To make something appear real is to make it appear empty.
The judge's pen is only about a foot long, and it is a weapon for close combat. When it comes to close combat, A Qiu's speed and the way he strikes the vital points are unmatched in the world.
But at this moment, she was also careful. All the moves she used were derived from Chu Yuanyi's "Wind and Thunder Slash Hand". Her fingers, palms and elbows were all used to attack the enemy. Every move was a hidden killing move. Her hand shape was like an orchid, a crescent moon, or a parting flower and a willow. Her posture was graceful and elegant. In fact, it was a series of ups and downs, with the power of thunder and the might of a tiger and leopard hidden everywhere.
Li Chongyu had already drawn his Sky-Splitting Blade. After a moment, he finally made his choice, heading straight through Zhengyang Gate and flying towards the outer city along the central official road without looking back.
A Qiu's decision to have him leave immediately was the best course of action. Given the current situation, the longer they waited for Pei Yu and Mu Huaying to complete their plan, the more passive they would become.
Li Chongyu wasn't worried about A Qiu, whose skills were enough to withstand the Hidden Moon Clan's "Ghost Blade." As long as he could escape, out of respect for Gu Yi, Zhao Lingying would definitely not kill A Qiu, even if she could defeat her. Her previous harsh words would be considered mere empty threats.
Although Zhao Lingying was reckless, he was not stupid.
If killing A Qiu would allow Zhao Lingying to kill Li Chongyu here, he would not hesitate to do so.
But killing A Qiu would be of no use, as he had already fled far away. Zhao Lingying would never be foolish enough to make enemies with Gu Yibai.
As Zhao Lingying watched Li Chongyu's departing figure and A Qiu's relentless attacks, she couldn't help but re-evaluate the two of them.
What's frightening about these two young talents isn't just their martial arts skills, but also their decisiveness in making the best choices.
Not only did A Qiu not waste words or hesitate with her, but Li Chongyu was also not pedantic and did not adhere to the rules and regulations of Jianghu ethics.
The moment he made the decision to flee immediately, Zhao Lingying knew that he had already lost this battle.
Now it's Ah Qiu who's holding her back, trying to buy her time, hoping to delay as long as possible.
As a senior, it wouldn't be glorious for her to win against A-Qiu, but losing would only make her lose face even more.
Ultimately, it was because under her psychological manipulation, A Qiu remained unfazed, immediately made a decision to launch a direct attack, and shouted for Li Chongyu to leave.
But Zhao Lingying was no ordinary person; she was the most talented woman in the Dayan Dynasty. Of course, she wouldn't lose her composure just because she lost a game.
She was shocked inside, but her face remained calm. She casually parried and deflected the attacks while laughing, "Little girl, did you think that once you got past me, there would be no one waiting for him anymore?"
Although A Qiu had expected this, she still trembled upon hearing it, but said calmly, "The Marquis himself is not a weakling. He is a famous general who has fought his way up from a million-strong army. As long as the opponent is not a master like Lord Lantai, he is capable of protecting himself."
Zhao Lingying smiled and said, "To tell you the truth, there are at least three challenges ahead of you, Marquis, and I am actually only the weakest one."
A Qiu thought to himself that, in terms of martial prowess, Zhao Lingying might not be the strongest opponent. It wasn't because she was weak, but because she didn't need to go all out. Her psychological tactics were enough to subdue the enemy without a fight.
Her humility was simply to put pressure on A-Qiu, making her anxious for Li Chongyu and causing her to make numerous mistakes, so that she could easily deal with A-Qiu and prevent her from rushing to help Li Chongyu in the next round.
A Qiu took a deep breath, deliberately relaxed, met Zhao Lingying's gaze, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Are the remaining forces Pei Yu's Divine Hound Camp and the Jianzhang Army's Northern Camp under the Grand Commander Sikong? My master surely has his own arrangements for dealing with the army. Since the founding of Dayan, I have never heard of my master making a mistake in any calculation."
