Chapter 39: Ye Gucheng, Lord of Baiyun City
South China Sea, Feixian Island.
On the cliff of the island, a white-faced man with a slight beard and wearing a snow-white robe was looking up at the bright moon in the sky. His eyes looked like two cold stars in the dark.
This man was holding a report in his hand, which contained all kinds of major events that had happened recently in the Central Plains.
"Ximen Chuxue." The man lowered his head, his eyes fell on a name in the report, and he said softly.
"Hua La..." The man loosened his hand, and the report flew up with the wind and floated towards the sea.
"Clang..."
"Swish..."
The sound of drawing a sword sounded, and a sword energy broke through the air, directly crushing the report that flew more than ten meters away.
"Master."
A woman's voice came from behind the man.
"Well, has the letter of war been sent out?" the man asked.
"Yes. And I also sent someone to pass on the news to Fengmei." The woman replied.
"Hua Nu, do you know? Another master has appeared." The man said.
"Master, are you talking about the great master named A Qing?" Hua Nu asked.
"It is said that she also uses a sword." The man said.
"Her cultivation..." Hua Nu wanted to say something, but stopped.
"I know, I will not overestimate my own ability, so I challenged Ximen Chuxue. I met him three years ago. He is the same as me. No, it should be said that he is more obsessed with swords than me." The man said.
"Master, are you sure?" Hua Nu asked.
"I, Ye Gucheng, never do anything that I am not sure of. I gave him three years. Now he has reached the level of Grandmaster and is qualified to fight with me." This man is Ye Gucheng, who is known as the Lord of Baiyun City.
"Master, the Nanwang Mansion has sent someone again." Hua Nu continued.
Ye Gucheng heard this and showed a trace of disgust on his face.
"Send all their gifts back, jumping clown, I have found new fun, and I will not associate with them in the future. Tell them to give up the unrealistic fantasy in their hearts as soon as possible." Ye Gucheng said.
Hua Nu heard this and showed a trace of joy on his face, and quickly responded.
"Yes, Master."
For many years, the Nanwang Mansion has been trying to win over Ye Gucheng, and its purpose is naturally not pure. Hua Nu has always not wanted Ye Gucheng to associate with these people, but Ye Gucheng was too bored before, so he wanted to find some excitement, so he never responded to them directly.
On the second day of February, the dragon raised its head. The snow in the capital has not completely melted, but a piece of news has set off the entire capital.
"On the night of the full moon, on the top of the Forbidden City, a sword came from the west, and the fairy from the sky flew." Ximen Chuxue held a letter of challenge in his hand. In just sixteen words, the signature was Ye Gucheng.
"Tsk tsk, what is Ye Gucheng going to do? Now the whole capital is spreading this news." Lu Xiaofeng said.
"Sure enough, he is here, Xiaofeng, it's been three years, I made him wait for a long time." Ximen Chuxue said in a deep voice.
"Brother Lu, Brother Ximen, the Pavilion Master brother is calling you over." At this time, Yi Lin came to the two of them and said.
Yi Lin was already familiar with a few people at this time. She kept calling Su Yu the Pavilion Master brother, which was different from Ah Qing's address. The presence of the two little girls added a lot of fun to the whole manor.
"Emperor." Ximen Chuxue and Lu Xiaofeng saluted when they saw Su Yu.
"Are you sure?" Su Yu asked Ximen Chuxue directly.
"He is very strong, and his talent in swordsmanship is better than mine. Before meeting you, he has always been my target, but I am not weak either." Ximen said.
Ximen Chuxue did not answer Su Yu's question directly, which shows that Ye Gucheng's status in his heart is really high, and he doesn't even dare to say that he is sure.
"There are still thirteen days before the full moon night. These days, you should rest well and not move the sword. You can only cultivate the sword." Su Yu said.
Ximen Chuxue nodded when he heard this, and then turned and left.
"Emperor, Ximen doesn't seem to have much confidence." Qiao Feng said at this time.
"Alas, Brother Qiao, Ye Gucheng is really strong. He was already a master three years ago, and his swordsmanship is even better. In my opinion, Ximen is 40-60 as good as him now." Lu Xiaofeng said. In terms of understanding Ximen, he is naturally the first.
Everyone was a little worried when they heard this.
"Hahaha, why are you in such a hurry? Isn't it just a martial arts competition? What if you lose? What if you win?" Su Yu said with a smile.
"How can the martial arts be smooth sailing? Whether it is Ximen or you, I hope you can taste the taste of failure. Only in this way can you work harder and go further. Don't be arrogant when you win, and don't be discouraged when you lose." Su Yu continued.
"Yes, follow the emperor's teachings." Several people said hurriedly. The worry about Ximen Chuxue in my heart was also put down. It was indeed as Su Yu said, there was no need to care too much about winning or losing. At least with the emperor around, Ximen would not die.
Forbidden City.
"Oh, Ye Gucheng? It seems that there was news that the King of the South has been trying to win him over." Zhu Houzhao said after listening to Yu Huatian's report.
"Yes, Your Majesty, but Ye Gucheng did not respond to the King of the South." Yu Huatian said.
"Humph, King of the South, it seems that you have had too many good days in recent years, and you are ready to make a move." Zhu Houzhao sneered.
"Your Majesty, what about the duel between Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuxue?" Yu Huatian asked.
"Haha, Ye Gucheng is so bold that he dares to challenge in my Forbidden City."
