Chapter 153: with translation of chapter title

【3】

Time flows ceaselessly.

【5】

In the afternoon, in the green bamboo grove.

【7】

Above the wild village,

【9】

Heaven-sent omen, divine weapons emerging—whose damn rumor spread this news?

【11】

The overcast sky before him had persisted for seven days.

【13】

Gradually, wave after wave of martial artists began to pour into the village, occasionally coming to cause trouble.

【15】

Some had already arrived at Xiangyang; whether they came for the fun or to vie for the prize, upon hearing the news they all swarmed over like a hive.

【17】

"Niu kid, why not call over some help?" Zhang the Lame looked at Niu Dingtian; though he could not hide his worry, he couldn't help grinning: "They've been sucking your blood for nearly two months—if outsiders snatch them at the end, you'll have nowhere to cry."

【19】

This seemingly absurd practice, after he poured fresh blood the second time, he persisted in doing relentlessly.

【21】

Sometimes he even wanted to ask himself, "What's wrong with my brain? Believe in science!"

【23】

After over a month of mental strain and blood loss, Niu Dingtian's complexion had taken on an unusual pallor.

【25】

After hearing Zhang the Lame's words, Niu Dingtian fell silent for a moment, then, without opening his eyes, said lightly: "Mr. Zhang, there's no need to keep blocking them; if any clueless fools still want to come in, let them—it'll just give these swords a little extra nourishment."

【27】

Earlier, the few little lackeys who barged in—if not for Zhang the Lame driving them out, he would have been willing to feed them to the swords.

【29】

"However, when the swords are about to leave the forge, legend says it's also the easiest time to condense spiritual energy, so it's best not to let outsiders disturb the area around the forge then."

【31】

"What I care most about is whether what's up there truly is an omen; if it's really caused by the blood-forged swords, even if the old emperor himself came, he couldn't come within half a step of this forge!"

【33】

Otherwise, relying solely on a few gossiping villagers, it wouldn't have spread to this extent in such a short time.

【35】

But Niu Dingtian didn't care about those; what he now cared about was only one thing: whether the Yitian Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber could directly give birth to spiritual energy upon leaving the furnace.

【37】

After Zhang the Lame finished listening, he lifted his head to gaze at the sky, his eyes showing some hesitation, and he mused: "The 'Yuejue Shu' does record that the Junzi Sword was forged by the ancestral master Ou Yezi, and during its casting there were heavenly omens; as for other divine swords, I've never heard of such things."

【39】

Having said that, Zhang the Lame fell somewhat silent, but at the thought of a possible surprise, his heart couldn't help but feel a stir of excitement.

【41】

At that very moment, as if answering Zhang the Lame's thought, the pent-up clouds of seven days finally let out a muffled thunder.

【43】

The wild village,

【45】

In recent days, a sudden influx of martial artists has made this mountain-foot village gradually become crowded, lively, and even hinting at prosperity.

【47】

On the forest path at the village entrance, another group of sword-wielding martial artists was advancing toward the village, where a dark-skinned youth couldn't help asking the blind master beside him.

【49】

"Jing'er is no longer little; she happens to lack a handy weapon, and since the Xiangyang gathering is still a few days away, we might as well come here to try our luck."

【51】

"What Hero Zhu said is right—divine weapons emerging naturally means those who see get a share, those with fate get to dwell!"

【53】

"Exactly, exactly—if the Beggars' Sect and Quanzhen rely on strength to bully the weak and disregard martial virtue, we'd also have a backup; once we obtain the divine weapons we can redistribute them later."

【55】

Just then, a clip-clop of horse hooves came from behind the crowd.

【57】

The leader was a youth, unusually handsome in appearance, yet his outlaw attire was extraordinarily bold and unrestrained, his eyes hard to hide a sense of arrogance.

【59】

"Who just said they also lacked a weapon? Get out here at once and spar with the chief of this stronghold!"

【62】

Everyone felt a sudden chill in their hearts, wisely shut their mouths, but afterwards everyone's gazes all turned to Zhu Cong and Guo Jing.

Zhu Chong frowned; though he wasn't intimidated by the fame of Woniu Zhai, this guy was roughly Jing'er's size and he didn't really want to cross paths with him.

