Thick black clouds gathered in the sky. Four auspicious beasts stood on the eaves of the ink-black palace, facing the sky. Everyone in the imperial city held their breath and looked at the two figures who were as small as ants compared to the majestic palace.
Crack, crack —
A snow-white spear was dragged in his hand. The tip of the spear rubbed against the mirror-like white jade square, making a slight sound.
Liu Zhangrun, who was dressed in a childe's robe, took off his outer shirt and walked to the center of the square. He held the spear with both hands and shook it violently. "Bang —" The red tassel was extremely eye-catching in the vast and solemn world.
"Liu Zhangrun from the Liu family of Guanzhong Dao."
Liu Zhangrun's martial arts skills were not bad. He was considered a good fighter among the younger generation of Chang 'an City. At this time, he was the first to fight, and naturally won everyone's praise.
Zuo Yezi looked up and down a few times. He raised the black scabbard in his hand and said calmly,
"Zuo Yezi."
Clang —
Next to the Dragon Throne, Eunuch Jia held a gong wrapped in red cloth and hit the huge gong with a dragon carved on it.
Everyone's attention was suddenly focused. No one even blinked. Most of the fights between martial artists were over in a single breath.
"Ah —"
When Liu Zhangrun heard the gong, his clothes suddenly shook. He held the spear horizontally and strode forward with steady steps. The tip of the spear moved forward in a straight line without the slightest movement. He was using the unique skill of Jiangnan's Six Harmonies School, the "Central Flat Spear".
"Good —"
Just this posture alone made Zhang Xiang, Liu Pingyang, and other martial artists showed their approval. As the saying goes, "A month with a stick, a year with a knife, a lifetime with a spear." It was not easy to use a spear well. Liu Zhangrun was only in his twenties, but his straight spear could be described as experienced.
Unfortunately, the people's smiles did not last long.
Zuo Yezi held his sword horizontally. He just waited quietly as if he did not see the incoming spear.
"Die!"
Seeing his opponent's arrogance, Liu Zhangrun's eyes revealed a bit of anger. Since he was responsible for his own life and death, he immediately thrust his spear forward like a dragon, aiming for Zuo Yezi's heart.
The "Central Flat Spear" was about "the spear in a straight line". The head, the spear, the shoulder, and the knee were flat, so it was also known as the "Four Flat Spear".
Just when everyone was wondering if Zuo Yezi was stunned, the slow-reacting young man in black waited until the spear pierced through the sword in his hand before twisting his wrist and slamming the sword against the spear.
Pa —
Liu Zhangrun's spear, which he had thrust out with all his strength, suddenly changed direction and brushed past Zuo Yezi's waist, not harming him at all.
Zhang Xiang, who was smiling, suddenly narrowed his eyes, and a trace of astonishment flashed across his eyes.
"Strength!" "Qi!"
Eunuch Jia, who was in front of the Emperor, shook his head before he thrust his spear forward.
Before most of the people could react, Zuo Yezi, who had knocked away the spear, was too lazy to even pull out his sword. He raised his hand and grabbed Liu Zhangrun's neck.
Liu Zhangrun thrust his spear forward with all his strength. He did not expect to be knocked off course by such a strong force. He thrust his spear forward and was already in front of Zuo Yezi. Before he could see the situation clearly, his neck was suddenly tightened. Then, his whole body was grabbed by the neck, lifted up, and slammed onto the ground!
Peng —
The sound of the impact traveled far.
The tall Liu Zhangrun fell to the ground like a sack. He did not even have the time to groan before he fainted on the spot.
“！！！”
The crowd suddenly went silent. Their eyes were filled with shock.
Liu Pingyang stood up and directly knocked over the table in front of him. He raised his hand and pointed at the center of the square. He opened his mouth for a long time but could not say anything.
Xiao Chuyang and the other officials frowned. They did not expect Liu Zhangrun to fall so easily.
"He lost just like that?"
