Pei River, the long-flowing lifeline of the imperial capital, surged with rolling waters and layers of sails, bustling and lively.
At this moment, Meng Qi and his companions were standing by the banks of Pei River, gazing across at the neatly arranged markets and, further off, the city gates.
“It has been nine years since I last saw the capital. Its prosperity feels just like yesterday,” Lu Guan half-mused, half-sighed.
“If the western barbarians march south, such splendor will vanish. I beg you, Master Lu, for the sake of the people and the world, take care of your health,” said Daoist Hu sincerely.
He glanced at Meng Qi and sighed, “Master Meng, although I do not know your origins, this mission has relied entirely on your and Miss Ruan’s help. All in the world fear the spies and the powerful ministers, fear their elite guards, yet you two stood firm in righteousness. Though I cannot thank you on behalf of all the people, I can at least thank you on my own behalf.”
Lu Guan nodded gently, “Heroes emerge from the young. I will always remember the kindness of you two. I hope one day I can repay your favor.”
“We act for justice, not personal gratitude. If Master Lu can defeat the western invaders, that will be the greatest repayment,” Meng Qi replied, still maintaining his cold demeanor as a swordsman.
Lu Guan nodded solemnly, “Driving away the western barbarians and eliminating future threats is my life’s ambition.”
As the capital came into view, a surge of heroic spirit and pressure welled up in his heart. After boarding the boat, he remained silent, watching the river surge and the crowds along the banks.
“Compared to the capital, Yue Xi is like the heavens and the earth,” Lu Zhongqi visibly relaxed. Once they crossed Pei River and reached the opposite shore, they would find the relay station, present the imperial decree, and the danger would be over.
Thus, he was in the mood to appreciate the banks of Pei River and the outer cityscape.
Daoist Hu chuckled, “I personally don’t feel much about it, but I really miss the Zhuangyuan Red wine at Desheng Tower. Just thinking about it makes my inner wine demon stir.”
Throughout the journey, he had actually restrained himself from drinking for fear of causing trouble.
Meng Qi felt the river breeze and nodded slightly. Indeed, the capital was far grander and more prosperous than Xuanwu. However, there were far fewer martial heroes carrying swords and knives here. Scholars and noblewomen strolled beneath the willows on both banks.
A large pleasure boat sailed downstream along the river, passing in front of the ferry where the five were seated. Its shadow loomed over them, as if the sky had darkened.
Suddenly, a figure leapt from the pleasure boat, moving with extreme speed, leaving behind faint afterimages.
His wide sleeves billowed in the wind like an eagle swooping down on a rabbit. He blended seamlessly with the rolling river, the slowly drifting pleasure boat, and the shadows between the two vessels. His angle and posture were perfectly harmonized, as if the entire surrounding world joined him in a single palm strike. Meng Qi felt as though the pleasure boat, the river, and the shadows were all rejecting him, leaving him no place to stand in the vast heavens and earth.
It was an indescribable sensation. Meng Qi felt as though he were alone, challenging the entire universe. His momentum waned, and he dared not act rashly, for even the slightest movement might trigger a chain reaction.
In this clash of energies and battle of wills, Meng Qi now understood the deeper meaning of these eight words. It was not merely about psychological techniques or the creation of atmosphere and momentum, but also a glimpse into the Dao of nature and the universe.
Perhaps this was the path one must walk to reach the external realm… Meng Qi suddenly realized.
The attacker struck with a palm that seemed effortless, yet it expanded in emptiness, growing increasingly oppressive.
Clang!
Meng Qi unsheathed his Bingque Sword and launched a direct counterattack. If he retreated, under the entanglement and pressure of the energy, he would quickly fall into a disadvantage from which he could never recover.
His sword tilted diagonally, its tip trembling, covering four weak points in the attacker’s stance.
As the blade’s light flared, the attacker paused midair, changed his palm technique, and the openings vanished instantly, turning into a trap to ensnare Meng Qi’s sword.
Meng Qi flicked his wrist, lifting the sword toward the attacker’s throat.
Before the sword could complete its arc, the opponent changed again, crossing his palms—one blazing hot, the other icy cold—spinning toward Meng Qi and deflecting his blade.
The Undying Seal Art!
In an instant, Meng Qi understood the identity of his opponent and why his Solitary Sword had failed twice to land a decisive blow.
The Undying Seal Art excelled in sensing an opponent’s energy and mind. Before Meng Qi even executed his sword techniques, the attacker had already detected his intent through subtle muscle reactions, allowing him to preemptively change and set traps.
Meng Qi inhaled deeply, his sword spinning, slicing in a crooked, ever-changing path, seemingly endless.
With a clack, Meng Qi’s sword finally met the attacker’s palm. First came a fierce, fiery force, then a sudden shift to soft, sinister energy, as if trying to pull Meng Qi in, making him feel like vomiting blood.
However, Meng Qi had anticipated this, as if reaching a new level of the Solitary Sword—predicting the opponent’s intent. He twisted his sword along the transition from yang to yin, slicing sideways as if into empty air.
Yet, just as the sword changed, the attacker’s palms shifted too, perfectly positioned at that very spot, as if offering themselves willingly.
This time, even though he could sense Meng Qi’s change in advance, he could not evade.
Suddenly, the attacker thrust his right palm forward, releasing layer upon layer of energy rings, “encircling” Meng Qi’s sword tip.
Meng Qi felt both weightless resistance and as if the opponent’s intent had become reality, pulling his blade off course.
