Chapter 244: The Divine Turtle Still Lives (Part )
Hengshan Villa.

Behind the painting hall is a side hall.

This hall has no doors or windows, with bamboo curtains rolled up high, and is as open as a pavilion. However, the brackets and railings are distinct, and the platform and steps are wide. In the pavilion, there is a hexagonal brick tree pit, with a ginkgo tree on each side.

There are calligraphy and paintings hanging on both sides, and a Yaoqin is placed on the south side, with elegant style.

Zhao Rong and Dan Qingsheng sat opposite each other in the open hall, reciting poems and listening to the autumn wind, just as they always did.

“Brother, you used to be content with your seclusion and free-spiritedness, but why are you so sad today? What worries you?”

After Dan Qingsheng finished speaking, he poured him a glass of wine.

Without waiting for Zhao Rong to respond, he continued:

“If you are worrying about your children, I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“These nephews each have their own strengths, and few of their peers can match them. Moreover, their life experiences are different. It is really difficult to expect them to completely inherit your legacy.”

“There are many heroes in the world, but I have never heard of you, forgive my ignorance.”

Zhao Rong knew that he wanted to comfort her, but he was going in the wrong direction.

He picked up the wine jug and poured wine for Dan Qingsheng.

“I don’t worry about my children’s affairs.”

“only.”

He drank the wine in the glass in one gulp and sighed, “It has always been said that autumn is sad and lonely. This is true.”

“We drank here ten years ago.”

Zhao Rong paused and looked at the zither: “At that time, you can still hear the Grand Master’s Guangling San.”

“I met a few old friends recently. Time is cruel and has left deep marks on them.”

“Now we are drinking together, and no one is touching the harp.”

Dan Qingsheng looked at him deeply and raised his cup as well.

If an ordinary elderly person in his seventies heard what Zhao Rong said, he would inevitably feel sad and sigh that life is short.

but
Dan Qingsheng, however, is the same as he was in the past. As long as he has wine, paintings and a sword, he can indulge himself freely.

“So that’s what you’re worried about.”

He suddenly smiled, raised his glass and clinked it with Zhao Rong’s: “Brother often says that life is full of worries and few joys, but since coming to Yancheng from Plum Manor in West Lake, I have found many like-minded friends and am extremely happy.”

“Life is short, what is there to be sad about?”

“Birth, aging, sickness and death are the norm in this world. My elder brother passed away with a smile on his face. Although no one is playing the harp now, the sound of the harp is still in your and my ears. So what difference does it make whether I play the harp or not?”

“If he knew you were still reciting his music, he would be so happy.”

Zhao Rong smiled and clinked glasses with him again:
“That makes sense, but”

“I hope that in 20 years, there will still be people here who can discuss painting and wine with me.”

Dan Qingsheng laughed: “How difficult is this?”

“Come, have another drink.”

The two men clinked their glasses again and drank fully.

Soon, they took down two swords from the side of the hall and started to fight.

They all used Danqingsheng’s ink-splashing and hemp-wrapped sword technique, discussing swordsmanship in a freehand manner, as if they were pointing at the mountains and rivers in a painting.

After a hundred moves, Dan Qingsheng suddenly put away his sword.

“Don’t fight, don’t fight!”

“I am not as good as you in using this sword technique, but I have a great time today. I have a sword and wine. I want to paint another picture.”

“What kind of painting do you want to create?” Zhao Rong asked.

Dan Qingsheng paced back and forth, stroking his beard. He pondered for a moment and suddenly clapped his hands, his brows beaming with joy.

“Just make a painting called “A Question on the Peach Blossom Spring”?”

Dan Qingsheng smiled happily: “Since you are going to Wuling, Changde, this painting of mine is just right for the occasion.”

Zhao Rong also found it very interesting when he heard it.

He also mentioned some details of the painting and told him some past events based on the details.

Dan Qingsheng clapped his hands and laughed, applauding.

