bookbashuk Chapter 20 Appraising the Sword in Qingzhou
Chapter 20 Appraising the Sword in Qingzhou
"Father! I heard that Chen Xuan from Qingyang has arrived? Where is he? Let me see if he really has three heads and six arms!"
Accompanied by a clear yet somewhat arrogant voice, a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in a fiery red outfit, burst into the living room.
It was Guo Xiaotian's only daughter, Guo Furong.
Her almond-shaped eyes darted around the hall, instantly locking onto Chen Xuan, who was sitting in the guest seat. She looked him up and down with a bold and direct gaze, filled with undisguised curiosity and scrutiny.
"Furong! How dare you be rude!" Guo Xiaotian's face darkened as he reprimanded, "This is Young Master Chen Xuan of Qingyang, my honored guest! Come and pay your respects at once!"
"Oh—" Guo Furong drawled, but didn't argue back. Reluctantly, she moved over, casually clasped her hands in a fist salute to Chen Xuan, but her eyes remained fixed on him.
"So you're Chen Xuan? You don't look particularly special, not even half as handsome as Senior Brother Bai Yu. I heard you killed that old venomous snake from the Black Wind Sect? Really? What martial arts did you use?"
She fired off a barrage of questions, her tone less one of skepticism and more one of inquisitive disbelief and defiance.
"Hibiscus!" Guo Xiaotian's voice grew louder, and he was already somewhat embarrassed.
"Miss Guo." Chen Xuan put down his teacup, stood up, and calmly returned the greeting.
"It was just luck. Old Snake's poison skills are indeed formidable, but I know a little about the art of circulating qi, which is just enough to counteract it to some extent."
His answer was bland and unremarkable, neither defending himself nor getting angry, as if Guo Furong was not looking at him for the comments.
This reaction surprised Guo Furong, who had prepared a whole host of sarcastic remarks.
She imagined that the other party would either be young and impetuous, retorting sharply, or feign humility while actually being smug.
But it turned out to be so... bland, so bland that it felt like she had punched a piece of cotton.
"Hmph, putting on airs." Guo Furong muttered under her breath, but her arrogance had subtly diminished by a third.
She turned to Guo Xiaotian, her tone becoming excited again: "Dad, tomorrow is the sword-tasting competition! Senior Brother Bai Yu and Sister Xue Bing are coming, and I want to go on stage and compete too!"
"Nonsense!" Guo Xiaotian glared. "With your pathetic skills, are you going to embarrass yourself on stage? Just watch quietly!"
"I don't care! I've already told everyone..." Guo Furong stomped her foot in protest.
Guo Xiaotian was clearly at a loss with his daughter, and not wanting to cause a scene in front of the guests, he could only wave his hand:
"We'll discuss this later! You may leave now; I have other important matters to attend to."
Guo Furong pouted, glanced at Chen Xuan again, and then reluctantly turned and left, her fiery red figure like a moving flame.
"My daughter is unruly and has been spoiled by me. Please don't blame her, my dear nephew," Guo Xiaotian said apologetically to Chen Xuan with a wry smile.
"Miss Guo is straightforward and genuine, it's alright." Chen Xuan sat down again.
Guo Furong's interruption lightened the somewhat somber atmosphere of the conversation, which had just begun to get down to business.
Guo Xiaotian, taking the opportunity, stopped discussing the matter and instead said, "Nephew and Miss Su have traveled a long way and must be tired. Tonight, I will host a simple banquet to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey."
"Everything is up to the head镖师 (chief镖师, the chief镖师) to arrange." Chen Xuan nodded.
...
The welcoming banquet that evening was held in the East Flower Hall. In addition to the core镖局 (bodyguard agency) leaders, there were also some martial arts figures from Qingzhou who would be attending the meeting the next day.
During the meal, Guo Xiaotian performed a long-sleeved dance, recounting the local customs and anecdotes of Qingzhou. The atmosphere was harmonious.
The meal allowed Chen Xuan to brush up on a lot of knowledge about the martial arts world.
After the banquet, everyone dispersed.
