077 The Mighty and Majestic Man

Chapter 077: A Man of Majestic Strength

The ethereal, otherworldly horsetail whisk twisted, folded, and flicked; the horsehair retracted as the blade extended, transforming into a short spear tipped with a three-edged dagger. The spear tip, triangular and cold, refracted the sunlight into three chilling beams. As the short spear sliced through the air, it seemed to divide the very space before it into three segments, emitting a faint, ominous hiss that made one's scalp tingle.

Fang Rulai sensed something amiss and turned suddenly, tears still glistening in the corners of her eyes, grievance yet to fade.

Suspended in mid-air, Xiao Shi's lips curled into a scornful smile that read, “So what if you have a sharp tongue? In the end, you’ll still die by my hand.” But no sooner had that smile reached his lips than Fang Rulai, facing him, suddenly smiled as well.

A smile mingled with tears, or was it tears infused with a smile? Xiao Shi had no time to decipher which. All he knew was that her perpetual composure was enough to drive him mad! Clearly, the advantage lay with him. Why did he always feel suppressed whenever he faced this monk? It had been the same through numerous pursuits in Shengjing and secret confrontations in Pingcheng.

That gaze—regarding everything he did as nothing more than a clown’s antics—shook him to his core, making him feel anxious and insecure, just as his own master did.

By what right?

Rage flared anew in Xiao Shi’s heart. He surged his power to its peak. Before the short spear arrived, a forceful palm strike came first. “Fang Rulai, hand over your life!”

A full-force palm strike cleaved the air from above.

Suddenly—whoosh—a figure darted from behind him like lightning. Xiao Shi blinked in astonishment, but in that instant, the figure had already leapt in front of Fang Rulai.

Xiao Shi focused and saw that the figure turned, rooted himself in a horse stance, pressed his palms together, and thrust forward.

Boom—the force from his palm met Xiao Shi’s head-on. The resulting shockwave sent dust billowing into the air.

Through the swirling haze, Xiao Shi’s pupils clearly reflected the fool Sun Ming’s figure, whose bewildered face contorted as he was blasted out of the courtyard and embedded into the gate tower.

A hot surge burned Xiao Shi’s throat, and he spat a mouthful of blood into the air. In that moment, he understood the reason for Fang Rulai’s smile—it was to provoke him into unleashing his full strength, so that when confronted with an opponent possessing even greater internal power, the backlash would harm him more severely. But when had she allied herself with this fool?

Confusion overwhelmed Xiao Shi, but Sun Ming—Guan Shiyin—after landing that single palm, immediately whirled around and, like a hungry tiger, pounced toward Fang Rulai. “My dear monk-wife, I strictly followed the instructions you sent yesterday, enduring to the very end before revealing myself. Don’t you think you should reward your husband with a kiss as promised?”

How could he shift from such a ferocious, dominant palm strike to this coquettish tone in the very next instant?

Fang Rulai was briefly stunned. She had witnessed many of Guan Shiyin’s feats—his ruthless ambush when they first met, his skillful maneuvering of latrine benches at Qitian Daoist Temple, his overwhelming strength in the Shengjing magistrate’s hall when confronting the Crown Prince’s henchmen. Yet none had moved her as deeply as that direct, forceful palm strike today.

What a magnificent, awe-inspiring blow! The energy wave erupted and, before her eyes, rapidly formed a colossal sphere. At one pole of the sphere, Xiao Shi visibly shrank until he was sent flying; at the other, the back of Guan Shiyin, his robes swelling, muscles barely contained, seemed to grow ever larger.

Perhaps in Shengjing, to others, Guan Shiyin had always been the image of a refined noblewoman, his actions tinged with a mysterious restraint. Coupled with his constant feminine attire, even knowing his martial prowess, Fang Rulai could never quite see him as truly masculine. But today was different. Though still resplendently dressed, after that head-on clash, no one could deny the imposing power of a real man.

Somehow, Fang Rulai recalled the time Guan Shiyin had stripped his clothes before her. Annoyed at him then, she had overlooked, in that fleeting glimpse, his perfect, honest eight-pack abs—a beauty of absolute strength she had failed to appreciate. Or perhaps, it was only now, thunderstruck, that she truly remembered.

