Chapter 49: A Group of Characters from "Border Town Vagabond" Make an Appearance
Chapter 49: A Group of Characters from "Border Town Vagabond" Make an Appearance
Having gifted both Ding Chengfeng and Ding Baiyun with exceptional swords, You Longsheng, of course, also received a fine blade of his own—the Youlong Sword, personally crafted by the most skilled master blacksmith of the Hidden Sword Villa.
The Youlong Sword!
Instead of adorning it with pearls and gems, the sword's hilt was crafted into a dragon's head, the guard adorned with dragon claws, and the sheath decorated with a dragon's body and tail. When You Longsheng held the sword in his left hand, it looked as if he was holding a dragon by the tail.
Aside from its stunning appearance, the sword was also exceptionally sharp and resilient, by no means inferior to the Fish Intestine Sword, which had been hyped to the heavens.
"That's right, the Youlong Sword for You Longsheng, and that ill-omened Duqing Sword can go to whoever wants it."
You Longsheng practiced the Divine Dragon Nine-Bend Sword Technique and the Blizzarding Seventy-Two Forms in the villa's backyard, earning applause from Duan Qian and Feng Wan, "What superb swordsmanship, Lord You!"
"The divine dragon soars in the heavens, bending and twisting, reaching the skies.
Fierce winds and sudden snow gather from all eight directions, the seventy-two forms are hard to unify!"
You Longsheng recited a humorous poem, which was met with praises from the old steward, You Ji, and his bald son, You Teng, "What a wonderful poem, Lord You! Your literary talent is admirable!"
Steward You Ji had been saved by Old Man You Long during his travels in the jianghu, and he later joined the Hidden Sword Villa, managing the villa for several decades. He was a senior member of the villa, and even You Longsheng and his two sisters addressed him respectfully as Uncle Ji.
Yes, You Longsheng had two older sisters.
The Hidden Sword Villa had been founded by You Longsheng's grandfather. Unfortunately, the family line had only a single male descendant in each generation, and Old Man You Long, despite having two daughters, only had one son, You Longsheng.
You Longsheng's eldest sister was married to Peng Yue, the current head of the Five Tigers' Severing Blade Peng Family in Shanxi.
You Longsheng's second sister was married to the second young master of the Taiyuan Wang Family.
While the Five Tigers' Severing Blade of the Peng Family could not be considered unparalleled in the world, it was still renowned far and wide. The Taiyuan Wang Family, on the other hand, was a great martial arts clan, and together with the Ding Family of Hebei and the Li Family of Guanzhong, they were known as the Three Great Martial Arts Families of the North.
The background of the Hidden Sword Villa was actually quite impressive.
Sheathing his sword, You Longsheng chuckled and asked, "Has the steel production from the blast furnace stabilized?"
You Ji nodded, "The master blacksmiths have mastered the method, but I ordered them to seal the furnace."
"Sealed?"
"Yes, we must use our fine steel wisely. Although the Hidden Sword Villa is skilled in iron smelting and sword forging, we shouldn't be producing divine weapons endlessly!" You Ji explained, "From now on, we'll only fire up the furnace once a year. The first few batches of steel I've set aside are more than enough to forge a sword for the Wang Family and a blade for the Peng Family."
You Longsheng casually nodded. In this martial arts world, he didn't plan to go down the path of a farming expert and dominate the world. If they had the means, then why not? Moreover, it wasn't exactly a highly guarded secret technique.
"Forge a Nine-Ring Staff for the Shaolin Temple, a pair of Taiji and Bagua Swords for Wudang Mountain—the swords represent yin and yang. Also, craft a Flying Dragon Sword for the Kunlun Sect, befitting their 'Flying Dragon Great Nine Forms'. Oh, and don't forget my master."
You Longsheng instructed, "When my late father passed away, Abbot Xin Hu, Daoist Lingxu, and Master Zhuo all came to pay their respects. I'll visit them next year to return the favor. While I'm at Kunlun, I'll also stop by Mount Tian to see how my master is doing."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"I'll have the blacksmiths start working on them immediately. We won't let down the reputation of the Hidden Sword Villa," You Ji nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining with satisfaction, "Lord You has truly grown up!"
