Zongwu: Eavesdropping on the inner voices, the female warriors have become strange

As he practiced, Chen Liu's sixth sense became more and more proficient. For example, before Ximen Chuxue drew his sword, he already knew where it was going to strike. Combined with Chen Liu's extraordinary reaction speed, he could often dodge Ximen Chuxue's sure-shot strike.

Chen Liu's performance also made Ximen Chuxue's eyes brighter and brighter. He had never seen anyone with such strong intuition and reaction speed. Moreover, Chen Liu's sword was very steady, and the Dugu Nine Swords was indeed very powerful. No matter how he attacked, Chen Liu could always find his flaws in the first place.

Under the same level of strength, even if he had the opportunity to kill Chen Liu, Chen Liu would fight with his life, seriously injure or even kill him.

The more Lu Xiaofeng watched, the more astonished he became. Chen Liu had a strong record in the past, like injuring the Jiangnan hero Jiang Biehe and the Huashan sword sect's top disciple Linghu Chong with a single strike, and slaying a swarm of red bees in Taihang Mountain with a single strike. However, his previous victories were either based on surprise or exploits, leaving little to be desired. But now, as Chen Liu dueled with Ximen Chuxue, Lu Xiaofeng could tell that Ximen Chuxue had taken his fight seriously, but he could only manage to gain the upper hand, unable to defeat Chen Liu for the time being.

Chen Liu's reaction speed was simply too fast. Every time Lu Xiaofeng thought Ximen Chuxue could injure Chen Liu, he would always narrowly avoid it, occasionally even counterattacking. Furthermore, as the battle between the two continued, Chen Liu's potential was slowly being brought out by Ximen Chuxue. Initially, he could only counterattack one or two out of ten sword strikes, then he could counterattack two or three out of ten, and then three or four out of ten, and he became increasingly comfortable with the situation.

Wang Yuyan also gradually relaxed from her initial nervousness.

Shi Feixuan and Qin Mengyao's eyes lit up. It turned out that Chen Liu hadn't taken them seriously when he was sparring with them before. If Chen Liu had been as focused as he was now, with only his sword and the enemy's weaknesses in his sight, they would have been defeated long ago.

But Shui Sheng's strength was too low for her to discern. In her eyes, Ximen Chuxue and Chen Liu had been fighting for their lives since the sword fight began. Every strike was so dangerous, and the slightest mistake could result in the sword being destroyed and the person being killed. Her heart nearly jumped into her throat, and her hands clutched at the corners of her clothes, her forehead sweating with nervousness. Every time Chen Liu was about to be stabbed, she couldn't help but feel like screaming. She had just become a bride, and she didn't want to become a widow right away. Even if she was just injured, she didn't want that.

Princess Yunluo was thrilled. This was Ximen Chuxue! He was about to duel with Ye Gucheng atop the Forbidden City. She hadn't expected Brother Chenliu to be evenly matched with him. Even if Ximen Chuxue had suppressed his realm, bringing his strength down to the same level as Brother Chenliu, it was still quite impressive.

"Don't be nervous, it's okay." Wang Yuyan saw Shui Sheng tugging at the corner of her clothes and sweat on her forehead, so she comforted her.

However, even with Wang Yuyan's comfort, Shui Sheng could not relax. It was not until the sword fight between Chen Liu and Ximen Chuxue ended that she breathed a sigh of relief and hurried forward to check if Chen Liu was injured.

He wasn't injured, but Ximen Chuxue had ripped Chen Liu's clothes in several places. Ximen Chuxue remained untouched, his white clothes fluttering. Therefore, strictly speaking, Chen Liu lost the duel.

"How is it?" When Chen Liu went back to his room to change clothes, Lu Xiaofeng asked Ximen Chuxue with a smile on his face.

"Very strong." Ximen Chuxue gave Chen Liu a very high evaluation.

Chen Liu was indeed very strong. It would be difficult for him to defeat Chen Liu at the same level of cultivation. If Chen Liu focused on the way of the sword, he would be a swordsman who was as good as him, or even stronger than him. Furthermore, Ximen Chuxue discovered that Chen Liu was extremely lacking in actual combat experience. This was probably because he rarely fought, especially against masters. Even though he often sparred with Wang Yuyan, it was mostly just for fun, and he had no intention of fighting a life-and-death battle.

Chapter 226 Ximen Chuixue (Part )

After Chen Liu changed into new clothes, everyone sat down again.

Ximen Chuxue was still very cold, and this was due to his personality, so Chen Liu was not surprised.

