To say Xu Fengnian wasn’t afraid at all would be self-deception.

But Xu Fengnian trusted his intuition. That Old Kui trapped at the lake bottom for over a decade wouldn’t necessarily make things difficult for him. After all, they’d had this odd relationship for so many years, neither deep nor shallow. The chicken legs and roasted meat Xu Fengnian had thrown down were countless. In spring and summer seasons, every few days he’d dive down to show his familiar face. No matter what, they had some friendship.

This matter, Xu Fengnian hadn’t mentioned to his old man Xu Xiao. He believed father and son both actually understood tacitly. At most Xu Fengnian harbored gratitude for that life-saving grace back then. Even if he released this Lake Kui caged beast from prison, if the Grand Pillar of State Xu became furious, at worst it would just be taking a whipping. Moreover, Xu Fengnian was also curious about exactly what depth and strength the Prince of Beiliang’s palace’s capable experts possessed, even more wanting to know if an Old Kui who could practice fetal breathing for over a decade was a master at the same level as those Ten Great Masters Under Heaven.

Xu Fengnian said with feigned composure, “Old Huang, know what I’m going to do? Why follow me? Can you swim? Don’t drown!”

The old servant smiled shyly, not speaking. Seeming to find the bundle heavy, he shook his small frame, lifting the wooden box up a few inches.

Reaching the lake’s heart, Xu Fengnian drew purple Spring Thunder from its plain scabbard far less magnificent than Embroidered Winter, took a deep breath, blade tip downward, forcefully throwing it down.

After a long moment, no movement.

Xu Fengnian nearly cursed aloud, thinking could it be drawing water with a bamboo basket again – would he have to jump down himself to retrieve the blade?

Old Huang slowly shuffled steps, coming to the boat’s prow, motionless as a thread.

Xu Fengnian said helplessly, “Old Huang, don’t [unauthorized copy]pretend to be a master with me. How high are you? Don’t I know clearly?”

Old Huang turned his head, grinning foolishly.

Xu Fengnian glared, “Laugh what laugh – are missing front teeth remarkable?!”

In an instant.

The lake water’s undulation came more violent and terrifying than any previous time. That momentum was simply earth-overturning and heaven-upending.

Xu Fengnian hiding inside the boat’s first thought was to shout for Old Huang to flee when the wind blows tight, then naturally have his old man’s subordinates clean up the aftermath.

He, a Crown Prince who could lose Spring Thunder even performing a sweeping-thousands-of-armies move, couldn’t foolishly compete with Old Kui.

But very quickly Xu Fengnian detected the covered boat’s strangeness. Though the lake’s waves were terrifying, he only saw that old groom who’d greased his feet and fled at the first sign of danger during three years of travel lightly stomp one foot, and the shaking boat body instantly became solid as rock, completely motionless.

Old Huang didn’t forget to turn his head and grin, reaching out to gesture at a height about the same as Xu Fengnian’s, roughly meaning I’m this kind of high master. Xu Fengnian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Good for you Old Huang – right now you still have leisurely mood. Don’t wait until Old Kui beats you looking everywhere for teeth on the ground – you originally already lack front teeth.

From Tide-Listening Pavilion’s third floor corridor leaped down a gray figure. Single foot landing, one point one bounce, body form light and elegant sweeping toward the lake center.

Xu Fengnian subconsciously raised a hand, only then realizing he had no cucumber in hand to chew. Somewhat regretful &#[stolen content]8211; the good show was starting.

Tide-Listening Pavilion, known in martial world people’s mouths as the Martial Treasury, contained five tower-guarding servants. Xu Fengnian, who from youth had climbed up and down inside and even sometimes when urgently needing to pee would find a corner to urinate, had been familiar with them since childhood, calling uncle and grandfather diligently.

At this time the third floor tower guard sweeping from Tide-Listening Pavilion was a Daoist master, a patriarch-level figure from one of the three great Daoist lineages, the Nine Pecks of Rice Way. According to Master Li Yishan, he was proficient in mysterious arts and stratagems, genuine High Second Rank Profound Mystery realm strength. Only for one unique copy of Cantong Qi in Tide-Listening Pavilion was he willing to enter the tower as slave and servant. When Xu Fengnian was young and tired of climbing stairs, he’d often had the old man carry him.

The Nine Pecks of Rice old Daoist wore a gray wide-sleeved Daoist robe. After bouncing onto the lake surface, like a dragonfly touching water, he drifted forward elegantly. Both sleeves rolled, rolling up two water columns, shooting straight激 toward the lake’s heart.