Translation: Zhu Chong furrowed his brows; although he was not afraid of the reputation of Woniu Zhai, this person was only about the same size as Jing'er, and he was somewhat unwilling to match wits with him.

line is just a note, not Chinese. So we skip.

Just then—

etc.

"Apologize?" the bandit youth snorted, pointing at Guo Jing and giving him a sideways glance: "You little black brat, beat me, the village chief, first before you talk!"

【71】

"Young village chief!" a man beside him suddenly reached out to stop him, leaning in to whisper: "This is one of our own; his seventh master is the sect leader's… the sect leader's… uh… you get it!"

【73】

The youth's face froze for a moment; turning his head to look at Guo Jing, his narrow eyes involuntarily narrowed slightly, and he also felt a bit unwilling to accept it in his heart.

【75】

But… giving him a beating shouldn't be a problem, right?

【77】

"Eldest master..." Guo Jing hesitated a bit, involuntarily looking toward Eldest Master Ke Zhen'e.

【79】

Guo Jing shrank his head, dared not retort, nor dared to wipe the saliva sprayed on his face, and honestly said: "Eldest master, Jing'er understands!"

【81】

"Cut the nonsense!" Yang Kang shouted loudly: "I am the village chief, surname Yang, given name Kang; remember that, brat!"

【83】

"Are you Kang brother?" Guo Jing asked in surprise and delight.

【85】

Or not?

【87】

Bang!

【89】

"Big brother, you say he… could it be…?" Zhu Chong stared intently at the scene in the arena, his peripheral vision glancing at Ke Zhen'e nearby; the meaning of his words was naturally understood by the three brothers.

【91】

Cough cough~

【93】

"Our sect's martial arts may be lacking, but my brother‑in‑law has also taught Jing'er kung fu; look, isn't this a fight that's hard to tell apart?"

【95】

"Master Ke truly lives up to his reputation! I never expected his disciple to be this formidable!"

【97】

"Congratulations, Master Ke! Your disciple's martial arts talent is terrifying; in the future he will surely have a place among the Five Awakened Exalted Positions."

【99】

But these words, to Ke Zhen'e's ears, were extremely grating; his face flushed alternately green and red, and in the end he could only give a soft hum and turn his head away.

【101】

Yang Kang's eyes flashed with sharp light; he unleashed three consecutive palms, striking at the oncoming Guo Jing, each palm backed by deep internal force, fierce and oppressive.

【103】

Bang!

【105】

Good!

【107】

Keep fighting!

【109】

At this time, the surroundings were already packed with people; the martial‑arts folk who had entered the village earlier, seeing the commotion at the village gate, also came streaming over, and some even didn't mind making a big deal of it, beginning to jeer.

【111】

Yang Kang could no longer keep a straight face.

【113】

Saying that, his visage turned ferocious, and he was about to leap forward to seize Guo Jing.

【115】

It was Niu Ben,

【117】

He dare not just watch this brat suck Guo Jing dry, especially in front of everyone; if such martial arts were exposed, the sect leader would surely flay him alive.

【119】

"What business is it of yours that the two juniors in my household are fighting? If you're still meddling, come out and spar with me!"

【121】

As that brat Yang Kang says, this is how our identity ought to be; little does he know, this is merely his excuse for indulgence.

【123】

Afterwards he turned to face Zhu Chong, clasped his fists, and said: "I am Niu Ben of Woniu Zhai; please forgive the young chief's earlier rudeness, Mr. Zhu."

【125】

"Of course not!" Niu Ben laughed.

Now we need to output each line as "【N】 translation". Ensure each translation is on a single line.

Now the glossary list: we need to output JSON-like list of objects with raw_term and original_term, using exact English forms from glossary above for terms that appear in these lines.

Which of the eight terms appear?

【135】

- Guo Jing: appears many times (Guo Jing).

【139】

- Niu Ben: appears in lines 【110】 (Niu Ben), 【111】, 【112】, 【117】, 【118】, 【120】. Yes.

【143】

- Woniu Zhai: appears in line 【61】 (Woniu Zhai), 【91】 (Woniu Zhai), 【113】 (Woniu Zhai), 【118】 (Woniu Zhai). Yes.

【147】

- North Darkness Divine Skill: appears in line 【107】 (North Darkness Divine Skill). Yes.

Thus all eight appear.

We need to output list in format: 【{"raw_term":"EnglishName","original_term":"ChineseChars"},...】 preserving order? Not required but we can follow the order given in glossary.

