Chapter 2: Heartbroken Sword

Zhu Ting rarely went out, but he was very well-informed, and the secrets he knew were no fewer than anyone else's.

Furthermore, it was the currently prominent "Jade-Faced Divine Sword" Yu Liancheng.

It was rumored that more than a month ago, a young man came from outside the pass, fought his way for a thousand miles with one sword, challenged major masters, fought over fifty battles, large and small, without a single defeat, shaking the Edo.

This person's light-body technique, palm technique, leg technique, and finger technique had all reached the first-class level of the Edo. Especially his exquisite sword technique, which was swift and peerless, rarely seen in the world.

Because he was handsome, unrestrained, and his sword technique was superb and unconventional, he was known as the "Jade-Faced Divine Sword."

This person was naturally Yu Tianbao.

It was just that he had now changed his name.

—Yu Liancheng.

Compared to over a month ago, Yu Liancheng could be said to have been reborn.

Not only was his martial arts a level higher, but he was also now familiar with various methods of ambush, poisoning, and plotting, barely counting as half an old Edo hand.

And this long sword in a black scabbard had also been damaged during this process.

Soon, Yu Liancheng followed Zhu Ting to a warehouse. Opening the warehouse door, a sharp aura of refined iron immediately rushed toward his face.

As far as the eye could see, various weapons were piled up like trash.

Sabers, spears, staves, clubs, whips, axes, halberds... all kinds of weapons were available, and there were even many strange weapons and hidden killing weapons.

"This is where I throw my weapons. From childhood to now, the weapons I have forged are all here."

Zhu Ting puffed out his chest, a smile on his face. At this moment, he seemed like a monarch inspecting his territory, and then he sighed: "It's just a pity that some strange hidden weapons cannot yet be constructed, wasting many precious materials."

His ideas were too wild; many weapons were only initial models and could not be manufactured at all at present.

For example, an iron-skinned flying bird that could soar in the sky and fire hidden weapons from a distance.

For example, the legendary Peacock Plume, which killed invisibly and was unimaginably beautiful.

Fortunately, he had also crafted many ordinary weapons in his youth; they couldn't be called divine weapons, but they were sharp tools.

After wandering around the warehouse, Yu Liancheng's gaze fixed on a sword.

Narrow, long, ancient, and pitch-black, it looked very inconspicuous.

He took the sword into his palm; it was unexpectedly heavy, several times heavier than an ordinary sword.

"This sword was forged when I was fourteen. I originally wanted to craft a pair of 'Mother-Son Linked Swords,' with fifty-two 'Soul-Chasing Needles' hidden inside. Unfortunately, my craftsmanship wasn't up to par at the time, and in the end, only this mother sword remained." Zhu Ting shook his head, his expression regretful.

With a "clang," the sword let out a dragon's roar, and a chilling sword aura rushed straight toward his eyebrows.

Yu Liancheng's eyes lit up. He held the sword in his right hand, his left hand glowing with a jade-like luster, and flicked his finger.

With a "ding" tremor, the sword body swayed slightly.

"Good sword!"

His "Breaking Void Divine Finger" had used seventy percent of his power, capable of piercing metal and splitting stone as if it were nothing, yet this sword didn't even leave a mark.

Zhu Ting said, "That's natural. This sword is forged from mixed profound iron, heavy, hard, and sharp. In this warehouse of mine, this item should be the one that best meets your requirements."

"Good, I'll choose this sword. I wonder if it has a name?" Yu Liancheng smiled, flicked the sword light, and sheathed it.

Zhu Ting laughed, "It doesn't. Now that you are its master, why not give it one?"

Yu Liancheng pondered for a moment: "Let's call it 'Heartbroken'."

Zhu Ting asked puzzled: "Heartbroken Sword?"

Yu Liancheng laughed: "When a person is killed by a sword, even if they have ten thousand kinds of love and hatred, it all becomes empty; isn't that having their love taken away?"

Zhu Ting was speechless.

