Delicate hands are no match for the enemy
She hesitated for a moment, but then she saw that under the moonlight, Sima Yao's eyes were fixed on her without blinking, and he looked completely unbothered.
She was puzzled, but calmly replied, "Thank you for your kind words, Aunt Yao. However, A Qiu has already had two masters and cannot become a disciple of another."
Seeing her hesitation and displeasure, Sima Yao's expression softened upon hearing the reason. She said, "I've heard Yuqi say that everyone knows you are the successor of the Junior Master. If that's the reason, it doesn't matter. You don't need to become my disciple. You just need to learn this sword technique."
Ah Qiu thought to herself, it seemed that she was determined to learn her greatsword no matter what.
After a moment's thought, she finally spoke the truth: "My learning is about quality, not breadth. Please forgive me for not being able to learn another sword technique."
Upon hearing her answer, Sima Yao's eyes flashed with admiration, but instead of replying, she asked, "But your assassin's martial arts are ultimately not up to par, nor will they be recognized by the righteous path of the martial arts world. Think about it, if you could learn my unparalleled swordsmanship, wouldn't you be able to establish yourself in the martial arts world, perhaps even start your own sect and become a grandmaster?"
She pressed closer, saying, "You have been abandoned by Lanling Hall, and the Junior Master no longer needs you. With your talent and abilities, do you intend to spend your life trapped in poverty, a coward forever?"
It was only at this moment that A Qiu witnessed another side of Sima Yao for the first time.
Her initial impression of Sima Yao was that of a peaceful, easygoing middle-aged woman who was unambitious and unassuming. Later, she discovered that because she had stayed in the forbidden area for many years and did not have to interact with outsiders, she had retained a great deal of girlish innocence and spontaneity.
But now, seeing Sima Yao's aggressive approach and deliberate enticement with promises of power and future prospects, clearly indicating her ulterior motives, she finally realized that the former power and prestige of the Princess of Langya in Jianzhang Palace was likely not solely based on her willful and domineering nature.
A sense of unease crept into her heart, yet she still smiled and said, "I have never been an ambitious person. When I was in Lanling Hall, Wan Qiqing raised and taught me, and I listened to him. Later, I became a disciple of the Grand Tutor, who taught me about the great principles of family and country, and the love of a gentleman for others, and I acted in accordance with his orders. Now they don't need me anymore. If the Shangguan Forbidden Land can't tolerate me either, I'll just go somewhere and live out the rest of my life."
He then laughed and said, "You know that no matter how high an assassin's martial arts skills are, they cannot reveal themselves in broad daylight. Therefore, I don't have the kind of burden that ordinary martial arts masters have. Even if I go to the streets to perform and sing, I can support myself."
As she spoke, she subtly placed one hand behind her back.
In that hand, the assassination attempt had already silently slipped from the forearm into the palm.
At the same time, one's vigilance and caution reach their peak.
Whether her words were sincere or not, they had completely rejected Sima Yao, indicating that no matter how eloquent Sima Yao was, she would not be tempted or threatened by her, so she might as well save her breath.
If she made such a statement in a martial arts setting, she would have sealed her fate, and action would inevitably follow.
Under the moonlight, Sima Yao, carrying the "Qilin Hundred Slashes," simply gazed at her calmly. Yet, her eyes revealed a sharpness and incisiveness never before displayed.
A Qiu had a feeling that as Sima Yao's swordsmanship reached its peak and she leaped to the level of a grandmaster overnight, her temperament had also quietly changed.
She was no longer the girl who was obsessed with the swordsmanship of Shangguan.
He was no longer merely Shangguan Jin's follower from birth to death.
She no longer looks up to anyone, for she herself is the mountain. And because of this, her mindset is even more difficult to grasp.
Sima Yao said calmly, "Whether you are the former Princess of Langya or the current guardian of the Shangguan family's tomb, it is your honor to have been chosen by me."
She added, "Those who reject me will have to pay the price."
Before A Qiu could ask what the price was, the Qilin Hundred Slashes were drawn with a clang, a large burst of sword light reflecting off the clear stream. Sima Yao, riding the sword, leaped across the stream, and at the same time, the sword's power surged, already enveloping the small area around her.
At this moment, Ah Qiu finally had to thank herself for not going back to her room to sleep, but instead sitting by the stream, contemplating the workings of heaven and earth, and silently seeking answers to her own confusion.
When she fights someone, she never has the will to win; instead, she looks for an opening and strikes when the opportunity arises.
When her mental cultivation technique was restored, Sima Yao's domineering sword intent no longer posed any pressure on her.
It's like a fierce tiger approaching from afar; usually, people are already so frightened that their legs go weak. But when it makes a move to pounce, people are so overwhelmed by its momentum that they are often in a panic and become flustered, or even lose their grip on their weapons.
This was the first time A Qiu faced Sima Yao using the Langya Hundred Slashes technique with a heavy sword.
Although she wasn't completely panicked, she had lost her will to fight and regarded her opponent as an invincible and unshakeable force.
Having lost their willpower, they were left with only hasty responses, resulting in a series of crushing defeats.
But in her mind, which was as calm as still water, no matter how large the tiger was, how ferocious its claws were, or how amazing its pounce was, none of these things mattered to her.
She only needs to find the softest part of its belly and take it.
The battle can end in an instant.
There's no need to take in all of Sima Yao's movements, nor to pay attention to her sword techniques and stances.