Suddenly he became very interested, picked up paper and pen, ground ink and started painting.

The painting was not completed until the sun set.

After returning to the mountain gate from Hengshan Villa, Zhao Rong returned to Cangjian Pavilion and heard the news from Songtan Town.

Young disciples from many sects gathered in Hengzhou Prefecture, eager to show their talents.

After seeing Shenfeng’s sword, his blood boiled.

The trend of discussing martial arts has been particularly intense these days, and even the geniuses of the major sects can’t hold back.

Fei Hongzi, the successor of Kongtong Sect, fought against Yan Anshun, a disciple of the Six Immortals of Taogu. The White Rainbow Palm Power, which had not yet been fully developed, was dissipated by the Eight Meridians Secret Technique.

The heir of Taogu became famous in one battle.

“Senior brother.”

In the square pavilion outside Cangjian Pavilion, as soon as Zhao Rong approached, a woman in a green dress looked at him with a smile and watched him as he approached.

“Are you waiting for me?”

Qu Feiyan fixed her beautiful eyes on him and replied, “Whenever you feel sad, you must come here and sit for a long time.”

“I was just curious, why did the world-famous Immortal Sword God suddenly become sentimental?”

“Brother, tell me about it.”

There was a hint of sarcasm in her words, and she was just as quirky as she was back then.

just
Because her posture and appearance have changed, there is a charm in her sparkling and lively eyes that was not there before.

Zhao Rong sat next to her and didn’t respond at all.

Just said:

“When Yancheng is quieter, we’ll go out together.”

Qu Feiyan heard the voice, surprise flashed in her eyes, but she asked, “But can you take me with you?”

“How can you say that by the way?”

Zhao Rong smiled and said, “There is a happy event in Changde. I will take you to join in the fun.”

“Didn’t you complain about the dull atmosphere in Yancheng a while ago?”

Qu Feiyan was unwilling to admit: “I never said that.”

However, her mood still showed on her face.

After saying that, she sat closer and leaned her whole body in his arms.

Zhao Rong then talked about this happy event.

In his early years, when he was still in Changrui Escort Agency, he met Long Ping from Dingsheng Martial Arts School in Changde Prefecture.

At that time, her elder brother, Long Kui, the owner of Dingsheng Martial Arts School, and his father-in-law Wuling Kuaidao were old and looking for a successor.

Long Ping was attracted by Zhao Rong’s talent. Although they did not end up being together, they left a good impression on each other.

After that, Wuling Kuaidao died of old age in Changde Prefecture.

Dingsheng Martial Arts School lost its pillar, but Hengshan School prospered because of the good karma they had in the past, and the martial arts school found a bigger backer.

After Long Ping returned to Changde Prefecture, she married a local martial artist who was quite chivalrous.

He had two sons.

Her youngest son once studied at the Hengshan School for a period of time, and he and Zhao Yuzhen had similar personalities, and they became playmates and good friends.

This time, Long Ping’s eldest son was getting married and sent an invitation specially.

of course
He didn’t mean to invite Zhao Rong himself, but just told him according to the etiquette that as the largest sect in the world, it would be more than enough for the Hengshan sect to have disciples going there, which would greatly enhance the power of the main sect.

Zhao Rong explained the whole story and said that Yuzhen missed her playmates.

At this moment, the junior sister in his arms suddenly smiled.

“Brother”

“Ok?”

She blinked and said, “I heard that Long Ping has a niece who is pretty and simple, a rare beauty. She said she wanted to introduce her to you and make you happy. I wonder if you still remember.”

Zhao Rong burst out laughing and couldn’t help but reach out and pinch the tender face of the person in his arms.

“It seems that you don’t want to go to the wedding at all.”

“Forget it, I’ll go with Yuzhen.”

“Who said I won’t go?”

Qu Feiyan said: “I just want to see what kind of beauty she is.”

