Chapter 1 The Bian River

The Bian River was a canal dug by the Qian Kingdom at great cost of manpower and resources. Of course, in name, it was for the purpose of opening up the canal, but considering that the Qian Kingdom was under the most terrifying military pressure from the Yan Kingdom at that time, the purpose of digging this canal was actually self-evident.

At the beginning of the excavation of this canal, there were several breaches and diversions, which caused the nearby people to suffer many disasters. However, in recent years, this canal has been much more regular, and with the advantage of being adjacent to Shangjing City, it has also become a prosperous commercial transportation hub.

The Bian River has a tributary that leads directly into Shangjing City. When the Tattooed Minister of State pacified the Southwest Rebellion, he entered Shangjing City by boat. The banks of the river were packed with people from Shangjing City, all vying to catch a glimpse of the Tattooed Minister of State's demeanor.

In the Qian Kingdom, having your name called out at the Donghua Gate was the starting point of your glorious life, and being qualified to enter Shangjing by official boat was the true peak of your life.

The Tattooed Minister of State's time was a bit long ago. In the impression of the people of Shangjing, the two most recent times were five years ago, when Sima, the Minister of State, who had been writing books at home, was summoned by the official family with three imperial decrees and was granted the qualification to enter Shangjing by boat.

This rather legendary Sima, the Minister of State, was a child prodigy since he was a child. When he traveled to the Chu Kingdom, he even killed a black snake in the Great Marsh, and left the officialdom in his prime to write books in peace.

To the point that later, a saying spread, what would happen to the common people if Sima, the Minister of State, did not come out?

Literati, officials, and common people naturally crowded the riverbanks on both sides of the river after entering the city, just wanting to take a look at this great talent who governed the world.

However, when Sima, the Minister of State, re-entered Beijing, he was already in his fifties, with dark skin and a big belly. He didn't look like a scholar, but more like a soldier.

In this respect, it was not very in line with the aesthetics of the people of Shangjing City.

You must know that Shangjing City is the most prosperous city in the world, second to none!

The people here naturally have the highest vision.

What really caused the biggest sensation was three years ago, when Baili Jian, the Sword God of the Qian Kingdom, was summoned by the official family to enter Beijing as the martial arts instructor of the Crown Prince.

Sword God, Sword Immortal, Swordsman,

A sword, a pot of wine, laughing proudly at the world.

In addition, Baili Jian's age, although not small, was not considered old. On that day, he wore white clothes and a long sword at his waist, and his entry into Beijing completely detonated the atmosphere of Shangjing City.

People in every era have the need to chase stars, and people always unconsciously put some of their hopes on another person, fantasizing that one day they can live like him.

On that day, the official family personally left the palace and went to the Jade Dragon Bridge to personally welcome Baili Jian off the boat.

To this day, the scene of that day is still talked about by the people of Shangjing.

…

"It's been three years, Master, when will you be able to get on the boat here and go all the way to Shangjing City?"

The little sword attendant asked while grabbing dried tea and putting it into his mouth.

In front of the sword attendant sat a middle-aged man with a stubble beard. The man had greasy long hair and was actually wearing wooden clogs in the cold weather.

At this time, in front of the man, there was a pot of rice wine, which he was drinking little by little, carefully.

It was not easy to live in the capital. Shangjing's prices were expensive, and even this rice wine was twice as expensive as in the countryside.

This was not even inside Shangjing City, but here at the old ferry.

"Go, go, go, cool off to the side. Your master, I won't smell Baili Jian's coattails. He's already been on a boat, so your master doesn't care."

"Master, but I want to take a boat." The little sword attendant said aggrievedly.

"What boat are you taking? The river is frozen, how can you take it?"

The man picked up the wine pot and took another small sip.

When he put down the wine pot, his eyes swept around. Logically speaking, in the winter, especially during the days when the Bian River was frozen, these ferries on the Bian River would be much deserted. But recently, because of the war in the north, the refugees fleeing the war could be said to be coming in waves. In the past, even when boats were coming and going on weekdays, there might not have been such high popularity.

It is said that the day before yesterday, the Yan people had thought about attacking Xifeng Ferry, which was only seventy or eighty miles away from here, but they were repelled by the government soldiers.

For this reason, the official family also distributed money from the inner treasury to reward the three armies.

It was also interesting to think about it. The Yan dogs had already killed their way to the Bian River, but those soldiers were actually embarrassed to take the reward money. Bah, the imperial court had raised you a bunch of useless people for nothing.

