Chapter Ninety-Three: With Thanks

“Damn it, he still has spirit to spare.”

Seeing Wang Bing’s move, Feng Xingtong grew anxious as well. Given the situation now, it was already hard enough for him just to keep Liu Kunsheng from being dragged into Wang Bing’s grasp. If the other side still had more spirit left, then things would become far worse for him.

Watching a thousand-year demon like Liu Kunsheng being tugged back and forth in midair by two younger men, the Deng brothers in the stands were finally unable to sit still.

Especially when they saw Wang Bing actually begin devouring the spirits he had summoned, piece by piece.

They could no longer hold back.

After swallowing one spirit, Feng Xingtong only felt the balance that had still been barely manageable in the contest collapse at once into complete disadvantage. Liu Kunsheng, who had been holding the middle ground, was now being pulled toward Wang Bing’s side.

“Old Master Liu—”

Feng Xingtong was frantic. It was also the first time he had witnessed such a bizarre use of his family’s spirit-binding art.

What was more, the struggle had long since ceased to be merely about winning or losing.

If Liu Kunsheng fell into Wang Bing’s hands, the consequences were easy enough to imagine. How could he then face the two Deng brothers, who had entrusted their spirit to him?

“No. Absolutely not.”

While growing desperate, Feng Xingtong also decided he had to do something.

Seeing Liu Kunsheng drawn ever closer to Wang Bing, the Deng brothers could no longer care about anything else. They leapt down from the stands and were about to rush into the center of the arena to save the suffering Liu Kunsheng.

But before they could even enter the field, the stout referee at the edge of the arena stepped in front of them and blocked their way.

“Gentlemen, don’t you know the rules?”

“This match does not permit your interference. Whatever you have to say, wait until the bout is over.”

Blocked by the burly referee, the Deng brothers were nearly frantic. Watching Liu Kunsheng’s condition worsen by the second, they had no means at all to help and could only be held there.

“Damn it, let me invite Grandma Three out and bring Old Master Kunsheng back.”

Deng Youfu was the impulsive sort, the kind to leap at an idea without considering the consequences. In a heat of desperation, he wanted to summon the spirit to possess him and charge in to get Liu Kunsheng back.

But Deng Youcai stopped him.

“Big brother, you absolutely cannot invite the spirit now. To summon it before those two people would be no different from pushing Grandma Three into a tiger’s jaws.”

Deng Youcai was far calmer.

At the very least, he knew that no matter what level a spirit belonged to, once it stood before the art of spirit-binding and command, it was doomed to be controlled. Just look at Liu Kunsheng’s fate. To summon another spirit now would only hand the other side more leverage. It would mean nothing else.

“Then what are we supposed to do? Are we just going to watch helplessly as that bastard eats Old Master Kunsheng?”

“We have no spirit’s power. How could we possibly take Old Master Kunsheng back?”

“That’s Old Master Kunsheng!”

Deng Youfu’s expression was close to breaking. For spirit-mediums like them, they served only one spirit in their lifetime, passing it down from generation to generation.

Compared with family, those spirits were not even wrong to call ancestors.

“Big brother, calm down.”

Deng Youcai, of course, understood the turmoil in Deng Youfu’s heart, but what could he do?

Seeing the Deng brothers blocked from entering, Wang Bing’s worries vanished completely. His voice carried from afar, full of wild arrogance.

“Spirit-mediums, don’t get this wrong. The one stealing your treasure is Feng Xingtong. I’m only engaged in a fair contest with him now. You can’t pin this on me…”

“You bastard…”

Deng Youfu was furious beyond measure, yet there was still nothing he could do. Without a spirit at their side, much less facing Feng Xingtong and Wang Bing, they could not even get past the referee blocking the way.

At this moment, the only thing they could do was leave it to fate and silently pray for Liu Kunsheng.

Just when the two men were at a loss, a voice suddenly sounded by their ears.

“This match has only just started. Why are you panicking already?”

The speaker was Ye Yan. At the moment, he was leaning on the railing with a cigarette between his lips, looking down at the fight below.

“Damn you, it’s easy for you to stand there and talk. Old Master Kunsheng has nothing to do with you…”

The enraged Deng Youfu had tears hanging from the corners of his eyes. He was already so overwhelmed that he had lost all sense.

It was Deng Youcai, still the rational one, who grabbed him and prevented him from saying anything further.

Ye Yan was not offended by Deng Youfu’s recklessness. After all, to spirit-mediums, these spirits were essentially family.

When a family member was in trouble, who could possibly remain so calm and cold?

Having emotions was normal.

Lacking them would be strange.

“Useless anger solves nothing. Don’t make things difficult for the Taoist either. Xingtong is not as weak as you imagine, and your Old Master Kunsheng will be fine.”

If another man had said that, Deng Youfu would have already rushed over and spat in his face.

But Ye Yan had a fair amount of credibility.

Besides, he was on familiar terms with Feng Xingtong.

Maybe this contest really did have some other turning point. Perhaps they were simply too anxious.

“Brother, he’s right. We can’t help at all right now. Instead of running around uselessly here, we should calm ourselves.”

“Trust him.”

Perhaps moved by his younger brother’s words, Deng Youfu’s despair eased somewhat.

The fight on the field continued. After Wang Bing swallowed that spirit, Feng Xingtong had no choice but to summon his own spirit, the great physician’s hand, Wang Zizhong.

Using the spirit-body as a needle, he stimulated the major acupoints throughout his body and launched the method of replenishment.

As the technique took effect, the balance of the arena was completely reversed, and Liu Kunsheng was forcibly pulled back by Feng Xingtong, who had driven his qi to the limit.

“Old Master Kunsheng, go!”

With Feng Xingtong’s utmost effort, he actually managed to wrest Liu Kunsheng back.

The black serpent spiraled twice in the air before being hurled by tremendous force toward the Deng brothers.

“That child Xingtong really does keep his promises, as always.”

Watching Feng Xingtong bleed from both mouth and nose, yet still endure the damage to his own meridians in order to forcibly reclaim the spirit, Ye Yan could not help but sigh.

“Take Old Master Kunsheng and go at once. Do not linger for even a moment. Leave Yingtan. Hurry…”

“But the spirit-binding—”

“Go!”

Watching the two men and the serpent hurry frantically out of the arena, Feng Xingtong finally let out a breath. A faint curve appeared at the corner of his lips, and in that pale, weakened voice he slowly said,

“Spirit-binding, release.”

“Huh?”

Hearing those words, the Deng brothers abruptly stopped in their tracks and looked back at him in astonishment.

“Thank you for keeping me company for this brief time.”

“Xingtong...”

“Thank you.”