Mingjian Manor has been renowned in the Song Dynasty martial arts world for over a century. Not to mention the prestige of its ancestors, the current manor lord, Yi Yun, is a famous senior figure in the martial arts world.
In recent years, the reputation of the hundreds of "Drunken Immortal Pavilions" established by Mingjian Villa has spread throughout the martial arts world. Just the four characters "Mingjian Villa" are enough to make Qin Chengyu turn pale.
"Father, just who is this Sword Manor? How can they be so arrogant?" Qin Du couldn't help but ask.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Chengyu slowly suppressed the shock in his heart before speaking in a deep voice: "This Sword Manor was originally the number one martial arts family in our Great Song Dynasty. The current manor master, Yi Yun, was once recognized as a top master of the righteous martial arts world, comparable only to the Shaolin monks."
However, a scandal occurred in the family twenty years ago, so for the past twenty years, they have kept a low profile. Apart from the "Drunken Immortal Pavilion" they founded in recent years, few people from the Famous Sword Manor have been heard of traveling in the martial arts world.
Unexpectedly, I heard of people from the Famous Sword Manor traveling the martial world again today. Judging from the signature, Yi Jifeng should be the current successor of the Famous Sword Manor!
Qin Du, however, was rather dismissive: "Hmph, judging from what Father says, Mingjian Manor is nothing more than a power that has been outdated for twenty years. No matter how great its reputation was in the past, or how famous Yi Yun's martial arts were, Yi Jifeng, who sent the message, is just an unknown nobody. He dares to come to my Qin Family Village and act wildly, Father. We cannot let him get away with this."
Qin Chengyu found his son's words quite reasonable and nodded, saying, "Yes, Du'er is right. However, Yi Jifeng is from Mingjian Villa, so he should have some skills. I will make careful arrangements for him!"
Having made up his mind, Qin Chengyu sent someone to invite several elders and brothers of the same generation from the village to the main hall, and asked them to wait outside the hall.
Before long, the sound of disciples bowing and greeting each other rang out from outside the hall, and then several people stepped into the hall. These people were all dressed in coarse linen clothes, with leather belts around their waists, and each of them had a single sword hanging from their waist.
The leader was an elderly man with white hair and beard, who walked with a brisk pace. Upon approaching, he asked, "Chief, what brings us all here?"
"Third Uncle, look." Qin Chengyu handed the letter to the old man.
The old man read the letter quickly, then snorted coldly, his anger rising: "Chief, Shandong is now Jurchen territory. Our surrender to the Jurchens is merely a matter of being pragmatic. This Sword Manor is truly meddling too much."
When the old chieftain was alive, Yi Yun was extremely polite to him. Now, he sends a junior to try and deal with my Qin Family Village—he truly doesn't know what's good for him!
“However, this person is a master!” Qin Chengyu said in a deep voice, “This letter was placed next to my teacup. My disciples did not see this letter when they served the tea, but after they served the tea and came out to welcome me in, the letter was on the table.”
I just checked, and all the doors and windows in this hall, except for the front door, are locked from the inside. In just a few breaths, someone silently placed this letter down and then silently left, without anyone noticing.
"So, this Yi Jifeng is truly a master?!" The old man frowned after hearing Qin Chengyu's description.
"At least it shows that his lightness skill is superb, and Mingjian Villa is famous for its swordsmanship. If Yi Jifeng dares to say that his swordsmanship is only partially mastered, then he should not be underestimated." Qin Chengyu said, pacing back and forth in the hall.
The old man said loudly, "Chief, the Jin people will not allow any backing out. Otherwise, even the century-old foundation of my Qin Family Village will not be able to withstand the Jin people's military might. Since Yi Jifeng has come to our door, we cannot show any weakness."
At this moment, the other disciples echoed, "We must let that brat know the power of our Swift Wind Blade!"
Seeing the high morale of his disciples, Qin Chengyu nodded in satisfaction, and his fear of Mingjian Villa lessened. He said loudly, "Good, Yi Jifeng dares to provoke my Qin Family Village. This time, we will make sure he doesn't leave alive."
...
As noon approached, Qin Chengyu summoned the bandits of the stronghold, while he himself sat in the main seat of the martial arts training hall. Everyone in the stronghold was ready, waiting for that person to arrive.
