Chapter Twelve: The Ghostly Shadow

  Jian Bing is who? Jian Bing is the current leader of Huashan School, one of the three greatest divine swords in the world, the Spring Water Divine Sword, and a righteous leader admired by millions!

  Jian Bing was 27 years old when he debuted, relying on his swordsmanship to defeat the notorious Xue Bei, forcing him back to Xue Bei and never setting foot in the Central Plains again. Later, the young and vigorous Jian Bing challenged Yu Hua Zhen Ren, a famous swordsman of the Tai Shan sect, shocking the world. Although Jian Bing was defeated by Yu Hua Zhen Ren, he still gained honor. At that time, Bu Yun Zhen Ren, known as the number one master of the Orthodox School, praised Jian Bing as the first among the rising masters. Jian Bing was only 30 years old at the time and after being defeated by Yu Hua Zhen Ren, he returned to Hua Shan to practice in seclusion, studying the supreme sword technique of the Hua Shan sect, Chun Shui Jue. Ten years later, he broke through his training and became the first person in 300 years to master Chun Shui Jue, his cultivation rivaling that of the founder of the Hua Shan sect. After Jian Bing came out of seclusion, he took over as the leader of the Hua Shan sect and has since promoted the sect, making it a pillar of the Orthodox School. After becoming the leader of the Hua Shan sect, Jian Bing again went to Tai Shan to engage in a sword fight with Yu Hua Zhen Ren at the top of Tai Shan. It is said that at that time, the sword energy was overwhelming, and an area of five miles around was flattened, with no one knowing who won or lost. From then on, Jian Bing's reputation as the Spring Water Divine Sword spread far and wide, and he became known as one of the three greatest divine swords in the world, along with Yu Hua Zhen Ren's Observation Sun Divine Sword and Dan Feng Xuan Zhu's Dan Feng Divine Sword. In the eyes of the Hua Shan disciples, Jian Bing was like a god, not to be profaned. The Hua Shan disciples generally referred to Jian Bing as "Shi Zu, Shi Bo", and even the leaders of other sects did not dare to address him directly, instead using honorific titles such as "Jian Shi Zu" or "Jian Da Xian Sheng".

  The man in grey shouted "Jian Bing" as soon as he opened his mouth. How could the four Huashan disciples not be angry, and they immediately wanted to draw their swords to confront him.

  "Halt!" A loud shout, a blue figure flashed out, and a large man in a blue robe appeared before the four disciples of Mount Hua. The big man was about 40 years old, with a square face and large ears, his eyes were spirited, and his physique was robust. When the four disciples of Mount Hua saw him, they realized it was their master's junior fellow disciple, Luo Ming. Luo Ming seemed extremely enraged, shouting at the four, "You four still don't kneel down!" Cui Liang and the others were scolded by Luo Ming and didn't know what to do, just as they were about to speak, Luo Ming saw that the four hadn't reacted and his face turned iron-green with rage, shouting again, "Still not kneeling down?" The four looked at each other and didn't dare hesitate, all of them knelt down on the ground. After seeing the four kneel down, Luo Ming turned around to face the gray-robed man. With a thud, Luo Ming's knees hit the ground, and he also knelt down, saying, "This junior disciple is incompetent, offended senior, please forgive me!" His disciples behind him were shocked and lost their color. Luo Ming was Jian Bing's direct disciple, in the Mount Hua Sect, only Jian Bing or a few elders could make him show such great respect. Who was this gray-robed man? He could actually make Luo Ming kneel down!

  After Luo Ming knelt down, the gray-clothed man's expression didn't change, and he asked again, "Is Jian Bing doing well?" Luo Ming hastily replied, "Master is in good health, thank you for your concern, senior!" The gray-clothed man sighed upon hearing this and said, "It's been many years since we last met, so please give him my regards." Luo Ming agreed, saying, "I will definitely pass it on!" The gray-clothed man waved his hand, saying, "You may go down now!" Luo Ming respectfully said, "Then I bid farewell," and slowly stood up, leading the four disciples away.

