Chapter 523: One Man Returns a Sword to a City

Taian City.

The end of the first year of the Xiangfu era.

Compared to the heavy snowfall of the previous two days, today the sky is high and the clouds are thin, the wind is gentle and the sun is bright; with sunlight spilling down from the clouds, it is truly a fine day for going out and about.

Yet the atmosphere in Taian City is unprecedentedly eerie.

Today is the final day of the ten-day period mentioned by Murong Wudi.

Ever since Murong Wudi put out the word, scouts and spies from all major factions under heaven have snuck in, and many martial arts experts have arrived in succession, all wishing to witness this upcoming great battle.

If it were an ordinary expert who had declared, "I have a sword of my own to return," or even someone like Cao Guanzi, who enters the Imperial Palace as if walking through a corridor, it would not have caused such a stir, and might even have been treated as a joke.

But that is Murong Tonghuang; the invincible Murong Tonghuang, the Murong Tonghuang who broke a formation of one hundred thousand with a single hand.

Especially the news that has come from Beiliang recently, which is even more eye-catching.

Murong Tonghuang, on Hutou City, with one person and one sword, routed an army of one hundred thousand from Beimang.

Of course, this is certainly an exaggeration.

Are the Beiliang Army in Hutou City all idiots, all made of mud and carved from stone, unable to fire a single arrow?

Many people speculate that it was Yu Liancheng who led the Shenfeng Army, composed of martial artists, to break the formation head-on and kill the Southern Court Great King Dong Zhuo.

Without this leader, the one hundred thousand troops were like a dragon without a head, and thus they scattered.

And in the mouths of some storytellers, this battle is obviously even more exaggerated; it is truly "one sword can hold off a million troops," facing the million-strong army of Beimang all by himself. However, this version is very popular among the common people, and whenever some eloquent storyteller talks about this matter, they are always surrounded by three layers of people inside and three layers outside, earning a fortune.

This time, Murong Tonghuang is returning the sword, with ten thousand eyes watching, and the whole world looking at one man.

Of course, as for whether Murong Wudi can truly return the sword, it is hard to say.

Taian City is the capital of Liyang, with experts as numerous as clouds, countless elite soldiers, and the Qintian Bureau sitting in town, where the dragon veins converge. Although Cao Guanzi entered the Imperial Palace four times and caused a massive stir, he did not harm a single hair on the late Emperor.

The Imperial Court has not sealed off the entire city, nor has it dispatched troops for strict control; instead, it has opened the city gates generously, only checking travel permits slightly, and allowing the pawns of various factions and martial artists to flood in. But those with sharp eyes can see that the guards of Taian City are loose on the outside but tight on the inside, with soldiers patrolling everywhere. Once a situation is discovered to be wrong, troops can be mobilized for support at any time.

……

In the Imperial Palace, the young Emperor does not seem to have changed in the slightest because of the impending Murong Wudi; he still holds morning court every day and reviews memorials until late at night. Two days ago, he even played two games of chess with the young Monitoring Supervisor of the Qintian Bureau and lost both, though he did not lose too miserably in the second game, which made the young Emperor very happy.

And on this day, after the customary morning court, the young Emperor waved away the officials, leaving behind only Qi Yanglong, the Grand Libationer of Shangyin Academy and the current National Master, who had returned to Taian City in the first year of Xiangfu.

The two did not discuss any major matters; the young Emperor was merely telling the Grand Libationer about his political decrees and measures over the half year since he took office.

After some rambling, the young Emperor once again fixed his gaze on the current National Master Qi Yanglong: "Sir, are there any omissions in these measures of mine? Have they caused the people of the Central Plains to live in misery? Am I a muddled ruler?"

Qi Yanglong shook his head: "Your Highness's measures may have omissions, but they are all of no great consequence, and countless people under heaven will benefit because of Your Majesty. If Your Majesty were a muddled ruler, then ninety percent of the emperors in history books would deserve to be reviled."

"Is that so?" The young Emperor suddenly let out a long breath, his expression slightly gloomy as he said: "That is why I do not understand why I cannot win the hearts of the people? Why does the number one in the world, who should be aloof from worldly affairs like Murong Tonghuang, favor Beiliang? Why do those civil officials all harbor selfish motives, and there is no longer a Zhang Julu?"

Qi Yanglong remained silent.

The young Emperor realized he had lost his composure, restrained his emotions, and waved his sleeves: "I am a bit tired, so I will not keep you, Sir."

"This subject takes his leave."

The young Emperor sat on the dragon throne, seemingly muttering to himself: "Murong Tonghuang, I want to see how you intend to return the sword."

