Chapter 44: Discussing Swords in the Jianghu

Half a year later, at the foot of Hengshan.

Baofu Building.

The main hall was bustling with noise.

"Recently, the people of the Demonic Cult have been acting more and more frequently.

I don't know why, but it has forced Hengshan to seal off the mountain."

"Hengshan sealed the mountain? Then why have I seen quite a few nuns coming down the mountain to walk about recently, looking hurried?"

"Not entirely clear, but it seems to be related to the flower-plucking bandit Tian Boguang.

Many wealthy households in our city have suffered at his hands. If you ask me, this Tian Boguang is truly detestable; how many women has he ruined? It's just a pity I don't have his light-body technique..."

Seeing the sky growing dark and increasingly gloomy, as if it would rain at any moment, many martial arts men entered the tavern.

Ordering a pot of wine and filling up on beef and snacks, chatting about everything under the sun—this was the day for many people of the Jianghu.

Two young men dressed in ordinary cloth garments walked into the hall side by side and found an empty spot to sit.

If there were anyone from the Five Mountains Sword Sects present, they would recognize these two as Liang Fa and Lin Pingzhi of the Huashan Sect.

Only hearing Liang Fa say: "Recently, the Demonic Cult has been rampant, and Master sent us to Hengshan to provide reinforcements.

Now that we have reached the territory of Hengshan, we might encounter people from the Demonic Cult, so we must be cautious."

Lin Pingzhi nodded and said: "I will follow Senior Brother's lead."

Not long after they sat down, they heard a man in a long gown speaking incessantly: "You all don't know, but the recent movements of the Sun Moon Holy Cult are not under the orders of Dongfang Bubai, but were called for by a woman called the Saintess, and all of this is related to the Meizhuang incident from half a year ago."

"Many people in the Jianghu saw that after the Huashan disciple Lu Li came down the mountain, he went to Meizhuang with Xiang Wentian.

With his own strength, he defeated the Meizhuang Four Friends and rescued Ren Woxing.

It is said that many people ran to Huashan to cause trouble, saying that Lu Li had joined the Demonic Cult and demanding an explanation from Yue Buqun.

Who would have thought that in less than half a day, news of Ren Woxing's death would spread.

Although this Lu Li rescued Ren Woxing, he cut off Ren Woxing's head right in front of experts like Xiang Wentian!

With this, no one in the Jianghu dared to go and find trouble with Huashan anymore..."

"Boom—"

With that, the tavern suddenly became lively. Even though this incident happened half a year ago, it remained a major event in the Jianghu after so much time.

"I have also heard of this matter. It is said that the reason this Lu Li went to Meizhuang was to pay respects to swords."

"Pay respects to swords? He dared to kill Ren Woxing just to pay respects to swords?"

"Even earlier, he was someone who dared to kill even the Great Protectors of the Songshan Sect."

The more people talked, the more animated they became, and in their hearts, they all gave Lu Li an evaluation—audacious to the heavens, a sword maniac!

Liang Fa and Lin Pingzhi exchanged a glance, a flash of surprise in their eyes; they did not expect to hear news of their Senior Brother Lu Li here.

Speaking of the matter of paying respects to swords, the crowd began to chat even more.

A man with a rugged appearance shouted to the man in the long gown who had just spoken: "He Xiansheng, it is said that after this Lu Li came out of Meizhuang, not only did he not hide his tracks, but he visited the Five Mountains Sword Sects one by one to challenge them. Is this true?"

That man in the long gown was indeed surnamed He, and he began: "That is correct, I have also heard of this matter.

It is just that he was not challenging them, but paying respects to swords."

He Xiansheng took a sip of wine and said loudly: "Let's talk about the first sect that Lu Li went to, which was the Southern Mountain Hengshan Sect.

During the incident of Liu Zhengfeng's Golden Basin Hand-Washing, Lu Li could be considered to have done a favor for the Hengshan Sect.

However, during the struggle for the Huashan Sect Leader position, Lu Li cut off the arm of Lu Lianrong, causing the Hengshan Sect to have great divisions regarding him.

In the end, it was the Sect Leader, Master Mo Da, who personally took action and fought a sword duel with Lu Li in the bustling market."

The people in the hall felt their hearts itch and asked one after another: "In the bustling market? What was the outcome of the two?"

"Naturally, Lu Li won!

He was able to kill Ren Woxing; could it be that Master Mo Da is better than Ren Woxing?"

"That is not necessarily true. Since Meizhuang, some people have seen Lu Li looking haggard on the road; he must have been injured by Ren Woxing's Star-Sucking Great Art, with less than one-tenth of his internal energy remaining."

He Xiansheng waited for a moment,

and after the voices of the crowd gradually subsided, he then said: "It is strange to say, this duel did indeed take place in the bustling market, but for some reason, no one knows who won or lost."

