bookrebus Chapter 348: Jun Xiu vs. Phoenix (Part )
Chapter 348: Jun Xiu vs. Phoenix (Part )
Last time, we talked about the off-stage competition and the on-stage gambling. All three tribes wanted to be the best. Each had their own plans and tactics. It all depended on who the good fortune would go with and which family they would join to cultivate their fate. It all depended on who they cared about. Now let's take a look at the real competition.
When Li Yi heard Qu Zhi's words, he also noticed the changes on the Jun Xiu sword and focused his attention on the battle.
Xiang Ying wielded the Phoenix Halberd in his hand very quickly. The Xiang family's halberd technique was called the Muhuo Halberd, which evolved into thousands of routines from the six basic moves of picking, grabbing, locking, intercepting, stabbing and hooking. The changes on the double halberds more than doubled, requiring extremely high adaptability from the user in actual combat.
Xiang Ying was indeed a man of extraordinary talent. With his own Mingyi aura, he was able to bring out the true power of this halberd technique. The double halberds were covered in flames, and his aura would burst out while he was attacking. When he spread his arms, he really looked like a phoenix flapping its wings.
Xiang Ying used a move to find the snake in the grass. He swept the Phoenix Halberd in his right hand and blocked the Junxiu Sword. He stabbed with the Phoenix Halberd in his left hand, and each stab was full of arrogance. Li Yi jumped up with his sword and tried to step on Xiang Ying's head with one foot. The latter locked the Junxiu Sword with the Phoenix Halberd, and changed his left hand from stabbing to hooking, hooking Li Yi's foot with the crescent branch of the Phoenix Halberd, and smashed him to the ground.
Although Li Yi struggled to break free, he was still thrown out. He held the hilt of the sword with one hand, turned around and kicked Xiang Ying again. Xiang Ying's Phoenix Halberd probing was deflected by Li Yi's foot, and then the Phoenix Halberd came with a scorching aura. Li Yi raised the Junxiu Sword with both hands to block the Phoenix Halberd. Then he kicked Xiang Ying in the chest with both feet, forcing him to retreat and dodge.
The audience cheered loudly. The fight between the two became more and more exciting. Xiang Ying's halberd skills were domineering and effective, while Li Yi's moves were simple but very practical. Now Xiang Ying's advantage was not so obvious.
Xiang Liang asked, "Uncle, do you think Ying'er is going to lose?"
"What kind of vision do you have, kid? How could you predict that Xiang Ying would lose? He was trying to lure the enemy. Although Wei Le had the Jun Xiu Sword, he didn't know how to use it, so he was always on the defensive. Ying'er was waiting for Wei Le to attack, and then she was looking for an opportunity to fight by taking advantage of the slow transition between offense and defense of the heavy sword."
Xiang Liang nodded and said, "So that's how it is. Uncle, can you tell what kind of person Wei Le is?"
Xiang Xiong shook his head and said, "I didn't notice that. They are all basic moves, just like a soldier who has fought in the battlefield for many years. I like this very much.
I remember the battle between me and Dugu Yan. That guy had a beautiful spear technique, but it was just good-looking and not practical. I cut off the spear anyway!"
Jing Zhi heard this and interrupted, "Master Xiang has ever defeated Dugu Yan of Northern Wei? I have never heard you mention this."
Xiang Xiong waved his hands and said, "It's just a draw, not a win. The Phoenix Halberd was also damaged during the attack. If we continue fighting, it will probably break. Besides, the Northern Wei crown prince came to order us to withdraw our troops, so we didn't fight any more. So the outcome is undecided, it's a draw."
After Xiang Xiong finished speaking, he suddenly looked at Jing Zhi, who smiled sincerely. He asked, "The reason you bet on a tie is that you know what happened that year?"
Jing Zhi waved his hand and said, "I really don't know. A battle in the Transcendent Realm is not something a scholar like me can see. I really just wanted to join in the fun and bet casually."
Xiang Xiong snorted coldly, turned his head to look inside the field, feeling vaguely uneasy.
Xiang Ying asked: "Second Grandpa, what's wrong with you?"
Xiang Xiong shook his head and said, "Nothing, maybe Grandpa is overthinking it."
Jing Zhi still had a smile on his face, but Jing Xin seemed to understand something. But Qu Zhi on the side was smiling strangely.
In the arena, Xiang Ying used a Phoenix Wings move, swinging out several fireballs. Li Yi raised his sword to block them one by one. He felt that the special structure in the middle of the hilt was loose, and stole a glance at Qu Zhi, who was grinning on the stage, and thought:
Could it be that there is a mechanism in the sword? The literary "Li Sao" is well-versed in both literature and martial arts? Although "Li Sao" is also a text that requires recitation in its entirety, it is really too long. I haven't even memorized Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Regret" in its entirety, let alone "Li Sao"!
