Volume 2: Tian Nan ? Xuan Qing Chapter 17: Worry-Free Cave, Old Man Shoots Heaven

  Who would have thought that although Lu Lun was ranked below Sun Hui Guang, his martial arts talent was much higher, and he was also close to Master Bo and Lu Shixiong. So when Gu Baiyun told the subtleties of "White Cloud Swordsmanship" to Lu Shaohang, Lu Lun often listened in on the side.

  Gu Baiyun never showed favoritism, and had long considered all the disciples of this school as his own children. When teaching martial arts, he was impartial and believed that the cultivation of the disciples depended entirely on their innate abilities and later practice. Therefore, Lu Lun had been studying the "White Cloud Swordsmanship" for a long time, focusing on its smooth and unbroken movements, and today was a good opportunity to put it into practice.

  Luozhi Han said: "I didn't expect that the Kuangtong Sect, as a famous orthodox sect, would have such a terrible and rough swordsmanship!" Lian Tian heard this and couldn't help but ask Chujiu: "Little brother, what do you think of Huang Langzi's swordsmanship?"

  "Kongtong Sect has a great reputation, and its swordsmanship is naturally unparalleled. Just like now, Huang Langzi's swordsmanship seems chaotic, but it also has considerable power."

  "Then can Sixth Brother defeat him?" she asked again. Her hands itched with the urge to join in as well.

  "Sixth Brother has made great progress under Master's guidance and his martial arts skills should be above Huang Lang Zi, but you, Little Sister, cannot."

  Lin Meng'er pouted, not believing the expression, but Lian Tian suddenly praised Chu Jiu: "Little Shidi, you really have a good eye!" Luo Zhihan was puzzled, among the many disciples of Cang Tian, wasn't Chu Jiu the youngest and his martial arts were average?

  As expected, in the arena, Lu Lun dodged three attacks from Huang Langzi and then launched a series of eight or nine consecutive attacks, causing Huang Langzi to become dizzy. Suddenly, with a swift move, "White Cloud Sword Art"'s "White Cloud Galloping Horse" struck straight up, hitting Huang Langzi's wrist, making his long sword unstable and fall out of his hand.

  Lu Lun had always managed the stables, and Xiao Qi Zi and Si Tui were his good junior brothers. Their relationship was harmonious. Now, Si Tui was being beaten, Er Shixiong, Chu Jiu Xiao Shidi, Lin Meng'er, and even Lian Wanrou were all cheering him on from the side. Lu Lun's move was naturally not polite, this strike was also internally powerful and swift, making it difficult to block. Huang Lang Zi felt a surge of pain in his wrist and hurriedly stretched out his hand to grab the sword that was flying through the air.

  But in the blink of an eye, the sword was gone, and then he heard two sounds, "Dang Dang" followed by "Pa Pa", coming from behind him. He quickly turned around, and again, a figure flashed before his eyes. He only felt the scabbard slightly heavy, and when he looked down, the sword had already returned to its scabbard. Behind him, he heard two of his junior brothers shouting loudly, it turned out that their swords had been cut off, and they had each received a slap in the face.

  The person who took action was Lian Tian. Lian Tian had already heard the four legs explain the situation, and saw that Liu Shi Di had picked up the sword from Tian Lang Zi's hand, so he snatched it over and used this sword to cut off the other two swords of similar quality from the other two small disciples of the Cuiyun Sect. He then gave each of the two small disciples a slap in the face, helping Si Tui return the favor. After that, he returned the sword to Tian Lang Zi's scabbard. All three things were done in the blink of an eye, as smooth as flowing clouds and water. Finally, he returned to his original position, now standing with Lu Lun among the disciples of Diancang, chatting quietly with Chu Jiu.

  If Lian Tian hadn't seen Huang Langzi, the proud disciple of "Cold Sword" who was under Lie Chi Yan's tutelage, he would have been scolded by his master for hitting him, and he definitely wouldn't have let him off.

  Huang Langzi was already dizzy and disoriented at the time, how could he see clearly? The other two Kongtong disciples had low martial arts skills and only saw a flash of a person's shadow, their swords were already broken, and they also received a slap in the face.

  The yellow wolf cub became angry and distorted the facts, saying: "You guys are bullying the few with your numbers, just you wait!"

