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

Chapter 47, paragraphs 55 and 56: Infiltrating the Prince's Palace, the Jin Kingdom's "Heroes"

The next morning.

Huang Rong was still dressed in fine clothes and fur coats, with her hair tied up in a jade crown, looking like a wealthy young master. She walked down the street with a smug air, holding a folding fan.

Lu Chen, dressed in a black hat and cloak, carrying the Qinggang Sword and bearing the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword and Broken Sword on his back, followed her with a cold expression.

The two swaggered to the gate of Prince Zhao's mansion. Before the guards could question them, Huang Rong spoke:
"We have heard that the Prince of Zhao's mansion is eager to recruit talented people and sincerely invites heroes from all walks of life. My brother and I are both skilled in martial arts, so we have come here to recommend ourselves."

The two guards looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although Huang Rong looked too young and was clearly a woman disguised as a man, she didn't really show any expert aura. But Lu Chen's cold and aloof appearance as an expert was quite intimidating, especially since he carried three swords by himself, which made him seem very unfathomable.

The two guards dared not be negligent, and one of them said:
"Please wait a moment, I will go and report to them."

The other person welcomed the two into the gatehouse, served them tea and snacks, and treated them with great care.

Before long, a plump middle-aged man dressed in a military officer's robe came over with the guard who had gone to deliver the message. He glanced at Huang Rong and Lu Chen briefly, and seeing Lu Chen's extraordinary aura, he didn't dare to be pretentious. He bowed and said with a smile:
"I am Tang Zude, the commander of the Prince's personal guards, in charge of the Prince's military affairs. May I ask your esteemed names and what your skills are?"

Huang Rong swiftly unfolded her folding fan and said leisurely:
"I am 'Little White Dragon' Huang Rong. This is my elder brother, 'Little Sword Demon' Lu Chen. As for our skills..."

With a flick of her wrist, she revealed a copper coin. "Commander Tang, take a good look!"

With that, he flicked his finger, and the copper coin shot out with a whoosh, grazing past Tang Zude's ear before embedding itself deeply into the door frame behind him with a thud.

Tang Zude looked back and saw that the copper coin was almost completely inside the door frame. He was immediately shocked and thought to himself, "If this copper coin had shot into my throat, wouldn't it have killed me instantly?"
I never expected that this little girl, who looks so young and is incredibly beautiful, dressed as a boy, would have such amazing skills!
Just as he was secretly alarmed, Lu Chen said calmly:

"Commander Tang, I apologize for the inconvenience."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qinggang was drawn from its sheath. With a flash of sword light, a chilling wind suddenly arose. Tang Zude only felt a blur before his eyes. Before he could even see the trajectory of Lu Chen's sword light, Lu Chen had already sheathed his sword.

Tang Zude blinked, still puzzled, when he saw the guards from the Prince's Palace staring at his chin in shock.

He then noticed that his chin felt cool, and quickly raised his hand to touch it, only to find that his beard had been completely shaved off.

Tang Zude was even more uneasy now, and cold sweat broke out on his back. This man could shave his beard in front of him without him noticing. Wouldn't he be able to take his life with a wave of his hand, and even make him die without knowing how he died?

No wonder he's called the "Little Sword Demon"—his swordsmanship is truly terrifying!
Tang Zude himself was of average skill, but recently several powerful experts had come to the Prince's mansion. He often watched these experts demonstrate their martial arts, which broadened his horizons.

In his opinion, Huang Rong's skill with hidden weapons was no less than that of Liang Ziweng, the "Old Monster of Ginseng Immortals," who was skilled at using bone-piercing needles.

As for the martial arts skills of "Little Sword Demon" Lu Chen, even the most skilled guest masters in the Prince's mansion are probably no match for him.

Given the prince's fondness for martial arts heroes, he will surely reward these two masters handsomely if he, Tang Zude, recruits them into his household!
Upon realizing this, Tang Zude's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he bowed deeply in homage.
"Young Master Huang, Young Master Lu, you two are truly rare young heroes! Please come with me into the manor, and I will arrange lodging for you."

