I am a swordsman in a strange city

Chapter 86 Huashan Swordplay and Events

Gao Mingkai, with his long body and long legs, suddenly took a step and thrust straight forward, covering more than three meters. It was sudden and swift, with a strong sense of surprise attack.

Once again, a surprised "Oh!" rang out from the crowd.

However, Pei Ju merely turned slightly to the side, deflected the sword with his own, and the sword missed its mark. Just as he was about to follow up with a downward slash, he saw a streak of sword light from the other party sweep across his sword.

He tried to back away, but a tuft of hair on his head had already floated up, and everyone saw a flash of sword light pass over his head. If that sword had cut his throat, he would be dead.

Only then did he step back, his movements as slow as someone who had never exercised, under Pei Ju's sword light.

At that moment, the others quickly approached and surrounded Pei Ju, thrusting their swords out together.

When they surrounded him, Pei Ju did not change his position, but let them surround him without moving until they attacked him.

He performed a sword flourish, followed by a back-facing sword flourish, and then bent down to twirl the sword.

In a short period of time, with almost four people thrusting their swords at the same time, he was able to distinguish between the first and second strikes, blocking all the swords with one sword.

He didn't even take two steps away; he simply turned sideways, crouched, and rotated his body, the sword in his hand moving with him.

This single move was enough to astonish everyone.

Once again, an "oh" was uttered, but this time it was out of shock.

Because Pei Ju's move was something no ordinary person could do. His sword flashed, and the sound of "clanging" rang out, indicating that he had made contact with the swords of everyone else.

The attackers were also taken aback, but they did not retreat. Instead, they changed their tactics accordingly. However, the person in the middle did not move much. He simply flipped his sword, and each time he blocked one sword, he used other swords to block another. Some swords were not blocked, but they were always a little short. By the time he wanted to advance further, the opponent's sword had already arrived.

To the onlookers, the four men on the outside were slashing, thrusting, and parrying, using all their sword techniques to the best of their ability, while the man in the middle was wielding a flurry of sword shadows, managing to dodge and deflect all the swords.

They had never seen such a person before, nor such swordsmanship.

They could only see Pei Ju spinning and swaying amidst the sword lights, seemingly about to be struck at any moment, yet he remained unharmed after dozens of sword strikes. Almost simultaneously, everyone began to applaud.

After the applause rang out, the four teenagers who had participated in the attack stopped and clapped along with them.

Their eyes were filled with disbelief. When they attacked Pei Ju, they hadn't held back at all. Every thrust of their swords was done with all their might, but they could never hit the person who was not far in front of them. Either the person had already turned to the side when they were about to thrust, or the sword of the person next to them was guided over and inexplicably blocked their sword.

This situation did not happen by chance, but rather everyone had experienced it. At the same time, as Pei Ju swayed and turned in the middle, the sword flowers surrounding his body were like a sword net, making them feel that even if more swords came, they could not break through it.

Of course, even if there were a few more swords, they wouldn't be enough to hold them all together; everyone's swords would end up hurting themselves.

After Pei Ju stopped, he sheathed his sword without even looking at it. This scene impressed everyone. The feeling of quickly sheathing the sword based on pure feeling without looking at the scabbard was really great.

He looked around and saw that everyone was looking at him excitedly. He felt that it was okay, wasn't this normal?
"Coach, please allow us to apologize to you. You are the most beloved swordsmanship coach I have ever met." The girl with more than a dozen small braids approached Pei Ju and said to him.

Pei Ju tossed the sword back to her and asked, "Is my swordsmanship alright?"

"It's not just okay, it's fantastic!" the boy who was the girl's twin exclaimed immediately.

"That's fine then. However, I only agreed to teach two people when I came here. Nobody told me I would teach so many people!"

“Uh…” The boy scratched his head and said, “There’s no need to teach them. They’re just here to take a look today.”

He glanced at them but didn't say anything more; he didn't seem to care much. Then, looking at the twins, the girl immediately introduced herself: "Coach, my name is Gu Yunying, and this is Gu Chaoxi."

“My name is Pei Ju, I’m twenty years old, and my swordsmanship is decent. I should be able to teach you. Would you like to start learning here?” Pei Ju asked.

"Yes," the young Gu Chaoxi answered affirmatively.

"Since you all have some basic skills, I won't teach you those basic sword techniques. Instead, I'll teach you a sword technique characterized by its unpredictable, dangerous, and rapid attacks. Would you like to learn it?"