A镖头 (bodyguard/escort) surnamed Zhao said to Guo Xiaotian, "Chief镖头, quite a few young talents have come to this Sword Appraisal Conference. Besides Bai Yu and Xue Bing, Lei Biao, the 'Mountain-Splitting Axe' from Leizhou, and Tan Feng, the 'Shadowless Leg' from Yunzhou, have also arrived."
Standing under the moonlight, Guo Xiaotian said in a low voice, "On the surface, I have indeed invited many talented people. Firstly, to add color to the conference, and secondly, that matter... also needs some superficial activity to cover up the real direction."
"Thirdly, we can take advantage of the sword-tasting competition to secretly observe and select suitable individuals, and to find, recruit, or befriend promising new blood for the escort agency."
...
The following day, in the back garden of the Sihai Escort Agency.
The scene at the sword-tasting competition was even more lively than Chen Xuan had expected.
The main seat on the high platform, the guest seats on both sides, and even the open space around it were all crowded with martial arts figures from Qingzhou and neighboring prefectures. At a rough glance, there were probably several hundred people.
Guo Xiaotian sent out invitations widely, and it seems to have been very effective.
Chen Xuan and Su Wan were led to sit in the front row on the left, a rather conspicuous position that showed how much Guo Xiaotian valued them.
"Look, that's Bai Yu from the Qingyun Sect!" someone exclaimed.
Chen Xuan looked up and saw a group of people entering through the garden gate. The first person was a young man, about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, wearing a moon-white brocade robe, with a long sword hanging at his waist. He had a handsome face and an air of arrogance between his brows.
He walked with ease, and as he passed, the crowd naturally parted to create a gap, with many young martial artists casting admiring and respectful glances at him. He went straight to the front row on the right, sat down, closed his eyes to rest, and seemed oblivious to the noise around him.
"Senior Brother Bai Yu just turned twenty-five last month, and he's already ranked twenty-eighth on the list of heroes in Qingzhou. His 'Flowing Cloud Sword Technique' has been passed down from the Qingyun Sect, and it's said that he was once praised by the sect elders as having the potential to become a grandmaster!" Someone whispered nearby, their tone full of admiration.
A short while later, a slight commotion arose again. A woman dressed in a black outfit with a matching gauze overlay entered the arena, surrounded by several cold-looking attendants.
She was quite beautiful, but her eyes and brows seemed to be covered with an unyielding layer of ice, and wherever her gaze swept over, it sent a chill down one's spine.
She walked straight to the front row on the right, sat down a few seats away from Bai Yu, and closed her eyes without saying a word.
"Xue Bing, the 'Jade-Faced Asura' of Tingyu Tower! Ranked thirty-fifth on the Heroes' List! She's here too!"
"It's said she's never failed a mission, and at least twenty or thirty skilled fighters have died at her hands..."
Chen Xuan listened silently, gaining a general impression of the top strength of the younger generation in Qingzhou.
Bai Yu and Xue Bing were indeed far superior to the likes of Qingyang Qiu Wanshan; their internal strength and mental bearing were clearly a cut above. However, that was all.
"clang--!"
A clear, resonant gong sounded throughout the venue, and the noise gradually subsided.
Guo Xiaotian, dressed in a purple robe, strode up to the high platform, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and surveyed the surroundings, his voice booming like a bell:
"Thank you all for gracing our Four Seas Escort Agency's Sword Appraisal Tournament with your presence!"
"I, Guo, am not particularly talented, but I would like to take this opportunity to gather with my friends and new acquaintances, and also to provide a chance for the young talents of Qingzhou to exchange skills, make a name for themselves, and achieve success! As usual, let's make friends through martial arts, and stop when we've reached our goal!"
Guo Xiaotian took the stage, and after a brief and powerful opening speech, the sword-tasting competition officially began.
Numerous brocade boxes were placed on a long table in the center of the high platform. Each box contained many famous swords.
There is a sword named "Autumn Water," its blade as clear as autumn water, capable of cutting a hair with a single breath; another named "Breaking Army," forged from refined steel, weighing thirty-seven jin (approximately 36 catties), powerful and heavy, suitable for a fierce and forceful style. There is also a short sword named "Fish Intestine," simple and unadorned, yet incomparably sharp, and also light and agile...
The scene was momentarily dazzling with cold light, providing a feast for the eyes of many martial arts practitioners, especially sword enthusiasts.
