Chapter 62: Are You Sure?

The old man had no intention of killing her; instead, he wanted to intimidate her and strike fear into her heart.

Sure enough, the next moment, the elder gazed coldly at Luo Qingyao and spoke with haughty arrogance, "Little girl, this old man has no wish to make things difficult for you. Obediently hand over the Rippling Waves Art! Otherwise, coughing up a few mouthfuls of blood will be the least of your concerns!"

Luo Qingyao pressed a hand against her chest, and it took quite a while before she felt a modicum of relief. She raised her head to look at the elder before her. He was clad in a black brocade robe, his figure somewhat corpulent, with hair and a beard as white as snow, and a face covered in wrinkles. His bead-like eyes flashed with sharp, piercing glints from time to time, serving as a reminder that he was not someone to be underestimated.

"Are you certain you want the Rippling Waves Art?" Luo Qingyao suddenly asked.

At these words, the elder was momentarily stunned, then gazed at her in bewilderment. Had this wretched girl been frightened out of her wits by him? If not for the Rippling Waves Art, did she even possess the qualifications to warrant his personal intervention?

Naturally, Luo Qingyao caught the confusion in the elder's expression. She turned her head, smiled as she glanced past the elder's back, and signaled for him to turn around.

Seeing this, the elder spun around, and the sight that met his eyes instantly left him dumbfounded.

His entire mind had been so completely consumed by the manual of the Rippling Waves Art that he had failed to notice the sudden arrival of so many people. Furthermore, he spotted numerous familiar faces among the crowd, as well as many whose strength far surpassed his own.

Now, he finally understood the meaning behind Luo Qingyao's question. If he were to take possession of the Rippling Waves Art right now, he would undoubtedly become the target of a collective onslaught.

However, with so many people watching, and having already spoken those words aloud, he felt it would cause him to lose face if he simply backed down. For a moment, he found himself at a loss for what to do.

At that moment, Yu Xian'er, who had remained coldly silent until now, suddenly spoke up, "Miss Luo, how can someone as young as you be so malicious? Senior Lu merely felt that it was far too unsafe for someone like you alone to carry such a peerless secret manual, and offered to advise you out of the goodness of his heart. How can you be so unappreciative of well-meaning intentions?"

Upon hearing this, the elder addressed as Senior Lu felt a surge of delight in his heart. He shot Yu Xian'er a look of profound appreciation and nodded repeatedly. "Indeed, precisely so, exactly what I meant."

As he spoke, he refrained from bringing up the matter of the Rippling Waves Art again, choosing instead to step over to Yu Xian'er's side.

At this sight, Luo Qingyao had to restrain herself from breaking into applause for Yu Xian'er. This woman truly possessed a deeply calculating mind; even at a time like this, she never missed an opportunity to win people over!

Gazing at the ever-growing crowd gathering around them, Luo Qingyao forced down the physical discomfort in her body and finally spoke, "There is only one copy of the Rippling Waves Art. With so many of you here, to whom should I give it?"

"Do you even need to ask? Naturally, it should go to whoever possesses the greatest martial might!" a hulking, crude-looking man suddenly shouted loudly, his face contorted with greed.

The moment these words left his mouth, he instantly incurred the wrath of all the cultivators present.

The next instant, a miserable shriek escaped his lips as he collapsed heavily to the ground, motionless.

Looking down, Luo Qingyao saw a pool of blood spreading across the earth. That man had been brutally murdered simply because of a single careless remark.

"Little girl, with so many people here, how many tricks do you think you can pull? I advise you to hand it over obediently, or any random person here could crush you to death with just the flick of a finger!" At that moment, a cultivator standing atop a flying sword suddenly spoke in a cold, threatening tone.

"Indeed, you had best hand over the secret manual. As for whose hands it ultimately falls into, that is no longer your concern. Otherwise, do not even dream of leaving here alive today!" threatened another formidable martial artist.