But I could tell that Bai Qingcheng's move wasn't a killing blow, merely a way to show her stance. Long Yue turned her head sideways, spotted the approaching white silk, and sidestepped precisely, narrowly avoiding it. Bai Qingcheng landed, swiftly retracting the white silk. The silk, like a whip, whipped around in a right turn at supersonic speed, cracking with a "snap" right across Long Yue's cheek!
See, I told you it wasn't a "killing blow" but a "humiliating blow." Long Yue, shocked, covered her bright red cheek, disbelieving that she had actually been struck by Bai Qingcheng!
Bai Qingcheng smiled slightly, "A ginseng is still just a ginseng, no different from a hollow radish. All show and no substance."
"Damn it!" Long Yue, enraged, drew her soft sword from her waist and lunged back at Bai Qingcheng.
Bai Qingcheng fought and retreated, continuously swirling the white silk in her hand. After a few exchanges, all of Long Yue's sword moves missed. Bai Qingcheng's silk, however, was coiled into a two-meter-long "cloth staff," looking like a finely crafted white wood staff, adorned with faint patterns.
With a solid object in hand, Bai Qingcheng began her counterattack, primarily using thrusts in a spear-like fashion. Soft swords were mostly for show, only effective against much weaker opponents. Against opponents of equal or superior skill, they were mere decorations. Moreover, Bai Qingcheng wielded a long weapon, giving her a distinct advantage in terms of reach.
Within three moves, Long Yue was no match for Bai Qingcheng. Her sword-wielding wrist was swept by the tip of Bai Qingcheng's staff. Though it appeared light, it was imbued with Bai Qingcheng's true energy, carrying immense force. Long Yue's soft sword flew out of her hand and into the air, leaving her center exposed.
Bai Qingcheng could have easily thrust her staff into Long Yue's chest, ending the fight with severe injury if not death, but she didn't. Instead, she leaped up and struck the soft sword in mid-air.
A flash of purple light appeared. The force of this strike was so immense that it shattered the steel soft sword into fragments. Two pieces flew towards me like bullets, piercing the glass window. It was only when Yaoyao, who was watching beside me, pulled me aside that I avoided being hit. Two diamond-shaped holes appeared in the window, still emitting smoke.
"What a shoddy weapon." Bai Qingcheng landed gracefully, looking down contemptuously at Long Yue, who clutched her wrist, her face half red.
"As expected of 'Three Feet of White Silk, A Smile That Topples Cities.' You've certainly got skills, but I'm not convinced!"
"What are you not convinced about?" Bai Qingcheng softened the cloth staff back into white silk, casually winding it around her arm.
"If you've got the guts, fight me outside. I don't believe your staff skills can defeat my magic!"
"You can use magic? Then cast it here, let me see." Bai Qingcheng said dismissively.
"This... this won't do," Long Yue glanced towards my direction. "I'm afraid I might harm innocent bystanders."
I had witnessed Long Yue's magic before; it was truly destructive. If she were to unleash her Buddha's Palm again, the entire station would likely be leveled, jeopardizing the passengers who needed to depart from Jinling for business the next morning.
"Heh, smooth talk... Never mind, you can go. My target tonight isn't you, but I do thank you."
"Thank me for what?" Long Yue asked, frowning.
"Thank you for warming me up," Bai Qingcheng raised an eyebrow. It turned out her expertise lay in this kind of verbal sparring, not in straightforward negotiation.
In terms of provoking an opponent, Bai Qingcheng had reached the pinnacle. Of course, provocation only works if backed by strength; without it, provocation is just showing off.
Long Yue snorted coldly and actually turned to leave. The giant demon behind her, who had been watching with arms crossed without saying a word, followed Long Yue and departed.
"Bai Qingcheng and the others just let them go?" I whispered to Yaoyao.
"You're asking me?"
"Yes."
"...You're the commander! You ask me! They're all waiting for your orders!"
Right, no wonder Bai Qingcheng didn't go for the kill! The snipers hadn't fired, waiting for my signal.
But how could I bring myself to kill Long Yue? Bai Qingcheng was right, the target tonight was the Miao King.