Volume 1: Jiangdong Bandits Chapter 36: Banquet and Swordsmanship Contest

  Xiang Liang warmly welcomed everyone into the mansion, and that night there was a grand banquet to welcome them, which was very lively and joyful for both host and guests.

  Yin Xu noticed the arrogant gaze of Long and others, as well as their seemingly smiling yet insincere expressions, and secretly thought that something was off.

  Things turned out as expected afterwards. Xiang Liang and Fan Zeng, being older, left with Xiang Yu accompanying them. The banquet was hosted by Xiang Bo.

  Xiang Bo smiled at Yin Xu and others: "A few young heroes, Peng Ze's several battles are famous, Xiang Bo respects you with a cup!"

  Yin Xu, Ying Bu and Wu Chen said they didn't dare to accept the title, with a very humble attitude.

  Even so, there are still people who can't stand it. Long spoke first: "Famous and renowned? I don't know if it's true or just a name."

  "Stop!" Xiang Bo hastily shouted to stop him, but also just touched on it and stopped.

  "Yes indeed!" Several generals who were on good terms with Long chimed in agreement.

  Long said, "A person who can command such elite soldiers and fierce generals must have extraordinary martial arts skills and surpassing intelligence. Intelligence is hard to discern at the moment, but as for martial arts, Brother Yin has a sword by his side, I suppose his swordsmanship is not bad. Why don't you show us your unparalleled sword techniques?"

  "How can one person show off? Swordsmanship requires two people to compare and surpass each other. How about this, Item Zhuang, you come and exchange a few moves with my brother!"

  "The general has already given orders for a grand welcome ceremony for all of you heroes, isn't this somewhat excessive?" Ji Bu spoke out to dissuade.

  Long shook his head and said: "Seasonal brother doesn't have to worry, I have a measure, I think Yin brother also thinks so?" His eyes fell on Yin Xu's body.

  Ying Bu, Wu Chen, Pu Jun and others looked at each other in dismay, unsure what the sudden move by the Xiang family meant. Yin Xu was also perplexed, having traveled thousands of miles to surrender, only to be asked to engage in a sword fight at the banquet - this was indeed an unusual way to treat guests.

  He looked up and saw Xiang Zhuang standing still, with a leisurely expression, although he had not explicitly agreed to Long Que's proposal. However, there seemed to be more probing than provocation in Xiang Zhuang's eyes, and Yin Xu secretly thought: Is he trying to probe my true intentions?

  It's just that compared to Xiang Zhuang... Although he had been following Ying Bu to learn swordsmanship for some time, it was still a short period of time. As for his impression, there is only the idiom "Xiang Zhuang dances with his sword, his intention is on Duke Pei". However, just this one sentence can infer that Xiang Zhuang's swordsmanship is not ordinary, otherwise how could he dance with his sword at such an important occasion as the Hongmen Banquet and perform such an important task? Xiang Yu's strength can uproot mountains and his spirit can cover the world, his martial arts skills are extraordinary, how could his brother's be any worse?

  Moreover, Xiang Zhuang's arm was long and slender, every move revealed a bit of heroic spirit. More importantly, that leisurely expression was very confident, as if he was destined to win.

  Yin Xu thought that he was no match for Xiang Zhuang, but if he didn't accept the challenge, people would say that he was afraid. So, to save face, he had to accept the duel. Besides, since Xiang Liang had invited him with great courtesy, Xiang Zhuang wouldn't be too unreasonable. Moreover... his five fingers unconsciously tightened around the hilt of Duan Shui, and with this divine sword in hand, it wasn't impossible to compete with Xiang Zhuang.

  Yin Xu smiled and said, "Since you all have the intention, it's no harm to cross swords with each other. Please instruct me, brothers Xiang Zhuang." He jumped off his horse and stood facing them.

  Xiang Bo just nodded and said: "Both of you stop at this point, don't spoil the harmony!"

  The hall was spacious, under the gaze of many people, Yin Xu and Xiang Zhuang stood facing each other. Both were looking at each other, neither in a hurry to draw their swords. This is probably how masters exchange moves! A smile appeared on Xiang Zhuang's mouth, and he finally drew his sword out of its scabbard.

