Chapter 92

Yuwenshang seemed to be injured, spitting blood, but he had actually used the act of spitting blood to expel all of Xiaoran's invading true qi. In reality, he was not seriously injured, and his combat ability was not significantly affected; he still had the strength to fight!

He looked at Xiaoran with cold eyes and said in a chilling tone, "That was a truly ingenious move!"

"My Dark Ice Palm is extremely cold and highly condensed. Even if Shi Zhixuan were here, it would be impossible for him to absorb it."

"I didn't expect you to be able to absorb my true qi and use it against me!"

"Although it's similar to the Indestructible Seal Technique, the essence is vastly different. I wonder what kind of extraordinary skill it is!"

Xiaoran shook his hand. If he hadn't been thoroughly familiar with the Ice玄劲 (Ice玄Qi) and if Yuwenshang hadn't lacked experience in dealing with the Unempty Yin-Yang Seal, he wouldn't have been able to achieve such a miraculous result.

He smiled and said, "It's my own creation, the Unempty Yin-Yang Seal!"

"Form and emptiness are not different, reversing yin and yang—what a great name!"

At this, Yuwenshang paused. "If it were a life-or-death battle, the outcome would still be uncertain!"

"But in a martial arts competition, I have lost this round!"

"After this battle, Master Xiaoran will surely become famous throughout the land!"

"I will hand over the ten thousand taels of gold, and my second brother will be taken home!"

Yuwenshang thought Xiaoran was just a young man with great martial arts skills who wanted to make a name for himself in the江湖 (jianghu). If ten thousand taels of gold could buy such a skilled expert or form a good relationship, it would be worth it!

Xiaoran was still so young, and given time, he would definitely become a master-level expert!

The crowd was in an uproar. Who would have thought that the prestigious head of one of the four great families would admit defeat to a young man in his twenties!

Xiaoran clapped and said, "Well done, truly the demeanor of a master!"

After saying this, he didn't engage in further conversation with Yuwenshang. He had someone return Yuwen Shi to Yuwenshang and left without looking back!

This left Yuwenshang, who had wanted to get closer, standing there in a daze!

Eat, drink, and take the money—what happened to the demeanor of a master?

The news of this battle spread like wildfire across the land. Everyone soon knew that a young expert had appeared in the jianghu, first defeating Du Fuwei and then Yuwenshang. Despite his young age, his martial arts skills were on par with the three great masters!

This news naturally reached the ears of Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling. The two could no longer stay at the Flying Horse Ranch, bid farewell to Shang Xiuxun and Lu Miaozhi, and began their journey in the jianghu!

...

After staying for a while, Xiaoran received the final payment from the Yuwen family, made the initial payment for his order, and then followed Dan Wanjing to Luoyang.

Xiaoran came along for two reasons: to see the ancient scenery and to hear Shi Qingxuan's personal performance!

In modern terms, Shi Qingxuan is a super star, but she doesn't charge for appearances; she relies on the host's connections!

The host of this event is the great scholar Wang Tong. In terms of learning, there is hardly anyone in the world who can surpass him. In terms of martial arts, he is on the level of Du Fuwei. More importantly, he knows Shi Qingxuan's mother, Bi Xiuxin, which is why he can invite Shi Qingxuan!

Otherwise, that self-admiring girl would have no interest in performing for others!

Luoyang was in a state of war, with Wang Shichong fighting the Wagang Army, but the city was still filled with music and dance!

Xiaoran got to see the ancient charm of Luoyang and was amazed by the drawbridge that could be separated, which left Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong speechless. It was unclear whether this was ancient technology or a unique black tech of this world!

The Yiluo Basin has the natural defenses of the Guan and He rivers, making it suitable for building a capital. Although the land is not as vast as Guanzhong, it is close to the fertile and economically developed lower Yellow River plain, with convenient water and land transportation, and rarely suffers from food shortages.

The Sui and Tang dynasties built Luoyang as their eastern capital, often residing there, and were jokingly called "emperors chasing food," precisely because they valued Luoyang's central location, which was convenient for gathering tribute.

