The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Yancheng, dawn.

A dazzling array of goods, laughter in the taverns, the rich aroma of tea in the teahouses, and streets shrouded in a light mist.

These are attractive enough.

But the bustling crowd focused their attention on the three people in the middle of the road.

The red-haired girl, her red dress stained with blood, walked leisurely, her face full of anticipation, dragging a huge object wrapped in white cloth.

People couldn't guess what was inside; they only knew that wherever sparks flew, a long trail would be left on the ground...

They dared not ask, nor did they want to leave; they simply watched from afar.

They stared at Chang'an so intently that every inch of his skin felt like it was infested with lice.

He really couldn't understand how Hua Chan could fall asleep.

She was lying on the black knife wrapped in a white cloth, and could be split in two at any moment...

If Chang'an continues to be watched like this, the only normal person among the three will probably become abnormal as well.

Only when shouts came from afar did joy return to everyone's faces, and they ran off like a swarm of birds.

In the blink of an eye, the bustling street was completely deserted.

The senior sister was still sleeping peacefully, but the junior sister shouted and pointed in the direction the others had gone, "What's that? What's that?! I want to go too, I want to go too!"

Chang'an dared not refuse, fearing that in her excitement, she might accidentally chop up her senior sister before she could kill him with her knife.

He could only approach with his family in tow, amidst continuous cheers and applause from the crowd.

They were surrounding a red stage, and from what the people below said, it seemed to be a variety show troupe about to perform.

Judging from the enthusiastic response, this group must have been established for a long time and is definitely not a fraud. It's certainly worth stopping by to take a look.

A shirtless man was banging a large drum on the side of the stage, the sound so loud it made my heart pound.

Jiang Xiaotao pouted, clenched her fists, and kept up with the drumbeats, making "coo-coo" sounds as she went. She looked excited and happy.

Suddenly, a long rope flew out from behind the curtain and wrapped tightly around a pillar in front of the stage, forming a path from the curtain to the stage.

A person dressed in simple clothes stepped out from behind the curtain, slowly walking on ropes.

Chang'an was stunned.

Because it was less of a person and more of a giant ball of flesh.

He couldn't believe that such a huge creature could walk so steadily on a thin rope; it must have used considerable skill.

So the audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

The fleshy ball seemed very happy, stretching out its short, thick arms to greet everyone.

Gradually, a sword appeared in her hand without anyone noticing or seeing it clearly.

Suddenly, another sword appeared on the tip of the sword and stopped steadily on it.

This time, everyone saw it clearly, yet it also seemed like no one saw it clearly at all.

Because that sword seemed to have grown out of thin air!

Swords, one after another, grew out.

Soon, the ball of flesh was holding a string of swords strung together, a steady string of swords that seemed to have completely stopped in time.

Chang'an was dumbfounded...

Everything he couldn't do would leave him speechless; he could never eat himself into such a ball of flesh.

The audience erupted in cheers again, and this time, it was Chang'an who led the cheers.

Such a fat person can not only stand steadily on the rope, but also firmly grasp the towering sword string. Any one of these feats is a height that an ordinary person might not be able to reach even after a lifetime of practice.

Chang'an exclaimed in admiration, then suddenly noticed that the ball of flesh seemed to have lost a lot of weight and was becoming more and more human-like.

The fat man suddenly threw the sword upwards, and the sword string immediately flew out of his hand, while the rhythm of the drum music gradually quickened.

The string of swords emitted wisps of green smoke in the air, and as they fell, they merged into one.

In the hazy light, it seemed to have merged into the shape of a person.

It was a young girl, a girl who terrified Chang'an.

He should have thought of the Crescent Moon Sword Technique long ago, when he achieved perfect harmony between man and sword.

"Cloud Immortal Floats!"

Three years later, Yun Xianfu has become even more beautiful and graceful.

But most importantly, the shyness in her eyes has greatly diminished, and she has become more confident and cheerful than before.

Confidence is the best cosmetic for every girl.

The audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

But Yun Xianfu seemed to have an incompletely fused sword in her hand. She looked at the sword, then scratched her head and smiled sheepishly at the audience below the stage, as beautiful as a lotus emerging from the water in the morning.

It's beautiful as it is, but what should we do with this extra sword? We can't exactly call it a performance accident.

She swallowed hard, and the three-foot-long sword was completely swallowed!

Chang'an, who knew the Crescent Moon Sword Technique, didn't find it strange, but the others in the audience couldn't help but be amazed.

