There was no first place in literature and no second place in martial arts.
Who was the number one expert in the State of Yue, let alone the number one expert in the world? No one could give an answer.
That was because top-notch experts usually didn't take action easily, and they wouldn't compete for first and second place like in the Olympics.
Furthermore, the martial path of the world was mutually exclusive.
It was hard to say who would win or lose.
If one had to find the number one expert in the world, it would be the previous Great Qian Emperor.
But in the State of Yue, no matter how one ranked, the South Sea Sword King was a top-notch existence.
Zhong Chuke, Yan Nanfei, Li Qianqiu, and Bian Xiao were all martial grandmasters.
Zhong Chuke had fought with Li Qianqiu before in an attempt to break his Meteor Fall sword technique but had failed.
Yan Nanfei was the sect leader of the South Sea Sword Sect, while Li Qianqiu was the leader of the South Sea Sword Island. They were both known as the South Sea Sword King.
These two people's names collided with each other.
Thus, they had fought before.
However, they had fought in secret, and no one knew the outcome.
The winner didn't run out to say that he had won.
The loser also feigned ignorance and didn't run out to say that he had lost.
However, everyone guessed that Yan Nanfei had lost.
This was because Yan Nanfei was a domineering and flamboyant person who would immediately announce his victory to the world.
In everyone's eyes, Li Qianqiu was an unfathomable person.
This person could even kill his wife. He was too ruthless.
One had to know that he had been born poor. If not for his father-in-law who had picked him up and nurtured him, he wouldn't have had the chance to become a grandmaster. He would have become a beggar by the side of the road.
His wife was a great beauty who was famous throughout the world at that time. She was the dream lover of countless young heroes.
Li Qianqiu's awesomeness didn't stop there.
In the past, every Sword King had only relied on that move, Meteor Fall.
However, the South Sea Sword King had actually abandoned this sword technique ten years ago, and had instead practiced the Starfall Technique.
As for whether this move was truly awesome, no one knew.
This was because no one dared to challenge him and test out the power of Meteor Fall.
Thus, among the grandmasters in the State of Yue, Zhong Chuke and even Yan Nanfei could be offended. Only the South Sea Sword King, Li Qianqiu, could not be offended.
And now, Shenlang had offended this super boss.
"Were you the one who broke through my Meteor Fall?" Li Qianqiu asked again.
His words didn't seem to contain the slightest bit of anger.
Shen Lang: "Yes!"
Li Qianqiu replied, "Then let's go."
Shall we go?
Where to?
Bring him to the South Sea Sword Island and kill him?
That shouldn't be the case.
Although there were Martial Dao Grandmasters in this world, they were still bound by worldly authority.
If you killed an ordinary person, that would be fine.
Publicly killing a son-in-law of the Count House was a provocation to the authority of the entire State of Yue.
Jin Hui and Shen Shisan knew that they were no match for Li Qianqiu, but they still braced themselves and stood in front of Shen Lang.
"Let's go. I've already spoken to Xuanwu," Li Qianqiu said.
This time, Shen Lang could not help but be startled.
It was impossible for a super BOSS like Li Qianqiu to lie about such a small matter. If he said that he had told his father-in-law about it, then he must have done so.
Li Qianqiu then walked forward.
Jin Hui dashed toward the Count House to seek confirmation.
Shen Shisan greeted, "Master."
Shen Lang replied, "It's fine. I'll make a trip there then."
Following which, Shen Lang boarded a horse carriage.
After Li Qianqiu boarded the carriage, he put on a coarse robe. In an instant, the aura of a Martial Dao Grandmaster disappeared without a trace. It was as if he had transformed into an ordinary carriage driver. Even his face seemed to have changed.
His handsome face had actually become weather-beaten.
Following which, the South Sea Sword King personally drove the carriage and brought Shen Lang south.
… …
After completely fainting, Zhu Lanting, who had been rescued, entered a state of madness!
His eyes were sunken, and his face was malevolent.
Both his eyes were completely blood-red.
A hundred-year foundation! A hundred-year foundation!
All of it was destroyed!
It must be Shen Lang's doing!
But how did he do it?
Zhu Wenhua roared from the side, "Father, go and sue him! Go to the governor's office and sue him! It must be Shen Lang's doing! Have him beheaded! Behead him!"
