Chapter 7: Famous Sword, Divine Sword

  Green bamboo hat, green raincoat, slanting wind and fine rain, no need to go home.

  Early summer rain, falls in the early morning, but stops after a moment. Looking up, the forest is misty, with a touch of bright sunshine through the fog.

  Miao Miao sat at the back of Tang An, holding a handful of unknown wildflowers, with dewdrops reflecting colorful lights. Since Tang An agreed to let her follow him, her mood was like a butterfly that had been locked up for a long time and finally broke out of its cocoon, eager to dance in the wind.

  Her face was also filled with a smile, and the joy seemed to be overflowing from her heart.

  She doesn't like being alone, in fact nobody likes being alone.

  The jade butterfly on her forehead was wet with rain, but now it looks even more vivid. As the horse trotted along, the jade butterfly fluttered up and down, just like a real butterfly dancing on beautiful flowers.

  And Miao Miao is the most beautiful flower inside.

  Miao Miao bowed her head, lightly sniffed the wildflowers in her hand. The wildflowers were bright and fragrant, but Miao Miao felt that the scent was too strong, she didn't like it very much, slightly furrowed her brow, and then tore off the flowers one by one, throwing them onto the road they passed through.

  She turned around and in front of her was Tang An's straight back, his silhouette as wide and thick as a mountain.

  She couldn't help but stretch out her hand, wanting to gently touch it. Her movements were extremely careful and slow, as if she touched it, the figure would suddenly disappear like a mirage, and she would wake up from her beautiful dream. Just like before, being abandoned, leaving only her lonely self behind.

  At last, she bumped into Tang Anna's broad and sturdy back. It felt solid in her hands, as if her heart had found its support from then on.

  Tang An turned his head and took a glance, he could feel Miao Miao's dependence on him. He didn't know why it was like this, maybe it was because he had saved her before.

  Miao Miao patted his back, but slowly even her head was stuck to it. Tang An was stunned for a moment, but his spine straightened up even more.

  The forest is very quiet, even the noisy birds that are usually noisy seem reluctant to destroy this rare beauty today.

  A girl's infatuation is already the most beautiful thing in this world.

  …………

  Once one's destination is determined, the journey becomes extremely fast.

  In just a few days, Tang An brought Miao Miao to the capital city of Yanjing.

  Yanjing City is the imperial capital of the Great Yan Dynasty and also the largest and most prosperous city in the world. Of course, it is also the place with the largest population.

  The streets of Qinghe Town are wide enough to accommodate ten fine horses galloping side by side, and such streets are almost everywhere here. The local people coming and going also hold their heads high with a spirited and proud air, looking at outsiders with an attitude of being superior to others.

  As soon as they enter Yenching, they point and gesture everywhere, their eyes can't take it all in, and they keep praising with their mouths open - that's definitely a foreigner.

  The native Beijingers, on the other hand, liked to look at those outsiders with a disdainful gaze, then turn their backs and secretly curse them as "country bumpkins who have never seen the world." Moreover, the cursing had to be just right, loud enough for the outsiders to hear but not so loud that it would provoke public anger.

  Miao Miao walked along, closely following Tang An. Tang An had originally thought that a girl of her age would be full of curiosity for such a prosperous world, and since Miao Miao was someone who liked excitement, she should have been thrilled to be in Yanjing.

  But Miao Miao quietly followed behind, showing no interest in the surrounding colorful world, and instead, her eyes still held a hint of disgust!

  "Miao Miao, what's wrong with you? If you don't like it here, we can move to a village outside the city. Although this place is prosperous, there are too many people, too much gossip, and too many disputes. If I didn't need to prove my worth here, I wouldn't come either."

  Miao Miao shook her head: "Tang brother, I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."

  Tang An stopped in his tracks, turned around, and let out a sigh, because he already knew the reason. Miao Miao was originally from Yanjing City, and this place held too many memories for her, some of which were beautiful, but the vast majority were painful.

