The Legend of Swing Sword and Execution of Demons

"In the end, Ji Mucheng, who committed heinous crimes, naturally did not have a good end."

He died under the swords of Long Duoduo and Gu Xinhun.

"To prevent his body from undergoing unpredictable mutations or being resurrected in another form, the heroes broke him into hundreds of pieces and burned them."

"The ashes were also divided and taken away from Mount Buding, and scattered in the rivers, streams and rivers along the way back."

"As for that shroud, it took seven days and seven nights to burn it to ashes..."

"The above is the final chapter of the Southwest Anti-Barbarian Campaign - 'The Heroes Fight to Kill the Barbarians at Mount Buding, and the First Chapter Ends with Their Corpses Falling on the Riverbank'."

That's all for today's story time. See you tomorrow!

"Thank you, sir!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"You've had a long journey, sir!"

"See you tomorrow, sir!"

……

A beautiful woman in a white robe, with her hair tied up and wearing a crown, and with a kind face, waited for the children to leave one by one. After tidying up briefly, she closed the door and prepared to leave.

It was only then that Gu Lian noticed that the two unfamiliar faces who had been listening in outside the study window that morning were still standing on the street.

The middle-aged man among them had his hair tied in a topknot, a full forehead, deep-set eyes, a short beard, and wore a long robe with a cross-collar and wide sleeves in red and blue, which immediately gave him the air of a scholar.

Another young man, dressed simply, appeared dull-looking, but had a clean-cut face and bright eyes, and possessed an air of authority.

Not to mention that Gu Lian had been carefully taught by Huo Nan for ten years, even just spending ten years with Huo Nan would have given her a good grasp of how to read faces of strangers.

As long as the other party is not pretending or embellishing, Gu Lian doesn't need to pay special attention. A casual glance or two is enough to judge a person's character fairly well.

These two people were neither evildoers nor wicked individuals, and the content of her lessons was not taboo or shameful. There was no need for any concealment, and anyone could come to listen. Usually, ordinary people or studious individuals would come outside to listen to the lessons and watch the spectacle. Gu Lian was used to this and did not pay too much attention to it.

Now it seems they came specifically for me?

The middle-aged man's face did bear a striking resemblance to the cold and alluring young woman.

However, since no one else had spoken up, Gu Lian wouldn't cause any trouble.

He gave the two men a polite nod and then gracefully departed.

Radish, who was traveling incognito, and Fir, who accompanied Radish, appeared in Jinzhou City. They were indeed there to see Gu Lian's current living conditions, but they did not come here specifically for Gu Lian alone.

Knowing he was well, I decided not to disturb him further, returned his greeting with a smile, and took my leave.

One person walks east, and two people walk west.

As they walked, Leng Shan said, "Besides teaching every day, Miss Gu goes to the Buji Pavilion, which has been open for just over a month but is already very lively and popular, to tell stories every three days. She lives a very fulfilling life."

Upon hearing this, Luo Bo said, "After recovering from his injuries, Sword Demon Xie Fei seems to have never used his sword again. He and his brothers from Buji Island have taken up the business of running restaurants and eateries. They opened these 'Buji Restaurants' in Suzhou and Jinzhou respectively. In the short time they have been running these restaurants, they have held charity performances and made donations and repairs for the war-torn areas. They call it 'giving good fortune' and call themselves 'Buji Way.' Although the name is strange, they are really doing good things for the people."

Leng Shan affirmed, "That's right. That's why the Buji Pavilion is so popular in both places, attracting many people to come here. Miss Gu's storytelling performances every three days at night are always packed, with seats in high demand!"

Luo Bo sighed, "In that case, I'm a little envious of the students at Wenchao Academy. Everyone else is so eager to attend a class every three days, but here, they can hear new stories every day."

Leng Shan smiled faintly and said, "Haha, Miss Gu's storytelling is indeed captivating. However, this after-school mini-lecture is not necessarily held every day. I suppose she has had many happy events lately and just speaks whenever she feels like it."

Luo Bo chuckled and said, "I believe you, sir. You felt the same way back then."

When talking about the past, Leng Shan smiled broadly.

Looking at Leng Shan's smiling face, Luo Bo seemed to be deep in thought, recalling the moment when Gu Lian's gaze lingered on Leng Shan's face.

Curious, he asked, "Sir, you said that Miss Gu would recognize your identity but pretend not to know it."

After a moment of contemplation, Leng Shan said, "It's not impossible, after all, my sister lived with her for a period of time."

Luo Bo scratched his head and said, "Young Master Jiang and Miss Gu are related to Young Master Tinglan, though they are not blood relatives, they are like family. They treat each other like relatives. Miss Leng and Young Master Jiang are married, and Miss Gu and Miss Leng are also related. You are Miss Leng's brother, so you should be considered Miss Gu's relative. It is not wrong for you to recognize each other today, is it?"

"It's not impossible, but it would be a bit abrupt." At this point, Leng Shan unconsciously crossed his arms and walked away. "I'd better wait until my sister and that boy return and then guide me and introduce me to them, so as not to be impolite."

Seeing this, Luo Bo knew that the gentleman was still sulking because Miss Leng and Young Master Jiang had not been invited to their wedding, nor had they been informed in advance.