By bringing up Gu Yi, she was trying to show Zhao Lingying that she was not worried at all about whether Li Chongyu was in danger, and that she would stay here and fight her with all her might.
Zhao Lingying chuckled and said, "This little girl is really stubborn, refusing to give in the slightest. Fine," seeing that she couldn't intimidate A Qiu or sway her will in the slightest, she cut to the chase, "I never like to make pointless sacrifices, and I value your talent, so I don't want to ruin you here. Therefore, I don't want a life-or-death struggle. How about we make a bet?"
Zhao Lingying was always one to feign reality while revealing her true intentions. A Qiu couldn't figure out whether she was genuinely unwilling to fight to the death or simply trying to demoralize Zhao Lingying. But she was prepared to face whatever came her way. Gu Yi's successor and the master of the Divine Weapon Hall was not afraid of anyone. She calmly said, "Please enlighten me, Your Excellency."
Zhao Lingying suddenly looked at her with a strange light in his eyes, staring intently at her face, and asked a question that was not directly related to her answer: "Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are extremely beautiful?"
Caught off guard, A Qiu paused for a moment before honestly replying, "Thank you for the compliment, Zhao Rong. However, in A Qiu's opinion, Zhao Rong's eyes are also very beautiful."
She wasn't lying. Zhao Lingying's eyes were upturned at the corners, resembling a phoenix facing the sun, and her eyes were sparkling and lively. They were set on her pretty nose, and she was indeed beautiful.
Zhao Lingying was stunned, and asked herself, "Is that so?" She lowered her head, as if she were lost in the bewilderment of the past.
A moment later, she raised her head again, her smile returning, and said, "Little girl, here's the bet: if I can reveal the origin of your martial arts within three moves, you will no longer interfere in this matter, how about it?"
A Qiu's face almost broke down as she made a quick judgment: Zhao Lingying was indeed the most difficult enemy she had ever encountered since her debut.
Her martial arts foundation was the "Spirit Ape Assassination Technique" specially used by Lanling Hall for assassination. It was modified and improved by Wan Qiqing. It was dangerous, ruthless, vicious, and unparalleled. It took an unorthodox approach and every move was ruthless.
His internal strength was also achieved through unorthodox methods, which he realized on his own in the icy and snowy landscape.
Therefore, after she became Gu Yi's disciple, Gu Yi immediately instructed her in swordsmanship, emphasizing that she should use the lightness and righteousness of swordsmanship, and be inclusive and expansive, to change her previous dangerous and ruthless path.
After she unexpectedly lost the internal energy she had cultivated since childhood, she also received the authentic Xuanmen inheritance from Gu Yi.
Therefore, at present, neither her martial arts techniques nor the origins of her internal energy reveal much about her original assassin background. This also fulfills Gu Yi's expectation of her: that no one should ever discover that she was an assassin from the Lanling Hall, otherwise she would inevitably be unacceptable in the court and palace.
However, she had only been with Gu Yi for a very short time, and neither of them had expected another thing: martial arts skills beyond weapons.
A sword has its own unique character; holding a sword in hand inevitably embodies the dignified and upright demeanor of a master.
But when one has no sword in hand and must face an enemy, one has no choice but to use one's fists and feet. In this respect, if A Qiu is not consciously aware of it, she will reveal her foundation in the martial arts of the Lanling Hall, because she has not learned anything else.
At the state banquet, when she shielded Li Chongyu from Mu Huaying's attack, she faced a dilemma: whether or not to reveal her identity.
Fortunately, someone reminded her at the time that she could use Chu Yuanyi's "Wind and Thunder Slash".
At this moment, she was still using the "Wind and Thunder Cleave" technique to deal with Zhao Lingying's close-range attack, but she had slightly modified the external form, making it difficult for people to discern its origin.
This palm technique, which she modified, should have never been seen by anyone before, and therefore no one should recognize it.
In theory, this should be her biggest secret.
But Zhao Lingying chose this point to bet on, and seemed to have a plan in mind.
A Qiu had many thoughts and plans flashing through his mind in a short time.
