C171

"Do you dare to say that you don't have a formidable heart, no ambition to become famous, and no ambition to play chess in this world?"

With a slight tremble of his fingers, the chess piece slipped from his fingertips and landed on the chessboard, making a crisp sound.

Ran Hao, who had just poured a cup of hot tea, turned his head around upon hearing this. Looking at the dazed Zhao Qingyan, he couldn't help but be startled: "Young Master?"

Zhao Qingyan came back to her senses and smiled apologetically, "I'm fine."

Ran Hao placed the tea aside and went to collect the pieces.

"Don't move." Ran Hao stopped and looked up at his young master.

Zhao Qingyan stared at the chess piece in his hand for a while before picking up a few chess pieces and placing them in her palm. She then frowned.

Ran Hao put the chess pieces back on the board. Seeing that Zhao Qingyan was still lost in thought, he asked: "Young Master, what are you thinking?"

"Under Heaven." Zhao Qingyan threw the chess pieces away and lay back against the coach, "Jiang Wuyan asked me if I have the ambition to play chess in this world. This chess piece... "What is it?"

Ran Hao hesitated for a moment before asking, "Someone?"

Zhao Qingyan pointed to the chess pieces on the board. "The chess pieces are black and white. Can you see it clearly? "

Ran Hao was silent. "The human heart never distinguishes between black and white."

Zhao Qingyan said, "I can't even see myself clearly, what's there to talk about?"

If he had the heart of a tyrant, why would he compromise? If he had the ambition to become famous, how could he be willing to become an unknown? If he had the ambition to control the game, why would he have such a peaceful time?

In the end, he didn't want to be a dragon that could soar into the sky and look down on the whole world.

— —

"How are your injuries?"

Whitestorm asked with a laugh when he saw a pigeon perched a little way off on Wen Wan's shoulder.

When Wen Wan heard this, he turned around and cupped his hands in salute: "There's nothing else."

"Is it really okay?" he asked with a smile. I see that you haven't been idle for the past few days. Do you have time to recuperate? "

Wen Wan replied with a smile, "I've been idling for a few years, and I've recovered slowly from my injuries, but I'm not worried." After letting the pigeon leave, he straightened his sleeves that had been scratched by the pigeon and said, "Wu Gou has sent a letter. I might be a little busy in the future."

Bai Yutang frowned slightly. "But we can't delay them over there."

Wen Wan nodded. "I know. Right after the people from the Qi King's Manor left, my uncle and I headed straight for the Vale of Withered Wood. It would not be good if someone found out. "Why don't we delay for a few days? Uncle will settle the matter here and head to Deadwood Valley first. I will be a bit late."

Bai Yan Tang pondered for a moment. "This is good as well." Noticing the worry on his face, he couldn't help but ask, "Did something happen to Wu Gou?"

Wen Wan replied, "It's not a big deal, just that it's a little difficult to handle at this time. "The key is …" Sighing lightly, he shook his head, "I still have to find a way to explain it to father. I can't deal with the Xin Xin from the Southern City over at Wu Gou's side. I don't have the time to split up."

There was a trace of helplessness in his smile. "What do you plan to do with your father in the future?"

Wen Wan shook his head. "I don't know. I can only go and look."

Bai Yutang stared at him for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "You know you're tired."

Wen Wan was surprised for a moment, and then burst into laughter. "After all, he's not young anymore, and has lost his arrogance and fighting spirit for a long time."

He broke off a branch and threw the twig on the ground. "How are your injuries?" "How many moves can you use?"

Wen Wan's eyes flashed with a smile. "Uncle wants to exchange blows with me?"

"The shopping mall has been bustling for too long, I've almost forgotten all about my martial arts. I can only come back after training."

Wen Wan also picked a branch and broke it, waving it in the air twice. "With this as a weapon, please show mercy, Uncle."

Bai Yan Tang stretched his wrist a bit. "We'll just talk about sword arts, no matter who wins or loses."

"Sword Art?" Wen Wan thought for a moment, then cupped his fist, "Please."

"Please." Knowing that this young man would never be the first to make a move, he did not hesitate and drew a sword with his hand, thrusting straight at his chest.

Wen Wan's feet slipped, the branch swung out, and the autumn wind lifted the sleeves of his robe.

He wore a large, wide-sleeved robe, and even though he wanted to compete, he did not change his clothes. He faced the enemy in such a manner, and the sleeves of his robe fluttered in the wind as his vision became blurry.

