Eternal Saber-Chapter 234 - 19: Crippled

The garden in Qingquan Garden is spacious, originally intended for the Crown Prince’s practice and recreation, more than enough for a martial arts contest.

"Let’s start now!"

Yuan Taiping was very excited, retreating to a distance, urging the two.

He had heard that the Mystic Master was skilled at using Flying Swords, within ten zhang, it was as if arm and finger at command.

He thought it best to stay far to avoid accidental injury.

"Wait!"

Chen Tang had just turned around, Zhou Shuang hastily called out, retreating backward as he said, "Lord Chen should first choose a weapon. If you lose later, don’t say I took advantage of a weapon."

Actually, he wanted to distance himself from Chen Tang.

This battle, although initiated by him, he dared not be careless.

Only by creating distance could the Flying Sword’s power be maximized.

However, he did not speak this thought aloud, pretending to be magnanimous, not taking advantage of Chen Tang’s lack of weapon.

"What weapon does Grand Protector Chen use?"

Yuan Taiping asked, "I have all kinds of weapons here!"

Chen Tang said, "Empty-handed is fine."

"Ah?"

Yuan Taiping was stunned, not expecting Chen Tang to be so overconfident.

Zhou Shuang’s face darkened, sneering, "Lord Chen, make sure you’ve thought it through, don’t regret it later!"

"Is the distance enough?"

Chen Tang looked at Zhou Shuang, who had retreated ten zhang away, and casually asked.

"Humph!"

Zhou Shuang knew that his intentions had been seen through, and he stopped speaking. He raised his folding fan, pointing the handle towards Chen Tang, pinched his fingers in a sword gesture, and lightly commanded, "Go!"

A beam of white light shot out from the end of the fan’s handle, flickered in the air, and disappeared.

This Flying Sword was hidden within the folding fan, ready to be summoned at any unexpected moment.

As soon as Zhou Shuang raised his folding fan, Chen Tang had already leaped forth!

In Yuan Taiping’s eyes, Chen Tang "leaped" forth.

Like a fierce tiger descending from the mountain, his legs pressed forcefully, body low, his speed astonishing, exuding an incomparably fierce aura!

The person had darted far off, a cloud of dust rising behind him!

Standing from a distance, Yuan Taiping felt a sudden gust of fierce wind sweeping through the garden.

At the moment when Zhou Shuang’s Flying Sword shot out, the distance between them shrunk to merely five zhang!

The white light flashed swiftly, arriving in an instant, stabbing towards Chen Tang’s face.

Chen Tang’s ears twitched, deploying the Wind Listening Technique, determining the approximate trajectory of the Flying Sword the instant it was unsheathed.

Whish!

Chen Tang rolled on the ground, maintaining speed, the Flying Sword skimming just over his head, missing him by a hair.

"Hmm?"

Zhou Shuang’s expression shifted.

Chen Tang came too fast!

With just a leap and roll, the distance between them was under four zhang!

Zhou Shuang swiftly rotated his finger-sword, attempting to redirect the Flying Sword to pursue Chen Tang!

"Too late!"

Chen Tang shouted, in one step spanning three zhang, leaping to Zhou Shuang’s front, delivering a Splitting Fist strike, forceful and powerful, like cleaving mountains and chopping wood!

Calm under pressure, Zhou Shuang controlled the Flying Sword to stab towards Chen Tang’s back.

In his other hand, he gripped the folding fan tightly, suddenly unfolding it with a flick of his wrist.

With a swoosh, sharp blades glinted with a ghostly light, slicing towards Chen Tang’s fist!

Chen Tang’s nose fluttered, smelling a faint fishy odor.

These blades were poisoned!

Moreover, judging from Zhou Shuang’s fan technique, it seemed he’d cultivated martial arts, his strength considerable, with a Seventh Grade proficiency.

No wonder he could enter the palace, serving as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.

Turns out he was a Black Tortoise Cultivator.

Zhou Shuang sneered slightly.