Go to the governor's office and sue Shen Lang?
Was there any evidence?
Moreover, when the dam burst, Shen Lang was still hundreds of miles away in the hunting grounds of the Nujiang River.
Viscount Zhu Lanting hissed, "I have nothing left. Shen Lang, you actually forced me into such a desperate situation. Then don't blame me for crossing the line. I'll go to the House of Autumn and assassinate Shen Lang at all costs!"
"Men, keep an eye on Count Xuanwu's movements at all times. Once Shen Lang is alone, inform me immediately!"
The House of Autumn was the strongest assassin organization in the State of Yue. Behind it was the South Sea Sword Sect.
… …
The last time Shen Lang went south with Mulan, it was a wonderful and blissful time.
It was even a magnificent one.
And this trip to the South was simply boring to the max.
Grandmaster Li Qianqiu was not like a human at all.
He meditated at all times.
He meditated when he was driving the carriage, meditated when he was walking, and meditated when he was cooking.
Most importantly, he did not eat after he was done cooking.
It was as if he wanted to become an immortal. He did not eat for two or three days and did not sleep at all.
He did not say a single word to Shen Lang.
When it came to other people, Shen Lang was able to deduce their ultimate goal from the clues in their words.
But when facing this Sword King.
It was as if Shen Lang was looking at a machine.
You would never know what he would do in the next second.
Two days and one night later.
When they reached the end of the land, the two of them took a boat out to sea.
Another day and night passed by.
Finally, they arrived at an island.
Was this the world-famous South Sea Sword Island?
So shabby?
There were only a few houses on the island. Some were made of stone, while others were made of wood.
On a cliff not far away, there was a fool holding a sword in a daze.
Upon closer inspection, this fool was Tang Yan.
He was just standing there in a daze.
Just when Shen Lang felt that Tang Yan was about to unleash a heaven-defying sword technique, Tang Yan suddenly dove into the sea.
What the hell was this?
However, Li Qianqiu acted as if he did not see anything and continued to lead Shen Lang forward.
After passing through countless rocks, they arrived at a cave.
"Come in," Li Qianqiu said.
Shen Lang was even more curious. Why was the Sword King doing this?
Why did he bring him to this cave?
He was truly unfathomable.
However, this man was too awesome. Shen Lang could only follow him inside.
This cave was too deep.
When they reached the end, there was no longer any light.
Very soon, they reached the end of the cave.
Shen Lang caught a whiff of a foul stench and heard a heavy breathing sound.
"Wife …"
This … was this Li Qianqiu's voice?
Shen Lang immediately felt goosebumps all over his body.
Wasn't this too mushy?
This' wife 'was even more mushy than Shen Lang's. It was filled with boundless affection and pampering.
It was the complete opposite of Li Qianqiu's unparalleled coldness.
"Wife, your husband is here," Li Qianqiu said gently. "I've brought someone with me."
"Scram, scram, scram …"
An incomparably hoarse voice came from inside. It sounded like a toad, as though its throat had been burned by fire.
"Wife, you don't have to go into seclusion anymore. Can you come out with me?" Li Qianqiu's voice trembled.
The hoarse voice replied, "Scram! I will definitely remember it. I will definitely write down the entire 'Meteor Fall Sword Manual', front and back. This is my family's only treasure. I can't let it die in my hands. "
Li Qianqiu said agitatedly, "Our treasure is not the [Meteor Fall] sword technique. My treasure is you. Ten years ago, I gave up on the [Meteor Fall] sword technique. Without this sword technique, we don't even care about it anymore. "
That hoarse voice was filled with boundless hatred as he said, "That bitch. Not only did that bitch steal my sword technique, she even poisoned me, causing my brain to become damaged. She's such a vicious person. She wants to sever the hundred year inheritance of my South Sea Sword Island's Qiu Clan. Scram, scram! You were the one who saved that slut, so everything is your fault! "
Li Qianqiu pleaded, "Yes, everything is my fault. I was blind. One day, I will personally skin her alive and tear her into pieces!"
"Wife, you don't have to go into seclusion anymore. You don't have to torture yourself anymore. I've brought a person with me, and he has already completely detoxified the [Meteor Fall] sword technique. His wife has just deciphered it, so our clan's sword technique will not be severed."
