Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 664: The Old Leader

It was not yet night, but Xunfang Garden was already ablaze with lights.

The lively drinking on the terraces and the dim shadows of lights on the ice, the weather has just warmed up, and energetic people are already enjoying the arrival of spring in advance. This year is the year of Yulin again, and many cultivators who were only heard of in the past have arrived in Shenjing. During this year, the spring in Shenjing is always particularly lively.

The gathering held by the Lu family was not like that of the Jianghu. There were many high-ranking officials, nobles, and celebrities among the flowers. Although people all wore swords, they could not draw them whenever they wanted. They had to follow the elegant practice of drawing lots by throwing pots. A series of airtight sword fights were not what they wanted here. As the saying goes, if quality prevails over culture, it will be wild. Only by combining hardness and softness can a gathering be enjoyed by everyone.

Therefore, in such a night, there were only about a dozen sword fights watched by the public. Considering that the popular swordsmen fought more matches, the remaining opportunities to show up were actually rare.

Swordsmen and guests were scattered among the pavilions, flowers and trees. The central pool had been cleared of the "clearing snow to find spring" formation and was now covered with a thick layer of ice. There were also stones with water coming out of them, making it a place for sword fighting.

Huashan Wenzheng had just defeated an old swordsman from the south who was ranked in the top 300 of the Fubang. She was young and elegant, and as the most outstanding disciple of Huashan this generation, she was praised by the audience. All wins and losses would leave traces, recorded in the pen of the Immortal Platform, waiting to be echoed when the Spring Ranking was announced.

This year, the Lu family had a daughter who entered the Shenjing Sword Academy, so this sword competition was able to invite many swordsmen from this year's Sword Academy. Usually, there weren't so many people, only a few familiar ones who liked to come out, but with the Feather Scale Test coming up, many people wanted to come and test the waters.

"We were invited by Mr. Lu..."

"Ah! I know, I know, you are all outstanding people in Longdi, and the talents in the Jade Sword Book!" The woman who stood up and greeted them was dressed warmly. It was obvious that she had no cultivation, and there were light freckles on her cheeks. "We are students of the Imperial College. My name is Tinghua, this is Lin Yuxian, the son of Lord Lin, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and this is the talented Fu Zhiyun... And this one, she is not our classmate, but she is also a great swordsman - Nanyue Shanbianweiji. A few days ago, Cui Zhaoye praised him in the Sword News as 'a graceful swordsman with the spirit of flowers and the moon'."

There were groups of people gathered around the small pavilions in the garden. Swordsmen always mixed in the banquets. Local scholars wanted to make friends with swordsmen, and outsiders wanted to leave a name, so they sat together.

"You are all really stunning characters." Tinghua clasped her hands and looked at them with a smile. She thought Nan Guannu was particularly beautiful and as elegant as a peacock.

Several people arrived in Beijing the day before yesterday, rested for a day yesterday, and came here at dusk this day. In fact, they had not heard of the name of this rookie swordsman, but Cui Zhaoye and the others knew him. Nan Guannu greeted them with a smile and introduced them one by one in appropriate words.

Before he could stand up to return the greeting, he sat quietly in the corner with his sword in his arms. His presence was much weaker than when he first became famous.

Tinghua naturally thought that they were all from the underworld and should know each other, so she didn't contact them much. As soon as they sat down, she asked curiously, "Who among you wants to go up and fight?"

"It's the very handsome Cui Zhenchuan from Yuquan Mountain, and the silent Zuo Zhenchuan from Mingzhu Waterside." Nan Guannu smiled and added, "Cui Zijie is ranked second in our Jade Sword Book, and Zuo Sheng Zhenchuan is ranked fourth."

After the Jade Sword Conference, Xiang Zongyuan took up the first place and Su Xingke remained in third place. Xiang Zongyuan was the leader and it was not appropriate for him to be eliminated in unknown waters. If he failed, the reputation of everyone behind him would be reduced by 10%. Su Xingke had made the most progress in the past six months and it was appropriate for him to win by surprise, so the other two were decided to make their debut today.

The students naturally didn't expect the twists and turns behind these smiles. Tinghua smiled and said, "We will cheer for you together later!"

Nan Guannu said: "We are new here and don't know the heroes of Shenjing - are there many people here today? We don't know who our opponent is."

"Then it depends on who draws our pavilion. Including Young Master Bian, we have three masters. As long as we win two of them, we win." Tinghua said with a smile, "Don't you know yet? There are so many masters here today."

Qi Mengchen smiled helplessly: "We really don't know yet."

"Let me tell you, Yang Zhenbing is here today!"

Several people were indeed surprised. Nan Guannu looked outside the pavilion and asked, "Is Yang Zhenbing here too?"

"Really! The most important Wan'er in this sword meeting is in charge of the whole place - see, the one wearing black clothes, with several swords on his back like fan bones." Tinghua pointed at them for her, and listed them one by one. "That's the one in the pavilion. He is the current Sword Demon of Bailu Palace, the youngest military leader, only seventeen years old. But he is one of the most famous swordsmen in the entire Shenjing... I didn't expect him to come."