As long as his folding fan managed to slightly hinder Chen Tang, the Flying Sword would catch up, piercing him through and through!

Facing the oncoming folding fan, Chen Tang did not wait until the move was exhausted. With a clever hand technique, his Splitting Fist turned into a claw, snatching Zhou Shuang’s folding fan in an instant!

Suddenly turning his head, he struck!

Clang!

The folding fan collided precisely with the stabbing Flying Sword.

The sword vibrated violently, pausing briefly.

"What!"

Zhou Shuang was taken aback.

He hadn’t even clearly seen how Chen Tang seized his folding fan.

It seemed as though the instant they engaged, the folding fan was already in another’s hand!

The Dragon Capturing Technique taught by Emperor Wu consisted of nine forms.

Apart from the grappling techniques targeting the eight major joints, there was one move, an exquisite and endlessly variable empty-handed technique against white-blade weapons.

Though it was just one technique, depending on the weapon, it could be approached from different angles, to disarm barehanded!

Among courtiers and attendants, Chen Tang wasn’t worried anyone would recognize the Dragon Capturing Technique.

Before Zhou Shuang could react, Chen Tang moved again, grasping Zhou Shuang at the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, cervical vertebra, and lumbar vertebra.

Clatter!

A crackling sound came from within Zhou Shuang.

"Ah!"

With a scream, Zhou Shuang collapsed to the ground, sweating profusely from pain, his face pale. His eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.

Clang!

The Flying Sword lost control, falling onto the bluestone tiles, emitting a crisp sound.

Yuan Taiping shivered all over, only now regaining his senses.

The exchange between the two sides was incredibly fast!

From Chen Tang closing in, seizing the fan, striking backhanded, to then landing several grabs on Zhou Shuang, all in the blink of an eye.

A seamless sequence of movements, like flowing water.

Yuan Taiping felt a dizzying blur, and Zhou Shuang was already collapsed on the ground, fainted.

Yuan Qingmu let out a gentle sigh.

"What happened to Junior Protector Zhou?"

Yuan Taiping couldn’t help but ask.

Chen Tang slowly walked towards Yuan Taiping, expressionless.

"You, you, Grand Protector Chen, Junior Martial Uncle Chen, what are you going to do?"

Seeing Chen Tang’s strange expression, Yuan Taiping was so frightened that his legs went weak, and there was a tremor in his voice.

Yuan Qingmu initially wanted to step in to stop him but reconsidered and stood still.

Chen Tang reached Yuan Taiping, suddenly extended his hand, and firmly grabbed Yuan Taiping’s wrist.

"Ah!"

Yuan Taiping was startled, feeling as if his wrist were locked by an iron clamp, about to be crushed at any moment!

Chen Tang stared into Yuan Taiping’s eyes and slowly said, "Your Highness, let me teach you a lesson today, even when dealing with subordinates, don’t go too far."

"You must know, a common man’s wrath can lead to bloodshed within five steps, in close quarters, anyone could turn against their nation!"

Yuan Taiping’s teeth were chattering uncontrollably.

Chen Tang, through countless battles, exuded a natural aura of killing intent.

Yuan Taiping had never encountered such a ruthless person.

"Ping’er, un, understands."

Yuan Taiping nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at grain.

Chen Tang released his grip, called over several guards from afar, and pointed at Zhou Shuang, saying, "Take him away and have the Imperial Physician treat him."

After all, he’s a Second Grade official of the Court, and this is still the harem, causing a real incident here would be troublesome for Yuan Qingshan.

Yuan Qingshan was already overwhelmed with court affairs, and Chen Tang didn’t want to add trouble for him over matters in the harem.

Of course, Chen Tang didn’t hold back either!

...

Qu Commander’s Mansion.

Zhou Haijian looked at the returned Zhou Shuang from the Imperial Palace with a gloomy expression.

The news from the palace had long spread back.

"Master, the young master was saved by the palace’s Imperial Physician, but this injury... sigh," the old housekeeper sighed.

