Chapter 54 Showing its edge Ⅳ

　　Yu Huawen's swordplay was inherited from his father, known as the Yu Family's Thirteen Swords. His sword also had a name, called "Chigu," and when used, it was like an erratic cold wind. Especially the last three sword moves were intended for subduing demons and were not easily revealed in human battles. Qian Geng's knife technique stemmed from the martial arts classics of Bai Jing City. He had practiced well and was more than capable of engaging with ordinary opponents, but when facing more skilled fighters, his limitations became apparent. After colliding with Chigu Sword for over ten rounds, the Fox Ear Dagger was already showing signs of defeat.

　　To the discerning eye, it was clear that Qian, was no match for his opponent.

　　Meanwhile, Qing Hu watched intently and asked, "Xia Yue, you're often in Yue Territory. Have you heard of Yu Huawen?"

　　"Third Brother, there are so many people. How could I possibly have heard of everyone?" she replied.

　　"It would be best if we could recruit him. Qi Xiang prepare to take over," Qing Hu said, shifting his attention to another matter.

　　On the other side, Shen Huan noted, "Brother Qian's martial arts are not bad, but unfortunately, Yu Huawen's skills are even better. Where did he come from?"

　　As the crowd speculated, the outcome on the stage was decided. After twenty-five rounds, Qian Geng conceded and returned to the tavern.

　　Yu Huawen bowed slightly and said, "Friends, to be honest, I didn't intend to participate in the martial arts contest. I just haven't seen a fox ear-shaped pendant knife before, so I came up to take a look. Since I've won, I'll fight another round."

　　Just as his words ended, Qi Xiang leaped onto the stage through the crowd.

　　"Greetings, valiant warrior," Qi Xiang said.

　　Yu Huawen took a moment to size up his opponent, a man in his thirties with a five-foot-long hooked sickle hanging from his waist. Upon seeing his weapon, Yu Huawen felt a surge of excitement as he had never crossed paths with such a weapon before.

　　"May I ask for your esteemed name?" Yu Huawen inquired.

　　"Qi Xiang, tthe leader of the Twin Water Fortresses in Yue Region." the man replied.

　　Upon hearing his reply, Yu Huawen's anger flared. "You're a bandit?"

　　"Don't say it like that. Not everyone who occupies the mountains is a bandit, right?" Qi Xiang argued.

　　"There's some truth to that. So, what are you?" Yu Huawen pressed further.

　　"I am one of the Water Disaster Sickle Masters under the command of Lord Ming Yi," Qi Xiang replied proudly.

　　Yu Huawen's initial anger was reignited. He thought to himself that these troublesome individuals were always affiliated with some cult, society, or master. This man seemed to fit both categories, making him undoubtedly unsavory.

　　"Hmph, Qi Leader, please proceed," Yu Huawen said curtly.

　　Qi Xiang was puzzled by his sudden change in attitude and wondered what had offended him. " Yu, there seems to be some misunderstanding between us mountain folk. Why don't you join me offstage, and we can chat over a meal?" he suggested.

　　"Why waste words on the stage if you're not here to fight? Bandits always have so much to say," Yu Huawen mocked, his sword whistling as he aimed straight for Qi Xiang's heart.

　　Qi Xiang blocked the sword tip with his sickle and withdrew it, revealing the sickle's blade as he swung it toward Yu Huawen's waist. Yu Huawen nimbly dodged the attack and countered with a sweeping move known as "Autumn Wind Scattering Leaves." Qi Xiang leaped into the air, slashing at Yu Huawen's neck with his sickle. Fearing a possible hooked blade, Yu Huawen ducked and dodged, slashing at Qi Xiang's throat with his sword. Qi Xiang blocked the sword with his sickle and flipped over, kicking at Yu Huawen's abdomen. The two continued to engage in a fierce battle.

　　The crowd cheered excitedly as they watched the intense fight unfold.

　　Even Ji Yanshi and Shen Huan watched intently, analyzing the fight. "What do you think, Shen Brother?" Ji Yanshi asked.

　　"Their moves are impressive, but Qi Xiang won't last fifty rounds," Shen Huan predicted confidently.

　　"How about compared to you?" Ji Yanshi probed further.

　　"I could defeat Yu Huawen within twenty rounds," Shen Huan replied, his confidence unwavering.

　　Zhou Ge, who was also watching, knew that Shen Huan was not boasting. If he said he could win in twenty rounds, he could indeed defeat Yu Huawen.

　　However, as the fight progressed, they noticed something unusual.

　　"Gentlemen, why is Yu Huawen fighting slower and slower?" Zhou Ge asked, puzzled.

　　Ji Yanshi joked, "Perhaps he skipped breakfast?"