The most familiar one is "The road is long and arduous, I will search for it up and down." And the first sentence, I have memorized the first sentence too, but... wait!
Li Yi looked at the Junxiu sword in his hand. Junxiu? Lingjun, Lingxiu. This Junxiu heavy sword is related to "Li Sao". Great unification? Virtuous governance? Selecting the virtuous and appointing the capable? No, no, none of these are right. Qu Yuan wanted to express his worries about the fate of the Chu State.
But there is no Qu Yuan here. The one who wrote this poem is Qu Lie! Qu Lie defended Jianmen Pass alone and blocked the Qin army of 100,000 for seven days and seven nights, forcing the Qin army to split up and change the route to enter Shu from Mianzhu Pass. This period of history is completely different from the one I am familiar with.
Why did Qu Lie guard Jianmen Pass alone? The Qu family was originally a lineage of the royal family of Chu. Their surname was Mi and they changed their surname to Qu because their fiefdom was in Quyi. Logically, the Qu family should have had a close relationship with the Chu State.
It was under the command of Qu Lie that the State of Chu conquered most of the State of Ba. But when the State of Qin went south to attack Bashu, the State of Chu withdrew its troops. This was equivalent to spitting out the meat that had been eaten!
The history books say that the Qin people used a strategy of alienation to make the King of Chu no longer trust Qu Lie, saying that Qu Lie had a rebellious heart. At that time, some people in Chu also took advantage of this to force Qu Lie to resign. Qu Lie left the court and went to the State of Ba alone, which is how he wrote "Li Sao" and cast Junxiu in martial arts.
Only after that did Qu Lie guard Jianmen Pass alone. Doctor Qu, does your "Li Sao" also express your worries about the fate of the State of Chu?
I think it's more about dissatisfaction with the separation between the monarch and his subjects! As for this Jun Xiu Sword, let me understand your original intention in forging the Jun Xiu Sword!
Li Yi injected his energy into the Junxiu Sword, and the sword trembled and then made a crisp sound. Xiang Ying thought Li Yi was going to use some tricks, so he jumped back a foot to keep a distance and stay alert. But then he heard a swish sound just like a sharp sword coming out of its sheath. As the saying goes:
The precious sword comes out of the box shining brightly, purple air surrounds the body and cold air condenses. A gentleman among soldiers should be like this, acting chivalrously and speaking out for justice.
Xiang Liang exclaimed, "Mother and Child Sword? Jun Xiu's heavy sword is actually a mother and child sword?"
Qu Zhi smiled but did not answer.
This Junxiu Sword was definitely a black technology in Qu Lie's era, both in terms of design concept and craftsmanship. I don't know what means Qu Lie used to forge this kind of mother-and-child long sword. Looking at the sword in his hand and the Phoenix Halberd in Xiang Ying's hand, Li Yi became very interested in the smelting technology of Western Chu.
Li Yi stroked the smooth and translucent sword and sighed, "This sword is just like the original intention of Qu Lie, the ancestor of the Qu family. It is loyal and pure, and it is not stained by dust. You can imagine how unwilling and sad it was for Senior Qu Lie to guard Jianmen alone! What made the great Chu State destroyed by Qin? It was nothing more than the four words "the king and his subjects have different hearts". Alas, how sad!"
Xiang Ying interrupted, "You are still in the mood to feel sorry for the world, why don't you think about how to break the Phoenix Double Halberds in my hands!"
Li Yi glanced at Xiang Ying, shook his head and smiled: "Brother Xiang, I don't know how to use a heavy sword, but this sword is quite handy. Now it's my turn to attack!" After saying this, he exuded his talent.
Xiang Ying was shocked and said, "Don't you use Confucianism, Taoism and magic?"
Li Yi smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, this is not for hitting you, I just want to play a song!" Then the "Hard to Read Sutra" sounded in the classroom. Of course, it was pure music. What Li Yi wanted to express was very simple, get out of the way, I'm going to start showing off!
Just as the background music of Boss Qiao played, Li Yi started to attack with the Xiu Sword in his hand. Now Xiang Ying was no longer the one taking the initiative in the training field, but Li Yi was completely suppressing Xiang Ying. He first used the Qi base to activate and performed a set of the most familiar Buddhist sword to subdue demons.
Using basic moves such as hook, hang, point, pick, stab, lift, and chop in conjunction with hands, eyes, body, methods, and steps, this is the Buddhist sword technique for subduing demons, which is primarily practical. The essence of this technique is the combination of sword and hand, hand and body, body and mind, and there is Buddha in my heart.
