Chapter 539: The World Watches One Sword Together, The World Drinks One Wine Together (Volume End)

Guangling River.

The great tide is about to arrive.

The number of people watching the tide is countless; there are refined scholars laughing and discussing the wind, and commoners from the marketplace bringing their families along. There are even more martial artists, wearing sabers and carrying swords, gazing into the distance.

Back then, Murong Wudi, who alone occupied the Five Leaders, first emerged into the Edo, and it was right here that he achieved the reputation of "breaking an army of three thousand cavalry with one hand." In recent years, martial artists have continuously come here to stop and admire, recalling the romance of the past, and it has practically become a scenic spot.

Whoosh!

On the misty river surface, a white line moves from east to west, like a white rainbow spanning the river, growing larger like a rolling snowball, its momentum becoming increasingly astonishing. When it reaches the vicinity of Dayanji, it is actually four zhang high, with white waves surging to the heavens, like a Flood Dragon, covering the sky and earth, terrifying to the extreme.

"This Edo is growing old."

Among the crowd, an old man in a sheepskin coat sighs softly.

When he first entered the Edo, he rode his sword and walked upon the crest of the tide, full of spirit and vigor.

Afterwards, countless heroes of the Edo also made a name for themselves on the Guangling River; there were sword heroes whose Sword Qi soared to the sky, stirring up a thousand layers of spray with the great river. There were also strong men who walked against the tide alone, shattering countless waves with a single punch.

But now.

It is hard to see such scenes ever again.

It is not only because Daliang, as a prosperous dynasty that unified the Central Plains, has no intention of suppressing the Edo, but in public, who would dare to do such outrageous things?

It is even more because this Edo is withering.

After Xuanyuan Qingfeng, there are no more stunning juniors in the Edo.

Huang Sanjia channeled the remaining Luck of the eight kingdoms into the Edo, making the Edo after the Spring and Autumn period full of experts, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. But this was undoubtedly forcing the shoots to grow by pulling them, and coupled with the Imperial Court becoming increasingly powerful, Daliang's national destiny squeezed the Edo's Luck; I fear that in a few decades, ordinary Vajra experts will be able to enter the Martial Evaluation, and those in the Finger Profound realm will be able to contend for the title of number one in the world.

After watching the tide of the Guangling River, the old man in the sheepskin coat walks away alone.

Two days later, Li Chungang arrives in front of a dilapidated yellow mud house; in front of the house is a pond that has long been devoid of water.

When he was young and walking the Edo after descending the mountain, he once bought a green fish and a red carp at a market, releasing them into the small pond in front of the house. Now the pond water is dry, and the lotus leaves have all withered.

As for the two green and red ones in the pond, their whereabouts are unknown.

Li Chungang lets out a soft sigh and climbs the mountain along the weed-choked mountain path. The summit is where he practiced his sword, and on the mountain plateau, a smooth cliff stands abruptly, caused by his Sword Qi back then.

On the mountain plateau, there is a desolate grave; the tombstone has no words, only a nameless sword left behind by the Old Sword God in his youth stuck beside it.

The old man in the sheepskin coat pulls out the weeds, sits on the ground, and looks at the cliff, as if murmuring to himself, or as if speaking to a ghost: "That brat Murong Tonghuang will likely sever the connection between the heavens and the human world; those in heaven return to heaven, and those in the human world remain in the human world. However, he hasn't done it completely; if people are willing to ascend, they can still Open the Heavenly Gate, it's just that immortals cannot descend to the mortal realm."

"After all this turning and circling, there is nothing left in this world to linger for; for me, Li Chungang, ascension seems to be the best choice. But how could I be willing to leave you and ascend? Is there anything in the world more boring than being a god?"

