Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 310 The most familiar stranger
The onlookers were baffled. How could a young man who looked to be twenty years old call a girl on the list who claimed to be fifteen years old "older sister"?
Are you flirting with me? Just because you're handsome doesn't mean you can flirt in a situation like this.

Yuan Muyu pursed her lips.

Others might have thought it was flirting, but the way she was called "sister" made her feel a little uncomfortable.

Because the tone was no longer the affectionate and adoring one of the past, or the flirtatious and coquettish one, but rather just a normal respectful form of address, like when he called someone "senior" or "your esteemed one." Or rather, he had always called them that, so he would continue to do so, nothing more.

To put it more sensitively, isn't it even... a bit chilly?
Yuan Muyu knew that she would use the exact same tone when facing her sister Ye Tinglan.

Even the mentality of "please enlighten me" might be the same.

—Look, isn't it better now than before I left? My spiritual practice, my reputation, have you seen them?

But Tianyao Holy Land still recognizes you, Ye Fuyao, while the Yama Palace has no name for me?
Putting herself in her sister's shoes, she could deeply empathize with every word and expression Lu Xingzhou made.

Am I to you what Ye Tinglan is to me?

Actually... it really does look like it.

Is this why Ye Tinglan is trying to win you over?
Yuan Muyu was a little dazed, only hearing her own voice saying, "Then let me see your current fortune."

Lu Xingzhou stepped forward and delivered a side kick.

From Ye Tinglan to Xiaobai Mao to A Nuo, everyone craned their necks to watch, and the thought popped into their minds: "Just as I expected."

His first strike will definitely be with his legs!
This seemingly ordinary whip kick holds so many emotions within.

Yuan Muyu gritted her teeth, casually parried with her left hand, and said, "The force is too light, but the range of motion is too large, with too many openings. Is this your leg technique?"

Before the words were finished, their hands and legs intertwined.

"Boom!" Flames erupted violently from his legs.

It was no longer the fire that came with the Fire Bone. With the destructive power of the Annihilation Golden Fire and the method of activating the Fiery Prison Remnant Sun, the flames erupted like a volcanic eruption for Yuan Muyu. Both the scorching temperature and the surging force far exceeded her understanding of what a third-grade cultivator should be like.

She naturally fought according to her "third-grade initial stage" persona, and it was impossible for her to be in the battle as a super-grade.

However, Yuan Muyu was already very unaccustomed to using the power of the early third rank to fight. When she suddenly encountered a freak like Lu Xingzhou, she couldn't think of any way to deal with him without exceeding her limits.

The people of Angry Dragon Island stared in disbelief as the Yama King, whom they thought had come to bully them, was kicked so hard that he staggered and fell backward, his cloak almost being blown off by the strong wind.

Lu Xingzhou didn't stop; he started kicking again with his other foot.

Yuan Muyu reached out to block again, but instead of flames erupting from her legs, she felt a gentle, pervasive water seeping into her meridians through her pores, inciting the water element within her to rebel instantly.

If it were an ordinary opponent at the initial stage of the third rank, they would probably be in serious trouble from this strange attack.

Fortunately, she is Yuan Muyu.

The water element within his body was suppressed and calmed down in an instant, but instead, a force of receding tide surged out, slightly shaking Lu Xingzhou away.

She herself took three steps back, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

Is this really a boat?

Putting aside the fact that those two legs were ruthless and could seriously injure someone, showing no intention of holding back... the ability displayed by those two legs was completely unrelated to her understanding of Lu Xingzhou.

That's like two completely different people...

Before she could even finish being shocked, Lu Xingzhou took a step back and then stomped back, delivering a flying kick to her chest while still in mid-air.

Anyway, it's a steel plate; it won't break if you kick it.

Yuan Muyu pushed his hands horizontally, and the flying kick landed squarely on his palms.

"boom!"

The Yin and Yang energies exploded violently, and Lu Xingzhou's strongest burst technique, Taiji Tiangang, recklessly exploded in front of Yuan Muyu's chest, like a small nuclear explosion.

Ye Tinglan's smile returned, and she leaned back in her chair, casually picking up a teacup from the table beside her and taking a sip.

He really hit me! He showed no mercy whatsoever!
whee.

Three consecutive kicks, each with a different force applied; anyone else would have been completely confused by that.

Yuan Muyu, however, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, because these were still within the scope of technique and not too far beyond the scope of the subject.

Watching the figure undergoing the nuclear explosion visibly blur, like an afterimage.

Her true form had already appeared beside Lu Xingzhou, kicking out her little foot: "Go."

A few days ago, Lu Xingzhou wouldn't have been able to withstand that kick.

This seemingly ordinary kick held profound meaning, much like Dugu Qingli's previous sword strike. The burly man appeared poised to attack, but in reality, he was a beat slower than her—a speed impossible to discern with the naked eye. If he had tried to parry using conventional methods, he would have only managed to deflect an afterimage, while the small foot had already struck his chest.

But at this moment, Lu Xingzhou seemed to sense something.

Instead of parrying, he leaned back quickly, narrowly avoiding the kick, and the embroidered shoe swept past him.

It looks like it would be easy to catch...

Lu Xingzhou didn't try to retrieve it and retreated rapidly.

Yuan Muyu landed and stared blankly at Lu Xingzhou, who had distanced himself from her.

He managed to avoid that kick...

No, you're not going to bail me out? I had no backup plan.

Ye Tinglan's smile continued to spread.

At this point, the whispers in the arena were almost deafening: "So strong..."

"This three-hit combo from the land-based boat is more unpredictable and powerful than the last. Even if I could withstand the first kick, I would definitely be caught off guard by the second one."