On the other hand, Shen Lang was completely stupefied.
What happened to killing his wife to prove his Dao?
What happened to being a sinister devil?
He was completely a wife-doting devil!
Shen Lang understood what was going on.
This woman was Li Qianqiu's wife, the daughter of the previous South Sea Sword Monarch.
Originally, the two of them were living harmoniously, but Li Qianqiu saved a woman.
This woman possessed superb acting skills and swindled Li Qianqiu and his wife's trust. In the end, she stole the [Meteor Fall] sword manual and even poisoned Li Qianqiu's wife, destroying her body and brain.
Li Qianqiu's wife had almost gone mad. In order to prevent the clan's sword technique from being severed, she locked herself in the deepest cave and attempted to memorize the [Meteor Fall] sword manual.
In order to comfort his wife, Li Qianqiu gave up on the [Meteor Fall] sword technique and practiced another powerful sword technique, [Meteor Fall].
This meant that even without the [Meteor Fall] sword technique, he would still be able to uphold the prestige of the South Sea Sword Monarch.
However, his wife still couldn't get over it and continued to hide in the cave. Every day, she would torture herself, desperately trying to memorize the sword manual.
Perhaps someone would ask.
Li Qianqiu clearly knew the [Meteor Fall] sword technique, so why didn't he write it down?
There was a rule in the South Sea Sword Island that every generation would recruit a son-in-law.
The husband would learn the Yang aspect of the [Meteor Fall] sword technique, while the wife would learn the Yin aspect.
Yin specifically countered Yang.
Furthermore, all of them were taught by women.
Men were not allowed to come into contact with sword manuals.
Not only that, but to cultivate this sword technique, one had to consume a special metal and allow it to enter one's bloodline. Only then would one's true qi have a special magnetic force and be able to unleash a centrifugal storm.
This special metal was also a top-secret formula that only women knew.
Men were only responsible for drinking it.
Thus, the true [Meteor Fall] sword technique could only be mastered by women.
Li Qianqiu might be able to grasp the contents of the [Meteor Fall] sword technique manual, but he was completely clueless about the other side.
In that case, who was the woman who stole the sword manual and poisoned Li Qianqiu's wife?
At that time, the Sword Monarch, Li Qianqiu, and his wife were already unable to have children.
Due to a freak combination of factors, Li Qianqiu picked up a girl, and the two of them liked her very much.
Coincidentally, this girl was extremely talented, so the two of them decided to let her inherit their legacy and marry her to Tang Yan.
Of course, this girl was older than Tang Yan by five years.
However, as the saying goes, a girl three years older carries a golden brick. A girl five years older was as ferocious as a tiger.
There was nothing bad about it.
Just like that, the girl stayed by Li Qianqiu and his wife's side for ten years.
They treated her like their own daughter.
However, this girl was a venomous snake. After gaining the trust of Li Qianqiu and his wife, she took the opportunity when Li Qianqiu brought Tang Yan out to travel the world to poison her adoptive mother.
By the time Li Qianqiu returned, his wife's body and face were already ruined, and her brain was damaged.
His adoptive daughter was nowhere to be found.
In that instant, Li Qianqiu was on the verge of exploding. He searched the entire world, wanting to tear this girl into pieces.
However, he couldn't find her!
Every day, his wife would blame herself, blaming her husband, Li Qianqiu, for bringing back a venomous snake.
Upon hearing Li Qianqiu's words, the woman immediately pounced on him and screamed, "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible! No one in the world can decipher the [Meteor Fall] sword technique. If you dare to lie, I will kill you, kill you … "
There was no light in the cave, only a few Night Illumination Pearls embedded in the walls.
At this moment, Shen Lang saw the woman's appearance and body.
It was truly nauseating.
Do you know about toads?
Every inch of this woman's skin was like a toad's.
That adoptive daughter was actually so vicious to poison her adoptive mother.
Li Qianqiu said, "Wife, if this young man is able to write down the entire [Meteor Fall] sword technique from memory, will you follow me out?"
"I don't believe it, I don't believe it …"
Li Qianqiu looked at Shen Lang and said, "Shen, I'll leave it to you."
Shen Lang bowed and replied, "I won't shirk from my duty!"
