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Yi Huawei's soft chuckle still lingered in her ears. Before Shi Feixuan could even process the deeper meaning behind his words about the turbulent times in Sichuan, she saw him suddenly turn his head slightly, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the exquisitely decorated nanmu beams in the private room, a hint of amusement playing at the corners of his lips.

"Haven't you had enough after listening for so long?"

His voice remained gentle, yet it boomed like a thunderclap in the quiet private room.

Upon hearing this, Shi Feixuan's clear, autumn-water-like eyes suddenly narrowed, and she was horrified. With her "telepathic" keen senses, she had not noticed at all that someone was hiding on the beam! This person's skill in concealment was truly astonishing.

Before she could finish her thought, she saw Yi Huawei casually raise his right hand, his index and middle fingers together, and seemingly slowly but actually quickly point at a certain spot on the roof beam.

A subtle, almost imperceptible ripple in the air was followed by a finger strike that was as tangible as a physical object yet nearly invisible. The finger strike was perfectly balanced and calm, yet it seemed to have locked onto the entire energy flow of that space.

The person on the beam clearly did not expect that his whereabouts would be so easily discovered, nor did he expect that this seemingly casual finger gesture would be so terrifying!
"Well!"

In the chaos, a muffled groan was heard, and a figure could no longer remain hidden, tumbling down from the beam in a disheveled state, his clothes fluttering and stirring up a few specks of dust.

The person moved with surprising agility, forcefully twisting their body in mid-air to try and stabilize their descent, their toes about to silently touch the ground.

But Yi Huawei's finger strike was not simply about forcing him to show himself.
Just as the figure was about to land, the seemingly launched finger force seemed to have lingering energy, subtly turning in mid-air and brushing just right across the Huantiao acupoint on his ankle.

The newcomer suddenly felt a numbness in half of his body and his true energy stagnate. He could no longer maintain his elegant and graceful landing posture. With a "thud," he staggered and almost fell to the ground. He barely managed to stand up by bracing himself with something in his hand, and he was already in a sorry state.

Shi Feixuan had now clearly seen the person's face, and couldn't help but widen her beautiful eyes slightly, exclaiming softly, "Hou Xibai?"

The newcomer was tall and straight, his scholar's robes accentuating his handsome features. If it weren't for his slightly disheveled hair, a little rapid breathing, and a mixture of surprise, uncertainty, and embarrassment on his face, he would have been a truly elegant and refined gentleman. He clutched a beautifully crafted folding fan tightly in his hand, which he had used to brace himself and prevent a more severe fall.

Who else could it be but Hou Xibai, the successor of the Huajian School who once traveled the Three Gorges with her, discussed poetry and painting, and was known as the "Amorous Gentleman"?

Hou Xibai steadied himself and quickly straightened his robes, but the flush on his face lingered. He glanced quickly at Shi Feixuan, his eyes filled with complex emotions—concern, embarrassment, and a hint of barely perceptible joy. Then, he abruptly turned to Yi Huawei, letting out a cold snort. His once charming and amorous eyes were now filled with doubt and wariness, and deeper still, a trace of disbelief and horror.

He was confident in his mastery of lightness skill and concealment techniques, which he believed were the true essence of the Flower Sect's art, exquisitely refined. Even if they weren't as unpredictable as his master Shi Zhixuan's Illusionary Demon Body Technique, they were certainly beyond the detection of ordinary experts. Moreover, he had just painstakingly concealed his aura, confident that even a grandmaster wouldn't be able to easily detect him. Yet this person before him not only easily exposed his presence, but his casual finger strike was also unimaginably profound, capable of affecting his internal energy circulation from a distance, causing him such a humiliating defeat!
What shocked him even more was that he had clearly heard Yi Huawei's words about severely injuring his master Shi Zhixuan from the beam! At first, he found it utterly absurd. His master Shi Zhixuan was almost invincible in his heart, how could he be defeated by this unknown leader of the Heavenly Dao Alliance? This person must be exaggerating, or using some kind of conspiracy! But now, having personally experienced the other party's unfathomable strength, which had effortlessly forced him into such a predicament, his firm disbelief began to waver.

"Are you the leader of the Heavenly Dao Alliance?"

Hou Xibai suppressed his surging emotions and opened his folding fan with a "whoosh." The fan wasn't decorated with ordinary landscapes, flowers, or birds, but rather with a few strokes depicting the profile of a beautiful woman, her expression hazy and alluring. He used the fan to slightly cover his chest, his posture seemingly regaining its former nonchalance, but in reality, he was fully on guard.
"To speak ill of others behind their backs is hardly the act of a gentleman, let alone to slander my teacher's reputation!"

