"Well, well—how is it that the mighty Qian-Kun Right Emissary Ling Yun and Qian-Kun Left Emissary Li Han are… kowtowing?"
Two gusts of force swept in, and two figures descended with a rustle of robes. One was Jia Yong; the other, a burly man unknown to Liu Yun and Ling Xian'er. The one who had spoken was Jia Yong.
Ling Yun and Li Han, caught in such disgraceful posture, felt their faces burn as though dipped in pig's blood. Shame flooded them; they wished they could crawl into a hole in the ground. Seeing that the speaker was Jia Yong only fueled Ling Yun's fury.
Ling Yun snapped,"Jia Yong! If you had any real ability, you would not have been swept out of the Black Dragon Cult like trash!"
Jia Yong, proud yet shallow in talent, answered with disdain,"And yet here stand the illustrious Qian-Kun Right and Left Emissaries, kowtowing to a beast. What an edifying sight."
Li Han's face flushed with humiliation, but anger stiffened his voice:"Circumstances left us no choice. A true man can bend or stretch. We endured humiliation only to survive and take revenge another day—there is no shame in that!"
Jia Yong sneered,"You two have dragged the face of the Nine Heavens Palace through the mud!"
The burly man beside him spoke up:"Jia Yong, with enemies all around, do not hand them an easy advantage."
Liu Yun did not fully understand the history among them, but she saw clearly Jia Yong's words were intended to provoke the two emissaries. She raised her voice:
"The Qian-Kun Emissaries have accomplished great deeds for the Nine Heavens Palace, yet Jia Yong accuses them of disgrace? How unjust!"
Ling Xian'er chimed in sweetly but sharply:"To complete their mission, the Qian-Kun Emissaries even ordered their subordinates to retreat first—what unswerving courage! What true manliness!"
Hearing this, Ling Yun and Li Han felt their humiliation eased somewhat, and their resentment shifted wholly onto Jia Yong.
At this moment, the burly man beside Jia Yong burst into loud laughter."Such sharp-tongued young ladies! But after what happened today, with the reputation of the Nine Heavens Palace tarnished, the palace cannot simply let this go. You two must pay a price."
Liu Yun snorted coldly,"A joke of the highest order. And what 'price' do you expect us to pay? Your Nine Heavens Palace plundered the Tianshan Snow Lotus and gained immense benefit. After such blatant robbery, all we asked was for you to kneel and apologize to the Snow Ape. That was already great mercy. What fault have we committed?"
Jia Yong said,"Master Liu, this girl is Liu Yun—wife of Wu Tong, and treasured daughter of Liu Xuan, the Hierarch of the Celestial Sovereign Sect."
Ling Xian'er laughed mockingly,"Jia Yong, I see you've found yourself a new patron. How admirable."
Jia Yong, no fool, caught the barb immediately. Smiling coldly, he said:"I heard Wu Tong already has three wives, and recently took a new concubine named Ling Xian'er. That would be you, wouldn't it?"
Any ordinary maiden would have blushed with shame at such words. But Ling Xian'er, beloved granddaughter of the famed Jade Fairy of the martial world, had long adored Wu Tong's heroism. Her feelings ran deep; her devotion was wholehearted. She felt no embarrassment, only scorn.
She said openly,"Indeed, that is me. What now—are you itching for a beating? Why not cross blades with me, one-on-one?"
Stung by her taunt, Jia Yong roared,"A true man does not strike at women! I'll let you take the first move!"
Ling Xian'er burst into laughter."Jia the Great Hero—don't regret those words!"
Before the final syllable left her lips, she had already floated forward like a cloud-borne fairy. With a cry, she unleashed the Seven Absolutes Palm, the move "Willow-Smoke Weaving the Air." Her hands split the clouds, and her legs swept horizontally toward Jia Yong's chest.
Even prepared, Jia Yong was startled. He raised his palms to block and twisted aside, staggering through several steps. Forced entirely into defense, he leapt backward. But Ling Xian'er pressed him fiercely, fists and palms alternating without pause. One misstep led to another—Jia Yong was overwhelmed by her relentless, swift, vicious attacks.
Rolling across the ground in a desperate "Carp-Flip Escape," he narrowly avoided her final strike and leapt to his feet, drenched in cold sweat.
Liu Yun clapped her hands, laughing brightly:"Jia the Great Hero, truly astounding martial prowess—most eye-opening indeed!"
Ling Xian'er teased,"Jia the Great Hero—your back bends well, your legs kick high. Impressive flexibility!"
Right Emissary Ling Yun now let out a cold laugh:"If this is all Jia Yong can do, then the Nine Heavens Palace must have poor judgment indeed."
Left Emissary Li Han added disdainfully,"Arrogant, conceited, and utterly mediocre."
Indeed—Jia Yong, favored by Palace Lord Long Zhentian, had grown complacent. Newly arrived at the Nine Heavens Palace, he had already overstepped boundaries, unknowingly offending the Qian-Kun Emissaries. Today, while the emissaries were retreating after completing their mission—already wounded and forced by circumstance to kneel before the Snow Ape—Jia Yong just happened to witness their moment of deepest humiliation.
He, of all people, should never have mocked them. Yet he had spoken coldly and condescendingly, as though he were a palace master reprimanding subordinates. Thus the long-simmering resentment of the Qian-Kun Emissaries boiled over.
Their humiliation had turned into enmity.Their enmity had deepened into hatred.This hatred could not, and would not, be forgotten.