Mysterious Martial Arts: The Record of the Swordsman

Chapter 316 Drunkenly Dancing with Long Sleeves at the Rooster's Crow

Chapter 316 Drunkenly Dancing with Long Sleeves at the Rooster's Crow

As dusk deepened, the setting sun sank behind the peaks, the light fading from warm gold to smoky blue, then slowly spreading into a dark blue. When dusk was completely settled, Dawang Peak and Tiebanzhang became inky silhouettes. Occasionally, a few stars would peek out from the peaks and fall into the meandering waters of the Nine-Bend Stream, quietly shattering into a river of silver scales. All the scenery before my eyes was just like the profound meaning of "stopping where it should stop" described by Bai Yuchan.

Meanwhile, just a wall away, inside the Zhizhi Nunnery, the lanterns were just lit, and the hustle and bustle of the first day of the martial arts tournament had not yet subsided. In a secluded setting, Jiang Wen, as the host, was hosting a banquet to entertain heroes from all sides. The atmosphere was lively with the clinking of glasses.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone was in high spirits, and their attention naturally focused on Jiang Wen's background and experiences. With Lin Zhennan occasionally revealing a couple of interesting anecdotes from his early years as a witness, and Jiang Wen speaking vaguely about the details of his birth, no one noticed any flaws.

"Master Jiang's disciple must have mastered all the true teachings. Why not let us broaden our horizons?"

Han Laowu, the head of the Ground Fist, was only forty years old. He had a full beard and looked like a farmer toiling in the fields when he was not talking. When he spoke, he was like a farmer chatting with his family. Now, taking advantage of the alcohol, he wanted to say a few words of flattery and took the lead in urging the other person's child to show his face.

Zhou Long, the leader of the Vajra Sect, was flushed from drinking. Upon hearing this, his eyes gleamed, and fueled by the alcohol, he used his booming voice to once again drown out the noise.

"That's right, everyone! Today's gathering is a grand occasion, with all the wise men and women present! Sect Leader Jiang is known as the 'Gentleman Sword,' and his disciples must be exceptional individuals as well! What's the point of just drinking and eating meat? Why don't we invite a few young heroes to demonstrate their true skills, so that everyone can broaden their horizons and witness the profound martial arts of the Wuyi Sect? What do you all say?!"

The fine wine brought by Fuwei Escort Agency was excellent, the dishes prepared by the chef of Hongbinlou Restaurant were plentiful, and Jiang Wen deliberately created an atmosphere of "honored guests," which gradually made these mostly rough-and-tumble martial arts figures let down their guard, and the noise and chatter grew louder and louder. As soon as he said this, the whole room responded, and even Yuan Chengzhi cast a curious glance at him.

"it is good!!"

"Sect Leader Zhou is right!"

"Young heroes, please show us your skills!"

"Let us see this!"

Jiang Wen had no choice but to arrange for his disciples to perform – he had originally planned to make a splash today and then arrange for his disciples to showcase their talents in a few days, but now he was forced into it.

He looked around and first spotted Lin Pingzhi standing to the side with his arms crossed. The young man had also drunk a couple of glasses of wine, and his cheeks were flushed, making him look more like a pampered young master from a wealthy family.

Jiang Wen and Lin Zhennan spoke in hushed tones for a moment. Sensing the disciple's questioning gaze, Jiang Wen put on his usual enigmatic smile and nodded slightly to him.

"Since you all are so kind, Pingzhi, please feel free to show off a few skills as a way to add to the fun."

Jiang Wen also intended to test Lin Pingzhi to see if he had been practicing martial arts diligently recently, so he ordered him to take the lead. Lin Pingzhi, without any fear of the field, stood up first and arrived at the open space in the center of the field with his brocade robes fluttering.

"Fellow practitioners, this is Lin Xiu, courtesy name Pingzhi, the eldest disciple of my sect. I will make a fool of myself in his presentation!"

With a swift movement and a flick of his wrist, he launched his first palm strike, seemingly as gentle as a spring breeze caressing flowers, yet the force of the palm strike silently spread, causing the branches to tremble slightly. His movements were fluid and swift, his palms flying erratically, sometimes like a sudden downpour, sometimes like petals drifting on water. This palm technique, derived from swordsmanship, featured sharp edges on the palms, a perfect blend of real and feint, creating a sky full of palm shadows, yet without a single superfluous element.

