Chapter 795 Beating up Lady Zhishuang again
Like everyone else in the room, Wei Shaoqi wondered if he had misheard.
Bring over a string of cash and seriously discuss with the Chief Queen of the Queen's Palace the redemption of the Yue maiden.
Are you sure you're referring to the unnamed female ruler, Yue Chuzi, who is the first in line to the throne of the Yuan Dynasty?
Instead of some local specialty of Yunmengze with the same name?
Regardless of whether the price was outrageous, the young man in the scholar's robe later had a change of heart and raised the price, offering their... lives as a bargaining chip.
Perhaps it was too outrageous, because Wei Shaoqi wasn't angry at all, or rather, there was no need to be angry, so he skipped this step.
The middle-aged scholar, with a gentle expression, glanced at the bronze mask on the young man's face and took a step forward before Xue Zhongzhu, whose smile was somewhat terrifying, could react.
He interjected curiously:
"Does Your Excellency know why we have come here today?"
Ouyang Rong said calmly:
"Know."
Wei Shaoqi asked with a serious expression:
"You've come to help them?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"Not familiar with it."
On the high platform, everyone's expressions changed upon hearing these words.
The girl in the purple palace dress standing in the center trembled slightly upon hearing the words "unfamiliar," her eyes fixed on the young man in the scholar's robe.
Wei Shaoqi suddenly said, "Your voice sounds very much like an old friend of mine. He also served in Xunyang City and once warmly and sincerely received me and Lord Yan. He was not a good drinker but had excellent character. He always liked to say that he could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk..."
The young man in the scholar's robe took out the wine gourd from his waist, tilted his head back, took a sip, let out a slight burp, and said:
"You're not familiar with them either."
Wei Shaoqi glanced meaningfully at the composed young man in scholar's robes standing on the ground, and said softly:
"Then you should know our identities, right?"
"Um."
Wei Shaoqi pointed around, somewhat puzzled:
"But who is this Lady Zhi Shuang you're talking about? Is there such a person here? Are you sure you haven't mistaken her for someone else?"
"It can't be wrong."
Ouyang Rong hung the wine gourd back on his waist, raised his head, and said loudly:
"Her name is so different from her real name, she's the first one. She's really got the perfect name. Besides, she's never been convinced in so many fights. Where else can you find such a stupid loser but her?"
He chuckled softly, raised his chin, and gestured towards the direction behind Wei Shaoqi:
"Don't you think so, Miss Zhi Shuang?"
All eyes silently converged on the tall, blonde-haired woman. Zhi Shuang… young lady?
Wei Shaoqi didn't turn around, but slightly reached out to stop Xue Zhongzhu, who was drawing his sword behind him, and said humbly and gently:
"The eldest daughter of the Yue clan is not here today. Is there anything else you wish to discuss? The eldest daughter and I have some minor matters to attend to right now. There is no need for us to engage in such verbal sparring. Any grudges or misunderstandings can be discussed later."
Ouyang Rong's eyes, visible through his bronze mask, narrowed slightly.
"She didn't come. Where did she go?"
"I don't know." After a pause, Wei Shaoqi added, "They might have returned to Jianze and left with the Second Lady."
Ouyang Rong was quiet for a moment, then nodded slightly to Wei Shaoqi:
"Alright, I'll spare your life."
He raised his hand, pointed to the string of coins in the mud at his feet, and said quite sincerely:
"Where is Yunmeng Sword Marsh? You two take this money and take me there immediately."
The atmosphere in the room fell silent for a moment.
Wei Shaoqi heard it clearly this time. Like many others, his first reaction was to be stunned, and then he looked around the field.
Wei Shaoqi's gaze swept over the golden-haired queen who was about to erupt like a volcano, the mythical white dragon that was swirling and wandering in the air, and Mr. Wu in the bamboo forest where the music had disappeared.
His gaze swept over Song Mama, who was severely injured by Xue Zhongzhu but was also of the highest rank, as well as the other court officials on the high platform who were being strongly suppressed by Xue Zhongzhu and him.
Finally, Wei Shaoqi glanced behind the young man in the scholar's robe and found that apart from Yan Liulang and other ordinary people, there was no sign of any outside help.
