Chapter 268: Listening to the Azure Sea Tide Sound, Comprehending Sword Qi
Zhou Yan’s figure flickered like an elusive phantom, weaving and circling amidst the thousands of sword edges wielded by Jiang Kui, the Chief Escort of the Dragon Gate Escort Agency. He retaliated with the Hengshan Swordplay, his emerald green cold light resembling bursting, flashing snake lightning. The two swords clashed, creating countless tiny sparks.
Hong Qigong watched with delight. This young man’s martial arts had improved further since his time at Shaoshi Mountain; he was truly gifted. Alas, alas, he would not become the Old Beggar’s successor.
On the bow of the large boat, Helian Chuncheng, Ni Mo Xing, and the others wore increasingly grim expressions. They could all see the improvement in Zhou Yan’s martial arts. The former Young Master of Changfeng pondered that at this rate, in another seven or eight years, who would be able to restrain this scoundrel? Before he reached the stage of acting with impunity, they must find a way to eliminate him.
As Helian Chuncheng was thinking this, he suddenly heard a “bang.” He looked and saw that the bamboo raft beneath Zhou Yan and Jiang Kui suddenly sank. Both figures leaped up simultaneously. Two sword lights, one green and one white, collided in the air more than ten times. Amidst the dense clash of metal, a long trail of sparks rose and fell with Zhou Yan and Jiang Kui’s movements.
Zhou Yan landed on the bamboo raft, his Qingfeng Sword condensing into a vast, sky-spanning torrent of light that descended upon Jiang Kui. The latter also recited the final lines of Azure Sea Tide Sound: “How many return under the moon? The falling moon stirs emotions, filling the river trees.”
Jiang Kui suddenly hunched his body and lunged forward with incredible speed, not towards any open direction, but directly at Zhou Yan. The cold light of his longsword intertwined, forming a large, interlocking circle above and below, appearing at first glance like a falling moon.
If it were anyone else facing this sword light, which resembled a moon wheel, its form and reality uncertain, they would surely lose their composure. However, Zhou Yan, without hesitation, thrust his Qingfeng Sword forward like a torrent, piercing the moon wheel.
Amidst the astonishingly dense clash of metal, the sword’s moon wheel shattered. Zhou Yan and Jiang Kui retreated with heavy steps, and with a sudden splash, the bamboo raft broke apart.
Two figures landed on different bamboo poles like dragonflies skimming water. With a single leap, they reached another bamboo raft.
Both Zhou Yan and Jiang Kui’s breathing were somewhat ragged. Jiang Kui was secretly astonished. For over twenty years, whenever he unleashed this Azure Sea Tide Sound swordplay, he had no undefeated opponent. Yet, facing the former Fu’an escort, he could not gain the upper hand. How had he trained his sword?
Zhou Yan was also shocked. Huyan Lei had said Jiang Kui’s martial arts were not inferior to the Northern Beggar or Southern Emperor, but that was an exaggeration. Brother Yao had never seen Hong Qigong fight before saying that. However, the Dragon Gate Escort Agency’s Chief Escort’s swordplay was indeed at its peak. If it weren’t for his enlightenment after cultivating the first volume of the Nine Yin Manual on Cuya Mountain, he might not have been able to withstand this Azure Sea Tide Sound.
Sun Buer had once given Zhou Yan a saying passed down from Wang Chongyang: “The sword senses nature and expresses it through contemplation, which is enlightenment. Once the true meaning is grasped, the sword style becomes alive.”
Sun Buer was far from this realm, but in Zhou Yan’s eyes, Jiang Kui had entered it. Zhou Yan’s astonishment stemmed from the fact that his opponent’s sword techniques were derived from poetry, which meant they were infinitely variable and inexhaustible.
Suddenly, the sound of a zither reached Zhou Yan, pulling him back to reality. He listened closely and felt that the zither music carried the momentum of clashing cymbals and galloping horses. In an instant, a wisp of flute music blended into the zither’s melody. Although the zither’s sound was loud, it could never drown out the flute. The two sounds mingled, creating an extremely strange melody. The zither was like the cries of apes in the Wu Gorge, while the jade flute was like the songs of phoenixes on Kun Mountain. One rose high, the other fell low; one advanced, the other retreated, neither yielding to the other.
Zhou Yan was startled. He had heard this flute music before; it was Huang Yaoshi’s Azure Sea Tide Sound. The Eastern Heretic had arrived. The only one who could contend with Huang Yaoshi’s flute music was Ouyang Feng.
The Western Venom had also arrived.
However, with Helian Chuncheng and his group appearing, Ouyang Feng’s presence here was normal. Zhou Yan was more surprised as to how Huang Yaoshi had ended up at Dongting Lake.
Hong Qigong, on his small boat, laughed heartily, “Wonderful! Brother Yao and Old Venom are both here. The Old Beggar will go take a look.”
Hong Qigong leaped into the air, flying across the lake like a giant water bird. He landed on the shore and quickly moved away.
Zhou Yan’s gaze shifted from Hong Qigong to a bamboo raft approaching from a distance. He saw a woman holding a pole, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, dressed entirely in white, with a beauty so radiant it was unbearable to look at. It was none other than Huang Rong.
