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

Chapters 53, 67 and 68: Huang Rong wins the martial arts contest to find a husband! Wanyan Kang's trap!

Seeing Huang Rong barge into the martial arts contest for a husband, Wanyan Kang was taken aback and looked back at Lu Chen on the roof of the carriage:
"Young Master Huang, what brings you here?"

Lu Chen gave an awkward but polite smile:

"My brother Huang is young and impetuous, and wants to join in the fun. There shouldn't be any rush in attending the banquet, right?"

"...No rush, of course not."

Wanyan Kang chuckled twice, feeling speechless.

He thought to himself, "I didn't even go to the martial arts contest to find a husband, why is Huang Rong, a girl, going to join in the fun?"
Isn't this just pure disruption?

Lu Chen's mood was also somewhat complicated.

The famous martial arts contest for marriage happened to happen, but unexpectedly, Wanyan Kang refrained from participating, while Huang Rong went to join in the fun.

The time traveler's enormous wings have messed up the timelines a bit!
At this time, Mu Nianci had already won a match, and Yang Tiexin, who was using the alias "Mu Yi," was introducing himself and explaining the rules.

"My name is Mu Yi, from Shandong..."

After introducing himself and explaining the rules of the "martial arts contest to find a husband," Yang Tiexin had just finished a four-sided bow when three people rushed into the arena at the same time.

The onlookers burst into laughter as soon as they saw the three people entering.

The three men were: a fat old man in his fifties with a full beard and gray hair; a bald monk; and a young man dressed in brocade and white fur.

However, anyone with eyes could see that the fair-skinned, handsome, and incredibly beautiful "young master" was actually a girl, who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, a year or two younger than the girl in red who had chosen a husband through a martial arts contest...

Huang Rong didn't see anything wrong with it. She glanced at the fat old man and smiled:

"Grandpa, your hair and beard are all white. You should go home and take care of your grandson. A martial arts contest to find a husband is not suitable for you."

He then said to the bald monk:
"Great monk, are you about to break the precepts? Aren't you afraid of Buddha's wrath?"

The obese old man angrily said:

"Although I am old, I am still unmarried and have no children or grandchildren. Why can't I participate in the martial arts contest to find a husband? An age gap is the perfect match. Follow me, and I guarantee she will enjoy a life of happiness! As for you, what are you doing getting involved, you little girl?"

The monk put his hands together in prayer, said "Amitabha," and solemnly said:

"If I win the martial arts contest to find a husband, I will immediately return to secular life, marry that beautiful bride, and give birth to a bunch of little monks for Buddha. Buddha will only reward me; how could he blame me?"

The onlookers burst into laughter and started jeering, with some shouting:
"The three of you fight first, and whoever wins goes up!"

Some people just want to watch the drama unfold:

"Yes, the three of you fight! The little girl should also join in; she's really pretty, and I think she'd be a good match for that lady in red!"

Huang Rong chuckled, made a four-sided bow, and winked at Mu Nianci under her banner:

"I'll deal with these two weirdos first, then I'll have a match with my sister!"

Mu Nianci was both amused and exasperated.

She was initially quite annoyed by the fat old man and the big monk's nonsense, but seeing Huang Rong's pretty and cute appearance and wanting to stand up for her, her anger subsided considerably, and a smile even appeared on her lips.

At this moment, the obese old man and the senior monk exchanged a glance and said:

"The little girl is deliberately causing trouble, should we deal with her first?"

"Alright, let's get rid of her for now!"

These two, one disregarding their age and the other their social status, participated in a martial arts contest to find a husband in front of everyone, clearly not caring about their reputation.

After reaching an agreement, they ignored the notion of "bullying the weak" and pounced on Huang Rong from both sides, each throwing a punch at her.

Huang Rong chuckled, tilting her head to dodge the fat old man's fist. At the same time, she swiftly raised her hand and used the "Orchid Flicking Acupoint Hand" to gently flick her slender fingers at the "Quchi Acupoint" on his elbow. The fat old man immediately felt a numbness in his elbow, and half of his arm went numb.

