"Cooperation?"
After jumping out, Jian Xin actually felt a bit of regret. Why on earth did she have to jump out? But immediately she thought that this should be a righteous act, because this guy was just too hateful! By comparison, the one who tried to hack her with a knife the moment they met was much better!
"Hey! No way, you're dead?" Jian Xin had originally thought that since she could fight Shi Wei for so long, it shouldn't be impossible for the two of them to team up and defeat Liang Kuan. But she hadn't expected Shi Wei to be completely done for!
"Hahaha, isn't it wonderful to be alive? If you'd just stayed hidden, I might have left by now. But look at you now—are you really going to count on a dead man?" Liang Kuan said mockingly. Since he was no longer throwing fireballs, the dust that had filled the cave began to settle, allowing Liang Kuan to see the fallen Shi Wei, as well as a fearless little girl. "Little girl, why don't you follow big brother here? Big brother will guarantee you a life of luxury." A little nobody actually dared to meddle in his business; he was going to teach this little girl what cruelty really was!
Jian Xin suddenly remembered the old man's words. The person in front of her was so strong, he must be a cultivator. "Pfft! I'm just a mortal, you can't do anything to me."
"Hahahaha, little sister, you are so naive! There isn't a single soul around here—no wait, there's one dead man. Take a look."
Hearing this, Liang Kuan paused for a second, then burst into wild laughter. Casually forming a fireball, he tossed it toward the already dead Shi Wei, blasting Shi Wei's corpse right to Jian Xin's feet. He said mockingly, "Look, Shi Wei killed a mortal, and Liang Kuan struck down Shi Wei. What a perfect hero story! Besides, even if those people from Wanping Hall were really here, if I killed you, they wouldn't dare let out a single peep. In fact, they'd still have to bow and escort me out respectfully. A mortal, my foot! Big brother is going to let you taste what it feels like to ascend to heaven today!"
So this was what the old man meant by not entirely fair? Jian Xin hadn't expected to witness it firsthand today. She had originally thought such things were far away from her, but looking at Liang Kuan's expression, a wave of disgust welled up inside her!
"Be a good girl and submit to me, and I'll spare your life. Hehe!" Liang Kuan walked toward Jian Xin with a laugh, wearing a sickening expression on his face.
"Hey, hey, hey! You're not really dead, are you? Hey!" Seeing Liang Kuan walking closer and closer, Jian Xin had no choice but to quickly pry open Shi Wei's fingers and grab the blade in his hand. Actually, it could hardly be called a blade anymore; the weapon was broken beyond recognition. Still, it had been able to cut through Liang Kuan's fireball, so Jian Xin figured it might still be useful... hopefully.
"It's useless. Even with a weapon, the gap in our strength is just too vast. You're only in the Qi Gathering Stage, and it looks like you just broke through." Liang Kuan laughed again as he watched Jian Xin's movements. This girl was simply ridiculously stupid! Did she really think a weapon could make up for the difference in strength between them?
"I'll... do it!" Mo spoke from within the Consciousness Sea. Inside, she slowly split off a part of herself and entered Jian Xin's body. Jian Xin remained silent, gripping the blade tightly as a gentle cyan aura emanated all over her body. The injuries she had sustained from fighting Shi Wei healed visibly before the eyes. Contrasting sharply with the cyan aura, however, were her eyes—dim and murky, with a faint dark golden light flickering within them. Looking closely, it seemed as though a disc-like object wanted to replace her black pupils, but an unseen layer of Mo blocked it, and the disc ultimately failed.
"Who do you think you're going to kill with that kind of aura, little sister? Hahaha, just be a good girl and obey me." Liang Kuan spoke mockingly, though his eyes were filled with sheer disbelief. Are you kidding me? This little thing is a genius! To reach this state right after entering the Qi Gathering Stage—no, no, once he finished playing with her, he couldn't just kill her; he had to take her back and make good use of her!
Jian Xin had no intention of staying purely on the defensive. Dropping low, she lashed out at Liang Kuan with a whip kick.
"Block it with your hands, slide down the momentum, and go for his belly."
"Ah! Boom!"
"Ugh." Jian Xin was blasted back by a fireball, a surge of blood rushing up her throat. It was agonizing, her body feeling as though it were falling apart, yet her hand still gripped the blade tightly, unwilling to let go.
"Damn it." Liang Kuan's face twisted as he clutched his stomach, speaking with vicious malice. "Very well, very well." From somewhere, Liang Kuan pulled out a short blade. He was definitely going to settle this score today! As for this little wretch, once he was done playing with her and dealt with her properly, he would make her wish she were dead!
"Ha!" Liang Kuan rushed at Jian Xin with the short blade. Jian Xin immediately raised her weapon to parry, but a kick landed straight on her stomach, sending her flying backward instantly.
"Ugh."
Knocked flying again.
"Use the momentum of his blade to catch it, kick him in the back of the head, and stab his back."
"Ugh."
Knocked flying once more.
"Not the back of the head, wrench his neck, throw him down, and stab!"
"Still have the energy? Huh? Little sister, you're really something. At such a young age..."
"Pugh, ugh—" Watching Liang Kuan thrust his blade straight toward her center, Jian Xin's brain raced. *Rush at him. He'll swing upwards—don't block, just dodge to the side, break his arm. He'll slash my clothes, but he won't cut me in half. Yes, exactly. That fits his personality—yes, he won't kill me.*
Though Jian Xin was repeatedly thrown back and kicked away, and her injuries grew more severe with every moment, her mind was razor-sharp now. The dissection of Liang Kuan's movements within her Consciousness Sea was becoming clearer and clearer. At this rate, with just a little more time like this, Jian Xin would be able to completely master Liang Kuan's patterns. When that time came, the outcome would truly be anyone's guess!
Liang Kuan held his blade centered, slashing diagonally upward to the left, intending to catch the broken blade and slice open the girl's clothes. To his surprise, Jian Xin made no move to block; she simply sidestepped sharply to the left. A flash of blood sprayed across his field of vision. Although his martial instincts caused him to leap backward, just as he was about to land, he felt a chilling coldness at his throat.
...