NOVPUB"Unexpected, unexpected, balancing with you is tricky. When I’m alone, I can leap dozens of times in the air, very quickly. I wanted us to enjoy this together, cough cough cough." Sun Ce awkwardly explained. If he hadn’t reacted quickly just now and cushioned the fall with himself while Zhou Yu used a Spiritual Shield to mitigate the impact, Zhou Yu would have likely sustained some minor injuries.
"Bofu, can’t you be a bit more mature?" Zhou Yu said with a wry smile. Even though he was his sworn older brother, Sun Ce acted very much like an elder sibling in front of Sunx Quan and Sunx Yi, but sometimes he was incredibly silly around him.
"This was truly an accident, it won’t happen again next time." Sun Ce said sheepishly, then continued to carry Zhou Yu as they sped towards the Yangtze River. This time, there was no attempt at any sophisticated mid-air stepping tricks. Sun Ce knew very well that he could only engage in such difficult maneuvers if he held Zhou Yu in a horizontal embrace to maintain a stable center of gravity. But doing that... well, that would be quite something...
Sun Ce, carrying Zhou Yu, stomped fiercely on the riverbank, launching over a hundred meters. Upon seeing the surging waters of the Yangtze, Sun Ce steadied himself, gradually slowing their descent until they landed lightly on the river like a feather.
"How about that, how about that, I can do it too!" Sun Ce hopped twice on the river surface, appearing like a primary school student who scored a perfect hundred showing off to his friends.
"Oh, Bofu, you didn’t really have to carry me," Zhou Yu suddenly said, then, to the astonishment of Sun Ce, also stood on the river surface, "It’s simple, but I prefer taking a boat."
"..." Sun Ce dumbly watched Zhou Yu.
"Spiritual power, you see. When it’s accumulated to a certain extent, it can do things like this. After all, if it can drag clouds, pulling oneself along is even less of a problem," Zhou Yu explained with a smile, "But our way is very simple. Yours is much more difficult. Congratulations, Bofu, you’ve taken another step forward."
"Hahaha." Sun Ce scratched his head and laughed, genuinely thinking that hovering with spiritual power was an easy task.
"Weren’t you going to show me your strength?" Zhou Yu said with a smile.
"Right, just watch," Sun Ce nodded vigorously and then let out a fierce roar. A golden aura burst forth from him, and the river water was forced away in all directions by his berserk aura.
"Ha!" With all his might, Sun Ce released his aura, and soon a suit of armor with clear golden patterns appeared on him. His hands and feet were wrapped in a layer of golden light. Then, with a clench of his fist, a Golden Spear materialized in his hand.
"Break!" Sun Ce roared and, gripping the Golden Spear, struck hard at the river surface.
"Boom!" A thunderous sound erupted from the river, followed by a huge wave that surged up to thirty feet high.
"How’s that?" Sun Ce looked at Zhou Yu proudly.
"What are your chances against Zhao Zilong of Changshan?" Zhou Yu asked curiously.
"Not even a ten percent chance. After making so much progress, I’ve realized just how terrifying that guy was back then." Sun Ce immediately deflated a bit.
"Hehehe." Zhou Yu chuckled, unhesitatingly ready to change the subject, "Hey, what’s that?"
"Miss, quick, get away!" The guards pushed the two ladies onto a small boat and then valiantly resisted the attacks from Zhang Kai and his men.
The young girl was frantically paddling the small boat, hoping to escape from Zhang Kai’s clutches.
"Where do you think you’re escaping to!" Zhang Kai leapt onto the small boat and reached out to grab the girl.
"It’s been a while since I’ve seen river bandits." Sun Ce descended from the sky like a Celestial God, kicking Zhang Kai from the boat’s edge straight into the Yangtze River, though regrettably, he also had to carry Zhou Yu along with him.
Though Zhou Yu was capable of walking on the river, he lacked Sun Ce’s ability to move at high speeds. After spotting the river bandits, Sun Ce didn’t think twice before hefting Zhou Yu and speeding toward the ships.
"Yo, Gongjin, lucky you, saving two beauties." After setting down Zhou Yu, Sun Ce turned his attention to the two young girls on the boat, and couldn’t help but find them stunningly beautiful.
"The young lady Qiao Wei and my sister Qiao Ying thank you, kind sir, for your help." Qiao Wei stood up, curtsied, and showed little panic.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I’ve never seen such beauties before." Sun Ce laughed heartily, his eyes darting about. "These scoundrels dare to plunder within my territory, they really don’t take me seriously. Young beauty, would you care to come along with me?" Sun Ce said, lifting Da Qiao’s chin with his hand. "Babe, give me a smile."
Zhou Yu was taken aback, having never seen Sun Ce speak to a woman in this manner before. He gave Qiao Wei a once-over and realized she indeed possessed a beauty that could overturn cities, and couldn’t help but internally praise his brother’s good fortune.
"Why must the two gentlemen tease a simple girl like me?" Qiao Wei’s languid voice reached Sun Ce’s ears, inevitably causing his heart to flutter.
"Sister, Duke Zhou." At that moment, Qiao Ying pulled at Qiao Wei’s sleeve and whispered. However, this act in front of Zhou Yu and Sun Ce was no different than being completely undisguised.
"Gongjin, it seems the ladies are familiar with you," Sun Ce remarked teasingly to Zhou Yu, making Zhou Yu feel a bit embarrassed as his gaze drifted. He frowned upon seeing Zhang Kai and his men still fighting, and said, "Let’s wrap up those river bandits quickly, no more playing around."
"Easy!" Sun Ce laughed and with a swipe of his left hand formed into a blade, he sent a nearly hundred-meter long Light Blade that cut a ship in half instantly. A vessel without the protection of Inner Breath or Cloud Qi was nothing but a moment’s work for someone as strong as Sun Ce.
Qiao Wei, witnessing the astonishing scene unleashed by Sun Ce, was so mesmerized that she even forgot about the hand he laid on her chin.
"Hey, my bodyguard is still on that ship!" Qiao Ying, on the other hand, was the one to react, looking at Sun Ce discontentedly. "Also, I have many things still on the ship, and this one is about to sink too," she said, pointing to the large hole caused by Zhang Kai sinking into the river.
"That’s simple." Sun Ce chuckled as he swept Qiao Wei into his arms. With a slightly flustered Qiao Wei in tow, he leaped over a hundred meters in one bound and within two or three jumps, they were aboard a nearby larger ship. It took only a few moves to subdue the rest of Zhang Kai’s men who lacked naval battle experience. Then, from a distance, Sun Ce called out, "Gongjin, I’ll leave the rest to you."
Zhou Yu turned to glance at Qiao Ying, who was looking down and fidgeting with her clothing. Seeing her sister whisked away in such a manner, Qiao Ying’s heart was racing like a frightened deer—this was Zhou Yu, the dream lover of all the girls in Jiangnan, whose shyness and resistance were no match for her adoration and yearning. She didn’t even notice when Zhou Yu picked her up.
Seeing Qiao Ying curled up in Zhou Yu’s arms and then looking back at Zhou Yu’s slow pace as if he couldn’t come over in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Sun Ce felt he had been such a fool just moments ago. He couldn’t help but turn his head and gaze at Qiao Wei.
With a light giggle, perhaps seeing Sun Ce’s frustrated expression, Qiao Wei couldn’t help but smile brightly, instantly making all the landscapes around seem colorless. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