Her heart skipped a beat; her breathing quickened. A strange, heady mix of sweetness, shyness, and heat rose within her.

As Guan Shiyin swept in for a bear hug, Fang Rulai, who had intended to push him away, instead crossed her arms and let herself fall into his embrace. After all, this man had long arms and legs and top-tier martial arts; even if she tried, escape was impossible. Besides, he’d only asked for a kiss, not forcibly seized one—there was still some restraint, wasn’t there?

The only thing that exasperated her was his gaze, which seemed glued to her chest and never left... Well, that was just a man’s nature; she could endure it!

A thousand thoughts whirled through Fang Rulai’s mind, but her retort was quick: “First, I only suggested—via Banxia yesterday—that you conceal your identity until the last moment as the best way to resolve our predicament; I never required you to obey. Second, your message attached to the fake arrow was just your suggestion, not an agreement, since you never got my consent. Third, rewards are for those who toil most arduously, for example—”

Fang Rulai tilted her chin toward the archers battling Daoists. “Those who face real blades and swords on the battlefield!”

Guan Shiyin had barely registered her uncharacteristically non-critical expression when her words darkened his face. “Are you saying you’d give a kiss to those mediocrities who can’t end the fight in three moves? According to what Xiaorou taught me, I’m the high-spec war god who instantly vanquished the enemy. I’m the most deserving!”

The archers, hearing this, stumbled in unison and lamented inwardly: Master, we’ve switched between fake and real arrows, acted in your plays, and even had to moonlight as assassins—haven’t we done enough? If you still call us mediocrities, that’s just too much. And Madam, in view of our loyal service, could you not slander us?

Stung by lack of recognition, the archers struck out even harder. We can’t contradict our master, but we can prove ourselves. Three moves, right? Fine. First move: disarm. Second move: counterstrike. Third move: fatal strike. Done.

Fang Rulai was satisfied. “Well done. You deserve a reward.”

Guan Shiyin pouted, blocking her gaze with his face. “I did even better. I deserve the greatest reward!”

“Then show me what you’ve got,” Fang Rulai replied, spreading her hands and mocking his bravado. “If you can, prove it. If you can’t, stop bragging.”

Guan Shiyin’s eyes lit up. “What does that mean? Xiaorou never taught me that one!”

Fang Rulai wore a look of finally catching him out. Since entering Pingcheng, the phrases he relayed to her always felt familiar yet increasingly nonsensical. She’d long suspected someone in this world was feeding him words only she would say. Now it was clear: that little fatty who’d sell her out for a braised pork belly. He’d pay for this.

“Oops, slipped up,” Guan Shiyin feigned remorse, patting his lips before leaning closer to her ear. “That boy’s too loose-tongued. I’ll deal with him for you when we get back!”

“Better deal with what’s in front of you first!” His breath, hot and deep on her bare chest, sent her heart racing again. Unable to endure, Fang Rulai forcibly turned his face forward.

There, Xiao Shi was struggling to free himself from the gate tower. The man’s martial prowess was profound and peculiar—to embed him in the gate without damaging it was a feat beyond Xiao Shi’s abilities. It was like carving into tofu versus stone—a vast gulf in skill. He was planning to extract himself and escape while the two of them flirted.

Unfortunately for him, he was always within Fang Rulai’s line of sight. She waited until he’d just freed an arm before alerting Guan Shiyin, a simple gesture of reciprocity—to let the other taste the dread of near-death.

Guan Shiyin always understood his wife’s intentions perfectly. With just a reminder from her, he knew what to do. After all, satisfying her desires meant his own would be fulfilled all the sooner.

“Oh? Still thinking of running? Did I hit your head too hard?” Guan Shiyin teased as he released Fang Rulai and leaped toward Xiao Shi.

Fang Rulai exhaled in relief. Finally, she’d managed to distract that clinging god. If he’d held her any longer, she really might have suffocated.

