Even though the tone of the man in green was light, his entire body was like a piece of ice under the sun, with wisps of ashen cold air fuming from his head along with the frigid and intense murderous intention that sent everyone chills in their bones.
Shen Lian was very calm, beneath this calmness was the confidence that the man in green could hardly understand. It came to his mind that maybe, just maybe, Shen Lian could actually kill him.
This feeling was incomprehensible. It was as if when a lion seizes a rabbit, only to realize that this rabbit had suddenly transformed into a tiger.
He could see that Shen Lian's body was not in a good state, that he had never developed any internal force. Although he had long fingers, his hands were callus-free
He was slim and had refined features. There was a sickly paleness on his face. Even though it was not to the point that he would collapse at the blow of a wind, he could hardly pose as a threat at all.
However, there was something different of Shen Lian. The difference was in his pair of eyes. They were the windows to the soul and the calmness in his stare actually disturbed him to the extent of feeling petty of himself.
Shen Lian's mind was quiet right then, the innate god wielding the Ru Yi scepter slowly appeared within the spirit sea.
This was a sublime legacy of the psyche, lonely yet eternal, formidable and fearless.
Both of his hands dr.a.p.ed naturally, he was sitting at rest. Across the table, the man in green did not realize that there was a two-inch flying dagger in Shen Lian's hand.
The small flying dagger, however, was Shen Lian's final method of defense. With his commanding spiritual senses controlling his physical flesh, the weapon could be used from any angle within a ten-step radius.
He did not know whether it would be effective against the man in green. He had never tried to use this small flying dagger to kill anyone.
After all, this was a means of self-protection, it was not a murder weapon.
The man in the green had adequate inner Qi and sharp senses. He could not see Shen Lian's dagger, his gaze was, however, cast down, staring at Shen Lian's, who was way shorter than him, shoulders.
The hall slipped into an eerie silence. The silence, however, was broken by faint footsteps.
Under the sun, a small beggar entered through the door, or perhaps it was not a beggar. It was just that his clothes were so tattered, it could barely cover his body.
He looked twelve or thirteen, perhaps his age could have been older than that. Maybe it was the years of malnutrition that slowed the development of his body.
Compared to Shen Lian's delicate looks, the little beggar had a more plain and firm appearance. His brows and nose bore some resemblance to the man in green.
The murderous air of the man in green dissipated like the tide and a gentle expression came onto his face.
The little beggar came to the side of the man in green. He took down a little cloth bag and layer by layer carefully peeled the cloth apart.
It revealed a small pouch that was no more than the size of his small fist, he delicately poured out the bean-sized coins, held out to the man in green and said softly. "Kind sir, I have used the money you gave me to have the people in my village to help complete my father's funeral, these are the leftovers."
The man in the green robe accepted the man, patted the beggar on the head and replied, "I've already told you that this amount of money is used to purchase you, remember to address me as master from now on."
The little beggar's hair was dry and yellowish, it also contained a good amount of filth. Although the man in the green did not mind entirely.
The young beggar's eyes brimmed with tears and he said, "Yes, master."
The man in the green robe said benignly. "You must not have eaten yet, have something to eat here first, we'll leave once you have finished eating."
The little beggar's eyes curiously examined Shen Lian, he thought to himself that this young fellow was really good looking, like a sprite.
He dared not say much, looking at the table full of food, he gulped, not knowing where to start from.
The man in the green robe did not have time to pay attention to what the young beggar wanted to eat because another person had appeared at the door.
Originally, the sun that was transiting to the middle of the sky was able to drag a slightly longer shadow with its rays, this said something about the height of the approaching person. The silhouette gradually entered, accompanying it was the heavy and slow sounds of footsteps.
Like a beating drum, the heaviness of it struck on the heart of everyone in the hall.
Bump! Bump! Bump!
The customers in the hall spiraled into regret, why did they come here for their meals and lodgings. The stranger released a cane knife from the saddle behind his back, golden and shining, it was dragged on the bluestone flooring, causing sparks to fly out.
The approaching stranger paused at a five-step distance from the man in the green robe.
The man in the green robe slowly spoke, "I gave the Green Bamboo Sect three days, and they searched for you, the Golden Blade King, to come for your demise, they really do not take me seriously."
There are some people in Jianghu who were addressed by many according to their distinguishable features.
This big, tall, cane knife dragging person was known as the Golden Blade King.
Rumors had it that he was born with superhuman strength, yet he also has a pair of skillful hands, he once used the cane knife of his to carve a beautiful artwork of the mountains and rivers on a piece of tofu.
He definitely lived up the name of Golden Blade King.
"I have heard of your title, Deity Vanquishing Sword, you have even murdered your own mentor for a codex of the sword, it is said that a senior fellow apprentice, the Daoist priest Chong Lingxiao had once hunted for you for five years, forcing you to flee to the sandy Gobi desert, why do you dare returning now?" The Golden Blade King's brows were raised as he sneered.
"Naturally I came back to kill him." While he answered, he lifted his head and focused on an area of the roof.
"I'm afraid that you won't be able to wait until that moment." The ceiling burst open, ceiling tiles shattered all over the floor, the one appearing, however, was a short and skinny old man with a pair of silver hooks in his hands.
He descended extremely lightly, floating down like a piece of feather.
The young beggar was shocked by this scenario, the man in the green robe patted him on his shoulder, and ordered. "Eat your meal."
Shen Lian remained composed while dealing with this circ.u.mstance, it did not matter whether it was the Golden Blade King, the petite old man or the man in the green, they were far from ordinary people and all of them had the same dangerous air about them.
They all possessed extraordinary strengths.
He was not afraid, rather, he was glad.
This was surely not an ordinary world, not only was there martial art exercises for spiritual cultivation, there were also accessions to stimulate body strength.
Based on their speaking tone, plus the mention of the 'codex of the sword' just now and their behavior in dealing with matters, everything was similar to the people of Jianghu in the Wuxia novel that he had read back then.
The little beggar began eating after being ordered by the man in the green robe, whether it was him being dense or him being famished, the little kid could really eat.
Shen Lian thought internally that not only could this kid really eat a lot, he was also considered lucky, seeing how the man in the green robe was already considered as a well-educated person, he would be treated really nicely.
In the Wuxia novels back then, this was a template used for the main character.
Even though Shen Lian thought this was so, however, regardless whether it was the Golden Blade King or the old man, no one really took him seriously.
Admittedly they were the kind of people who were very confident, no matter who it was they had to duel against each other to know the rank of where they stand, it also depended on who they were up against.
Whether it was his age or his manners, Shen Lian was not a threat to them. Only the man in the green robe somewhat paid some attention towards Shen Lian.
Although, most of his focus was still on the Golden Blade King and the petite old man.
They were people who were not with unearned reputation. Even if he was really arrogant, he would not be careless.
The man in the green robe was seated. Even though it looked as though he was being passive, the actual situation was that he was halting actions with his passiveness. He would not have done so if his martial art skills were not profound enough and him not having the courage.
It was because of this that the Golden Blade King did not make his move to kill him.
This person was ruthless, his martial art skills were high, and he was difficult to deal with if it was not for the sake of getting that item that he took from the Green Bamboo Sect, it was impossible for him to make a move.
The Green Bamboo Sect still thought that he was risking it all for some money and connections, it was just absolutely laughable. The Golden Blade King was already in his forties, he had far passed the time of pursuing worldly wealth and fame, what truly captivated him was achieving a higher state, a longer lifespan.