The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapters 39 and 40: Hong Qigong VS Little Sword Demon [Two-in-One]

Huang Rong knew the newcomer was a true master, so she quickly dragged the heavy Xuan Tie sword with both hands, ran to Lu Chen's side, and handed the sword to him. Only then did she speak crisply to the beggar:
"Senior, are you a master of the Beggars' Sect?"

The beggar looked at Huang Rong and chuckled:
"Little girl, your features vaguely resemble those of someone I know. And that boy's swordsmanship just now...this old beggar recognizes it all too well. What's your surname?"

Huang Rong said with a smile:

"My name is Huang Rong. May I ask your honorable name, senior?"

The beggar chuckled and said:
"Old Beggar is the leader of the Beggars' Clan. His surname is Hong, and he is the seventh in his family. You can call me Hong Qi, or you can call me Seventh Master. Calling me Old Beggar is also acceptable."

"Seventh Duke!"

Huang Rong greeted her sweetly and formally:

"Huang Rong, daughter of the Lord of Peach Blossom Island in the East Sea, pays her respects to Seventh Master!"

Lu Chen also bowed in response:
"Junior Lu Chen greets Senior Hong."

Although he was confident about his future, he still needed to show respect to a master of the Five Greats level. Besides, Hong Qigong was chivalrous, righteous, and hated evil, which certainly deserved respect.

Hong Qigong laughed:
"So the little girl really is Huang Yaoshi's daughter? Young Lu knows the lightness skill of Peach Blossom Island and is skilled in the 'Falling Blossom Sword Technique.' His skill level is comparable to that of Huang Yaoshi in his youth. Could he be Huang Yaoshi's disciple?"

Huang Rong pouted, "Why does Qi Gong call my father 'Huang Laoxie'? It sounds awful."

Hong Qi laughed and said, "Your father is the Eastern Heretic, and the old beggar is the Northern Beggar. Together with the Western Poison, the Southern Emperor, and the Central Divine, they are known as the Five Greats. The old beggar and your father are old acquaintances, so what's wrong with calling him Huang Yaoshi?"

Huang Rong was stunned. Although she knew the title "Five Greats" and that it represented the pinnacle of martial arts in the world, her father always said that there were more bad things than good things in the martial arts world, and that it would be of no use for a girl to hear about them. Therefore, he had never told her about the Five Greats in detail.

So much so that she didn't even know who the other "Four Wonders" alongside her father were.

So this Beggar Clan leader was also one of the Five Greats, a top-tier master on the same level as his father?
Huang Rong was a little nervous.

She had no idea about Hong Qigong's temper, nor did she know if he had come to cause trouble for Lu Chen because of Elder Peng's matter. So she quickly invoked her father's name:

"Brother Lu Chen is my father's last disciple, and his swordsmanship was taught to him by my father himself!"

Since they are old acquaintances and both are among the Five Greats of the World, for the sake of his father, surely Master Qi wouldn't bully the younger one because of his age?
Hong Qigong said, "So he is Huang Yaoshi's last disciple. No wonder he has such an evil nickname as 'Little Sword Demon'."

Huang Yaoshi was unconventional, arrogant, and disdainful of etiquette, so it seems normal that his closed-door disciple was a bit eccentric.
Huang Rong chuckled:
"I gave him the nickname 'Little Sword Demon' just for fun, I hope you'll forgive my rudeness, Master Qi. May I ask what brings you here, Master Qi?"

"Guidance is out of the question."

Hong Qigong looked at Lu Chen and said with a smile:

"You killed the nine-bag elder of the Beggars' Sect's Clean Clothes Faction. The other two nine-bag elders and eight-bag disciples of the Clean Clothes Faction are outraged and are shouting to use all their skills to avenge their grievances. Old Beggar heard the news and came here specifically to check out the situation. And also to see how powerful the 'Little Sword Demon' is... Lu boy, you better watch out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hong Qigong suddenly leaped into the air, instantly soaring above Lu Chen, and from his high vantage point, struck down with a palm.

In a battle between experts, it is indeed not advisable to easily lift both feet off the ground and leap to strike.

However, Hong Qigong's martial arts skills were already at the pinnacle of the world, allowing him to fight however he pleased, and the moves he used were top-tier techniques that allowed him to soar through the air and look down from above.

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, Flying Dragon in the Sky!

There was no dragon's roar, nor was a dragon-shaped aura seen flying out.