Huang Rong and Lu Chen exchanged a smile, said "Thank you for your trouble," and then followed Tang Zude into the Prince's mansion.

The prince's residence was naturally a complex of courtyards, with countless inner courtyards.

The two followed Tang Zude through a winding path for quite some time, until they arrived at a courtyard where winter plum blossoms were in full bloom. Tang Zude smiled and said to them:
"This is Hanmei Garden, one of the superior guest houses specially prepared by His Highness for his guests. His Highness has matters to attend to at court today and will probably not return until evening. Please rest here for the time being. When His Highness returns, I will inform him and introduce you to him."

Huang Rong smiled slightly and leisurely waved her folding fan twice:

"Then I'll have to trouble Commander Tang."

"It should, it should."

Tang Zude said with a smile:

"By the way, in the Green Pine Garden to your left live the two seniors, Ghost Gate Dragon King Sha Tongtian and Three-Headed Flood Dragon Hou Tonghai, and their disciples. In the Frost Garden to your right live Young Master Ouyang from White Camel Mountain in the Western Regions and his entourage."

"Nearby are Lingyun Garden, Jingjie Garden, and Cangbai Courtyard, where the three seniors Peng Lianhu, the Thousand-Handed Butcher, Lingzhi Shangren, the Five-Finger Secret Blade Master, and Liang Ziweng, the Ginseng Immortal Elder, reside respectively. If the two young heroes are interested, they can get to know these seniors better."

Huang Rong nodded and smiled:
"Thank you for your guidance, Commander Tang."

"Young Master Huang, you're too kind!"

Tang Zude smiled and bowed again before taking his leave.

Before long, another maid from the Prince's residence came in and brought the two of them hot water, tea, and snacks.

After dismissing the maid, Huang Rong closed her fan, got up, and shut the doors and windows. She then said to Lu Chen:

"Seven Master seems to have mentioned this place, White Camel Mountain in the Western Regions, to us."

Lu Chen nodded:
"Seventh Master did say that Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, is the master of White Camel Mountain in the Western Regions."

Huang Rong frowned slightly:
"So, could that young master Ouyang from the Western Regions be a nephew of the Western Poison?"

Lu Chen laughed:

"should be."

Huang Rong puffed out her pink cheeks:
"The white camel must also belong to that Young Master Ouyang. This is getting a little troublesome!"

Lu Chen comforted him:
"It's alright. That Young Master Ouyang isn't Ouyang Feng himself. What's wrong with asking him for a couple of white camels? As a nephew of the Western Poison, he wouldn't be so stingy."

"I hope so……"

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside, followed by a rough, loud voice:
"We've heard that two young heroes with exceptional martial arts skills have moved into the Cold Plum Garden. Sha Tongtian from the Yellow River Gang, along with his junior brother Hou Tonghai, have come to pay their respects! We humbly request that you two grant us an audience!"

"This old monk is wise and has come to pay my respects to the two young heroes."

"Peng Lianhu, the Thousand-Handed Butcher..."

"I am Liangzi Weng of Changbai Mountain..."

Hey, the F4 of the Great Jin Kingdom are here!

Hearing the calls of registration outside, Lu Chen's heart stirred. He exchanged a glance with Huang Rong, went over and opened the door, and saw five people of different heights standing in the courtyard.

One was a middle-aged bald man with bloodshot eyes and slightly protruding pupils, whose appearance was somewhat strange; the other was a thin man with a bluish face and three fleshy growths on his head. These two should be Sha Tongtian and Hou Tonghai.

Another tall and imposing lama, this one was the one who had an exceptionally high opinion of himself. He was still full of confidence when facing the Five Masters, believing that being easily defeated by them was not because his skills were lacking, but because the Five Masters possessed evil magic.

Another short, middle-aged man with piercing eyes and two judge's pens tucked into his waistband must be Peng Lianhu, the Thousand-Handed Butcher.

