Seated within his own private cubicle, the white robed scholar frowned. “The green hills roll while the river flows, autumn has passed yet the flowers of Jiangnan still bloom… Looks like the Hidden Water Eulogy – an accomplished one at that. Seems like your Head Disciple has underestimated his opponent.”
Sikong Changfeng, however, was more intrigued by what he saw. “This Head Disciple of ours has always been serious, like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. At least he has grown more approachable ever since he went out a few months ago. Yet all I did was keep my eyes off him for a few days and he has learnt to how to be jealous.”
“You messed up there, Senior Brother.” Xiao Se stated in bemused fashion as he stood beside him.
“Quiet, and stop looking at him, just act like we didn’t do it!” Tang Lian snapped.
“It wasn’t even me to begin with.” Xiao Se turned away to the side as he said that.
Back at Duan Xuanyi’s corner, the youth in question was coldly glancing around till his eyes came upon the conspicuous pairing of Tang Lian and Xiao Se. Even though they weren’t acting in any peculiar manner, but there were just those kinds of people who drew attention to themselves just by standing. With just a glance, one could tell they were special.
“They are?” Duan Xuanyi asked.
“One of them is Tang Lian, the Head Disciple. The other is Xiao Se, a new disciple of our Third Esteemed Teacher.” Duan Xuanheng answered.
“So they’re the disciples of the citymasters. But, Tang Lian? Now, that’s a name I’m familiar with.” Duan Xuanyi smirked before suddenly flicking his hands upwards. “I’ve heard that Tangmen has a hidden weapon known as Scattering Blossoms, I wonder if it’s like this.” A cup of wine was thrown into the air, yet as it fell through the air, it suddenly dove towards Tang Lian and Xiao Se.
“Hmph, Scattering Blossoms?” Tang Lian raised his hands. An instant later, that same cup halted in midair.
“Whether or not that was the true Scattering Blossoms, I do not know. But Tang Lian’s move just now, that was a proper Hidden Waters Eulogy.” The white robed scholar chuckled.
“Not the Hidden Waters Eulogy, that’s my senior’s self-created martial arts, Burgeoning Reservoir.” Sikong Changfeng answered with a shake of his head.
Having just said that, the wine in the cup suddenly flowed out and accumulated above him. The only warning everyone had of this sudden change was a burst of alcoholic aroma before that trail of wine expanded into a long river. Waving his hands lightly, Tang Lian guided the river along gently. Seeing that, Xiao Se couldn’t help but be suddenly reminded of that blue robed man dancing under the moonlight with a trail of wine. It was then that he thought to himself, these two are truly a pair of disciple and master.
“Brother.” Duan Xuanheng’s voice began to tremble. He had personally felt for himself how fearsome the techniques of this much-respected Head Disciple were.
Yet, Duan Xuanyi merely took a step forward and smiled, “So that’s the famous Burgeoning Reservoir?”
“How do you find it?” Tang Lian gently asked.
“Reservoir? That’s nothing but a puddle.” Duan Xuanyi leapt into the air and stepped onto the river itself!
Tang Lian softly waved his hands, and that river immediately began to reach for the youth. Duan Xuanyi activated his Hidden Waters Eulogy, choosing not to retreat in the face of that assault, but instead pressing forward as he tried to guide the river.
‘If you wish to form a reservoir, then I will wrestle control of that reservoir!’ Duan Xuanyi seemed to be saying with his actions.
Tang Lian, however, smiled. He continued tugging on that river and sending forth another deluge of water.
It was then that Duan Xuanyi suddenly took up his previously silent fan and snapped it open to block the incoming river. Retreating slightly, he then reached for his waist once more and pulled out a flute from his left side to stab at Tang Lian.
“Twenty four bridges under a silvery moon, from where does the jade teaches his flute.” The white robed scholar quietly recited.
On that long fan was a drawing of twenty four bridges, and that flute also had a name -Silvery Moon! With our fan and flute, the lands of Jiangnan owe their beauty to us, the sons of the Duan Clan! That was the famous saying of a certain Duan clan leader.
“Seems like the Duan family has high hopes for this eldest son. Even at his young age, he has inherited that fan and flute. With techniques like that, he should at least be in the upper ranks of any clan disciple.”