Although there were no fancy special effects, when Hong Qigong's palm struck down, Lu Chen felt the air above his head suddenly vibrate, and a heavy wind pressure descended, enveloping his body. Not only did it make his breathing suffocate, but his body was also pressured by the palm wind, giving him a vague feeling of being burdened and unable to move.

Faced with this powerful palm strike, Lu Chen felt immense pressure, but remained calm and composed. He quickly channeled his true energy, and the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword suddenly rose up, delivering a simple upward thrust that split the heavy palm wind like waves, directly piercing Hong Qigong's palm.

This sword strike was incredibly fast; the eighty-one-pound heavy sword was only slightly slower than a light steel sword weighing one or two pounds.

However, this did not threaten Hong Qigong.

Hong Qigong immediately noticed that the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword was extremely heavy and the force on the sword was extraordinary. So, his palm, which was originally slamming down in a straight line with unparalleled strength, suddenly turned to the side and drew a light and gentle arc in the blink of an eye, striking the heavy sword with his palm.

This seemingly light and gentle palm strike, when it landed on the heavy sword, produced a resounding clang like the clang of metal against metal.

Not only did he knock the heavy sword away with a single palm strike, but a powerful and heavy shockwave also traveled along the sword to Lu Chen's hand holding it, causing him pain in his tiger's mouth, numbness in his fingers and palm, and almost making him lose his grip on the hilt.

However, Lu Chen's skill was now quite refined and powerful, and he possessed immense strength. He withstood the shockwave, firmly gripped the sword hilt, and with a step, his body spun rapidly in the direction the heavy sword had swung.

As he spun around, the heavy sword also swung in a large, whirlwind-like motion, creating a fierce gust of wind before slashing at Hong Qigong once more.

With nowhere to gain leverage while in mid-air, Hong Qigong struck the heavy sword with his palm, which deflected the sword, but the force of the heavy sword also caused him to freeze in mid-air for a moment, preventing him from pouncing down and seizing the momentary opening when Lu Zhong's heavy sword was deflected.

He only used about 50-60% of his strength in his previous palm strike, "Flying Dragon in the Sky".

He thought that a palm strike with 50-60% skill would be enough to knock Lu Chen's heavy sword out of his hand, but he did not expect that not only would he fail to knock the heavy sword away, but Lu Chen would use the force of his palm strike to instantly spin around and sweep the heavy sword across with an even more ferocious momentum than before.

Such skill beyond his years, and his ability to adapt to changing circumstances, made Hong Qigong exclaim in admiration:
"Good boy!"

At the same time, he struck out with both palms in mid-air again, slapping the heavy sword's blade.

But this time no collision occurred.

Hong Qigong's palms seemed to have no strength at all; his hands were as if they had become magnets, sticking to the sword. His tall figure was like a feather that could not bear any force. With his palms on the heavy sword, he flew half a circle in the air with the heavy sword. Only when Lu Chen's sword was about to exhaust its power did he suddenly unleash a palm force as powerful as a mountain torrent.

hum!
The heavy sword vibrated violently, and was forced to fall sharply downwards by the force of the palm strike.

Lu Zhong had already mastered the heavy sword and could easily stop its inertia, but that was only due to the force he himself applied to the sword.

The heavy sword was now being shaken down by Hong Qigong's palm force. Its own weight, combined with the enormous inertia created by Hong Qigong's palm force, made it difficult for Lu Chen to dissipate and control it. The tip of the sword clashed heavily and crashed to the ground.

Before he could even raise his sword, Hong Qigong had already used the momentum to flip behind Lu Chen, and upon landing, he struck Lu Chen's lower back with a backhand palm strike called "Divine Dragon Tail Swing".

Lu Chen couldn't turn around in time, so he simply darted forward and narrowly avoided the palm strike of Hong Qigong's "Divine Dragon Tail Swing". At the same time, the heavy sword that was dragging on the ground suddenly sprang up like a startled snake. With a backhand slash, he struck Hong Qigong's wrist from below.

Hong Qigong laughed heartily, flipped his wrist, and unleashed a powerful palm strike that hit the tip of the heavy sword squarely.

clang!
Amidst the explosion, Lu Chen, who was already leaping forward, was jolted and staggered forward a few steps before barely managing to regain his balance, raising his sword and turning around.