Rice wine, naturally, could not get you drunk, but this Yuan-surnamed swordsman, who claimed to be the second best sword in the Qian Kingdom, did not have enough money to get drunk, so he could only pretend to be drunk, which was also a way to indirectly satisfy his craving.

"Master, I'm not full." The little sword attendant had already eaten all the dried tea that his master had brought to go with the wine, but a boy of that age could eat his father into poverty. How could this little dried tea, with no oil or water, fill his stomach?

"Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eating."

Yuan Zhenxing slapped the table unhappily, and then took out nine large copper coins,

"Boss, check out!"

Then, he stood up gracefully and walked out of the small wine shop, as if he had left a large ingot of silver and said casually that he didn't need the change.

The little sword attendant could only pout, stand up, jump off the long stool, and follow his master forward.

On the little sword attendant's back, he was carrying three swords.

Along the way, the little sword attendant had repeatedly advised his master to sell a sword, so that the two of them could at least have a few good meals, but his master refused.

The reason his master refused was that he said he had to be patient and that the local rich people in the countryside had no vision or knowledge. Selling his sword to them was simply casting pearls before swine.

However, the little sword attendant knew that the real reason was that his master thought that the local rich people in the countryside were too stingy, and he wanted to come to Shangjing to sell the sword for a higher price.

"Master, I'm hungry!"

The little sword attendant shouted again.

"Are you a hungry ghost reincarnated!"

Yuan Zhenxing cursed.

He was actually hungry too. When his sword attendant shouted, he became even hungrier.

"Master, Baili Jian can be the Crown Prince's master. Aren't you the second best sword in the Qian Kingdom? Why can't you find a prince's son to be a master?"

That way, we would be able to eat our fill.

"Go, go, go, why can Baili Jian be the Crown Prince's master and I have to teach the prince's son? How am I, your master, worse than Baili Jian?"

"You're not worse." The little sword attendant said against his will.

"How can I say that your master is also one of the five great swordsmen of the world? I still have to have this kind of reputation!"

The little sword attendant knew that there were actually four great swordsmen in the world.

The reason why his master said five great swordsmen was because he was extremely dissatisfied with the title of the four great swordsmen.

Back then, when the martial world had just come up with the idea of a swordsman list, Li Liang, the general of the Zhenbei Army, was one, the Sword Saint of the Jin Kingdom was one, and Baili Jian of the Qian Kingdom was one.

His master originally thought that there was still one missing, and it should be him, right?

But who knew that because of the Sword Saint of the Jin Kingdom's words, that sword maker who no one had ever seen actually became the fourth one!

Because of this, his master was sad for many years.

In fact, the little sword attendant knew that even though the two of them were in such a miserable state now, his master's reputation back then was really not bad at all. The reason why he was not able to be named as one of the four great swordsmen was because the people in the martial world liked to have one from each of the four great kingdoms. Since the Qian Kingdom already had Baili Jian, it was not suitable to have a second one.

His master also didn't like the title of second best sword in the Qian Kingdom. A sword holder naturally had a peak in his heart. Who would want to be second?

And what was even more embarrassing was that even though he was about the same age as Baili Jian, in the Qian Kingdom's martial world, his master had gradually begun to be placed in the same generation as those young swordsmen in recent years.

For example, the one with the heart of a child, Chen the Hero, the UChuan Drunken Sword, the Guifei Sword of Xiahang, and so on;

His master often lamented that the martial world was really getting worse with each generation. Look at the nicknames these newcomers took, they were really a bunch of silly things.

Just as the hungry master and disciple had just walked out of the ferry shop,

A burst of horse hooves suddenly came from the opposite bank of the river!

It could be said that the people here had not experienced war for a hundred years. Even when Emperor Taizong's northern expedition failed, the Yan people were unable to reach here.

It was just that recently, there had been news about the Yan people's southward invasion. Before, they had felt that it was a bit unreal, but with the Xifeng Ferry not far from here being attacked by the Yan people the day before, everyone had become alert.

Damn it, the Yan people had actually almost reached their doorstep!

The feeling of panic had actually been spreading and brewing. The waves of refugees brought not only mouths to be fed, but also layers of extremely heavy fear.

Finally, when someone curiously looked towards the opposite bank of the river and saw the dense black-armored cavalry on the opposite bank, that string directly snapped!

