Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar-Chapter 191 - 184: The King’s Sword Appears! I Am a Craftsman!
In the torrential black night, punctuated by occasional thunder, the battered mountain landscape below, as well as an entire legion, were illuminated vividly.
At this moment, the notorious Thunder Leopard Cavalry, following several commanders, had successfully reached the old battleground where the Mu Hui Caravan clashed with the Black Tiger Gang.
The land was a scene of devastation: mountains cracked, trees toppled, mutilated corpses and severed limbs lay scattered, with flesh and blood splattered everywhere.
The intensifying rain could not wash away the bloodstains on the ground.
Cheng Hu, their lead commander, exchanged a glance with Ye Xunwen, both seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.
"Such power! It can only be the work of fifth-order powerhouses!" Cheng Hu said in a deep voice.
He lightly kicked the Thunder Leopard Beast King beneath him, and the towering, ferocious creature carried him forward, galloping towards the large pit created by Wang Dahuo’s ultimate move, Fly Leopard.
With a leap, Cheng Hu bent down to touch the muddy soil of the pit, feeling for sword marks.
"Fifth-order Sword Tao Martial Artists, and fifth-order Transformation Tao Martial Artists!" Cheng Hu confirmed.
"And a fifth-order Wood Tao Martial Artist..." Ye Xunwen added, looking at the vines sprouting from the cliffside and sighing deeply.
Finally, they said in unison, "The survivor is that fifth-order Sword Cultivator!"
For a moment, Cheng Hu and Ye Xunwen lapsed into silence.
They were both disciples of the Qinglu Taoist Temple, allowed to stay in Luo City to command troops because of their merits in the assassination of Pengcheng’s General Mo Jiuyou.
Over the years, they had experienced no fewer than a hundred battles, large and small. Comparing this to their past experiences, they realized just how terrifying the strength of that fifth-order Sword Cultivator must be.
As they fell silent, the Thunder Leopard Cavalry legion also succumbed to a chilling hush. For a moment, an unnerving silence descended.
Just then, a Sword Light suddenly appeared in the sky.
The Sword Light expanded, revealing two mountainous bronze doors.
The doors were tarnished and worn, bearing countless marks. Each mark exuded an ancient and terrifying aura, forcing the Thunder Leopard Cavalry to bow their heads, not daring to look directly.
As the bronze doors fully materialized, the door knockers transformed into two ancient, decrepit Ferocious Beasts, which then landed on the ground. Several black chains, each as thick as a water bucket, emerged from the backs of the Ferocious Beasts, connecting to the door rings.
"BOOM!— BOOM!— BOOM!—" With a drumming sound that seemed to shatter the heavens, the two Ferocious Beasts slowly began to move.
From within the doors, a Taoist riding an old yellow ox emerged.
The Taoist had an immortal aura, appearing serene and detached.
"General!"
"Senior Brother!"
"Sword Child!" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
Faced with his subordinates’ different appellations, Li Zixing wore a gentle expression and nodded slightly.
BUZZZ...
Suddenly, the King’s Sword at Li Zixing’s waist vibrated intensely, as if confronting a formidable enemy.
The King’s Sword embodied utmost firmness and righteousness; seven such swords united would form a Holy Artifact.
Since its creation, it had despised evil as if it were a personal enemy, suppressing all forms of sin and malevolence like embodied thunder.
At this moment, it sensed a severe threat.
This threat, astonishingly, emanated from the sword marks left by the Heavenly River Sword!
Oh? So it’s no wonder Zhu Yexin and Wang Dahuo were defeated, Li Zixing realized, for he was the commanding general backing Wang Dahuo.
He then dismounted from the ox and began to personally survey the area, searching for any information left by the mysterious Sword Cultivator.
While investigating, he tried to put himself in the mysterious Sword Cultivator’s position.
The more he compared, the more astonished Li Zixing became.
Without relying on the power of the King’s Sword, he feared he would only be evenly matched with that mysterious Sword Cultivator.
With such strength, isn’t he afraid of perishing here? Li Zixing wondered.
Afterward, he clapped his hands and mobilized his spies to search for the mysterious swordsman.
...
...
Drifting downstream on the Cang River, a large ship made its way to the harbor at Pengcheng.
