Volume 11.5 Chapter 13

So you do realise youre in the wrong. Please rest, brothers. With me here, he will not get away. The swordsman saluted everyone one by one - just as youd expect from the scion of an affluent family.

May I ask where you came from, soldier of justice? Ming Feizhen inquired.

Hmph, I was enjoying my meal in the inn when I caught you throwing someone out the window, then throw someone up. Were you born in the year of the bowstring? Did you learn martial arts to bounce people?

Ming Feizhen: Is this how moronic I look when I presumptuously enforce justice?

Still feigning, are we? Ill give you until three to disarm and yield. Otherwise, hmph. The swordsman raised his sword. Three. Two

Ming Feizhen looked down to his empty hands, then back up to the swordsmans sword. How about you give me your expensive sword, and Ill disarm. I dont want to make you look too stupid.

One! You asked for it!

The swordsman drew his sword using a technique called Cold Sheath, a technique now rarely used besides by large swordplay sects. In Jiangnan, only Mount Lu Sword Sanctuary and Luo Sword Manor used it. Among the three biggest sects, only Wudang taught it. Each school had their own variation of how it should be performed.

Ming Feizhen snatched the sword from the swordsman whilst letting the latter slip by his side. The swordsman, however, didnt realise his had was abnormally light until seven steps later.

Qingshuang. Ming Feizhen held the sword to the sun to see the name of the sword. This is worth several hundred silvers.

The humiliated swordsman aimed his palm at Ming Feizhens torso. Return Qingshuang!

Ming Feizhen discarded Qingshuang. Ive disarmed, bro.

Ming Feizhen sent the sword back to its sheath faster than the swordsmans eyes could follow. The force of the sword sliding into the sheath knocked the swordsman onto his back so quick that he went from seeing Ming Feizhen to the sky straight away.

Crawling to his feet, the swordsman questioned, Wh-what sorcery was that?

Ming Feizhen shrugged.

Someone from the inn voiced, Labelling advanced skill as sorcery because you are the inferior man is typical of a scoundrel with a loud mouth. Young Master, dont disappoint this old one.

Ming Feizhen: Thats some potent internal strength.

The man used something similar to amplifying his voice over a long distance, but he didnt sound as though he was forcing himself to extend its reach.

Youre claiming that was a martial skill?

Judging from the tone of their exchange, the man in the inn and the swordsman were acquainted.

Cant you tell that the young man has developed his internal energy to an extreme degree? When he threw the young master in white up, it was all force. When he caught the young masters fall, he switched to diffusing the force. When he took your sword, he focused on fluidity. When he returned your sword, it was rigid force. Its clear to say that he has been taught well. Your internal strength is decent, but you are a dozen years too early to match adepts.

What should I do, then?

What did you spend ten years learning swordplay for? If you cant outmuscle, cant you win with skill? When do you plan to use your Tideturning Swordplays thirteen sword techniques if not now?

Ming Feizhen had a waiter bring him a bench, umbrella a colossal watermelon. The waiter wasnt going to say no to a man who made short work of so many adepts when he had his job, mother and siblings to feed. Ming Feizhen was shaking his leg on the bench and enjoying his watermelon when he heard, Take this!

The diagonal slash from the swordsman was in a different league to his previous attacks, prompting Ming Feizhen to raise the watermelon as a shield. Ming Feizhen then lowered the watermelon to bite into the juicy watermelon that the swordsman kindly cut for him.

The swordsman launched a three-slash combo that missed. Ming Feizhen, still eating, flicked a seed at the swordsmans face, sending him to his knees.

Tideturning didnt work.

The man in the inn exhaled heavily. Nothing works if youre sloppy. The essence of your swordplay is to attack without giving your opponent room to counter, so stick to your opponent. As such, you must control your tempo, or it wont amount to anything. Youre never going to perform it the way it should be performed if youre riled up and overzealous. Try slowing down about 30%.

The swordsman swiped off the seed on his face, then restarted, coming out akin to tides coming one after another. Ming Feizhen picked up seeds from the ground, flicking one, two and three seeds all accurately at the swordsmans face.

He got away.

Although sticking to your opponent is the crux of your swordplay, it doesnt warrant mindlessly swinging your sword. In what fight does one person just block and eat attacks? You can shut your opponent down with offence. You think your unarmed opponent would be afraid of your blade?

The swordsman shed his erratic style after the lecture, becoming more dangerous. In response to the threat edging closer, Ming Feizhen flicked the blade out of the swordsmans hand and into the heavens.

Well he really isnt scared.

Man in the inn:

Ming Feizhen flicked a bunch more of seeds, then laid on the ground. He tossed a string of money to the waiter and then called, Hey, come out, and fight me yourself.

Glossary