The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 6, 06, Call Me Rong'er
Seeing Lu Chen rushing towards her with a bamboo pole, Huang Rong's lips curled up slightly, and a hint of joy appeared in her bright, star-like eyes.

Those who practice martial arts must have courage.

A cowardly person who lacks inner strength will not achieve much even if given unparalleled martial arts skills. At best, he can only become a mediocre martial artist, but he will never become a first-rate master, let alone a grandmaster.

Although Lu Chen had a tense expression and clenched his teeth, looking very nervous, he still got off the boat without hesitation to help her when he saw her being chased by more than a dozen big men, which showed his courage.

It should be noted that those dozen or so burly men were all carrying weapons. Although Lu Chen's bamboo pole was longer, he did not know martial arts, so even with a "long weapon" in hand, he could not exert its power.

But he still went ahead.

With eyes wide open in anger, he strode forward with unwavering determination, displaying a fearless and invincible spirit, as if he were determined to die on the battlefield.

With both sides rushing forward, Lu Chen quickly met Huang Rong. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, shielded Huang Rong behind him, and held a bamboo pole to face the dozen or so menacing men.

At this moment, Lu Chen was extremely tense, his heart was pounding, and all he could see were those thugs. He was ready to fight to the death, but he completely forgot that in this situation, compared to Huang Rong, he was the one who needed to be protected.

Lu Chen's unthinking act of protection startled Huang Rong slightly, then her eyes curved into a gentle smile.

Then she grabbed his arm and pulled him behind her without any politeness. She shoved the package into his arms and gently stroked his wrist with her slender fingers, as if playing a zither. Lu Chen's wrist went numb slightly, and his fingers holding the bamboo pole involuntarily loosened.

Huang Rong seized the opportunity to grab the bamboo pole and, with a flick and a push, deflected the steel knife in the hand of the burly man chasing in front. Then, she flicked his belt and sent the man flying backward, crashing into one of his companions behind him.

Then Huang Rong turned her head and smiled sweetly at Lu Chen:
"I didn't run because I couldn't beat them, I was just messing with them. But thanks anyway, I'm glad you came to help me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took light steps to meet the burly men who were chasing after him.

Lu Chen held the package, staring blankly at Huang Rong.

She wielded her ten-foot-long bamboo pole with deadly precision, thrusting, parrying, sweeping, and flicking, making it seem like a formidable spear capable of breaking through enemy lines. Those burly men, their muscular builds a stark contrast to Huang Rong's delicate figure, were all unable to withstand a single blow from her. From a distance of several feet, they were struck and cried out in pain, rolling on the ground. She displayed the full power of her long weapon.

In just a short while, none of the dozen or so burly men were standing; they were all lying on the ground groaning.

Huang Rong flicked her hands and used the bamboo pole. The pole shuddered and the cast iron tip of the pole pointed downwards like a phoenix nodding. With a snap, she struck the last burly man who tried to stand up, knocking him to the ground with a bloody head and a scream.

Seeing that no one dared to get up, Huang Rong smiled with satisfaction and said to Lu Chenyan:

"We're done fighting, let's go back."

With that, he tossed the bamboo pole into Lu Chen's hand and strode lightly and cheerfully toward the small boat.

Lu Chen, carrying a bamboo pole in one hand and a package in the other, followed beside her. He glanced back at the burly men who still dared not get up and asked curiously:
"Miss Huang, have you studied marksmanship?"

"I only know a little bit. It's useless against experts, and I can only fight these small fry."

"That's pretty awesome too."

Lu Chen looked at him with admiration. In any case, even if he were carrying a long weapon, he definitely wouldn't be able to stop so many thugs wielding knives and clubs.

"Once you master swordsmanship, you can easily take on low-level henchmen like these who only know some basic moves. By the way..."

Huang Rong turned her head and smiled at Lu Chen again:
"It sounds too formal to keep calling me Miss Huang. From now on, you can call me Rong'er."

This was Lu Chen's way of repaying her for being so nervous just now, yet still bravely coming to her aid and even protecting her behind him.

Lu Chen was slightly taken aback. Looking into Huang Rong's bright eyes, he was also infected by her sweet smile and nodded with a smile:

"Alright. From now on, I'll call you Rong'er. Speaking of which, Huang... Rong'er, why did you clash with them?"

"Hmph, I went to the town shop to buy toothbrushes and clothes. Two idlers saw that I was alone and came up to me with sweet talk and pestering me. Did I not know that they wanted to kidnap me? So I broke their arms and legs on the spot. The people who chased me were the accomplices of those two idlers, a bunch of lowlife gang thugs."

Huang Rong spoke casually, but Lu Chen knew that the two idlers whose arms and legs she had broken were probably seriously injured. They would probably never be able to stand up again for the rest of their lives, and they probably wouldn't even be able to hold chopsticks properly.

Huang Rong is no innocent little rabbit.

Don't be fooled by her friendly attitude towards Lu Chen; it's only because Lu Chen is a "person from the immortal realm" that she personally rescued, and he's completely harmless to her.

As for others, if they show her even the slightest malice, she will make them know the methods of the daughter of the Eastern Heretic.