  The girl died, but her father sold her instead. Can a 13-year-old girl bear such pain?

  Tang An's right hand held the reins of the horse, while his left hand stretched out. He looked at Miao Miao with a gentle gaze. Miao Miao was taken aback for a moment, then without hesitation, she handed her own right hand over to Tang An. She knew that by extending her hand, she might be handing herself over to this man for the rest of her life.

  "It's getting late, let's find a place to stay first."

  It's really late now, and it's also drizzling, in half an hour, the city gate will be closed too.

  Tang An held Miao Miao's hand, her hand was icy cold.

  Just then, Tang An suddenly heard a girl's crisp laughter. He turned his head and saw a mother-daughter pair who seemed to be on their way to the market but were now about to leave the city gate.

  The mother carried two winnowing baskets with a shoulder pole, one was full of all sorts of odds and ends, while the other contained a little girl.

  The little girl is happily playing with the rattle drum in her hand. On her head, there is a big umbrella to shelter from the rain. Although her mother got wet in the rain, she smiled when seeing her daughter happy. They are poor but happy.

  Tang An felt Miao Miao's hand stiffen suddenly, and his body began to tremble along with it.

  Tang An didn't know how to comfort her, she must have thought of her own mother. Tang An was worried that Miao Miao would cry, seeing the beautiful girl cry made him feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, after a while, the original Miao Miao seemed to be back.

  She started singing a little ditty that even Tang An couldn't understand, but the song was joyful.

  Before long, they found a very large inn.

  The inn is very famous, it's the legendary Yue Lai Inn, I heard it's a national chain, a thousand-year-old old brand, honest to all.

  Tang An casually ordered a few dishes. While waiting for the food to arrive, he didn't idle around either, his ears carefully listening in on other people's conversations.

  Yanjing City is a big dye vat, and it's also a place where secrets will never exist. Even if the emperor's favorite concubine's old father married several young wives last night, it would spread throughout the capital by the next day.

  At this time, someone said: "Alas, have you heard? Ding Beihou, the great general of the crown prince, the great general of Yuewu, has finally won a great victory in his expedition against the Rongdi people and will return to the court three days later."

  The companion curled his lip: "Hmph... I thought it was something big. This news is already outdated. His Majesty the Emperor has already issued a decree this morning to promote Dingbei Houye as Gong, isn't victory already a sure thing?"

  That person impatiently interrupted his companion and continued: "Don't interrupt me, I'm not talking about this news. Who doesn't know this news?! What I want to say is that although the expeditionary army won this time, the losses were also great, especially the Tiger and Leopard Army, the number one strong army under the command of General Dingbei. General Dingbei has already petitioned the Emperor to hold a martial arts competition to select the best warriors in the world again and rebuild the Tiger and Leopard Army!"

  Several others heard this, and their eyes lit up: "Wow, the Tiger and Leopard Army! I've heard that to enter the Tiger and Leopard Army, you need to be at least at the fourth level of the Heavenly Man Realm. And their leader, Nian Wushuang, is even the number one general under the command of the Northern Duke, and is now a top-notch expert at the Heavenly Boundary level!"

  "Nonsense, I've heard that Wu Shuang was invincible in the military ten years ago and was conferred as the First General of our Great Yan by His Majesty the Emperor. I reckon he's probably already stepped into the Grand Heaven Realm now!"

  Someone immediately jumped out to refute: "Impossible! The Great Heaven Realm is the legendary realm of [Heavenly Man Seventh Layer, True Yuan Transformation]. Refining Qi and transforming into a god, entering the Tao through martial arts, is a figure like an immortal! In this world, only three people are known, namely Li Chengfeng, the former leader of Mount Shu [Chasing Wind Sword], Wu Xingzi, the abbot of Shaolin [Wuxiang Chan Master], and Wang Lang, the leader of Wudang [Bulei Daochang]. Although Nian Wushuang is powerful, how can he compare to these three people? Your boasting is too exaggerated!"