Inside the ship, the Sword Tao Incarnation, clad in a short, rough laborer’s outfit, shouldered bag after bag of rice, ’struggling’ to carry them to shore to hand over to others.
Since he had defeated the Mu Hui Caravan, Hong Yuan had become even more cautious, firmly keeping the word "steadiness" in mind and fully aware of the principle that "the last ten miles of a hundred-mile journey are but halfway there."
Hong Yuan had changed into tattered, coarse clothing, posing as a refugee, and eventually became a laborer on this large ship.
The sudden appearance of a strange yet powerful Martial Artist in a small town would undoubtedly attract attention, but no one would notice a destitute man, just one among thousands of refugees.
In times of war, refugees were everywhere.
For Hong Yuan to appear in Pengcheng as a refugee was almost too plausible!
"HUFF... HUFF..." Hong Yuan ’panted heavily,’ resting one hand on a wooden barrel to catch his breath.
Numerous other laborers, looking much the same, exchanged glances, a knowing smile appearing on their faces.
The work was endless, but their bodies were their own.
"Yezi, what are your plans after this job?" an older laborer asked, pulling a tobacco pipe from his pocket.
Hong Yuan smiled shyly. "My mother hopes I can marry a diligent girl. I want to go to Pengcheng and see if any young woman would be willing to come with me."
"Hey! Yezi, so you’re also looking to buy a young woman? Let me tell you, the girls from Shanle Square in the outer city are top-notch!"
"The girls from Shanle Square might be good, but none are from scholarly families. In my opinion, Yezi, you should work a few more boat trips, save up, and go to Knowledge Street."
"Don’t lead the young man astray! How could a big, rough fellow like Yezi get along with girls from scholarly families?"
As they discussed marrying young women, the laborers grew animated, chattering about where one could ’acquire a household’—a euphemism for finding a wife.
In times of chaos, human life was as worthless as weeds. For a mouthful of food, anything could happen.
Instances of wife-buying, familiar from historical records, were now playing out openly before Hong Yuan. Everyone’s casual acceptance of it couldn’t help but leave him feeling somewhat disoriented.
For a moment, Hong Yuan suddenly understood why chancellors and generals often rose from the prefectures and commanderies in such times.
"Don’t listen to their nonsense, Yezi."
"If you really want to marry a young woman, once you get your wages, first find a place to live in the outer city. Don’t worry if it’s run-down; as long as it offers shelter from wind and rain, it’s fine," the older laborer said with the air of one experienced in such matters. He tapped his tobacco pipe, blew out a ring of smoke, and then explained, "Otherwise, even if you marry a young woman, she might just run off."
Hong Yuan chuckled sheepishly and nodded silently.
After a short rest, without needing the foreman to urge them, everyone conscientiously returned to work, once again shouldering bags of rice, timber, and other goods.
The more chaotic the era, the more precious a job that could provide a meager living became.
After a busy day, as night fell, large red lanterns were hung at the ship’s bow, and three long rectangular tables were set up.
In front of the tables, three accountants in gray robes sat at their respective places, fingers flying across their abacuses, the beads clacking with each calculation.
Behind the tables, three long lines of laborers queued in an orderly fashion, waiting to receive their hard-earned Copper Coins.
"Li Ergou, for carrying three hundred bags of rice, nine hundred Copper Coins!"
"Zhang Dashu, for carrying two hundred bags of rice, six hundred Copper Coins!"
One by one, laborers left the ship, clutching their white cloth bags, faces beaming with satisfaction.
On the shore, a number of emaciated, raggedly dressed refugees watched the laborers with envious eyes.
"Niu Yezi, for carrying three hundred bags of rice, nine hundred Copper Coins."
"Yes, yes."
Hong Yuan nodded eagerly, his face, like the other laborers, stretched into a bright smile.
Clutching the cloth bag tightly, Hong Yuan followed the older laborer, Zhang Xiaohua, away from the docks.
With Zhang Xiaohua’s help, Hong Yuan spent five hundred Copper Coins to rent a dilapidated hovel with a crumbling tile roof in the Sanli District of Pengcheng’s outer city—a place that could at least offer shelter from wind and rain.
And so, Hong Yuan slipped into Pengcheng without causing a ripple.
He only needed to gather clear intelligence on Zhang Chenye, Zhang Baicun, and the others, and then the Heavenly River Sword would be unsheathed once more!
