Chapter 694: The Blade in the Rainy Night

Yu Liancheng stayed in the Back Mountain for several days in a row.

During these days, aside from dealing with the sword-testing of Second Brother Junmo and occasionally instructing other students of the Academy, he spent his time drinking with Fuzi and discussing how to deal with Haotian.

To Haotian, Fuzi was the most delicious snack and also the greatest threat. Therefore, eliminating Fuzi was a matter of top priority for Haotian. And after eliminating Fuzi, it was feared that the next person to be dealt with would undoubtedly be Yu Liancheng.

Yu Liancheng was not only a delicacy second only to Fuzi, but he was also a visitor from beyond the heavens, and his level of threat was by no means low.

Therefore, in order not to be expelled or eaten by Haotian, the best method was to deal with Haotian together with Fuzi.

After several days passed in this manner, feeling restless from the stillness, and coupled with the recent unrest in Chang'an City, Yu Liancheng decided to go down the mountain for a trip.

Before going down the mountain, Yu Liancheng took out the Buddha's Chessboard, and with a movement of his mind, a human figure already appeared before him.

The person who had been taken into the Chessboard was, of course, "Xiao Heizi" Zhuo Er. Zhuo Er's appearance had not changed much from before; he was still like a lump of charcoal, black to an outrageous degree. However, his temperament had undergone a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering change; compared to the past, he possessed an extra trace of sternness and cold sharpness, as keen as a blade.

Cultivating high-level martial arts naturally emphasizes the harmony of heart and intent, so this was not surprising.

Zhuo Er was slightly surprised by the change in the scene before him, then saw Yu Liancheng, and hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Zhuo Er greets Mr. Yu."

"You have also cultivated for seven or eight years in the Chessboard World; let me see your results." Yu Liancheng stood with his hands behind his back, his tone calm.

"Yes."

There was a trace of excitement in Zhuo Er's tone.

Having practiced bitterly for eight years, if he could not show it before others, wouldn't it be like wearing fine clothes in the dark?

With a "swish" sound, the long blade in his hand suddenly left its sheath, transforming into a blood-red blade radiance that swept across a radius of ten zhang; the gale whistled incessantly, and the momentum was extremely astonishing.

The blade light swept lightly, and the surrounding grass and trees were immediately snapped or even shattered. Even a piece of bluestone half a person tall was easily sliced open by this blade, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

A moment later, Zhuo Er had performed the "Dark-Mystery Thirty-Eight Forms" once, and as he withdrew his blade, he was panting slightly.

"Although you are still far from 'the netherworld descends, strange and unpredictable,' it is more than enough to deal with most experts below the Knowing Destiny realm." Yu Liancheng nodded slightly: "Do you want to take revenge?"

"Naturally, I do." Zhuo Er said without hesitation, then pondered slightly: "It's just... with my current blade technique, wanting to defeat Xia Hou, I fear it will not be easy."

"It is not revenge against Xia Hou."

"Then that is..."

"Just follow me." Yu Liancheng turned around, his tone indifferent: "Since you want to learn how to use a blade, you must learn even more how to kill."

The spring rain fell continuously.

Tonight is not peaceful.

The Fish Dragon Gang, this is the number one gang in Chang'an.

Over these years, the Fish Dragon Gang has controlled grain distribution, warehouse transfers, water transport, military logistics support, the outer guarding of the Ministry of Revenue's storehouses... almost all the most profitable dark businesses in the entire Chang'an and even Datang have been monopolized by the Fish Dragon Gang, without letting a drop of soup or water go to the other major gangs, so naturally, there are those who are dissatisfied.

If it were merely the other gangs being dissatisfied, everyone would just have a real fight with blades and guns; whoever has the bigger fist speaks, and the Fish Dragon Gang, boasting three thousand men in green shirts, fears no gang.

But more importantly, the big shots behind these gangs are dissatisfied.

