Chapter 472: Chapter 471: Linjiang Fairy Meeting
The sinister man was named Lu Chang. Due to his violent nature and frequent injustices, he was nicknamed the ’Life-taking Scholar’.
A few days ago, Lu Chang killed many innocent people in a nearby town. He was spotted by the righteous Ai Wenhong, who chased him down to this place.
Ai Wenhong had thought, with Wine Beggar present, this demon could be easily handled. However, Wine Beggar turned out to be indifferent to his life and death, and even told Lu Chang he wouldn’t intervene, leaving Ai Wenhong in a dangerous situation.
As a member of the Ai Family, Ai Wenhong would rather die than bring harm to the innocent. He gathered vigorous air in his arms and charged towards the iron hook. He was prepared to risk his life to block the attack.
But at that moment, the young man in the green robe next to him took action first with just a finger.
Lu Chang’s iron hook, which Ai Wenhong was helpless to stop, veered off course as if it had been struck by a massive force. It swiftly turned around in mid-air, tracing a beautiful arc, and returned towards Lu Chang’s face.
His arm swelled up, and Lu Chang staggered back a few steps, caught the hook with his bare hand.
"Huh?"
Ai Wenhong’s eyes widened, momentarily stopping his movements.
The disheveled old man who was drinking wine under the tree couldn’t help but glance over.
"Young man, although we do not cross each other’s paths, I apologize if I’ve offended you."
With his arm slightly aching, the shocked glance in Lu Chang’s eyes couldn’t be concealed.
He had used almost ninety percent of his strength to launch the last attack, but was pushed back by a mere finger. This made him realize he was dealing with a formidable foe.
Judging by the young man’s age, he appeared to be similar to Ai Wenhong. Yet, his identity didn’t match any of the well-known figures in Xuanwu State, which left Lu Chang curious.
"You want to kill me and expect to get away with it just by saying that ’we do not cross each other’s paths’?"
Shi Xiaole said.
"So, what do you want?"
Lu Chang, being no pushover, noticed Shi Xiaole wasn’t backing down and immediately began gathering strength.
Of all the people present, Wine Beggar posed the greatest threat. No one truly knew how formidable his strength was. Everyone did know, however, he ranked among the top one hundred in Xuanwu State, famous throughout the Martial World.
But sadly, his threat was minimal since he was a man of his word - if he said he wouldn’t lift a finger, he wouldn’t.
As for Ai Wenhong, he was no match for Lu Chang.
The only dangerous one was the youth in the green robe. Even if he couldn’t defeat the youth, couldn’t he still run away?
"It’s simple. Just take one of my moves."
As soon as the words fell, Shi Xiaole drew his sword, traced a slash, and quickly sheathed it back. The whole process took less than a third of a blink.
Shush!
Lu Chang swung his right arm, but then his arm holding the iron hook, along with his entire right shoulder, was cut off. The cross-section was as smooth as a melon’s edge. No blood flowed out because it couldn’t keep up with the speed of the sword.
"Ah..."
Only at this moment did Lu Chang feel a piercing pain. He screamed out loud, and blood spurted out, dyeing the ground red.
"What?"
Ai Wenhong stood with his mouth agape, watching everything in a stupefied manner. His mind had stopped functioning because of Shi Xiaole’s impressive sword talent.
Wine Beggar put down his wine jar, and his murky old eyes sparkled. But the glint in his eyes quickly died down.
"You said I only had to take one move from you, does that still count?"
Lu Chang, kneeling on the ground, staunched the bleeding from his severed arm with a trembling body. He managed to muster the strength to look up and ask in a raspy voice.
"Of course."
Shi Xiaole nodded.
Lu Chang rushed into the air to make an escape, but a sword pierced through his chest in midair. The one who acted was Ai Wenhong.
"You... taking advantage of someone’s peril, do you consider that heroic?"
Lu Chang roared with resentment.
"I’m no hero. As long as I can kill an evil person like you, who cares about being laughed at?"
Ai Wenhong snorted, finished off Lu Chang with a second stab, and retrieved his sword. He immediately ran over to Shi Xiaole and said excitedly, "My name is Ai Wenhong, may I know how to address you?"
"My name is Shi Xiaole, ’Xiao’ as in ’small’, and ’Le’ as in ’happy’."
Ai Wenhong was visibly taken aback. He thought that the youth, who was about his age, would have a more dashing name. He never expected such an unusual name.
Unfortunately, it had been a long time since the incident at the Jade Sword Palace. Ai Wenhong didn’t pay much attention and hadn’t heard of Shi Xiaole’s name before.
"Brother Shi, how old are you, who did you apprentice under? Are you new to the scene this year? What swordsmanship did you use just now... "
Ai Wenhong fired off a string of questions like a machine gun. If his swordsmanship was as impressive as his rapid-fire questions, Shi Xiaole doubted he could defeat him.
"Ai brother, your questions are quite numerous. Which one should I answer?"
Shi Xiaole replied with a smile.
Ai Wenhong scratched his head apologetically and also laughed: "Sorry, I’ve always enjoyed making friends. I got a bit carried away in the moment, I must have made it difficult for Brother Shi. How about this, can we walk and talk?"
Shi Xiaole wasn’t an easy person to get close to, but seeing Ai Wenhong’s enthusiastic face, he couldn’t bear to decline. He was unfamiliar with the environment, so having someone to talk to wasn’t a bad idea, so he didn’t object.
