Volume 1: Martial World Chapter 106: Ye Dahu's Trickery

  After making up his mind to take the initiative, Ye Wen had nothing to do but wait quietly for the messenger from Tian Le Gang. Then, in front of everyone, he took over the letter and immediately said: "Since Elder Guo sincerely invited me, I naturally have no reason to refuse. Please reply to Elder Guo of your honorable gang that I will arrange the affairs of my sect and set off immediately!"

  The person who delivered the message from Tianle Gang was stunned when he heard this, but he had already received Guo Nu's instructions beforehand to carefully observe the situation of Shushan Sect, especially whether there were any signs of internal injury between Ye Wen's expressions.

  Who would have thought that the Shu Shan Sect didn't even let him in through the front door, setting up a formation at the main gate. After receiving the letter, they didn't even bother to read it and agreed to go immediately, which meant they had directly issued an order to expel the guest.

  He really hadn't thought of this situation, and the elder hadn't reminded him beforehand. The messenger was taken aback, and his eyes involuntarily darted to the side, where a plainly dressed person who seemed to be one of the guards muttered: "Fool, what are you looking at?"

  It turned out that this person was Pei Wei in disguise, mixed into the team to personally investigate the truth of Mount Shu Sect. Originally, Guo Nu did not want him to come, but Pei Wei used the reason "If I don't go myself, I'm afraid it's hard for these subordinates to distinguish between true and false!" to persuade the other party, and then mixed into the message team together.

  He was originally coming with the intention of sneaking into the crowd to investigate, and except for that messenger, no one in the team knew his true identity. Who would have thought that as soon as they arrived at the place, this fool began to reveal his horse's hoof, and Pei Wei could only hope that the other party had not noticed this unusual situation.

  Unfortunately, Ye Wen's eyes had not left the messenger's body since he saw him, even when he took over the note, he did not distract himself from the note.

  It was with a messenger's stealthy glance at the person beside him that he took in everything, and after a moment's thought, he understood what kind of trick Tian Le Gang had played again.

  "Now that there's nothing else to attend to, everyone can take their leave! The humble abode of Mount Shu Sect has limited space and accommodations. To avoid keeping you all waiting, I won't be inviting you to stay overnight!"

  With a wave of his hand, he made a "please go ahead" gesture, clearly telling everyone: "I've received the letter, you can leave now!"

  Seeing this, Pei Wei knew he couldn't stay silent any longer and immediately sneered: "The Shu Shan Sect is a well-known sect in Book Mountain County, how can they not even understand the basic etiquette of treating guests?"

  Ye Wen saw him speak, with an expression that seemed to have known he was going to talk all along. This made Pei Wei very annoyed, but he had no choice but to selectively ignore Ye Wen's expression and pretend he hadn't seen it.

  "What is this brother called?"

  The two of them started talking, and the messenger secretly let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he wouldn't have to take charge of this matter today. It was as if he had just pushed away a heavy burden. Fearing that it might ultimately come back to him, he immediately spoke up to introduce: "This is Pei Wei, one of our sect's four great elders!"

  After finishing, he didn't care that Pei Wei glared at him fiercely and suddenly slipped back into the crowd. In a few moments, he had mixed in with the people and couldn't be found. Ye Wen saw this and secretly thought it was strange: "This messenger isn't stupid either. He sensed that things were going to be difficult, so he pushed everything onto Pei Zhanglao's body and slipped away cleanly... probably those few glances at Pei Wei were also intentional!"

  At this time, even Pei Wei began to suspect that the little guy was deliberately shirking responsibility. However, it wasn't good to interrogate him in front of outsiders, so he had to grit his teeth and take on the challenge: "I am Pei Wei, a senior elder of the Tianle Gang, with some reputation in the Jianghu. Does Ye Zhangmen not even offer a cup of tea?"

  Pei Wei secretly ridiculed Ye Wen, thinking that even someone with some reputation like himself wasn't being treated properly. The Shu Shan Sect was too arrogant. Unexpectedly, Ye Wen coldly smiled and directly replied: "Given the current relationship between our two sects, it seems unnecessary for us to treat you all with tea and water."

  This directly points out that the two of us are still in a state of animosity, if you want to come in, there's no tea to be served, and not directly drawing swords is only because this time it's at Mount Liubei.

  It's just like when two countries are at war and don't kill the envoys who come to negotiate, although they won't kill you, it's also reasonable to make things difficult for you. The struggles between factions may not be as intense as wars between nations, but the logic is generally the same.