Yi Huawei remained seated calmly in his chair, merely glancing at him with a serene and unwavering gaze: "Whether I am a gentleman or not is none of your concern. As for Shi Zhixuan… do you need to see his injuries with your own eyes to confirm it?"

Hou Xibai's expression changed, and the ominous premonition in his heart grew stronger. He frowned, and a resolute look flashed in his eyes: "Since that's the case, then let me, Hou, experience the Alliance Leader's skills and see if he is truly as powerful as he claims!"

Before he finished speaking, he moved swiftly, his movements as fluid and unpredictable as willow catkins in the wind, instantly appearing beside Yi Huawei. He closed his fan, using it as a brush, and pointed diagonally at Yi Huawei's Jianjing acupoint. This seemingly elegant move was actually a highly sophisticated acupoint striking technique of the Flower School, containing several follow-up variations and a subtle, unpredictable force-dissipating and redirecting. If an ordinary person rashly blocked it, their force would easily be diverted, potentially even resulting in injury.

Upon seeing this, Shi Feixuan couldn't help but exclaim softly, "Brother Xibai, you mustn't!"

Yi Huawei didn't even lift his eyelids, maintaining the posture of holding the cup. Just as the beautiful fan containing ingenious power was about to reach him, the little finger of his left hand holding the teacup seemed to casually flick outward.

The timing was absolutely perfect! It struck precisely at that delicate moment when Hou Xibai's fan stance was about to change and his force was about to be released.

Hou Xibai felt an extremely subtle yet incredibly precise vibration from the tip of the fan, as if he had struck the weakest thread of an invisible spider web. His carefully prepared transformation and subsequent power were completely interrupted and vanished without a trace by this seemingly casual flick!

He was greatly alarmed. He changed his footwork again, his body gliding away like a fish. At the same time, he swung his folding fan rapidly, creating a series of fan shadows, like countless beauties dancing gracefully, dazzling the eye and making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion. Each fan shadow carried a different force, either absorbing, drawing, deflecting, or entangling. It was his self-created and proud fan technique, designed to disrupt the opponent's perception and wait for an opportunity to strike.

Yi Huawei put down his teacup, but that was all.

Faced with the overwhelming illusory and real fan shadows that could plunge ordinary experts into despair, he simply raised his right hand slowly, his five fingers slightly spread, and then gently pressed down on the densest part of the fan shadows.

Hou Xibai's exquisite and illusory fan shadows, like ice and snow under the bright sun, vanished in an instant upon encountering some absolute power domain, returning to that solitary beauty fan, which he held in his hand, caught in a dilemma.

Hou Xibai felt the air around him become incredibly viscous, as if he were sinking into an invisible swamp, or being enveloped by the pressure of a bottomless ocean, making even breathing extremely difficult. His proud and wondrous footwork, capable of deflecting a thousand pounds of force, was now impossible to use! He desperately activated the Flower Sect's inner cultivation method, his internal energy surging and circulating, trying to break free from this invisible constraint, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree; the invisible pressure remained unmoved, and instead grew even heavier.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Hou Xibai's forehead, his handsome face flushed red, and his hand holding the fan trembled slightly. He had clearly done his best, but he couldn't even get the other person to stand up!

Yi Huawei remained seated in his chair, his right hand, which he had extended, did not even touch Hou Xibai; it merely hovered in the sky garden, his expression still calm.

"The skills of the Flower School are agile but lack a solid foundation. Didn't Shi Zhixuan teach you that in the face of absolute power, all skillful techniques are illusory?" Yi Huawei spoke calmly, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger, but carrying a condescending scrutiny.

Hou Xibai gritted his teeth, filled with shame and indignation, but he barely had the strength to utter a rebuttal. Only now did he truly realize the vast, unfathomable power hidden beneath the seemingly calm aura of his opponent! It was a fundamental crushing force that transcended technique and change.

Seeing Hou Xibai struggling under the oppressive, intangible yet mountain-like aura of Yi Huawei, his face turning from red to white, clearly reaching his limit, and fearing further damage to his meridians, Shi Feixuan felt a pang of pity. After all, although Hou Xibai came from the demonic sect, he had repeatedly shown her kindness and even shared poetic journeys with her, making him completely different from those vicious and ruthless individuals.

She immediately stepped forward, gave Yi Huawei a graceful bow, and said in a clear, cold voice with a hint of pleading, "Sir, please have mercy. Brother Xibai... is not a truly wicked person. This offense may only be due to his concern for his teacher, and he may have been impolite in his haste. Please forgive him this time, considering that he has never done anything wrong and that he has met Feixuan a few times."

