“Xiao Li, take a guess. How many moves do you think that fellow can last against A Liu?”
Gu Wangchen sat up straight from his rocking chair, the corners of his lips curling slightly as he addressed An Li, who stood by his side, waiting on him.
“Young Master, with my mortal eyes, it’s a bit hard to say.”
“Mmm.” Gu Wangchen nodded gently, then motioned her over in secret, making sure no one was watching before lowering his voice, “Then… An Li, what do you think?”
“Master, from what I can see, that swordswoman in tight-fitting clothes hides her aura well. She’s already stepped into the Lingdong Realm, fourth level. But A Liu…”
An Li glanced at the black-clad warrior in soft armor stepping forward from the south side of Ba Qiao and said, “He reached the Yuqi Realm, the fifth level, two years ago. His Zhenqi is already under exquisite control.”
“Though both are within the Supernatural Three Realms and only differ by one level, whether it’s the thickness of their Zhenqi, physical quality, or fighting spirit, that swordswoman is no match for A Liu.”
An Li pursed her lips, considered for a moment, and replied, “I believe she can at most withstand five moves from A Liu.”
Gu Wangchen nodded lightly, not sharing his own opinion, and asked instead, “If she were up against you, how many moves could she last?”
“One.”
This time, An Li answered instantly, without hesitation.
Hearing this, Gu Wangchen smiled faintly and leaned back into his chair, speaking with leisure, “An Li, you know I’ve always trusted your judgment of people.”
“Master, you mean…”
An Li immediately sensed a hidden meaning in Gu Wangchen’s words.
“But sometimes, you have to consider those low-probability events.”
He turned his gaze toward Si Kongyue, whose brows stood sharply and whose eyes blazed with anger, and said with interest, “I think their fight will be worth watching, don’t you think, Xiao Li?”
“I’ll go with whatever you say, Young Master~” The maid An Li curtsied slightly, replying in a sweet, soft voice.
After that, Gu Wangchen stepped forward, as if preparing to observe the fight up close.
Stopping eight zhang away from the standoff between A Liu and Si Kongyue, he said, “A Liu, I just made a bet with Xiao Li. I bet you’d take her down in five moves, but Xiao Li doesn’t believe it.”
He glanced at An Li, whose face flashed with a momentary confusion, then pulled out a Silver Note from his robe:
“Do it like a man—knock her all over the place in five moves! If you succeed, this Silver Note for five hundred taels is yours!”
Having spoken, he signaled to the other guards, who instantly understood and withdrew behind him. One of them even remembered to bring his rocking chair.
Gu Wangchen sat back down, focusing intently on Si Kongyue.
【Name: Si Kongyue】
【Level: Fourth (Lingdong Realm)】
【Tianming Value: 1000 points】
What the—! A thousand Tianming Value?
Gu Wangchen twitched his lips, thinking to himself, As expected of Feng Ao Tian. Her Tianming Value is worlds apart from my -99.
But… well, now that I have a way to raise my own Tianming Value, there’s no need to envy her.
With that, he composed himself and looked ahead, fingers together as he waved them downward: “This Young Master announces—the battle… officially begins!”
“Gu, you…!”
Seeing Gu Wangchen’s brazen behavior, Si Kongyue’s eyes blazed, silver teeth clenched, and she could no longer contain her anger. She drew her sword and soared forward.
This Gu can just casually offer five hundred taels—he must have swindled countless people like her out of their money.
He must have leeched the Minzhi of so many people like her.
To act for the heavens, now is the time!
With that thought, she held nothing back, attacking with full ferocity.
Clang—
Blades and swords clashed. A Liu drew his long saber, blocking the thrust of her sword with a reverse grip.
Feeling the force through the hilt, A Liu’s pupils shrank, his wrist trembling ever so slightly.
What tremendous strength!
Before the fight, he had already determined that his opponent was merely a newcomer to the Lingdong Realm, a full major level below himself. By rights, he should have ended the fight within three moves.
With Young Master setting a five-move limit, he thought it would be easy, but now…
With that, he stopped holding back and surged his Zhenqi with full force, intent on crushing his opponent completely.
“Heh, so this is the strength of the Yuqi Realm?”
Facing A Liu’s unrestrained assault, Si Kongyue retreated a step, narrowly dodging the heavy strike, then thrust forward again.
The two became entangled in fierce battle. A Liu’s saber strikes were like a raging wind, each wave stronger than the last, irresistible and overwhelming.
Si Kongyue was like a seabird braving a violent storm, her movements agile, using skill to counter force.
The longer the fight went on, the more shocked A Liu became. Though this swordswoman looked young, she was not only physically powerful but possessed astonishing movement techniques as well.
