The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 149, 164: Heroes Gather, Swords Point at Qu Ao!

As dusk settles in.

Lu Chen strolled leisurely to the gate of Manqing Courtyard, the number one brothel in Luoyang. He flashed the invitation, and the guards at the gate respectfully welcomed him in and escorted him to Tingliu Pavilion, where the banquet was to be held that evening.

“Tingliuge” is not a pavilion.

It was a large courtyard house in the style of a traditional courtyard house, with a three-story building in each of the four cardinal directions, surrounding a spacious courtyard with a circumference of more than fifty feet.

The courtyard features artificial hills and flowing water, ponds and small bridges, pebble paths, and a half-story-high stage. The layout is elegant, tranquil, and ingenious.

The courtyard is surrounded by four three-story buildings, each with more than ten rooms on each floor. In total, the four buildings have more than one hundred rooms.

Each room facing the courtyard has an open terrace.

Guests can enjoy the courtyard view from inside the private room without getting up; they can simply roll up the curtain.

People perform songs and dances in the courtyard, or engage in martial arts duels, all of which can be observed by the guests.

The four multi-story buildings are connected by suspended walkways, allowing guests to move freely to any of the buildings.

When Lu Chen arrived, all the rooms in the four multi-story buildings were already brightly lit.

Every few steps along the suspended corridor, a palace lantern hangs.

The lights from the side rooms and the palace lanterns in the corridors illuminated the vast courtyard in the middle as bright as day.

Then came a group of beautifully dressed maids, some carrying trays, others leading guests, moving back and forth in the corridors and into the various rooms.

Whenever the door to the side room opened, bursts of laughter and chatter would always drift out.

Four multi-story buildings, more than a hundred side rooms, and countless people walking around talking and laughing, their voices merging together to create a noisy and bustling atmosphere.

Lu Chen's invitation card included a room number.

A beautiful maid led him into the south-facing tower, and after going up to the second floor, they went through the outdoor corridor to the east-facing tower.

Lu Chen's "Heart Sword" trembled continuously during the journey.

Although there was no warning of danger from the phantom pain between his eyebrows, indicating that there was no hostile intent to kill him for the time being, the trembling frequency of the Heart Sword also indicated that there were many masters with extraordinary martial arts skills and powerful auras in Tingliu Pavilion at this moment.

If so many experts were to attack him, even with his physique, he would probably be blasted to dust.

Of course, Lu Chen is well-liked. He not only has few enemies, but also has friends in both the righteous and demonic sects.

Unlike Wanwan, who was a complete failure, not only did the righteous sects want to kill her, but even her fellow disciples in the demonic path harbored ulterior motives towards her.

Therefore, although there are many experts here, he will not find himself surrounded and attacked by everyone.

That is, before he does that big thing.

Go up to the third floor of the east-facing building and enter his private room. The candlesticks and lanterns inside were already lit, and candied fruits, pastries, seasonal fruits, several cold dishes, and a pot of wine were also prepared.

The beautiful maid who led the way saw that he was tall and had an extraordinary demeanor, and wanted to serve him for free, but he resolutely and politely saw her out of the door and closed the door of the private room.

The maid bit her lip in annoyance, stomped her foot, and raised her fist at the locked private room door. Seeing that a guest was coming, she quickly straightened her posture and left in small steps.

Lu Chen sat alone in the spacious private room, enjoying cold dishes and a little wine, quite content.

He had just drunk half a glass of wine when there was a gentle knock on the door of the private room, followed by Dugu Feng's voice:
Is Brother Lu here?

Lu Chen put down his wine glass, went over and opened the door, and saw that Dugu Feng was unusually not wearing her martial arts attire today.

She wore a black long dress with gold trim underneath, tied at the waist with a tassel belt, which accentuated her contrasting waist and hips and her full, firm breasts.

She wore a lake-green overcoat with a skirt that reached the ground, her long hair was styled into a reverse bun, and she was also adorned with a pearl hairpin, jade pendant and gold foil. She also wore light makeup, and there was a fiery red flower shaped like a phoenix spreading its wings on her forehead. She was dressed like a little princess.

