Chapter 418
“Darling, there’s someone sword-fighting in front of Bu Yun Tower.”
The maid beside her looked over curiously, then laughed, “Looks like it’s that poor, foolish sword idiot.”
How did the maid recognize Xie Xuan at a glance? Because Xie Xuan, the young master of the prestigious Tianshan Sword Manor, had disguised himself as a servant at a brothel just to get closer to her.
He had endured for half a year without striking back or retorting.
“Children of the rivers and lakes are competitive and prideful; there’s nothing worth watching. Let’s go.”
The enchanting woman didn’t even spare a glance of interest.
“Oh…”
The soft and delicate girl began to move, but halfway there, she suddenly heard a buzz of conversation nearby.
“If the ‘Wang Qi Dou Hun’ uses a sword, this time it’s probably hopeless.”
“Wait.”
She abruptly halted the sedan.
...
In the blink of an eye, the unpredictable sword light was aimed directly at Li Mo’s chest, drawing ever closer.
Li Mo took a deep breath, the principles of the Dugu Nine Swords swirling in his mind. The understanding of the Broken Sword Technique arose, transforming all sword trajectories into black and white lines.
If there was no way to dodge, then there was no need to.
Force him to defend!
Swish!
Chi Xiao didn’t flinch or evade; instead, it arced upward, tracing a bizarre trajectory.
The opponent’s inscrutable sword light was certain, yet it suddenly shifted again, as if cleaving through a wave, revealing deeper undercurrents beneath.
The art of swordplay strategizes one strike to counter ten, a hundred.
Li Mo remained calm, Chi Xiao leaping along the hidden currents of the opponent’s sword light, like a fish riding the waves.
One side’s sword moves towered like mountains, seemingly weaving an invisible net, making it hard to distinguish between flaws and traps, with hidden dangers lurking everywhere.
What appeared casual was, in fact, a simplification of complexity, targeting the opponent’s very foundation with utmost efficiency.
Would the fish perish in the net, or break free to return to the vast sea?
At this moment, it seemed the former.
“A small success in the Dugu Nine Swords still isn’t enough to break the art of swordplay…”
Li Mo realized that while he seemed to be countering the opponent’s sword moves, he was actually tightening the encirclement of the ever-changing swordplay.
But just then.
Ding-dong—
A sound of a zither echoed, like a celestial melody, lingering in the air.
Li Mo felt as if he were listening to divine music, while Xie Xuan was momentarily stunned.
In that brief pause, a gap opened in the net.
Clang—
Chi Xiao struck the spine of the plain long sword.
The sword light vanished.
“Xie Xuan has returned to defense!”
“The Divine Hammer Little Overlord has won!”
“His swordsmanship is so exceptional that he forced Xie Xuan to defend; how powerful must his hammer be?”
“Exceptional swordsmanship, his hammer technique must be divine.”
“Exactly, there are only wrong names, never wrong nicknames.”
“I know a bit about Brother Li’s hammer technique; if you had seen him with that one hammer in the Southern Frontier…”
Xie Xuan stood frozen, suddenly turning around.
“…?”
Meanwhile, Li Mo fell into contemplation, slowly forming a question mark.
What the hell? I clearly used a sword; I didn’t even pull out a hammer, and now they’re saying my hammer technique is divine?
What a bunch of clever little devils, they’ve figured it out.
Little Li’s stubbornness shattered.
Xie Xuan was dazed, his thoughts completely off the competition.
It seemed this contest had no winner.
---
Chapter 463: She Doesn’t Love You at All
The zither sound appeared suddenly, and just as abruptly, it vanished.
Xie Xuan turned back, only to see the shadow of a soft sedan disappearing at the edge of the crowd.
He could only look back at Li Mo.
“…”
They stared at each other, wide-eyed.
Li Mo realized that the zither sound was extraordinary; after all, he had been influenced by the Cold Fairy’s zither skills.
He recalled the information he had seen with his divine eye, thinking at the time that the second of the Hidden Dragon couldn’t possibly be that kind of romantic, but now he realized the divine eye had been conservative.
Hua Nong Ying?
Li Mo looked at Xie Xuan, who seemed like a big fool; he hadn’t even seen the person, and a single zither note had left him in despair.
“How… do we count this?”
“Should we compete again?”