That said, given Huang Rong's beauty and cuteness, and her young age, it's understandable that she would attract unwanted attention if she went out without a companion. Her later act of disguising herself as a little beggar and blackening her face with coal ash was likely a significant factor in this.

Back on the ship, Huang Rong decisively pulled anchor and set sail.

Although she wasn't afraid of the local gangs, there were plenty of underhanded tricks among them. Even if they couldn't do anything to her, a nighttime attack would still be troublesome, and if Lu Chen got hurt, things would be even worse.

Therefore, she didn't plan to stay overnight there. She steered the small boat away from the dock and sailed upstream along the Cao'e River for an hour or so, until it was completely dark. She then arrived at a secluded river bend with dense forests and grass on the bank, where she anchored in the shallow water. After mooring the boat, Huang Rong waved to Lu Chen again:
"Come try on the clothes and see if they fit."

Lu Chen followed her into the cabin, took a set of short and tight-fitting clothes from her package, and went to the cabin where he slept the night before to change.

Although he had never worn ancient costumes before, the short clothes worn by these wandering men were not complicated. After a little thought, Lu Chen knew how to wear them.

He quickly dressed, wrapped the long belt around his waist twice, and stepped out of the cabin. Huang Rong saw a tall, handsome young man in black.

Huang Rong smiled and praised:
"Not bad, not bad, you look very dashing. In the future, grow your hair up and tie it into a bun, wear a straw hat, and carry a long sword, and you'll be a magnificent young swordsman!"

Lu Chen smiled:
"It's because Rong'er has good taste; this outfit suits me perfectly."

Huang Rong didn't hold back, and smiled smugly:
"Isn't that right? My eyes are my ruler. Hmm, you're still missing a bamboo hat and a sword. I'll get them for you when we get to Shaoxing Prefecture."

Eat her food, wear her clothes, use her things...

The feeling of being kept by a rich and beautiful woman was even stronger. With mixed feelings, Lu Chen could only secretly resolve to do his best to give her the best experience when he took her to the main world in the future.

Next, Huang Rong prepared a simple dinner, shared it with Lu Chen, rested for a while, and then began to instruct him in sword practice again.

Tonight, Lu Chen is practicing tirelessly again.

Huang Rong had learned her lesson. After he became engrossed in practicing his sword, she didn't force herself to stay awake. When she felt sleepy, she called out and went to wash up and rest.

Lu Chen practiced until midnight, when he could barely lift his arms before he finally stopped.

After resting for a while until his hands could move again, he brushed his teeth with the toothbrush with the bone handle that Huang Rong had bought for him, along with toothpaste made from Chinese medicine. He then drew several buckets of clean water from the river to rinse his teeth before returning to his cabin to rest.

Early the next day.

Once fully recovered, Lu Chen got up before Huang Rong and went to the bow of the boat to practice his swordsmanship, carrying his wooden sword.

When Huang Rong yawned as she stepped out of the cabin, Lu Chen was already sweating slightly from practicing.

Huang Rong was naturally playful, and the balance between tension and relaxation in martial arts was only present in her. But seeing Lu Chen practicing so diligently, she didn't find him boring at all. She stood aside and watched with great interest for a while before calling him to have breakfast.

After breakfast, Huang Rong told him:

"We will arrive in Shaoxing today."

Lu Chen's eyes lit up:
"So, I can learn the Yue Maiden Sword Technique today?"

Huang Rong nodded with a smile:
"If I'm lucky, I can learn it today."

Lu Chen's eyes immediately filled with anticipation.

Huang Rong chuckled again:
"Since you're so happy, why don't you sing a song from the celestial realm to celebrate?"

Lu Chen laughed:

"The songs I know are too different from the songs you are familiar with, I'm afraid you won't be able to understand them."

During the Song Dynasty, aside from folk songs and uncommon tunes, both court music and brothel singing were performed with lyrics written according to fixed patterns. The style of the lyrics and music was completely different from the popular music style that Lu Chen was familiar with.

Huang Rong's father was a great talent who could compose poems and lyrics and was also a master of music. Huang Rong herself could also sing, so Lu Chen was really embarrassed to show off in front of her.

However, Huang Rong laughed and said:
"It's okay, just keep singing, I promise I won't laugh at you."

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then cleared his throat and began to sing a song from his past life.

"Laughing at the world of martial arts, grudges are settled, people exchange blows, laughter hides daggers... Laughing at the mortal world, laughing at loneliness, the heart is too high, it can never reach..."

Despite their vastly different styles of lyrics and music, truly excellent music can transcend language and even cultural barriers, striking a chord with listeners and evoking resonance.

This song, brimming with the spirit of the martial arts world, is clearly an excellent piece of music.

Adding to the fact that Huang Rong was young and quick to learn, and Lu Chen's voice was also very charming, and being immersed in the world of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, he truly captured the spirit of the martial arts world in his singing. For a moment, Huang Rong rested her rosy cheeks on her hands, staring intently at Lu Chen, completely absorbed in the performance.

"Seemingly neither flower nor mist, the surging river cannot hold it back; a heart full of heroic spirit and unyielding integrity, it turns out that a hero is lonely..."

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(End of this chapter)