Jadual asked hopefully.

"Then what about me...?"

"That's different."

"Why?"

"The debt between us is just beginning."

"I feel so wronged!"

"How many people have died without feeling wronged?"

Jadual's face turned pale.

Surrounded by three experts of the grandmaster level, there was no chance of escape.

Just when he thought he was doomed, a lifeline was thrown from the sky.

"Would you like a chance?"

Chao E Liang's casual offer made Jadual nod without hesitation.

"Yes! Please give me a chance! You must!"

He was in no position to be picky.

Life in this world, no matter how bad, was still better than the afterlife.

"Fight with that child. If you win ten times, I'll let you go."

Jadual turned his head to where Chao E Liang was pointing.

On one side of the valley, under a tent set up to block the night dew, a child was sleeping soundly.

Perhaps due to the intense training during the day, Dan Aoxian remained deeply asleep despite the commotion around her.

Jadual's face was filled with doubt.

He expected the conditions to be much harsher, but this seemed too easy.

"Is that all?"

When he asked, the answer was the same.

"Once every four days. She's only been practicing martial arts for less than a year, so it shouldn't be too difficult."

Jadual looked at Chao E Liang, Fan Jie Wei, and Han Xuehua in turn.

There was definitely something suspicious, but he dared not question them.

He had no choice but to accept.

Then, Fan Jie Wei spoke up.

"Feel free to run away whenever you want."

"Really?"

At Jadual's question, Fan Jie Wei smiled slyly.

"Actually, I'd be grateful if you did."

"Huh?"

"I haven't tasted blood in a while."

"......!"

Jadual, startled, bowed deeply to the three.

"Please take care of me for the next month!"

Escape was out of the question.

He couldn't even dream of it.

In the meantime, Jadual kept glancing at Dan Aoxian, who was still deeply asleep.

Even with the three as her teachers, she had only been practicing for about a year.

Moreover, she was just a child whose limbs were not yet fully developed.

In contrast, he had spent several times longer than her age navigating the treacherous world of martial arts.

'This should be a piece of cake.'

He just wanted to complete the conditions as quickly as possible and get away from these monstrous beings.

The next morning.

"Ah! You must be Senior Xin Tou."

Dan Aoxian greeted him with a bright smile, and Jadual's lips involuntarily twitched.

Perhaps due to the accumulated grudges, others rarely called him Xin Tou.

"Yes, I am Gui Ying."

Just as Jadual was about to put on an air of superiority,

A mental message flew in.

—If you reveal the content of our deal, you will die. Remember that you volunteered to help with the sparring.

It was from Chao E Liang.

Fan Jie Wei also sent a mental message.

—Remember? You can run away anytime if you're not happy.

Jadual, startled, forced a smile and approached Dan Aoxian.

"I have a great debt to these seniors, and I've been eagerly waiting for a chance to repay it. Now, heaven has given me this opportunity."

Jadual continued smoothly.

"I will do my best to help you improve your martial arts over the next month."

"Yes, thank you very much."

"Shall we start then?"

Eager to complete the ten sparring sessions as soon as possible, Jadual's heart raced.

Dan Aoxian nodded readily and prepared for the sparring.

Facing Dan Aoxian at a slight distance, Jadual suddenly felt uneasy and looked around.

He soon realized why.

The warm gazes the three directed at Dan Aoxian.

The world-renowned Bloodwater Venerable and Wanshan Fairy could look so gentle!

Even Han Xuehua's cold, ice-like face had a faint smile.

Jadual immediately understood how much they cherished Dan Aoxian.

'Maybe...'

He thought he could use Dan Aoxian as a hostage to escape.

—Try it, see.

A mental message flew in immediately.

Turning his head, he saw Fan Jie Wei with a meaningful smile.

But his eyes were as deadly as ever.

Chao E Liang and Han Xuehua were the same.

Having dealt with countless villains, they could easily read his intentions from his eyes.

Swallowing hard,

Jadual felt their sharp gazes piercing his heart.

"Then, let's start."

Pretending to be calm, Jadual was actually trembling.

The sparring began with Dan Aoxian's attack.

As agreed, Jadual did not use his inner strength.

He observed her movements carefully, trying to gauge her abilities.

'Not bad, she's quite good at mimicking.'

Jadual inwardly smiled at Dan Aoxian's attack, which seemed to mimic Chao E Liang's Golden Thread Technique.

But it wasn't just a clumsy imitation.

Then, at one moment,

"Huh?"

Jadual's voice was filled with confusion.

The longer they exchanged blows, the more precise Dan Aoxian's movements became.

After a few moves, he realized she was far from being a pushover.

Her techniques for exploiting weaknesses were quite sharp and fierce.

Moreover, her reaction speed was impressive.

Not only her movements to grab, twist, press, and pull, but also her ability to push, strike, and deflect was extraordinary.

'Is this possible?'

It was hard to believe that a child who had practiced martial arts for less than a year could have such skill.

These monsters must be bluffing.

It was impossible by any standard of his knowledge.

At that moment,

Rip.

The fabric of Jadual's chest was torn.

Startled, Jadual quickly retreated.

"..."

Jadual's face turned red.

Even without using his inner strength, he never expected to be embarrassed by a young child.

Sure enough, when he glanced back, he saw the three monsters looking at him with incredulous eyes.

'Damn it!'

Humiliation and anger boiled within him.

He had at least a hundred ways to kill the brat in front of him if he wanted to.

But if he did, his head would fly off first.

'But they said I can do anything else, right?'

Jadual smiled slyly.

In that instant, he disappeared from Dan Aoxian's sight.

Then, he reappeared right in front of her.

He decided to use his specialty, lightness of foot, to win.

Although he did not use his inner strength, his movements were incredibly swift, honed over a lifetime.

However, Dan Aoxian was already well-prepared.

Jadual's eyes wavered as he faced her rapid and continuous attacks.

The techniques of the Golden Thread Technique were far from easy to handle.

'But it's impossible.'

Jadual's eyes flashed with a cold light as he stared at Dan Aoxian.