Chapter 415: Heavenly Venerable Breaks Three Thousand Armored Cavalry, A Flick of the Finger and a Flying Sword Slashes the River Tid

There is no banquet in the world that does not come to an end.

When Yu Liancheng and his party reached the barren region bordering the two provinces, it was time to part ways.

The sword boy Sanlu sat on the donkey, clutching a sword in his arms, his eyes sparkling with a light called a dream.

This was the precious sword he had bought for eighty taels of silver; he would rely on it in the future to roam the Edo and make a name for himself.

He had pinned his Edo dream upon this sword, even preparing to pass it down to his descendants as a family heirloom.

The youth treasured this sword dearly; even if his master wanted to touch it, he would be shunned and dodged.

Sanlu fondled the precious sword for a long while, feeling satisfied, then looked left and right, always feeling that the atmosphere had been off ever since they bought the sword.

Especially his own master—every time he looked at Young Master Tonghuang, the look in his eyes seemed suspicious; it couldn't be that he had taken a liking to Young Master Tonghuang, could it?

Although Young Master Tonghuang was handsome, he was, after all, a man, and the gap in their seniority was right there; it was impossible for them to achieve a positive outcome.

Furthermore, how could two men carry on the family line?

This would never do; if his master truly had such thoughts, he, as the sword boy, would have to pull him back to the right path no matter what.

If Deng Taie knew of Sanlu's thoughts, even with his good temper, he would likely give him a couple of kicks to his backside.

Sanlu cast his gaze toward the "white-robed beauty" wearing double blades at his waist, sighed inwardly, and his expression turned bitter.

Young Master Tonghuang was one thing, but why did this fellow also have to be so handsome?

If there were a few more fellows like this in the Edo, wouldn't all the limelight be stolen? When would there ever be a day for Hero Sanlu to stand out?

Sanlu quickly averted his gaze.

He couldn't look anymore; this white-robed gentleman was truly too handsome. If he kept looking, he would end up like his master.

Sister Wuzhu was still the best; not only was she beautiful, but she was also gentle and kind, and more importantly, she was a woman.

"Little Sanlu, stop looking; you aren't the type I like." Murong Wuzhu noticed Sanlu's gaze and looked back with a smile.

"Th-that..." Sanlu's face instantly flushed red, and he couldn't speak.

Murong Wuzhu seemed to have anticipated what he was going to say and smiled faintly: "If one day you can beat my younger brother, then we shall talk."

Sanlu's head instantly drooped.

Although the youth had high aspirations, he at least knew his own worth.

The five of them traveled for a while before Deng Taie stopped, looked at the sky, and gently twirled the Peach Blossom Branch in his hand: "Alright, Murong kid, it is time for you and me to part ways."

Yu Liancheng had long expected this and said: "You are going to Wudi City?"

"Indeed." Deng Taie looked into the distance, his gaze as if it were tangible: "I have gained quite a bit these days. I am heading to Wudi City to see if I can pull that old man Wang Xianzhi off his horse."

Yu Liancheng cupped his hands and smiled: "Then I wish you great martial fortune and a triumphant start."

"That is difficult indeed." Deng Taie shook his head, his expression quite nostalgic: "Wang Xianzhi is truly an old monster, a peerless genius seen once in a century. Even if Lv Zu were to appear in the world today, he might not dare to let him get close."

The sword boy Sanlu was dissatisfied with Deng Taie's pessimistic words and crossed his arms: "Since that is the case, why is Master still going to Wudi City? To get beaten up?"

"Some things, if you want to do them, you do them. If you consider the gains and losses too much, you lose the original flavor."

Deng Taie smiled slightly: "Wang Xianzhi is truly invincible. He has waited for nearly sixty years. We old folks haven't been able to pull him down—Cao Zhangqing couldn't, I couldn't, and Tuoba Pusa of Beiliang couldn't either. The future depends on you. He, Wang Xianzhi, has been invincible for a lifetime; he must taste what failure feels like, otherwise, wouldn't life be very boring?"

