Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 192 - Dumbfounded

Liu Wuxie was prepared to use all the fire energy to engrave immortal runes and kill Qin Shi, even if he might be heavily injured.

The abrupt arrival of a stranger halted the ongoing battle between Liu Wuxie and Qin Shi, causing them to shift their attention towards him. When recognizing this person, Liu Wuxie couldn’t help but display a peculiar expression.

Rest assured, no one can harm you while I’m here!” Chen Ruoyan had returned to the Imperial City ten days prior and immediately began looking into Liu Wuxie’s background.

She had fortuitously left the palace and arrived at the Imperial Academy just in time. Had Liu Wuxie not been present in the Scarlet Dragon Association, she would have fallen victim to Qian Kun, let alone the fact that Liu Wuxie had risked his life to rescue her from Blood Bat. He had saved her life twice, and she was yet to repay him.

Chen Ruoyan moved to stand beside Liu Wuxie, their proximity giving the impression of a couple, which left the crowd in a state of surprise. The presence of Xu Lingxue alone had been enough to stir them, but now there was another woman, equally beautiful. They wondered what Liu Wuxie had done to earn the support of two such stunning women.

“Why are you here?” Liu Wuxie asked with a touch of surprise in his voice. He hadn’t expected Chen Ruoyan to seek him out at the Imperial Academy.

“Why can’t I come here?” Chen Ruoyan retorted playfully. Despite being a few years older than Liu Wuxie, she was behaving quite childishly.

Liu Wuxie suddenly felt a fiery gaze directed at him, making his heart drop. He noticed Xu Lingxue looking at him with a hint of anger in her eyes. He quickly stepped back, maintaining a distance from Chen Ruoyan in case Xu Lingxue misunderstood.

When Chen Ruoyan’s gaze met Xu Lingxue’s, both women were taken aback by each other’s beauty. Xu Lingxue had an air of nobility about her that was impossible to replicate. Her demeanor was akin to an orchid, aloof and noble, almost fairy-like.

In contrast, Chen Ruoyan was like a rose, fragrant but covered in thorns. As the two women stood on either side of Liu Wuxie, many people couldn’t help but feel envious of him.

“Who is she?” Both women echoed the question simultaneously. Xu Lingxue was curious about Chen Ruoyan’s identity, and the same was true for Chen Ruoyan about Xu Lingxue. Women have a keen sense of intuition, and Xu Lingxue immediately sensed that the relationship between Liu Wuxie and Chen Ruoyan was not simple.

Chen Ruoyan, who carried herself with the pride of a peacock, also questioned Liu Wuxie about Xu Lingxue’s identity. This sudden turn of events gave Liu Wuxie a headache as he struggled to find the right words to explain the situation. Sensing Xu Lingxue’s intense gaze, he gathered his courage and introduced Chen Ruoyan, “This is the third princess of the Great Yan Dynasty, Chen Ruoyan.”

Although their marriage had not been consummated, they were legally married. Therefore, Xu Lingxue had every right to question the sudden appearance of another woman in Liu Wuxie’s life.

“I see. Lady Chen, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” Xu Lingxue greeted, cupping her fists together in a traditional gesture. She then moved to Liu Wuxie’s side and took his arm, causing a stir among the onlookers.

The sight of such a beauty clinging to Liu Wuxie’s arm caused an uproar among the crowd, driving many Heaven Grade students to the brink of insanity. Xu Lingxue’s unexpected action left Chen Ruoyan at a loss for words.

“Big Brother Liu, aren’t you going to introduce me to this woman?” Chen Ruoyan asked, her voice coquettish despite being a few years older than Liu Wuxie. As she spoke, she took Liu Wuxie’s other arm.

Just as Liu Wuxie was about to introduce Xu Lingxue, she interjected, “I’m his wife. Lady Chen, I would appreciate it if you could maintain some distance.”

Xu Lingxue’s words left everyone dumbfounded, including Liu Wuxie. Chen Ruoyan’s arms froze mid-air, uncertain how she should respond to this situation. Since she had investigated Liu Wuxie’s background, she naturally knew that Liu Wuxie was married. But she didn’t expect Liu Wuxie’s wife to be so beautiful and bold to announce their relationship publicly.

Baili Qing sighed, glancing at Xu Lingxue before leaving.

“I know who you are. Your name is Xu Lingxue, and you’re betrothed to him. But on your wedding night, you nearly beat him to death outside the wedding chamber. In reality, you haven’t consummated your marriage, and you two are only married in name. You’ve looked down on Big Brother Liu since you were young. Am I right about that?” Chen Ruoyan wore a cunning smile, as she had investigated everything about Liu Wuxie.

“Since you know he’s my husband, you should maintain your distance from him,” Xu Lingxue responded, and her reply surprised Liu Wuxie.

“You two haven’t consummated your marriage yet, and you dislike Big Brother Liu. How about you hand him over to me?” Chen Ruoyan was the only one bold enough to make such a public declaration. To utter such words as a woman, how would she secure a marriage in the future?

“Firstly, this is our business, and we don’t owe you an explanation. Secondly, he’s a human being, not a possession. So, I can’t just casually hand him over to you,” Xu Lingxue responded. Her reply might have seemed weak, but Chen Ruoyan couldn’t refute it.

