The ultimate aesthetics of martial arts combat always seem to require a downpour to set them off.
A torrential downpour engulfed the world, leaving only the young man standing in the rain, sword in hand, his former air of elegance gone.
The black-clad swordsman standing before him wore a bamboo hat, his eyes hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see his expression. Only the slight movement of the sword in his hand shook off all the rainwater, sending raindrops flying and landing in the puddles °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° on the ground.
Originally, they were brothers in the martial arts world who would advance and retreat together, but in the end, they still ended up like this.
But they all knew that they had done nothing wrong.
Song Chenye carries a blood feud and descends the mountain for revenge. He wants to kill all his enemies and bring peace to his deceased relatives. He is not wrong.
Liu Zhilin, bearing the blood of the Liu family, enjoyed the treatment and status of the alliance leader's son, replacing the praise that Song Chenye should have had. His father treated him extremely well and was a responsible father. He wanted to stop all of this and protect his family with his own life, so he was not wrong either.
That's probably how the martial arts world is: grievances are resolved, and things happen by chance.
Song Chenye looked at the person in front of him, remained silent for a long time, and finally said, "You know that your life cannot atone for your father's sins to my Song family. Your current obstruction will only lead to your own death and will not be meaningful."
Liu Zhilin gave a wry smile: "Brother Song, you have your own principles, but I also have my own choices—"
After saying that, he looked down at the sword in his hand and said apologetically, "I'm sorry."
Song Chenye's eyes flickered slightly, but she did not accept his apology.
Because the sword in Liu Zhilin's hand is the legendary peerless sword that Song Chenye won at the martial arts tournament.
How ironic that a gift given away back then has now become a weapon turned against oneself?
Song Chenye did not speak, but the sword in his hand trembled slightly, and even in the rain, it made a "clang" sound.
—The Xianyun Sword in his hand was already eager to test this legendary number one weapon in the world!
The next moment, Song Chenye rushed over first.
The sword tip drew ripples in the puddles on the gravelly ground, carrying water droplets that flew towards Liu Zhilin's face.
Liu Zhilin swept the raindrops away with his sword, leaned to the side, and the sword in his hand spun nimbly like a fan. Then, he gripped the sword in reverse and slashed towards Song Chenye's neck.
Song Chenye decisively raised her hand to block diagonally, and while retreating, she used her internal force to knock her opponent away.
"Whoosh—"
The splashes of water created by their feet only resulted in even fiercer attacks.
Song Chenye made the first move, but it was Liu Zhilin who pressed forward relentlessly. Liu Zhilin's swordsmanship was like his fan, light and agile, like a crane spreading its wings, elegant yet concealing murderous intent.
Song Chenye's swordsmanship, however, was full of sharpness and killing intent. His movements were clean, neat, simple, and direct. He did not forget to attack while defending. Even if he was injured, he would not hesitate to strike if he could save the opponent's life.
Before the heavy rain had stopped, the two had already exchanged more than ten blows in an instant. Even the rain was shattered by the powerful internal force. The two gradually went from testing each other to fighting, each move was powerful and they did not give an inch, all for the ultimate death battle.
In just a few breaths, the water on the ground gradually turned scarlet.
When they stood still again, Liu Zhilin's white clothes had gradually turned red, while Song Chenye's black clothes showed no trace of color. Only the blood flowing from the back of his hand was washed away by the rain.
They gazed at each other through the misty rain, saying nothing, but tightening their grip on their swords.
The effort required to compete against a master is unimaginable.
Therefore, a swift and decisive victory is needed at this moment.
At that moment, the first person to rush over was Liu Zhilin.
His sword was no longer light and agile, but rather more decisive and ruthless, as it attacked Song Chenye. However, Song Chenye still maintained his restrained attack style, the darkness in his eyes concealing the blood in front of him.
Finally, with another clash of internal energy, the weapon, hailed as the "Number One Sword Under Heaven," shattered with a loud bang—
The Idle Cloud Sword passed smoothly through the broken famous sword and pierced directly into Liu Zhilin's heart.
Both of them were stunned for a moment.
The rain overhead suddenly lessened.
Liu Zhilin gripped the blade of the Xianyun Sword, letting his palm slash and bleed. With the last bit of strength he had left as the sword pierced his chest, he slowly knelt down.
The hand that held the sword fell limply to its side, and the precious sword, which had been bestowed with countless honors and legends, fell into the mud as if it were a defective product.
Song Chenye's hand holding the sword trembled slightly, but in the end he did not draw the Xianyun Sword directly. Instead, he silently looked at the person in front of him.
Liu Zhilin knew that this was the last bit of dignity Song Chenye would leave him.
"Cough, cough cough cough—"
He gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"This outcome is not entirely unexpected."
There's something wrong with that sword.
It seems that it was intended to be handed over to the next "leader" from the very beginning.
After much back and forth, although Song Chenye finally qualified to challenge the leader of the alliance, and Qianye Manor presented him with the sword as agreed in the competition, Song Chenye did not expect that he came purely for revenge and had no interest in that position, nor was he attached to the legendary sword. Instead, he kept his own Xianyun Sword and gave the "first" sword to Liu Zhilin, who came in second place.
So who could have tampered with this sword beforehand?
It couldn't be Song Chenye, it could only be...
Liu Zhilin looked up, feeling a mixture of irony and a strange sense of satisfaction at this ridiculous cause-and-effect fate.
The sword designed by his enemy ultimately brought about the consequences on his own descendants, and he, having betrayed this bond, also suffered the backlash of fate.
He deserved it!
Liu Zhilin didn't want to see the complex emotions in his former friend's eyes. He just let out a long breath, as if he had let go of all his anger, and slowly lowered his head.
Finally, the blood gradually spread, and the white-robed young man in front of him knelt in the mud. The rainwater mixed with the blood, ruining his ever-clean white robe. His peach blossom eyes, which had always contained a mocking smile, completely lost their luster.
He never made another sound.
Song Chenye didn't speak, nor did he draw his sword. He simply stood quietly in the rain, staring at the person before him without uttering a word, for a long, long time—
...
The fight scene took three whole days to film.
Artificial rain was needed on one hand, and intense fighting was needed on the other. After this scene was completely over, Xiao He's voice was hoarse.
Zhao Qinyuan, who was acting opposite him, was also not doing well. The intense rain and filming caused him to develop a high fever. Fortunately, his scenes had been officially completed, and he could go back to recuperate.
But Xiao He couldn't. He couldn't even speak. Every time he tried to speak, it felt like his throat was being slashed by a blade, and his voice changed several notes, making it impossible to recognize his original tone.
Knowing that Xiao He's voice was hoarse, Liu Rulan was extremely anxious.
"Your throat looks so bad! Quick, quick, let's go to the hospital!"
Xiao He was also feeling unwell, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Sister Liu, can we change the playlist? I think I'll definitely have a great time singing old-school folk songs!"
Liu Rulan: ...
What do you think?
