Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

He and the Snow Maiden followed the crowd to the square, where they saw an elderly man with white hair and beard, full of vigor, sitting in the center of a high platform. It was none other than Feng Hu Zi.

There were no actual famous swords on the long table in front of him. How could those national treasures be easily shown to others?

Instead, there were exquisitely drawn and lifelike silk paintings or bamboo slips.

The swords in the painting are of various shapes and sizes, with a chilling gleam. Although they are not real objects, they seem to shine through the paper, exuding an extraordinary aura and a sharp sword intent.

Feng Hu Zi spoke eloquently, quoting classical texts and pointing out the landscape in front of these portraits. He knew the origins, materials, characteristics, and battle achievements of the famous swords depicted in the paintings like the back of his hand, captivating the audience below.

When he announced the rankings of the sword manual one by one, it caused a stir and discussion.

After the top ten were announced, someone in the audience raised a loud question:

"Master Feng, why is the legendary, malevolent sword 'Broken Rainbow' not among the top ten swords in the manual? Is it perhaps unworthy of being included?"

"Broken Rainbow? I am naturally familiar with this sword."

Feng Hu Zi stroked his beard and smiled, his expression calm:

"It was made by the Xu family, a renowned sword-making family, but it is completely different from ordinary bronze swords. Its material is taken from a fragment of a star that fell from the sky. It looks like a stubborn rock, but it contains intense fiery energy. It will ignite when it comes into contact with air. Its sharpness is unparalleled, and it can be called a weapon to slay dragons!"

A collective gasp rippled through the audience.

"However, this sword is far too ferocious. Not only does it injure people, but it also turns on its master! If the wielder's mind is even slightly unstable, he is easily corrupted by its evil flames, which can lead to madness or even death!"

Feng Hu Zi abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming serious:

“Such ominous weapons violate the benevolent spirit of swordsmanship, so I have excluded them from the sword manual. Similarly, although the Eight Swords of Yue King are sharp and the Shark Tooth Sword is fierce, they are also not included in this manual because of their excessive ferocity.”

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized what was going on and nodded in agreement.

However, the questioning did not end there.

“Master Feng! This Tianwen Sword was originally the sword of Qu Yuan, the Grand Master of the Three Clans of Chu. After Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river, it became the property of the King of Chu.”

Another swordsman from another country stood up, pointed at the "Tianwen" sword, ranked first in the portrait, and said in an unfriendly tone:

"Although it is precious, in terms of its sharpness and combat record, it may not be stronger than the Tai'a and Xueji swords ranked after it! Could it be that the master ranked it first because it belonged to the King of Chu, which is suspected of favoritism?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's attention was focused on the portrait of the Tianwen Sword, which was depicted as simple and elegant, with mysterious inscriptions engraved on its blade.

The audience immediately began to murmur amongst themselves, and many people looked at Feng Hu Zi with scrutiny.

Faced with this sharp questioning, Feng Hu Zi did not get angry, nor did he offer a single explanation.

He glanced deeply at the portrait of the Heavenly Sword, then without a word, he rose and drifted away, surrounded by his disciples.

The audience was left in a state of shock and amidst a buzz of discussion.

The excitement subsided, and the crowd thinned out.

The Snow Maiden walked side by side with Qin Chuan, her icy blue eyes looking at him with curiosity:

"Young master, in your opinion, does Tian Wenjian truly deserve the title of the best in the world?"

Qin Chuan's gaze was distant, as if piercing through time and space: "At this moment, Tianwen may be concealing its brilliance and not showing its prowess. But it won't be long before it truly deserves its reputation."

"Oh?" The Snow Maiden was quick-witted and immediately grasped the deeper meaning in his words. "Does the young master mean... that the ranking of swords sometimes depends not on the sword itself, but on the person wielding it?"

"Indeed. The number one sword under heaven should be the 'Sword of the Emperor'!"