Yu Liancheng stood with his hands behind his back, radiating an aura of loneliness, his demeanor desolate as he said: "So-called invincibility is nothing more than the pride and loneliness of 'viewing all the mountains as small'."

"You really get carried away when someone praises you; wait until you truly defeat Old Man Wang before you talk." Deng Taie waved his hand and said: "Alright, I am leaving. When we meet again, I hope there will be one less Wang the Invincible in the world, and one more Murong the Invincible."

Yu Liancheng waved his sleeve: "Go, go, I can't be bothered to see you off."

"Haha, how could we children of the Edo be so sentimental and pretentious."

The old donkey walked away into the sunset. The youth dressed as a page rode the donkey backward, one hand clutching his sword, the other waving incessantly toward the rear, his eyes filled with glistening tears. Beside him, the plain-looking middle-aged man curled his lips, holding the Peach Blossom Branch in his hand and spinning it gently; seemingly sensing the gaze from behind, he waved casually.

The person had already gone far away.

The Edo remained the same.

Yu Liancheng only glanced at Deng Taie's back before turning his head to look at Nangong Pushe: "Nangong, we can be considered to have a connection. What do you plan to do next?"

The white-robed beauty rubbed the hilt of her blade with her fair hands, her tone resolute and determined: "Cultivate, and become the top expert in the world." She added to herself, 'And then chop my enemies to pieces.'

"Good ambition." Yu Liancheng nodded and smiled: "Are you interested in going to Beiliang with me to enter the Tingchao Pavilion and read through half of the world's martial arts manuals?"

Nangong Pushe said: "You are going to Beiliang?"

Yu Liancheng nodded.

Nangong Pushe blinked her peach-blossom eyes, her gaze rippling: "The Beiliang Prince Mansion is one of the Wulin Three Forbidden Lands. It is not an easy task to enter the Tingchao Pavilion of the Prince Mansion."

Yu Liancheng smiled slightly: "This mountain dweller has his own clever plan."

"Since that is the case, then Nangong will accompany you to the end." Nangong Pushe smiled slightly; illuminated by the setting sun, her stunning cheeks were rendered in magnificent colors, becoming even more peerless.

Yu Liancheng said sincerely: "If you were a woman, you would surely bring disaster to the country and its people."

Nangong Pushe did not show weakness and said: "If you were a woman, all the men in the world would surely be fickle."

Feeling the strange atmosphere between these two, Murong Wuzhu felt a slight sense of unease and asked with a smile: "Tonghuang, you didn't even ask if I was interested in going to Beiliang."

Yu Liancheng smiled: "Then, Sister, are you interested in going to Beiliang with me?"

"Not interested, but..." Murong Wuzhu hugged Yu Liancheng's arm, her smile bright: "Wherever you go, I will go. Don't even think about shaking off your sister."

A wave of soft jade and warm fragrance rushed toward him, especially the elasticity and softness on his arm, which made one's mind wander. Yu Liancheng rubbed Murong Wuzhu's head and smiled: "Fine, fine, fine. Let's go to Beiliang together; I won't shake off anyone, let alone my sister."

"The Slayer of Kings, Heavenly Venerable Murong."

These seven characters spread far and wide following the battle at Guangling River.

Not to mention the Wulin people, even the peddlers and porters were very familiar with them.

Later generations recorded that on the eighteenth of the eighth month, the day of the tide-viewing, Heavenly Venerable Murong broke three thousand armored soldiers with a single hand. Guangling King Zhao Yi, the Prince Zhao Biao, and a group of guards died, shaking the world.

Among the common people, the story of "Heavenly Venerable breaks three thousand armored cavalry, a flick of the finger and a Flying Sword slashes the river tide" also circulated. Whenever a storyteller recounted this story, it would always win thunderous applause, though it might also land them in jail.

