The Swordsman from the Western Regions

Li Ping'an listened quietly. He had heard about this swordsman from the Western Regions long ago.

The swordsman was said to possess extraordinary swordsmanship and wield a slender sword.

He had proclaimed that he would challenge the entire martial world of the Central Plains with his blade.

Those words immediately drew the ire of many martial artists in the Central Plains.

They had tried to eliminate him more than once, but his martial prowess was so great that he battered them into scattered petals and flowing water every time.

Li Ping'an wiped his mouth and paid.

Leading Old Ox, he slowly walked away.

Even if the man was unrivaled throughout the land, that had nothing to do with him.

Because of the effects of the true qi inside his body, Li Ping'an had been unable to cultivate lately.

He had much more time each day, and practiced calligraphy whenever he had nothing else to do.

Though his eyes were blind, his visual range of just under half a meter was enough.

Even for calligraphy practice, he refused to use clean paper or rice paper, using old newspapers instead.

But his writing felt particularly awkward today, and he was dissatisfied after finishing a sheet.

He simply put down his brush and picked up a bowl of boiled soybeans.

Sitting by the doorway, he ate the soybeans and mulled things over.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

Aliya climbed over the courtyard wall with practiced ease.

The girl wore blue, with willow-leaf eyebrows, almond eyes, a straight nose, and a small, curved mouth.

Her long, straight legs, covered by a thin layer of cloth, had a distinctive beauty.

Hearing the noise, Li Ping'an asked without turning his head, "No classes at the academy today?"

"Mm-hmm! Uncle, let's go watch the excitement."

"Is there a temple fair today?"

Aliya said, "Not a temple fair, but it's even livelier than one. Lots of people are going to watch the martial artist from the Western Regions fight the martial artists from the Central Plains."

Li Ping'an had no interest whatsoever. "What's so interesting about fighting?"

"They said the fights were amazing. Come on, let's go!"

In the end, Li Ping'an could not hold out against Aliya, and she dragged him to Autumn Wind Court.

Three of Aliya's classmates came along as well, two boys and a girl.

The group walked slowly, laughing, chatting, and greeting one another.

They admired the scenery as they talked and laughed.

Li Ping'an followed behind the four of them with a kindly smile.

When he thought back to himself at their age, he had still been begging on the streets.

Zhao Ling'er came from a scholarly family.

With delicate features, rosy lips, and pearly teeth, she was clearly a beauty in the making.

She had been a talented girl since childhood, able to recite many poems and essays, and her handwriting was beautiful too.

Wang Yi was handsome and dressed in splendid finery.

He also came from the wealthiest family among them.

Pan Jun was nicknamed Pang Jun.

True to his nickname, he was chubby and rather guileless.

Wang Yi remained the leader of the group, strutting along the street with his little sidekick and the girls he fancied as his harem.

Only...

He glanced with some disdain at Li Ping'an, who followed behind in plain clothes.

He was blind, too, with an old ox trailing after him.

He could hardly have looked more rustic.

Wang Yi was not a particularly bad person. He valued loyalty, and as long as you befriended him, he would treat you well.

But he was young and still rather childish, placing great importance on appearances and making a show of things.

Li Ping'an sensed Wang Yi's feelings and smiled faintly.

He deliberately slowed his pace, keeping some distance from the others.

But before long, Aliya noticed that Li Ping'an had fallen behind and came back to take his hand and walk with him.

Li Ping'an had no choice, and the group soon arrived at Autumn Wind Court.

Quite a crowd had already gathered at Autumn Wind Court, most of them there to watch the excitement.

A sedan chair stood inside Autumn Wind Court.

Several servants stood beside it. Presumably, the swordsman from the Western Regions was inside.

He certainly put on airs.

[Aura Lock 62%]

Without betraying anything, Li Ping'an sensed the aura of the person inside the sedan chair.

It gave him the feeling of needles pricking his back; he could sense a formidable power.

Yet Li Ping'an could not sense any true qi inside the man's body.

Or rather, the qi inside him was extremely feeble.

It was no different from that of the old, weak, sick, or infirm, which surprised Li Ping'an.

He grew a little more curious about this peculiar swordsman from the Western Regions.

Noise rose all around them, and there was not a single open space.

The vendors selling tea, candied fruit, and snacks certainly benefited.

Without even having to shout their wares, they sold out of everything they had brought in no time.

Wang Yi generously bought a large bag of candied fruit, snacks, and melon seeds to share with everyone.

"Uncle, this candy is really good."

Aliya placed a piece of candy in Li Ping'an's hand.

Li Ping'an bit down hard, and sweetness burst across his mouth.

Soon, the first challenger of the day appeared.

He was a saber wielder, dressed in a dark green martial outfit and holding a broad saber.

"Golden Saber Yan Family. Please instruct me!"

The head of the Yan Family was known as the Invincible Golden Saber, a fairly renowned name in the martial world.

The swordsman inside the sedan chair neither showed himself nor uttered a word.

The saber wielder frowned in displeasure and raised his weapon.

"My saber is not drawn lightly. Once it leaves its sheath, blood must flow."

The sound of his saber leaving its sheath rang out alongside his voice.

Just as his words fell, white light flashed.

Like a pool of autumn water, it flowed endlessly across the blade.

The saber wielder's weapon clattered to the ground, his gaze somewhat blank.

Only after a long moment did the crowd react. It was over already?!

"I take my leave!"

The saber wielder picked up his weapon and hurried away.

"Wow! Amazing! Did you see that flash of white light just now?"

Wang Yi's eyes lit up as he spoke excitedly.

Pang Jun, Aliya, and Zhao Ling'er all widened their eyes at once.

For boys and girls of fifteen or sixteen, such a scene was undoubtedly stunning.

"What sword technique was that?"

Pang Jun looked at Wang Yi.

Wang Yi's family was wealthy, and their estate employed quite a few martial retainers to provide security.

Several of them were highly skilled.

Wang Yi often learned a few moves from them as well, something he took pride in before his friends.

Now that Pang Jun had asked, he certainly could not admit that he did not know.

"It should be the legendary Wild Geese Landing on Flat Sands."

Wang Yi spoke with a thoughtful air.

"Even the name sounds powerful," Pang Jun said.

The corners of Wang Yi's mouth lifted slightly as he said proudly, "That's nothing. If you want to see more, come to my house. I'll have my masters demonstrate for you."

Zhao Ling'er blinked, looking deeply curious.

Aliya asked directly, "Can we go later?"

"No problem!" Wang Yi agreed at once.

Several more challengers stepped forward next.

Without exception, they all lost.

No one could even get close to the sedan chair, much less force the swordsman inside to show himself.

That lasted until the final challenger, a monk, appeared.

The monk wore plain cloth robes and a string of prayer beads around his neck, his expression kindly.

He had refined features, a face as fair as jade, and dark eyebrows shaped like swords.

Rather than a monk, he looked like a peerless young gentleman strolling along a country lane.

The moment he appeared, the women all around turned their eyes toward him.

"Changqing of Dharma Joy Temple. Please instruct me."

As his words fell, the monk named Changqing stepped forward.

Clang!

A crisp clash of metal rang out all around.

(Tomorrow is New Year's Day. Happy New Year in advance, everyone, and thank you for your support.)

(The debut promotion has started. Four updates a day-I don't know how long I can keep this up.)