The last one was an old man of medium build with a full head of white hair, but with a ruddy complexion and a radiant spirit. Needless to say, this was none other than Liang Ziweng, the old man who delivered the treasure.

While Lu Chen and Huang Rong were sizing up the five people, the five people were also scrutinizing the two of them.

The reason they came together was that they had heard that two more masters had arrived. They were young, but their martial arts skills were highly praised by Tang Zude, the commander of the personal guards, who even arranged for them to stay in the "Hanmei Garden," a place reserved for top-class guests.

The courtyards of Sha Tongtian and his four companions were naturally occupied by top-tier guest elders. However, they were all local overlords, figures who had been famous for many years. They had heard of each other, but had never heard of "Little White Dragon Huang Rong, Little Sword Demon Lu Chen".

That's why they came to investigate and see where this young master came from, who could stand on equal footing with them, who had been famous for many years.

Upon seeing this, the five men couldn't help but feel a sense of contempt.

The reason is that Lu Chen and Huang Rong are indeed too young, much younger than Ouyang Ke, who has an incredibly grand entourage.

Although Lu Chen has a cool and aloof appearance, and looks quite convincing, he is definitely no older than twenty.

As for Huang Rong, who was dressed as a wealthy young master, she looked like a girl of only fifteen or sixteen years old.

At such a young age, even if one had started practicing martial arts in the womb, how much real skill could one possibly possess?

Tang Zude has probably been fooled by these two little guys!

Sha Tongtian, Peng Lianhu, Lingzhi Shangren, and Liang Ziweng were all somewhat cunning. Seeing that Lu Chen and Huang Rong were so young, they had already developed contempt and suspicion in their hearts, but for the time being, they did not voice their doubts.

Only Hou Tonghai, the dim-witted "Three-Headed Dragon," didn't hesitate to fire the first shot:
"You two are Huang Rong, the White Dragon, and Lu Chen, the Little Sword Demon?"

Huang Rong smiled and nodded:

"Indeed. This senior has an extraordinary appearance, unlike any ordinary person. Could he be the 'Three-Headed Dragon' Hou Tonghai from the Yellow River Gang?"

"It's good that you know my name." Hou Tonghai said casually, "Look at your age, you're not even as old as my four junior disciples. What makes you dare to live in this Cold Plum Garden and sit on equal footing with us renowned experts? What skills do you have?"

Huang Rong smiled and said:
"What skills does Senior Hou possess?"

Hou Tonghai said proudly:
"My abilities are naturally very great!"

"Oh?" Huang Rong raised her delicate eyebrows: "In that case, Senior Hou, would you dare to show us your skills and broaden our horizons?"

A normal person wouldn't be provoked by Huang Rong like that and immediately start showing off. But Hou Tonghai is different; he's not a normal person. He glanced around, saw the snowdrift in the corner, and immediately said:
"Watch closely, you two juniors!"

After saying that, he ran over and piled the snow higher and thicker, then leaped into the air and headfirst into the snowdrift with a thud, his head and upper body plunging into the snow, while his legs stuck straight up in the sky.

After this display of skill, Lingzhi Shangren, Peng Lianhu, and Liang Ziweng exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if Hou Tonghai had some serious mental problem.

Sha Tongtian's eye twitched slightly as he tried to salvage the situation for his junior brother:
"My junior brother is nicknamed Three-Headed Dragon. His underwater skills are as good as a dragon's. He's demonstrating his breath-holding ability. Hmm, everyone, you can tamp down the snow around him."

"Then this old monk would like to see for himself!"

Upon hearing this, Master Lingzhi took a few steps forward and used his large handprint to strike and beat the snowdrifts around Hou Tonghai until they were completely impenetrable.

“My junior brother can hold his breath for the length of a meal,” Sha Tongtian said. “Let him hold it in for now, let’s talk about our own things.”