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, the Yan dogs are here!"

The people and refugees near the ferry cried out, screamed, and began to flee.

Originally, there was a garrison of the imperial guards stationed here, not many people, only four or five thousand, but they had been transferred away before. At this time, this ferry could be said to be undefended.

The river surface was still frozen. Wouldn't the Yan people be able to rush over in one charge?

"Master."

The little sword attendant looked at his master.

Yuan Zhenxing blew a breath, very hard, but unfortunately he still couldn't blow away the bangs on his forehead that had been solidified by oil.

"I heard that Baili Jian went to the Yan Kingdom a while ago, but unfortunately he didn't accomplish anything."

"Master, don't be impulsive." The little sword attendant advised in a very mature manner, "Hurry up and hug me and run!"

Yuan Zhenxing shook his head and said:

"You've always been very unhappy following me. Your master knows that you always feel that your life as a sword attendant is not as carefree as other people's."

"No! Master, don't put the blame on me. I don't want to die, and I don't want to watch you stupidly block the Yan people. You, now, quickly, immediately, hug people and run!"

Yuan Zhenxing said to himself:

"Baili Jian went to the Yan Kingdom and didn't accomplish anything. Today, I have to do something. As long as I do it, it can show that I am more powerful than Baili Jian."

"Master, you have a problem with your brain."

Yuan Zhenxing reached out,

The little sword attendant retreated,

"Master, you want to die, but I don't want to die! I'm still young, and I haven't tasted the taste of a woman's body yet!"

"It's just that."

"Then why did you go into the red tent the other day and use up our last bit of money, causing us to go hungry for so long!"

Yuan Zhenxing's old face immediately turned red.

"Master, don't be silly, let's run away."

"Good, accompany your master for a walk."

Yuan Zhenxing stretched out his palm, and a sword carried on the sword attendant's back immediately flew out and landed in his hand.

Then,

Yuan Zhenxing began to walk towards the riverbank.

The little sword attendant followed behind him crying and shouting, constantly cursing, but never leaving him.

Because, a silk thread was tied to the little sword attendant's ankle, and the other end of the silk thread was tied to Yuan Zhenxing's finger.

"Master, you are a beast, you are not human!"

"Master, you are a bastard who will be killed by a thousand knives!"

"Master, you are a son of a bitch!"

"Your master has to let you see with your own eyes, what exactly is the number one sword in the Qian Kingdom!"

Yuan Zhenxing said to himself.

On the opposite bank,

The Yan people had already sent people to test the thickness of the ice.

Yuan Zhenxing tapped his toes,

In an instant,

His whole body leaped up,

Falling into the river.

"Yuan Zhenxing, a swordsman from the Qian Kingdom, is here!"

………

"He's an expert."

Zheng Fan opened his mouth and said to Liang Cheng beside him.

Liang Cheng nodded.

From one falling leaf, you can tell it's autumn.

The other party dared to stand in front of a group of iron hooves alone. It was impossible without a bit of confidence. In addition, the other party's lightness skill just now proved that the other party was not a fool at all.

The sloppy image was also in line with the setting of an expert.

Zheng Fan helplessly reached out and patted his forehead. It was very embarrassing that because he had divided his troops along the way to solve the interception, the entire army had actually been in a state of separation.

Coincidentally, Zheng Fan's unit actually became the first Yan army to reach the Bian River.

Although subsequent troops were constantly rushing over, but it had already reached this point, you were too embarrassed to ask people to fight and shrink back, right?

Zheng Fan had never seen or heard of warriors in this world who could move mountains and fill seas, but he had personally witnessed that even someone as strong as Shatuo Queshi had to fall in the encirclement and suppression of cavalry.

But Zheng Fan was really worried that the other party was another Shatuo Queshi, which would require him to use the lives of his subordinates to kill him, which was heartbreaking.

Yuan Zhenxing's sword directly pierced into the ice layer under his feet,

The next moment,

The two swords carried on the back of the little sword attendant on the shore also flew out and landed beside Yuan Zhenxing.

"Buzz! Buzz!"

Three swords,

All pierced into the ice layer.

"Rise!"

Yuan Zhenxing let out a low shout,

In an instant,

The sword energy was activated,

The ice layer under his body began to shatter rapidly and spread out,

"Crack…………Crack…………Crack…………"

With Yuan Zhenxing as the starting point, the ice layers on both sides for a hundred meters directly cracked, revealing the icy water inside.

