Chapter 257: The Tacit Understanding
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
“Stop!”
The two of them immediately stopped in their tracks amidst Zhang Ruochen’s order.
The nine shadows on the left superimposed on each other, forming Zhang Ruochen’s body.
Similarly, the nine shadows on the right superimposed on each other and formed Han Qiu’s body.
Han Qiu was still immersed in the intricacies of the array. And thus, she was very confused when Zhang Ruochen called for a stop. She asked, “Why did we stop? Didn’t we do that perfectly?”
“Perfect?”
Zhang Ruochen said, “You think that is perfect? We had no tacit understanding at all. The eighteen shadows’ sword techniques were completely disjointed, and our Sword Comprehension couldn’t connect as well. We failed to perform the true form of the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Array, let alone arouse the heaven and earth’s Spiritual Qi.”
Feeling a bit annoyed, Han Qiu said, “Am I the one to blame for not having a tacit understanding? You’ve never thought of me as your friend and are always on guard. How can we build a tacit understanding when you carry such attitude?
I’m very curious to know why you are so hostile to me? I’ve never done anything to you. Instead, I’ve always tried to be friendly.”
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a moment, and then he said, “If I really do have such hostility toward you, I wouldn’t have saved you in the first place.”
“Then why? Is it because of… Zhang Tiangui?” asked Han Qiu.
Not denying her statement, Zhang Ruochen replied, “Yes. Clever as you are, you must have noticed that Zhang Tiangui and I are already as incompatible as fire is to water. Our fight is inevitable. How can I let my guard down when you’re his junior sister apprentice?”
Han Qiu said, sighing, “I noticed that something was wrong between you two when we were in Yunwu City. But I didn’t know it was so serious.
Perhaps Zhang Tiangui has done something wrong. But overall, he is a good person. Not only is he talented and honest, he also treats everyone nicely. If there really is a tension between you two, I can act as an intermediary and resolve it for you. After all, you are brothers.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “There are some things that are better left unsaid. One day, you’ll understand. There is no such thing as brothers in the Royal Family. Well, this is our personal matter. You needn’t worry about this!”
Han Qiu stared fixedly at Zhang Ruochen’s eyes as if she wanted to read his mind. She thought to herself, “Maybe Zhang Tiangui had done something awful to Zhang Ruochen? Was it so awful that there’s no room for reconciliation?”
As far as she was concerned, Zhang Tiangui was a nice person. At least there was not anything she disliked about him. Instead, there were a lot of things that she could learn from him.
But, Zhang Ruochen’s words had planted a seed of doubt in Han Qiu’s heart. She decided that after returning to the Devil Martial City, she would send someone to investigate Zhang Tiangui thoroughly.
In fact, her father, the Master of the Yuntai Suzerain, intended to marry her off to Zhang Tiangui.
If Zhang Tiangui was really a bastard who could even plot against his own brother, there was no way she would agree to marry him.
Although she just met Zhang Ruochen, she did not think he was someone who would slander others for no reason.
Han Qiu asked, confused, “If you can’t trust me, why did you teach me the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Array?”
“I only taught you the Nine Yin Sword. Without the Nine Yang Sword, you can’t set the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Array at all.”
Zhang Ruochen paused for a second before continued saying, “And, after the recent events, I’m convinced that you are a pretty trustworthy person.”
“You should have trusted me earlier!” Han Qiu raised her eyebrows and retorted. She soon added and said, “If you’ve trusted me more, we wouldn’t be caught in such a difficult position!”
“Let’s keep practicing! We must strengthen our tacit understanding as quickly as possible. I’m afraid the Poisonous Spider Club and Square Commandery might send more masters if we drag on for too long. If that happens, we would end up in an even more unfavorable position.” Zhang Ruochen said.
“Right!”
They diligently practiced the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Array. Every day, they would spend about 20 hours on it.
The more time they spent together, the better they knew each other. Their tacit understanding had also grown stronger over time.
Finally, on the sixth day, they succeeded.
Wiping away the sweat from her forehead, Han Qiu looked at Zhang Ruochen and said happily, “We finally did it! With our Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Array, we can take even two Huo Jingchengs down! Let’s go get them now!”
On the contrary, Zhang Ruochen was still as calm as ever. He said, “Yes, it’s about time!”
“BOOM!”
The stone gate of the underground palace slowly swung open.
Huo Jingcheng snapped his eyes open the moment Zhang Ruochen and Han Qiu stepped out of the underground palace.
Lips twisted into a sneer, Huo Jingcheng said, “You finally come out! I thought you guys are going to hide in there forever.”
Holding the Ancient White Jade Sword, Han Qiu stretched lazily, showing off her perfect curves. She smiled and said, “We wouldn’t come out if we don’t have absolute confidence.”
“Oh? Did you break into the Heaven Realm?”
Huo Jingcheng immediately became wary. If Han Qiu really reached the Heaven Realm, then he should be the one who fled for his life.
Laughing lightly, Han Qiu said, “We don’t need to reach the Heaven Realm. The Earth Realm is more than enough to kill you.”
“Haha!”
Huo Jingcheng burst out laughing and said, “Do you really think that you can be my opponent now that you have recovered and are working together?”