  The little stone thought it was going to start a fight, but unexpectedly the blue-clothed big man came and knelt down without saying a word, which really made him wide-eyed with wonder. Taking a closer look at the gray-clothed person's appearance, he had a leopard-like head and eagle-like eyes, with a sharp jawline and tiger-like whiskers, exuding an aura of majesty without even being angry. He looked to be around thirty years old. Being called "senior" by a forty-year-old big man made him feel uncomfortable.

  Qingxu saw the people from Huashan Sect leave, and then led Xiaoshi over. The man in gray looked at him coming over with Xiaoshi, and his gaze shifted to Li Zhanggui, who was already stunned, "Li Boss, there's nothing going on here, you and your men can go down now!" Li Zhanggui came back to himself, repeatedly saying "Alright, alright, whatever you say!" but he still didn't understand what had happened today. The man in gray nodded, and Li Zhanggui led his men down.

  The man in grey looked at Qingxu and Xiaoshi beside him and asked, "Is this your little junior brother?"

  Qing Xū wèi yī dī tóu, gōng shēng dào "shì" yòu duì xiǎo shí tou dào "xiǎo shī dì lái jiàn guò Gù Cháng Fēng Gù Shī Shū!"

  "Gu Changfeng" Xiao Shi Tou felt a little familiar, as if he had heard someone mention it before. He hurried over and was about to kneel down when he suddenly felt his body being controlled by an invisible force, unable to move. His heart skipped a beat, and then he heard the gray-robed man Gu Changfeng say "No need for formalities, speak standing up!" As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Shi Tou felt his body lighten and was able to move again. Suddenly, he remembered that it was Zhao Wuji who had mentioned Gu Changfeng before. He thought to himself "Old friends meet again, big brother must be delighted"

  Delighted! Zhao Wujin is now very angry! "Gu Changfeng is actually from the Kongtong Sect, this old ghost is actually Guangxian's junior brother, how can this be!" Zhao Wujin was shocked when Qingxu said that Gu Shu was his uncle.

  "Master Gu!" Xiaoshi shouted. Gu Changfeng nodded and said, "Although I'm your senior, you don't have to be so formal when you see me."

  "No need for formalities, just now everyone else was already kneeling down." Little Stone said quietly.

  Gu Changfeng seemed to see through it and said, "They, kneeling down is a courtesy. If not for Jian Bing's face, hum!" Listening to his tone, if they weren't being courteous, who knows what would happen.

  Qing Xū smiled and said, "Younger brother, Gu Shu is both a senior and an elder of our sect. He should be treated with respect and courtesy. However, he has always been unconventional and dislikes formalities, so just showing your intention is enough."

  "Ha ha! Not bad, not bad at all!" Gu Changfeng exclaimed, standing up and laughing loudly. "You're still a clever one, Qingxu, you understand things, haha!" He stood up so suddenly that it startled Xiaoshi into taking a step back. Gu Changfeng was extremely tall, more than a foot taller than Qingxu, giving off an imposing presence like a towering mountain. It was the first time Xiaoshi had seen Gu Changfeng laugh so heartily, and his deep voice rumbled out in a rich, sonorous sound that completely swept away the cold, haughty air he had about him just moments before.

  Gu Changfeng laughed heartily for a while, and his mood improved a lot. "I haven't laughed like this in months! Since Old Zhao's incident, I've been unable to recover. Qingxu, you've also seen it, what did you find?" He actually didn't have much hope, he had gone to Qi Lian Mountain several times but couldn't find anything that could prove Zhao Wujin was still alive.

  "Master Uncle, I found a crack in the Qilian Mountains that should be the sword mark left by Zhao's senior with the Red Flame Sword. The time is absolutely no more than two months!" The voice was not loud, but it shocked Gu Changfeng, making him both surprised and delighted, and he couldn't speak for a while.

