La vida perfecta en la dinastía Song

Capítulo 5

Junyu's voice trembled slightly: "Yuan Jing, it's me!"

More than a dozen weapons attacked, and two ancient swords were swung out simultaneously, their moves following the same set of sword techniques, perfectly complementing each other and unleashing power more than tenfold. A meteor hammer fell to the ground with a loud thud, and seven or eight more men in black fell.

Not only were the men in black surprised, but Junyu and Meng Yuanjing were also puzzled. Meng Yuanjing had no time to think about it and said happily, "Junyu, let's try again!"

Junyu nodded and slashed out with his sword. The two were of one mind and used the same move at the same time. The move was well coordinated. A cold wind passed by and five more men in black staggered and fell to the ground injured.

For a moment, although the number of men in black was large, no one dared to step forward first.

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Chapter 7: The Seventh Chapter

"Hehe, what a brilliant move of combining two swords!"

With a cold laugh, a man in white robes and a jade pendant rode up on horseback. Behind him were Zhu Gang, with his full head of blond hair, and a group of guards.

"Second Young Master..."

The group of men in black immediately bowed respectfully. Zhu Yu waved his hand: "You're all done here, you can leave."

Everyone immediately withdrew, and Zhu Gang said anxiously, "Second Brother, I spent ten thousand taels of silver to buy that beauty. Now that we've finally intercepted them, I must take her away no matter what."

Zhu Yu said in a deep voice, "You still dare to shout? Get out of here."

He turned to the guards and said, "You must escort the Third Young Master back to the capital immediately, and do not cause any more trouble along the way."

Zhu Gang quickly shut his mouth, glared hatefully at the carriage, and dared not argue. He could only ride away with the guards, leaving only Zhu Sihuai behind to wait.

Soon, only a carriage and a few indifferent people remained at the entrance of the dilapidated temple.

By this time, a full moon had already risen in the sky, and a cool breeze was blowing. Zhu Yu looked towards the carriage door, seemingly wanting to see just how beautiful the girl inside was. His gaze, however, suddenly fell upon the pale face opposite him. This face possessed a soft radiance. In the pale moonlight, this radiance seemed not to be from the moonlight itself, but rather emanated naturally from the bright eyes and smiling face of the young man, so much so that it seemed to affect the moonlight.

Meng Yuanjing had just recovered from the joy of the reunion and stared at Junyu for a long time before extending his hand: "Junyu, I'm so glad to see you again."

Junyu also extended his hand: "Yuanjing, I really didn't expect us to meet here."

Zhu Yu looked at her outstretched hand and suddenly recalled the line "The moonlight shines on her jade-like arms, cold and clear." Then he looked at the two hands clasped together as they had when they were children and suddenly felt an intense shock.

Noticing that intense stare, Junyu turned to look at Zhu Yu, who coldly said, "You've suffered internal injuries, and you're still putting on a brave face here even though you're not dead?"

Meng Yuanjing hurriedly said, "Junyu, you've suffered internal injuries?!"

Junyu shook his head, looked at Zhu Yu and smiled, "You came all this way just to continue the competition?"

Zhu Yu stared at that smile, as bright as the sun breaking through the sky, and suddenly recalled the lines of poetry, "A sail sways, mountains and rivers tremble; a fleeting glimpse of a wild goose, and the nation crumbles." He was stunned and speechless for a moment.

"Zhu Yu!"

Junyu was startled by the terrifying roar. He saw Meng Yuanjing staring at Zhu Yu, his eyes practically spitting fire.

Zhu Yu suddenly snapped out of his daze and burst into laughter: "Meng Yuanjing, is that woman in the carriage your lover again? And Zhu Gang almost ruined things for you again?"

Meng Yuanjing gripped his sword tightly and stepped forward. Zhu Yu sneered, "I'd like to see just how powerful your combined swordsmanship really is..."

Before he could finish speaking, a mournful voice rang out. It was Shi Lanni, who had already alighted from the carriage: "Young Master Zhu..."

Zhu Yu looked at her with some surprise, only then realizing that the beautiful woman Zhu Gang had been clamoring about buying for ten thousand taels of silver was actually Shi Lanni. He was a little embarrassed: "Oh, it's actually Miss Shi!"

Then, he turned and glanced at Junyu, ignoring Meng Yuanjing's furious expression, before turning and riding away. Zhu Sihuai immediately followed behind him.

Meng Yuanjing stared at his cousin suspiciously: "You know him?"

Shi Lanni said in a low voice, "I saw him once at a flower party at a friend's house."

Meng Yuanjing looked at his cousin sternly: "From now on, you'd better not have any contact with him anymore."

