The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Chapter 295 Sword Saint and Sword Immortal

The sword pierced his forehead, and blood splattered out.

Chang'an didn't even blink.

Only after Hua Chan slowly drew her sword and blew away the mosquitoes on its tip did Chang'an take out a handkerchief and wipe the blood from her forehead.

The blood belonged to both the mosquito and him.

Whether a swordsman has reached the top level does not depend on how fast or how hard he can stab, but on whether he can control the strength of his sword with ease.

If what you use is just enough to kill your opponent, then you should never use a single bit more force. To go when you want to go and return when you want to return is the true way to achieve complete control and harmony with nature.

Therefore, Hua Chan often practiced how to kill a mosquito without harming anyone. She and Chang'an had long since formed this unspoken understanding.

Yun Yanshu and Yun Xianfu were both surprised. As swordsmen themselves, they knew how difficult this was.

After the crowd below the stage began to disperse, Gongsun Da Niang walked over with a solemn expression, a stark contrast to her relaxed and casual demeanor just moments before.

She still politely bowed and smiled:

"Yan Shu, Xian Fu, since you are old acquaintances, please introduce me to them."

Yunxian exclaimed with delight, "Sister Gongsun, he is the brother Chang'an who saved my sister and me three years ago... Brother Chang'an."

Yun Yanshu also smiled and said, "Good sister, I've said it many times, even without him, we could have survived."

Gongsun Da Niang still smiled, "So you are the young master from Chang'an. I've often heard my two younger sisters mention you."

"Oh~ Often?" Chang'an looked at Yun Xianfu with a smile, causing the latter to blush and step aside, remaining shy and silent.

"Hmm, my sister and I each have our own refined tastes, so why does my brother favor her so much?" Yun Yanshu deliberately pretended to be a little jealous and nudged Chang'an with her shoulder in a coquettish manner.

This collision, with its power of over a decade of food, how could Chang'an's small frame easily withstand it?

He had already flown off the stage, but fortunately, his lightness skill was superb; with a light touch, he leaped back, deliberately landing in front of Lady Gongsun, smiling and bowing.

"Since entering the city, I have heard of the name of Lady Gongsun. Now that I have the honor of meeting you in person, I am very honored."

"Young Master Chang'an, you flatter me."

Yun Yanshu smiled and said, "Three years ago, my sister and I wandered the world and suffered a lot."

Fortunately, Sister Gongsun took us in. Seeing our talents, she let us travel with a traveling opera troupe. Although we were sometimes physically tired, we were incredibly happy and carefree.

"If that's the case, it would be even more blissful than being a god. It seems that the two sisters have been doing very well these past three years."

Thinking of Yun Yanshu's words, and gazing at the beautiful woman before him, Chang'an's heart began to flutter, and he couldn't help but murmur:

"Your Excellency is kind and generous, and possesses an ethereal beauty. I truly find it hard to associate you with the word 'Auntie'."

In his memory, the older women were those sallow-faced women who argued heatedly with vegetable vendors in the market early in the morning, their faces red and spittle flying, never the graceful young woman in red sleeves dancing before him.

Gongsun Da Niang smiled gently, clearly delighted, and said, "Because I am the eldest in my family, I am called Da Niang. If you don't mind, young master, you can just call me Sister Gongsun."

Chang'an was overjoyed, as getting closer to all the beauties in the world was one of his lifelong wishes.

"Okay, Gongsun... umm."

Before I could even say the word "sister," I felt a force come from behind and throw me back, both hard and light.

Now, Gongsun Da Niang was facing a completely different face: cold with a hint of hostility, and blank with a touch of cuteness.

“You’re using Pei Min’s swordsmanship,” Hua Chan’s words were even colder.

Grandma Gongsun maintained her polite smile, "It seems you are Master Hua's disciple."

Hua Chan tilted her head slightly, "I am not his apprentice."

"Oh? And who are you, sir?"

"I am just someone who can defeat you with the Sixteen Swords of White Cloud."

