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Chapter 198 Zhao Yun with the Qinggang Sword

Before he finished speaking, a whistling gust of air rushed towards him, and his towering figure, over two meters tall, cracked the ground, instantly bridging the distance between them. He roared and swung his axe-sword.

"boom!"

With a loud crash, Saber blocked the axe sword with her invisible sword.

The howling air currents turned into a gale and swept out. Blue circuits appeared on Rin Tohsaka's calves. She hugged her sister and leaped backward, landing on the treetop where Archer was hiding.

Shirou Emiya rolled on the spot, picked up a broken branch, and while reinforcing the stick, shouted without turning his head:
"Come on!"

Without hesitation, Bai Zeming activated the propulsion system and flew towards Liudong Temple on the mountain.

He was not worried about the outcome of this battle, or to be more precise, the current action allocation was something he had deliberately arranged.

Because in the original work, there was a similar battle, and this battle was quite important, as it was related to whether Illya could develop interest and affection for her younger brother, Emiya Shirou.

He deliberately left the Tohsaka sisters and Shirou Emiya behind in order to recreate this battle.

If possible, we might be able to use this opportunity to improve our relationship with Ilya and bring her into the alliance.

Even if something goes wrong, it's okay, there's still an invitation, and we can ask a big shot to turn the tide at any time.

With this in mind, Bai Zemin and Zhao Yun headed to Liudong Temple.

Upon reaching the stone steps in front of the mountain gate, Bai Zeming slowly came to a stop.

Zhao Yun also stopped at the bottom of the stone steps, holding his silver spear horizontally in front of him, calmly looking at the figure on the stone steps.

Following his gaze, one could see a swordsman in a purple robe standing there, holding a five-foot-long samurai sword, his deep blue eyes filled with joy as he looked down at Zhao Yun.

A slightly chilly night breeze blew across the stone steps, stirring up fallen leaves on the ground.

The swordsman planted his long sword in the ground, raised his hands with a smile, and bowed to Zhao Yun, who was wearing silver armor and wielding a silver spear, below him in standard Central Plains martial arts etiquette.

"This humble student greets General Zhao!"

His fluent Chinese left Bai Zemin utterly astonished.

You can speak Chinese?

"Of course!"

The swordsman lowered his arm, picked up his longsword again, and chuckled as he looked at Bai Zemin in the air: "I was born in the fourth year of the Wenlu era, which, according to the Ming Dynasty in the Central Plains at that time, would be during the Wanli era..."

That's it!

Bai Zemin suddenly realized.

According to the plot he knew, this fake Assassin's real name was Sasaki Kojiro, a legendary swordsman from the island nation, whose true identity was unknown.

He could wield a five-foot-long sword called "monogatari" with ease, a technique synonymous with Japanese swordsmanship.

In folklore, he is described as the archenemy of Miyamoto Musashi, the "Sword Saint" of the island nation.

Unlike Miyamoto Musashi, who came from a less affluent background, Sasaki Kojiro was a wealthy playboy who grew up surrounded by support and praise, and was associated with high-ranking officials and nobles.

In that era, the Central Plains was still the center of the world, and the surrounding countries had been influenced by Confucian culture for thousands of years. Almost all the so-called upper class who were slightly wealthy could read Chinese characters.

Sasaki Kojiro came from a wealthy family and naturally spoke fluent Mandarin.

Seeing that Bai Zemin seemed to understand something, Sasaki Kojiro smiled slightly and immediately turned his head, staring at Zhao Yun with a pair of blue eyes that seemed somewhat fanatical.

"Although I've been stuck with a mediocre Master, being able to see the General in the real world, and even have the chance to fight him, makes this trip worthwhile for me!"

As he spoke, his expression turned serious, and he slowly raised the long sword in his hand, looking at Zhao Yun with a calm and earnest gaze:
"This sword is named Bichu Aoe, also known as Monokan-cho. It has a blade length of five feet and is forged from fine iron."

"The one who wields this sword is the nameless swordsman of the Ganryu school, Sasaki Kojiro... Please, General, enlighten me!"

Upon hearing the other party's solemn self-narration, Zhao Yun, who had remained silent until now, suddenly plunged his spear into the ground, then drew the gleaming Qinggang sword from his waist, and said calmly:

"The sword is named Qinggang. It was made by a famous craftsman in Yuzhou. The blade is three feet and six inches long. It can cut a hair with a breath and cut iron like mud."

"Back then at Changban Slope, I seized this sword from Xiahou En, a general who carried Cao Cao's sword, and charged into the midst of ten thousand troops with it."

"Where the sharp blade passes, even the finest armor cracks like white silk; its edge, tested on cattle and horses, can sever a hundred animals without leaving a scratch..."

Is this it?
Sasaki Kojiro stared intently at the gleaming sword, listening to Zhao Yun's slow, deliberate description.

In a daze, he seemed to have arrived at Changban Slope of yesteryear and saw the figure of the white horse and silver spear.

"Good good!"

Sasaki Kojiro snapped out of his daze, looking at Zhao Yun with delighted and fervent eyes, and said:
"General Zhao, please enlighten me!"

In the next instant, Sasaki Kojiro's figure vanished like a gust of wind.

The 1.5-meter-long samurai sword seemed to tear through the airflow, clashing with the Qinggang sword from above and below with a shriek, instantly scattering a large number of sparks.

Feeling the terrifying power emanating from the sword, Sasaki Kojiro's expression grew increasingly joyful.

Without any hesitation, he slightly turned the hands holding the hilt of the sword, and strangely reversed the blade, slashing diagonally across the Qinggang sword once again.

"laugh--"

Numerous sparks flew between the spine of the sword and the edge of the blade.

