Chapter 921 - 418: Unparalleled Grace, Three Broken Sword Sect, Walking My Own Path, Archery Great Self!_3

Chapter 921: Chapter 418: Unparalleled Grace, Three Broken Sword Sect, Walking My Own Path, Archery Great Self!_3

"One sound, two sounds, three sounds... In an instant, it rang seven times. When everyone reached the bell, take a guess, what kind of scene did they see!?"

Huang Axia suddenly paused, calm and composed, slowly sipping her tea. Ding Heilang said, "Was that lady already by the bell?"

Yao Yin, Han Niannian, and others all thought it made sense. Huang Axia lightly raised her Liu Mei eyebrows, shook her head faintly, and gently drank the now-cold tea. The crowd continued to guess, but Huang Axia kept shaking her head gently.

Li Xian suddenly said, "If I’ve guessed correctly, there should be nothing else by the bell, but on the ground, there’s a scatter of arrows."

Huang Axia was taken aback and said to Li Xian, "You got it right! Do you remember, when that lady was talking with the old Sword Elder, she said ’I will make the Sword Bell ring to obtain the Sword Collection.’ But she never said she would go up the mountain to get it. She could shoot the Sword Bell remotely from afar!"

"After the elders gathered together, they immediately looked into the distance, but saw no sight of the lady, only two arrows shot toward them. That lady’s archery was not ordinary, and the arrows contained Martial Arts. When shot at the cauldron, they immediately sounded the ninth bell. The dust settles."

"It’s hard to imagine, the Sword Sect’s Sword Bell is made of special, extremely heavy material. Even holding a blunt instrument, hitting it with great force would make only a slight vibration and a very faint sound. But for an archer, the momentum is crucial, with the arrow being lightness itself, even with the ability to break stone and pierce wood when breaking through the air. But when shot at the bronze bell, it’s like an ant trying to shake a big tree; how could it fell the tree?"

"Even with the containment of Martial Arts transformation, it is very difficult to accomplish. And the Sword Bell is no ordinary object. Therefore, the elders didn’t expect the Sword Bell to be sounded in such a manner."

Li Xian said, "Shooting the bell with a sharp arrow, in most cases, the arrow breaks, and rarely does it pierce the bell, but to sound the great bell is indeed extremely difficult. However..." He leaped up and broke off a tree branch.

He said, "Let the tip of the branch be the arrowhead, the body of the branch be the arrow body, and the end of the branch be the arrow tail. People often only know the arrowhead to be sharp and ignore the arrow body and tail. As long as you have an arrow made of flexible material, when shot, though the arrow speed is fast, the arrow body sways like a fish swimming. The lady’s arrow came, with the arrow body passing by the Sword Bell. But as the arrow body and tail moved, the arrow tail struck the Sword Bell, turning the arrow’s sharp momentum into a full force of dull power. Then the great bell could be sounded!" He fiddled with the tree branch, explaining the essence of archery.

Remarkably, when he raised his hand to shoot, the branch swayed, and the end of the branch struck in the air, sounding like a palm hitting, producing a bright sound.

The people quickly understood. Yao Yin peculiarly said, "Could it be your archery is very impressive? You figured out the crucial point so quickly." Li Xian said, "It’s fairly decent." In his heart, he thought, "The method of ringing the bell should be what I taught her."

It turns out... In Yihetang Manor in the past. Li Xian and Wen Caishang often discussed archery. Li Xian was strong in archery, with an imaginative mind full of clever ideas. Wen Caishang often set up strange challenges, and after Li Xian pondered a bit, he could complete them. This skill of "ringing the bell with the sword" was developed during that time.

Bai Caiwei asked, "What happened next?"

Huang Axia vividly said, "The nine bell rings resonated through the sky. Yet the lady’s figure was never to be seen. The elders of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance were naturally dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. According to the rules of the Sword Sect, the transcript of the Sword Collection already belonged to that lady. The sound of the bell still echoed through the valley, there was no disputing it. The elders sighed long and hard, saying one after another: ’Our elaborate setup, painstakingly trying to regain face, backfired terribly, failing repeatedly, this is... truly embarrassing!’ ’Enough, enough, I’ve no heart to compete with this woman anymore.’ ’Better hurry and deliver the Sword Collection transcript back to her.’"

"This time, the Five Mountains Sword Alliance’s scheming was entirely exposed, leaving them without face. But when the Sword Collection was delivered to the foot of the mountain, the lady and her maid had already departed. Yet the Sword Collection still remains with the Sword Sect; what to do with this? This grand challenge turned out to be extremely embarrassing for the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, leaving them unable to step off the stage."

"Ultimately, Ke Jianan volunteered to personally deliver the Sword Collection transcript to the lady. After such twists and turns, the Five Mountains Sword Alliance dared not make it public, and spoke of the lady’s name with utmost discretion, not daring to mention it lightly. Although that friend told me much, despite repeatedly asking about the lady’s name, he never disclosed it."

"This matter is quite a regret."

Huang Axia leisurely drank tea, the Jianghu is endlessly fascinating, and upon encountering such an intriguing tale, she wanted to share it with her friends. It was just past noon, the weather fair and sunny, Li Xian temporarily focused his thoughts and checked Huang Axia’s pulse, preparing medicinal soup for treatment.

