Chapter 697: Xu Ziling, Deception to Create Reality

Xue Ling had come looking for Xu Ziling after all. Although Kai Xin didn’t have a good impression of her, Shi Qingxuan was on the boat, and if things weren’t handled carefully, it might greatly damage Xu Ziling’s and Shi Qingxuan’s trust in him.
So, he couldn’t rely on memories from his past life to deal with this woman—he had to be cautious…
“Now everyone in Yangzhou knows that Xu Ziling is on this boat. Since you’re from the Yi Jian Men, why have you come all this way to Yangzhou in the Central Plains?”
“I’m Xue Ling, a disciple of Yi Jian Men, and also a disciple of Fu Junxian. Fu Junchuo is my uncle.”
“Oh.”
Kai Xin replied indifferently before stopping, trying to appear as cold as possible regarding Xu Ziling’s reaction.
“I’ve come here on my master’s orders to take back my uncle’s belongings to Yi Jian Men!”
Meanwhile, the group fighting on the deck had stopped fighting. Three men in nightwear rushed to the roof and stood behind Xue Ling.
The disciples of the Shuanglong Club, perhaps following someone’s orders, returned to stand guard by the side of the boat.
Just as he was thinking about what to say next, a faint voice clearly pierced his ears:
“Young hero Kai Xin, if Xu Ziling knew that people from Yi Jian Men have come looking for Fu Junchuo, he would surely be very happy. You can tell them where Fu Junchuo’s sword tomb is…” Although it was the first time he heard this voice in this life, Kai Xin immediately recognized it as Shi Qingxuan’s and felt warmth in his heart.
Xue Ling and the others quietly watched Xu Ziling. Though he said nothing, the four of them didn’t find it strange, thinking he was probably remembering their uncle.
“…”
After hearing Shi Qingxuan’s words, Kai Xin pondered for a while before not following her plan. Instead, he said coldly, “Do you have any symbols of your sect?”
“Symbols of the sect?” Xue Ling was stunned. She indeed didn’t have any such symbols, but after all, she came from Goryeo and was a disciple of Yi Jian Men.
“Come, have a few exchanges with me.”
Kai Xin knew that if he couldn’t resolve things smoothly, there would be problems. So he said to Xue Ling, “Use the sword techniques of your Yi Jian Men.”
“Xue Ling understands.”
Although she received no system prompts, Xue Ling didn’t doubt it. She naturally stood up and drew her sword.
The sword techniques of Yi Jian Men focused on assassination—light, silent, yet swift and fierce. Each strike anticipated the enemy’s moves, attacking before they acted, making them highly sophisticated and among the best in the realm of life-and-death martial arts.
But…

Kai Xin also had some understanding of Yi Jian Shu. As the sword beams struck, he didn’t even need to use any movement techniques or the Little Dragon Form. Relying solely on the keen judgment from the Jiuyang Divine Skill and his astonishing mobility, he dodged by closing his eyes. Sword beams glowed on the roof of the boat, while Xue Ling, despite possessing excellent sword skills, couldn’t even scratch a thread of Kai Xin’s clothes. He moved swiftly yet seemingly slowly amidst the sword beams, like willow fluff. Xue Ling had originally thought that “Xu Ziling” would give her some guidance, so she used all her strength from the start. But to her surprise, Xu Ziling only dodged without attacking and seemed to know her sword techniques very well—each strike seemed to hit empty air, proving completely useless. Her expression grew increasingly serious. Soon, after completing an entire set of Yi Jian Shu, drenched in sweat, she still hadn’t forced Xu Ziling to act. “You, come back tomorrow.” “Yes.” Frustrated that her sword techniques hadn’t forced Xu Ziling to act, Xue Ling, without doubting the identity or orders of the fake Xu Ziling, nodded and left with the other three. Shi Qingxuan in the painted boat also didn’t stop her, seemingly accepting Kai Xin’s explanation and sending no further messages… Watching the four reattach their floats and leave, Kai Xin, as if having done something extremely difficult, let out a long sigh and gazed at the full moon in the sky. The pure moonlight shone on the river surface, allowing a faint view of the painted boats and figures along the shore… Real trouble was coming. … After issuing the warning, Kai Xin soon faced the first group of people attempting to board the boat. Three elders from the demonic sect! These three came across the river from afar. Before even boarding, they saw “Xu Ziling” standing on the roof of the boat. They were initially stunned, then showed a cold expression: “Looking for a substitute?” Having been deceived once, they naturally wouldn’t fall for the same trick again. They rushed toward the painted boat with determination… Kai Xin looked down at the three demonic sect elders approaching rapidly from the river, his eyes narrowing slightly. Then he glanced at the painted boats behind him, his brows slightly furrowed in concern. There were far more people trying to board than he had expected. If another group of players appeared, it would likely be difficult to stop them all using only the “Nine-Character Mantra Seal” without revealing his identity. Just as Kai Xin grew more serious, he suddenly noticed the members of the Twin Dragons Society on the deck suddenly drawing powerful bows, nocking arrows, and getting ready to shoot. Seeing this, Kai Xin’s eyes lit up immediately! Coming across the river from the shore already took a heavy toll on his internal energy. If attacked, having to breathe quickly and dodge arrows would put even more pressure on him…

Great opportunity!
Happy’s face lit up with joy; he didn’t dare delay. Moving like lightning, he rushed onto the deck. At the moment the crowd started shooting arrows, he fired bolts at the three men on the river.
In mid-air, Happy quickly formed complex hand seals with both hands. An astonishing aura surged from him—magnificent and full of explosive power. The moment the seals were completed, a deafening roar like that of a lion erupted from his mouth.
The three elders of the demonic sect widened their eyes. “The Nine-Character Mantra Seal!” “It’s Xu Ziling!”
Whoosh!
As the words left Happy’s mouth, a fierce and unstoppable force was unleashed, striking the chests of the three elders hard.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Though it wasn’t on par with the full power of a master at the peak of Wuwei Realm, the attack of the Nine-Character Mantra Seal was beyond the defenses of ordinary martial skills. All three were sent flying into the air simultaneously, spewing blood.
After another barrage of arrows, the three were in even worse condition.
Happy was slightly surprised. He hadn’t used much strength yet, yet he had already thrown them into disarray. He wanted to seize the opportunity to strike harder and kill a few to assert his dominance, but thinking of Xu Ziling’s character, his murderous intent faded considerably.
He sent two more palm strikes, knocking the three into the river, then gracefully returned to the ship.
Good!
It seemed the members of the Twin Dragons Society also didn’t realize Xu Ziling before them was actually a impostor. Seeing their leader display such prowess, they were filled with excitement.
A painted boat stopped about a hundred meters away. Several people worked together to pull the injured elders, who had drunk a lot of water in the river, onto the boat. After a while, that painted boat stopped there and didn’t dare move forward any further. Instead, some boats rented by players slowly approached!