"Brother Lu..."

Seeing the surprise in Lu Chen's eyes, Dugu Feng, slightly flustered, gently tugged at her wide, somewhat inconvenient sleeves, her cheeks flushed slightly, and said with a shifty gaze:
"Is this outfit unsuitable for me today?"

"No, it's pretty good."

Lu Chen smiled, stepped aside to let her into the room, closed the door behind him, led her to sit down in the hall, and poured her a glass of wine.

Dugu Feng picked up her wine cup and drank it all in one gulp, her movements so urgent it seemed as if she were drinking to calm her nerves, almost making Lu Chen unable to suppress his smile.

It's clear she rarely dresses like this; this outfit makes her feel quite awkward.

Of course, Lu Chen wouldn't laugh at her.

Because her outfit was indeed quite nice.

Compared to the usual martial arts attire, it has a unique and captivating charm.

Dugu Feng drank a cup of wine, then picked up the wine pot and poured herself another cup, drinking two cups in a row. She then secretly glanced at Lu Chen and saw that he was looking at the stage in the courtyard, enjoying the warm-up songs and dances by the dancers. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Lu Chen took the initiative to speak again, changing the subject and easing the awkwardness:
"Miss Feng, do you know who our guests are today?"

As a local strongman, Dugu Feng was naturally well aware of this, and quickly said:

"There are many guests today. The Li family alone has more than ten people. The leader is Prince Qin, Li Shimin, and his entourage includes Changsun Wuji, Yuchi Jingde, Pang Yu, Li Jing, Hong Fu Nu, Luo Shixin, Shi Wanbao, Liu Dewei, and others. Among them, Li Jing's wife, Hong Fu Nu, is known as the number one expert under Prince Qin, and it is said that her martial arts skills are unfathomable."

The lineup brought by Li Shimin was indeed luxurious, filled with top-notch fighters.

In this world of twin dragons, Li Shimin's brother-in-law, Changsun Wuji, is a martial arts master.

Yuchi Jingde, Li Shimin's first bodyguard and one of the legendary martial arts masters of later generations, is another example. His "Guicang Whip" is known as the best whip technique in the north. His martial arts skills are only slightly inferior to Wang Bo, the "Whip King" of the time, and he will surpass Wang Bo sooner or later.

The other famous ministers and generals, including Pang Yu, were also highly skilled individuals with exceptional abilities.

Li Jing's wife, Hong Fu Nu, possessed martial arts skills surpassing even those of renowned ministers and generals, making her the top expert under the Qin King.

With Li Shimin's lineup, Lu Chen would probably be unable to withstand a direct confrontation.

Of course, with his lightness skill and the wonder of "Sword Two: Splitting Light and Shadow," if he wanted to leave, Li Shimin's luxurious lineup wouldn't be able to stop him.

As for why Li Shimin, the Prince of Qin of the Tang Dynasty, dared to lead a team of experts from the Tian Ce Mansion to Luoyang, which was nominally under the rule of Emperor Yang Tong but was still the capital of the Sui Dynasty, to participate in the selection of a wise ruler by Cihang Jingzhai, it was naturally because this event had the endorsement of Ning Daoqi and Cihang Jingzhai.

Emperor Yang Tong dared not offend the righteous forces represented by Ning Daoqi and Cihang Jingzhai when the Sui dynasty was in decline.

Wang Shichong would not make an enemy of the Li Tang dynasty in Guanzhong before he had dealt with Li Mi, such a major enemy.

The Dugu Clan, huh...

Whether it's the Yang family or the Li family, they are all relatives of the Dugu family. They are all family to the Dugu family, so of course they wouldn't make things difficult for Li Shimin.

In fact, let alone Li Shimin, Wang Bo, the "Knowledgeable Gentleman" who is hosting the banquet today, was the first to raise an army against the Sui Dynasty. He started the series of anti-Sui uprisings with his poem "Song of Dying in Liaodong".

