Chapter 878: Opening a Book Costs Money
Silence, silence. If not an eruption in silence, then embarrassment in silence.
As a grandmaster-level elder with extremely high seniority, there was nothing more embarrassing than issuing an order and receiving no response.
Tang Thirty-Six could resolve any awkward situation because he had a thick skin.
She clearly did not have such thick skin, so she felt very embarrassed, then became extremely angry, her face slightly flushed, her straight brows furrowed.
Ye Xiaolian knew this was a sign that her grandmaster aunt was about to lose her temper. She was very worried and stepped forward to try to say a few words of persuasion, but it was already too late.
The black-robed Daoist let out a cold snort. Her figure abruptly transformed into a gray shadow, swiftly descending from the mountain path. Her right hand struck toward Tang Thirty-Six’s chest.
A whistling sound echoed along the mountain path. Tang Thirty-Six felt as if a great mountain was rushing toward him, the pressure terrifying. Without a second thought, he drew his sword and slashed downward.
With a clang, the Wenshui Sword left its sheath, gleaming with bright light, as if countless golden rays were falling upon the Wenshui River.
This black-robed Daoist’s cultivation level far surpassed his. With just a simple strike, its power was like a mountain falling. Even if he used the Three Swords of Wenshui, could he possibly block it?
Tang Thirty-Six knew he couldn’t, so his sword wasn’t aimed at the black-robed Daoist at all—it was aimed behind him.
The sword technique he used was not the strongest defensive move, Evening Clouds Gather, nor the fiery offensive move, One River of Maple Leaves, but the fastest movement technique, Sunset Hanging.
Countless golden rays lit up the mountain path, all the luster of the sword. The bamboo sea seemed to give birth to a layer of water, both real and illusory.
As if the sun were setting, the light suddenly converged and vanished. The setting sun on the water’s surface moved at an unimaginable speed to the far east. It would be hard to find a faster movement than this.
Within that setting sun was a figure—Tang Thirty-Six. He activated his movement technique and retreated more than ten zhang away.
With a loud boom, the bamboo sea suddenly surged like a giant wave. The two rows of bamboo beside the mountain path snapped with a crackling sound, and a pit several feet deep appeared on the path, gravel scattering everywhere.
Tang Thirty-Six held the Wenshui Sword, standing several zhang away, watching the scene with a slightly changed expression.
The black-robed Daoist’s cultivation level was truly terrifying. What was even more frightening was that she struck so heavily from the very start.
If he wasn’t mistaken, this should be the Nanxi Sect’s ultimate technique, Flowing Cloud Palm!
If he hadn’t reacted quickly and unhesitatingly used Sunset Hanging, he would have faced this palm strike head-on.
Would his sword have snapped like the bamboo?
He might already be lying at the bottom of the pit, severely injured, or even dead.
The black-robed Daoist’s palm momentum still hadn’t fully dissipated. Across the ten-zhang mountain path, it surged toward Tang Thirty-Six.
A rare glint of ruthlessness appeared in Tang Thirty-Six’s eyes. He raised the Wenshui Sword, ready to charge forward.
With a series of more than ten dull thuds, the sounds of impact echoed along the mountain path.
Hu Thirty-Two held an unremarkable short sword in his hand, using a strange posture to continuously block in front of him.
With each sword strike, a white turbulent flow appeared on the blade’s surface.
The remaining palm momentum transformed into more than ten wisps of gentle breeze, gradually fading away into nothingness.
The black-robed Daoist stood on the mountain path, watching this scene with a slight frown, but she did not strike again.
She hadn’t expected that the other party could withstand her thunderous strike delivered in fury. She was somewhat surprised by their skill.
In her view, the young nobleman’s sword technique and movement were quite good, but the truly formidable one was that priest.
“You actually know Flowing Cloud Dispersion?” she said, looking at Hu Thirty-Two.
Without waiting for Hu Thirty-Two’s answer, she turned and looked toward the bamboo forest.
