Chapter 4 Why the Uninvited Guest Didn't Talk About the Past
Zhou Ziheng's eyes were serious.
From the first time he met Huo Qin at the restaurant and inn, he keenly sensed that this man would be his formidable rival.
Today's battle has shown that the reputation of Huo Qin as one of the "Three Heroes" is well-deserved.
After exchanging greetings, neither of them held back. Huo Qin drew his bow and nocked an arrow in one swift motion, and several arrows shot towards Zhou Ziheng as if chasing stars and the moon.
Zhou Ziheng didn't know what material Huo Qin's bow and arrows were made of, but he actually felt a bit strained when he used the Red Dust Slash.
Huo Qin had an advantage using a bow, and Zhou Ziheng quickly realized this as well. He spun around, dodging the rain of arrows once again, and lightly touched the ground with his toes, flying towards Huo Qin like a flying catkin.
Huo Qin had already witnessed Zhou Ziheng's light and swift movements. He dared not be careless, immediately stopped shooting arrows, and took the blow from the sky with his Yaoyue Bow.
The two divine weapons clashed, and neither could gain the upper hand.
Zhou Ziheng flipped out, controlled his body in mid-air, and landed steadily back on the pillar.
In contrast, Huo Qin was not doing so well. Although Zhou Ziheng's move looked light and easy, it actually contained a sharp edge. Huo Qin's hand was numb from the impact, and he took a half step back.
Despite merely testing the waters, the two of them arrived at the same conclusion:
As expected of the Three Heroes!
After testing the waters, Zhou Ziheng made his move again. The Red Dust Sword shimmered with layers of crimson light under the sunlight, as if it had fused together all the entanglements of love and hate in the world.
Huo Qin squinted.
Li Jin, who was further away, murmured, "Red Dust Sword Technique, could this be the Red Dust Sword Technique?"
Amidst the crimson sword energy, Zhou Ziheng thrust his sword at Huo Qin, his figure as elusive as a ghost, making him impossible to see clearly!
Although the Red Dust Sword Technique looked beautiful, Huo Qin felt an indescribable pressure.
Zhou Ziheng's move was sudden and unexpected, and its sound was like thunder. Huo Qin dodged the Red Dust Sword to the side, but before he could draw his bow, Zhou Ziheng was already beside him. A hand with well-defined muscles gripped his right shoulder and used some force to force him to retreat half a step.
That's the downside of using a bow; once you lose the initiative and someone gets close, you'll be at a disadvantage in every situation.
Seeing that he was about to fall off the pillar, Huo Qin's anger surged. He grabbed the other's hand that was trying to pull back and kicked Zhou Ziheng in the waist and abdomen with his knee.
Zhou Ziheng was in mid-air when his left hand was pressed down. He couldn't avoid it and had to swallow it.
Huo Qin wanted to press his advantage, but Zhou Ziheng darted away like a fish, as light and airy as a bamboo leaf caught in the wind of the sword.
When he closed his five fingers, he only grasped a wisp of residual sword energy. A bright crimson light shone before his eyes, followed by the chilling Red Dust Sword.
At the critical moment, Huo Qin fired three arrows in quick succession, each arrow landing precisely on the same point on the tip of the Red Dust Sword.
The first arrow shattered the sword's edge, the second arrow deflected the sword's momentum, and the third arrow even sparked from the blade.
Zhou Ziheng sighed inwardly, once again marveling at the opponent's superb archery skills.
The two exchanged blows dozens of times.
While the battle raged on the platform, Li Zhiheng, watching from the viewing platform, was dozing off.
He couldn't understand swordsmanship or archery, and he didn't know much about the Three Heroes, so naturally he wasn't interested.
Fu Chenyu walked to his side and woke Li Zhiheng: "Young Master, I want to talk to you about something. May I come with you?"
Li Zhiheng was still a little confused, but he remembered Huo Qin's instructions: "Can't we say it here?"
Fu Chenyu lowered his eyes, his tone enigmatic: "Too many people talking, it's really inconvenient."
So Li Zhiheng looked up at Huo Qin on the platform, but only saw his focused and enthusiastic expression, as if he had no equal.
After much thought, Li Zhiheng realized that Fu Chenyu and he had kept to themselves, and their relationship was even quite good. He felt that Fu Chenyu would not harm him.