After completely swallowing the sword, blue light reappeared in Yun Xianfu's mouth. She opened her mouth and spat out a large ball of mysterious blue-purple flames.

The intense heat was overwhelming, and the fireworks quickly covered the entire platform, yet somehow managed to avoid burning anything.

As the indigo flames faded, a large "福" (fortune) character was faintly revealed in the mist, which filled the entire stage.

Chang'an finally nodded in approval, after all, the Crescent Moon Sword Manual didn't teach such tricks.

This time, the person cheering the loudest was Jiang Xiaotao! Hua Chan, on the other hand, remained quietly asleep.

Xiao Tao has always had a phobia of swords, and seeing Yun Yanshu playing with a sword on it, she really couldn't feel happy at all.

But blue flames, this rare and unusual thing, just happens to be her favorite thing as a child who never grows up.

Now, the drumbeats gradually quickened, the thin mist began to dissipate, and through the hazy light, a splash of bright red appeared in the center of the stage.

It was a vibrant red that fluttered in the wind.

The crowd began to stir again. Yun Xianfu had somehow found himself standing on the other end of the rope, just like Yun Yanshu and everyone else in the audience, their eyes fixed on the ethereal and graceful figure on the stage.

It was already a dancing red figure, moving with light and graceful steps.

The drumbeats quickened, and her steps quickened as well, fast but not hurried.

It's a kind of freedom, unrestrained joy.

Her figure was graceful, and her dance was elegant and light. She also exuded an air of proud nobility at all times.

Slowly, the mist dissipated, and the beautiful woman began to appear.

Her red skirt, embroidered with gold thread, swayed in the wind, and the thin gauze under the red dress wrapped around her graceful figure. The silver bells on her wrists jingled as she quickened her pace.

The drumbeats were already as fast as a sudden downpour. Suddenly, the beautiful woman in red pulled out two long, green swords from her sleeves. The red ribbons at the ends of the swords fluttered in the wind, attracting a lot of attention.

She began to use this sword as an aid in her dance.

The two swords she wielded were like dragons in the sea, churning the ocean with overwhelming force and swallowing mountains and rivers!

The sword reflected the woman's stunningly beautiful face; her delicate, willow-leaf eyes always shone with a noble pride, the light in them even sharper than the blade of the sword in her hand.

Dance and sword finally achieved their perfect combination at this moment.

The sword's cold light danced and enveloped the entire platform, like the nine suns shot down by Hou Yi.

The dance was astonishing, its agility tinged with pride and elegance, as graceful as a deity riding a dragon.

The beautiful woman danced with two swords, just as a magnificent peacock finally spread its tail feathers, and a noble queen finally put on her crown.

The beauty's snow-white neck was glistening with sweat, and she looked as beautiful as the morning dew on a summer lotus leaf.

Chang'an held its breath.

Such a perfect dance, such a perfect sword, such a perfect face—I ask you, how many people in this world could withstand such a test?

Who is this stunningly beautiful woman dancing before us?

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman named Gongsun, whose sword dance moved all four directions!

The onlookers were as numerous as mountains, their faces filled with dejection; heaven and earth seemed to bow low for a long time in response

"Aunt Gongsun!"

Many people in the audience were already excitedly chanting this name.

Chang'an remained engrossed, whether because of the stunningly beautiful Gongsun Da Niang or because of her ever-changing dance.

Suddenly, the drumbeats stopped abruptly, and Gongsun Da Niang also sheathed her sword and stood still. The sword's spine still hummed, and the lingering sound echoed, so much so that everyone was still intoxicated and no one reacted.

Soon, a very slow clapping sounded from the crowd, a clapping sound that only one person could make, and it sounded more like the clapping of a child.

The applause came from beside Chang'an. He thought to himself, "I didn't expect my junior sister to have such good taste."

He turned his head, but there was no junior sister there, only a girl with disheveled hair, but with an unusually serious and determined gaze.

"Senior...Senior...Senior Sister!!!" Chang'an exclaimed in astonishment. He hadn't seen Hua Chan's eyes look so serious in a long time.

He had never seen Hua Chan applaud for anyone.

"Even you are captivated by this sword dance?"

Thinking of this, I can't help but recall the sword dance I just witnessed:

The sword energy was cold and chilling, filled with killing intent. The sword light was continuous and dazzling, and the sword moves were fluid and unpredictable!

If such a sharp edge were suddenly directed at me, how many moves could I withstand?

He suddenly realized that Gongsun Da Niang's sword dance didn't seem to be for performance.

It was used to kill people!