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墨書 Inktalez
The Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard had just spoken boldly, relying on his exceptional swordsmanship rather than a deeper Inner Strength than his opponent. He had witnessed the recent skirmish and recognized that this young man possessed an unfathomable Inner Strength. However, he still felt confident in his superior sword skills.
Now that Xunuo had unleashed the Three Flowers Sword Technique, the Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard realized he stood no chance of winning. If this was a trap within a trap, his group might very well meet their end here.
With the Three Flowers Sword Technique in hand, the situation had drastically changed. Xunuo intended to sharpen his skills against him, naturally employing the Three Flowers technique to refine his swordplay. The Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard could only see a flurry of sword lights and had no way to defend himself, forced to dodge and weave under pressure.
The Blue-Clad Man wielding a knife had yet to catch his breath. Sweat still clung to him when he noticed his senior brother in a perilous situation. Reluctantly, he rushed over to provide assistance.
Against such a heavy weapon, Xunuo, being a swordsman, found it challenging to counter effectively. He dared not clash directly and could only maneuver around, waiting for an opportunity to strike decisively. Just as Xunuo had done earlier, he used exquisite swordplay to force his opponent into a defensive position. However, the knife techniques were indeed intricate, and the Inner Strength behind them was profound. In a short time, Xunuo could neither kill nor seriously injure him. Moreover, the Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard surpassed the Blue-Clad Man in both swordsmanship and Inner Strength.
For a moment, both men managed to suppress Xunuo again.
Although Xunuo found himself in a passive position, he secretly rejoiced; this scenario was arguably the best he could hope for at that moment. On the surface, it appeared that these two had the upper hand in trapping him. In reality, it could be said that Xunuo was entangling both of them. The next phase would depend on their respective Inner Strengths, which played into Xunuo's calculations.
This time, Xunuo altered his strategy and focused his attacks primarily on the Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard. Eight out of ten strikes were directed at him while simultaneously blocking his escape routes, forcing him to take on Xunuo's sword techniques head-on. This left the Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard in distress; to counter the Three Flowers technique effectively required at least an equally advanced sword technique. Yet every strike from Xunuo came with three flowers piercing through. The Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard lacked the robust Inner Strength needed to withstand such an assault. After more than thirty exchanges, he found himself unable to keep up and began leaping around defensively.
As for the Blue-Clad Man wielding the knife, he was far inferior in agility compared to Xunuo. He chased after Xunuo but never managed to touch even the hem of his garment. Instead, he frequently found himself fending off Xunuo's strikes with his blade shield. Xunuo would never engage directly with such a heavy weapon; he would strike and retreat immediately, leaving the Blue-Clad Man wary and on guard.
After more than ten exchanges, the scene turned comical as it evolved into Xunuo pursuing both men while striking at them.
Seeing that he could no longer sharpen his skills against them effectively, Xunuo stood firm before the Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard and said, "Since I have intervened today, I expect a satisfactory outcome. If you continue to resist, I will not hesitate to strike hard. Otherwise, let us put this matter behind us."
The Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard exchanged glances with the other two Blue-Clad Men and realized that today's situation was difficult to turn around; they felt some reluctance but remained silent as they contemplated their next move.
Xunuo quickly signaled Feng Wubian. Seeing the cue, Feng Wubian led several juniors away toward the woods by the roadside.
The Blue-Clad Men remained silent upon witnessing this development. The disciples in black dared not act without orders either. In an instant, Feng Wubian and his group vanished into the forest.
Once Feng Wubian's group had departed, Xunuo tossed his Iron Sword onto the ground and clasped his hands together in gratitude: "Thank you all for granting me some face today. As they say, one does not truly know another until they have clashed; although there were some conflicts today among us heroes, it has also forged a connection."
At this moment, the Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard chuckled softly and replied, "Young Hero Xu is right; we were indeed presumptuous earlier and failed to recognize your hidden depths. It seems we have embarrassed ourselves before you."
Xunuo grinned and said, "That is where you are mistaken; it is not that I concealed my abilities but rather that I grasped the Three Flowers Sword Technique in a moment of breakthrough."
The Blue-Clad Man with Long Beard's eyes flashed with surprise. He said, "Young Hero Xu, do not try to trap me. If you say you suddenly grasped the sword technique of One Sword, Two Flowers in the heat of battle, I might still believe it. But to break through consecutively is quite unbelievable."