  The three of them were so ashamed and humiliated that they didn't dare speak again, turned around and ran into the Xuán Qīng Temple.

  After a burst of applause from the crowd, Luo Tian and Sun Hui Guang led their fellow disciples and Lian Tian to bid farewell before returning to Guan Zhong.

  Lin Meng'er couldn't help but say loudly and tenderly, "Second Brother, my father is really biased. Your martial arts skills are so strong, I don't know how many secrets Father has secretly taught you."

  Indeed, just now Lian Tian's moves of snatching the sword, breaking the sword, fanning the ear light, and returning the sword to its scabbard were all clearly seen by only one person on the ninth day, while others merely felt a flash before their eyes.

  Lian Tian burst out laughing and said, "Little Shifu's words are also wrong. The two great masters and Yun Shifu's martial arts are much better than mine. Moreover, the Jianghu is so big, with many experts everywhere. My little bit of martial arts may be useful today, but what about when I meet a stronger person in the future? It might be useful on Mount Diancang, but who knows what it will be like after leaving the mountain?"

  Chu Jiu Ming knew that Lian Tian's words were correct, but he intentionally echoed Lin Bi'er and smiled: "Little Shifu, Second Shifu's innate talent is extraordinary. When can we practice to achieve Second Shifu's martial arts?"

  Lian Tian Zheng said, "Innate talent is important, but later acquired skills through diligent practice are even more crucial. Look, Sixth Brother, this move 'White Cloud Galloping Horse' is the style of our Great Master!"

  "Second Brother, why are you talking about me again!"

  Lian Wanrou also smiled and said a few words to Lu Lun, but suddenly found that Luo Zhihan's body was motionless, and he hadn't moved for a long time. She walked a few steps towards him and saw that he was staring at the two short swords on the ground, completely bewildered.

  Luo Zhi Han suddenly bent down and picked up the short sword on the ground, walked over to Lian Tian and said: "Brother Lian, your respected father is the number one swordsmith in the south of the sky, Brother Lian's understanding of swordsmithing is naturally extraordinary. Please help me confirm whether this sword was forged by 'Crazy Rain Sword Manor'?"

  Lian Tian picked up the short sword, saw that the broken mouth was neat and tidy, the sword body was simple and sharp. According to his father's teachings, it was indeed forged by "Crazy Rain Sword Casting House" in Liangzhou City, Gansu Province. However, compared with the murder weapon on that night, the level of material and casting skills was far apart.

  He thought to himself, recalling the conversation he overheard between his parents and Shifu last night, especially what his mother said. He had some reservations in mind, so he said: "This sword seems to be from 'Crazy Rain Sword Forge', but I have to wait for my dad to confirm it completely. However, this sword is quite different from the one yesterday, it's just an ordinary long sword! Besides, 'Crazy Rain Sword Forge' is number one in the northwest, and their swords can be seen everywhere in the big northwest. It's also very common for disciples of the Cang Tian Sect to use such a sword."

  On the ninth day, I heard about the South China Sea incident early in the morning and said: "Luo Shixiong, Lian Bo and Ye Yi will go to Diancang Mountain a few days later. Let them decide, it's more appropriate!"

  Lin Meng'er had already heard Lian Wanrou talk about Luo Zhihan's matter last night, and also said by the side: "Luo Shixiong, wait for my father and Shibo Qing to come out of the house. On August 19th, our sect's grand ceremony, the Kongtong Sect will also have seniors coming to participate. After asking clearly face-to-face, it would be better to discuss it then!"

  Luozhi Han stood silently, grasping the broken sword, and turned to leave. Lian Wanyu watched his back, her heart filled with a sudden, inexplicable sense of loss.

  I had this feeling only when I saw Meng Er and Chu Jiu alone together before, but it has appeared again this time.

  It was already lunchtime, and Lian Tian, Lu Lun, Lin Ming'er, Lian Wanrou, Chu Jiu, Xiao Qizi, and Si Tui Sanren bid farewell. As they were about to leave, Chu Jiu saw a faint smile on Lian Tian's face, as if he wanted to say something but didn't. Then, Lian Tian smiled again and left with the others.

