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

Chapter 58, Section 73: The Western Poison Proposes Marriage? Then Kill Him! [Bonus Chapter, Please Vote!]

While the snow in the north has not yet melted, spring has already arrived and flowers are in bloom in the south.

Peach Blossom Island in the East China Sea is especially vibrant with its peach blossoms. Clusters of bright red, pink, and white blossoms stretch for miles, resembling brocade clouds fallen to earth when viewed from afar.

A large ship slowly docked at Peach Blossom Island's pier. Before the ship had even come to a complete stop, Huang Rong leaped off and flew towards the peach grove, calling out joyfully:

"Daddy, I'm back!"

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the peach grove.

Lu Chen and Mei Chaofeng led the white camel off the boat and arrived at the peach grove, but dared not enter the grove rashly.

The peach grove was set up with a formation, like a maze. Without a guide, one would only get lost if they went in rashly.

Do you know how to get there?

Lu Chen glanced sideways at Mei Chaofeng.

Mei Chaofeng looked dazed, her face showing excitement, trepidation, fear, and a sense of relief.

Upon hearing Lu Chen's question, Mei Chaofeng shook her head:
"I used to know how to get there. But now I'm blind, I can't see the road..."

"Then we can only wait."

Helpless, Lu Chen let the white camels graze, while he went to sit in a pavilion outside the peach grove and practiced his kung fu again, making the most of every minute.

During this period, his idea of ​​fusing the Nine Yin Divine Claw with the Five Fingers Sword Aura has already shown some success.

It's estimated that in another three to five days, I'll be able to unleash the sword's light at any time when using the Nine Yin Divine Claw.

The two waited outside the peach grove.

Huang Rong wandered through the peach grove, making several turns, when she suddenly heard the sound of a flute. She immediately called out "Father" twice and followed the sound of the flute out of the peach blossom maze, arriving at a bamboo grove.

In the bamboo forest stands a pavilion made of bamboo branches, with the words "Jicui Pavilion" written on the plaque. On the left and right sides of the pavilion door is a couplet that reads: "Peach blossoms fall like flying swords, the blue sea rises like jade flutes."

Dressed in a blue robe, resembling a middle-aged scholar, Huang Yaoshi was sitting in the pavilion playing the jade flute alone. When Huang Rong saw Huang Yaoshi, she called out joyfully:
"Father, Rong'er is back!"

She skipped and hopped into the pavilion, nestled into Huang Yaoshi's arms, and after a while, she sweetly cuddled him before smiling and saying:

"Daddy, we've brought Mei Chaofeng back! You have no idea how exciting our journey has been..."

Just as she was about to tell her father about the extraordinary encounters and significant achievements she had made while traveling the martial world with Lu Chen, and to boast about her current martial arts skills, Huang Yaoshi suddenly asked:
"Have you encountered Ouyang Feng's nephew, Ouyang Ke?"

Huang Rong was taken aback and asked in surprise:

"I haven't even said anything yet, how did Father know? Could it be..."

She looked suddenly enlightened, opened her left hand, clenched her right fist, and slammed her fist into her palm:
"I understand, Father. You've been secretly following us the whole way!"

"..."

Huang Yaoshi was speechless, finding the situation both laughable and absurd.

"How could I, as your father, follow you two youngsters all the way?"

"Isn't that right?" Huang Rong blinked. "Then how did Father know we encountered Ouyang Ke?"

Huang Yaoshi took out a letter:
“This is a letter from Ouyang Feng, who arrived half a day earlier than you. In the letter, he said that his nephew Ouyang Ke met you in the Jin Kingdom and said that he fell in love with you at first sight and asked Ouyang Feng to arrange a marriage for him.”

Huang Rong looked shocked:
"Huh? The Western Poison is proposing marriage for Ouyang Ke? That Ouyang Ke ran away so fast?"

Their journey south, carrying Yang Tiexin's family, took more than ten days from Zhongdu to the border between the Song and Jin dynasties, and nearly twenty more days to travel slowly by boat along the Grand Canal to Lin'an, taking a total of more than a month.

In just over a month, Ouyang Ke was able to run back to the Western Regions, and Ouyang Feng's letter arrived at Peach Blossom Island half a day earlier, which shows how fast Ouyang Ke's speed was.

"The 'Instant Thousand Miles' lightness skill of White Camel Mountain is so fast that even I, as its father, have to admire it."

Huang Yaoshi said calmly:

"The Western Poison has personally sent a letter proposing marriage. Rong'er, what are your plans?"

"I don't want to marry Ouyang Ke."

