Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 405 Entering the Jianghu

There were three carriages in total. Qu Xin used one as he had too many things; Ming Qitian drove one, and Pei Ye, wearing a bamboo hat, sat on the shaft of the carriage, driving the horses and flipping through a collection of books; the two masters of Kongtong Peak and Gao Feigong led one, and did not show up.

Outside were six riders, two of them were Zhang Jingbi and Guan Qianyan, and four were plainclothes guards.

From the outside, apart from some old-timers who recognized the uniforms of Guan and Zhang, this group of carriages and horses was inconspicuous.

It won't attract much vigilant attention.

Because during this period of time, all the big villages and big factions in Shaolong were constantly passing through this official road, and all kinds of grand teams were common.

The sun was getting brighter and brighter. Although Pei Ye was wearing a straw hat, the scenery on the road in front of him was still too bright for his eyes. He closed his book and got into the car. He took out a little black cat and put it on the shaft. He took off his straw hat to make a sunshade for the cat, then stuffed the whip into its paw and disappeared without a trace.

After three days of walking, Pei Ye became less and less interested in driving a horse or a carriage. Of course, he had a legitimate reason. He had a pile of jade and jade sword principles that he was in a hurry to make up. Who couldn't drive a carriage? Even a cat could drive a carriage.

And the horse is indeed more obedient under the cat's gaze.

Ming Qitian taught the young man about swordsmanship in the carriage for three days.

As if she didn't want to waste even a minute, she read with the boy without stopping while they were walking during the day. At night when everyone had gone to bed, she sat alone under the campfire and annotated the sword scriptures page by page.

At this time Pei Ye sat in, but she didn't read the Jade Fei Sword Theory anymore, but was flipping through the book "The Ghost Immortal Sword".

"I suddenly feel that this sword may be connected to the completed "Fei Yu Xian"."

Pei Ye hadn't even sat down when he heard this and asked in surprise, "What do you mean by connected?"

Ming Qitian shook his head: "I don't know, it's just a feeling. This is your sword. I will come and ask you for advice after you have mastered it."

Pei Ye sat down: "What is the connection between fungi and birds?"

"They are all spirits of the mountains." Ming Qitian said, "Tracing back six thousand years, there is no telling how many sword techniques have been lost on earth. Some of them may be as good as Yun Lang today. When facing the swords of our predecessors, it doesn't hurt to think more about them."

Pei Ye frowned. In fact, he couldn't see anything. He made a note of this in his mind and took out the "Detailed Analysis of Yellow Jade" that he had talked about in the morning and told the woman what he had thought about for verification.

Time passed slowly, the road became wider and smoother, and travelers were encountered more and more frequently. From time to time, horses' hooves could be heard galloping past the window, some alone, some in groups. One could tell by the speed of the horses that they were galloping.

There was also an enthusiastic person who asked loudly, "Are you also going to the Sword Selection Meeting? Which route do you take?"

Zhang Jingbi just said "yes" when a young voice outside said, "I am Cui Zijie from Yuquan Mountain. I look forward to learning your skills on the Jade Sword Stage in the future!"

Then he galloped away with the horse's hooves.

"It's really lively." Pei Ye smiled. The woman next to him nodded but did not look up. She pointed to the next line and began to talk.

After more than half an hour, the sun was so strong that it almost penetrated the car windows, and the line of carriages finally came to a shaky stop.

Zhang Jingbi drove his horse to the front of the carriage and said, "Brother Pei, we will reach the city in less than two hours. There is a teahouse to rest. We can continue our journey after noon."

The horses and carriages were indeed stiff and tired from riding in the carriage for days. Pei Ye asked the woman a few questions and she just shook her head. Then he jumped off the carriage and placed the horses and carriage in a cool place. He and the other knights found a seat under the teahouse to rest.

It was noon, and there were already quite a few travelers sitting in the shade in front of the building. A considerable number of them were people from the martial arts world carrying swords and sabers, and most of them looked exhausted, having come from various places.

Toasting, greeting and chatting, some people seemed to have met each other once, and those who didn't know each other would start chatting as long as they sat at the same table. As soon as Pei Ye sat down, he heard the voices next to him.

"Zhang Lingwen must have a seat! There is no need to talk about the background of Yunyang Tower. Zhang Lingwen is the leader of this generation, and he also fought his way up. In the previous sword-fighting competition among the various sects in the prefectural city, do you know who he defeated?"

"Who?"

"The true teachings of Kongtong Xianqiao Peak!"

".Since Jiang Yitong, Kongtong has not produced many amazing figures in the past two years."

"Zhang Lingwen will naturally have a seat, and he must be among the top 30. Will He Tianlai from Lushan Sword Manor, who is also in the west, also have a seat?"

