Chapter 326: Facing the Expert

PS: I haven't had time to edit this yet; wait half an hour before reading.

Yu Liancheng strode into Manqing Courtyard, holding the bronze box containing the He's Jade in his hand.

The crowd of heroes gazed at the bronze box, their expressions grave, their eyes revealing greed and covetousness.

They could naturally guess that the bronze box most likely contained the legendary He's Jade.

The He's Jade was an ancient treasure; not only could it assist one in cultivation, but it also held even greater symbolic significance, representing the orthodoxy of the Central Plains. Once this object was obtained, it would be like adding wings to a tiger in the future struggle for the world, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

"I am Yu Liancheng, the current Imperial Tutor. I assume you have all heard of my name."

Yu Liancheng swept his gaze around, a mocking smile curling the corners of his mouth. He opened the bronze box in his hand, and immediately, a scorching ripple spread out in all directions: "As for the object in my hand, it is the legendary He's Jade. If you want it, feel free to make a move and seize it."

The gazes the crowd directed at Yu Liancheng were not only filled with naked greed, but also as if they were looking at a fool, or a dead man.

Wealth should not be flaunted; after obtaining the He's Jade, this person did not guard it strictly, but instead displayed it so brazenly before everyone—he was purely courting death.

They did not forget to keep an eye on the outside of Manqing Courtyard, and seeing no heavy encirclement of soldiers, they all breathed a sigh of relief, the greed in their eyes growing even more intense.

To hell with this bullshit Imperial Tutor; as long as one could snatch the He's Jade and escape outside Luoyang City, wouldn't the sky be vast for birds to fly?

"By the way, I am currently the Imperial Tutor who props up the collapsing mansion. Therefore, regardless of whether you are a powerful clan faction intending to oppose the Great Sui, a rebel army of bandits who have raised troops in revolt, or an ambitious schemer coveting the Central Plains, as long as you are in Manqing Courtyard today, you will inevitably have to take a trip with me."

"Of course, if you insist on leaving, I will certainly not force you—just leave your heads behind."

While speaking, Yu Liancheng's gaze swept across the various pavilions on the third floor, especially the quarters occupied by the heroes from beyond the borders.

Dynastic changes and the struggles of warlords were merely the torrent of human history; Yu Liancheng did not care much about Li Shimin, Shen Luoyan, Liu Heita, and the others.

But the experts from beyond the borders were different.

Whether it was the Eastern or Western Turkic, Tiele, or Tuyuhun, all were eyeing the prosperous lands of the Central Plains like tigers, constantly wooing and buying off Central Plains forces over the years. Once the Great Sui collapsed, it would be the moment for these foreign forces to invade the Central Plains to plunder and slaughter.

The experts in Manqing Courtyard were all moved. Looking at this posture, this Imperial Tutor actually intended to face all the experts present single-handedly—the word "arrogant" was far from enough to describe it.

"Hmph, Yu Liancheng, this banquet was hosted by me, Wang. If you want to make a move against my guests, you must first ask if I, the Master of the Deacon Pavilion, agree."

Wang Bao's eyes shone with cold light, his internal energy surging from his body, his tone resonant and devoid of the slightest emotion.

Yu Liancheng swept a faint glance at him: "Wang Bao, although you are a rebel, you were able to compose the 'Song of Wasted Death in Liaodong,' so you can be considered to have some talent. If you are willing to submit to me, it is not impossible to deal with you leniently."

"Hehehe, the waves of the Changjiang push the waves ahead; you junior are so rampant, let me, Wang, weigh how much you are worth!" Wang Bao sneered, his feet stepping in a strange pattern. At the same time, a white shadow flew out from his sleeve, pointing toward Yu Liancheng in a strange, wave-like trajectory. It was as fast as lightning and as agile as a snake, seemingly able to change direction at any time, containing a poisonous, fantastic, and irresistible tyrannical power.

For a moment, the force pressed in, and a great chill arose.

This Whip King, famous for decades, had revealed his renowned Ding Shi Whip the moment he made a move, clearly showing he was extremely wary of Yu Liancheng. But at the same time, Wang Bao was also full of confidence in his Ding Shi Whip.

This time was no exception.

