A roll of spring thunder rouses the nine depths; wind and cloud, dragon and tiger meet in midheaven

With saber and sword in hand, Qian Luoyi became a raging wind, his whole body seeming to sprout seven or eight arms. Saber light and sword strokes reached everywhere, and with a single move, he smashed through the encirclement. Fierce and daring by nature, he did not immediately flee after breaking free, but charged straight at Fang Jingru and Wang Chong.

Fang Jingru had faced many formidable foes and immediately guessed Qian Luoyi's intention. He thought, He wants to use Brother Wang Chong and me to establish his might.

His thoughts shifted slightly, and he abruptly stepped sideways, yielding the path of Qian Luoyi's charge and choosing to avoid battle.

He made this choice for two reasons. First, he knew that while the seven surrounding Qian Luoyi might be slightly inferior to him in martial skill, the difference was small. Since even the seven together had been broken through, he certainly could not hold Qian Luoyi back. Even if he gave it his all, he would only end up covered in dust and disgrace. Second, he wanted to test Wang Chong's mettle. He was very curious about this Wudang Disciple of mysterious origins.

As Wang Chong watched Qian Luoyi charge toward him like a savage demon, the memory of being pursued by a dozen mediocre martial men earlier surfaced at an inopportune moment. Only two thoughts remained in his mind: He wants to kill me! I'll fight him to the death!

With his life hanging by a thread, his mind rose in an instant to a lofty, far-reaching realm. The Folding Fan in his sleeve snapped open, and his internal power surged like a tide, seemingly released by instinct, pouring madly into the Folding Fan and forming a vortex within its surface. He swept the fan backhanded, breaking the air with a whistling, softly keening cry, and boldly unleashed one of the three great killing moves of the Hundred Styles of Wind and Cloud: A roll of spring thunder rouses the nine depths; wind and cloud, dragon and tiger meet in midheaven!

The little Folding Fan jolted, flicked, sliced, turned, swept, and curled, its many transformations flowing at his command. In a single instant, there was no telling how many head-on clashes it had exchanged with Qian Luoyi's saber and sword. When this foremost of the thirty-six Divine Generals of the Eighteen Tribes of the Grasslands, the renowned new Wolf King of the Turks, swept wildly past him with a gust of force, he almost instinctively brushed the Folding Fan backward to guard the center of his back and turned unhurriedly.

Wang Chong drifted through the air. Seeing Qian Luoyi flash several dozen meters away, he suddenly exhaled and called out, "Would you leave your name?"

Qian Luoyi shouted, "Turkic Qian Luoyi! May I ask who exchanged blows with me?"

Wang Chong answered mildly, "Wang Chong of Wudang."

Qian Luoyi gave a long, ringing cry, then shouted each word distinctly, "Wudang's divine art, the Hundred Styles of Wind and Cloud, truly deserves its reputation!"

His feet carried him faster and faster, his figure farther and farther away, yet as those words drifted into Wang Chong's ears, their volume remained unchanged throughout, displaying profound internal power.

Having witnessed their exchange at close range, Fang Jingru could not help looking aghast. He thought, Is Brother Wang Chong's martial skill actually this formidable? He can even match Qian Luoyi evenly?

With that breath of True Qi exhausted, Wang Chong landed on the ground, astonished on the one hand that he had remained airborne for so long, and feeling a little lingering fear on the other. During his exchange with Qian Luoyi, every instant had balanced on the line between life and death, without room for so much as a hair. The slightest slip would have sent him to his grave. It had truly been far too dangerous.

But in everyone else's eyes, that scene had displayed peerless grace and the bearing of a disciple from a renowned school. The seven young people, each distinguished in their own way, ran over together, and one called out, "Brother Fang, why haven't you introduced this fellow practitioner to us?"

Fang Jingru suppressed his shock and said with a slight smile, "Does he need my introduction? Brother Wang Chong's fan technique comes from the Wudang Direct Lineage. Anyone could tell at a glance. There can be no mistaking it." He also wanted to know whether anyone recognized Wang Chong, which was why he spoke that way.

A young man in a plain-colored robe could not resist giving a flippant smile. "Not everyone who uses Wudang martial arts belongs to the Wudang Sect. White Chrysanthemum's Candle-Bearing Sword Technique..."

