Chaotic Times and Disasters: I Hunt Down Martial Arts Masters and Become a God

Three days later, Fu Qing's convoy departed from the south gate of Jingjing.

Ling Moxie only brought one maid with her. The Third Princess rode in an inconspicuous blue-curtained carriage. There were no royal insignia on the curtains, and the horses pulling the carriage were ordinary yellow horses. She was inconspicuous in the traffic of Jingjing.

Her maid, Qingluan, sat on the carriage shaft, holding the reins in her hand, with a short sword hanging at her waist.

Suwen sat in the second carriage, while Fu Qing rode a horse alongside the convoy.

The drawbridge at the south gate rumbled under the wheels of the train. The guards recognized Fu Qing and bowed in unison.

Fu Qing nodded in return, rode his horse across the drawbridge, and after leaving the city, the population gradually thinned out.

The convoy traveled for two days, and Ling Moxie would occasionally lift the carriage curtain to chat with Fu Qing for a few words.

She doesn't put on airs like a princess; she speaks directly without the roundabout ways of the palace. Sometimes she asks about the local customs and traditions along the way, and sometimes she talks about the martial arts world in Quzhou.

"Quzhou is further south than Jingjing, with a humid climate. The Jun family, who have been operating in Quzhou for generations, have been growing rice twice a year. The old master, Jun Tianhao, was a Golden Body Realm cultivator who fought alongside the late emperor."

"The current head of the Jun family, Jun Tianxiao, is Jun Tianhao's son and also my uncle. Young Master Jun Wuyou is Jun Tianxiao's son and my cousin. He is at the eighth level of the Meridian Opening Realm and is known as the number one expert among the younger generation in Quzhou."

Fu Qing walked beside the carriage and asked, "What's the relationship between the princess and this cousin?"

"I only met him once when he was a child. My mother was still alive then, and she took me back to Quzhou to visit her family. Jun Wuyou was only seven or eight years old at the time. He was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard with a wooden sword, saying that he wanted to become the number one swordsman in the world."

Fu Qing didn't reply, but looked up at the sky, which looked like it was about to rain.

...

The convoy continued south, and on the afternoon of the third day, the outline of a city appeared on the distant horizon.

The number of pedestrians at the city gate gradually increased—peddlers carrying loads, farmers driving oxcarts, and wandering swordsmen.

Several warriors on horseback formed a short queue at the city gate.

Ling Moxie lifted the carriage curtain, looking at the approaching Quzhou city walls, "This is my mother's maternal home. This is my second time returning."

Jun Tianxiao personally greeted him at the city gate. This patriarch of the Jun family was in his early forties, with a burly build and a face somewhat similar to Ling Moxie's, with the same thick eyebrows and high nose.

Several servants followed behind him. Seeing the caravan approaching, he stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to the blue-curtained carriage, and said loudly,

"The arrival of the Third Princess brings great honor to your humble abode!"

Ling Moxie lifted the carriage curtain, nodded slightly, and called out, "Uncle."

Jun Tianxiao turned his gaze to Fu Qing, who was riding a horse alongside the carriage, and looked him up and down. "And who is this?"

Fu Qing dismounted, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Fu Qing from the Martial Academy, here to escort the Third Princess by imperial decree."

"Fu Qing?"

Jun Tianxiao was slightly startled, "To be Fu Qing of 'Qinyuanchun'?"

Fu Qing nodded, and Jun Tianxiao cupped his hands and said, "I've heard so much about you." He then led the group into the city.

The Jun family mansion occupied most of the street. The words "Jun Mansion" were hung high on the gate tower, with gold characters on a black background, and were personally inscribed by the emperor.

Jun Tianxiao arranged for Ling Moxie to stay in the main room in the backyard, with Qingluan attending to her. Fu Qing and Suwen were arranged in the east wing. The two rooms were next to each other, and they could see the garden in the backyard from the windows.

As Ling Moxie got out of the car, she passed by Fu Qing and said, "You continue with your investigation. I wish you a happy birthday. Let me know if you find any leads."

Fu Qing nodded.

Jun Tianhao's 200th birthday celebration was held in the main hall of the Jun family mansion that evening. The main hall was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and two long tables were set up from the main seat all the way to the door, with various dishes from Quzhou on the tables.

All the prominent figures in the martial arts world of Quzhou had arrived—the Iron-Crowned Taoist, the leader of the Iron Sword Sect, sat expressionlessly at the head of the table on the right, while Qu Zhengyang, the head of the Qu family, sat next to him with his son, Qu Ming...