Gongsun Da Niang raised her eyebrows slightly: "If you are not a disciple of Sect Leader Hua, how did you learn the Sixteen Swords of White Cloud?"

Hua Chan pouted, then became very casual again: "I just often see him practicing swordsmanship."

Gongsun Da Niang's pupils dilated slightly, and she looked her up and down a few more times, already knowing most of what was going on. She smiled and said:

“My master is now the military commissioner of Hualong Army, stationed in Youzhou. Headmaster Hua also needs to govern a region and has no time to spare for battle.”

Gongsun Da Niang's eyes gradually sharpened. "It seems that this duel between the Sword Saint and the Sword Immortal can only be carried out by us, the younger generation."

"General Pei? It's Pei Min, the number one swordsman of the Tang Dynasty." Chang'an was somewhat surprised.

Yun Xianfu nodded and said, "Sister Gongsun's sword dance was learned from General Pei."

Chang'an couldn't help but gasp, "So this is the opponent that Senior Sister challenged, the disciple of the number one swordsman of the Tang Dynasty."

He then thought, "If Senior Sister has truly mastered Master Hua's Sixteen White Cloud Swords, then wouldn't all the successors of the Four Great Swords of the World be gathered on this platform by now?"

Hua Chan and Gongsun Da Niang.

The two stunningly beautiful girls stared at each other expressionlessly, their bodies seemingly radiating a chilling aura of swords. The suffocating tension, the sense of impending conflict, was beyond words.

Chang'an sighed, "It seems that a battle between these two is inevitable."

Yun Yanshu laughed and said, "If Sister Gongsun's life is in danger, I will definitely not stand idly by. At that time, don't blame me for not showing any mercy to your dear senior sister."

Chang'an said, "But this duel is very important to them. If you act rashly, Sister Gongsun will be very unhappy. Do you think I'm right, Sister Xianfu?"

When Yun Xianfu was suddenly asked, her face flushed, and she nodded quickly, "Yes...yes...yes...oh no, it seems like...um..."

Yun Yanshu said, "Don't even think about using my sister to pressure me."

Chang'an laughed and said, "If you insist on doing so, it won't be very elegant."

A faint smile played in Yun Yanshu's eyes. The morning breeze ruffled the strands of hair beside her cheek and carried her gentle whisper:

"Brother Chang'an, the most elegant and beautiful thing in this world is to protect the one you love."

Chang'an was stunned for a moment as she spoke. At that moment, he seemed to be bathed in the holy radiance emanating from Yun Yanshu and was deeply fascinated by her.

In that brief moment of emotional turmoil, Chang'an understood one thing:

True beauty is not about outward appearance, but a quality that emanates from within. It gives people a feeling that will never fade or disappear with time.

He had already understood Yun Yanshu's determination, and it seemed that whether the challenge could proceed smoothly depended on whether he could defeat Yun Yanshu off the field...

Moreover, Yun Xianfu might not necessarily be on his side at that time. It would be no easy task for him to fight against two successors of the Crescent Moon Sword Technique on his own.

"That's right! Wouldn't it be perfect if the three of us, my fellow disciples and I, faced off against the three of them?"

"Wait! Where is my junior sister?!" Chang'an suddenly realized that he had not seen the girl in the blood-red dress since the moment Gongsun Da Niang came out.

He looked around and found that the audience had all left!

Logically speaking, even after the show has ended, there should still be some audience members remaining, hoping to catch a few more glimpses of the beauty's face.

Moreover, since Lady Gongsun had remained on the stage the entire time and never left, how could the audience members easily leave?

Just as Chang'an felt something was amiss, he suddenly noticed a dark cloud directly in front of him, as if it were enveloping something.

He immediately jumped off the stage and went up, only to find a dark mass of people in armor; it turned out that the government soldiers had arrived.

Chang'an finally understood: "The people fear officials the most, and soldiers are the dogs raised by the officials. How can the people not stay far away from them?"

He originally wanted to stay far away, but he happened to spot a splash of red in the dark clouds—blood red!