"In this case, how can I be stingy? I will pass down the order to open the Forbidden City on the night of the full moon on the 15th, so that everyone can come to watch the battle." Zhu Houzhao said generously.
"Ah, Your Majesty, this is not possible." Yu Huatian was shocked when he heard it.
"Are you afraid of trouble? Don't forget who Ximen Chuxue belongs to. With that person here, humph, I wish someone would jump out and die." Zhu Houzhao said.
Yu Huatian immediately understood the emperor's thoughts. This was to lure the snake out of the hole.
"Your Majesty is wise." Yu Huatian said hurriedly.
Just when people were discussing the martial arts competition between Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuxue, a piece of news from the palace made everyone excited.
"Did the emperor really agree to the martial arts competition in the Forbidden City?"
"Of course it's true. The notice has been posted. Anyone can enter the palace to watch."
"Haha, that's great. I have to take a good position when the time comes."
People in the rivers and lakes were discussing it, and some people even waited near the Forbidden City in advance, just to take a good position when the time comes.
And this news began to spread throughout the Ming Dynasty.
"Interesting, this little emperor is smart." Su Yu smiled and said after knowing this.
At Hulong Villa, Duan Tianya and others half-knelt in front of Zhu Wusi.
"Nonsense, really nonsense, what on earth does the emperor think." Zhu Wusi said angrily.
Several people lowered their heads in a hurry.
"Hey, you go down and arrange the staff quickly. I will discuss with the East Factory and the West Factory to do a good job of guarding. There must be no trouble at that time." Zhu Wusi said to them.
"Yes, Lord." Several people responded in a hurry.
After Duan Tianya, Shangguan Haitang and Gui Hai Yidao left, Zhu Wusi sneered.
"The opportunity has come." Zhu Wusi said secretly.
Then he left the hall and walked towards the dungeon again. And this time, Zhu Wusi's eyes revealed endless murderous intent.
"Gu Santong, I have kept you for so many years, and it's time to send you on your way." Zhu Wusi went to absorb Gu Santong's internal force.
At the same time, Zuo Lengchan of Songshan School was also on his way to the capital with the eleven guardians, and there were several monks with them.
Late at night, in Wudang Mountain, an old Taoist priest with a fairy-like appearance respectfully offered several incense sticks to the Great Emperor Zhenwu.
"Wulian Tianzun."
The Taoist priest left the Zhenwu Hall, and a dozen men in black were waiting outside.
The Taoist priest, who had just looked like a fairy, suddenly changed his aura and became a man full of murderous aura.
"Let's go." The Taoist priest said.
Then all the figures disappeared.
This man was the great elder of Wudang, Mu Dao Ren, and also the third-generation elder of Wudang Sect. Since Zhang Sanfeng disappeared a hundred years ago, Wudang's reputation in the martial arts world has not been as good as before. He was originally the head of Wudang Mountain, but because he violated the rules of the sect at that time, his master cancelled his status as the successor of the head, and passed it to his junior brother Mei Dao Ren.
Since then, Mu Dao Ren has completely turned evil and secretly established Ghost Villa, specializing in assassinations and intelligence. He was accidentally found by Zhu Wushi and was forced to cooperate with Hulong Villa.
This time, he received a letter from Zhu Wushi, who promised that he could be canonized as a real person after the matter was accomplished, and supported him to replace Mei Daoren as the head of Wudang.
The storm was about to come, and a martial arts competition actually attracted various forces to emerge.
At this time, in addition to the Ming Dynasty, some well-informed masters from other countries also rushed to the Ming Dynasty.
"Go..." Several horses were galloping quickly.
The speed was so fast that the dust splashed made pedestrians avoid it.
After running for a while, several horses stopped at a roadside tea shop.
"Huh..."
A man and two women jumped off the horses. One of the older women was about 20 years old, the man was 17 or 18 years old, and the youngest girl was about 15 or 16 years old.
"Shidao, Yuzhi, let's take a break." The woman said.
"Hehe, sister is so nice, my butt is about to be broken." The little girl said.
"What kind of words are girls saying?" The woman doted on her sister's ear.
The three sat at the table and asked the shopkeeper for some tea.
"Big sister, we came to Daming secretly this time. Will Dad know? What if Second Uncle can't find us?" The man asked worriedly after sitting down.
"Don't be afraid. I left a letter for Second Uncle. I believe he will help us cover up." The woman said.
"Shame on you, Second Brother, you are so timid." The little girl made a face at the man.
"Remember, this is Daming, not the Sui Dynasty, let alone our Lingnan Song Clan. You must be low-key and don't offend people casually." The older woman said.
It turned out that the three were the children of Song Que, the head of the Song Clan of the Sui Dynasty. The older one was Song Yuhua, the boy was the second brother Song Shidao, and the youngest girl was Song Yuzhi. The three originally followed their second uncle to the Daming border to trade goods. After accidentally learning about the martial arts competition in the Forbidden City, on the way back, they secretly left the caravan and returned to Daming, preparing to go to the capital to watch the excitement.
"Yes, I know, sister." Song Yuzhi said coquettishly.
Song Yuhua looked at her naughty sister helplessly, but she was a little sad in her heart. She had never been to such a far place in all these years. At this time, she couldn't help but think of her engagement. Soon she would respect the family's arrangement and marry a man she had never met. So when her younger sister Song Yuzhi proposed to come to Daming, she, who had always been well-behaved, unexpectedly agreed. Perhaps it was because of her desire for freedom in her heart.