Zhou Haijian bent down to inspect Zhou Shuang, and a cold murderous intent surged in his eyes!

The bones around the eight major joints on Zhou Shuang’s body were all crushed by Chen Tang.

Even if he could recover, he was ruined!

Zhou Haijian asked, "How did the fight between the two go, did this Chen Tang ambush him?"

With Shuang’s Black Tortoise Cultivation techniques, who could match him among his peers?

"I heard, I heard..."

The old housekeeper hesitated but finally spoke slowly, "The two were ten meters apart, in just two or three breaths, the young master was incapacitated by Chen Tang."

Zhou Haijian’s expression changed several times.

"Bang!"

Zhou Haijian rose, smashing the nearby tea table with a palm, and said coldly, "This Chen Tang is too audacious!"

"Junior Brother Zhou."

At this moment, another Marshal, Sun Tianlu, walked in from outside and asked, "I heard something happened to nephew Shuang?"

Behind him was a middle-aged man in a Taoist robe.

"Brother Sun, take a look."

Zhou Haijian pointed at the unconscious Zhou Shuang on the ground.

Sun Tianlu reached out and felt a few moments, then said gravely, "This is the Great Strength Vajra Hand, this Chen Tang went too far!"

"Sigh, speaking of which, my family’s Sun Gu also died because of him."

Zhou Haijian squinted, "Brother Sun, why don’t the two of us go into the palace right now and kill that boy!"

"Junior Brother Zhou, don’t be rash."

Sun Tianlu said, "Just like you, I want to rid him quickly."

"But today’s incident, I heard it was nephew Shuang who proposed the duel, with the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess witnessing a fair fight, we have no grounds to act."

"That Chen Tang has been titled Lion-Tiger Arhat by the Emperor and is the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, currently in the Capital City, he’s at the height of his fame, any action by us could easily be used against us."

Zhou Haijian sneered, "So what, does the Emperor dare to kill the two of us?"

"Junior Brother Zhou, the Emperor now has War God Murong by his side, and this one’s no pushover."

Sun Tianlu added, "He’s not only Grand General but also Qilin Lord, and if he finds any reason against us, hey! Even if we could kill Chen Tang, we might not leave the palace alive."

The middle-aged man suddenly spoke, "The Imperial Palace is full of experts; as soon as you two Marshals enter, you will be noticed, and that Chen Tang will surely hide, making it difficult for either of you to even see him."

"This is Kong Cong, the direct disciple of Elder Qu from our sect."

Sun Tianlu introduced, "He’s also the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince now. I’ve invited him to help find an opportunity to eliminate Chen Tang!"

Zhou Haijian pondered.

As the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Kong Cong would indeed have more opportunities to meet Chen Tang and act.

"Mystic Master, what is your plan?" asked Zhou Haijian.

Kong Cong replied, "Given Chen Tang’s current reputation and status, it’s not feasible to act in secret. I will try to challenge him to a public duel and defeat him openly!"

Zhou Haijian frowned, "You’re a Mystic Master in the Foundation Establishment Realm; that Chen Tang isn’t a fool, why would he fight you? Why not find a few top Sixth Grade masters, including Qi Condensation Realm Mystic Masters, from the military to confront him in the palace?"

Sun Tianlu shook his head, somewhat helplessly, "I witnessed the entire tournament that day; in the Sixth Grade realm, this boy might be unbeatable!"

"You two Marshals needn’t worry; if he refuses to fight, in the future, he will be restrained everywhere in the harem and before the Crown Prince, lowering his head before me!"

Kong Cong suggested, "By then, there will be plenty of ways to make things difficult for him. If he can be pressured away, losing his status as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, it will be much easier to deal with him."

"Very well."

Zhou Haijian clasped his hands towards Kong Cong, "In that case, I must trouble the Mystic Master."

"Marshal Zhou, no need for formality."

Kong Cong returned the gesture.