Seeing Li Yi suppressing Xiang Ying with mysterious moves, the people on the stage had different thoughts. Qu Zhi's face was full of peach blossoms, and his mouth was almost grinning from ear to ear.
Qu Xia appeared calm on the surface, but she was ecstatic in her heart: Wei Lang is so frivolous? I have always been self-disciplined and never show my true feelings to others, but you... Haha, I have long wanted to teach Xiang Ying a lesson, and you have done what I could not do.
Xiang Liang clenched his fists tighter and tighter, looking anxiously at the field. Xiang Xiong smiled and said, "Wei Le is quite interesting. He still has the mind to listen to music and sing songs at this time. He is really an interesting young man! Liang'er, don't be impatient. Wei Le does have the upper hand on the field, but in fact..."
Xiang Liang turned around and looked at Xiang Xiong expectantly and asked, "What's the actual situation? Does Ying'er have a backup plan?"
Xiang Xiong nodded and said, "Of course there is a back-up plan, but that move cannot be used here. That is a method of defeating the enemy in one move, which is too dangerous, and Xiang Ying is not yet ready."
Xiang Liang asked, "Doesn't that mean Ying'er is doomed to fail?"
Xiang Liang waved his hand and said, "I told you long ago that Xiang Ying's weakness lies in his heart knot, not his talent. If this battle can wake him up, I think it's good."
Xiang Liang didn't hear that this was a way of comforting him, and asked again: "Uncle, does Ying'er have no chance at all?"
Xiang Liang said: "It's not that there is no chance. If the knot in the heart is untied, the state of mind will naturally improve. Once the state of mind is improved, it will be very different. Otherwise, there were many people in our Great Chu who were more powerful than me, but I was the only one who was promoted to the extraordinary realm?
It's a question of state of mind. In fact, at the peak of the fourth rank, everyone's strength is about the same. Whoever has a higher state of mind will win. So as long as Xiang Ying resolves his mental knot, his state of mind will naturally improve, and it won't be difficult to break through. Ying'er?"
Xiang Xiong turned his head and looked at Xiang Ying behind him and said, "Ying'er, do you want your brother Ying to win, or do you want Wei Le... hm?"
Seeing Xiang Ying's dull expression and eyes full of love, Xiang Xiong shook his head and sighed, "Look at your precious girl, I'm afraid she has been bewitched by Wei Le. Seeing her brother being suppressed, she is not anxious at all, and she is not afraid that her beloved will be snatched away by others! What a good character she has, otherwise why would I like this girl!"
Xiang Liang wiped the black line from his forehead and called out, "Ying'er! Ying'er! Ying'er!"
Xiang Ying finally responded, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with father?"
Xiang Liang sighed and said, "Your second grandfather is asking you a question. Do you want your brother Ying to win, or does Wei Le want to win?"
Xiang Ying smiled and said, "It doesn't matter who wins. Originally, Brother Ying couldn't beat Brother Wei. Now that Brother Wei can fight with all his strength, he should be satisfied. Who told Brother Wei to be so powerful? Dad has also seen that he has given Brother Ying a lot of Confucianism and Taoism. You should be satisfied with this kind of fight."
Xiang Liang shook his head and sighed. Xiang Xiong smiled and asked, "Aren't you afraid that your brother Wei will be snatched away by someone else?"
Xiang Ying shook her head and said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I will definitely impress him and make him fall in love with me!"
Jing Xin listened silently and thought: Oh, what should I do? Brother Wei has said such harsh words, but Xiang Ying still won't give up! What if she finds out about me and Brother Wei one day?
Jingzhi saw that his daughter was worried and asked, "Xin'er, what's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
Jing Xin shook her head and said, "Nothing, nothing."
Jing Zhi asked with a smile: "Then tell me, what do you think of Wei Le?"
Jing Xin blushed and lowered her head, muttering, "I don't think it's any use. I think no matter how good it is, with Xiang Ying and Qu Xia here, it's not my turn."
Jing Zhi smiled without saying a word and looked at the Qu family beside him.
Li Yi's offensive continued in the training ground. Although Xiang Ying was suppressed, he did not lose his composure. He defended and waited for an opportunity to counterattack. After more than thirty moves, Li Yi had understood the secret of the Phoenix Halberd through various attempts.
The so-called feeding the Phoenix Halberd with blood is actually a kind of witchcraft. As mentioned before, the human soul is a special existence among the three souls. It is not only the connection hub between the heaven and earth souls, but also can leave the netherworld and act independently after death. The so-called ancestral blessing is the result of the human soul acting alone.