novelraw Chapter 29 The White Emperor's Sword
Chapter 29 The White Emperor's Sword
Before leaving, Shangguan Hong made a request.
"I have heard that Young Master Sheng's palm technique is righteous and powerful, and he has made a name for himself at the Chu Xiang Heroes Gathering, with no one able to withstand his second strike."
Shangguan Hong was, after all, a woman of the martial world. Although she was gentle in nature, she couldn't resist the urge to fight. She gently pressed her hand on the hilt of her sword and said, "The journey is long and arduous, and I don't know if we will meet again. If you would be willing to teach me a few moves, I would be extremely grateful."
"There's no need to be so polite."
Sheng Wansong smiled gently, "Come with me."
Having said that, he took the lead and walked out of the inn, stopping at an open space outside the crossroads.
People come and go here. As the day goes by, newcomers, unaware that someone has died in the teahouse, still order a cup of tea in their spare time and sit down to listen to the storyteller. They are also unaware that the inn has been haunted by evil spirits and go in to ask about the guest rooms.
This time, however, the storyteller dared not mention the Six Doors again.
He was about to speak when someone shouted, "Fighting! Fighting! Come and see what's going on!"
The seats that were just full were suddenly emptied out.
The group included villagers going to the market, merchants coming and going, and bodyguards escorting goods. They all ran over and formed a circle, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks to look inside.
Despite the crowd, they tacitly left an open space for the two people standing facing each other to engage in combat.
This is a conclusion drawn from blood and tears: swords have no eyes, and getting too close could result in accidental injury.
"What a beautiful sister! Are all female knights-errant in the martial arts world this beautiful? I want to be a female knight-errant when I grow up!"
Hearing the little girl's fantasy, the bodyguard next to her sneered, "You haven't seen that ugly swordsman Song Zhen. He's so ugly, he could make you throw up your dinner from last night."
"That man looks like this year's Chu Xiang hero, Sheng Wansong!!"
"Hey, it really is!"
The Chu Xiang Heroes Gathering had just ended, and this was a major transportation route near Chu Xiang, so someone recognized Sheng Wansong.
"Young Master Sheng's martial arts are superb, so my daughter will make the first move!"
The Azure Wave Sword Technique, true to its name, is like rippling water, gentle and subtle, with each move flowing continuously, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, making it difficult to predict.
This sword technique is similar to the Wudang sword technique, both of which use softness to overcome hardness.
However, Wudang sword is soft yet strong, while Shangguan Hong's Bibo sword is entirely soft, displaying the meaning of flowing water and falling flowers.
Shangguan Hong's Azure Wave Sword Technique was inherently gentle, and with Sheng Wansong deliberately feeding her moves, the back-and-forth between the two resembled a mere contest rather than a competition.
It's more like a dance than a martial art.
"Damn it, I came to watch a fight, not to watch people show off their love. I'm leaving."
"You don't know anything."
The same bodyguard scoffed, "This is Young Master Sheng teaching that lady martial arts moves. I can see that he's already exceptionally skilled at such a young age, with the level of a top-tier martial artist."
"It's good to have beautiful women; they'll have someone to woo them."
A middle-aged swordsman with a scar near his eye sighed, "I've heard that Sheng Wansong is ruthless to everyone on the stage, striking them down with a single blow, yet he's so gentle with women."
"A life of luxury is a hero's grave. I think he'll die at the hands of a woman sooner or later."
Regardless of the malicious speculations of others, Sheng Wansong and Shangguan Hong exchanged moves one after another in the arena until they finished a set of Biyue Sword Technique.
Shangguan Hongrou's gentle expression suddenly turned serious, and she warned, "I'm about to use the final move of the Azure Water Sword, Young Hero Sheng, be careful!"
She raised her sword above her head, her aura suddenly intensifying, "Water and sky merge into one!"
The water once flowed endlessly, but eventually it turned into a towering wave.
This Azure Wave Sword Technique is a sword technique that continuously accumulates energy and then explodes at the last moment.
In Yu Shengwansong's view, this sword technique was too cumbersome; although it was not bad, it could only be called first-rate and could not be compared with the Wudang sword technique.