"That young master is just a show-off! He has been in business for three years, but his reputation has only grown. What achievements can he show? In the past, everyone gave him some face because of the name of He Da Xia. But this time, everyone is tense and fighting hard. Who is willing to sacrifice themselves for others?"

"Yes, it is better to say He Tianyu than He Tianlai. Although he is an adopted son and not well-known, I had a chance to fight with him last year. His swordsmanship is quite strong and he is already half as good as the hero He."

"It looks like he's only 50%. My brother actually managed to fight him. His swordsmanship is really good!"

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, to be honest - I only lasted nineteen strokes."

Someone at another table shouted in a strange voice, "Wang Guangtou, your record has grown from three moves to seven moves, then to thirteen moves, and now to nineteen moves since last year - if I give you another two years, will He Tianyu become He Daxia?"

The bald guy at the next table immediately got angry: "Fuck you! Xu Changyuan, you just spread rumors about me!"

The two Kongtong disciples had already changed out of their Kongtong uniforms in the dust. Now that Zhang Jingbi didn't come over, Guan Qianyan sat next to Pei Ye.

The girl was a little depressed after hearing the previous words, but she still explained to Pei Ye in a low voice: "Lushan is west of Shaolong. The owner of the manor, He Yabai, has long been ranked in the realm of Tuanshen. The family-inherited "Deer Herding Sword" is quite famous. If we count five places where swords are passed down in West Shaolong, the name of Lushan must be one of them."

Pei Ye nodded and grabbed a handful of snacks to share with her.

Suddenly, the two of them turned their eyes and saw dust flying on the road. More than ten swordsmen with hairpins and crowns on horseback also reined in their horses, talked with each other for a while, then tied up their horses and came over here.

This group of people were obviously members of a sect, young and old, male and female, all dressed in the same uniform and behaved in a very strict manner. As they approached, the loud shouting at the tea stall suddenly dropped two levels.

Pei Ye turned his head and saw that the several martial artists who were talking loudly beside him were all retracting their legs and preparing their swords, and each of them had their "space" reduced by half.

The sword-selection competition that will soon open in the provincial capital has indeed now attracted the attention of the entire Shaolong martial arts world. Rumors of this have been leaking out since the martial arts competitions in various states were held two months ago.

For two months, people had no idea what had happened in Kongtong, nor had they ever heard of the three words "Huan Si Lou". The evil god that had descended from the deep mountains of Xin Cang was so far away that it seemed as if it did not exist. The biggest change and opportunity in the entire Shaolong martial arts world was this unrestricted sword-selecting meeting held in the city.

It is said that under the impetus of a certain well-known figure, the imperial court will jointly compile a list of swordsmanship with the various sword sects in Shaolong. How novel it is that the imperial court and the martial arts world practice together.

The whole martial arts world was in turmoil, with countless wanderers and individual travelers gathering in the city. After all, the so-called "mixing" in the martial arts world means that when something happens, you flock to it like ants to sugar, and when it's over, you flow away like water pouring on the ground. If you're lucky, you'll get some opportunities, if you're unlucky, you'll be torn apart. If you're neither good nor bad, you'll always have some reputation after mixing for a long time.

They are a huge group that makes up the entire underworld, and from time to time there are dragons and snakes rising among them. Now, the people below the teahouse are all such individual customers.

It is obviously difficult for their names to appear in this legendary gilded sword book that lists the seventy-two, but snakes have their own paths and rats have their own ways. When many people gather in one place, all kinds of opportunities will naturally arise.

And if there is a strict hierarchy in the martial arts world, it is the sects that are firmly built on this group.

The lower-class martial artists were pointing fingers at the world and boasting for fun, as if all the geniuses were nothing but topics of conversation between chopsticks. But when the real sects showed up, it was like a group of eagles entering a flock of chickens, and all the chirping disappeared.

Pei Ye actually didn't like seeing this scene. Guan Qianyan next to him frowned slightly and couldn't recognize the clothes for a moment.

Until someone at the next table whispered, "Brother Wang, which hero is this?"

The bald man also whispered, "He is wearing black clothes and has a white tassel, and his sword aura is very compelling. I think he is a hero from Feiyan Sword Sect in Fanhua Valley."

One of the girls was pulling down her hat to block out the sun. She glared at him and said, "What kind of hero is that? That's so ugly!"

The bald man immediately slapped his mouth and said angrily: "Oh, that's right, I'm blind and dumb, she is clearly a fairy with snow-white skin and beautiful face."

The girl ignored him and stood at the two tables next to Pei Ye with several of her peers.

Guan Qianyan suddenly realized, "Hmm, it's Feiyan Sword Sect. This is a sect in Longdong, one of the Longdong Seven Swords or Six Swords. The leader doesn't seem to have entered the Tuan Shen realm yet. Among his peers, there seems to be a good disciple named Zhu."

The young girl in the black robe and white tassel immediately stared at him: "Whose son of a noble family is this, so arrogant!"

