Chapter Sixteen: Sword Breaks Snowy Mountain

  Shi Qing burst out laughing and said, "Brother Bai's words are underestimating me. The four characters 'black and white distinction' aren't just something my wife and I pay attention to. You've already taken our child hostage, and you're not returning the swords of my wife and me. Which rule in the martial arts world is this?" Bai Wanjian said, "According to what Master Shi says, how should it be done?" Shi Qing said, "A man's word once spoken cannot be taken back even by a team of horses. If you want the child, you can't have the sword; if you take the sword, then you can't have the person."

  Bai Wanjian was a man of his word, faithful and true to his promises. The loss of the Black and White Twin Swords in our school's hands is truly a shame for Shi Qing.

  It stands to reason that they cannot be too strong in their words and engage in a war of tongues. However, he had previously discussed with Geng Wan Zhong and others, speculating that Shi Qing and Xie Yan Ke might be secretly collaborating.

  Zhong Houjie, after crossing swords, asked Xie Yanniang to take action and seize the opportunity. How could he let Shi Zhongyu, who had killed his own beloved daughter, go unpunished when the culprit was right before their eyes?

  Can he be let off easily just because of his words? At this point, he said: "This matter cannot be decided by me alone, please forgive me, Master Shi. As for the couple's twin swords, it would be best to return them to White Wanjian. If White is unable to do so, he will come to your esteemed manor and apologize with his head chopped off." This statement was made with a firm tone, leaving no room for compromise.

  Shi Qing knew that with his status, he had to keep his word. He said that if he didn't take out the twin swords, he would pay with his life. In this situation, he couldn't help but believe him. But in his eyes...

  As soon as she saw her only child, covered in mud and being held by his wife, she couldn't bear to hand him over. As soon as Mian Rou received Shi Zhongyu, her eyes never left Shi Ba Tian's body. She had been separated from her beloved son for a long time, and suddenly meeting him in a foreign land, she hugged him tightly, with tears streaming down her face, almost bursting out of her eyes. No matter what Bai Wanjian said, she just listened without responding.

  She merely listened to her husband's words and only sat beside him, holding onto the jade pendant, without uttering a single word.

  Shi Qing said: "Elder White's words are too serious! What can a humble couple like us do with our pair of swords? How can we compare to Elder White's precious life?"

  What's the point of discussing? We're just wandering in the Jianghu, and nothing can surpass the word "reason". The Snow Mountain Sect's swordsmanship may be strong, their numbers many, but

  Nor can you bully people with your power, you want to take the sword, but also want to spare his life!" He said a word "le", his left shoulder slightly moved, which was a signal for his wife to draw her sword.

  Unable to force Shi Qingfu couple to take away Shi Zhongyu, Bai Wanjian thought of how Shi Zhongyu had driven his wife mad, his mother had left, his daughter had been humiliated and died, and his brother had been buried in the wilderness. Bai Wanjian couldn't help but feel a surge of grief and determination, deciding that he would make Shi Zhongyu pay with his life today. However, the three opponents were all skilled fighters, and unless his father arrived personally, their side would be at a disadvantage. Therefore, he could only have a chance of winning if he fought one-on-one. "Since that's the case, I'd like to experience Shi Zhuangzhu's skills." After thinking for half a day, Bai Wanjian finally decided to use Shi Qing as his breakthrough point, so as not to be accused of bullying others or taking advantage of women after winning.

  Before Shi Qing could speak, Zhang Ping hastily jumped out and said: "Bai Daxia, when traveling the world, don't you also need to pay attention to who came first? You used hidden weapons to greet me all along the way, now you're putting me aside, is this reasonable? Although I'm not skilled in martial arts, I still have some backbone and am willing to learn from Bai Daxia's superior skills."