  Pei Wei thought for a long time, but finally found nothing to say. He was speechless for half a day, until Ye Wen asked him, "Is there anything else, Elder Pei?" which made him realize that if he didn't speak up, he would probably have to leave the mountain in defeat today. Not only did he fail to gather any information, but also failed to achieve his goal of putting pressure on the Shu Mountain Sect - especially with Guo Nu's clever plan of sending an invitation to Ye Wen, which the Shu Mountain Sect had readily accepted, regardless of whether they were really confident or just pretending to be. As a result, not only did it fail to damage the reputation and morale of the Shu Mountain Sect, but instead boosted their confidence.

  This time, it can be said that the Tianle Gang lost thoroughly, and they didn't regain their reputation or prestige. Although they knew that after Ye Wen went to their territory, they had a good chance of regaining face, but at that time, in their old home, even if they really killed Ye Wen, they wouldn't be able to regain much prestige.

  After some thought, Pei Wei found that he seemed to have only one way to go. He took a step forward and said: "I've heard that Ye Zhangmen's kung fu is extraordinary, even the Red Sun God King Pei Gonglie was defeated by your hand. I'm not talented, today I want to ask for your guidance!"

  After turning his head around, Pei Wei found that he could only rely on this method to probe Ye Wen's depth. Anyway, as long as they started fighting, Ye Wen's high or low skills and whether he was injured could be explored clearly, which also achieved the purpose of this trip.

  "Since Elder Pei is interested, I'll naturally accompany him!"

  Look around, Ye Wen saw that the Shu Shan Sect, Tian Le Gang and a group of miscellaneous people were all standing at the door, looking a bit crowded. He said bluntly: "This place is narrow and crowded, let's go in with Elder Pei to try it out!"

  After finishing speaking, the people of Shu Shan Sect no longer blocked the entrance, but retreated to the front yard and stopped in front of the main hall. They lined up according to their ranks and stood still. Ye Wen stood quietly in the center of the courtyard, waiting for Pei Wei to come forward.

  As soon as Pei Wei entered the gate of Shu Mountain Sect, he saw that the front courtyard was spacious and surrounded by four high walls. In front of him stood a grand hall with an extraordinary aura, which was indeed the style of a large sect.

  Just this glance, and his heart skipped a beat: "This Shu Mountain Sect has a rich foundation, it seems that it's not the kind of small sect without roots!"

  It seems that the Shu Shan Sect doesn't seem to be one of those small, unknown sects that suddenly pop up and don't have any backing or family history. Just this circle of buildings alone is not something that those unorthodox small sects can build.

  There are only a few things that restrict the development of a sect. Disciples - these can be recruited slowly. Money - if there is no fixed source of income, it will be difficult to support even with disciples and martial arts skills, after all, a sect is not like a lone swordsman, there are too many places where money needs to be spent. And many sects get stuck at this point. Finally, there's the martial art that can be passed down.

  He took a rough look, although the wall blocked his view and he couldn't see everything clearly. But what he saw was enough for Pei Wei to make a general judgment, knowing that Mount Shu Sect was wealthy and seeing many disciples across from him, obviously on a path of rapid development: "If we can't get rid of Mount Shu Sect soon, I'm afraid it will be impossible to eliminate them in the future!"

  Just thinking about the current situation of Tianle Gang, Pei Wei can only hope that the kung fu of Shushan Sect is not good, otherwise after three to five years, when Shushan Sect's momentum becomes strong, it will be impossible to get rid of them.

  "Thinking too much, let's try the Shu Mountain sect's skills first!" Pei Wei withdrew his thoughts and made a polite gesture to Ye Wen: "I'm skilled in swordsmanship, I wonder what kind of weapon Master Ye specializes in?"

  Ye Wen saw Pei Wei draw his long sword, and immediately smiled: "Since Elder Pei has drawn his sword, if I were to respond with empty hands, wouldn't that be underestimating Elder Pei?" As soon as he finished speaking, his body didn't move, but his right hand lightly swung out, and the long sword in Ning Ruxue's hand, standing three zhang behind Ye Wen, 'swished' out of its scabbard and flew into mid-air.

  The Tianle Gang had not yet figured out what was happening when they saw the long sword in mid-air suddenly turn and fall into Ye Wen's hand, only then did they understand that the sword had been "called" into his hand by the unknown method of the Shu Mountain sect leader.

  "Even below, use sword!"