“Given the atmosphere, competing again would just make it look like you lost and are stubbornly denying it.”
“…”
Xie Xuan thought that made sense; people around him were already casting doubtful glances.
But giving up felt unsatisfactory, especially since it was a chance to be alone with her…
“How about this? Didn’t you say you could defeat me without making a move?”
Xie Xuan didn’t sheath his sword, lifting his straw hat to reveal his not-so-large but bright eyes: “If there really is such a method, I’d like an explanation.”
Li Mo’s forehead twitched: “...I never said that.”
“Are you saying there is now?”
“Yeah.”
“Show me.”
“Are you sure? I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it.”
Li Mo’s gaze held a hint of pity, confirming again and again.
Xie Xuan: “?”
Even Jiang Yu wouldn’t dare say he could lose without making a move; what’s with that condescending look?
You pity me? Do I, the second of the Hidden Dragon, need anyone’s pity?
“Go ahead.”
“…”
Li Mo sheathed his sword with a sigh.
He didn’t pick up the hammer as Xie Xuan expected; instead, he walked over to the Ice Block.
“Ice Block, are your hands cold?”
Li Mo blinked.
“...Not cold.”
“Sister.”
Now’s the time!
Taking advantage of Ice Block’s cool gaze wavering, before she could react, Little Li grabbed her icy hand and clasped it tightly in his palm!
Ying Bing’s eyes slightly lowered, appearing emotionless, but her small hand in his palm curled slightly.
Xie Xuan: “?”
The onlookers: “?”
Suddenly, it made sense why the Divine Hammer Little Overlord had a slight smirk, his gaze filled with pity, as if a bottle of mixed spices had been overturned in the hearts of those watching, with the sourness prevailing.
Li Mo: “She doesn’t love you at all.”
Xie Xuan: “!!”
Clang—
The long sword in his hand fell weakly to the ground, and he staggered back a few steps, barely steadying himself against the pillar of Bu Yun Tower.
From the crowd, faint sounds of ‘crack’ echoed, as if something had shattered.
“?????”
“What’s this? What’s going on?”
“Damn, shut up! Xie Xuan is about to cry.”
“Xie Xuan provoked you; you should hit him with your hammer! We’re just here to watch; what’s our fault?!”
“Is it okay to hit someone while watching?”
“So this is the secret to winning without making a move? Good, good, the ‘Wang Qi Dou Hun’ lives up to its name…”
“Wuwuwu… I won’t allow you to say that; she said I’m a good person; how could she not like me!”
“I’m done; I’m leaving!”
The single onlookers were suddenly agitated, and the scene became quite chaotic.
Fortunately, this was in the imperial capital; while proper sparring was allowed, one couldn’t engage in real fights in broad daylight. Little Li had only narrowly escaped being pierced by a thousand glances.
The people from Heng Yun Sword City felt their scalps tingle, gasping in shock.
If it weren’t for the imperial capital, they would have wanted to step in as bystanders and give Li Mo a few hits.
“Hey… I told you, you wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
Seeing Xie Xuan sitting on the ground, lost and dejected, Li Mo felt a bit embarrassed.
But thankfully.
He probably wasn’t in the mood to take away the little Jiang princess anymore.
“Since we just arrived in the imperial capital, how about we go for a stroll?”
Standing there, Li Mo felt like he was being watched, with people constantly casting glances that felt like daggers. So he quickly led Ice Block and the little Jiang princess away from the scene, leaving Qin Yuzhi behind to arrange accommodations.
I must say, the sunglasses really came in handy.
“Ahem, to be fair, your strength should be a notch above mine.”
As they left, he placed his sunglasses on Xie Xuan’s face, hiding the tears in his eyes.
But that day, a piece of news spread like wildfire in the imperial capital, becoming a hot topic, especially with the Hidden Dragon Conference approaching; everyone’s attention was focused on it.
“Oi, did you hear? Xie Xuan lost to the Cold Fairy in a sword duel.”
“Ah? How is that possible?”
“Even more explosive news followed; later, he competed with the Divine Hammer Little Overlord and was forced to defend, losing the bet.”
“What? Divine Hammer Little Overlord? A sword?”
“I heard the Little Overlord’s hobby is practicing swordsmanship.”
“If his hobby is that impressive, his hammer technique must be out of this world!”
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