The Villain's Counterattack

In the Songjia Mountain City in Lingnan, inside the knife-grinding hall, looking at the tall figure, a strong pressure came towards him, as if he was facing a knife peak rising into the sky, sharp, majestic, and invincible.

"You shouldn't have come." Song Que said lightly with his hands behind his back without turning his head. His cold voice was like a sharp blade, making Kou Zhong feel cold all over.

"If I come, I might regret it for a while. If I don't come, I will regret it for the rest of my life." Kou Zhong's voice was firm, without the slightest hesitation.

"For the sake of the world, I will not care about Yuzhi's personal feelings. Under the Heavenly Sword, you are no longer capable of doing this." Song Que's words made Kou Zhong's face light up. Sure enough, Song Yuzhi still had me in his heart.

"Junior knows, but I still came."

Song Que turned suddenly, his eyes like knives piercing Kou Zhong's face. "Do you really think I won't kill you? I've been discussing Dao with your master in the Grinding Knife Hall for five days, and he has helped me advance to Grandmaster, but that's no reason for me to show mercy to you."

"Please give me some advice, senior!"

"Boy, the world is not so easy to fight for. What do you think of the world today?"

"The Sui Emperor was tyrannical and the people suffered. The Great Sui lost its power, and all the heroes in the world were chasing it. I was born in a humble family, but I was fortunate to receive the kindness of my master and be blessed to inherit the divine skills. I do not wish to die of old age in the mountains. If a man cannot eat from the five cauldrons, he will be cooked by them."

"Who controls the world's destiny?"

"The Sui Dynasty has fallen, and the world is in chaos and ignorance. If I want to please the clan leader, I will say that in Liaodong, the Duke of Liao is the clan leader's chosen son-in-law. He fought against Goguryeo, defeated the Turks, and expelled Dou Jiande. His heroic achievements are well-known, but..."

Kou Zhong said calmly, "The Duke of Liao's surname is Yang, and he is a branch of the Sui imperial family. The aristocratic families will not allow him to gain the throne, and the people of the world do not want to see the continuation of the Sui Dynasty. Even if he takes every step carefully and steadily, it will still be difficult for him to gain the throne."

"If the clan leader does not intervene, the world will probably be divided into three parts. Li Tang, who lost Tongguan, will get Guanzhong, and will take over Sichuan and Shu. If everything goes well, Duke Liao can annex Luoyang, swallow Taiyuan, and dominate Qingzhou. I will make the land south of the Yellow River and north of the Yangtze River my base." Kou Zhong paused slightly when he said this, and cast his eyes on Song Que, but found that the latter's expression did not change at all. He neither refuted nor agreed.

"I heard that you call Du Fuwei dad?" Song Que's expression was a little strange, and he suddenly asked a strange question. Kou Zhong's face turned red instantly.

"You were born in Yangzhou. With the Qingzhu Gang's support within Yangzhou City, you defended Jingling City for ten days. You commanded the majority of the men at the Villa, who were willingly subservient to you. You also owed a debt of gratitude to Pegasus Ranch. Since defeating Li Mi outside Luoyang City, you've been victorious in battle after battle, earning a considerable reputation. You also have some men under your command. The Dongming Sect also has some connections with you, and you're well-equipped with warhorses, weapons, and men. You might seem quite capable, but you're just a grassroots army, no match for the elite troops of the aristocratic families, let alone the elite troops of the Sui Dynasty."

"You think you can take one-third of the world, or even a very advantageous position among the three. What's your reason?"

"Isn't what the Valve Master just said enough?"

"Not enough!" Song Que's voice was firm. Kou Zhong laughed heartily and said, "With the sword in my hand, with all I have learned, with my passion, and with my youth, I can afford the gamble!"

Song Que looked at him deeply and said, "You can afford the gamble, but countless Han people in the world cannot, so..."

He just opened his hand, and a thick-backed knife flew out of thin air from more than ten feet away, making a clanging sound. With a casual knife, Kou Zhong's face suddenly changed. The Moon in the Well was unsheathed in an instant, and an irresistible force hit him, making him retreat three steps.