Qin Chuan's lips curled slightly as he gave Xue Nu an approving look:

"This sword uses the territories of the seven kingdoms as its blade, mountains, rivers, and seas as its edge, the five elements' mutual generation and restraint as its spine, and the changes of yin and yang as its sword's power! The wielder of this sword commands the four seasons, holds the weight of the nation, is unparalleled in the world, and commands the submission of all under heaven! Such a grandeur is what makes it the supreme sword."

Upon hearing this, the Snow Woman was terrified!

Qin Chuan's few words described not just a weapon, but a way of being an emperor that could conquer the world!

She instantly understood: "Therefore, as long as the Heavenly Sword ultimately falls into the hands of the future true 'Emperor,' it will naturally be the undisputed number one sword! Young Master's trip to Shouchun, could it be..."

Her beautiful eyes widened, a hint of disbelief in them. "It's to take away the Heavenly Question Sword?!"

"No wonder you're called Yuki-onna (Snow Woman), you're truly intelligent and clever."

Qin Chuan nodded readily, a smile in his eyes:

"The Chu Kingdom has a deep-rooted talent pool, and the Xiang clan is an unbreakable force. Recruiting them now would be much less effective. It would be better to take this sword back to Xianyang and present it to Emperor Zheng. Firstly, it would enhance the grandeur of an emperor's sword, and secondly, it would be a presentable gift."

Being praised so directly by Qin Chuan, Xue Nu felt a surge of shy joy, and a faint blush rose on her fair cheeks, making her even more beautiful. She quickly lowered her head to hide her embarrassment.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

Two figures, like ghosts blending into the night, silently infiltrated the heavily guarded Chu King's palace.

Qin Chuan seemed to know the layout of the palace like the back of his hand. He led Xue Nu around the heavy guards with ease and headed straight for the secret treasury where the King of Chu kept his treasures.

However, just as they approached the secret vault, a figure moving so fast it was almost beyond the limits of the naked eye swept past the other side of the roof like a ghost, its target also seemingly the secret vault!

A light, teasing exclamation rang out, and the figure stopped on the roof of the secret vault. It was a lean young man with bright eyes and a cynical smile on his lips.

He watched with great interest as Qin Chuan and Xue Nu, who were also perched on the opposite rooftop, clicked his tongue in amazement:

"Hey! I didn't expect to see fellow travelers tonight? Or... a couple?"

It was none other than Dao Zhi, who was known as "the greatest thief in the world" and "the king of thieves"!

Qin Chuan glanced at him but ignored him. With a flicker of his figure, he passed through the seemingly secure but actually flawed mechanisms and locks like a wisp of smoke and entered the secret vault.

A moment later, he held an ancient longsword in his hand, the two characters "Tianwen" on the scabbard gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

Dao Zhi's eyes lit up as he stared at the Tianwen Sword, but then he shrugged, clearly indicating that this was not his target.

He moved swiftly, about to dash off in another direction.

Qin Chuan whispered to Xue Nu, holding his sword in one hand and naturally taking Xue Nu's soft hand in the other.

Caught off guard, the Snow Maiden felt a warm touch in her palm. Her heart skipped a beat, and before she could react, her body was carried by a gentle yet irresistible force, shooting like an arrow towards the direction where Dao Zhi had disappeared!

"what?!"

The bandit in front noticed the sound of something cutting through the air behind him, turned around, and was so frightened that he almost fell off the roof!

Not only did the man in black catch up on his own, but he was also leading a grown man by the hand!

The speed did not decrease at all, and was even faster than before!

"My goodness! This is a ghost!"

Dao Zhi let out a strange cry and, without holding back, unleashed his famous "Lightning Speed ​​Step" to its fullest extent!

He transformed into a blur that was almost invisible to the naked eye, frantically darting between palaces and buildings, moving so fast that he seemed to tear the air apart!

However, no matter how fast he accelerated or how he changed direction, the two figures behind him remained inseparable!

