In the morning, clouds coiled and uncoiled in the bamboo forest.
Lin Zhao rode his donkey to the edge of a large lake. On the map, this lake was called Canghai Lake. It was vast, but the scenery within it was far from monotonous. Green peaks rose from the water, lush and verdant. From afar, mountains, water, and mist mingled, imbued with abundant spiritual energy – a truly rare and exceptional vista.
After riding his donkey along the lakeshore for some time, he heard the old songs of a fisherman from the lake:
"Cang Yuan, Cang Yuan, vast and boundless.
Grant me fish and grain, and I'll be like an immortal."
...
Lin Zhao listened with a smile, finding it quite amusing. He then called out to the old fisherman in the lake, "Elder, I am a wandering swordsman from out of town. I wish to tour the scenery of Canghai Lake. Could you give me a ride? I will pay you."
"Young sir, please wait a moment!"
Upon hearing of potential copper coins, the old fisherman's spirits immediately lifted. He stood up, paddled his oar, and his small fishing boat swiftly approached.
"Friend."
Lin Zhao tugged at his donkey's ear, pointed forward with his hand, and smiled, "I want to tour the lake's scenery. You can follow along the shore and pick me up when I disembark, alright?"
The donkey, as if possessing intelligence, snorted and nodded before walking forward on its own.
On the fishing boat, the old fisherman clicked his tongue in amazement and gave Lin Zhao a thumbs-up, "You speak to donkeys. Young sir, you must be a little immortal cultivating on the mountains, right?"
"Not at all, just a swordsman of the martial world."
Lin Zhao plunked himself down at the bow of the boat and said with a smile, "I don't know where I'm going. Just row wherever you please, elder, and I won't shortchange you on the copper coins."
Saying this, Lin Zhao took fifty copper coins from his pouch and placed them on the deck. The old fisherman's eyes nearly widened out of his head. He made at most seven or eight jin of fish a day, and fish on the market fetched only about one copper coin per jin, not earning much. Lin Zhao's generosity was truly astounding; this handful of copper coins was equivalent to the old man's earnings from fishing for seven or eight days.
"Young sir, please sit tight. We're setting off."
The old fisherman hurriedly collected the copper coins and, chuckling heartily, began to row them away.
The small boat swayed, navigating through the mountains, water, and mist, offering a unique charm. Lin Zhao sat cross-legged at the bow, his two swords placed beside him, still wearing his bamboo hat and with his arms crossed, appreciating the lake view. It seemed like he hadn't had such leisure in a long time. At the mountain peak villa, there were always endless tasks and worries; here, he could truly set his mind at ease.
"Elder."
He pulled out a flask of clear bamboo wine, took a sip from the spout, and then smiled, "Are you also from the ancient Shu kingdom?"
"Yes."
The old fisherman grinned, his face a tapestry of wrinkles. "Most of Canghai Lake belongs to the ancient Shu kingdom. The common folk who make their living by fishing and hunting along its shores also largely consider themselves people of the ancient Shu kingdom. It's just that things have been rather unsettled recently~~~"
"How so?"
"Alas, it's a long story," the old fisherman sighed. "Our ancient Shu kingdom is situated in the western reaches. We've always been on peaceful terms with our neighbors. But the Xu dynasty has, in recent decades, annexed three vassal states. Of the four territories in the world, they alone occupy three. Thus, in recent years, the Xu dynasty has been constantly encroaching on the lands of our ancient Shu kingdom. The Xu family seeks to unify the world, and our ancient Shu kingdom is bound to be extinguished."
"I see..."
Lin Zhao nodded, gaining a slightly better understanding of the world's situation.
...
As noon approached.
In the distance, a ripple of water began to form. Lin Zhao, who had been sitting at the bow, suddenly felt a tremor in his heart. He looked up and saw, from behind a green mountain in the lake, a figure emerge. It was a female warrior clad in armor, with a fiery red cloak. Judging by her true qi intensity, she was likely a ninth-realm Cloud Wandering realm martial artist.
This female warrior had a delicate and beautiful face, exquisite in appearance. Though her demeanor appeared rather graceful, an uncontainable aura of battle flashed in her eyes. What amazed Lin Zhao even more was that this female warrior wasn't using wind manipulation or supporting herself with true qi. She was merely standing on a single reed stalk, which was now slicing through the lake's surface like a breaking wave, carrying her forward at great speed.
"A single reed crossing the river?"
Lin Zhao frowned. A remarkable technique.
The female warrior seemed to have noticed the fishing boat's presence. She turned her head, her bright eyes falling upon the old fisherman, and finally settled on Lin Zhao, who was sitting at the bow. Judging by his aura, he was a fifth-realm sword cultivator, likely sixth or seventh realm, and probably not higher. A pity, such individuals were as common as grains of sand in the martial world and could never reach the pinnacle.
"A great battle is about to commence here."
The female warrior frowned and said, "You two are also from the ancient Shu kingdom, aren't you? Hurry and row away, lest you be caught in the crossfire."
Lin Zhao stood up and cupped his fists. "May I ask who you are?"
"Yu Wanling."
The other party cupped her fists in return, then smiled, "Farewell."
With that, she stepped onto the reed stalk once more and sped away across the waves.
"Yu Wanling."
Lin Zhao frowned.
The old fisherman hurriedly began to row away, his expression grim.
"Don't leave, elder."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Trust me, I can protect you even if there's a great battle. Your expression seemed unusual when you heard the name Yu Wanling. Is that name... very formidable?"
"I've heard of it, but never seen her."
The old fisherman knitted his brows. "Yu Wanling is our ancient Shu kingdom's female war god and commander-in-chief. She has reached the peak of the martial path and is the only hope for our ancient Shu kingdom. If Yu Wanling falls, I fear even our young king will... will not be able to hold on, and our ancient Shu kingdom will ultimately be merged into the ambitious Xu dynasty."