  "Hmph, don't believe it then."

  That man was ridiculed for a while, but he didn't say anything else and just drank silently. The others also stopped talking about that matter and started discussing romantic affairs. Tang An lost interest too.

  Just then, Tang An and his friends' dishes arrived.

  A pot of wine, two plates of meat dishes, plus a sugar vinegar carp.

  The wine was Huadiao, and as soon as it was poured out, a fragrance wafted up to the nose, filling the room with its scent. Tang An poured himself a cup and drank it all in one go.

  He finished drinking and handed all the silver tickets on his body to Miao Miao: "You stay here, I'm going out, maybe it will be late before I come back."

  The clever and cunning nod, but as soon as Tang An turned around, she grabbed onto him and asked: "Why did you order the sweet and sour carp? You haven't even taken a bite, it's clear you don't like eating it. You specifically ordered it for me, right?"

  Tang An nodded: "Since I agreed to let you follow me, I'll consider you as one of my own. You said you like eating this, so I remembered."

  Miao Miao suddenly laughed and pulled Tang An's arm, hugging it to her chest, saying: "You have to go early and come back early, I'll wait for you. Wait for you a lifetime."

  Because of her words, the originally noisy tavern suddenly fell silent, and everyone turned their heads to stare at this lovely and elegant girl in shock.

  The gentle breeze blows at thirteen, and the bean sprouts grow on the second day of the second month.

  She is naturally extremely beautiful.

  Suddenly someone in the tavern blew a whistle and exclaimed loudly: "Good girl!"

  Tang An heard this and suddenly froze, a different flavor rising in his heart. He took another look at Miao Miao, whose eyes sparkled like the bright moon, and indeed she was as beautiful as a butterfly dancing in the wind.

  "Is this beautiful woman going to gamble away her entire life just for herself like this?"

  Tang An left, and Miao Miao took out the moon-white suit from his package. Where it was torn, she began to sew it up bit by bit with needle and thread.

  It seems she's not just talking nonsense.

  …………

  Tang An walked on the main road of Yanjing, with a sword hanging from his waist. He was not very old and did not look like a rough man who had been through the world, but rather like a scholar who came to Beijing for the imperial examination.

  A scholar-official wearing a sword walks along the road, sees an injustice and draws his sword to help, this is a matter of elegance and refinement, naturally no one would mock him.

  Tang An is going to the Wu Bei department of Dingyuan Da Jiangjun Fu in Jingxi to sign up for the martial arts competition half a month later.

  The martial arts competition is a major feature of the capital city, because as long as you win, you will definitely stand out and the imperial court will also recruit him without hesitation.

  A capable person will be valued wherever they go!

  Moreover, this martial arts conference was specially convened for the purpose of rebuilding the Tiger and Leopard Corps.

  Hu Bao Army, the strongest army in the world, guards the border and fights against the northern barbarian Rong Di Army every year. The insight between life and death, there must be hidden dragons and crouching tigers!

  A group of masters often sharpen their skills together, and in battle they fight side by side, gaining fame and fortune on the battlefield, earning a reputation that will last for generations to come. Just thinking about it is exhilarating!

  Tang An's heart was also surging with passion. He thought about it and his feet moved faster and faster.

  Just then, Tang An suddenly found that the people around him were rushing forward like crazy.

  "Something must have happened in front."

  Tang An reached out and grabbed someone's hand, asking: "Older brother, what happened up ahead? Why is everyone going in that direction?"

  The man was wearing a blue robe and holding a folding fan in his hand, as expected, he should be a scholar. He was inexplicably pulled over by someone, originally somewhat annoyed, but when he turned around, seeing that it was a young man dressed similarly to himself, he thought this must also be a scholar.

