章節 42: The Big Shots
A little voice nagged at the back of Wang Jingyuan's mind. What if Liu Xiaochen doesn't show up? It whispered. What if Qingsha Sect or another sect ambushed him on his way here and killed him already?
That won't happen, Wang Jingyuan told herself. Shifu said Senior Brother Liu was going to be here, so he will be here.
But the more she tried to convince herself, the louder the little voice became. Wang Jingyuan gripped her sword tighter. Mo Xian noticed her nervous movement.
"Are you worried about your senior brother?" he asked softly. Wang Jingyuan nodded. "I'm sure he'll be here. All of the respectable martial artists of the sector are here, so I am sure that he will be here as well. Didn't the man in the restaurant yesterday say he saw a Xuanyan pupil in the city?"
"Yes, but I still don't know for sure."
Mo Xian took Wang Jingyuan's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. Her hand, surprisingly, was a little cold. "Don't worry, Jing-Jing. Even if he doesn't show up today, I will help you find him no matter where he is."
"Mo Xian, thank you so much. You're so nice." Wang Jingyuan finally smiled a little.
On stage, the previous round's victor was shouting for his challenger. Someone emerged from the platform of the group wearing purple and used qing gong to easily cross the distance between the stage and the platform.
"State your name." The previous round's victor, a short man with a mustache, eyed the newcomer warily.
The young man wearing purple clasped his right fist with his left hand in salute. "I am the head disciple under the chief of Feiyue Pavilion. My name is Song Xinglan."
Upon hearing the name "Song Xinglan", murmurs broke out among the martial artists in the crowd. Wang Jingyuan and Mo Xian listened carefully.
"Wow, the chief of Feiyue Pavilion's head disciple!"
"I heard he's almost as good as the chief!"
"I was here at the last Hero Assembly, and wow, Song Xinglan was amazing!"
The short man tried to maintain a carefree façade and returned the greeting. "I am much honored to be battling against Childe Song. Please, make the first move."
"Senior, don't hold back." Song Xinglan flicked his wrist and his sword wobbled in his hand.
"He's using a soft sword!" Wang Jingyuan's eyes widened. She nudged Mo Xian. "Soft swords are not good for hacking or stabbing, but they are absolutely deadly in their slicing and cutting. Because they're soft and flexible, soft swords are able to catch their opponents by surprise and attack in ways you've never seen before. It takes a lot of skill to be able to use a soft sword well."
Mo Xian nodded, eyes locked on Song Xinglan, who was now engaged in a heated battle with the short man. Originally, he only came to the Hero Assembly to accompany Wang Jingyuan, but it was actually so much more interesting than he expected. For one, he was learning much about the different skills of each sect.
Song Xinglan's soft sword was like a dragon in the sea. It curved and rolled and spiraled, never staying in one position for too long. The short man had obviously never encountered such an agile sword; his own sword skills became sloppy and disoriented as he tried to block all of Song Xinglan's nimble attacks.
The short man spotted what seemed like a hole in Song Xinglan's defense and gleefully stabbed his sword toward Song Xinglan's unprotected chest. However, Song Xinglan merely held his soft sword diagonally across his chest to block the attack. The instant the short man's sword tip reached Song Xinglan's sword, Song Xinglan flicked his wrist down. As everyone watched, the soft sword curved up and wrapped around the entire blade of the short man's sword, like an anaconda wrapping around its prey.
The short man realized he had fallen in Song Xinglan's trap. He tried to pull his sword back, but the soft sword held firm. With a smirk and a strong pull down and to the left, Song Xinglan wrenched the man's sword from his grasp. The short man's sword flew through the air and skidded to a stop at the edge of the stage. Before the short man could react, Song Xinglan retracted his sword and performed a beautiful roundhouse kick that sent the short man flying to the side. He landed right next to his sword.
"Woooo! Senior Brother Song! Senior Brother Song!" The Feiyue pupils and disciples were cheering their heads off. The chief, a middle-aged man with bushy eyebrows, stroked his long beard and nodded approvingly. The short man groaned and limped off the stage with his sword.
Song Xinglan smiled faintly and nodded toward his junior brothers and sisters, who were now shouting, "Who dares to challenge Senior Brother Song? Who dares to?"
"I will!" A young woman from Emei Sect leapt onto the stage in a flurry of white. Part of her black hair was held up high in a bun, and two white ribbons cascaded down her back with the rest of her hair. Her white multilayered hanfu dress swished around her as she stepped towards Song Xinglan and greeted him. "Xia Qingge, head disciple of Emei Sect. Pleased to meet you, Childe Song."
Song Xinglan clasped his right fist in his left palm and greeted Xia Qingge. "The honor is all mine, Miss Xia. Please, make the first move."
Xia Qingge took a step back and twirled her sword in hand. Then in a blur of white and steel, she flew towards Song Xinglan. Now that it was head disciple versus head disciple of two major sects, the battle became a lot more exciting.
Both Song Xinglan and Xia Qingge's sword skills were quick, accurate, and deadly. Each represented the face of their entire sect. With not only their mentors and junior brothers and sisters watching, but also martial artists all around the country and the citizens of the Capital, both had to put in one hundred and ten percent effort to try and defeat their opponent. Not to mention, their opponent was every bit as advanced as they were.
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