Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 80

“In recent years, the number of disciples in the Farmer’s School has increased rapidly, which is closely related to the leadership role of you hall masters.”

"But at the same time, several unpleasant things also happened: Kuiwei Hall, Lieshan Hall, and Gonggong Hall."

When Tian Guang called their names, Tian Mi, Tian Meng, and Lu Wei stood up one by one, but Tian Guang pressed them down with his hand, indicating that they should sit down again.

"The scandal at Kuiwei Hall has had a terrible impact. The two brothers, the former hall master and the former steward, who were originally promising, are now missing. However, Tian Mi has recruited quite a few disciples for Kuiwei Hall over the years, which is not bad."

Kuiwei Hall is the only one of the six halls whose leader is a woman, and a charming and beautiful widow at that. Some of the disciples are eyeing this opportunity, believing that if they can use their charm and suffer some losses to win over this young lady, they can gain power in Kuiwei Hall.

Therefore, driven by this motivation, the number of disciples in Kuiwei Hall has indeed increased significantly over the years, but in terms of quality, it has visibly declined compared to the time when Chen Sheng was the head of the hall.

"Thank you for your kind words, it's all I should do." In front of Tian Guang, Tian Mi didn't bring her long pipe today, and her tone of voice was not as affected as usual; she was unusually proper.

Immediately afterwards, Tian Guang looked at Tian Meng: "Tian Meng was actually kidnapped and impersonated last year. If it weren't for Tian Hu discovering it in time and reporting it to me, and if you yourself were quick-witted enough to find an opportunity to escape and even kill the imposter with your own hands, Lieshan Hall would have suffered a huge loss!"

"It was my carelessness!" Tian Meng sat still, clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned his body towards the main seat, and said in a low voice, "Please punish me, Chief of the Heroic Order."

"This matter was extremely dangerous. Before you are punished, you must first find out which organization is plotting against my farm!"

A hint of murderous intent leaked from Tian Guang's voice, and the six hall masters all lowered their heads in unison, their reactions varying. Then, the chivalrous leader continued, "This concerns the very survival of our Farmer's Clan. In addition to the Lieshan Hall, the Gonggong Hall will also investigate!"

"Yes, I understand." Lu Wei looked up at Tian Guang, who was putting on a dramatic performance, and clasped his hands in acceptance.

"Hmm," the murderous aura in the air vanished instantly. Since Tian Guang had brought up the Gonggong Hall, he continued to speak about it:

"The fact that the enemy was able to kill one of my family's leaders in the Daze Mountains is even more terrifying. The murderer is very likely the same organization that kidnapped Tian Meng last year. You must investigate this thoroughly."

"I will also search for clues myself!"

Three past issues indicate that Tian Guang then rearranged the position of 'Elder of Yu's Disciples' at the Six Sages' Tomb after Zhou He's unexpected death, announcing that 'Tian Zang' would replace the deceased Zhou He and enter the tomb.

Upon hearing this name, Lu Wei had no idea who it was, only recognizing the surname as belonging to the Yitian clan.

The Zhu family and Tian Hu reacted more strongly to the name, indicating that they knew this 'Tian Zang'.

Only at the very end did the leader of the Xia clan make arrangements for the upcoming autumn harvest festival: as before, Tian Guang would try his best not to show up, leaving everything to the six hall masters.

It was just a different perspective, a re-enactment of the Autumn Harvest Festival. The only difference was that, at the martial arts competition, Lu Wei stood opposite Tian Hu as promised.

Without any hesitation, Tian Hu drew his sword and held it horizontally in front of his chest. From the very beginning, the sword energy leaped wildly across the blade: "Boy Lu, let me see if you are capable of succeeding Zhou He!"

The Tiger Soul Sword, ranked twelfth in Feng Hu Zi's sword manual, is characterized by its shovel-like tip and thick, wide blade, making it a domineering sword.

Combined with Tian Hu's powerful internal energy, it's like adding wings to a tiger.

It is said that Tian Hu obtained it when he was hunting with his disciples and they were attacked by a tiger. After Tian Hu wounded the tiger, it fled. Tian Hu chased after it and eventually got lost in a thick fog in the mountains.

After the fog dissipated, the Tiger Soul Sword was stuck in front of him.

This story is amazing, but Lu Wei's thinking is divergent. From this story, he also thinks of two other swords related to the Tian family... or rather a set of swords: Gan Jiang and Mo Xie!

The fifth-ranked sword in the Feng Hu Zi Sword Manual consists of a pair of swords, male and female, whose fame needs no further introduction.

In later generations, they were in Tian Ci's possession, presumably after the real Tian Meng found them and gave them to his son for use.