If they had an issue, it was their affair, and outsiders had no right to interfere.

Just as Chen Ruoyan was about to speak again, Liu Wuxie interjected, “Lady Chen, there might be some misunderstanding between us. If there’s nothing else, please leave.” Liu Wuxie didn’t want to involve more people in this matter, and his words implied that they were merely friends.

“The more you want me to leave, the more I want to stay.” Chen Ruoyan pouted and stood by the side. From a young age, she had been accustomed to everyone yielding to her, and no one dared to oppose her.

Letting go of Liu Wuxie’s arm, Xu Lingxue stood by the side with a slight smile. The atmosphere was a little stiff with the appearance of the third princess.

“Third Princess, please step aside. This person killed my son, and I want to avenge him,” Qin Shi said, suppressing his murderous intent. His palm was still brewing, and he was determined to kill Liu Wuxie, no matter what.

“Old man, this person is under my protection from now on. If you dare touch a hair on him, see what will happen!”

Chen Ruoyan was fuming, and Qin Shi’s words fueled the fire. She drew her sword and dashed towards Qin Shi.

Liu Wuxie wanted to stop her, but it was too late.

Qin Shi naturally didn’t dare to fight back and could only keep dodging. The emperor doted on her even more than the two princes. He would soon face the royal clan's wrath if he dared to touch a strand of her hair.

“Third Princess, don’t blame me for being rude if you’re still not going to stop!” Qin Shi was genuinely furious. If the Third Princess wouldn’t stop, he could only restrain her before killing Liu Wuxie.

“I’m not stopping today. If you dare to touch him, I’ll fight you to the death!” Chen Ruoyan performed an entire set of sword technique that looked like a hurricane sweeping through. Her recent experience had helped her grow, and her strength had improved tremendously.

When the two fought, Qin Shi could only dodge while Chen Ruoyan attacked fearlessly. This made Liu Wuxie and Xu Lingxue exchange a glance because none of them had expected this outcome.

“Qin Shi, I know that you want to kill me. How about this: we’ll set a date and sign a deathmatch contract. How about it?” Liu Wuxie stepped forward and roared, interrupting the fight between Qin Shi and Chen Ruoyan.

There was no end to this fight if it continued, and no one would benefit. So, they might as well set a date and engage in a deathmatch until one side fell.

“Brat, you’re trying to buy time!”

Qin Shi was furious because he would’ve killed Liu Wuxie without Chen Ruoyan’s interference. He couldn’t wait for revenge, but if Liu Wuxie set an indefinite date, wouldn’t that mean he would never be able to kill him?

“Let’s make it one month from now on the Deathmatch Stage. With so many students as witnesses, I believe Vice-Headmaster Qin won’t refuse,” Liu Wuxie smiled. One month was enough for him to do many things, and there was a high chance of surviving even if he couldn’t kill Qin Shi.

One month was neither long nor short. Liu Wuxie’s talent was evident to everyone, and who knew how powerful he would become in a month?

The students who had joined the academy with him were struggling in the Xiantian Realm, while Liu Wuxie was already in the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

“Vice-Headmaster Qin, are you telling me you don’t dare to wait a month?” Li Shengsheng taunted with a smirk. Liu Wuxie’s suggestion of a month implied that he was confident handling Qin Shi after that period.

Liu Wuxie had issued the challenge, and many teachers were watching. They were eager to see if Qin Shi would accept it. A refusal would make him appear petty, especially given his position as Vice-Headmaster. However, acceptance would play right into Liu Wuxie’s hands.

As for the prospect of killing Liu Wuxie today, Chen Ruoyan was clearly not going to stand by, putting Qin Shi in a difficult position.

“Ten days! I’ll only give you ten days!” Qin Shi declared, reducing the time to ten days after some thought, wary of any potential tricks from Liu Wuxie.

“Let’s take one step back and set it to twenty days from now,” Liu Wuxie said after pondering briefly. Killing someone in the pinnacle of the Marrow Cleansing Realm required strength and powerful martial techniques.

In just twenty days, he couldn't reach the Marrow Cleansing Realm. If he managed to reach the Marrow Cleansing Realm, no one could do anything to him besides cultivators in the True Core Realm.

“Alright, I’ll give you twenty days!”

Qin Shi agreed to Liu Wuxie’s conditions to engage in a deathmatch twenty days from now.

Since the establishment of the Imperial Academy, there had never been a fight between a student and a vice-headmaster. Liu Wuxie broke yet another record in the academy.

The farce finally ended as Qin Shi left with Xiao Yanlong. The surrounding students began to leave and privately discussed what they had just witnessed.

“Return, or she might reprimand you again,” Liu Wuxie suggested, approaching Xu Lingxue. Ever since his admission to the academy, he had refrained from seeking her out. His avoidance was not due to a lack of desire to see her but rather his unwillingness to witness Xu Lingxue being scolded by Baili Qing.

Xu Lingxue hesitated, biting her lip. She had observed Liu Wuxie’s transformation over the past few months, and he was no longer the wastrel he once was.

“I may return home in a few days. When do you plan to go back?” Xu Lingxue inquired. She had been away for several months and wished to visit her parents.

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