　　Their attention returned to the stage, where the two had been engaged in battle for over forty rounds. In truth, Yu Huawen had already assessed Qi Xiang's abilities after twenty rounds and realized that he had reached his limit. He had been prolonging the fight to see if Qi Xiang had any special tricks up his sleeve.

　　Qi Xiang, unaware of this, felt increasingly exhausted and breathless as the fight dragged on.

　　After another ten rounds, Yu Huawen sensed that Qi Xiang had nothing more to offer. Considering that he was not a worthy opponent, he decided to have some fun.

　　He feigned an attack, jumped backward, and pretended to reach for something at his waist. " Behold my magical treasure!" he shouted.

　　Qi Xiang, initially startled, quickly realized that there was nothing there and cursed, "You dare to toy with me? I'll teach you a lesson!"

　　Yu Huawen repeated the same antics after another ten rounds, shouting, " Behold the real magical treasure!" once again.

　　Qi Xiang, expecting another ruse, retreated cautiously, only to find that there was still nothing. Frustrated, he swung his sickle wildly, shouting, "Enough with the tricks! Let's see your real skills!"

　　Yu Huawen chuckled to himself as he watched Qi Xiang's antics. After parrying a few more attacks, he turned and retreated, reaching into his flower-patterned pouch with his left hand and grabbing a handful of sand. With his right hand wielding the Chigu Sword, he used the Wind Sword Technique.

　　Instead of aiming the sword wind at Qi Xiang, he blew it toward the sand.

　　" Behold my magical treasure," he shouted once again.

　　After two feints, Qi Xiang was caught off guard by the third one. Before he could react, a cloud of sand blew into his face.

　　Yu Huawen leaped forward, grabbed another handful of sand from his pouch, and stuffed it into Qi Xiang's mouth. "Enjoy my sand rice!" he taunted.

　　The crowd roared with laughter, and even those watching from the second floor of the Zhou Family Tavern, including He Muyu and He Muxian, could not help but chuckle. Huang Wushi, the martial arts master accompanying them, also let out a hearty laugh.

　　Qi Xiang, who had never been so humiliated in his life, spat out the sand and dust, wiped his face clean, and slunk off the stage with his head bowed.

　　As he made his way down, someone shouted, "How was the taste of sand rice?" Another asked, "What does sand rice taste like?"

　　Back on the stage, Yu Huawen began packing up his things. The sand he had used was originally intended for tracking demonic traces, and he had wasted two handfuls today, which meant he would need to restock.

　　As he was finishing up, his sword returned to its sheath, and he said, "Friends, as I mentioned earlier, I didn't intend to participate in this contest. I was merely curious about weapons I had never encountered before. Now that I've fought two rounds, I must take my leave. Until we meet again, farewell to my friends in the prefecture."

　　Just as he was about to leave, Long Ming, the second leader of the stronghold, could no longer contain his anger. Without consulting anyone, he leaped onto the stage with his chained double sickles.

　　"You can't leave so easily!" he shouted as he attacked with both sickles, aiming for Yu Huawen's neck and abdomen.

　　Yu Huawen heard the commotion and quickly parried the attacks with his sword before retreating several steps.

　　"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

　　"This is for avenging my humiliation!" Long Ming shouted back.

　　"Was that man just now...?" Yu Huawen began to ask.

　　"He was my elder brother. I am his younger sibling," Long Ming confirmed.

　　"Another bandit? I tell you, those affiliated with sickles and cults are never any good," Yu Huawen muttered with disdain.

　　"Enough talk! Let's see your skills!" Long Ming shouted as he swung his chained sickles.

　　His martial arts were about the same as Qi Xiang's, and in some areas, he was even inferior to Qi Xiang. After fighting for more than ten rounds, Yu Huawen felt that he was just so-so.

　　This man's strength lay entirely in his chain. When the chained sickle was swung, it could protect his head, feet, and body, but there was one thing: it couldn't protect them all at the same time.

　　He saw his chance and reached into his second small pouch with his left hand.

　　The second small pouch contained a concealed weapon called Clay Flying Stones. Although they were called stones, they were actually made of clay. You could say they weren't stones, but their outer shell was almost as hard as a stone.

　　In fact, clay could be used to make many different types of concealed weapons, and the stone-shaped ones were the easiest for him to use.

　　Besides, his skill with concealed weapons was quite good. Within fifty steps, he could hit almost every shot.

　　He held three flying stones in his hand, aiming for the upper, middle, and lower body. The upper stone was aimed at the forehead, the middle at the stomach, and the lower at the left leg.

　　The Clay Flying Stones flew out, and Long Ming was greatly startled. He immediately pulled back his chain, but he could only barely defend against the middle and lower attacks, and his forehead was hit by a big bump.

　　Yu Huawen swung his sword forward, then changed his real sword into a feint and moved around behind him. After that, he gave him a strong kick and knocked him off the arena.

　　"You stinky thief, get down there!"