"Party of Happycloud …" Mengqi nodded with a smile and took the invitation.
"Tell your young master that I will go to the party as scheduled."
The date marked on the invitation was New Year's Eve, which seemed to have the meaning of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. Calculating the time, Mengqi's schedule would not be tight, so he planned to go to Wen An first to complete Yun Zhongzi's commission.
…
In Wen An of River East, it was almost the end of the year and the north wind was blowing. Although the river was not covered by snow, the environment was damp and cold, and the weather was gloomy. It seemed that no matter how thick the clothes were, they could not stop the cold. It was a completely different feeling from the scenery in the north.
Lyu Jian, who was famous for his wide circle of friends, had his hands in his sleeves, holding a red copper sleeve burner. He was walking on the street in the cold wind with a big smile on his face. From time to time, he smiled and nodded to greet people, as if he knew everyone.
When he was young, he was also ambitious in Jianghu. Relying on his good communication skills, he got to know many famous people. Unfortunately, he was seriously injured and could not be treated in time, so he had no hope of breaking through. He had to return to his hometown and rely on his connections to become a local tyrant.
"Ahem, ahem," he coughed a few times and tightened his sleeve stove to resist the cold outside his body.
This was his old injury, which made him particularly uncomfortable in winter. Otherwise, how could such a degree of cold hurt a master of Seven Acupores?
"Jianghu is full of troubles …" Lyu Jian sighed and said to himself.
Whenever he felt stiff all over in winter, he would feel especially emotional. If he had chosen to inherit the family business instead of going out to explore, he would have easily reached the Nine Acupores level. Even though it was impossible for him to reach the Half-step Exterior Scenery, at least he wouldn't have to struggle for two or three months every year. It was a pity that he was young and ambitious at that time. He felt ashamed to be born into this world if he couldn't reach the Exterior. Thus, he traveled far and wide in search of the path to the Exterior.
Thinking back now, there were countless people who had enlightened the Acupores, but how many of them could open the Hidden Latch of Life and Death? For ordinary people in Jianghu, the hope was slim!
"Second Uncle, why are you so sad like an old man?" His nephew, Lu Huo, who was walking beside him, couldn't help but laugh. His second uncle wasn't more than forty years old, but when he sighed with emotion about the matters of the Jianghu, he was like an old man in his seventies or eighties, lifeless and sighing.
Lyu Jian laughed and scolded, "When you've traveled in Jianghu, you'll understand my current state of mind …"
As he said this, he suddenly recalled all the things he had experienced in Jianghu.
Exterminating bandits, surrounding and killing demons, risking their lives for a certain relic …
He had also gotten drunk at Lou Wailou, won money at the No.1 Casino Sky, rushed three hundred miles under the moonlight, and was willing to go through water and tread on fire for a promise …
Jin Li, who was the son of a concubine but never blamed himself, Xue Rui, who always laughed and liked to play tricks on others, Zhong Meixian, who was always shy but never abandoned her companions in the face of enemies … These friends flashed in Lyu Jian's heart one by one, making him feel warm. He sighed again. If he hadn't chosen to travel in Jianghu, his life would have been monotonous and poor, and even his memories would have been pale. Alas, if he could go back to the past and choose again, he would probably make the same decision.
Lyu Huo was at the age where he longed for Jianghu, so he didn't care about his uncle's words at all. He looked at the brave men with swords and sabers.
Suddenly, he shouted, "Second Uncle, look, the new Ranking List of Young Masters is out!"
They passed by the Wen An Yamen of the Six Fan School.
"Ranking List of Young Masters?" Lyu Jian was quite surprised. Why was the Ranking List of Young Masters updated so frequently? Was there a big change in the ranking?
As one of the local tyrants, it was necessary for him to know the news of Jianghu. He took his nephew and the bodyguards to the square in front of the yamen to study the Ranking List of Young Masters.
"The ranking of Su Meng, the Killing Blade, has been promoted again!" Lyu Huo exclaimed. It had been less than three months, but Su Meng had promoted his ranking again. It was incredible!
Except for the period when one first entered Jianghu and slowly showed his strength, the promotion of the ranking usually took half a year. After all, it took time to improve one's cultivation, and one couldn't defeat stronger enemies just by thinking. However, it had been less than three months since Su Meng defeated the Five Emperors' Broadsword in River East, and he had made another shocking achievement. It was hard to believe that he was the same person as he was two months ago!
"What?" Lyu Jian was also shocked. He looked ahead and found that the ranking of He Jiu and the others had not changed, but there was a difference.
"Name: Su Meng, former Dharma name: Zhen Ding."
"Kung Fu: Seven Acupores. He first practiced the Golden Bell Shield, but now he seems to be practicing a similar Hard Kung Fu. His spirit is stronger than ordinary Nine Acupores, and he has amazing Divine Strength. He mainly uses the saber in his right hand, supplemented by the sword in his left hand. His swordsmanship is not systematic, but he is good at fighting. His bladesmanship has obtained the Gist of Trueness of the first and second moves of Ananda's Oath-breaking Bladesmanship, and he can use them continuously without using his Blood Essence."
"With the help of his Precious Weapon, he can also derive the Exterior bladesmanship with the nature of thunder. If he goes all out, he can launch an attack close to the Exterior. At the same time, his Bladesmanship is successful, and his Essence has reached the level of a master. He also has the means to summon the Sky Thunder."