Indeed, only the young man in the scholar's robe came.
Was there only one person who came to give orders to him and Xuezhongzhu?
Wei Shaoqi couldn't help but ask:
"May I ask what rank of swordsman you are?"
Ouyang Rong did not answer, but his actions answered the question.
As Xuezhongzhu in the air shoved Wei Shaoqi aside and strode forward with a cold face, he placed the zither case upright on the ground, pressed his palm against the case, and a faint red flashed on the back of his hand as spiritual energy flowed into the long zither case.
The violin case trembled with a "clunking" sound.
“Oh, a pale red seventh-grade…” Wei Shaoqi shook his head and helplessly advised, “Your Majesty, please calm down. Our primary objective today is the Great Buddha. Don’t get angry yet…”
"roll."
As Xue Zhongzhu passed by Wei Shaoqi, walking on air, his icy voice echoed throughout the venue:
"You've been so arrogant and presumptuous. I've already let you off the hook and given you time to prepare your sword. You've been dawdling and rambling on without actually preparing your sword. So don't bother preparing your sword. I don't need any purple energy to kill you. Use your moves as you please. After you're gone, don't tell the King of Hell that I bullied the weak."
With a cold remark, the tall, imposing woman carrying a long sword leaped down from the top of the white dragon's head.
She descended from the sky alone, without Bai Jiao or any helpers, her golden hair standing on end and dancing like a golden flame.
In mid-air, a snow-white longsword was drawn from its sheath. From a distance, the sword appeared extremely thin, yet its snow-white sword energy flowed outwards like a torrent, as if a small opening had poured out the surging waters of the Yangtze River... as if the waters of the great river were descending from the heavens.
Upon seeing this scene, everyone present was taken aback. This was not only because Xue Zhongzhu's sword aura was so vast and powerful without using her purple qi cultivation, demonstrating that her swordsmanship talent was almost unparalleled in the world, but also because she had clearly held back a lot of strength when dealing with the Buddha and the court officials. When fighting with Granny Song, she did not use all of her sword aura at all, yet the latter still lost miserably in the end.
On the high platform, Granny Song looked both surprised and terrified. The fact that Xue Zhongzhu had been fishing was undeniable... The old woman with the white eyes became uncertain in her expression.
Out of the corner of her eye, Yi Qianqiu noticed that the True Immortal Princess beside her had subconsciously taken two steps forward, as if she wanted to break free from the golden light's protection. She quickly grabbed the sleeve of the girl in palace attire... Yi Qianqiu couldn't help but look at the torrent of snow-white sword energy gathering in the air.
Yi Qianqiu had heard of this kind of move from a very senior senior. It seemed to be a very traditional swordsmanship competition called "Sword Questioning," which only tested sword energy and sword intent, and had nothing to do with spiritual energy cultivation.
This is also relatively fair, because it eliminates the imbalance of spiritual energy cultivation.
I heard that the Sword-Questing Tournament held every few years in Yunmeng Sword Marsh is a competition where sword cultivators from all over the world gather to determine the champion of swordsmanship and swordsmanship.
The most recent champion of the Peach Valley Sword Tournament was Xue Zhongzhu, whose swordsmanship was almost unparalleled in the world and was recognized by the entire martial arts community...
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xue Zhongzhu and his sword were enveloped by a dense, water-like white sword aura, resembling a long, trailing rainbow falling down.
The crash site was exactly where Ouyang Rong and Yi Guanqian were.
Just when everyone thought the young man in the scholar's robe was going to avoid the limelight, he lowered his head, took out the wine pot, tilted his head back, took another sip, and said loudly, slightly drunk:
"Do you know why the 'Humble Scholar' was hidden in Peach Blossom Spring, and why this cauldron sword was hidden in its scabbard?"
He lightly patted the box with his palm, answering his own question:
"Nothing more than that my sword is too sharp."
As soon as he finished speaking, an arc rose from the sword box, circled the sword master once, and with a flick of its tail, soared into the sky.
