The Young Swordsman of Dalu

Li Chaoyang sat silently in the front hall, and everyone else sat there watching him without saying a word.

Li Chaoyang looked up and saw that it was already dark. He frowned and asked, "Has that swordsman from the northern desert finished resting?"

"Reporting to the old master, after that person had eaten and drunk his fill, he lay down on the ground and fell fast asleep, and could not be woken up no matter how hard we tried," the boy replied.

"Alright! Let him sleep! Everyone should go back to their own places, it's getting late." Li Chaoyang got up and walked towards his attic.

The crowd left the front hall amidst their chatter. The servants who came out saw the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert lying on a long stone bench in the pavilion outside, fast asleep.

When Li Chaoyang returned to the attic, the servant laid out the news gathered from various places in front of him.

Li Chaoyang frantically searched and finally found a message from the northern desert.

In the early days of Wenxian Pavilion, Li Chaoyang spread his intelligence network almost everywhere, but overlooked the northern desert region. Later, Ji Wuchang reminded him that the northern desert would sooner or later become a major threat to the Great Lu Kingdom, and that he should be vigilant at all times. Subsequently, Li Chaoyang sent several scouts deep into the northern desert, and news came from time to time. At first, it was all insignificant news, but in recent years, especially the Great Lu Kingdom's constant war with the Northern Dynasty, coupled with the restless activities of various tribes in the Western Regions, the Great Lu Kingdom's national strength had been greatly depleted. The various tribes in the northern desert had also begun to become active, which made Li Chaoyang very worried.

The northern tribes have always viewed the inland areas as a huge piece of meat, and they have been constantly strengthening their offensive capabilities, hoping that one day they can devour this piece of meat.

Although the Great Lu Kingdom was very far from the northern desert, separated by the Northern Dynasty, the northern tribes had always longed to come and live on this beautiful and rich land.

The State of Lu is currently in a state of recuperation and development; any war could drag it into the abyss of annihilation.

Li Chaoyang was restless in the attic, pacing back and forth, his mind racing.

"This country cannot afford another war!" Li Chaoyang said.

"Where have all the people from Wenxian Pavilion gone? Come out and fight me!" The number one swordsman of the Northern Desert shouted as soon as he woke up.

"Old Master! That number one swordsman of the Northern Desert has woken up and is looking for someone to duel!" The boy knocked on Li Chaoyang's door.

"What's the panic!" Li Chaoyang opened the door.

Those who heard the noise in Wenxian Pavilion all came out of their rooms.

"Why is this guy like this? I was just about to go to sleep, and he woke me up. Can't we postpone the martial arts competition until tomorrow?" the crowd complained.

"Anyone want to fight me? Come out now!" The number one swordsman of the Northern Desert shouted loudly, ignoring everyone else.

"They've arrived!" Li Chaoyang said as he entered the front hall.

"Old man, you are Li Chaoyang, right? I'll fight you. The others are too weak and it's a waste of your energy," the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert said disdainfully.

"Alright! I'll experience the skills of your Flying Sword Sect today." Li Chaoyang flicked his robe back and tucked it into his waistband.

Without any formalities, the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert swung his sword at Li Chaoyang. Li Chaoyang quickly dodged, and the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert flew forward. Li Chaoyang chased after him, but the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert suddenly turned around and stabbed at Li Chaoyang. Li Chaoyang was thrown backward and almost got stabbed by the swordsman.

"How dangerous!" everyone shouted upon seeing this.

Li Chaoyang unleashed his Yin-Yang Thunder Palm, slashing towards the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert. Li Chaoyang's powerful palm strike sent the swordsman flying a full ten feet away.

"Li Chaoyang truly lives up to his reputation!" exclaimed the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert.

Li Chaoyang changed his palm techniques and slashed at the swordsman. Soon, the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert was starting to struggle to defend himself.

With his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, he pressed a small button on the hilt as Li Chaoyang launched his attack. Instantly, numerous small arrows shot out from the sword, hurtling towards Li Chaoyang. Li Chaoyang hurriedly gathered his energy and flew into the air. One arrow pierced Li Chaoyang's right arm. Li Chaoyang feigned composure; he couldn't let anyone see through his act. He landed lightly and struck the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert with another palm strike. The number one swordsman of the Northern Desert coughed up blood and sat on the ground.

"I didn't expect that your Flying Sword Sect still hasn't gotten rid of its despicable bad habits after all these decades," Li Chaoyang said.

"We don't care! Winning is the only thing that matters," said the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert, clutching his chest.

"That's enough for today!" Li Chaoyang walked through the front hall and into his attic.

Li Chaoyang entered the room, staggering as he walked with difficulty to the bedside. He took off his robe and shirt, and looked at his right arm, where the arrow had already penetrated his flesh.

"Such profound skill!" Li Chaoyang exclaimed.

Li Chaoyang endured the excruciating pain to pry out the arrowhead, applied wound medicine, bandaged the wound, and then sat cross-legged on the bed, closing his eyes to meditate.

Wenjie hurried along and finally arrived at Wenxian Pavilion at dawn. When he reached the entrance of Wangtianya Mountain, before he even dismounted, the boy recognized him.

"Young Master Wen!"

"Young master, has anyone claiming to be the number one swordsman in the northern desert come to Wenxian Pavilion?" Wenjie asked impatiently.

"That person went to Wenxian Pavilion yesterday and had several matches. Last night, the old pavilion master even had a match with him," the boy said.

"Is the old sect leader alright?" Wenjie asked with concern.

"Not only was the old master unharmed, but he also defeated that swordsman," the boy said proudly.

"I'm going up first!" Wenjie said goodbye to Tongzi.

Wenjie went up to Wenxian Pavilion in one breath. Along the way, he saw that the people in Wenxian Pavilion were all out practicing their morning exercises. When he went to the front hall and passed the pavilion, he saw a person sitting on a bench in the pavilion with his eyes closed, resting.

Wenjie looked at the man curiously, and saw the man say with his eyes closed, "Are you here to test your martial arts skills with me?"

Wenjie stopped in his tracks. He immediately realized that this person was none other than the number one swordsman in the northern desert.

"You're injured? Can you still compete?" Wenjie asked.

"This minor injury is nothing to me; I'll be fine after a good night's sleep." The number one swordsman of the Northern Desert opened his eyes and looked at Wenjie.

"Wait for me a moment, I'll be right back to challenge you." Wenjie went to the front hall.

"Young Master Wen has arrived! I'll go inform the old master."

Wenjie waited in the front hall for a while, and then Li Chaoyang came out from the back.

"Greetings, Uncle-Master Li!" Wenjie bowed and greeted him.

"Wenjie, where are you from?" Li Chaoyang asked.

“From Beishan,” Wenjie said.

Wenjie told Li Chaoyang about how Master Wuyi was injured in her duel with the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert.

"I'm relieved that your master is taking care of Senior Sister Wuyi in Beishan," Li Chaoyang said.

"Uncle-Master, I heard from the boy down the mountain that you sparred with that swordsman last night? What did you think of his skills?" Wenjie asked.

"It's nothing special," Li Chaoyang said.

“My master said they came from the Flying Sword Sect of the Northern Desert,” Wenjie said.

“Yes, the Flying Sword Sect originally developed in the inland areas. Later, their leader, in order to win first place in the martial arts competition, did not hesitate to use hidden weapons to injure people, and was therefore despised by the entire martial arts world. They no longer had a place in the inland areas, so they moved to the northern desert,” Li Chaoyang said.

"I see!" Wenjie said.