Although Wang Bo was once a rebel, he has now withdrawn from the struggle for power.

In addition, he is the "Whip King" of the modern era, with superb martial arts skills and is highly respected in the martial arts world.

Meanwhile, the Sui court was in decline, and most of Luoyang's power was now in the hands of Wang Shichong, who harbored ambitions against the Sui court. Therefore, even though "Zhi Shilang" swaggered into Luoyang and booked the Manqing Palace for a grand banquet, no one dared to confront him. Not to mention Wang Bo, even Li Mi's men came to Luoyang.

According to Dugu Feng, Li Mi's son, Li Tianfan, along with Wagang strategist Shen Luoyan and the "Changbai Twin Fiends" brothers Fu Zhen and Fu Yan, came to Manqing Courtyard openly and without any attempt to conceal their identities. They sat in a side room on the second floor of the building opposite.

"Li Mi nominally accepted the imperial court's offer of amnesty and is now the Grand Commandant of the Sui Dynasty, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Grand Marshal of the Southeast Circuit, and Duke of Wei. The court promised him that after he defeated Yuwen Huaji, he would be allowed to come to Luoyang to assist in governance. Therefore, Li Mi's son, Li Tianfan, who is now the heir apparent of the Duke of Wei, is also permitted by the court to come to Luoyang."

"But Li Mi still wants to attack Luoyang."

"The court and my family both hope that Li Mi and Wang Shichong can both suffer heavy losses."

"Does Miss Feng think this is possible?"

"Sigh... The family is counting on us so much, Feng'er can't really say anything."

The Dugu clan wanted to support Emperor Yang Tong of the Huangtai dynasty.

To the Dugu clan, whether it was Yuwen Huaji, the "regicide," Li Mi, who was pointing his sword at Luoyang, or Wang Shichong, who harbored treacherous ambitions, they were all traitors and rebels. Of course, they hoped that the three of them would fight to the death, preferably to the point of mutual destruction, so that the Dugu clan could reap the benefits.

But that's clearly wishful thinking.

However, the Dugu clan also has a way out.

Even if they ultimately fail to support Emperor Tai and Wang Shichong seizes power, they can still turn to the Li Tang dynasty.

After talking about traitors for a while, Dugu Feng continued:
"Song Shidao, Song Yuzhi, and Song Lu of the Song Clan were also in Tingliu Pavilion at this time."

Upon hearing the name Song Shidao, Lu Chen couldn't help but drift off into thought again.

It seems that Song Shidao fell in love with Fu Junzhuo at first sight and couldn't forget her, so much so that he extended his affection to Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling.

It seems that Song Que not only lacks discernment, but his educational abilities are also terrible.

Apart from Song Zhi, the "Earth Sword," who is aligned with Song Que and is a hawkish figure, the other important members of the Song Clan...

Song Lu was a dove, Song Yuzhi was a pacifist, and Song Shidao was not only peaceful but also fell in love with a foreign race.

Song Que did not personally vie for supremacy, but instead constantly selected partners. Besides the fact that the Song Clan's geographical location was too remote, making it difficult for them to achieve much, it was probably also because the Song Clan's internal ideology was not aligned.

Thinking about it this way, I feel that Song Que is quite a failure.

It's said that the Song Clan is so fanatical in their worship of Song Que that they can't even unify the thoughts of their own brothers and siblings...

Is this what you call worship?

Thinking of Song Que, Lu Chen also thought of Kou Zhong.

Kou Zhong is good at martial arts, but not at conquering the world.

It's not just that he's too willful, but also that he's too sentimental.

Because of Fu Junzhuo, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were too close to Goguryeo and completely unaware of the dangers it posed.

Given Kou Zhong's personality, if he were to rule the world, how would he deal with Goguryeo?
Therefore, it was Li Shimin who was qualified, and together with his son Li Zhi, they managed to completely destroy Goguryeo.

