Chapter 522: Young Sword Guest

Li Yan was already used to being challenged.

After all, in this martial world, relying on a knife and a fist to gradually accumulate fame was too slow, and perhaps one would only be able to become famous locally for half a lifetime.

The best way was undoubtedly to step on others' fame to get ahead.

So, anyone with a bit of fame in the martial world couldn't avoid such things.

But this youth in front of him was somewhat different.

His smile was very frank and carried a sense of confidence.

Li Yan was very familiar with this smile.

It was called "a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger."

Passionate, clear, and reckless.

"Alright."

Li Yan readily agreed and looked at the blind old Daoist calmly, a doubt rising in his heart.

He could still see through that young man.

But this old Daoist was somewhat strange.

Clearly extraordinary, but in his perception, he was just a very ordinary Daoist, even somewhat decadent.

Anyone who could give him this sense of contrast must have profound cultivation.

Li Yan had seen too much of the world and naturally wouldn't casually step forward to test him, so he simply turned his head to look at the assistant, "What are your specialties?"

Wang Mazi was not easy to communicate with, so he couldn't be bothered to talk nonsense.

Anyway, it was just eating, not making friends.

The assistant was also startled by the question, secretly glanced at Wang Mazi, and seeing no reprimand, said in a low voice, "Master has a rule: no ordering dishes; whatever he makes, you eat."

"That's fine, serve the dishes."

"How many plates does the guest want?"

Li Yan smiled, "Make as much as you can, eat as much as you can."

"Hmph!"

Wang Mazi snorted but didn't speak.

He was dressed in coarse cloth, his cuffs tightly bound, and with a flick of his little finger, a large kitchen knife leaped into his hand.

With a few flips, the knife light flashed, accompanied by *dong-dong-dong* sounds, and the pork instantly turned into slices as thin as cicada wings.

Then he turned his body, and chili and Sichuan peppercorns were already in his hand; slicing into strips and smashing, the movements were flowing like water.

The wok was hot and the oil was boiling, the meat slices were flying, the tofu was lightly fried, and the chili, Sichuan peppercorns, and bean paste were poured in; a spicy fragrance soared into the sky, making "Mapo Tofu"...

Following closely, the knife light flashed again, and the chicken breast instantly turned into diced meat, marinated for a moment, and slid into the oil.

Peanuts were fried until golden, green onions, ginger, garlic, and a special sauce were added, dancing with the chicken cubes, red and spicy, which was Kung Pao Chicken...

Following closely behind was "Husband and Wife Lung Slices".

Beef head skin, beef heart, beef tongue, and beef tripe were sliced like paper, thin and even. Special chili oil, Sichuan peppercorn powder, soy sauce, and sesame oil were blended and poured over the meat slices, the red oil bright and glossy, spicy and fresh, the taste mellow...

During the Daxiang years of the previous dynasty, maritime merchants introduced chili to the Central Plains, but it was called "foreign pepper" and had already been planted on a large scale in Shu.

No matter what it was called, it had already supplemented the soul of Sichuan flavor.

Especially this Wang Mazi, who was worthy of being a General Cai; although he looked ugly, standing in front of the stove, he already had the prestige of an expert facing a battle.

Every move and every style was focused, the knife light and spoon shadow, the collision of the wok and spatula mixed with the sizzling sound of hot oil, was actually like practicing martial arts.

Li Yan also saw it.

This Wang Mazi should have awakened his body's supernatural ability, which was not as mysterious as other supernatural abilities, but could mobilize the five senses to the greatest extent and control the body.

Taste was something that, although not a matter of a hair's breadth making a thousand miles of difference, naturally required precise control.

Everyone in the mat shed was almost attracted.

Not only that, the smell also attracted some trouble.

Some commoners who didn't know what was going on followed the smell.

They originally wanted to enter to have a taste, but were immediately reminded by others.

"Don't go, if you go, you won't be able to bear it; it's just some home-cooked dishes, no delicacies from the mountains and seas, and it sells more expensively than the restaurants in Chengdu Prefecture..."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you? If you want..."