This is not finished.

Huang Rong took another step and flashed behind the fat old man like a phantom. She hooked his ankle with her foot and pushed him on the back with her palm. The fat old man was immediately thrown forward and fell, his old face hitting the big monk's fist.

Bang!
With a muffled thud, the obese old man groaned, his vision blurred, and a large bruise appeared around his eyes and brows.

The head monk was also stunned.

His punch was originally aimed at Huang Rong, but the fat old man suddenly pounced on him and took the punch with his face, which was completely inexplicable.

Before he could react, a figure flashed before his eyes. It was Huang Rong, who had appeared in front of him again, grinning at him. Suddenly, she jumped up and punched his bald head.

The monk hurriedly raised his hand to parry, but Huang Rong's fist, though small, was surprisingly strong. With one punch, she numb his forearm, which he had raised to parry, and broke his blocking stance.

Huang Rong's fist came down again, slamming into the monk's head with a thud, making him dizzy and causing him to collapse to the ground with a thud.

"This little girl is a bit strange!"

The obese old man rubbed his eyes and glared at Huang Rong:

"Great monk, we need to use our real skills now!"

As he spoke, he reached into his waist and pulled out an iron whip.

The senior monk sat on the ground, feeling dizzy for a moment. He then angrily propped himself up and took out a monk's knife from his robe.

When the two men brandished weapons to beat up a little girl, the onlookers immediately booed.

Yang Tiexin quickly added:

"Wait a moment, gentlemen! This is the capital city; we must not use weapons without authorization..."

Before she could finish speaking, the obese old man and the monk each brandished their iron whips and monk's knives and attacked Huang Rong.

Just as Yang Tiexin and Mu Nianci were about to intervene, Huang Rong smiled sweetly, braced herself with her left foot, and unleashed a series of kicks with her right foot. Her legs moved with lightning speed, striking first the hilt of the monk's dagger and sending it flying into the air. Then, she kicked the monk in the abdomen, sending him flying backward and crashing to the ground, clutching his stomach and curling up like a shrimp.

Then she dodged the fat old man's iron whip by turning to the side, and lashed out with her calf like a whip, striking the fat old man's lower back with a crack. The fat old man immediately flailed his arms and legs and was thrown out, falling heavily to the ground.

Only then did the ring knife that she had kicked away fall back down.

She caught the monk's knife with one hand, gripped the handle with the other, pinched the back of the blade, and twisted it with force, snapping it in two with a clang.

Since embarking on their journey through the martial world together, the two can be said to have helped each other achieve success.

With Huang Rong's help, Lu Chen's wishes came true and his martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds. Huang Rong also had many adventures with Lu Chen.

Although he refused to consume the gallbladder of the Bodhi snake, he still ate a lot of snake meat, and his skills, strength, and physical abilities improved considerably.

After obtaining the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian" (a manual on strengthening tendons and bones), she worked diligently and became very energetic for a period of time, practicing every day to improve her physical strength and greatly enhance her abilities.

Two days ago, he drank another bowl of precious snake blood and shared precious snake meat with Lu Chen, which greatly increased his power.

With her current skill level, even if she were to face Ouyang Ke, she could fight him to a standstill with her diverse skills and innate quick wit.

At that moment, seeing her skill in breaking a steel knife with her delicate hands, the onlookers cheered and were amazed.

The big monk and the fat old man were utterly defeated in just a few moves and were too ashamed to face anyone. Seeing her twisting a steel knife in her hand, they realized that she had held back and hadn't used her true skills. They immediately got up, disappeared into the crowd, and ran away without a trace.

Huang Rong, full of vigor, bowed to the cheering crowd around her, then looked at Mu Nianci with a smile:
"Sister Mu, it's our turn to compete."

