Section One Hundred and Two: Rain and Clear Autumn [Second Update]

After 2013-05-22, “If you run into any trouble, just reach me through the Light Emblem. I know you have things to do, so don’t worry about me. Go on, hurry, hurry!”

Jing Hao quickly ushered Tang Tian out, then fled in panic together with the other martial artists.

Tang Tian stood on the streets of White Rainbow Star, looking about him. A surge of indescribable excitement rose in his heart. At last he had reached White Rainbow Star; at last he could see Qian Hui. He remembered that night when she left, the night sky above him, and the promise he had shouted to her beneath the stars.

He had done it.

Tang Tian could not help clenching his fists. After a moment, he opened his hands again and, following the address Qian Hui had given him, began to search for the location of the Shangguan residence.

What surprised Tang Tian somewhat was that the Shangguan family seemed to be quite famous on White Rainbow Star; before long, he had found their home.

But...

Tang Tian saw that many people had gathered at the entrance and could not help frowning. In situations like this, there was usually trouble.

Could someone be making trouble for Qian Hui? Tang Tian gave a cold snort, murder flashing in his eyes as his pace quickened of its own accord.

A series of figures were sent flying, crashing into the courtyard.

“Tsk, tsk. This hardly looks like the Shangguan family’s way of treating guests.” A young man in flowing white robes idly waved a folding fan, smiling faintly, not a speck of dust upon him.

Before him lay several young Shangguan disciples, sprawled in disorder.

Hasty footsteps rang out from the courtyard, and after a moment Shangguan Qian emerged with a grim face, leading several others.

“Way of treating guests? Not just anyone has the right to be a guest of my Shangguan family!” Qian Shu was obviously furious, and his tone was utterly unceremonious.

The white-robed youth snapped his folding fan shut, not the least offended, and still smiling he said, “I’ve heard that Shangguan Qian Hui is quite the rare beauty. I am Yu Mingqiu, and I have long admired her reputation. To be turned away like this is truly heartbreaking.”

“Yu Mingqiu!” Qian Shu’s gaze sharpened, yet his heart lurched.

Yu Mingqiu.

Qian Shu was no stranger to that name. He had once been the most outstanding genius of the Yu family, then vanished for four years. The Yu family was the Shangguan family’s chief rival, and Shangguan Qian knew far more than ordinary people did. This former genius of the Yu family had gone mad from qi deviation while cultivating four years ago, his entire true power destroyed.

And yet he was still alive.

More than that... he was stronger than he had been four years ago.

And of all times, the young lady was not here.

Qian Shu secretly groaned. The Yu and Shangguan families were both traditional clans of the Perseus Sector, and the relationship between them was as fierce as fire and water. The Shangguan family’s decline in recent years had direct ties to the Yu family. If not for the young lady turning the tide these past two years, the Shangguan family would likely already have...

Qian Shu knew this would not end peacefully. He said in a low voice, “The young lady has gone on business and has not yet returned. Your luck is poor.”

“Oh?” On Yu Mingqiu’s handsome face, a teasing smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “That is truly unfortunate. However, my servant clearly saw Miss Qian Hui yesterday. And today she is not here? Although I, Yu Mingqiu, am not old, you need not take me for a child.”

Shangguan Qian knew the other side had come prepared today, fully intent on causing trouble, so he no longer wasted words. “Smooth-tongued! Even if the young lady were here, she would not deign to meet you.”

Yu Mingqiu raised his brows, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes, but his mouth still curved in a smile. “It seems that if I want to see Miss Qian Hui, I shall have to do it myself.”

With that, he strode straight toward the courtyard gate of the Shangguan residence.

Two figures stepped out from behind Shangguan Qian and blocked his path.

Shangguan Wei, Shangguan Zhu.

Aside from Shangguan Qian Hui, these were the two young people who had most recently risen to fame in the Shangguan family. Both had reached sixth rank, and neither was yet twenty; they were regarded as prodigies with limitless futures.

They had also been personally selected and promoted by Shangguan Qian Hui after she took over as the head of the Shangguan family. She had even instructed them herself in martial techniques. In their hearts, Shangguan Qian Hui stood above all else, so when they heard Yu Mingqiu making sport of Miss Qian Hui, their chests had long since filled with fury.

Shangguan Wei, youthful yet already seasoned, wore a calm expression.

Shangguan Zhu was built like a mountain, glaring in anger.

The two stood shoulder to shoulder, imposing and threatening.

“Tsk, tsk. The Shangguan family really has declined, to rely on two little brats to prop up the facade.” Yu Mingqiu sighed in feigned regret. “How saddening. How can such a Shangguan family represent the strongest house of our Perseus Sector?”

Shangguan Wei was unmoved. “Compared with the Yu family, which produces nothing but empty showpieces, our Shangguan family is far more dependable.”

Shangguan Zhu said nothing at all. True force surged within him, green light bursting over his body and swiftly condensing into strands of emerald radiance that coiled around him.

Yu Mingqiu narrowed his eyes. “Then let me see the Shangguan family’s Emerald Chill.”

As soon as he spoke, his figure vanished.

Almost at the same time, Shangguan Wei’s figure also disappeared from where he stood. Shangguan Zhu roared and threw a punch.

A huge emerald fist shadow crashed toward Yu Mingqiu.

A mocking smile touched Yu Mingqiu’s lips. With a light tap of his toes, his body blurred abruptly and appeared several paces away. But what he never could have imagined was that the emerald fist shadow, like a cannonball fresh from the barrel, suddenly changed shape in midair. As if an invisible hand were kneading a lump of green dough, the fist shadow transformed into a green pillar of light that shot toward Yu Mingqiu.