This "Heartbroken Sword" cost Yu Liancheng a thousand taels of silver, which really wasn't much to him.

Just as the two had walked out of the warehouse, they suddenly heard the sound of hooves and horses neighing, and two imposing men in green clothes had broken in. One had a purple face and curly beard, while the other had a scarred face.

The purple-faced, curly-bearded man shouted, "Zhu Ting, where is the boss lady?"

Zhu Ting said indifferently, "If you want to find the boss lady, you should go to the grocery store across the street; that's where the boss lady is."

The scarred man said, "You are the Master of Ingenious Hands, your wife is the boss lady."

Zhu Ting laughed and said, "If the boss lady knew that someone from the Green Clothes Tower had come specifically to find her, she would surely feel lucky."

The Green Clothes Tower was a secret organization with one hundred and eight towers, each with one hundred and eight people. Not only were there many people and great power, but the organization was also tight-knit, and there were few things they couldn't do.

These two people before him had portraits on the first tower of the Green Clothes Tower and were also quite famous figures in the Edo.

The scarred man was called "Jade-Faced Judge"; it was said that when someone slashed his face with a saber, even the blade was notched, hence the nickname.

The other was called "Soul-Hooking Hand"; his pair of silver hooks had indeed hooked many people's souls.

Zhu Ting continued, "It's just a pity that she has to accompany a friend for a drink now and has no time to see you."

"That friend is called Lu Xiaofeng?"

"Correct."

"Where are they drinking?"

"Seems to be at the Qingyun Inn."

Hearing their conversation, Yu Liancheng was thoughtful, suddenly revealing a faint smile. Ignoring Zhu Ting and the two men in green, he walked straight toward the door.

But the two men in green had already noticed him and leaped to block his path.

Jade-Faced Judge said coldly, "You also want to find Lu Xiaofeng?"

Yu Liancheng nodded with a smile: "Correct."

"Then go to hell!"

The Green Clothes Tower didn't seem to want others to find Lu Xiaofeng, nor did they want to reason. Or rather, their reasoning was the weapon in their hands.

A pair of black iron judge pens appeared in Jade-Faced Judge's hands, pointing toward Yu Liancheng's "Tiantu" and "Yingxiang" acupoints amidst the sound of breaking wind.

The moves he used were not flashy, but they were very accurate, swift, and effective.

Suddenly, a sword light flashed, blood splashed, and Jade-Faced Judge had already fallen to the ground, eyes wide open, dying with his eyes wide open. And on his entire body, there was only one wound between his eyebrows, only one.

Yu Liancheng thought to himself: "It seems the face of the 'Jade-Faced Judge' isn't very iron after all."

Soul-Hooking Hand's face turned pale, and he retreated two steps: "You, you actually dared to attack the Green Clothes Tower, do you know the consequences?"

Yu Liancheng looked at him indifferently: "Your Green Clothes Tower dared to attack me, do you know the consequences?"

"You, you..." Soul-Hooking Hand suddenly let out a loud shout, his face ferocious, like a beast driven into a desperate situation. A pair of silver hooks hooked toward Yu Liancheng, like two poisonous snakes.

However, before the move was even halfway through, a pair of bright silver hooks suddenly flew out of his hands, and Soul-Hooking Hand leaped toward the window, his figure swift, his light-body technique actually quite good.

At the moment the silver hooks were about to hook Yu Liancheng, his sleeve rolled up the silver hooks like a cloud, and the silver hooks flew back, faster than before.

Amidst a short, sharp scream, Soul-Hooking Hand had already fallen from mid-air.

In the end, he could only hook away his own soul.

Leaving behind a thousand-tael silver note, Yu Liancheng drifted away.

Watching Yu Liancheng's departing back, Zhu Ting shook his head bitterly: "That little chick is probably in trouble, but... what does it have to do with me?"

He lay leisurely on the chair again, seemingly not worried about Lu Xiaofeng's safety at all, and as if he hadn't seen the two corpses in the room at all.