Chapter 356: Yellow Springs Town (3)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ye Jingtang observed the long saber and went straight to the point. “The Dragon Slaying Decree has the advantage of having a long blade and great strength. Using a three-foot-long light saber to fight head-on against a spear isn’t much different from using a single saber to close in on a spear. It’s basically difficult to break the moves at the same level. I’ve thought of many moves in the past, but I’ve recently realized that this path is very difficult to follow. If 1 want to break the moves, it’s best to change weapons and use a spear to break them. However, 1 can’t defeat the Saber Chief with a spear. The easiest way to do this is to work on the style of the saber.”
Ye Jingtang walked to the front of the main house and looked at the saber carefully. He continued, “If you want to receive the Dragon Slaying Decree, you can just switch to a heavy saber to fight head-on. But if you want to surpass the Dragon Slaying Decree in saber concepts, you have to consider all aspects to the extreme.
“The saber of the Dragon Slaying Decree is heavy and powerful, but its flaw is that it relies on inertia and has traces to follow. It’s extremely difficult to change moves flexibly. It can be considered to have gone to the extreme. There’s nothing wrong when it’s the strong against the weak, but it basically can’t counterattack against the strong.
“The Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade is the fastest in the world, but its disadvantage is that it pursues speed too much, and the combo moves are fixed. If you change moves, it will no longer be the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade. It can also be considered to have gone to the extreme. It’s very difficult to turn things around if the moves are targeted or the rhythm is interrupted.
“These two saber techniques are both masterpieces that go to the peak, but they have gone too far in the pursuit of perfection and have obvious flaws.
“In my opinion, if you want to defeat these two saber techniques, you should walk the path of ‘the doctrine of the mean’. You will have the unstoppable power of the Dragon Slaying Decree and the lightning-fast speed of the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade. You can advance, attack, retreat, and defend. You won’t have the current absolute advantages, but you won’t have any obvious shortcomings either.
“If we follow this train of thought, the saber has to be neither heavy nor light, neither long nor short, neither fast nor slow.
“This saber is five feet long and has a slender blade. It can be wielded with one hand or two, and it has the characteristics of both a saber and a spear. Relying on its length and speed, it’s not impossible to get close when encountering the Dragon Slaying Decree. The power of the heavy slash is astonishing, and it’s difficult for the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade to parry it. I had imagined this saber shape in the past, but I didn’t expect someone to have already forged it in this world.”
Drip, drip, drip!
The small courtyard became a little quieter under the rain.
Daoist Xuanji leaned against the threshold, took off her wine gourd, and took a sip.
Xuanyuan Tiangang looked at Ye Jingtang for a moment and revealed a smile. He put down the spatula, wiped his hands on his apron, went out, and picked up the long saber in the main room. “There’s only a saber, but there’s no accompanying saber technique. How can you break the moves?”
Ye Jingtang felt that this shopkeeper was a mighty figure who hid in the town. He smiled and said, “We already have the saber. If we find out the most reasonable way to use it, it will be the saber technique. This saber is compatible with some staff techniques and spear techniques. It can take into account the power of the heavy saber and the agility of the light saber. As long as you have studied enough moves of all kinds, it shouldn’t be difficult to figure out the most suitable saber technique. Shopkeeper, have you figured it out?”
Xuanyuan Tiangang walked out of the kitchen with his long saber and threw it to Ye Jingtang. “I can’t teach you, kid, and you don’t look like you need me to teach you. I don’t need this saber either. Since you can see how to use it, 1’11 give it to you. I only hope that your hands won’t dirty this saber.”
Ye Jingtang was rather surprised. He took the long saber with both hands and sized it up before asking, “Senior, may I know your name?”
Xuanyuan Tiangang returned to the kitchen and continued to cook. “We’re just strangers who met by chance. If we have similar interests, we’re confidants. Why ask each other’s names? Leave after dinner. If we continue chatting, my wife will get angry.”
Seeing that the lady boss was indeed unhappy and had been glaring at the shopkeeper, Ye Jingtang held the saber and cupped his hands. “I am Ye Jingtang of Liang Province, and my master is Qiu Tianhe. I’m borrowing this saber today. Senior, when I figure out how to use it, I’ll return it to you.”
??
Xuanyuan Tiangang’s cooking stopped again. He looked up, and the meaning in his eyes was probably: Who are you lying to? If Qiu Tianhe can teach a disciple like you, I’ll twist my head off and let him use it as a urine pot.
However, Xuanyuan Tiangang could still guess something from Ye Jingtang’s self-introduction. He waved his hand slightly. “There’s a lot of smoke in the kitchen. Go out and wait. The food will be done soon.”
Hearing this, Ye Jingtang didn’t say anything else. He carried the bird, who was still looking with its beak open, out of the curtain…
In the blink of an eye, night fell, and the lights in Yellow Springs Town lit up.
In the wine shop, Ye Jingtang, who had eaten his fill, paid the bill with the lady boss and picked up the long saber.
At the table, the satiated bird might have eaten too much, so it lay sprawled out on the stool and refused to move, pretending to want a hug.
Daoist Xuanji, who originally had an ethereal aura, had taken off her bamboo hat. Her beautiful face was flushed red, and she lay on the table drunk while panting softly. She looked as if she had just been tortured.
The lady boss looked at her from the side and picked up the wine pot to shake. She clicked her tongue in wonder. “This girl’s drinking capacity is really scary. This is the first time I’ve seen a guest who can drink two pots. You too. As a man, it’s enough to get the girl drunk. Why did you let her drink so much and get drunk like this? What if something happens…”
Ye Jingtang felt the suspicion in the lady boss’s eyes and felt a little helpless. “The wine is too good. I asked her to drink less, but I couldn’t persuade her at all.”
“Why don’t you rest here for the night? I’ll make some hangover soup…”
“No need-” When Daoist Xuanji heard this, she stood up shakily and put her veiled hat on her head. “I still have something important to do, so I won’t disturb you anymore. Bird, let’s go.”
“Chirp-”
When the lady boss saw that the girl could still stand up, she was speechless. She looked at the dock outside the town. “No ferry has come yet. I think you’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning. If you’re in a hurry, you can go next door and ask to borrow a boat. Take good care of her tonight. Don’t let this girl accidentally fall into the lake…”
Ye Jingtang nodded with a smile. Seeing that the shopkeeper never showed up again, he thanked the lady boss and went next door to borrow a boat. He left the horses in an inn in town and headed to the dock with the long and short weapons.
Soon, two people and a bird disappeared into the night on the old street.
A’lan stopped at the entrance of the wine shop and looked out for a long time before the curtain behind was lifted. Xuanyuan Tiangang walked out of the backyard, stood beside her, and looked at the rain outside the eaves.
“Gang’zi, who is this young man?”
“He’s probably Zheng Feng’s disciple. His talent is shocking.”
“Oh… He seems to be much smarter than Zheng Feng. If it were Zheng Feng, he would definitely drink quietly and be too embarrassed to let the girl get drunk alone…”
“Sigh…”
