Chapter 585: Orange and Citrusy

Zu'an was immediately dejected. "Are all beautiful women this hot-tempered?" However, the whistling leg whip coming his way didn't give him time to think. He quickly raised his hand and grabbed her ankle. "Huh, the level of this Qi fluctuation... she's already a fifth-rank practitioner. To have this cultivation at such a young age, she can truly be called a genius."

At this moment, Murong Qinghe's shock far surpassed his own. "What's going on? How could he so easily block my kick, which I was so sure would land? How high is his cultivation? He's so young, how is that possible! And the rumors say Miss Chu married some street thug. How could this guy be powerful? It must be that I subconsciously held back just now, which is why he blocked me so easily." She could feel the warmth from his palm on her ankle, filling her with both shame and anger.

Anger value from Murong Qinghe: 444!

She twisted her waist, leapt into the air, and used her other foot to kick at him. Leveraging her momentum and twisting her whole body, this strike was far more powerful than the last. Zu'an hadn't expected her to come up with a counter-strategy so quickly; her combat reflexes were truly impressive. Faced with the fierce kick, he had no choice but to release her ankle and step back.

The moment Murong Qinghe broke free, she moved like a dragon unleashed, her long legs raining down kicks on him like a storm. At the same time, her movements were erratic, attacking him from all directions. Zu'an secretly thought, "Her leg techniques are sometimes like Foshan's Shadowless Kick, and sometimes like Wind God's Leg. No wonder she doesn't wear a skirt." He was almost impressed by his own wandering mind, able to think of such irrelevant things at that moment. Seeing her attacks intensify, he raised a finger, pinpointed an opening, and tapped it. Spirit Focus Finger!

When he struck, he instinctively aimed for her weakness, but after landing the touch, he inwardly cursed. The soft yet elastic sensation clearly indicated it was her inner thigh. Murong Qinghe gasped and tumbled to the side. She instinctively tried to get up, but a numb and tingling sensation spread from between her legs, making her knees weak and nearly causing her to lose her balance. Her expression instantly became extremely peculiar.

Zu'an was wondering if he should offer an explanation, but then he thought, "She came at me trying to kill me. Why should I be the one explaining myself? How pathetic would that be?" Just then, Murong Qinghe spoke, her phoenix eyes fixed on his finger with curiosity. "What's the name of that move?" Zu'an was taken aback. She wasn't crying, making a scene, or acting outraged that he had violated her purity? What was this reaction? She was actually asking about the name of his technique with an eager, inquisitive look. Was this the legendary "martial arts fanatic" trait? Nevertheless, he instinctively replied, "Spirit Focus Finger."

"Spirit Focus Finger?" Murong Qinghe repeated it several times to herself. "Good name, good technique. But now, you'll need to be careful." As she spoke, she drew two short spears from behind her waist. Previously, out of pride, she hadn't used weapons, thinking her leg techniques would be enough to deal with him. But now, realizing he was a master, she dared not be careless. "Heh!" she grunted, charging forward fearlessly. The two short spears, one in each hand, virtually sealed off all his escape routes. From a distance, one could feel the fierce aura emanating from the spearheads, a unique quality seemingly forged from prolonged exposure to enemy blood on battlefields.

Zu'an had noticed the two short staffs at her waist from the beginning, thinking they were strange ornaments. He never expected them to be such dangerous weapons. "This girl doesn't look old, yet she's someone who has survived prolonged, brutal combat?" His mind raced, but his movements didn't stop. He took a step to the side, executing Sunflower Phantom.

Murong Qinghe thought her twin spears had him locked down, but in the blink of an eye, he vanished. By the time she reacted, he was already at her side. She gasped in surprise, quickly sweeping her short spears back to defend in front of her. Just then, his finger poked out, touching the shaft of one spear. Zu'an was secretly amazed. The girl's sudden change in moves was like an antelope hanging its horns—leaving no trace. Although her cultivation wasn't high, her combat reactions and practical experience far exceeded those of her peers. He recalled that the several sixth-rank assassins from the Shadow Hall had been almost instantly defeated by him, yet this fifth-rank girl had lasted so many moves against him. While his leniency was certainly a factor, her responses were truly commendable.

Murong Qinghe, however, felt her arm go numb. The finger force transmitted through the short spear made it impossible for her to hold on, and it flew out of her grasp. Zu'an thought, "I've knocked away your weapon, surely you'll surrender now." To his surprise, Murong Qinghe swung her other short spear to the side, perfectly intercepting the one that had been knocked away. With a click, the two short spears combined into a single long spear. Zu'an's eyes widened. "There's a move like that?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Murong Qinghe thrust the long spear forward like a silver dragon emerging from the sea. Seeing the myriad spear shadows before him, Zu'an slightly furrowed his brow, then extended his finger. The countless spear shadows vanished, leaving only a single spearhead gently gripped between his fingers. Murong Qinghe's face flushed crimson. She was pulling with all her might but couldn't free the spear even an inch, a sense of dread rising within her. "How can his finger strength be so powerful? What if he were to poke me somewhere on my body?"

"Don't bother," Zu'an said nonchalantly. "You can't get it free. If you want your spear back, sure, beg me. Maybe I'll give it back." He mused, "Along this journey, I've encountered nothing but eighth or ninth-rank masters or even grandmasters. Being bullied by them is one thing, but if a young girl like you bullies me, how will I, Brother Zu, save face?"

"Dream on!" Murong Qinghe retorted furiously.

Anger value from Murong Qinghe: 999!

Perhaps anger gave her strength. She released her grip on the long spear, then rapidly rotated her forearm around it. A spiral force emanated, and the long spear began to spin rapidly. Even Zu'an couldn't hold onto it, quickly releasing his fingers. Murong Qinghe's lips curved upward; she was about to retrieve her spear when her smile suddenly froze. This was because he had extended two more fingers, clamping down on her long spear, while slowly stroking it with his fingers and saying, "What a good spear!"

"Let go!" Murong Qinghe exclaimed, filled with shame and indignation. She had been practicing spear techniques since childhood, and after more than a decade, she and this long spear were in perfect sync; it was like an extension of her own body. For him to hold her spear was no different from him holding her body. In truth, physical contact with him wouldn't necessarily bother her; given her long military career, it was perfectly normal to have physical contact with enemies on the battlefield. However, this spear was her pride and glory. Normally, when it was unsheathed, it either took enemies' lives or forced them into submission. To have it now held and toyed with in his hand like this filled her with an inexplicable sense of shame.

Seeing her body tremble slightly, Zu'an initially thought she was shaking from anger, but he quickly realized it was something else. Now that he had experience, he immediately recalled that Qiao Xueying had trembled similarly when aroused last night. Zu'an looked utterly bewildered. "Is it really that much? You get aroused just from me touching your spear? What kind of strange setting is this?"

Just then, the gates of the Qin manor opened, and a startled voice cried out, "What are you two doing?" Murong Qinghe seemed to have received a great pardon. She immediately abandoned her long spear, scurried over to the person, and, in a soft, pampered voice, pointed at Zu'an. "Brother Chu, this guy is bullying me!" Zu'an's jaw nearly dropped. Just moments ago, she was a formidable woman, magnificent with her spear like a dragon. How could she suddenly change her demeanor so completely? A tomboy instantly turned into a docile girl? Seeing her, a few inches taller than Chu Youzhao, feigning a delicate, clingy posture and looking at Youzhao with heart-shaped eyes, Zu'an's expression became exceptionally complex. "Is this woman mistaken about something? Does she like Chu Youzhao, who is disguised as a man?"