Yefutidaolu

Chapter 295 The Mouse's Side
Just a few minutes ago, Gao Jian was fighting against Ba Jing!

However, as Gao Jian was eager to kill, the eighth-realm martial artist holding the sword hesitated.

He discovered that the masked man in front of him looked bloody, but in reality... he was holding back. He suppressed his cultivation and did not use the acupoints of the Divine Gate.

This person appears to be insane, but in his actions, he doesn't go to extremes. If the other party were to unleash his full power, then he would likely have no chance of survival.

If the other party is letting the game slide, then what should I do?
As the saying goes, noblemen carry swords, while commoners wield knives.

The sword is a gentleman's weapon, embodying refinement and elegance. It should be graceful and romantic. It is said that sword immortals arrive gracefully and depart with a single strike, their movements elegant and their spirit romantic and charming. Amidst the flowing shadows of flowers, when they draw and sheathe their swords, heaven and earth are ashamed, filled with an aura of immortality and nobility.

The sword, from the very beginning, was designed for combat; it has been used for this purpose since its inception.

The knife, on the other hand, is crude, base, and like a fox hiding in a rabbit's den. It has no elegance, only the vulgarity of the mountains and fields. That's just how a knife is. It's a knife for chopping wood, for cutting vegetables, for clearing a path in the mountains and forests, and killing is just one of its uses.

Therefore, swords possess an air of nobility and are considered the tools of gentlemen, while knives are different; their purpose is practicality.

In the blink of an eye, they draw their swords and charge straight in, disregarding any sense of style; all they care about is the blade piercing flesh and a head falling to the ground—it's all about practicality.

Standing alone with a sword in hand, surveying the vast wilderness, bound by shared ideals and vows to live and die together—this is the difference between a sword and a saber.

At this moment, in the midst of the battle, this difference became even more apparent.

This eighth-realm nobleman from the Jin family, after realizing Qing Ao's situation, clearly did not want to really fight Gao Jian to the death. He just wanted to wait until he had bought enough time, and then retreat. Once the giant beasts had left and reinforcements arrived, he could then withdraw.

Before that, he only needed to protect himself; everything else... could be abandoned.

If the sword is broken, just get a new one.

You can get injured in the fight, but you can't die.

He didn't want to really risk his life against the two masked Grandmasters in front of him, and he figured they felt the same way.

He has ample evidence to prove this.

Look, this masked man has only reached the sixth level of cultivation so far, and he has only shown four acupoints.

His swordsmanship incorporates the power of the Niwan and Jianggong acupoints, as well as the ample stamina provided by the Dazhui and Tanzhong acupoints. These are all used in battle. However, he has yet to utilize the abilities of the Yuzhen and Baihui acupoints. He must have opened these two acupoints; his divine gate is open. Why wouldn't he open these two acupoints? Impossible.

He might even have opened part of the three acupoints of Qi, making him a grandmaster of the ninth realm and two gates, but so far, the other party has never shown any of these.

If he used Qihai or Baihui, his sword light and sword energy should not have been able to harm the opponent, instead of being able to exchange blows like this.

Therefore, he concluded that the other party was letting him off easy and that this Grandmaster of Two Passes had other purposes and was not simply there to rob people.

Therefore, this should be the most appropriate response I make now.

This is a gentleman's contest. If the other side holds back, then we should also hold back. Although both sides have their own objectives, there is an unspoken understanding that they will not risk their lives.

What is meant by a gentleman's contest?

You cannot launch surprise attacks or sudden attacks; the battle will even proceed in 'rounds'.

What is a 'round'?
This is a common form of aristocratic warfare in the Divine Dynasty since ancient times.

At that time, battles were limited to the 'gentry' and 'feudal lords', and gentlemen were the best among the gentry, and they would participate in such wars.

When the battle begins, both sides will charge at their paired opponents with weapons in hand. In the instant the two sides cross paths, the soldiers on the vehicle will strike each other with their weapons.

After charging through, the two chariots turned around and crossed paths, striking each other again.

This process is called a 'round'. Then, the strikes are repeated, and that's the second round, and so on.

And now, Takami and he are engaged in such a struggle, each holding back and cautiously confronting the other.

This is 'etiquette'. On the battlefield, noble generals would compete in a way that was almost like a sporting contest, with both sides going back and forth, probing each other, rather than fighting to the death right from the start.

This struggle was more like a game among nobles. They followed a strict set of rules.

For example, one should not pursue a fleeing person more than a hundred paces, which is considered proper etiquette.

