Uncle Tai's face changed abruptly.
When they had left Guangwu County and passed Sanshan Pavilion, they had caught a glimpse of this youth, with his bamboo staff and straw shoes, blocking the road with three hundred yards of Sword Qi. He rembered it vividly, and now, seeing him again, he couldn't help but draw his sword in preparation.
Wen Hongyun raised his hand to stop him.
The middle-aged man who had shown no unusual behavior along the way, now seed to possess the strength of myriad pounds in his palm as he exchanged several quick moves with Uncle Tai, each capturing the other's arm, the standoff unresolved. Wen Hongyun looked at Uncle Tai and said in a deep voice:
"Mr. Tai, Master Qianshan is also a distinguished guest of the Wen Mansion..."
"Please refrain from rash actions."
The two martial artists guarding the hall drew their swords.
Their murderous intent directly targeted Uncle Tai and the elder Lu, as if any further reckless movent from the two would prompt the wielders to decapitate them without considering the consequences.
Uncle Tai took a deep breath and relaxed his right hand.
The youth in plain white clothing did not glance aside but rely moved forward. As he passed by, Wen Hongyun slightly bowed to show respect, while Qianshan Si did not even lift his eyes to look.
It was as if he considered Uncle Tai and his companions nonexistent. He also seed oblivious to the respectful distinctions palpable throughout the grand Wen Mansion, didn't knock but simply pushed the door and entered.
Wen Hongyun frowned slightly, then quickly returned to his previous expressionless state. He voluntarily let go of Uncle Tai's arm, hands tucked into his sleeves, and stood aside, looking towards the hall with an inscrutable expression.
Even though the swordsman from Heavenly Mountain had stayed in the Wen Mansion for over a month, Wen Hongyun still found it sowhat hard to tolerate the swordsman's arrogance and disdain.
Respect for elders and superiors is customary, both within the household and beyond.
Growing up in a noble clan, Wen Hongyun found the plain white clothing which seed too stark for soone whose ancestors had served as stewards of the Wen family for three generations rather glaring, and he raised his hand to rub his eyes.
As soon as Elder Wen Hong ntioned that na behind the screen, the door was pushed open, followed by calm and asured footsteps coming straight towards the inner hall, and within monts, Wang Anfeng saw a white-clothed youth erging from behind the screen.
Though dressed differently from when he first saw him, Wang Anfeng could still feel the piercing cold and solitary Sword Intent, as harsh as the snow flying over Kunlun Mountains, exactly matching the Heavenly Mountain swordsman he had t that day, his expression slightly tense.
Elder Wen Hong smiled and said:
"I was just about to speak about Master Qianshan."
"Since the master has already arrived, I shall take my leave now. After all, you are young and all swordsn, capable of engaging in conversation. It's not quite appropriate for , a scholar without the strength to truss a chicken, to stay here."
Yuchi Jie chuckled:
"Elder, you are being much too modest."
Since entering, Qianshan Si's eyes had only fixed on Gong Yu, completely ignoring Yuchi Jie, Wang Anfeng, and even the acting head of the Wen family, who was barred from entering the front door.
Before Elder Wen Hong could step out from behind the screen, the Heavenly Mountain swordsman, who had appeared as cold as ice and indifferent as snow to everyone in the Wen family over the month, suddenly laughed out loud.
When he was not smiling, he resembled the snow flying over Heavenly Mountain, yet his smile turned all that flying snow into spring water, his eyes solely on Gong Yu, the laughter gradually subsiding as he sighed lightly:
"Qingfeng Edge Gong Yu..."
"I have finally t you."
Yuchi Jie jokingly said, "What's this tone? Could it be that you have secretly admired our Qingfeng Edge's Master Gong?"
Qianshan Si did not bother with him but, with sword in hand, continued to gaze at Gong Yu.
He was considerably tall, standing half a head taller than Wang Anfeng. Gong Yu was sitting, yet from Wang Anfeng's perspective, it seed as if Qianshan Si was the one looking up at him.
Gong Yu's response was brief and to the point:
"I do not know you."
Qianshan Si smiled:
"But I know you."
"When I was ten, I heard your na."
"At that ti, my great-grandmaster said that among the younger generation, only you could wield a sword with no disturbance of Qi, and he also ntioned that the Immortal of Qingfeng Edge had found a successor, yet he had not found anyone capable of wielding his sword, which was indeed very regrettable."
