Old stories
Ah Qiu immediately said, "Ah Qiu wouldn't dare. Ah Qiu just..."
Strictly speaking, it was admiration for her courage, boldness, and decisiveness. Sima Yao truly deserved to be the most outstanding swordswoman of the Sima royal family. When she finally made up her mind to stand against Sima Jun, every word she uttered hit the mark, hitting Sima Jun's hidden secrets, leaving him flustered and forced to be extremely wary, losing his backbone.
Sima Junzhi's defeat to his daughter was not just a matter of swordsmanship.
Sima Yao said calmly, "When he spoke and used my mother to threaten me, he should have thought about how I would deal with him. He sees me, my mother, and everyone else as replaceable pawns, so he can't blame me for treating him the same way I treat pawns."
A-Qiu couldn't help but ask, "What are chess pieces?"
Sima Yao paused for a moment before saying, "A chess piece is something you only need to control, restrain, and entice to do things your way and achieve your goals, without having to care about its thoughts."
Ah Qiu thought to himself, if that's the case, then people who treat others as pawns are truly despicable.
At least in her life, none of the people she had met, whether they were powerful figures like her senior brother Mo Yimingyue, rational figures like Emperor Xie Lang, profound figures like Pei Yuanli, or even arrogant and indifferent figures like her master Wan Qiqing, would ever treat others merely as tools to achieve their goals and discard them if they didn't suit them.
The reason why Wan Qiqing killed in a fit of rage was perhaps because he could not subdue the strong emotions in his heart, and these emotions, when distorted, became a demonic obsession.
After listening to her, Sima Yao said calmly, "That only means you are very lucky, A Qiu. It seems that everyone you have met in your life, whether friend or foe, is of first-rate character. Some ordinary people who are base by nature are not like that. The only things they can recognize are power, profit, and desire, and they don't know that there is another world outside of that."
She added, "Those with strong desires can only be controlled by interests."
Before A Qiu could fully grasp the meaning behind her words, she noticed Sima Yao staring intently at the full moon that had already climbed halfway up the branches outside the window. Suddenly, she changed the subject and said:
"Tonight I suddenly felt like demonstrating a section of the Sima family's heavy sword technique. Little Aqiu, would you like to see it?"
A-Qiu didn't know why she said that, but replied, "It is my honor."
One can see the swaying bamboo shadows in the distance, the clear blue sky, and the bright moonlight. A clear stream flows from afar, its waters gurgling as it passes over the stone steps beneath the thatched hut.
A Qiu finally saw the Sima royal sword, "Qilin Hundred Slashes," that Sima Yao had mentioned for the first time.
The sword is over five feet long and extremely heavy. It shines with gold all over and is exquisitely and heavily carved. The hilt is engraved with a lion's head and decorated with pearls.
A Qiu picked it up and weighed it in her hand, then exclaimed in surprise, "So heavy! This must weigh at least ten pounds!"
Her thoughts were not accidental. As an assassin, she always used light and agile short weapons, aiming to kill in close combat with a single, fatal blow.
Later, she followed Gu Yi and inherited his legacy of the Carved Moon Sword. Whenever she fought in public, she mostly used the Carved Moon Sword. Her swordsmanship was light and graceful. Combined with her rapid advance and retreat, her sword strikes were unpredictable and had the power to defy the gods.
Since swords and daggers were her specialties, she had never used a weapon like "Qilin Hundred Slashes" that relied on weight.
It wasn't that she was weak, but rather that she was unprepared, so when she tried to grab it, she almost dropped it to the ground.
Sima Yao said proudly, "This sword was originally kept in the royal armory. Later, my elder brother bestowed it upon my father, who used it specifically to practice the heavy sword technique. When my swordsmanship reached its peak and surpassed my father's, he gave this sword to me, and my elder brother gladly accepted it. That was the moment when I became the recognized number one swordsman of the Sima family."
She flicked her wrist and drew her sword, gripping the hilt with both hands, one above the other, as if to slash at the empty air.
In that instant, A Qiu immediately felt that the spatial center of gravity of the entire field was shifted by the newly unsheathed "Qilin Hundred Slashes".
This feeling was completely different from when Sima Yao used the Shangguan family sword technique.
A Qiu had seen Sima Yao use the Shangguan sword technique, which seemed different from that used by Shangguan Yuqi. The former was more feminine, while the latter was more masculine.
But to be honest, Sima Yao's swordsmanship was not only unable to catch up with Shangguan Yuqi, who had been learning swordsmanship since childhood, but it was also inferior to A Qiu's own halfway learned Carved Moon Sword Technique.
This is also why, back in Jianzhang City, even with the combined efforts of her and Sikong Zhao, they were unable to stop Wan Qiqing from taking her away.
Therefore, whenever Sima Yao reminisced about the past and mentioned his title as the Sima family's number one swordsman, A Qiu, though not daring to show the slightest disrespect on his face, didn't really take it seriously. He thought that the Sima royal family was probably so corrupt that it was rare to find someone with ambition and martial arts talent, so they simply praised Sima Yao so highly.
Until the moment Sima Yao drew the "Qilin Hundred Slashes".
She immediately sensed that Sima Yao was born to be a swordsman for the Qilin Hundred Slashes. In that instant, the heavy longsword seemed to come alive on its own, becoming an extension of her body.
Sima Yao shouted, "Without an opponent, the true essence of this sword cannot be fully revealed. Little Aqiu, go!"
Ah Qiu was formerly the head of the Divine Weapon Hall in Lanling Hall, and he had a natural love for weapons and a penchant for martial arts. Otherwise, he wouldn't have achieved such success at such a young age.
Upon hearing this, she slid the "Assassin of Qin" weapon from her elbow to her palm, and smiled, "Then I must offend you, A Qiu!"