"Pah! This money is enough to buy a pig!"

The onlookers discussed heatedly, but there were also those who didn't care about money.

Immediately, several men in brocade clothes pushed through the crowd, wanting to walk in, and were cursing, clearly wanting to find trouble.

Wu Kang of the Changchun Society saw this and hurriedly went out.

"Get lost, don't make me break your legs!"

He glared, scaring those people away, and called some subordinates to guard outside the door to avoid disturbing the guests inside.

He was very observant and saw that the situation seemed a bit wrong.

At such a time, he didn't want to offend anyone.

Li Yan naturally knew the situation outside, but at this time he couldn't be bothered to pay attention, because several plates of dishes had already been served.

There was one more thing that made him appreciate this place.

Although it looked simple, it was absolutely clean.

The assistant was very diligent, wiping the tables and chairs clean, and from the previous teapot to the bowls and chopsticks served, everything revealed a sense of freshness.

With the fragrant rice, Li Yan and Wu Ba ate fiercely, their chopsticks like wind, and the rice was bowl after bowl.

Soon, the dishes on the table were swept away.

Fortunately, Wang Mazi's hands were also nimble, the wok and spoon clanged, accompanied by the sizzling sound of rolling oil, and dishes were served one after another.

On the other side, the blind old Daoist and the youth were the same.

The whole shed was like a battlefield, both sides were eating wildly with their heads down, the cook was focused on cooking, without any nonsense.

Only the assistant was the most miserable, almost running his legs off.

While serving dishes, he also had to wash bowls, using the cold mountain spring water drawn from the side; in the cold weather, both hands were frozen red.

Without realizing it, two large pots of rice had been emptied.

*Dong! *

Wang Mazi slammed the kitchen knife into the cutting board.

"No more today, no more dishes!"

It was Li Yan and his group who had eaten all the dishes and meat he had prepared.

Wu Ba still hadn't had enough and looked at Li Yan anxiously.

Wu Kang, who was standing at the door, was very observant and hurriedly bowed, "What does Master Wang need? I will prepare it right away?"

"Prepare what!"

Wang Mazi glared, "Damn it, didn't you see my hands are tired to the point of cramping? No service today."

Saying this, he glanced at Wu Ba with some displeasure, "Never seen anyone who can eat so much, like a cow chewing a peony, ruining the mood!"

"Master is wrong."

Li Yan laughed dumbly, shook his head, "My brother has a big appetite, but he has also eaten many good things, and his mouth is becoming more and more picky; I have never seen him like this."

"How much money? Count that table on us too."

"Hehe, how can I be so embarrassed?"

The blind old Daoist drank a cup of tea, laughed, "Little brother, this pockmark doesn't charge for cooking for us; if you want to treat, and feel bad, you can give the money to us... *woo~*"

Before he could finish, his mouth was covered by the youth.

The youth was full of embarrassment, hurriedly shook his head, "Li Li Shaoxia Yan, don't blame him; my master doesn't have a proper shape in his mouth."

"You idiot!"

The blind old Daoist knocked away his hand and muttered with dissatisfaction, "Too concerned about face and suffering; sooner or later you'll suffer a big loss!"

The two were playing around, and Wang Mazi on the other side didn't talk nonsense, directly saying, "They don't want money, your table is thirty taels."

"Hmm."

Li Yan nodded, took out a thirty-tael silver note from his bosom, and took some scattered silver, handing it to the assistant, "Little brother, you've worked hard."

The assistant was at a loss and turned to look at Wang Mazi.

"What are you looking at?"

Wang Mazi glared, "The guest has money, if he gives it to you, take it; follow me, and you won't have to worry about this in the future."

Although his words were harsh, it could be seen that he was very appreciative of this diligent little apprentice.

On the other side, the sword-carrying youth was already somewhat impatient. He cupped his hands toward Li Yan and said, "Hero Li, since you've eaten and drunk your fill, why don't we have a practice match?"

