The demoness was the next to act. Since Chen Wentian had shown off his sword art and attacked her first, it was her turn to return the favor. It was a kind of unspoken courtesy, respect between immortals even if they were irreconcilable foes. 

Qin Shui'er obliged with a wave of her pale hand, her slender fingers grabbing at the space between them. A surge of ocean-blue spiritual energy flowed out of her and spread to all corners of the room. A soggy breeze swept by followed by a soft mist that blew in from the outside.

The air became heavy, saturated by minuscule droplets of water that would obey her every will.

She was a shuimu, an existence born from water. She was water incarnate. There was nothing with it she couldn't do.

Her fingers twitched ever so slightly, causing visible pearls of water to coalesce and shoot towards Chen Wentian like falling daggers.

Pang!

Pang! Pang! Pang!

Two circular shields made of the toughest steel appeared in his hands. He leaped from his seat and twirled around, swinging the shields to block incoming projectiles. His defense was swift and flawless. Not a drop of water landed on his skin, not even his loose-fitting clothes.

Qin Shui'er pursed her lips and started gesturing with both hands. The water in the air around them formed into a variety of weapons and attacked ferociously. Needles, daggers, axes, spear tips... it was a deadly rainstorm that pelted him from all sides.

"Ha!" Chen Wentian shouted as he became a metallic whirlwind.

He moved with agility and poise, contrary to his oversized body. He blocked everything with his twin shields. When one sustained too much damage, he replaced it with another one from the vast arsenal in his spatial bag. Each shield was at the peak of the Spirit Initiate Realm and combined with his immortal aura, was more than capable of deflecting the attacks.

He didn't bother pulling out a sword or use any sword art. He wasn't that great with swords to begin with and his current method was much easier.

His defensive maneuvers also didn't have any special martial art behind them. He wasn't a defensive specialist but he could still manage with just spiritual sense and reaction speed.

Qin Shui'er eventually lost interest in the exchange. By the time he switched to the fourth pair of shields, she gave up and retracted her rain of weapons as well as the misty aura.

"I hate you! Are you a swordsman or a turtle bastard? Why do you have so many shields?"

"Of course, I am a swordsman. I am only the best swordmaster in the whole subcontinent." Chen Wentian said, "I have mastered countless sword arts and I have defeated countless experts. Because of this, I became enlightened to a certain truth after a century of traveling the world."

"Oh yeah? What?" She asked.

"That shields are quite useful..."

Bang!

A wooden armrest of Qin Shui'er's chair exploded into a fine dust. She glared at him with fury in her eyes, to which he responded with a smug smile. The two immortals were once again at a stalemate.

Shuimu had natural resistance against physical attacks but their attacks were also limited. This one seemed dangerous at first but after suffering her incessant attacks, Chen Wentian could only say that she was average. A casual beam of moonlight from Jasmine contained much more destructive power.

The Dao of water was different from the Dao of ice. Winter's Snow Dance was powerful and contained devastating attacks. Water, on the other hand, was far more mellow. It was life-giving. It was supportive and had healing properties. Outside of a large body of water like a lake or river, those that practiced secret arts related to water were naturally at a disadvantage. Even a shuimu could not overcome this law of the natural world.

"Don't worry. You're still going to die, just not by my hands." Qin Shui'er finally said after calming down, "If you don't believe me, I invite you to try and leave this room."

Chen Wentian put on a worried face and glanced around the room, examining everything with his spiritual energy once again.

Qin Shui'er smirked, her haughty demeanor returning after a bout of frustration, "Don't bother. You won't find anything. My associate is very good at hiding from humans, just like me."

He had no reason to doubt her claim. It wasn't difficult to deduce that she had backup. She wouldn't be so confident otherwise. He also had backup but he didn't want to reveal that surprise just yet, at least not until he got some answers.

"Don't be so nervous. We all die sooner or later. If you answer this big sister's questions obediently, maybe it will be later for you." She said.

"Big sister? How old are you?" He asked.

"Ill-mannered. If you want to know, then answer my question first!"

"But you already asked me a question." He retorted.

"What?"

"Yeah, you already asked me a question, about my shields. And I gave you an honest answer. Now it's my turn."

"... Fine! I am three hundred and twenty years old." She spat out each word like they would make her physically sick.

This had the effect of making her chest heave up and down, creating a jiggling phenomenon that was more than a little distracting. He studied this fine motion like a diligent pupil seeking to understand the secrets of the world.

He wasn't usually into the act of ogling women but it was difficult not to with her outfit or lack thereof. He also didn't care if she got offended so it was a win-win.

"My turn. Where were you born?" She asked, seemingly oblivious.

"Not anywhere in this subcontinent. Are you a virgin?"

"..." She had a look on her face that told him she really wanted to kill him, "Yes, I am. Who was your master?"

"I have no master. I roamed the lands alone. I studied sword arts alone. And I broke the restraints of mortality alone. Do you have a Dao partner?"

"No... Do you have any disciples?"

"I have not as I have yet to find anyone worthy of my teachings. What do you like to eat?"

"Seafood. Why are you spreading the Six Meridians Demon Bane sword style to mortals for free."

"I wanted to help people of this subcontinent fight back against a demon uprising. Are you a morning lark or a night owl?"

"Morning, I guess. Where did the Six Meridians Demon Bane sword style come from?"

"I participated in a demon war in my youth. The sword style is the sum of my experiences and memories. Where are you from?"

"I can't answer that."

"Do you have any siblings?" He continued.

"Not answering that."

"Where do you see yourself ten years from now?"

"What?"

"Are you interested in marriage?"

"WHAT?"

"What's your ideal number for children?"

"Enough!" Qin Shui'er shouted, "I've had enough! I tried to give you a chance to explain yourself but every word out of your mouth has been a mockery of me. Do you think I'm dumb? Do you think that I'm that easy to play with? Well, playtime is over!"

A huge surge of spiritual energy blasted out of her body in all directions. Like a tsunami, it crashed through the ceiling and the walls, obliterating half the hotel.

Rising from the dusty ruins, she raised her hands into the air and summoned the rain.

---

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