However, the moment the whip was about to touch his opponent, Wang Bao's vision blurred. The flow of the surrounding scenery suddenly became slow, while Yu Liancheng bypassed the long whip and walked toward him unhurriedly.

Yes, in Wang Bao's field of vision, all scenery had slowed down ten or a hundred times, as if time had stopped. Only Yu Liancheng could walk freely in this domain, unrestrained.

Although Wang Bao could see every movement of Yu Liancheng, he could not even make the slightest reaction. A needle-like stinging pain came from his palm, as if someone had pierced his fingers with needles.

His palm loosened, and the Ding Shi Whip in his hand was snatched away by Yu Liancheng. But at that very moment, that strange illusion vanished.

Wang Bao immediately leaped backward, his heart still palpitating with fear as he looked at Yu Liancheng with slight terror: "You... what kind of sorcery are you using?"

"You have eyes but fail to see; this is not sorcery, but a sword technique that has reached the pinnacle." Yu Liancheng held the Ding Shi Whip in his hand and gave it a shake. Under the infusion of True Qi, it immediately became as straight as a rod: "If you didn't see it clearly, I will let you see it again."

The Ding Shi Whip in his hand thrust out suddenly, like a sword.

The sword thrust into mid-air, trembled slightly, and produced an incredible transformation.

Under the shroud of this sword momentum, a trace of fear surged in Wang Bao's heart again, making his whole body cold.

He discovered that he had already "died"; he could not move a single finger on his entire body, as if his life had been frozen.

The next moment, the "Ding Shi Whip" had pierced into Wang Bao's chest.

"So there is actually such a terrifying sword technique in the world." This was Wang Bao's final thought. He only felt a sharp pain in his chest gradually spreading, his vision was quickly submerged by a piece of Darkness, and there was no more vitality.

The entire Manqing Courtyard was silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Everyone cast their gaze toward Yu Liancheng, who held the Ding Shi Whip in one hand and the bronze box in the other.

Wang Bao was the world's number one whip expert and even held the reputation of "Whip King," having dominated the Edo for decades.

Even though everyone had guessed that Wang Bao was no match for Yu Liancheng, they had not expected the defeat to be so swift.

"Good skill. I came to attend the banquet today originally just to enjoy the songs and dances of Lady Shang, but I didn't expect to encounter such an expert. It really makes one's hands itch."

After a silence so tense it was almost suffocating, a heroic voice suddenly rang out. Although this voice spoke in the language of the Central Plains, the tone was quite strange, clearly that of a foreigner.

"I would like to learn from the Central Plains Imperial Tutor; I wonder if that is possible?"

Seeing the "Whip King" dead, everyone was extremely wary of Yu Liancheng. This voice rang out abruptly, naturally attracting everyone's attention.

Looking in the direction of the voice, one could see a young master who appeared thin, as if sickly, with a fair complexion. He walked onto the balcony, looking down at Yu Liancheng with a calm and confident smile on his face.

The crowd immediately felt relieved; this person indeed had the capital to be arrogant.

For no other reason than that he was one of the three great Grandmasters of the world, "Martial Venerable" Bi Xuan's two direct disciples, Tuoba Yu.

Although Tuoba Yu was an expert of the younger generation, he had received Bi Xuan's personal instruction, and his martial arts were unfathomable. In this banquet, he had originally intended to have a great battle with the "Tie Le Feiying" Qu Ao and Manqing Courtyard, but at this moment, he was delighted to see such a hunter in Yu Liancheng.

Yu Liancheng swept a faint glance at him and said: "You alone are not enough; you are still far off."

"Then I wonder how it would be if you added me as well?" Another silver-bell-like giggle rang out, and another beautiful barbarian woman appeared on the balcony.

This barbarian woman was draped in a wide robe, her full figure clearly revealed. She was stunningly beautiful, resting her snow-white chin on her delicate hands, her pair of wonderful eyes rippling as she curiously sized up Yu Liancheng.

This was naturally "Martial Venerable" Bi Xuan's other disciple, Chunyu Wei.

Yu Liancheng shook his head and said: "Adding you won't work either, unless all the experts in these rooms come out together; only then would there be a glimmer of a possibility of winning."

This arrogant boast, even with the impressive battle record Yu Liancheng already had, still made everyone frown.