"The continuous autumn rain brings murderous sorrow. With the Autumn Water Sword Technique, I have become a master. Please appreciate it, young commander." As Song Que spoke, he raised his hand and slashed with his sword, his steps neither hurried nor slow. His sword technique did not seem to be very sharp and intimidating, but it gave people a feeling of being continuous and irresistible.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The swords fell one after another, and each one could force Kou Zhong back three steps. What made him most uncomfortable was that the pervasive sword intent gradually oppressed his space, slowly accumulating and strengthening, with each sword being heavier than the last.

Kou Zhong gritted his teeth, feeling so uncomfortable that he wanted to vomit blood. He clearly wanted to stand firm, but he was forced to retreat three steps each time, one step more and one step less. Is this level of control really just the swordsmanship of a novice master?

"Ah~" Kou Zhong roared, his feet suddenly exploded, and he rushed forward two steps, forcing himself to breathe and attack in advance.

Song Que narrowed his eyes slightly, and a hint of approval flashed across his face. A faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, but the sword in his hand did not stop at all, and continued to slash at his own rhythm.

"Clang~" Kou Zhongru was struck by lightning and flew backwards, staggering three steps and almost falling down. His body swayed left and right, and a stream of true energy appeared out of thin air with the Lingbo Weibu step. The Moon in the Well slashed out again like an antelope hanging on a horn.

It was a master-level swordsmanship, but unfortunately it was still too immature. Song Que paused and moved forward, then slashed again with the sword in his hand, easily disrupting Kou Zhong's counterattack rhythm, seizing the weak point of Kou Zhong's rhythm, and at the same time continuing his own rhythm.

The swords fell one after another like the autumn breeze and drizzle, or like the endless raging waves. Kou Zhong felt like he was in a torrent, being constantly torpedoed. Should he defend and counterattack? Should he take the initiative to attack?

However, Song Que's sword was as unstoppable as the eastward flowing Yangtze River. Kou Zhong retreated three times and advanced two times, dodged and moved, swayed left and right, but was unable to escape his continuous attacks. The two fought all the way from the Knife Grinding Hall to the courtyard. When they were about to exit the gate, Kou Zhong took a light step and the mystery of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms suddenly flashed through his mind. The moon in the well turned into a long dragon and suddenly cut him down.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" Three consecutive swords with different strengths were used to resist Song Que's attacks, and the spiral true energy meandered around and continuously dissipated the incoming force.

"Good!" This was the first time Song Que had praised since the battle. He placed the precious sword in his hand against the tip of the Moon Knife in the Well and exerted a little force on his hand. A continuous and wonderful chain of force pushed Kou Zhong back, causing him to stagger. The force penetrated his whole body and instantly drained all his strength.

Kou Zhong lost his balance and rolled over to sit on the ground, while Jing Zhongyue leaned on the ground and gasped for breath.

"Not bad, not bad. Although I only used the strength and swordsmanship of an early Grandmaster, you were able to take 108 of my swords without any injury. That's enough to be proud of." Song Que said calmly: "Boy, did you gain anything?"

Kou Zhong felt relieved upon hearing this, thinking that Song Que had no intention of killing him, but rather was considering him. He took a deep breath, stood up, and after a moment's hesitation, he said respectfully, "Water has no fixed state, and soldiers have no fixed form."

Song Que couldn't help but laugh loudly when he heard this. "What a saying! Water has no fixed position and soldiers have no fixed form. You are not bad, kid. Today we'll stop here. You can rest in this knife-grinding hall. Tomorrow, the master of this clan will meet you with the senior master's swordsmanship. I hope you won't let me down. Otherwise..."

Kou Zhong's face turned slightly bitter, and he couldn't help but feel endless heroic spirit in his heart. Looking at Song Que who turned and left, he bowed again.

Master, the sparring partners you arrange are getting more and more exaggerated. Although Taoist Sanfeng may not be inferior to the Lord of the Song Clan, his methods are definitely gentle. Zhenren Miaoying is even more amiable. The Lord of the Song Clan's sword can really take people's lives.

But I am not a weakling. After some practice and hard work, I feel like I have made a breakthrough. This feeling is really good.