All you need to do is find that one weakness.
Just as Sima Yao charged towards him with his sword, A Qiu, who had been watching "Langya Hundred Slashes" coming straight at him, suddenly closed his eyes.
Her reaction surprised even Sima Yao.
Up to this point, A Qiu showed no intention of retaliating.
Sima Yao also wavered, wondering if she would kill the ignorant and ungrateful girl in front of her with a single sword thrust if she continued to thrust forward as before.
If that's the case, Shangguan Yuqi, whom she raised, will surely break ties with her.
In that moment of hesitation, a heavy force suddenly came from the sword.
To her surprise, she saw that A Qiu had brushed against the indestructible, broad blade of the "Qilin Hundred Slashes" with one empty hand.
That nimble, delicate hand made movements as if plucking the strings of a zither, its five fingers picking, flicking, striking, brushing, and sweeping, taking turns flicking the blade.
With each flick, Sima Yao immediately felt a heavy blow from the sword, the powerful energy swirling and entwining as it rebounded along the sword, causing her extreme discomfort in her chest.
When she tried to rotate the sword, her movements became very sluggish and unresponsive.
What shocked her most was that A Qiu was already so close to her.
The essence of Sima Heavy Sword is, first and foremost, to prevent anyone from getting close. Its length of about five feet, far exceeding that of ordinary swords, is precisely designed to keep enemies at least five feet away.
In this way, one can ensure their absolute safety.
First, make yourself invincible, then wait until the enemy is vulnerable.
This is also why Sima's swordsmanship is invincible.
But in that brief moment of hesitation, A Qiu had somehow appeared in front of her, almost face to face.
Therefore, she had the leisure to unleash this finger-whirling attack on her sword.
Under no circumstances should a swordsman be so close to an enemy, as this would render the sword almost completely ineffective.
Moreover, the other party is no ordinary person, but the assassin who was once ranked number one on the Lanling Astounding Ranking.
A Qiu's series of unarmed sword strikes with his left hand had already made Sima Yao feel a mouthful of sweet blood rising in her throat, almost spitting out.
Sima Yao knew at this moment that things were going badly. She had previously seen A Qiu's famous "Assassination of Qin" sword, but she had not seen it until now, which meant that A Qiu had not yet used his true killing move.
Her mind was in turmoil, and she almost lost her grip on the Langya Hundred Cuts.
At that very moment, a chilling aura of military might was already positioned in front of her neck. She didn't need to look down to know that it was an assassination attempt on the Qin emperor.
At that moment, A Qiu lightly slashed her right wrist with his left hand, almost effortlessly snatching the "Langya Hundred Slashes" from her hand.
After landing a successful blow, A Qiu immediately released his grip and flew backward. Once he had regained his footing, he weighed the Langya Hundred Slashes in his hand a few times and smiled, saying, "Sima Heavy Sword, nothing special."
He threw it back to the other side, and Sima Yao caught it blankly, staring at A Qiu in disbelief, her face full of astonishment.
After a long pause, she said, "You are indeed a genius I have never seen before. You were able to turn defeat into victory in the blink of an eye and devise a way to counter the heavy sword. I previously thought that the Sima family's heavy sword technique was invincible. Who would have thought that you, a mere assassin, would defeat me in such a short time? There's no need to waste your breath on this boast."
Her self-deprecating humor was palpable.
A Qiu didn't want to correct her. She wasn't facing a mere assassin, but the most outstanding assassin king in the Lanling Hall in the past century.
She now had some understanding of Sima Yao's temperament. Perhaps due to her noble birth and lack of discipline, she was rather extreme. When she fell for Shangguan Jian, she thought her own swordsmanship was worthless and vowed to learn Shangguan's swordsmanship; but when she mastered the Sima family's heavy sword technique, she secretly believed that she was undoubtedly the best in the world.
Sima Yao sighed with a touch of loneliness, "If only you were willing to learn this heavy sword technique from me. A genius like you, who grows stronger when facing stronger opponents and can quickly turn the tide, is probably the only one I'll ever see in my life."
A Qiu hadn't expected that at this point, what she was thinking about wasn't her own defeat or the shattering of her dream of becoming the world's number one martial arts master, but rather that she still wanted her to learn Sima Chongjian's skills. This was completely unexpected.
She couldn't help but earnestly say, "You haven't practiced the Sima Heavy Sword for many years. If it weren't for our casual conversation tonight, you probably would never have touched the 'Langya Hundred Slashes' again in your life. Although this sword technique is incredibly effective in your hands, and you have even reached a state of perfect harmony between body and mind because of it, it is still an unexpected gain. Why do you insist on passing it down?"
Thinking of this, she sighed and said, "Whether you are a master or a mediocre one, if you cannot be used by the world, what kind of sword technique is it but a sword technique? As you said, even if you master unparalleled martial arts, if you are confined to a poor valley and live in seclusion in a forest, it doesn't make much difference whether you are a master swordsman or a master of growing vegetables and chopping wood. So why bother with a dead sword technique?"
Sima Yao said listlessly, "You are so young, yet you see things so clearly. It seems that neither fame nor fortune can tempt or restrain you. But I am different from you. I was born into the Sima family. This sword technique was passed down to me by my father and corrected by my elder brother. Only now do I realize that it did not unleash its full power in my hands back then, which is why I was defeated by Shangguan's sword. Now that I know it can be an invincible sword technique that can dominate the world, how can I let it perish in my hands?"
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