Mu Nianci was slightly taken aback, not expecting Huang Rong to actually challenge her to a martial arts duel, and she was both amused and exasperated.
"This young lady..."

Huang Rong stood with her hands behind her back, chin slightly tilted back, her face serious.
"Please call me Young Master Huang."

"Uh...Young Master Huang's martial arts are superb, I am ashamed to admit that I am inferior..."

"Sister Mu, are you going to admit defeat right now? Admit that I won this martial arts contest to find a husband?"

Huang Rong, still childlike at heart, was in a playful mood and didn't care that she was a girl and couldn't get married. She said to Mu Nianci with a grin:

"Then can we get engaged?"

"..."

Mu Nianci remained silent.

Yang Tiexin also looked helpless, not knowing how to deal with this highly skilled young girl.

"So, Sister Mu, why don't you have a match with me?"

Huang Rong smiled and struck the starting pose of "Free and Easy Wandering":
"Otherwise, you won't be able to back out of this engagement!"

Upon seeing the boxing stance she adopted, a look of surprise flashed in Mu Nianci's eyes:
"Your boxing skills..."

Huang Rong blinked:
"Perhaps they were taught by the same senior. Let's have a competition and see who practices better."

Without waiting for Mu Nianci's consent, she used the graceful steps of the Free and Unfettered Wanderer to appear in front of Mu Nianci and lightly threw a punch. Helpless, Mu Nianci could only brace herself and exchange blows with Huang Rong.

Both of them were beauties, and their movements and boxing styles were extremely graceful and beautiful. At this moment, the two beauties exchanged blows and moved about, their clothes fluttering as they danced like two cranes, which made the onlookers cheer and applaud continuously.

Wanyan Kang watched for a while, then muttered to himself:
"Huang Rong is not only skilled in hidden weapons, but also quite adept in hand-to-hand combat. Originally, Liang Ziweng was assigned to deal with her, but now it seems that a single, half-crippled Liang Ziweng might not be enough. We'll have to make some adjustments later..."

Lu Chen was unaware of Wanyan Kang's thoughts, and simply watched Huang Rong and Mu Nianci fight with a smile.

Huang Rong did not rely on her skills to bully Mu Nianci, but simply fought with her in terms of moves, seemingly wanting to prove that her "Free and Easy Wandering" was better.

Unfortunately, the truth was that Mu Nianci's moves were more refined, and within twenty moves, she had already gained the upper hand.

Although Huang Rong was unwilling, she had no choice but to show her true skills if she didn't want to lose and lose face.

So, after fighting for more than fifty moves, when exchanging blows with Mu Nianci, Huang Rong suddenly unleashed her true power, sending Mu Nianci back several steps with a single palm strike.

Mu Nianci felt a numbness in her hand; although her forearm was not injured, she was temporarily unable to lift it and had no choice but to admit defeat.

"I lost."

Although Huang Rong repelled Mu Nianci with her palm strike, she knew that in terms of skill level alone, she had already lost in the Free and Unfettered Fist style. Disheartened, she shook her head.

"Sigh, your Free and Easy Wandering is better than mine, so let's call this a draw."

Mu Nianci said with a smile:
"Thank you for your mercy, Young Master Huang."

Huang Rong pouted and said earnestly:

"Today I only managed to defeat you by virtue of my skill, but after I practice more seriously, I will definitely be able to defeat you by skill alone. Sister Mu, where do you live? I will come to find you for a match after I have practiced my skills."

Mu Nianci smiled and said:
"If we compete again, it can no longer be considered a martial arts contest for marriage, and I will not get engaged to you if I lose."

Huang Rong smiled sweetly:
"That's natural."

Mu Nianci then whispered to Huang Rong where she and her adoptive father were staying, and Huang Rong nodded:

"I've written it down, I'll come find you again."

With that, he waved to Mu Nianci, left the crowd, and went straight into the carriage.