Qin Chuan led Xue Nu with a relaxed demeanor, as if strolling leisurely, yet he always managed to bite her tail precisely, and the distance between them was even slowly closing!

"This is impossible!"

Robber Zhi was utterly terrified.

He was confident that his lightness skill was unparalleled in the world, and that no one could match him except for the legendary Taoist wind-controlling technique.

But the person behind him, even with someone else on his side, could catch up with his full-force Lightning Speed ​​Step?

This level of lightness skill is probably comparable to that of the legendary Liezi!

Seeing that he could not escape, Dao Zhi suddenly stopped and landed on the roof of a secluded palace deep inside the royal palace.

He turned to look at Qin Chuan and Xue Nu, who were following closely behind and gracefully descending. His face was no longer playful; only solemnity and a sense of defeat remained.

Especially when they saw Qin Chuan still holding Xue Nu's hand, it was as if they had seen a ghost:

"Brother...brother, are you...are you a human or a ghost? How can you run so fast while carrying a living person?!"

Qin Chuan released Xue Nu's hand and looked calmly at Dao Zhi: "Your lightness skill is quite good. Would you be willing to serve me and join the Bad People?"

Only then did the Snow Woman belatedly realize that the two of them had been holding hands. Her cheeks flushed instantly, her heart pounded like a drum, and she quietly hid her hands behind her back.

Dao Zhi's eyes darted around, and he immediately put on a grinning expression:

"Oh, so you're recruiting talent! You should have said so earlier! But... I'm sorry, I'm already taken. The Mo family has treated me well, so I have no plans to switch sides for the time being."

He was saying this, but he was secretly gathering his strength in his feet, ready to slip away at any moment.

Qin Chuan seemed to see through his thoughts, but did not get angry. He just looked at him calmly.

Dao Zhi felt uneasy under his gaze and quickly added:

"How about this? Let's make a bet. If we happen to meet again, and you can catch up to me like you did today, without even lifting a finger, I, Dao Zhi, will go with you without hesitation! How about that? Fair enough?"

He made up his mind that the world was so big, he would avoid this evil star in the future, how could he possibly run into him again?

Qin Chuan smiled knowingly and nodded, "Okay."

Dao Zhi was overjoyed, fearing that Qin Chuan might change his mind, so he clasped his hands and said, "Excellent! The green hills remain unchanged, the green waters flow forever, until we meet again... uh, or perhaps never until we meet again!"

Before he finished speaking, he transformed into a streak of light and vanished instantly behind the towering palaces, leaving only a string of triumphant laughter echoing in the night sky.

The Snow Woman stared in the direction where the bandit Zhi had disappeared, somewhat puzzled:

"Young master, are we just going to let him go like this? This man's lightness skill is indeed remarkable."

Qin Chuan withdrew his gaze, his tone resolute:

"It's alright. He can't escape. We'll meet again at the Mo Family's Mechanical City sooner or later."

He glanced at the Snow Woman beside him, whose cheeks were still slightly flushed. "Let's go, it's time to go back."

The snow woman responded softly, "Mm."

The sensation of their hands being held seemed to linger in their palms, a subtle ambiguity swirling between them.

She followed behind Qin Chuan, watching his tall and straight back, and a ripple of indescribable emotion stirred in her heart.

The moonlight, like water, reflected the pavilions and towers of Shouchun.

Qin Chuan and Xue Nu quietly disappeared into the night, embarking on their journey back to Xianyang.

With the Heavenly Sword obtained, the journey through the five kingdoms has finally come to an end.

Chapter 49 Red Lotus's Passion Stirs, A Kiss Seals Their Love

The city walls of Xianyang were majestic. Qin Chuan and Xue Nu, weary from their journey, had just stepped through the city gates when they were met with the commotion of the Korean wedding procession entering the city.

The long procession, the brightly colored wedding dress, and the deafening drums and gongs could not conceal the desolation of being married off to a foreign land.