Huang Rong pouted, looking displeased.
“Ouyang Ke brought twenty-four concubines with him when he went to Zhongdu this time, including a blonde, blue-eyed Hu woman. It is said that he also keeps dozens of concubines on White Camel Mountain. I don’t want to marry a man like him.”

Huang Yaoshi didn't seem to care that Ouyang Ke had many concubines.

He loved only one wife, but he did not impose his own standards on others.

In his view, the Western Poison and the Eastern Heretic were indeed a good match, and Rong'er had been spoiled by him. If she married a husband who was not capable, she would probably bully the weak and oppress the husband's family after marriage. At least he had to find someone who was equal to Rong'er in order to avoid being bullied.

So if Lu Chen hadn't existed, Huang Yaoshi would have already agreed to the marriage.

Previously in Shaoxing Prefecture, he outwardly treated Lu Chen with disdain, but in reality, he was quite satisfied with Lu Chen's swordsmanship talent.

In addition, Lu Chen is not bad-looking and quite learned. Although he is not very good at the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry and prose, and can only recite poems, he has a wide range of knowledge and has a broad range of interests.

Not only could he have a good conversation with Huang Yaoshi, but he could also come up with many novel insights that Huang Yaoshi had never heard of before, yet upon closer examination they made a lot of sense.

In short, if it were Lu Chen, Huang Yaoshi felt that he would be a good match for Rong'er.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to capture a bandit leader to give Lu Chen his final lesson in combat, and he wouldn't have allowed him to travel the world with Rong'er.

only……

“Ouyang Feng will come to Peach Blossom Island in person within half a month at the latest. He is a grandmaster of the Five Greats, and his name is on par with my father. I cannot refuse him entry to the island.”

Huang Yaoshi looked at Huang Rong and said calmly:

"If you don't want to marry Ouyang Ke, then you want to marry Lu Chen?"

"what?"

Huang Rong was stunned for a moment, then her pretty face flushed red, and she said shyly:

"Um, I, I don't know either... Anyway, anyway I... um, I and Brother Lu Chen..."

Brother Lu Chen?

Hearing the affectionate term she used, Huang Yaoshi understood immediately and said:
“Now that Lu Chen has fulfilled his promise and captured Mei Chaofeng, I can take him as my disciple. Rong’er, you and my disciple are in love, so use this to refuse Ouyang Feng’s marriage proposal. I’m sure Ouyang Feng will have nothing to say.”

Huang Rong's face flushed red. She first nodded instinctively, then shook her head repeatedly.

"No, I don't want Brother Lu Chen to be your disciple."

"what?"

Huang Yaoshi was greatly surprised:
"Didn't you suggest that I take him as my last disciple? Why have you suddenly changed your mind?"

Being your disciple is like being cursed with "heavenly defects and earthly flaws"!

Like Mei Chaofeng, you didn't even break her legs yourself, yet she went blind on her own!
If she hadn't met me, she would have gone mad with qi deviation and would have been paralyzed at the very least.

This shows just how powerful the curse is.

Huang Rong thought to herself, but of course she wouldn't tell the truth on the surface. She simply said in a serious tone:

"My brother Lu Chen's martial arts skills are now so high that he could easily establish his own sect! If that's the case, why would he need to be a disciple of Peach Blossom Island?"

Seeing her with her chin held high, looking smug, Huang Yaoshi snorted softly:
"Less than half a year has passed since we parted in Shaoxing. No matter how talented Lu is, how much progress can his martial arts have made? To start your own sect... You really don't know your own limitations!"

As for the capture of Mei Chaofeng, Huang Yaoshi felt that it was probably because he revealed his name that Mei Chaofeng voluntarily came back with him.

Huang Rong said with a smile:
"Anyway, he's already very powerful now. Even you, Father, might not be able to defeat him."

Huang Yaoshi sneered:
"Even your father can't handle that brat Lu? Very well, then let him deal with Ouyang Feng on his own. Your father won't help either side!"

After saying that, he turned away.

Huang Rong only thought about preventing Lu Chen from becoming her father's disciple to avoid the rather strange "curse of heaven and earth deficiency," but she never really thought about letting Lu Chen deal with Ouyang Feng alone.

Of course, even if Huang Yaoshi doesn't take sides, she still has the confidence to back it up.

Lu Chen had said that after visiting her father and fulfilling their previous agreement, he would take her to the "Immortal Realm" for a visit. Therefore, even if Lu Chen was no match for Ouyang Feng, they could still go to the "Immortal Realm" and make Ouyang Feng's efforts futile. They could practice their martial arts in the Immortal Realm before returning to deal with the Western Poison. So, she wasn't in a hurry when Huang Yaoshi left, only smilingly saying to his retreating figure:
"Then I'll go pick up Brother Lu Chen first! I'll cook a big meal for Father tonight!"