This arc was plain and unremarkable, showing no power whatsoever. It resembled a blue crescent moon soaring into the sky, but it was enveloped in a ball of clear blue flame.
The flame swayed violently in the wind, like a candle rising from a dark room.
The young man in the scholar's robe took a sip of his drink, muttered something as if addressing the entire room, yet also as if speaking to himself:
"Watch closely, this is how you use the Cauldron Fire."
In the next instant, in mid-air, the enormous white rainbow and the tiny blue arc of flame collided.
The snow-white sword energy, almost unparalleled in the world, was sliced open like a cake.
The cauldron fire burned almost everything, including sword energy.
The Blue Flame Arc was like a precise scalpel, smoothly and silkily slicing through the explosive sword energy of Snow Candle, aiming straight for the latter's face. However, between the two, there was also the sword Zhi Shuang.
The tip of the snow-white longsword collided with the blue flame arc.
A dazzling light suddenly burst forth.
In the next instant, the snow-white rainbow split in two and burst open.
One man and one sword flew backwards along the same path.
It is a candle in the snow, and a sword that knows the frost.
The blue arc of flame remained quietly suspended in mid-air where the battle had just taken place.
"Ugh—!"
The snow-white longsword emitted a mournful cry that only its wielder could understand.
The candle in the snow was half-burnt, its white sleeve turned to ashes, and although its body was intact, it rose vertically into the air, returning as if flying backwards.
It's obvious at a glance who has the upper hand and who is at a disadvantage.
Everyone stared in astonishment at the young man in a scholar's robe standing beside the sword box on the flat ground below. He had one hand behind his back and held a gourd in the other, silently tilting his head back to drink.
High in the sky, Xue Zhongzhu was also lost in thought for a moment before snapping out of it and looking down at her tattered sleeve.
Then he glanced down at Ouyang Rong, who was drinking alone on the ground, calmly not looking up.
The next moment, Xue Zhongzhu's mixed-race face turned bright red, and her eyes revealed anger.
The candle in the snow suddenly hung upside down in the air, motionless, its purple energy in its dantian being consumed rapidly.
The snow-white longsword, which had been flying backwards, continued to rise into the air and landed in her hand. The two of them, one person and one sword, disappeared into the clouds. In the next instant, a trapped dragon broke free from the sword and expanded a hundred times. The space where the dragon's tail swept across created ripples and wrinkles.
As Xuezhongzhu, carrying his sword, fell from the clouds, the phantom of the trapped dragon enveloped his entire body, and the surrounding air seemed to have fallen into a bottomless icy pool.
The sword's edge stirred up the frost of the surrounding world, and thousands of ice shards poured down like a torrential rain. Each ice shard that landed transformed into a snow maiden wielding a sword. When these illusions were shattered, they would detonate the fragments of the trapped dragon's phantom, the Reverse Scale, sealed within the body.
The young man in the scholar's robe tilted his head back, drank his wine, and murmured leisurely:
"Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely gaze at the Southern Mountains."
He suddenly reached out, his palm pointing towards Xunyang City, and clenched his fist in mid-air.
For three hundred years, it has been known throughout the literary world that the scholars of Xunyang in Jiangzhou loved to write poems about chrysanthemums.
This is because the greatest chrysanthemum lover of all time came from Jiangzhou.
In the distance, the literary spirit of Tao Yuanming's poetry, accumulated over three hundred years, surged wildly towards a blue arc of flames above the Xunyang Grottoes.
Xue Zhongzhu, sword in hand, descended, unleashing a strike called "Snow Buries Three Thousand." Less than three breaths had passed.
The craftsman has successfully laid out the sword.
Let us return!
The woman and her sword, representing the illusory image of the trapped dragon, collided with [Craftsmanship].
In the next instant, all the light disappeared.
The arc stood silently in place.
Xuezhongzhu took a step back.
It's a draw, with Xuezhongzhu slightly at a disadvantage.
How could that be!
Everyone was shocked. The young man in the scholar's robe was only at the seventh rank of cultivation, and he had only been holding the sword for three breaths.
Xue Zhongzhu's expression was rather unpleasant.