So he patted his behind and said readily, "Let's go! Lead the way!"
The stage for volunteering.
The battle between the two sides is nearing its end.
Zhou Ziheng's white clothes were tattered, and there were bloodstains on his cheeks. Huo Qin was not in much better shape, with blood seeping from his shoulder, and he was a little slow to bend his bow. Fortunately, he was wearing black clothes, so it was not clear.
Zhou Ziheng laughed heartily: "Huo Qin, watch out for this move!"
Before he finished speaking, Zhou Ziheng withdrew and retreated, dodging the arrow shot by Huo Qin. Then, using the momentum of his turn, he pressed forward again.
A bright sword flashed before Huo Qin's eyes. He bent over to dodge, but saw Zhou Ziheng moving with ease, feinting and striking, seemingly aiming for his face but actually stabbing at his back!
Huo Qin snorted coldly. In their previous sparring, he had already grasped the essence of the Red Dust Sword Technique—lightness, speed, and changeability—so he had anticipated this situation. Holding the Moon-Inviting Bow, he used the strong bowstring to fiercely intercept that inch of sharpness—
With his hands empty, it turned out to be another feint!
not good!
Huo Qin had a bad feeling. Sure enough, the pillar beneath his feet was shattered by the Red Dust Sword the next second.
"Click".
Amidst the chilling cracking sound, Huo Qin used the force to leap into the air, only to encounter the ghostly Red Dust Sword.
"Get down!"
Huo Qin: "..."
Smoke and dust, like a fog, completely shrouded the entire platform where the challenge was to be taken. Gravel and wood chips swirled in the murky air, making it impossible to see who would ultimately win or lose.
Li Jin waved his sleeve, creating a gust of wind that dispersed the swirling dust.
On the platform, Zhou Ziheng landed steadily on the pillar, while Huo Qin was a head shorter, as if he had already fallen off the platform.
The spectators in the stands whispered among themselves: "So it was the Sword Master of the Mortal World who won? The leader of the Three Heroes is indeed extraordinary."
Just as Li Jin was about to announce that Zhou Ziheng had won the championship, he saw the other party slowly sheath his sword, stopping him from speaking.
"It's just a draw, there's no winner or loser."
Li Jin looked closely and realized that Huo Qin was standing on a piece of broken wood, which was the remains of the broken pillar.
He secretly praised them, saying they truly deserved to be called the Three Heroes of the Martial World, the chosen ones of heaven.
"This match ends in a draw, with neither side gaining a clear winner!" After a pause, though reluctantly, Li Jin had to announce, "Since Brother Huo Qin did not submit a challenge, the final champion of the Liyang Tournament is—"
"The Sword Master of the Mortal World, Zhou Ziheng!"
Zhou Ziheng, brimming with self-satisfaction, bowed to the other challengers below the stage, his gesture humble but his tone unforgiving: "We still need to practice, we still need to practice."
I mean you all.
Huo Qin, who had just stepped off the stage: "..."
Li Jin smiled helplessly, called Zhou Ziheng to his side, and said cheerfully, "The younger generation is truly formidable!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the previously clear sky suddenly changed. Clouds covered the sun, the sky darkened, and the sunlight disappeared.
The strong wind ruffled Zhou Ziheng's hair. He looked at the spot where Li Zhiheng had been, but it was now empty.
The wind is picking up.
After Zhou Ziheng tidied his hair, he heard Li Jin ask, "Young brother, would you like to spar with me now, or wait until tomorrow?"
He looked further into the distance, where the mountains rose and fell like a giant dragon about to awaken.
In early autumn, the vegetation is withered, and the bleak and gloomy weather makes it seem as if a storm is brewing.
So he said, "Wait a little longer."
...
Huo Qin returned to the viewing platform but did not see Li Zhiheng.
His heart skipped a beat, and he grabbed someone nearby and asked, "Where did the person who was just sitting here go?"
The man pondered and said, "It seems he left with Fu Chenyu."
Huo Qin frowned: "Do you know where they went?"
The man shook his head: "How would I know? They've been gone for a while."
So Huo Qin looked up at the platform where he was supposed to be asking for the challenge. He meant to see Li Jin, but instead he saw Zhou Ziheng’s bright black eyes.