The tree branch in Bai Yan Tang's hand lightly shook, and deviated from its original direction. It brushed past the branch in Wen Wan's hand, and then, with some force, used his internal force to stick together the two branches.

Wen Wan's eyes were filled with a smile. He didn't want to break free, so he turned his wrist in the direction of Bai Yan Tang. He tapped the ground lightly with his toes, and with the support of his absorbing power, he spun a semicircle in the air. His inner force poured into the tree branches and exploded at the weakest point. The two weapons immediately separated.

The branch of the Baiyadang tree brushed past the branch in Wen Wan's hand. The force of the absorption was originally a thin line. Wen Wan used the momentum to shift his body and the branch rotated with him, turning into a small dot. Although Wen Wan's internal energy was not as strong as Bai Yan Tang's, the difference wasn't too great. Thus, it was not difficult to use this opportunity to break free.

As soon as Wen Wan landed on the ground, he shook the branch and thrust it at the right side of the leucine. The place where he landed was to the right and behind the right of the Bai Yan Tang, and there was an opening right below his ribs. This was the perfect time for Wen Wan to break free from the Adsorption, and for Bai Chaotan to strike back with his sword. The branches that were filled with inner strength were as hard as iron, and if one were to pierce under the ribs, it would severely injure the other party.

This fierce move was a move to take one's life, leaving no leeway.

Hearing the light sound of falling to the ground, Bai Yutang stepped to the side, turning his wrist to protect his vital parts.

Wen Wan kneeled on the ground, his left foot stomped on the ground, and he quickly jumped up in pursuit.

After only a moment of delay, the tree had already been tidied up. The branches trembled as the light in his eyes reflected off of the tree branches as he walked away. The tree branches were now like swords. He could see the sword in his eyes, but he could no longer see the tree branches. Although Wen Wan's figure was fast, in his eyes, he was just a target, with all his flaws exposed.

Seeing the change in the expression of the white yak, Wen Wan inwardly cursed, "Not good!" He changed his pounce to the side, supporting himself on the ground with one hand, slightly narrowing his eyes. He had originally thought that he would be able to gain a few more opportunities to exchange pointers, but he didn't expect that he would be able to enter such a state so quickly. In this state, he couldn't face the Crimson Twilight in a head-on battle.

The Ling Song Palace's swordplay was focused on the word 'fast'. Although it did not seek to hit the target with a single move, it was definitely fast enough. Wen Wan's martial arts were always aimed at speed, ruthlessness and absolute, aiming to kill with a single blow and exchange injuries for life. His movement techniques were fast enough and his moves vicious enough, but there were many flaws in his body — one strike was enough to kill, so what was the use of protecting his flaws?

It was a move of self-sacrifice that brought out the benefits of the technique.

The more they valued one side's martial arts, the easier it was for them to be defeated by the other side's martial arts.

The Bai Yao Tang who used the fast sword was undoubtedly the kind of person Wen Wan feared the most. Thus, when Bai Yan Tang's sword was fast, Wen Wan's movements had to be even faster.

Stepping forward a few steps in succession, his elegant footwork, coupled with his extremely fast movement technique, only caused him to be dazzled. Wide-sleeved and robed, accompanied by the sound of the wind, had disrupted the judgment of Bai Yutang. In the instant that Bai Yan Tang's gaze was delayed by his right hand, Wen Wan suddenly thrust the branch in his hand towards Bai Yan Tang's forehead. A world-famous kung fu move, 'Falling Stones on the Road', was launched at a much faster speed.

When he saw the move, he subconsciously frowned. Wu Dang sword style has always emphasized "braking by the static, soft, slow to fight fast, will luck, the body" 20 words. Wen Wan's sword stabbed out in the air, and after one move, it lost its strength. Looking at the speed and ruthlessness of the strike, it was completely opposite to the word 'soft', 'quiet' and 'slow'. It also lost its destiny. It was a random attack without any pattern.

Wen Wan didn't care about what he was thinking about. He struck out with his' Falling Stones to the Road ', and as soon as the' sword 'struck his palm, he changed his move to a horizontal cut, aiming straight at Bai Yan Tang's neck. With a flip of his hand, the sword technique immediately transformed into a saber art. A weak and withered branch appeared in his hand, giving off a heavy feeling. Pressure began to condense from this simple move.

