Chapter 816: The Sentimental Swordsman's Jing Wuming

"Shangguan Xian'er pays her respects to Master." Shangguan Xian'er bowed gracefully to Yu Liancheng.

"Mm, rise." Yu Liancheng smiled slightly.

Shangguan Xian'er stood up straight.

Yu Liancheng said to Afei, "Look, hasn't her foolishness been cured just like that?"

Afei looked at Shangguan Xian'er. He had encountered many bizarre and absurd things in his life, but looking at the Shangguan Xian'er before him, he could not help but be stunned.

The Shangguan Xian'er before him truly made him feel like a stranger.

Although her appearance and clothing had not changed in the slightest, she gave off a completely different feeling.

If the previous Shangguan Xian'er was pure and flawless, like a bright and brilliant day without a hint of darkness, then the current Shangguan Xian'er was a deep and boundless Darkness, with a mysterious aura radiating from her body. Even though she was only eight or nine years old, there was a trace of charm between her brows and eyes.

Afei hesitated and said, "Xian'er, you..."

Shangguan Xian'er smiled sweetly: "Uncle Afei, Xian'er is just a little girl, so I pretended to be foolish to protect myself. I hope Uncle Afei will not take offense."

Afei was silent for a moment, poured himself a cup of wine, and drank it in one gulp: "It seems I truly do not understand women, not at all."

Yu Liancheng laughed: "Women are already hard to understand, let alone the fact that every time you meet one, it is the most difficult woman to understand."

Afei shook his head and gave a bitter smile.

Shangguan Xian'er stood obediently behind Yu Liancheng the entire time.

"Guest, your plain noodles are here." The waiter finally brought the plain noodles over at this moment.

"Finally here, my stomach has been protesting for a long time." Yu Liancheng smiled and reached out to take the plain noodles.

"Guest, hold on tight."

Clatter!

Suddenly, the tray holding the plain noodles in the waiter's hand flipped violently.

From beneath the tray, thousands of silver snakes danced and flew out. As they swirled, it was as if starlight was scattered across the sky, enveloping Yu Liancheng from head to toe. Every point of starlight was a fatal killing move, and every point of starlight struck one of his vital points. The speed and ruthlessness of the attack were among the best in the world.

Afei, sitting to the side, could naturally see that all the starlight silver snakes were evolved from a single sword. This sword alone proved that this person was one of the top swordsmen of the current age. Even though the 'Flying Swordsman' Afei was already a legend in the martial arts world, if he were to face this sword directly, he might not necessarily be able to receive it.

"You finally couldn't sit still anymore." Yu Liancheng was not surprised at all and pointed a finger casually.

This finger appeared ordinary, but the waiter's sword light crumbled inch by inch, and the Sword Qi melted like ice and snow under the scorching sun.

Immediately following, the formless and intangible Sword Qi swept out from his fingertip. Only the sounds of "Crack, crack" were heard incessantly, and the well-tempered Sword in the waiter's hand shattered instantly. The violent Sword Qi brushed past his side. Amidst a loud boom, the front hall of the inn was sliced in two; the energy surged, and mud, bricks, and tiles were tossed into the sky before crashing down with a clatter.

"A perfectly good bowl of plain noodles, it mustn't be wasted."

Yu Liancheng turned his wrist, and the plain noodles were already on the table, the fragrance of the scallions wafting toward him.

"His martial arts, now... exactly... exactly what level has it reached?" Afei looked deeply at Yu Liancheng, then turned his gaze toward the waiter who had intended to assassinate him.

The waiter was also completely stunned by Yu Liancheng's finger-sword, his eyes flashing with disbelief. The energy had swept across his face, leaving gashes, and looking closely, it was revealed he had been wearing a human-skin mask.

"Are you Jing Wuming?"

Afei was undoubtedly a very clever person, and his eyes were also very sharp. Based on the Left-handed Sword move from earlier and this somewhat familiar disguise, he instantly guessed the identity of the person before him.

"That's right, it's me."

The waiter wiped away his disguise, revealing a cold and aged face.

Although this face was extremely aged, as if he were sixty or seventy years old, it was indeed Jing Wuming without a doubt.

As for why he was so aged.

Hatred always accelerates a person's lifespan, doesn't it?

"Why are you here?" Afei asked.

A trace of confusion flashed in Jing Wuming's eyes.

The reason he appeared here was very mysterious.

He just felt that Yu Liancheng might appear here, so he came.

Hatred is often more deeply etched into the heart than love.

So many years had passed, and Jing Wuming reckoned that even though his own swordsmanship had long since reached a higher level, Yu Liancheng would definitely not be waiting for him in the same place. He had no certainty of defeating the latter, so he bought this wine shop and became a shop assistant, wanting to rely on a sneak attack to catch him off guard.

Then, in the few days he had been an assistant, he actually felt his killing intent calming down; it was the most peaceful his state of mind had been in decades.

Even if Yu Liancheng did not appear, ending his remaining days in this wine shop did not seem unacceptable.

But in the end, Yu Liancheng still appeared.

His strike, which had been a sure thing, had still missed.

He looked at the severely damaged storefront, which looked like it had been hit by a natural disaster.

He knew that he would likely never be able to take revenge in this lifetime.

The opponent's martial arts seemed to have reached an unimaginable level.

Jing Wuming's eyes dimmed again, turning a deathly gray, devoid of both emotion and life.

The next moment, he picked up the Broken Sword in his hand and drew it across his neck.

In the past, he lived for Shangguan Jinhong.

After Shangguan Jinhong died, he lived for hatred, lived to kill Yu Liancheng.

And now, he could not find a reason to continue living.

Then he could only die.

"Master, don't."

A little boy crawled out from behind the counter and grabbed Jing Wuming's arm: "Master, don't die. You still have to teach me swordsmanship, and you still have to watch me roam the martial arts world."

"Speaking of which, why does every old acquaintance have this kind of child following them?"

Yu Liancheng ate his noodles very quickly, finished the last of the soup, looked at the child, and smiled: "Little friend, what is your name?"

"Me? My name is Lu Xiaojia."

The child seemed afraid that Yu Liancheng would harm Jing Wuming; although his face was filled with fear, he still stood firmly in front of Jing Wuming: "The Lu Xiaojia who will become the World's Number One Swordsman and the number one assassin in the future."

Yu Liancheng said, "You are very confident."

Lu Xiaojia puffed out his chest and said, "My hands have always been steady."

"Oh?"

Lu Xiaojia said, "Only when the hands are steady enough can the sword be drawn fast, and only then can one kill."

Yu Liancheng chuckled and looked up, saying, "Jing Wuming, how about a wager?"

Jing Wuming's ash-gray eyes remained without the slightest ripple.

"Shangguan Jinhong is no match for me, and you are no match for me. The grievances of our generation should have been Liaojie long ago," Yu Liancheng said. "Let us wager on the next generation. In ten years, I will have my disciple compete against your disciple to see who is more formidable." He paused, then smiled slightly, "Perhaps this is the only chance you will ever have to defeat me."

A spark of light suddenly ignited within those ash-gray eyes: "Fine! I agree!"

……