Chapter 30

But Luo Fan still looked at Huang Yaoshi indifferently, and only when Huang Yaoshi's arm moved did he block with his sword. Indeed, the jade flute struck the sword with a ting.

"This Luo kid is quite strange, as if he knows the sequence of my sword techniques. He can always calmly counter and attack my vital points. Could this be the exquisite sword technique that Guo Jing mentioned?" Huang Yaoshi thought to himself while continuing to exchange several more moves with Luo Fan. Each of his moves was graceful and elegant, pleasing to the eye.

Observing Luo Fan's sword technique, it was unrestrained and free-flowing. In recent months, he had been emulating Ye Gucheng's sword technique, which added a touch of elegance and nobility to his movements. This combination gave his sword technique a unique charm.

Cheng Ying, standing quietly on the boat, sighed inwardly, "This big brother's sword technique is so powerful, he can match Master for so many moves without falling behind."

Yang Guo, knowing that his master was seriously injured, was somewhat worried and tightened his grip on the scabbard.

Luo Fan and Huang Yaoshi had already exchanged over a dozen moves, neither able to gain the upper hand. Fortunately, Huang Yaoshi only intended to test Luo Fan's sword technique and did not use much internal energy; otherwise, the injured Luo Fan would not have been able to last this long.

But this was almost the limit. In a battle between experts, a slight mistake could lead to a significant disadvantage. When Huang Yaoshi's jade flute struck again, Luo Fan tried to block but suddenly felt a pain in his wound, slowing him down slightly. Huang Yaoshi's flute struck his chest, and he retreated several steps.

"What? Do you look down on me?" Huang Yaoshi put away his jade flute and looked at Luo Fan unhappily, "I see your sword technique is free and unique, always countering and attacking the enemy's vital points. If we continue, I should be the one to lose. But why did you deliberately let me win?"

A slightly childish voice interrupted, "My master is seriously injured, and you still force him to fight. How can you say he deliberately let you win?" This immediately earned a glare from Luo Fan, "Guo'er, be respectful!"

People in the martial world all respected the Eastern Heretic, but today this little boy did not seem to take him seriously, which made Huang Yaoshi look at him with new eyes. He stroked his beard and smiled, "So this is the young Yang Guo."

Luo Fan smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I must have failed in teaching him, Lord Huang." Although his words were apologetic, his expression was indifferent. Others might not know, but Luo Fan, as a穿越者 (穿越者 means "time traveler" or "穿越众" means "time traveler community"), knew that the Eastern Heretic was free-spirited and unbound. Yang Guo's character would not anger him; it might even appeal to him.

Sure enough, Huang Yaoshi laughed heartily, "You're the first to speak to me like this while knowing my name. But your master, speaking so sourly, is quite annoying."

"Damn, I'm afraid you can't handle my straightforwardness, can you?" Luo Fan thought to himself. Yang Guo added, "Master says you're just being repressed." After spending many days together, Yang Guo, who initially thought his master was quite serious, gradually discovered that Luo Fan was not as rigid as he imagined. Therefore, he occasionally used his master's new vocabulary to joke around, though this was the first time he did so so boldly in front of others.

"Repressed?" Huang Yaoshi was puzzled by this new term and had no time to think about it before Luo Fan exploded.

"Damn! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" He raised his sword and tapped Yang Guo's head with the flat of the blade.

Yang Guo quickly covered his head and ran, even hiding behind Huang Yaoshi. Huang Yaoshi, seeing this unexpected scene, was first stunned and then burst into laughter. Cheng Ying also covered her mouth and giggled.

Looking at Luo Fan, both of them seemed to have a slight understanding of the term "repressed."

However, with others present, they did not continue for long. Luo Fan sighed, "I made a mistake in choosing my disciple."

At this moment, Huang Yaoshi had a new perspective on the two. Enjoying a pleasant tour of West Lake, he was already in a good mood. Seeing these two interesting boys, he called out, "Ying'er, bring some wine. I'll have a few cups with everyone." He then invited Luo Fan and his disciple to join him on the boat.

