NOVEL NEXT Chapter 596: Reaching the Peak 5 (4,000 words)
After drawing the longsword, Tan Feiyu did not directly attack; instead, he pointed the sword tip furiously at Wu Zhao's nose and cursed angrily: "I knew you, this cunning thing, suddenly are willing to bleed so much and put ten thousand gold coins on the line for a duel; turns out you had this venomous idea. Today, if I don't beat you so bad that your mother won't recognize you, I'll take your name!"
Wu Zhao, however, had no mind for Tan Feiyu's curses and provocations. At this moment, all his thoughts were focused on resisting the oppression of Tan Shuangshuang's aura. In the past, Wu Zhao always felt that although he wasn't at Tan Shuangshuang's level, he was still a Second Rank Martial Artist and not entirely unable to oppose Tan Shuangshuang.
But now, truly feeling Tan Shuangshuang fully unleashing her Martial Artist aura and locking him with a murderous intent, Wu Zhao finally understood that even if they were at the same Martial Artist Level, the difference was vast, like heaven and earth.
Tan Shuangshuang's aura was overwhelmingly stronger than any Martial Artist. Wu Zhao, struck by Tan Shuangshuang's aura, felt as though he were being stared down by some terrifying Magic Beast, so oppressed he could barely breathe!
Never for a moment did Wu Zhao feel the gap between him and Tan Shuangshuang was so great, great enough to instill fear in his heart, making him feel that he could never surpass her in this lifetime!
Compared to Tan Shuangshuang's suppressive aura, what truly worried Wu Zhao more was Tan Shuangshuang's previous words. Though Wu Zhao's Cultivation Level wasn't as high as Tan Shuangshuang's, he wasn't stupid, and the trap and malice in Tan Shuangshuang's words were clear to him.
The origin of the matter was simple: a retaliation from Wu Zhao, completely just friction among juniors. The trouble lay in Fei Hu being a precious high-level variant Magic Beast, whose continued cultivation would surely become a high-end asset to the Tan Family.
Yet Tan Shuangshuang's previous words entirely elevated the juniors' friction into a conflict between the two families, suggesting that the Wu Family intended to undermine the Tan Family's future high-level combat power via Wu Zhao—a real headache!
Although the Wu Family covets the Tan Family's position, it cannot deny that the Wu Family truly falls short of the Tan Family in every aspect. If the Tan Family truly becomes enraged, the Wu Family won't be able to withstand it. To prevent the Tan Family from tearing things apart, the Wu Family will have to bleed heavily to quell this matter.
As the one who caused such trouble, Wu Zhao's standing in the Wu Family would surely decline. Though his status as a direct descendant would ensure that he isn't bullied by peers within the family, he would absolutely lose his leading position among peers—a prospect Wu Zhao absolutely did not want to face!
The anxiety in his heart caused Wu Zhao's facial muscles to twitch involuntarily, with cold sweat constantly rolling down his forehead.
Looking at the cold-faced Tan Shuangshuang in front of him, Wu Zhao's gaze shifted several times, finally settling on a sign of submission. In terms of reason and strength, neither the Wu Family nor Wu Zhao could afford to provoke the Tan Family, much less Tan Shuangshuang.
"Tan Shuangshuang, this matter is my fault. I'll compensate you with thirty thousand gold coins. Can you be magnanimous and let this matter slide? No matter what, there is still some rapport between our two families; there's no need to be too aggressive."
Despite showing weakness, Wu Zhao couldn't help but bring up the family to subtly warn Tan Shuangshuang—a sign of his underlying insecurity.
Tan Shuangshuang chuckled disdainfully, not answering but instead casually waving her hand. In the next moment, the longsword had silently returned to the weapon rack. Standing with her hands behind her, Tan Shuangshuang looked dismissively at Wu Zhao trying to maintain composure.
A cold, mocking smile curled up on Tan Shuangshuang's lips, surprisingly not putting Wu Zhao in too difficult a position. She spoke with a hint of carelessness and indifference: "It can be settled privately, sure—fifty thousand gold coins. Moreover, endure three moves under my hand."
Wu Zhao was momentarily stunned; he hadn't expected Tan Shuangshuang to be so accommodating. Although fifty thousand gold coins was a lot, he could still gather that amount from all his personal savings. As for enduring three moves from Tan Shuangshuang, given her previous combat prowess, defeating him would be easy, but he believed he could grit his teeth and withstand three moves.
Wu Zhao had never interacted with Tan Shuangshuang before and did not understand her personality, only heard that this Tan Family's gifted woman had a notably cold demeanor.
Since his plan with Fei Hu had failed previously, and the Red Flame Wolf had only left a few scratches on Fei Hu, Wu Zhao didn't consider Tan Shuangshuang's request overly taxing.