  Book lovers always have a common language. He was pulled over, not only without annoyance, but also more excited, able to tell himself what he thought was interesting, and tell people who also recognized him, as if he could get pleasure from it.

  He pulled Tang An with his backhand and said: "Let's walk and talk. If we go late, nothing can be seen. In the lower reaches of the river, how does Brother Nian call you?"

  He didn't wait for Tang An to introduce himself, and continued: "Something exciting happened just now in front of us. Do you know about the Mingjian Mountain Villa? What, you don't even know that?! How about the Shenjian Mountain Villa, you must have heard of that one at least?! What, still don't know?! Are you or are you not a citizen of our great Yan Empire, how can you not know anything?! However, looking at your appearance, it doesn't seem like you're a spy from the Rongdi tribe either, so how is it possible that you don't even know about the two most famous mountain villas in the world?"

  Tang An didn't explain, and instead Tang An hastily started answering for him: "Oh, I get it. You must have been hiding in the mountains reading books, and now you think you're confident enough to come out of the mountains, right? This kind of thing has been sung about too much in operas. Your pretending-to-be-stupid look is just like that bookworm from the opera last time."

  "Mingjian Manor and Shenjian Manor are the two great national manors sealed by the Taizu Emperor himself! It's because the first masters of these two manors were the two sworn brothers of the Taizu Emperor. At that time, the three brothers conquered the world together, but after the Taizu Emperor became the Son of Heaven, his two brothers resigned from all official positions and honors, even abandoning their hereditary position as Iron Hat Prince."

  "You must be wondering why they abandoned even the glory and wealth that was within their grasp?"

  Tang An said, "I'm not surprised."

  "That person exclaimed in surprise: 'You're not surprised? I'm surprised to death. That's the hereditary Iron Hat Prince position, saying it's abandoned just like that, isn't this stupid?' He finished speaking and immediately regretted it, hurriedly covering his mouth with a slap, and muttered: 'Shut up. You dare scold both of our ancestors.'"

  Tang Andao said: "Famous sword, divine sword, since they dare to name the mountain villa like this. Then it has already shown their intention."

  "That person said strangely: 'What intention?'"

  Tang An patted the long sword at his waist, which was humming with excitement.

  Their hearts have only swords! Apart from swords, nothing in this world can hold their hearts. What they pursue is not wealth and glory, but the unparalleled sword path!

  That person got the answer, furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment: "The Supreme Sword Dao?"

  However, he immediately threw this confusion to one side. "What you said makes sense. Everyone has their own pursuit, just like us scholars pursuing a reputation that will last for centuries, earning a good name. What swordsmen pursue must be the reputation of being the world's number one swordsman. So, today, our excitement is well-deserved."

  "What would happen if the young master of Mingjian Manor and the young master of Shenjian Manor were to appear in the imperial capital at the same time, and then coincidentally ran into each other on the street?"

  "Hah, no need to say it, you must have guessed it too. This is today's biggest excitement. Now even the Emperor's Imperial Guard is coming out to maintain order. The whole city is waiting for this martial arts tournament!"

  More and more people around, desperately squeezing forward. The capital city is crowded with people, and there are many wealthy families, so there are also many idle people. They usually have their own gossip, but today, undoubtedly, the biggest gossip on the street is guessing whether Mingjian or Shenjian is more powerful.

  Tang An was pulled by the current of the river and soon found the scene of the accident.

  Only in front of a sea of people, it was already surrounded and impassable. There were even many black armored soldiers maintaining law and order.

  Those black armored warriors were all robust and majestic in stature, with a fierce temperament, looking like rare brave warriors.

  They wore a suit of black armor, and even their helmets were black, but on the helmet was inserted a bright white feather.

  Yu Feng Army, was the Emperor of Great Yan or the Crown Prince when he went on a expedition to the border, the Imperial Guard. After the Emperor ascended to the throne, he brought this army back to the imperial city and from then on, together with the Imperial Forest Army, they jointly guarded the imperial city.