  Gu Changfeng and Zhao Wujin can be said to have a life-and-death friendship, and they also share a common interest. A few months ago, when Zhao Wujin encountered the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Tribulation, he didn't believe it at all, thinking that Zhao Wujin had gone to the Western Kunlun Great Brightness Temple. Who knew that Ming Dao and Ming Xin, because of Zhao Wujin's failure to arrive on time, were ordered by their master to search for him down the mountain. They met Gu Changfeng, and as soon as they mentioned Zhao Wujin's failure to keep his appointment, Gu Changfeng sensed something was amiss. Since Zhao Wujin had a bad premonition, he hurriedly went to Mount Qilian again, but found nothing. Gu Changfeng didn't give up and searched the mountain for an entire month before returning in disappointment. At that time, Zhao Wujin was still in Red Gold Town practicing the Yin-Yang Harmony Great Method with Xiao Shitou, consolidating his primordial spirit, and hadn't gone to Mount Qilian. Gu Changfeng had lost his good friend and was in a terrible mood, so for two months he just drank wine at Wangbo Tower to drown his sorrows. Ten or more days ago, Qingxu came to Lanzhou City and mentioned that he wanted to go to Red Gold Town, so he asked Qingxu to take another look at Mount Qilian. It was originally just a casual remark, but unexpectedly, Qingxu brought back good news!

  Gu Changfeng, after all, had a deep foundation in his cultivation and didn't lose himself in surprise. He said to Qingxu Dao, "Since I've made this discovery, I'll go take a trip to Qilian Mountain!" Qingxu also said, "It's good that Master Gu is going to take a trip, maybe there will be other discoveries too!" Just as he was about to ask if Gu Changfeng knew the black-robed red-haired person, he heard Gu Changfeng say "Let's go" and with a loud laugh, his sleeves fluttered and a gray light flashed, and he disappeared from sight.

  A helpless smile, knowing Gu Changfeng's temper and it being Zhao Wujie's matter, so he didn't care about anything else. He looked at the small stone with a straight gaze and said, "Little Shidi, what's wrong?"

  The little stone rubbed his eyes and looked around, exclaiming "Big Brother Master, where's Uncle Gu?"

  Qing Xū exclaimed "Ah", and said "Master Gu is always unpredictable and has a quick temper, he's already left."

  The little stone road said "I'm asking him how to walk!"

  Qing Xū's expression changed to one of sudden realization, and he said, "Master Gu is skilled in the formless sword escape technique. Just now, he transformed into a ray of sword light and flew away!"

  "Wow, Formless Sword Escape! That's incredible!"

  Qingxu looked at him with a face full of envy, and smiled saying "The Invisible Sword Escape is one of the escape methods of the Invisible Sword Technique, and the Taiqing Dao Power are both the supreme heart methods of our sect!"

  "Then I can learn it too! Is that right?"

  Qingxu shook his head and said, "Although the Formless Sword Technique is a fundamental technique of our school, once you cultivate the Taiqing Dao Power, you will no longer be able to cultivate the Formless Sword Technique."

  The little stone asked strangely "Why?"

  Zhao Wuji thought to himself, "I said that Old Gu was a disciple of the Kunlun Sect. How could he not have known about my Taoist powers? It turns out it was all because of this. You've got some conscience, knowing I wasn't dead and running off to Mount Qilian. What a pity! I'm right in front of you, but you're still trying to deceive me. We're even now!"

  Qing Xu didn't know, the majestic Xian Yang Sword King was now in his younger brother's body. The few great secrets of the Cong Tong Sect were all made clear to Zhao Wu Jin. He shook his head and said "I don't know! The Invisible Sword Technique has always been passed down only to the Guardian Elders of our sect, other disciples are not allowed to cultivate it. This is the rule of the sect! Also, the fact that Gu Shu Bo is a senior elder of our sect cannot be told to outsiders!" Qing Xu solemnly reminded him.