So the group looked at Lu Chen and Huang Rong again, but for a moment they didn’t know what to talk about—Hou Tonghai’s demonstration of breath-holding skills was quite tedious, taking the time it would take to finish a whole meal.

Before Hou Tonghai finished his demonstration, they couldn't very well discuss martial arts with the two juniors, otherwise wouldn't that be disrespectful to Hou Tonghai?

It doesn't matter if we don't give Hou Tonghai face, after all, he's just a scoundrel with mediocre skills.

However, his senior brother, "Ghost Gate Dragon King" Sha Tongtian, was very skilled in martial arts. Out of respect for Sha Tongtian, Hou Tonghai had to give him some face.

So the group, along with Lu Chen and Huang Rong, stared at each other awkwardly for a while, speechless. Lingzhi Shangren, unable to contain himself any longer, coughed lightly, about to speak, when a hearty laugh rang out:
"Having heard that two young heroes have moved into Hanmei Garden, Ouyang Ke has come uninvited. Please forgive him..."

As they were talking, a man dressed in white, with a light fur coat and loose belt, strolled over leisurely.

This man was thirty-five or thirty-six years old, tall and upright, with a handsome face and a dashing demeanor. His clothes and bearing were just like those of a wealthy prince. He was none other than Ouyang Ke from White Camel Mountain.

Ouyang Ke boasted that among all the guests of the royal palace, he was the best in terms of background and martial arts skills.

Hearing that Tang Zude had welcomed two more young masters with astonishing skills, he was curious but did not regard them as a threat. He had only come to watch the excitement.

However, upon entering the courtyard and seeing Huang Rong, Ouyang Ke's eyes immediately lit up. He felt that although this young girl was young, her beauty was unparalleled in his life.

His harem was filled with beauties, including not only Han women but also Hu women of various styles. He boasted that even the harems of the emperors of the Jin and Song dynasties could not compare to his concubines.

But upon seeing Huang Rong, he immediately felt that none of his concubines could compare to her, especially the intelligence in her eyes, which made him feel as if he had seen a celestial being. His heart fluttered, and he quickly stepped forward, showing Huang Rong the most gentle, polite, and charming smile he had ever given in his life.

"I am Ouyang Ke, the young master of White Camel Mountain in the Western Regions. I greet Young Master Huang..."

However, he completely ignored Lu Chen, who was standing next to Huang Rong.

Seeing his intense gaze fixed on her, Huang Rong felt quite displeased. She quickly unfolded her folding fan and covered half of her face.
"Young Master Ouyang, please have some self-respect. I am not used to getting so close to strangers."

Ouyang Ke said with a smile:
"Now that we've met and become acquainted, we're no longer strangers, Young Master Huang..."

Before he could finish speaking, everything went dark, and a young man of similar height, with a heroic and sturdy build and a cold expression, stood in front of him.

"Young Master Ouyang, do you not understand human language? My brother Huang is telling you to stay away from her."

Ouyang Ke frowned, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes:
"Who are you?"

"Little Sword Demon Lu Chen".

"Little Sword Demon? An unknown nobody, how dare you be so insolent in front of me, Ouyang Ke?"

Ouyang Ke was patient with beautiful women, but he was not so polite to men, especially those who stood in his way.

Just as they were about to teach this kid a lesson, Hou Tonghai let out a "heh," pressed his hands against the snowdrift beside him, pulled himself halfway out of the snowdrift, and with a somersault, stood upright. The snow still clung to the three fleshy bumps on his forehead, and he proudly bowed to the crowd:

"A mere trick, nothing to flatter experts!"

"..."

Everyone was speechless for a while.

"Lift up" the Fang family's smile?

Seeing Hou Tonghai's smug expression, Huang Rong barely managed to suppress her laughter and nodded seriously:

"Senior Hou's breath-holding skills are truly remarkable; I admire him greatly."

Ouyang Ke was annoyed that he had interrupted the atmosphere, and gave Hou Tonghai a cold look:
"It's laughable to experts; that character is pronounced 'yi'..."