This is precisely the essence of the "Falling Blossom Divine Sword Palm" technique—a myriad of colors and patterns—complex yet orderly, soft yet sharp. As the ultimate technique of Peach Blossom Island was unleashed, the crowd saw palm shadows flying like colorful falling petals, their movements graceful and unparalleled.

Just as his palm strike reached its climax, Lin Pingzhi suddenly lowered his shoulders and withdrew his palm. With a twist of his waist and abdomen, he lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his body spun like a top. With a sharp "whoosh," his right leg swept out horizontally, the wind from his leg like a knife, sweeping across the ground and instantly scattering the bits of grass.

Without pausing, his left leg followed, sweeping out in rapid succession, each kick faster and heavier than the last. His leg movements were like wheels, spinning endlessly, unleashing a series of "Whirlwind Sweeping Leaves" kicks. His clothes fluttered in the wind, swirling like rolling snowflakes on a green wave. The beauty of his moves drew cheers from the audience, with Lin Zhennan being the most excited.

However, among the crowd, only Jiang Wen looked gloomy, grabbing Lin Zhennan and asking, "Brother Lin, what are you laughing about?"

Lin Zhennan sighed with great satisfaction, "Zilu has taught her well; her skills are far superior to mine back then. When will I send Yueru up the mountain so you can give her a proper lesson?"

"..."

As a martial arts master, Jiang Wen could tell upon closer inspection that although Lin Pingzhi's moves were elegant, the palm wind only made the candlelight on the table flicker slightly, and the blue bricks under his feet did not move when he landed. It was beautiful but the strength was weak, which was obviously a negative effect of the martial arts talent inherited from the Lin family.

Among the martial arts practitioners, there were also discerning individuals. Thus, amidst the cheers, some whispers inevitably arose, saying that while the kung fu was beautiful, it resembled an elegant opera performance. Others jokingly remarked that it was more like a dance than martial arts. However, some on the sidelines speculated that someone from a wealthy family like the eldest disciple probably just spent money to learn a fancy move, since he didn't need to fight or battle with anyone; as long as the moves looked good, that was enough.

Little Stone was especially excited today. After his senior finished performing, he jumped into the arena before anyone could react.

He took a deep breath, firmly planted himself in a horse stance, lowered his shoulders and elbows, focused his energy in his dantian, and then threw out both fists at the same time. The wind of his fists howled, and his movements were powerful and vigorous. Each move was grand and powerful, simple and majestic. It was the starting stance of the "Regretful Dragon" move of the martial arts masterpiece "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms". He split a piece of blue stone in front of him!

Although limited by his age and skill level, he was far from reaching Jiang Wen's unparalleled power and strength, the might and discipline contained in his fist strikes were enough to move those who knew their value. Everyone present praised him, for the bluestone was a remnant of the carved balustrade from Zhizhi Nunnery, with no chance of being replaced or faked. No one had expected that this seemingly simple-minded child had actually received personal instruction from the sect leader, Jiang Wen.

Surrounded by the crowd, Little Stone's face flushed red with excitement as everyone cheered him on, seemingly still wanting more. His eyes darted around, and he walked over to Zhou Long, lying down on the ground and gesturing to his chest.

"I need a stone."

Zhou Long was stunned for a moment before he understood. He quickly ordered the Vajra Sect disciples to press a millstone-sized blue stone onto his chest. Zhou Long then personally swung his iron hammer and smashed it three times. The stone cracked into dust, but the small stone grinned and jumped up, completely unharmed.

"This... why does it look so familiar?"

"Breaking a boulder on one's chest, for example."

Why is the Wuyi School so skilled?

"The child is so young, could there be something going on..."

Amidst the murmurs around him, Jiang Wen's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected that after all these years, Little Stone would still be so obsessed with street performances and breaking stones on his chest, and would actually give him such a surprise out of the blue.

Jiang Wen knew that Xiao Shitou had no bad intentions and simply wanted to show off his skills, but it was like someone studying Lu Yu's teachings and going astray, eventually exceeding the scope of the tea ceremony and reaching the realm of the hundred ways of tea. That's very strange, you know?

Fu Ningdie clapped excitedly from the side, repeatedly gesturing to her master to let her perform her light-footed skills again, but Jiang Wen stopped her every time.

"Stop fooling around. I'm not running a circus. We'll talk about it after you've mastered your kung fu..."