How can you allow others to sleep soundly on the side of the couch?
Moreover, Goguryeo was a vicious wolf, taking advantage of the internal strife in the Central Plains to gradually encroach upon the former Han territories, constantly growing stronger and occupying border areas, looking down upon the Central Plains with predatory eyes. Any rational ruler would want to destroy such a powerful neighbor.

Not counting Yang Guang, Emperor Zhaogu, although he recognized the threat posed by Goguryeo, was extremely irrational.

They actually mobilized a million-strong army to fight in a place like Liaodong, and were repeatedly tricked and humiliated by Goguryeo's feigned surrender. They even micromanaged and remotely controlled the front lines, demanding that any military action on the front lines be reported to Yang Guang first and await his approval...

They don't even have a radio, yet they dare to use micro-management!

Only Emperor Yang Guang could pull off such an outrageous move.

"The Tiele Flying Eagle Qu Ao, along with his three disciples Chang Shumou, Hua Lingzi, and Geng Ge Hu'er, are in the north building. Accompanying them are several Tiele royal archers, all of whom are skilled archers capable of drawing a ten-stone bow and hunting eagles and geese..."

The world of Twin Dragons cannot be judged by ordinary standards. After all, it is a world where martial artists can attain enlightenment through martial arts, open the gates of heaven with their swords, and shatter their defenses to ascend to immortality. City walls that are not ten zhang high cannot withstand powerful masters.

Therefore, in the world of Twin Dragons, a ten-stone bow is nothing special. The two famous bows, the Sun-Piercing Bow and the Moon-Shooting Bow, which were later obtained by Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, could shatter iron shields from 500 paces away. In the world of cold weapons, they were practically divine weapons.

As for Qu Ao...

Qu Ao was Lu Chen's primary target when he came to Manqing Courtyard tonight.

He wanted to learn Qu Ao's lightness skill and to get a glimpse of the mystery of his "Nine Transformations of Condensed Truth".

In addition, Qu Ao, a loser who was traumatized by Bi Xuan, dared not compete for supremacy on the grasslands, but instead sent his son "Qingjiao" Ren Shaoming to develop his power in the Central Plains, intending to participate in the struggle for supremacy in the Central Plains.

After his son was killed, Qu Ao personally went to the Central Plains to show off his power.

That's really unfriendly and impolite.

Thinking of the foreign tribes' dominance, Lu Chen couldn't help but think of Emperor Yang Guang again.

During the reign of Emperor Yang Guang, in order to create a grand atmosphere of all nations paying tribute, it seems that he once issued an edict ordering shops and restaurants in Luoyang to provide free entertainment for foreign guests.

Foreign guests visiting the Sui Dynasty don't have to pay for things or meals, but the Sui Dynasty's own people have to pay.

Therefore, Emperor Yang Guang can be considered the ancestor of the tribes that later knelt before foreign powers.

He truly deserves to be called the First Emperor of a Thousand Years of Glory.

After a moment of reflection, Lu Chen suddenly said to Dugu Feng:

"Where does Qu Ao's martial arts rank in the Central Plains?"

"This one……"

Dugu Feng frowned, pondered for a long time, and then said somewhat uncertainly:

"Qu Ao was also an unparalleled martial arts genius. He was once the number one expert on the grasslands, but after being defeated by Bi Xuan, he was relegated to second place..."

"So, his martial arts skills are second only to the three grandmasters? And much stronger than ordinary grandmasters?"

"That's hard to say. Qu Ao has no record of fighting against any grandmasters from the Central Plains. Besides, it's said that Qu Ao's defeat at the hands of Bi Xuan left him with a mental weakness..."

"A flaw in one's soul..."

Lu Chen pondered.

If his "Heart Sword" could be unleashed for external attacks, it would be a deadly weapon against opponents with psychological vulnerabilities.

Unfortunately, I haven't reached that level of cultivation yet.

Alright, let's fight tonight first. If we can't kill him, then we'll eat the He Shi Bi jade and try again.

In any case, once they've fought, Qu Ao's martial arts skills will no longer be a secret to him.

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(End of this chapter)