The old man looks back at the small grave and says softly: "In this world, for thousands of generations, there has only been one Li Chungang, and there has only been one Lv Paoer. Some things just cannot be let go, cannot be cut away, cannot be cast aside. The Buddha says there are eight sufferings in life, but I think there is only one, and that is not being able to obtain what one seeks. When I was young, I sought a defeat and could not obtain it; when I lost you, I sought you and could not obtain you. Forget it, it is all past smoke and clouds; go, disperse."

"During the Liangmang War, that old fellow Sui Xiegu lost to me, and he was unconvinced. I still have one sword left; I will compete with him once more, and let the world see the style of Li Chungang once again."

Li Chungang pulls up the ancient sword that has not been unsheathed for half a century and, with a light stroke, splits the entire cliff: "Lv Paoer, just watch how this sword of mine is."

He gives it a light toss.

The sword light flies like a rainbow, heading into the distance.

After tossing the sword, the old man in the sheepskin coat does not look at the magnificent scene of an immortal's sword opening a mountain peak; he just sits before the grave, whispering softly, telling her about his experiences and encounters over these years.

The sky is about to darken.

The old man in the sheepskin coat's vision blurs, and he begins to doze off.

In his blurriness, a figure in green clothes trots toward him.

A smile appears at the corners of his mouth, and he falls into a long sleep from which he will not wake.

The Sword Master of the Spring and Autumn Thirteen Masters, one of the four great Grandmasters of the previous sixty-year cycle, a sword Dao talent seen once in five hundred years, the Old Sword God Li Chungang, whose sword Dao rivaled Lv Zu, has passed away.

After a while, another guest comes to the grave.

Dressed in black, fluttering and peerless, he carries a pot of wine in his hand; the wine is named "Peach Blossom," and the face is nowhere to be found, while the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze.

He looks at Li Chungang, shakes his head, and laughs: "You old man, you left quite cleanly; I originally wanted to come and see you off on your final journey, and I even brought the wine."

"Your heart is quite big, just abandoning your corpse in the wilderness like this, not even afraid of having your bones carried off by wolves."

The man in black shakes his head, taps his toe lightly on the ground, and the soil where the Old Sword God lies suddenly turns into a swamp, sinking his corpse down.

"Alright, you two were enemies in life, so you can keep each other company in death."

The man in black looks up again in the direction where the Flying Sword disappeared and smiles.

"This sword is not bad; Li Chungang, could it be that you want to send that fellow Sui Xiegu down to keep you company as well?"

Suddenly, the man in black waves his sleeve, and many wine cups that look like white jade appear before him.

He pours the Peach Blossom Wine into these cups one by one, and with another wave of his sleeve, countless wine cups follow in the direction of the long sword.

"One person cannot finish this pot of wine, so I invite you all to drink a cup together."

……

This is a very brilliant sword.

And many people have seen this sword.

This is a very brilliant pot of wine.

And many people can taste this cup of wine.

……

A middle-aged man rides an old donkey into Western Shu.

He pretentiously carries a sprig of peach blossoms, and passersby along the way, especially the young ones, cannot help but smile knowingly.

Oh, another martial artist who admires the style of Deng Taie.

But it is widely rumored in the Edo that the Peach Blossom Sword God is as handsome as jade, standing out from the crowd, and is a dashingly beautiful man, but the appearance of this uncle before them is truly somewhat unpresentable.

The unremarkable-looking man does not care at all about everyone's gaze, just leisurely riding his donkey to see the scenery of Shu.

The reason he came to Shu is that he received a letter from his book boy and disciple, saying that he had fallen in love with a woman and wanted his master to be the matchmaker. After receiving the letter, the man rarely borrowed money from the shopkeeper to buy two new sets of clothes before rushing to the state of Shu.

As the sun sets, the middle-aged man finally arrives in front of a remote courtyard and knocks on the door; the young boy, whose childhood name is Sanlu, walks out quickly, and seeing his master's familiar face, his face is full of surprise.

Just as the middle-aged man is about to speak, his disciple is already hugging the old donkey's head affectionately, which makes this self-sentimental master feel a bit hurt.