Zhao Lingying stared at her without blinking.
A-Qiu suddenly understood.
This was a proposal she simply couldn't refuse.
If she refuses, it would be tantamount to admitting to Zhao Lingying that her identity and background are questionable.
Only now did A-Qiu suddenly realize where the problem lay.
She was accepted as Gu Yi's disciple only a few months ago, but her martial arts skills at the state banquet and just now clearly place her among the top-tier masters.
As Gu Yi's disciple, it's no surprise that she possesses high martial arts skills; no one would disagree.
If there's any rapid progress, it's all thanks to Gu Yi's excellent teaching.
But these words can only fool laymen. For an expert like Zhao Lingying, who had personally seen her just a few months ago when she was just an ordinary dancer and knew her background very well, if she couldn't guess that she had already learned her skills when she first saw her superb skills, then she would have lived in vain.
Little did anyone know that Zhao Lingying was trying to guess whether it was just the origin of this Wind and Thunder Slash Technique, or her entire background and origins.
A bead of sweat trickled down A Qiu's forehead. He composed himself and said calmly, "My martial arts skills were all taught by my master and are nothing special. However, since Lord Lantai wants to make this bet, A Qiu is willing to play along."
A smile appeared on Zhao Lingying's bright face as she slowly said, "In recent years, the Young Master has rarely made a move, but more than ten years ago, when we were still fighting side by side, I did see his swordsmanship."
This means that if A Qiu's martial arts skills were not derived from Gu Yi, then it would not be able to hide it from her, an old acquaintance.
A Qiu pondered a solution in his mind, and after a moment said, "Please enlighten me, Your Highness."
She flipped her palm and made a hand seal. Her right hand raised the "Carved Moon" sword, and the sword trembled slightly, emitting a series of clear whistles. The cold sword energy swept over Zhao Lingying.
The entire city gate was enveloped by the invisible sword intent emanating from Louyue.
This is the most authentic Xuanmen mental cultivation method, the Daoist sword intent. If it is said to have been passed down from Gu Yi, there is absolutely no fault in it.
A Qiu had already devised a plan: to prevent Zhao Lingying from getting close enough to force him to fight with his fists and feet. Therefore, he needed to unleash his sword skills as much as possible to keep her at least four feet away.
Zhao Lingying showed a look of attention. With his left hand, he raised the judge's pen and lightly touched the tip of the crescent-shaped sword to deflect its force. At the same time, with his right hand, he swept the sword horizontally and slashed it open, using the suction force to neutralize the momentum of the sword.
A Qiu's sword only went halfway before she immediately changed her stance and attacked downwards. Zhao Lingying was currently preoccupied with defending both sides, leaving an opening in his center. Louyue changed her thrust into a parry, aiming straight for Zhao Lingying's chest. At the same time, A Qiu laughed and asked, "May I ask, sir, which move is this?"
This was originally her first move, but she changed it midway through, altering the straight thrust into a downward and upward slash, so it can also be considered her second move.
However, after three moves, Zhao Lingying would have to figure out the origin of A Qiu's martial arts. Therefore, if we count the second move, Zhao Lingying would only have one move left.
Given Zhao Lingying's status and position, she certainly wouldn't take advantage of a junior, much less consider whether or not to try and gain the upper hand with such a move. Knowing A Qiu's intentions, she dodged while simultaneously striking the sword heavily with her judge's pen, causing A Qiu to shudder. She laughed, "Little girl, you're so precocious! It's infuriating. I wonder how Gu Yi managed to take on such a disciple. Didn't your master die of anger?"
A Qiu thought to herself, "I was forced into this by you, sir." She now understood that when fighting Zhao Lingying, she couldn't afford to be even slightly careless.
Seeing that she only had one move left and was not at a disadvantage, A Qiu felt relieved. As long as she used swordsmanship, Zhao Ling would not be able to find any fault with her move.
She drew her sword and turned to attack again, but heard Zhao Lingying softly utter, "Go."
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