Chapter 28

And clearly, those secrets could not be spoken aloud.

Not to mention that the two of them had only just confirmed their romantic relationship—even a married couple who had performed the wedding rites could not speak of such things.

Zhao Qiying was gentle and understanding, naturally not one to make unreasonable demands.

Moreover, those so-called secrets of Jiang Sishui's had long ceased to be secrets in her eyes.

"Right, Qiying, that set of sword techniques you used earlier was incredibly powerful—was it taught to you by your father?" Jiang Sishui changed the subject.

At the same time, a trace of doubt stirred in his heart.

When Zhao Qiying used the "Dugu Nine Swords," he had not recognized it.

After all, what was written in the original story was one thing; seeing it appear before his very eyes was another entirely—comparing the two was nearly impossible.

Add to that the fact that he had no internal force within him, his eyesight was ordinary, and even with the "Lang Fanyun Talent Template" he had inherited, discerning the subtleties within was no easy feat.

However, Duan Yanqing's earlier commentary on Zhao Qiying's sword technique had caught his attention.

It had made him think involuntarily of the "Dugu Nine Swords."

Watching Zhao Qiying fight three opponents at once, the weak overcoming the strong, the signs fit more and more.

But how could the "Dugu Nine Swords" appear here?

This Comprehensive Martial Arts World was truly a complete mess.

Zhao Qiying did not know the origins of the "Dugu Nine Swords," and faced with Jiang Sishui's sudden question, she did not know how to answer.

But she had her own method.

So she told him about the diary copy.

Sure enough, as she had expected, the existence of the diary copy was being kept hidden from Jiang Sishui, the diary's owner.

Therefore, the moment she opened her mouth, the words became: "This is the 'Dugu Nine Swords.' It is not a sword technique passed down in my family, but one taught to me by an old senior whose surname was Dugu, whom I happened to meet."

Her words were clear, and even the shape of her mouth changed accordingly.

It really was the "Dugu Nine Swords"!

No wonder Zhao Qiying, a mere Chuqi Sect master, could trade blows with a great master like Duan Yanqing.

In "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," during the night battle at the Medicine King Temple, Linghu Chong, gravely wounded and unable to use internal force, blinded fifteen experts of the Songshan Sect with a single sword strike.

And those fifteen experts had been the ones who had easily Driven to the Brink the Huashan Sect!

From this, one could see the terror of the "Dugu Nine Swords."

For the weak to defeat the strong was truly as simple as eating and drinking.

Seeing that Zhao Qiying's attainment in the "Dugu Nine Swords" seemed quite high, her ability to fight across A Major Realm against an opponent became understandable.

As for the "opportunity" Zhao Qiying mentioned, Jiang Sishui did not doubt it either—after all, the plot of the Comprehensive Martial Arts World had long since fallen apart.

Still, for Zhao Qiying to earn Dugu Qiubai's favor, her talent in the sword Dao must be considerable!

Jiang Sishui fell into thought.

Zhao Qiying suddenly said: "Brother Jiang, would you like to learn this set of sword techniques? I can teach you. The 'Dugu Nine Swords' is very special—it relies entirely on comprehension. As long as one's aptitude is high enough, even an ordinary person can master it."

"Wouldn't Senior Dugu take offense at that?" Jiang Sishui was also tempted—after all, in his previous life, this Sword Technique had been immensely famous.

Zhao Qiying shook her head: "Senior Dugu taught me, so I too may choose a successor. He should not take offense."

Jiang Sishui pondered briefly, then nodded slightly.

Since Dugu Qiubai was already an "old senior" in Zhao Qiying's mouth, he must certainly be advanced in years, and his sword Dao must have reached an inconceivable realm. He would not be so petty as to quibble over a Divine Art.

While the two were talking, Yun Zhonghe finally succumbed to excessive blood loss, dying in agony and despair, consumed by hatred.

Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats drew near. The two turned their heads and saw that it was the escort caravan catching up.

Zhao Tianhao spotted the corpse on the ground and the signs of battle from afar. His face changed slightly, and he immediately urged his horse forward at full speed.

Upon arriving, Zhao Tianhao asked in a low voice: "Qiying, what happened here?"

Zhao Qiying immediately recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

However, regarding Yun Zhonghe's death, she was deliberately vague, leading anyone who heard it to mistakenly believe that Yun Zhonghe had been killed by her.

"So it was the 'Utterly Wicked' Yun Zhonghe. That man was incredibly lecherous and had always been a prolific villain. I never expected he would actually set his sights on you, Qiying."