"Hehe, what's the rush?"

Li Yan smiled slightly, picked up the teapot, and poured hot tea, "Exercise after a meal is not good for the stomach; drink some tea to relax first."

"Little brother, to compete in martial arts with someone, you have to report your family name and inheritance, right? You can't just have a fight in a muddled way?" He could see that the blind old Daoist was not easy to talk to, so he could only try to get information from the youth's mouth.

The youth's face turned red, he looked at the blind old Daoist, and said weakly, "My surname is Chang, called Gousheng, and I practice the Wood-Chopping Sword Technique passed down by my master."

Li Yan's eyes twitched, "Little brother is joking?"

"What's wrong with the Wood-Chopping Sword Technique?"

The blind old Daoist snorted, "If the sword technique can chop wood, it is useful, and if it is useful, it is a good sword technique."

"Senior is right."

Li Yan smiled slightly and didn't say anything more.

He could already see that this was mostly an extraordinary person, hiding his identity and taking in a silly apprentice.

He didn't expect to run into such a plot.

Hiding was useless; he would be able to guess roughly after a move.

【In one look...】

Thinking of this, he didn't ask any more questions, drank a few cups of tea, and then stood up unhurriedly, smiling, "Find a place without people, is that okay?"

"Okay!"

The sword-carrying youth, Gou Sheng, nodded hurriedly.

"Wu Ba, let's go!"

Li Yan smiled slightly and turned to leave.

After leaving the mat shed, he ran directly toward the mountain; with just two or three steps, it was like shrinking the ground into an inch, instantly arriving more than ten meters away.

Wu Ba's big feet buckled the ground, and his speed was also astonishing.

"Li Li Shaoxia! Li Li Shaoxia!"

Wu Kang of the Changchun Society was anxious, ran with his legs, and begged with a face full of anxiety, "Can you let me open my eyes?"

He had just heard that these two were going to compete in martial arts, and he had waited for a long time just for this.

He didn't have many opportunities in this life, so he naturally didn't want to miss it, even if he begged shamelessly, he wanted to gain some knowledge.

"Okay!"

Li Yan turned his head, walked two or three steps to his side, grabbed his arm with his right hand, and walked forward.

With his current cultivation, even with someone, his speed didn't decrease at all, and it was just a simple martial arts method.

Wu Kang only felt his arm being pulled, and immediately his feet were off the ground, the wind whistling in his ears, and the scene in front of him retreating rapidly.

Immortal... Immortal Dharma?

He was dumbfounded, his heart full of excitement.

However, the blind Daoist behind him had his ears twitching, a look of surprise on his face, and sneered, "Gousheng, look at yourself, you are far behind others; don't fight, just go back and chop wood and farm with me?"

The youth Gousheng also had a face full of shock.

He could see that Li Yan didn't use sorcery at all, but a very high-level technique, and his use of strength had reached the peak of perfection.

But not only was he not discouraged, he was instead aroused to fight.

"Whether it works or not, I'll know after fighting!"

Saying this, he exerted force under his feet and *whoosh*ed out.

His light-body travel method was completely different from Li Yan's; it was holding the sword with one hand, lowering his body, and stepping on the ground with his toes, like a sharp sword, *whoosh-whoosh-whoosh*ing forward.

In terms of speed, it was on par with Wu Ba.

As for that blind Daoist, he was like a bystander, with an indifferent look, leisurely following behind the crowd.

Seemingly careless, but he was always three steps away from the youth.

The commoners outside the mat shed didn't know what had happened, and the few people flew away, watching them dumbfounded.

"Master, aren't you going to watch?"

Inside the mat shed, the assistant asked weakly.

Wang Mazi had awakened his supernatural ability; judging from the technique of using the knife to cook, he was clearly not an ordinary person.

However, he had no interest at all, sitting silently on the bench, crossing his legs, lighting a dry tobacco rod, and taking a few puffs.