Hong Qigong did not press his advantage, but simply shook his reddened palm and hissed, "Young Lu is quite skilled at such a young age. His ability is even better. This heavy sword is also quite something; it even hurt this old beggar's palm."

He clashed with the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword three times with his bare hands. Although he gained the upper hand each time, it was no easy feat to touch the Xuan Tie with his bare palms.

In other words, he was one of the Five Great Masters, and he had spent his life practicing the most powerful and fierce "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" in the world. His palms were strong enough, otherwise, if he had used his bare palms to fight against the Xuan Iron, his hand bones might have suffered some minor injuries.

"This junior only managed to withstand a few moves from Senior Hong by relying on the advantage of his weapon. Thank you for your mercy, Senior Hong."

Lu Chen cupped his hands and said. He knew that although Hong Qigong used the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" right from the start, he was not actually using his full strength.

He knew very well that in this world, the skill gap between experts was extremely wide.

If the Five Great Masters' combat strength is 100 points, and Qiu Qianren has 95 points, then the first-rate masters below them probably only have a combat strength of 50 or 60 points.

Such a huge gap means that a master of the Five Greats level can easily defeat anyone below the Five Greats level in a one-on-one fight.

Although Lu Chen mastered the heavy sword technique, due to the weather, he did not have the opportunity to practice under the waterfall. Therefore, his skill in the heavy sword technique was still inferior to Yang Guo, who risked his life to practice under the waterfall.

His skill level is not even as good as Yang Guo's.

After all, Yang Guo slept on the Cold Jade Bed every day in the Ancient Tomb, where he could increase his internal energy even while sleeping. He also practiced the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra and the Chongyang Relic Inscription. When he came out of the mountain, his foundation was already quite profound. After experiencing a series of trials in the martial arts world, his martial arts had already reached a first-class level before he lost his arm.

After losing his arm, he also consumed a large amount of Bodhi snake gallbladders, which caused his skill and strength to increase dramatically.

When Lu Chen entered Snake Valley, his internal strength was still quite weak, far inferior to Yang Guo's, and he relied entirely on eating snake gall to increase his internal strength.

Therefore, according to his own calculations, his current martial arts skills, not counting "Sword One", are not comparable to Yang Guo with his heavy sword, but he should have reached the level of Mei Chaofeng.

For someone with martial arts skills at this level to withstand three moves of Hong Qigong's "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms," it could only mean that the opponent was holding back.

Hong Qigong chuckled:
"You took advantage of your weapon, while the old beggar took advantage of his skill. If Huang Yaoshi knew, he would probably laugh at the old beggar for bullying the weak."

He paused, then sighed:
"Judging from your age, you're not even twenty yet, right? At such a young age, you already possess such skill. You might just find a place in the Mount Hua Sword Tournament someday."

When Hong Qigong suddenly attacked, Huang Rong was very nervous, thinking he was going to teach Lu Chen a lesson, and almost shouted, "Qigong, please have mercy!"

However, after the first collision, she realized that Seven Master was probably just testing her and hadn't really gone all out, which put her at ease.

Seeing Lu Chen successfully withstand Hong Qigong's three palm strikes and even receive Hong Qigong's praise, Huang Rong was even happier than if she had heard the Five Greats praise her. She said with a grin:
"Seventh Master is definitely right. I'm honored by Seventh Master's words. My brother Lu Chen will definitely participate in the Mount Hua Sword Tournament in the future and earn a name for himself."

Hong Qigong chuckled to himself:
"You silly girl, the beggar keeps praising Lu boy, what's making you so happy?"

Huang Rong smiled mischievously:
“Brother Lu Chen is my father’s last disciple. Rong’er and he are family. Of course Rong’er is happy that you are praising Brother Lu Chen.”

Hong Qigong smiled and shook his head, then looked at Li Mochou:
"This little girl's kung fu style looks very familiar. Could it be that your family's founder was surnamed Lin?"

Lin Chaoying's reputation was not widespread in the martial arts world, and she had already passed away before the first Mount Hua Sword Tournament. Therefore, few people in the martial arts world knew of her existence, but Hong Qigong certainly did.

"Li Mochou, a disciple of Patriarch Lin, pays respects to Senior Hong."

Li Mochou bowed to Hong Qigong, looking a little nervous.

Hong Qi, the Nine-Fingered Beggar, is one of the Five Greats of the World. She had heard her master mention this title.

Little did I expect that I, a young man just starting out in the martial arts world, would have the honor of meeting the living, breathing masters of the martial arts world, the Five Great Masters.