"It's noon!" A disciple looked at the sun; he was the most accurate at telling time, almost exactly as the water clock indicated.
"That person is here!" With a shout, everyone looked in the direction he was looking and saw a figure appear at the end of the road in front of the gate.
From a distance, the man appeared to be strolling leisurely, but he was faster than someone running. In the blink of an eye, the young man in a handsome warrior's outfit was already standing at the entrance of Qin Family Village.
A clear voice, amplified by internal energy, resounded throughout the entire stronghold: "Yi Jifeng of Mingjian Manor has come to pay a visit!"
------------
Chapter 155 The Azure Sword Breaks Through the Gale Blade
"You're Yi Jifeng?!"
Surrounded by several sworn brothers, his son, and a few disciples, Qin Chengyu looked at the young man standing opposite him and shouted.
Qin Chengyu originally thought that Yi Jifeng was just a young man who had just started out and that he only wanted to use Qin Family Village as a starting point to restore the reputation of his Famous Sword Manor.
But when they actually met, he discovered that the young man in front of him was not the kind of arrogant and ignorant brat he had imagined.
The young man exuded a long and powerful aura, clearly indicating profound skill. Every move he made carried an extraordinary sense of pressure, causing even a renowned master in the northern martial arts world to tremble involuntarily.
"It is indeed I, Yi. Chief Qin is renowned in the martial arts world of our Great Song Dynasty. Now that the country is in peril, if he can repent and help our Great Song Dynasty resist the Jin people, he may be spared. I hope Chief Qin will not make a mistake!"
Li Ling was already used to saying such things. Since he started learning the "Eight Forms of Famous Swords" four years ago, he had been determined to become a martial arts hero who would help the Southern Song Dynasty after he mastered the basics.
He is already twenty years old this year, which is about the same time as the start of the TV series.
In truth, Li Ling had no good feelings towards the Southern Song Dynasty. If it weren't for his current identity, the fact that Mingjian Villa was a renowned and prestigious sect in the Southern Song martial arts world, and that his grandfather Yi Yun was wholeheartedly loyal to the Song Dynasty, he wouldn't be in such a hurry to do things for the Southern Song. He came to this world only to fulfill Yi Yun's wish to 'revitalize Mingjian Villa'.
Zhao Song was nothing but an incompetent ruler, and the court was plagued by deep-seated problems and weakness. He was only taking action now in accordance with his grandfather Yi Yun's wishes. After all, he had grown up in the Famous Sword Manor and had received great kindness from Yi Yun in raising him and teaching him skills. He could not fail to repay these two debts of gratitude.
Hearing Li Ling speak, completely disregarding him, Qin Chengyu flew into a rage and shouted, "You arrogant brat!"
As the renowned chieftain of Qin Family Village, a stronghold in the Shandong outlaw community, no one had dared to speak to him like that for a long time. Therefore, when Li Ling issued his ultimatum without any politeness, it immediately enraged Qin Chengyu.
He shouted and grabbed the purple-gold longsword behind him, slashing it at Li Ling.
Qin Chengyu was tall and burly, and possessed superhuman strength. Most people would choose to avoid his head-on strike and then wait for an opportunity to counterattack.
However, Li Ling was different. Facing Qin Chengyu's knife, he neither dodged nor avoided it, but directly picked up the Qingming Sword from his waist and met it head-on.
Since he began practicing the 'Eight Forms of Famous Swords' four years ago, Yi Yun allowed Li Ling to choose one of the eight treasured swords in the Famous Sword Manor as his personal sword. Li Ling chose the Azure Destiny Sword.
The Azure Nether Sword belongs to the Yin category. Li Ling's 'Dragon Roar Iron Shirt' technique is extremely strong and Yang, but under the nourishment of the Azure Nether Sword's extremely Yin sword energy, it can achieve a perfect balance of Yin and Yang.
"Click!"
After a crisp sound, to everyone's disbelief, Qin Chengyu, known for his unparalleled swordsmanship, was actually sent flying by the casual counterattack of this young man.
Holding the Green Destiny Sword, Li Ling coldly said, "Since Chief Qin is so stubborn, then don't blame me for being impolite. Take this!"