The most difficult thing to defend against and deal with for assassins is their speed and agility.
A Qiu thought to herself, "The 'Qilin Hundred Slashes' sword is extremely long, and its wide and sweeping movements would be inconvenient. She only needs to rely on her agility to feint and break into the sword's momentum, forcing Sima Yao to her side. Then, the 'Qilin Hundred Slashes' will be too late to change its moves or block."
This is the best strategy for short weapons to break long weapons. And she has always used this method to break through.
As soon as she moved, trying to find an opening in the sword strikes, she discovered that the situation was completely unexpected.
The moment she moved, Sima Yao simply tilted her sword slightly with both hands, blocking her angle of attack. Moreover, the sheer power and ferocity of her aura made her clearly feel that if she attacked as before, what awaited her was the unstoppable and seemingly invincible fierce strike of the Qilin Hundred Slashes.
However, given the thinness and sharpness of the blade used to assassinate Qin, it was impossible for it to withstand the full force of the Qilin's Hundred Slashes.
She shifted her position, turning slightly to the right, intending to find another empty spot.
But when a person changes position, the distance they need to move their feet can never be faster than the slight turn Sima Yao makes while holding her sword.
She had just changed positions when she discovered that Sima Yao's killing intent and sword energy were still firmly locked onto her location. Not to mention whether she would attack, as long as she made the slightest movement, the Qilin Hundred Slashes would strike her head-on with overwhelming force.
This was a situation she had never encountered before in her life.
Sima Yao stood as the pivot, her sword-wielding stance resembling a landscape, perfectly integrated without any flaws, and unaffected by any constraints or limitations imposed upon her.
She finally understood what "great clumsiness is skill" meant, and why the Sima family's heavy sword technique was called the sword of kings and the sword of emperors.
This is the essence of the sword and man becoming one, a fighting style where sheer force overcomes all skill. The sword is no longer a weapon separate from the body, but rather an integral part of its master's spirit and will, leaving no opening. If the sword is invincible, the man is invincible. And with the imposing aura of this heavy sword, few can rival it among all weapons.
Even though the assassination attempt on the Qin emperor was a powerful weapon, it paled in comparison in terms of sheer force.
Before A Qiu could figure out why Sima Yao, who was originally no match for her, could immediately unleash such invincible power with the "Qilin Hundred Slashes" in hand, as if ruling the world.
"The Hundred Slashes of the Qilin" would not grant her any mercy. She changed her position twice but failed to find an opportunity to strike, as Sima Yao had already grasped her true intentions.
All that could be heard was Sima Yao's sharp shout. Without waiting for her to regain her footing, the heavy sword brought a powerful gust of wind and struck her with overwhelming force.
As soon as Sima Yao moved, sword and all, A Qiu immediately felt immense pressure. She finally understood why Xie Lang, whose skills were not too bad, was slashed and rolled on the ground by the then-undeveloped Sima Yao.
When the heavy sword swept down with all its might, the overwhelming aura was like Mount Tai pressing down, making it impossible to avoid.
A Qiu, relying on her agile movements, had already fled in panic, completely unable to retaliate, because no matter where she ran, she could not escape the grasp of the sword's aura. And if she missed even a moment, the heavy sword would strike her.
This was the first time A-Qiu had encountered someone who could win solely based on the characteristics of their weapon.
As the master of the Divine Weapon Hall, A Qiu had seen countless weapons. Even now, he still couldn't understand why Sima Yao, after combining with the heavy sword, possessed such great power.
Seeing that she was no match for him, Sima Yao sheathed her sword, turned around and returned to her original position, and smiled and said, "For the past few decades, I have been practicing the Shangguan family sword technique and have never touched the Qilin Hundred Cuts again. But I never thought that after so many years, when I tried to use the Qilin Hundred Cuts again, I was not rusty at all, and my skill seemed to have reached a higher level. It's really strange."
A Qiu also said in surprise, "I thought my speed and agility were the pinnacle of martial arts. But I didn't expect that you could easily suppress any of my movements and escape attempts with such a heavy sword."
Then, suddenly remembering something, he asked, "In your opinion, between the former Grand Chancellor and Miss Shangguan, who is better at swordsmanship?"
Her question was not unfounded.
Sima Yao sighed and said, "I have only seen the Grand Secretary draw his sword once in my life. It was so long ago that I only remember the amazement I felt at the time, and the fleeting impression I had. It is difficult to estimate his true level. If I had to compare him with Yuqi now, I would say they are evenly matched."
A Qiu said, "But I feel that if I were to spar with Miss Shangguan, I would definitely not lose to her, and I might even have a chance to win."
She continued, "Although Miss Shangguan's Dao heart and cultivation are superior to mine, martial arts are ultimately about fighting with weapons and agility. Even a sword immortal might not be able to defeat a well-trained assassin when it comes to knives. If I were to face Miss Shangguan, I would not be in the situation I am facing now, where I can only run away."
Upon hearing her words, Sima Yao's face suddenly paled, and then she said, "You mean... that with my Qilin Hundred Slashes, I am no less powerful than the Grand Secretary back then?"
Ah Qiu meant that Shangguan Jin and Shangguan Yuqi were of similar skill, and that she herself was also roughly equal to Shangguan Yuqi. If Sima Yao could reliably defeat her, it would mean that Sima Yao's current heavy sword skills had surpassed those of Shangguan Jin back then.
The words Shangguan Jin had spoken to her face in the study on that rainy night suddenly echoed in her heart.
"If you only wish to stand among the strong, your ancestral heavy sword technique is more than enough. With diligent practice, you may well become a king in the way of the sword. You... don't need to go through all that trouble to change your ways."
...
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