The other person had been observing him for who knows how long. When their eyes met, Zhou Ziheng slowly revealed a smile.
Huo Qin frowned, seemingly lost in thought, and got up to head towards Liyang Valley.
Seeing Huo Qin leave, Zhou Ziheng on the stage waited a while longer, timed it perfectly, and said to Li Jin, "Alright, let's do it now."
"Let me experience the Liyang sword technique."
Li Jin found it strange. He instinctively sensed something was wrong and wanted to check his son's location, but Zhou Ziheng was blocking his way completely, preventing him from seeing anything at all.
He then thought that with Huo Qin protecting him, Li Zhiheng shouldn't have any major problems. And Zhou Ziheng's choice of words—"learning from him" rather than "challenging"—showed that the other party had no intention of becoming his successor.
So Li Jin suppressed his unease, slowly took out the Liyang Sword, and said in a deep voice, "I am of a higher generation than you, so I can't take advantage of my seniority. I will give you three moves, and after that, I will make my move."
Zhou Ziheng arrogantly said, "Master Li has an old ailment, so there's no need for three moves; one move will suffice."
"Master Li, please."
The Liyang Sword is a slender sword, like a pool of condensed autumn water. It is only three feet long, thin as a cicada's wing yet possessing hidden resilience.
The sword's blade gleamed with a cold, bluish light. Upon closer inspection, the bluish hue varied in depth—near the spine, it resembled a willow in early spring, gradually transitioning to a deep, cold blue pool at the edge.
Li Jin held it in his hand as if he were holding a handful of stream water.
The Liyang Sword is a renowned divine weapon in the martial arts world, and the Liyang Sword Technique is also famous. Zhou Ziheng dared not be careless. He calmed his mind, raised his red dust, put two fingers together, and gently ran them across the blade.
When he opened his eyes again, it was as if Zhou Ziheng had disappeared from the world. Only crimson light flowed, and man and sword merged, indistinguishable from one another.
His breath, heartbeat, and even his very existence seemed to have merged into the Red Dust Sword. Before Li Jin, there was no longer Zhou Ziheng, but the Red Dust!
Man and sword become one...
Li Jin never expected that the younger generation would be so promising, able to master the unity of man and sword so perfectly!
Zhou Ziheng's voice was distant and ethereal, yet tinged with amusement: "Valley Master Li, you'd better be careful."
"This move is called, 'Sharing the Sorrows of the Mortal World'."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a red light pierced Li Jin's eyelashes!
The Liyang sword glided out like water, its blue light breaking through the sharpness. Li Jin gathered his energy and skillfully deflected the force of the Red Dust sword.
Overcoming strength with gentleness leads to endless vitality.
But that's not enough.
Even though he had used almost all his strength and exhausted all his skills, he could only watch the red light get closer and closer!
From a young age, Li Jin practiced swordsmanship day and night at Feitai Danpu.
At first, it was a wooden sword, which would soon be broken by the falling waterfall; later it was replaced with an iron sword, which was not easy to deform, but it was also prone to rusting and becoming dull.
Through countless hours of arduous training at the waterfall, day after day and year after year, he finally mastered the Liyang Sword Technique and was able to wield the Liyang Sword he had always dreamed of.
The Liyang sword technique emphasizes using softness to overcome hardness and borrowing force to strike, but at this moment, even Li Jin felt powerless in the face of the absolute power of the mortal world.
He gritted his teeth, exerted all his strength, and finally lifted the mortal world away.
With his sword drawn, Zhou Ziheng exited the mysterious "human-sword" state.
He opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
"It is said that a few years ago, Master Li was invincible with his sword, and he must have been full of vigor and ambition."
Li Jin swallowed the blood in his mouth, calmed himself down slightly, and then slowly said, "Why bring up those past events when you're old?"
Zhou Ziheng recalled the mortal world, and in his view, a woman in gray was slowly walking along the mountain path.
"There's no need to compete anymore, Valley Master Li," Zhou Ziheng laughed. "The person I've been waiting for has arrived."
As soon as he finished speaking, a clear sound echoed through the mountains, like jade striking stone.
Why not talk about it?
"I insist on talking about the past!"
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