The middle-aged man swept his gaze across the courtyard and discovered that, besides his disciple, there was a young girl in a cloth dress with a wooden hairpin, who was watering a small peach tree at the base of the wall. Upon seeing the middle-aged man, the girl's face instantly flushed red; she gave a shy smile, looking somewhat flustered.

After the disciple finished catching up with the old donkey, he said nonchalantly, "Master, this is A'cao, my neighbor here. He was the one who found this peach tree. In the future, if you want to break off a peach blossom, you won't have to pay money or worry about being beaten up..."

The middle-aged man listened to his disciple's nagging, motherly chatter, and for no reason, felt a sense of comfort.

Suddenly, he raised his brows and looked toward the horizon, faintly catching sight of a sword light transforming into a flying rainbow as it departed.

"This world has lost one more spark of brilliance."

After a soft sigh, the Sword God, holding a peach blossom, caught sight of a wine cup descending leisurely from the sky.

From the wine cup, he sensed a familiar aura.

Thus, he took the wine cup and sniffed it lightly; it was full of the fragrance of wine.

"Heh, my luck is not bad today; someone is actually treating me to a drink."

The Female Emperor, who had an ordinary appearance but whose brows revealed a stern air, also saw this sword strike.

Her expression was filled with unfathomable majesty, and the jade railing she leaned against seemed to tower ten thousand feet high because of its owner.

The Female Emperor Xu Weixiong was undoubtedly a woman of immense talent, and under her leadership, the vast empire grew increasingly prosperous and flourishing. The Northern Mang, which had eyed the Central Plains like a tiger, had been almost crippled, and its annexation was only a matter of time.

By that time, Xu Weixiong would unify the Central Plains and Northern Mang, becoming an Emperor for the ages, capable of surpassing the Emperor of Great Qin from eight hundred years ago.

Of course, this Female Emperor was not without her difficulties.

For example, the laws she discussed with her ministers were all for the sake of the country and the people, to benefit all living beings.

But from the Imperial City to every city and town, the laws were separated by a massive group of bureaucratic interests; these vested interests would try every possible means to seek profit and harm the common people, to the point of damaging the reputation of the Daliang Dynasty.

This kind of matter was, without a doubt, very headache-inducing.

Of course, there was also a very simple way to deal with this. That is—killing.

The vast Central Plains were full of talent.

If one was killed, naturally a bunch more would pop up.

Yet one could not kill indiscriminately, otherwise, once a change occurred, it might even shake the foundation of Daliang's rule.

Suddenly, the Female Emperor raised her head; she seemed to have also seen that brilliant and magnificent sword light.

"Farewell, Old Sword God."

After a long, soft sigh, she saw an object flying over from the sky. The

Female Emperor, as a First-Rank Expert, possessed extraordinary vision and means; with a flick of her sleeve, the object was already in her hand.

It was a cup of wine.

A cup of Peach Blossom.

The Demon Sect leader, Luoyang, saw this sword strike.

The Heavenly Snow Fairy, Murong Wuzhu, saw this sword strike.

The Jinghong Fairy, Chen Yu, saw this sword strike.

The Soul-Absorbing Rakshasa, Xuanyuan Qingfeng, saw this sword strike.

Lou Huang of Wudi City saw this sword strike.

Many people saw this sword strike.

Many people also had an extra cup of wine in their hands.

In a remote little town, there was a tavern that was neither big nor small.

The tavern had a very "Edo" atmosphere, because the tavern was simply called "Edo."

That Boss Wen, who had returned home in glory after wandering the Edo and, despite earning several hundred taels of silver, still liked to wear a wooden sword at his waist, had once smilingly explained to people that the name of this inn originated from a sentence once spoken by that unprecedented and unrepeatable Murong Wudi.

"Wherever there are people, there is Edo."

As long as there are people in the tavern, that is Edo.

May this Edo always exist.

May this Edo always be lively.

May this Edo have chivalry, have heroism, have stories...