She leaned towards Zhao Rong’s chest, shook her head slightly, and said to herself:
“such a pity”

“What’s the pity?”

“Of course I feel sorry for this beauty. When I talked about her, my heartbeat didn’t even beat a fraction faster for her. That shows I haven’t been able to get into your heart.”

Zhao Rong had long been accustomed to her way of speaking, and suddenly he heard a voice coming from his arms:
“Brother, you must have other things to do when you go to Changde Prefecture.”

“…” Qu Feiyan didn’t hear a response for a long time, so she opened her eyes wide and raised her chin to look up at him.

“There is an old friend in Changde Prefecture, I want to go see him.”

“Perhaps there is something quite interesting.”

Qu Feiyan didn’t pay attention to what he said next, but only noticed the hint of nostalgia hidden in his eyes.

Although it is not easy to notice, after being married for so many years, how could I not know his heart.

“Senior brother.”

Qu Feiyan suddenly said, “Time flies. Do you think I have grown old too?”

She held her face with her slender fingers, and somehow her voice suddenly changed to a rather sad tone.

“Although Senior Brother’s magical skills are profound, such as flawless jade and the eight wastelands and six directions, they are not something that ordinary people can comprehend.”

“It is so sad that we can never keep our youth and beauty.”

Zhao Rong lowered his eyes and looked down.

Her face was as white as jade, delicate and gentle, and there was not a single wrinkle between her brows or in her every frown and smile. Instead, she looked lively and charming, clearly in her prime years.

Therefore.
This beautiful face and the words she said just don’t match at all.

“With the help of my Mingyu Qi and the practice of Xiao Mingyu Gong, Junior Sister will not age.”

Qu Feiyan insisted: “No flower stays red forever.”

Zhao Rong reached out and poked her forehead: “Nonsense, if I don’t let you grow old, there will be no rush of time.”

His tone was a little hurried.
At this moment, the sister who had been covering her forehead suddenly smiled.

She leaned back and put her arms around Zhao Rong’s neck.

“Senior brother is so domineering.”

“However, since Senior Brother has such abilities, why would he feel depressed?”

“Even if others are gone, my little sister will remain young and will always be with you.”

Her pair of expressive eyes, still as lively as they were when she was a girl, stared at him without blinking.

Zhao Rong smiled slightly.

He rubbed the girl’s head and told her about the interesting thing that might happen in Wuling.

Three days later.
Outside Songtan Town, Taoist Master Wang Ye of the Wudang Sect displayed his Tai Chi swordsmanship. His swordsmanship was extremely impressive, but unfortunately he had not accumulated enough Taoist skills, so he could not keep up with A Fei’s sword speed. In addition, his Tai Chi sword was not perfect enough, so he was eventually defeated by A Fei’s sword.

However, when others looked at his sword, they found that it was different from the one used by Taoist Chongxu.

Maybe there will be a chance to practice Tai Chi sword to perfection.

What the people in the martial arts world did not expect was that, apart from the four true disciples of the Sword God, the fame of the geniuses from major sects such as Wudang, Kongtong, and Taishan was instead overshadowed by an idle young man.

It was the Dongfang Xiaoxian who came to Hengyang from Panzhou.

In the battle of Liangdu, she and Gu Ji were evenly matched.

In front of Songtan Town, the air was filled with sword lights. After fighting with Ah Fei for hundreds of rounds, the battle was still a draw.

Although there were many martial arts people gathered in Liangdu at that time, they were far less than those in Hengzhou Prefecture this time.

This battle made him completely famous.

His internal strength and swordsmanship are at the top level among the younger generation.

With such talent, one would be curious about who her master is.

Five days later.

Dongfang Xiaoxian, who was at the center of the storm, was finally defeated and took the initiative to challenge Ah Qing, but was ultimately defeated by Shenfeng’s sword.

Leaving all the people in the martial arts world shocked and confused, she left Songtan without hesitation after defeating the sword.