Now that Tian Meng is dead, and Gan Jiang and Mo Xie are still missing, with the peasant storyline undergoing a huge change, will I be able to bring myself to obtain these two swords?

If Tian Meng can do it, there's no reason why I can't!

He then assigned himself another task. On the dueling platform, Lu Wei drew his Jade Soul sword, holding the scabbard behind his back with his left hand and pointing the sword diagonally to the ground with his right:

"Please enlighten me, Master Tian Hu."

"Brother Lu Wei's sword is quite peculiar, yet it's not listed in any sword manual. It seems to be quite a coincidence."

On the viewing platform, the other four hall masters sat together. Zhu Jia looked at the pure white jade sword. Although he had seen it a few times before, this was the first time he had seen it in actual combat.

"I've seen many jade swords and ritual objects, but a sword like Brother Lu Wei's, with a blade that appears to be made of jade yet is flexible and bendable, is a rare treasure, even though I once presided over the Qianlong Hall trade fair." Situ Wanli's eye for treasures was even more discerning.

"What a beautiful sword! It suits little brother Lu quite well!"

Tian Mi put down her pipe, crossed her legs, and exhaled a puff of smoke.

“A beautiful sword is not enough; the swordsmanship must also be able to kill people.”

Tian Meng snorted lightly, clearly unconvinced.

Just as the four hall masters were making their assessments, the two had already clashed on the dueling platform:

Tian Hu rushed forward and immediately launched into a move called "Tiger Roars in the Forest," raising his sword and slashing vertically. The blue sword energy was already capable of cutting through gold and jade before the tiger's true form even arrived.

Lu Wei also stepped forward, his sword energy rising a few inches as he clashed head-on with Tian Hu.

As the two swords clashed, their sword energies dissolved into each other. Sensing the information transmitted by the dissolution reaction, Lu Wei felt reassured and took another step forward. The Jade Soul emitted a melodious and crisp sound, forcing Tian Hu to retreat.

In terms of internal strength, the two are almost equal, but in terms of cohesion, Lu Wei is slightly better!

His indomitable spirit was thwarted in the first round. Tian Hu turned his head to look at his right hand holding the sword, grinned and gritted his teeth, his eyes fierce, and the domineering sword aura of Tiger Soul rose to another level.

Locking onto the enemy, he slashed and danced wildly like a tiger slashing its prey.

While this seemingly unrestrained series of swings appears to lack any discernible pattern, each move actually contains at least three progressive variations. If the opponent relaxes their guard even slightly or mishandles the attack, the tiger's fangs hidden behind its claws will deliver a fatal bite to the throat...

This combination of domineering power and killing intent makes it exactly the kind of opponent that the Butterfly Swordplay likes!

Lu Wei changed his sword technique, using hidden killing intent against hidden killing intent. Tian Hu did not dare to make a move at first, but when he thought of his own martial arts characteristics, his eyes widened and he chose to meet the enemy head-on.

This decision immediately plunged Tian Hu into the enigmatic world of the Butterfly Sword Technique. Although he could use force to overcome skill and forcibly stop Yu Po's ingenious attack that pierced through the flowers and attracted butterflies, the trend of falling into a disadvantageous position was irreversible and gradually deepened.

"Tian Hu has been defeated!" Upon seeing this scene, the Zhu family, who were watching from the sidelines, immediately burst into laughter.

"Tian Hu Hall Master's domineering sword energy is ultimately not domineering enough."

Situ Wanli did not laugh. He re-analyzed the strength comparison between the three halls of the Tian family and the three halls of other families based on the current martial arts competition.

Tian Meng and Tian Mi remained silent; Tian Hu's defeat was rather swift...

A domineering person who is at a disadvantage is not truly domineering. After Tian Hu barely managed to hold on for a few moves, Lu Wei still managed to knock away Tiger Soul with a single blow from his sword.

The debate between Jade Soul and Tiger Soul has come to a conclusion.

------

At the level of hall masters in the martial arts tournament, only Tian Hu and Lu Wei fought a match; the other hall masters did not participate.

This was partly due to Tian Meng's manipulation: after Tian Hu's defeat, he went on stage and pulled his younger brother away first.

Zhou Wen, disguised as Tian Meng, is young and must fight using Tian Meng's preferred methods. His true strength would likely be inferior even to Tian Hu's. Once he enters the arena, unless his opponent is Lu Wei cooperating, he is highly likely to be exposed...

At the subsequent herb gathering and bonfire party following the Autumn Harvest Conference, Master Lu still did not participate much, entrusting the Lu family and the Yan brothers to represent Gonggong Hall.

He personally organized a transport team, loading up supplies from Gonggongtang and Shennongtang, and was immediately preparing to go to Zhao.

