633 The Rainfall Reacquiantance (2/2)
He had barely stepped into his abode when the sky was illuminated by a flash of lightning followed by the furious rumble of thunder.
The winds then blew savagely and then came the torrential rain. It became dark as night outside. He could only see the phantasmal vapor produced by the moisture whenever lightning flashed.
The thunderstorm whipped the shack mercilessly—it was if the shack would be blown away any time. Yan Chong sat on a chair and enjoyed the display of Nature's fury.
He had rarely immersed himself in such tranquility since he embarked on the journey to reach for the Exterior Realms.
He suddenly turned his head to the window. His senses alerted him to an unexpected presence outside. He peered intently into the dark storm. A man was slowly walking up the path.
The man wore black ,fitting clothes and his saber hung from his waist. He was carrying an urn of wine and a package wrapped in oiled paper. Handsome and fair, the stranger came with a demeanor was akin to a lord amongst men.
He held no umbrella, nor did he conjure his Protective Upstanding Qi which would have shielded him from the rain. Yet each and every drop of water that fell on his hair, his clothes, and his skin rolled off and left no wetness as though their momentum dissipated the moment the droplets landed on him.
The man walked through the heavy downpour like he was walking on a warm and sunny day!
With the coming of the stranger, the wild bolts of lightning and thunder seemed to cower into hiding, worsening the terrible darkness!
”Word has reached me that you, Brother Yan, has leaped across the hurdles of the earlier levels of the Exterior. I have come with an urn of fine wine to congratulate you.”
The heavy rain and strong winds did nothing to diminish Meng Qi's voice as he spoke from afar.
Meng Qi had just barely finished when Yan Chong found him already standing at the door.
”To receive an old friend who comes undeterred by wind or rain gives me great pleasure.” Yan Chong opened the door with a smile.
Without any bother for petty ceremony, Meng Qi entered the shack with a cavalier demeanor. He tore open the bundle of oiled paper and revealed slices of beef. Yan Chong produced two bowls which he filled with wine.
”Cheers!” Meng Qi exclaimed and took the first mouthful as a gesture of respect. With one huge gulp, he emptied his bowl. Yan Chong followed suit and drank from his bowl like a whale.
”Another toast to your accomplishment and your bright future, Brother Yan!” Meng Qi poured another round and took another swig.
Mixed emotions swelled within Yan Chong. He finished the wine from his bowl in one gulp and said, ”Long I have watched martial practitioners of the Exterior Realms who hailed from other guilds and sects. Since then I have have been determined not to get left behind. My deepest desire has finally been realized! Cheers!”
Yan Chong made no attempt to disguise his emotions.
Yan Chong gulped down his third bowl. He spoke passionately. ”People used to call us the Dual Blades of the Ranking List of Young Masters. I have always wanted to engage you in a duel, yet the opportunity for such contests has always been elusive. Yet here we are now, both practitioners of the level of the Exterior, but you are now leagues ahead of me. The point of such a contest has been lost, leaving only the hollow urge to complete the deed.
”I have waited a long time for this day, for this stroke!”
Having barely finished speaking, the saber that hung by his waist flew up on its own and the handle hit the center of his palm!
Without losing momentum, the saber slashed in an upward motion before arcing back at Meng Qi. The aura of the blade's motion extended out of the shack, forming a chimerical pillar-like silhouette in the heavy downpour. In the air, the silhouette looked like a fierce dragon winding around a huge pillar column, majestic and powerful as it echoed the force of Yan Chong's attacks.
Meng Qi grinned at Yan Chong. Before he knew it, his hand was already on the hilt of his own saber. A layer of ice formed on the surface of the blade that seemed to freeze and hold even Time itself!
Chink!
Meng Qi's saber glimmered coldly as it escaped its sheath, its ferocity and malice no longer contained. The stroke came from below—a stroke that began from absolute rest and that suddenly burst out with strength. A stroke expressed by the stunning radiance from his blade that embodied both speed and power!
It was a technique he devised from his assimilation of the ”Let All Begone” technique!
”Clang!”
The flashes of the dancing blades poured like the stabbing radiance of sunlight and the silhouette of the cylindrical column was cleaved in half before disintegrating. The brief exchange had not affected the weather, so no one had noticed the short but dramatic bout!
Yan Chong slowly slid back into his seat and sheathed his saber. He sighed softly, ”Your skills with the blade have long surpassed mine.”
He knew Meng Qi could have broken his blade into pieces if the latter wished so.
With the Heaven Inflicted Pain back in its scabbard, Meng Qi laughed jovially. ”It was hardly a fair contest. Yours is not yet a Precious Weapon.”
As he spoke, Meng Qi came to appreciate the adversity faced by students of lesser sects and by independent martial practitioners. In Yan Chong's case, he had overcome the hurdles of the Exterior Realms only to find that he had yet to possess a Precious Weapon befitting his needs and stature.
”I am still collecting the materials to refine this saber. It has, after all, served me well for almost a decade,” Yan Chong said tenderly. ”On another note, you have only appeared once in River East since the affair of The Buddha's Palm's Primary Instruction. It is unseemly for the Killing Blade to remain in hiding and obscurity.”
”I have been working on my skills to the best of my time.” Meng Qi replied pleasantly. ”And thus, I have been detached from the affairs of Jianghu.”
”The incident of the Blue-blooded People is now the talk of the Jianghu. The outbreak of the news was enough to send shivers across the lands...” Yan Chong gently updated him. ”And then there was the tale of the Merciless Tyrant's resurgence. There are rumors that he now wields invincible powers. Some say he easily caught up to a fleeing Soul-chasing Demon Monarch without the need to conjure his Dharmic Form. Even the Sect of the Plain Lady holds him in great regard, they say...”
He continued his tale until finally, Meng Qi heard him say, ”Merciless Tyrant has been entered into the Black List by the greater sects and the nobility. He is now in ninety-ninth place.”
”I have not been listed in the Terrestrial Rankings, yet I have made a name in the Black List...” Meng Qi could not help but feel odd listening to others speak about the persona of his disguise. There was a mild swell of pride with a mixture of embarrassment.
”There was also a monk by the name of Fa Zheng. There was word that he possesses strength comparable to that of a grandmaster. But it is uncertain if the monk has ways and methods to counter the scourge of the Blue-blooded People, so the Six Fan School has yet to officially recognize his ability and credentials.” Yan Chong continued.
He lowered his voice as he continued. ”The Ruan Clan has been secretly enlisting assistance from the greater sects and guilds as well as the nobility. I think they are thinking of dealing with the Blue-blooded People.”
Meng Qi's brows raised curiously, ”The Ruan Clan has deep interest in the affairs of the Blue-blooded People?”