Chapter 780: Bai Bing vs. Wu Shenyun
Tap. Tap. Tap…
The rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed down the street, heralding the arrival of a figure in red.
A woman of stunning beauty appeared, clad in an complex, gold-embroidered crimson gown. She moved with a regal grace, a red umbrella held aloft, as if she were not walking on a modern city street but strolling through the magnificent halls of an ancient palace.
The moment she appeared, the world around her seemed to fade. The concrete buildings, the passing cars, the very fabric of the city lost its color, becoming a monochrome backdrop for her vibrant presence. Even the pouring rain seemed to bend to her will, parting around her as if in submission.
"So beautiful…" the breakfast shop owner's wife whispered, her eyes wide with awe. Just a moment ago, she had thought Bai Bing, the young woman she'd been chatting with, was the most stunning person she had ever seen. Now, another had appeared, her equal in every way. The owner's wife wasn't a woman of letters, but a phrase drifted into her mind: alluring enough to topple kingdoms.
Just then, she saw Bai Bing step out from under the awning, moving toward the woman in red, utterly heedless of the torrential downpour.
"Miss, the rain is so heavy! Come back inside and take shelter…" the owner's wife called out, waving from behind her stall.
Bai Bing's gaze was locked on the approaching figure. Her voice was calm, yet it carried over the drumming of the rain.
"She's the one I'm waiting for."
Her eyes narrowed. "Wu Shenyun. You've been eating behind my back. Let's settle this."
As the words left her lips, Bai Bing took a single step. A deafening crack, like thunder striking flat ground, shook the street. The earth trembled, the wind howled, and the sheets of rain suddenly coalesced into a raging torrent, a liquid battering ram that crashed toward the woman in red.
The owner's wife's plea to take shelter died in her throat. She could only stare, dumbfounded, as the impossible scene unfolded before her. An office worker who had been buying breakfast nearby was so startled that the half-eaten bun in his mouth dropped to the pavement with a soft splat.
Under the disbelieving gazes of everyone on the street, the surging wave of water slammed into the woman in red, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her into the nearby lake.
Bai Bing followed in a flash, her figure a blur of motion, and vanished from sight.
A long, stunned silence hung in the air. People looked at one another, their faces blank with confusion, half-convinced they had shared a collective hallucination.
'That was… so not Newtonian,' someone thought, their mind struggling to process what they had just witnessed.
Only the breakfast shop owner's wife, who had spent the morning talking with Bai Bing, had a sliver of understanding. She muttered to herself, her voice a hushed whisper, "Could it be… that woman in red is the one who stole her man? Good heavens, what kind of man could make two goddesses like them fight over him?"
…
"Bai Bing, you called me out just for this? To fight?"
Wu Shenyun stood serenely on the surface of the lake, her red umbrella effortlessly deflecting the churning water that Bai Bing had commanded. Her phoenix eyes, sharp and cold, were fixed on her rival.
Bai Bing stood opposite her, the downpour halting a precise three meters away from her body, held back by an invisible, inverted dome of force. The lake beneath her feet was as smooth as a mirror, her expression just as placid.
"The Wu Clan is an ancient martial arts family, a preeminent power in the Southern Border," Bai Bing began, her voice deceptively mild. "I heard that a few hundred years ago, they even followed an emperor on his campaign to conquer the lands and were enfeoffed as Earls. With such a storied background, their family's teachings must be exceptionally strict…"
"Bai Bing, what are you trying to say?" Wu Shenyun's delicate brows furrowed, a hint of impatience in her tone.
Her Wu Clan had indeed been a hegemon in the Southern Border. During the previous dynasty, they were granted the title of Earl, a rank they held for over two hundred years. They had remained a formidable power until they were tragically annihilated by the Blood Gu Sect.
And the Blood Gu Sect, in turn, was annihilated by the Shaman God Cult, led by Wu Shenyun herself.
"I just never imagined that a daughter of the esteemed Wu Clan would be such a shameless vixen," Bai Bing's voice turned sharp, her rosy lips curling into a scornful smile.
The accusation struck home. A rare blush crept up Wu Shenyun's neck, staining her stunning features with a mixture of embarrassment, indignation, and shame.
"Who… Who are you calling a vixen? Heh, Bai Bing, don't be a sour grape just because you lost out!" Wu Shenyun was no wilting flower; she immediately shot back.
'Sour grapes?'
Bai Bing's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.
"Hmph. I wonder who it was that betrayed her own Master? Tsk, tsk. Who would have thought that the dignified, legitimate daughter of the Wu Clan, the current Venerable of the Shaman God Cult, a Land Immortal hailed as the Southern Border Goddess… would be such a home-wrecking fox?"
Bai Bing leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Wu Shenyun, you wouldn't want this little matter to get out, would you?"
"If word of this spread, I imagine quite a few people would be shocked. Your subordinates in the Shaman God Cult… they would never dream their venerable leader was so utterly shameless, would they?"
Wu Shenyun had always been unyielding, her aura imposing, unafraid even in the face of the most powerful enemies. But under the barrage of Bai Bing's words, her composure faltered. Her face flushed a deeper crimson.
"No, it wasn't me who initiated it. It really wasn't…"
"Hmph. Are you saying Shen Anyu started it?" Bai Bing blinked, her expression growing even more menacing.
"Yes! It must have been Shen Anyu who started it," Wu Shenyun said, the words tumbling out in a rush. It was a stark contrast to her usual imperious silence. "You know he made us sign that damnable master-servant contract. We can't resist him. That's how it happened."
In the past, a single, withering glare from Wu Shenyun would have been her only reply. Or perhaps she would have thrown down a resounding declaration: 'Why would I, Wu Shenyun, ever need to explain my actions to anyone?'
But now, she could not, would not, admit to being a vixen who had betrayed her Master. If Bai Bing spread this story, what would become of her reputation?
'Yes, that's it. Shen Anyu forced me,'she thought, clinging to the excuse.'The kitten stretching and all that… it was all his idea.'
As for what happened later, her turn as the valiant knight… Wu Shenyun had already forced that memory from her mind, refusing to recall it.
"A few days ago in the Southern Border, Shen Anyu and I encountered a powerful enemy," she explained, her voice taking on a wronged, pitiful tone. "Shen Anyu was injured. His blood and qi were in turmoil, and he needed to recuperate. I originally intended to help him heal, but he actually…"
She trailed off, looking as if the words were too humiliating to speak, the memory too painful to revisit.
"Who told me to lose to him back then and acknowledge him as my Master? I could only let him do as he pleased…" she continued, her voice soft and trembling.
"Bai Bing, that's the whole story. It truly wasn't me who started it…"
She even added, a perfect picture of magnanimity, "Of course, you can't blame Shen Anyu either. He is the Master, after all, and his body was in a compromised state at the time…"
"Wu Shenyun!"
Wu Shenyun's explanation was cut short by Bai Bing's icy voice.
Bai Bing's eyes were as sharp as swords, and the very air around her seemed to crackle with fury. The rain and the lake water began to churn and boil in response to her rage.
"Who do you think you're fooling?!"
"That scumbag Master of ours… he might not be a good person, but he would never force a woman. He's not that tasteless. And you want to dump all the responsibility on him?"
Bai Bing's voice was laced with a chilling disappointment.
"Wu Shenyun… you… you only ever think about yourself."
The words hung in the air, echoing over the turbulent water.
You only think about yourself…
Only think about yourself…
Only think…
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