  The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only a few figures, either elegant and slender or tall and straight, who were about to disappear around the corner. Just as they were about to vanish from view, Lin Meng'er suddenly turned her head, revealing a mischievous face. The two exchanged a smile, filled with joy, knowing that Chu Jiu would always be watching over her until she disappeared from sight.

  Chu Jiu and Xiao Qi Zi tidied up the stable after collecting the four legs of the horse, then went to the mountain villa's dining hall "Yong Shi Tang".

  In the afternoon, Chu Jiu and Xiao Qi Zi were in the main hall with the other senior brothers, scraping off the green moss, sweeping the courtyard, and helping to decorate everywhere. Although he was the sect leader's disciple, his personality was lively and yet down-to-earth and kind.

  Until dusk, after dinner, the ninth only then took the lunch basket prepared by Huang Koufu, the eighth master brother in charge of the cafeteria, and went to the back mountain.

  After passing through the horse stable, and then passing by two small thatched cottages on the ninth day of the first month, climbing up the mountain, behind the thatched cottage is the restricted area of Diancang, with steep terrain.

  On the ninth day of the lunar month, he stopped moving his body and looked around in all directions. Seeing no one, he let out a long breath and suddenly unfolded his movements, swift and light. Where was the laziness of that morning?

  In about half an hour, they arrived at the "Worry-Free Cave" in the back mountain. On the ninth day, he stopped and walked in with a happy expression on his face, carrying a lunch basket. He saw that Lao Tianshan was sitting quietly in the cave, facing the wall with his back to the entrance.

  On the ninth day, he put down his rice basket and said respectfully: "Shooting Tian Grandfather, today is August 15th Mid-Autumn Festival, dinner has arrived."

  At this time, the sky was already dark, but it wasn't very dark in the cave. The old man's white hair hung straight down to his shoulders, and he wore a long white robe. He seemed to have heard Chuyi's call, and his shoulders moved slightly as he turned around. His face was like jade, and his three long mustaches were also completely white. As soon as he opened his eyes, his gaze was extremely sharp. "En, Chuyi," he said, "go light the pine oil lamp!"

  In fact, for the past decade or so, he had been delivering food every day and had long grown accustomed to the darkness of the cave. With his recent rapid progress in internal energy cultivation, he could still see everything inside the cave clearly even in the dark, making the pine torch unnecessary. Of course, he didn't know that this was due to his decade-long practice of "Shooting Heaven Heart Method".

  At the beginning of the ninth day, he respectfully lit the oil lamps on the stone wall in the cave. Although the light was as small as a bean, it illuminated the entire small mountain cave. For decades, Chujiu had come to this place every day and was naturally familiar with every corner of the cave. The cave was only about ten or more square meters in size, but it was three or four meters high, with only some simple stone tables and chairs in the middle.

  That old man had been living in the mountain cave for decades, originally not needing any light, but since he and Chuyi were the only two people there, he felt lonely. After lighting up the lamp, it felt much warmer. Perhaps, decades of loneliness had left a deep impression on his heart.

  Chu Jiu returned to the cave and placed several dishes from his basket in front of Tian Lao Ren, which were just ordinary vegetables, tofu, plain boiled peanuts, a bowl of plain rice. It was extremely common. However, Chu Jiu knew that these dishes were personally cooked by Ba Shi Xiong, the best chef on the mountain, with exquisite flavors that few people on Mount Diancang could appreciate, and even fewer had the good fortune to taste.

  What's more, Eighth Brother seemed to be in a particularly good mood tonight, and on this Mid-Autumn Festival night, he even secretly put a small bag of wine in the rice basket, truly a blessing for Old Man Shi.

  The old man had no appetite today, and he only slightly moved his chopsticks. He opened the wine bag, took a light sip of wine, and asked Chunjiu: "Chunjiu, in four days it will be the grand ceremony, have your masters made all the necessary arrangements?"

  His voice was low and solemn, with a hint of concern. It seemed that he knew more about the August 19th memorial ceremony than he let on.

  Chu Jiu was not one of the top ten disciples, but he occasionally went to observe the inner circle and didn't know the specific arrangements inside. However, from his childhood junior sister Lin Bi'er's mouth, he actually got a lot of information, and during meals, he could also get some from the mouths of many senior brothers.