Even at the end of a battle, they would point out the opponent's mistakes to demonstrate their status and position.

Well then... let's just stall for time like this.

As he was thinking this, he smashed the other person's mask.

Beneath the mask lies that Imperial Academy student, insightful!
How can it be? !
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And on the other side.

In a secluded spot in Liangzhou, rats are digging a burrow.

Shu Jian carefully dug at the ground with his claws, quite quickly. Judging from the size of the surrounding caves, they were about four or five miles in circumference and a full mile high.

This huge hole was secretly dug out by one of his golden hamsters over the past few days. As for the excavated waste soil, it was all transported out by Dansha and should have been dumped in the desert.

For the past few days, he has been digging and has been working non-stop, putting in his full effort, and has remained completely quiet so that no one outside could detect him.

"I'm telling you, although we can't match the speed of the flying boat, we've been here for so long, we should have more than enough time to find a solution. Why are we just sitting here digging?" Dansha said impatiently, sitting next to him. He was clearly very annoyed.

About a month ago, she took Shushu and, instead of using a flying boat (because it would be too risky to be spotted), she flew all the way to Liangzhou on her own. The journey alone took about a month.

Spanning hundreds of thousands of miles, this speed is already the result of Dansha working tirelessly and desperately.

Dansha mustered all her strength and forced herself to finish flying, because Shushu said that once she arrived in Liangzhou and met Gaojian, she would definitely be able to explain things clearly.

She mustered up so much courage. According to the etiquette and customs of the Divine Dynasty and the True Dragons, Dan Sha's actions were extremely bold. In fact, if Lord Jingjiang heard about it, he would scold her for being shameless and then come over and beat Gao Jian up.

As a result, Gao Jian turned around and ran away, which Dan Sha did not want.

But when she actually arrived in Liangzhou, Shushu stopped her from going, saying that she should dig a hole first, and then he would tell her how to find Gaojian after she finished digging.

Well... there's nothing we can do, so the dragon and the rat have been digging in this area ever since.

Mouse was in charge of digging, while Dansha's job was to help carry the dug-up sand and soil to a distant place to avoid leaving any traces. In this way, after a few days of work, this hollow area was completed.

Dansha's patience had almost reached its limit, and she finally spoke up to question Shujian.

Shu Jian stopped using his claws and touched the tips of his claws.

His claws were worn down from digging for the past few days. The soil in Liangzhou is really hard. It is indeed a land of metal and stone. It is said that many places here have given birth to divine weapons because of the excessive metal and earth energy.

It's a pity that after digging for so long, I still couldn't find any divine weapons. My luck wasn't very good.

Faced with Dan Sha's question, the reliable adult mouse squatted down and said calmly, "Don't worry, what are you afraid of? When have I ever lied to you? If you want Gao Jian to see you honestly, this hole is a must."

"Now that we've dealt with this cave, we can set off to find Gao Jian. I've been smelling his scent the whole time. Don't forget, I'm also a seventh-realm demon!" The rat proudly put its hands on its hips and puffed out its chest in front of Dan Sha.

"If we want to leave, we can leave right away. But before we leave, I want to ask you, Dansha, why are you treating Gaojian like this?" After putting her hands on her hips, Shushu sat down immediately, looking completely at ease, and asked Dansha.

"Huh? Why should I tell you?" Dansha asked, puzzled.

Why tell the mouse? What's the point? Why should we tell others these things?
Dansha is no shy young girl. In fact, although she looks very easygoing, you can still see the natural arrogance of a true dragon in her.

If someone comes to serve her, she will accept the service naturally, unlike Gao Jian who feels itchy all over and prefers to do it herself.

In more mystical terms, this is called 'nobility'.

When Dansha and Gaojian walk together, there is a very obvious difference. Even though Gaojian is dignified, he finds it difficult to accept others kowtowing or serving him. When others kowtow to him, he will obviously dodge.

Dan Sha was used to it and didn't think there was anything special about someone kowtowing to him.

Such a young lady, with her beautiful appearance, quick wit and intelligence, was pampered and raised by Lord Jingjiang. As a true dragon of the sixth realm, she naturally exuded an air of nobility.

However... that's precisely why Shu Jian was so curious as to why Dan Sha was so fond of Gao Jian.
Admittedly, Gao Jian is a genius and has repeatedly created miracles, but these are obviously not reasons, because... what Gao Jian has shown is something that cinnabar has not lacked at all.