  Shi Qing and his wife knew that their adopted son was incredibly talented, with a mysterious encounter of divine martial arts, and his martial skills were even better than theirs. Bai Wanjian challenged him alone by name, if Shi Qing and his wife joined forces, they would inevitably lose face. Therefore, Zhang Ping's challenge was met with indifference. When Bai Wanjian heard Zhang Ping's challenge, he became furious, although he had some estimation of Zhang Ping's martial skills, but Bai Wanjian really didn't believe that he couldn't beat a young man who was less than twenty years old.

  He then said, "I wonder what the Stone Manor master and mistress think about this." In fact, he was asking if Zhang Ping had lost to them and if they would acknowledge it. Shi Qing, who was full of confidence in Zhang Ping, replied decisively, "My husband and I have long regarded Xiang Li as our own son. If anything happens to him on his travels, my husband and I are willing to take responsibility."

  Shi Qing got the promise from Bai Wanjian, who pointed his sword at Zhang Ping and said "please". Zhang Ping's eyes were fixed on the tip of Bai Wanjian's sword, holding his own sword with both hands, taking a step forward. Bai Wanjian suddenly slid forward one step, when Zhang Ping's two swords followed up, only to hear three ringing sounds, the three long swords had entwined together, trembling into three clusters of sword flowers. Zhang Ping wielded a bronze long sword and a fine iron short sword in his right hand. While Bai Wanjian used the Snow Mountain Sect's standard long sword. The three swords clashed, and for an instant, cold light burst out in all directions.

  The Xueshan Sect's disciples had always been intimidated by Bai's swordsmanship, thinking that this time he would surely emerge victorious. Each person held their sword in hand, focusing intently on the battle. At first, they only saw Zhang Ping's two strange swords advancing and retreating together, each move a perfect blend of form and function, truly reaching the pinnacle of skill. After exchanging thirty or forty moves, Zhang Ping's attacks grew faster and faster, until his sword moves became invisible. Bai Wanjian was still using the seventy-two routes of Xueshan Swordsmanship, which seemed ordinary to the disciples who had practiced it thoroughly, but when used to counter Zhang Ping's exquisite sword moves, sometimes defending, sometimes attacking, an unremarkable move suddenly gained enormous power in his hands.

  At this time, the sky was already late, nearing dusk. Two figures were accompanied by three flashes of sword light, which shone brightly and violently, with a hint of danger that made one's heart tremble. Often, with just one sword strike, it seemed like only a hair's breadth difference would result in blood splattering everywhere. The sword light reflected off the sunset, but the expressions on the two people's faces were vastly different. Bai Wanjian's face revealed cold arrogance, yet a sense of tension grew heavier and heavier, and his sword moves were fierce and ruthless, clearly using all his strength to fight. On the other hand, Zhang Ping's expression was calm and peaceful, without any hint of anxiety, and his sword moves were orderly and stable, with a clear reserve of energy.

  "Be careful, White!" Zhang Ping suddenly shouted in the midst of their fight. Zhang Ping's moves changed instantly, his two swords transforming from the original Qingguan Sword Style to two different sword styles. His right hand, wielding a bronze longsword, slowed down slightly, but its power became incredibly astonishing. Every sword strike brought forth a gust of wind that made White Million Swords' face sting. After dodging two strikes, White Million Swords had no choice but to block one with his own sword. Little did he know, he still underestimated the force behind Zhang Ping's bronze sword; as soon as they clashed, he felt his wrist go numb and his longsword nearly slipped out of his hand. Just as White Million Swords mustered up his internal energy to steady his sword, Zhang Ping's short sword in his left hand appeared at his chest, an inch away. Zhang Ping sheathed his sword and stood still, not saying a word.

