Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 53 Defeat
The banks of the Luo River were bustling with people, but one place remained exceptionally quiet.

On the blue stone embankment, two figures stood alone. For some reason, passersby unconsciously kept a distance, as if an invisible barrier separated the two from the mundane world.

One of them was the young master who was watching the battle from Luoqiao Bridge. He had a handsome face, wore luxurious clothes, and held a folding fan in his hand.
The other was entirely white, dressed in white robes with silver hair, and possessed a handsome appearance, even somewhat eerie. A faint crimson line at the corner of his eye made him appear androgynous.

The young gentleman, named Yan Mingzhu, gazed at the zither duel on the river, unfolded his folding fan, and laughed, "No wonder people love to pretend to be cultured. This zither duel is indeed much more elegant than those crude fist and foot techniques."

The other person did not answer, but simply observed.

Yan Mingzhu, having been rebuffed, didn't mind and suddenly laughed, "However, compared to music, I'd rather witness the 'Prophecy Binding Fate' technique of Baixiaolou. In the past, your esteemed Eastern Ancestor was renowned throughout the world for his 'Taibai Star Scripture,' capable of deciding life and death with a single word and altering destiny with a single prophecy. Legend has it that during the reign of Emperor Wu, a demonic monk from the Western Regions wreaked havoc in the Central Plains with his 'Blood River Great Technique.' The Eastern Ancestor simply said, 'When the moon sets at midnight, your life will end,' and the demonic monk indeed died suddenly at midnight. It was truly miraculous..."

"It's just a rumor."

The man in white was Dongfang Ming, the young master of Baixiaolou. His ancestor was the famous Dongfang Shuo. Upon hearing this, he finally turned his head, but his expression remained indifferent, clearly unwilling to discuss further. Looking at the two people on the Luo River, he said, "Baixiaolou has long known that this descendant of Yunzhejun has unusual talent and temperament, but we never expected him to have fallen to such a state..."

His voice was clear and bright, carrying a hint of mockery, yet also a touch of regret: "Yun Zhejun's 'Guangling San' was once enough to stop a thousand armies from fighting, but now his successor is showing off his musical skills here, vying to become a courtier of the powerful... Yun Zhejun was wise all his life, but he never expected to ruin his reputation by taking on such a disciple!"

"No."

Yan Mingzhu shook his head and said, "Gao Jian is the descendant of an old friend. Gao Jian's father was one of the scholars of the Northern Gate in the past of Emperor Wu, and he was a close friend of Yun Zhejun. Without this relationship, Gao Jian would not have been able to enter the Zongheng Peak and learn the 'Nine Questions of Tianxu' based on his own comprehension! Yun Zhejun specially searched for rare birds and beasts to refine elixirs and miraculous medicines for him, just to improve his talent. Such painstaking efforts are even more admirable."

"Oh?"

Dongfang Ming turned to look at him: "Young Master Yan, as a true disciple of the Buqi Sect, you even know such secrets... The Buqi Sect is indeed all-powerful."

"It still can't compare to Baixiaolou."

Yan Mingzhu seemed not to understand his implied meaning and shook his head, saying, "'To determine the quality of rare treasures, to discern the mysteries of exotic beasts, to evaluate heroes and list them on a list, to spread one's eyes and ears to reach the heavens. Once a word is spoken, the whole world will be convinced; once all knowledge is recorded, the whole land will look up to it.' This is what it means to have eyes and ears that reach the heavens."

Dongfang Ming remained noncommittal: "There are many in this world who have only a hollow reputation, and even more who are all show and no substance. What do you think, young master?"

After speaking, he glanced at Yan Mingzhu, this time with an undisguised sneer on his face.

Yan Mingzhu couldn't keep up the act any longer and narrowed his eyes: "Is the young master pretending to be confused or is he really confused!"

Dongfang Ming said calmly, "'Young Master Liu' is truly confused. You still don't understand now? Baixiaolou has no intention of cooperating with Youming Palace, and I, Dongfang Ming, have no intention of opposing the imperial court. You should leave now, and I'll pretend you were never here."

Yan Mingzhu's pupils contracted sharply upon hearing the words "Young Master Liu," and a murderous glint appeared in his eyes.

