At the same time, on the top of a restaurant in the distance, one could just see the secluded alley where the fight was taking place.
The morning sun had just risen, and the golden morning light outlined the heroic yet charming face of Dongfang Liren, Prince Jing. Standing with his hands behind his back by the window, his eyes showed approval:
"Good martial arts skills. This young man's foundation is as solid as a rock."
An old woman with white hair that reached the ground stood behind him and slightly shook her head:
"He didn't even gasp for breath after taking She Long's punch. His foundation is indeed remarkable. But he's too young, impulsive, and doesn't know the depth of the martial arts world. He doesn't know any proper martial arts methods either and just relies on his recklessness to fight. Should we call She Long and the others back?"
"They're already here. Let this young man learn a lesson, so he won't be arrogant and accidentally offend His Majesty in the palace in the future."
The old woman with white hair nodded slightly and didn't say anything more.
In the alley.
Ye Jingtang tightly gripped the blade of his saber, paying attention to the formidable enemies surrounding him from both sides. In fact, he had already learned his lesson—he used to be invincible in the border town. But in just a few days in the capital, he had encountered nothing but powerful people. It would be impossible for him not to be careful in the future.
Seeing that the two opponents didn't launch a rush attack, Ye Jingtang said in a cold voice:
"Yang Guan, are these the helpers you found?!"
These two helpers definitely weren't found by Yang Guan. After all, these two were known as the "Ghost of Black and the Ghost of White." Even his master, the Three Wonders Immortal Elder, would avoid them if he met them.
Being a martial arts master is an honor, and there isn't a clear boundary. There are many ways to be evaluated in the martial arts world. One of them is to regard the Ghost of Black and the Ghost of White as the "examiners."
Those in the martial arts world who can defeat one of them or escape unscathed when the two of them join forces are considered genuine masters. In other words, the Ghost of Black and the Ghost of White are the standard line for being a master.
Although Yang Guan was just a pawn who was forced into this, it was still quite satisfying to have someone to vent his anger. He opened his mouth and said:
"These two are close friends of my master. Did you really think that I, Yang, have been living in the capital and have no connections?"
Ye Jingtang's eyes darkened as he paid attention to the movements of the two people on his left and right, waiting for an opportunity to act.
She Long, the "Iron-Armed Ghost," had no interest in bullying a young person. This time, he had come under the order of Prince Jing to test Ye Jingtang's foundation. He had already seen that Ye Jingtang's foundation was very solid, but his martial arts skills were extremely poor, just random punches.
Seeing that Prince Jing didn't tell him to stop, She Long took big steps forward again.
Dong dong dong—
His steps weren't fast, but they were steady and powerful, as if an iron tower was walking over.
Ye Jingtang could cut this iron-like man, while he couldn't even touch the Ghost Shadow. After weighing the situation, he gritted his teeth and leaped diagonally upward, seemingly trying to climb over the courtyard wall and break through.
Shang Jianli, the "Ghost Shadow Ghost," saw that Ye Jingtang didn't know real martial arts and that his right shoulder had been struck by his palm, causing him to slow down. He had no intention of interfering and just watched from the entrance of the alley.
She Long, on the other hand, flashed his figure and arrived at Ye Jingtang's left side first. He raised his hand and punched out again.
Peng—
The punch was powerful and heavy, creating a crosswind in the alley!
Judging from the situation, Ye Jingtang would be knocked down by the punch as soon as he leaped less than three feet.
But unexpectedly, before She Long's punch landed, his face suddenly changed, and he raised his arm to dodge!
Qiang lang—
The next moment, a dragon-like saber cry suddenly rang out in the alley!
In the old bluestone alley, a flash of saber light!
Dang—
There was again the crisp sound of metal clashing, but this time, a spray of blood mist was brought out.
She Long's leaping figure was sent flying backward by the huge force. The sleeve of his left arm was completely torn, revealing his bronze-colored, muscular arm.
And his iron-like forearm was no longer intact. There was a deep knife wound that exposed the bone, which was shocking and was spurting out blood.
Ci—
Shang Jianli, who was watching from the entrance of the alley, saw this scene and his eyes were filled with disbelief.
She Long's arm had been tempered for decades and was equivalent to a divine weapon. Countless people in the martial arts world had tried to cut it off, but those who could make a cut as wide as a finger were already considered powerful.
This young man could "cut to the bone with one saber strike," which was enough to show how strong his physique and surging internal energy were.
But this wasn't the most important thing. A genuine external martial arts master could also "cut to the bone with one saber strike" when fighting She Long. The key point was the speed of this saber strike!
Shang Jianli could clearly see that She Long had detected this young man's intention in advance. As soon as the saber was drawn, he started to dodge.
Both sides moved at the same time. As an external martial arts master with rich fighting experience, She Long was still severely injured in the arm. This could only mean that even with all his efforts, She Long couldn't avoid this extremely overbearing saber strike.
Shang Jianli had been in the martial arts world for so many years. In his memory, the only saber technique whose explosive power could be compared with this saber strike was the "Dragon-Slaying Order" from Junshan Terrace.