His Breaking Qi Style was not yet mastered!
Previously wielding the sword with his right hand, Meng Qi now extended his left, drawing a pitch-black long saber. Unlike his usual refined techniques, this strike was heavy with worldly essence, illuminating the shadows with flashes of lightning.
Brightening the darkness, splitting mountains and forging paths, carving land from the sea—this was the way of worldly survival, the path of worldly desires!
The attacker hesitated, the energy rings dissipating, his eyes reddening as if recalling his ambitions, his dreams of martial supremacy.
As the saber light reached him, he suddenly snapped out of it, twisting midair like a supernatural being. The saber’s force entered his body like an ox swallowed by the sea, vanishing without a trace.
He placed a single palm against the blade and flew backward.
The pleasure boat passed the small ferry, the shadow disappeared, and sunlight returned, bright and radiant, making the suffocating battle seem like a dream.
Meng Qi turned his head toward the pleasure boat and caught sight of a middle-aged scholar in a Confucian robe standing by the railing, watching him with folded hands. Their eyes met, as if sparks flew between them.
Xie Jun, Guan Ying… Meng Qi sheathed his blade and sword, his expression cold and calm.
Jingshen Sword, Young Meng… Guan Ying’s temples were slightly gray, a faint smile on his lips, exuding elegance and charm.
As the two boats drifted further apart, Meng Qi suddenly recited, “In laughter, imperial dreams fade; life is but a dream of drunkenness.”
Guan Ying’s gaze flickered, and he gazed into the distance, his figure gradually vanishing into the layers of sails.
“In laughter, imperial dreams fade; life is but a dream of drunkenness. Excellent! Excellent! I love this verse!” Daoist Hu laughed heartily, surprised by Meng Qi’s poetic talent and breadth of spirit.
The lightning-fast duel between Meng Qi and Xie Jun had passed in an instant. Except for Ruan Yushu, none of the others noticed, believing that the usually cold young swordsman had simply been inspired by the capital’s scenery.
Meng Qi smiled slightly, covering his mouth with his right hand and coughing lightly. A glimpse revealed a dark red stain.
Earlier, under the Undying Seal Art, his internal energy had been violently disturbed, causing minor internal injuries. However, thanks to the Jinzhongzao’s enhancement of his meridians and organs, the injuries had little effect. Had it been anyone else, they would need time to recover.
But Xie Jun was not unscathed either!
Meng Qi drew out Xie Jie and noticed a faint blood mark on its tip, slightly charred under the lightning.
One slash for one palm strike—it was a draw! A surge of heroism filled Meng Qi. Inspired by the Undying Seal Art, he suddenly gained insight into the essence of Tian Dao.
To harmonize with the natural world, one must first grasp the corresponding Dao. The Undying Seal Art used internal energy and spiritual perception in unison, achieving external marvels. Only with a refined third eye, enhanced mind, and a strong Yuan Shen could one sense the heavens and attain the subtle realm.
Along the way, Meng Qi listened to their discussions and roughly understood the general martial cultivation levels: ordinary, internal masters, earthly realm, heavenly realm, subtle realm, and Dao comprehension.
Therefore, his Illusory Transformation Technique could borrow these insights to aid in cultivating the Tian Dao.
As if sensing Meng Qi’s rising spirit, Ruan Yushu gently played her guqin, the melody bold and profound, reflecting deep cultivation.
The ferry reached the shore. The five disembarked and headed to the relay station.
Under the arrangement of the station officials, soon armored cavalry escorted Lu Guan and Meng Qi into the capital.
Before long, they arrived outside the city gates. Meng Qi looked up at the towering gates, watching the entrance slowly unfold like a painting. In his heart, he murmured, “Demoness, National Preceptor, Xie Jun, Ghost King… I’m here!”
“Successfully escorted Lu Guan into the capital. Main mission one completed. Each participant receives two hundred Virtue Points. After settling in, proceed to Xiaoxiang Pavilion to meet with Luo Shengyi’s group and begin main mission two.”
The grand and solemn voice of the Master of the Six Realms echoed in the minds of Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu.
…
Inside an elegant mansion, an elderly man with a refined appearance looked slightly surprised at the person before him: “Lu Guan entered the capital alive?”
“My Lord, forgive me. I never expected Lu Guan to have an expert beside him no less formidable than Ghost King,” the man before him said, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Who was this expert? Wasn’t Xie Jun supposed to act as well?” The old man calmed himself.
The kneeling man shook his head, “We do not know where Xie Jun is. This expert is very young, known as ‘Jingshen Sword’ Xiao Meng.”
“Xiao Meng…” the old man repeated the name.
In a fragrant courtyard, a graceful, veiled woman suddenly stood up: “Lu Guan is still alive?”
“Yes, it is said that Xie Jun personally acted, yet Lu Guan still lives, protected by a powerful expert known as ‘Jingshen Sword’ Xiao Meng.” The reporting woman spoke with a hint of fear and disdain when mentioning Xie Jun.
“Hmph, wasn’t he supposed to be the unrivaled master of the Undying Seal Art… Who exactly is this ‘Jingshen Sword’ Xiao Meng…” The veiled woman paced back and forth.
Inside the Star-Gazing Tower, an old white-haired man frowned at the star chart before him, speaking to his disciple: “The stars clearly indicated Lu Guan’s death. Why did a meteor streak across and alter the omen?”
“I do not know, Master,” his disciple replied helplessly.
The old man murmured to himself, “Jingshen Sword Xiao Meng…”
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