  There were too many people in front, even if Tang An's eyesight was good, he couldn't see what the person in the middle of the crowd looked like.

  He looked up and saw that there were many tea houses and taverns on both sides of the street, which were also packed with people at this moment. From time to time, someone would point to that side and make a few comments, expressing their own lofty views.

  But just then, a loud noise suddenly came from the crowd, and then it buzzed and spread.

  Jiang Liuyue hastily squeezed forward two steps, tiptoeing and craning her neck to get a glimpse of what was ahead.

  Faintly, he seemed to have caught sight of the legendary two figures, Ming Jian Mountain Villa's young master Ming Xiao, clad in white robes, with a face full of kind smiles, just like his name, he always liked to smile.

  Of course, the opposite of Ming Xiao is the young master of Shen Jian Mountain Villa, Xie Shi Yi. He and Ming Xiao seem to have completely different personalities.

  Xie Shi's legacy wore a black suit, his face expressionless and cold, like an iceberg that would never melt.

  "Ah!"

  Tang Anyi held his breath as soon as he heard this voice.

  This was the sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard, and Tang An couldn't be more familiar with it. He had been eager to take a look at these two famous swordsmen under the limelight, just how sharp were their swords? And compared to them, what was the gap between himself and them?

  In his heart, the world's martial arts are extremely powerful! Among masters of the same realm, if one person learns a third-rate sword technique and another learns a first-rate sword technique, it is no surprise that the one who learned the third-rate technique will definitely lose. Because good secret skills can make the practitioner's attack power burst out stronger in an instant!

  Mingjian Manor and Shenjian Manor, anyone who comes out of these two places must have the world's top martial arts!

  Tang An studied the best sword manual in Shu Mountain, but although he finished studying it, he couldn't be considered good.

  Because he discovered that this sword technique was actually not suitable for him!

  Everyone has their own unique characteristics. The Shu Shan swordsmanship is good, but it doesn't suit him. So, he can only bitterly try to comprehend the sword, hoping to grasp his own sword path!

  However, in the past, Tang An was alone in his cultivation and rarely encountered other experts. But today, in this capital city of Yanjing, two great masters have met, what kind of sparks will they ignite?

  He is looking forward to it very much.

  At this moment, one of them spoke first, and the crowd suddenly quieted down, listening quietly to the conversation between the two in the middle.

  "Hey, I'm telling you, Xie brother, we're old friends at least. Why are you being so unreasonable and blocking my way? What do you want to do? I've already said I'm no match for you, why are you still pestering me and wanting to compare swords with me? You know I'm a person without great ambitions, I've told you before that this lifetime is only about drinking and women. How many times do I need to tell you before you understand?"

  This man is glib and deceitful, but he is indeed the young master of Mingjian Mountain Villa.

  Tang An quietly listened, and that smiling face said that if Xie Shi Yi was a proud person, he would probably not bother to entangle with Ming Xiao again.

  However, Tang An heard Xie Shi Yu simply say: "Compare swords!"

  It seems that he didn't listen to a single word of what Ming Xiao said.

  "It's getting interesting!"

  Tang An saw this scene and a smile appeared on his face.

  Xie Shi's legacy is that of a man extremely persistent, with an unyielding temperament; no matter how others view him, he will not compromise until he achieves his goals.

  "Huh?"

  Tan An's eyebrows furrowed, just now, he suddenly felt that someone had swept a glance at his back, in that instant, he suddenly felt that he was being stared at by a fierce beast, that kind of dangerous aura, he had never felt before, earlier, the person behind him must not be simple!

  The capital is indeed a place where heroes and talents are hidden!

  However, that feeling flashed by and didn't seem to be directed at Tang An. But Tang An also didn't want to stay here anymore, he saw many people using lightness skills to climb onto the roof, so he didn't hesitate and climbed up the pole onto the roof as well.