"I felt it was regrettable too."
"Thus, I have wanted to et you for over a decade."
Lin Qiaofu seed to overhear sothing unbelievable and exclaid softly in shock: "Aren't you the top disciple of the sword maestro?"
As soon as she spoke, she realized she had misspoken, abruptly stopped, and showed a look of apology. From Qianshan Si's previous words, it was clear that not becoming the chief disciple of the Heavenly Mountain Sword maestro was a deep-seated obsession of his, and her phrasing was inconsiderate.
The Heavenly Mountain swordsman, who had refused to et the eyes of nobility just a while ago, treated Lin Qiaofu kindly, shook his head, and said softly:
"I never have."
"My master said my temperant is different from his, and I couldn't learn his swordsmanship, so I stopped trying," he said.
After a pause, Qianshan Si said:
"Do you like learning swordsmanship?"
Lin Qiaofu glanced at Gong Yu, shook her head, and said:
"No... I only like reading books, at most just enjoying looking at sword manuals. Both my uncle and elder sister have excellent sword skills, far better than mine."
Qianshan Si smiled and said:
"Reading books... that's also good."
"If one day you wish to practice swordsmanship, I would be willing to guide you."
Lin Qiaofu's face blushed, and she waved her hands repeatedly:
"My sword skills are very poor."
Qianshan Si smiled, shaking his head and said:
"No matter."
Lv Baiping pulled Lin Qiaofu behind her, holding a sword in her hand, her eyes glaring angrily at the gentle and scholarly looking Qianshan Si.
However, Qianshan Si's gaze swept by like passing clouds, like thin air, skimming across her face without pausing, and once again looked towards Gong Yu, saying:
"I would like to have a contest with you..."
"I thought about it for over a decade, when practicing swordsmanship, when walking, even when severely injured, I pondered this matter."
"Thirteen years ago, our master rejected everyone from the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect, setting a peak even loftier than Heavenly Mountain before us. It took thirteen years to arrive at the foot of this perilous peak."
His voice paused, and he added with a smile:
"As the current leading disciple of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect, and the first-ranked deputy on the Sword List, I wish to seek advice on swordsmanship from Qingfeng Edge Gong Yu."
"Would it be possible?"
He outright used the na of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect and his ranking on the Sword List, just to challenge a swordsman who hadn't even made it onto the Sword List. No one would believe this if it were said, yet it was truly taking place right before the eyes of Yuchi Jie and others.
Yuchi Jie was deeply moved and, thick-skinned, jovially remarked:
"So, it's just soone discontented at heart."
Qianshan Si said:
"Just curious."
"The master once said you would be the next Fairy Sword, so I want to see what kind of swordsmanship would be worthy of being called the Fairy Sword."
"Since thirteen years ago, I have swung my sword 300,000 tis each day, sat alone atop the peak of Heavenly Mountain for over a year, comprehended Sword Intent, and traveled ten thousand miles across the land, testing my sword skills in Jianghu. I was near death several tis, but I boast of never having slacked for a day."
He stretched out his right hand, his fingers long but covered with calluses, fitting perfectly with the sword hilt, his arm, wrist, and shoulder muscles bulging under his long robe. This body was forged by swinging the sword 300,000 tis daily, the result of thirteen years guarding his heart and soul, a gift of a true swordsman both physically and spiritually.
Qianshan Si smiled and said:
"I am just curious if my sword can compel the Immortal to step down from the Lotus Platform."
Wang Anfeng had been silently observing all this while, and at that mont, he discerned a bit of subtext, and spoke slowly:
"Are you trying to prove that the forr Sword Master of Heavenly Mountain was mistaken?"
Qianshan Si seed a bit surprised, and his attitude towards Wang Anfeng beca rather gentle, responsive like he was obliging every question, smiling as he shook his head:
"It used to be."
"Not now."
Wang Anfeng's brow furrowed lightly.
Not now?
Qianshan Si turned his head towards Gong Yu, apparently explaining, exclaiming:
"Seeing a swordsman of such caliber, it's natural to discard extraneous concerns, thoughts of life and death, and to engage purely with the sword. If distracted by other matters, would it not be a waste of heaven's gifts?"
"This visit is solely for the sword!"
Gong Yu composed himself, and asked:
"When and where?"
PS: Today's first update presented...
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