Upon hearing this, Yi Huawei's gaze shifted slightly, landing on Shi Feixuan's beautiful face filled with pleading, before sweeping over Hou Xibai's stubborn yet barely concealed pain in his eyes.

He remained silent for a moment, and then the powerful aura that had solidified the space suddenly receded like a tide, disappearing without a trace.

Hou Xibai was struggling against the pressure when he suddenly felt it vanish. His surging internal energy lost its target, and he stumbled forward, almost falling to the ground. He quickly used his folding fan to brace himself and avoid a fall. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving, and his gaze towards Yi Huawei was filled with indescribable fear and shock. Any doubt he had shown earlier had completely disappeared.

To be able to manipulate oneself so effortlessly, one's strength is probably... enough to seriously injure one's master!
Looking at the disheveled Hou Xibai, Yi Huawei slowly said, "Since Fei Xuan pleaded for you, I will punish you as a small punishment today. Hou Xibai, considering your reputation for elegance and the fact that you have never done evil, I will give you two choices."

"First, leave Sichuan immediately and return to your little pleasure boat to be your amorous young master. Do not meddle in the affairs of the world anymore."

"Second, if you are unwilling or still have doubts, you can stay in Chengdu and see with your own eyes how I act and where this world will ultimately go."

"As for the matter of your master, whether it's true or not, you can judge for yourself. But if you want to avenge him..."

Yi Huawei put down his teacup, his gaze as deep and unfathomable as an ancient well: "...I am ready to serve you at any time."

Yi Huawei's gaze swept lightly over Hou Xibai, his eyes calm and unwavering, yet they sent a chill down Hou Xibai's spine, who had just experienced an invisible crushing defeat.

"The Huajian School emphasizes elegance and devotion to art, rather than fighting and getting involved in disputes."

Yi Huawei's voice carried a strange penetrating power, echoing in the quiet private room: "Hou Xibai, you still have some goodness left in your nature, don't ruin yourself. The trend of the world is overwhelming, those who follow it prosper, and those who oppose it perish."

After a slight pause, Yi Huawei's tone suddenly turned cold, as if invisible icicles were freezing in the air: "If you insist on following in Yang Xuyan's footsteps, blindly loyal to revenge, disregarding the greater good of the people, and refusing to follow the path of righteousness..."

"...That would be a righteous death. At that time, don't blame me for being ruthless."

He spoke the four words "There is a proper way to die" lightly, yet they contained an undeniable determination and ruthlessness, causing Hou Xibai's heart to clench.

Shi Feixuan's gaze also sharpened, sensing the undeniable chill in his words.

After speaking, Yi Huawei didn't look at the two of them again. He slowly rose, his robe sleeves fluttering lightly, creating a faint breeze. He walked towards the doorway, pausing slightly at the entrance without turning back, leaving only his final words:
"Feixuan, it's late, you should go back and rest early."

As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared outside the door, eventually blending into the faint noise and babbling brook below, as if he had never been there.

Inside the private room, only Shi Feixuan and the still-shaken Hou Xibai remained.

The suffocating sense of oppression and the echo of Yi Huawei's cold warning before he left still lingered in the air.

The moonlight outside the window still shone coldly, illuminating Hou Xibai's ever-changing expression and Shi Feixuan's slightly furrowed brows.

Hou Xibai gasped for breath a few times before he could barely calm the churning blood and the indescribable fear within him. He straightened up and listlessly straightened his disheveled scholar's robe. His once dashing demeanor was now completely gone, replaced by a deep sense of defeat.

He instinctively unfolded his fan with a "whoosh," trying to habitually wave it to mask the shock in his heart, only to find that the fan ribs were slightly deformed, clearly caused by forcibly supporting his body just now, which made him even more horrified. His opponent hadn't even directly touched his weapon, yet had caused such damage with just an invisible aura!
Hou Xibai raised his head and looked anxiously at Shi Feixuan, who was standing quietly to the side. Her peach blossom eyes, which were always full of affection and smiles, were now filled with unprecedented solemnity and urgency.

"Master, who...who is this person?! What he just said about my master...could it be...could it actually be true?!"

"Heh~"

Shi Feixuan sighed softly, walked to the window, and looked at the moon's reflection floating on the Huanhua Stream below. The babbling brook seemed to wash away the troubles of the world, but it could not wash away the turmoil in her heart at this moment.

He called himself 'Nameless'.

Shi Feixuan's voice remained cool and clear, yet it carried a hint of something indescribable: "A few months ago, this name was unknown to anyone. Now, it's enough to shake the world." (End of Chapter)