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Chapter 84: The Battle Between the Sword of Mount Song and the Top Swordsman of Tiannan
Chapter 84: The Battle Between the Sword of Mount Song and the Top Swordsman of Tiannan
"Nine days! Nine whole days!"
You Longsheng returned to Tian Qi's residence, still babbling, "The Peony Garden Flower Viewing Festival will last for a full nine days. Today is only the third day, so we still have six more days of free food and drink!"
Ding Baiyun shot You Longsheng a sidelong glance. "I think you're just disappointed that you didn't get to see Hong Qiang and Ruyi."
You Longsheng shook his head. "The Xiao family is stingy. They invite everyone to their garden but refuse to spend a dime. I can find girls anywhere; why would I want to compete with a bunch of rich, influential, and skilled people in the Peony Garden and waste my money?"
"Sleeping in the Peony Garden for a night would probably cost more than a night at Cuiyan Tower!"
You Longsheng snorted. "I suspect the Xiao family takes a cut from the profits of the brothels and gambling houses. I underestimated them. I thought they made money through collaborations with others, but it seems they'll recoup their investment during these nine days of the flower-viewing festival."
Everyone was stunned, and Ding Chengfeng exclaimed, "Really?"
"Even if they don't get a good cut, those brothels and gambling houses that entered the Peony Garden must have paid a hefty entrance fee." You Longsheng asked Tian Qi, "Not every brothel and gambling house in Luoyang entered the Peony Garden, right?"
"Of course not." Tian Qi replied, "Luoyang is vast, and only a few establishments were invited to the garden."
As soon as Tian Qi mentioned this, everyone understood.
Guo Songyang looked at You Longsheng with some surprise. Even he hadn't considered that the Xiao family would profit from the flower-viewing festival.
"But not everyone can make money like this." Guo Songyang thought for a moment and said, "Only a family like the Xiao family, with their ability to cultivate off-season peonies and their connections to invite so many people, could pull this off."
"Indeed." You Longsheng patted Ding Chengfeng's shoulder. "Did you learn something? The Ding family can do the same and invite fellow martial artists from Hebei..."
"Forget it." Ding Chengfeng brushed off You Longsheng's hand. "It's all showy and unnecessary. One wrong move, and you'll end up like the Xiao family—embarrassed and exposed. The Ding family doesn't need such theatrics."
The Xiao family resided in the prosperous central plains, so they valued face.
The Ding family, situated in the battleground of Yan and Zhao, valued substance over style.
You Longsheng then turned his attention to Guo Songyang. "When will Senior Guo and Master Xie have their duel?"
"In six days."
"Six days later?" You Longsheng felt like he had heard of this date before.
Ding Chengfeng asked, "Was Master Xie at the Peony Garden earlier?"
Tian Qi continued, "I heard that Xie Tianling and the Xiao family have some sort of marital relationship, but no one knows the specifics."
You Longsheng shook his head, thinking of his family's connections with the Peng and Wang families. They were all part of the ruling class. How could they break free from Official Qinghong's control?
You Longsheng: (...)
...
Six days ago, the Peony Garden Flower Viewing Festival came to an end.
During those six days, Luoyang was in an uproar, with everyone on edge.
However, according to Tian Qi's investigation, the musician had disappeared shortly after leaving the Peony Garden. Although the Xiao family was powerful, they couldn't search all of Luoyang. Despite their efforts, both openly and discreetly, they hadn't found a trace of the person.
Six days later, at the Longmen Grottoes.
Guo Songyang looked a little better as You Longsheng had come without any snacks. Instead, he was dressed formally, holding a sword, and seemed ready to observe the ceremony.
The group met Xie Tianling at the Longmen Grottoes.
Compared to Guo Songyang's cold and solemn demeanor, which made him seem unremarkable to ordinary people, Xie Tianling appeared to be a proud and aloof middle-aged man. He had a tall and slender build, a thin face, and three strands of long beard that gave him the air of a martial arts master and a reclusive expert.
"Thank you for your concern," Guo Songyang replied in a similarly flat tone.
Xie Tianling circled around You Longsheng and his group, then returned to face Guo Songyang. "You've changed."
"People change," Guo acknowledged calmly.
The Iron Sword was well-known, but its owner rarely appeared in public, and his proud nature meant he had few friends.
Having fought Guo Songyang twice, Xie Tianling had naturally investigated his opponent thoroughly. Thus, he was quite curious about the sudden appearance of several young people alongside Guo.
Now was not the time for conversation, however.
Xie Tianling turned to Guo Songyang and said, "Please."
Guo Songyang asked calmly, "Are you confident?"
Xie Tianling's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "If I don't win this time, I'll never have another chance."
"Very well." Guo Songyang nodded and didn't waste any more words. "Please."
Xie Tianling nodded as well and immediately drew his sword, thrusting it directly at Guo Songyang. The sword tip flickered, creating only three flashes of light, which seemed ordinary at first glance.
However, You Longsheng and his companions, who understood swords, found their breath catching in their throats. Behind those three flashes of light were at least twelve variations of the sword technique.
Indeed, Xie Tianling lived up to his reputation as the top swordsman of Tiannan. His sword technique was terrifying—finding wonder in the mundane and hiding danger within elegance. One wrong move, and you would be struck.
But Guo Songyang was no ordinary man either. His black iron sword cleaved through the air with a whoosh, sweeping horizontally. It only needed to shift up and down by three inches to block all twelve variations of Xie Tianling's technique.
This duel was far more captivating than the previous one between Xiao Ao and the musician.
"What a sword technique!" Ding Chenfeng exclaimed in awe.
"Indeed, an excellent sword technique!" You Longsheng praised, his eyes glued to the action.
In the original novel, Xie Tianling was only mentioned briefly by Jing Wuming, who said that he had lost to Guo Songyang three times and was thoroughly convinced of his inferiority. This was meant to highlight the gap between him and Guo Songyang, thereby emphasizing the skill of Xiao Ao, who had managed to defeat Guo.
However, upon closer inspection, something didn't add up. What kind of person would lose to the same opponent three times?
Xie Tianling wasn't a foolish brute. As the top swordsman of Tiannan and the leader of the Pointing Cang Sect, he surely had a clear understanding of his abilities. Losing once would be embarrassing enough; why would he repeatedly challenge Guo Songyang, knowing he was no match?
Moreover, after losing the first time, he still challenged Guo a second time, and after the second loss, he challenged him a third time. The key point was that Guo Songyang accepted these challenges. Why?
This could only mean one thing: Xie Tianling believed he had a chance to win, and the gap between him and Guo Songyang wasn't that significant!
Guo Songyang obviously recognized this as well, which was why he accepted Xie's repeated challenges! The duel unfolding before them confirmed this assessment. In You Longsheng's eyes, Xie Tianling's sword technique and martial arts skills surpassed those of the elderly Master Zhuo from the Kunlun Sect, and he was definitely a cut above the tenth-ranked Donghai Yuxiao on the 'Weapons Register'.
Unfortunately, despite his prowess, he still couldn't beat Guo Songyang and quickly fell behind.
Their duel wasn't a matter of life and death, and neither of them tried to gain the upper hand through trickery. Guo Songyang's victory was straightforward and aboveboard, as he defeated Xie Tianling with his renowned 'Mount Song Iron Sword' technique.
Once again, You Longsheng witnessed a story unfold that had only been a backdrop in the original novel.
Xie Tianling fought Guo Songyang three times and lost each battle, ultimately conceding defeat.
(End of Chapter)
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