Shu Jian followed Gao Jian because he trusted Gao Jian. The two had a life-or-death friendship. Gao Jian trusted him, and he trusted Gao Jian. He needed to come to the Imperial Academy to support Gao Jian and at the same time find a way to open the acupoints without transforming into human form.

But... he didn't quite understand what Dansha was thinking.

So, the mouse decided to ask here to find out.

After all, he is a reliable adult rat who knows what Gao Jian is doing. If he wants to find Gao Jian, he certainly can't let a little girl like Dan Sha take the lead.

Dansha was clearly puzzled when Shushu asked her this question.

The mouse then said, "Because what's coming next is very important, I have to ask you, what do you really think of insightful opinions? I know you like insightful opinions, but what kind of insightful opinions do you like?"

The mouse seemed very serious when it said this.

"Is it a serious matter? You're telling me this now? Does that mean if my answer is wrong, you won't take me?" Dansha frowned, clearly a little angry.

"No, no matter what your answer is, I will definitely take you to see Gao Jian. However, the Gao Jian you see at that time may not be the one you want to see. Then you will understand why I dug this hole to find him." The mouse pointed to the huge hole.

The Seven Realms Demons have been digging for so many days, not just for fun; they have a purpose.

“But I think you should just say it directly, because it would be a good thing for you to say it directly, since it’s not really a matter of saying it or not,” Mouse said.

Dansha frowned, then looked at the mouse over and over, circling it several times.

Normally, the mouse always seemed indifferent and uncaring about these things, but now it suddenly said something like this.

However, it seemed that her usual interactions with Shushu made her feel that Shushu was not the kind of person who would talk nonsense or joke, so she nodded, sat down obediently, and said, "If you insist on saying why I like it so much, I can't really explain it. I'll just pick out some things that I feel are worth mentioning."

"Mmm." Mouse nodded.

So Dansha sat there, seemingly wanting to say something, but as she thought about it, she fell silent again.

Why does she like insightful opinions?

Dansha looked down at her interlaced fingertips.

In fact, she hadn't really thought about this issue properly.

Gao Jian broke the seal in anger; his skin was still covered in beads of blood, yet his tone was as calm as asking a neighbor for an excuse: "You want to go home, right? I can take you home." (See Chapter 92 for details)

Admittedly, Dan Sha had no other choice at the time. She had been sealed for too long, and her remnant soul was about to be refined into water by the Zuo family and the Baishanjiang Dragon Palace to help them break through the blockade of the Baishanjiang Immortal Sword, successfully travel by water, and become a dragon.

But... even if she had no other choice, she still didn't believe in brilliant ideas.

She placed her trust in them, and the result was disastrous.

But then...

Gao Jian upheld the trust, and... he also unconditionally trusted Dan Sha. So, Dan Sha lost his own large haruo fish, but got a new one.

The most recent time was on New Year's Eve when she took him to Yangjing to buy things. The city was ablaze with lights, and he stood at the bridgehead, telling jokes as he distributed copper coins to beggars. The sword at his waist reflected the lanterns, and he was illuminated by the lights, as if he were immersed in a galaxy. The clear sound of the copper coins clinking together was quite pleasant to hear.

But the thing Dansha remembers most clearly is from his time in Yuezhou.

At that time, the remnant soul of the true dragon was immersed in the Takami Heart Lake, like a piece of melting snow. The roar of the four divine generals from the outside world shattering the earth turned into tiny ripples on the lake's surface.

She saw Gao Jian practicing his swordplay in the lake of her heart. The young man was observing the dragon's body, while another bolt of divine lightning struck from the outside, reflecting terrifying images of the real world on the lake's surface—

Outside the lake, Gao Jian's injuries were so severe that his bones were exposed.

At that moment, the cinnabar transformed into a dragon's body, and the ripples spreading in the heart lake turned into thunder patterns. Gao Jian suddenly stopped moving and stared in a daze at the real dragon leaping out of the water. Every scale of that dragon was flashing with the light of dragon thunder.

When the outside world's Gao Jian coughed up blood and swung his sword, the divine general's iron whip was only inches away from his skull. Suddenly, the remnant soul of Dan Sha enveloped the young man's eyes in the lake. When his eyelashes brushed against her translucent palm, the real world's Gao Jian, in a moment of inspiration, flicked his wrist upwards.

The blade, crackling with dragon lightning, pierced the divine general's head from his lower jaw. The true dragon on the lake's surface roared and leaped into the water. Dan Sha counted the silvery lights and thought... this person is incredibly powerful.

Thinking about all this, Dansha suddenly shook his head.

"I can't tell."

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(End of this chapter)