The advantages of the Yiluo Basin are not just its strategic location and central position but also its convenience for advancing south. Any ruler who wanted to control the Yangtze and Han rivers and dominate the Central Plains would have to make Luoyang their capital.

In short, it has a superior geographical location, a central position, and convenient transportation, making it easy to manage the entire country.

An important part of Xiaoran's plan to pacify the land lies in Luoyang, as this is where Yang Guang was buried. After his death, his grandson Yang Tong was installed as a puppet emperor by Yuan Wendu and others!

This is extremely important in ancient times, as it represents righteousness. Even Li Yuan supported a puppet emperor, Yang You!

If Xiaoran wants to pacify the land, holding Yang Tong in his hand and raising troops in his name would be the best choice, making up for his inherent shortcomings!

So he came to Luoyang first, also to scout the area!

After a few days of sightseeing with Dan Wanjing, it was finally Wang Tong's birthday!

Wang Tong invited many old friends and acquaintances, even Wang Shichong managed to find time to come. The fact that he invited Shi Qingxuan also demonstrated his influence!

Xiaoran naturally didn't know anyone, so he found a quiet spot to sit and eat, waiting for Shi Qingxuan's performance and the arrival of Ba Fenghan.

Ba Fenghan is a character that many people like and many people dislike in the book!

Xiaoran doesn't dislike Ba Fenghan!

He is not a racist and doesn't dislike him because of his identity!

From a practical standpoint, Ba Fenghan's activities in the grasslands create small troubles for the enemy, which is not a bad thing!

Wang Tong's grand banquet hadn't started yet, and everyone was chatting with acquaintances and building relationships, much like a modern business dinner!

Dan Wanjing looked at Xiaoran sitting to the side and said, "Master Xiaoran, why don't you chat with someone?"

Xiaoran shrugged, "I don't know anyone, and it's rare for me to interact with them. I mainly came to hear Shi Qingxuan's performance!"

Dan Wanjing said excitedly, "Right, I remember! Your musical skills are also very high! The songs you sang last time were unique and had their own style. Perhaps Qingxuan will like them too!"

Xiaoran laughed. The songs he sang were modern pop songs, hundreds of years ahead of this world. Dan Wanjing, being young, quickly accepted the new sounds and thought Xiaoran was a musical genius!

At this moment, Wang Tong, who was chatting with Wang Shichong, suddenly looked over at Dan Wanjing. With his incredible hearing, he had heard Dan Wanjing's words and was curious about Xiaoran's unique musical style.

He called out, "Miss Dan and young friend, please come over for a chat!"

Since the host invited him, Xiaoran couldn't refuse. He approached and bowed to Wang Tong, "This young man greets Master Wang."

Wang Tong didn't ask for Xiaoran's name, assuming he was from the Dongming Sect since he came with Dan Wanjing!

In the Dongming Sect, women are respected more than men, so it wasn't strange that Xiaoran didn't introduce himself!

Wang Tong smiled, "I just heard Miss Dan say that you have great musical skills. I also love music, so let's discuss it!"

Xiaoran, who only knew the notes 1234567, was a bit embarrassed. "I've just heard a lot of songs in different places, and Wanjing thought I had some musical skills!"

Wang Tong laughed, "Could you sing a few songs for us to hear?"

The Sui and Tang dynasties were a land of poetry and music. Ancient poems were sung, and people loved music, so inviting Xiaoran to sing was not disrespectful!

Xiaoran thought for a moment. If I sing "Double Section Staff," I might scare you to death. Let's go with something you can accept today! He cleared his throat and said, "But I'm a bit tone-deaf, so I hope I don't scare you!"

Despite saying this, Xiaoran started singing. It had been a while since he last sang, and the karaoke king in him was itching to perform!

Dan Wanjing watched Xiaoran with great interest but was a bit worried. Although the songs Xiaoran sang were fresh and interesting, she had to listen to them multiple times to accept them. What if everyone couldn't accept them right away!

Then she heard Xiaoran's deep voice: "When did the bright moon appear? I raise my cup and ask the blue sky. I wonder in the celestial palace, what year it is tonight..."

A version of "Shui Diao Ge Tou" by Faye Wong was brought to this world in another timeline!