You Longsheng shrugged. Yes, he had grown up, and he had also changed.
Then, You Ji smiled and said, "By the way, over the past year, quite a few major and minor powers from around Shanxi have inquired about your marital status, Lord You. I didn't dare to speak freely with Miss Ding present, but now...
Should I tell you about them, or should I start preparing the betrothal gifts for your marriage to the Ding Family?"
You Longsheng stumbled and nearly choked on the cold air he had just inhaled. Nonetheless, he was quite curious, "Quite a few have inquired about marriage?
Amused, You Longsheng asked, "Am I that popular?"
"You are the master of the Hidden Sword Villa," You Ji said proudly, before continuing honestly, "However, when it comes to family background, appearance, and martial arts skills, none of them can compare to the eldest daughter of the Ding family from Hebei."
You Longsheng shook his head decisively, "I have no relationship with Ding Baiyun whatsoever!"
Who would want to be associated with her? Did he want his entire clan to be wiped out, forcing him to live with his head in his hands for nineteen years?
You Ji neither agreed nor disagreed, merely smiling and nodding.
"I'm still young, and it's too early for me to get married now," You Longsheng said.
You Ji nodded in understanding, as if he knew exactly what You Longsheng meant, and said, "I understand. Then I'll go take care of some matters."
As he turned to leave, You Ji suddenly patted his head and turned back, saying, "I forgot to mention something else. The leader of Baiyun Villa, Yuan Qiuyun, is getting married in seven days. He sent out invitations to the entire villa a month ago. I was thinking of sending Little Teng in your stead since you weren't back, but now that you're here, you might as well pay a visit in person."
"Yuan Qiuyun? He's getting married?"
"Yes, I recall that he and the villa master have met a few times," You Ji said.
You Longsheng racked his brains and recalled the few times he had met Yuan Qiuyun. Indeed, they were acquainted.
What was going on? This was clearly the world of The Sentimental Swordsman and the Cold-Blooded Sword, so why were characters from Border Town Vagabond popping up one by one?
Alright, Border Town Vagabond was indeed a sequel to The Sentimental Swordsman and the Cold-Blooded Sword, and Ah Fei and Jing Wuming had both made appearances in it. In the story, Fu Hongxue sought his father's murderer from nineteen years ago, chasing Ma Kongqun from the frontier all the way to the interior, which was precisely the area of Shanxi and Hebei.
The Godly Blade Hall and the Ten Thousand Horses Hall were originally located in the northern frontier of Shanxi.
The masters who had killed Bai Tianyu nineteen years ago were also either rising to prominence or already famous at this time.
It was only natural for the Hidden Sword Villa, located in Shanxi, to have interactions with these people, wasn't it?
You Longsheng asked, "Are there any new developments in the martial arts world of Shanxi and Hebei lately?"
You Ji thought for a moment, "There's nothing much new. It's just that Xue Bin has picked a few more mountain fortresses in Taihang Mountain, the Wang family helped retrieve a batch of red goods that were hijacked from the Qing Shan Escort Agency, the wife of the Taihang Giant Bandit, Zhang Meng, ran off with someone, and Guo Wei and Peng Yue's knife-comparing match once again ended in a draw..."
"Dad, you forgot about the Godly Blade Hall." You Teng reminded him.
You Longsheng's eyebrows rose, "The Godly Blade Hall?"
"The Godly Blade Hall..."
You Ji pondered, "The Godly Blade Hall is a force from the frontier. Together with the Ten Thousand Horses Hall, they are known as the 'Knives and Horses of the Kanto Plains, Unparalleled in the World'. Their ambition is indeed great, but the hall master, Bai Tianyu, is indeed a man of talent and strategy. However, wanting to enter the pass and develop is not an easy task."
Shanxi is mountainous, with numerous sects, aristocratic families, bandits, and masters!
It's not easy for anyone to want to enter Shanxi and develop their influence.
"Has the Godly Blade Hall entered the pass?" You Longsheng asked.
"They've just entered, and they're making quite a stir. Moreover, they're acting openly and righteously," You Ji nodded, "If they take things step by step, they might just be able to establish a foothold in the pass."
(End of Chapter)
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