Shi Lanni paused for a moment before saying sadly, "Brother, I understand."

Meng Yuanjing did not speak, but suddenly everyone heard a loud bang, and a flame rose up in the sky in front of them.

Wang Junxi said, "The people from Ailian Manor who are there to meet us have arrived."

He stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "I am truly grateful for General Fei's help once again."

"Brother Wang, you're too kind," Junyu said, bowing slightly in return.

Wang Jun glanced at the sky and said, "Yuan Jing, it's getting late. To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, I'll take Lan Ni back first. You have other things to do, so go ahead and do yours."

"Okay. Please be careful on the way."

Shi Lanni looked at Junyu and whispered, "Young master, you are my brother's friend. Will you come to Jiangnan to visit in the future?"

Junyu smiled and looked at her: "Lanni, when I have time, I will definitely come to Jiangnan to see you."

A hint of warmth finally appeared in Shi Lanni's bright eyes. Wang Jun watched her get into the carriage and sit down. With a shout, the carriage sped away.

“Junyu…” Meng Yuanjing turned around and looked at her, only to find that her face was pale and blood was seeping from the corner of her mouth.

Junyu was injured by Zhu Gang's sneak attack when he was competing with Zhu Yu in internal strength. He also aggravated his internal injuries by fighting with Meng Yuanjing. At this moment, he could no longer hold on and forced a smile, "I have an appointment with my master to see him. Yuanjing, you also have things to do, so let's say goodbye here."

Meng Yuanjing immediately supported her. His internal strength was comparable to Junyu's. Although he was exhausted from the fierce battle, he wanted to use his internal energy to heal her injuries without reservation.

Junyu shook his head: "Yuanjing, the situation here is unclear, it's not a place to heal. Let's go."

Seeing that her complexion had improved slightly, Meng Yuanjing immediately helped her onto her horse, and the two horses galloped into the night.

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Chapter 8: The Eighth Chapter

The rising sun cast shimmering light on the shimmering lake surface. In the spacious courtyard, a person was wielding a pear blossom spear when suddenly, with a "bang," a flash of light, and a strong tremor ran through the surroundings.

"Alright, sir, it's a success."

Upon hearing the extremely faint cheer, the man wielding the pear blossom spear changed his expression slightly. He turned around and rushed forward to support the boy who was almost falling off his horse: "Junyu, what's wrong?"

When Junyu saw him, the breath she had been holding in suddenly relaxed, and she softly collapsed into his arms.

The man in the tall hat and wide belt was none other than Mr. Nongying. He glanced at Meng Yuanjing, his eyes indifferent, as if he had never smiled in a year.

Meng Yuanjing looked intently at the handsome, refined face adorned with a tall hat and flowing robes, and bowed respectfully as if he were in the academy: "Sir, Junyu?"

"Don't rush, let me take a look first."

Meng Yuanjing nodded and stepped aside. Mr. Nongying had already helped Junyu into the small house and immediately began to treat her injuries.

Meng Yuanjing wandered aimlessly along the lake, feeling both anxious and surprised. Since Junyu left Qiansi Academy, Young Master Nongying had also vanished without a trace. Although Master Zhu had repeatedly sent people to inquire about him, to no avail. He never imagined that he would be living in seclusion by this small Mirror Lake. Even more unexpectedly, he hadn't expected that Young Master Nongying was not only a man of both literary and martial talents, but also a master of medicine. His greatest passion was the research and creation of various firearms; the Pear Blossom Spear he had just successfully tested was his new invention.

Junyu opened her eyes. The window was open, and the autumn wind was blowing through the nearly bare sycamore trees and a few evergreen trees.

A pair of concerned eyes were looking at her earnestly: "Junyu, it's alright, it's all over!"

These are eyes that are often cold and indifferent, and voices that are often as cold as water in a dry well that never sees the sun. But at this moment, these eyes are gentle, and these voices are warm, like the rising sun in spring, giving people a sense of peace and comfort!

Junyu smiled and tried to sit up, but her whole body felt weak.

A pair of strong hands helped her up. Junyu glanced at him, and the gentle light in his eyes, almost as gentle as his hands, suddenly filled her with strength.

Since leaving Qiansi Academy, those eyes have seen her in her disheveled, injured, and desperate state many times, and then stood by her side to drive away those terrible sights!

"gentlemen!"

"Meng Yuanjing came with you; he's outside anxiously waiting."

"Okay, I'll go out and take a look right away."

Three days had passed, and Meng Yuanjing was pacing anxiously by the lake. He knew that Junyu was out of danger, but he was reluctant to leave after finally reuniting with his old friend, so he had been staying there.