In modern times, there are probably many women who like a handsome, cool, rich and loyal guy like Ximen Chuxue. However, being the girlfriend of such a man is not only difficult, but also life-threatening at any time.

But the ancient world was not modern, and the mate selection criteria of ancient women were vastly different from those of modern times. In the eyes of most ancient women, Ximen Chuxue was a stern, arrogant, self-righteous, cold-blooded man who ignored his relatives and could be as cold as ice in the summer. He basically did not meet the typical mate selection criteria of ancient women.

In the original novel, Shi Xiuyun's comment on Ximen Chuxue pretty much represents the views of most women at the time: "I think you (Sun Xiuqing) are the truly crazy one. Even if all the men in the world were dead, I wouldn't fall for that self-righteous living zombie."

After Chen Liu met Ximen Chuxue, he also felt that Shi Xiuyun's word "living zombie" was very clever, and it vividly described Ximen Chuxue's character and image.

However, sometimes love is very unreasonable. Sun Xiuqing simply loved Ximen Chuxue and fell in love with him at first sight. Even though she was accused of betraying her master and ancestors and being despised by her fellow disciples, and she also had to bear the uneasiness of her conscience and was tormented by guilt, she still chose to marry Ximen Chuxue.

But Ximen Chuxue is a sword, and being the wife of a sword is not a very pleasant experience.

Ximen Chuxue is probably a man who has just tasted the sweetness of love. After the two got married, Ximen Chuxue's love for Sun Xiuqing even surpassed his love for swordsmanship. However, when fighting with Ye Gucheng, he was unable to use his ruthless swordsmanship because of his love in his heart, and was defeated by Ye Gucheng.

After the battle, Ximen Chuxue, who understood the reason for his failure, resolutely ignored Sun Xiuqing, and eventually the two had to separate.

Hua Manlou was much better. He was the seventh son of the Jiangnan Hua family, a family of great wealth. Though blind since childhood, he remained grateful for life and filled with love for others. A pacifist who never complained about his fate, he loved nature, was handsome, gentle, and refined. Chen Liu enjoyed chatting with him.

On the other hand, Wang Yuyan and Sun Xiuqing also got along well. Especially after knowing that Wang Yuyan knew Zhou Zhiruo and had a good relationship, the relationship between Sun Xiuqing and Wang Yuyan became even closer.

Although Zhou Zhiruo is scheming, she appears to be very well-behaved and weak. Everyone in the Emei Sect likes her very much, even the disciples of Dugu Yihe, who once competed with Master Miejue for the position of the Sect Leader.

Dugu Yihe is dead, still killed by Ximen Chuxue's sword just like in the original novel, and Sun Xiuqing also married Ximen Chuxue just like in the original novel. This also made Chen Liu sigh that even if it was a different world, as long as he did not intervene, the plot would have continued like in the original novel.

[It seems that Ye Gucheng is likely involved in the rebellion of the Southern Prince, just like in the original novel. He wants to use the opportunity of the sword fight with Ximen Chuxue to have someone disguise himself as him and fight with Ximen Chuxue. He will then sneak into the palace, kill the emperor, and help the Southern Prince ascend the throne.]

"Clang." Princess Yunluo's face changed slightly, and the teacup in her hand fell onto the table.

"Yunluo, how could you be so careless? You're always so clumsy." Wang Yuyan quickly covered up for Princess Yunluo and complained, "You broke a little corner of this cup. This tea set is ruined. It's a set I really like."

"It's ruined, so be it, Sister Yuyan. I'll get you another set of purple clay tea sets from the palace's treasury tomorrow. I guarantee it'll be better than this one." Princess Yunluo composed herself and said with a smile.

Princess Yunluo had just thrown her cup in shock after suddenly hearing that Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuxue's sword fight was a plot to usurp the throne. Now that she knew of Ye Gucheng's scheme, she naturally wouldn't let him succeed. She might even be able to extract some benefits from her brother. But what could she ask? Should he agree to let her move into the Chen Mansion? Given her merit, he would probably agree, right?

In fact, Princess Yunluo had long wanted to move to the Chen Mansion. It was so much fun there. Not only were there several sisters her own age with whom she could compete in swordplay, but she could also learn some impressive martial arts skills. Furthermore, she could go shopping with Wang Yuyan, Shi Feixuan, Qin Mengyao, and the others, buying clothes, jewelry, and rouge. It was much more fun than being in the palace.

