Chapter 45

The saber technique was not the true Crescent Moon Saber, but rather a creation by Luo Fan, combining the descriptions of saber techniques from the book of the present world, the martial arts philosophy from the Nine Yang and Nine Yin and the Lone Swordsman's Nine Swords, his own speculations, and some occasional inspirations. Although its power might not necessarily be as strong as the Lone Swordsman's Nine Swords, it was certainly not weak!

Lu Wushuang responded with a nod, and then a silver-white, clear saber light flickered in Luo Fan's hand. A silver-white full moon lit up in the darkness, and the saber disappeared. When the silver crescent saber reappeared in Luo Fan's hand, seven saber marks, curved like new moons, appeared on the boulder.

Luo Fan turned and asked, "Do you understand?"

Lu Wushuang first shouted excitedly, "What a beautiful saber technique!" But then she shook her head somewhat dejectedly and said, "Big Brother Luo, I couldn't see clearly just now. Could you demonstrate it again?"

Luo Fan didn't speak, but he nodded lightly and then turned back to the boulder. The saber light shone again. This time, Lu Wushuang seemed to vaguely see a silver-white trajectory. On the boulder, only one more saber mark appeared. Luo Fan returned the silver crescent saber to Lu Wushuang and said, "The key to the saber is to hide the saber within the saber light. As the saying goes, 'see the moon but not the saber.' If you can hide one saber, you are considered to have entered the gate. Seven sabers mean you are proficient. When you can condense these seven sabers back into one, you are considered to have reached the pinnacle. If one day you can use a wooden saber to perform this saber technique, you will have achieved mastery. I'll give you a day to understand it. After a day, we will set off."

"Thank you, Big Brother Luo!" Lu Wushuang had already fallen in love with the saber technique when she saw it. Which girl doesn't love beauty? This saber technique, like a full moon in the night sky, naturally had a great appeal to her. She caressed the saber marks on the boulder, occasionally practicing with the saber in her hand. After a day, she finally found some of the secrets and began practicing. It was time for the group to set off. The three people and the divine eagle walked in the warm morning sunlight toward the ancient tomb.

"Why are there so many martial artists here?" At noon, the group entered a tavern.

"Waiter, bring us the best wine and dishes!" Luo Fan found a seat by the window and said to the waiter.

"Sure thing!" The waiter turned and left. Luo Fan noticed that the martial artists around him seemed to be looking at him with a strange expression, and many were whispering to each other.

However, since they hadn't provoked him, Luo Fan didn't bother to intervene. Soon, the wine and dishes were served. Being able to drink wine, eat delicious food, and have a beautiful woman by his side was truly delightful!

But just as the wine was about to reach his lips, Luo Fan sensed something was wrong. The martial artists around him suddenly seemed to show a hint of joy on their faces! Luo Fan reached out with his chopsticks and stopped the divine eagle's beak from diving into the dish. The two women looked at Luo Fan curiously and stopped eating.

"Let's go." Luo Fan gave the two women a meaningful look, threw down a silver ingot, and said, "I have some urgent matters today, so I'll be leaving first!" Then he left with the two women.

The group of martial artists in the tavern suddenly exchanged glances and all got up to follow them.

The group followed Luo Fan out of the city, walking for several hundred meters until they reached a small forest outside the city. They stopped because Luo Fan had also stopped.

"What do you want from me, gentlemen?" Luo Fan turned and asked.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a green face and a hooked nose. He stepped forward and coldly laughed, "Should I call you the City Lord of White Cloud City or the Gentleman Sword?"

Luo Fan was startled, thinking, "Have I been exposed? How did they find out?"

Luo Fan didn't realize how powerful the imperial court was. The Beggar Sect was indeed powerful, but its organization was somewhat loose. With the imperial spies' thoroughness, it was not difficult to investigate the identity of the person who had left the city disguised as a Beggar Sect official. Moreover, Ye Gucheng's identity as the City Lord of White Cloud City in the overseas region made it normal for him to start challenging from the coastal areas. However, Luo Fan actually started challenging from the inland River Luo region, which was adjacent to Shaanxi, where the Zhongnan Mountains were located. Connecting these pieces of information, the answer became clear.

Of course, Luo Fan's original plan was not to remove his disguise in Lin'an but to wait until he had challenged all the major forces using Ye Gucheng's identity, and then let Ye Gucheng's identity disappear after entering Dali. However, he hadn't expected such a powerful expert in the palace to severely injure him. Given his limited experience in the martial world and lack of preparation, he was caught off guard and exposed prematurely, forcing him to remove his disguise.