On the way, they would first travel south through the State of Wei, so as to bring back supplies from the Siyuetang branch there.

This is the first batch; there will be more later, but it's unlikely to be many. The Three Halls must first ensure that there is sufficient food stored in Daze Mountain so that if the harvest is poor, the disciples of the farming family will at least not go too hungry.

Only the excess items can be sent out.

The day before the bonfire party ended, Master Lu had already set off with his team. Although he was leading the team himself this time, the security along the Qi-Wei-Zhao route was not as good as that of Yan-Qi. Not long after entering Wei territory, they encountered several groups of bandits.

Some bandit gangs consisted of only a dozen or so people, and their leaders hadn't even cultivated internal energy yet, but they still dared to rob people. This gave Lu Wei a deeper understanding of the political situation in the world that year.

Due to the drought, this year's harvest was generally poor, and many of the people who could not survive turned to theft.

In addition, while the states of Han and Wei contributed rich territories to Qin in the first half of the year, they also gave up a lot of precious treasures and coins. These losses were 'paid in advance' by the powerful and wealthy people in the capital.

Once the crisis of war was resolved, they believed they had done great favors for the people of Han and Wei, so they slightly increased their exploitation of the people, only to recoup some interest.

Under such double oppression from heaven and man, people have no choice but to fight desperately to survive.

Although Master Lu's trip was for charity, compared to the Wei and Han people who still had the strength to rob and plunder, the disaster victims in Dai had even eaten all the tree bark, so it was obvious which was more urgent.

Moreover, Lu Wei always believed that what he didn't give, no one should take away! So, he would kill these bandits who had no martial arts skills as long as they made a move.

As soon as the leader's head fell, the other birds scattered in a flock.

But after encountering many robbers, there are always a few tough ones out there.

"Your caravan has so much grain, why don't you share some with the refugees in Wei?"

A rugged woman, her arms exposed by her leather jacket were not as slender as those of an ordinary woman; instead, there were visible bulges of muscle, making her appear incredibly fierce.

She carried a huge sickle on her shoulder and blocked the front of the transport team. About ten meters behind her, forty or fifty people of all ages, young and old, were holding wooden sticks, hoes and other tools, their necks hunched over.

"I don't want you to suffer too much loss. Leave a cartload of grain and I'll let you go!"

At her feet, two peasant disciples lay unconscious on the ground, knocked down by her single blow.

"The Armored Gate of Wei, Mei San Niang."

Upon receiving the report from his disciple, Lu Wei, the hall master, emerged from the carriage and immediately recognized the woman blocking the road...

Chapter 103 Lord Wu'an

Mei San Niang slammed her giant scythe into the ground, producing a metallic clang that made her appear even more imposing.

"I used to think that the peasants were an upright and chivalrous sect, but now it seems that they are no different from the servants of the powerful and wealthy."

Holding the knife hilt, Mei San Niang pointed to Lu Wei, who had come alone to the front of the transport team, and guessed that this person was the person in charge.

The Armored Sect is a special sect that masters the ultimate hardness technique. Their disciples train their bodies into shields and armor, making them impervious to swords and spears. On the battlefield and in the martial arts world, they can crush ordinary people or those who are not skilled enough.

As long as the enemy is not strong enough to break through the defenses, nor is they able to find the weak point of the attack, the disciples of the Armored Sect can unleash their destructive power to their heart's content.

Mei San Niang received personal instruction from the sect leader in the Armored Sect, and her skills were among the best in the sect. For a woman to achieve such a level, in addition to hard work, the compatibility between her personality and her martial arts techniques was also an important factor.

Although Mei San Niang was far inferior to her senior brother Dian Qing, she was still far superior to ordinary peasant disciples.

"I'm in a hurry, so I won't ramble on."

Lu Wei spread the Jade Soul Sword out in front of him: "We're all martial artists, let's have a one-on-one duel. If I win, you'll join the Farmer's Clan and become my subordinate. If you win, you can take any of those carriages behind me."

"Great! It suits my taste!"

Mei San Niang stared at the jade sword on the young man's back. She hadn't expected Lu Wei, who looked like a noble young master, to be so agreeable. After a slight pause, she decisively agreed and blurted out:

"Since you put it that way, I, Mei San Niang, never bully people without reason."

"Here's the deal: if you can hurt me within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, my life is yours. But if I'm unharmed after that time, I won't take any of your carriages; I'll take five of them!"

"That way, if you lose, it won't be too difficult for you to explain when you go back."

"The bet is set!"

Without drawing his sword, Lu Wei leaped lightly towards Mei San Niang, tossed the Jade Soul Sword upwards in his left hand, and unleashed a flurry of attacks with his Frost Palm and Spring Chill Severed Palm.