NOVPUBChapter 754 -54 Long Time No See (2/2) (5400)
Yang Yongding, at such an age, was leaving the Western Regions without his father and brothers for the first time, and felt as unbridled as a horse let off its rope, acting at his own discretion with a certain sense of recklessness. His only hope was that the one-armed master beside him could be less strict, and not inspect his studies every day as usual—that would be ideal.
After entering the Central Plains from the Western Regions, instead of going to those mighty cities, the two of them headed directly towards Jiangnan Road. “Jiangnan Road, Jiangnan Road, how wonderful…” Yang Yongding muttered to himself, lost in thought as he looked out the window, propping his chin with his left hand and stirring the clear broth noodles in his bowl with chopsticks in his right hand.
While in the Western Regions, he had already heard much about Jiangnan Road.
There were stories of cavalier swordsmen who strutted on horseback and shattered noble clans, of fierce battles in Jianghu where one could fight a hundred, sending four thousand martial artists to their graves, and of top-tier noble clans and sects in the Great Qin’s martial world, which he didn’t care much about.
He had heard of an Oiran in Jiangnan who captivated the hearts of the thirteen provinces with her singing and melodies. Unfortunately, it seemed that she wasn’t in Jiangnan at the moment, but it didn’t matter—missing out on seeing such a top-notch beauty was bearable as witnessing the Oirans in the grand brothels wasn’t too bad either.
Outside the Western Regions were the barbarians, with many small nations, where the women were frank and fiery.
The women of Jiangnan Road, however, were like the melting snow of spring—soft in voice, gentle in temperament, and pliable in form, making one yearn to fold her entirely into one’s embrace. Lost in such thoughts, Yang Yongding became somewhat absent-minded.
Especially when two figures emerged from the large inn opposite him. The young man leading them was not old, but he emanated a long breath and his footsteps were steady, as if measured meticulously, with no variation, revealing a level of martial arts skill that ordinary people could hardly imagine. He wore luxurious purple garments and held a sword in his right hand, its scabbard studded with jewels arranged like the Big Dipper, an air of spirited grandeur about him.
Following him were a man and a woman. The man was elderly, slightly hunched and wore a gentle expression, but his palms, ink-like in color, emitted an offensive odor and a sense of dread to those who saw them.
The other person seemed as if she had just stepped out of the Heaven Palace, plump in figure, greatly unlike the young women of ordinary years, and not inferior to those barbarians in terms of form, yet her complexion was as fair as jade, carrying a demeanor of noble purity while still being dangerously alluring.
After all, Yang Yongding came from a family of top-class profligates, not schooled very strictly on such matters, hardly a fledgling, and so he found himself somewhat distracted.
Just then, a palm rested on his shoulder.
As if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head in the midst of summer, all of his wandering thoughts were suppressed, and his eyes regained clarity. He realized that his inner strength circulation had accelerated by more than fifty percent, and he first froze, then after considering his train of thoughts from moments before, his face showed a hint of fear.
Ni Tianxing placed a stack of vinegar-soaked dishes on the table from the counter nearby, and sat down beside him. Dressed in plain scholar’s clothes at the moment, the extraordinary Blazing Sword was wrapped in white cloth several times over and carried on his back. Glancing at his disciple, whose face was full of fear, he spoke softly,
“Rein in your mind.”
“Just now, you were affected by an entrancing technique from the Southern Frontier.”
Yang Yongding had only occasionally heard of such methods and had not expected to encounter one upon arriving in the Central Plains. The feeling of fear intensified as his True Qi boiled within him. Although he had been practicing the vigorous and domineering cultivation techniques from the Military Family since childhood and had later switched to the more orthodox Confucian methods, his advancement in Inner Strength had not slowed and he had reached the initial stage of the Seventh Rank Realm. It frightened him to realize he was unaware of how he had been ensnared.
The Jianghu of the Central Plains truly was a place where dragons lurked and tigers crouched—extraordinarily dangerous.
This thought triggered a sudden stiffness as he felt something amiss, his eyes widening. Although in the past he didn’t abstain from pleasures and was still a healthy man despite a more disciplined approach to cultivating his Inner Strength, he ought to have been overwhelmed by desire under the influence of the enchantment, especially given the allure of that woman. Yet now he felt not the slightest ripple in his heart.
Glancing at his Master, could it be that he was indeed expected to become a proper scholar with a heart as calm as still water, unswayed by the opposite sex?
Yang Yongding’s face turned green.
Ni Tianxing suddenly stood up, causing Yang Yongding to flinch, snapping out of his wild daydream. Instinctively, he asked,
“What’s wrong, Master?”
“We are heading out,” Ni Tianxing replied.
“Heading out? Didn’t we just arrive? Where are we going…”
With a calm expression, Ni Tianxing felt the disturbance of the Divine Weapon behind him and the uncontrollable inclination that surfaced in his mind. He uttered three words,
“One-Leaf Pavilion.”
………
Wang Anfeng and his group had settled in a State City the day before, which was just a bit over a hundred li from One-Leaf Pavilion. no𝚟𝚙u𝚋.c𝚘m
For the average person, this was a considerable distance. Not to mention the weariness from the travel of a hundred li, one would need to refill their strength with a good meal. However, for those endowed with considerable martial arts skills, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