From Lin Pingzhi's fancy but ineffective martial arts moves to Xiao Shitou breaking a large rock on his chest, Jiang Wen was already worried that his fellow martial arts practitioners would make wild guesses and spread rumors, telling everyone that this leader of the Wuyi Sect had started by tricking children into performing street tricks, which was how he amassed his vast fortune.

"Wending, I'm counting on you. Go up and demonstrate a set of boxing techniques, but don't overdo it."

Upon hearing this, Hong Wending silently nodded and left his seat. He rose and walked to the center of the arena, bowing respectfully to everyone. His expression remained calm, without any fancy movements. He simply stood with his feet firmly planted and slowly performed a set of fist techniques. The techniques were simple yet extremely powerful, each movement resonating with the sounds of wind and thunder.

With steady steps, he opened his fist stance and instantly unleashed the Hung Family Fist Technique. His punches were powerful and concentrated, each one seemingly containing immense force, yet controlled with effortless ease, the power condensed and unyielding. His footwork was equally solid and steady, like the roots of an old tree, unshaken even by fierce winds and torrential rain. After a quarter of an hour, he finished a set of punches, his breathing even and long, his expression unchanged.

Yuan Chengzhi nodded slightly: "His fist is powerful and deep, with a solid foundation. He has already mastered the essence of Southern Fist."

Upon hearing Yuan Chengzhi's praise, all the sect leaders present understood that this person had reached the realm of returning to simplicity and even possessed some of the demeanor of a grandmaster. They all clapped their hands in admiration, praising him for having deeply grasped the essence of Southern Fist. Only Fu Ningdie pouted, indicating that she was very unhappy.

"Excellent! What a solid foundation!"

"This young man may look young, but his martial arts skills are the most solid!"

"To have mastered Southern Fist to this extent is truly remarkable!"

Even those unfamiliar with the art cheered, for Hong Wending's demonstration, without flaunting techniques, revealed his true skill. His composure and inner strength, far beyond his years, secretly astonished many seasoned martial artists. Jiang Wen was also secretly relieved; Hong Family Fist was still in its early stages, founded by Hong Xiguan, at most bearing traces of Shaolin Luohan Fist and Southern Fist. Using it as a Wuyi School martial art at this time, those in the martial arts world would likely not find fault with it.

However, just as everyone was cheering and praising the wonderful performance, a drunken voice with obvious doubt was whispering at the Drunken Eight Immortals table.

"This Master Jiang's reputation as the 'Gentleman Sword' is renowned throughout the martial arts world, so why is the skill displayed by his esteemed disciple so..."

"Strange, the variety is wonderful, but... this doesn't seem to have anything to do with 'sword' at all?"

All eyes turned to him. The Drunken Eight Immortals Elder let out a burp, then realized his voice was a bit loud. He quickly grabbed a wine jar to cover his head, causing the room to fall silent instantly as countless gazes turned to Jiang Wen.

Lin Zhennan frowned slightly. This question seemed simple, but it was actually tricky. It directly pointed to the flaw in Jiang Wenli's faction. If this problem was not solved, trouble would inevitably arise in the future.

Jiang Wen's mind raced, but his face remained calm. He laughed heartily, raised his wine glass to cover the fleeting embarrassment, sighed deeply to make it seem like he had a long story to tell, and then entered the common drunken boasting mode of martial arts practitioners.

"That's not quite right. In the first half of my life, a sorcerer predicted that I was destined to be 'a golden carp, not meant to stay in a pond; it will transform into a dragon once it encounters wind and clouds.' Therefore, I wasted half my life wandering the martial world, learning all sorts of skills, until my swordsmanship reached the 'Ten Thousand Swords Return to One' realm, and I comprehended 'One method leads to the birth of ten thousand methods.' Only then did I develop the three perfections of fist, palm, and leg techniques, which I now rely on to roam the world. However—"

He deliberately stroked his beard and drew out his words to attract everyone's attention.

"Internal strength is the foundation upon which our Wuyi Sect stands and thrives!"

Jiang Wen's smile remained unchanged, instead appearing even more composed. He slowly stood up, his gray Taoist robe fluttering gently in the breeze.

"If the Wuyi School were to claim unparalleled mastery, it would undoubtedly be the 'Three-Part Return to Origin Qi' divine skill. This skill fuses the best of fist, palm, and leg techniques into one, representing the pinnacle of internal energy and techniques. Once unleashed, its power is boundless! However, such a supreme art cannot be lightly passed on to those without a profound foundation and unwavering resolve. My unworthy disciples are still young and need further training; how dare they presume to show off their meager skills before others?"

