Did she really not hear, or is she pretending not to hear?
Is she feigning ignorance because she can't reveal it?
Lin Qing's mind was racing with thoughts.
Chen Muxue suddenly sensed that the man before her had become more cautious. She checked her pot, but she hadn't even moved!
"Hey, what are you trying to do, sneaking up behind a defenseless woman in broad daylight?"
Lin Qing and the few junior disciples behind him were speechless.
Earlier, when the senior brother gathered Spiritual Power on his arm at a critical moment, it was easily dispersed by her swat!
Besides, the sound was loud, everyone there heard it—the force was self-evident.
And considering the thickness and purity of this iron pot... she used it like a fly swatter!
So this is the legendary "defenseless woman," huh?
"Miss, I am Lin Qing from Liuyun Sect, Shen Yao... I suppose you could count her as my junior sister..." Lin Qing spoke reluctantly, his expression slightly strange.
"Ahem, in short, Liuyun Sect disciples have been injured by outsiders, and a Treasure Sword was lost. It's impossible for fellow sect members to sit idly by."
After saying this, Lin Qing's lips moved, but he didn't continue.
"Mainly, the news about the Life Fruit can't be ignored..." he thought to himself.
Chen Muxue understood: "Oh, so you're here to avenge Shen Yao?"
"Exactly."
"Primarily, we're here for the Life Fruit!" Lin Qing mentally added.
Behind him, one disciple whispered to another: "Look at senior brother's eyebrows and lips, he definitely added something to himself in his mind."
Chen Muxue glanced left and right. Hmm, there were so many of them, and they all seemed to be of higher rank than her. Running seemed impossible, fighting... well, even the Red Wolf couldn't beat this many sheep...
"How do you plan to avenge Shen Yao, then?" Chen Muxue asked cautiously.
Lin Qing hesitated and turned to look at his junior brothers.
Everyone exchanged glances.
"Uh... maybe give her a beating?"
Chen Muxue suddenly chuckled: "Do you even know how Shen Yao was beaten?"
Her mysterious demeanor was quite intimidating.
Lin Qing's heart skipped a beat.
Countless terrifying images of women wielding pots appeared in his mind—
Broad-shouldered, bear-like women carrying giant iron pots, eyes flashing with bloodlust, razor-sharp teeth in mouths still smeared with blood. With a simple pinch, mid-grade Magic Artifacts were crushed between her fingers!
Lin Qing shuddered.
"Hey! A mere Foundation Establishment trying to show off here, quickly confess who harmed my sister, only then will I spare you!" suddenly, a junior disciple couldn't resist jumping out.
"What an old-fashioned line." Lin Qing inwardly grumbled, casting a glance at the disciple.
Those unaware might think Shen Yao had been killed!
Chen Muxue paused, then chuckled: "How about this, I'll give you a chance. If you can hurt my pinky finger, I'll tell you everything I know."
Then, she extended her mystical pinky.
"How arrogant for a mere Foundation Establishment Sixth Rank!"
Just as these words fell, a surge of Spiritual Energy burst from Chen Muxue's body.
Uh, she had secretly eaten a few pickled radishes earlier.
Lin Qing and his group were silent for a while, then the disciple from before stomped his foot once more:
"Even a Foundation Establishment Seventh Rank is this arrogant!"
The tone was notably more uncertain.
Never seen anyone suddenly advance to the next stage just standing in the street!
Perhaps we're just inexperienced...
"What's the matter, afraid? Do you mean to say that even as disciples of Liuyun Sect, you can't hurt even my pinky?" Saying this, Chen Muxue teased her pinky.
Pinky, why the pinky?
Lin Qing's eyes darkened, could it be—
Shocking! Liuyun Sect disciples bully women just to bend their pinky!
The world unaware! Liuyun Sect's untold story with the pinky...
The obsession Liuyun Sect disciples have with pinkies? Ninety-nine percent remain silent!
Countless topics popped into his mind that could become gossip—Lin Qing's eyes flashed with fear:
"You, a woman, are so malicious!"
Chen Muxue: "?"
The disciples exchanged glances, shaking their heads, truly not knowing what the senior brother was thinking!
"With just a pinky, I can take it down with a sword—"
Chen Muxue felt her pinky itch for a moment, then once again beheld a shattered sword scattered everywhere.
"How many grades of Magic Artifact was this time? How much?" Chen Muxue curiously asked.
One disciple collapsed onto the ground: "My Holy Sword!!"
The remaining disciples stepped back, finally putting on serious expressions, hands reaching for their sword hilts.
This Foundation Establishment Sixth Rank woman... no, Seventh Rank, how terrifying!
Lin Qing saw the sword-shattering incident and suddenly understood: "So it was you! You hurt Shen Yao?"
Chen Muxue gestured with her pinky: "Indeed, it's me. Come on, can you hurt my pinky?"
Lin Qing drew his sword, the greenness of Spiritual Energy enveloped the blade, suddenly bringing a sense of freshness and tranquility, as if deep in a bamboo forest.
"Wood Spirit Root?" Chen Muxue watered Lin Qing's feet.
"Golden Core Stage perfection! She's still provoking him?" In the shadows, Cen Lizhui was ready to jump out at any moment.
Immediately where Chen Muxue watered, a few bamboo shoots sprang up...
"Wow!"
"Wow!"
Chen Muxue and Lin Qing exclaimed in unison, both paused, exchanged glances, and the atmosphere again turned defiant.
Upon seeing the bamboo shoots, Cen Lizhui stumbled in his stride.
"Surrender." Lin Qing flourished a sword flower.
"Spray—spray—"
Lin Qing became quite speechless as Chen Muxue continually sprayed water at him like a child, causing him to almost hesitate.
But there was no real hesitation; he still leaped up, his straightforward sword unstoppable.
"Splash!"
Suddenly, Chen Muxue's small water spray turned into a large water column, seemingly about to envelop Lin Qing!
"It's useless!" Lin Qing relied on his Spiritual Power, which was several times stronger than Chen Muxue's, to break through the water column.
"Sorry, it's hot water."
"Huh?!"
The collision of scorching water and Spiritual Power filled the space with blistering steam!
The burning pain was on every inch of Lin Qing's skin, his eyes struggled to remain open! He quickly enveloped himself with Spiritual Power, experiencing what it must feel like for a zongzi to be boiled.
"Ugh!"
Unable to be distracted, that sword came directly, and Chen Muxue couldn't evade it, so she met it with the pot.
Clearly, with her current state and the pot, there was no way to shatter Lin Qing's sword at this level—but not just that, she was also sent flying several meters by the sword.
Lin Qing's failed sword was swiftly retracted, and he jumped back.
All the skin he exposed had been scalded red; during the battle, he had inhaled quite a bit of steaming hot vapor, making every breath now painfully sting.
"Senior brother!" The disciples quickly rushed to support him, but when they grabbed Lin Qing, it caused him secondary injury...
"Ow, ow, ow! Let go!" Lin Qing hopped around wildly, urgently using Spiritual Power to repair his lungs, before looking towards Chen Muxue—
Then he saw a fast fleeing silhouette clutching something.
The bamboo shoots on the ground were somehow taken away.
"Senior brother, should we chase?"
Lin Qing's lips twitched: "Next time."