Hearing this, Chunyu Wei giggled, threw a flirtatious glance at Yu Liancheng, her eyes rippling with charm: "I like you very much. You are not only handsome, but very much to my taste. And you don't speak as reservedly as the people of the Central Plains; you say whatever you want, and you have a heroic spirit that one can admire."

"I like you very much as well." Yu Liancheng clapped his hands and laughed: "Generally speaking, I like all women who are beautiful."

Chunyu Wei giggled: "The Imperial Tutor is truly very witty, but you must not die here. If you beg me, I might be able to help you a little later."

"That won't be necessary." Yu Liancheng smiled: "After all, it is impossible for all of you to attack together, so you are bound to lose. When that time comes, you will all be captured by me, and I will have a good exchange with Miss Chun."

Seeing that these two had a tendency to flirt, another voice, dull as rolling thunder, rang out: "The Great Sui Imperial Tutor is truly very imposing. You want to catch us all in one net, but aren't you afraid that you won't catch any fish, and the net will be torn apart instead?"

Yu Liancheng looked toward the sound and saw more than a dozen men and women standing in an orderly fashion on the Wangjiang balcony on the third floor to the right. The leader among them was like a crane in a flock of chickens, instantly attracting all gazes, leaving no room to pay attention to anyone else.

This man was about thirty years old, with a tall and sturdy build and a face full of thick whiskers. Standing there with his hands behind his back, he gave off an aura as imposing as towering mountains and ridges, truly extraordinary.

Seeing everyone's gaze turn toward him, he did not show the slightest stage fright and cupped his fists: "I am Fu Qian of Tuyuhun. This is my first time arriving in the Central Plains; if there are any offenses, I hope you all will forgive me."

Although this man was not from the Central Plains, his Mandarin was very fluent. However, Li Shimin and others who had deep insights into the outer regions all revealed grave expressions.

Among the various tribes outside the borders, besides the Eastern and Western Turkic and Tiele, Tuyuhun was the most powerful, and they likewise harbored covetous designs on this land of the Central Plains.

Although the Tuyuhun ruler Fu Yun was ambitious, he was already old and frail, not worth worrying about. But Fu Qian was a man of great talent, with literary and military strategies far surpassing his father. If he were to seize power, it would certainly not be a blessing for the Central Plains.

"The fish is dead, but the net will not break." Yu Liancheng chuckled, then suddenly turned his head and cast his gaze toward the private room where Gengge Hu'er was located: "Tie Le Feiying, I know you have come as well. Let me tell you a piece of bad news, and a piece of good news."

"Heh, I am all ears." These five words drifted slowly from the private room, the voice aged and low.

Yu Liancheng said indifferently: "The bad news is that your son Ren Shaoming is dead; I killed him."

That private room suddenly exploded, and a tall figure swooped down, covering Yu Liancheng like an eagle. The wind whistled, and the momentum was terrifying to the extreme.

Bang!

That man struck from above, trading a palm blow with Yu Liancheng. But he gained no advantage; his face turned pale, and he staggered back two steps. He immediately steadied himself, and those eyes, originally clouded from years of heavy drinking, erupted with fury as he asked word by word: "Is what you said true?"

Yu Liancheng shrugged and said: "Of course it is true. I plucked his head off casually. He committed every evil act of rape and plunder in the Central Plains; did he really think he could survive after running into me?"

Qu Ao carefully observed Yu Liancheng's expression, confirming he was not lying, and then threw his head back, letting out an earth-shattering roar filled with endless sorrow and rage.

He took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his anger, and asked again: "And what is the good news you spoke of?"

Yu Liancheng shrugged and said: "I know you will definitely try to avenge your son, but failing to get revenge and soon dying at my hands to reunite with your son underground—isn't that a good thing?"

Qu Ao's eyes were bloodshot. With a sharp shout, every acupuncture point in his body erupted with endless Innate Proper Qi. He flew like an eagle, his hands curled into claws, fully unleashing his "Ying Bian Thirteen Styles" that shook the lands beyond the Great Wall, and attacked Yu Liancheng. The claw strikes were fierce and violent, with every move aimed at Yu Liancheng's head.

At the same time, three more figures lunged over; they were Qu Ao's three disciples, forming a pincer attack with him.