“And compared to that Head Disciple of yours?”
“The Hidden Waters Eulogy, the Twenty Four Bridges Fan and the Silvery Moon Flute, these are all formidable martial arts in their own right. But this Head Disciple of ours has only used the Burgeoning Reservoir so far. Within his repertoire of martial arts, that can’t even count as his top five. A Tang Lian that hasn’t even used his hidden weapons…in contrast, that future head of the Duan family has already pulled out his Twenty Four Bridges Fan -who do you think is the better of the two?” Sikong Changfeng quietly took a sip of wine then.
(TL: Just a clarification, skills are sometimes named X** Sword or YYY Fan. These do not refer to the actual weapon but merely the skill which so happens to sound like the weapon. At times, the novel likes to refer to skills in terms of swords, spears, etc. That doesn’t refer to the actual weapon as well, merely that a single move of that weapon’s technique has been shortened to a unit of “one sword” or “one spear” by the author.)
“Brother Tang has admirable skills.” Duan Xuanyi said in a grave voice. He had used up most of the martial arts he was familiar with and had already thrown out dozens of attacks, yet Tang Lian still continued waving his stream around, neither advancing nor budging.
“Give up?” Tang Lian asked softly.
“As if!” Duan Xuanyi bit down and suddenly spun his fan around.
A flash of silver!
By that time, Sikong Changfeng’s spear had already appeared within his hands while the white scholar’s long sword started to rumble.
On the front of the Twenty Four Bridges were twenty three bridges namely, Bright Moon, Cooling Breeze, Stability, Rainy Winds, Blooming Flowers, Five Peace, Jade Belt, Five Sounds, Scenic Moon, Scaling Abode, Purple Smoke, Moon Breath, Flying Leaves, Raging Snow, Returning Night, Qin Notes, Seven Decisions, Voice of Flowers, Wordly Desolation, Winter’s Call, Spring’s Thunder, Dawn of Seasons, every name the epitome of elegance. On the flip side, however, was just one bridge, Silence.
With the time for elegance ending, all that was left was life or death!
The moment that flash of silver appeared, countless needles flew towards Tang Lian.
“Hidden weapons! Despicable!” Someone couldn’t help but exclaim.
“I’m using a hidden weapon to kill a Tangmen, how is that despicable?!” Duan Xuanyi howled!
Tang Lian immediately retreated, but that wasn’t enough. That move, known as Silence, was formed of the Tangmen’s very own ultimate hidden weapon, the Whirling Pear Flower Needles!
“Let me handle this.” The white scholar stood up and prepared to rush down to Tang Lian’s aid. Faced with this storm of deadly needles, there were only three people right now who could save Tang Lian: him, Sikong Changfeng, and Tang Lian himself.
The citymaster could save his Head Disciple, yet should his disciple not only fail in a duel on his homeground, but also require his citymaster to save him, the loss of face would be tremendous.
As for Tang Lian, he could save himself as well but that would only lead to one outcome -the unequivocal death of Duan Xuanyi.
Right now, the most suitable candidate had to be that white scholar, even if he did not want to expose his identity.
Yet amidst all that, a flash of steel suddenly crashed onto the scene.
It was a sword filled with a frigid qi, yet at the same time, glaringly red.
The first sword qi severed the incoming the needles at which point a red figure descended.
Another wave of sword qi was sent out. This time, Duan Xuanyi forced back a dozen steps, finally stopping with his knees on the ground and a mouth full of blood.
Then came another wave.
The white scholar lowered his sword, his eyes sparkling with surprise. “Moon in Obscurity, Flowers at Daybreak?”
All that could be seen as that sword qi rushed forward were countless petals flying off from their stalks and swirling about that sword. A myriad of colors danced around the sword as the petals continued floating about in a brilliant display. Standing amidst all that was none other than Lei Wujie.
The same Lei Wujie who was finally worthy of being called the Sword Immortal’s inheritor!
“D*mn it, whatever kind of teacher begets whatever kind of student! That brat just caused all the flowers in my Hundred Flowers Banquet to wilt the moment he arrived!” Sikong Changfeng slammed his palm down on his chair as he said that.
