Shi Lang jumped into the void and slashed down at Shi Ning. The attack’s impact was so strong that she was pushed back to the ground even when Shi Ning defended with a cross guard. Shi Lang did not give her a chance to compose herself.
He stepped into the void, condensed the spiritual energy under his sole to use it as a base, and shot at Shi Ning. The red sword flickered, and a clanking metal sound echoed in the ground.
The Shi Family was surprised and did not expect Shi Lang to be this ferocious. Shi Ning wanted to counter, but Shi Lang suddenly roared and pushed the girl back. He landed on the ground and said, “Do you concede?”
Shi Ning was still stabilizing herself, and this question stoked the fire in her heart. She asked, “What did you say?”
Shi Lang did not repeat his question but closed in the distance between the two. The terran used a series of footsteps and moved around Shi Ning. The lady turned around, and her sword struck Shi Lang.
However, Shi Lang did not let her harm him. He ducked and picked up a handful of sand to throw at Shi Ning.
Shi Ting shouted, “Dispecible.”
Shi Yua and the rest of the people narrowed their eyes, but Shi Yulong said, “This is a fair move.”
Shi Lang did not care about the discussions and charged in. With a quick chop at the opponent’s wrist, he disarmed Shi Ning, and then his blade rested on the girl’s nape. Shi Lang asked, “I asked you, would you concede?”
Shi Ning was shocked and could not believe this young man could defeat her. His cultivation realm was lower than hers. Shi Lang said, “Do you find it odd that I defeated you?”
Shi Ning nodded slightly, and Shi Lang said, “People who are quick to act and do not have the patience to analyze the cunning of their enemy will suffer fates even worse than death. So, before attacking someone, wait and learn about them. Information is the biggest key to victory.”
Shi Ning was standing in a daze when Second Mistress said, “Winner, Shi Lang.”
This battle confirmed that if Shi Lang asked to be the young master, he would have unilateral support. Shi Yulong looked at the two youngsters and asked, “Shi Lang, what is your opinion on being titled the young master?”
Shi Lang replied, “I decline, Sir.” 𝞸𝗏𝐿xt.𝒸𝑂𝑀
The people were shocked again. Yu Jing and Shi Wei knew he decided to decline, but they thought that Shi Ning’s attack would have made him irritable and he might back off. Shi Yuwan asked, “Why so?”
Shi Lang took his sword back and said, “I am an outsider. Even if I become a true family member, it will take a lot of time. I cannot promise how long I will stay here. I should not be claiming something that belongs to others.
The girls of your family are all capable in a sense of their own. They can manage the family together. To remove the power struggle, rules can be set up. They must abdicate the positions if they do not follow the rules.”
Shi Shanwang sighed and asked, “Do you think this will be easy?”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “Nothing great comes easy, Sir.”
The people fell silent as they did not expect him to say something like this. Shi Lang bowed and left the place. He was not going to meddle with their family member. He was calm and composed as he walked away.
Shi Yulong looked at everyone and said, “Learn from him. His character is not simple.”
The elders nodded, and the four girls stood together, looking at Shi Lang’s back. The conviction he showed to defend his honor by defeating Shi Ning in a fair battle and then respectfully turning down the position of the young master. This made the people gain a deeper understanding of him.
…
The night passed, and Shi Lang began to fit into his new life. He would cultivate early in the morning, and during the breaks, he would practice his battle skills. When he needed rest, he read books about alchemy and formations. Upon being asked, he would say, “Just for expanding my horizons.”
The people did not bother with him. After a week, he was watching two disciples sparing with each other and sighed. Kang was standing next to him. He asked, “What made you sigh, Brother Shi Lang?”
Since Shi Lang was not the young master, it was alright for him to talk frankly. Shi Lang also preferred it like this. The terran replied, pointing at the two disciples, “Look at them. Do you find any battle intent?”
Kang looked ahead and shook his head. He said, “Why do they need to have a battle intent when it is just sparing?”
Shi Lang clicked his tongue and said, “Brother Kang, if they do not refine their battle intent, they will suffer death when they face an enemy who is ferocious.”
Surprised, Kang said, “Brother Shi, you overthink. The city is very peaceful. Why would they ever face any risks?”
Shi Lang turned to look at the young man beside him and said, “Brother Kang, humans can never stop being greedy. Cultivators are also greedy for power, and they are all cunning, like snakes. They are just waiting to strike when you are at your lowest. I know that the city is peaceful, but have you not noticed the undercurrents? The sleeping giants are always the first to get destroyed.”
Kang opened his eyes wide. It was not like he did not know anything about the world. He had just never thought carefully enough to realize all these things. Kang wanted to ask more when Shi Lang said, “The Shi Family needs to get rid of the moles inside. Otherwise, we will not know what hit us when the enemies make their moves.”
Kang asked, “What moles? We have a truth detection array. Every disciple needs to go through it once a week.”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “That is not how you pick out who is a mole and who is not. The array can be fooled by the people who are trained to lie. None of the arrays in the world are invincible. Only if you can figure out what is happening inside the head of the person will you know who is what.”
Kang shivered and said, “Soul search is a taboo practice. It cannot be used without killing a person.”
Shi Lang chuckled and said, “Brother Kang, you are overthinking. I was only joking, hahaha. I am messing with you.”
Kang stood there with a stupefied expression on his face. Suddenly, a young disciple rushed over and said, “Senior Brother Kang, Young Miss is in trouble.”
Kang reacted quickly and turned around. He asked, “What happened?”
The disciple caught his breath and said, “Young Miss went out to the Tianxu Pavilion to buy a few things, and that second Ling was there. He said a few things about how Miss Shi Yua was afraid of his brother, and young Miss retorted. We all had just left the pavilion when the cronies of that second Ling attacked fourth miss.”
Shi Lang did not wait for Kang to react and said, “Tell the rest of the incident on the way. First, we need to go and find Shi Ting.”
Kang nodded, and the three of them rushed out of the house. It took them a few minutes to rush through the streets and visit the city square. A big crowd has gathered over there. Kang could hear the sound of swords clashing. He rushed through the crowd and found Shi Ting fighting three men.
She was not in a good state. Her shoulder was cut, and a trace of blood could be seen dripping from the corner of her lips. Shi Lang narrowed his eyes. A young man from the side said, “Lady Shi is still holding her ground but that sneak attack injured her shoulder. It will be hard for her to get away. I wonder where the Shi Family men are.”
Kang stepped forward and yelled, “What the fuck do you think you are doing Second Master Ling? Do you wish to start a war?”
Second Master Ling was standing in the crowd with a smug smile on his face. He said, “Kang, you can spit food when you want but you should not speak nonsense. These three men are not from my Ling family. They are renegades. They took a liking to something that Shi Ting bought and wanted to take it away forcefully.”
Kang looked at the three men, and they had distanced themselves when he yelled earlier. The young man quickly moved to stand near Shi Ting and asked, “Young miss, are you okay?”
Shi Ting glared at him with her eyes turning red. However, she clenched her fists. At this moment, Shi Lang walked out of the crowd and asked, “May I ask, where are the city guard?”
He had spotted two guards in armors standing among the crowd. They stepped forward and said, “If you want to ask why we have not taken any action, then it was because Lady Shi said that the Shi Family would take care of it.”
Shi Lang nodded and then walked over to Shi Ting. He stretched his hand and said, “Your sword.”
Shi Ting looked at him and the young man said, “Do not worry, I will get you the explanation you deserve.”
He was ferocious, and anger was burning in his heart.