At the same time, she now also knows the origins of Huang Rong and Lu Chen.

The daughter and closed-door disciple of Huang Yaoshi, the "Eastern Heretic" of the Five Greats, have an illustrious background.

She was initially a little ashamed of herself.

But then I thought:
My ancestor, Master Lin, was a figure who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Wang Chongyang, the leader of the Five Greats and the "Central Divine." When I became his disciple, I even spat at Wang Chongyang's portrait as instructed by my master.

So although I did not inherit the Ancient Tomb Sect's supreme martial art, the "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra," my background seems to be quite respectable.
It seems he's a generation younger than Rong'er and Brother Lu...

"Huang Yaoshi's daughter and disciple, Lin Heroine's grand-disciple... What a coincidence that the three little children are all descendants of the old friends."

Hong Qigong chuckled and looked at Lu Chen, saying:

"Young Lu, do you know why the old beggar has come looking for you?"

Lu Chen said, "Because of Elder Peng's matter."

Huang Rong quickly said, "The Hanshui Gang has committed many evil deeds. Elder Peng is the Hanshui Gang's big backer. If it weren't for Elder Peng's support, the Hanshui Gang would never have been so rampant."

Hong Qigong nodded:

“I’ve heard from several disciples of the Dirty Clothes Faction that the Han River Gang is indeed engaged in many despicable activities. Several disciples of the Dirty Clothes Faction have already fought two battles with the Han River Gang. Old Beggar has also personally investigated and even met with several local girls you rescued. You did the right thing by destroying the Han River Gang. Elder Peng, who defended the Han River Gang, also deserved to die.”

Huang Rong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a grin:

"So, Master Qi came to reward us?"

"Reward?"

Hong Qigong chuckled to himself:
"The Nine-Bag Elder and Eight-Bag Disciple of the Clean Clothes Sect are clamoring to use all their skills to avenge Elder Peng. Old Beggar forcefully suppressed them and came here personally to collect evidence of Elder Peng's crimes to settle things for you. And you, little girl, actually want a reward?"

Huang Rong said seriously:
"But we helped you, Master Qi, expose the scum of the Beggars' Clan, uphold the reputation of the Beggars' Clan, and even saved you the trouble of dealing with a Nine-Bag Elder... You are one of the Five Greats of the World, a top figure in the martial arts world. We, a few juniors, have helped you so much. Are you not even willing to give us a little reward?"

Hong Qigong blew his beard and glared:

“When Beggar Clan elders commit crimes, the Beggar Clan rules will handle the matter. You directly killed the Nine-Bag Elder, whose rank is second only to me, the leader of the Beggar Clan. Not only did the old beggar not cause you any trouble, but he also went to great lengths to help you clean up the mess. Why should I give you any reward?”

Huang Rong pouted and hummed twice:

"My father even said that Master Qi was chivalrous, righteous, and hated evil, and that he was the most just and fair man in the world... Hmph, so this is the kind of just and fair Master Qi you are?"

She was unaware of Hong Qigong's temperament.

However, after watching Hong Qi and Lu Chen fight and talking for a while, she had a pretty good grasp of Hong Qi's character and immediately started to tease and flatter him.

"?"

Hong Qigong looked surprised:
"Did Huang Yaoshi really say that I am the most fair and just person, the number one hero in the world, unparalleled in the world?"

Huang Rong's tone was serious and flawless:
"Yes! My dad also said that the person he admires most is Master Qi."

Seeing Huang Rong's serious expression, Hong Qigong thought that Huang Yaoshi was always arrogant and aloof, and he boasted that he was both literate and martial, and had unparalleled talent. Apart from Wang Chongyang, no one could convince him.

So, although Huang Yaoshi and this old beggar were acquainted, he had never said a kind word to the old beggar before, so how could he praise him so much behind his back?

But then I thought about it again. Huang Yaoshi's personality is a bit awkward, so maybe Huang Yaoshi admires me, the old beggar, but he pretends to be arrogant in front of me. In private, he still can't help but praise me in front of his daughter.
Thinking of this, Hong Qigong couldn't help but feel a little smug:

In this world, besides Wang Chongyang, the only person who can earn the respect and admiration of someone as arrogant as Huang Yaoshi is probably me, the old beggar.
[Two chapters combined today, posted together. Please vote with your monthly tickets!]

(End of this chapter)