Even the empress dowager, who sat behind the bead curtain, had her mouth agape. Her eyes were filled with bewilderment. To the others, it looked as if Liu Zhangrun had charged over aggressively and was then grabbed by the neck and thrown to the ground. His movements were smooth, and it was as if he was acting on a stage.
All the people in the Courtiers were dumbfounded. Only Zhang Tingbao, Tang Jiu 'er, and the others who knew martial arts had stern expressions.
The amateurs just watched for fun, while the experts knew the ropes.
Just now, Zuo Yezi had not drawn his sword. He had flipped his longsword with his wrist and knocked away the spear, which was famous for its steadiness, accuracy, and ruthlessness.
Even if Liu Zhangrun was not skilled and his skills were fixed, Zhang Tingbao deduced that if he had raised his Goose Feather Saber horizontally, he would definitely not have been able to knock away the spear. His father, Zhang Xiang, could, but Zhang Xiang was already a famous butcher, and Liu Zhangrun was not even twenty!
The entire place was silent for a moment.
Zuo Yezi lowered his head and looked at Liu Zhangrun, whose life or death was unknown. He turned around in boredom and looked at the group of young people who were waiting to enter the arena.
"If all of you are like this, come at me together. Otherwise, Emperor Dai Yue will be annoyed."
"You —"
Tang Jiu 'er, Situ Huyu, and the others looked angry. Tang Jiu' er mocked coldly.
Tang Jiu 'er mocked coldly, "Great Commandant Liu's son was born in the army. He is not a man of Jianghu. Don't get carried away."
Zuo Yezi raised his hand and beckoned. "Come up here and talk."
Clap — Clap — Clap —
In front of Tai Chi Palace, Song Ji's expression did not change. He clapped his hands and praised, "Heroes have always been young. It is good to be young and energetic. Help Zhangrun down. Tang Jiu 'er, you are also a swordsman. Go up and compete with Zuo Yezi. "
Many of the solemn Courtiers finally came to their senses. Although Liu Zhangrun had fallen, he was not skilled in martial arts. He was only born into a family of generals. It was normal for him to lose to a real Jianghu expert. In a fight between martial artists, victory or defeat was usually decided in one move. It was not strange for him to lose so quickly. He still had his trump cards up his sleeve.
The Courtiers secretly heaved a sigh of relief. They also praised him in front of the envoy, Chen Xuan, to show the magnanimity of a great country.
Tang Jiu 'er was dressed in martial arts attire. She carried her sword and walked down the steps of the side hall. She first bowed to Song Ji, then stood up straight and raised her sword horizontally.
"Tang Jiu 'er of the Tang Family of Youzhou!"
There were four families in the Dai Yue that used swords: the Lu family of the Eastern Sea, the Tang family of Youzhou, the Zhu family, and the Cao family of Chu. Each family's swordsmanship was different. Among them, the Lu family was the best, followed by the other three. However, after the Lu and Zhu families were implicated by the Iron Eagle Hunting Deer, and the Cao family sealed their swords because of old Jianghu matters, the Tang family gradually became the best in swordsmanship.
The sword was the noblest of all weapons. It was the weapon most used by Jianghu people. The Tang family's sword was famous for its "hiding". It was light, ethereal, strange, and difficult to find. In Jianghu, it was also known as the "Green Bamboo Snake's Mouth."
Tang Jiu 'er was the eldest son of the Tang family. He was the ninth son of the Tang family, but he was the most talented. In Jianghu, where the hierarchy of the eldest son was not so strict, he was basically the next head of the Tang family. He came to fight the disciple of the Imperial Advisor of Northern Qi.
After Zuo Yezi introduced himself with a long sword in hand, a gong sounded in front of the Taiji Palace.
Everyone became alert and focused on the two young people. They knew that it was going to be a tough battle.
Tang Jiu 'er raised his longsword horizontally. Perhaps because Liu Zhangrun had embarrassed himself just now, he did not choose to attack first. Instead, he waited for Liu Zhangrun to attack first before he could break it.
