"Alright," Yaoyao readily agreed, "but I don't know any fancy dueling. Everything I do is a killing move."
Saying this, Yaoyao unhurriedly lifted the back of her top and drew out her Ziwu Yuanyang Yue, striking a harmless pose, though her words were ferociously direct.
"Let's have a match that 'decides not just victory or defeat, but life and death.' The three of you, please proceed."
The three men were clearly intimidated by Yaoyao's aura. The man in black didn't dare to respond, looking to the gray and white figures beside him. They both subtly shook their heads and did not draw their weapons.
I understood. This was Yaoyao's psychological warfare. She could see through their strength; they were all at the initial stage of purple energy. She could roughly gauge their combat power, but they wouldn't know this "qi sensing" technique. They wouldn't know Yaoyao was actually at their level. By bluffing like this, would they think Yaoyao was a master of "advanced purple energy" or something similar, especially when she was talking about weapons?
Fists and feet are blind, weapons are deadly!
"Chi You" was a group of demon hunters after treasure, not suicidal fighters.
"What, do you want me to go first?" Yaoyao raised one of her crescent blades, preparing to strike the black-clothed leader.
"Wait!" The black-clothed leader quickly stopped her with a shout, but then his voice, like his posture, subsided. "Uh... please allow us a moment to confer."
The black, white, and gray figures huddled together, whispering. I noticed Shen Xingyue's ears twitching. I wondered if she truly had the ability to "eavesdrop" or if she was just like me, going through the motions. My ears could actually move. As a child, they couldn't. But after watching martial arts dramas on TV where the masters' ears moved, I started imitating them, using my mind to control them. I actually managed to activate that nerve pathway. As I practiced more, the amplitude of my ear movements grew. My classmates all thought I was exceptionally gifted...
Let's not dwell on the past for now. Seeing Shen Xingyue's ears twitch, I also moved mine, pretending to eavesdrop on their conversation. I even went a step further than Shen Xingyue. When they finished their discussion and dispersed, I curved my lips into a contemptuous smile, pretending I had heard everything.
The black-clothed leader cupped his fists in a conciliatory gesture, a smile on his face. "We were unaware that Princess Mujige... uh, Gege, was traveling south to this place. We have already offended you. We hope you will overlook our transgressions. We shall now—"
I was waiting for him to say "we'll take our leave," when suddenly, a phone rang from the gray-clothed woman beside him.
"The most beautiful flower of the prairie, the fiery Sarilang..." The gray-clothed woman pulled out her phone from her pocket, looked at it, and immediately handed it to the black-clothed leader.
The leader glanced at the phone screen, then respectfully took it. "Hello, King Miao. Yes... uh... yes. Mmm... it's Mujige from Jiuxian Cave... What? Oh, okay, okay. Yes... Please rest assured, King Miao. We will bring back the Dragon Pearl, even if we all die!"
It's over. "King Miao," the leader of Chi You, was now micromanaging remotely.
After hanging up, the black-clothed leader's imposing presence returned. With a touch of melancholy, he said to his two companions, "Second brother, third brother, did you hear that?"
So he really was called "Brother"!
"Mmm."
"Let's fight. Anyway, our lives are given by King Miao," the gray-clothed woman said, putting her phone back into her pocket and zipping it up, preparing for a fight to the death.
Yaoyao remained motionless, her expression unreadable, like a statue, waiting for the other side to speak first.
The black-clothed leader drew his sword from his waist and pointed it at Yaoyao. "Please guide me!"
The other two masters also drew identical long swords and slowly moved to the sides, clearly preparing to form a triangular formation and gang up on Yaoyao.
Yaoyao still hadn't moved, but I saw one of her earrings tremble slightly in the air, reflecting her current emotions. She was clearly putting on a brave front.
At this critical moment, Shen Xingyue also drew his sword and pointed it at the gray-clothed woman, cursing, "Damn it, at this point, what's the point of talking about martial ethics? Let's go all out!"