"Xiaohong, how could you forget about the old man?"
The Wine Beggar stood up, looking visibly upset.
Shi Xiaole felt a chill in his heart.
With the suppression from the Divine Transformation Tree gone, his spiritual power had already returned, but his feeling towards the Wine Beggar, from start to finish, was like a common old man, not even with much vitality.
But how could a common person evoke fear in a master like Lu Chang?
The answer could only be one, this is a superb master, whose strength is so great, it exceeds the range detectable by his spiritual power!
"Grandpa Jiu, how can you say that, if it wasn’t for Brother Shi, I would have lost my life a long time ago."
Ai Wenhong snorted.
The Wine Beggar laughed heartily: "Xiaohong, I knew I didn’t need to make a move, that’s why I just watched from the side. How could I watch you in danger otherwise?"
Ai Wenhong continued talking with Shi Xiaole, leaving no time for Shi Xiaole to greet the Wine Beggar. The Wine Beggar didn’t seem to mind, and he followed from a distance, drinking alone.
After some understanding, Shi Xiaole found out that the place he appeared was Whitehead Mountain in the Cang Area.
It’s known that the distance between Whitehead Mountain and Fireworks City is further than the entire eight states.
"By the way Brother Shi, why did you appear here?"
Ai Wenhong asked curiously.
"I was chasing my enemy here."
Shi Xiaole decided to keep the news about the Boundless Flower Prison a secret.
Once it gets out, it will surely invite the exploration of the martial world, which might not only harm the martial world people, but also possibly cause turmoil again in the just stabilised Boundless Flower Prison.
At the foot of Whitehead Mountain is a small town known as Whitehead Town.
The people of the town were sincere, and the townsfolk lived happily. It has the peace that many martial artists yearn for.
The Wine Beggar disappeared, Shi Xiaole and Ai Wenhong entered a tavern, Ai Wenhong waved and ordered a table of good wine and dishes.
"Brother Shi, you are a year older than me, but your martial arts is much better than me, which humiliates me. Yet, with your style, let’s see how my cousin dares to mock me this time, always saying I’m making friends with good-for-nothings."
From young to old, Ai Wenhong’s ultimate admiration was undoubtedly for his sister, who was a prodigy. In his view, although Shi Xiaole’s strength might not be as good as his sister’s, it was only by a little. He could rank in the top twenty among all those under thirty in Xuanwu State.
During the whole meal process, it was mostly Ai Wenhong talking and Shi Xiaole listening, and each was cheerful, making it very harmonious.
At the end, Ai Wenhong mysteriously said: "Does Brother Shi know about Linjiang Immortals Meeting?"
Linjiang Immortals Meeting?
Shi Xiaole shook his head.
He knew about Linjiang. When he first came to Xuanwu State, he heard about the prolonged battle of the Eradicating Emotion Saber Lord and Barefoot Lord, who were among Shuntian Capital’s top 50 martial artists. The place where they fought was in Linjiang. (Chapter 418)
"Brother Shi, with your strength, it would be a pity if you don’t attend the Linjiang Immortals Meeting. I left home this time to prepare for the meeting, to compete with other young martial experts, and let the martial world know my name! Let’s go together."
Ai Wenhong almost stood up excitedly, grabbing Shi Xiaole’s arm.
After listening to his explanation, Shi Xiaole understood what Linjiang Immortals Meeting was all about.
In simple terms, it was a gathering of all the top talents of Xuanwu State, held every three years.
Initially, the meeting’s size was limited to the circle of talented individuals, but it grew bigger with each meeting, gradually becoming the top event in the martial world in Xuanwu State.
All the young people were proud to appear in the Linjiang Immortals Meeting. If they could win a few debates, they would instantly make their name known in the martial world.
And because it is not an official competition, the atmosphere of the meeting is very relaxed and free. Talents can enjoy the moon while drinking, and exchange martial arts ideas to the sound of music, making it the origin of numerous tales.
The few top talents of Xuanwu State, were the ones who excelled at the Linjiang Immortals Meeting, which earned them the recognition of the entire martial world.
It can be said that, compared to the level and scale of Linjiang Immortals Meeting, the previous martial arts competition is just child’s play, not worth mentioning.
"Brother Shi, let’s go."
Ai Wenhong looked at Shi Xiaole with anticipation.
He loved lively things. From Whitehead Town to Linjiang, the journey was long. Although the Wine Beggar was a talkative person, he was after all a senior, not as congenial as Shi Xiaole.
What’s more, if he met his sister at the meeting, he would inevitably be mocked.
"I just happen to be free, so let’s go and have a look."
After a moment of consideration, Shi Xiaole nodded.
Since he made great progress in his martial arts, he somewhat couldn’t determine his actual power.
In terms of cultivation, he reached the late stage of Dragon Gate Realm at the age of twenty-four. He might not be the best in Xuanwu State, but he should rank among the top.
In terms of sword realm, he was just a step away from the Heavenly Sword realm.
In terms of understanding of martial arts, equipped with three top-level understandings, he could compete with the top practitioners in the middle stage of Dragon Gate Realm.
Moreover, Shi Xiaole practiced the first-class middle-level martial arts. From any perspective, he was a leading figure.
However, Shi Xiaole’s words didn’t count. Only by competing with truly strong talents can he know his exact power.
The Linjiang Immortals Meeting was undoubtedly a great opportunity.