Lu Chen also climbed down from the roof of the carriage and crawled into it. Seeing Huang Rong with a serious expression, looking thoughtful, he couldn't help but ask with a smile:

"what happened?"

Huang Rong solemnly said:
"This competition with Sister Mu has taught me a profound lesson."

"What's the point?"

"Diligence leads to mastery, while idleness leads to ruin. I knew this principle before, but I didn't take it to heart. Only today do I realize that it is a profound truth. No matter how talented you are, you will hardly achieve great things if you don't work hard."

Lu Chen said happily:
"It's good that Rong'er has grasped this principle. From now on, you..."

"You'll have to work twice as hard from now on."

Huang Rong looked at Lu Chen and said seriously:

"Although your swordsmanship talent is unparalleled throughout history, and you practice diligently every day, sleeping only two hours a night, you still haven't made full use of all your time."

"For example, if you don't practice internal energy cultivation, your power won't increase while you sleep. Although you may experience a series of fortuitous encounters that cause your power to surge repeatedly, the spiritual resources in the world are ultimately limited and cannot be relied upon. If you want to reach the pinnacle, you still need to focus on daily accumulation."

"Although you have only been practicing martial arts for a short time, your external skills are already very advanced. So it's time for you to start practicing internal skills. You need to practice the internal skills of the 'Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian' so that you can increase your power even when you sleep."

"..." Lu Chen looked astonished: "So, Rong'er, you've deeply understood the truth, but in the end, you want me to work twice as hard?"

Seeing his stunned and speechless expression, Huang Rong suppressed her laughter for a moment, but finally couldn't help but burst out laughing:

"Okay, I'll work hard with you from now on."

"That's pretty much it."

"But what I said is true, you really should start practicing your internal energy cultivation. After all, you can only practice physical exercises when you're awake, and you can only increase your power while practicing. But if you practice internal energy cultivation, not only can you increase your power while sleeping, but you can also slightly increase it while walking, sitting, or lying down. Although the increase is not much, it adds up to a considerable amount over time."

"Yes, Master Rong is right. Now that my external skills are already quite proficient, it's time for me to start practicing internal skills. But I've never practiced internal skills before, so I need Master Rong's guidance."

Huang Rong patted her chest:
"Don't worry, with Master Rong here, she'll definitely lead you in."

As they were talking, Yang Tiexin had already packed up his martial arts contest to find a husband and returned with Mu Nianci. The crowd had also dispersed, and Wanyan Kang led his team toward Sheng'an Temple.

Before they knew it, dusk had fallen, and the group arrived at the shore of Willow Lake outside the Temple of Saint An.

Wanyan Kang dismounted and led Lu Chen and Huang Rong out of the carriage, taking them to the lakeside dock, where a magnificent painted boat was moored, already brightly lit.

"I originally intended to invite you two to cruise the lake and enjoy the snow, but unfortunately it's getting late and the snow scenery is no longer clearly visible," Wanyan Kang said with a smile. "However, a night cruise on the snow-covered lake, accompanied by song and dance performances, would certainly be quite interesting."

As he spoke, he gestured for the two to enter, leading them onto the pleasure boat. Upon reaching the main hall, just as they were about to go inside, a guard blocked Lu Chen's path, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in a deep voice:
"Young Master Lu, the young prince is hosting a banquet, so it is not appropriate to bring weapons. May I have this sword for safekeeping?"

Want my sword?
Lu Chenyuan had already suspected that something was amiss at Wanyan Kang's banquet, so why would he leave the sword behind? He said calmly:
"No."

Huang Rong looked at Wanyan Kang with a half-smile:
"What does Your Highness mean by this? As a martial artist, are you perhaps averse to the sight of weapons?"

The guards' actions were clearly arranged by Wanyan Kang.

However, seeing that Lu Chen did not back down, and that the pleasure boat had only just started moving and had not yet left the dock, a skilled person could easily leap back to shore. To prevent the two from noticing something was wrong and retreating in time, Wanyan Kang could only laugh and reprimand the guard:
"Who told you to be so rude? Get out of here!"

