The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 68 Sword Qi Endures in Dreams

Zhou Yan looked at the old man who had appeared in his dream, and quickly stepped back, raising the weapon that had materialized in his dream with a sense of vigilance:

"Huh?? Who are you?"

The old man looked at the sword that had appeared in Zhou Yan's dream, pointed at it, and said with a smile:
"This sword is mine, but I am very, very far away from here."

"You know the [Method of Manifesting Form with Circular Light], right?"

"Similarly, if you hold my sword, it's like you have my token. You are also the mountain god, so I can enter your dreams. Isn't that the basic rule of dream-entering magic?"

"You little mountain god, you don't even understand?"

Zhou Yan said, "I don't understand."

The old man froze, then burst into laughter, laughing so hard his stomach hurt, and said, "Interesting, interesting, very interesting, kid."

He wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes and said, "A token, a mountain god, a dream."

"Let's put that aside for now. How did you get my sword, kid?"

Zhou Yan recounted his experiences of getting to know Hu Erniang and the others, and the old man suddenly realized, saying, "So that's how it is... Ha, it's been so many years, and she still keeps my sword. However, it's a pity that she was beautiful when she was young, but she had poor taste."

The old man smiled as he said these last words.

But there seemed to be a hint of self-mockery in that smile.

Then he pointed to the scene of Zhou Yan swinging his sword and fighting:
"How can you use this sword like that?"

The jade book remained unchanged, and the mountain god's dream was equally clear, indicating that the old man had no hostility towards Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan said awkwardly, "This junior only knows how to use a knife, please give me some pointers, senior."

"Give pointers? Give pointers on what? I just feel like I've never seen this kind of thing done before."

"Although that's not how it's used, it's still quite interesting."

The old man looked at the sword he was swinging to chop people with, and chuckled to himself.

Zhou Yan said, "Senior..."

The old man stroked his beard and smiled, "Senior?"

"You've made people look old for no reason."

"If you call me 'older brother,' I'll teach you."

Zhou Yan said without any politeness, "Brother!" The old man seemed to have rarely seen such an unrestrained fellow. He was stunned for a moment, and then burst into laughter: "Hahaha, good, good."

"You're much more interesting than those taciturn guys!"

"Interesting, interesting, good."

"Then I'll teach you a thing or two. You teach me how to swing it and slash someone!"

Zhou Yan had previously thought that it would be difficult for him to gain recognition.

But the old man seemed very easy to talk to.

It seems to be the kind of person who, when in a good mood and finding you agreeable, would not only impart gold and silver treasures to you, but even their ultimate sword skills.

If you don't like it, then kick it in the face.

Zhou Yan first swung his sword and told the old man his tips on how to wield the sword to maximize its destructive power.

It is said that this sword cannot be used as a knife; sometimes, it can be used as a staff, sheath attached.

Sometimes, it's used as a sweeping knife.

Everything he said made perfect sense, and it all came from real-world experience!
The sword was simulated; it lacked its own spirit, otherwise it would have surely cried out.

The old man watched with great interest.

Zhou Yan returned the sword to him and asked, "How do you plan to teach me, elder brother?"

"I've heard that swordplay has basic moves, like sweeping, thrusting, and parrying."

The old man said, "That is a commoner's sword, not mine."

Zhou Yan was puzzled.

The old man chuckled and said, "Learning swordsmanship isn't that complicated. You and Xiao Du are alike, both stubborn and inflexible."

"Come on, watch closely!"

The old man raised his hand, and the sword that had appeared in his dream landed in his hand, buzzing and emitting a free and unrestrained divine aura. The old man flicked his finger, and the sword let out a whistling sound, emitting a sharp aura.

"Where there is intention, there is spirit; behold, this sword moves with the will, its agility is boundless."

"I knew it when I first learned swordsmanship at the age of fifteen."

"Sword techniques are just rigid rules; how can you confine me to them!"

"Look!"

The old man laughed heartily, his sword swirling wildly, his moves sharp and varied, but at its core was only a divine intent. With the sword in his hand, the old man pointed it, and the longsword lunged at Zhou Yan.

In his dream, Zhou Yan held a knife and raised his hand to parry.

boom! ! !
The longsword scattered, turning into a flurry of falling leaves that swept around Zhou Yan. The old man's moon-white sleeves billowed, and he pointed two fingers at Zhou Yan's brow. In an instant, Zhou Yan fell backward with a loud thud.

He and the old man fell into the water together.

The clouds in the dream dispersed like water.

Floating out of the water
In a daze, Zhou Yan felt as if he were lying on a small boat, which was drifting downstream along a river. The sky was full of stars, and the river reflected the stars. The old man seemed to be sitting next to him, tilting his head back and drinking.

The old man said, "This is the first move."

"A mighty sword hangs on the wall, its dragon roars from time to time." "A divine eagle dreams of the marshland, heedless of kites and owls."

"For you I will strike, and soar to the heavens like a roc!"