The so-called "sword appreciation" is not just about viewing, but also about testing the sword in actual combat.
Soon after, Guo Xiaotian ordered his men to bring out three precious swords and place them on the stage, stating that those who performed exceptionally well that day would receive one of the swords as a prize.
Soon, some impatient martial artists stepped onto the stage to challenge them. The air crackled with the clash of swords and the shouts of warriors quickly grew heated.
Chen Xuan watched quietly, and the skill levels and techniques of the martial artists on the stage were clearly distinguishable under his extraordinary eyesight brought by the perfection of the Yi Jin Jing.
"Young Master Chen." A gentle voice sounded from the side.
Chen Xuan turned his head and saw that a young girl in a pale yellow dress had sat in the empty seat next to him. She looked to be no more than sixteen years old, with gentle features, especially clear and bright eyes, and a faint smile on her lips, making her instantly likable.
"Who is this young lady?" Chen Xuan asked, somewhat surprised.
"My surname is Dongfang, and my given name is Ling. My family runs a small business, and I have a keen interest in the affairs of the martial arts world. I have come uninvited and have troubled you, Young Master Chen."
The girl's voice was clear and crisp, and although she spoke slowly, it had a strange penetrating power, clearly reaching Chen Xuan's ears amidst the surrounding noise.
Dongfang? That's not a common surname. Chen Xuan's heart stirred slightly, and he clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "So you are Miss Dongfang, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Young Master Chen seemed rather uninterested in the match just now?"
Dongfang Ling asked with a smile, but her gaze seemed to casually sweep over Chen Xuan's fingers, cuffs, and his flawless posture as he sat upright.
"Since I'm new here, I need to observe and learn as much as possible," Chen Xuan replied succinctly.
"Young Master is too modest." Dongfang Ling's smile deepened. "In the night of Qingyang, you killed two heroes with a single palm strike under a group attack. Young Master is indeed one of the most prominent figures among the younger generation."
"What do you think of these people on stage, young master?" She casually pointed to the two people fighting on the stage.
Chen Xuan observed for a moment, then said calmly, "The one wielding the knife is strong but clumsy in technique, and his central opening has already been exposed for three breaths. The one wielding the sword is impatient and greedy for quick results, and will surely be defeated within ten moves."
He had barely finished speaking when, as expected, the swordsman on the stage had his thrust deflected by his opponent, was then kicked in the chest, and fell off the stage, causing an uproar.
A glint of surprise flashed in Dongfang Ling's eyes, and he clapped his hands in praise: "Young Master has excellent eyesight! This ability to perceive is far more astonishing than simply relying on the force of your palm strike."
At this moment, the outcome on the stage was decided. The victorious, burly man with the knife was none other than Lei Biao, the "Mountain-Splitting Axe" of Leizhou, who had been mentioned at yesterday's banquet.
He didn't use an axe, but borrowed a thick-backed machete provided by the organizers. Now victorious and brimming with pride, he surveyed the crowd below, his voice booming:
"Is there anyone else who would like to come up and offer their insights? Let Lei Biao witness the brilliance of Qingzhou's heroes!"
The local martial artists from Qingzhou below the stage looked displeased. Lei Biao had won two consecutive matches, and his tone was becoming increasingly arrogant. However, his strength was indeed considerable, and ordinary people dared not easily step onto the stage.
Lei Biao's gaze swept across the front row, lingering briefly on Bai Yu and Xue Bing. Seeing that the two had no reaction, his gaze finally landed on Chen Xuan.
He had overheard some rumors at yesterday's banquet, knowing that this young man was the newly listed "Qingyang Chen Xuan," favored by Chief Escort Guo, and couldn't help but grin:
"That one... could it be Young Hero Chen Xuan from Qingyang? I've heard that Young Hero Chen's palm techniques are fierce and powerful, and he has killed many formidable enemies."
"I, Lei Biao, am a rough man who likes to be straightforward! Dare to come up on stage, without weapons, and exchange a few blows with me using only your palm strikes? Let everyone judge whether my Leizhou 'Mountain-Opening Strength' is more domineering, or your Qingyang palm technique is more powerful?"