Chapter 417 – Surging Waves Vs Flying Fish

Zhou Tai, however, had sharp eyes. He had long noticed the longsword strapped to the Sibu Xiang beside the black horse. He cupped his hands with a smile and said: “Brother Ren, you are clearly a model among our kind—not only are you well-versed in the classics, but it seems you’re also a master of the sword.”

Zhang Xiaohua hurriedly replied with modesty: “The Six Arts are essential for a gentleman’s cultivation. I dare not fall behind others—I’ve merely dabbled a little.”

Yet from the way Zhang Xiaohua looked, where was there any sign of modesty? Even if he were proud and showing off, it wouldn’t have been much different.

Zhou Tai and Yuan Guoliang exchanged a glance, almost bursting into laughter. No matter how skilled a frail scholar was at swordplay, they wouldn’t necessarily take him seriously. Seeing the way this scholar behaved only further confirmed his identity. Yuan Guoliang couldn’t help but ask: “It’s just that, Brother Ren, this longsword of yours seems to still be just a sword blank. If you have the time, you could come to our Mirror Lake—I know a renowned swordsmith in our sect who could help you sharpen it. What do you say?”

Zhou Tai cursed inwardly when he heard this and quickly added: “Brother Ren, Mirror Lake is a bit far. If you have time, why not come to our Flying Fish Gang instead? We have an island called Drunken Cherry Blossom Island. Its scenery is the most beautiful—more splendid than even this sea of peach blossoms.”

Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but find it amusing that before they even got to asking him to be a witness, they were already attempting to bribe him with their words. With a slight frown, he said: “A sword blank? You two must be mistaken. That’s just a walking stick I use to climb mountains. My actual sword is still hanging inside the carriage.”

“Ahem, ahem—” The two of them coughed and flushed with embarrassment.

Zhang Xiaohua chuckled again and said: “I was merely passing through here by chance. I still have a journey to continue in a bit. I wonder if you two gentlemen have any urgent matters you need help with? If it’s too troublesome, then I may have to politely decline.”

Hearing this, Yuan Guoliang quickly said: “Please don’t worry, Brother Ren—it will only take a brief moment, and certainly won’t delay your travels.”

Zhou Tai chimed in: “Yes, Brother Ren. My brother and I met here today and wished to compare our swordplay. But everyone around us is family, so it may not be entirely fair. That’s why we hoped to ask you to be a neutral witness.”

How could Zhang Xiaohua believe that? He frowned and said: “Friendship comes first, competition second. You two can just spar lightly—it should be easy to tell who’s superior. Why involve a third party?”

Yuan Guoliang said: “Brother, you truly are a heaven-blessed talent—to see through the situation with but a single glance. To tell you the truth, there is a significant matter that my brother and I have placed as a wager. However, this wager isn’t quite suitable to be spoken of openly, just as you’ve said, Brother Ren. All we ask is for you to stand aside and observe carefully. Once we determine the victor between ourselves, we’ll only trouble you to serve as a witness. Afterward, the two of us shall certainly present a generous token of gratitude.”

“Well…” Zhang Xiaohua hesitated and said, “It’s not a big deal, right? No one’s going to go back on their word… and then find some excuse to…”

He trailed off, speaking rather haltingly. The expressions of the two changed slightly when they heard this. Zhang Xiaohua’s words were unpleasant to hear, but they struck directly at the heart of the matter. He was just a scholar, not someone of the Jianghu. To serve as a witness was simple enough, but if someone were to renege afterward, the first person to be silenced—naturally—would be him.

Yuan Guoliang hadn’t thought that far ahead. He’d merely seen someone pass by, acted on impulse, and pulled him in as a witness. Now that Zhang Xiaohua voiced his concerns, both he and Zhou Tai found themselves in a bit of a bind.

If they refused to let Zhang Xiaohua act as a witness, it would imply that their wager was indeed serious and that they feared the other party would go back on their word and silence the witness. But if they insisted on having him be a witness, and the other party truly did have ill intentions, wouldn’t they be dragging a stranger into danger?

Yuan Guoliang looked at Zhou Tai and said with a wry smile: “Brother Zhou, it seems I’ve acted a bit recklessly. What do you think?”

Zhou Tai, with his sharp, high-pitched voice, said: “Brother Yuan, I swear right here—if there is any consequence from this contest that implicates Brother Ren, may heaven strike me down, and may I die without peace.”

Yuan Guoliang also smiled and added to Zhang Xiaohua: “Brother Ren, please set your mind at ease. This match is nothing more than a simple exchange between juniors—there is absolutely no danger to life. I, too, make an oath: should I bear any ill will toward Brother Ren because of this, may the five thunders strike me down where I stand.”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua beamed and said: “The two of you are making far too much of it. I was only speaking casually. Though I wonder what this generous token of thanks might be? Oh, just a casual question, out of curiosity.”

Yuan Guoliang replied: “I did not expect Brother Ren to have such an open and honest heart—so forthright and refreshing. I admire that. Seeing your noble bearing gives me great comfort. Men! Bring out ten taels of gold and deliver it to Brother Ren’s carriage as a token of our thanks.”

Zhou Tai echoed the instruction, and from the two groups, someone quickly stepped forward and handed twenty taels of gold to Nie Qianyu.

Nie Qianyu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This Big Brother Ren… truly has no sense of a hero’s awareness or bearing befitting one of the martial world.

Zhang Xiaohua, however, smiled even more brightly, cupping his hands and saying: “Many thanks to you both. Well then, I shall give my utmost in serving as your witness. Gentlemen, what exactly would you have me do?”

