Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 387 - 381 Journey 9

Chapter 387: Chapter 381 Journey 9

The two children reset their stances.

The competition immediately attracted many sailors and crew members, including Chief Affairs Officer Su Mu, who swarmed around to watch. After waking up in the morning with boundless energy and nothing to pass the time, they were delighted to come upon an interesting event.

Wang Peng and the chubby Fei Pengzi, as well as Qiuling and the little Jade Fox Rongyan, grouped together to join in the excitement.

"Dare to bet with the adult, just don’t lose until you have no pants to wear," Wang Peng said, shaking his head speechlessly. Although he had never truly made a bet with Lin Xin, his intuition told him that if he ever faced off against His Highness, he would be the one to lose.

"The adult won’t lose," the little Jade Fox stated with a firm expression.

"Why are you so sure? Little fox, there is no one who is omnipotent and always right in this world. Even the adult could stumble, right? After all, it isn’t the adult acting personally," Qiuling asked curiously.

The little Jade Fox just shook her head, sighing.

"Because even if the adult lost, he would never admit it..."

Reflecting on Lin Xin’s usual image, everyone suddenly found her words to be incredibly reasonable and were left speechless.

In the midst of their conversation, the fight had already begun directly.

Lin Xin stood at the side, his lips moving slightly, obviously giving instructions to the little girl through voice transmission.

The woman beside could not stand idly by, her lips also subtly moved as she transmitted her instructions to her own disciple, the little boy.

The boy and girl charged at each other.

The boy delivered a side kick, his left fist ready to strike at any moment, with rings of Spiritual Energy continuously surging on the surface of his fist, not from his own Cultivation Practice but from his glove weapon, a feature of his Heart Level status in the Central Prefecture.

"See that? All his movements actually revolve around a small sphere in front of you. If you can pinpoint that location, all his movements will unravel themselves."

Lin Xin’s voice transmission continually drilled into the little girl’s ears.

As the boy attacked, the girl stood still, her right hand raised flat, palm facing the opponent as if she wasn’t ready, yet it seemed like she wanted to stop him with just the force of one hand.

To the surprise of all the onlookers, the boy’s attacking fist, after a series of changing moves, ended up hitting the girl’s palm on its own.

Puff!

As their fists met palms, both stepped back.

The boy, unable to exert his full strength, collided with the girl’s palm. Even he found it unbelievable, but that was the outcome.

It seemed as if she had completely anticipated all his subsequent moves, just waiting calmly and allowing him to foolishly walk into her counter.

By conserving her energy, she was able to equalize the strength he had over her, making it an even match.

"What’s going on?!" The observing woman gasped, "Could it be an accident?"

But it was apparent that the girl had seen through all the trajectories of the subsequent moves of the Piercing Cloud Palm, pinpointing the biggest flaw. Then, with calm against activity, she struck with all her might.

A serious look gradually appeared on her face as she glanced at Lin Xin, still relaxed. She whispered her instructions once more, which slipped into the boy’s ears.

The boy nodded, aware that he was facing a master. He became solemn.

His hands drew four circles in succession, then he leaped forward abruptly, tracing a semi-circular arc through the air, and swung a fierce punch at the girl.

"Zhao Yuegui!"

At the sound of the low shout, his fist lit up with a White Light, and then, in an instant, his figure blurred. While still in midair, he moved faster than expected as though he gained extra speed, like acceleration out of thin air.

This sudden increase in speed caught the little girl off guard, making her panic. Only then did she realize that the boy had not been using his full strength until now.

"Swing your fist upward in the right-forward direction."

Suddenly, that same voice once again entered her ears.

Without hesitation, the little girl stepped forward and swung her right fist upward.

There seemed to be nothing there, and she hesitated for a moment, but decided to follow through with the punch regardless.

However, the scene that quickly unfolded before her left her completely dumbfounded.

The space that had been empty just a moment ago suddenly revealed the blurred figure of the boy, and then a punch came toward her shoulder, landing in exactly the same spot she chose the last time.

"Got it!"

No one knew who in the crowd provided that sound effect.

The boy, leaping forward, met the girl’s punch head-on and was hit squarely in the chest. He fell down, stumbling back over a dozen steps before slowly steadying himself, his face pale and breathing heavily.

"She actually saw the flaw..." The woman was stunned. The little girl’s two movements, both involving standing still and allowing her disciple to walk into her trap, displayed such precise calculation and high difficulty that it was almost unimaginable!

The Piercing Cloud Palm was a legitimate Fourth Grade Cultivation Technique. Although it was also because the youngster’s Cultivation wasn’t strong enough and he hadn’t perfected the skill, being able to discern the intricacies so quickly and find the flaw with such keen eyesight...

It was simply terrifying!

"Now you believe it," Lin Xin said with a smile. "However, I also owe you an apology for casually assessing your martial arts. For the parts where I was inappropriate, I hope for your understanding."

"Alright, alright, since Mr. Lin has apologized, let’s put this matter to rest for now. Both parties are esteemed guests on my ship, and it wouldn’t be good for me, managing the affairs, if any discord were to arise," Su Mu stepped in to mediate.

He knew that Wang Peng was a Third Grade master, and as for Lin Xin being the host, it was not surprising that he could see through a lower-tier Fourth Grade Cultivation Technique practiced by an unperfected child.