Jiang Kui was clearly also attracted by the flute and zither music emanating from Yueyang Tower and did not launch a third attack on Zhou Yan. Huang Rong quickly approached and leaped onto the bamboo raft.
“Hey, we meet again.”
“How did you get here?”
“If I hadn’t come here, I would have missed another good show.” Huang Rong said with a smile, “Father and I were traveling together. We took a boat from Xiangyang and arrived here. We were planning to go to Luxi and Hundred Herbs Valley. By the way, Ouyang Feng and Huo Gong Toutuo are at Yueyang Tower. There seem to be some Manichaeism people inside too, but the extraneous individuals should have already left by now. They couldn’t withstand Father’s Azure Sea Tide Sound.”
“Fortunately, I was far away.” Zhou Yan recalled his first encounter with Huang Yaoshi by the Jingzhou riverside, when his internal energy had scattered and he had nearly gone mad while the other played. He still felt a lingering fear.
Huang Rong explained, “It’s not that being far away can negate the Azure Sea Tide Sound. Father’s music infuses internal force into the flute sound, stimulating the opponent’s internal force, disturbing their qi and blood, and their mind. It then resonates with their internal energy, causing it to become like a sword, roaming through the meridians and damaging them. If one cannot maintain a focused mind and externalize the sound, those with higher cultivation at the same distance are actually more susceptible to internal injuries.”
“Internal force infused into the flute sound?”
“It’s like channeling energy into weapons. Weapons can carry internal force, so flute sounds naturally can too.”
Huang Rong’s martial arts were far inferior to Zhou Yan’s, but Huang Yaoshi was both her father and her teacher. As the daughter of the Eastern Heretic, her vision and knowledge were not lacking compared to Zhou Yan. In many areas, she even surpassed him.
“But weapons are tangible, while flute sounds are intangible.”
“Just don’t treat the flute sound as ‘intangible,’ and it will be fine. As the saying goes, ‘seeing mountains is not seeing mountains, seeing water is not seeing water.'” Huang Rong’s eyes sparkled with intelligence, clearly enjoying Zhou Yan’s confusion and her ability to vividly explain it.
Zhou Yan’s mind stirred. Seeing mountains is not seeing mountains, seeing water is not seeing water – this refers to the difficulty of grasping the essence of things, like looking at flowers through mist. Beyond this stage is the return to simplicity after understanding the world.
Seeing mountains is still seeing mountains, seeing water is still seeing water.
What if one viewed the body as a flute? If qi travels through special meridians and major acupoints, and internal force erupts from the acupoints, then the acupoints become like the five notes of the pentatonic scale, and the formless flute sound kills as easily as picking up weeds.
What if I view my sword as a flute? And my internal energy as the flute sound, then what is produced is… sword qi.
Zhou Yan’s eyes suddenly brightened: “I think I’m starting to understand.”
Huang Rong’s words were clearly heard by Yanbo Diaosou, Helian Chuncheng, and Ni Mo Xing, but none possessed Zhou Yan’s comprehension. Helian Chuncheng sneered, “Seeing mountains is not seeing mountains, does that refer to you? Putting on airs.”
Zhou Yan, however, was immersed for a moment and then asked, “What are the five notes?”
Huang Rong smiled, “Niwan, Zhiyang, Kaiyang, Weilü, Guanyuan.”
The two seemed to be speaking in riddles, leaving the listeners bewildered. Zhou Yan was actually asking about the Qi Guiding Method of Azure Sea Tide Sound.
“What’s going on with you?” Huang Rong suddenly asked.
“I had a bit of a conflict with the Lin’an Dragon Gate Escort Agency.”
Huang Rong giggled, “Isn’t the Jianghu better? If you were in Fu’an, you’d always have to think about the escort agency’s safety and be restricted in your actions. Now you have no worries. You can act as you please, just like me.”
“That’s true.”
Jiang Kui’s longsword emitted a low hum, “Young Hero Zhou, there is one more move.”
“Alright!”
Zhou Yan said to Huang Rong, “Move back a bit.”
“Okay, be careful!” Huang Rong pushed the bamboo pole, and the raft lightly drifted away.
Zhou Yan’s thoughts returned, and the flute and zither music assailed his ears. He focused his senses.
“Receive my move,” Jiang Kui declared, stepping forward with his sword.
“The flowing water returns to the east without end. In the past, we shouldn’t have sown seeds of longing. Even in dreams, I haven’t seen you as I do now…” As this poem, Partridge Sky, was recited, Zhou Yan suddenly felt that each of his opponent’s moves was a thread of affection, weaving a net of countless threads to ensnare him.
He suddenly thought of the Tai Chi Swordplay from the Heaven Sword world, where the sword strikes were like entangling silk. The fine threads accumulated, forming balls of silk wadding, making the opponent’s sword moves sluggish and creating an opportunity to win.
Zhou Yan let out a light whistle, his body like a spiraling shadow. He stepped on several bamboo rafts, rapidly circling Jiang Kui. He employed the Ancient Tomb Lightness Skill, evading rather than fighting, while his mind focused on the Azure Sea Tide Sound emanating from Yueyang Tower. He redirected his internal energy, allowing it to flow through the meridians of the five major acupoints, experiencing the wonder of the intangible becoming tangible.