The Heavenly Sword Sect Master, Jian Wuchen, was tall and thin with a cold demeanor, a cup of tea placed before him. The Helian Gang Leader, Helian Meng, had a thick beard and a face full of fierce features; he drank wine as if it were water, and three empty wine jars were already piled up in front of him...

Liu Yuanqing, the head of the Liu family, was dressed in fine clothes and smiling broadly as he chatted with Jun Tianxiao beside him.

Fu Qing sat below Ling Moxie, his gaze sweeping over the faces of these people, making a mental note of each one.

Just as the birthday banquet was in full swing, a series of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the door, and then a young man strode into the main hall.

The man was wearing a dark blue cloak and looked travel-worn, clearly having just returned from out of town.

He took off his cloak and tossed it to a servant beside him, then walked a few steps to Jun Tianhao, knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and said loudly, "Grandson has rushed back to celebrate Grandpa's birthday!"

Sitting in the main seat, Jun Tianhao smiled broadly. "Alright, alright! Get up and let Grandpa take a look."

Jun Wuyou stood up, dusted off his knees, turned around, and glanced around the table. He nodded slightly as he passed Ling Moxie, then paused, a smile playing on his lips, and walked up to Fu Qing.

"You're Fu Qing, the one who defeated An Sheng in the Martial Arts Academy competition?"

Fu Qing nodded. "It's me."

Jun Wuyou became excited. "I've fought An Sheng before and lost. I've always wanted to know how big the gap is between myself and the person who could defeat An Sheng. General Fu, since it's Grandpa's birthday today, how about we have a spar here to celebrate?"

Fu Qing put down her wine glass and glanced at him.

Jun Wuyou placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes filled with pure excitement, devoid of malice.

Fu Qing stood up. "Since Young Master Jun wishes to spar, I, Fu, will oblige."

The guests in the main hall immediately perked up.

Helian Meng put down the wine jar, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and

"Great! Watching people fight at a birthday banquet is more interesting than drinking!"

Several servants quickly cleared a large open space in the center of the main hall, pushing the tables and chairs to the sides, creating an area about three zhang square.

Jun Tianhao sat in the main seat and did not stop them, but just watched quietly. Jun Tianxiao frowned slightly, but did not say anything.

Jun Wuyou drew his sword, which was over three feet long and engraved with the flowing water pattern inherited from the Jun family.

He tossed the scabbard to the servant beside him, the sword tip pointing diagonally at the ground, unleashing the full power of his eighth-level Qi Convergence Realm cultivation.

Seeing this, Fu Qing drew his cold iron sword, the tip of which hung diagonally downwards at his side.

Jun Wuyou stepped forward, his long sword thrusting straight at Fu Qing's chest.

Fu Qing frowned slightly, sidestepped the sword's edge, and slashed at the blade with his backhand.

Jun Wuyou deftly flipped the sword to deflect the force, and then slashed at the side with a second sword, his swordsmanship agile and graceful.

The Jun family's ancestral "Flowing Water Sword Technique" is known for its continuous flow, with one sword strike after another, like a stream flowing into a river, becoming increasingly difficult to defend against as it progresses.

Fu Qing blocked several swords in succession, testing Jun Wuyou's swordsmanship style—Jun Wuyou's sword was fast and agile, but lacked power, and the force of each sword strike was far inferior to that of An Sheng's silver spear.

His swordsmanship emphasizes speed and variation, not overwhelming power, which is Jun Wuyou's weakness.

By the tenth round, Jun Wuyou's swordplay was getting faster and faster, and Fu Qing was forced to take two steps back. However, he noticed that Jun Wuyou's footwork was not steady, which meant that although his sword was fast, his movement could not keep up with his sword.

During the eleventh sword strike, Fu Qing suddenly changed his move. Instead of slashing out with his sword, he struck the blade, causing it to bounce upwards violently.

Jun Wuyou was so shocked that his hands went numb and his groin was wide open.

His expression changed, and he immediately tried to sheathe his sword and defend, but Fu Qing had already stepped into his inner circle.

The blade slashed horizontally, and Jun Wuyou raised his sword to block.

The moment the two blades clashed, Fu Qing did not continue to apply pressure, but instead turned sideways and circled behind Jun Wuyou.

With his back to Jun Wuyou, Fu Qing held the knife in a reverse grip, the back of the blade gently pressed against Jun Wuyou's neck.