Huang Yaoshi did not reply, but only gave a soft hum, and his figure quickly disappeared into the forest.

Huang Rong made a face at his back, then skipped back to pick up Lu Chen.

……

"Brother Lu Chen, the situation is dire! Ouyang Feng is personally coming to propose marriage on behalf of Ouyang Ke. He will arrive at Peach Blossom Island in at the latest within half a month!"

In the pavilion, Lu Chen looked at Huang Rong, who had a serious expression, and after listening to her recount the whole story, he smiled and said:

"Don't worry, Ouyang Ke can't marry you, even if Ouyang Feng comes in person, it won't work."

Huang Rong blinked twice:

"So we ran off to the Celestial Realm to lay low for a while?"

"Run?" Lu Chen shook his head. "There's no need to run. So what if Ouyang Feng comes in person? I'd like to experience the true skills of the Five Great Masters."

Of the Five Greats, the one he fears the least is the Western Poison.

The Western Poisoner is poisonous, but he has a poison resistance.

The Western Poisoner possesses the Toad Style Kung Fu, and he also has a sword with added sword light.

As for the other skills of the Western Poison, he also had sufficiently superb swordsmanship to deal with them.

If given the chance, he decided to kill Ouyang Feng in one fell swoop—Ouyang Feng, who was kind to Yang Guo in the Condor Heroes era, was a completely different person from Ouyang Feng in the Legend of the Condor Heroes era.

Okay, even Ouyang Feng, who was good to Yang Guo, caused a tragedy involving a dragon knight by knocking out Xiaolongnu.

As for Ouyang Feng from the Condor Heroes era, he was an even more insidious, vicious, and ruthless villain.

Tan Chuduan, an elder, bullied the younger generation and killed the Seven Masters of Quanzhen by sneak attacking them from behind. Later, he also tried to sneak attack Huang Yaoshi from behind. If Mei Chaofeng hadn't blocked Huang Yaoshi's Toad Skill for him, Huang Yaoshi might have died on the spot.

Hong Qigong saved Ouyang Feng twice, but Ouyang Feng never showed any gratitude and repeatedly repaid kindness with enmity.

He even killed the Five Heroes of Jiangnan on Peach Blossom Island and framed Huang Yaoshi, showing no trace of a master's demeanor.

He even wanted to kill Huang Rong. If Huang Rong hadn't used the Nine Yin Manual to keep him in check, he probably would have bullied the weak and killed Huang Rong.

Given the opportunity, Lu Chen would go all out against such a treacherous, ruthless, and unscrupulous "old poisoner," showing no mercy whatsoever.

Of course, he wouldn't become too arrogant or underestimate the Western Poison.

"I have half a month left, and I've come up with a good way to practice my skills."

"What method?"

"Before arriving on the island, I could see a reef on the east side of Peach Blossom Island from afar, and the waves looked quite fierce."

Lu Chen looked at Huang Rong with a smile:

"I will practice swordsmanship in the sea and try to improve my swordsmanship in the next two weeks."

Huang Rong said worriedly:
"But there are only two weeks left. Are you really confident?"

Lu Chen nodded affirmatively:

"of course."

Seeing that he showed no fear whatsoever, and even seemed somewhat expectant, Huang Rong knew he would not run away from the arrival of the Western Poison. Therefore, she could only help him improve his strength as much as possible. She then said earnestly:

"Then I will ask my father to be your sparring partner and ask him to show his true skills so that you can get used to the real abilities of the Five Great Masters in advance."

Lu Chen smiled broadly:
"This couldn't be better."

……

Below Finger Peak, on the reef beach.

Amidst the thunderous roar of the waves, a wave taller than two people approached from afar, seemingly slow but actually swift, as it surged towards the reef.

Lu Chen stood firmly on a smooth, rounded rock polished by the waves, his feet firmly planted on the ground. He held the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword and faced the surging waves head-on.

As the waves crashed down on him, he suddenly raised his heavy sword and thrust it straight at the waves.

Whoosh...

Amidst the sharp, piercing sound of air being cut, Lu Zhong thrust his heavy sword repeatedly, each strike faster than the last.

The heavy sword, weighing eighty-one pounds, was thrust with the speed of a light sword. The gray-black sword shadows formed a continuous line, one after another, resisting the waves and forcefully carving a huge hole in the huge wave in front of him, dissipating the surging force directly in front of him.