Dongfang Ming remained calm and continued watching the musical duel on the water.

Yan Mingzhu looked at his silver hair and sneered, "I've long heard that the young master suffers from premature aging and has been desperately searching for the secret arts of immortality and the elixir of life... You can't possibly not know what the current emperor desires most, can you? Do you expect her to sell it to you? Or give it to you?! Since you're bound to turn against her sooner or later, why bother..."

Dongfang Ming suddenly turned his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Yan Mingzhu suddenly felt a splitting headache. He knew something was wrong, so he immediately retreated and fled far away, disappearing without a trace.

Dongfang Ming watched him retreat with a cold eye: "A madman like him is not worth discussing things with!"

He withdrew his gaze, his expression unchanged, but his state of mind was ultimately affected by the words "premature aging." A breeze from the river brushed his face, and a strand of silver hair brushed past his eyes. He subconsciously reached out and looked at the gray hair in his palm. A hint of sadness flashed in his eyes, but it was replaced by his usual coldness in an instant.

"This princess's lover..."

He looked at the river and muttered to himself, "He's more worth seeing than Yun Zhejun's disciple."

……

The duel between Lu Chenyuan and Gao Jian on the zither has reached a fever pitch.

A sudden gust of wind arose on both banks of the Luo River, and the primordial energy between the two painted boats surged like raging waves.

Gao Jian grew angrier the more he played, not only because he was mentally unbalanced due to the stimulation of Lu Chenyuan's mastery of the zither, but also because Princess Taiping, Li Lingyue, who was behind Lu Chenyuan, never glanced at him once.

No matter what famous piece he played or what exquisite technique he used, her eyes remained fixed on Lu Chenyuan, never wavering. Even a blind person could feel the love in her eyes.

A complete and utter defeat!

In that instant, anger, jealousy, and resentment at the injustice of fate all erupted, and his fingertips plucked the strings.

The somber tone of "The Song of the Yi River" suddenly exploded—

"The wind howls, the Yi River is cold!"

The sound of the zither was like a knife, instantly splitting the river surface into seven cracks, each carrying a bone-chilling cold that threatened Lu Chenyuan's pleasure boat.

Viewers on both sides of the strait were all horrified. This was a tragic song of Yan and Zhao, which was specifically designed to break the internal energy of martial arts. Wherever the sound reached, frost formed three feet deep!
It's about time.

Seeing the surrounding energy gathering more and more, Lu Chenyuan was too lazy to argue with him anymore. He changed his technique, and the first harmonic sound rang out. The surrounding energy instantly froze, and strange ripples suddenly appeared on the river surface. Then the second harmonic sound fell, and wisps of water mist rose above the Luo River, refracting a seven-colored halo in the sunlight.

The seven sonic blades vanished without a trace as soon as they entered the mist and water.

Gao Jian's pupils contracted sharply. His "Song of the Yi River" was fierce and ruthless, but Lu Chenyuan's zither music resonated with heaven and earth. Not only was it not suppressed, but it was also stirred up by the water's momentum!
How is this going?

Li Lingyue's lips curled slightly; the outcome was already decided.

On the shore, Dongfang Ming raised an eyebrow: "I see. The previous moves were all about building up momentum and accumulating energy. Now, by taking advantage of his higher level of understanding, he is plundering a large amount of the scattered energy on the battlefield to match the music, and by taking advantage of the timing and location to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop... Truly impressive. But why do I feel like I've never heard this music before?"

Lu Chenyuan's zither music was profound and had reached a state of captivating the mind. The music flowed from his fingers, and all who heard it were affected by its atmosphere.

Everyone seemed to see distant mountains like dark eyebrows, nearby waters shrouded in mist, and the world shrouded in a hazy mist, as if from another world.

What song is this?
It's so ethereal.

Everyone was captivated, except for Gao Jian, whose face was contorted as he frantically swept his fingers across the strings, sending out solid ice blades formed from the sound waves.

Lu Chenyuan neither dodged nor yielded. As the music continued, he channeled more and more vital energy, and the mist around him grew thicker and thicker. Gao Jian's music simply could not break through his defenses.