However, Princess Yunluo was a princess of the Ming Dynasty after all, and she was still an unmarried girl. No matter how much the emperor and the empress dowager loved her, they were unwilling to let her stay overnight in the Chen family. They also stipulated that she must return to the palace to pay her respects to the empress dowager one hour before the palace closed every day, otherwise she would never be able to leave the palace again. This made Princess Yunluo very depressed.

[However, in this world, Ye Gucheng's cultivation and swordsmanship are far from peak, and he doesn't feel lonely at the top, or bored with nothing to do. So, what exactly motivated him to join the Southern Prince's rebellion? What did the Southern Prince or the Southern Prince use to impress him? Or did he have any leverage that the Southern Prince could use?]

[This is really hard to guess! But never mind, Ye Gucheng wouldn't succeed anyway, and in the end he died under Ximen Chuixue's sword.]

Princess Yunluo, who had secretly eavesdropped on Chen Liu's thoughts, breathed a sigh of relief, a smile breaking across her face. Since Chen Liu had said Ye Gucheng wouldn't succeed and would die at Ximen Chuxue's sword, she could now safely go about defrauding her brother. Perhaps she could even take out her money and go to the casino to place a bet? It was a sure win.

"Sister, how much money do we have left?" In fact, it wasn't just Princess Yunluo who had thought of this; Jiang Yuyan had thought of it as well. And she calmly said "our family," hinting to Wang Yuyan that she was willing to integrate into this family.

"More than one million taels, what's wrong?" Wang Yuyan asked.

"Aren't there a lot of casinos outside now opening bets on who will win the sword fight between Ximen Xia and Ye Gucheng? We can put out some money to bet on Ximen Xia to win." Jiang Yuyan said.

"Do you think Ximen Hero is promising?" Wang Yuyan had a half-smile on her face.

"I think Ximen Xia can win."

"Well, let's ask my husband tonight. If he agrees, we will take out one million taels to bet on Ximen Xia." It's a waste not to make money! Even if they are not short of money, Wang Yuyan will not think that the money is too much.

"Sister Yuyan, I also have hundreds of thousands of taels in my palace. Let's bet together!" Princess Yunluo shouted immediately.

Chapter 227 Changes in the Five Mountains Sword Sects

As Ximen Chuxue arrived in the capital, the day of his sword fight with Ye Gucheng was getting closer, and more and more people from the martial arts world arrived in the capital.

Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze of the Huashan Sword Sect arrived with their disciples. Abbess Dingyi and Yilin of the Hengshan Sect arrived. Besides the Songshan Sect, people from the Taishan and Hengshan Sects also came. People from the Wudang Sect arrived, people from the Kongtong Sect arrived, people from the Shaolin Temple arrived, and people from the Sun Moon Sect and the Ming Cult also arrived.

The capital was in turmoil, with both good and evil factions beating each other to death. Even the city guards and the Six Gates were unable to control the situation. These high-flying Jianghu people would run away when they saw the City Guards and the Six Gates, and you couldn't catch them.

Chen Liu arranged a courtyard for Yue Buqun and the Huashan Sword Sect's disciples, and also arranged adjacent courtyards for the Hengshan Sect, Taishan Sect, and Hengshan Sect's members. There was no other way. Too many jianghu people had crowded into the capital, and all the inns were full. There was no place to stay. When Yue Buqun came to you, could you just ignore him?

The Huashan Sword Sect is now in great glory. Except for the Songshan Sect, the other three sects have already turned to the Huashan Sword Sect, and Yue Buqun has once again become the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sects. The Hengshan Sect, Taishan Sect, and Hengshan Sect were all brought by Yue Buqun, so Chenliu cannot drive them out.

Ning Zhongze originally wanted to meet Yue Lingshan, but Chen Liu said that Yue Lingshan had already gone to the Song Dynasty with Huang Rong and others, which made her depressed. Yue Buqun didn't care. He was most keen on power, and it didn't matter whether he met his daughter or not.

Chen Liu had a conversation with Yue Buqun, and only then did he realize that major changes had taken place in the Five Mountains Sword Sect during this period.

After the news of Feng Qingyang's return to the Huashan Sword Sect and his breakthrough to the Grandmaster level spread throughout the martial arts world, the Huashan Sword Sect suddenly became the most powerful, once again overwhelming the West Huashan Sect to become the overlord of Huashan. This also made Zuo Lengchan despair. He had just wanted to unify the Five Mountains Sword Sects and merge them into one, but the immortal Feng Qingyang returned to the Huashan Sword Sect and even broke through to the Grandmaster level. As a result, Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou, and Cong Buqi, who were instigated by Feng Qingyang to seize Yue Buqun's power, immediately abandoned him and ran back to Huashan.

