HomeTales of Dark RiverAn He Zhuan: Act Ten - Chapter 9

An He Zhuan: Act Ten – Chapter 9

“The Four Swords of Dao Inquiry have all mobilized?” Lu Yudi sat in a pavilion, his composure restored to its original tranquility.

The messenger disciple had run back and forth, his body drenched in sweat. After sitting down and drinking a large bowl of cold tea, he finally spoke, “I saw it myself. When the Sword Elder heard that the stranger’s spear technique was the Dragon’s Shocking Change, he immediately dispatched the Four Swords.”

“Good,” Lu Yudi nodded with satisfaction.

“They say the Four Swords received the Sword Elder’s true teachings. With them engaging, they should surely defeat that masked fellow,” someone chimed in.

“Defeat my ass!” Lu Yudi cursed. “Those four wastes? Bah!”

“What?” The others were confused.

Lu Yudi sneered, “How strong can those four wastes be compared to that man? He’s a swordsman, yet with just a casual wave of a spear, he shattered my weapon into pieces. What level of mastery is that? He’s a first-rate expert. The Four Swords aren’t worthy to even carry his shoes.”

“Then why send them?” someone asked.

Lu Yudi stroked his chin and said quietly, “If only I had been defeated, the Martial Hall crowd would have made a big fuss and come to shame my master. But if the Four Swords are thoroughly defeated together… then they’ll be the ones humiliated. And once they’re defeated, the Sword Elder will have to step in personally.”

“So Senior Brother’s ultimate goal was to have the Sword Elder confront that person,” everyone realized.

Lu Yudi nodded, then shook his head: “But can even the Sword Elder win?”

Outside Wushuang City, after Su Muyu resheathed his half-drawn blade, he reached out with his right hand and caught Luo Ge’s swift sword: “Among the four, your sword is the weakest.”

“What did you say?” Luo Ge raged.

“You pursue absolute speed. Your swift sword may intimidate those weaker than or equal to you, but against someone far above you in swordsmanship, a hundred ineffective strikes are worse than a single threatening one.” Su Muyu turned his hand, avoiding Luo Ge’s blade. His sword movements were several times faster than Luo Ge’s dizzying display, forcing the other three to retreat.

Luo Ge’s face changed dramatically: “Impossible, this is impossible…”

“Your sword poses the greatest threat of the three. Thin as a cicada’s wing, striking without sound—it’s an assassin’s blade, best suited for killing in the dark of night.” Su Muyu caught the thin blade between two fingers, then snapped off its tip and flicked it toward Jia Zhou.

Jia Zhou hastily withdrew his sword and retreated, the tip leaving a bloody line across his cheek. Su Muyu had shown mercy—had he wished to take Jia Zhou’s life, the man would already be a corpse.

Su Muyu turned, dodging Ye Wuxiu’s massive blade, then lightly jumped to step on its broadside: “With such a heavy sword, if you can’t take your opponent’s life within thirty moves, exhaustion will set in, each strike weaker than the last. Your first strike was strongest; now you’re at your weakest. Continue, and you’ll die of exhaustion before I need to kill you.”

Ye Wuxiu tried to pull back his greatsword, but with Su Muyu standing on the blade, he could only release it and retreat when Su Muyu’s finger traced an arc of sword energy toward his face. Su Muyu kicked the greatsword up, caught its hilt, and in one motion pointed it at Xiu Ru’s chest.

A bead of sweat rolled down Xiu Ru’s forehead. His sword hung in mid-strike—he had only begun to move when Su Muyu intercepted him. Su Muyu shook his head: “Your swordsmanship is the highest among them, your mindset the most stable, yet I never worried about you. You’re too cautious—you won’t strike without seeing an opening, but when I show one, it’s because I’m deliberately drawing you out.”

Xiu Ru spoke solemnly: “Sir’s swordsmanship far surpasses ours.”

“The Four Swords of Dao Inquiry—light, heavy, swift, and careful—it’s one approach. But can the way of the sword be summarized in a single word? Mastering one aspect can indeed make one formidable. But what if you can’t reach that mastery? Too many weaknesses.” Su Muyu tossed the greatsword back to Ye Wuxiu. “When your teacher had you each practice one aspect, was he truly helping you seek the way, or using you to question his path?”

The four were shocked. Xiu Ru, being the quickest-minded, soon understood Su Muyu’s implied meaning: The Sword Elder knew their Four Swords approach would crumble before a true master, yet still had them pursue this path—not to make them masters, but to use their encounters to enhance his swordsmanship.

Luo Ge also realized this and shouted angrily: “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“The Martial Hall’s Four Swords of Dao Inquiry have been defeated!” the merchant suddenly called out. “And this man hasn’t even drawn his sword!”

The crowd finally realized this and exclaimed in wonder: “Is this man’s swordsmanship truly so exquisite? Or are the Four Swords of Dao Inquiry merely empty names?”

“Silence!” Luo Ge roared. “All of you, shut up! We underestimated him earlier. Again!”

“In the martial world, there is no ‘underestimating’—you rarely get a second chance at survival.” Su Muyu stepped forward, suddenly beside Luo Ge, holding a blade thin as a cicada’s wing.

Jia Zhou was startled: “When did he take the sword back?”

Su Muyu gently rested the blade on Luo Ge’s shoulder, his tone ice-cold: “Be careful, don’t let the sword slip. This blade is extremely sharp—one small slip and your head might just slide off.”

Even the proud Luo Ge dared not speak another word. Su Muyu’s words carried killing intent; he could feel the cold—one more provocative word, and blood would surely spill.

“Still, I haven’t met anyone worthy of drawing my sword,” Su Muyu continued walking forward.

Luo Ge and the others remained frozen in place. After a long silence, Xiu Ru was the first to react. He shouted: “Sound the drum! Warn the city—someone means to force their way in!”

“Yes, sir!” The guards rushed to the tower and struck the war drum.

From within Wushuang City, a voice like rolling thunder boomed: “Who dares storm my Wushuang City?”

Su Muyu, now at the city gates, looked up and finally spoke the words he had long waited to say:

“From the Tianxia Sword-less City, Young City Lord Zhuo Yue’an comes to challenge Wushuang!”

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