Technique and Dao

The caravan of the Jing Family Merchant House Company was stationed there.

The news spread like wildfire.

"What? That Tiger Woman made a bet with someone? Was it that new young hero?"

"Huh? Someone actually dares to argue with that Tiger Woman? Oh, she's a top-tier martial artist, isn't she? This is going to be interesting."

"Have you heard? Apparently, that woman's sword was all broken. They said her supposedly amazing Sword Way was nothing special, which infuriated that Tiger Woman!"

However, contrary to Li Qi's expectations that he would be isolated by the entire caravan because he had offended the original guards, everyone in the Jing Family Merchant House seemed to be gloating, and some even came over to cheer Li Qi on.

He went from being a complete stranger, a bodyguard hired by the shopkeeper, to everyone's hero in an instant.

He even hallucinated someone shouting, "Don't lose! Big brother with the long sword!"

Damn it, how bad are Jing Yan's interpersonal relationships?

However, judging from her incredibly stubborn attitude towards swordsmanship, she is probably quite arrogant in general. Even when Shopkeeper Jing introduced her, he described her as follows. "Her mother died early, and her father was strict, which led to her being withdrawn and having almost no other hobbies besides practicing martial arts."

Fortunately, although she was aloof, she was not an unreasonable person. So, in order to prove her beloved swordsmanship, she agreed to Li Qi's bet.

What kind of bet was it?

The situation was as follows.

"A bet? What kind of bet?" Jing Yan stopped and looked at Li Qi suspiciously.

"As I've already said, my little sister isn't without cultivation; she's just not good at fighting. However, her cultivation Dao Path is extremely adept at spotting weaknesses and flaws. Why don't you change your sword and demonstrate your swordsmanship... Sword Way to my little sister? I'll go back for one night and test it tomorrow. I'll defeat her, and that will verify whether my little sister is just spouting nonsense. What do you think, Elder Sister?"

"If I lose, I will definitely make her apologize to Sister Jing. Sister Jing is very magnanimous and will punish her slightly as a way to teach her a lesson so that she will not dare to speak so arrogantly in the future."

"If I win, it will prove that my little sister's words are true. I will not ask for an apology, and I will even give you the weakness I discovered to help my eldest sister's martial arts reach a higher level. What do you think?"

Li Qi spoke clearly and logically, and his attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, which made Jing Yan look at him with new respect.

So she didn't refuse, but instead asked, "Will you use a knife or your fist?"

"What can the flesh withstand from weapons? Naturally, it's a knife," Li Qi replied.

"Your swordsmanship is far inferior to your fist skills," Jing Yan said with a hint of mockery.

Li Qi smiled helplessly.

There's nothing he can do about it. He doesn't know any swordsmanship to begin with. Even with the Carp Flowing Intent, he only knows how to practice the technique, not how to use it. He also doesn't know the corresponding weapon training methods.

It wasn't that Shen Shuibi was being secretive, but rather that she didn't know how to do it either.

She's already quite free to learn about the training methods for something like this, used as a table leg support in Mount Luofu. Fighting methods? Is that even necessary?

She's a rank 5, why would she need to use rank 8 Cultivation Method?

Therefore, Li Qi still used the "Wave-Pushing Strength" fighting style, relying on the progress bar and the instantaneous burst ability of "Carp Flowing Intent" to forcefully interrupt the opponent's movements, which is why he was praised for his "good fist and foot skills".

Swordsmanship...

To put it simply, when Li Qi used his knife, he couldn't break through other people's progress bars.

To him, this longsword was roughly equivalent to a woodcutter's knife after being enchanted with Sharpness; it might add some attack power in crucial moments, but otherwise it was just a fire poker and a walking stick.

As for why I've been holding it in my hand the whole time?

Of course, it's just for show.

He can also mislead others into thinking he uses a knife, and then, at the crucial moment, untie a willow branch and whip someone, guaranteeing immediate results.

However, despite his helplessness, Li Qi still cupped his hands and replied, "Naturally, it's better to use a knife. If my clumsy knife skills can break through my elder sister's Sword Way, wouldn't that further prove that my younger sister's words are true?"

"Alright! Then I'll demonstrate for you! Let your little sister watch closely! If you lose, I'll make her kneel down and apologize!" Jing Yan said arrogantly, then had someone bring her an ordinary longsword and began to demonstrate her Sword Way.

Shen Shuibi listened to the entire conversation from the side and knew what her responsibilities were. Moreover, since this matter arose because of her, she naturally took it very seriously and read it through very carefully.

To be honest, Li Qi had never seen a rabbit so serious before.

That's how things were at the time. After the bet was made, the caravan couldn't be delayed because of this, so they set off that night anyway.

Li Qi also took the time to check on Old Ma one last time and found that the guy was well-fed and sleeping soundly, living a very lazy and comfortable life. He ate fruit in the morning, grain at noon, hay and beans in the afternoon, and had different kinds of late-night snacks.

Li Qi also gave him an extra thousand coins because he had a large appetite and ate too much, so the prepaid amount was not enough.

Oh well, it's fine if he's going to gain weight.

After taking care of this matter, he hurried back and set off with the caravan. On the oxcart, he began to talk with Shen Shuibi.

After all, he was a ninth-rank master, so a special oxcart was provided for Li Qi and Shen Shuibi.

It wasn't exactly dedicated to them; there were still some goods on the oxcart. But unlike the others who were crammed together, their oxcart was much more spacious.

"Tomorrow, I'll make sure you defeat that boastful person!" Shen Shuibi's face was full of resentment as she waved her small fists and said fiercely.

Although she looked fierce, she actually looked quite cute. After all, she didn't have any murderous intent or hatred in her expression. Instead, she looked like a child who had been wronged and was holding back her anger.

"Alright, alright, I'll definitely make her apologize to you! But what did you figure out today?" Li Qi asked.

"It's all flaws, all weaknesses! There's nothing to it, yet you dare to call yourself Sword Way... You think a sword is worthy of praise?" Shen Shuibi was even angrier at this point.

"It's just a man-made object. Even if there are many people who wield swords, does that mean they dare to claim it as the Dao? It's a trivial skill!" Shen Shuibi said unhappily. "The Dao must have representative concepts, a complete system of thought, and methods to achieve one's ideological goals. It must have its own unique theories for analyzing heaven and earth, all things, and all living beings. Only then can it be called the Dao!"

"How can you claim to know everything! Seriously, it's infuriating!" Shen Shuibi even jumped up and down; it was the first time Li Qi had ever seen her so angry.

It's even more infuriating than petting a rabbit's ears yourself.

It seems that the fact that someone disregards the "Tao" is really upsetting her.

But... that makes sense.

In Li Qi's understanding, "Dao" is the rule, the law governing the operation of heaven and earth.

Swords are nothing more than man-made weapons. The ability to wield a sword can at best be called swordsmanship. To attempt to call it the Sword Way is simply an insult to the word "Way".