"Remember, a cook is a cook."

"Life is very short; it's enough to do one thing well..."

…………

The few people were fast, and in less than half a stick of incense, they arrived at the waist of Lingquan Mountain, in a remote place without people.

Li Yan stopped abruptly, but saw that this place was surrounded by half a bamboo forest, a stream flowing, and there was a collapsed broken temple, with only broken walls and ruins left, and the distant mountains and clouds were like ink.

"Good place!"

Li Yan laughed loudly and turned to look behind.

The master and disciple also arrived one after another.

"Gousheng, what do you want to compete in?"

Li Yan smiled slightly and asked.

He had some good feelings for this youth, so he didn't beat around the bush.

"First compete in weapons!"

The sword-carrying youth, Gou Sheng, could not hide his excitement; with a 'clang', he drew his sword.

But after Li Yan saw it, he frowned, "Your sword is no good; it will break at a touch. Wait for me to find a tool."

Saying this, he looked around and picked up a wooden stick from the ground.

It was just that the sword the youth was holding was truly unbearable to look at; it was an ordinary raw iron sword, and it was rusty and full of gaps.

When the youth saw this, his face turned red, "You look down on me?"

"Silly bird!"

The blind Daoist behind directly raised his leg and kicked him on the butt, "If someone fights you, using a wooden stick is the same."

The youth staggered, his face full of grief and indignation, and with a turn of his wrist, he was about to raise his sword.

"Sigh~ stop!"

Li Yan hurriedly made a gesture to stop.

"What is it again?!"

The youth Gousheng was speechless.

Along the way, he had heard many rumors about Li Yan, all of which were about him being a murderous demon who would kill at the slightest disagreement.

How come when he met the real person, he was so long-winded?

Li Yan smiled slightly, twirled the wooden stick in his hand, and said calmly, "Adjust your breath before talking; otherwise, it's no fun."

When Gousheng heard this, his face turned red, "Thank you for the guidance."

After saying this, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

When he opened his eyes again, he had become calm, slowly raised his sword, pinched the sword formula, lowered his body slightly, and slowly stepped forward with his left foot.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and also raised the wooden stick.

*Swish! *

It was the youth Gousheng who suddenly attacked.

He didn't attack head-on, but when he was close to Li Yan, he twisted his body, the sword light spat out, and it brushed past Li Yan's neck.

This is called "grabbing the outer gate."

The sword has two edges, both sides thin and sharp.

Therefore, using a sword, one cannot block hard; only by slanting out and walking the side gate. This is "grabbing the outer gate."

Li Yan naturally had expected this, stepped back with his left foot, flicked his wrist lightly, and the wooden stick just happened to pick at the sword blade.

With a *dang* sound, Gousheng only felt the long sword in his hand lose control, with a feeling that it was about to fly out of his hand.

His reaction was also extremely fast, taking advantage of the momentum to pick upward, then turned his wrist, his body leaped into the air, like a scorpion's tail, pointing directly at Li Yan's head.

Li Yan smiled slightly and raised the wooden stick to block.

When Gousheng saw this, he was overjoyed in his heart.

No matter how bad his sword was, it was simple to chop the wooden stick; using this thing to fight him was simply ignorant.

At the same time, Gousheng also felt somewhat uncomfortable in his heart.

Along the way, he had seen several famous experts, and they were beaten and fled in a mess after a few moves; he didn't expect this one in front of him to be the same kind of person who sought fame and reputation.

Forget it, better not hurt anyone.

Thinking of this, he even retracted some of his sword momentum.

But the moment the sword and stick intersected, Gousheng sensed something was wrong.

His sword only chopped a bit of the wooden skin, and the strength completely disappeared, as if it had fallen into silt, making one feel extremely uncomfortable.

And Li Yan just turned the wooden stick, and Gousheng's sword was led astray again, almost flying out of his hand.

He hurriedly withdrew his sword and retreated, dumbfounded:

"What kind of kung fu is this?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 523 =====