Unlike when she first entered school, she now knew the reputations and strengths of many swordsmen in the capital.

Fu Zhiyun said, "I just went to check. Jiang Yin'er, Ning Shuhong, Zuoqiu Longhua are also in the pavilion... Changsun is also in the pavilion."

"But don't worry, they definitely won't come to fight us."

It is indeed as Tinghua said, different pavilions either make agreements or draw lots, and opponents with such a huge difference in strength as Yang Zhenbing will not engage in boring and bullying sword fights.

After several rounds, Nan Guannu and others carefully observed the moves on the field, analyzed the expressions of those who had not yet left the field, and from time to time asked Tinghua about the identities of the people they were paying attention to, then exchanged glances with each other and chose their opponents.

"That's Wang Shousi, the successor of the Southern Jinwu Sect... Young Hero Bian knows him and admires him very much. He's very powerful, if you have confidence, we can choose him!" Tinghua said, "Brother Cheng and the others happened to be in that pavilion as well."

Bian Weiji waved his hands quickly: "If you want to fight Brother Wang, I can't use the five swords."

Luoying Mountain wanted to take the position of the leader of Kongtong Daohui, and was concerned about Jianmen, who was also in the same group. Nan Guannu thought for a while and said, "I have heard that there is a leader of all sects in the Jinwu in the south for nine consecutive years. It is this person... Well, I think Cui Zijie has a 90% chance of not being able to beat him."

Cui Zijie said: "Ninety-nine percent."

Laughter rang out in the pavilion, and Tinghua pointed and said, "If we can't beat Wang Jinwu—of course, there are very few people in Shenjing who can beat him—then we definitely can't beat that Emei Ning Shuhong either."

There was no need to know more about this person, as it was easy for people to have heard of him. His fame would spread easily. It was the first time for several people to see his true appearance, and they were all silent for a moment.

Nan Guannu suddenly said, "Zuo Sheng can give the Wen Li of Jingming a try."

Tinghua's eyes lit up: "Is it okay? Wenli is also very good, a genius in the sword training academy."

Nan Guannu showed no ulterior motives and smiled gently: "We play chess and sword as friends, winning or losing doesn't matter." Tinghua admired him even more.

Qi Mengchen said: "You know more about the talents in the sword world than we do. I am really ashamed."

"No, no, we are just outsiders watching the fun. We just stayed in Shenjing and knew some rumors."

"We don't know how great the world of Shenjing is. I just heard from Miss Tinghua that Yang Zhenbing is one of the most popular swordsmen in Shenjing. Are there many powerful swordsmen in Shenjing now?"

Tinghua's eyes lit up. She usually tried to analyze the so-called "Shenjing Sword World" in detail, but unfortunately her friends knew a lot about it. Today, she was pleasantly surprised to be able to have a good chat about it, and quickly drank a cup of tea.

"After the New Year, there are too many swordsmen pouring in. I also heard that many legendary masters from the top of Hefu are on their way. These numbers are hard to count for now, but judging from the swordsmen who have settled in Shenjing, there are countless people worth talking about." She said, "There are countless swordsmen who are well-known in the martial arts world outside the city, and they make up the largest number in Shenjing. We will skip these and only look at the swordsmen who have made a name for themselves in Shenjing. Generally speaking, there are about three categories.

"The first is the Divine Capital Sword Academy. Needless to say, everyone in it is a true swordsman. The second is the true disciples of the sword schools. There are big and small sword schools, and the disciples are also high and low. The third is the martial arts world, the aristocratic families, and the military. In short, each has its own background and ability."

"Among them, those who have made a name for themselves are like our 'Flower-Moon Spirit' Young Hero Bian, whose reputation has spread widely in Shenjing recently. There are many heroes like Young Hero Bian in Shenjing, some of whom are the true disciples of the leader of a sword school, and some of whom are the direct disciples of a master. They have exquisite and powerful swordsmanship and naturally come to the fore. They often arouse admiration in a small circle first, and then spread out. For example, Young Hero Bian received a sword review from Cui Zhaoye, and others will have their names published in the Chang'an Sword News. These are all very famous swordsmen in Shenjing. If you participate in a sword meeting in Shenjing, you will often run into them."

Qi Mengchen smiled and said, "When we go back tonight, we will ask questions and study carefully, so as to avoid being ignorant of Mount Tai."

“Haha, in fact, if you ask me, you two are definitely more powerful—I think it would be difficult for Young Master Bian to defeat these two.”

Bian Wei had already gotten to know her well, so he smiled and said, "This is the truth."

Tinghua continued, "Then we can list them by name. As for the Sword Training Academy, everyone is truly outstanding. The first five names to be mentioned are Ning Shuhong, Wang Shousi, Wen Zheng, Lu Xiu, and Han Xiuben. I have seen three of them perform, and they were simply fascinating. Each of them has their own incomparable qualities, and they are all well-known in the Divine Capital."