Yu Mingqiu gave a quiet scoff.

His body swayed like a pendulum, nearly slipping past the green pillar of light, but the pillar changed again, becoming a green curtain of radiance that descended over him.

This time a trace of surprise finally flashed in Yu Mingqiu’s eyes. From Shangguan Zhu’s build, he had assumed Shangguan Zhu would rely on brute force to overcome skill, but he had not expected such a burly man to be able to wield martial technique this delicate.

Interesting.

But if this alone were enough to trap him, that would be far too naive.

True power surged within Yu Mingqiu. Over these four years, he had endured endless agony before finally returning to the world’s sight. He would use a victory of sufficient weight to witness his own return.

He would let the people of Perseus Sector know that Yu Mingqiu had come back.

His gaze turned cold. Spreading his five fingers as though plucking strings, he flicked them again and again at a speed too swift for ordinary eyes to catch. Yet no light appeared around those fingers; only the green curtain rushing toward him seemed to ripple like raindrops striking a pond.

The curtain trembled violently, then shattered with a crack.

Yu Mingqiu stood upright, elegant and graceful. That casual counterattack carried the bearing of a true expert, enough to make many girls around him beat their hearts wildly.

Suddenly, a remnant shadow brushed past the corner of his eye, and Yu Mingqiu’s heart tightened.

A streak of emerald light, like a curved blade, came slashing straight for his waist.

The sharp, icy edge seemed to pierce the bone itself. Yu Mingqiu did not dare slacken in the slightest and flicked his five fingers in rapid succession, like rain beating plantain leaves.

Clang, clang, clang!

Clear impacts rang out in a dense storm. The green blade light burst apart with a pop into countless emerald sparks.

Shangguan Wei arrived at Yu Mingqiu’s side in a blur. His body was incredibly supple, and in an instant he kicked like lightning. A glimmer of emerald lit the tip of his foot, and the strike brought with it a crescent arc of green radiance.

Emerald Arc Blade, sharp as a knife.

Shangguan Wei’s movements were astonishingly fast; both his fingertips and the soles of his feet were lit with a faint emerald glow. Slash, jab, kick, cleave—every motion unfailingly brought forth a blade-like crescent of green light.

Emerald Arc Blade.

The blade light rolled forward like a tide, like a raging wave, sweeping toward Yu Mingqiu.

The frivolous look vanished from Yu Mingqiu’s face. He turned solemn and serious, arms extended, fingers spread, flicking repeatedly at a speed beyond what ordinary people could perceive.

Ding, ding, ding!

A storm of crisp impacts rang without end.

Yu Mingqiu’s finger force was astonishing; though it seemed he was simply snapping at empty air, every arc of green blade light endured seven or eight fierce strikes within an instant.

The emerald blade lights kept shattering. Shangguan Wei’s expression remained frosty, and his hands and legs continuously drew out wave after wave of blade light at a terrifying frequency.

Blade light upon blade light, like tide rising and tide falling.

Within that storm of blades, Yu Mingqiu rapidly steadied himself and began to handle the situation with ease. Even so, his mouth remained merciless. “What now? That’s all you’ve got? And this is two against one, no less!”

Such a style of fighting consumed Shangguan Wei enormously. Though he appeared to be on the defensive, in truth he had seized the initiative. If the Shangguan family, two against one, still suffered defeat, then Qian Hui would surely be unable to bear it.

Wait.

Two against one.

Where was the other man?

Yu Mingqiu’s heart jolted.

At that very moment, a mass of shadow rose above his head and enveloped him.

Without knowing when, a green sphere had appeared overhead. It was more than three meters in diameter, and within its light, a human silhouette could faintly be seen.

Shangguan Zhu.

The green sphere began to rotate slowly.

The green light sphere above his head brought with it a crushing pressure, and danger.

An unparalleled sense of danger made him bristle like an enraged cat. He cried out sharply, his face changing color.

The green sphere fell with astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, its rotation reached a terrifying degree, while within the light mass Shangguan Zhu pressed his palms together, expression solemn and grave.

Emerald Fall.

Boom!

In the eyes of the crowd, it was as if a thick green beam had descended from the heavens, smashing violently into the rolling storm of blade light.

Rumble!

Dust exploded skyward, countless shattered stones flew in all directions, raining into the crowd. Cries of alarm rose one after another. A tremendous shockwave crashed through, and before anyone could react, it was as if they had been forcefully shoved, all of them stumbling back several steps together.

When the onlookers finally steadied themselves, every face was filled with dread.

Too terrifying.

No one could possibly survive such a dreadful attack.

The Shangguan family gate stood in an excellent position, directly facing the stone-paved avenue. More than thirty meters of road had been laid with hard, thick bluestone slabs, yet the rising dust blanketed the entire street.

A thread of blood seeped from the corner of Shangguan Zhu’s mouth. This killing move had placed an enormous burden on him. Shangguan Wei, standing nearby, was breathing heavily as well; his consumption had also been tremendous.

Fortunately, they had finally succeeded...

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously breathed out in relief, and Qian Shu, who had been watching, also let out a long breath.

Then, abruptly, a voice sounded from within the dust.

“You’ve surprised me a little.”

Shangguan Zhu and Shangguan Wei stiffened at once. Qian Shu’s expression changed drastically.

A blurred figure slowly walked out of the dust. With a sudden sweep of his hand, a gale rose from the ground, dispersing the haze.

Yu Mingqiu once again appeared before everyone. His expression was cold and dark, killing intent in his eyes, and a thin streak of blood marked his face.

Yet everyone’s gaze was drawn instead to the thing upon Yu Mingqiu’s body.

“That is... that is... armor!”