Chapter 395: Seeking Revenge

Sun the Cripple’s name wasn’t very pleasant, but his skills were undeniable.

In fact, Jiang Ran was not entirely unfamiliar with Sun the Cripple’s background.

When he had first set out into the Jianghu, he had encountered the arhat Dao Zhen, who had escaped from the Heartless Ghost Mansion.

And the Evil Arhat Dao Zhen had originally belonged to Luo Hua Temple, the only Buddhist Sect among the Seven Sects.

Sun the Cripple was a lay disciple of Luo Hua Temple.

He had been frail since childhood and was born with a leg ailment, so his family sent him to Luo Hua Temple to learn martial arts in the hopes of improving his condition.

He stayed there for ten years.

Although his congenital deficiencies meant his physique never grew as tall or sturdy as an ordinary person’s,

he had learned Luo Hua Temple’s superior martial arts, which ultimately strengthened his muscles and bones.

Afterward, he made a name for himself in the Jianghu, relying on his hand-to-hand combat and a set of techniques called the Vajra Seventeen Skills.

It was just an unflattering name…

Now that he had set his sights on winning the Jiaowei at this gathering, he naturally wouldn’t hold back.

His opening move was the “Demon-Subduing Wild Fists” from the Vajra Seventeen Skills.

His arms swung wildly, and with every step he took, the ground faintly rumbled.

It was an incredibly ferocious display.

His opponent, Yan Wengge, didn’t even raise his head, merely brushing a hand across the zither’s strings.

The resulting note rang out like the clash of swords!

Though there was clearly no sword in sight, Sun the Cripple felt as if Sword Qi was about to strike him.

His mind raced. He took a large step forward and dropped into a split.

He then twisted his head just in time to hear a WHOOSH as an invisible blade of qi shot past his ear, disappearing into the distance with a SWISH.

But it wasn’t over. The zither’s music rose again, humming like a babbling brook, yet the attack it carried was a tempest of a hundred twists and a thousand turns.

Sun the Cripple’s expression changed. He slapped a palm on the ground and launched himself into the air, his body spinning ceaselessly.

He twisted away from the oncoming Sword Qi.

When he landed, he let out a great laugh.

“The Seven-Stringed Zither Manual? So this is all it amounts to!”

“Is that so?”

Yan Wengge didn’t look up, only shaking his head gently.

Sun the Cripple was about to speak again when he felt a sudden chill on his cheek. He reached up to wipe it, and his hand came away wet with blood.

His expression changed drastically.

“When did this happen?”

Yan Wengge spoke softly.

“My Seven-Stringed Zither Manual contains seven styles of Swordsmanship.

“The techniques I just used were the Shaoshang Sword and the Shaogong Sword.

“The Shaoshang Sword is a ‘martial sword’—its power is astonishing, but it lacks variation.

“The Shaogong Sword is a ‘scholarly sword’—its power is unremarkable, but its variations are endless.

“I used the martial sword to halt your advance and the scholarly sword to force an opening. I never expected you to actually be wounded by the Shaogong Sword.

“I still have five more sword styles I have yet to use: the Sovereign, the Minister, the People, the State, and the World.

“I advise you to concede and withdraw. You may not be able to block the third sword, let alone all seven in succession.”

“You…!”

Sun the Cripple was furious and wanted to attack, but the memory of the Shaogong Sword sent a chill through his heart.

He hesitated, wanting to retreat but feeling he had no graceful way to back down.

Jiang Ran also glanced at Yan Wengge, slightly surprised.

‘Jianghu People call him ‘Zhuo Qin,’ the Clumsy Zither,’ he thought. ‘But from the looks of it, he’s not clumsy in the slightest.’

After a moment’s thought, he said with a smile,

“Sun Xiaxia, in a friendly duel, it is best to stop before causing serious harm.”

He could see that Sun the Cripple was already intimidated, so he spoke up to give him an honorable way to back down.

Sun the Cripple glanced at Jiang Ran, hesitated for a moment, then snorted and cupped his fist in salute.

“Very well. Since our host has spoken, it would be rude of me to continue pestering him.

“I will let the matter rest for today. I shall return another day to experience the ‘Clumsy Zither’s’ brilliant techniques!!

“Farewell!!”

With that, he tapped his foot and soared into the air, making his departure.

‘Looking at him now, he doesn’t seem crippled at all.’

Jiang Ran withdrew his gaze from Sun the Cripple’s departing figure and let it fall back upon Yan Wengge.

The man’s red robes fluttered about him, his expression impassive, unmoved by victory or defeat.

His eyes were downcast, his expression solemn and aloof, as if nothing in the world could stir his heart.

He simply sat there quietly, awaiting his next opponent.

However, even after a long wait, no one else came forward.

Sun the Cripple was a powerful martial artist; otherwise, so many people would not have recognized him the moment he appeared.

A large portion of the crowd knew they were no match for Sun the Cripple.

Another portion felt their skills were roughly on par with his, meaning a fight could go either way.

And while a final group was confident they could defeat him, they knew they could not do so as effortlessly as Yan Wengge had.

With Yan Wengge sitting there now, who would dare to challenge him lightly?

Worse still, some people were beginning to feel resentful.

The truth was, not everyone attended these gatherings for the grand prize.

Most people were simply hoping to use the opportunity to make a name for themselves.

If they could defeat a few opponents and then lose a hard-fought final battle, it would still be a boost to their reputation.

But Yan Wengge’s performance had sent a clear message to this group: forget about making a name for yourself, lest you make a fool of yourself instead.

He had blocked their perfectly good path to fame. How could they not resent him for it?

After waiting a long time with no one taking the stage, Yan Wengge finally looked up.

He didn’t call for a challenger, however. Instead, he looked toward Jiang Ran.

“Young Hero Jiang, since no one else will step forward, may I take the Jiaowei now?”

Jiang Ran gave a wry smile. He was just about to say, ‘If no one else steps up, then I’ll have to take a turn myself…’ when a voice suddenly called out.

“A fine display from ‘Zhuo Qin,’ Yan Wengge. I have long heard that the Seven-Stringed Zither Manual contained seven forms of Swordsmanship, and seeing it today, I can confirm it is truly extraordinary.”

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw it was none other than Liu Zongming, the Head of the Fragrance Academy!

Since he had spoken, he must be planning to enter the fray!