owlsbooks Chapter 16: The Difference Between Good and Evil
Chapter 16: The Difference Between Good and Evil
All eyes turned from Xue Bufeng and Ma Kongqun to the icy-cold eldest daughter of the Ding family.
Even the furious Ma Kongqun and the murderous Gongsun Duan couldn't help but pause.
Everyone knows who Ding Baiyun is.
Everyone knows that getting Ding Baiyun to take notice is no easy task.
Xue Bufeng also turned his head slightly, his gaze falling formally on Ding Baiyun for the first time.
This fairy of white clouds is indeed breathtakingly beautiful.
That cold and aloof demeanor was completely out of place in this hall filled with ambition, bloodshed, and murderous intent.
What do you think?
Xue Bufeng became interested and asked in return.
Ding Baiyun met his gaze, her icy expression revealing nothing of her thoughts, and simply said:
"It seems she's not necessarily worse than him."
How do you know?
"Because I thought..."
Ding Baiyun's voice remained calm, clearly reaching everyone's ears:
"There should only be one Bai Tianyu in the world who dares to come here alone, but now there is another one."
The two talked as if no one else was around, as if they were appraising swords, or as if they were discussing a refined matter completely unrelated to the tense situation before them.
Zhao Gongzi, who had long been captivated by Ding Baiyun's unparalleled beauty and harbored feelings for her but had been repeatedly met with cold indifference, suddenly felt a surge of jealousy, humiliation, and a burning desire to show off in front of everyone at Wanmatang when he saw that the fairy he admired was actually taking the initiative to talk to this arrogant young man who had appeared out of nowhere, and even showing some appreciation in her words.
"Don't try to be a fool, you madman! In this city, you have no right to be so arrogant!"
"No one dares to lay a hand on you, so I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of Master Ma!"
No one expected that this young master Zhao was even more reckless than Gongsun Duan. Suddenly, he shouted and, in order to show off his courage in front of Ding Baiyun and Ma Kongqun, he suddenly jumped up from his seat!
Clang—
He drew his sword!
The ornately decorated longsword at his waist was drawn with a snap. In a flash, he moved with the sword, disregarding the fact that even Gongsun Duan had not dared to make a move, and thrust the sword straight at Xue Bufu, who was sitting upright, in the back.
This sword strike, though seemingly swift, was actually a show of bravado masking inner weakness; it was more about venting anger.
Even in the eyes of Hua Mantian, Yun Zaitian and others, it was almost completely chaotic and somewhat laughable.
The dignified "Meteor Sword" Young Master Zhao of the border town actually used such childish swordsmanship in full view of everyone.
Many people's eyes flashed with mockery, but no one stopped them.
After all, there's an old saying, "Poke a fool up on the wall to see what's going on." Now, wouldn't it be perfect to let this ignorant young master Zhao test Xue Bufu's abilities first?
However, Xue Bufeng didn't even blink in the direction of Young Master Zhao, as if the sharp sword wind and roar were just the buzzing of mosquitoes.
He continued looking at Ding Baiyun, as if the conversation had never been interrupted, and casually followed her train of thought:
"Who knows? Maybe my swordsmanship is actually superior to his. It's just a pity that when Bai Xiaosheng ranked the weapons, he didn't include me. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any fools rushing at me now."
Upon hearing this, a rare smile flickered across Ding Baiyun's beautiful, icy eyes, and her thin red lips curved slightly.
Everyone was stunned!
Fairy Baiyun, Ding Baiyun, actually smiled?!
That smile was like a spring breeze rippling across the surface of a frozen lake, creating a mesmerizing effect.
But that slight smile brought her stunningly beautiful face to life instantly, like warmth returning in the dead of winter, making the whole hall shine. Countless young people present, including those outside the hall, were all stunned.
"Well then, I'll have to take a good look."
The echo of the word "see" had barely faded—
Young Master Zhao's sword had already pierced Xue Buye's front.