"I see..."
Lin Zhao was somewhat speechless. A ninth-realm martial artist was already at the peak of the martial path? The pinnacle of this world was truly low. He sat back down at the bow. "Let's stop here. No need to hide. It's fine, we'll just watch the spectacle."
"..."
The old fisherman wanted to leave, but he dared not. Yu Wanling was the female war god of ancient Shu, a figure ordinary people might never see in their lifetime, and undoubtedly formidable. But was this young immortal with two swords on his back, who dared to converse with Yu Wanling as an equal, simple? Perhaps he wasn't much inferior to Yu Wanling herself.
Just then, a thunderous voice echoed from the sky. A long sword, wreathed in rolling thunder, shot out from the clouds. Standing atop the sword was a young sword cultivator clad in a grey robe. His features were remarkably handsome, and he radiated an aristocratic aura that was difficult for ordinary people to imitate, as if he were born a noble.
He was the first to notice Lin Zhao and the old fisherman on the lake surface. He frowned. "Get further away, lest you implicate yourselves."
With that, he turned his attention to the female warrior on the water.
"Xu Beilin!"
He stepped on his flying sword, looking down from above at the female war god of the ancient Shu kingdom. He smiled. "Does today's engagement count as a peak confrontation between your ancient Shu kingdom and my Xu dynasty? If you lose this battle, the entire territory of the ancient Shu kingdom will belong to my Xu dynasty. If you win, my Xu dynasty guarantees that for a hundred years, we will keep to our own affairs. Do you agree?"
Yu Wanling raised her beautiful neck and looked at the sword cultivator in the wind, smiling. "My ancient Shu kingdom will never surrender without a fight. As long as there is one soldier alive in our ancient Shu kingdom, we will raise the banner of Shu and fight to the death against your ambitious Xu dynasty."
"Very well."
The young sword cultivator smiled and nodded. "Today, I, Xu Beilin, shall fulfill your wish."
With a thunderous roar, Xu Beilin's body erupted with surging sword intent. He drew the long sword behind him and unleashed a horizontal slash. Instantly, a blazing sword light swept across, not only forcing Yu Wanling to retreat repeatedly but also cleanly severing a mountain peak dozens of zhang wide. The mountaintop plunged into the lake, stirring up a thousand waves.
On the water's surface, Yu Wanling retreated rapidly. Her true qi surged, and the lake water behind her was suppressed by her sword intent, forming a concave, inverted bowl-like space. Simultaneously, fine sword qi spread across Yu Wanling's arms, relentlessly invading the female war god's body. In that moment, the anger in Yu Wanling's eyes intensified. She flung out her arms, and potent fist intent flowed through her entire body, dispelling the sword qi. The next instant, she leaped up, punching towards the sky with a fierce blow directed at his handsome face.
Yu Wanling was a ninth-realm Cloud Wandering martial artist, while Xu Beilin was a ninth-realm Nascent Soul sword cultivator. In fact, their strengths were very close, and a victor could not be determined in a short time.
Meanwhile, the lake water was continually ravaged by fist qi and sword qi, rising and falling incessantly. The old fisherman's face turned deathly pale, but he also seemed to realize that as long as the young guest sat at the bow of the boat, an invisible aura protected the fishing boat, keeping it unaffected by the disturbances. That was Lin Zhao's sword intent. He was a ninth-realm sword cultivator with profound foundations. While he might not be able to single-handedly defeat the two present, self-preservation would surely not be difficult.
"Elder."
Lin Zhao asked with a smile, "Who is that sword cultivator opposite? Xu Beilin, that name must be closely related to the Xu dynasty, right?"
"Naturally."
The old fisherman knitted his brows. "Xu Beilin is the crown prince of the Xu dynasty. It is said he is the most skilled swordsman in this world. If not for him, with our ancient Shu kingdom having the female war god Yu Wanling, we might not be threatened or bullied by the Xu dynasty."
"I see..."
Lin Zhao nodded, saying no more. His stance had shifted slightly. From a broad perspective, the Xu dynasty sought to unify the world, while the ancient Shu kingdom refused to submit. Setting aside narrow prejudices, Lin Zhao stood with the ancient Shu kingdom. After all, Yu Wanling was somewhat more courteous.
...
In the air, Xu Beilin's sword strikes became increasingly fierce. Threads of sword light raged and rampaged, causing the nearby mountain peaks to be continuously severed. Xu Beilin even lifted a mountain peak tens of meters long with a single sword, wrapping it in sword intent and launching it towards his opponent like a sword tip. Yu Wanling, imbued with powerful fist intent, sent out a resolute punch, smashing the entire mountain peak. However, Yu Wanling had not anticipated Xu Beilin's meticulous planning. Several strands of sword qi hidden within the mountain peak erupted, leaving sword marks on Yu Wanling's arms and chest. The opponent's sword qi was simply too formidable, causing Yu Wanling's protective fist qi to begin to crack.
Lin Zhao stood at the bow, gazing at the unfolding battle. Yu Wanling had fallen into a disadvantage. Her overall strength was indeed slightly inferior to her opponent's, not by much, but enough to decide the victor.
"Down!"
Xu Beilin brought his sword down heavily on Yu Wanling's wrist, slicing through her flesh. The force contained within the sword strike was immense. The next moment, Yu Wanling's body plummeted onto the water's surface, creating a huge splash with a "peng" sound. She spat out a mouthful of blood and retreated amidst the spray, but she had nowhere left to retreat. As Yu Wanling looked up, a green Natal Flying Sword shot towards her forehead like a cold beam. Xu Beilin had already resolved to kill her!