Whoosh, whoosh —
A breeze blew at his long hair that fell over his shoulders.
Zuo Yezi tilted his head slightly. When he saw that Tang Jiu 'er did not intend to attack, he took a step forward.
Bang —
The white jade bricks instantly cracked, and his black long robe turned into an afterimage.
A cold light flashed in the air.
Clang —
Just like that, a sword whine and a snowy light appeared.
Zuo Yezi landed behind Tang Jiu 'er. He slowly put away his longsword, which was as bright as new, and turned his head to look at the people waiting at the foot of the side hall. His voice was calm.
"Next!"
"…"
Tang Jiu 'er still held her longsword horizontally. Her black hair slowly floated down from her shoulders, and a line of blood slowly slid down from her forehead. Her expression was blank, and the hand that held her sword trembled slightly.
Once Zuo Yezi finished speaking, he turned his head around and looked at Tang Jiu 'er with a disdainful gaze. "I almost forgot. I'm sorry, but when a sword is unsheathed, blood must be shed. The Tang family seems to have this rule as well."
"…"
"This … this …"
* Crash — *
A commotion broke out in the hall. Teacups were knocked over, and the sounds of people sucking in sharp breaths rose and fell.
Zhang Tingbao instinctively touched his neck. He had originally wanted to look for a chance to fight, but at that moment, he could only stand rooted to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The teacup in Song Ji's hand swayed a little. The tea spilled onto the back of his hand, but he did not care about it. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he could not understand what was going on.
Eunuch Jia sighed softly and said slowly, "Your Majesty, Tang Jiu 'er has underestimated her opponent."
The Courtiers in the hall burst into a commotion.
The civil officials, who did not know any martial arts, were flustered and exasperated. They angrily asked Zhang Xiang and the others what had happened, and whether the Tang family had betrayed them.
Even Xiao Chuyang and the others furrowed their eyebrows tightly. They felt that something was wrong today.
It was understandable that Tang Jiu 'er could not win. After all, martial artists would always lose in a fight.
But she had lost in a worse way than Liu Zhangrun …
Lu Chengan rubbed his fingers and pondered for a moment. "She has come with ill intentions. Your Majesty, I'm afraid it will not be easy to clean up today … We cannot lose again …"
Xiao Chuyang took a deep breath and took a sip of his tea. "Tang Jiu 'er has underestimated her opponent. Situ Huyu is a calm person. He will not lose."
Behind the bead curtain, the Empress Dowager looked very angry. She slapped her tight thigh and complained angrily,
"What the hell did Zhang Xiang find? He can't even draw his sword. He should at least fight a few times. What is going on …"
Xu Buling took a sip of his wine and shook his head.
"I can't draw it out."
The Empress Dowager was a little anxious. She gritted her teeth and said, "This competition concerns the prestige of our country. If anything goes wrong, where will the dignity of Your Majesty and me be? The martial artists in the streets will definitely rebel …"
Chatter.
Just when most of the martial artists were silent and the rest were making noise, a sudden burst of cheers came from the stands where the nobles' sons gathered.
"Good, good, good! Well done! You won! "
"…"
The originally tense and silent atmosphere was thrown into confusion by this joyful laughter. They thought that the Northern Qi Kingdom's child was making a ruckus, and they turned their heads to look angrily …
Xiao Ting had one foot on the table and was boasting to a few vassal princes that he had made a correct bet.
The Empress Dowager's words came to an abrupt halt. She clutched her dress tightly and wished that she could find a hole to hide in.
Although it was a little inappropriate, at least she had woken up the crowd.
Song Ji put down the teacup and shook his head with a chuckle. He raised his hand and said,
"Tang Jiu 'er, it's good for young people to suffer some setbacks. Otherwise, how can you understand that there are mountains beyond mountains and towers beyond buildings? You need to practice more in the future. You can leave now."
Tang Jiu, who had been stunned for a long time, looked at the sword that had not been drawn. He wiped the blood on his temples, bowed, and left the arena in a daze …