Returning home with Wen Hua was also a one-armed old man, whom the former addressed as Master.

The one-armed old man's surname was Sui; he had a pair of snow-white eyebrows and a very foul temper, as if everyone he looked at owed him several hundred taels of silver.

The old man surnamed Sui was not without his merits; it was said he was a Edo eccentric capable of swallowing gold and chewing iron, and even a good sword tempered a thousand times could be chewed to pieces by him and swallowed into his belly.

Relying on this astonishing skill, he had once attracted many guests to the inn.

Moreover, the old man seemed to have practiced martial arts; previously, some local ruffians came to cause trouble at the inn, but they were easily dismissed by Old Man Sui.

The tavern's business was always very good, mainly because Boss Wen was very diligent and treated people with enthusiasm, and he had also hired an old storyteller to tell all sorts of Heavenly Flowers Falling in Disorder Edo stories.

Today's story was "Eighteen Grandmasters Reject Northern Mang, Murong Wudi Suppresses Immortals." It was very popular, and the seats were almost entirely filled.

Just as the storyteller finished speaking and the crowd was still savoring the tale, the sound of horse hooves rang out.

It sounded like they were stopping outside the tavern?

In this place of theirs, which appeared to have beautiful mountains and clear waters but was actually a backwater, these horses could be considered rare items. Within a hundred miles of the small town, probably only that half-abandoned small post station could see such things, and they were all old, inferior, and skinny.

A guest looked out toward the tavern and couldn't help but gulp.

The two people and two horses that arrived had mounts of extraordinary spirit; even the tavern guests with ordinary vision could tell those horses were worth a thousand gold. And sitting on the horses were a young gentleman and an elderly servant.

Naturally, not many people paid attention to the old servant; most people fixed their eyes on the young gentleman. The young gentleman was dressed in green, handsome and extraordinary, looking like an immortal figure; he shouldn't have been staying in such a shabby tavern at all.

The man in white stepped into the tavern's doorway, and the main hall quickly fell silent.

The man in white looked around, finally resting his gaze on the tavern keeper, whose smile was exceptionally flamboyant and bright, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "Surname Wen, what are you dazed for? Why not bring out the good wine and meat."

Shopkeeper Wen laughed and said, "There is no fine wine or meat, but I can guarantee you'll be full and satisfied."

The old servant just grinned, revealing a gap where his front teeth were missing.

Eating Sword Ancestor, who was squatting in the corner and letting two children curiously play with his long white eyebrows, sneered, "So pretentious, so showy."

Suddenly, the one-armed old man raised his eyebrows, patted the two children on their heads, and strode out of the inn.

"Li Chungang, you old fellow, you're already dead, yet you still want to have a match with me. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

The old man did not release the Sword Qi filling his belly; he simply reached out and borrowed the wooden sword hanging at Shopkeeper Wen's waist. He stepped out of the tavern, tapped his toes, and rose like a blue cloud to meet the long sword that had traveled from ten thousand miles away.

Boom!

It was as if the entire small town could hear the roar.

After a while, the one-armed old man slowly descended from the sky, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"I must admit I am inferior regarding this sword strike, but once I ponder it for a few days, I will naturally have a way to break it."

The one-armed old man stepped back into the inn, and under the concerned gazes of Wen Busheng and the gap-toothed old servant, he shook his head expressionlessly, though his body swayed unsteadily.

And just at this moment, four wine cups flew from afar into the inn, floating respectively in front of the one-armed old man, Shopkeeper Wen, the young man in white, and the gap-toothed old servant.

……

"Come, come, come, I invite the people of the world to drink a cup together."

The man in black raised his wine cup and smiled slightly.

"This cup is a toast to the Spring and Autumn, to Liyang, to Daliang, to the pugilistic world, to the free-spirited and elegant people of the world, and even more so to the hundreds of millions of common people."

He drained it in one gulp.

……

PS: The next volume is Wind and Cloud.