Zhao Yun exerted his strength from his feet, twisting his waist and hips. While dodging the longsword's slash, the Qinggang sword in his hand swung in a smooth arc, piercing straight into Sasaki Kojiro's exposed chest and abdomen.

"clang!"

The equally slender hilt blocked the swift thrust of the sword tip.

Sasaki Kojiro kicked the spine of the sword, deflecting the Qinggang sword from below. He then leaped backward, creating distance between himself and Zhao Yun, and they faced off.

"As expected of the famous Zhao Zilong of Changshan!"

He gazed intently at Zhao Yun and praised him generously: "Even when he abandons his spear and takes up a sword, his skill is still unparalleled!"

"You too." Zhao Yun brandished his longsword, pointing it diagonally at the ground, and said calmly, "I thought this small place, with its barbarians, wouldn't produce any decent figures. I never expected to find such a skilled fighter as you!"

"Hahaha!"

Sasaki Kojiro laughed heartily, seemingly not ashamed of Zhao Yun's words, but rather proud of them.

"Come again!"

In an instant, his figure disappeared again, colliding with Zhao Yun below.

"Qiang! Qiang! Qiang!"

The sharp clang of swords clashing echoed intensely across the stone steps.

Bai Zemin stared in surprise at the two figures locked in fierce combat below, seemingly not expecting that this so-called island nation swordsman could actually fight Zhao Yun to a standstill.

After a moment's thought, he used his Master privileges to check Sasaki Kojiro's stats.

"Strength C, Endurance E, Magic E, Luck A, Agility... A+!"

Bai Zemin stared in astonishment at the last two numbers.

Especially in terms of agility, it's even superior to Zhao Yun's?!
This is not surprising at all. As a legendary figure widely known in Japan, Sasaki Kojiro has a huge boost in local popularity in the island nation, which enhances his abilities as a result.

If these two were replaced with actual historical figures, the outcome would be completely different...

"Qiang! Qiang! Qiang!"

As the samurai sword clashed fiercely with the Qinggang sword, Zhao Yun gradually figured out his opponent's tactics.

The next second, his swordsmanship style suddenly changed. The Qinggang sword, which was originally as fast as lightning, suddenly became as heavy as a mountain. It ignored the exquisite power contained in the samurai sword and slashed at the blade.

Sasaki Kojiro's pupils contracted, and he swung his sword hilt to parry without hesitation.

But just as the hilt was about to touch the blade, the heavy sword changed again, piercing the wide-open chest like lightning.

"Pfft-"

The sword grazed the hilt of the kimono, leaving a scarlet bloodstain on the pale purple kimono.

The two separated again, and Zhao Yun swung his Qinggang sword, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.

Sasaki Kojiro suddenly raised his head, staring intently at him, and asked, "What is this?"

"It's just a simple change in weight."

Zhao Yun said calmly, "Pursuing speed at all costs is ultimately a mistake. A true master of the sword should integrate all variations into a single sword strike, achieving a balance where lightness is as heavy as heaviness, and heaviness as lightness..."

"In this respect, Wang Yue of Liaodong is a master-level figure that I have never seen before."

"With your current extreme swordsmanship, if you were to encounter him, you would definitely not be a match for him in three rounds!"

King Yue of Liaodong...

That legendary swordsman of the Eastern Han Dynasty?!
Sasaki Kojiro's eyes grew even brighter.

"I have learned a great deal from your words, General!"

"In that case, I must be serious—General, be careful!"

With a loud shout, Sasaki Kojiro instantly changed his stance, raised his katana high above his head with both hands, and slashed it down at Zhao Yun with the force of splitting a mountain.

"Qiang! Qiang! Qiang!"

The sharp longsword danced like an invisible phantom, relentlessly suppressing Zhao Yun with a ferocious, storm-like offensive.

But this was only on the surface. In reality, Zhao Yun's expression did not change at all, and his Qinggang sword remained steady as he dealt with the situation with ease.

Just then, Bai Zemin, who was watching the battle with great interest from above, suddenly froze.

The next second, his figure vanished instantly, as if swallowed by something, disappearing from the air above the stone steps in an instant.

Zhao Yun noticed his master's departure and was immediately startled. Then, anger rose in his heart, and the speed of his Qinggang sword instantly increased, deflecting the five-foot-long blade with a force far exceeding its previous strength.

"Buzz!"

With a soft clang from the blade and sword, Sasaki Kojiro staggered back two steps, staring at Zhao Yun in astonishment.

Zhao Yun glared angrily, switched the Qinggang Sword to his left hand, and with a swift movement of his right hand, pulled out the Bright Silver Dragon Spear from the ground.

"Wait, General Zhao!"

Sasaki Kojiro cherished this opportunity for a sword duel, so he quickly spoke up to defend himself, saying, "General Zhao, please calm down. This was not my doing; it must have been that vixen's doing!"

"A female fox?"

Zhao Yun's expression softened slightly, but then he frowned.

Sasaki Kojiro nodded earnestly and told him what he knew.

"So, Caster used spatial magic to teleport a Master?"

Sasaki Kojiro replied earnestly, "It should be!"

Zhao Yun frowned and said, "In that case, I have no time to linger with you any longer..."

"and many more!"

Sasaki Kojiro said seriously, "Since the general is in a hurry, how about we settle this with one move?"

"I have a sword technique that I mastered when I wanted to cut down a swallow."

"Although it's not a particularly powerful move, it's a skill I'm quite confident in. I urge the general to take a look and appreciate it!"

Zhao Yun frowned, planted the silver spear back into the ground, and looked at Sasaki Kojiro calmly, saying:
"I'll give you three breaths..."

(End of this chapter)