Chapter 4: Li Zhexian vs. Zhu Zhuqing—Defeated in an Instant by a Single Sword
“I took every precaution, yet I never expected you to be such a shameless woman.”
Hearing Li Zhexian’s words, Zhu Zhuqing’s expression froze.
Had she really become a peeping tom, a shameless woman?
“You… you…”
Pointing at Li Zhexian, Zhu Zhuqing trembled with fury.
Raised in a noble family since childhood, she had never encountered such a scoundrel.
Her once composed heart was completely shattered.
Her soul power surged across her body; one eye glowed a deep green, the other a clear blue, her pupils contracting into almond shapes.
Her long, waist-length black hair cascaded like a waterfall, with a few strands twisted atop her head, resembling a pair of cat ears.
Behind her, a ribbon fluttered like a cat’s tail.
Li Zhexian let out a light hum, scrutinizing the alluring young girl before him.
“Is this a cat-type soul beast?”
With sharp fingers, Zhu Zhuqing plunged into a stone the size of a head, hurling it toward Li Zhexian in the stream.
Li Zhexian raised his right hand; his index and middle fingers formed a sword point, from which a keen blue soul energy burst forth.
*Shh—*
A faint sound.
The stone split cleanly in two, its fracture smooth as a mirror.
With two splashes, the pieces sank into the water.
“Huh?!”
Zhu Zhuqing’s almond-shaped pupils shrank even further.
“This soul power is incredibly sharp!”
Remaining in the water would make Li Zhexian a sitting duck.
He felt utterly unsafe.
Who knew what else this cat-soul girl might throw at him.
“I’m not playing with you anymore!”
Li Zhexian leaned back, sinking entirely beneath the water.
Ripples danced on the surface; through the distorted light, he seemed like a silver fish swiftly swimming upstream.
“Shameless rogue, don’t run!”
Zhu Zhuqing arched her back and bent her knees, resembling a nimble cat.
She lightly tapped her toes, leaping from stone to stone along the water’s edge, chasing after Li Zhexian beneath the surface.
Thus, the chase began.
Gradually…
Zhu Zhuqing found herself puzzled and suspicious: her speed was no match for this rogue boy.
The distance between them grew wider and wider.
“What kind of soul beast does this rogue have?”
“Is my Shadow Spirit Cat’s speed really slower?”
Splash—!
A sudden sound of breaking water interrupted Zhu Zhuqing’s thoughts.
About four or five meters away, she saw a pale figure leap ashore, snatch up a package, and dart into the thicket.
She saw it again!
This time, the sight was even clearer!
Zhu Zhuqing stumbled, nearly falling.
Her delicate face flushed scarlet.
“Rogue!”
“If I don’t teach you a lesson today, my anger won’t be soothed!”
Without hesitation, she plunged into the forest.
---
Running, she untied the package.
From inside, she pulled out the only spare white shirt.
Li Zhexian shook his hands; the white shirt fluttered in the breeze as he slipped his arms through the sleeves.
With a somersault in midair, the flowing shirt tail wrapped neatly around his waist.
His clothes were now properly worn.
Grasping his belt, he fastened it around his waist.
Turning to face the approaching cat-soul girl, whose eyes blazed with fury, he said helplessly,
“Why are you still chasing me?”
“You saw right through me, and I wasn’t even angry—why are you mad?”
Looking at the handsome youth before her, clad in white, water droplets trailing down his hair, Zhu Zhuqing opened her mouth to scold him.
But upon calming down, she realized—
Indeed, she had seen through him.
She wasn’t a capricious, unreasonable noble lady.
Yet, why was she so angry, her chest rising and falling with agitation?
“You…”
Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth and said,
“I think you’re quite skilled. I want to spar with you!”
Li Zhexian turned and began to walk away.
“No interest.”
“I usually don’t fight with women.”
Whoosh—
A sudden whoosh of wind sounded behind him.
Li Zhexian shifted slightly to the right.
A slender, sharp palm brushed past his ear.
“Hm?”
He looked at the girl, her soul power boiling over, and frowned.
“Do you really insist on fighting me?”
Zhu Zhuqing’s catlike eyes gleamed; a thrill surged in her heart.
“Your speed is indeed fast.”
“I, Zhu Zhuqing, a level 27 Great Soul Master, hereby challenge you.”
Li Zhexian raised an eyebrow, thinking,
“So it really is Zhu Zhuqing.”
In fact, when the girl revealed her cat-type soul beast, Li Zhexian had already suspected who she was.
At her age, with such breathtaking beauty and a soul power level above twenty, only Zhu Zhuqing fit that description.
With a flicker of thought, Li Zhexian seemed to recall something.
He casually plucked a leaf, holding it between his lips, and lazily said,
“I can fight you.”
“But if I win, you have to promise me one thing.”
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing’s odd expression, he added helplessly,
“Don’t think of anything weird.”
“A gentleman knows what to do and what not to do.”
Zhu Zhuqing realized she had overthought it; a blush crept over her graceful face.
“I promise!”
With those words spoken,
---
Zhu Zhuqing’s heterochromatic eyes glinted coldly; her figure flickered like a shadow.
Simultaneously, two bright yellow soul rings rose beneath her feet.
The first clash!
She unleashed two soul skills at once!
Clearly, she held Li Zhexian in high regard.
“First soul skill—Shadow Piercing Thrust!”
“Second soul skill—Shadow Hundred Claws!”
Zhu Zhuqing’s already swift speed surged further; her slender form dashed forward, stirring leaves into a whirlwind.
Her claw shadows rained down like a storm, tearing through the air with piercing cries.
Li Zhexian’s lips curled slightly.
He spat out the leaf from his mouth.
Extending his palm forward, a three-foot-six-inch long azure blade appeared in his grasp.
The moment the Azure Lotus Sword was summoned,
The forest was bathed in gleaming cold light.
Zhu Zhuqing’s heart tightened in awe.
“What a sharp sword!”
At the instant he gripped the sword,
Li Zhexian’s lazy gaze suddenly sharpened.
“First soul skill—Azure Edge Sever!”
The purple soul ring flared vividly.
On the sword’s spine, the Azure Lotus imprint slowly blossomed; the blade traced a mysterious arc.
Where the sword light passed, the claw shadows vanished without a trace.
Whoosh—
Li Zhexian’s speed was so great it was hard for the eye to follow.
In a flash, the sword tip halted mere three inches from Zhu Zhuqing’s throat, a gust of wind lifting the strands of hair on her forehead.
The clear sword light reflected her stunned, delicate face.
“You lost.”
Li Zhexian sheathed the Azure Lotus Sword.
The leaf he had spat out drifted gently to the ground.
“Ho… how is this possible…”
Zhu Zhuqing raised her eyes, disbelief written all over her face as she looked at Li Zhexian.
“Purple soul ring? A thousand-year duration?”
“Why is your first soul ring purple?”
She knew many geniuses.
But those geniuses were all called geniuses by her as well.
Zhu Zhuqing had always been confident in her own talent.
But now, this white-clad youth she met in the Starfall Forest showed her what it truly meant to have someone beyond someone, and a sky beyond the sky.
How was she supposed to answer?
Claim she had a wine-type soul beast that healed wounds, absorbing essence while taking medicine?
Li Zhexian casually made up an excuse:
“Because purple has a certain charm.”
That answer left Zhu Zhuqing dumbfounded once again.
“Enough.”
Li Zhexian took out a clear spring wine flask from behind his back, gulped down a large mouthful, and said,
“You lost.”
“According to our agreement, you have to promise me one thing.”