Following which, Shen Lang left the cave and began to write down the [Meteor Fall] sword technique in his mind, page by page, onto paper.
There were more than two hundred pages!
Shen Lang spent two days and two nights before he was able to complete the entire sword technique.
When Li Qianqiu arrived, he actually didn't feel much joy.
Shen Lang could understand that it was this sword technique that prevented him from having children, and it was also this sword technique that caused misfortune to befall his wife. This was why Li Qianqiu hated this sword technique so much that he had abandoned it ten years ago.
Li Qianqiu took the newly written secret manual and rushed into the cave.
Under the weak light from the Night Illumination Pearls, his wife could actually see everything clearly.
She flipped through the pages quickly, especially when she reached the last few pages.
The back of the Meteor Fall sword technique was the secret manual of the sword technique that countered it.
The toad-like woman trembled with excitement as she sobbed, "My sword technique, my sword technique is back! It's back! The ancestor's sword technique wasn't destroyed in my hands!"
She felt as if she had been freed from a burden!
Sword King Li Qianqiu said, "Wife, then … then let's go out. Don't stay in this cave anymore, it's not good for your body. "
"No, I'm not going out!" His wife screamed, "I'm so ugly that even I would be afraid of myself, let alone others. I'm not going out, I'm not going out …"
Li Qianqiu coaxed, "There's no one else on Sword Island. Other than me, there's only Yan 'er and Blind. Yan' er is a fool, what would he know?
It's all that slut's fault for poisoning Uncle Shrimp's eyes. You must find her, skin her, and pull out her tendons! "
Li Qianqiu consoled, "Alright, alright, I'll definitely find her and kill her! Wife, I beg you, please follow me out, alright? If you don't leave, I'll stay with you in this cave. "
"No, the yin qi in this cave is too strong, and your bloodline is already injured. You can't stay here."
Li Qianqiu said, "Then follow me out."
His wife said, "No, I won't go out, I can't see the light."
Li Qianqiu said, "Then let's go out at night, alright? Wife, you've already lived here for more than ten years, and we've also been separated for more than ten years. How can you bear to do this? "
His wife said, "We'll talk about it in the future, I won't go out. I'm getting impatient, get lost, get lost … "
Li Qianqiu said, "Alright, alright, I'll get lost, but you must eat the food that Uncle Shrimp will send over later."
"Got it, long-winded! Hurry up and leave, don't look at my ugly face! "
… …
The Autumn Wind Brothel was a mysterious assassin organization in the State of Yue.
Once they accepted the job, there was no target they couldn't kill.
Behind the Autumn Wind Brothel was the South Sea Sword Sect, the Xue Clan, and even … the third prince of the State of Yue!
Viscount Zhu Lanting met with one of the shopkeepers of the Autumn Wind Brothel.
"How much is it to kill Shen Lang?"
The shopkeeper thought for a while and shook his head. "No!"
Zhu Lanting hissed, "He's just a son-in-law of the Count House. The Xuan Wu Mansion is about to be destroyed. Why can't we kill a son-in-law like him?"
The shopkeeper said, "It's not because we can't kill him, but because he's in the Count House at all times. He's protected by a team of warriors and three experts. The cost of killing him is too high, and the probability of failure is too high. "
Viscount Zhu Lanting said, "No, Shen Lang isn't in the Xuan Wu Mansion at the moment. He's hundreds of miles away, alone, without any experts protecting him. There's only an old coachman by his side."
The shopkeeper of the Autumn Wind Brothel said, "Really?"
Viscount Zhu Lanting said, "Of course. My men saw him clearly, and I've sent people to keep an eye on him along the way. He's my archenemy, and I won't let him off even if I become a ghost. Don't tell me your Autumn Wind Brothel doesn't dare to kill this person? "
The shopkeeper of the Autumn Wind Brothel said, "There are indeed people we don't dare to kill, but a mere son-in-law of Shen Lang isn't on the list."
Viscount Zhu Lanting took out a map and said, "This is the route Shen Lang took to the south, and it should be the same route to the north. You can ambush him along the way, but to ensure that nothing goes wrong, you must send enough experts."
The shopkeeper of the Autumn Wind Brothel said, "You don't have to worry about that. Once the Autumn Wind Brothel makes a move, there's no one we can't kill."