"Battle record: Killed 'White-headed Vulture' An Guoxie; narrowly defeated 'Right-guarding Sword' Wang Zai by half a move on the military drill ground of Yedu; escaped unscathed from 'The Astounding' Jiang Hengchuan's killing intent in the Flower-viewing Garden of Maoling, Jiang Province; forced 'Ledgerkeeper of Longevity' Wang Siyuan to defend himself with his sword in Dongyang Villa; narrowly defeated 'Five Emperors' Knife 'Qing Yu on the streets of Jiang Province …"
"Ran for thousands of miles and was besieged by Shadow Cold Palm, Flame-scorching Devilman, and Soul-losing Flute outside the temple by the road of Dragon-rocky Mountain. He fought one against three and killed them all. The details of the fight are unknown, but Killing Blade Su Meng has the Golden Bell Shield and other Hard Kung Fu skills, so he is obviously better at dealing with similar situations than other masters on the Ranking List."
"Rank: Sixth."
"Nicknames: Killing Blade, Reckless Monk, Thunder Blade Furious Monk."
"Identity: Abandoned disciple of Shaolin Temple, Jianghu Swordsman."
"One battle removed Shadow Cold Palm, Flame-scorching Devilman, and Soul-losing Flute?" Lyu Jian couldn't believe his own eyes.
Although Shadow Cold Palm had once suffered Qi-deviancy Derangement and his strength was greatly reduced, and as the battle went on, the backlash would become more and more severe, making him weaker and weaker, he was still a Half-step Exterior Scenery master after all. His Body Movements were outstanding, and his palm strength was terrifying. In addition, he had Flame-scorching Devilman, who was ranked at the top among the Devilmen, and Soul-losing Flute, which was famous for the heterodox path. With a reasonable combination of long-range and close-range attacks, it was enough to encircle and kill a normal Half-step Exterior Scenery master, let alone Su Meng, who had only opened Seven Apertures.
This was simply unbelievable!
Moreover, no one would question such a battle record even if he was ranked in the top five. The Six Fan School had considered that Su Meng's skills were better at life-and-death fights and encirclement and killing. Placing him in the sixth place would instead make people suspect him of suppressing others.
"Too, too awesome! He was besieged by three evil spirits and still managed to kill them all! "Lyu Huo was inexplicably excited as he muttered to himself," Is Sword Blade Ambidexterity really that strong? I really want to learn it! "
"Maybe it's because he has just opened the Seven Apertures …" Lyu Jian ignored his nephew's exclamation and thought about the problem.
After hearing the words "Sword Blade Ambidexterity", he suddenly felt that the information on Su Meng's Ranking List of Young Masters seemed to be different from before. It was not because of the reduction in battle record, because the number of words on the Ranking List of Young Masters was limited, and it mainly reflected the most important and latest situation. Instead, it was because the words "Sword Blade Ambidexterity" had been diluted. It seemed that Su Meng had stopped using the sword and focused on the saber, and the description of the sword art had become more and more simple.
Of course, because this part of the content was not removed at once, but changed, Lyu Jian did not think too much about it. He shook his head and smiled bitterly.
In those days, he had worked hard and repeatedly risked his life to enter the Ranking List of Young Masters, but he had failed. Now, just a few years after the age of 35, he had witnessed the rapid progress of the Ranking List of Young Masters and the meaning of "comparing oneself with others"!
The following rankings did not continue to be updated, but there were small changes. Some new people entered the list, and some people who had broken through or reached the age limit were removed from the list.
"Let's go home quickly." Lyu Jian held the handkerchief tightly and urged his nephew. Every time he looked at the Ranking List of Young Masters, the more he looked at it, the more he sighed, especially when it was the coldest time of winter.
Lyu Huo turned his head reluctantly. After walking for a while, he came to the bridge and suddenly said, "Second Uncle, do you know which sect has the Sword Blade Ambidexterity?"
"You can't even use the sword or the saber alone. How can you expect to be Sword Blade Ambidexterity?" Lyu Jian was disappointed with his nephew.
"Maybe I'm good at the cooperation of the sword and the saber." Lyu Huo said excitedly.
Lyu Jian was about to speak when he suddenly saw a Young Master in a cyan robe standing in front of him.
He stood quietly by the bridge and looked at the riddle couplets hanging on the nearby trees with his hands behind his back. He was dressed in a cyan robe and wore a silk scarf, looking elegant and free.
At first glance, he was not conspicuous. But after a closer look, one would find that this Young Master in a cyan robe, the stone arch bridge, the river, the trees, and the ground had formed a harmonious whole. It seemed that he was this world, and he could accept or reject intruders with a single thought.
On a moonless night, the water was gurgling, the green trees were withered, the arch bridge was undulating, and the ground was still. It was quiet all around, except for the sound of water, which made people feel like they were in a dream. Lyu Jian's expression became serious, and his eyes subconsciously focused on the Young Master's hands. They were placed behind his back, slender and powerful, glowing faintly as if they were carved out of jade. They had an indescribable strange charm.
"Are you Lyu Jian?" The Young Master in a cyan robe turned his head, revealing a face with seemingly simple features, but when put together, it revealed a devilish charm. His voice was steady and heavy.
Lyu Jian shivered and came to his senses. "Yes, I am. What can I do for you?"
"I was entrusted to find the whereabouts of Jin Li. Are you sure that the last place he appeared was Wen An?" The Young Master in a cyan robe said in a calm tone.
He was Mengqi. Because it was related to the Heavenly Primogenitor, it was impossible for him to investigate directly in his original identity, nor could he wear a mask all the time. Therefore, he changed his appearance again with the help of the Eight Nine Mysteries and disguise items.
Lyu Jian looked around and motioned for the guards to take Lyu Huo away. Then he cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, are you from the Jin Family?"
"Jin Li and I are life-and-death friends. More than three years ago, he suddenly came to Wen An and said a lot of words that seemed normal at the time, but now I think it is quite strange. Then he left my house in the rain. At that time, I didn't pay much attention to him and thought he had something to do elsewhere. Not until recently, the Jin Family sent someone to inquire about him. Then I learned that he had been missing for several years.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