Three swords break the ice,

Block your thousands of iron cavalry!

Yuan Zhenxing's three swords were still suspended in front of him. Sword energy continued to surround the three swords. Although his chest was panting a little, his whole body seemed to be emitting heat. The dirt on his body before seemed to have been washed away because of this, and he really had a bit of a transcendent taste.

On the opposite bank of the river,

Fan Li looked somewhat blankly at the river surface that had been torn apart by sword energy in front of him,

He reached out and touched the helmet he was wearing on his head,

Said:

"How do we cross the river?"

Zheng Fan knocked on Fan Li's iron head with his horse knife,

He said angrily:

"Is he stupid or are you stupid? Can't you cross the river the same way by walking two hundred meters to the east?"

Saying that, Zheng Fan looked at the blind man beside him again and said:

"Blind man, do you think the swordsmen of the Qian Kingdom are all sick in the head? The entire river is frozen, but he thinks that if he breaks a hundred meters of ice, we won't be able to cross the river?"

The blind man nodded,

Even with his intelligence,

He couldn't analyze the purpose of this powerful swordsman from the Qian Kingdom in front of him.

This move was really a bit confusing, not only wasting a lot of sword energy, but also the effect it had could almost be said to be negligible.

"Lord, perhaps this is the martial world."

"Martial world?"

"Yes, because only the martial world can cultivate so many powerful and lovely... fools."

"Hehe."

Zheng Fan smiled and raised his hand,

The surrounding thousands of knights drew their bows and nocked their arrows,

Aimed at Yuan Zhenxing, who was stepping on a piece of floating ice on the river.

Yuan Zhenxing stood calmly, with three swords blessing his side. Under the sword formation, he was not afraid at all.

Today,

He wanted to block the Yan people on the banks of the Bian River in front of Shangjing City, so that the Qian army would have time to rush to support and deploy here.

Today,

He felt very unrestrained.

It was just that,

Zheng Fan didn't simply order to shoot him with arrows,

Instead, his eyes skipped Yuan Zhenxing and looked at the little sword attendant who was kneeling on the opposite bank with a bitter face and crying.

"Shoot him!"

All the knights under his command were stunned,

So was Yuan Zhenxing on the floating ice in the middle of the river,

The little sword attendant was even more dumbfounded.

"Shoot!"

In an instant,

Arrows whizzed out, heading straight for that little sword attendant.

"Yan dogs, beasts!"

Yuan Zhenxing cursed loudly, not caring about drawing out the other two swords, he only had time to draw a sword from his previous sword formation and leaped towards the shore.

At this moment, he was equal to leaving all the defenses he had previously deployed.

"Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!!!!!!!"

Dense arrows mixed with extremely terrifying potential energy shot over, and Yuan Zhenxing used a sword to break the arrows.

This scene made Zheng Fan smack his tongue a little. He secretly thought that he would either have to raise more troops in the future, or he would have to find a way to make himself stronger and also make the demon kings stronger, otherwise, if this kind of expert really came to take your life, if you were not careful, you would really have an accident.

However, human power has a limit. Yuan Zhenxing, who was rushing back in a hurry, had to protect the little sword attendant behind him, and he himself lost the opportunity to move and breathe.

"Puff!"

An arrow hit Yuan Zhenxing's arm, and Yuan Zhenxing staggered. Then, another arrow hit Yuan Zhenxing's left leg, and Yuan Zhenxing knelt down.

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

Several more arrows hit Yuan Zhenxing, directly turning Yuan Zhenxing into a hedgehog.

Finally, the arrows stopped falling, and the Yan people began to divide their troops and prepare to cross the river in the east and west directions.

Yuan Zhenxing looked somewhat weakly at the little sword attendant under him and said weakly:

"How do I feel... like I'm a bit stupid..."

The little sword attendant hugged Yuan Zhenxing's waist from behind and cried bitterly,

He cursed:

"Master, I told you a long time ago that there's really something wrong with your brain!"

Today, on the bank of this ferry,

The second best sword in the Qian Kingdom,

Died.

————

Thank you to Mo Ran Xingye for becoming the 77th alliance leader of The Descent of Magic.

After writing this chapter, I realized that this chapter seems to have no effect. He came out, and then he died again, inexplicably, but the problem is that when I was sleeping last night, this guy appeared in my mind, and seemed to strongly demand that he spend a chapter's content to die once... Well, let's satisfy him.