Imperial Treasure
Chapter 107 - 85: Who Will Battle with Me? (Shao Siming Chen Yu He’s Jade+)

Chapter 107: Chapter 85: Who Will Battle with Me? (Shao Siming Chen Yu He’s Jade+)

"I have heard that the ancestor of Elder Shi was none other than Shi Chongtian, a great master of the Tang Dynasty Sword Technique, with a long heritage. It’s no wonder that Elder Shi, renowned for his swordsmanship, has left behind the ’Zhenguan Sword Technique.’ Are you now teaching this young man, in search of a successor to pass on the mantle?"

The woman’s laughter was soft yet playful, like wind chimes drifting through the air.

Many disciples’ faces changed instantly.

They looked towards their master unconsciously.

Elder Shi’s expression was as steady as a mountain, and he chuckled, "Ninth Miss is joking. My ancestors were merely ordinary martial artists, far from being great masters. As for the ’Zhenguan Sword Technique,’ it’s a method available for anyone in our school to choose and practice. If we’re talking about inheritance, of course, I wish for each of them to succeed and to enhance the glory of the Tang Knife skill."

This statement was quite open-hearted, and the many disciples felt it made sense since the sword technique was indeed something everyone could learn; there was really nothing special about it.

However, Sui Yi was surprised to hear this. The Tang Knife was well-known, and the ’Zhenguan Sword Technique’ was one of the more famous and fundamental forms, passed down from ancient times. Although famous, there were very few complete and orthodox techniques; it was said to be lost. Little did he know that some descendants of the Tang Dynasty had preserved parts of the original texts. If Shi Yunkai had such texts in his possession, it would mean his ancestry was rich in heritage.

Of course, the grandeur of this family estate was also telling of their deep foundation.

This Ninth Miss, referred to by Elder Shi, seemed to have a very prestigious status and an extraordinary background. She spoke to Elder Shi with little reverence, and instead, there was a sense of competing equals, especially what Sui Yi found odd was...

This Ninth Miss had recognized the Tang Knife technique used by A at a glance.

There were only two possibilities: one was that she was very familiar with the technique, and the second was that she knew it herself.

Regardless of which it was, this Ninth Miss was not to be underestimated.

Even though Sui Yi couldn’t see Ninth Miss’s face due to the angle of the sweet osmanthus tree...

He knew she must be very young.

Snap! The first move, Horse-Stance Sword Cut, had already transitioned through seven moves, Drawing Sword Cuts Water, Tai Gong Fishing, Wu Gang Chopping Sweet Osmanthus, and other moves linked together attacking in succession. Feng Sha fought off the onslaught without a leak, both of them turning into ferocious shadows. The sweet osmanthus petals, lifted by the wind, were shredded by the swirling blades. A’s aura, completely different from his former unruly and frivolous demeanor, was now cold and austere, with a wild intent to kill.

"Ha, you have improved quite a lot," Feng Sha laughed as he spotted the approaching Tang Knife during a backflip.

The person who had leapt up performed a mid-air heavy kick, while the person below performed a cross-cut with his knife.

Bang!!!

The heavy collision sounded like muffled thunder.

A’s body shuddered slightly from the strength of Feng Sha’s downward strike, almost floating down, but he let out a low shout and turned his blade...

The momentum of the knife changed immediately!

Fierce, mighty, and domineering!

That cut was delivered with an upward strike!

The many disciples were shocked, and Elder Shi was very surprised, his hand clutching at his beard without remembering to put it down.

And that cut was indeed breathtaking; as A sent it flying upwards, Feng Sha’s expression changed slightly. He twisted his legs in the air, and like a hurled shot put, he traced a parabolic arc...

Snap, his legs hit a weapon rack, his head hanging downward in a Spider-Man-like pose, with his palms resting on the rack, his eyes sharp. In that instant, A, who had taken advantage of the momentum, approached with a second knife attack even more stunning than the first.

At that moment, Feng Sha sneered, "Good lad, it seems that I can only draw my sword."

So, Feng Sha drew a sword from the rack, a three-foot-long green blade, and with a kick, he sprang down. Knife and sword clashed in mid-air with a clang...

Crash!

The sweet osmanthus on the ground were all shaken and flew in all directions in a breath, leaving many of the martial hall disciples wide-eyed.

This aura of the two...

Clap clap!

Both landed simultaneously ten meters apart, the tips of their knife and sword leaving sharp trails on the ground.

After a long moment, the sweet osmanthus began to fall again.

Elder Shi nodded slightly toward A and asked Ninth Miss, "What do you think, Ninth Miss?"

"Ordinary," was the sole word Ninth Miss uttered.

Elder Shi was speechless and then burst into laughter, "Considering the distance, A should be inferior to Feng Sha. How can it be called ’ordinary’? Ninth Miss, could it be that you think A has an advantage due to his young age?"

Ninth Miss gave Feng Sha a sideways glance and let out a cool, light laugh, "My men, if they do not completely defeat the opponent, are considered defeated."

Such defiant and commanding words silenced everyone in the martial hall. Elder Shi was taken aback, then shook his head with a bitter smile, admiring the formidable young lady.

Neither A nor Feng Sha could compare to this Ninth Young Lady.

"Miss, I have brought you shame," Feng Sha said with a slight bow of his head in front of Ninth Young Lady, his expression cold.

"Hmm," Ninth Young Lady responded, seemingly indifferent yet perhaps dissatisfied with Feng Sha. Turning her head, she looked at A, "Eighteen?"

