Chapter 105 Farewell to Jiangdu
Chapter 105 Farewell to Jiangdu
The head of the Liu family is called Liu Xuan, who is about fifty years old. He seldom appears in public, and even if he does, he wears a mask. He has two scars on his face. Although it has been twenty years, they are still shocking and make him look particularly hideous.
Seeing Xiao Xian defeat Chen Xiao, Liu Xuan asked, "Is that the man just now the one from the Xiao family who defeated fifty people at the dock?"
The third brother Liu Zheng shook his head. "The man at the dock is a teenager, and this one should be Xiao Xin, a master of the Jinling Xiao family."
Liu Xuan sneered, "I thought the people supported by the Yuan family were very powerful, but they are rank seven, nothing special."
Liu Zheng smiled and said, "The seventh rank is just a martial arts rating, but the rating officials don't know and can't tell how high their internal strength is, unless top masters like Shi Wansui and Yuwen Chengdu come to judge, but that's impossible. So the martial arts rating can only be regarded as an official level and does not represent the true level."
Liu Xuan nodded: "But this Xiao Xin is really capable. Let's see the next game. If Liu Shili defeats the young master of the Xiao family and Liu Shichong defeats Chen Mu, we will have two wins. I want to take over Pier No. 7."
Liu Zheng whispered, "Brother, don't underestimate the young master of the Xiao family. The last time Lu Tao's weapon fell to the ground, I heard from the judge that Lu Tao himself admitted that his wrist was pierced, but no one noticed it. This shows how fast the young man is."
"is it?"
Liu Xuan's eyes suddenly became serious as he stared at the field.
..........
Currently, the two most recognized masters in Jiangnan are Zhang Jue and Liu Shili. He passed the seventh-grade martial arts exam. Although the grade is not very high, what is rare is that he has completed the foundation building and his internal strength level is at the sixth-grade Qiongshi.
Zhang Jue thought that he was a seventh-rank upper field, but actually he had not reached that level and was still at the level of Qiongshi.
At this time, Xiao Xia walked out slowly. He was wearing Ming Guang armor, an eagle-ridged helmet, and ear protectors on both sides. The other party was also wearing Ming Guang armor and holding a long sword.
Ming Guang Armor has two major characteristics: one is that it is light, and the other is that it is beautiful. The iron armor on the chest is polished like a mirror, so it is called Ming Guang. It has a waist band underneath, and it is easy to put on. It can be done by one person without help from others.
Liu Shili is the bodyguard of Qin Wang Yang Jun, who is also the backer of the Liu family. Although the Liu family is low-key, it is the most powerful among the three major families.
The two men were ten feet apart. Xiao Xia held the scabbard in his left hand and the hilt in his right hand. He leaned his body slightly and held the straight knife horizontally in front of him.
Liu Shili also held the hilt of the sword motionlessly. He could not even feel the opponent's aura. He was horrified. This was a situation he had never encountered before. It made him feel that the opponent was unfathomable. He would not think that the opponent was only a fourth-grade one.
"Dang!" The bell rang, but the two men remained motionless. The atmosphere around them began to become tense. Li Min whispered to Chai Shao, "It's over in one move!"
Suddenly, the two men attacked at the same time. Two figures flashed and separated in an instant. Xiao Xia still maintained the same posture as before, as if he had not even drawn his knife, staring at the other person like a cheetah.
But soon, Liu Shili knelt down on one knee with a "thump!", and covered his abdomen with one hand, with a look of pain on his face. His abdomen began to turn red, and blood gushed out.
His abdominal armor was cut open by Xiao Xia's sword, and a foot-long cut was made on his lower abdomen.
Xiao Xia stood up and bowed, "Thank you!"
There was an uproar in the arena, and the Liu family members rushed over to help. The Xiao family members were stunned for a moment, then suddenly jumped up, shouting excitedly, and the cheers drowned out the arena.
The emcee announced, "In the second round, the Jiangdu Xiao family won!"
Xiao Cong's eyes turned red. He had been worried for a whole year. At this moment, they finally got the precious spot, and the Jiangdu Xiao family could continue to survive.
Liu Xuan's face suddenly turned pale. What kind of swordsmanship was this? Liu Shili was defeated by just one sword and was injured.
At this time, Liu Shili was carried back, and Liu Xuan hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "How are you?"
Liu Shili whispered: "It's not a big problem, just a flesh wound. Patriarch, the opponent was too fast, I didn't have time to stab him, and he...he showed mercy, otherwise I would have lost my hand." Liu Xuan was shocked. When did the Xiao family have such a master?