……

……

At the same time, in the Imperial Palace.

A eunuch stands on the roof of a palace hall.

The eunuch's appearance is young and handsome, like a man who has just reached adulthood, without the coldness and frailty of ordinary eunuchs, vaguely carrying the elegance of a scholar and the boldness of a martial artist.

The young eunuch is the same age as the country, and shares the same fate as the Liyang Dynasty.

He stands with his hands behind his back, his eunuch's Python Robe fluttering without wind, snapping loudly, as if it were about to fly off the robe.

If a Qi Practitioner of the level of Dantai Pingjing of the Guanyin Sect or Nan Huaiyu of the Qintian Bureau were here, they might be able to see strands of heavenly Luck pouring into the young eunuch's body, making his Qi increasingly vigorous and abundant, like a God or a Demon.

"Sigh, you hot-headed fellows, you never consider the consequences when you do things. Why do you always want to fight? Isn't it better to be harmonious?"

The young eunuch looked toward the north and sighed: "I... actually don't really know how to fight, but when I do fight, I have never lost. Furthermore, this is Taian City, my Taian City, having watched the wind and rain for two hundred years; no matter who wants to defeat me in Taian City, it is not very easy."

……

Qintian Bureau.

A person is climbing the Tong Tian Tai, gazing up at the firmament.

This person has white hair and a white beard, his face is aged, and he seems no different from an ordinary old man, except that his entire temperament seems to be one with this world, transcending the limits of heaven and earth.

This person is the former Monitoring Supervisor Nan Huaiyu.

"Grandfather Monitoring Supervisor, you have stayed in the Tongtian Pavilion for the past few days watching the sky; have you seen any revelation?" A youth wearing the official uniform of a Monitoring Supervisor stood beside Nan Huaiyu.

He was once the old Monitoring Supervisor's book boy, and now he has become the new Monitoring Supervisor; even though his status is extremely high, his form of address for the former has never changed.

Nan Huaiyu sighed: "That person is coming; I saw slaughter and death. I saw the wind and rain swaying."

The young Monitoring Supervisor said as if nonchalantly: "Grandfather Monitoring Supervisor, we might not lose."

The old Monitoring Supervisor lowered his head, his tone becoming increasingly low: "Qi Practitioners were originally people outside the world, seeking immortals and inquiring about the Dao, but our Northern School of Qi Practitioners attached ourselves to the dragon; perhaps this path was wrong from the very beginning. Back then, this old man participated in the White Clothes Case, and you, little book boy, also participated in that matter; he will definitely come to the Qintian Bureau to return the sword."

The old Monitoring Supervisor suddenly raised his head, his old and deep eyes, like the ocean and stars, flickering as he turned to look at the young Monitoring Supervisor: "Little book boy, you should flee. Our lineage cannot be severed; as for the old debts of the past, let this old man, who should have died long ago, bear it all. Perhaps... for this old man, this is also a form of release."

"Grandfather Monitoring Supervisor, we can invite the ancestors down, and there is also that eunuch in the palace who is the same age as the country; it is said that the Shu King Chen Zhibao has also arrived, and he will likely make a move as well... we will not lose."

The little book boy's tone carried stubbornness; in his impression, Grandfather Monitoring Supervisor had always been calm and omnipotent. This is the first time he has seen such a panicked Grandfather Monitoring Supervisor.

"No! He is a Heavenly Venerable, a high heaven that is unfathomable; it is easy to know heaven, but difficult to defy heaven. Under the high firmament, we are merely inconspicuous ants beneath the vast sky."

……

……

In a restaurant.

Chen Zhibao in white sits by the window, his gaze fixed on the busy crowd below, but in his mind, he recalls the news sent by scouts a few days ago.

Although that guy was able to rout one hundred thousand troops, it was indeed with the help of the Beiliang Army in Hutou City.

But compared to the Beiliang Army, that one person and one sword were the key to breaking the enemy.

Chen Zhibao could already imagine the bearing of that figure in black, matching a thousand armies and ten thousand horses with his own strength, unstoppable and unrivaled.

If it were a matter of battlefield warfare, deploying troops and generals, Chen Zhibao could say he was confident regardless of who he faced. But when it came to a clash of Martial Dao, not to mention the younger generation, even among all the experts in the world, he could rank in the top ten of the Martial Evaluation if he wished. But if he were to face that person...

"Catch."

