Hedonist Prodigy

Chapter 94: A Narrow Escape

Jiang Feng dared not be careless. He raised his palm like a blade, and with a downward thrust, struck the purple sleeve. The sleeve trembled slightly from the blow, but its trajectory remained unchanged, still coiling straight towards his neck.

Jiang Feng was forced to take a step back, his large hand still reaching forward. When he struck with his palm, the purple sleeve, though incredibly smooth, was also incredibly agile, and he was helpless against it.

It must be said that this purple-clad girl had refined the art of using softness to overcome hardness to its extreme; her strength had far exceeded his expectations.

The purple-clad girl saw Jiang Feng’s movements clearly, and let out a clear, cold shout. With a flick of her left arm, another flowing sleeve flew out, attacking Jiang Feng from another angle.

The purple-clad girl’s speed was too fast. The purple sleeve surged like a raging river, layer upon layer, with astonishing momentum. Jiang Feng was greatly surprised as soon as his hand reached out to grab it.

It turned out the purple-clad girl didn’t have one purple sleeve, but two. He knew that if he didn’t stop, he would inevitably be struck by the other purple sleeve. Forced to retreat, he took a three-meter step back, looking at the purple-clad girl, lost in thought.

The purple-clad girl unleashed both sleeves simultaneously, her perfectly proportioned body flashing with movement. Her long purple dress fluttered in the mountain wind, clinging tightly to her exquisitely beautiful figure, making her appear like a fairy gracefully dancing.

The purple-clad girl also looked at Jiang Feng, seemingly surprised that he had dodged her attack. She then let out a soft scoff, “No wonder you were so arrogant earlier; you do have some skill.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she leaped several meters like a dancer, both purple sleeves rushing towards Jiang Feng simultaneously.

Jiang Feng, unarmed, felt a terrible headache coming on. The purple-clad girl’s flowing sleeves were incredibly strange; despite his immense strength, he couldn’t get close and could only be chased and attacked.

It was incredibly frustrating.

“Swish, swish!”

“Swish, swish!”

In an instant, two purple sleeves, swirling through the air, created purple waves that rose and fell, attacking Jiang Feng’s face and heart.

Jiang Feng raised his palms like blades and, without hesitation, slashed down several more times.

Jiang Feng’s cultivation level was too low to unleash advanced techniques. These few hand strikes were derived from a set of sword techniques he had learned.

That set of sword techniques was known for its fierce power, wide and sweeping, with no one able to stop its long blade. Now, unarmed and using his palms as blades, he couldn’t even unleash one-tenth of the technique’s power, but it still produced gusts of wind. He wanted to see just how powerful this purple-clad girl really was. However, Jiang Feng’s expression quickly turned serious. As he unleashed his palm strikes, the two purple sleeves, after being folded and twisted, attacked him from another direction.

Jiang Feng realized that the purple-clad girl, with her flowing sleeves, had the advantage of being unable to get close. If this continued, even if he survived, he would be exhausted.

Unless he resorted to force and destroyed the purple sleeves, he had no choice but to attack.

With a thought, Jiang Feng’s hand reached for the purple sleeves again.

The purple-clad girl instantly understood Jiang Feng’s intention. Her expression grew even colder, and her purple sleeves danced, transforming into streaks of dark purple light that attacked Jiang Feng like a storm.

Jiang Feng’s figure flickered within the purple sleeves, dodging their attacks time and again. By the time the purple-clad girl sensed danger, the two purple sleeves were already in Jiang Feng’s hands.

The purple sleeve landed in his hand, and a powerful force surged through him. Jiang Feng felt a surge in his chest, knowing something was wrong. The purple-clad girl’s internal energy was far too strong, definitely beyond his current capabilities.

Although he managed to hold onto the purple sleeve, he was still injured internally.

Fearing the purple sleeve would fall into the girl’s hands again, Jiang Feng didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the sleeve and pulled hard. The girl couldn’t withstand his force and staggered, her face turning ashen.

“I think you’re courting death!” The purple-clad girl was instantly enraged. Her figure flashed, and she struck Jiang Feng with a palm.

Jiang Feng had been waiting for the girl to lose her temper. He wrapped the purple sleeve around his arm and simultaneously slapped back.

With a sharp “snap,” a crisp sound rang out in the air. Jiang Feng’s figure blurred as he swiftly retreated two steps. The purple-clad girl was also caught off guard, flipping backward and leaping high into the air, straightening her purple sleeves. The two were now facing each other.

“Let go, or I’ll kill you today!” the purple-clad girl said coldly, her eyes flashing with anger.