No one knows how Yue Buqun negotiated with Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou and Cong Buqi. In the end, Yue Buqun remained the head of the sect, while Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou and Cong Buqi became elders of the Huashan Sword Sect.

And because the Huashan Sword Sect suddenly rose to prominence, the Hengshan, Taishan, and Hengshan Sects would naturally align themselves with the Huashan Sword Sect. Otherwise, how could the Songshan Sect continue to be oppressed? Having Yue Buqun, the master of disguised "Gentleman Sword," as the leader was a far better choice than Zuo Lengchan, who, under the guise of leader, had aggressively meddled in the internal affairs of the various sects.

After the rise of the Huashan Sword Sect and the surrender of the Hengshan, Taishan and Hengshan Sects to the Huashan Sword Sect, the situation in the Five Mountains Sword Sects had become very clear. The Songshan Sect had to either give up its position as leader and become a younger brother, or withdraw from the Five Mountains Sword Sects and go play in the mud on its own.

But Zuo Lengchan refused to give up. With Lao Denuo already purged by Yue Buqun and unable to obtain intelligence from within the Huashan Sword Sect, Zuo Lengchan personally led eight guards to Huashan to pay their respects, hoping to find out if Feng Qingyang had truly returned to the sect. However, Yue Buqun refused to allow him to see Feng Qingyang, secretly provoking Zuo Lengchan by challenging him to a duel. Yue Buqun then seized the opportunity to "accidentally" defeat Zuo Lengchan using a sword technique long lost in the caves of the stone wall.

Zuo Lengchan was deposed, and the guards of the Songshan Sect were naturally furious. However, three more guards were successively disabled by Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou and Cong Buqi using the Songshan sword technique. The remaining guards could only carry the disabled Zuo Lengchan and the three deposed guards back to Songshan in grief and anger.

In fact, Ning Zhongze was also able to fight, but she was kind-hearted and only hurt people, not disabled them.

After Zuo Lengchan withdrew from Huashan and returned to Songshan, the prestige of the Songshan Sect declined significantly. Furthermore, Zuo Lengchan had become a cripple, so how could he still lead the Five Mountains Sword Sects? Therefore, Zuo Lengchan had no choice but to relinquish his position as leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sects. However, despite no longer being the leader, the Songshan Sect remained unconvinced by the Huashan Sword Sect, believing them to be despicable and unwilling to obey orders, yet they remained committed to the Five Mountains Sword Sects.

[Tsk! Zuo Lengchan has become a cripple, yet he seems unwilling to give up. It's true, in the original novel, he was already blinded by Yue Buqun. But after the Five Mountains were united, he sent Lao Denuo again and successfully won over Lin Pingzhi, who had mastered the Exorcism Sword Technique. He and Lin Pingzhi devised a plan, and in a cave on the cliffs of Huashan's Siguo Cliff, they dispatched fifteen blind masters to slaughter all the Five Mountains Sword Sect masters. Finally, during the encirclement and attack on Linghu Chong, he met his end at the hands of his sword.]

Yilin, who was chanting in the next yard, heard Chen Liu's thoughts, said "Amitabha", and continued chanting.

"I guess Zuo Lengchan will be unwilling to accept this." After listening to Yue Buqun's description of the changes in the Five Mountains Sword Sect during this period, Chen Liu thought for a while and said.

Yue Buqun nodded upon hearing this. He also knew that Zuo Lengchan would definitely not resign himself to this. Zuo Lengchan was an ambitious man, and so was Yue Buqun. An ambitious man understands an ambitious man best. However, due to their alliance, Yue Buqun could not openly kill Zuo Lengchan. After Zuo Lengchan returned to Songshan, the Songshan sect immediately imposed martial law to prevent Yue Buqun from exterminating him.

"Son-in-law, if the Five Mountains Sword Sects are merged, do you think that my Five Mountains Sword Sect can become a major sect in the Ming Dynasty martial arts world, on par with Shaolin and Wudang?" Although he had become the leader of the Five Mountains, Yue Buqun still seemed unsatisfied.

But it is also true that in the original novel, Zuo Lengchan wanted to merge with the sects, and Yue Buqun also wanted to do so. However, Zuo Lengchan was not as insidious as Yue Buqun, and ultimately made things easier for Yue Buqun.

"Are there any celestial beings in the Five Mountains Sword Sect?" Chen Liu asked.

Yue Buqun fell silent after hearing this.

