Chapter 91 – You Dare!?

  “Do I know you?” Jun De asked, tilting his head slightly as he stared at the muscular man standing bare-chested in the middle of the crowd of Outer Sect Disciples.

  A silence dropped onto the onlookers like a boulder falling from the top of the Tranquil Mountain.

  The gathered Outer Sect Disciples, numbering in the thousands, fell completely silent in an instant, and their expressions ranged from stunned shock to delight at the casual way that Jun De reacted to Zhao Wuxian’s provocation.

  Even the birds in the trees, lingering in the Sect despite the low temperature, stopped their songs, while not even the wind stirred up any noise.

  Zhau Wuxian’s expression twisted in comical slowness. He was clearly confused at first, taking a moment to process what Jun De had said. Everyone who stared at him could see his thoughts churning as his eyes widened and his mouth opened, but no words came out.

  Then, the magnitude of the insult was registered. His skin flushed red, and veins protruded on his neck and forehead. Anger and hatred bubbled up, and only the lingering shock kept them bottled inside for a moment.

  Then, finally, the dame broke.

  “YOU DARE!?” Zhao Wuxian’s roar echoed off the surrounding walls of the courtyard, startling many of the Disciples and sending the few remaining birds to take off into the air.

  “This young lord has waited months for this confrontation! I have trained every day beneath the burning sun and endured the frigid cold to harden my body! I have crushed steel between my fingers, swam through sulphurous springs of boiling mineral waters, and have crafted the ultimate form in the entire Tranquil Mountain Sect!” Zhao Wuxian bragged, and his eyes bugged out of his head as he scarcely knew what to do with his anger.

  “AND YOU CLAIM TO NOT EVEN KNOW ME!?” Zhao Wuxian’s breath was ragged, and his aura surged about him. The stones beneath his feet began to crack, and the nearest Disciples backed away to give him room.

  Even the young women who were clinging to him scurried backward in fear of what he might do in his rage.

  “You are also in the 7th Level of Qi Condensation? You must have worked very hard indeed.” Jun De said, nodding his head at the furious young man. The last thing he wanted to do was to get involved with such a violent individual.

  ‘Maybe if I praise him a bit, he will leave me alone.’ Jun De thought.

  “Of course I am! I am the strongest Disciple in the Outer Sect! I am the most talented prodigy in the entire Tranquil Mountain Sect, and I will soon be the Inner Sect’s most glorious genius!” Zhao Wuxian bragged, and some of his anger dissipated at Jun De’s recognition of his hard work to reach his current cultivation.

  “That’s….nice.” Jun De said, pausing in his sentence to find the right words. Jun De very much doubted this buffoon would be the strongest in the Inner Sect, but he didn’t have any interest in coming into conflict with him.

  Jun De had just spent six months inside the Ninefold Refinement Array and wanted nothing more than to return to his courtyard and rest, avoiding Elder Mu and anyone else who might force him to train more or leave the Sect again.

  “Nice!?” Zhao Wuxian sputtered. He had never heard anyone describe his many accomplishments as ‘nice’ before.

  Jun De turned away from the young man and looked at Lin Yue and Shen Ruolan, who were waiting at the bottom of the steps.

  The crowd exploded with whispers and gasps at Jun De’s casual dismissal of Zhao Wuxian and his challenge. For all his power and muscular glory, he had been effortlessly ignored by Jun De like he was a loud child shouting for attention.

  Jun De walked calmly down the stairs from the Pagoda to stand in the courtyard as if Zhao Wuxian’s melodramatic fury didn’t exist at all. He came to a stop in front of Lin Yue and Shen Ruolan, and the crowd’s eyes watched his every movement.

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  Lin Yue’s cheeks were faintly pink, while her eyes were filled with warmth as she looked up at Jun De. Her blue robes fluttered around her slender frame, and a few lingering leaves that had fallen from the trees a week or more ago swirled around her feet.

  “Senior Brother Jun.” Lin Yue greeted softly, and she bowed slightly in respect despite their close relationship. She was aware of everyone staring at her and didn’t want to add fuel to the fire of the rumours swirling around about Jun De.

  Jun De nodded while offering her a warm smile that instantly softened the harsh air around them. Lin Yue even felt as if the temperature rose in response to Jun De’s presence, and she was soon smiling back at him in happiness.

  “Yue. I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to see you since we visited the Green Willow Hamlet. I’m hoping that things have calmed down enough that we can talk properly. How are your grandparents settling into Tranquil City?” Jun De asked.