Following his defeat of Xuanyuan Dapan and becoming the Master of Huishan, Yu Liancheng once again became the focus of the world, even more shocking than before; even the high-level figures of Beiliang cast their concerned gazes toward him.

The result of the Guangling battle exploded like a thunderclap, causing shock and uproar throughout the world, and the entire Wulin became like a pot of boiling oil, completely erupting.

The impact was no less than when Wang Xianzhi defeated the Old Sword God Li Chungang back then.

The Guangling King is one of the six great Feudatory Kings, and his strength ranks among the best; he has many soldiers and generals, and experts are as numerous as clouds.

That fat pig is greedy for money and lustful; he has offended countless people and has been assassinated innumerable times, yet he often loses his own life before even seeing Zhao Yi's face.

If Murong Tonghuang had been waiting for an opportunity to assassinate him, that would be one thing. But he chose to do it in full view of everyone, raising his hand to crush the guards, collapsing the Review Platform, and openly beheading the Guangling King Zhao Yi.

As for the elite Beikui Army under Zhao Yi and the martial arts experts he had recruited, they suffered countless casualties in this battle, impossible to calculate.

One must know that from ancient times to the present, martial arts experts have rarely held the upper hand when facing organized armies, let alone achieving such a great victory.

Such a battle record, even if one cannot say it is unprecedented and will never be repeated, can be called the pinnacle of the contemporary era; how could it not shock people?

Murong Tonghuang appeared suddenly, and even though his rise has been short, his reputation has already caught up to the likes of the elegant Cao Zhangqing and the Peach Blossom Sword God Deng Taie.

Some even believe he has the capital to challenge that person in Wudi City.

Naturally, the Liyang Imperial Court would not let it go after the killing of a famous Feudatory King; they issued a widespread wanted poster, offered a reward of 100,000 gold, and simultaneously dispatched the Zhao Gou to attempt to capture Murong Tonghuang.

But everyone knows that this is just for show.

Facing such a supreme expert, the Imperial Court is also quite powerless; Cao Zhangqing is one such example.

……

In the dusk.

On the mountain road, the figures of an old man and a young man were stretched long by the setting sun; the old one carried a long, strip-shaped luggage wrapped in rags, dressed in tattered clothes, with white hair mixed with a few strands of thatch—he could look destitute enough to squat on the ground with a bowl and beg—and he led a scrawny, limping horse.

The young one did not seem so young, with a face full of stubble and wearing common hemp clothes, looking like a refugee fleeing a famine. If one had a sharp eye, one might discover that if this kid cleaned himself up, he would actually be quite handsome; if he met a shameless old man, the man would surely point at him and say: "This kid has the style I had when I was young."

"Lao Huang, I've calculated the time; we have at most one month left before we can go home. When we get there, we'll have big chunks of meat and big bowls of wine. Damn it, I never thought meat and wine were such rare things before, but now just thinking about it makes my mouth water."

The young man, whose true age was hard to tell, wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

The slovenly old man, who looked like a servant, chuckled, revealing a mouth of yellow teeth with missing front teeth, appearing extremely honest and ridiculous.

"Laughing at what?" The young man rolled his eyes: "I hope this journey is peaceful; we must not run into any mountain bandits or robbers again, otherwise the two of us will be done for."

"It won't happen, Young Master, I, Lao Huang, will protect you." The old servant with missing front teeth patted his scrawny chest and immediately coughed several times.

The young man rolled his eyes again: "Forget it, you run faster than me."

Lao Huang habitually gave an honest laugh, revealing the gap where his two front teeth were missing.

The young man looked at the bundle behind Lao Huang again and casually plucked a blade of grass to chew on: "Carrying this thing for six thousand li, I don't know what kind of madness you've caught."

Lao Huang just gave an honest laugh.

The young man, not knowing what he had remembered, touched his stubbly chin and said: "Lao Huang, I remember asking you if you were an expert, and you nodded."

Lao Huang lowered his head, revealing a lotus-like "shy" posture, and nodded coyly.

