Chapter 445 The current legendary battle

Chapter 445 The current legendary battle

Chapter 445 The current legendary battle (new January, please guarantee the minimum monthly ticket)

Outside the Wugong Hall, the empress's imperial carriage was parked quietly, with the horse's tail swinging and the steed snorting loudly.

After Mo Chou dealt with the Shangshan Bureau's affairs, she arrived here with the palace maid holding the lantern and frowned, "Your Majesty hasn't come out yet?"

A female official nodded respectfully:
"Reporting to Zhaorong, His Majesty has gone in to discuss matters with Lord Zhao, and has ordered us to wait here."

It’s been so long... Mo Chou thought for a moment and stepped over the threshold of the Martial Arts Hall. However, when she was about to enter the backyard, two priests raised their hands and politely stopped her.

"Zhaorong, please stop. His Majesty has ordered that you should not disturb her." said a servant.

Mo Chou bit her lip and nodded, "I'll wait here."

……

backyard.

"That's enough for you now that you have mastered the method of moving the energy channels."

After another round of teaching ended, Xu Zhenguan said softly.

"…I am stupid. Do you want me to teach you again?"

"...What do you think?"

Zhao Duan smiled awkwardly, withdrew, holding a peach branch in his hand, and said:

"Your Majesty is busy with many things every day. I roughly understand it."

As the two of them pulled away, the slightly burning temperature on Xu Zhenguan's face quickly subsided. She took a deep breath, threw away the peach blossom branch in her hand, and said "yes" in a reserved manner, saying:
"It's not easy to master this method. Just follow this sword method and try to cut the peach blossoms on the tree from a distance."

Isn't this simple? Zhao Duan flicked his wrist, and with a low sound of breaking wind, a field of peach blossoms fell from his head.

Xu Zhenguan smiled:
"When you have practiced until your sword is silent, and the peach blossoms are cut but still linger on the branches, refusing to fall, then you have entered the realm of the sword."

Cut it off but can't let it fall? What a harsh requirement... Zhao Duan's mouth twitched, but he still nodded:
"I know."

As he spoke, he actually sat cross-legged on the ground, quietly appreciating the essence of the swordsmanship taught by Zhenbao. From time to time, he picked up the peach branch and waved it a few times, then put it down and pondered again.

"I will stay here tonight. If you have any questions, you can come and ask."

Xu Zhenguan suddenly said this, then he moved lightly with lotus steps, went into the inner hall not far away and sat down to breathe.

It's like the attitude of a master.

But she had thought that with the slippery character of this young imperial guard, he would find all kinds of problems with sword techniques after a while, come to her for advice, and take the opportunity to take advantage of her.

But she miscalculated. For the next hour, Zhao Duan did not leave the backyard and actually started to practice hard.

Was it to show off in front of him? To improve as quickly as possible, to surprise himself? To astonish himself? Xu Zhenguan recalled the passages in the few vernacular novels he had read when he was a child, and tried to guess what he was thinking.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, he shook his head and laughed, then simply sat cross-legged and began to meditate.

"Although the Peach Blossom Sword Technique is not complicated, it was created by Emperor Taizu. How much progress can one make in one night?"

As the night deepened, darkness fell like a thick quilt over the palace.

Before she knew it, dawn had broken. When the sky turned pale, the empress's eyelashes trembled. She opened her eyes and was shocked to realize that a whole night had passed.

"This guy, did he really practice all night?"

Xu Zhenguan muttered to himself, slowly stood up, pushed open the door to the backyard, and saw the faint mist under the dim morning light.

Zhao Duan was still sitting in the same position as last night, cross-legged under the huge peach tree, with the peach wood "sword" across his knees, his eyes closed, and his head slightly lowered, as if he had fallen asleep.

This guy... fell asleep like this... The empress twitched the corner of her mouth and sighed helplessly, feeling a little disappointed. She then walked over and tried to wake him up and go back to the room to sleep.

However, at this moment, a gentle breeze blew into the backyard, and countless peach blossoms on the lush treetops fell like heavy snow.

In the blink of an eye, the ground was covered with debris, leaving only a few remnants on the bare tree trunks.

Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes widened slightly as she looked at the scene in astonishment.