This isn't "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer." In this world of martial arts, what does a large number of people matter? Ultimate combat power is paramount. The Wudang Clan possesses celestial masters, and while it's unclear whether the Ming Dynasty's Shaolin Temple in Chenliu boasts celestial beings, they certainly possess Grandmasters, and more than one. This is what allows them to lead the Ming Dynasty's martial arts world.

"What's the point of merging factions? You have no connections with the court. How can the court be willing to let you become powerful?" Chen Liu said.

Yue Buqun nodded and asked eagerly, "Son-in-law, I heard that you have a good relationship with the court?"

"No, the one who has a good relationship with the court is Lu Xiaofeng. I just have a little friendship with Lu Xiaofeng."

Yue Buqun: ...

Chen Liu knew Yue Buqun was trying to establish connections with the Ming court through him, but Chen Liu himself had absolutely no connections with the Ming court. Oh, he did have some; Princess Yunluo often came to his house to play.

"Young Master, someone from the Emei Sect is here to visit." Chen Liu was just trying to find an excuse to leave when Jiang Yuyan came to tell him that someone from the Emei Sect had arrived. Chen Liu also took the opportunity to say goodbye to Yue Buqun and go to receive the person from the Emei Sect.

Chapter 228 The Lively Chen Mansion

The people from Emei Sect also came to stay here temporarily. This was Zhou Zhiruo's suggestion.

Since she really couldn't find a place to stay, Master Miejue had no choice but to shamelessly come to Chen Liu.

Since Chen Liu's reappearance, he's become quite famous in the Ming capital, becoming close friends with Lu Xiaofeng and Ximen Chuxue. And, whether intentional or not, rumors have recently surfaced in the imperial palace that Chen Liu was the one who uncovered the rebellion of Zhu Wusi, the Iron-Hearted Marquis. As a reward for his service, the Emperor has awarded him the residence of Cao Zhengchun, the head of the East Depot. There are even rumors that the Emperor's sister, Princess Yunluo, has taken a liking to Chen Liu and regularly visits his home, hoping to recruit him as a consort.

This was also the reason why Yue Buqun suddenly came to his house, stayed at his home, and wanted to establish a relationship with the palace through Chenliu.

The Emei Sect arrived in the capital, but couldn't find a place to stay. So, at Zhou Zhiruo's suggestion, they came to Chenliu for help. However, Nun Miejue did not come in person, but instead asked Zhou Zhiruo and Bei Jinyi to negotiate with Chenliu.

"Zhiruo." Chen Liu was very happy to see Zhou Zhiruo again, and hurriedly stepped forward to hold Zhou Zhiruo's hand.

"Brother Chen Liu." Zhou Zhiruo became even more excited and threw herself directly into Chen Liu's arms. She looked up at Chen Liu with her eyes almost tearing.

Being treated as a passerby, Bei Jinyi rolled her eyes. "Why are you so brazen? She's still here." Luckily, their master didn't come along, or else he'd be so angry he'd grab Zhou Zhiruo and walk away.

Bei Jinyi had actually seen that Zhou Zhiruo liked Chen Liu a long time ago, and for this reason she had deliberately concealed it for Zhou Zhiruo. Zhou Zhiruo was very grateful to Bei Jinyi for concealing it for her, and so Zhou Zhiruo now has a good relationship with Bei Jinyi.

"Brother Chenliu, I thought you would forget me after becoming a prince." After a moment of tenderness, Zhou Zhiruo said a little jealously.

"What's the point of being a county horse? It's impossible." Chen Liu complained a little depressed.

Being a consort of the Ming Dynasty was not so simple. Princess Yunluo was the biological sister of the Ming Emperor. It was impossible for you to make her a concubine. Moreover, no consort of the Ming Dynasty could take concubines. It was also impossible for Chen Liu to give up Wang Yuyan, Huang Rong, and Mu Nianci to marry Princess Yunluo. Therefore, Chen Liu would not marry Princess Yunluo.

Chen Liu led Zhou Zhiruo and Bei Jinyi into the courtyard where he, Wang Yuyan, Shui Sheng and other girls lived. He met Wang Yuyan again and there was another lively atmosphere.

After introducing Shi Feixuan, Qin Mengyao, and Shui Sheng to Zhou Zhiruo, Chen Liu asked, "Zhiruo, did you come to the capital this time to watch Ximen Chuxue and Ye Gucheng duel?"

"There is this reason, and Master also wants to avenge Uncle Dugu." Zhou Zhiruo said.