Guan Qianyan raised her eyebrows coldly and was about to retort, but Pei Ye stretched out his arm to stop her and turned back to say, "Sorry, it was impolite of us to discuss this matter in front of others."

He had a clear face and spoke sincerely. The girl's expression relaxed a little and she turned around without saying a word.

This little episode did not attract any attention. Some people in the group were watering their horses, some were ordering tea, and then the two elders slowly came over while talking. After they sat down, they smiled and waved their hands, and then the younger generations sat down one by one.

"Brother Wei, tell me, what does 'reorder' mean?" The middle-aged man placed his sword on the table and said slowly.

"Our sects are usually pretty much the same, but if someone suddenly masters some secret sword or breaks through some realm, the ranking will change." The white-bearded old man said, "When there are variables, there will be changes. This is how it has always been. The current sword selection meeting is the biggest variable."

"But in the past, there were sword competitions held in the city, and they were all young disciples competing against each other. The momentum has never been so grand and fierce."

"Yes, that does not involve 'order'." The old man said slowly, "Because there has never been a 'Shaolong Sword Dao Golden Book'."

“Is this thing so powerful?”

"Whether the title is effective or not depends on who proposed it. Once the court promulgated this book, everyone in Shaolong knew about it overnight. Everyone knows what the status of the "Crane and Duck Book" of Xianren Terrace is now."

"But the imperial court changes its orders every day, and it's not the first time or the second time."

"Of course, but the same thing applies - whether a project is effective or not depends on who proposed it. Do you know who is behind this sword selection meeting?"

".I only heard that he was an important person."

"A real big shot. Didn't you see that big sword gates like Wujian Fudi, Yuquan Mountain, and Mingzhu Waterside all responded impatiently?" The old man said, "This is because this is not a decree discussed by a few clerks. I asked someone to find out that this sword selection meeting was formally proposed by Shaolong Daolitai and then agreed upon by the government office. It is almost the biggest move of the court since the beginning of autumn."

"They say that this is something that the venerable master is wholeheartedly working on." The old man said, "So whatever position you take on the Golden Book, the court will train you for that position. As the sword talent grows, the sect will naturally get closer to that position. The new sword sects with talent will surpass those old sects with little talent more quickly. That's why I say that this sword selection will be 're-ordered within twenty years'."

"Moreover, most of the small and medium-sized sword sects are more or less worried about resources, and the resistance only comes from those few large sects." The middle-aged man suddenly realized, "What's rare is that all the sword sects actually listened to the call of this person - what is the identity of this venerable master?"

"I heard that he is in charge of the ceremonial platform and the high position of the government office. In Shaolong, his real power is less than ten fingers." The white-bearded old man was silent for a moment, "And it is said that he supervises the Shaolong Sword Training Institute."

"Sword Training Institute?!"

"Sword Training Institute."

"If the Sword Training Institute participates, then it would be..."

"Yes, who wouldn't be tempted if a place in the Daoqi Association could be given to a sect like ours?"

"So that's it." The middle-aged man was silent for a moment, and then said, "It's said that the various sword sects and the court jointly compiled the sword manual, but in fact, the court spent a lot of money to reorganize the martial arts world into the new order they want."

"It's just like that. We Jianghu people care about our reputation, so people give us enough face. Some of us really think we are so great." The old man drank a cup of tea and turned to say, "Qi Zhi, I'm not worried about you getting a seat with Brother Yuan. But you are on that line. When you enter the city, remember to pay more attention to your opponent."

"Disciple, please remember this."

"Because sometimes victory or defeat depends on one or two details, such as Fang Longhu from Jiuqu Society, eh?"

The old man suddenly raised his eyes and paused, and the entire building began to become quiet.

When it comes to the underworld, the most important thing is eyesight. If the voices here dropped after Feiyan Jianmen sat down just now, it is almost silent now.

On the road, there were ten green carriages, all of them were like dark clouds stepping on snow, with green tassels on the harnesses and carriages carved with branches and painted with flowers. They were parked in front of the building in an orderly manner, and every horse was quiet, gentle and smart.

"Luoying Mountain." The old man surnamed Wei said softly.

Before anyone got out of the car, Guan Qianyan had already looked at them and whispered, "Luoying Mountain is the first sword sect south of Shaolong Prefecture. It has always been on equal terms with Kongtong. But thirty years ago, they jointly established the Daoqi Society. For some reason, they did not enter."

Pei Ye nodded: "That's pretty impressive."

"It is said in the martial arts world that they will take two of the top five seats in this sword competition." Guan Qianyan said, "Unlike the scattered Kongtong sect, the Luoying Sword Sect has a sword manual that is recognized as rare in the world, called "The Book of Withered Flowers". The song in Shannan goes, 'Nine hundred and seventy-two swords withered, and there was not a single flower in the peach forest.' That's them."

(End of this chapter)