Chapter 77

Hua Manlou was actually somewhat used to it; what could he do? Since this boy was his own younger brother, he could only smile bitterly:

"Steward Jin, he has always lacked a sense of proportion when he speaks; please forgive him."

"It's fine, Little Brother Hua has a true temperament and is speaking the truth; why would I take offense?" There was not the slightest hint of anger in Jin Jiuling's eyes.

"This place is remote and happens to be outside the Wangfu's treasury. It is already dark, so we can eat first. I imagine it won't be long before Lu Xiaofeng sneaks into the mansion."

Zhuang Buran nodded and leaned further outward, seemingly seeing a fair-faced man with a slight beard, wearing a snow-white robe, holding a black-sheathed long sword, sitting upright on the eaves.

"It seems it wasn't just me who saw Lu Xiaofeng eating tea and snacks with the Xue family tigress on the old street; Steward Jin's people saw it too. No wonder the Wangfu is acting with a relaxed exterior but a tense interior tonight, and even invited the Baiyun City Lord to guard the treasury."

"With City Lord Ye guarding tonight, Lu Xiaofeng will surely return in defeat."

"It's just a pity..."

"A pity for what?" Shi Xiuzue couldn't help but ask.

Zhuang Buran said slowly:

"It's a pity that City Lord Ye has no killing intent on him, so I won't be able to see the 'Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens' in its peak state."

"Xiao Ba, why are you always unable to see others do well?" Hua Manlou said with slight helplessness.

"Because I am blind, so I naturally can't see others do well!" the youth in red said nonchalantly.

Immediately, everyone was speechless.

Jin Jiuling, however, saw that although the Hua family's youngest son and Hua family's seventh child were both blind, they had completely extreme temperaments.

He felt that this youth in red was probably blind from birth and likely had some psychological issues, which was why he loved to use harsh words to make people feel awkward.

During his recovery period some time ago, he had calmed down for a while, repeatedly pondering who had plotted against him, until he associated it with the sudden abdication of the Emei Sect Leader Dugu Yihe and the tragic deaths of Huo Xiu and others.

Then, learning from Lu Xiaofeng that the person behind the scenes was an unknown organization that had set its sights on the so-called Jinpeng Treasure, he wondered if they had discovered he was the Embroidery Bandit and thus targeted the intercepted wealth.

But after so many days, everything had been peaceful, so he felt he might be overthinking it and fighting against the air again.

The world's experts were endless; perhaps there was just a peerless expert with a strange temperament who couldn't stand seeing others walk with their left foot first.

After enduring for a long time and spending a large sum of money to have the Master Craftsman Zhu Ting custom-make an iron foot for him, he found that after adapting, his martial arts were actually three points stronger than before.

Since he was nineteen, he had felt that the robbers caught by others were all stupid pigs, and he had long wanted to commit a flawless crime. With the wealth he had previously obtained, it might be enough for one, two, or three years.

But for longer than that, it was simply impossible. Since he felt it was still within his control, he decided to proceed according to the original plan.

Fortunately, up until now, there had been no accidents. Lu Xiaofeng already suspected the Red Shoes, and that seemingly majestic Snake King was likely already successful by now.

The only thing that was annoying was that a certain detestable youth in red had arrived again tonight, ruining his mood for watching the show.

"There are always people in the world who fancy themselves experts, always thinking they are the most special people in the world, and that no matter what they do, no one will discover them."

The youth in red suddenly said something out of the blue. Jin Jiuling's pupils shrank, and before he could prepare to say anything, everyone seemed to notice some movement and looked into the distance.

They saw Ye Gucheng suddenly stand up, then a sword light flashed, followed by an incredibly brilliant and swift sword light that enveloped a sudden figure.

The figure's toes touched the ground, and he had already begun to retreat, but the sword light pursued like a startling rainbow or a lightning strike; no matter how fast he retreated, he was not as fast as the downward strike of this sword.

Lu Xiaofeng was instantly forced against the stone wall of the treasury. Seeing the sword light piercing toward his chest like lightning, he had no time to dodge to either side.

His chest suddenly sank, as if it had stuck to his spine, causing this exquisite sword strike, which should have pierced his chest, to now have its force nearly spent.

In that split second, Lu Xiaofeng struck out suddenly; if one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one could describe the ingenuity and speed of his move.