Liu Shili then instructed his brother Liu Shichong: "The Chen family must be eager to win. You should learn from Xiao Xian in the first game. Play steadily, defend and counterattack, and look for the opponent's loopholes!"
Liu Shichong nodded and prepared to fight in the third game, which was the Liu family’s last hope.
Xiao Xia and Xiao Xian hugged each other and accepted everyone's congratulations. Yang Zhao pulled him aside and asked, "We will be returning in a few days. We will go along the Yangtze River to Xiangyang and then take a carriage back to Chang'an. Will you come with us?"
Xiao Xia shook her head and said, "I'll go to Chang'an by myself. I'll go to Chang'an to find you then!"
"That's fine! I'll leave you the address. Give me the spear head and I'll go back and assemble a spear shaft for you."
Xiao Xia instructed: "Brother, you need a solid iron rod, otherwise it won't be heavy enough. It also shouldn't be too long. 18 inches is enough."
Yang Zhao nodded, "I understand. You should come to Chang'an earlier. The Imperial Academy has arranged everything. You should study hard. Practicing martial arts is always working for others, while studying is for yourself."
At this time, there was a burst of excited shouting in the arena. The third match was over. Liu Shichong defended and counterattacked, seizing the opponent's loophole when he was eager to win and stabbed the opponent in the waist with a sword.
The Liu family won the third game and got the second spot. Dozens of Liu family warriors were excited.
The head of the Chen family, Chen Zhongnian, was dumbfounded, and the other members of the Chen family were dejected. Even with the full support of the Yuan family, they still lost.
..........
The competition for the five indicators in the north and south has all ended. The Yuan family, Dugu family and Houmochen family in the north won three places. Although the Yuwen family had Yuwen Chengdu in charge, another general was not competitive, and the Yuwen family eventually lost the place.
The southern faction, Jiangdu Xiao Family and Jiangdu Liu Family, won and took away two places. Although the Chen family failed, they still exchanged 300 cargo ships for a 10% share from the Yuan family, and their ships could dock at the Yuan family's wharf.
Although it could barely continue to operate, it had been far behind the Xiao and Liu families. The Liu family also donated 70% of its share to Qin Wang Yang Jun, and he only took 30%, thus gaining the Qin Wang's full protection.
Except for King Yang Xiu of Shu, the other four princes all made gains, among which the crown prince won a great victory. The Yuan family and the Dugu family both supported the crown prince, the Houmochen family supported King Yang Liang of Han, the Jiangdu Xiao family supported King Jin, and the Jiangdu Liu family supported King Qin.
With the distribution of the benefits of the new wharf completed, the northern forces began to use Jiangdu as a springboard to attack the prosperous Jiangnan area.
The emperor's fleet left Jiangdu three days later and headed towards Xiangyang along the Yangtze River. They would return to Chang'an from Xiangyang via Wuguan and Shangluo County. No matter which way they went, they were destined to spend the New Year in Xiangyang and would not be able to return to Chang'an until at least mid-January next year.
Xiao Xia did not leave with the fleet as he still had some finishing touches to do.
Xiao Cong and Xiao Lin met the emperor on the second day after the competition. Xiao Lin presented the emperor with more than 200 weapons from famous Jiangnan masters and the Hundred Pearls Tent that Concubine Chen had always wanted. The emperor was very pleased and issued an order to restore Xiao Lin's title of Duke of Jinling County.
The Jinling Xiao family was the big winner of the emperor's eastern tour. Not only did they restore their titles, they also got 20% of the shares of the new wharf. In addition, Xiao Xia also gave the formula of the Tianwang Pill to the Jinling Xiao family.
Xiao Lin was very generous. Not only did he give the Wuchen Sword to Xiao Xia, he also generously gave Xiao Xia 10,000 strings of cash as a foundation for his development in Chang'an. Of course, for the Jinling Xiao family, this was both a reward for Xiao Xia's gift of the Tianwang Pill formula and an investment.
But there was another subtle change: the Jiangdu Xiao family took over Pier No. 7, the Jinling Xiao family restored their title, and the matter of the merger of the two Xiao families was no longer mentioned.
On November 20th, five days after the emperor's fleet left Jiangdu, Xiao Xia also left Jiangdu on horseback and began his journey to Chang'an.
[The first volume ends with Jiangdu entering the game, please read the second volume, Chang'an changes]
(End of this chapter)