Seeing the small boat wouldn’t overturn, Xu Fengnian felt much reassured, clicking his tongue in wonder, “So Grandpa Wei’s skills are so fierce. If I’d known earlier when traveling abroad to bring him, those bandits and grass bandits wouldn’t have been beaten until pissing and shitting themselves.”

Old Huang heard the Crown Prince’s words, turned his head with a face full of resentment, the expression on his old face thoroughly bitter.

Xu Fengnian didn’t want to sadden Old Huang who’d followed him through three years of hardship and toil, laughing, “However fierce Grandpa Wei is, he can’t compare to your intimate bird-nest-raiding and fish-catching, Old Huang. Under heaven masters are common, but there’s only one Old Huang who can weave straw sandals!”

The old servant smiled “tenderly and affectionately,” giving Xu Fengnian goosebumps all over, hastily saying, “Watch the show, watch the show, don’t miss it.”

Master and servant both looked toward the lake center.

Two black lock chains broke through water, like flood dragons emerging from the sea, momentum fully present.

At the chains’ ends were pulled two handleless blades – one blade edge clear and bright as snow, one fresh red as blood. Using the Crown Prince’s words, that was extremely sellable appearance, absolutely solid. One look showed master-level bearing and flames. If Xu Fengnian had a large stack of unauthorized copybanknotes in hand, he’d definitely shout loudly “Worthy of reward!”

Twin blades broke through the two water dragons the Nine Pecks of Rice old Daoist waved out, shattering them on the spot!

A full one-zhang-tall robust Kui physique burst from the lake surface. Without the lake bottom’s twin-foot bronze ball ten-thousand-pound weights’ restraint, that white-haired Old Kui emerging across the sky laughed wildly, nearly piercing Xu Fengnian’s eardrums.

One swing of lock chain brought out an arc, the scarlet giant blade chopping toward the old Daoist, blade momentum domineering beyond compare, cutting through the long sky, carrying whistling wind sounds.

The Wei-surnamed old Daoist shouted lightly, single foot stepping on water, stirring up a thousand layers of waves, shooting diagonally toward the long blade.

Water waves were cut in half. The giant blade势 unstoppable as splitting bamboo. The old Daoist shook his sleeve robe, trying to block this almost life’s-only-seen fierce blade.

But it was futile.

The Daoist robe’s wide sleeve mouth instantly shattered.

Defeated in one move.

His figure flew backward, falling into the lake, life and death unknown.

Turns out the Lake Old Kui also carried blades.

Like White Fox Face, both dual-blade wielders – one rolling wind and snow, one raising waves. Who knew which was more formidable?

Xu Fengnian with blurred eyes clicked his tongue, “Could this Old Kui be invincible under heaven? If I’d known early masters were all this imposing in all eight directions, back then I would’ve listened to Xu Xiao’s persuasion and properly practiced martial arts.”

Old Huang again couldn’t bear loneliness, turning his head, shaking it and chuckling foolishly, “Not invincible, not invincible.”

Xu Fengnian concentrated on watching there. He could see – Old Kui’s dual-hand lock chains were rooted in bone structure, connected as one whole, not ordinary wrapping and binding. This was too terrifying. Who would be martial-obsessed and self-confident enough to reach unity with blades to this degree? What if someone controlled the blades, wouldn’t that be extremely unlucky and painful?

The dual-chain dual-blade Old Kui leaped into a pavilion, lightly waving, and the pavilion that had cost considerable silver immediately collapsed, nearly turning to powder. Old Kui laughed toward heaven, a head of white hair disheveled and floating, like a Yama King.

Tide-Listening Pavilion’s remaining four tower-guarding servants all moved together, mutually forming horns, standing far off, each expression solemn.

On Prince’s palace Mount Qingliang’s peak, Grand Pillar of State Xu Xiao sat on a wooden stool, gazing toward the mountain-waist lake center, viewing everything at a glance, hands holding a famous craftsman’s red clay teapot, but filled with Green Ant Wine. Beside him stood sworn son Yuan Zuozong, “Left Bear” narrowing his phoenix eyes.

Xu Xiao chuckled, “Can block how many moves?”

Yuan Zuozong, who on battlefields with white horse and silver spear killed people and cut banners as if entering unpeopled territory, said softly, “Sworn father, Left Bear wants to try.”

The Grand Pillar of State shook his head, “Forget it. Below naturally someone will clean up this demon monster, won’t harm Fengnian.”

Tide-Listening Pavilion second floor corridor, a white-robed figure stood at the railing, waist holding one Embroidered Winter blade. He watched a moment, fingers buckling on the blade ring, pushing out Embroidered Winter one inch, withdrawing Embroidered Winter into sheath, rubbing back and forth once, then turned back into the tower.