If it was the "Dragon-Slaying Order" of the Xuanyuan family and She Long had carelessly gotten close and been struck by a saber, he would surely be severely injured after being struck by several consecutive saber strikes.
This young man had explosive power comparable to the "Dragon-Slaying Order," and it was very unlikely that he wouldn't follow up with more saber strikes. Therefore, Shang Jianli rushed forward to support him at the first moment.
She Long also knew that the situation was not good and quickly retreated.
But to their surprise, Ye Jingtang didn't take advantage of She Long's unstable figure to follow up with another saber strike.
After repelling the enemy with one saber strike, Ye Jingtang sheathed the saber in an instant and returned to his starting stance. Then he kicked off the courtyard wall and chased after She Long, whose left arm was injured.
If he could catch up with She Long, She Long wouldn't be worthy of being called a master.
Seeing that She Long leaped into the air and dodged, clearing the way, Ye Jingtang unleashed all his strength and directly charged towards Yang Guan!
This move wasn't out of blind rage to take one of them down. Instead, it was to take a hostage.
No matter how solid his foundation was, he only knew this one saber strike. The two opponents were unfathomable. If they didn't offer themselves up for him to cut, it would be very difficult for him to catch up with them, and he couldn't escape either. The only way out was to take the employer as a hostage.
Yang Guan didn't expect that Ye Jingtang could break through the defense of the Iron-Armed Ghost with one saber strike, and his eyes were filled with shock.
But when he saw Ye Jingtang charging towards him, Yang Guan's expression instantly turned to horror. He directly knelt down on both knees and shouted:
"Shang..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ye Jingtang had already grabbed Yang Guan's neck, circled behind him, and held the saber handle in his left hand, ready to strike.
And the opponent...
Shang Jianli didn't care about Yang Guan's life or death at all, so he naturally didn't react. His body was like a ghostly shadow as he floated in front of them. He stretched out his pale white palm and stabbed directly at Yang Guan's chest and abdomen. It looked like he was going to "skewer them like candied haws" and stab Ye Jingtang's heart.
Ye Jingtang was shocked. He never expected that these two people would even kill their employer when they went crazy!
Knowing that it was highly likely that a saber strike would be useless, Ye Jingtang gritted his teeth and wanted to try using the palm technique that Luo Ning had taught him yesterday to confront this ghostly figure.
But the words that Yang Guan hadn't been able to say finally came out:
"Captain Shang, save me..."
As soon as he said this, he revealed their intention.
Ye Jingtang instantly realized that it was people from the imperial court testing him. The palm that was about to be struck was forcefully stopped.
And seeing that Ye Jingtang stopped, Shang Jianli naturally wouldn't really skewer them. He lightly retreated and landed three zhang away, returning to his wooden-like standing posture:
"Master Ye has excellent saber skills. At only eighteen years old, your physique and internal energy are already no worse than those of an ordinary master. Your talent truly makes me ashamed. It's just a pity that you don't know many real martial arts skills."
On the courtyard wall, the muscles in She Long's left arm surged, and he managed to stop the bleeding. He leaped down from the high wall, lifted his bamboo hat, and revealed a slightly surprised face:
"This saber strike is truly overbearing. If it weren't for Master Ye's lack of experience, revealing his killing intent in advance, and only knowing this one saber strike, I might not have been able to leave this alley today."
Ye Jingtang had encountered these two "ghostly officials" early in the morning, and his mood was extremely bad. He said in a deep voice:
"Thank you for the compliment. You two are renowned masters. Isn't it inappropriate for you to come and bully a junior like me?"
Shang Jianli didn't respond. Instead, he looked at She Long beside him and asked:
"Is this the 'The Frenzied Saber in Eight Steps'?"
When Ye Jingtang heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He knew that the debt of his unreliable adoptive father was going to be counted against him.
He didn't know if his adoptive father had done anything evil when he roamed the martial arts world in the past. But his adoptive father's enemy, Xuanyuan Chao, the "Saber Demon," was a "Marquis of Junshan" personally conferred by the imperial court and had a close relationship with the imperial court.
If the imperial court discovered that he knew the "The Frenzied Saber in Eight Steps," Xuanyuan Chao would know. If they wanted to eliminate the root cause...
Thinking of this, Ye Jingtang calmly held the saber handle, ready to fight to the death and break through.
But to Ye Jingtang's surprise, after a moment of silence, She Long shook his head and said:
"It doesn't look like it. I've seen Zheng Feng before. The starting stance of this saber strike is a bit like Zheng Feng's saber technique, but the momentum is far from it. It's the difference between a dragon and a python."
?
Ye Jingtang was stunned and thought to himself: Are you blind? I learned this saber technique from my adoptive father. How could I have practiced it wrongly?
Shang Jianli then asked:
"Who is the dragon and who is the python?"
She Long motioned to his bleeding arm:
"What do you think?"
Shang Jianli understood—Zheng Feng's master had a great reputation, but Zheng Feng's saber technique was really ordinary. If he had the terrifying momentum of this young man, how could he have been crippled at a young age?
There was a hint of surprise in Shang Jianli's eyes. He carefully examined Ye Jingtang and thought about the famous saber masters in the martial arts world. He really couldn't find a similar saber technique. So he asked:
"Master Ye, what's the name of this saber strike of yours?"