"Yuan Jing!"

He turned around and saw a young man leaning against the sycamore tree behind him, looking like he had just recovered from a serious illness. The young man was looking at him with a big smile.

"Junyu, you're all better now!"

Meng Yuanjing was overjoyed and rushed over: "Sir, your medical skills are truly superb!"

He looked around and saw that Young Master Nongying's figure was already walking towards the depths of the lake. He asked curiously, "What are you going to do, sir?"

"The doctor went to find me a medicine, saying that it was very effective for the later stages of internal injuries."

"Your husband has always been so good to you."

Junyu laughed, "Of course, you are just like my father."

Meng Yuanjing recalled the sword moves the two had used when they fought, and suddenly took off his longsword and placed it on the ground. "This sword of mine is called 'Chasing Flight'." Jun Yu looked at it and smiled as he placed his own "Treading the Scenery" sword on the ground as well.

The ancient sword tassel and hilt are almost identical, the only difference being that the two characters "蹑景" have a faint yellow tint, while "追飞" has a slight red tint.

"Yuan Jing, where did you get this sword?"

"This sword was given to me by my uncle on the eve of my first expedition, and he also taught me this sword technique. I've only learned five moves, but he's never mentioned the origin of the technique..."

Junyu was speechless for a moment before finally saying, "This sword technique is called 'Hand-Waving Five Strings.' I only know the first five moves: Mount Hua, Swift Central Plains, Niejing Zhuifei, Soaring to the Heavens, and Hand-Waving Five Strings... As far as I know, only my mother knows this sword technique because she created it herself! When I was little, my mother told me about the origin of this sword..."

During the Western Jin Dynasty, there were two great literary figures: Ji Kang and Ruan Ji. These two were very close friends, and their names have always been linked in the literary history of later generations. While later generations know that Ji Kang was a blacksmith by trade, few know that he was actually a highly skilled swordsmith. Ruan Ji was more than ten years older than Ji Kang. Even in Ji Kang's youth, Ruan Ji was already famous, and his unconventional style greatly impressed the young Ji Kang. After Ruan Ji's mother passed away, Ji Kang visited him with a pot of wine, a zither, and two swords. Without offering condolences, the two drank and sang together, each wielding a sword, dancing together. Ruan Ji wept and sang wildly, blood streaming from his eyes. This was their first meeting, and from that moment on, they became close friends.

These two swords are the famous "Niejing" and "Zhuifei". Later, Ji Kang was convicted of a crime, and before his execution, he entrusted someone to give "Niejing" to Ruan Ji. To avoid trouble, Ruan Ji became even more dissolute and indifferent to worldly affairs. After his death, the two precious swords were lost and gradually forgotten. When Lan Xisi was young, she obtained these two swords from a hermit by chance. "Niejing" remained in her possession until after the martial arts tournament that year, when she gave it to her close friend Mei Mei. After Jun Yu entered Qian Si Academy, Mei Mei gave the sword to Jun Yu.

However, Lan Xisi never revealed the whereabouts of the other sword, "Chasing Flight." As for how this sword ended up in the hands of Meng Yuanjing's uncle, Shi Daming, neither of them knew!

"So, it seems my uncle and your mother have a deep connection!" Meng Yuanjing asked疑惑地, "But I've never heard my uncle mention it!"

Junyu gave a wry smile. Although Shi Daming was famous throughout the martial arts world, she had never heard her mother mention this name before!

“Junyu, let’s change our swords. We ordinary people certainly dare not compare ourselves to sages like Ji Kang and Ruan Ji, but the friendship between us is no less than theirs.”

"Okay," Junyu immediately agreed, grinning, "Yuanjing, have you noticed? The beauty of this sword technique lies in the power of combining two swords."

"Yes, I noticed that too. Could this be the secret behind the last two moves?"

"I think so."

Junyu looked at the distant sky and suddenly laughed, "Yuanjing, I heard you were last year's martial arts champion."

"Haha, my title of Martial Arts Champion is not as famous as yours, the 'Flying Marshal of Phoenix City.' I served in the Northwest Army under Commander Tang Zhen for several years, and you served in the Phoenix Army for several years. If it weren't for this unexpected encounter, we really don't know when we would have met again. By the way, Qin Xiaolou was also a martial arts champion in that year's examination and is now working in the Ministry of War. Only Sun Jia is still missing."

"Really? I received so much news about old friends in just one day, and even met Zhu Yu."

Upon hearing the name "Zhu Yu," Meng Yuanjing's eyes nearly blazed with fury again.