Especially during those few short exchanges, he saw that the two of them completely ignored him. In particular, when he saw Ding Baiyun's fleeting smile directed at Xue Bufeng, jealousy and hatred gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake. He lost all reason and roared wildly, his sword ready to kill!
But! No one expected that Xue Bufu wouldn't be the first to make a move.
It was Ding Baiyun, who always sat upright like ice, seemingly indifferent to all the fighting.
She didn't even get up; she just sat there and casually slapped out with her backhand.
This palm strike was silent and gentle, resembling the starting stance of a Taoist internal energy cultivation technique.
However, as the palm moved, the air emitted a soft yet clear "pop" sound! A supple yet powerful invisible force arrived first, striking the very spine of Young Master Zhao's swiftly thrusting sword!
"Ping-crack!"
A crisp sound exploded!
The fine sword in Young Master Zhao's hand broke in two at the spine of the blade as if struck by a heavy hammer!
The first half fell to the ground with a clatter, while the second half was still in his hand. The shock caused his tiger's mouth to split open, and blood flowed freely. He was also pulled back five or six steps by the gentle force and fell to the ground with a thud, his face full of horror and astonishment.
But more than anything, there was an indescribable shame, a shame so profound that I felt utterly ashamed!
Ding Baiyun slowly withdrew her jade-like, snow-white hand, not even glancing at the disheveled Young Master Zhao. Her icy gaze swept across the entire room before finally settling on Xue Bufeng, and she slowly spoke:
"Who told you to hit him?"
Her voice carried an air of arrogance, as if she were speaking to Young Master Zhao, or perhaps to everyone present.
But she didn't look at anyone else when she spoke.
Her eyes were only for Xue Bufu.
Dead silence.
The room fell silent once again.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.
Ding Baiyun actually made a move?
For someone I just met?
He was using the superior splitting palm technique, a secret technique of the Ding family, which uses stillness to control movement and softness to overcome hardness!
The Ding family of the martial arts world is indeed not just a name without substance.
Ma Kongqun's brows furrowed, his chest churning with anger, which he forcibly suppressed.
He stared at Ding Baiyun, his voice slow and deliberate:
"Miss Ding, you are my guest. I believe I have treated you well these past few days and have done nothing rude. Why should I help an outsider?"
What he said makes perfect sense.
According to the rules of the martial arts world, Ding Baiyun really didn't have this idea.
But Ding Baiyun was clearly not one to abide by the rules of the martial arts world.
She raised her chin, and the icy light in her beautiful eyes deepened:
"Master Ma's words are rather meaningless. I never distinguish between outsiders and insiders here."
She paused, her gaze seemingly intentionally or unintentionally sweeping over Xue Bufeng's half-smiling profile, her tone calm yet each word clear, echoing in the silent hall:
"There are only boring people and interesting people."
"He's more interesting than all of you combined."
"Besides..."
She added a final sentence, her disdain undisguised:
"I have always hated people who bully others by taking advantage of their power."
These words explicitly pointed to Ma Kongyun's harassment of women, leaving Ma Kongqun's face turning red and white in turns.
Actually, this is something that everyone tacitly understands.
Wanmatang was renowned throughout the border town; what wouldn't they dare to do? What wouldn't they do?
It is common for subordinates to bully men and women.
Even so, as long as they do not affect the interests of the prestigious sects in the martial arts world, which "righteous person" would risk offending the prestigious families and powerful gangs to uphold justice?
It's not that there isn't any.
Such a righteous person is now buried under a mountain of weeds.
Ultimately, in the real martial arts world, what distinction is there between the righteous path and the demonic path?
It's all just a struggle for interests, with each side smearing the other. In reality, they're all birds of a feather.
The most important thing is to be good at interpersonal relationships, make more friends and fewer enemies.
Those who receive much help are righteous and attain justice, while those who receive little help are wicked and lose their way.
Those who have many friends are on the right path, while those who have few friends are on the wrong path.