"What are you talking about? You really think you can withstand the first kick? Is that level of flames what a beginner third-grade cultivator should be capable of?" "Let me tell you clearly, I'm a mid-third-grade cultivator. I'm not confident I can withstand this kick. Even if I can, I'll be in a very sorry state, not to mention what might happen afterward."

"So this fifteen-year-old girl not only withstood the triple attack, but even launched a counterattack?"

"Is it too late for me to withdraw from the competition?"

"Since Lu Xingzhou comes from the Tianyao Holy Land, it's understandable that he's strong. But how come the substitute from Nujiao Island is also so strong? And then there was Jinfeng Island... What's going on with this tournament?"

The two on the stage stared at each other silently, about ten feet apart. The murmurs of the crowd mingled with the sound of the waves, sounding as distant as if they came from another time and space.

“This is you now…” Yuan Muyu said softly, as if talking to herself.

Lu Xingzhou did not answer.

Yuan Muyu felt a mix of emotions, which were truly difficult to describe.

The boat was completely unfamiliar; there wasn't a trace of the past in any of its place. None of the things I had taught him were of any use; he was using completely unfamiliar techniques that I had never seen before.

Such a familiar face, yet everything so strange.

Yuan Muyu seemed to have a thousand words to say, but when the words reached her lips, she couldn't utter a single one. In the end, it turned into a disingenuous remark: "Want to prove yourself good? Then let me show you that it's all in vain."

As the words were spoken, the figure disappeared.

A sharp, piercing intent appeared from behind. Lu Xingzhou shifted his feet, turned around, and delivered a powerful punch.

While it's impossible to claim a deep understanding of Yuan Muyu's combat tactics based on my early knowledge, I certainly understood her style and habits. This woman simply loved an elusive, ghostly style of play, which even led her to teach A Nuo to become a little devil.

"Bang!" Fists and palms collided, and the energy exploded outwards from the two of them, with the shockwave reaching the people from Angry Dragon Island outside the arena, blowing open the cloaks of many people.

The clash of the three initial-stage powers unleashed an explosive force that even those at the upper-stage third-stage power could not match.

However, Yuan Muyu's cloak remained as if it were welded to the surface, completely unmoved.

She still had the strength to control the cloak... while Lu Xingzhou's forehead was already covered in cold sweat.

The two stared at each other intently, their eyes filled with complex emotions. After a long while, Yuan Muyu finally whispered, "If you don't admit defeat, I'm going to lose control and hurt you."

What seemed like a threat was actually an admission that Lu Xingzhou's progress was beyond her comprehension.

Forcing a top-tier player to lose control of their strength is itself a remarkable feat.

Lu Xingzhou's response was: "No need..."

"Don't be stubborn..."

Lu Xingzhou interrupted: "I originally thought it would take a long time before I could beat you up, until I reached the Super Grade level myself, and I didn't know when that would be... But unexpectedly, fate has presented me with such a good opportunity, allowing me to beat you up right now, and I can't help it."

Yuan Muyu: "?"

Ye Tinglan's upturned lips were no longer satisfied, revealing her neat white teeth.

Do you think he's trying to show off how great he is so that you'll regret it?
Qingli had mentioned Shen Tang's condition in her letter... I understood this from what Lu Xingzhou had said to Shen Tang back then; he didn't like making people regret things in this way.

He really wants to beat you up!

"Bang!" For some reason, Lu Xingzhou's punch, which had already exhausted its force, suddenly gained another shock, knocking Yuan Muyu back half a step.

Just as Yuan Muyu was about to speak, she suddenly felt a burning sensation in her back.

An uproar erupted outside the arena: "Flame Demon?"

"How could a disciple of Tianyao possess a Flame Demon?"

"You've just subdued your servants, aren't you? You're making a fuss over nothing. That's the Tianyao Holy Land!"

"Uh, yeah..."

Lu Xingzhou, who no longer dared to act rashly, silently lay in ambush behind Yuan Muyu, knowing that the disciples of Tianyao would have their own great scholars to debate the classics.

Yuan Muyu knew about Lu Xingzhou's soul banner, but she didn't know he had changed to this strange, silent main soul. Being caught off guard and burned was something she had to deal with immediately. Otherwise, even if she wasn't hurt, having a hole burned in her clothes would be bad.

Her protective aura suddenly surged, and a fire demon screamed as it flew into the sky.

In that moment of distraction, Lu Xingzhou's fist was already upon his face.

Yuan Muyu suddenly looked up and seemed to see the setting sun hanging behind Lu Xingzhou's head, forming an illusion similar to the image of the Great Sun Tathagata. A red lotus was already blooming around her, judging, condemning, purifying, burning, and all sorts of strange images made her feel as if she had entered a fiery hell, imprisoned for a moment without being able to break free.

In just a split second, the fist was already at his face.

Yuan Muyu hurriedly held her hand horizontally in front of her, subconsciously using more force than she could muster.

With a loud bang, Lu Xingzhou was thrown backward, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he was smiling.

In his haste, Yuan Muyu had no energy left to care about the cloak. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the cloak was lifted up, revealing the face of the Fairy Fuyao, a face familiar to the people of the sea.

Yuan Muyu hastily used a trick, not knowing if it could fool the group of old men.

I had no interest in caring about it.

She just stared blankly at Lu Xingzhou as he fell, his injured smile so joyful and carefree.

You've known Xingzhou for so many years, have you ever seen him smile so happily?

His happiness stemmed solely from the fact that he had managed to unleash his extraordinary power and even blown off his cloak... Regardless of how outsiders viewed the outcome, in terms of the internal struggle between the two, he had won.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: There will be a second update tonight.

(End of this chapter)