“Yes.” Han Qiu replied firmly.
Zhang Ruochen gave an order and said, “Embattle!”
“SWISH!”
Zhang Ruochen and Han Qiu dashed out at the same time and stopped on either side of Huo Jingcheng. They raised their swords and pointed to Huo Jingcheng who was standing in the center.
“Even if you embattled, you still can’t beat me! Angry Wind Animal Shadow!”
Huo Jingcheng raised his arms high above his head while summoning his Genuine Qi. The Genuine Qi that had surged out from his body aroused the Spiritual Qi from the heaven and earth, forming a huge storm vortex.
Shrill howls rang out through the air.
Under the control of Huo Jingcheng’s Genuine Qi, the vortex turned into a gigantic animal shadow. The ten-feet long, translucent shadow ferociously charged toward Zhang Ruochen.
“SWISH!”
Zhang Ruochen and Han Qiu sprang into motion at the same time. The two shadows turned into eighteen in just a second.
A bright Sword Breath circle was formed on top of the eighteen shadows. It almost looked like a Tai Chi Eight Trigrams itself was hovering in the air above the shadows while spinning.
“BANG!”
Zhang Ruochen fiercely slashed down his sword and chopped the animal shadow in two, sparing nothing.
“What?”
Frightened, Huo Jingcheng suddenly turned pale in the face. He wondered why Zhang Ruochen suddenly became so powerful.
He was about to attack Zhang Ruochen again when suddenly, he heard a sharp noise behind him.
“Take this!”
Body as light as a fairy with a sword, Han Xiu performed Watching Moon in the Clouds, one of the moves of the Nine Yin Sword, and aimed straight at Huo Jingcheng’s back.
“TCH!”
Waves and waves of Inscriptions of Light Series flowed on the body of the Ancient White Jade Sword. It sent a three-meter-long sword light shooting out from the sword. The sword light cut through Huo Jingcheng’s robe, slicing a wound open on his back.
Huo Jingcheng felt a sharp pain in his back and immediately thrust forward. Enraged, he yelled, “I refuse to believe that I can’t break your array!”
Huo Jingcheng suddenly turned around and threw a punch at Han Qiu.
Just when he thought that his palm power was about to reach Han Qiu, Zhang Ruochen once again attacked from behind.
Feeling the breath of a flame closing in on his back, Huo Jingcheng had no choice but to withdraw his hand. Immediately after, he waved his arm to form a wind blade and unleashed a backhand swing.
Huo Jingcheng thought that he had forced Zhang Ruochen into retreat when suddenly, a sword shadow slashed toward the left of his head, cutting a strand of his hair off.
Huo Jingcheng’s face fell. It was only now that he realized how powerful the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Array was.
From the way he saw it, he was not fighting against two people, but against eighteen people.
Every shadow’s movement might become a real attack at any time, catching him off guard.
Han Qiu’s laughter could be heard ringing out while she kept changing her position in the array. She said, “Uncle apprentice Huo, how do you like our array? Would you like to give us some advice?”
“It’s nothing but an array. It’s just cheap trick by kids in front of true power,” said Huo Jingcheng coldly.
“Then, we’ll play no more tricks!”
Han Qiu looked over at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen nodded at her in return.
They fully unleashed their sword techniques, showing the true strength of the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Array.
“Shadow-catching In Wind!”
“Pull Chestnut out of Fire!”
The size of the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Array started to shrink. Four meters, three meters, two meters…
The smaller the size, the more concentrated the attack became.
At last, the array became only less than half-a-meter long.
Trapped in the array, Huo Jingcheng could do nothing but fend off the attacks like a cornered animal. His high cultivation was of no avail, and he simply received more and more wounds on his body over time.
“PUFF!”
Zhang Ruochen slashed horizontally at Huo Jingcheng’s neck. Huo Jingcheng’s Celestial Bodyshield was broken and his head was cut off.
“BOOM!”
After losing its head, Huo Jingcheng’s body could no longer control the wind and thus fell to the ground feebly.
“It’s finally over!”
Han Qiu withdrew the Ancient White Jade Sword and said with a hint of regret, “Actually, our cooperation is still lacking. If our tacit understanding is better, it would have been easier to kill Huo Jingcheng.”
Looking at the body on the ground, Zhang Ruochen’s face showed no trace of joy. He said, “Let’s go! Let’s leave as soon as possible.”
“Okay!”
Han Qiu nodded.
Not long after Zhang Ruochen and Han Qiu left, an old man with a violet gold crown flew into the White Fog Ancient City on a Three-footed Firecrow. He then stopped right above the underground palace.
He jumped off Three-footed Firecrow and walked over to Huo Jingcheng’s body. Almost immediately, his eyes lit up, and he murmured to himself, saying, “They actually killed Commandery Princess Zhenling and Huo Jingcheng! They are indeed something!”
He sniffed the air for a second and said, “The blood is still fresh. It should be less than six hours after he died.”
He then took a glance at the ground, and soon he found the traces left behind by Zhang Ruochen and Han Qiu as they fled.
He leaped onto the back of Three-footed Firecrow and chased in their direction.