He thought this to himself, but didn't say it aloud. Instead, he thought, "Good thing they came!"
Having said that, he waved his hands and unleashed a palm technique that didn't actually exist: "Cloud-Dispelling Palm - Overwhelming Force!"
As mentioned earlier, Sheng Wansong didn't know any Cloud-Dispelling Palm technique at all; this palm strike was simply a single palm strike.
But this simple palm strike can unleash astonishing power.
The sword intent that Shangguan Hong had accumulated over the course of a whole set of sword techniques paled in comparison to this palm strike and was instantly overwhelmed.
The flowing sword intent was dispersed, and Shangguan Hong's sword flew out of her hand and stuck diagonally into the ground.
"Thank you for your concession."
If Sheng Wansong were to judge, Shangguan Hong's strength would be slightly inferior to Wudang Yuan Tai, and not as good as the mountain king Gui Jianchou.
Although his skill level was still above An Lan's, considering the fact that An Lan had killed Gui Jianchou.
To be honest, they can no longer beat An Lan.
With the current updates to the martial arts world, she is one of those who hasn't kept up with the changes.
Shangguan Hong stared blankly at the longsword that had fallen to the ground.
Although he knew he was no match for his opponent, he never expected that the sword intent he had accumulated for a sword technique would be broken by the opponent with a single palm strike.
Even with the best mental preparation, disappointment is inevitable.
Fortunately, she wasn't one to dwell on gains and losses, and quickly adjusted her mindset: "Young Master Sheng is about my age, yet your skill far surpasses mine. I admire you!"
Seeing that there was no show to watch, the people around gradually dispersed.
The two returned to the inn together.
During the journey, Shangguan Hong asked, "Young Master Sheng, have you discerned anything about my swordsmanship?"
Sheng Wansong knew nothing about swords, but since the other party asked, it meant that "Lady Shangguan's swordsmanship is quite good, but this set of swordsmanship always feels like it's missing something."
Shangguan Hong smiled and said, "That's exactly right."
"My Bibo Sect was originally founded by Fairy Lingbo in her later years. It was considered a first-class force in the martial arts world. However, many years ago, the Heavenly Mystery Demon Palace in the outer realms wreaked havoc on the Central Plains, and countless martial arts sects suffered heavy losses. My Bibo Sect was one of them."
"In that catastrophe, only my master survived from the Bibo Sect."
"I was adopted by my master, and I am deeply grateful. I wish to revive the Bibo Sect."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Wansong shook his head, "I'm afraid the future will be fraught with peril."
Shangguan Hong nodded and continued, "That's why we need another inheritance from Fairy Lingbo."
"I would like to hear the details."
She explained, "Our ancestral grandmother was born on a pleasure boat in her early years. However, the women on the pleasure boat were often bullied by villains. Our ancestral grandmother was beautiful and talented. She entered the Dao through dance and created a sword technique called 'Sword Technique' to pass on to the women on the pleasure boat. Later, she roamed the martial arts world and created the 'Azure Wave Sword Technique' and founded the Azure Wave Sect."
"What is little known is that in her later years, the Grandmaster Grandmother had another enlightenment and created a mysterious martial art called the 'White Emperor Sword Technique,' thus reaching the realm of martial arts grandmaster."
"This sword technique was never directly passed down. Our ancestral grandmother left behind a last instruction: all disciples of the Azure Wave Sect must pass a test on the painted boat, and vice versa. If they pass both tests, they can comprehend the 'White Emperor Sword Technique'."
Shangguan Hong's eyes were bright and sharp, gazing intently at Sheng Wansong.
Sheng Wansong has already understood its meaning.
Bibo Sect has weakened to the point where only two people remain. She was afraid that the people on the pleasure boat would not acknowledge the past, so she asked Sheng Wansong to come and support them.
"If I am fortunate enough to witness the return of the White Emperor Sword to the martial world, it would be a great honor."
Shangguan Hong smiled, her beauty unparalleled: "The Green Wood Painting Boat is full of stunning women; this trip will certainly not disappoint Young Hero Sheng."