The Endless Promise

67. A Duel Between Brothers

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"Hao! Then let's duel!"

Luoyin's words brought an instant calm to the sandy, rocky clearing, as everyone stared at him in utter shock.

"Is he crazy?!" One disciple wondered aloud, and the silence was broken.

"How can he challenge 1st Disciple Zhang of all people?!"

"We now know he's something that should be spat out, but his strength can't be denied either!"

"And he has been trying to harm Zhang Luoyin since... Won't this be the end of him?!"

In a rare show of concern, Xu Wen turned to him. "Zhang Shixiong, I don't think a duel is a good idea."

"Hmph." Luoyin ignored them and stepped forward, but Weiyan stepped in front of him, firmly shaking her head.

"No." She protested, but he suddenly vanished, appearing a short distance away with Zhang Cheng, and with a wave of his hand, an icy crystal-like barrier formed between them.

"Yanyan," His calm voice reached her ears. "Let things be."

The familiar term sat a flood y colour to her cheeks, but they promptly turned white again when she recalled her worry.

"A-Yin!" She swivelled to run toward the barrier, but Xu Min placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Little Sister, you shouldn't stop him. Don't you know why?"

She knew exactly why...

At first glance, almost anyone would assume Weiyan had gotten angry because she had been insulted.

She had indeed gotten angry, but what made her livid to the point of nearly killing Zhang Cheng, was how his insult reflected on Luoyin.

An outsider insulting one's wife was already a slap on the face, but this particular insult was far worse and carried implied meanings.

Any man would be provoked, and in a world where men died for honour, such duels were commonplace.

But she was not willing to let Luoyin get hurt!

"Sister Weiyan, don't bother." It was Xu Lian who spoke, her hand against the frosty barrier. "This shield is even stronger than mine and A-Wen's put together!"

Xu Min gently squeezed her shoulder. "Little sister, Zhang Yin is far stronger than he seems. Just look at this barrier! Even if he lies that it's a talisman later, have you ever seen anything like it before?"

Xu Min sounded absolutely certain of his words, which somewhat calmed Weiyan, making her recall the many instances Luoyin had surprised her, most notably the incident with the eye-eater.

Within the barrier, she watched Luoyin wave a hand, which loosened the spirit-binding ropes around Zhang Cheng, and the two faced each other, a small distance apart.

She wasn't sure why she did it, but she gritted her teeth and she shook Xu Min's hand off. Then she fisted her hands, stood tall and proud before the barrier, and then directed all her thoughts to Luoyin.

'Don't you dare come back hurt! Beat him so much so that Zhang Furen needs a full minute to recognize him!'

Luoyin, who had been walking cooly towards Zhang Cheng, suddenly stumbled, as Weiyan's thoughts entered his head.

~"Y- Yanyan! How can such a pretty mouth let out such words?!"~ He turned to her, responding without thinking, and Weiyan staggered in shock.

'Not good!' Luoyin hastily turned away, as her eyes narrowed at him.