Xunuo smiled lightly and replied, "To me, One Sword, Two Flowers is not much different from One Sword, Three to Five Flowers. If it weren't for this Iron Sword being so poor, I would have been inclined to demonstrate One Sword, Five Flowers' Sword Flower for you just now. Let's see if you could handle it."
The Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard's face twitched at his words. The Blue-Clad Man then said in a deep voice, "The sword on your back must be extraordinary; why haven't you drawn it?"
Xunuo looked at him with profound meaning and said, "This sword is extremely ominous; once drawn, it will surely drink blood. Unless absolutely necessary, I dare not present this sword before others." After finishing his words, he cupped his hands and added, "I have some matters to attend to; I shall take my leave."
He turned and walked toward the carriage.
The Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard watched as Xunuo approached the carriage. Suddenly he said, "As fellow practitioners of the martial world, let bygones be bygones. If you have time another day, feel free to visit Five Tiger Hall for a rest. I, Golden Leopard, will always welcome your presence."
Xunuo laughed heartily at his words but did not respond as he cupped his hands and boarded the carriage.
The driver was already drenched in cold sweat, his face pale.
Once Xunuo got into the carriage, he commanded, "Go."
The driver let out a bitter laugh and urged the horse forward. The people from Five Tiger Hall had already cleared the way. The carriage passed through the crowd and disappeared into the distance.
The three Blue-Clad Men exchanged glances for a moment. The Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard suddenly asked, "How is Brother Ma's injury?"
A Black-Clad Disciple hurriedly reported, "There is no immediate danger to his life."
The Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard sighed in relief and said, "Return to the city immediately; do not waste any time or risk Brother Ma's life."
Several men in black responded and quickly carried the injured Blue-Clad Man back at a swift pace.
The Blue-Clad Man who had not fought Xunuo remarked, "Brother Huang, do you think we three cannot hold this kid back?"
The Middle-Aged Man with Long Beard sighed again and said, "Why do you think he casually threw away the Iron Sword?"
Seeing that the man still did not understand, he continued, "Either he believes we have no ability to stop him or he intends to use that Iron Sword behind him to kill us. This mission has already failed; provoking such a formidable enemy further would be even more foolish."
After saying this, he shook his head and turned back. The other two had no choice but to suppress their thoughts and follow Golden Leopard as they left.
Xunuo unexpectedly grasped the sword technique of "One Sword, Many Flowers." He felt a slight fondness for the few members of the Five Tiger Hall. Sitting in the carriage, he slowly contemplated the sword technique he had just practiced.
It wasn't until he reached the next town that he gathered his thoughts and began to inquire about the Centennial Polygonatum. After traveling through two more towns, he still had no leads on the Centennial Polygonatum.
As night fell, Xunuo dismissed the coachman and set off alone toward Qifang Ancient City.
Traveling at night was much faster for Xunuo. He did not stop at any of the towns along the way and arrived at Qifang Ancient City before dawn.
Seeing that the city gate was still closed, Xunuo climbed over the city wall and entered the ancient city. He noticed two of the tallest buildings: one was the Bell Tower and the other was the Drum Tower. He chose the closer one, leaping onto the roof of the Drum Tower to survey the layout of the city below. After taking a moment to observe, he sat down on the rooftop to wait for dawn.
Before long, he heard the sound of bells ringing. Xunuo climbed down from the Drum Tower and walked toward a nearby apothecary. He visited every apothecary in the city but found nothing regarding the Centennial Polygonatum and eventually made his way back toward the city gate.
Having already traveled halfway, it seemed that this trip might end in vain. Although Xunuo had mentally prepared himself for this possibility, facing reality still left him feeling somewhat disheartened.
Upon reaching the city gate, he saw several carriages parked there. Just as he was about to approach one to hire it, he suddenly sensed a chilling aura of killing intent. Following that cold sensation, he looked up and felt his heart skip a beat.
At the entrance of the city gate, sitting at a tea house, were two figures dressed in white. They were casting cold gazes directly at Xunuo. One was a young man with a face like jade, starry eyes, and a green scarf wrapped around his head—none other than the White-Clad Beautiful Youth from Qingyang Martial Arts School whom Xunuo had severely injured before.
Beside him sat an elderly man with a pale face and graying hair. He wore a purple crown and a long purple robe, with a long sword strapped to his back. One hand rested on the table as he lightly tapped its surface, his sharp eyes fixed intently on Xunuo without revealing any emotion on his face.
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