Xie Guanying, dressed as a scholar, walked over and tossed a flask of wine to Chen Zhibao, laughing: "You must taste this carefully. This is Daughter's Red aged for forty years, a good thing you can't buy even with money. If I hadn't had some friendship with the owner years ago, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been willing to sell it to me."

Chen Zhibao didn't use a wine cup; he casually flicked open the flask, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth: "Good wine."

"Hehe, as long as you like it." Xie Guanying smiled: "This time, Murong Tonghuang returning his sword is destined to stir up a monstrous commotion. The news of your arrival in the Capital has already spread, so you must put in some effort when the time comes, even if it's just for show. But you must not risk your life. That fellow crushing an army of one hundred thousand alone might have been slightly exaggerated, but his solo battle against all the world's experts back then was not false in the slightest."

Chen Zhibao suddenly raised his head and stared at Xie Guanying without blinking, making the latter feel a bit hair-raising, before he slowly said: "You also put in effort regarding that matter. If not for you, perhaps that sword strike would have been blocked by the Blade Armor Qi Lianhua. Are you not afraid of Murong Tonghuang coming to settle the score with you? Are you really willing to risk your life just to watch the spectacle?"

Xie Guanying let Chen Zhibao drink wine, while he himself drank tea.

After hearing Chen Zhibao's words, he put down his teacup and revealed a smug smile.

"As for me, my realm is very high. Although realm doesn't mean I'm powerful in a fight, if I say my ability to escape is World's Second, then no one can claim to be World's First."

Deng Taie had also arrived in Taian City. He chose a tavern that wasn't too expensive, sat at a window seat on the second floor, and under the slightly disdainful gaze of the waiter, ordered only a plate of cheap side dishes and a pot of free tea.

Taking a teacup, Deng Taie poured and drank by himself. Compared to other experts in the Edo, this Peach Blossom Sword God was always so leisurely.

"That fellow Sanlu, as soon as he ran to Shu, there was no news. After watching today's excitement, I'll go see him. He is my, Deng Taie's, disciple after all, so he cannot be bullied."

Soon, the Sword God Deng, who was drinking tea and eating alone, encountered an acquaintance. It was an elegant middle-aged man in a green shirt. Seeing him, he didn't stand on ceremony, walked straight over, sat opposite him, and asked the waiter for a pot of wine and two plates of side dishes before turning his head to smile: "Deng Taie, we meet again."

Deng Taie was as gentle as ever: "Cao Guanzi, the fighting in Guangling Dao is in full swing. Why do you have time to run here instead of presiding over the overall situation?"

Cao Zhangqing in the green shirt smiled: "Like you, I'm here to watch the excitement."

Deng Taie shook his head: "Don't lie to me. I am here to watch the excitement, but if there were an opportunity to be exploited, I don't believe you would be content to just be a spectator."

Cao Zhangqing laughed: "That goes without saying. If I could really throw Taian City into chaos and send the Zhao Family brat to his grave, then my Great Chu could still hold on for a while."

"You, you are still trapped in that city." Deng Taie shook his head.

Cao Zhangqing smiled: "Although you, the Peach Blossom Sword God, stepped out of that mountain, you only stepped out with one foot. You're only slightly better than me. If we're talking about being truly carefree, it would have to be the old senior Li, the LandSwordImmortal on Huishan."

Deng Taie also gave a carefree smile: "Wrong. Old senior Li also couldn't forget Fengdu Green Robe, and now who knows where he has run off to. And in this world, who is truly romantic and truly carefree?"

Cao Zhangqing looked toward the direction of the Imperial Palace: "I thought of a year ago. At that time, there was still that old scoundrel Wang Xianzhi, and the Liyang Dynasty was in its prime, with civil officials and fierce generals as numerous as clouds and rain. But I didn't expect that in less than a short year, so many changes would occur. A vast Liyang actually gives people a feeling of being precarious."

Deng Taie smiled: "Isn't that what you wished for?"

"That is true." Cao Zhangqing tapped the tabletop and said with interest: "Deng Taohua, tell me about things overseas. Are there really Immortals overseas?"

"Of course, there are also many romantic figures overseas." A look of reminiscence appeared on Deng Taie's face. He suddenly looked toward the direction of the city gate, his brows raised, revealing a solemn expression.

Cao Zhangqing also looked toward the city gate and said calmly: "It seems there is no time to listen to your story today."

"No matter, as long as you are willing to listen, I have stories here at any time." Deng Taie smiled, stood up, paid the bill, and walked slowly toward the city gate: "But Murong Wudi returning his sword to Taian City is a major event that has caught the world's attention. Who wouldn't want to see it?"

One person came from the north.

One person returned a sword to a city.