2. An Unhappy Reunion with an Old Acquaintance
Some things, when they coincided, were truly a coincidence without end.
If you were to say who Gong Yiling had a clear hatred for, it would undoubtedly be Tianyin Daoist Mountain, which had almost caused her death.
How much she respected the elders of Tianyin Daoist Mountain back then, how much she cared for her fellow disciples, was how much they would later speak ill of her.
Even Jiang Chenmo, whom the original Gong Yiling had liked, became an irreconcilable enemy after they met again.
Well, that was inevitable.
And this guy had almost killed Qiu Shui. She didn’t even need the original owner’s anger; Miss Gong wanted to beat him up herself.
As for the person beside Jiang Chenmo, she didn’t even need to reveal her identity. Miss Gong could already call out her name.
“Tian Zhenyin,” Gong Yiling glanced at her with a mocking expression and sneered, “What do you think you are?”
Tian Zhenyin was her junior, in a sense, since they had the same master.
When she was still at Tianyin Daoist Mountain, this Tian Zhenyin was just an inner disciple of a guest elder. After her incident, she was transferred to the Second Elder’s tutelage by chance.
Of course, compared to her, this junior’s skills were slightly inferior, especially her talent, which was several grades lower.
The Second Elder had accepted her partly because her father, Tian Tianyuan, was the supplier of Tianyin Daoist Mountain’s pills.
And with a family that had an endless supply of pills, even with her mediocre talent, she could still consume pills without limit. What pill fire or pill poison? if she took too many, she just had to take a pill that specifically treated them. No matter how rare or expensive, it was nothing for a family that dealt in such things.
So, although her talent was average, she was now at the peak of the Soul Origin realm.
“You!” Just one sentence, and this young lady, with her sky-high pride, turned pale with anger.
She seemed to find this stranger’s face vaguely familiar, just like when she first saw her portrait.
But that wasn’t important. This woman’s appearance and aura completely outshone her, and she was so rude. Who could tolerate this?
“You demoness, don’t get carried away!” Tian Zhenyin scolded. “So what if it’s the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace? Your mother was beaten into submission back then. Do you think you have the right to act so arrogantly in front of our Hundred Paths Mountain?”
Hearing this, Gong Yiling couldn’t help but laugh.
Even this woman’s master wouldn’t dare to bring this up. This girl must be getting a big head after becoming an inner disciple.
In that case—Gong Yiling’s eyes sharpened, and a black aura appeared in her palm.
This black aura contained abundant nascent soul power, and even against Tian Zhenyin, who was a realm higher, she didn’t lose out.
However, just as she was about to act, Jiang Chenmo suddenly swung his sword at an empty spot.
There, a long-range demonic spiritual art had already been cast, and the sudden force sent the surrounding low-level disciples stumbling back several steps.
But if you thought Miss Gong’s preparations ended there, you were gravely mistaken.
The next second, the longsword at Tian Zhenyin’s waist suddenly unsheathed itself and, at an incredible speed, left over a dozen cuts on her body.
As Tian Zhenyin screamed and tried to defend herself, the longsword suddenly fell to the ground, and her hairpin flew out, leaving even more cuts on her back and neck.
This series of taunts caught Tian Zhenyin completely off guard. She even forgot to use her protective shield—of course, even if she had, Miss Gong’s Sword Control Technique could still pass through it.
As for Jiang Chenmo, he realized this was all the woman’s doing and was secretly surprised. He found his own power completely absorbed by the black, spherical nascent soul energy, unable to break free to help Tian Zhenyin.
It wasn’t until Tian Zhenyin’s clothes were torn to shreds that Miss Gong dispelled both her powers, crossed her arms, and looked at them coldly.
“Two against one, are you satisfied?”
Jiang Chenmo’s brow furrowed, while Tian Zhenyin’s temper completely exploded.
She had never suffered such humiliation, and the sword technique her opponent used was her favorite, the Sword Control Technique.
“Why… why do you know the Sword Control Technique!?” Tian Zhenyin almost bit her teeth to pieces.
“My dad taught me.” Gong Yiling rolled her eyes. “Can’t I have a dad? Didn’t your dad also give you pills? All those pills?”
“You?!” Miss Gong’s taunt hit a sore spot.
The thing she hated hearing most was people saying she was only good because of her pills—which was actually true.
Now, her clothes were in tatters, almost indecently exposing her, and she couldn’t make any big moves. She could only glare at Gong Yiling, her eyes almost shooting daggers.
—Young lady, a true hero can kill with their eyes. Are you worthy?
Gong Yiling sneered and ignored her, turning to the guards. “So? Anyone else want to stop me?”
Seeing that she alone could toy with two renowned young geniuses, the guards immediately lost their nerve and dejectedly made way for her.
But just as Gong Yiling was about to walk away, Jiang Chenmo suddenly called out, “Miss Gong.”
“Hmm?”
“That person who called herself Miss Su at the Mo residence, was that you?”
Gong Yiling turned to him and said calmly, “Are you trying to call my bluff, Young Master Jiang?”
“What did those black-clad swordsmen do? Why were they at the Mo residence? And why are you connected to them?”
She didn’t present these things as evidence, but sneered. “Young Master Jiang, the last time we met, you could still say my name. At that time, I knew that only by gaining enough power could I ensure I wouldn’t be harmed by others.”
“I wonder if these things are enough to silence Tianyin Daoist Mountain, or if, in your eyes, this is just like Shenqi Daoist Mountain secretly researching the Mingjue Sect’s Gu, a necessary means to maintain world peace?”
