Chapter 944: Diamond Indestructible

Upon hearing the white-robed monk’s blunt words, he smiled and said, “I only care about drawing my blade; whether you get angry or not is none of my concern.”

Li Dangxin simply smiled, gently pressed his palms together, and returned the courtesy. With his black prayer beads and snow-white kasaya, he truly transcended the mundane.

Qi Xianxia pulled Bai Yu towards the eaves of the thatched cottage, with Han Gui following closely. The three of them naturally guessed the newcomer's identity. It was both unexpected and somewhat perplexing.

"Inch Thunder."

This was undoubtedly a truly resounding name. Just as when people mentioned Li Chungang, the Sword Immortal of the Spring and Autumn Period, they inevitably spoke of Mu Ma Niu, "Two Sleeves of Green Snakes," and "Sword Cleaving the Heavenly Gate." Not just in the Liyang martial arts world, but even within the imperial court, no one was unaware of the old Minister of War's renowned ultimate technique, "Inch Thunder." It was precisely with this move that Gu Jiantang, the military general who pacified the Eastern Yue and Southern Tang nations for the Zhao imperial family of Liyang, defeated Mao Shulang, a renowned master of blademanship who was once at the peak of his power. This established Gu Jiantang's transcendent status as the foremost master of the blade under heaven, just as Li Chungang was to the sword, and Wang Xiu to the spear. Such a martial arts standing, where one looks down on all others, was coveted by countless martial artists.

However, Gu Jiantang's most embarrassing aspect was that despite standing at the apex of all blade users in the world, his rankings in martial arts assessments were consistently unremarkable. Not only did he fail to achieve the undisputed dominance of someone like Wang Xianzhi of Martial Emperor City, but he likely wasn't even considered among the top contenders. More importantly, in the rivalry between blade and sword, both the old Sword God Li Chungang and the Peach Blossom Sword God Deng Ta'a were publicly acknowledged in Liyang to have surpassed Gu Jiantang by a significant margin, whether in terms of cultivation realm or pure combat strength. When a certain young prince first entered the martial arts world, Wang Xianzhi, Deng Ta'a, and Cao Changqing were hailed as "the only three truly outstanding individuals in the world." The other seven, including Gu Jiantang, seemingly played the role of mere supporting characters. While the positions held by these seven were indispensable to the entire Central Plains martial arts world, once one had entered the ranks of the top ten, they became somewhat dispensable. Furthermore, after Li Chungang returned to the realm of a Land Immortal, sword users claimed that the gap between Gu Jiantang and Li Chungang was still as wide as another Gu Jiantang!

For the past two decades, Gu Jiantang, who had long held power in Gu Lu in Tai'an City, never engaged in duels with anyone. Later, as the Grand Marshal overseeing military and political affairs in Liangliao, he lived an even more secluded life. Only when Cao Changqing of Western Chu brought Jiang Si into the capital did Gu Jiantang, who had already gifted his cherished saber to his son-in-law Yuan Tingshan, briefly reveal his formidable power.

Gu Jiantang seemed indifferent to his martial arts ranking and showed no interest in the blade-versus-sword rivalry. Wang Xianzhi possessed the arrogance to declare himself second under heaven, ensuring no one dared claim first; Cao Changqing had the grand gesture of passing through the imperial city thrice as if strolling through a corridor; and Deng Ta'a enjoyed the carefree freedom of riding a donkey to gaze upon mountains and rivers. As a result, in recent years, the new King of Northern Liang, Xu Fengnian, emerged from nowhere; Xuanyuan Qingfeng of Daxueping rose unexpectedly; and the demoness Luoyang repeatedly shook both the Beiliang and Liyang dynasties. Gu Jiantang remained silent in the martial arts world, observing the ebb and flow of new and old eras without a ripple of emotion.

Thus, the Central Plains martial arts world, which naturally harbored a repulsion for Tai'an City, could never truly admire this grand master of blademanship who held such a high position in the imperial court. Yet, this very pillar of the nation, who preferred to remain outside the martial arts world, ascended Mount Wudang today, sought out the white-robed monk Li Dangxin, and seemingly intended to shatter his Vajra Indestructible Body with a single strike.