"Your Majesty?" Zhao Duan woke up from his nap, rubbed his dark circles, looked at the peach blossoms scattered on his shoulders, raised his face and smiled brightly:
"I did it."

After a while.

After waiting in the front yard for a night, Mochou, who was sitting on the steps with her arms around her knees, was awakened. In a daze, she saw the Queen of Yu State walking out.

"Your Majesty? Are you up?" Mo Chou asked with infinite resentment.

Xu Zhenguan didn't notice her, and murmured:

"What a strange thing, what a strange thing..."

……

……

The arrival of Qingshan's disciples eventually attracted the attention of many people, especially those in the Beijing officialdom.

The practitioners in the city were especially interested in the competition between the two major martial arts traditions.

In a private room of an elegant teahouse, Xue Shence and Yuan Li also talked about this matter during a social dinner.

"Master Xue is a master in the army. Who do you think will win the competition in the palace?"

Yuan Li, the leader of the Qingliu Party, picked up a piece of cod with chopsticks and asked curiously.

Xue Shence was born as a military officer, and even at a private banquet, he always sat upright and dignified. Hearing this, he glanced at Yuan Qingyi and said calmly:
"Does Lord Yuan have no confidence in the palace's offerings?"

Yuan Li smiled and said with emotion:
"I am not good at martial arts, and I am not as good as Lord Xue in understanding the difference between them, but I know how to judge people. I heard that those disciples from Qingshan are coming with great momentum, and I think they must be very confident. Fortunately, a few days ago, Zhao Shaobao used some tricks to beat them a few times, and they calmed down. Although the two sides have been fighting each other for the past few days, there has been no more tension."

Xue Shence sighed:
"I heard that Qingshan's generation is full of talented people. Not to mention Wu Xiankui who is trying to break through the void and become a human immortal, there are many strong players below him. On the other hand, among the royal family... only Zhao Shaobao is more famous. Unfortunately, he came to the competition too early. Even if he barely stepped into the high level of the God Chapter, it would be difficult to reverse the situation... In this kind of competition, it is impossible to use the Taia Sword."

The implication: the royal family is going to lose.

Yuan Li nodded slightly without expressing her opinion, and the box fell into silence for a moment.

Xue Shence took the initiative to bring up a new topic: "Mr. Yuan has been extremely busy these days."

Yuan Li smiled bitterly: "Last year, a new policy was issued and a number of local officials were executed. The court had to draw up a list of new appointments and dismissals. It has been going on since the beginning of the year until now, and it has finally been roughly finalized."

Xue Shence asked curiously, "Could it be that the Prime Minister is obstructing this?"

Li Yanfu is in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. Even though the "new cabinet" has taken away all the power, when it comes to official evaluation, promotion, appointment and dismissal, the Li Party cannot be avoided.

Yuan Li nodded, then shook her head:

"But not entirely. All new officials appointed and dismissed must shoulder the responsibility of promoting the new policy. The rest of the places are fine, especially those involving the Huai River and the southern part of Jiancheng, which must be handled with great care. The Jiancheng Dao Canal Transport Governor has been urging him for several months. What can Your Majesty do?

Don’t you know that there is a shortage of people there? But the more important it is, the more we need to identify them. The burden of identifying new local officials falls on our Censorate.”

Xue Shence showed sympathy in his eyes and raised his glass to toast:

"Mr. Yuan has worked hard for the country, so drink this cup to the full."

Yuan Li smiled and raised her glass in return:
"I hope nothing unexpected happens."

……

Silent Lighting Temple.

After spring, the lotus lake in the courtyard thaws, the grass turns green, and the weather becomes warmer.

Prajna Bodhisattva, wearing only a light gauze monk's robe, sat quietly by the pond, listening to the nun's report.

Her bare feet were soaked in the water, with golden carps circling and kissing between her fingers. Her monk's robe was open, revealing her white skin. She held a wooden comb in her hand, gently combing her long hair.

"...Buddha, this is the fifth time I have begged you to go south."

The nun said softly.

Prajna Bodhisattva did not speak for a long time before he sighed softly, squinting his eyes and enjoying the warm spring light:
"I really don't want to move."

