With virtue

The old man nodded slightly when he saw that Zhao Yun had responded.

The next moment, he took out a gourd. The gourd was emerald green all over, and some red cloth was stuffed in the mouth of the gourd. He pulled out the red cloth, and a foul smell rushed out of the mouth of the gourd!

A green water arrow, carried by the wind, spun in the air and, as if it had eyes, hurtled straight toward Zhao Yunshu's face!

Zhao Yunshu frowned and immediately leaped back!

His retreat was swift, but the green water clung to him like a leech, relentlessly pursuing him, twisting and turning in the air before lunging at his chest again.

He dodged to the side, and the green water brushed past his Taoist robe, a few drops splashing onto a wild elm tree by the roadside. With a few hissing sounds, a puff of white smoke rose from the bark, and the branches that were splashed were immediately charred black.

Zhao Yunshu felt a chill run down his spine, but before he could finish his chill, the green water rushed towards him again.

The young Taoist priest had no choice but to turn back and hide again.

He dodged the green water's repeated attacks with a series of quick movements, and glanced around, spotting a withered, crooked tree by the roadside with its branches growing wildly.

He leaped into the air, casually snapped off a three-foot-long branch, and swung it back towards the green water.

He dared not use his own iron sword, for that iron sword was very precious.

First, try testing the waters with a wooden stick.

However, the moment the wooden stick touched the green water, it emitted a hissing sound that made one's teeth ache. The branch instantly turned black and curled up, a wisp of smoke rose, and in the blink of an eye, it was corroded until only the bare wood core remained.

Zhao Yunshu dared not delay. He shook the broken branch in his hand and threw it fiercely at the green water. The broken branch was swept up by the green water in the air and was corroded into a pool of black liquid in a few breaths, dripping onto the ground.

Zhao Yunshu's mind raced. This green water was no ordinary thing. Using tree branches to block it would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. He had to think of another way.

His gaze swept across the area and he noticed a puddle of water on the roadside not far behind him. It had rained a few days ago, and the puddle was still filled with water, about half a meter square, with a few withered leaves floating on the surface.

He fought and retreated, and with a few leaps, he led the green water to the side of the water pit.

Seeing the green water rushing towards him again, he stopped dodging. He slightly spread his left hand, palm down, and lifted it towards the puddle. In an instant, the water in the puddle exploded, turning into a water column that shot into the sky, tumbling in mid-air before crashing head-on into the green water.

The moment the water column met the green water, they merged together. The two streams of water intertwined in the air, and the green water was gradually diluted by the water in the puddle. The green color became lighter and lighter until it was washed clean by a large amount of clear water, leaving only the sour smell in the air that lingered for a long time.

By the way, you have to wash with water after dealing with concentrated sulfuric acid!

The old man was not alarmed when he saw the green water broken. He simply stuffed the gourd back into his sleeve and stood there with his hands behind his back.

Zhao Yunshu shook his left hand, stood up, and said irritably, "Old man, your greeting gift is a bit too much. I'm a complete stranger to you, why did you resort to such a vicious act?"

"You're quite the good-natured Taoist priest. I came at you ruthlessly, yet you're in the mood to chat with me?" the old man said with amusement, looking at the young Taoist priest with a leisurely air.

"Haha, old man, you're overthinking it. Who said I didn't use my full strength?" the Taoist priest laughed, then suddenly took a big step forward and rushed towards the old man at lightning speed!

The old man wasn't surprised at all when the young Taoist priest, who had been smiling, suddenly rushed towards him. He remained calm and prepared.

He had just witnessed the young Taoist's skills and knew that although he was young and his martial arts were mediocre, his cultivation was not to be underestimated and he had some expertise in water magic.

But his martial arts skills were nothing special, so he didn't retreat. He just narrowed his eyes and secretly estimated the distance between the two of them, watching the Taoist approach him by ten steps, seven steps, and five steps.

As soon as the Taoist priest stepped within five steps, a three-foot-long bamboo whip slid out from his sleeve. The whip was covered with talismans, clearly a magical artifact. With a flick of his wrist, he could force the Taoist priest back or even injure him.

However, at that moment, his vision suddenly blurred.

The Taoist's figure swayed like a reflection in the water. Just a moment ago he was five steps away, but in the blink of an eye, his young face had already moved within three steps.

No, it's already at step two!

The old man's pupils suddenly contracted, and the hairs on the back of his head stood on end! What kind of movement technique is this?! Could it be the legendary Swift Movement Technique?!

No, that's wrong! This isn't a movement technique! His estimated distances are all wrong!

The Taoist priest was never standing in the place he thought he was in. Every step he took was much closer than it appeared, as if the image he saw was half a beat slower than the real person.

The thought flashed through his mind like lightning, and he blurted out, "An illusion!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Yunshu had already rushed in front of him.

The old man hurriedly raised the bamboo whip, but Zhao Yunshu flicked and pulled it aside with his left hand, while his right hand grabbed the gourd belt at the old man's waist and gently pulled it away, snatching the green gourd along with its rope and tassel.

The entire sequence of movements was fluid and seamless. First, a distraction was set up while speaking, using words to calm the other party down. Then, the movements were used to quietly approach, ensuring that the other party's estimated position was always a step or two off. By the time the other party realized what was happening, the person was already right in front of them.

Sleight of hand doesn't necessarily have to create a terrifying illusion. Sometimes, it's just a matter of manipulating things a step or two away. A difference of a step or two can make all the difference.

With a snatch of the gourd, the bamboo whip was knocked askew, and Zhao Yunshu's iron sword was already at the old man's throat with a whoosh.

"Old man, now you can tell me your origins, otherwise you'll have to test how ruthless this little Taoist priest is," Zhao Yunshu said.

The old man's face turned red, and he was too choked to speak!

He hadn't even used five-tenths of his cultivation, yet he was still defeated by an illusion!

But that's how it is in the martial arts world; countless masters have fallen into the gutter, all because of their arrogance.

"Ha! What's done is done. Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you!" The old man said, stretching his neck out.

These words made Zhao Yunshu both amused and annoyed.

This guy is stupid. He suddenly appeared, tried to kill himself, and after being subdued, he acted like he was bravely sacrificing himself. Is he crazy?

Zhao Yunshu moved the iron sword forward another half inch, the blade grazing the old man's Adam's apple, leaving a trace of blood on the blade. This caused the old man to involuntarily tilt his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

Zhao Yunshu stared at him and said, "Old man, do you have any sense of reason? I was just walking along the road, humming a song, without provoking or offending you, and you came up and splashed me with poison, using a deadly attack. Now that I've subdued you, you're acting like you're bravely going to your death, as if I'm the one who bullied you. What kind of logic is that? You're allowed to kill, but no one is allowed to fight back?"

The old man was speechless, unable to utter a single word in rebuttal, yet unwilling to back down. He simply snorted heavily through his nose and turned his face away.

Zhao Yunshu found the situation increasingly suspicious, and after thinking for a while, he simply released the old man.

This old man seems to care about his reputation, so let's do it this way.

After releasing him, he said, "Old man, I'm a complete stranger to you, and I didn't want to kill you. But why did you try to kill me? Did you mistake me for someone else? Or were you acting on someone's orders?"