Aside from his dedication to the Way of the Sword, Qi Xianxia had always been pure of heart and free from desires. The young Celestial Master, who had once, with great resolve, abandoned his former swordsmanship in Tai'an City, was actually unconcerned with the outcome of this pinnacle battle, much less would he point fingers or feign astonishment. Han Gui, whom the old Sect Leader Wang Chonglou praised as "sincere and upright, a late bloomer destined for greatness," and whom the former Sect Leader Hong Xixiang considered a close friend, was now somewhat worried. He feared that if the commotion grew too large, Wudang would be unable to handle the aftermath, causing unnecessary trouble for the young prince.

Mr. Bailian, for whom life held only three fears and two joys, had even less interest in fighting and killing. He moved a small stool and sat under the eaves, staring blankly, his mind already drifting thousands of miles away. With two princes now allied, stirring up unrest across the Central Plains, the grain shipments that the imperial court had promised to deliver to Northern Liang might well encounter complications. Chang Sui, the Prefect of Lingzhou specifically responsible for grain transport, had already sent a secret letter to Qingliang Mountain, requesting the use of the Fish Dragon Gang's influence to thoroughly infiltrate the Guangling River shipping routes from Xiangyang City to Lingzhou. If absolutely necessary, an additional 20,000 mixed gang members would be needed to pave the way with their blood and secure several million piculs of blood-stained grain for Northern Liang's border cavalry.

Thus, none of the three had noticed why General Gu had not brought his saber. Gu Jiantang's talisman-saber Nanhua and Wudang Sword Fanatic Wang Xiaoping's talisman-sword Shentu were renowned throughout the world.

Gu Jiantang was tall, with the typical physique of a northerner, yet his scholarly blue robe gave him the refined demeanor of a southerner. Gu Jiantang, Jian Tang (Sword Tang). Yet he used a saber. After defeating Mao Shulang, he stood at the pinnacle of his martial arts reputation and was praised as a Saint of Blademanship. It was debatable whether his nickname was a misnomer, but his given name truly seemed to be.

Gu Jiantang placed one hand behind his back and slowly raised the other. The white-robed monk Li Dangxin, who had his hands pressed together, changed to a single-palm salute, lowering his gaze and silently uttering a phrase.

"Amitabha."

What a turn of events! Many martial artists from other places, hearing that Xuanyuan Ziyi had not only appeared on Mount Wudang but had also sought four fortune sticks for romance at a stall near Xixiang Pool, immediately flocked to Xu Fengnian's stall, causing his business to boom. Although they saw Xu Fengnian was just a young man, not the immortal-like elder they might have imagined, most people were just there for fun and didn't mind spending a few coppers. Moreover, this handsome fortune-teller was indeed eloquent; even average or below-average fortunes were explained with such flowery language and grand pronouncements that he could make them sound like heavenly blessings. Gradually, not only martial artists and outlaws were willing to pay, but many non-Jianghu pilgrims and tourists also began to believe him. Especially after an out-of-town female martial artist drew a particularly auspicious romance stick, people became even more eager to try. Her 108th stick, "May we all be blessed with longevity, and share the beauty of the moon across a thousand miles," was not only second only to the top stick but also a line from the female literati's work, *First Snow*. Everyone harbored a competitive spirit; since the most auspicious "King of Sticks" had not yet been drawn, people naturally rolled up their sleeves, eager to try their luck. Many onlookers who had initially scoffed at the idea of seeking romance fortunes also tried their hand. Yet, strangely, after more than an hour and over a hundred people had drawn and interpreted their sticks, no one had managed to shake out the "King of Sticks" from the bamboo cylinder. This tantalizing "half-hidden" scenario completely ignited people's desire to be the one to claim the top prize, and several skeptical individuals simply decided to try drawing again. The crowd watched as the young fortune-teller drank bowl after bowl of Wudang Tranquility Soup, collecting hundreds of coins after hundreds of coins, so that the copper coins of various sizes piled up on his table, forming an impressive mountain.