Following the Buddhist debate, the status of Prajna Bodhisattva in Shenlong Temple rose rapidly.

After Master Dajing defected, the monks who originally belonged to Dajing in the temple lost their support. After weighing the pros and cons, they all defected to Prajna.

While her power increased greatly, it also brought her a lot of trouble.

Shenlong Temple is the main Buddhist temple of the Yu Kingdom, and there are also scattered temples in various places. A considerable number of them were originally controlled by the Great Jing Master, but now they have become his "political legacy" left behind.

Against the backdrop of the empress's ban on Buddhism, the Shenlong Temple was still able to hold on with its solid foundation, but local temples were in a state of panic.

Therefore, as the new leader of "Zen Buddhism", Prajna Bodhisattva had to go south to meet with and appease monks in temples across the country.

In order to prevent the new "Zen Buddhism" from collapsing... Prajna Bodhisattva is lazy and does not like fighting. He has refused several times, and this is the fifth time.

"Forget it. If you don't nod, they will come to bother you again. And tell them what I mean. I will go south in a few days." Prajna said helplessly.

The young nun breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a smile, "Buddha, have mercy on you."

Prajna Bodhisattva smiled and asked about other things casually:

"Has Princess Yunyang been making trouble these days?"

The nun said, "She is not making so much noise now. She seems to have calmed down a lot. Maybe it is all due to the Dharma talk given to her by Master Bianji last time."

Bian Ji was preaching... Prajna Bodhisattva smiled and said:
"Yes, Yunyang was left in Jizhao Temple by the emperor in the palace, so that she could not see men and would feel suffocated and make trouble. A handsome monk like Bianji must have satisfied her cravings."

The little nun's face turned red when she heard the Bodhisattva's vicious words.

Prajna looked down at her with a smile: "Why, are you interested in Bian Ji too?"

"No...how could it be...Buddha..."

Prajna laughed loudly. Strangely enough, a woman's laughter is not elegant, but on her, it was particularly harmonious and beautiful:

"My Zen method does not emphasize the prohibition of those corrupt precepts. What are you afraid of?"

The little nun hesitated, and suddenly asked boldly:
"What does the Bodhisattva think of Master Bianji?"

"He..." Prajna Bodhisattva, who was born with a pair of Buddhist wisdom eyes, sneered:
"The most treacherous appear loyal."

After a pause, she said sadly, "Not as good as Zhao Duan."

……

……

In the palace, the competition between the priests and Qingshan's disciples went on day by day, but except for the first day, there were not many twists and turns in the following days.

Zhao Duan comprehended the Peach Blossom Sword overnight, which surprised Xu Zhenguan and made him feel that he was worthy of being the one chosen by "Dragon Soul".

The speed at which he learned the martial arts of the Xu royal family was incredible, but when he thought about the secret assistance of Dragon Soul, it was barely explainable.

However, Zhao Duan knew that he had fallen behind in his studies, so he secluded himself for half a month, practicing hard day and night. He was surprised to find that his Peach Blossom Sword Technique was closely connected with the "Open Heaven" sword technique that Lao Xu taught him at the end of the "Martial God Picture".

There was a faint sense of connection between the beginning and the end, and a sense of circulation of energy, which made him wonder whether the Kaitian sword move was one of the Peach Blossom sword techniques.

The more I practice and comprehend it, the deeper my understanding becomes, and I feel like I am in a "flow" state of being immersed in the world of martial arts.

On the seventh day, his cultivation level successfully reached the upper level of the Divine Chapter, just as Zhen Bao had said.

After repeated consolidation over the next few days, his strength made another substantial leap forward, but unfortunately it was still far from the "worldly" realm.

In this way, the time came to the fifteenth day, which was also the agreed day for the martial arts test.

……

Early in the morning, in the martial arts hall.

Zhao Duan ate slowly until he was about 70% full. When he walked out of the room, he saw the worshippers headed by Tang Jinzhong standing in several rows in the courtyard.

The troops are well-disciplined.

Everyone's face was filled with solemnity and killing intent.

"Don't be so serious, relax, it's just a duel."

Zhao Duan smiled:

"Besides, it's not necessary for most of you to go to the battle. Just smile. Don't surrender before the battle even starts."

