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Chapter 392: The Unheard-of "Best Blade Under Heaven"
Chapter 392: The Unheard-of "Best Blade Under Heaven"
The youth in brocade was dead, and the beef soup had vanished.
Silver Hook Gambling Den continued its business as usual, and no more large-scale fights broke out in the town. Even the men from Black Tiger Hall didn't make another appearance.
Su Shaoying and Hua Manlou, however, stayed in town.
Suddenly, peace descended upon the town.
"This peace is an illusion. I sense something amiss in the way a few people look at us," Hua Manlou remarked.
"Of course," a burly man with a full beard suddenly said as he sat down next to Hua Manlou and Su Shaoying, unabashedly helping himself to a piece of beef. "They've received news."
This was the fifth day of Su Shaoying and Hua Manlou's stay in town, and Sikong Zhaixing had appeared again.
"What news?" Su Shaoying inquired.
"News about the elderly Master Liu of Chang'an, who had a son late in life, but now that son has died here under mysterious circumstances. Naturally, he won't take this lying down," Sikong Zhaixing said, unabashedly taking Hua Manlou's wine cup and draining it in one gulp.
Su Shaoying raised an eyebrow. "Does he plan to take revenge on me and Hua Manlou?"
"Coincidentally, yes," Sikong Zhaixing replied with a smile.
"Can't he tell that we weren't the killers?" Su Shaoying asked.
"But if he hadn't encountered you, his son wouldn't have died. He can't find the real killer, but he can find you," Sikong Zhaixing said. "Unless..."
"...unless I help him find the one who killed his son," Hua Manlou finished calmly.
"Precisely!" Sikong Zhaixing exclaimed.
Su Shaoying took a sip of wine and asked curiously, "Who gave him the courage to threaten us?"
"Star Plucking gave him that courage," Sikong Zhaixing said with a smile. "I'm sure you've heard of him."
Hua Manlou's expression changed slightly. "How does Star Plucking know Master Liu?"
Su Shaoying, however, was clueless. "Who is Star Plucking?"
"There are many renowned swordsmen in this world, and quite a few who are at the pinnacle of their art. Off the top of my head, I can name Ximen Chuixue, Ye Gucheng, Mudaoren, and Dugu Yihe, among others," Hua Manlou said. "But when it comes to the blade, there's an undisputed best in the world, and that's Star Plucking."
Su Shaoying searched her original body's memory but came up blank. "I've never heard of him."
"He's been retired for ten years," Sikong Zhaixing said.
"The best blade in the world retired for ten years would come out of seclusion for us?" Su Shaoying was astonished.
"Because he owes Master Liu a favor, a favor that Master Liu intended to call upon his son to collect," Sikong Zhaixing explained.
"But his son is dead," Hua Manlou said flatly.
"Wait, I have another question," Su Shaoying said, raising her hand. "Hasn't he been retired for ten years? In that time, hasn't a new best blade in the world emerged?"
"No," Sikong Zhaixing shook his head.
Hua Manlou continued, "In the past ten years, there have been some talented blade users, but none have surpassed him."
Su Shaoying fell silent.
Although The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng is lengthy, it only covers a few stories and a limited number of characters. Even those mentioned in passing are not to be underestimated, let alone the multitude of experts who are never mentioned.
Su Shaoying was still curious about the mysterious swordsman living in seclusion at the Peak of the Virgin's Tears. What kind of person was he that Ximen Chuixue considered him a match for himself?
Since Star Plucking hailed from Star Lake and held the title of the best blade in the world, he was undoubtedly formidable.
Thus, Su Shaoying was intrigued and wondered how Flyingsword's swordsmanship compared to Baili Tianwu's.
"Where is he now?" Su Shaoying asked.
"If you wait a few more days, you'll likely meet him." Sikong Zhaixing finished the last bite of his beef, took another sip of wine, and then got up to leave.
"You came here just to deliver this message?" Su Shaoying asked.
"And also to enjoy a free meal." Sikong Zhaixing replied with a smile.
Seeing him off, Su Shaoying asked Hua Manlou, "How true are his words?"
Hua Manlou laughed, "You don't have to be so guarded against him. Although Sikong Zhaixing has a mischievous personality, he rarely does anything truly malicious."
Su Shaoying nodded, "If that's the case, shall we wait for Flyingsword here?"
"If we don't wait for him here, where else can we go?" Hua Manlou asked.
Although Su Shaoying wanted to suggest returning to Emei Mountain to wait, she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
With her current martial arts skills, even if she faced Ye Gucheng or Ximen Chuixue, there was no need to hide. She didn't need to be as cautious as You Longsheng when facing Shangguan Jinhong.
...
However, before Su Shaoying and Hua Manlou could meet Flyingsword, they were joined by Ouyang Qing and Xue Bing.
"Why are you here?" Su Shaoying asked.
"Why can't we be here?" Ouyang Qing retorted.
"Where's Lu Xiaofeng?" Xue Bing asked.
"You don't know Lu Xiaofeng's whereabouts, even with your well-informed Red Shoes?" Su Shaoying asked.
"We only know that Lu Xiaofeng was last seen at Silver Hook Gambling Den." Ouyang Qing said, "We heard that he was even put on the local yamen's wanted list, but it was quickly retracted."
"What's fake can't be real, and what's real can't be fake." Hua Manlou said, "Lu Xiaofeng is the one who saved the Emperor, those constables wouldn't dare to cause trouble."
Su Shaoying said, "It's just that Lu Xiaofeng got entangled in another troublesome matter and was escorted out of the pass by someone."
Xue Bing's eyes widened in surprise, "Who could escort Lu Xiaofeng?"
"The Three Friends of Winter," Su Shaoying answered.
Xue Bing blinked, "Who are they?"
"They are the elders of the Western Demon Cult, famous throughout the world forty years ago." Hua Manlou explained.
Xue Bing took a sharp breath, she hadn't heard of the Three Friends of Winter, but she had certainly heard of the infamous Western Demon Cult.
"What exactly happened?" Ouyang Qing asked.
Su Shaoying gave a brief description to the two women, "So we decided to wait for Lu Xiaofeng here."
With Black Tiger Hall lurking in the shadows, the mysterious Phantom Island, Silver Hook Gambling Den as neither friends nor foes, and the unpredictable Western Demon Cult, the situation was complex.
"And there's also Flyingsword!" Ouyang Qing said worriedly, feeling that Su Shaoying and Hua Manlou were sitting right in the eye of the storm.
"Rest assured, Su Shaoying and I aren't that easy to kill." Hua Manlou smiled.
Indeed, these four forces were not to be underestimated, but the two of them weren't pushovers either. After all, hadn't Black Tiger Hall disappeared without a trace after making a move once?
Although the small town was filled with undercurrents, the surface remained calm.
Their goal, after all, was the Luosha Plaque!
(End of Chapter)
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