Not only that, even the palace’s greatest honored guest advisor Li Yishan walked out of his dark room, hands behind back quietly observing this rare once-in-a-decade strange scene. Seeming the sunlight was blinding, he raised a hand to block, muttering to himself, “Sword Nine Huang, Chu Kuangnu – must demolish countless pavilions and towers again?”

Only saw that Old Kui completely ignoring several tower-guarding servants. Apparently looking across the universe, few could make him take seriously. Just roared, “That Yellow Old Nine, come out and receive death!”

Xu Fengnian was shocked, “Yellow Old Nine? Old Huang, is he calling you? You must never tell me you have grudges with this Old Kui!”

Old Huang reached out to tear away tattered cloth strips, exposing that long rectangular purple sandalwood box that made Xu Fengnian’s heart palpitate with lingering fear. Turning his head to smile, still the missing-front-teeth shabby appearance. Every time seeing this scene, Xu Fengnian always wondered when this old servant drank yellow wine, could remaining teeth clenched tight still leak wine into mouth?

Old Kui clearly saw the box-carrying old groom standing at the boat’s prow. White hair wildly dancing, face fierce and malevolent.

In Xu Fengnian’s moment of not daring to breathe heavily with tension, Old Huang extended one withered yellow hand, stroking the wooden box, still not forgetting to turn back and smile foolishly, raising his neck to make a shabby gesture of pouring wine into mouth, saying, “Young master, that?”

Xu Fengnian laughed in exasperation, “Look at your bearing! Have some master-level demeanor, alright? If you really step in dog shit and win by luck, I’ll treat you to one hundred jars of Longyan Sunken-Jar Yellow Wine.”

The groom called “Yellow Old Nine” by Old Kui and “Sword Nine Huang” by Li Yishan smiled faintly. That instant, Xu Fengnian’s eyes seemed dazzled. Old Huang was no longer simple, no longer foolish. Replacing it was an indescribable, inexplicable meaning. Only felt that the motionless-as-mountain old servant unexpectedly came across even more awesome than that blade-bearing Old Kui.

Among Tide-Listening Pavilion’s three great plaques was one “Spirit unauthorized copy Charging Dipper and Bull,” speaking of that supreme sword energy existing in classics but in fact purely illusory and unreal. Xu Fengnian thought if this Old Huang truly could wield swords, that would be worth raising one great toast, two great toasts, straight to one thousand great toasts.

Damn trickster selling crutches.

Without seeing how Old Huang acted, the wooden box trembled with dragon-cry sounds, humming and buzzing, not piercing to the ear yet shaking the heart and soul.

Xu Fengnian was dumbfounded. For three years stealing chickens and dogs together, getting knocked by hoes together – was Old Huang truly a master?

“Sword One.”

Old Huang silently reciting two characters lightly stepped out one pace at the boat’s prow. The covered boat where Xu Fengnian sat retreated backward toward shore, extraordinarily stable. One flat boat lightly floated backward, drawing ripples.

Xu Fengnian gazed far at Old Huang’s withered thin figure, treading waves forward.

The purple sandalwood box’s upward end burst open, rushing out one long sword.

The Grand Pillar of State standing on the mountain peak and Li Yishan inside Tide-Listening Pavilion simultaneously said, “Sword One, Dragon Snake.”

The blade-bearing Old Kui laughed wantonly, “Good, good, good. Yellow Old Nine, waited for you so many years. This grandfather today will break your nine swords, then make you carry one less sword!”

Layman Xu Fengnian was vexed enough to kill.

Because clearly knowing there was the martial world’s topmost, most numbered masters’ peak duel, but in his view, it was just one blade against one sword. Couldn’t see a thread of the way, even far inferior to the initial dual-blade Old Kui versus Grandpa Wei’s duel in excitement.

The only thing he could see was the purple sandalwood sword case flying out another sword.

How would Xu Fengnian know the most supreme moves all couldn’t escape four characters: returning to simplicity.

The Grand Pillar of State forgot to drink wine, holding his wine cup, sighing lightly, “Sword Two.”

Inside Tide-Listening Pavilion, Li Yishan slowly spoke two characters: “Parallel Lotus.”

Mountain top and mountain waist two people clearly had extreme tacit understanding.

One sword became two swords. Two swords became three swords.

“Sword Three.”

“Three Catties.”

Three swords already filled the sky with sword light, enveloping heaven and earth.

Dual-blade Old Kui. Three-sword Old Huang.

Simply half-god, half-immortal.

Xu Fengnian plopped down sitting in the boat, grinning foolishly, “Worthy of reward – all goddamn superior technical work!”