Chapter 144: Taking on the Mission Part 3

Faced with Yao Xueqing's public exposure, Yuan Kui had no choice but to turn to Li Sibai for help.

Li Sibai was exceptionally clever and had no desire to be caught in the middle of the two like a piece of filling in a dumpling. He shook his head to signal his unwillingness to get involved and sidestepped out of the way.

He could also see that Yao Xueqing simply did not want Yuan Kui to tag along. After all, Fuyuan Slope was far too perilous, and openly chasing him away might not work, so she was merely looking for an excuse.

Seeing that Li Sibai refused to play along, Yuan Kui became anxious on the spot, shouting that he would make Li Sibai regret it.

Yet Li Sibai remained unmoved. Now that he knew the location of Fuyuan Slope, he was hardly eager to bring Yuan Kui either; after all, the young man had a notorious reputation as a pampered prodigal, and his cultivation did not look like much.

It was only because he had previously given his word that Li Sibai felt too embarrassed to refuse him outright. But since Yao Xueqing had brought this up, Li Sibai was happy to go with the flow—if real danger arose later, having one less dead weight meant a higher chance of escape.

Yuan Kui understood their intentions as well. Realizing that intimidation had no effect on Li Sibai, he pulled him aside and whispered, "Brother Li, if you bring me along, I'll add another three Primordial Spirit Pearls for you. How about that?"

At these words, Li Sibai perked up immediately. These were Primordial Spirit Pearls delivered right to his doorstep; only a fool would turn them down.

His attitude shifted instantly. He began to mumble vague pleasantries on Yuan Kui's behalf and prepared to set off.

Yuan Kui nodded vigorously. "I want to go with my older sister and brother to broaden my horizons."

Hearing this, Yao Xueqing let out a sudden chuckle, thinking to herself how the fellow had learned to speak so sweetly.

"Very well. Since Junior Brother Li has agreed, I won't make things difficult for you. We'll stick to our old rules: if you can take three moves from me, I'll agree to your request," Yao Xueqing said softly. Though her tone was light, it exuded immense self-confidence.

Yuan Kui shook his head like a rattle-drum upon hearing this. "Sister Xueqing, I wouldn't dare fight you. Ever since we were kids, sparring with you has always meant getting beaten up. You couldn't pay me to do it."

Li Sibai listened from the side in speechlessness, not expecting such a history between them. He felt a growing admiration for Yao Xueqing; this young woman seemed to have been a boss-like figure since childhood, accustomed to having the final say.

Yuan Kui panicked immediately and blurted out, "My good Sister Xueqing, I agree! I agree, all right? Don't leave, don't leave!"

Li Sibai wanted to laugh but didn't dare, given that Yao Xueqing was his senior sister and he had just undermined her plan for the sake of three Primordial Spirit Pearls.

Seeing that Yuan Kui had agreed, Yao Xueqing resumed her gentle demeanor and smiled brightly. "Then let's begin. I won't bully you—I'll let you make the first move, and I won't use any spells." With that, she gripped the Tianya Sword behind her back, though she kept it in its scabbard.

Realizing there was no way out and that this was his only path to Fuyuan Slope, Yuan Kui had no choice but to steel himself and step forward.

Fortunately, Yao Xueqing's promise not to use spells was a massive advantage for him. "Only three moves... maybe I have a chance," Yuan Kui thought to himself, hurriedly calling out to Li Sibai, "Brother Li, please help me act as a witness. Call a halt the moment the third move is done!"

With that, he drew his weapon—which turned out to be a steel saber.

Li Sibai consented readily; after all, if taking Yuan Kui along guaranteed an income of three Primordial Spirit Pearls, he naturally cared deeply about the outcome.

There was nothing particularly extraordinary about the steel saber, except that the blade was somewhat wider than usual, though not very large, suggesting it had been custom-forged specifically for Yuan Kui.

"Let me see if your saber technique has improved at all," Yao Xueqing said once he was ready.

Yuan Kui's playful expression had completely vanished. Whether due to facing a formidable rival from his youth or not, he grew exceptionally serious and focused.

Clutching the steel saber, his eyes locked onto Yao Xueqing as he stood frozen in place.

Suddenly, Yuan Kui flicked his wrist, and three cold gleams shot out, targeting Yao Xueqing's vital face and shoulders, while he himself surged forward right behind them. Swinging his steel saber, he aimed to cleave Yao Xueqing in half at the waist.

Yuan Kui seemed to be wary of her strength and wanted to unleash his full power from the start, attempting to suppress her completely through all three moves to maximize his chances of escaping unscathed.

He was far too eager to prove himself in front of Yao Xueqing.

Ever since childhood, he had trailed behind Yao Xueqing, constantly suppressed by her. Although his family's ancestral saber technique was formidable, he had never seemed to care for cultivation, and his father, the head of the Yuan family, had too many affairs to attend to, leaving him largely undisciplined.

It was only when Yao Xueqing left for the Profound Heaven Sword Sect a few years ago that he realized the gap between them would only widen, prompting him to finally begin training seriously.

Though he still maintained a dissolute facade, it was merely because his bad reputation had already been established long ago—he was simply acting a part. When he truly grew serious, he was not someone to be trifled with; otherwise, he could never have run amok in Tianyuan City without anyone putting him in his place. This hidden projectile technique had been specially commissioned by his father as a life-saving measure, and he had deployed it right at the start—something Yao Xueqing had never known he was capable of.

Yet how could mere projectiles injure Yao Xueqing? Her figure flashed; facing Yuan Kui's three-pronged assault, she slipped effortlessly through a gap, and the next moment, her sword scabbard lashed out toward Yuan Kui's body.

If that strike landed, Yuan Kui's defeat would be certain.

Just as the Tianya sword scabbard was about to hit Yuan Kui, an earthy-yellow talisman materialized in his hand. As he chanted an incantation, the talisman slipped from his fingers, and Yuan Kui vanished on the spot, burrowing straight into the ground.

"What is this? An Earth Escape Talisman?!" Li Sibai cried out in astonishment. He had heard of such talismans circulating in the pugilistic world. Certain Daoist sects excelled at crafting them, imbuing them with various attributes and functions. Their advantage lay in rapid activation, allowing users to cast spells of that element even without possessing the corresponding genuine qi; their only drawback was that their power fell short of innate spells. Consequently, these talismans were widely circulated among martial artists, with escape spells like the Earth Escape Technique being especially coveted.

Given that Yuan Kui was the only son of the Yuan family, the head of Tianyuan City's four major clans, it was entirely natural for him to possess such life-saving talismans.