Nan Guannu said: "We have heard of the names of these five people."

"Right. They came to Shenjing to make a name for themselves, but they are not masters who rely on Shenjing to become famous. From what I have observed in so many sword competitions, these five people have never been defeated by unknown or lower-level swordsmen. They always win when they fight. If they lose, the opponent must be a well-known name that is not inferior to them."

Bian Weiji was inspired and said, "Yes, it is common for people like me to win or lose when fighting with others. This is because although I have a skill, my sword skills are limited, my experience is not rich, and my talent is not enough, so I often encounter situations where the opponent is stronger than me."

Fu Zhiyun also agreed: "If you can't beat these five people, it's hard to be ranked among the top swordsmen in Shenjing. A few days ago, Ning Chaolie was defeated by Han Xiuben and Ning Shuhong successively, and recently he is planning to compete with Wen Zheng."

"Are you talking about [Red Snow and Flowing Vermilion] Ning Chaolie?"

"Yes, they are the disciples of the Immortal Master Quanzhen Manor. However, these five are not the most outstanding sword students in the Sword Training Academy. There are even more powerful ones above them, who are ranked above the first-class. There are only a handful of such names in the entire Shenjing."

Tinghua's eyes were bright, and she counted on her fingers and said, "I have only seen Zuoqiu Longhua, the [Feiqiong] of Tianshan, use her sword once, at the Winter Sword Fair last year... Oh my god, I really don't know how to describe her. She is so powerful and beautiful, and it seems like she will never lose. It is said that she even defeated Yang Zhenbing once in the internal examination of the academy.

"Chu Shuiting from Shushan. This swordsman came to the capital last autumn. He likes to fight at various gatherings. He is not particular about the strength of his opponents and never lets them win. He has won nearly a hundred games in a row... He seems to be here today too. He is the most famous and everyone knows him.

"【Little White Dragon】Jiang Yin'er. The only beloved disciple of the Taoist leader Shenxiao, she is only seventeen years old, very pretty, and very upright and polite... Actually, her strength is not as good as before. She was ranked in the top 100 on the Duck Ranking. But she can always use that kind of amazing sword, sometimes she can even beat the top 30 people on the Duck Ranking. In fact, almost all of the above swordsmen came to the Winter Sword Fair last year, but in the end Yang Zhenbing took second place and she took third place.

"Chen Quan, this person... this person..." Tinghua was stunned for a while, "I can't remember what this person looks like, but he is very powerful. He is the descendant of the Youdu lineage of Beihai Prefecture. He came to the capital with his master last year. After a few sword games, he has firmly ranked among the top-notch. But he doesn't play sword games very often, so I don't know much about him."

"besides……"

Tinghua really counted on her fingers and listed these top young swordsmen in Shenjing one by one. At the end, Qi Mengchen smiled and said, "Miss Tinghua, you forgot about Yang Zhenbing."

Tinghua took a deep breath and widened her eyes: "Of course not, how could Yang Zhenbing put it in these!"

Qi Mengchen was slightly startled: "Hmm?"

"Yang Zhenbing, of course, can only be put together with Yan Feiqing and Pei Ye!"

"Even if his reputation has been suppressed by Pei Yun in the past two months, he is still 19th on the Duck Ranking and the second place in the Southern Kingdom Sword Competition last year. He also won the second place in the Winter Sword Competition before the New Year." Tinghua felt a little unfair, "Do you experts really think that Yang Zhenbing is inferior? But if you ask the people in Shenjing who don't know swords or martial arts, they will often say these three names. The reputations of others are far inferior."

No one spoke. There was an eerie silence spreading, and it was as if their ears felt dazed at the same time.

Tinghua said with longing: "When the Feather Scale Test comes, we can actually watch these three swordsmen compete with those masters from outside... Yan Feiqing especially disappeared without a trace, and he never came out again after winning first place; although Yang Zhenbing has fought sword battles, he has no real opponent in Shenjing..."

Before she could continue, Su Xingke blurted out: "Pei Ye, who is Pei Ye? What are the two words?"

"Ah? Don't you know Pei Ye?" Tinghua stared, and the others also looked surprised, and then smiled at each other.

"Oh, yes, you are from far away, so that is understandable."

"Pei Ye was the most incomparable sword in Shenjing last autumn and winter, and he was the most powerful sword among all the heroes. In December, in the sword bet at Suzaku Gate, in front of hundreds of thousands of people, saints and officials, he defeated the fourth prince Li Zhi, who was recognized as invincible in the realm of the emperor, with one sword. Until now, no one dares to say that they understand that sword." Tinghua raised his head and waved his arms to finish the sentence in one breath, and then added casually, "He used to take classes in the Imperial College and sat in front of me for twenty days."

(End of this chapter)