  Bai Wanjian suddenly let out a mournful cry, and with his sword raised high, he charged straight at the Jade in the Stone. The many Snow Mountain disciples behind him also rushed forward as one, surrounding the three of them and shielding Bai Wanjian. Zhang Ping had not expected this move from Bai Wanjian, and in his haste, he let him break through. Just as he was about to turn around and intercept, he was surrounded by six Snow Mountain disciples who formed a Six Harmony Plum Blossom Array. Zhang Ping's anger flared up instantly, and he could no longer hold back. With his right hand, he executed the Horizontal Sweep of a Thousand Armies, a common move in military arrays, while with his left hand, he performed the Residual Snake Dance, a secret technique from the Upper Clear Observatory's Complete Collection of Martial Arts. In an instant, he severed the swords of the six Snow Mountain disciples and injured their legs. Turning around, he saw that Bai Wanjian had already reached Shi Zhongyu's side under the cover of the remaining Snow Mountain disciples. Shi Qing and his wife were being tied up by the remaining Snow Mountain disciples, and it seemed that they could no longer be rescued. In desperation, Zhang Ping let out a loud shout of "Good courage!" and with all his might, he shot his left hand's iron sword at Bai Wanjian's back, attempting to use the tactic of surrounding Wei to rescue Zhao. But unexpectedly, Bai Wanjian seemed to have steeled himself to exchange his life for another, and remained unmoved.

  Just as Shi Zhongyu was about to die together with Bai Wanjian, Shi Zhongyu suddenly struck out with both palms. The palm force was majestic and the inner strength was full, it can be seen that his inner strength is comparable to Zhang Ping's. With such a powerful skill, he would actually be captured by Bai Wanjian and still need himself to rescue? Just when Zhang Ping thought Bai Wanjian was sure to die, while Shi Zhongyu would certainly be fine, suddenly the situation took a drastic turn.

  Only to see the stone in the jade, this shocking palm did not attack Bai Wanjian, but instead deflected Zhang Ping's iron sword that was shooting towards Bai Wanjian. At this time, Bai Wanjian's long sword also pierced into Shi Zhongyu's chest. However, perhaps it was Min Ruo's compassionate heart that moved heaven. The iron sword that was deflected by Shi Zhongyu made a 180-degree rotation in mid-air, and the hilt coincidentally collided with Bai Wanjian's right shoulder Yu Zhen hole, stopping the long sword from continuing to pierce. With his right arm numb, Bai Wanjian slapped Shi Zhongyu's chest, but unexpectedly, Shi Zhongyu's internal force bounced back, causing both of them to be blown away. Bai Wanjian was caught by the Snow Mountain disciples behind him, while Shi Zhongyu flew into the nearby forest.

  Zhang Ping and Shi Qing, the couple, couldn't afford to continue entangling with the Snow Mountain Sect at this time, so they rushed over directly. Who knew that when the three of them arrived, Shi Zhongyu had vanished into thin air. As the last ray of sunset refused to set behind the mountains, Zhang Ping was anxious but didn't dare to let his soul leave his body. So the three of them agreed to search in different directions separately, and those who couldn't find anything returned after half an hour.

  Unfortunately, the three of them returned after half a time. Stepmother Min Ruo was the most heartbroken, having just seen her son who had not been seen for many years, and suddenly disappearing again without knowing whether he was dead or alive, crying bitterly. Zhang Ping comforted his stepmother, unable to bear her continued heartbreak: "Stepmother, don't worry, I guess my brother is a lucky person with a good fate, if he really encountered disaster, who would rob his corpse? So I guess my brother must still be alive and was probably rescued by someone. However, I have urgent matters recently and cannot continue to accompany Stepmother and Father to search for Brother, it's really embarrassing in my heart. After the matter is settled, I will definitely come again to apologize to Stepmother and Father."

  "Never mind, silly child. If you have something to do, go ahead and take care of it. Your uncle and I will continue searching around here for a few more days before we can rest assured. Don't worry about us. I also believe that Yu'er will be fine, as good people always have good fortune." Min Ruo comforted him. "I'll take my leave now, Uncle and Aunt, take care." "You too, Li'er," Zhang Ping said, bowing to his uncle and aunt before departing. It wasn't that Zhang Ping was unwilling to continue accompanying Shi Qing and his wife in their search, but he had suddenly thought of something. The two envoys of reward and punishment would probably be arriving soon.