'What?!' Xiao Yan screamed internally, utterly shocked. He knew exactly how heavy the Xuan Ruler was, and with his Dou Qi reinforcing the swing, it possessed enough force to smash a boulder to dust. Yet, this youth of roughly the same cultivation stage had blocked it bare-handed!
Refusing to be overpowered, Xiao Yan gritted his teeth. He pushed even more Dou Qi into his arms, trying to force the heavy ruler down to crush both the interloper and the alchemist.
The pressure was immense. The stone tiles beneath Yoriichi's boots instantly shattered into spiderweb cracks under the multiplied weight.
But Yoriichi was like an immovable rock. He did not buckle. He took a deep, resonant breath—the signature, rhythmic inhale of Total Concentration Breathing—oxygenating his blood and reinforcing his Iron Fist muscular foundation to its absolute peak.
He looked at the cloaked figure, his crimson eyes perfectly calm. Yoriichi didn't know who this mysterious, physically monstrous person was, nor did he know their exact motivation for wanting this alchemist dead. But he could not let the blade fall and doom the Xiao Clan.
Feeling the crushing weight of the ruler steadily increasing, Yoriichi channeled his Dou Qi directly into his palms.
With a sudden, explosive exhalation, Yoriichi twisted his hips and violently pushed his hands upward.
The redirected kinetic energy was staggering. Xiao Yan felt a massive, unavoidable force travel up the shaft of the ruler. He lost his footing, stumbling backward three heavy steps, his arms vibrating wildly from the rebound.
Xiao Yan stabilized himself, a grim, highly serious expression settling over his face beneath the hood. 'This guy is terrifyingly powerful,' he thought, his respect for the unknown martial artist spiking.
He looked up to finally analyze his opponent's face in the moonlight.
When Xiao Yan saw the long black hair with distinct red tip, and the emotionless, handsome face of the youth standing before him, he froze completely.
'Xiao Ning?!' Xiao Yan's mind reeled in absolute disbelief.
It was the arrogant, pampered young master he had beaten to a pulp in the arena a month ago! How the hell was he here? And more importantly, how had his physical strength and Dou Qi density skyrocketed to such an absurd, monstrous level?!
While Xiao Yan was having an internal crisis, trying to calm down and process why this guy was interfering in his business, Yoriichi did not press the attack. Instead, he instantly dropped to one knee in front of Liu Xi. He placed two fingers against the alchemist's neck, rapidly checking his condition.
Seeing the very clan member he despised actively checking the condition of the enemy who had harassed his Xun'er made Xiao Yan's blood boil.
'Is he helping him?! Is this bastard conspiring with the Jia Lie Clan to protect their alchemist?!' Xiao Yan thought, his fury reigniting. He wanted to finish this all with one clean strike, regardless of who stood in his way.
With a furious roar, Xiao Yan lunged forward again, sweeping the heavy ruler horizontally in a devastating arc meant to bisect them both.
Yoriichi did not try to block it this time.
With a smooth, fluid motion, Yoriichi grabbed Liu Xi by the thick collar of his robes. Using his incredible leg strength, Yoriichi vaulted directly backward, launching himself and the heavy alchemist twenty feet into the air, landing silently on the sloping tiled roof of the adjacent pavilion to deflect the attack's range.
The heavy ruler smashed into the courtyard wall, demolishing a solid stone pillar in a shower of debris.
Xiao Yan, thoroughly frustrated, kicked off the ground and pursued them onto the roof.
He unleashed a flurry of heavy, sweeping attacks.
Clang! Clang! Smash!
But fighting Yoriichi now was a vastly different experience from their arena duel. Before, Xiao Ning had fought with aggressive, linear fire strikes. Now, Yoriichi was like a mischievous monkey, or more accurately, a flowing river.
Yoriichi applied his newly comprehended Water Dou Qi principles flawlessly. He held Liu Xi's dead weight in his left arm, using only his right hand to gently slap the flat side of the heavy ruler, perfectly parrying and deflecting the attacks by merely an inch. He didn't meet force with force; he guided the weapon's momentum past him, constantly pivoting and sidestepping.
Xiao Yan felt like he was trying to hold water with his bare hands. Every time he swung, the target simply flowed away, leaving him frustrated and burning through his Dou Qi while his opponent remained perfectly calm and seemingly untouchable.
A sudden, chilling gust of night wind blew across the rooftops.
Unbeknownst to both combatants, a familiar, uninvited guest had arrived.
Standing flawlessly balanced on the tip of a nearby pine tree, cloaked perfectly in the shadows, was Xun'er.
She had not gone home. While she had been retreating after leaving Liu Xi for dead (fully believing he would succumb to his injuries), her incredibly sharp senses had picked up Yoriichi's aura racing past her hiding spot.
Curiosity and suspicion had overwhelmed her. Why was the newly reformed "Demon of the Xiao Clan" rushing toward the Jia Lie estate instead of the forest or the training grounds in the dead of night?
She had doubled back, remaining completely vigilant. If Xiao Ning had hidden connections with the Jia Lie Clan, or if he was plotting treason against the Xiao Clan and Xiao Yan in the future, she needed to check on him. If he tried to do something funny, she would eliminate him.
Now, silently standing in the shadows of the pine tree, Xun'er was utterly astonished by the scene unfolding on the roof.
The near-dead Liu Xi was tucked securely under Yoriichi's arm, and Yoriichi was expending immense effort to save the alchemist from a mysterious, incredibly powerful cloaked figure wielding a giant black ruler.
'Why is he trying to save that scum?' Xun'er thought, her golden eyes narrowing with deep, burning anger.
She observed the heavy-ruler wielder, secretly admiring his brutal, relentless fighting style. She decided to bide her time. She would wait until both the mysterious attacker and Yoriichi exhausted their Dou Qi. Then, she would strike from the shadows, completely bypassing Yoriichi's defense, and execute Liu Xi directly, leaving no loose ends this time.
Back on the roof, the flurry of attacks finally slowed.
Xiao Yan, slightly panting and getting tired from the immense exertion of swinging the massive weapon, rested the heavy flat of the ruler against his shoulder. He realized he couldn't break Yoriichi's fluid, water-like defense.
Deciding to try a different approach, Xiao Yan allowed Yao Chen to fully take over his vocal cords, projecting an aura of an old, seasoned veteran to intimidate the youth.
"Young man," the grumpy, ancient voice echoed from beneath the black hood, carrying a heavy, deeply judgmental tone. "Why do you insist on utilizing such profound skills to save the life of a lustful, vile man?"
Xiao Yan pointed the tip of the heavy ruler accusingly at the unconscious Liu Xi.
"Do you even know of his deeds? Capturing innocent women from the streets and using them as disposable tools for his own twisted pleasure? Are you a friend of this scum, trying to save him? Or are you simply just like him?"
The cloaked figure took a menacing step forward, the heavy pressure of the ruler returning. "If you are truly allied with such filth, then you should also get punished for this sin!"
In the distant pine tree, Xun'er nodded her head approvingly. The mysterious person's reasoning and righteous conviction perfectly matched her own. If Yoriichi defended the alchemist's morality, he was equally guilty.
Yoriichi stood tall on the crest of the roof, the moonlight illuminating his stoic face. He gently lowered the unconscious, groaning Liu Xi onto the clay tiles, keeping him securely behind his legs.
He slowly straightened his posture, looking directly into the darkness of the black hood. The chaotic energy of the battle faded, replaced by Yoriichi's absolute, unwavering tranquility.
Yoriichi finally opened his mouth to speak.