If Luo Fan were a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect or had a high reputation in the martial world, the imperial court might have been more cautious. However, since Luo Fan had already rebelled against the Quanzhen Sect, the court had less to worry about. Moreover, Luo Fan possessed the secret martial arts manuals of various major forces. Once this news spread, both the righteous and the evil would flock to him for the manuals. Many of the major forces would not hesitate to take advantage of the situation, as the spread of these manuals would cause them significant trouble, and only the dead would not reveal them.

However, Luo Fan, who had experienced many storms, was not panicked by this situation. He calmly asked, "You're not here for this, right?"

"Of course not!" The man with the hooked nose laughed. "Rumors say that the City Lord of White Cloud City has challenged all the major forces and gathered the martial arts of the world. It is now known that Ye Gucheng is your disguise. We thought that you wouldn't be able to practice all these manuals at once, so why not share them with us?"

Luo Fan, seeing that his identity was exposed, didn't bother to hide it anymore. He smiled and said, "I promised the original owners of these martial arts that I would keep them secret. So, I advise you to go back where you came from."

"Don't be so stubborn, boy!" A man behind the hooked nose shouted.

Luo Fan sneered, adjusted his sleeves, and said slowly, "Not everyone has the qualifications to make me drink the penalty wine."

The man with the hooked nose's face darkened, and he asked coldly, "Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

"Of course not..." Luo Fan suddenly clutched his forehead, looking pale and weak. "What's happening? I didn't drink any wine!"

The two women also felt dizzy and disoriented. The man with the hooked nose and his group burst into laughter. "The poison of the Poison Demon is not something a mere child can resist." Another man asked, "Boss, can I enjoy these two women? We've never seen such beautiful women in our lives!"

"Great idea! Come, you two, tie them up!" The group of martial artists laughed lewdly.

"Yes!" Two martial artists approached the group, but suddenly their vision blurred, and a transparent hole appeared in their throats, cutting off their laughter!

"Ha, so easy to fool!" Luo Fan stood up and lightly pushed the two men, and they fell to the ground with a thud.

"You... you're not poisoned?" The man with the hooked nose was shocked to see that Luo Fan showed no signs of poisoning.

"If a nobody like you could poison me, Luo Fan, how could I survive in the martial world?" Luo Fan's lips curled, and he continued, "I didn't want to deal with scum like you, but since you insisted on provoking me, I hope you learn your lesson in the next life!"

As he spoke, a flash of sword light appeared, and Luo Fan seemed to have just drawn his sword and sheathed it again, as if he had suddenly changed his mind and didn't want to kill. Luo Fan sheathed his sword, and the scene was filled with an eerie silence. Finally, Luo Fan broke the silence and asked, "Are you okay? How do you feel?" The man with the hooked nose had actually coated the cups and bowls with poison, and the two women had touched them, so they were poisoned.

"Cold... so cold." Lu Wushuang lay on the ground and whispered. Xiaolongnü, with her superior internal skills, was using all her strength to suppress the poison.

Suddenly, a blood line appeared on the necks of the martial artists, and blood spurted out as they all fell to the ground! All except the man with the hooked nose, whose limbs were severed, lay in a pool of blood, while the others were decapitated!

Luo Fan walked up to him and said coldly, "Hand over the antidote and tell me what you know, and I'll give you a quick death."

"Hehe... I didn't expect it." The man with the hooked nose laughed bitterly and said, "Even if I don't know how you avoided my poison, I'm not going to live anyway, so let them die with me, hahahaha!"

"**!" Luo Fan swung his sword sheath and hit him in the face, knocking out a few teeth. Then he ignored him, helped the two women up, and said to the divine eagle, "Brother Eagle, protect me!" He then forced his powerful internal energy into the two women's bodies. They felt a warm internal energy fill their bodies, and after an hour, Luo Fan stopped.

The two women's pale faces gradually regained their color. Lu Wushuang stood up and smiled, "Thank you, Big Brother Luo." She then turned to the man with the hooked nose, who was barely alive, and said sternly, "Big Brother Luo's martial arts are divine. Relying on a bit of poison to challenge him is sheer folly!"

"You... you..." The man with the hooked nose's head suddenly fell to the ground, and he was dead.

"Let's go." Luo Fan's expression was indifferent as he said calmly.

The group didn't know that this was just the beginning.

A hawk circled in the sky. After traveling for a while, they reached a stone bridge. Suddenly, they saw a man in a green robe, holding a long sword, leaning against an ancient tree, his eyes closed as if meditating. Suddenly, the man in the green robe opened his eyes, and a sharp light flashed. He drew his sword, and in a few steps, the long sword, trailing a silver-white glow, was already in front of Luo Fan!

The page flip ad starts

The page flip ad ends