The Young Swordsman of Dalu

Wenfei looked at the dejected old man in front of him. Decades had passed, the martial arts world had been in turmoil, and generations of talents had emerged. Shou Shangxing had actually returned to the martial arts world in such a way.

"Senior Shou, is the number one swordsman of the Northern Desert your disciple?" Wen Fei asked.

"Hahaha! That silly boy really calls himself the number one swordsman in the northern desert?" Shou Shangxing laughed loudly.

“He is your apprentice,” Wenfei said.

"I guess so! That dim-witted idiot, I never wanted to take him as my apprentice, but he kept bothering me every day, so I had no choice but to give him some pointers," Shou Shangxing said.

“But he went to the Great Lu Kingdom using your name,” Wenfei said.

"How could this happen? My reputation is ruined again! That bastard is a real piece of work!" Shou Shangxing cursed.

"He must be from the northern desert, right?" Wenfei asked.

“He was also a child with a tragic fate. His parents were my disciples whom I brought from the Great Lu Kingdom. They had him together, so strictly speaking, he was also a descendant of the Great Lu Kingdom. The child was simple-minded from a young age and learned martial arts from many people, so he learned a variety of skills. After his parents passed away, I took him in and taught him some of our school's sword techniques,” Shou Shangxing said.

"His name shouldn't be 'The Number One Swordsman of the Northern Desert'! What is his real name?" Wen Fei asked.

"I forgot about it over time, but I always called him 'Silly Boy'," Shou Shangxing said.

“Your silly boy went straight to challenging all the major sects as soon as he arrived in the Great Lu Kingdom, without even issuing a formal challenge,” Wen Fei said.

"According to you, he is indeed too arrogant. He must have offended many friends in the martial arts world, and many people will be cursing me, Shou Shangxing," Shou Shangxing said with a wry smile.

“That’s absolutely right!” Wenfei said.

“Go ahead and curse! I can’t hear you anyway! Are those so-called righteous sects of the martial arts world just waiting to settle scores with our Flying Sword Sect?” Shou Shangxing said.

"I'm afraid this debt will be attributed to the senior," Wenfei said.

"I, Shou Shangxing, am thousands of miles away, and disaster strikes from the sky! These bastards are trying to kill this old man!" Shou Shangxing said.

"Senior, do you have any ties with the northern tribes?" Wen Fei asked.

"I, Shou Shangxing, have spent decades in the northern desert. Although the Great Lu Kingdom has no place for me, I would never betray my country for wealth and glory. I will die a ghost of the Great Lu Kingdom," Shou Shangxing said firmly.

"I admire your integrity, senior!" Wenfei said. "Is it possible that you will spend the rest of your life in this desolate northern desert?"

“I can’t go back to the Great Lu Kingdom. I swore in the martial arts world that I would never return to the Great Lu Kingdom. Although my sect’s martial arts skills are not very high, I still have to keep my word,” Shou Shangxing said.

“Many people have actually forgotten about you, senior. You could quietly return to the Great Lu Kingdom and find a quiet place to enjoy your retirement,” Wen Fei said.

“This is not something I, Shou Shangxing, would do!” Shou Shangxing said. “Young man! What are you doing here? Perhaps I can help you.”

Wen Fei explained the situation in China to Shou Shangxing. After listening, Shou Shangxing frowned and said, "The tribes in the northern desert have migrated for many years. Apart from a few tribes that went east, many tribes have joined the various tribes in the Western Regions. I have been traveling around the northern desert and have never heard of the northern desert attacking the Great Lu Kingdom. The various tribes in the Western Regions have been growing stronger and more ambitious in recent years. They might actually attack the Great Lu Kingdom."

“Your silly boy has definitely been bribed by the Western Regions; he’s working for them,” Wen Fei said.

“Everyone has their own destiny, let it be!” Shou Shangxing said.

"He's still your apprentice, aren't you going to do anything about him?" Li Wei said with dissatisfaction.

“Back then, out of all my disciples, did any of them listen to me?” Shou Shangxing said.

"What kind of Flying Sword Sect is this?! Even the disciples are more arrogant than their masters!" Li Wei said.

"You can talk about those bastard disciples, but don't drag my Flying Sword Sect into it," Shou Shangxing said with displeasure.

"Hmph!" Li Wei rolled her eyes at Shou Shangxing.

"I advise you to hurry back and prepare for battle! It seems the various tribes of the Western Regions are about to get serious," Shou Shangxing said.

Wen Fei looked outside and saw that it was getting light. He took out some dry food from his bundle, heated it over the fire, and handed a flatbread to Shou Shangxing. Shou Shangxing took the flatbread and ate it heartily, as if he had been starving for a long time.

"Senior Shou, please slow down, there's more here," Wen Fei said.

"I haven't eaten for several days. If it weren't for my internal strength, I would have starved to death and been fed to the wolves long ago," Shou Shangxing said.

"Does Senior often go through periods of irregular eating like this, sometimes eating a full meal and sometimes going hungry?" Li Wei asked.

"There's no way around it! I haven't taken on any apprentices in a long time, so I haven't had any income. I've often gone hungry, I'm sorry to have troubled you all," Shou Shangxing said.

"Why bother, senior? Come back to the Great Lu Kingdom with us!" Wen Fei said.

"I don't want the entire martial arts world to look down on me, Shou Shangxing!" Shou Shangxing said.

"Is living more important, or saving face? Haven't you figured this out after living for decades?" Wenfei said.

"I can't get over that hurdle in my heart," Shou Shangxing said.

“In that case, Senior, please stay with us for the next few days,” Li Wei said.

"Where are you going?" Shou Shangxing asked.

“We’ll go to the Western Regions royal court and persuade Nabru Khan to stop the war,” Wenfei said.

“Alright! I’ll go with you,” Shou Shangxing said.

"Let's not delay! After you've finished eating, we'll head to the Western Regions Royal Court," Wenfei said.

"Is that silly boy still in the Great Lu Kingdom?" Shou Shangxing asked.

“He was still in Wenxian Pavilion before we came out,” Wenfei said.

"What kind of place is Wenxian Pavilion?" Shou Shangxing asked.

“It’s a place that gathers the best talents in the world, and Li Chaoyang is the head of Wenxian Pavilion,” Wen Fei said.

"Li Chaoyang, is that old bastard still alive?" Shou Shangxing asked.

"Hey! Are you kidding me? I just fed you and you're already spouting nonsense," Li Wei said angrily.

"Who is Li Chaoyang to you? What's wrong with me talking about him?" Shou Shangxing said.

“He’s my grandfather!” Li Wei said, pouting.

"Hahaha! I knew it! You little girl have such a temper, so you're Li Chaoyang's granddaughter!" Shou Shangxing laughed loudly. "He actually set up a Wenxian Pavilion, that old rascal really can't stand being idle!"

"If you continue to speak so rudely, I won't be polite to you!" Li Wei said.

"Okay, okay! I was wrong! Is that alright?" Shou Shangxing quickly apologized.

"That's more like it!" Li Wei finally stopped.

“Let’s go back to the Western Regions!” Wenfei said.

Two horses and three people galloped across the desert toward the western regions.