chsdbacks Chapter 148: Is Dao Xiao not dead?
Chapter 148: Is Dao Xiao not dead?
Fu Huiying recognized Hua Zhu, but Hua Zhu did not recognize her.
However, since this was Zhang Ping's residence, Hua Zhu could roughly guess her identity.
Hua Zhu stood up, clasped her hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "Greetings, sister-in-law!"
His movements were clean and efficient, exuding a heroic and spirited air.
Fu Huiying's eyes lit up when she saw her, and she quickly invited her to sit down.
After getting to know everyone, Fu Huiying explained, "Zhang Ping went to the Chu Prince's residence to look through the classics. He shouldn't be back until sunset. How about we have dinner here tonight?"
"Thank you, sister-in-law!" Hua Zhu nodded in agreement, and the three of them chatted together.
As for Hua Cheng, he felt awkward sitting to the side while the three women chatted, so he went to tour the mansion with the help of a maid.
As evening fell, Zhang Ping returned and immediately smiled when he saw the three of them.
"Brother Hua is here to visit! It's been a long time!"
"Brother Zhang!"
Upon seeing Zhang Ping, Hua Zhu smiled happily, her high ponytail swaying back and forth.
"Please sit down, please sit down!" Zhang Ping greeted them with a smile, then turned and called out, "Xiao Qing, go to Xiangmanlou and reserve a table!"
When old friends met, they chatted about their recent lives.
Not long after, Lu Wanrou also came out of her cultivation, bringing a fruit platter with her maid as a pre-dinner dessert.
"Brother Hua, your strength seems to have improved very quickly? Could it be that you've found another powerful praying mantis?"
During their casual conversation, Zhang Ping steered the conversation towards Hua Zhu.
Back in Lanjiang City, he learned from Leng Ruxue that Hua Zhu's cultivation had improved rapidly, and he had commented that Hua Zhu was a chosen one. Now he could take this opportunity to find out more.
It would have been better if she hadn't said it, because as soon as she said it, Hua Zhu suddenly remembered the mantis she had sold to Zhang Ping, and her heart ached. It was a losing deal... She said, "Brother Zhang, I don't sell mantises anymore."
"I see!" Zhang Ping's tone carried a hint of disappointment. In fact, he had only mentioned it casually and quickly moved on from the topic.
"Did Brother Zhang also buy mantises from Hua Zhu?" Lu Wanrou, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but ask curiously.
Others also cast curious glances their way.
Zhang Ping then recounted how he met Hua Zhu, and everyone nodded in understanding.
Sitting in the corner, Hua Cheng's teeth, which were chewing dried fruit, suddenly ached after listening to this. He glanced at Hua Zhu and thought to himself: My goodness, that deal back then was a huge loss!
The food would take some time to arrive, and after chatting for a while, Hua Zhu felt a bit bored, so she pulled Zhang Ping aside to spar with him.
"Okay, okay!" Zhang Ping replied with a smile.
There happened to be an open space next to the bamboo grove courtyard. Instead of using real knives, the two picked up a bamboo stalk from the ground and used it as a weapon.
As dusk fell, the bamboo forest remained bright and airy. Numerous insects, each a vibrant color, danced among the bamboo, resembling a flowing starry sky.
A cool breeze swept by, swirling up the long, thin bamboo leaves scattered on the ground, and the bamboo grove rustled in the wind.
A man and a woman stand facing each other, holding bamboo sticks that are as straight as knives.
In the pavilion ten meters away, everyone adjusted their posture and looked this way.
"Come on?" Zhang Ping smiled easily, and black flames of blood energy suddenly ignited on the bamboo stick in his hand.
His blood and qi, modified by the Ghost Blade and flames, can simultaneously possess the characteristics of erosion and burning when fighting enemies. Moreover, the limit-breaking power of the Ghost Blade after its perfection also mixed a strange gray aura into his blood and qi. However, he needs to actively release this aura, and there is no need to do so in the current sparring.
Upon seeing the qi and blood on Zhang Ping's bamboo staff, Hua Zhu was slightly taken aback. Realizing that the intensity was only at the Refining Realm, she knew that Zhang Ping was holding back. Feeling somewhat annoyed, she immediately activated her own qi and blood, and a pale blue qi and blood instantly covered the bamboo staff in her hand.