  The water broke out of its scabbard, and a gleam like autumn water flashed through the hall, causing everyone to blink involuntarily. A hint of surprise flashed in Item's eyes, clearly he had not expected Yin Xu to have such a precious sword in his hand. Yin Xu was as calm as observing fire, everything fell into his eyes, and he smiled knowingly. The sharpness of Duan Shui already occupied a lot of light, and it was an unexpected gain that it disturbed people's minds as soon as it came out of its scabbard.

  Xiang Zhuang's surprise lasted only for a moment, and in an instant, the long sword came slashing over.

  Clang!

  Two swords intersected, and Yin Xu's heart skipped a beat. Xiang Zhuang looked at Wen Xiu, his sword moves were light and agile. However, the power was not inferior in any way. Since the last time he compared swords with Ba Hu, he had been intensifying his training after discovering his weakness in wrist strength. During this period, his arm strength had increased significantly. Nevertheless, he could only barely keep up with Xiang Zhuang. As the saying goes, one cannot judge a person by appearance. What made people "fear afterwards" was that Xiang Zhuang had already reached this level, so what about Xiang Yu? The phrase "overpowering mountains and covering the world" seemed to be true after all.

  A few swords came down, forcing Yin Xu to retreat several steps in an instant, and he fell into a disadvantage. Long and others couldn't help but applaud with a proud expression, looking at people with disdain. Ji Bu shook his head secretly, while Xiang Bo was expressionless and silent.

  Wu Chen and Gao Yi exchanged a glance, seeing worry in each other's eyes. Their gaze returned to the scene before them, and they couldn't help but clench their fists in anxiety. Ying Bu, on the other hand, was relatively calm, staring intently at the flashing blades of Yin Xiang and Er Ni without a hint of panic.

  Yin Xul hurriedly brought out his upgraded Yin-style swordsmanship, which combined the ancient sword techniques of Ying Bu and Pu Jun, modern Western fencing, contemporary Chinese great slashing saber, as well as Japan's Eastern sword path... into the upgraded version of Yin-style swordsmanship - Donglai Swordsmanship.

  Xiangzhuang's eyes showed surprise again, such a sword move was really unique, unprecedented and unheard of, completely without any routine to speak of. Especially the powerful chopping motion, which didn't quite match the characteristics of the sword.

  Long's haughty expression faded, and his smile gradually dimmed, replaced by a serious face. He stared intently at Yin Xu's moves, surprised and puzzled. Not just him, almost everyone was like that.

  Only Ying Bu and Wu Chen showed a faint smile, as if everything was within their expectations. They had previously taken turns serving as Yin Xu's swordsmanship "teachers", and were more than familiar with Yin Xu's strange moves, having also come from surprise initially.

  Xiang Zhuang dodged and weaved, avoiding Yin Xiu's strange imperial edict and sharp sword blade, looking for an opportunity to strike. It had to be said that Xiang Zhuang was indeed a top-notch swordsman, and before long, he roughly grasped Yin Xiu's moves and looked for a chance to counterattack. Everyone could clearly feel that Xiang Zhuang's sword strikes were faster and his hand movements more powerful.

  For ordinary people, this is indeed correct, but for Duan Shui and Yin Xu, it's a misunderstanding. Duan Shui's sword is known for its sharpness, and when combined with Yin Xu's chopping technique, the two powerful forces collide at the point where the swords meet, and one of them must be injured. However, Duan Shui's sword is even harder and sharper, so the injury will definitely be on Xiang Zhuang's sword.

  Yin Xu aimed at an opportunity, dodged and avoided, and concentrated all his strength on both arms. Duan Shui looked at the tip of Xiang Zhuang's long sword with full force, exerting his strength there.

  Clang!

  Xiang Zhuang's long sword broke off a section, falling to the ground with a crisp sound. In addition, Xiang Zhuang's sleeve had an extra small mouth, flat and smooth.

  Xiang Zhuang took a step back, his face turned iron-green. Long Jun and others were very surprised, staring at the scene in shock, unable to speak for a long time. Zhou Da was about to cheer when he was stopped by Pu Jun.

  Yin Xu said at the first opportunity: "I was just lucky to have borrowed a sharp sword, but my swordsmanship is far inferior to that of Xiang Zhuang brothers."

  No one noticed that behind the scenes, an old man had been secretly watching the two men competing in swordsmanship. When he saw the outcome of the competition, he nodded slightly and then shook his head. Afterwards, he turned around and left, with no one knowing what he was thinking.

  Judging from his white hair and piercing eyes, the old man was undoubtedly Fan Zeng.