The Shangli People Had an Unusual Way of Thinking

"Oh, old man, you can't just say things like that."

Upon hearing this, the Storyteller raised his hand and said, "As far as I know, although the Upper Beauty Sword God is a quiet and reserved person, he is definitely not a bad person, and he would not do anything despicable like other Shangli People. Old man, your insults are really quite rude."

"What's so rude about him? He's an idiot anyway."

The old man hummed.

"My information was compiled through countless hardships by our lineage; it is absolutely true. Furthermore, my master personally met the Upper Beauty Sword God and spoke to me about him."

The Storyteller was somewhat unconvinced.

"On the contrary, old man, this is just pure slander; words are meaningless..."

I've seen him, have you?

The old man said irritably.

The Storyteller was speechless.

He wanted to explain, but after seeing the old man's one arm, he suddenly stopped talking and didn't utter another word.

"There's nothing to say to you, he's just an idiot."

The old man took two puffs of his cigarette, then got up and, with some difficulty, hoisted the basket containing firewood, rice, oil, and salt onto his back and headed out of the village.

Bai Qiuran, Bai Li, and the Storyteller watched his figure until it disappeared from sight before turning their attention away.

"I never imagined that the Upper Beauty Sword God, who seems so far away, is actually right before my eyes."

Bai Li looked at the Storyteller and suddenly said, "Right? The storyteller."

"I didn't say anything, how did you guess?"

The Storyteller did not agree, but instead asked a question.

"I can tell from your expression. You didn't even confront them about something like this, which is so unlike you."

Bai Li looked at Bai Qiuran.

"I think Master has probably figured it out as well."

"When Jinyao and I first met that old man, we could tell he was a Martial Artist, which was easy for us. However, his dominant hand was probably the one that was broken."

Bai Qiuran said, "When I first heard him criticize that Upper Beauty Sword God, I thought he was a Great Xia Swordsman whose arm was crippled by the Upper Beauty Sword God at the Sword Discussion Assembly, but now it seems that it is probably him."

He looked at Bai Li.

"Speaking of which, this old man must live in the countryside near the village, right? Does your father know about this?"

Who knows him?

Bai Li shrugged and said, "But I reckon he won't do anything even if he knows. Back in the chaotic days, there were plenty of people in the Upper Beauty Kingdom who wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make a quick buck and leave. My father even fought against those Raiding Groups. He really hates the martial artists from Shangli and Evil Horse."

"By the way, what happened to his arm?"

Bai Qiuran asked curiously, "He was, after all, the number one swordsman in the world. Such a person is the face of the Upper Beauty Kingdom. Not to mention that he himself was very strong, even Shangli would not allow him to be harmed. How did he end up in such a state?"

"It was done by people from their own country."

The Storyteller took a Records from his basket and flipped through it as he spoke, "A normal person certainly wouldn't do such a thing, but what would the people of Shangli People do? After this Upper Beauty Sword God became famous, he didn't participate in Imperial Court activities, nor did he associate with wealthy merchants, and he even declined the Princess's offer to choose a husband. So the Shangli People thought that this Sword God of Shangli was probably a foreigner who had infiltrated their ranks, so they simply ostracized him."

"Huh? A bunch of weaklings are ostracizing the strong? What are they thinking?"

Bai Qiuran somewhat confused.

"Even a common man has a temper, let alone a swordsman like this. What weaklings aren't afraid of this Sword God's wrath, and that he'll hack his way out of Shangli with his sword?"

"How would I know what they're thinking... Besides, this Sword God is an honest man. He tolerated their initial ostracism. Perhaps in his eyes, all of that is insignificant; only the sword is the most important thing."

The Storyteller flipped through the Records, his expression somewhat disdainful.

"However, perhaps because this Sword God won so many times, it created an inflated ego among the other swordsmen of the Upper Beauty Kingdom, making them believe that the swordsmen of their own country were stronger than those of the Great Xia Kingdom. As a result, some swordsmen within Shangli felt that the Upper Beauty Sword God had been in Sword God position for too long and wanted him to step down and make way for a new generation. Thus, they launched a challenge against the Upper Beauty Sword God."

But based on what you're saying...

Bai Li said, "They don't seem like the type to defeat Upper Beauty Sword God a one-on-one fight."

"We definitely can't win, but they're from Shangli People, and they won't come at our own people head-on."

The Storyteller looked on with disdain.

"So, on a dark and stormy night, this bunch of trash gathered five people of the same level, lured the Sword God out, drugged his food, and then launched a sneak attack. In the end, four died and one was seriously injured, but they successfully crippled the Sword God's tendons, which led to him losing to another swordsman from Shangli the next day Shangli People cut off his arm and drove him out of his homeland."

"So, what do you think of this new number one swordsman of Shangli?"

"He's a whole level below the current number one swordsman of our Great Xia."

The Storyteller shook his head and said, "This Sword Discussion Assembly will probably force Great Xia Kingdom Shangli People to face reality. It's a pity that the Sword God's hand has been cut off; now he can't go back even if he wants to."

His face was full of schadenfreude, as if he had seen a bunch of idiots reaping what they sowed.

"It's a pity about this Upper Beauty Sword God. If only he had been born in the Great Xia Dynasty."

The Storyteller seemed to be a fan of the Sword God, but after a while he began to sigh, and then he asked, "Brother Bai, young friend Huai Li, what are your plans for dealing with this Sword God?"

"What should we do? Leave it alone?"

Bai Li shrugged.

"Can we still drive him away? Although he is Shangli People, he is also a respectable Martial Artist and swordsman. Now that he is old and tired, let him stay near this village to make a living and retire. In the future, we can ask the uncles and elders in the village to take care of the old man."

"That's excellent."

The Storyteller agreed.

"I do have a different idea."

Bai Qiuran's eyes flickered as she touched her smooth chin.

"The Sword God has given me some new Spiritual Sense regarding how to spread the faith of the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Venerable at the Sword Discussion Assembly."

"Could it be that Brother Bai intends to Foundation Establishment Heavenly Venerable to the Upper Beauty Sword God?"

The Storyteller hesitated, "But I've never heard you mention that Foundation Establishment Heavenly Venerable could regenerate severed limbs..."

"Don't use your own assumptions to judge the abilities of gods, okay?"

Bai Qiuran answered, then thought to herself:

The Foundation Establishment Heavenly Venerable cannot, but I can.

"The Foundation Establishment Heavenly Venerable Celestial Venerable is True God powerful."

The Storyteller's face showed reverence, and his faith in the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Venerable became even more devout.

While he was lost in thought, Bai Li quietly approached and whispered, "What does Master plan to do?"

"Since he's a true swordsman, then I have a way to make him beg me to help him reconstruct his severed limbs."

Bai Qiuran said in a low voice, "And falling from the peak to the trough, and then making a triumphant return, even the Upper Beauty Sword God would find this kind of drama incredibly satisfying... In this world, revenge is the sweetest candy."