Every single big shot is a powerful official in the imperial court; if they stomp their feet, the entire Chang'an would tremble. Now, the Fish Dragon Gang has almost been forced into a dead end.

Whether they live or die depends on tonight.

And in order to deal with the Fish Dragon Gang, those big shots and the other gangs have also contributed, dispatching nearly a thousand gang members, dozens of Tang Army elites, and a group of cultivators.

The courtyard walls are deep.

Dozens of Tang Army elites wearing dark rain capes stood silently behind the courtyard walls, holding crossbows, as silent as a group of stone statues; they simply let the wind and rain lash their faces, yet it could not wash away the cold, stern intent on their faces. Tang Army soldiers are the elite among the soldiers of the world, and these dozens of people before them are the elites among the Tang Army.

Behind these Tang Army elites, on the wooden floor of the open building locked by layers of rain curtains, sat two people. One was a middle-aged man with handsome features, wearing a snow-white long gown, with a small sword of a certain length resting quietly on the wooden floor beside him. The other person wore a bamboo hat, head slightly lowered, making it impossible to see their face, but judging by the monk's robe they wore, a pair of bare feet, and the bronze alms bowl in front of them, they should be an Ascetic Monk.

These two are one, a Sword Master from Nanjing, and the other, an Ascetic Monk from the Yuelun Kingdom.

Likewise, they are also the experts sent by the powerful figures who want to deal with the Fish Dragon Gang.

They are waiting.

Waiting for Chao Xiaoshu.

However, they did not wait for Chao Xiaoshu; what they waited for was Zhuo Er, who was like a piece of charcoal, carrying a blade but no umbrella.

"In that spring rain that day, it was you who nearly killed me, using only one move..." Zhuo Er strode into the courtyard, letting the rainwater wash over his face, his gaze fixed on the sword-wielding man in the long gown.

For him, that battle had already passed for several years.

But the soul-stirring nature of that sword strike from the other party that day still felt as if it were yesterday.

"It's you." The sword-wielding man dressed in star-white long robes frowned, his tone carrying a trace of doubt: "You didn't die? Heh, it seems your injuries have also healed quite well."

"It's a pity you didn't care about a small person like me at the time, just casually unleashing one sword strike; if you had been slightly more serious, I would have died without a doubt." Zhuo Er slowly drew his blade from its sheath, his tone extremely solemn as he said: "But I will never make such a mistake; I will cut off your head, and only then will I be at ease."

"Heh, a little fellow climbing in the Initial Realm, even if your injuries are healed, and you might even have had some fortuitous encounters, so what?!" The sword-wielding man in the long gown's face turned cold, his right middle finger hooked and flicked, and the short sword beside him that was already eager to move, with a soft hum, had already transformed into green light and shot towards Zhuo Er.

The Ascetic Monk from the Yuelun Kingdom sat cross-legged, as motionless as a mountain.

Thud! Thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud!

At the same time, the Tang Army elites pulled their triggers, and dozens of arrows carrying a powerful wind-breaking sound shot towards Zhuo Er.

Zhuo Er gripped the hilt of his blade tightly, his expression solemn.

To be honest, he was somewhat panicked and fearful; in the past, he was only a cultivator in the Initial Realm, and whether it was the flying sword of the green-shirted swordsman or the arrows covering the sky like dark clouds, either could have killed him several times over. And although he had joined the military and the Fish Dragon Gang, he had not, like Ning Que, truly rolled in piles of dead bodies.

But he knew even better that he had already stayed in the Chessboard World for several years and was no longer what he used to be.

The most intuitive point was that although the green-shirted swordsman's flying sword was fast, he could clearly capture it, and the Tang Army's arrows even made him feel they were very slow.

Zhuo Er let out a clear whistle, and the blood-colored blade light soared into the sky.

Clang!

Sparks flew in all directions, and the flying sword was knocked away.

Ding-ding-ding!

A dense, continuous series of sounds rang out, and the arrows were all shredded.

He really was different.