The five moves had long since passed, and the fight was now deadlocked. He began to panic.
After a set of saber techniques ended and his momentum paused for a moment, he hurried to switch moves, which left a fleeting gap.
Si Kongyue seized the opportunity, grinned, and held her breath.
In an instant, sword light blazed as bright as day, slicing through the air.
Clang!
Her sword passed over the saber’s spine at an impossible angle, then tapped lightly on the hilt.
A Liu felt his wrist go numb; his saber nearly slipped from his grip.
“You think it’s over?”
Si Kongyue twisted her waist, seizing the moment to grab A Liu’s saber hand with a reverse grip and squeezed.
Clang.
The saber dropped to the ground.
Bang—
A Liu felt as if a wild bull had charged him, stumbling back several steps before regaining his balance.
Though his Zhenqi shielded him, and he suffered no real harm beyond pain, he…
He stared at the saber, now gripped in Si Kongyue’s left hand, his face burning with shame.
He’d been disarmed by a mere newcomer to the Lingdong Realm?
The two had gone through more than a dozen moves, already surpassing the limit set by Young Master. Now he’d even been defeated, disgracing both himself and Young Master.
At this thought, he tried to force his techniques, ready for a desperate struggle.
Bang—crash…
Just then, a burst of dazzling fireworks exploded in the sky north of Ba Qiao.
At the same moment, Gu Wangchen’s voice rang out: “That’s enough, A Liu. Admit defeat. There’s no need to risk your life here.”
Gu Wangchen walked to his side, patted him on the shoulder, and said calmly, “I, Gu Wangchen, am not afraid to lose.”
“Young Master, I…” A Liu hung his head, fists clenched.
“If you’re no good, just train harder. So you lost to someone better—no big deal.” Gu Wangchen took out the Silver Note and slapped it onto A Liu’s chest:
“Here. Though you didn’t meet my target, you look pretty beat up. Use this to buy some medicine.”
“Young Master, I didn’t…”
“When I give money, it’s like water spilled on the ground. What—are you hoping I’ll take it back?”
A Liu swallowed, carefully stowing away the Silver Note, and nodded fiercely, “Yes, Young Master!”
With An Li in tow, Gu Wangchen sauntered over to Si Kongyue and sized up the true heroine, the Feng Ao Tian of “Xian Yuan”.
Truth be told, though the real person looked a bit different from her illustration, her striking features, athletic figure and outfit, her signature high ponytail with a streak of white at the front, and her sharp, blade-like presence made her instantly recognizable.
Si Kongyue sheathed her sword, forcibly pulling her gaze away from the Silver Note in A Liu’s hand, and fixed her eyes back on Gu Wangchen, speaking stiffly, “Gu, now… can you let us through?”
“No.”
“What? Your man clearly lost. Aren’t you the one who said a bet is a bet?”
“When did I ever say that if my man lost, I’d let you through?” Gu Wangchen replied with an offhand chuckle.
“You!”
Looking at Gu Wangchen’s infuriatingly handsome face, Si Kongyue’s eyes flashed. She wanted nothing more than to land two punches right now.
But she restrained herself.
She was willing to stand up for the people, but she wasn’t foolish. If she hit the son of the Prime Minister here—a man with no trace of Zhenqi about him—things would get ugly.
If she caused a scene, not only would Ba Qiao stay closed, but she herself would likely find her first stop in the Capital City to be a Xin Bu cell.
Not to mention—she had no money for bail!
Si Kongyue, hold it in, hold it in, hold it in…
Reciting the Qingxin Mantra to herself several times, she finally felt a bit better. Gritting her teeth, she asked, “Then tell me, what’ll it take for you to let everyone cross the bridge?”
“This Young Master is in a good mood today and wants to fish while watching the river from Ba Qiao,” Gu Wangchen glanced at the long line of would-be city entrants below the bridge and said indifferently, “As for when I’ll let you pass, maybe when I get bored.”
“You—you do realize, the laws of the Yuan Dynasty clearly state: anyone who blocks an official road—”
“Regulations?” Gu Wangchen sneered, “Regulations are for the weak. As for me… I don’t have to follow them.”
With that, he turned and walked to the side of the bridge, hands resting on the stone railing, eyes narrowed as he gazed at the sunlit waters of the city moat, saying nothing more.
“Damn it!”
Si Kongyue’s chest heaved with anger, feeling as if she’d be suffocated by her own chest binding.
She was about to snap.
Bang—crash…
A second firework burst in the sky to the north of Ba Qiao.
Gu Wangchen’s brows rose as he exchanged a glance with his maid An Li.
Seeing the task completed, he turned back to Si Kongyue, smiling: “Of course, I’m still willing to give you a chance—a chance to speak for the people.”
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