The doubts he had earlier were dispelled immediately. He no longer hesitated and instead took a few steps forward, turning his body to the side and dodging the blade. The tree branch in his hand struck out a few times, clearly distancing itself from his left arm, yet causing his left sleeve to flutter in a strange manner.

Wen Wan's gaze moved slightly, turning his wrist and returning the blade. His blade technique was a blade technique, and he also seemed to have more flexibility in using the sword. As his body moved and rapidly moved, the branches that were not completely dried up slightly bent. They seemed like flexible swords, yet also as agile as steel spikes, making it impossible to guard against.

When the moves met each other, there were very few flaws, but when they were linked together, it revealed a few weaknesses. Such a randomly pieced together move could cause a person's mind to be thrown into chaos. However, in the eyes of an expert, it was easy to find a way to deal with an opponent in just ten moves.

Banyan is an expert, and Wen Wan is an expert. The two weapons clashed, and after using twenty-three moves, Bai Yutang caught one of Wen Wan's flaws. However, his swordplay was a bit new to the sword, so he only managed to cut through Wen Wan's sleeve.

No one knew whether it was because he had been caught, or because he had missed out, Wen Wan's eyes revealed a look of surprise. No matter how unchanging his moves were, the speed of his feet 'movement was lowered by a few degrees. With the tree branches as the sword and the saber as the support, the two complemented each other. They complemented each other like flowing clouds and flowing water, had the agility of a swordsman, and the steadiness of a swordsman.

"Crack." A crisp sound rang out, and the two men's gazes moved simultaneously. Bai Yutang immediately took a step back. Wen Wan, on the other hand, turned around and took a few steps back, pressing his back against a tree.

Bai Yutang retracted his sword and stood straight, smiling at him. "It seems that your habit of being an assassin is still etched in your bones."

Looking at the remaining half of the branch in his hand, Wen Wan's lips revealed a trace of a smile. He closed his fingers and gripped the branch, but before he could use any strength, the branch had already turned into fine powder and scattered from his fingers. Wen Wan waved his sleeves, cupped his fists, and bowed in salute: "Uncle's swordsmanship has improved a lot, your nephew is lamenting that he is not as good as me."

"Father uses long term to attack short term, big brother Wen, are you still going to praise Father?" Bai Zhen walked out with a smile on his face.

Wen Wan said, "Uncle only used 30% of his strength, how can it be considered a long attack? I can also feel the unfamiliarity of my sword art in today's competition. "

"If we were to use our true strength against each other, it would be hard to say who would win between the two of us."

Wen Wan said, "Uncle is too kind."

"There is no need to be modest. You look more and more like your master. "

Wen Wan thought for a moment, then laughed and asked: "Skills are good, but skills are bad?"

"I did not say that."

Wen Wan replied, "Although I haven't said it clearly, but I understand Uncle's intention."

"Isn't it good enough to combine all the various techniques?"

Wen Wan replied, "Although they have merged into one, it is still not enough. It is far from being as adept as the sword techniques. I still need to continue to practice how to balance them. "

Bai Zhen picked up the teapot and poured two bowls of tea before saying with a smile, "With Brother Wen being so modest right now, it seems like he's still not used to it."

Wen Wan smiled. "Humility can't be a bad thing, right?"

Bai Zhen thought for a moment. "I don't know. Perhaps it's like father said. What sort of personality do you have? It's your own choice. Forcefully or not."

Wen Wan seemed to be deep in thought as he casually replied, "Yes."

Bai Yaodang looked at the cracked branch in his hand, and with a slight tug, he cut it in two, "Your choice will always have the spirit of perseverance. You're proficient in all hundred types of martial arts, so you can naturally choose the most suitable method. "

Wen Wan lowered his eyes and straightened his sleeves. After a while, he said, "Uncle's swordsmanship is an obscure one-armed swordsmanship in the area of Shu. It can be used in conjunction with concealed weapons, but it has been lost for more than ten years."

As soon as he took a bowl of hot tea from his son and was about to drink it, he suddenly stopped and asked in surprise, "You know him?"

Wen Wan shook his head. "I am not sure, but I have seen this sword technique before. At least, I could be sure that it came from the central part of the city. It was a one-armed, poisonous and concealed sword art. "From this three points..." He wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Shu." Bai Yutang handed the tea back to Bai Zhen and extended his hand. "Sword."

