Master of Nine Stars

Chapter 230 - 166: Respect! Respect

Rong Taotao held the saber in a reverse grip and stepped forward, straddling her. Looking down at the dazed girl, he said, "Wake up."

"Ngh..." Ye Nanxi’s head was ringing, and she was in agony.

Listening to the faint, indistinct voice that seemed to drift down from the heavens, she forced her eyes open. Her vision was a haze, revealing a blurry young man and an equally blurry Tang Saber.

The next moment, Ye Nanxi’s eyes shot wide open, her pupils constricting to pinpricks!

SHINK!

The sharp Tang Saber grazed past Ye Nanxi’s ear and plunged deep into the turf beside her head.

Her eyes remained wide. In her dazed and confused state, she was vaguely aware of what had happened, yet it also felt as if nothing had occurred at all.

The two powerful figures watching from the side had understood the moment they saw the angle of Rong Taotao’s downward thrust.

Rong Yuanshan offered some reassurance. "Don’t worry. The boy knows what he’s doing."

"Mm." Nan Cheng nodded, her tense body relaxing slightly. She murmured, "That display of the Heaven-piercing Halberd’s art was truly unexpected. So much ingenuity."

As she spoke, she replayed the scene in her mind—the one that had unfolded in the blink of an eye.

She couldn’t help but continue her praise. "To pull off such an effective counterattack under that much pressure... that isn’t a simple move. It’s clearly the fruit of immense training and refinement."

"Yes, he’s very fond of the Heaven-piercing Halberd. He says he loves all the qualities that weapon imparts.

Strength, bravery, pride, and confidence."

Rong Yuanshan shook his head and smiled. After they returned, he would be able to give Rong Taotao’s master a proper report.

Nan Cheng watched Rong Taotao in silence, growing fonder of him by the second. She said softly, "Let Taotao take this child, Xixi, under his wing. How long do you and your son plan to stay in this Vortex?"

The two powerful figures were whispering to each other on the sidelines, while on the battlefield...

Rong Taotao held the Tang Saber in a reverse grip. The cold steel of the blade grazed Ye Nanxi’s ear as it sank, bit by bit, into the turf beside her head.

As he did so, Rong Taotao slowly lowered himself into a half-kneel.

To be precise, he was half-kneeling on top of Ye Nanxi, his knee pinning her chest.

Ye Nanxi struggled to keep her dazed eyes open, staring at the figure above her. Rong Taotao’s face drew alarmingly close to hers.

Ye Nanxi’s expression turned to one of panic. "You..."

Rong Taotao leaned in, staring intently into her eyes. His right hand rested on the saber’s hilt as he brought his left hand before her face. He raised one finger, then another. "Respect! Respect!"

He then raised a third finger. "And again, respect!"

Far away, Rong Yuanshan was dumbfounded. ’What is this aura?’

’My Taotao has a side like this? Now *this* is how a campus bully is supposed to act, isn’t it?’

Ye Nanxi’s head was still spinning and her vision was a blur, but she could feel Rong Taotao’s earnest gaze and his hot breath on her cheek...

Ye Nanxi felt she could barely breathe under the pressure of his presence—though, of course, the knee pinning her chest was also a major contributor.

Her breathing grew ragged, her expression strained. Turning her head, she saw the upper half of the blade that had yet to sink into the ground. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. "Can you... get... up first?"

"Do you understand now?"

"I... I understand..."

...

Two Chapters today; things got busy. Still, it’s 8,500 characters total. I wrote the whole fight in one day, so I hope it reads smoothly. See you all tomorrow.

Finger hearts!