After hearing Zhao Qiying's account, Zhao Tianhao felt lingering fear.

The mere thought of what would have happened had his daughter been captured alive by Yun Zhonghe filled him with dread, so much so that a faint sheen of sweat appeared on his brow.

The equally puzzled Zhao Mengjiao said: "Elder Sister, you say you ran into the Four Great Evildoers, yet you're both fine, while one of them is dead and the rest were driven back by you?"

Hearing this, Zhao Tianhao also came to his senses and looked at Zhao Qiying in confusion.

He knew very well how strong Zhao Qiying was—she could not possibly have withstood the Four Great Evildoers. Escaping would have been hard enough, let alone killing one of them in return.

Knowing that continuing to explain would easily give her away, Zhao Qiying did not rush to defend herself. Instead, she said: "Father, please allow your daughter to explain this matter a little later. For now, have someone bury him."

As she spoke, Zhao Qiying pointed at the dead infant on the ground.

030 Learning from Heaven and Earth: The Astonishing Lang Fanyun

"This is…"

Zhao Tianhao fixed his gaze on the object within the swaddling clothes. Once he saw it clearly, his face changed dramatically!

Zhao Mengjiao even cried out in shock.

Zhao Qiying explained: "It was that Ye Mengse."

Zhao Tianhao closed his eyes in sorrow.

After a long while, he sighed deeply: "I have long heard of the name of the Four Great Evildoers. They say that Ye Mengse specializes in abducting infants, tormenting them, and then killing them."

"I had assumed it was merely rumor and exaggeration by the world—how could anyone be so wicked as to that degree?"

"Now seeing this, it seems I underestimated the depths of a villain's depravity. A beast with such a wolfish heart and doglike lungs likely has nothing left of him but a human skin!"

Zhao Tianhao had always possessed a chivalrous heart. Witnessing such an evil act now, his anger was extreme—he wished he could have slain Ye Mengse with his own hands on the spot.

Then he dismounted and personally buried the murdered infant.

The group continued on their way.

After the incident with the Four Great Villains, it was no longer appropriate for Jiang Sishui and Zhao Qiying to slip away from the convoy to learn horseback riding.

Besides, Zhao Tianhao's anger had yet to fade, and the mood among the escort was rather oppressive, so the two of them climbed back into the carriage.

A young couple in the first flush of love naturally couldn't do without their sweet nothings; as their exchanges grew more intimate, their feelings for each other kept warming.

That night, the group once again put up at an inn.

Zhao Qiying found Zhao Tianhao and told him about the "Dugu Nine Swords," claiming a master had once imparted it to her and forbidden her from revealing it.

Precisely for that reason, she had not told her father.

Hearing this, Zhao Tianhao was overjoyed at his daughter's good fortune.

When Zhao Qiying proposed offering the "Dugu Nine Swords" to her father, Zhao Tianhao sternly refused and strictly forbade her from teaching it to anyone else.

In Zhao Tianhao's view, since he had received the elder's grace, he must heed the elder's admonition and not go against it.

Even though he was Zhao Qiying's closest kin, he could not make an exception.

Zhao Qiying was not surprised by Zhao Tianhao's answer and took her leave at once.

In fact, it was precisely because she knew her father's character — that he would surely refuse — that Zhao Qiying had made the proposal.

"Looks like, when I teach Brother Jiang the Sword Technique, I can't let Father see it either."

Thinking of her lover, Zhao Qiying had wanted to go to Jiang Sishui's room to find him, but feared being caught and causing gossip, so she had to give up the idea.

"Forget it, I'll wait until tomorrow. Brother Jiang should be about to rest now."

Zhao Qiying turned and went back to her room at once.

……

The next morning, at dawn.

【Yesterday I got a special reward — the Lang Fanyun Talent Template!】

【Lang Fanyun, that's awesome, a character from the yellow-series novel 'Torrents of Rain, Overturned Clouds.' Though not the protagonist, he outshone the main character.】

【At the end of the story, he even made an appointment to duel the world's number one master, the "Demonic Master" Pang Ban, and during their fight, both of them comprehended the "Final Move" and successively shattered the void to depart.】

"Shatter the void?!"

Seeing those four characters, the women were all startled.

But immediately after, they recalled that this world was not that world, and only then slowly calmed down.

Yet one thought lingered in their minds, refusing to fade.

Could it be… that the Realm within "Shattering," which existed only in theory, was real?

【At first glance, the two seemed evenly matched, but the truth was not so.】

【Although Lang Fanyun was slightly at a disadvantage, his martial arts talent actually far surpassed Pang Ban's!】