Chapter 27: The Three Most Prominent People

Gongsun Lan struck out with her twin swords, transforming them into a brilliant, resplendent light of swords; she herself seemed to merge into the sword light, person and sword as one.

Such a sword was already enough to allow her to step into the ranks of top-tier swordsmen.

Those who could receive her full-strength sword strike were already few in number.

Yu Liancheng moved.

The sword gave a long hum, and in mid-air, it was as if a bolt of lightning had burst open. The Shangguan sisters only felt a flash of lightning tear through the air before their eyes, the dazzling radiance so intense that it forced them to keep their eyes shut.

The room, which had not been particularly bright to begin with, seemed to brighten and turn white as the silver glow surged with the flashing sword light.

The next moment, the silvery-white sword light collided with that cluster of brilliant, resplendent morning clouds.

The sounds of weapons clashing were incessant, as if there were dozens of collisions in a single instant.

And amidst the collisions, the morning clouds were annihilated bit by bit, while the silvery-white sword light became increasingly stunning.

Clang!!

With another clear, resonant sound of impact, Gongsun Lan stumbled backward, unable to even hold onto the twin swords in her hands, which flew from her grasp.

Yu Liancheng shook his head: "Your sword technique has indeed improved, but the flaws remain. If you encounter a top-tier swordsman, perhaps a single exchange would be enough to cost you your life."

In the original timeline, Gongsun Lan's sword technique was enough to make Lu Xiaofeng feel troubled, and he considered her a swordsman worthy of being compared to Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng.

Yet when Gongsun Lan encountered Ye Gucheng, she was killed silently, which was truly astonishing.

This did not mean there was a chasm-like gap between the two, but rather that there were flaws in her sword technique.

And these flaws were extremely hidden, visible only to the small handful of people who had also cultivated their sword techniques to the peak, such as Ye Gucheng, or Yu Liancheng...

"Ponder it well yourself!"

Yu Liancheng shook his head and turned to leave.

Gongsun Lan's expression was uncertain, and it was unknown what she was thinking.

A mountain.

A green mountain.

Seen at dusk, it seemed to transform into a fantastical and magnificent pale purple.

It was currently dusk, and the hillside was covered in Chinese roses and climbing roses. Two little girls with large braids were picking flowers on the hillside.

A man with four eyebrows walked up the hillside.

The singing of the two braided girls suddenly stopped, and they both widened their eyes, staring at the man with four eyebrows.

Fortunately, the man with four eyebrows was often stared at by women, so his face did not turn red; instead, he smiled.

"This man's mustache and eyebrows look exactly the same; could he be the four-eyebrowed Lu Xiaofeng?" This little girl had large eyes and a few faint freckles on her nose, making her look even more playful and cute.

"That's right, it should be him. No wonder he looks like a thief when he smiles." The other girl had a round face, and when she smiled, she had two dimples, looking both gentle and sweet.

Lu Xiaofeng laughed: "Then have you heard that Lu Xiaofeng's thievery is even more formidable than the world's number one thief, Sikong Zhaixing? Because he likes to steal hearts, especially stealing the hearts of little girls, particularly those who are cute and pretty."

The freckled girl giggled: "You certainly look like a very interesting person, but it's a pity we only have one heart, and that heart has already been stolen by another man."

Lu Xiaofeng laughed: "But I can still steal it back."

The round-faced girl giggled: "You will never be able to steal it back, because he is younger, more handsome, and wittier than you."

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head; the two little girls were inexperienced and treated a crooked melon or a cracked date as a treasure, so he did not intend to argue with them.

"I am looking for your young mistress and your old mistress; I would trouble the two young ladies to announce my arrival."

He had come to Jin Zhen Villa this time naturally for an important matter.

It had been some time since the case of the Golden Peng Dynasty, and there were three people in the Edo who were currently the most prominent.

The first was naturally Yu Liancheng; after all, the case of the Golden Peng Dynasty involved far too many experts and had already caused a sensation in the Edo.

Added to that was his making Sikong Zhaixing sing and do somersaults, and making Lu Xiaofeng shave off his four eyebrows... any one of these things was enough to make one famous throughout the Edo.

The second was Ximen Chuixue.

Ximen Chuixue stayed at Wanmei Villa year-round, and the number of times he went out each year could be counted on one's fingers. Everyone knew he was a peerless swordsman, but few knew exactly how strong his power was.

Yet after being defeated by Yu Liancheng, Ximen Chuixue actually learned from him, traveling thousands of miles to challenge major masters along the Edo routes, nurturing his battle through battle, and washing his sword with blood.

Because of this, the experts of the Edo finally witnessed the demeanor of this peerless swordsman.

Those long-famous Edo masters could not even block a single light strike from his sword.

At the same time, this also elevated Yu Liancheng's reputation even further.

Because Ximen Chuixue had stated bluntly that he had once been defeated by Yu Liancheng's sword.

It was said that Ximen Chuixue's sword technique had improved once more, reaching at least the realm of being able to draw and sheathe at will, so that he would not injure himself if he did not injure others when drawing his sword.

The third person was a man who could embroider.

This person not only knew how to embroider, but also knew how to embroider blind men.

Using his Embroidery Needle to embroider, he would embroider one for every two stitches; recently, he had embroidered at least seventy or eighty blind men, many of whom were famous experts in the martial arts world.

Embroidering blind men was one thing, but the key was that he had also stolen eighteen units of volume of pearls from the Pingnan Prince Mansion, seventy scrolls of priceless calligraphy and paintings from the collection of Huayuxuan, eight hundred thousand taels of escort silver from Zhenyuan, a batch of red goods from Zhendong Bao, and ninety thousand taels of gold leaves from the Jinsha River.

In just one month, this person had committed sixty or seventy major cases, any one of which could have caused a sensation at ordinary times. Yet this person's methods were so superb that even the number one divine catcher of the Six Fan School, Jin Jiuling, could not find a single trace.

By now, this man who could embroider had snatched away seven or eight tenths of the limelight from Yu Liancheng and Ximen Chuixue; everyone was paying attention to this case. Added to the pressure exerted by the Pingnan Prince Mansion, the Six Fan School had to solve this case as quickly as possible.

Jin Jiuling was the lay disciple of the Shaolin master Kugua Dashi, and Kugua Dashi was a friend of Lu Xiaofeng, yet Lu Xiaofeng was a person who liked to be in the limelight and meddle in other people's business...

Thus, this case naturally fell upon Lu Xiaofeng.

And now, the only clue to this major case was an embroidered handkerchief; Lu Xiaofeng wanted to consult Lady Xue of the Divine Needle to see if there was any secret hidden on it.

By the way, Lady Xue of the Divine Needle's granddaughter, Xue Bing, was one of the "Four Great Tigresses of the Edo" and also his confidante; he had come to see her this time just right.

The round-faced girl said: "The old mistress does not see outsiders casually, and the young mistress is currently keeping Young Master Yu company, so I am afraid she has no time to attend to you."

Lu Xiaofeng's heart gave a sudden jump: "Young Master Yu? You don't mean that kid Yu Liancheng, do you?"

The freckled girl nodded and giggled, "It is indeed Young Master Yu. Our hearts have been stolen by him, and the young lady's is much the same; if you come again next time, I fear you will be attending the young lady's wedding feast."

Lu Xiaofeng nearly jumped up, "Bullshit."

"Who is talking bullshit?" A crisp voice suddenly rang out.