The young prince, who was raking in money hand over fist, covered the fortune stick cylinder with his hand after interpreting the fortune for a burly man who had drawn three romance sticks. He then suddenly announced loudly, "Closing the stall, closing the stall! It's not suitable to interpret romance fortunes anymore today!"

Behind the man with a face full of indignation, a young man who had been waiting patiently for almost half an hour immediately jumped up and cursed, "Surname Xu! Are you playing games with me?!"

Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes and began collecting the copper coins.

The man slammed his palm on the table. "If you dare to leave, don't blame me, Susu, for exposing your past!"

Xu Fengnian looked up and squinted at the exiled Crown Prince of former Western Shu. "Cutting off someone's source of wealth – be careful you don't step in dog poop. Besides, can you even afford the fortune-telling fee, kid?"

Susu sneered, "Ten thousand, is that enough?!"

Xu Fengnian paused his coin-collecting. Susu's unspoken meaning was likely only understood by him, the King of Northern Liang, among everyone on Mount Wudang. Ten thousand referred to ten thousand soldiers from the Shu Zhao region. So Xu Fengnian smiled and asked, "Can your words be taken seriously?"

The swordsmith surnamed Qi, standing behind Susu, softly said, "It's the Old Master's intention."

Xu Fengnian smiled, putting two fingers together. "Only for this amount will I interpret your fortune."

Susu's face was flushed with anger. He leaned forward, slammed both hands on the table, and said in a low, heavy voice, "Do you think I'm a Taoist immortal who can conjure an army from scattered beans?!"

This time, Xu Fengnian held up three fingers. "No sincerity! I've raised the price."

Susu's face darkened, and he was breathing heavily. Xue Songguan, the blind zither player carrying a zither case on her back, had her lips curled upwards. She subtly tugged at Susu's sleeve. Susu snorted coldly, crossed his arms, and adopted a defiant, reckless attitude.

As Xu Fengnian withdrew his hand, he also cast aside his playful demeanor. His eyes suddenly turned cold. Looking up at the three old acquaintances from Beimang, he said, "Some losses, I've only needed to experience them once to learn my lesson. Out of consideration for our past acquaintance, I advise you: never imitate those Spring and Autumn powerful families who tried to play both sides. Zhao Dingxiu, the Old Master, certainly knows better than you how our Xu family dealt with them."

Susu's face turned beet red, and he trembled with rage and extreme humiliation. Xue Songguan, who knew the inside story, sighed softly, then gently took his hand. Susu's eyes were subtly moist. He squeezed her hand, then turned his head away, unsure if he didn't want to see the young prince's face or simply didn't dare.

When they first fled to the back alleys and markets of Beimang, the Old Master had almost given up on the idea of restoring Western Shu. The reason for the rekindling of hope and the decision to return to the Central Plains was entirely due to this young prince. Even their initial smooth progress was largely thanks to the various agents and hidden assets Northern Liang had planted in the Shu Zhao territories. However, when Chen Zhibao was enfeoffed as a king in Western Shu, it not only severed Northern Liang's connection with them but also forced Zhao Dingxiu, the true mastermind of Western Shu, to change course. To put it nicely, they were adapting to circumstances; to put it bluntly, they were burning bridges after crossing them. At first, the Old Master even prepared for the worst, bracing himself for the furious retaliation from Northern Liang, especially the Fushui and Yangying factions. Yet, for some unknown reason, the young prince who had stabbed them in the back seemed utterly oblivious to it. This undoubtedly filled the Old Master, who was deeply steeped in Confucian benevolence and righteousness, with profound guilt. Hence, Susu and the other two made their trip to Northern Liang. After all, the white-robed military strategist who once toyed with the territories of Shu Zhao was now in Guangling Dao of Liyang, strategizing for the conquest of the Central Plains. Most of the elite forces under the prince's jurisdiction had moved east from Shu, thus providing the Old Master with an opportunity to mend fences or, rather, to place a new bet.

The swordsmith surnamed Qi took down his sword case and gently placed it on the table. "The Old Master told me before we left that twenty thousand is the absolute minimum, and this 'Full Armor Snow' sword comes as an extra."