Chapter 524 - 235: The Way of Effortless Action

Chapter 524: Chapter 235: The Way of Effortless Action

Luo Shuqing’s fingers, resting by the hem of her dress, tightened slightly once more.

Her gaze shifted from Fang Shuwen to the old Daoist, and she suddenly cried out in surprise:

"He... he was faking it?"

"Hm?"

Hearing Luo Shuqing’s voice, the old Daoist opened one eye.

After a quick glance, he opened both eyes wide in astonishment.

"You’re the people from that other ship?

"How did you get here?

"Where are the men from Black Island?"

"Black Island..."

Fang Shuwen mulled over the name before speaking.

"Were you after them?"

"Not at first..."

The old Daoist answered instinctively, then his bull-like eyes glared.

"Who do you think you are, asking me that?"

Fang Shuwen smiled, taking no offense. He simply said,

"This ship is mine now. You have two choices.

"The first is to clearly explain your identity, your background, and your purpose, then await my judgment.

"The second... I’ll throw you into the sea. Your life and death will be left to fate."

"Heh... You’ve just triggered this Daoist Master’s infamous temper!"

The old Daoist rolled up his sleeves and scrambled to his feet. The look of grave injury was gone from his face as he pointed at Fang Shuwen’s nose and spouted nonsense:

"If you’ve got the guts, let this Daoist Master out! I’ll show you what I’m made of!"

Luo Shuqing hurriedly said,

"Old... old sir... y-you need to calm down... You can’t beat him."

The old Daoist had been listening to her, thinking her soft, sweet voice belonged to a well-behaved girl.

And when she told him to calm down, a good impression began to form in his mind.

But when he heard her last few words, his face darkened instantly.

"Can’t beat him? I, the Daoist Master, have roamed the East Sea for years! I’ve never met... well, anyway, I’ve hardly met anyone who could beat me!

"I refuse to believe this pretty boy is that skilled.

"Don’t you worry, girl. This Daoist Master certainly won’t hurt your little sweetheart, but he needs to be taught that there’s always someone better out there!

"Lest he wanders the Jianghu in the future and meets a violent end at sea for his arrogance."

He had wanted to say, "I’ve never met anyone who could beat me," but the old Daoist was a poor liar. He wouldn’t have even believed the words himself.

In the end, he had to walk it back.

Hearing this, Luo Shuqing hastily waved her hands.

"No, no, that’s not... we don’t have that kind of relationship..."

"You don’t?"

The old Daoist was taken aback, then said,

"If you don’t, then this has nothing to do with you."

Luo Shuqing quickly replied,

"No... that’s not what I meant."

The old Daoist looked completely confused.

"So you two are a couple after all?"

"We’re not!"

The rims of Luo Shuqing’s eyes reddened with frustration. She couldn’t help but look to Fang Shuwen for help.

But Fang Shuwen just raised an eyebrow, enjoying her predicament. She had no choice but to turn back to the old Daoist and say,

"What I mean is, we really don’t have the kind of relationship you’re talking about...

"And, you really can’t beat him... Y-you should listen to him. Otherwise, you’ll definitely, definitely get hurt."

The old Daoist stared blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"You little one, you truly underestimate this Daoist Master."

With that, he turned to Fang Shuwen.

"Kid, what do you say?"

Fang Shuwen smiled.

"Since you’d like to test your skills, I happen to be curious to witness the prowess of a master from the East Sea."

As he spoke, he casually reached out and grabbed. With a series of CRUNCHING and SNAPPING sounds...

...the chains and bronze lock wrapped around the door were completely crushed in his hand.

Seeing this, the old Daoist’s bull-like eyes widened into perfect circles.

This technique of ’crushing iron like mud’ was anything but ordinary. At the very least, he himself couldn’t have done it so cleanly.

He knew he had underestimated Fang Shuwen. Recalling his earlier boasts, he suddenly felt a pang of regret.

His eyes darted about as he tried to think of a way to get out of this fight...

But then he heard Fang Shuwen speak.

"Watch out."

He snapped his head up to see Fang Shuwen had already opened the cell door and charged in.

His five fingers hooked into a claw, aiming straight for his face.

Feeling the sharp, unstoppable force of the claw technique, how could the old Daoist dare to be arrogant any longer?

With a flick of his two sleeves, he performed a Sleeve Universe.

This move of his concealed a shift between feint and reality.

In myths and legends, the so-called Sleeve Universe is a divine ability that can suck people into one’s sleeve. The sleeve contains a world of its own, and once trapped inside, it’s nearly impossible to escape.

But when applied to Martial Arts, it was impossible to actually suck a person away.

It merely used the sleeve’s opening to obscure an opponent’s vision.

The follow-up moves could be either a feint or a genuine attack.

The feint was just a false move, using the opponent’s blocked vision to touch and retreat.

The genuine attack was to use this golden opportunity to strike a vicious blow.

A master could flick their sleeves out and back, and their opponent would already be lying dead on the ground.

However, the old Daoist had no intention of killing Fang Shuwen. He was only using this technique as a feint, a fancy trick to appear suddenly in front and then abruptly behind.

He would then use a more advanced Martial Arts technique to show Fang Shuwen what he was capable of.

Unfortunately, while it was a good plan in his mind, Fang Shuwen didn’t care whether this Sleeve Universe was a feint or a real attack.

With a hook of his five fingers, a suction force seemed to emerge, instantly cinching the billowing sleeve tight.

In the next moment, Fang Shuwen grabbed it and yanked it back.

The old Daoist was shocked. ’My sleeve is caught before I could even pull off my fancy moves! What do I do now?’

He hurriedly reached out with his other hand, trying to snatch his sleeve back.

If Fang Shuwen had wanted to take his life, this would have been the perfect opportunity. But Fang Shuwen had no murderous intent; otherwise, how could the old Daoist have possibly defended himself against a real strike?

He just smiled, twisted the captured sleeve until it was taut as a rope, gave his hand a slight flick, and sent it coiling around the old Daoist’s wrist, loop after loop.