The crowd was in an uproar, asking in confusion: "How could that be?"

"In a bustling market, how could no one have seen it?"

"Most likely those who saw it feared the martial arts of both sides and dared not speak."

"Impossible, if someone had truly seen it, it would certainly have spread."

Amidst the noise, someone sighed and said: "The ancients said: The small hermit hides in the wilderness, the great hermit hides in the city.

I never thought that the sword duel between Master Mo Da and Lu Li would be like a hermit; it is truly marvelous."

He Xiansheng said: "Indeed, it is rumored that the day happened to be the Lantern Festival, and the scene was lively.

It could be described as: The phoenix flutes played, the jade lanterns turned, and all night long the fish and dragon lanterns danced.

That day, there were also Jianghu figures present wanting to see what was happening, but they saw a sudden flash of light before their eyes and heard a sound like a sword singing or a dragon roaring.

When they turned their heads to look again, they could not find the sword light, only the fading lantern lights."

"No one knows the final outcome, but after that, Lu Li stayed on Mount Heng (Hunan) for four months, and Master Mo Da instructed his disciples to treat him with the utmost care and not to be negligent."

After He Xiansheng finished speaking, the hall of Baofu Building fell into silence.

Although everyone was curious about the win or loss, the duel He Xiansheng described was too marvelous, making everyone unable to help but savor the meaning within it, only regretting that they were not present at the time to witness this almost legendary sword strike.

He Xiansheng paused for a moment, seeing the sky outside like black clouds pressing down on the city; if he went out now, he would likely be drenched. He took a sip of wine and continued: "This Lu Li was not satisfied with just paying respects to Hengshan; after staying on Mount Heng (Hunan) for a few months, he headed toward Taishan."

"Taishan? Could it be that he is going to Taishan to pay respects to swords?"

"Correct, he is indeed going to Taishan to pay respects to swords.

And along the way, many people have seen him, seeing his steps were light and unsteady, clearly showing his internal energy was greatly damaged."

Yet his expression was clear and serene, as if he were not burdened by his internal energy.

Someone could not help but make a move to spar, but had their head knocked askew by a single strike from Lu Li's scabbard.

Speaking of knocking heads askew, He Xiansheng and everyone in the hall could not help but laugh.

Lin Pingzhi and Liang Fa exchanged a glance, unable to hold back their smiles.

Both recalled that before Lu Li descended from Huashan, he often used his scabbard to discipline the others.

Di Xiu at the Five Mountains alliance meeting, Lin Zhennan of the Fuwei Escort Agency, Feng Buping of the Sword Sect... the number of people who had their heads knocked askew by his scabbard was not small.

Even when Lu Li was instructing the others in sword practice, if anyone dared to be lazy, they would inevitably receive a strike from the scabbard.

The damage was not high, but the insult was extremely strong.

Even now, the Huashan disciples would change color at the mere mention of it.

However, the two of them were also clear in their hearts that while Lu Li appeared ruthless in his killings, he actually had his own set of principles; for some ordinary petty scoundrels, he would merely use his scabbard to teach them a lesson.

Then He Xiansheng said: "This time when Lu Li went up to Taishan, it coincided with internal strife in Taishan."

Yujizi and others were plotting to seize the position of Master from Tianmen Daoren, and as a result, Lu Li went up to Taishan alone.

He killed Yujizi and Yuyinzi, and broke the sword worn by Tianmen Daoren.

Leaving behind the words 'that which is too rigid is easily broken,' he proceeded directly to the summit."

"It is said that he sat upright at the peak of Taishan for three days, as if he were consuming the wind and drinking the dew.

When the sun rose over Taishan on the fourth day, a sound of Sword Song was suddenly heard; a hundred swords in the Taishan sword hall vibrated in unison, and all birds and beasts bowed down toward him."

Hearing this, the crowd felt as if they were listening to a storybook and could not help but ask: "Is that true or false? If his martial arts have reached this level, wouldn't he be considered an immortal?"

"How could it be false? If you don't believe it, just grab any Taishan disciple and ask, and you will naturally know."

"Damn, that is truly mysterious; I fear that when Zhang Immortal ascended in those years, the scene was no more than this, right?"

Liang Fa's mind swayed, and he felt more and more that the gap between himself and his senior brother was vast; he feared that no matter how hard he worked, he would never reach such a miraculous realm.

Suddenly, someone whispered: "Lu Li left Huashan and came all the way from Mount Heng (Hunan) and Taishan; could it be that his next stop is Hengshan, and then Songshan?"

He Xiansheng smiled: "Correct, I imagine he has already reached the territory of Hengshan by now."

Before the words had faded, everyone suddenly heard a man's voice arrive: "Tian Boguang, come out and meet your death."