His poetry was powerful and vigorous, and the last eight characters were unrestrained and arrogant to the extreme. Zhou Yan witnessed him holding a sword and reciting poetry, and was deeply moved.

The imagery soared to the heavens, and the dream slowly unfolded.

The old man plopped down next to Zhou Yan, put his arm around Zhou Yan's shoulder, bent one leg and crossed the other, and said with a smile, "But you're quite capable, kid. How did you get this method of sending dreams to people?"

Zhou Yan used visuals to depict his experiences during this period.

The old man watched with great interest.

He smiled and wrote a poem, then sighed deeply, asking Zhou Yan to conjure some wine so that the two of them could watch Zhou Yan's adventures in the dream, slaying demons and monsters, laughing and talking freely. Suddenly, the old man said:

"The dream is about to end."

"What a pity, what a pity. This wine tastes very good, but it's a pity that it can only be enjoyed in dreams. Once you wake up, you'll probably forget about it. Kid, you said you were going to the market in Wugong Town. I heard there's a kind of wine there that you can even drink in your dreams."

"Go get me some?"

Zhou Yan said, "Isn't that very expensive?"

The old man burst into laughter: "What's so expensive about it? I left it there back then. You take my sword and go ask if that jar of green lotus I left there back then is ready to brew. When it is, you can give me the wine."

"I'll teach you another trick."

Zhou Yan said frankly, "There's no need to teach me anymore; I'll bring the wine anyway."

The old man froze, staring at the young man before him, then suddenly burst into laughter:
I like you, kid!

“If we were younger, when the three of us were traveling around, I would definitely take you with me. Now…” He smiled, slowly turning into a cloud of mist, and said, “It’s time to wake up.”

Zhou Yan watched as the old man in front of him slowly dispersed.

Far away, an old man slumped on a table was woken up by a young man who said, "Li Taibai, Li Taibai?" The old man's gray hair fell loose, and he slowly opened his eyes. When he got up, there was the sound of chains on his body.

Yes, the once-renowned immortal is now just a prisoner.

Prince Yong was defined as a traitor and died. The old man, one of Prince Yong's advisors, was imprisoned in the autumn.

But as he sat there, stretching and yawning, his chains swaying, his lazy demeanor clearly revealed an inherent arrogance and nonchalance. The jailers were hesitant to touch such a renowned figure, and would even bring him some wine, though the wine always tasted terrible.

The old man, though imprisoned, still exuded a free and unrestrained air, like the wind.

He took a sip of wine, found it a bit bitter, so he stopped drinking. He squinted at the sunlight streaming in from outside the prison and stretched out his finger.

A leaf fell in, and he picked it up with his fingers, smiling.

Even while imprisoned, his spirit remained as strong as the wind, soaring upwards.

For you, I will strike with all my might, and soar to the heavens like a roc!

"What a wonderful dream."

Zhou Yan gripped his sword, watching the old man's figure disappear, which meant the latter had now regained consciousness. Zhou Yan said, "I still don't know how I can see you again. Even if I get the wine, where should I deliver it?"

Just then, ripples suddenly appeared in the dream.

Li Zhiwei's voice could be faintly heard: "Zhou Yan, Zhou Yan?!"

"Strange, why can't I enter a dream?"

"Could it be that even after the decree was issued to the mountain god, there are still some effects? Zhou Yan, Zhou Yan, something big has happened..."

The mountain god, a dream, a token.

Zhou Yan's mind stirred, and the ring that Li Zhiwei had given him appeared in his dream. With this ring, his connection with Li Zhiwei finally became clear. He took the initiative to try to contact Li Zhiwei, and Li Zhiwei's figure flashed by, pulling him into the dream.

Li Zhiwei stared at Zhou Yan, her eyes wide, and said:
"Huh? I'm in?"

"What's wrong, Miss Li?"

Ignoring her curiosity, Li Zhiwei immediately exclaimed, "Something's happened!"

"Weren't you being chased by pursuers? Were you the Shuofang Army?"

Zhou Yan said, "How could you..."

Li Zhiwei said, "Everyone knows that after Li Zhenyue of the Shuofang Army returned, a big thing happened!" She used the clouds in her dream to gather and transform them into a picture, in which a series of people appeared.

It was Li Zhiwei who, through her dream, gathered and presented the news she had heard over the past few days.

..............................

When Li Zhenyue reported what the Shuofang Army had seen and heard, and mentioned that Zhou Yan was missing and Shen Cangming was missing, Pei Xuanbao suddenly smiled and said, "Oh? Missing? Then, did the Zhaowu Commandant gain anything this time?"

Li Zhenyue said, "Fang Haoyue."

Fang Haoyue took out a jade plate.

The words of the demon Black Wind were revealed, especially his statement about past ties with the Pei family. In an instant, the place fell silent.

Li Zhenyue stepped forward and bowed with his hands clasped: "The Pei family of Hedong is colluding with demons."

"They harmed the people and plotted a rebellion."

"This humble general is Li Zhenyue."

"Please execute the Pei family!"

(End of this chapter)