  Xiao Shi Tou felt a bit disappointed and said, "Alright, Big Brother Master, what other top-secret things are there in our sect? Tell me!"

  Qing Xū looked at him with a mixture of annoyance and amusement, saying "Let's talk about the rest when we get back to the mountain, now call for food, I'm starving!"

  The little stone laughed and shouted "Little second! Serve the dishes!"

  Luoying Sword Luo's face was extremely ugly, and after leaving Wangbo Building, he didn't say a word and just walked forward. The four disciples followed behind him, their faces not looking any better. Since entering the Huashan School, they had never been treated with such contempt. Today was even worse, they hadn't even drawn their swords before kneeling down to beg for mercy, and it was Luo himself who knelt. Who could make Luoying Sword, one of the Five Swords of Huashan, suffer such great humiliation!

  Luo Ming walked for a long time before stopping, standing still for a while before slowly saying "Do you feel very embarrassed? Do you think I'm useless as a master?" His tone was extremely calm.

  No one dared to respond, and after a while, Luo Ming said, "As my master, I have been practicing Taoism and swordsmanship for over a hundred years. Although I don't dare say that I am the best in the world, I also won't belittle myself or tarnish the reputation of Mount Hua Sect. However, today..." He paused here, his right hand shook, and a radiant light flashed as a celestial sword appeared in his hand. The sword's body was almost transparent, and when sunlight hit it, its shadow danced wildly, dazzling everyone's eyes. This was Luo Ming's refined celestial sword, "Falling Shadow"! Luo Ming continued, "Today, I won't be able to use my Falling Shadow Sword. Do you know why?" No one responded, and Luo Ming let out a bitter laugh, saying, "Because even if I used it, there would still be no chance of winning..."

  "Master, we can't just let it go like this..." Cui Liang said with a big heart.

  "It's all so pathetic!" Luo Ming said quietly.

  The four of them didn't dare to speak anymore. Luo Ming let out a sigh and said, "Don't mention me, even if the other four of you were here, it would be the same - there's no chance of winning! Because he is Guishenziu, the Ghost Shadow, Gu Longfeng!"

  Kui Yingzi is Gu Changfeng! The four disciples of Mount Hua were shocked and their faces changed greatly. It turned out that he was the Ghost Shadow! No wonder Master didn't make a move! No wonder Master knelt down as soon as they met! It turned out that he was the Ghost Shadow!

  Ghost Shadow Gu Changfeng! Famous 300 years ago, together with the carefree Sword King Zhao Wujin, they were known as the two most extraordinary people in the world! Their reputation and cultivation are above the three greatest divine swords in the world, second only to the early Heavenly Master Dao's Bu Yun Zhenren, who has been in seclusion for many years and is known as the number one master in the world.

  Gui Yingzi Gu Changfeng is not like Zhao Wujin, who is more reasonable. He acts on impulse and sometimes doesn't distinguish right from wrong, only considering his mood. Once he takes action, his opponents are doomed to suffer at his ruthless hands. In the past, he single-handedly destroyed the Fow Long Fortress, which dominated Jiangnan, simply because the fortress owner had spoken ill of him after getting drunk, an utterly unreasonable act.

  But just now they were facing a ghostly shadow! The faces of the four disciples of Mount Hua turned pale and lost all their color.

  Luo Ming looked at the reactions of his disciples and secretly sighed, "If Huashan School wants to maintain its current prestige, they really can't do it!" As he thought about this, the true energy in his body surged, and the Luoyin Sword in his hand let out a soft hum as it flew out, transforming into a long rainbow that crossed the sky. The sword energy stirred up the originally frozen surface of the Yellow River, splitting it in two, with several feet thick ice flying everywhere, and the clear river water churning out. The Luoyin Sword shot straight to the opposite bank, its energy howling like a fierce wind!

  Lu Ming's eyes were slightly warm and moist, with a hint of tears shining in them.