Guan Shiyin turned suddenly. “Monk-wife, hiding your true feelings is a kind of deception too. When I’m done, I’ll come back and spank you as a warning.”

Now, with her heart quietly changed, the threat of a spanking no longer left her unmoved as before. Breath catching in her throat, Fang Rulai blushed uncontrollably.

Sadly, Guan Shiyin, eager to finish his business and return for the promised spanking, missed her first ever blush—a moment he would later regret so much that, when Zhu Xishi mentioned it in passing, he went on a three-day hunger strike, begging Fang Rulai to blush again.

...

While Guan Shiyin advanced with a grin, Xiao Shi saw only a murderous, demonic visage. This man’s skills were far above his own, and from their conversation, it was obvious he was no fool.

A formidable foe, who had just palm-struck him into a gate tower, yet whose identity remained a mystery. Terror swelled within Xiao Shi. Though he knew resistance was futile, he refused to just await death.

Still wedged in the gate, he raised his freed arm and hurled the short spear at Guan Shiyin. “Who are you, really?”

Guan Shiyin twisted aside with uncanny agility and caught the spear. “Who am I? Can’t you guess?”

“Hmph, who says I can’t? You’re one of the Second Prince’s men, aren’t you? Listen up! The Crown Prince’s ascension is inevitable. No matter how the Second Prince schemes, it’ll all come to nothing. People, see clearly—this is all the Second Prince’s plot to seize the throne. First, they lured us from Shengjing with murder and arson, then ambushed us to cut down the Crown Prince’s wings and weaken his power. These are the signs of rebellion!”

Guan Shiyin stroked the spear tip with his index finger. “So I really did strike your head too hard. At least the common folk’s heads are still intact.”

The ordinary people of Pingcheng, who had just escaped the jaws of death, had collapsed in terror as the archers began clearing the battlefield. They were just simple folk, prone to mischief and eager for excitement. Whether the killers were officials or bandits meant nothing to them; the lofty power struggles were even less relevant. They just wanted to live their quiet lives in peace.

Xiao Shi shouted, “People! Whoever can relay today’s events to Shengjing, the Crown Prince will reward you handsomely!”

The people clapped hands over their ears and eyes. “I’m deaf!” “I’m blind!” “Now I’m both deaf and blind!”

Guan Shiyin beamed, radiant with pride. “My wife once taught me: Water can carry a boat or overturn it. If it were up to me, I’d say—karma comes for all!”

Xiao Shi’s face turned ashen, despair clouding his mind. “So that’s why you revealed yourself now?”

If he possessed such overwhelming strength yet waited until Xiao Shi’s attempt at manipulating public opinion failed before appearing, then clearly they, too, had intended to use public opinion to bolster their master’s cause.

Guan Shiyin was generous with praise. “Ah, so there’s still a corner of your brain left unscathed.”

Xiao Shi had no time to be insulted by the constant jabs at his intelligence. The reality of death pressed in. Public opinion was fixed, his men were dead—now, wasn’t his own turn next?

“Wait, wait! You can’t kill me! I—I have the Saltman’s token! Surely you came to Pingcheng for that!” Suddenly, hope lit his face as he drew the stolen dagger from his robe. “Stop! Take another step and I’ll destroy it!”

“Go ahead,” Guan Shiyin replied, raising the spear.

“I mean it! I really will—”

“Or shall we see who’s faster?” Guan Shiyin narrowed his eyes, aimed, and threw.

The short spear flew like an arrow, death in its wake.

Thud—it struck Xiao Shi square in the left chest. He cried out, dropped the dagger, and, ignoring it, fished out wound powder to staunch the bleeding.

But he’d forgotten—the wound was made by his own weapon. The three-edged blade left a square hole; blood gushed out, the flesh too far apart to heal. This weapon had been designed precisely to shed blood, not to close wounds.

In the end, he died by his own blade.

“Karma!” Guan Shiyin hooked the dagger into his palm and, once more like a ravenous tiger, charged straight for Fang Rulai.

“Wife, your husband is done! Reward me with a kiss—give me a kiss!”

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