  So Chu Jiu also knew some, and said: "Shooting Tian Grandfather, the second senior brother of Master Bo's door, Yun Yuan is in charge of the arrangement and decoration of the main hall and the observatory. When I came out today, it was almost all done. The fifth uncle and Yun Shixiong sent invitations to the seniors of other sects. Many of the brothers who posted the letters plan to return tomorrow."

  The Fifth Master Uncle in the mouth of Dian Cang's disciples is actually "Cloud Sword" Liu Chenfei. Although everyone in Jianghu knows that Dian Cang only has "Dian Cang San Zi", but the disciples on Zhongshan still habitually call Liu Chenfei as Fifth Master Uncle.

  "Ah, Yun Yuan, is he the second disciple of your senior uncle that you mentioned? Such an important matter, and yet it's only handled by this second-generation disciple?" Although the old man spoke calmly, seemingly just asking a question, Jiujiu still clearly heard the concern in Shetian Lao Ren's tone.

  On the ninth day, he thought of his second brother Yun Yuan, who had always been very kind and good to himself, and said: "Shooting Tian Grandfather, this is not to worry about. Both Master Tai and Master Fu said that Second Brother is a rare talent, saying that although he is only 24 years old this year, all three masters are very relieved to let him arrange the entire memorial ceremony!"

  "Thus, even this time which Shixiong to send where to invite those seniors to come up the mountain to participate are all taken care of by Yun Shixiong! The invitation letter was also written personally by Yun Shixiong! Yun Shixiong's calligraphy, I'm afraid it's also ranked first on Mount Dingyuan, except for Shifu!"

  The old man nodded after listening, and asked with a slight frown: "Oh, is this invitation for the Granting of the Sword ceremony?"

  On the ninth day, I heard an old man mention the grand ceremony of presenting swords. I couldn't help but feel excited: "Yes," he said, "the Stone Iron Elite Long Sword forged by my tenth senior brother, Master Lian, for me was delivered to the mountain yesterday. I heard from Sixth Senior Brother that even Master Lian himself praised the sword highly!"

  "The Stone Iron Elite was at the bottom of the Dabashan Kuquandong, it has always been guarded by acidic and strange creatures, but Xiao Feng was able to repel them and obtain the Stone Iron Elite. It seems that in these thirty years, his martial arts have progressed very quickly!" The Old Man Shooting Heaven said quietly, as if he were talking to himself.

  "Grandfather, is this the Acid Bird you told me about last time, the one from the Five Elements that's a bird-like creature with the body of a snake, four wings, six eyes and three legs, extremely ferocious?""Chu Jiu remembered it and asked, "This Tian Nan's First Swordsmith Lian Feng's reputation is so loud, but in this old man's mouth, he became 'Little Feng'."

  "It's hard to come by, you still remember!" The old man smiled and said, "In a few days, Mount Diancang will be very lively, the Sword Granting Ceremony will be an important event in your life!"

  At the ninth nod, he was still a young and impulsive youth. In his excitement, his body had already begun to move on its own, as he spoke with his right hand, he casually drew a sword gesture to the right, as if holding a sharp sword in his hand, and seemed to have formed a complete sword move. His eyes shone brightly, his movements swift and vigorous, truly full of vitality and energy. Where was the gentle and modest demeanor of the young man under the trees on the mountain at noon?

  His slightly thin body suddenly seemed full of strength!

  Then I saw that the book friends behind would ask, haha, where did Luo Zhihan go? How did it become Chujiu as the main character later, haha; Listening to the rain now unified answer, referring to Jin Yong's "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" Lin Pingzhi and Linghu Chong, Luo Zhihan's previous part was all about introducing Diancang and Chujiu, after Diancang and Chujiu came out, the story just started to be wonderful! Haha, however, Luo Zhihan still has a lot of solo scenes later, after all, Nanhai Sword Sect is still written with Luo Zhihan, so many mysteries! This book is multi-main character, Chujiu has 1.5 million words, Luo Zhihan previously had 50,000 words, and later still had 300,000 words, rest assured that Listening to the Rain has experience, not falling into a rut is a good book! Gave Luo Zhihan about ten chapters, now it looks like a bit too much, but he introduced 200 content of Chujiu, so it's not unfair at all, very worth it!