txolops Chapter 75 Who is the Hidden Mantis?
Chapter 75 Who is the Hidden Mantis?
Chapter 75 Who is the Hidden Mantis?
Li Che ran about a mile along the way he came when suddenly the alarm blared, and he immediately stopped and leaped to the side and back.
With a clang, the longsword was drawn, and three sword flowers unleashed.
Three crisp ringing sounds rang out, and sparks flew.
The enemy was dressed in white clothes and a white hat, but his weapon was a chain that was twelve feet long.
Li Che's wrist dipped slightly, and the snake-like chain lost its sharpness after being struck by his three sword strikes. The chain head snapped and rolled onto the tree trunk with a whoosh.
Xiang Wentian!
Are they here to avenge Ren Yingying?
No, with a veil covering her face, how could he possibly know who she is?!
Why did this guy make a move? Is Tian Boguang one of his men?
For a moment, Li Che was confused.
However, when Xiang Wentian's first attack failed, another attack followed.
He flicked his wrist, causing the chain to spin and produce a crackling sound. The chain in his hand seemed to come alive, like a sudden thunderclap and a gust of wind.
In the darkness, it seemed as if hundreds of chains were spreading across the sky.
Li Che's eyes were solemn; this person was probably the strongest opponent he had encountered since he had mastered the sword.
However, instead of retreating, he took half a step forward to meet the attack. In an instant, the sharp edge of the chain grazed his left shoulder, and the strong wind tore a hole in his black shirt, but did not injure his own flesh.
Xiang Wentian's eyes flashed with a sharp light.
His move "Dragon Twisting Pillar" has seven follow-up moves. No matter whether the opponent dodges to the left, right, or backward, the subsequent killing moves will follow like a shadow.
But Li Che chose to move forward, which led him right into the trap of the chain move, rendering all his subsequent moves futile.
That was absolutely lightning fast!
Xiang Wentian let out a soft shout, and the chain head rolled back, but Li Che's longsword was even faster.
It neither stabbed nor slashed, but instead draped itself over the chain link.
Xiang Wentian felt a gentle force travel along the chain to his wrist. Using this sticky force, the chain lost its aim and was deflected by his longsword by three points.
With a "plop," three-tenths of the tree bark was scraped off by the chain.
Li Che raised his sword to stab again, but his opponent retreated several steps and did not attack again.
The two stood two zhang apart, their eyes meeting, yet neither showed the slightest emotion.
After a moment, Xiang Wentian suddenly laughed and said, "Li Che of Mount Hua, it really is you!"
Li Che's gaze remained unchanged, not wavering in the slightest.
Upon seeing this, Xiang Wentian said, "It is truly rare to have such a solid foundation in martial arts at such a young age. No wonder Senior Feng Qingyang passed on the Dugu Nine Swords to you."
That "luring" technique just now was truly ingenious!
Li Che thought to himself, "I forgot that he knows about the Dugu Nine Swords. He must have seen me killing Tian Boguang earlier. Why didn't he go and steal the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual in the middle of the night, but instead came here to test his skills?"
What is this guy's purpose?!
"Since you are a disciple of Master Feng, I will spare your life today."
Li Che chuckled and said, "So, the 'Heavenly King' wasn't referring to martial arts skills, but rather his ability to boast."
Although my martial arts skills are inferior to yours, you may not be able to kill me either. Why are you stopping me? Speak plainly!
"Hahaha—!" Xiang Wentian laughed loudly, "Interesting, Brother Li..."
"7
"Watch your words. Not just anyone can be Li's brother!"
Xiang Wentian's eyes turned slightly cold, and after a few breaths he chuckled lightly, "Young man, you have quite the temper. I haven't settled accounts with you for what you did to the young lady yet."
"Ha~ You people are always good at making excuses and shirking responsibility. If that woman surnamed Ren hadn't come to provoke me, do you think I would have paid any attention to her? She stumbled with me, Li, and now she's calling her parents to come and fix things?"
Li has other matters to attend to; if you want to fight, then fight; if not, then get out of the way!
"Wait! Where is the real Evil-Repelling Sword Manual?"
Ok?
The old man reacted quickly!
"Now that you have the Nine Swords of Dugu, the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual is useless to you. Hand it over, and I will owe you a favor."
"Your favor may not be worth much to Li."
