Chapter 131: For Real

Page (1/3)

Jiang Xiaotian was taken aback by the sudden danger—was this woman serious? Her change in attitude was faster than flipping a page! He hurriedly mobilized his spiritual energy to activate his senses and quickly turned around. There, the petite girl was wielding a large blade, swinging it fiercely toward his head. The ferocity of the attack made him break out in a cold sweat.

Jiang Xiaotian swiftly dodged to the side. Within his sensory range, Yukawa Yu’s speed could never surpass his, so the blade swung through empty air. She missed, but without hesitation, she vanished back into the darkness.

However, Jiang Xiaotian was growing annoyed. Though he couldn’t pinpoint Yukawa Yu’s exact location, he wasn’t afraid of her. “Miss Yukawa, what’s going on? I have no grudge against you. If you’re here under Ito Hiroshi’s orders, then fight me. But if you just dislike me for no reason, at least be clear about it. Launching a killing move right away—isn’t that a bit extreme?”

Yukawa Yu didn’t respond. She was focusing on calculating the timing and angle for her next strike. For her, if she couldn’t defeat Jiang Xiaotian today, it would be even harder to conceal herself in broad daylight tomorrow, let alone overcome him. Ultimately, she would have no choice but to self-destruct in atonement—but she did not want to die.

Seeing her silence and unwavering killing intent, Jiang Xiaotian clicked his tongue. “Fine, if you want to play rough, I’ll play with you!”

He focused, eyes scanning the surroundings. The Dragon’s Wrath quietly leapt to his fingertips. Since he couldn’t locate her, he would conduct a carpet search and force her out.

With that thought, the flames instantly grew.

At the Second Heavenly Realm cultivation level, Jiang Xiaotian was already considered a young warrior among the Dragon Clan, with masterful control over spiritual energy. With a thought, his entire body became a sea of fire, swirling like a vortex, encircling most of the small grove.

Obviously, Yukawa Yu never expected such a move from Jiang Xiaotian, nor had she ever seen such a miraculous technique.

She had always assumed Jiang Xiaotian was merely a Tai Chi expert—unarmed, she could overpower him, but with a weapon, he might not be invincible.

Now, all she felt was shock.

Jiang Xiaotian’s technique clearly transcended ordinary martial artists; it was an ancient martial art akin to the Liuhua Path—mysterious and powerful.

No one could hide in this sea of spiritual flames. This was Jiang Xiaotian’s domain.

Years ago, when he was only at the First Heavenly Realm, merely igniting such a fire would exhaust him completely. Now, he could control and sustain it effortlessly.

Under the firelight, Yukawa Yu’s figure appeared. Since hiding was futile, she stared at Jiang Xiaotian in disbelief, unaware of what expression lay behind his veiled eyes.

“You’re… an ancient martial artist?” she stammered.

“Huh? What’s that? Whatever. You still want to fight? I’ll go all out with you.” Jiang Xiaotian carried one hand behind his back, while the other flickered with flames, ready to strike.

Yukawa Yu remained stunned, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Page (2/3)

She also noticed that the martial energy within her body seemed afraid—ordinary flames could never evoke such a feeling.

Yukawa Yu had heard of ancient martial artists—warriors from long ago, immensely powerful, capable of transcending heaven and earth. But for some unknown reason, they vanished overnight. Later martial artists were but mere shadows of those legends. The techniques Jiang Xiaotian used were exactly those recorded in ancient texts about these warriors.

Otherwise, how could Jiang Xiaotian’s internal energy materialize into a tangible force like the Black Warrior’s?

She shook her head, knowing she couldn’t dwell on this now. Whoever he was, she had to take his life today.

Yet her hands trembled on the great sword. Once surrounded by the sea of flames, the outcome was clear. She knew she couldn’t win—the fire not only devoured her martial energy but also consumed her courage.

Dragons had long been totems among the Hua people—the Easterners instinctively feared dragons, a reaction etched deep in their bones.