Hou Tonghai stiffened his neck:
"What do you mean by 'Auntie laughing at the Fang family'? What do you know, you barbarian from the Western Regions? In our local dialect, it's called 'Lifting laughter at the Fang family'! Besides, I don't have any aunties in my family!"

"..."

Everyone fell silent again. Huang Rong finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, and even Lu Chen couldn't help but smile.

Seeing Huang Rong's charming smile, Ouyang Ke's heart fluttered again. Just as he was about to speak, Hou Tonghai said:

"Senior brother, the way Young Master Ouyang looks at Young Master Huang seems a bit off."

Sha Tongtian frowned: "What's wrong?"

Hou Tonghai lowered his voice and spoke in what he thought was a very soft voice, but which everyone could actually hear:
"As far as I can tell, Young Master Ouyang's eyes were lecherous, as if he were eyeing Young Master Huang's good looks..."

Sha Tongtian: "Kai...what?"

Hou Tonghai: "Kaijian! He's just lusting after other people's bodies, drooling and stuff."

Sha Tongtian: "That word... is it pronounced 'Kaijian'?"

Master Lingzhi chuckled:
"That word shouldn't be pronounced 'Kai Jian,' it should be 'Kai Yu'! Although you two are martial arts practitioners, not being literate will make you a laughingstock!"

Peng Lianhu and Sha Tongtian were close friends. Seeing that Lingzhi Shangren dared to mock others despite his own lack of education, he immediately sneered:
“Master Lingzhi, the word is pronounced as ‘jīyǐ’ (駊觎), which means ‘I’ or ‘me’.”

Before Master Lingzhi could reply, Hou Tonghai became displeased again:
"Brother Peng, stop pretending to be a scholar. We're such good brothers, don't you know you've hardly ever read any books? Anyone who's read even a little wouldn't think those two characters have anything to do with 'crucian carp'!"

Peng Lianhu was amused and rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue with this clueless fool.

Hou Tonghai then lowered his voice and said:

"In short, I feel that Young Master Ouyang's gaze towards Young Master Huang is strange. You guys say that he has so many maids, could it be that he's just using them as a cover? Is his real preference actually for male beauty?"

Peng Lianhu, Lingzhi Shangren, and Liang Ziweng all turned their heads, looking at Hou Tonghai with strange expressions.

"Old Hou, do you think Young Master Huang is a man?"

Hou Tonghai asked in surprise:

"Isn't that right? Young Master Huang is handsome and has fair skin, even prettier than Ouyang Gong's maids. They're so effeminate, but his nickname is 'Little White Dragon,' which sounds like a man!"

Sha Tongtian covered his cheek:
"Junior brother, you'd better shut up a bit, or you'll embarrass your senior brother!"

The group chatted back and forth like they were performing a comedy, which made Huang Rong laugh uncontrollably. She put her arm around Lu Chen's shoulder and laughed so hard she almost fell over.

Even Lu Chen couldn't maintain his cold swordsman demeanor; his lips twitched as if he were having a spasm.

Ouyang Ke was exasperated. He glared angrily at Hou Tonghai, who was rambling incoherently, and then stormed off.

This jerk ruined the atmosphere. Staying here is no fun. Let's find another opportunity!

Sha Tongtian also felt ashamed and dragged his junior brother away.

Master Lingzhi, Peng Lianhu, and Liang Ziweng all felt that the test had failed miserably. They decided it would be better to wait until the prince returned and expose the two men's boasting in front of him. So they left without saying goodbye.

"Please take care, gentlemen! You are all guests of the Prince's residence. Let's get to know each other better in the future."

Huang Rong kept laughing and waving at them.

Lu Chen stared at Liang Ziweng's back, already pondering his precious snake.

Not to mention increasing one's power, the precious snake, once consumed, also grants immunity to all poisons.

The poison resistance trait is quite useful.

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(End of this chapter)