Chapter 224 The 1st Master
Chapter 224 The First Master
Shi Wansui was about fifty years old, nearly 1.9 meters tall, thin but very strong, with a rectangular face, a high nose, deep eyes, and lightning-like gaze. He was the son of Shi Jing, the governor of Cangzhou in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and a native of Duling, Chang'an.
When he was young, he received internal skills from a Taoist priest in Mount Zhongnan, which helped him build a foundation. However, his martial arts really reached its peak when he was exiled to Dunhuang and met an extraordinary person who taught him the most advanced martial arts, which enabled his martial arts to finally reach the pinnacle and become unrivaled.
Although Shi Wansui was over fifty years old, he was still brave and ferocious, with arms that had the strength of a thousand pounds. He was recognized as the best fighter in the Sui Dynasty, and even Yuwen Chengdu felt inferior to him.
Hearing that Shi Wansui wanted to see him, Xiao Xia hurried to the general's tent, only to see a tall and strong middle-aged general standing outside the tent. He had a mighty appearance and a strong aura, accompanied by Xue Shixiong and Li Jing.
Xiao Xia immediately realized that this person was Shi Wansui, and he quickly stepped forward to salute, "I, Xiao Xia, pay my respects to General Shi!"
The middle-aged general was Shi Wansui. He looked Xiao Xia up and down and saw that he was slightly shorter than himself, also tall and slender, but not very strong and burly. His murderous aura was completely restrained, and his temperament was gentle and elegant. He looked a bit like a scholar, and looked relatively clean and refreshing.
Shi Wansui nodded. Xiao Xia and Yuwen Chengdu both built their foundations through Taoist magic, so their auras were very beautifully controlled. If they had built their foundations by taking medicine, they would not be able to control it so cleanly. Even if they did not enter the barrier-breaking state, the murderous aura on their bodies could not be concealed.
Shi Wansui asked with a smile: "How old is General Xiao this year?"
"I am seventeen years old!"
"Only seventeen years old, what a young man! I just came down from Mount Zhongnan when I was seventeen."
"The general has also become a monk?"
Shi Wansui shook his head and said, "I lived in a Taoist temple for seven years, but I am not a Taoist priest. I completed my foundation building that year, so General Xiao should have completed his foundation building as well!"
Xiao Xia nodded, "It was completed last winter."
Shi Wansui smiled and said, "Do you know why I am waiting for you outside the big tent? I want to test your skills. Get on the horse!"
"How dare this junior fight against the general?"
Shi Wansui patted Xiao Xia on the shoulder and said, "Boy, stop being so hypocritical. If you want to fight me, most people don't have this opportunity. The last time was five years ago, when I fought with Yuwen Chengdu."
Xiao Xia was no longer polite and nodded, "Please give me some advice, senior!"
Xiao Xia immediately ordered the soldiers to fetch weapons from his tent. At this time, the whole camp was in an uproar. The soldiers were shocked by the news that Shi Wansui, the world's number one martial arts master, was going to compete with the military commander of Zhangye. Everyone knew that the military commander of Zhangye was Xiao Xia, but no one knew how good Xiao Xia's martial arts were.
At this time, Shi Wansui also jumped on his horse. His weapon was a Qinglong halberd, which could also chop and stab. It was also made of one piece of iron and weighed 150 kilograms.
Xiao Xia no longer held back and pushed his barrier-breaking state to the maximum. His hearing, vision, perception and reaction all reached their maximum state, and his strength and attack speed were also exceptionally powerful.
The two men were fifty steps apart, each holding a weapon, full of murderous intent. They shouted at each other and urged their horses to gallop at the same time. Xiao Xia took the lead and stabbed the opponent's right shoulder with a spear. His speed was incomparable and he reached the opponent's right shoulder in the blink of an eye.
"What a martial art!"
Shi Wansui cheered, and his figure flashed like a ghost, and he swung his long spear towards Xiao Xia. It seemed slow, but the blade of the spear seemed to travel through space and appeared under Xiao Xia's ribs in an instant.
Xiao Xia was just as fast. He raised his spear to block the fatal blow. "Dang!" The Qinglong Halberd was deflected. The two men crossed each other. They made almost the same movements. Xiao Xia whipped his whip while Shi Wansui drew his sword. The two shadows flashed. "Dang!" The swords and whips collided and the two men staggered.