The eunuchs in service tried hard to force smiles, but their smiles were uglier than crying.

After several days of discussion and repeated evaluation, everyone clearly realized the gap between the two sides.

"There are three people on the other side. We can play three games. It will be acceptable if we win one." Zhao Duan comforted.

The priests looked bitter. They should win at least two games at home, if not three. Otherwise, His Majesty would lose face. But... could they do it? No one was confident.

Originally, some people still placed their hopes on Zhao Shaobao, thinking that if he could use the same sword skills as the one that broke through armor on the first day, there might be a chance of a turnaround.

But when everyone caught a glimpse of Zhao Duan's empty hands and the appearance that he was not even carrying a sword, they understood that Zhao Shaobao would not take action today.

……

The venue for the competition was chosen to be the Peach Garden in the imperial palace.

As the name suggests, it is a garden planted with peach trees and centered on a hill-like slope backed by a city wall.

There is a large open space in between. It is said that six hundred years ago, after the Queen's death, Emperor Taizu of that time often came to Taoyuan to relax and practice martial arts.

When Zhao Duan led a group of depressed and stressed priests over the fence and entered the center of Taoyuan, they found that Qingshan disciples had already arrived.

Chai Keqiao was still dressed as a woodcutter, standing calmly with a look of strong confidence.

Qiye's injuries have healed. A swordsman with his eyes blindfolded in black cloth stands beside him. The scabbard in his hand is as black as an inkstone. The sword is named "Gu Yan".

Xiao Ran, wearing a bamboo hat, has a slim figure, and the cloth strip tied around his waist flutters gently in the wind.

She stood there holding a sword, her eyes fixed on Zhao Duan fiercely, the corners of her mouth slowly raised, and she actually made a provocative "wiping the neck" gesture in the air.

"Grand Tutor Dong? Envoy Xue? I haven't seen you for a few days." Zhao Duan was calm and not nervous at all.

His eyes swept over the trio, then he looked in surprise at the familiar spectators in the peach garden.

Today, Dong Xuan, who is in his octogenarian years, has gathered here with Han Zhou, Wang You, Guo Jieyuan and other scholars from the Xiuwenguan. It seems that they have come to join in the fun because they are close to the imperial city.

As for the Privy Council members headed by Xue Shence, and the military officers in charge of the imperial guards, they were "military warriors" and were unwilling to miss this competition.

"Zhao Shaobao looks even better than before."

"Haha, we are waiting here today to watch the fun, but we are looking forward to your methods."

A group of military officers and cabinet scholars greeted them with smiles, which made the Qingshan trio frown.

"A martial arts competition turned out to be like attending court." Qiye snorted.

Chai Keqiao suddenly looked outside the Peach Garden and said, "Your Majesty has arrived."

As expected, after Zhao Duan exchanged greetings with a group of colleagues, he turned around and saw a group of people walking towards him.

The palace maids cleared the way all around, and the most conspicuous person was naturally the Queen of Yu State, who possessed the attributes of both a fairy from heaven and an emperor on earth.

Beside her, on the left and on the right, followed her old acquaintance Mo Chou and Hai Chunlin, who was dressed in a bright red dragon robe.

"See Your Majesty!"

Everyone salutes.

Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"After a hundred years of absence, today is the day for our Yu Kingdom's royal family to test their skills with Qingshan's disciples..."

The empress seemed to be well prepared. Zhao Duan listened to the opening words in the crowd, but only listened to them in one ear and out the other.

Today's competition was not as grand as the Buddhist and Taoist competitions, which attracted the entire capital city to watch.

It only happened in the Peach Garden of the Imperial Palace, with more than a hundred people watching, but its significance to the royal family of the State of Yu might be even greater than the former.

"The martial arts tests of Qingshan and the royal family in all previous dynasties will not only be recorded in history books, but will also be spread to the martial arts world. In the next hundred years, they will be remembered by generations of martial artists in the martial arts world..."

Zhao Duan's ears seemed to echo with the words that Eunuch Hai had said to him yesterday.

The whole person couldn't help but be infected by the solemn atmosphere and became a little more serious.

He looked around and suddenly realized that what he was experiencing now was the battle that would be legendary.
(End of this chapter)