Others had no idea where the siblings were.

On the second day after Dongfang Xiaoxian defeated the sword, he had already left Hengyang and returned towards Yunnan and Guizhou.

In a gray-shed carriage heading to Shaoyang.

Yang Juncai looked at her sister whose breathing had returned to normal and couldn’t help asking:

“Sister, why don’t you challenge Senior Sword God’s second disciple at another time?”

“She was able to fight against Senior Shang. Her swordsmanship is extremely advanced.”

Dongfang Xiaoxian said: “It’s not easy to come to Yancheng once, I wonder if there will be a next time.”

There was something strange about her tone.

It seemed as if he didn’t want to set foot in Yancheng again. While speaking, he looked in the direction of Yancheng.

Yang Juncai said:

“Sister, are you thinking of Senior Sword God again?”

“Ah.”

The shock this trip to Yancheng brought to the brother and sister is beyond words.

They could never have imagined that the mysterious young man they met in Liangdu Inn was actually the Sword God.

At that time, I didn’t dare to think in that direction.

But
Nowadays, people in the martial arts world say that the Sword God never ages.

This incredible rumor is known to almost everyone.

Dongfang Xiaoxian said: “Master has said a lot about the demeanor of the Sword God, but that was mostly related to twenty years ago. Even though Master had some guesses, he still couldn’t have expected that the Sword God is no longer an ordinary person.”

The ageless face flashed through her mind, and then the sword that was slashed down from Tianshan Mountain flashed through her mind.

“Such a sword.”

“Like a fairy or a demon, it is not something that an ordinary warrior can kill.”

Anyone who has seen that scene is destined to never forget it for the rest of their life.

Dongfang Xiaoxian is naturally no exception.

She had once aspired to defeat the Sword God as mentioned by her master.

I have been practicing for many years and this has always been my goal.

But she could never have imagined that from hearing the legend to meeting the real person, her beliefs would be shaken and even collapsed.

She always looks at things rationally and calmly, and rarely does anything irrelevant.

Therefore, it is clear how difficult this goal is.

Is it really possible for a human to defeat a sword god like that?
“Sister, what kind of Kung Fu can keep one’s face young?”

“I also want to know.”

Yang Juncai asked again: “What realm is the unity of mind and sword?”

Dongfang Xiaoxian shook her head:

“According to the Sword God, that is the realm where everything can be a sword.”

“but.”

“This is very different from the ordinary art of understanding the profound truth. One has traces to follow, while the other is extraordinary.”

“When we get back to White Tiger Cliff, let’s hear what Master has to say.”

Yang Juncai hummed.

Maybe because he was young, he didn’t think too much about it.

I also feel that this trip to Yancheng has allowed me to see many new people and things.

Now that they were on their way back, he became more talkative and kept chatting with his sister.

but
Although my sister was responding, her heart was not as calm as she appeared.

“The smoke and water are vast, how many times have we traveled through time and space?”

The sound of Liangdu always echoes in Dongfang Xiaoxian’s mind inadvertently.

……

It is the throat of Sichuan and Guizhou, and the gateway to Yunnan and Guizhou.

In Changde Prefecture, west of Dongting Lake, a small boat was floating on the Yuan River.

“Boatman, please dock.”

“Okay~!”

Zou Songqing heard the boatman’s answer and then walked to the stern.

Old man Dian Cang is looking out at Dongting Lake.

“Master, it is just as you said. Although we have the news about Hengshan Sect and we have been chasing them all the way, we still lost their trace.”

There was inevitably a hint of anxiety in his words.

Those two were so cautious. The world is so big that looking for them would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Shang Sufeng felt the river breeze and said slowly:
“Don’t worry, the boat is coming from Dongting Lake, they should be in Changde Prefecture.”

“Since there is no rush to return to Dali, we can just take our time to look for them.”

……

(End of this chapter)