These words were spoken in a grand and respectable manner, turning the predicament of "no one using the sword" into a story that the disciples were "not yet ready" and "possess profound skills."

"The Tai Chi Divine Skill has the Yin and Yang Transformation, while this Three-Part Returning to Origin Qi is even more superior, isn't it?"

"...So according to you, the Eight Pieces of Brocade is the best in the world."

"I, the Thirteen Protectors, refuse to accept this due to my unyielding martial arts skills!"

Although the crowd found the name "Three-Part Returning to Origin Qi" unheard of, they were all taken aback by Jiang Wen's serious and composed demeanor. They also recalled his amazing lightness skill displayed during the day and the attitudes of influential figures such as Yuan Chengzhi of the Huashan Sect and Yuan Ziyi of the Iron Sword Sect towards him.

Many people looked on with sudden realization and admiration, and raised their glasses in agreement, warming up the atmosphere again as everyone began to toast each other once more.

"Master Jiang is erudite and knowledgeable, integrating the wisdom of many schools of thought. I admire him greatly!"

"So that's how it is! We were simply ignorant!"

"Your sect's divine skills are indeed unfathomable!"

Jiang Wen breathed a sigh of relief and quickly raised his glass in response, trying to gloss over the awkward topic, though a barely perceptible bead of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

He secretly resolved that, no matter what, he would find an opportunity next time to have one of his disciples, even if it was just a last-minute effort, demonstrate a set of sword techniques to save face; otherwise, the reputation of "Gentleman's Sword" might be ruined by his own disciple.

Just as Jiang Wen had managed to reignite the atmosphere and everyone was toasting each other, a heart-wrenching wail and cry suddenly rang out outside the gate of Zhizhi Nunnery, instantly shattering the hustle and bustle of the banquet!

Several disciples of the Rattan Shield Sect, their faces ashen, stumbled and crawled into the banquet area, carrying three makeshift stretchers made of rattan shields. The dirty cloths covering the stretchers had been partially pulled back, revealing three charred and unrecognizable corpses!

The three corpses were unrecognizable, charred and twisted beyond recognition, as if they had been thrown into the most intense furnace. Only from the remaining fragments of clothing and the rattan shields they carried could they be barely identified as members of the Rattan Shield Gang.

A strong, burnt smell instantly filled the air, overpowering the aroma of wine and meat. Ironically, this burnt smell also carried a hint of the meaty flavor, causing several of the well-fed and drunken men to gag. The leader of the rattan shield gang fell to his knees with a thud, pointing at the three charred corpses and crying out to his gang leader and Jiang Wen on the platform:

"Sect Leader, please help! The three disciples who went missing a few days ago at Sanliting have been found... It seems a fire broke out while they were on night watch... and they were... burned to this state!"

Jiang Wen stepped forward with sharp eyes, his gaze fixed on the corpse. His intuition told him that the strange posture and the degree of charring could not have been caused by an ordinary fire!

Ordinary flames would cause the corpse to struggle or stretch out in pain, with each body moving differently, not in such a uniform manner. What's even stranger is that although the corpse is charred, fragments of clothing and remnants of the rattan shield are still there, not completely reduced to ashes. The fire is fierce but burns "incompletely," exuding an indescribable eeriness.

More importantly, the Rattan Shield Sect is not considered a major sect in the martial arts world. Even if they have enemies, it's not such a deep-seated hatred that they would resort to such cruel and brutal methods, almost like destroying the body, for revenge. The violence of these methods seems more like a declaration or a deterrent.

The fact that the murderer chose to strike during the Wuyi Mountain conference, when all the martial arts figures had come out in droves, was seen by outsiders as a provocation against the host, an act that would inevitably push the Wuyi faction into the eye of the storm.

He knew this matter required a swift decision, and that procrastination was the worst thing he could do. So, his gaze swept across the entire area like lightning, finally settling heavily on the leader of the Rattan Shield Sect and his grieving disciples. Each word he uttered was firm and resolute:

"My fellow brothers of the Rattan Shield Sect, please accept my deepest condolences. I, Jiang, will investigate this matter thoroughly, uncover the true culprit, and give an explanation to our fallen brothers, to the Rattan Shield Sect, and to all martial arts practitioners in the world!"