  “There’s nothing to forgive.” Lin Yue shook her head.

  “You have your cultivation and your responsibilities in the Sect. I have never wanted to stand in the way of your path. My grandparents are well, and they send their regards. They want to know when you are free to visit again.” Lin Yue replied, blushing scarlet as she remembered the last time Jun De had visited them in Green Willow Hamlet.

  ‘Perhaps there will be a repeat of that incident.’ Lin Yue thought, and she was scandalized by her own boldness.

  “You have never stood in the way, and I would be happy to visit whenever I am free.” Jun De responded, his voice kind but firm.

  He turned to Shen Ruolan next, who stood with her arms folded and a single eyebrow arched as she watched him. Her blue robes were partially obscured by a pink outer garment that was draped across her shoulders. The confidence she exuded seemed to bend the air around her, and everyone gave her adequate space in the crowd.

  “I admit that I’m very surprised to see you here, Ruolan.” Jun De greeted, and she smirked in response and brushed a stray strand of hair to tuck it behind one ear.

  “Is it so strange? It’s only natural for a wife to follow her husband.” Shen Ruolan replied, and Jun De choked slightly in response to her statement.

  “But next time, I would prefer that you be the one to do the chasing.” Ruolan added, and her voice dripped with a sultry tease that caused Jun De’s eyes to widen.

  Jun De was about to reply when a boom echoed across the courtyard. Zhao Wuxian had lost his patience with being ignored and had punched through a stone column in his rage.

  “JUN DE!” Zhao Wuxian screamed, and his Qi surged around him to stir up a cloud of dust. To the crowd, he looked to be a wrathful god of muscles that sought to destroy everything around him.

  “LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM INSULTING YOU!”

  Jun De, for his part, exhaled slowly through his nose and rubbed his temple with his fingers in frustration.

  “Senior Brother Jun. He has been waiting for you for months, and I do not believe he will be satisfied with just an exchange of insults.” Lin Yue whispered.

  “I expect my husband to defend his own honour. Your reputation will be mine as well.” Shen Ruolan added.

  “I will defeat you, Jun De! I have waited six months for this duel, and I will not be denied! I shall prove that I am the peerless genius of this generation. A fraud and a coward like you is not worthy of the attention of the Sect!” Zhao Wuxian shouted, and he stepped forward dramatically as his fans cleared his path.

  Jun De slowly shook his head and stared at the muscular young man in confusion.

  “But, I don’t even know your name.” Jun De replied, and Zhao Wuxian’s scream echoed for miles. Even the Disciples in the Inner Sect looked up from the training or duties in surprise at the sudden noise.

  With a roar that shook the tiles of the courtyard, Zhao Wuxian hurled himself forward while his right fist pulled back like a drawn bow. Qi surged violently across his arm, fiery red and volatile.

  “I’ll wipe that smirk off your face, Jun De!”

  As Zhao Wuxian punched forward, the gathered Qi compressed and formed a blazing aura around his fist. The strike unleashed a wave of raw force that was so intense, it tore a furrow through the ground. Flagstones cracked and sent dust into the air like a storm as the momentum behind the attack was too much for the courtyard to handle.

  Jun De’s expression changed, and he stepped forward while raising a single hand with his palm outward. His Qi flowed out in a smooth wave, controlled and elegant, spiralling along his arm as he activated the Heavenly Deflection Art.

  The furious blow struck the shimmering barrier Jun De created, and for a brief instant, the courtyard was filled with the howling screech of clashing spiritual energies. Zhao Wuxian’s attack twisted in midair, contorted, and then dissipated.

  The fiery Qi unravelled like threads of smoke to scatter harmlessly into the wind. The furrow in the courtyard stopped at Jun De’s feet.

  Behind him, Lin Yue and Shen Ruolan stood untouched. Jun De didn’t even need to glance back to check, as long as he was standing in front of them, they were never in any danger.

  Jun De slowly lowered his hand, and the glow of his Qi faded as silence returned to the courtyard. Dust drifted in the air like settling ash, while Jun De frowned with a cold expression on his face.

  “You need to learn to control yourself. Your anger would have destroyed this courtyard and harmed your fellow Disciples. I can’t believe you would damage the Sect that is helping train and protect you over something like your hurt pride?”

  Zhao Wuxian’s mouth opened in protest, but Jun De’s next words landed like a hammer.

  “I won’t allow that. If you want to duel, whoever you are, then I will oblige you.”