The starting stance of the "The Frenzied Saber in Eight Steps"...
Ye Jingtang thought that these two mysterious people had no discernment at all. They had already recognized it but were still here forcefully explaining it for him.
But since they were blind, he naturally wouldn't confess on his own. He made up a story and said:
"White Slash!"
"Ji?"
Niaoniao poked its head out from the wall: "?"
"White Slash..."
She Long nodded and asked again:
"Did you create this saber technique yourself, or was it taught by a master?"
Taught by my adoptive father...
Facing the arrestee's question, Ye Jingtang had no choice but to answer. He could only continue to make up a story:
"While escorting goods, I suddenly saw a great river falling from the top of a mountain..."
She Long raised his hand to interrupt: "I understand. You accidentally gained an understanding from nature. It's a pity that there's only this one saber strike now and no follow-up moves."
"That's true. I'm making you two laugh..."
———
While they were talking in the alley, on the top floor of the restaurant in the distance, they were also discussing.
Dongfang Liren's eyes no longer had the coldness from before. There was a hint of surprise in them:
"He doesn't know real martial arts skills, but his foundation is as thick as that of an entry-level master, even better than mine... How did he practice? Or is he deliberately hiding his abilities?"
"This young man really only knows this one saber strike. His surging internal energy and strong physique might be because he has no master to teach him, but he has good talent and is diligent. He just practiced hard with his fists and feet."
Dongfang Liren had heard the story of "practicing swordsmanship in a mountain valley for decades and becoming a Sword Saint when coming out of the mountain," but this was the first time he had actually encountered such a situation.
"Even with the foundation of an entry-level master, it's too incredible to cut She Long with one saber strike and leave him with no power to fight back... Is the 'The Frenzied Saber in Eight Steps' really that overbearing?"
The old woman with white hair frowned and said seriously:
"Kuang Yazi's saber technique is indeed unblockable by anyone at the same level. But Zheng Feng's saber technique is definitely not that overbearing. In my opinion, this saber technique can be considered a masterpiece, while Zheng Feng's 'The Frenzied Saber in Eight Steps' is a counterfeit that went the wrong way. It looks similar in both form and spirit, but they are completely different things."
"Could it be taught by Kuang Yazi?"
"Kuang Yazi was hunted all over the martial arts world because of the 'Roaring Dragon Diagram' incident. He couldn't have lived until now. It's said that when Zheng Feng met Kuang Yazi, Kuang Yazi was already at the end of his life... I guess that Zheng Feng hadn't learned the 'The Frenzied Saber in Eight Steps' yet when Kuang Yazi died. Zheng Feng didn't learn the essence and had no master to guide him. He groped his way on his own and went the wrong way... And this saber strike of this young man, even if Kuang Yazi were still alive, it probably wouldn't be any better. It's really hard to figure out the origin of this saber technique..."
"Could it be that Zheng Feng has been living in seclusion in the mountains these years and has understood Kuang Yazi's saber technique and taught it to Ye Jingtang?"
The old woman with white hair shook her head: "Zheng Feng was crippled by Xuanyuan Chao. It's a problem for him to practice martial arts. He couldn't have suddenly had a great enlightenment out of thin air. And even if he taught it, he wouldn't only teach one saber strike."
Dongfang Liren nodded slightly and looked at Ye Jingtang in the distance:
"Kuang Yazi couldn't have passed it on, and Zheng Feng himself went the wrong way and couldn't teach it... If he realized this saber technique on his own, wouldn't his talent for comprehension be even higher than mine?"
Much higher...
The old woman with white hair knew that Prince Jing was proud and didn't dare to dampen His Highness's spirit. She just said euphemistically:
"If this young man realized this saber strike on his own, his talent for comprehension can be called unprecedented. However, there are many martial artists in the world who have only one special move, and most of them end up with no result. There are very few people who can use this as a guide to extend it into a martial art. We'll have to wait and see his specific achievements in the future."
Dongfang Liren didn't say anything more.
Seeing that they were still waiting for orders in the alley, the old woman with white hair said again:
"Your Highness, it's time to send the portrait to His Majesty for inspection. Let this young man go back to freshen up and be summoned by His Majesty."
"..."
Dongfang Liren stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Ye Jingtang, who was extremely handsome, from a distance. After a moment of silence:
"His Majesty isn't interested in martial artists. This young man has an extraordinary talent for martial arts. If he's really favored, it would be a pity if he gave up martial arts and turned to literature in the future. Hmm... There's no need to send the portrait. Give him a token of the Jing Wang Mansion. If he needs anything in the future, he can come to the mansion to pay a visit at any time."
?
When the old woman with white hair heard this, she felt that it was like—deceiving His Majesty, intercepting a handsome young man, and embezzling for personal gain...
But what Prince Jing said also made sense. Once he was favored by the Empress, no matter how good the treatment was, it would be similar to that of a consort prince. He couldn't hold an official position, couldn't leave the presence of the Emperor, and it was like "being with the Emperor is like being with a tiger." He was doomed to never be able to raise his head.
The old woman with white hair also cherished