Bai Zhen was startled. He quickly placed the teacup to the side and took out the sword on his body. Then, he handed it over to his father.

Bai Yan Tang took the long sword and casually tossed it to Wen Wan. "How much do you remember?" "Let's dance and see."

Wen Wan had originally thought that he was going to personally perform the sword dance, and had been reaching out to bring the tea. However, he didn't expect Bai Chaotang to directly throw the sword at him, so he quickly reached out to receive it. He took a step forward and reached for his sword, but he suddenly swayed and kneeled down, cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Big Brother Wen!" Bai Zhen hurriedly extended his hand to support him.

Wen Wan raised his hand to block the hand he was holding, using his sword to prop himself up. "I'm fine."

"Have you affected your injuries?"

Wen Wei raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "It's fine. It's not serious."

Bai Yutang took the longsword back from his hand and said, "Trying to be brave."

Wen Wan sighed softly. "It was originally not some serious injury. I was just careless for a moment."

"Did you do something to worsen your injuries?" From what I saw last time, your injuries shouldn't be so serious. "

Wen Wan made a helpless gesture and nodded.

"If you're hurt, just say so earlier. Don't try to be brave."

Wen Wan smiled perfunctorily. "Miscalculated, miscalculated." He quietly gave Bai Zhen a meaningful glance.

Bai Zhen understood what he meant and asked, "Father, the Single Armed Sword Technique that Big Brother Wen mentioned earlier, was it the sword technique used by that black-clothed man that Little Prince and the others encountered a while ago?"

Bai Yutang nodded his head, "I've studied it for a long time, but I still have not been able to find out where this sword technique came from."

Wen Wan asked, "Uncle, can you dance this sword style again?"

"Sure." He took a few steps back, but before he could do anything, his sword had already slashed out a ray of sword light.

The sword would occasionally graze past the left arm, and because it was too close to the left arm, the sword moves were also much more nimble. Even an expert swordsman like Bai Yan Tang had nearly cut his own left arm several times.

Although it was said to be a set of sword techniques, what Bai Yutang saw were only a dozen or so moves. Very quickly, he finished his dance and turned to Wen Wan. "How is it?"

Wen Wan pondered for a moment, and then said: "Uncle will receive my sword and let me use it." He reached out to grab the sword, waved it around a few times, then suddenly thrust out with all his strength. He tapped the ground with his left foot, spun around half a circle, and slashed several times with the sword from his chest. He suddenly pointed to the ground, landing on both feet, his body not moving at all.

Bai Zhen was pleasantly surprised. "Brother Wen, you're amazing!"

Wen Wan was silent for a moment, then asked with a smile: "Which is more powerful?" Do you think that I can learn it just by looking at the sword moves that uncle has used? "

Bai Zhen was stunned. "Is that not the case?" It had only been a few days since he had begun practicing the more than ten sword techniques, so there was no need for him to say anything at all. And Wen Wan's move just now was obviously the move that Bai Yan Tang had just used.

Wen Wan returned the sword to Bai Zhen. "I once sought out the One-armed Sword Art for a friend, and this sword technique just so happens to have learned a few moves. And what I just danced was one of those. "

Bai Zhen was puzzled. "Why did you learn the Single Armed Sword Technique?"

Wen Wan pointed to his left arm: "If I were to lose an arm, I would be able to move my sword and my body would definitely sway. But a few of these sword techniques did not even consider the fact that they lost an arm, each and every one of them were extremely sharp, do you know why? "

Bai Zhen shook his head.

Wen Wan said: "Because people who learn this sword technique, there is a very high chance that they will receive something from the broken arm. An artificial limb, for example, or some kind of subterfuge. And because of this, the blade of the sword would just stick to the arm, not the shoulder. "

"In that case, are you sure that this sword technique originated from Shu?"

Wen Wan nodded. "It's basically certain now. "The sword techniques I found at that time were originally incomplete, and it was not because I did not read much of them, but I believe that they originated from the sword techniques of Shu."

"It looks like I should pay a visit to Shu when I have time," said Bai Yutang.

Wen Wan seemed to have thought of something, and a trace of a smile appeared on his face. "I just happen to have some small matters to take care of in Shu. Later, I'll go."

Bai Yan Tang hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Then I'll leave it to you."

Wen Wan smiled. "Uncle, don't worry. I will definitely settle this matter well."