Jiang Feng sneered, “Why bother with fancy words? If you can kill me, just do it.”

“I think you’re courting death!” the purple-clad girl roared. Her figure twisted, and she kicked at Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng gathered his energy in his right arm, grabbed the girl’s foot, and threw her backward. The girl was fast, but she was even faster, thrown several meters away. The contents of the bamboo basket on her back scattered onto the ground.

Jiang Feng glanced at the scattered items and saw that besides the herbs, there were other things on the ground—three tokens.

Jiang Feng also possessed a token, which he had taken from the woman named Shui Qingqian. Since it was unremarkable, he had initially considered discarding it.

However, he didn’t. Seeing the three tokens scattered on the ground, Jiang Feng was somewhat surprised. What was going on?

The items were scattered everywhere, and the purple-clad girl’s face also showed surprise. Then, in a flash, she grabbed the three tokens and stuffed them into her bosom, coldly staring at Jiang Feng. Her aura suddenly surged.

Feeling the surging energy emanating from the purple-clad girl, Jiang Feng inwardly groaned. This woman hadn’t even used her full strength earlier. Could she be at the profound-level?

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Feng felt it was quite possible. Ordinary ancient martial arts practitioners, even with abundant internal energy, couldn’t so easily control the Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeves.

Only by reaching the profound-level, where one can manipulate objects with qi, can one begin to achieve the state of oneness with the self.

This realization sank Jiang Feng’s heart, making him understand that he was no match for the purple-clad girl.

Without hesitation, Jiang Feng tried to flee, but it was too slow. The instant he released his grip on the purple sleeves, the girl swiftly raised her arms, her two purple sleeves wrapping around his waist and legs, tightly binding his body. Simultaneously, Jiang Feng felt a surge of blood and qi, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

With a loud thud, Jiang Feng was slammed onto the edge of the deep valley. Shocked, before the purple-clad girl could launch a second attack, he gathered all his strength, quickened his pace, and rushed into the deep forest.

Two hours later, Jiang Feng found himself in an unknown place. The temperature here was colder than elsewhere, and gusts of cold wind cut like knives against his face.

Jiang Feng was seriously injured, his consciousness hazy. He had coughed up blood countless times along the way. He didn’t know if the girl in purple had caught up, but he knew he absolutely couldn’t stop now. Otherwise, in this weather, even if she hadn’t, he might freeze to death.

Jiang Feng walked on for a while longer, then heard the sound of rushing water. A little further ahead, water droplets splashed onto his face and body.

Jiang Feng looked up and saw a waterfall ahead. He was still a distance from it, but a light drizzle was falling.

Jiang Feng gave a bitter laugh. He hadn’t expected to end up here. No wonder the temperature was so low. If he wasn’t mistaken, he must have accidentally entered the valley from another path.

It was already dark. Jiang Feng decided to find a place to stay for the night. His injuries were serious; otherwise, there was a high risk of lasting damage.

Suddenly, his foot slipped, and he uncontrollably tumbled forward, losing consciousness.

“….”

When he awoke again, he didn’t know what time it was. Jiang Feng groggily opened his eyes, feeling aches and pains all over his body. He coughed twice, coughing up blood again.

He was surprised he hadn’t died. He cautiously opened his eyes and looked around, only to find himself in a dry cave. A fire burned beside him, the wood almost completely reduced to ashes.

Jiang Feng looked down at himself and saw that his clothes had been changed; they weren’t the ones he had worn before. He realized he must have been rescued, but he didn’t know who.

But now wasn’t the time to think about that. His injuries, although slightly better, weren’t fully healed. He had to heal quickly, or another accident would surely mean death.

Jiang Feng added some wood to the fire, making it burn brighter. Then he sat cross-legged beside it, calming his mind and focusing on healing his injuries.

After about two hours, Jiang Feng felt much lighter. He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and opened his eyes.

He didn’t know who had saved him, but the person hadn’t returned yet, so he decided to go outside to check. Before he even got up, he heard footsteps outside, accompanied by voices.

“Hu Ya, make a soup out of these bird eggs you just found and feed it to that young man. Also, cut some of that hundred-year-old ginseng you just picked and cook it in the soup too,” a slightly aged voice said.

“Father, that young man’s origins are unknown, and he came into the mountains alone. I’m worried about his identity. What if something happens?” another, slightly younger voice said.

“He’ll be alright. I’ve examined that young man’s face; he’s definitely not a vicious person,” the aged voice said.

“Then why was he injured?” a young voice asked curiously.

“….”

The conversation abruptly stopped as two figures walked in from outside.