Naturally, they did not refuse. On the boat, the three sat cross-legged, while Cheng Ying served the wine. Luo Fan and Huang Yaoshi drank and chatted. As a宅男 (宅男 means "otaku" or "宅男" means "otaku"), Luo Fan was initially a bit restrained, but once the conversation started, he became more relaxed. Huang Yaoshi was knowledgeable about astronomy, geography, and the five elements, which made Luo Fan's head spin. However, Luo Fan then used modern knowledge to dazzle him, and when they talked about sword techniques, Huang Yaoshi initially thought his own sword technique was unparalleled. But when Luo Fan mentioned the five realms of Dugu Qiubai's sword technique, Huang Yaoshi realized he had been narrow-minded. He was surprised to learn that Luo Fan's Dugu Nine Swords had such an origin. By this time, Luo Fan was quite drunk and continued to talk, saying that the highest realm of sword technique was not just technique but understanding the Dao. Drawing on various novels and movies from the real world, he explained that when a sword technique reached a higher level, it should embody the Dao, and each strike would carry the power of heaven and earth, making it invincible. At this point, all three were stunned. Fortunately, after another sip, Luo Fan's cup fell, and he passed out, or he might have continued to talk about things like divine transformations and celestial emperors.

The boat's cabin was not large, and Luo Fan conveniently fell on Cheng Ying's lap, causing her face to turn red. She felt extremely awkward and wanted to move him.

Yang Guo, who had been listening intently, had not been drinking and was still quite sober.

"Yang kid, did your master really talk about understanding the Dao of heaven and earth?" Such talk seemed too abstract and hard to believe for Huang Yaoshi.

Yang Guo scratched his head and replied, "Master usually says my skills are low and not to think too much about these things. He hasn't told me much, but he has mentioned something about extreme emotion and extreme sword technique. Master wants to create his own sword technique by learning from nature, but he hasn't figured it out yet."

"Is there really such a sword technique?" Even Cheng Ying, who had been trying to move Luo Fan, stopped and asked curiously.

Yang Guo was not very sure, as Luo Fan had not told him much. After a while, he scratched his head and said, "Maybe, because Master is always pursuing these things."

Huang Yaoshi, as if enchanted, muttered, "Extreme emotion? Extreme sword? Extreme emotion? Extreme sword? Extreme emotion..." He was usually refined and clean, but now he looked like a madman, not even noticing the wine spilling on his clothes.

Suddenly, Huang Yaoshi let out a strange cry and darted out of the cabin. Yang Guo quickly followed, but Huang Yaoshi was too fast to catch. Cheng Ying, meanwhile, was suddenly pulled by the drunk Luo Fan, who kept mumbling, "Long'er, don't go..."

"Long'er?" Cheng Ying thought to herself, "Is she the one Luo Big Brother loves? He must love her a lot to call her name even in his dreams." She felt a bit envious of the girl (adolescent girls' romantic fantasies, not a crush on the protagonist, stop overthinking).

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Luo Fan woke up with a splitting headache and quickly asked Yang Guo if he had said anything out of line while drunk. Hearing that he had only talked about understanding the Dao, he felt relieved. Anyone could talk about such things, but actually doing it was extremely difficult, so he was not worried about it spreading.

When he heard that Huang Yaoshi had been enchanted by "extreme emotion and extreme sword," he covered his forehead and thought, "Did I just create some bizarre supreme expert in the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes? Or something like the Heart-Sinking Palm?"

Shaking his head, which only made his headache worse, he decided it was not his problem. After he left, it was none of his business. But then he thought of Xiaolongnü and asked the system, "System, can I take people from this world back with me when I leave?"

"If the host is willing to pay double the destiny energy gained from recruiting the character, they can be taken back to the main world."

"Does that mean I can take Xiaolongnü back to the real world?" Although this answer was somewhat expected, Luo Fan could not suppress his joy. He had not thought about this before because he thought he would stay in the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes for a long time. The last time the system reminded him to return, he was busy earning destiny points and did not have time to think about it. Now, he brought up the question.

"What would people in the real world think of Long'er?" Luo Fan suddenly missed his life in the real world, as well as his friends and family.

"Are they doing well?" Looking at the distant sky, Luo Fan's face showed a faint longing. It had been several years, and he did not know how the real world was doing or if he had been declared missing. He wondered what their reactions would be when he returned.

Cheng Ying looked at the man in front of her, sometimes deep, sometimes refined, sometimes free-spirited, and sometimes like a child. Which one was the real him? But she could not ask him. She also looked at the distant sky and knew it was time to leave. Her master had returned to Peach Blossom Island, and she should go back too. She said to Luo Fan, "Big Brother Luo, I should return to Peach Blossom Island. Until we meet again."

Luo Fan, just coming to his senses, quickly bowed and said, "Until we meet again."

Watching Cheng Ying's figure gradually shrink in the distance until she disappeared, Luo Fan knew it was time for him to continue his journey. He looked westward, as if gazing at his next destination—Dali, Yunnan.

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Thank you, Shengsheng, for your support and encouragement. Xiaoye is working hard, even to the point of spitting blood.

Thank you, Jue Er, for your vote, and of course, thank you to all the other supporters.

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