Thus:

is a JSON block, not Chinese to translate. So we skip.

Make sure to output exactly that after all lines.

Now produce

【61】 Zhu Chong furrowed his brows; although he was not afraid of the reputation of Woniu Zhai, this person was only about the same size as Jing'er, and he was somewhat unwilling to match wits with him.

【62】 Just then——

【63】 The Guo Jing beside him stepped forward with a stride, knitting his thick brows as he looked at the youth on horseback, his dark face utterly serious: "I won't let you speak to my second master like that! Hurry up and apologize to my second master!"

【64】 "Apologize?" the bandit youth snorted, pointing at Guo Jing and giving him a sideways glance: "You little black brat, beat me, the village chief, first before you talk!"

【65】 Saying that, he was about to leap off his horse.

【66】 "Young village chief!" a man beside him suddenly reached out to stop him, leaning in to whisper: "This is one of our own; his seventh master is the sect leader's… the sect leader's… uh… you get it!"

【67】 Saying that, he gave the youth an ambiguous look.

【68】 The youth's face froze for a moment; turning his head to look at Guo Jing, his narrow eyes involuntarily narrowed slightly, and he also felt a bit unwilling to accept it in his heart.

【69】 My mother is still the elder sister of Uncle Niu! Why should I yield to this black brat!

【70】 But… giving him a beating shouldn't be a problem, right?

【71】 Thinking this, the youth raised his eyebrows and provoked Guo Jing: "Cut the nonsense! If you've got the guts, come out and spar; if you lose, I, the village chief, will apologize myself!"

【72】 "Eldest master..." Guo Jing hesitated a bit, involuntarily looking toward Eldest Master Ke Zhen'e.

【73】 "Hmph!" Ke Zhen'e gave a cold snort, then shouted angrily: "Everyone's already stepped on your face! Do you still have to be timid? As a blind man, I can't afford to lose this face!"

【74】 Guo Jing shrank his head, dared not retort, nor dared to wipe the saliva sprayed on his face, and honestly said: "Eldest master, Jing'er understands!"

【75】 Having said that, Guo Jing strode to a nearby open space, looked at the youth on horseback, clasped his fists solemnly: "I am Guo Jing; please make your move! If you lose, you must apologize to my second master!"

【76】 "Cut the nonsense!" Yang Kang shouted loudly: "I am the village chief, surname Yang, given name Kang; remember that, brat!"

【77】 Saying that, Yang Kang leapt from his horse, and under the watch of two doubtful gazes, he slapped a palm toward Guo Jing in the arena.

【78】 "Are you Kang brother?" Guo Jing asked in surprise and delight.

【79】 "Pah! You're the Kang brother!" Yang Kang cursed loudly, showing no mercy with his hands.

【80】 Or not?

【81】 Seeing this, Guo Jing could not hide his disappointment in his eyes; he could only mobilize his palm power to meet him.

【82】 "Bang!"

【83】 Their palms touched and then separated; Yang Kang and Guo Jing both frowned, each stepping back a few paces. Though young, the palm force they unleashed already sent qi radiating outward, shaking the branches and leaves into motion and sending dust flying everywhere.

【84】 "Big brother, you say he… could it be…?" Zhu Chong stared intently at the scene in the arena, his peripheral vision glancing at Ke Zhen'e nearby; the meaning of his words was naturally understood by the three brothers.

【85】 "Whether it is or not is no longer important!" Ke Zhen'e snorted coldly: "Such an arrogant and overbearing nature surely owes much to the efforts of Qiu Chuji and Niu Dingtian; since the eighteen‑year pact has already been annulled, we may as well treat it as if it never existed!"

【86】 "Cough cough~"

【87】 Hearing this, Han Baoju couldn't help but give a light cough, moved to the side of his two elder brothers, and said softly: "Eldest brother, don't underestimate Jing'er; even if the bet still stands, what of it? At worst we let those two brothers wager themselves."

【88】 "Our sect's martial arts may be lacking, but my brother‑in‑law has also taught Jing'er kung fu; look, isn't this a fight that's hard to tell apart?"

【89】 Ke Zhen'e: "……"

【90】 "Master Ke truly lives up to his reputation! I never expected his disciple to be this formidable!"