However, once the waves start, they never stop.

Before the previous wave had completely subsided, another huge wave crashed down on him. Lu Chen only had time to catch his breath before he had to face another wave that was more than two people high. His heavy sword once again launched a series of thrusts.

And so, he persevered for more than an hour amidst the continuous waves, until his inner energy gradually dwindled and his strength was nearly exhausted.

Before he could catch his breath, another huge wave surged in, crashing him off the rocks and into the sea.

Lu Chen remained calm and composed. He activated his breath-holding technique, held his breath, and used the weight of the heavy sword to sink to the seabed. Then, he plunged the sword heavily into the seabed, gripping it with one hand and firmly planting his feet, trying his best to stabilize his body.

At the same time, his other hand sometimes used palm techniques, sometimes finger sword techniques, and sometimes Nine Yin Divine Claw techniques, constantly dispersing the ever-changing undercurrents that swept and pulled at him.

When he was almost out of breath, he dragged his heavy sword and carefully made his way to the shore. He sat down cross-legged and used the internal energy cultivation technique of the Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian to recover his energy.

He already possessed extraordinary recovery abilities, and now, having learned internal energy under Huang Rong's guidance, his recovery was even faster. In less than a quarter of an hour, he was full of energy again, leaping onto the smooth reef and battling the waves.

By contending with the power of heaven and earth, his swordsmanship and internal strength improved by leaps and bounds, and his application of force became more refined and unrestrained.

He even used the essence of "Sword One" and the "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones" thrusting technique, combined with thrusting techniques from multiple sword styles, to gradually devise a new killing move.

This deadly move can be summed up in one word: "stab".

The body and sword become one, the body moves with the sword, the body moves to drive the sword, and the sword moves to drive the body, with extreme explosive speed to rush forward and strike the enemy’s vital points such as the brow, throat, heart, and abdomen in a series of thrusts.

The essence of this move lies not in the technique of wielding the sword during the series of thrusts, but in the footwork used for the rapid advance.

One must use extremely fast footwork to pursue the enemy in front of them like a shadow, leaving the enemy with no way to dodge and forcing them to face his attacks head-on.

Lu Chen had already begun to integrate the footwork of many profound sword techniques, forming a completely new sword footwork that belonged to him.

He also obtained the lower volume of the Nine Yin Manual, which contains several light-body skills such as "Snake Walking and Fox Turning". He absorbed its essence and integrated it into his own swordsmanship and footwork. Not only did his swordsmanship and footwork become more swift and agile, but even the "Shadow Following" footwork for assassination moves was gradually taking shape.

Of course, this rapid sword thrusting move is best performed with a light sword.

Even with his current skill level, he felt that the heavy sword slightly hampered his footwork.

Therefore, he did not only practice heavy swords, but also practiced light and heavy swords alternately.

It is said that in the underwater currents, it is not a skill to use the weight of a heavy sword to stabilize one's body. The real skill is to be able to hold a light sword and still be able to fight against the currents and turbulence with ease and stand still.

At dusk, on Finger Peak.

Huang Yaoshi stood with his hands behind his back on the edge of the cliff, looking down at Lu Chen practicing his sword, his eyes filled with surprise.

He really didn't expect that in less than half a year, Lu Chen's swordsmanship had gradually broken away from the original swordsmanship he had learned, and had formed its own unique style with its own distinctive charm.

Rong'er said that Lu's "Falling Flower Sword Technique" has surpassed his master's and is even more powerful than I was when I was young. She also said that if I only used the Falling Flower Sword Technique, I would not be able to defeat Lu. I didn't think much of it at first.

"Now it seems that Lu's Falling Petals Sword Technique has truly developed a charm that even I don't possess. This kid is an incredible sword prodigy... If his skill level can keep up with his swordsmanship, then Rong'er's statement that he is already capable of establishing his own school is not an exaggeration."

After watching for a while, Huang Yaoshi couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. He immediately broke off a bamboo stalk about the thickness of a thumb, used his palm as a knife to shave it into a three-foot length, then leaped down from Finger Flick Peak, lightly touched the trees on the mountainside a few times, and gracefully floated to the edge of the reef:
"Young Lu, take this!"

Whoosh!
Amidst the sharp whistling of the wind, Huang Yaoshi used bamboo as a sword and attacked Lu Chen with a single strike.

This time, he only held back a little, but he still used 90% of his strength.

[An extra chapter of 4.8K words. Each book only has one chance to be on the new book monthly ticket chart. During the new book period, please support the book and give it more monthly tickets!]

(End of this chapter)