"Yes, we want to learn!" The boy and girl nodded vigorously.

"However, I must make this clear: I am only teaching you swordsmanship, not your teacher. If you go out and cause trouble in sword duels, don't say that I taught you. If you lose, don't mention my name, and if you win, don't mention it either." Pei Ju was serious.

Of course, he spoke seriously, but he didn't really care.

After all, he didn't open a school or take on any apprentices, and these two were clearly not the type to stay put. If they learned good swordsmanship, they would definitely go around challenging people to sword fights. If they won or lost, they would all announce their own names, which would surely cause trouble in the swordsmanship circle!
"I understand, Coach. If we lose, I will never mention your name," said the young girl, Gu Yunying, with a knowing smile that hinted at the worldliness of adults.

"It doesn't matter if you lose, it's you who lose, I didn't. The key is that if you win, don't mention my name."

Only by winning can one be remembered, or even hated.

Of course, he just said it casually and didn't really take it to heart. He just didn't want to get involved in any strange karma.

The boy and girl didn't quite understand, but they only wanted to learn flashy sword techniques, and they really wanted to learn the sword techniques that Pei Ju talked about, which were mainly about being unpredictable, dangerous, and swift, so they readily agreed.

"Let me demonstrate it for you first."

After Pei Ju finished speaking, he looked around because he didn't have a sword in his hand. However, Gu Yunying didn't give her sword to Pei Ju. Instead, she said, "Coach, wait a moment."

After saying that, he quickly ran into his house, and soon came out with a sword.

This is a long sword, longer than the one she has, with a blade about 1.5 meters long.

However, the sword is not very heavy, only about 1.2 jin (approximately 0.6 kg).

Therefore, this sword is very thin, very sharp, and the blade is very flexible; if it is not wielded properly, the blade will bend.

Pei Ju looked at the sword in his hand and understood why Gu Yunying had chosen such a sword for him. It was because he had said that the sword techniques he would teach would focus on being unpredictable, dangerous, and fast, and a lighter sword would definitely be more convenient to wield.

The two of them separated once again.

Pei Ju began demonstrating the Huashan sword technique to them.

Although this set of Huashan sword techniques is considered a foundational sword technique within the Huashan School, all other advanced sword techniques are learned from this foundation. To truly master those advanced techniques, one must grasp their true meaning and comprehend their essence before the sword technique can be elevated.

So when Pei Ju unleashed the Huashan Sword Technique, what everyone saw was a sea of ​​sword light, which sometimes coalesced into a continuous barrage of piercing light, and sometimes traced out streaks of silver light.

This time, he wasn't just flipping around in a small area; he used his lightness skill, his movements were agile, his body and sword moved in perfect harmony, his sword moved lightly and gracefully like a flying snake, and his body moved like a monstrous python twisting and turning.

After a set of sword techniques, they heard continuous sword cries, the sound of swords cutting through the void, and saw dazzling silver lines, streaks of sword light appearing as the swords moved too fast through the void.

When he sheathed his sword without even glancing at the scabbard, and plunged the sword into it, he immediately drew applause from the entire audience.

One of them said, "Holy crap, that's amazing! I'm going to quit my swordsmanship teacher and ask him to teach me too. This swordsmanship is so beautiful."

"I want it too, I want it too."

"I feel like my swordsmanship teacher's swordsmanship is a complete mess!" Pei Ju heard this, but didn't care. He looked at the boy and girl in front of him without blushing or panting and said, "Let's begin."

"Wait, wait, Coach, let them go first. This is your ultimate technique; we can't let them see it," the girl said quickly.

As soon as she finished speaking, her friends became unhappy, loudly accusing her of being ungrateful.

In the end, they had no choice but to keep them there.

However, on the first day, Pei Ju only taught them three moves, and then let them practice on their own, while he went back by himself.

As he left, he glanced back at the second floor of the villa. Although the glass didn't allow him to see inside, he was certain that someone was watching him, especially when he was practicing his swordplay, his senses became even more acute.

I went home in the evening.

Instead of taking a taxi, he walked. When he passed a night market, he strolled in, bought some snacks, and ate as he walked.

He walked from the quiet street to the bustling street, and then from the bustling street back to the quiet one.

The night is still the same night, and the person is still the same person; nothing has changed.