The two men then fought fiercely for twenty rounds. One was like a dragon emerging from the sea, and the other was like a god descending to earth. Their speeds were so fast that the soldiers could not see their moves at all. Everyone was stunned.
The two separated again, and Xiao Xia clasped his fists and said, "General, you are so brave. I admit I am inferior to you!" Just now in a flash, Xiao Xia's knee was cut by Shi Wansui's sword. The cut was extremely precise, just on the leg joint. Of course, it was not a real cut. If it was an actual combat, Xiao Xia's left calf would have been gone.
Shi Wansui smiled and nodded. "Yuwen Chengdu and I fought fiercely for thirty rounds. I also cut his knee with a knife, and he admitted defeat. You are not bad. You can hold out against me for twenty rounds. You have reached the ninth level of skill. Your skill is similar to Zhang Xutuo, but our experience is far behind. However, in another ten years, I will not be your opponent."
Xiao Xia clasped his fists again and said, "If it weren't for Senior wanting me to give in, I wouldn't have been able to last ten rounds."
Shi Wansui shook his head. "I was testing your martial arts, so experience doesn't count. In the ninth round, I used the sword-dragging trick. Although you dodged it, you really don't have experience. Remember, the real sword-dragging trick is not to cut off a person, but to cut off the horse's hind legs. The way to deal with the sword-dragging trick is not to dodge, but to die together, exchanging the horse's legs for the opponent's head, forcing the opponent to stop."
"Young people will be taught a lesson!"
The two men dismounted, and their horses and weapons were handed over to the soldiers. At this time, thunderous cheers and applause rang out all around. The applause and cheers of the 25,000 Hexi Army soldiers were mostly for Xiao Xia. Their Hexi Army also had a world-class master.
Xue Shixiong sighed in his heart, Shi Wansui was not here simply to test Xiao Xia's martial arts, he was here to help Xiao Xia. After this competition, Xiao Xia's status in the eyes of the Hexi Army soldiers would probably be no less than his own.
Is this the emperor's intention?
However, even if it was the emperor's intention, he could fight Shi Wansui for twenty rounds. Even Han Qinhu could not do it when he was alive, let alone himself. I am afraid that I can't even hold out for three rounds.
Shi Wansui walked back and sighed to Xue Shixiong: "The Yangtze River's waves behind push the waves ahead. We are all old now. The future of the country belongs to them."
Xue Shixiong smiled slightly and said, "It is because of them that we can live in peace and not worry about the Turks coming to seek revenge on us!"
Shi Wansui laughed, "Brother Xue is right!"
At this time, a soldier came to report, "General Shi, General Xue, the King of Jin's special envoy has arrived!"
Not long after, the judge of the Marshal's Office, Yu Shiji, came on horseback. Yu Shiji was the Secretary of the Internal History Bureau and was appointed by Emperor Yang Jian as the judge of the Marshal's Office of the Western Expedition. In fact, he was the military supervisor.
Everyone welcomed Yu Shiji into the tent. Yu Shiji bowed slightly and said, "I am here to see you generals on the orders of the King of Jin. The negotiations have ended. The other party has accepted the conditions of the Sui Dynasty and is currently waiting for the emperor's approval. Once the emperor approves, the war will be over."
Shi Wansui asked: "How long do we need to wait?"
"The agreement has been sent to Chang'an at an expedited rate of 800 miles. We will have news in 20 days at most."
If the message was delivered by relaying war horses and personnel at post stations, there would be no need to rest day or night. A fast horse could travel 300 miles a day and would reach Chang'an in about seven days at the fastest. Indeed, there would be news in about twenty days.
At this time, Yu Shiji asked again: "Where is General Xiao Xia?"
Xiao Xia stepped out of the line, clasped his fists and said, "I'm here!"
Yu Shiji said slowly: "His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin orders you to lead a thousand cavalrymen to escort Princess Guanghua back to Chang'an. Set off tomorrow."
Xiao Xia hesitated. He didn't really want to leave. He wanted to stay in Zhangye for another year.
Yu Shiji stared at him fiercely and said, "This is actually the emperor's oral order!"
It turned out to be the emperor's oral order. Xiao Xia had to nod silently. As soon as the war ended, he was driven out of Hexi and he didn't even have the chance to return to Zhangye.
(End of this chapter)