"Kid, don't be ungrateful!"
Li Che smiled and said, "How do you know that's not the real sword manual? No one in the Lin family has been able to decipher its subtleties for decades."
Changqingzi obtained a fragment of the text, but could not understand its meaning, and eventually died in depression.
"If you want the sword manual, you shouldn't have stopped me."
Xiang Wentian frowned slightly, momentarily doubting his own judgment.
Thinking about the whole thing, the Lin family was born, Mount Hua gained its name, and the Holy Maiden was able to eliminate some future enemies.
The young man surnamed Li is hiding in the shadows, playing tricks on the martial arts world. What does he want?
To eradicate the Qingcheng Sect?
To create trouble for the Songshan Sect?
That seems to make sense.
But given his cautious and decisive nature, he would never allow the true sword manual to circulate in the martial arts world. If he didn't embezzle it, could it be that... the sword manual is just a decoy?
Suddenly, Xiang Wentian recalled the scene at Xianxia Ridge, and upon seeing Li Che's current attire, he was immediately startled.
Was he the one who killed Yu Canghai?!
The hand reaching into his robes wasn't to retrieve the sword manual, but rather... to frame him?!
pass!
It's all cleared!
Was it Yue Buqun's scheme, or...?
Xiang Wentian looked at Li Che again, but the contempt he had shown before was gone from his eyes; instead, a hint of fear appeared in them.
At such a young age, with such cunning and scheming, it's no wonder the young lady lost!
Then he thought, "Let's find someone else to save the sect leader. We can't mess with the Huashan Sect lightly! Even if we don't have this kid surnamed Li, we still have Feng Qingyang."
"That old man really knows how to live!"
After a moment of silence, Xiang Wentian spoke first: "How about we make a deal? I'll kill the people from the Songshan Sect for you. Or who else you want to kill tonight, I can do it for you."
"Oh?" Li Che looked at him curiously. "Your request is quite substantial. Tell me about it."
"The matter in Luoyang is now settled. Di Xiu and his ilk can also be held accountable to me. We will not bother the Huashan Sect in the future."
"this one?"
"That's it!"
Li Che remained calm, but inwardly he was wondering what this guy was imagining. His earlier bravado had vanished in an instant.
But the suggestion does sound pretty good.
"The sword manual must be taken back to Mount Song!"
With Li Che's first words, Xiang Wentian was already certain: the sword manual was indeed fake!
"So, either Zhong Zhen or Gao Kexin has to survive. It doesn't matter if it's a disciple of Songshan, someone has to protect him so he can return to safety."
also!
Mu Gaofeng must die!
The Six Immortals of Peach Valley... their mouths are too foul, you'd better deal with them!
"That's it?"
"It's gone!"
"good!"
"Remember your words: don't provoke Mount Hua. This isn't a warning, but a friendly reminder!"
Xiang Wentian frowned, picked up the chain, and turned to leave.
After a while, Li Che exhaled a breath of stale air and turned to head towards Fuzhou City.
By the time they arrived at Fuwei Escort Agency, it was nearly midnight.
Li Che quietly climbed over the wall and entered the east wing, only to find a figure standing in the courtyard.
Oh no!
"Have you gone crazy enough?"
"Actually... this disciple was just curious and went to see who had obtained the sword manual. It's so late, why isn't Master asleep yet?"
Yue Buqun glared at him. "Get inside and talk!"
Li Che pursed his lips and followed him into the guest room.
Without being told, he first filled Old Yue's teacup, then stood with his head down, looking like he was accepting punishment.
"Alright, alright, you're always pretending to be innocent. Tell me, does the Lin family really have a sword manual?"
"Yes! But someone recited some sword techniques back then, which seemed profound and unfathomable, but to this disciple... they sounded like utter nonsense."
I learned swordsmanship from my master Feng, so I have some knowledge of swordsmanship.
"I reckon there's probably something wrong with this sword manual. It's been in the Lin family's old house for decades; it's very likely it was switched long ago."
After saying that, he recited a few lines from his self-composed "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual".
Li Che also sensed the change in Lao Yue, but just in case, it was best to make up a white lie.
Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun's expression relaxed, and he nodded slightly, saying, "That's good. Now that someone believes us, the Lin family's crisis is over."
"Che'er, what do you think of the Lin family's young master?"