He had barely spoken when someone tugged his sleeve. Though indignant, he stopped there. Everyone else wore peculiar expressions and stole glances over.

Wang Chong's expression turned exceedingly ugly, not because the words of the young man in the plain-colored robe had offended Wudang, but because he had heard that White Chrysanthemum was also "highly proficient" in the Candle-Bearing Sword Technique. That was the very sword technique he was fucking good at.

I'm not really White Chrysanthemum, am I?

I was planning to abandon the Folding Fan and switch to a longsword. Who could have expected that using the Folding Fan wouldn't expose any flaws, while the Candle-Bearing Sword Technique was a huge pitfall? Thank goodness for a kind soul. He cupped his hands toward the young man in the plain-colored robe and said, "Thank you for telling me."

The young man's expression changed at once, as he assumed Wang Chong was being sarcastic. The person who had tugged his sleeve also could not help feeling a little regret. Why did I have to warn him? He brought this business of offending the Wudang Sect on himself. Why should I get involved?

Fang Jingru also looked embarrassed, but he was hardly in a position to mediate between them. For one thing, the young man in the plain-colored robe had brought it on himself with his loose tongue. For another, Wang Chong's draw with Qian Luoyi had raised his standing in Fang Jingru's mind, and Fang Jingru did not want to offend him for someone else's sake. He gave a dry cough and asked, "Have the fairies of Qingcheng arrived?"

A powerfully built young man with an ancient, austere face and very broad features, whose every movement carried imposing grandeur and great authority, said, "Our two younger sisters, Chu and Zhang, have gone to receive them. They should be here shortly."

Fang Jingru smiled. "This is Brother Qin Han, Qin Liaokong. He holds the office of Left Martial Guard Zhechong Commandant, of the Principal Fifth Rank. He long ago cultivated his family's martial arts to the realm of taking on ten thousand men, and ranks among the top three fierce generals of the army's younger generation."

"To pursue White Chrysanthemum this time, he specifically took extended leave and is responsible for liaising with the authorities. Without Brother Liaokong mediating, Heaven-Fighting Hand Li Qingge, one of the Three Great Constables, would never have shown us martial-world folk such consideration."

Wang Chong found this very strange. These martial-world people are afraid of the authorities too?

Oh, right! The reigning empress came from Wudang. This world's martial circles aren't like those in the novels back where we're from.

Fang Jingru introduced everyone in turn. Wang Chong genuinely knew none of these bastards, so he paid particular attention to the plain-robed young man who had "kindly" warned him. His surname was Lu, and he came from the Lus of Fanyang. When introducing him, Fang Jingru specifically mentioned that he had a younger sister named Lu Moniang, nicknamed Wu Hook Frost Snow. Who knew what that meant?

Wang Chong gave Lu Zongfeng a few more looks and thought, He doesn't look like an elder brother-in-law either!

There must be some misunderstanding here.

Although Wang Chong was unfamiliar with these people, his glib tongue, his background in a prestigious major sect like "Wudang," and the strength he had shown fighting Qian Luoyi alone soon let him mingle easily with them, as though they were old friends. While the nine were chatting, someone suddenly brightened and cried, "The fairies of Qingcheng are here!" Five or six immediately rushed off, leaving only a few who maintained their reserve, though they too kept looking that way.

Wang Chong glanced into the distance and suddenly very much wanted to hide his face behind the Folding Fan.

For no other reason than the shame of going back on his word.

He had turned Chu Qiuzi down, yet had come running over to fool around with Fang Jingru and the others. It was rather like the awkwardness of a webnovel author promising never to leave a work unfinished.

Chu Qiuzi had been listless and unable to summon any enthusiasm. After getting up that morning, she had gone to visit Wang Chong again, only to discover he had already left, which had made her very unhappy. Hearing someone call out, she was forcing herself to rally when her lovely eyes swept over and caught sight of that person in the distance...

...Lu Zongfeng: Do I look like an elder brother-in-law!? Do you think I look like an elder brother-in-law...

...Qian Luoyi: Fuck, Wang Chong got to do all the showing off...