Chapter 18: The Prince of Jing’s Appreciation (2)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

When Yang Guan saw Ye Jingtang rushing toward him, his expression instantly turned into horror. He knelt on both knees and shouted, “Con—!”

Before he could finish his word, Ye Jingtang had already grabbed his neck. He moved behind him and held the hilt of the saber with his left hand, ready to attack.

As for the opponents…

Shang Jianli didn’t care about Yang Guan’s life at all, so he naturally didn’t have any reaction. His body was like a phantom as he floated in front of Yang Guan. He stretched out his white palm and struck straight at Yang Guan’s chest and abdomen. It seemed that he was preparing to ‘Transmit the Candied Hawthorn’ and pierce Ye Jingtang’s heart.

Ye Jingtang was shocked. He never expected that these two people would go crazy and kill their employer!

Knowing that his saber would most likely be useless, Ye Jingtang gritted his teeth and wanted to use the palm technique that Luo Ning had taught him yesterday to test it against this phantom.

But Yang Guan finally managed to spit out his unspoken words, “Constable Shang, save me…”

As soon as he said this, he revealed their identities.

Ye Jingtang instantly realized that they were people from the Imperial Court probing him. He forcefully stopped the palm that was about to strike.

Seeing Ye Jingtang stop, Shang Jianli naturally wouldn’t really use ‘Transmit the Candied Hawthorn’. He lightly retreated and landed 30 feet away, returning to his standing posture that resembled a wooden man. “Young Master Ye, good saber technique. You’re only eighteen years old, but your internal energy is already comparable to that of ordinary Grandmasters. This talent really makes me blush with shame. It’s a pity that you don’t know much true martial arts.”

On the wall, She Long’s muscles in his left arm bulged, and he forcefully stopped the bleeding. He jumped down from the high wall and raised his bamboo hat, revealing a slightly surprised face. “That saber strike is really domineering. Young Master Ye, if not for your inexperience that caused you to reveal your killing intent in advance, I might not have been able to leave this alley today.”

Ye Jingtang bumped into two ghost messengers in the morning, and his mood was extremely bad. He said in a low voice, “You flatter me. Sirs, you two are famous experts. It’s not appropriate for you to bully a junior like me, right?”

Shang Jianli didn’t respond. Instead, he looked at She Long beside him and asked, “Is this the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade?”

When Ye Jingtang heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He knew that he was about to bear the blame for his foster father’s debts.

He didn’t know if his foster father had caused any harm when he roamed Jianghu in the past. But his foster father’s enemy, ‘Saber Chief’ Xuanyuan Chao, was the Marquis of Jun Mountain specially conferred by the Imperial Court, and he had a close relationship with the Imperial Court.

If the Imperial Court found out that he knew the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade, Xuanyuan Chao would know. If he wanted to eliminate the root of the problem…

Thinking of this, Ye Jingtang held the hilt of his saber quietly, planning to fight desperately to escape.

But Ye Jingtang didn’t expect She Long to shake his head after a moment of silence. “It doesn’t look like it. I’ve seen Zheng Feng before. The beginning of this saber move is a little similar to Zheng Feng’s saber technique, but the power is worlds apart. It’s the difference between a dragon and a python.”

Ye Jingtang was taken aback. Are you blind? How could I practice the saber technique taught by my foster father wrongly?

Shang Jianli asked, “Who is the dragon, and who is the python?”

She Long gestured at his bleeding arm. “What do you think?”

Shang Jianli understood. Zheng Feng’s master was very famous, but Zheng Feng’s saber skills were really ordinary. If he had the terrifying power of this child, how could he have been crippled at such a young age?

Shang Jianli’s eyes revealed a hint of surprise. He seriously sized up Ye Jingtang and recalled the famous saber wielders in Jianghu. He really couldn’t find a similar saber technique, so he asked, “Young Master Ye, what is the name of your saber technique?”

The Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade’s starting stance… Ye Jingtang felt that these two people who were pretending to be mysterious were not observant at all. They had already recognized it, yet they were still here to forcefully give an explanation for him.

But since the other party was blind, he naturally wouldn’t take the initiative to confess. He said nonsense, “White Slash!”

“Chirp?” The bird poked its head out from the wall. “?”

“White Slash…” She Long nodded and asked again, “Did you create this saber technique yourself, or did an expert teach you?”

My foster father taught me… Ye Jingtang had no choice but to answer the constable’s question, so he could only continue to say nonsense, “On an escort mission, I suddenly saw a huge river falling from a mountain peak…”

She Long raised his hand to interrupt. “I understand. You accidentally comprehended it from heaven and earth. Unfortunately, you only have one saber move now and no follow-up moves.”

“That’s indeed the case. Sirs, I’m sorry to have made a fool of myself…”

————

While they were conversing in the alley, the two people on the top floor of the restaurant in the distance were also discussing.

Dongfang Liren’s eyes were no longer as indifferent as before. Instead, they were full of surprise. “He doesn’t know any true martial arts, but his foundation is as solid as an early-stage Grandmaster’s. He’s even better than me… How did he train? Or did he deliberately hide his skills?”

“This child really only knows one saber move. His internal energy is majestic, and his body is strong. Perhaps this child didn’t have any expert to teach him, but he’s talented and hardworking. He’s trained his limbs diligently.”

Dongfang Liren had heard of the story of ‘practicing the sword in the mountains for decades and becoming the Sword Saint when leaving’, but this was the first time she had encountered it.

“Even with the foundation of an early-stage Grandmaster, it’s too unbelievable that She Long couldn’t even fight back against a single slash… Is the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade that domineering?”

The white-haired old woman frowned and said solemnly, “It’s true that no one at the same level can block Kuang Yazi’s saber, but Zheng Feng’s saber is definitely not so domineering. In my opinion, this saber is a masterpiece, while Zheng Feng’s Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade is a fake that has taken the wrong path. They look similar in spirit and form, but they’re two completely different things.”

“Could it have been taught by Kuang Yazi?”

“Because of the Roaring Dragon Chart, Kuang Yazi was hunted down by the entire Jianghu and couldn’t live until now. It is said that when Zheng Feng met Kuang Yazi, Kuang Yazi was already at the end of his rope… I estimate that before Zheng Feng learned the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade, Kuang Yazi died. Zheng Feng didn’t learn the essence and didn’t have a master to guide him, so he crossed the river on his own and went astray… As for this child’s saber move, if Kuang Yazi were still alive, it wouldn’t be too surprising. The origin of this saber technique is indeed difficult to figure out…”