lcionline Chapter 233 Provocation
Chapter 233 Provocation
The moon rises into the sky, and the cool frost slants down from the inky black night sky. The chilly evening breeze whispers among the tender leaves, telling tales of distant places.
The thousands of cultivators in the arena stood upright, their heads tilted back, listening intently to the eloquent discourse of the middle-aged man with the dignified face who was the only one standing on the stage.
"...These are just my humble opinions, and I hope that fellow Daoists will not hesitate to offer their guidance!"
The middle-aged man in a gray-blue robe silently bowed and humbly greeted the other members of his generation in the room. The others rose to return the greeting before taking their seats.
After a short while, seeing that no one else was going to speak, Qingheng-jun, the host, gracefully stood up and asked again with a smile, "Is there any fellow Daoist who would like to come forward and share their Daoist theories?"
Wherever Ruoshui's gentle gaze fell, everyone shook their heads in refusal. Qingheng-jun, understanding the situation, then said gently, "In that case, this discussion will end here. I only hope that everyone has gained something from this trip, so that my Lan clan can be at ease."
He paused, then said gently, “After a whole day of discussion, I imagine you are all exhausted and hungry. I have already instructed the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous dinner for you. Please come with me, the disciples of the Lan Clan, to the dining hall to have your meal. After you have eaten your fill, please return to your rooms to wash up and rest!”
At the same time, his deep gaze swept over many attentive people in the audience like a spring breeze caressing willows and rippling water, and then he raised his sleeve to send the group of immortals off in single file.
After everyone had left in an orderly manner, only Qinghengjun, Wen Ruohan, and Nie Changfeng remained in the arena, which had been packed just moments before.
Even Lan Qiren, the Lan Clan elders, Nie Mingjue and the others had all left. As for Wei Ying and the other two, as well as the two Lan brothers, they were all dragged away by Lan Qiren to handle a series of matters that needed to be settled and verified after the discussion meeting!
Smelling the faint fragrance of flowers and trees carried on the night breeze, tinged with the coolness of evening dew, and listening to the chirping of insects, Wen Ruohan, his eyes hazy under the cold moonlight, stood with his hands behind his back and spoke softly: "Lan Wenjing, tell me, how many 'clever people' do you think will show up later?"
The words "smart person" were pronounced with particular emphasis and lingering.
Nie Changfeng frowned: "The number must be quite large! I can tell they are all shrewd people, and they certainly won't easily forget Wen Jing's firm promise from a few days ago!"
“Speaking of which, I’ve really spotted quite a few promising talents these past few days! I just don’t know if they’d be willing to join my Nie family!” Nie Changfeng said excitedly.
"Hmph!" Wen Ruohan scoffed. "If you're choosing a family to join, my Qishan Nevernight City is the first choice, and if that's not enough, there's the old fox's Cloud Recesses. How could your bunch of brainless brutes, who only know how to fight and kill, possibly be a match for you?"
"You!" Nie Changfeng was furious. He slammed his large hand on the table beside him, his eyes wide with rage, and shouted, "Wen Ruohan! What do you mean? Want to fight?"
"Tch! I couldn't be happier!" Wen Ruohan, whose eyes were gleaming with excitement, suddenly stood up. "Come on! Let me test your skills!"
Before he could finish speaking, he had already leaped onto a fighting platform directly in front of him, raising his palm and looking disdainfully at Nie Changfeng, who was wielding a knife.
Seeing that Wen Ruohan was serious, Nie Changfeng remained calm and fearless. He took a deep breath, gripped the Xuanming sword on the table with his five fingers together, and stomped his foot to jump to the position opposite Wen Ruohan.
With a long clang, the heavy sword, gleaming coldly and exuding a chilling aura, was drawn. Thick eyebrows shot up, and large, dark, piercing eyes stared straight into Wen Ruohan's deep, sinister gaze—a gaze that seemed to harbor endless, lurking, unknown terrors. He grinned, "Fight!"
In an instant, the frost-white blade energy spread and crisscrossed, even more like the whiteness of frost and snow than the light and gentle moonlight that shimmered in the air and on the ground!
However, facing Nie Changfeng's boiling fighting spirit, Wen Ruohan did not respond immediately. Instead, she tilted her head and looked at Qinghengjun, whose expression remained unchanged despite the clear sky and gentle breeze in the stands, and smiled smugly: "What? Lan Wenjing, aren't you going to join the fray? Are you planning to play the role of a fisherman and watch from the sidelines?!"
Faced with Wen Ruohan's provocation, Qinghengjun simply smiled and replied with elegant grace, "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Sect Leader Wen; this sparring session is probably impossible!"
"?" Wen Ruohan's sword-like eyebrows furrowed, and the tips of his ears trembled slightly. He immediately understood the implied meaning of Qinghengjun's words. The fierce fighting spirit that was burning all over his body suddenly disappeared, and his tense muscles suddenly relaxed. He pursed his lips in annoyance, then casually jumped up and sat back in his seat.
Nie Changfeng, completely taken aback by Wen Ruohan's sudden change of heart: "..."
After a moment of stunned silence, Nie Changfeng reacted quickly, sheathing the Xuanming sword in the blink of an eye. He pursed his lips and returned to his seat somewhat dejectedly.