Just then, a white dragon that had been lurking for a long time rushed out and charged at the young man in the scholar's robe while he was still holding his sword.
The arc is in mid-air, unable to return in time.
The most vulnerable part of a swordsman is his physical body.
Anyone who dares to stand openly on flat ground becomes the most conspicuous target.
The young man in the scholar's robe suddenly hung the wine gourd again, his calm eyes disappeared, replaced by a smile. He casually shook his sleeve, revealing a left hand that was playing with eighteen seeds.
He smiled, his left hand moving swiftly, creating afterimages as he made hand seals.
He was adept at hand seals and mudras, techniques usually reserved for practitioners of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and had even become left-handed.
In the next instant, the golden light that originally belonged to Rong Zhen and the others suddenly appeared on his body.
It was a strange dark gold color, foreshadowing something extraordinary.
The white dragon passed through his body and crashed to the ground.
A roar erupted, and dust filled the air.
The young man in the scholar's robe was completely unharmed, without the slightest injury.
Ouyang Rong put away his prayer beads, his smile vanished, and he continued to remove the gourd, calmly drinking wine and wielding his sword.
The century-old cultural heritage of Xunyang City continues to flow wildly toward craftsmanship.
It seems to be inexhaustible.
It was the very sword technique that Ouyang Rong had recently taught to an old man carrying a hoe—the technique of dependent origination and emptiness.
Literary elegance is also a kind of spirit.
This time, the sword strike lasted longer than three breaths, with the duration seemingly endless.
This also means that the power of this [arc] when it falls is far greater than the attack that was just equal to the one in the snow.
Upon realizing this, Xue Zhongzhu, Wei Shaoqi, and the others' expressions changed.
"Your Majesty, be careful!"
A picture of a Peach Blossom Spring unfolds in the air, blocking the view of the candle in the snow.
The two of them hid behind the fake cauldron sword.
Just as they were temporarily avoiding direct confrontation.
A young man in a scholar's robe, holding Buddhist prayer beads, suddenly walked towards the high platform.
The journey was smooth and unobstructed.
The crowd on and below the platform looked at him with awe. When they saw him come over, some people reacted and came forward to greet him, including a young girl in palace attire who silently walked at the back of the crowd to meet him.
"Ouyang Lianghan, have you thought it through? You've come here to seek refuge with our Prince's Mansion? Very well, very well, after we return, the Prince will arrange your marriage to Princess Zhenxian!"
Wei Wu was the first to come out and greet them with joy.
Because of the bronze mask, they could only see the strange smile on the young man's lips.
The young man in the scholar's robe glanced at Wei Wu, then at the white jade prayer beads in his hand.
Then, with a smile on his face, his gaze fell on the prayer beads in the hands of Rongzhen, Yi Qianqiu, and Granny Song, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
"Ouyang Lianghan, let's join forces with the princess and quickly eliminate these rebels..."
The words were only halfway through when an arc fell.
Wei Wu's last vision was of the sky spinning rapidly, and he seemed to see the yellow mud on the soles of his boots.
A head with a face that looked both confused and terrified crashed heavily to the ground.
Blood gushed violently from the severed wound on Wei Wu's neck.
Yi Qianqiu, Granny Song, and the others were shocked and took several steps back.
Rongzhen, who was about to approach him, stopped in her tracks.
The two Snow Candles, who were on guard against the [Craftsmanship] cloth sword, were also stunned.
The sword strike, which was incredibly powerful and could be used for ten breaths, was not meant to be used against them, but only to kill a stable boy... Was he not afraid that he would not have a second chance to use the sword?
Wei Wu's head rolled on the ground, his eyes wide open, unable to believe even in death that Ouyang Lianghan would attack without saying a word.
Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut... but Ouyang Lianghan didn't care.
Wei Wu died with his eyes wide open in dismay.
[Craftsmanship] It slowly ascends into the air, swaggering around, and rearranges its sword.
Everyone saw the white jade prayer beads in Wei Wu's corpse fly up and land in the hand of the young man in the scholar's robe. He held the two strings of beads in one hand and shook his head with a slightly helpless expression.
"I told you we're not familiar with each other."
(End of this chapter)
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