"Almost nineteen," A frowned slightly under her gleaming and profound gaze. This woman was too complex, as if she could see right through him with just a glance.

"Heh, not bad, only eighteen yet your inner strength has reached a year’s worth... So, you must have developed your inner strength no later than when you were fifteen or sixteen, right?"

Generally, the depth of inner strength is measured in years. Of course, it’s not as though one year of training will result in one year of inner strength. For some with average talent, it might take many years to develop a year’s worth of inner strength; while for those with outstanding talent, they might cultivate several years’ worth within less than a year. Here lies the gap in talent.

Feng Sha’s inner strength was slightly stronger than A’s, so he had the upper hand just now, although Ninth Miss said it was a tie.

However, she was clearly right.

A’s expression changed in an instant, and Elder Shi glanced at Ninth Miss as well. Although he could tell this, he didn’t know that Ninth Miss would so easily...

"Do you want to follow me?" Ninth Miss casually poached him, leaving the people from the martial arts school gasping in shock. Hey, who poaches someone right to their face like that!

Elder Shi was helplessly sighing, "That’s not very honorable of you, Ninth Miss..."

"What’s the hurry? The one who should stay will stay regardless of whether I poach or not; the one who wants to leave will go whether you keep them or not," she said.

That statement fully revealed Ninth Miss’s wilful nature and cunningness, making Sui Yi unable to help but curve his lips. This Ninth Miss was indeed very interesting.

"No thanks, it’s pretty good here," A declined, much to the secret relief of Elder Shi. The moment he relaxed, he saw the girl opposite him smiling a teasing smile, and he instantly realized—this girl didn’t really want to poach A; she was just confirming A’s place in his heart...

Really cunning!

After several more matches, with several losses and a draw, the martial arts school’s face was barely intact. They thought it was over, but nobody expected what Ninth Young Lady would say next...

"Now it’s my turn, isn’t it? I wonder if Elder Shi would do me the honor of a battle?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Shi’s top disciples instantly became enraged, "Miss, aren’t you being too aggressive!"

"Our master is advanced in years, and fighting you won’t benefit him regardless of the outcome..."

"Battling you is against the rules, it’s not appropriate—no way!"

Martial artists’ battles are bound by many rules, similar to the customs of Jianghu; the old should not fight the young. If the old win, it’s seen as bullying the junior, and if they lose, it’s even more disgraceful. With Elder Shi’s status and age, it’s totally inappropriate for him to fight a young junior like Ninth Young Lady, no matter how talented and stunning she may be.

That’s why these disciples stood up in protest.

Elder Shi frowned too, "Ninth Miss, you are a person of brilliance. If you wish to fight, I’m afraid there are many talented individuals in the Provincial City who would be up to the challenge. As for myself, I must decline..."

"Then pick a disciple. It makes no sense that I come here today and not have anyone to spar with..."

True to her rascal nature, she was very domineering yet spoke in a melodious and powerful voice.

At that moment, Sui Yi also heard her say, "If Elder Shi can’t make up his mind, then I’ll just pick one myself..."

Then, under everyone’s gaze, Ninth Miss’s slender jade finger passed over the many disciples... Everyone thought she would point at A, but in the end, she pointed at...

A sweet osmanthus tree.

The crowd was astonished.

A feeling of dread welled up inside A and he thought about volunteering himself, but then he saw Ninth Miss smile and say, "The one watching the show at the gate, you have to pay for a ticket to watch, I can’t let you watch for free."

Someone at the gate?

One of Elder Shi’s disciples, angry, rushed to check, only to hear footsteps coming from the gate, passing by the sweet osmanthus tree, and what seemed to be the sound of something dragging on the ground.

And then...

A girl even younger than A appeared, dragging a broom in one hand and standing a dozen steps away from everyone, her expression indifferent as she spoke, "Sorry, I’m just here to sweep the floor."

Are you not even bothering with idle chatter and going straight to sweeping instead!?

Upon seeing Sui Yi’s clothing and the broom, the people from the martial arts school suddenly understood—was she a new student?

A girl?

And a very pretty one at that.

Elder Shi noticed the calmness in Sui Yi’s brows and frowned slightly, looking at A, "She’s my friend, and she’s here to learn martial arts too," A explained, then said to Ninth Young Lady, "She didn’t mean to watch stealthily, I hope Ninth Young Lady can forgive her."

"I’m not blaming her for sneaking a peek," Ninth Young Lady said seriously, her eyes lingered on Sui Yi, "I just really want to have a go with her," Ninth Young Lady added to Sui Yi’s watchful gaze.

At this point, Sui Yi was also observing the Ninth Young Lady mentioned by everyone.

She was tall, over one meter seventy, wearing jeans that were neither tight nor loose, outlining the straight curves of her long legs to perfection. She wore khaki-colored Milan round-toe short boots, and her loosely relaxed off-white V-neck T-shirt was tucked into her waist, paired with a grey-brown leather belt. Over it, she draped a thin and soft black leather vest, wild in pattern, boasting an aura of independence.

This was undoubtedly a military style, bold, wild, cold.

Yet, the large, English-style checkered silk scarf around her neck added a touch of elegance and nobility.

The mix of sharp military style and elegant English fashion made her stand out in any crowd, let alone being dressed in such a manner with her physique. Moreover...

She was exceptionally beautiful, her natural complexion reminiscent of dawn’s glow upon snow, bright eyes, white teeth, red lips slightly parted, and every detail from the corners of her eyes to her brows exuded a bold and enchanting aura. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read it at m.qidian.com.)