This is?
Zhang Ping raised an eyebrow; Hua Zhu's blood and qi actually possessed attributes.
That's interesting, really interesting.
As the pale blue aura swirled around him, the surrounding wind subtly changed. Could it be wind-attribute aura? Zhang Ping pondered.
Hua Zhu pursed her lips slightly, then suddenly spoke up: "Brother Zhang, be careful!"
"Haha, come on then!" Zhang Ping laughed loudly. During this time, besides staying at the Chu Prince's Mansion to read books, he had been helping the two ladies improve their cultivation talents, and his skills were almost rusty.
As soon as he finished speaking, he drew a long line with the bamboo stick in his hand, and his aura spread out.
Hua Zhu's expression turned grave. He rushed forward, about to raise his bamboo staff to unleash his sword technique, when a hurried voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "The Sword Demon is not dead!"
The urgency in the voice was so intense that it made Hua Zhu's head spin. She quickly stopped in her tracks. It was Grandma Hong's voice!
Hua Zhu suddenly stood still, leaving everyone in the pavilion looking puzzled.
Zhang Ping slightly lowered the bamboo stick, took two steps forward, and asked, "Brother Hua, what's wrong?"
Sensing the black aura emanating from Zhang Ping, the two green mantises lurking on Hua Zhu became increasingly agitated, causing the aura within Hua Zhu's body to fluctuate abnormally. She involuntarily took two steps back.
At this moment, the voices in her mind became clearer and clearer. Grandpa Green and Grandma Red popped out of Huazhu's pocket and jumped onto her shoulder, their black eyes staring intently at Zhang Ping.
Zhang Ping stopped, raised an eyebrow, and looked the two suddenly appearing green mantises up and down. He thought to himself: Interesting. I didn't even notice that Brother Hua was carrying these two green mantises.
He quickly realized something was wrong. Hua Zhu hadn't deliberately concealed her form with her qi and blood; if there were mantises on her, they wouldn't have escaped his senses. Yet, from the moment he saw Hua Zhu until now, he hadn't noticed the presence of the two mantises at all.
When Zhang Ping met the two praying mantises' black eyes again, he saw human-like wariness in them, and... a trace of killing intent?
Inside the pavilion, Hua Cheng couldn't help but mutter, "Why did you suddenly stop, sister? You always said you wanted to spar with Brother Zhang."
"I don't know, it seems like something happened?" Leng Ruxue had spent a long time with Huazhu and knew the girl quite well.
In particular, Hua Zhu was persistent in sparring with swordsmen. When she first joined the Leng family, she took the initiative to spar with the swordsmen of the Leng family. However, there were not many swordsmen in the Leng family to begin with, and Hua Zhu made extremely rapid progress. After a few sparring sessions, no one could spar with her anymore.
At this moment, Huazhu was torn between two conflicting thoughts. The voices of Grandma Red and Grandpa Green kept echoing in her mind:
"Disciple! This man possesses the power of a demon sword spirit; he's definitely a great demon! Get away from him quickly!"
"No! Before this brat breaks through to the third realm of supernatural powers, let's join forces and kill him now!"
The two masters' words left Hua Zhu completely confused. She hurriedly asked in her mind, "Master, what are you talking about? Brother Zhang is my friend, I can't be his enemy! Also, what exactly is a Dao Xiao?"
"Disciple, don't worry about that! Dao Xiao is a reincarnated demon. We came to the old lands of Wei and Zhao to hunt it down, but we never expected that it would be reborn in less than a thousand years!"
"But...but Brother Zhang is human, isn't he?" Hua Zhu's expression gradually turned anxious.
Because of her position, Hua Zhu was facing away from the pavilion, so no one could see the struggle on her face. However, Zhang Ping took a few steps closer and caught a glimpse of the unusual expression on her face.
He was filled with doubt: What was she struggling with? Just now... it seemed like she was talking to someone?
Zhang Ping's gaze then fell on the two praying mantises on Hua Zhu's shoulder.
Oh, so it wasn't with a person, it was with these two praying mantises...