Whether there are many people or few, it doesn't matter to him.

Just then, a phone call came in; it was from Liu Yijia.

On the phone, Liu Yijia kept talking, recounting her experiences, the people she had met, and the bizarre things she had encountered in the entertainment industry over the years.

She just never asked Pei Ju what he had been through all these years.

It was already late at night before I knew it.

After ending his phone call with Liu Yijia, he unintentionally wandered onto a strange street.

There are actually several funeral parlors operating along this street.

He didn't know much about these spirit houses, but he had heard about them from Teacher Han Yitong. She said that foreign countries have long allowed ordinary people to experience and participate in some non-dangerous spirit communication games.

To achieve this, one must possess a state-issued certificate of qualification for a spirit hall.

"Sir, would you like to experience the wonders of the Spirit Realm?"

A mysteriously dressed woman with heavy makeup looked up at Pei Ju and handed him a flyer.

Pei Ju took it and the first thing he saw was a few crooked white artistic characters.

The World Through the Mirror

Do you want to embark on an adventure in another world? Then come here! We can take you into a mirror world and experience a different kind of wonder.

If you want to conquer yourself, then this is where you can do it too. Here, you will see an exact replica of yourself. Come and fight! Only those who conquer themselves can attain their true selves.

If you're feeling down lately, that's great. You can come here and let that negative part of yourself disappear.

……

"The Mirror World?"

"Yes, sir, would you like to experience it?" The woman with her face heavily painted looked at Pei Ju eagerly.

It's late at night now, and it's rare to find customers. At this hour, very few people are still walking on the street.

What normal person doesn't sleep at night and wanders the streets in the middle of the night?
Pei Ju looked up at the sign that read 'World in the Mirror' and saw a mirror reflected on it.

There should be a lamp inside that mirror, shining in the darkness.

"Sorry, I don't need it." Pei Ju handed the flyer back and continued walking forward.

He didn't stop on this street, but he remembered it.

But he had only gone a short distance from the street when he encountered martial law, and his path was blocked.

Then he saw someone who looked somewhat familiar.

Among them was a captain from the Detective Division—Jin Fengyue.

He also saw Pei Ju and immediately beckoned him over. The guards, who were on martial law, told him to come over.

"What are you doing here?" Jin Fengyue asked out of professional habit.

"I was giving someone a private swordsmanship lesson, so I was walking back and passing by here," Pei Ju said frankly.

"Oh, would you like to go in together and earn some merit points?" Jin Fengyue asked.

Pei Ju instinctively wanted to shake his head. He would rather walk alone in the dark streets and alleys late at night than get involved in some unnecessary incidents.

He instinctively shook his head, but Jin Fengyue said, "The incident here is very likely related to the Mirror Spirit. This is the third incident related to the Mirror Spirit this month."

"Okay." Pei Ju hadn't even finished shaking his head when he agreed.

“In the past month or two, several people have had problems in front of the mirror: two have lost their souls, one has gone mad, and another has switched partners.”

"Let's not talk about the two who have lost their minds. They are still being treated by experts, but there is no sign of them waking up. As for the one who has gone mad, she can only calm down when she looks in the mirror. As soon as the mirror is removed, she becomes restless within minutes."

"As for the one who seems to have become a different person, she doesn't remember anything. She doesn't recognize her original parents, relatives, friends, classmates, or teachers, but she has other memories. It's as if she is possessed by someone from ancient times."

Pei Ju had some understanding of mirrors. He knew that the first two possibilities were that their souls had been taken by the mirror spirit, while the one who went mad was hard to say, possibly because his consciousness had been distorted. The last one was a typical case of the mirror spirit swapping bodies.

“But what can I do to help?” Pei Ju asked.

“It’s alright. This time, we plan to communicate with the spirits inside. You just need to provide protection from the side. I know you came out of the spirit maze of the Suspended Mirror Research Institute safely, so you must have a way to break the spirits’ entanglement.”

“The most troublesome thing about dealing with Mirror Spirits has always been getting entangled with them,” Jin Fengyue said seriously.

Pei Ju walked behind him and entered the house. The lights were on, but Pei Ju felt a sense of oppression.

Looking up, he saw mirror-like objects reflecting light everywhere. These smooth surfaces were all metallic, reflecting blurry figures. His figure and Jin Fengyue's figure moved from one smooth surface to another.

Pei Ju frowned slightly.

(End of this chapter)