  Ye Wen received the long sword and said a sentence casually, then made a starting gesture of Quanzhen Swordsmanship, standing opposite to Pei Wei from a distance.

  He had just used the newly practiced Purple Air Heaven Net. In fact, when everyone retreated to Mount Shu's sect, Ye Wen secretly released a bit of Purple Air Heaven Net energy to wrap around Ning Ruxue's sword hilt, waiting for the right moment to make this move.

  Otherwise, with his current abilities, if he didn't use all his strength, it would be impossible to pull the long sword that was so far away from him into his hand with just a flick of his wrist. However, if he had been prepared beforehand, then that would be a different story.

  He did this to show off and intimidate his opponent, to shake their will to fight. After all, when two people with similar skills are fighting, if one side's mind is unstable, it's almost a lost cause.

  It seems that Ye Wen's move was quite effective, and Pei Wei was clearly startled by it. Unlike the ordinary disciples behind him who thought Ye Wen had just used a clever trick.

  Just now, Pei Wei faintly felt that Ye Wen was relying on his own aura to 'absorb' the long sword into his hand. If it were just beside him, Pei Wei thought that as long as he found the trick, he might not be unable to do it either. However, if it's said that Ye Wen and Ning Ruxue are so far apart, he asked himself if even after refining for a few more years, he would still be unable to achieve such elegance and effortlessness.

  "Is Ye Wen's power really strong enough to reach this realm? Did Old Man Guo guess wrong?"

  Once the original idea was shaken, it was inevitable to be affected, and the fighting spirit fell sharply. By the time Ye Wen set up his stance, Pei Wei said, "Today we are just sparring, not a matter of life and death!"

  Others heard it and felt that the momentum of Tianle Gang was suddenly lost by more than half, and even Pei Wei himself began to wonder if he had been fooled.

  Ye Wen's mouth curled up slightly, knowing that his plan had succeeded. He said, "Very good! Please make the first move, Elder Pei!" This sentence not only defined this match as a friendly exchange of moves rather than a life-or-death duel, but also put himself in the position of a superior by asking the other to make the first move.

  This series of moves brought Pei Wei in without him realizing it, not detecting anything unusual. On the contrary, he thought Ye Wen's move was just a casual test, so his first move not only lacked killing intent but also didn't have any special tricks, and was simply a plain sword strike.

  There was no subsequent change, nor any hidden strength, Ye Wen only needed to swing his long sword once, and he could easily dissolve this sword. At this time, others looked at it as if the two people were just exchanging moves between fellow disciples, without any bloody or murderous aura.

  The two exchanged a few blows, and Pei Wei finally realized that he still represented the Tianle Gang. If they continued to fight like this, wouldn't it be child's play? Suddenly, he said, "Be careful, Ye Zhangmen!"

  Before the words had fallen, a set of Beima swordsmanship was immediately displayed. The tip of the sword pointed to a place that also made Ye Wen feel a sense of pressure. At the same time, the sharp blade cut through the air, making a hissing sound, which finally made the onlookers at the scene realize that this person was indeed a famous figure in the Jianghu, and the four great elders of the Tianle Gang were not just empty names.

  In the blink of an eye, the scene was filled with a dense sword light. Pei Wei's long sword in his hand was wielded as if it were a thousand horses galloping forward, all rushing towards Ye Wen. At the same time, the powerful and fierce energy contained within the sword also burst out, no longer hidden. If an ordinary person were to face him, they would likely be overwhelmed by this Northern Horse Sword Technique and defeated.

  "The Northern Blade Technique is indeed as famous as its name suggests!"

  If Ye Wen had met Pei Wei earlier, it would not have been easy to deal with him, let alone defeat him. However, Ye Wen had just obtained a mysterious and wonderful technique, the Purple Air Heaven's Net, which was particularly effective in dealing with these internal energies.

  Ye Wen activated the Purple Mist Divine Technique, and a majestic aura filled with purple mist enveloped his body. The long sword in his hand was imbued with a thick layer of purple mist true energy, transforming its original snow-white color to a deep purple hue. As Ye Wen unleashed his True Essence Sword Technique, flashes of purple light danced around him, surrounded by an aura of swirling purple mist. Initially unremarkable, the technique gradually gained momentum, and after a brief moment, the powerful aura emitted by the Northern Horse Sword Technique began to crumble, while the suppressed purple energy slowly but surely intensified.

  At this time, Pei Wei only felt that his movements were somehow hindered, as if something was pulling him back. The long sword in his hand seemed ordinary and unremarkable, its momentum lacking, with each strike weaker than the last.