After dismissing the guard, he smiled and bowed to Lu Chen and Huang Rong.

"My servant was rude; please forgive him, Brother Lu and Young Master Huang. I will punish myself with three cups of wine later to apologize. Please, both of you!"

Lu Chen glanced at Wanyan Kang, handed the "Qinggang Sword" to Huang Rong, and then followed Wanyan Kang into the hall with Huang Rong.

The banquet hall of the painted boat was already set up, and a group of women dressed as musicians immediately began to play welcoming music when Wanyan Kang led Lu Chen and Huang Rong in.

The three took their seats as host and guest, and Wanyan Kang gave an order, at which point a group of maids filed in and served fine wine and delicacies.

Once the wine and dishes were served, Wanyan Kang clapped his hands, and a group of graceful women in white, their faces veiled, walked in.

Each of the twelve women in white carried a long sword, and judging from the cold gleam of its blade, it was clearly a sharpened sword.

Huang Rong said, half seriously and half jokingly:

"Young Prince, is this a trap you're setting up tonight?"

"Young Master Huang is joking."

Wanyan Kang remained expressionless and chuckled:
"They are all dancers from the Prince's Palace. The Prince's Palace has hundreds of dancers who have been raised in the palace since childhood, learning singing, dancing and musical instruments. Brother Lu and Young Master Huang are both martial arts heroes, so I specially selected these twelve dancers who are good at sword dancing to make you two smile."

With a light clap of her hands, the musicians changed to a lively and exciting tune, and the twelve women in white spread out their formation and began a sword dance.

After watching the sword dance for a while, Huang Rong feigned surprise again:
"Judging from their movements and footwork, this sword dance doesn't seem to be just a purely entertaining dance; it might even be used in actual combat."

"Young Master Huang is right."

Wanyan Kang smiled amiably:
"The dancers of the Prince's Palace are also used as guards when necessary, so their sword dances can indeed be used in actual combat. However, for martial arts masters like Young Master Huang and Brother Lu, their meager skills are not worth mentioning. Come, Brother Lu, Young Master Huang, let me toast you both!"

Lu Chen did not raise his glass.

He had planned to confront them today, but Wanyan Kang brought out twelve white-clad "dancers" who were skilled in martial arts and quite capable, which clearly showed that he also had ill intentions.

Since they had come to the same conclusion, Lu Chen was too lazy to continue the pretense with Wanyan Kang and coldly looked at him:
"Why does Your Highness need to play these tricks on us? These twelve so-called dancers of the Prince's Palace are probably Ouyang Ke's concubines, aren't they? But where is Ouyang Ke?"

Wanyan Kang was slightly taken aback, then chuckled and shook his head, saying:
“I knew I couldn’t hide it from Brother Lu… Well then, since Brother Lu has already seen through this little trick, let’s all come out.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall door dimmed slightly, and three figures entered.

It was Ouyang Ke, Master Lingzhi, and Liang Ziweng, who was leaning on a pillar.

at the same time.

The musicians playing music, as well as the maids who had just served the wine and food, all brandished weapons such as scimitars and whips, clearly indicating that they were all Ouyang Ke's concubines in disguise.

Huang Rong pouted:

"This really is a trap! But young prince, are you underestimating us? Look at you lot, the one with a missing finger, the one with crutches, the one with zero intelligence, oh, and now a blind one... Is the Great Jin Kingdom out of people? You think these crippled people can deal with us?"

There was indeed a blind one.

A woman dressed in black silently entered the hall alone through the back door. She did not stand with Ouyang Ke and the others, but stood alone by the back door, giving people a feeling of coldness and arrogance.

The woman in black had slightly dark skin, a thin figure, and her eyes were tightly closed, clearly indicating that she was blind.

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(End of this chapter)