705 Warp and Weft Footnote: Warp and Weft is a weaving technique in how the horizontal and vertical fibers interlace and intersec (2/2)
”You know, it's a kung fu competition. They're all the same. Everyone claims to fight to the death and does show some real ability when they get on the field. But when it is clear who the winner is, the losers will give in a little and the winner will also make a concession. The winner will give the other side a way out and not press too hard, but…”
”But what?”
”But the loser has to admit defeat first. It's all a part of the game…”
”Oh, so you want the Dragon King to admit defeat.” Shangguan Fei kept shaking his head as he replied, ”That's impossible. Long Fanyun, you know that the Dragon King the best. That's impossible, isn't it?”
”The Dragon King will not concede defeat,” Long Fanyun said briefly.
Fan Yongda smiled. ”Do not jump to conclusions. That's all I wanted to say and you can decide for yourself according to how the situation changes later.”
Fan Yongda paid obeisance by cupping his hand in front of his chest before taking his leave. Doctor Sun followed him and asked, ”I spent a lot of time in the Central Plains. Why didn't anyone tell me about the rules?”
Fan Yongda appeared a bit embarrassed, saying, ”To tell you the truth, most of the rules of Jianghu are well-known, but never spoken. I made an exception because I don't think that you guys know much about the rules of the Central Plains' martial arts world, and the Dragon King has also done me a great favor.”
Doctor Sun was immediately enlightened and nodded meaningfully at Fan Yongda. When the other side left, he muttered, ”No wonder I always offended people in the Central Plains. There were unspoken rules that everyone followed. Haha, that's the trick…”
”No wonder everyone says that the people of the Central Plains are all hypocritical.” Shangguan Fei looked at Long Fanyun, hoping that this statement would have the approval of the swordsman from the Big Snow Mountain.
Long Fanyun, however, shook his head. ”Actually, the Jianghu rules of the Central Plains are somewhat reasonable. If their kung fu competition involves no killing, then the hatred between sects will naturally dissolve with time and both sides can learn also learn from it. If they fought like who we do at the old Big Snow Mountain where people start life-and-death fights when they meet, no one would benefit from it and the overall martial arts skills of the region would fade away, becoming weaker and weaker.”
”Brother Long is right. The Instructor always said that too many people were willing to kill in the Western Regions and that in the end there would only be one or two sects left. People would grow arrogant, and then that would be a source of future hidden trouble.”
Shangguan Fei's jealousy grew. He had once tried to say the words 'Brother Long' but had been mercilessly rejected. But as soon as Red Bat said it, Long Fanyun nodded without a trace of displeasure. ”Long Fanyun, I haven't heard anything from Big Snow Mountain for a long while. How is your wife doing over there?”
Long Fanyun was stunned and didn't understand why Shangguan Fei had suddenly asked this. ”Not bad. I got a message before we came to the Norland; it said that everything was all right.”
”Good. Family's always the most important.” Shangguan Fei sneakily glanced at Red Bat, but didn't see any noticeable reaction. He could not help wonder whether his judgment had been wrong. Then he suddenly remembered that Red Bat used to be a maid for a noble family and that her job had been to seduce men, almost like a prostitute. So obviously she would not care if the other side had a wife or not. His seemingly clever move had really been stupid after all.
Doctor Sun suddenly said, ”The Warp and Weft Staff Technique will show its power now. It seems that the Qingcheng Sect is also about to use their unique skill.”
The true power of the Warp and Weft Staff Technique lay not in the weapons but rather the crisscrossing internal Qi. Therefore, it took a long time to show its true power. Dog Butcher and Tu Pianpian had made full use of the time when the other four were having a melee and gradually built up the power of the staff technique, and now they had finally finished setting up their formation.
The situation in the field immediately changed.
The two elders of the Kongtong Sect were still about ten paces apart but the control area of the two crutches grew larger and larger. And there was a muffled buzzing in the air, so strong that it could be felt from over a dozen paces away.
The eyes of the disciples of the Kongtong Sect sparked. Everyone was excitedly pointing and whispering about the subtlety of the staffmanship.
As the power of the Warp and Weft Staff Technique was increased, the scuffle of the other four was broken but their countermeasures were different.
Deng Yuanlei and Liu Fangsheng of the Qingcheng Sect had excellent lightness skills and leaped simultaneously, reaching a height of more than ten feet. They were able to jump up and down along the internal Qi of the Warp and Weft Staff Technique as if they were stepping on an invisible sphere. And the greater the range of the crutches, the higher the two rose. It was dazzling and very impressive but it was also very dangerous. A moment's carelessness would mean a man's death.
Shangguan Ru's lightness skill was also very good but it was different kind of good compared to that of the Qingcheng Sect. Instead of jumping up, she retreated to the side and was moved further and further away from the core.
The Dragon King, by contrast, seemed to make the riskiest choice of all. Instead of retreating, he stood in between the two crutches, near the center of the affected area, ignoring the internal Qi of the surroundings. However, his saber was clearly moving slower as if he were underwater.
The most important thing was that the distance between him and Shangguan Ru had grown so large that cooperation between the two was moot and pointless.
Shangguan Fei finally broke himself free from his anxiety and jealousy and said, ”Something's not right. The Dragon King's sabersmanship and palm technique specialize in close combat, but now… He can't even touch his opponents.”
Needless to say, everyone thought that the Dragon King's situation was the most dangerous. Red Bat's face changed. She unconsciously grabbed Long Fanyun's wrist and muttered, ”The Dragon King will win. The Dragon King will win.”
Gu Shenwei emptied his mind. Dog Butcher had suggested earlier that each side should sent two people to participate in the fight, and it seems like his purpose had been to use the Warp and Weft Staff Technique, which was indeed one of the most powerful martial arts skills that Gu Shenwei had ever encountered.
Old Man Mu was also a formidable opponent when he had been in peak form, but his kung fu skills focused on swiftness and ferocity and were essentially similar to those of Golden Roc Castle. Although Gu Shenwei was a bit weaker than him, he didn't feel that his hands and feet were bound.
This was the first time he had ever fought with real masters from the Central Plains and found that all his best martial arts skills had been countered as the fight progressed. The layers of internal Qi bundled together like cords, a single strand might be weak, but when grouped together they were a strong snare.
Gu Shenwei had no choice but to use his sword. Only the pure unadulterated form of the Death Sutra Swordsmanship could help him break through the fetters that currently bound him.
Shangguan Ru also decided to take a risk, eliminating the distance between the two, as she felt that she had to keep her promise that she would protect the Dragon King's back.