Busy like this until evening, Li Xian, Fang Ming, and Ding Heilang took their leave. Receiving a reward of "three taels of silver," and gaining ’twenty’ medical value points. Although Li Xian had left the Mysterious Doctor Pavilion and become a Gold Appraisal Guard, his medical license remained at the Medical Pavilion. Whenever he had free time, he would go to the Medical Pavilion to practice medicine, though unpaid, it allowed him to accumulate medical value points. He could exchange them for medical scriptures, medical instruments, and Essence Treasures from the Medical Pavilion...

Yao Yin, Huang Axia, Bai Caiwei, and Han Niannian rarely gathered and wanted to chat more. Yao Yin took some time to see Li Xian and the others out of Peach Blossom Residence. Yao Yin said, "Li Xian, you may not follow the Famous Doctor of Mysterious Doctor Pavilion, but your medical skills are quite good. In the future, if the Famous Doctor lacks staff, we might need to ask you to enter the mansion again to practice medicine."

Li Xian said, "If time permits, I’d be happy to help." Yao Yin smiled, "Alright then, goodbye!" She cupped her hands to say farewell.

Li Xian mounted Wind Restraint, cupped his hands in salute, and rode off into the distance.

In the Peach Blossom Residence, Huang A-xia shared a secret, which naturally delighted Yao Ni, Bai Caiwei, and Han Niannian. However, as she occasionally teased them by withholding details, the three women decided to teach her a lesson.

Once Li Xian, Fang Ming, and Ding Heilang left one after another, Han Niannian, Yao Ni, and Bai Caiwei subtly approached and surrounded Huang A-xia. They exchanged glances, understanding each other’s unspoken agreement.

By the time Huang A-xia became aware of the unusual situation, it was too late. The three women simultaneously used their acupoint martial arts, attacking with unique and impressive moves. Huang A-xia cried out in surprise, trying to dodge with her body technique. She managed to evade the first and second strikes, but there was no escaping the third.

Hit by a finger strike, her right arm immediately went numb, and her inner qi circulation became sluggish. Frightened, her face turned pale, as it was hopeless to fight against three opponents at once. Even before the battle started, she was already at a disadvantage, losing an arm. She pleaded, "Please, noble warriors, spare me, spare me!"

Bai Caiwei laughed and said, "Yaoni, should we spare her?" Yao Ni laughed and replied, "This is a rare chance, of course, we won’t spare her. Let’s tie her up and hand her over to the Flower Cage Sect. Let the Flower Thief find her a husband."

Han Niannian added, "Or we could send her to a brothel. This girl isn’t bad-looking and has a silver tongue. She told the secrets wonderfully just now; surely, she’d win the guests’ hearts."

Though Huang A-xia knew the three were purposely joking to scare her, the situation did indeed put her at a disadvantage. Hearing their teasing words frightened her even more. As she tried to escape, the three women weren’t going to let her get away. Yao Ni leaped forward, pressing down on her shoulder, forcing her back to the ground.

Bai Caiwei and Han Niannian, no less capable, closed in from both sides, each employing their acupoint martial arts. Huang A-xia gasped in despair as she stood paralyzed, unable to move. Her pleas for mercy became curses when they failed, but finally, she had to accept her fate.

Han Niannian fetched a jade silk rope and tied Huang A-xia tightly, as per Flower Cage Sect’s method. Annoyed by her insulting words, they used a piece of cloth soaked in tea to gag her.

Afterwards, they ignored her, sipping tea and enjoying their leisurely gathering.

...

...

The Koufeng horse had a delicate physique, with long, slender legs. When it ran, its mane flowed gracefully in the wind, appearing very majestic. The Qingya Forest was quite close to the "Marquis Shop." As Li Xian returned to Shepherd Jujube Residence, he stopped by the Marquis Shop to check in.

Tomorrow the respite ends.

Li Xian suddenly thought, "The days have flown by, but this break wasn’t wasted. I used the opportunity to explore Jade City, witness literary competitions, and learn that in the future, there might be a grand literary gathering. Such an event, if nothing unexpected happens, is best attended. Additionally, I practiced medicine with Yao Ni, meeting Huang A-xia, Bai Caiwei, and Han Niannian in the process. In this way, I can barely count one or two friends in Jade City."

In a relaxed mood, he sped his horse forward. Soon, he returned to Shepherd Jujube Residence, settling Koufeng properly. In the Peach Blossom Residence’s stable, there was upper-grade hay for feeding. As Koufeng was full, no feeding was needed, saving on expenses.

Li Xian practiced "Xunfeng Breath," calming his demeanor. Then, as usual, he trained in martial arts, including the Broken Demon Spear, Setting Sun Bloodsword, Finger-Flashing Golden Light, Dubhe Saber Technique, Suffering Body Classic, Stone-Pushing Palm Technique, and Only I have a Heart Skill.

His skill level gradually accumulated, yielding substantial gains. Li Xian’s Qi Lake surged, his inner qi roared, and the martial arts he performed exhibited formidable power. After rigorously training for two hours, he absorbed a few strands of essence within his body.

Li Xian paused to rest. He thought to himself, "To catch up with my wife, I must work twice as hard. She would never stand still. Knowing of the Great Self Realm, she would immediately strive to reach it. With her talent, we’re likely to find her even stronger at our next meeting. But I shouldn’t focus too much on that or become anxious. I have my own path to follow."

He took out a wooden bow, lightly drew the bowstring, and aimed at the silver moon in the sky.

[Archery]

[Skill Level: 2136/0 Great Self]