However, the woman snorted coldly, feeling somewhat uneasy; her snort was merely to maintain some dignity. Without another word, she left with the dazed boy.

The little girl then retracted her Inner Qi and ran over to Lin Xin.

"Thank you, sir, for your assistance."

She bowed with her hands clasped in front of her to Lin Xin.

"Little one, there’s no need to be so polite," Lin Xin said gently. "Your form is very standard. Why are you traveling alone? Where are your parents?"

She looked no more than twelve or thirteen, and there should have been relatives by her side.

However, when he glanced around, he couldn’t spot any relatives stepping forward. Where could they be?

"My relatives are nearby, just not present at the moment; they’re off handling some business," the little girl replied deftly, her eyes darting around innocently.

The small fry was as pretty as a picture, dressed in a white gown with two small buns atop her head, and the rest of her black hair cascaded down her back to her waist. Just by looking at her petite frame, one could tell she was a true beauty in the making.

"If uncle hadn’t stepped in to help Shasha just now, I fear that vicious woman would have bullied me," she said.

"What exactly happened between you and those two?" Lin Xin saw through the facade; the little one wasn’t as docile as she appeared, just putting on a good show.

"Shasha is very obedient..." the girl murmured softly, tweaking her expression as if she was on the verge of tears.

"They were unreasonable, insisting on framing Shasha..." Her voice trailed off, her expression pitifully sad and disheartened.

"Sir."

At this moment, Wang Peng and the others also joined them.

"Good morning."

"Good morning to you too."

Lin Xin replied.

"You were here the whole time; why didn’t you come out to speak for me? Everyone’s good at watching the show," she griped.

"We were just enjoying the spectacle of the master having fun," the chubby one added obsequiously.

"Sharp eyes you have," Lin Xin laughed. "Tell me, what exactly happened just now?"

"We didn’t see it clearly, we just got on deck and saw that little boy grabbing the girl and not letting go, then both sides started squabbling, and it ended up in a fight," Wang Peng explained. "We originally came up to enjoy the breeze and have breakfast."

The rest nodded in agreement.

"It’s all their fault!" The little girl pouted, her eyes welling up with tears. "I did nothing, yet I was grabbed and wronged. They didn’t even give me a chance to explain, and they wanted to hit me!"

Lin Xin actually glanced casually at the girl’s chest and turned his head away with a meaningful smile.

"Let’s eat first; we can talk while we eat."

Su Mu had also come to find their group by then. The other woman was being looked after by the Vice Manager.

The group, accompanied by the Chief Affairs Officer, went down to the Second Layer and settled down for a meal in the Peacock Hall.

The girl, seeing that it was Chief Affairs Officer Su himself who had come to accompany them, flashed a surprised and sly look in her eyes. Realizing she had latched onto a big fish, she immediately began addressing everyone warmly as uncle, sister, and brother.

Lin Xin too noticed the little one’s intention to freeload and did not call her out. Her dress did look pretty upon her, but clearly, it was not the best fit, combining this with his previous judgment.

He had his suspicions.

Having nothing better to do, he simply decided to include the little one in their meal.

After everyone sat down, Su Mu raised his glass to Lin Xin with a wry smile.

"Mr. Lin, you’ve graced us with an exciting demonstration early this morning, seeing through an art like the Piercing Cloud Palm, a Fourth Grade cultivation technique. It was an eye-opener for everyone; let’s all toast to Mr. Lin."

The chair included Lin Xin’s party, the little girl Shasha, and his two assistants. Naturally, they all raised their glasses in respect and took a sip.

"Miss Shasha, it’s time to return the item to that guest, isn’t it?" Lin Xin looked at the little girl with a teasing smile and whispered.

Shasha was instantly taken aback.

The others were also momentarily startled.

Su Mu looked at Shasha with a puzzled expression, clearly as unaware of the full story as everyone else.

With Wang Peng and the others looking over, he could only offer a wry smile.

"Don’t look at me like that; all my guys saw was her rushing out and then being stopped by those two guests, and then the confrontation ensued. I’m not clear on the cause either," he said.

He realized that ever since he had encountered Lin Xin and his party, he had been smiling wryly more often than he had the entire year combined.

Shasha, however, put on a nearly tear-stained face. Her delicate features were inherently sweet and obedient, and with a performance so convincing it bordered on the divine, even Lin Xin was almost fooled, wondering if perhaps he had made a mistake.

"It was my own possession that the little boy coveted. He then grabbed me and wanted to make a wager, saying that... that if they won, I had to hand over my treasure. But it’s really the last memento my mother left me before she passed away..."

The little one looked so pitiful that one couldn’t help but feel for her.

"I’m sorry, uncle... I lied... I boarded the ship alone..."

She looked up and said softly.

Lin Xin couldn’t help but soften his voice.

"Then where are your parents or your relatives?"

"They... it’s better left unsaid..." Shasha’s face showed a trace of sadness and sorrow.

"Not a word you say! I’m not dead yet!" Before she could finish, a loud and rugged voice, filled with anger, burst from outside the door.

"The nerve of you, Shasha, cursing your own father to death! I’m going to drag you back home and teach you a good lesson!"