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Chapter 134: Li's Flying Dagger vs. Mount Song's Iron Sword
Chapter 134: Li's Flying Dagger vs. Mount Song's Iron Sword
"Li, regarding what you said yesterday..." Yu Longsheng began, to which Li Xinhuan nodded. Then, he bowed deeply to Ding Baiyun, "Thank you, Miss Ding, for your wake-up call yesterday. It awakened this unfeeling man."
It was bold to criticize someone to their face, especially when that person was a rare master in the martial arts world. Yet, not only did Li Xinhuan not hold a grudge, but he also thanked her sincerely, leaving Ding Baiyun feeling a little flustered.
"I hope you don't take offense, Miss Ding," Li Xinhuan said.
"Of course not. I'm the one who should be thanking you," Li Xinhuan sighed. "It's better late than never."
"It's definitely not too late," Yu Longsheng chimed in. "We can only talk, but if White Brother were here, it wouldn't just end with words."
Li Xinhuan asked, "Have you met Bai Tianyu?"
Yu Longsheng nodded. "We went to the frontier and met with Bai Gege and his wife, as well as Bai Erxia and his wife."
As for the matter of helping Bai Tianyu take in a concubine, it wasn't appropriate to mention it here.
Li Xinhuan nodded and said, "Bai Brother is so generous and carefree; I can't compare to him."
Ding Baiyun glanced at Li Xinhuan and suppressed the urge to tease him. She took a deep breath, wondering how she had ended up with such a group of people, and then pinched Yu Longsheng.
"Why are you pinching me?" Yu Longsheng exclaimed.
"Hmph!" Ding Baiyun retorted.
Guo Songyang, who was walking ahead, felt a bit regretful. He felt that wherever Yu Longsheng was, the atmosphere would become inexplicably awkward.
At this moment, the atmosphere between him and Li Xinhuan, which was supposed to be solemn and tense before their life-and-death duel, was almost turned into a friendly exchange by Yu Longsheng.
Unlike the dejected and depressed Li Xinhuan in the original story, the current Li Xinhuan seemed to have regained his vitality. Not only were his eyes shining, but his complexion also looked much better.
One could only wonder what had happened between him and Lin Shiyin last night.
In the original story, Li Xinhuan had spent the previous night outside the small building, longing for Lin Shiyin from a distance, torn between life and death. The next day, when he had met Lin Shiyin, it had been a sorrowful encounter for both of them.
However, it seemed that due to Ding Baiyun's words, Li Xinhuan had met with Lin Shiyin yesterday, and their conversation seemed to have gone well! Yu Longsheng was very curious about what had happened last night, but he dared not ask.
Guo Songyang, who was walking ahead, had finally adjusted his mindset. His figure, steps, internal energy, momentum, and spirit were all gradually improving.
Li Xinhuan's eyes began to shine as he hadn't encountered such an evenly matched opponent in a long time.
Xi Menrou's expression changed as he finally realized the vast gap between his seventh place and Guo Songyang's fourth place. "Even if Zhuge Gang hadn't made that mistake, he still wouldn't have been a match for Guo Songyang. He might not have even lasted ten moves!"
Even Li Xinhuan couldn't guarantee that he would definitely defeat Guo Songyang.
Thus, Li Xinhuan's heart became chaotic again, and he suddenly started to become indecisive, which was something that had never happened to him before. Was it because he had just regained the happiness he had lost for more than a decade, and thus, he felt even more reluctant to let it go?
Guo Songyang stopped in his tracks. "Is your heart wavering?"
Li Xinhuan nodded. "Yes, so... I can't fight you today."
Guo Songyang turned around abruptly. "What did you say?"
Li Xinhuan looked at Guo Songyang and remained silent for a while. However, he suddenly seemed to let go of something, and his expression even relaxed a little as he said, "I said I lost."
Guo Songyang's pupils contracted, and Xi Menrou was stunned.
Ding Baiyun instinctively held Yu Longsheng's hand, surprised that Li Xinhuan would admit defeat.
As it turned out, despite Yu Longsheng's presence, the personalities and actions of Guo Songyang and Li Xinhuan, especially when it came to a momentous duel between these extraordinary masters, remained unchanged and unaffected by Yu Longsheng's influence.
The aura and clash between them excluded everyone else.
The following events, though slightly different in dialogue, unfolded almost identically to the original narrative.
Guo Songyang acknowledged Li Xinhuan as a hero but lamented the lack of worthy opponents. Thus, he still compelled Li Xinhuan to duel, promising to care for Lin Shiyin and her son if he won.
Friends were easy to come by, but a true rival who could match one's spirit was hard to find.
Before they could become friends, Guo Songyang had to fight Li Xinhuan.
...
And so, they fought.
Amid the crisp autumn wind and swirling red leaves, every move was lethal, every technique a masterpiece.
Xi Menrou watched, drenched in cold sweat. Aside from the infamous Little Li Flying Dagger, he felt that his own whip would be no match for Guo Songyang's close-quarters combat. And once a long-range weapon was engaged in close combat, the outcome was almost inevitable.
Yu Longsheng, standing nearby, frowned as he witnessed the formidable power of belief-empowered martial arts. It was truly awe-inspiring!
Each strike and stance incorporated their spirit and conviction, and with Li Xinhuan and Guo Songyang's unparalleled martial arts talent, their skills had surpassed the limits of mere diligent practice.
In other words, if Yu Longsheng couldn't find his own martial arts spirit and conviction, or a sense of self-belief, even a lifetime of hard work wouldn't make him their match.
At best, he'd be half as strong as Lu Fengxian.
Hmm, that still sounds pretty strong!
And then...
A soft "ding" rang out as Li Xinhuan's flying dagger clashed with Guo Songyang's iron sword.
Guo Songyang stood still, his sword unwavering, while Li Xinhuan's dagger had been broken.
"I lost."
It wasn't Li Xinhuan who spoke, but Guo Songyang.
"Who says you lost?" Li Xinhuan asked.
"I admit defeat," Guo Songyang said, his eyes hollow. A bitter smile played on his lips as he continued, "I never thought I'd say these words, even if it killed me. But now that I have, I feel incredibly liberated. Liberated, indeed!"
Guo Songyang repeated himself three times, laughing aloud as he looked to the sky, then turned and strode away.
Li Xinhuan's gaze followed Guo Songyang, filled with admiration and awe. He had just faced an unparalleled master whose character was as sincere and open as another friend of his.
"Well done, Li Xinhuan!" Yu Longsheng gave Li Xinhuan a thumbs-up. "You subdued the renowned Mount Song's Iron Sword without even throwing your dagger. We should change the saying 'Little Li's dagger never misses' to 'He never misses, even without his dagger.'"
Li Xinhuan smiled bitterly. "Please don't praise me like that. I can't take it."
Yu Longsheng waved his hand dismissively. "Now that the duel is won, go back and spend time with your childhood sweetheart. I'll go and comfort the sore loser."
Then, taking Ding Baiyun's hand and gesturing to Xi Menrou, he followed the path Guo Songyang had taken.
(End of Chapter)
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