Viscount Zhu Lanting said, "How much?"
The shopkeeper of the Autumn Wind Brothel said, "Ten thousand gold coins."
Viscount Zhu Lanting exclaimed, "So expensive? Are you crazy? "
The shopkeeper of the Autumn Wind Brothel said, "You can choose not to pay."
Zhu Lanting gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll pay ten thousand gold coins! But you have to give me his corpse. I'll skin him alive, pull out his tendons, grind his bones to dust, and feed his meat to the dogs. Only then will I be able to vent my hatred. "
The shopkeeper of the Autumn Wind Brothel said, "As you wish."
… … …
Li Qianqiu sent Shen Lang back to his home.
He was still as cold as ever, not saying a word, meditating every day.
This extremely handsome man still didn't eat or bathe, but he didn't sweat at all.
However, when Shen Lang saw him again, he no longer felt any fear.
He only felt deep respect for him.
The rumors in the pugilistic world were truly harmful.
Everyone said that he killed his wife to prove his Dao and that he was the most vicious person in the world.
In the end, he turned out to be a man who doted on his wife to the extreme.
Not bad!
He didn't embarrass his son-in-law.
Shen Lang asked, "Senior Sword King, have you found the adopted daughter that you adopted back then?"
Sword King Li Qianqiu thought for a moment and nodded.
Shen Lang was surprised. Li Qianqiu was so skilled in martial arts, so why didn't he just kill her for revenge?
"Only she has the antidote. My wife has to take the antidote once every year, or she will die."
Shen Lang fell silent.
Shen Lang asked, "Then who is she?"
Sword King Li Qianqiu replied, "Yan Nanfei's daughter, Xue Xue!"
Everything was clear now.
A mountain couldn't contain two tigers.
One was the sect master of the Southern Sea Sword Sect, and the other was the Southern Sea Sword King.
Yan Nanfei had once challenged Li Qianqiu to a duel, but he lost.
Hence, he schemed to disguise his daughter as an orphan and infiltrate the Sword King and his wife, becoming their adopted daughter.
After obtaining the secret manual, he immediately poisoned the Sword King's wife and fled far away.
Thus, Yan Nanfei was able to decipher the Meteor Fall Sword Technique.
Because of this, Li Qianqiu gave up on the Meteor Fall Sword Technique and started cultivating another sword technique.
The Xue clan's actions were truly vicious!
Li Qianqiu continued, "This woman will soon become the third prince's second wife."
Shen Lang was even more astonished.
This Xue clan was actually so awesome?
This century-old ally of Xuan Wu Mansion had actually gone so far on the path of power. No wonder they looked down on Xuan Wu Mansion and drew a clear line between them.
Sword King Li Qianqiu said, "Shen, I owe you a favor. If you need any help in the future, just send a letter to the South Sea Sword Island. No matter how difficult it is, I will do it for you."
This was an enormous promise.
Priceless!
"Shen, we're being watched!"
… … …
Dozens of li ahead!
A warrior from the Zhu clan said, "Master, we see Shen Lang, we see Shen Lang!"
Viscount Zhu Lanting was overjoyed. "Is there an expert with him?"
The warrior replied, "There's no expert. There's only that old coachman who looks like he could die at any moment."
The assassin from the Autumn Wind Pavilion said, "I'm sure I saw it clearly. That coachman doesn't look like an expert."
Viscount Zhu Lanting was overjoyed. "There's a path to heaven, but you refuse to take it. There's no door to hell, but you insist on barging in. Shen Lang, this time, I will tear you into a thousand pieces and feed you to the dogs. Even if you go to hell, you'll regret offending me. "
Then, he looked at the manager of the Autumn Wind Pavilion and asked, "Are you guys ready?"
The manager said indifferently, "There's no one that our Autumn Wind Pavilion can't kill. We'll give you the corpse in two hours."
Of course, he knew that Shen Lang was backed by the Kim family. Moreover, they were his master's century-old ally.
But now … Xuan Wu Mansion was nothing.
In the wilderness, killing a dog was like killing a dog. Who would know?
The manager of the assassin organization waved his hand.
Immediately, dozens of assassins sprinted in Shen Lang's direction.
… …