It's true that everyone, no matter who they are, has moments when they care about saving face.

When Miss Leng and Young Hero Jiang returned to Jinzhou to recuperate twice, the Master specially asked to visit them and even brought a bunch of good medicinal herbs with him, but he refused to meet with them.

Do we have to wait for the young couple to take the initiative to apologize to their brother-in-law?
Well, this is your family matter, I can be concerned, but I can't ask too many questions.

Luo Bo then changed the subject, saying, "Sir, Tinglan Xiaozhu in Jinzhou City is still there. Will Miss Gu move back there?" Leng Shan pondered for a moment and said, "The imperial court has exonerated the Huo family, the ruins of the Huo family have been restored, and a monument has been erected to commemorate the martyrs who sacrificed their lives. This is of great significance to Miss Gu, who has shared the identity of 'Young Master Tinglan' with Huo Nan for many years, and she is grateful for it. However, Jinzhou City is no longer the Jinzhou City when the real Young Master Tinglan was. Seeing the things will only remind her of him and cause her sadness."

As they talked, the two noticed that the street ahead was bustling with people, and they slowed down their pace.

As you get closer, you can hear rhythmic and catchy shouts and calls reaching your ears.

"Lunchtime has arrived, and my stomach is rumbling."

"Buji said, 'The tea and wine are good, and the food is wonderful.'"

Storytelling, singing, and crosstalk~

"Perfect with wine, great with rice, and adds flavor!"

After hearing the shout repeated twice, Radish and Fir, whether hungry or with an appetite, exchanged a glance and reached a consensus.

Luo Bo laughed and said in a tone of voice, "Let's go! This meal is on me, sir."

Fir readily agreed, saying, "Good!"

……

……

"Continuing from where we left off, last time we were talking about..."

"Hey, wait a minute, how come you're already picking up where we left off when the show has only just started?"

"Last time, yesterday, didn't we talk about..."

"Last time is last time, yesterday is yesterday, look, look... Many of you gentlemen are here for the first time."

The food is cooked, the tea and wine are served, the guests are seated, and the show begins.

Perhaps this year's Spring Festival was the most peaceful and reassuring one in the past two or three years. From New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival, and even now at the end of the first lunar month, the festive atmosphere in the entire city of Jinzhou is still quite strong. The Buji Hall is still decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the two performers in the crosstalk hall are dressed in bright red and purple, looking very happy.

Of the two, the one slightly shorter and more youthful-looking was Egg. He stood upright, neck outstretched, his usually sly but now surprisingly lively and bright eyes scanning the assembled guests. He exclaimed with delight, "Oh ho, that's right! So, tell me..."

Holding a red-robed scholar named Mei Huaijin who was holding a coin with the words "Great Fortune and Prosperity" written on it, he interrupted before the egg could finish speaking, saying, "Then you should at least tell the audience what happened and give them the bottom line, right?"

"Alright, let me give you all a brief overview, and then a detailed explanation..."

"Why go from a brief explanation to a detailed one?"

"Just give me a brief explanation, just give me a brief explanation..."

As Egg kept repeating himself, a set of bamboo clappers appeared out of nowhere in his hand. One end was tied with a red rope, and the other end could be swung back and forth. Under his five fingers, the five bamboo clappers opened and closed rhythmically, colliding and making a light and crisp sound. One sentence after another poured out with the sound of the bamboo clappers striking each other.

"Please listen carefully, esteemed guests, as I will briefly recount the events that occurred before."

"The pirates from Yingzhou harassed Luzhou in October, but after being rebuffed, they still felt uneasy and invaded the south of Suzhou the following month."

"South of Suzhou, there is a fine general, Liang Feixiong, who is the only one strong enough to protect the country and guard the east!"

"Let the Ying pirates attack from multiple directions, we will concentrate our forces to defeat them one by one."

"The Battle of Qingtan shattered the enemy's courage, and its momentum was unstoppable and invincible."

"Ambush was set up around Taihu Lake, and the Japanese invaders were killed so badly that their souls flew away."

"Three battles, three victories, blocking the enemy's path; seven days, seven pursuits, chasing away the enemy."

"The Japanese pirates trembled at the mere mention of it and retreated again and again to hide in the mountains and forests."

"With no way out, we enter the canyon and fight the raging waves to the death."

"Ladies and gentlemen, have you heard me well? Today we're going to talk about the crucial battle in the raging gorge that determined the defeat of the Ying pirates!"

As soon as the egg was mentioned, cheers erupted from the audience.

Whether or not everyone's appetite was whetted, most of the drinks and tea were consumed in a short period of time.

Fir and Radish, who had chosen a private seat to dine, listened with great interest.

Luo Bo asked, "Sir, is this crosstalk? It's quite interesting."

Leng Shan said, "Well, according to what I've heard, the two of them on stage, one teasing and the other supporting, is called crosstalk. As for the short, fast-paced monologue that Egg just did, according to the locals, it should be called storytelling or clapper talk."

Luo Bo said, "Perfect, let's hear what the difference is in a different version of the Battle of Fury Waves." (End of Chapter)