The young man asked: "Then just how high is your skill?"

Lao Huang blinked, seemingly in thought, and after a long while, he reached out to gesture, appearing to be about the same height as the Prince, and then immediately lowered the height a bit.

"Heh, I see you're about as tall as me."

Having traveled with Lao Huang for more than two years, how could he not know his background? The young man chuckled and threw an arm around Lao Huang's shoulder.

"While you had a stomachache this morning, I snuck off to listen to storytelling; it was the hottest one right now, 'The Heavenly Venerable breaks three thousand cavalry, a flick of the finger sends a Flying Sword to cut the river tide.' Do you want to hear it?"

Lao Huang nodded hurriedly.

"Ahem, then I'll tell you. Wasn't there a great tide on the Guangling River a while ago? That fat pig, Guangling King Zhao Yi, was watching the tide and reviewing his troops……"

The young man was also getting into the spirit, immediately speaking with great animation and flair, adding his own embellishments to the story he had only heard half of at the teahouse, telling it quite vividly.

"What a Heavenly Venerable, what a Murong Tonghuang; if this Prince met him, I would definitely reward him heavily, no, wait……"

Speaking to the end, the young man smacked his lips, still unsatisfied.

"To be able to shake three thousand cavalry with one hand and kill the Guangling King at the Guangling River, that is truly a domineering and peerless technical feat; this Prince has no way to reward him. If I had known, I would have brought that guy Wen Hua along to the Guangling River; even if we couldn't become his apprentices, it would have been worth it just to see such a god-like figure."

Lao Huang raised his hands high and stood on his tiptoes.

"Lao Huang, what do you mean by that?" The young man was a bit confused, then slapped his forehead, revealing a look of realization: "I understand, you mean that Murong Tonghuang's martial arts are this high."

"As high as two stories."

Lao Huang laughed honestly, revealing his two missing front teeth, and pointed to a banner fluttering in the wind not far ahead, with a large "Tea" character on it: "Young Master, there is a tea shop."

The young man licked his dry lips; he was a bit thirsty from talking, and it was just the right time to ask for a bowl of water.

Perhaps it was the previous story that had stirred up the young man's interest in wandering the world; as he walked, he continued to tirelessly discuss the matters of Heavenly Venerable Murong with the old servant who was missing his front teeth.

"I used to think that practicing martial arts was vulgar, just the courage of a brute. But if one can practice martial arts to this point, tsk tsk, there is nowhere in the world one cannot go……"

Just then, Lao Huang suddenly froze in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" the young man asked.

Lao Huang scratched his head and said: "Young Master, is Heavenly Venerable Murong very good-looking, and does he have a sister who looks very much like him?"

The young man nodded.

Lao Huang added: "Is there also a woman in white following them, who is also very good-looking, with two blades at her right waist?"

"Lao Huang, your memory is quite good; you listened to my story carefully, remembering even such small details, not bad, not bad." The young man nodded with a grin, very satisfied with Lao Huang as a listener.

"No." Lao Huang pointed forward with his hand: "It's just that these eyes of Lao Huang aren't blind."

The young man looked in that direction and saw a tea shop.

And three people of peerless beauty in the tea shop.

It seemed to be one man and two women, yet all of them possessed beauty that could topple kingdoms.

……

－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－

PS: Thanks to book friend "Great Freedom Without Worry" for the 5000 reward.

Haha, because of the slow updates and poor quality, I haven't dared to appear in the comment section for a long time, and I haven't dared to respond to requests for more chapters for a long time either.

Snow Sword Stride is too long, and I have never written fanfiction for such a long novel before. Moreover, I read it a long time ago, so every time I use it to look up information, it takes a long time, and it doesn't feel very smooth to write, so it is slow as always.

It is already the end of the month, and seeing that the monthly votes won't reach 1000, I have completely given up and become a salted fish.

I will sort out the outline over these next two days and save up a few chapters to try my best to release a burst of updates next month; my apologies.