But Yukawa Yu was afraid of death. She was young and the only girl in the Shadow Guard. Why should that be?

With that thought, anger and survival instinct quickly overwhelmed her fear. She shouted and swung the great sword again, releasing her martial energy.

From afar, Jiang Xiaotian heard her muttering something in Japanese, followed by a sound like flowing water.

Yukawa Yu’s blade struck with increasing force, each strike more powerful than the last. It was terrifying—she seemed to be cutting through running water, continuously building up power for a final strike aimed at Jiang Xiaotian.

As the sound of water drew nearer, Jiang Xiaotian knew this was her killing move.

At mid-stage internal energy, he could sense it. Once the divine energy took shape, he doubted he could block the strike.

Yukawa Yu was truly a genius.

But she was still no match for him.

Jiang Xiaotian’s arm, wrapped in flames, caught the blade the moment it descended.

A harsh screech rang out as the terrifying energy instantly shattered.

Yukawa Yu specialized in assassination—her attacks were ruthless but not domineering. After summoning the Dragon’s Wrath, Jiang Xiaotian caught the blade barehanded.

She stared in disbelief as he twisted his hand and snapped her blade in two.

“Had enough? You’re no match for me,” Jiang Xiaotian said, the roaring flames vanishing without a trace, leaving only scorched marks and a stunned girl.

He turned and left without lingering or saying another word.

Though he felt sympathy for Yukawa Yu, an enemy was still an enemy. He hoped today’s confrontation would make her realize the gap in strength and dissuade her from interfering again tomorrow.

After all, his greatest foe was the divine energy master, and Jiang Xiaotian couldn’t afford distractions.

If Yukawa Yu stubbornly persisted in causing trouble, he wouldn’t be so polite next time.

Page (3/3)

Yet today, Jiang Xiaotian did not harm her and simply let her go.

Yukawa Yu stood there, dazed and lost, uncertain of what to do.

After a long moment, she picked up the half-broken great sword and sighed mournfully before disappearing into the darkness.

Perhaps this was her destiny—now truly at a dead end, with no escape.

She looked up at the sky and forced a bitter smile.

After hesitating, she finally removed her eyepatch, revealing clear, beautiful eyes.

Perhaps because she had been blindfolded since childhood, her eyes were extraordinarily translucent and pure.

Tomorrow, she would try once more, even knowing she was no match. She would give everything she had.

She must self-destruct at the perfect moment, allowing the young master to successfully retrieve the Liuhua Path.

After returning to his room, Jiang Xiaotian’s mood was terrible.

He had only intended to clear his mind but ended up fighting a brat barely in his teens. Losing would be embarrassing; winning would feel undeserved. Damn it!

He couldn’t understand what was wrong with Yukawa Yu.

When she came with money to negotiate, she seemed serious. But with that meager sum—even with a gold bracelet—it probably wasn’t worth tens of thousands. Probably not enough to buy a single page of the Liuhua Path. She was truly naive—so naive that she would attack without hesitation, with a killing blow from the start. If Jiang Xiaotian hadn’t been skilled, she might have really chopped off his head today!

Feeling something was amiss, he called Zhang Guodong to inquire about the Ito family.

The old man didn’t know much about the Ito family but had heard of the Shadow Guard.

The Shadow Guard wasn’t unique to the Itos; many noble families had them under different names.

However, the Ito family’s Shadow Guard was special. Their guards had once betrayed the family and assassinated the young master. Since then, the Shadow Guards were blindfolded from childhood, ordered to strike wherever the young master commanded, to kill whomever he wished, and to serve only one master for life.

It was a tragic system that persisted into modern times.

Jiang Xiaotian was stunned—no wonder Yukawa Yu wore an eyepatch. Yet over time, it seemed to have little impact on their lives.

“But what you said is strange. Shadow Guards are usually men. How could there be a girl? If you’re not lying, that girl is only seventeen. How old is Ito Hiroshi? The Shadow Guard must protect the young master from birth. How could she be younger than Ito Hiroshi?”