Yuan Guoliang smiled and said: “Brother, there’s no need for you to do anything—just stand here and observe. Once we finish our match, simply announce who the victor is.”

Zhang Xiaohua rubbed his nose and replied: “Mm, no problem. Back at the academy, I often settled disputes between fellow disciples.”

Seeing him like this, the two couldn’t help but find it amusing, though they said nothing. The two of them stepped to the side and each drew their longswords. Zhou Tai said: “Brother Yuan, now that we have Brother Ren as our witness, we must repeat what was just said earlier to make it formal. What say you?”

Yuan Guoliang nodded. “Indeed—it must be done properly.”

He then turned and addressed Zhang Xiaohua. “Please listen carefully, Brother Ren. The two of us are both heading to Mochou City for an important matter. As for what that matter is, we cannot divulge it to you—but it’s enough for you to know that such a matter exists.”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled without replying.

Zhou Tai continued: “This matter is extremely important to both of us. However, neither of us has complete confidence in succeeding, and since we’re more or less evenly matched in martial skills, we had an idea upon meeting here.”

Yuan Guoliang picked up from there. “So, after some discussion, we decided to duel here first. Whoever wins will proceed to Mochou City, and the one who loses shall return and not go make a fool of himself.”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded. “So this is the wager?”

“Oh, that’s right. Each of us is traveling with a carriage full of valuables. The accompanying wealth is also part of the wager—if one loses, the goods will go to the victor.” Yuan Guoliang explained.

Zhang Xiaohua turned to Zhou Tai. “Is that so?”

Zhou Tai nodded in affirmation.

Zhang Xiaohua chuckled: “Now that makes sense. If this were just a sword match, what would you even need me as a witness for?”

Yet, in his heart, Zhang Xiaohua was thinking: “A whole carriage of valuables and I only got twenty taels of gold? Isn’t that a bit too little? Maybe I should bring it up with the two of them—take a cut proportionally?”

This thought, fortunately, was unheard by the two about to duel. Had they caught wind of it, the match would likely be postponed—only after teaching this insatiable scholar a lesson would the duel resume.

Having spoken clearly on the terms of their wager, the two of them drew their treasured swords, held their breath, and locked eyes with unwavering focus.

After a brief pause, Yuan Guoliang let out a clear cry, his longsword trembling in his hand as a sword-flower shimmered into view, thrusting straight for Zhou Tai’s shoulder. But Zhou Tai remained unflustered. His own sword tilted diagonally in response—a move matching strike for strike. And just like that, the two were locked in combat, trading blow for blow, move for move.

Zhang Xiaohua stood to the side, watching with a calm smile, his divine sense already extended, closely observing every detail of their bout.

After watching barely a dozen moves, Zhang Xiaohua had already reached a conclusion. The two men’s martial skills were not bad—their sword techniques were refined, their internal energy profound, their moves well-balanced between feints and true strikes. Clearly, they were seasoned fighters and not ones of hollow reputation. However, whether it was the Surging Wave Swordplay or the Flying Fish Swordplay, within his divine sense, both were riddled with flaws. The moment either of them so much as moved their arm, Zhang Xiaohua already saw the trajectory of the swordplay and could predict the general direction of the next strike. If he were to step in himself, one precise thrust into a weak point would likely be enough to claim either man’s life.

“Why go through all this trouble? If I just bring my sword down, no matter how they respond, they wouldn’t be able to stop it.” Zhang Xiaohua thought smugly.

Even so, just as the two had said, their martial skills were indeed evenly matched—technique for technique, inner strength for inner strength, qinggong as well. Even with Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense observing from the side, he couldn’t immediately determine whose skills were superior.

And so, after dozens more exchanges, Zhang Xiaohua gradually grew impatient. Clearly, if either of them hesitated by half a beat, or angled their sword half a point lower, they could settle the fight in a single blow—but no! They just keep missing it. Could Zhang Xiaohua not be anxious watching this? If not for the fact that the two had courteously invited him earlier and even offered twenty taels of gold in thanks, he would have long since shaken his sleeves and left.

But just as Zhang Xiaohua was starting to grow restless, he suddenly saw Yuan Guoliang take a deep breath, a faint flush rising to his face. Then, his sword technique shifted dramatically. Where once his sword had danced like drifting water and scattered petals, it now grew heavy, as if the blade tip carried weight. Each move turned ponderous and obscure. Yet, though the speed slowed, the tide of battle changed at once. Those crashing-wave sword strikes came surging forward, each blow battering toward Zhou Tai like waves slamming into the shore.

Faced with this assault, Zhou Tai was surprisingly powerless to retaliate, forced back several steps by Yuan Guoliang’s pressing advance.

Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes lit up as well. Though these moves were slower, they embodied the perfection of great skill appearing clumsy—the flaws between moves now vanished. If Zhou Tai had no hidden trump card, he would surely be defeated within a few more moves.

And sure enough, after retreating a few more steps, Zhou Tai’s expression grew focused. A greenish hue flickered briefly across his face before his swordplay transformed as well. With a rapid “shua, shua, shua,” his longsword danced in the air—each move faster than the last. He was clearly aiming to counter slowness with speed, hoping that raw quickness could reverse the disadvantage he’d just fallen into.

Unfortunately, this gust-of-wind-through-willows style assault only gained the upper hand for a brief moment upon its initial launch, catching Yuan Guoliang slightly off rhythm. But once he steadied his heart and responded with calm and focus, it took barely a dozen moves before he leveled the field again—and not only that, Yuan Guoliang even seemed to be gradually gaining the upper hand once more!