  But he didn't know that Ye Wen looked at his sword momentum, and actually urged the Purple Air Heavenly Net to attach itself to his own long sword. Every time he saw an opportunity, he would use his long sword to strike Pei Wei's long sword. Each collision was a Purple Air Heavenly Net energy hitting Pei Wei's sword. After several times, Pei Wei's long sword had unknowingly been wrapped in countless energies by Ye Wen, and naturally became more and more laborious to wield.

  If the two men's abilities were not roughly equal, the effect of the Purple Air Heaven Net would be limited after all. It is likely that Pei Wei's long sword would have been taken away by Ye Wen directly, and there wouldn't be just this little effect?

  Although it was a good opportunity, Pei Wei felt more and more uncomfortable as the fight went on. Especially when he launched an attack, aiming at Ye Wen's shoulder well point, but unexpectedly Ye Wen casually deflected his sword with a long sword, causing Pei Wei's strength to uncontrollably veer off course, directly stabbing into the air beside him. Fortunately, Ye Wen did not counterattack through the open door, allowing Pei Wei to calmly launch his next move.

  After a long while, Ye Wen surprisingly only defended and didn't attack. Even so, it still made Pei Wei break out in cold sweat. In another instance where his long sword was pressed down by Ye Wen's strange and powerful energy, and as Ye Wen pointed at his throat with his left hand, Pei Wei jumped back, holding his sword and cupping his fist to say: "Ye Palm Door's skills are profound and unfathomable, I am inferior!"

  At this time, he only thought that Ye Wen was intentionally letting him, and he only defended but did not attack. Even if there were opportunities to take his life, it was just a finger pointing at the virtual point, and he didn't really attack.

  He didn't know that Ye Wen wasn't intentionally letting him win, the Purple Air Heaven Net was a move he had never used in actual combat before. This time, Pei Wei delivered himself to his doorstep, and he directly treated Pei Wei as a target for practicing his moves.

  But it wasn't until he went all out that he realized, although he could now use the Purple Air Heaven's Net to block almost all of his opponent's moves, if he wanted to take advantage of this situation and launch a counterattack to severely injure his opponent, he was still not capable. His earlier gesture of pointing with his fingers was just a bluff to scare Pei Wei, at that time even if he had wanted to use it, he didn't have enough inner energy to actually do so.

  Since it's fundamentally impossible to win, it's better to pretend to be profound and give people a mysterious and masterful image. As long as you can intimidate them for the time being, Ye Wen is confident that once he becomes more familiar with this set of skills, he won't let such an excellent opportunity slip away again.

  Of course, apart from this, it was already said that the reason why Ye Wen didn't go all out was also a test of strength. If it were truly a life-or-death struggle, he might not have let his opponent attack first so calmly. He would definitely seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack and use the characteristics of the Purple Air Net to disrupt his opponent. As long as his opponent showed any weakness, he would immediately launch a thunderous attack that would overwhelm his opponent. Even if he couldn't kill Pei Wei, he could still defeat his opponent.

  Pei Wei, however, had no idea what Ye Wen was thinking and secretly felt lucky that he had mentioned earlier that their fight would be a friendly exchange of skills, not a life-or-death duel. Otherwise, he might have lost his life today. At the same time, he also developed some reservations about the leader of the Shu Mountain Sect, thinking that if Ye Wen had really wanted to kill him, the outcome of their fight would have been decided in an instant. So, he unconsciously felt a bit respectful towards Ye Wen - after all, the Jianghu world still believed in the strong being superior.

  "Thank you, Master Ye, for showing mercy! I will take my leave now and wait quietly in the boat for your arrival!" After saying that, he bowed again and turned to wave his hand at the crowd, then led a group of people down the mountain with a whoosh.

  Yè Wén had finally let out a sigh of relief after Bái Wěi walked far away.

  This was still his first time pretending to be profound and elusive, it's impossible not to feel nervous. Just now, especially when Pei Wei walked away, he really feared that this guy would suddenly come to a realization. Of course, he wasn't afraid of the opponent fighting him to the death, but rather afraid that the opponent would thus discover something on a deeper level.

  Fortunately, he did a good job this time and successfully fooled Pei Wei, the elder of Tianle Gang. Although it's unknown how long he can keep up the act, at least another crisis has been resolved. As long as Tianle Gang's branch division goes smoothly, Wushan Sect's development will no longer be hindered.

  "It seems I also have the potential to be a big scammer!"

  (）