Two fingers clamped together, surprisingly catching the sword blade, leaving Ye Gucheng's sword unable to advance any further.

"Brilliant, what a 'Heart Has Lingxi' move; the lightness skill is good, but the finger technique is even better."

A youth in red appeared like a ghost outside the treasury and said with a lazy smile:

"City Lord White Cloud's 'Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens' is even more wonderful, forming before the move is even made, and the spirit remaining after the move is made. Using the extreme hardness to achieve extreme softness, and using the unchanging to change, it is truly a sword technique that can be called peerless in the world."

"It is naturally a peerless sword technique."

Ye Gucheng sheathed his sword and stood still. His face was very white—not pale, nor sickly white, but a color as translucent and moist as white jade. Then, his eyes, like two cold stars, shot directly at the youth in red who had arrived uninvited:

"I didn't expect another expert to appear in the Jianghu. Your lightness skill is likely no weaker than Lu Xiaofeng's, but it's a pity you have no sword, so you are not a swordsman."

The youth in red stood with his hands behind his back:

"City Lord White Cloud seems immortal, but why is your insight so mundane? Is the Dao of the sword such an inconvenient thing?"

"You practice the sword?" Ye Gucheng's eyes were terrifyingly bright.

"Xiao Ba, City Lord Ye is here; do not be presumptuous," Hua Manlou hurried over.

The youth in red acted as if he hadn't heard and said calmly:

"A few days ago, I wanted to find a top-tier swordsman to let me see what a first-class sword technique is, but unfortunately, it did not go as I wished."

"I don't know if it was my bad luck or her good luck that she managed to dodge death repeatedly."

"However, seeing City Lord White Cloud's sword technique tonight has dispelled much of the annoyance in my heart."

Seeing the youth in red's calm and composed demeanor, Ye Gucheng said:

"Your arrogant appearance is indeed very much like a swordsman's, for if one's swordsmanship is not good enough, one would have long since died under another's sword."

"I know a martial art of formless Qi swords, called the 'Six Meridian Divine Sword,' meaning that wherever the finger force can reach, it is as if there is an invisible sword. Whether sweeping or pointing, it can wound the enemy. The sword Qi is formless, and when the sword is released, it is as fast as lightning, swift and unparalleled. By using them in combination, one can kill with Qi without a form."

Ye Gucheng's face showed joy, and he nodded:

"Using the human body as a sword sheath and drawing the sword upon striking—it sounds like a truly excellent sword technique."

"But I find it too petty and usually don't like to use it, until I heard there were two peerless swordsmen in this generation, which is why I picked it up again," Zhuang Buran's smile remained unchanged:

"And based on this, I created a brand new sword technique."

"I would like to hear the details." Ye Gucheng was straightforward.

"Hahaha!"

The youth in red clapped his hands and laughed, his robes fluttering without wind, and a powerful, surging wind erupted from his body, forcing Lu Xiaofeng, Hua Manlou, and the others around him to retreat three or four zhang.

Only Ye Gucheng exuded an extremely sharp edge, breaking through the wind that was shaking the surroundings.

"In the Jianghu, many people say they know how to use a sword, are proficient in Qi Gong, and can wield sword Qi."

"But although many say so, let alone those who can truly use sword Qi, even those who can truly use Qi swords are likely few and far between."

"Since one can drive internal energy to surge out from the fingertips and turn it into a sharp Qi sword to attack the enemy, why distinguish between hands and feet? Therefore, I have named the technique I created the 'Innate Body-Breaking Formless Sword Qi'."

As the youth in red said this, the long boots he was wearing exploded, his white hair flew wildly, and his hands and feet flashed with extremely cold, sharp light.

He was like a white-haired young demon descending into the world, making those around him feel terrified, especially Hua Manlou, who felt his incredibly sharp aura and realized this was his younger brother's true face.

On the field, only Shi Xiuzue was relatively calm, as she had already seen the arrogant and unrestrained side of the youth in red.

Lu Xiaofeng looked surprised:

"Hua Manlou, I think I was wrong before. Your family isn't hiding a top-five expert in the world; he is clearly capable of competing for the top spot."

Jin Jiuling's expression was inscrutable, and he remained silent, as if he had discovered something.

(End of chapter)