Tang Thirty-Six had evaded her palm strike, and Hu Thirty-Two had used Flowing Cloud Dispersion, which shared the same origin as Flowing Cloud Palm, to neutralize the final momentum. But at that moment, if she had struck with full force, she could still have had a chance to shake and injure these two. However, just as she was about to channel Surging Clouds and unleash maximum power, she suddenly sensed a warning sign, as if a wild beast in the bamboo forest was staring at her.
That wild beast was very frightening—even she felt the danger.
Ye Xiaolian walked up to her side, wanting to explain something, very worried that she would continue to attack.
“Grandmaster Aunt, they are…”
The black-robed Daoist’s seniority was extremely high. Having struck at two juniors without success, she had to restrain herself out of pride, but she couldn’t help feeling frustrated.
Coupled with the danger she sensed in the bamboo forest, her mood was utterly foul. Unwilling to listen to Ye Xiaolian’s explanation, she snorted coldly and flicked her sleeve in anger.
With a dull thud, her sleeve landed on Ye Xiaolian’s left shoulder.
Ye Xiaolian cried out in pain, her face instantly turning pale—she was injured.
Tang Thirty-Six could no longer hold back. He leaped over the pit on the mountain path, came to Ye Xiaolian’s side, and supported her. Looking at the black-robed Daoist’s retreating figure, he said, “Old woman, stop right there.”
Hearing this, not only the Nanxi Sect female disciples but even Ye Xiaolian, whom he was supporting, was startled.
The black-robed Daoist was the highest-ranking elder still alive in the Nanxi Sect. Who would dare show her the slightest disrespect, let alone call her an old woman?
They didn’t know that Tang Thirty-Six had even dared to call Old Master Tang an old bastard.
The black-robed Daoist turned around, expressionless, looking at Tang Thirty-Six, waiting to hear what he had to say.
In the eyes of the Nanxi Sect female disciples, their grandmaster aunt’s gaze was like looking at a dead man.
Tang Thirty-Six said angrily, “When you scolded her just now, I was already very unhappy. Such a beautiful, delicate young girl—how could you bear to scold her?”
Ye Xiaolian glanced at him and reminded him softly, “You scolded me even worse before.”
Tang Thirty-Six paused awkwardly, then said, “Even if I scolded you, does that mean you can? Besides, I only said a few light words, but you actually laid hands on her?”
The black-robed Daoist looked at him expressionlessly and said, “She is a disciple of my Nanxi Sect. I can hit her or scold her. What can you do about it?”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “Nothing much. Next year, the Tang family’s opening book money for your Nanxi Sect will be halved.”
Hearing the words “Tang family” and “opening book money,” the black-robed Daoist’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Who exactly are you?”
Ye Xiaolian signaled him not to support her anymore and quickly said, “Grandmaster Aunt, he is Tang Tang.”
The black-robed Daoist was momentarily stunned, then said in a deep voice, “So you’re the young master of the Tang family. Do you think that just because…”
“Say one more word, and the money will be halved again.”
Tang Thirty-Six looked at her very seriously and said, “From now on, every extra word you say will halve next year’s opening book money again. Don’t worry—no matter how much it’s reduced, there will still be something left. Your intelligence might struggle to understand why, so you don’t need to understand. You just need to know that what I say, I will do.”
The black-robed Daoist’s face grew darker and darker, the malice between her brows growing heavier. She slowly raised her right hand.
The mountain path was dead silent, not even a breath of wind, yet the bamboo forest began to sway slightly.
At the most tense moment, a calm and gentle voice came from a distant cliff, then clearly reached the scene.
The bamboo forest returned to stillness, and the mountain wind began to blow softly again.
“Junior Sister, please let the guests from Li Palace and the young master of the Tang family come in.”
Tang Thirty-Six’s expression tightened. He hadn’t been too worried facing the extremely powerful black-robed Daoist, but the owner of this voice instinctively made him feel tense.
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