【91】 "Exactly, exactly! What's so special about the young chief of Woniu Zhai? He still can't match Master Ke's outstanding disciple."

【92】 "Congratulations, Master Ke! Your disciple's martial arts talent is terrifying; in the future he will surely have a place among the Five Awakened Exalted Positions."

【93】 At that moment, the surroundings again erupted with waves of enthusiastic agreement.

【94】 But these words, to Ke Zhen'e's ears, were extremely grating; his face flushed alternately green and red, and in the end he could only give a soft hum and turn his head away.

【95】 "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

【96】 Yang Kang's eyes flashed with sharp light; he unleashed three consecutive palms, striking at the oncoming Guo Jing, each palm backed by deep internal force, fierce and oppressive.

【97】 Guo Jing bent his arm to block, then swung his palm to counter; after three years of tempering in the Arhat Subduing Demon Skill, his techniques may be plain and unremarkable, but in offense and defense they already show a tendency toward expansive, sweeping movements.

【98】 "Bang!"

【99】 After a fierce exchange of that move, Guo Jing and Yang Kang each retreated a few steps, neither gaining an advantage.

【100】 "Good!"

【101】 "Good kung fu!"

【102】 "Keep fighting!"

【103】 "Kid, can you do it or not!"

【104】 At this time, the surroundings were already packed with people; the martial‑arts folk who had entered the village earlier, seeing the commotion at the village gate, also came streaming over, and some even didn't mind making a big deal of it, beginning to jeer.

【105】 For a moment,

【106】 Yang Kang could no longer keep a straight face.

【107】 Immediately he made up his mind, threw caution to the wind, activated the North Darkness Divine Skill, and shouted angrily: "Just now I held back out of respect for my Uncle Niu; kid, you'll regret it later!"

【108】 Saying that, his visage turned ferocious, and he was about to leap forward to seize Guo Jing.

【109】 "Impossible!" the man just now shouted loudly to stop him.

【110】 It was Niu Ben,

【111】 Then, with a leap, he placed himself between the two, and in a low voice told Yang Kang: "Don't act on impulse; you'll have plenty of chances to compete later, but if you use that skill now, the sect leader will surely be furious if he finds out."

【112】 He dare not just watch this brat suck Guo Jing dry, especially in front of everyone; if such martial arts were exposed, the sect leader would surely flay him alive.

【113】 But the face of Woniu Zhai also had to be upheld; so he turned his head to the crowd, his gaze sweeping sharply, and shouted sternly:

【114】 "What business is it of yours that the two juniors in my household are fighting? If you're still meddling, come out and spar with me!"

【115】 Having stayed in the bandits' den for a long time, he had unconsciously picked up a good deal of banditry.

【116】 As that brat Yang Kang says, this is how our identity ought to be; little does he know, this is merely his excuse for indulgence.

【117】 Seeing the onlookers purse their lips and dare not speak further, Niu Ben gave a cold snort and ignored them; they were just a bunch of insignificant little lackeys.

【118】 Afterwards he turned to face Zhu Chong, clasped his fists, and said: "I am Niu Ben of Woniu Zhai; please forgive the young chief's earlier rudeness, Mr. Zhu."

【119】 "Hahaha~ Young hero Niu, you're being too polite!" Zhu Chong laughed heartily, waved his hand, and said: "We're all our own people, no need for formalities; when we get to Xiangyang City, why not sit down and have a few drinks together?"

【120】 "Of course not!" Niu Ben laughed.

Seeing this, everyone lost interest in watching the excitement and thus surged into the village again.

Now everyone knows the place where the weapons are forged is behind the village, but it is said that divine weapons must not be disturbed in the slightest during their forging, otherwise it is easy to ruin everything at the last moment.

Therefore, aside from the first few careless ones, later arrivals gradually agreed not to rashly go and disturb the place.

The second day,

Beggar Sect Sect Leader Lu Youjiao led a crowd of Beggar Sect disciples to the wild village.

Although the former sect leader Hong Qi had been crippled, after all a dead camel is bigger than a horse, so the martial artists in the village also didn't dare to offend him lightly.

The third day,

Again, a large troop poured into the village, including the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, Shaolin monks, and many unfamiliar faces whose aura was extremely overbearing.

Gradually, many began to feel a tense, sword-drawn-and-bow-nigh atmosphere. (End of chapter)