He could only watch helplessly as the music progressed layer by layer, suddenly rising to a high note, like clouds rolling and waves surging. At the turbulent part, the shadows of mountains appeared and disappeared, but were obscured by clouds and mist, just like the broken mountains and rivers, and the sages were hard to find!
Everyone's expressions changed.

They recognized the tune as one depicting the ruin of a nation, its lament for the country and the sorrow of the wise men resonating deep within their hearts.

"We can't let him build up his strength any longer!"

Gao Jian looked at the increasingly thick clouds and mist surrounding the painted boat opposite him and was secretly alarmed. He was only defending and not attacking. If such a huge amount of energy attacked, he would definitely not be able to resist it!

Gao Jian hesitated slightly, then formed a hand seal and unleashed the fifth question of the Nine Questions of Tianxu, "Dragon's Roar".

This move requires no preparation; it can transform musical notes into a sword, captivating and seizing souls.

But once this move is used, it basically means the piano duel is lost.

Because this wasn't a piece of music at all, it lacked any artistic conception. It was like the opponent was taking a stance, ready to draw their sword and fight, and he preemptively pulled out a hidden weapon, catching them off guard and killing them with a single blow. Just as he was about to use it, Li Lingyue glanced at him.

With just one glance, his gaze was like a sword, and Gao Jian was instantly shaken, his head throbbing, and he spat out a mouthful of blood!

Li Lingyue coldly replied, "Shameless!"

The pressure of the fifth-realm peak divine sense caused Gao Jian's body to sway violently, and the sonic sword energy gathered between his fingers suddenly dissipated.

His ten fingers trembled uncontrollably, and the yin and yang energies in his body surged wildly through his meridians, causing his entire arm to turn an abnormal bluish-purple.

Lu Chenyuan saw it, but it didn't matter. Even if Gao Jian used magic, he couldn't break through his sonic attack now.

Lu Chenyuan pressed down on the zither with his left hand, while his right hand's five fingers spun like lightning. Instantly, the strings vibrated, and waves of sound surged forth, like angry waves crashing against the shore, changing the color of the wind and clouds. Open strings and stopped strings intertwined, like thunder splitting the sky, or like the neighing of ten thousand horses.

This is the famous song "Xiao Xiang Shui Yun" that came to be in later generations!
The entire Luo River boiled, and the mist suddenly condensed into the shape of a thousand troops and horses. The armor clashed, the warhorses neighed, and the rolling iron torrent rushed in with the force of shattering mountains and rivers. It was no longer the sound of a zither, but a thousand troops charging in formation, carrying the energy of heaven and earth!
The killing move has arrived!
Gao Jian's expression changed drastically. He no longer hoped to win, but only hoped that he wouldn't lose too badly. He quickly used the last move of the "Song of the Yi River," "The Warrior Does Not Return," to fight back. The sound of his zither was like a rainbow, soaring straight into the sky.

A crimson rainbow shot through the sky, and Jing Ke's phantom emerged, dagger in hand, solitary and tragic, thrusting straight into the army formation.

"boom!"

The moment the two sound waves collided, the pleasure boat where Gao Jian was located exploded!

Amidst the flying sawdust, Jing Ke's illusory figure vanished in an instant, and the crimson rainbow was crushed to pieces by the torrent of iron cavalry!

Gao Jian's Mingquan Qin shattered with a "crack," its seven strings coiling back like venomous snakes, drawing bloody marks on his body. Then, he flew backward like a kite with a broken string, tracing a bloody arc in the air.

"Pfft!"

Water splashed everywhere as he fell heavily into the Luo River, his blood instantly staining the surface of the water red, with broken musical instruments floating around him.

Fortunately, he was still near the wreckage of the pleasure boat, which prevented him from sinking into the water.

There was dead silence on the shore.

Gao Jian's hands trembled as he tried to climb onto the deck, but his hands fell limply to his sides—his sternum and wrist bones were shattered.

He struggled to lift his head and met Lu Chenyuan's figure as he put down his zither. Lu Chenyuan's purple robe was still spotless, and only the lingering sound of the zither strings seemed to mock his overestimation of his abilities.

"this is the last time."

Lu Chenyuan looked down at him, his eyes filled with undisguised killing intent, and said in an icy voice, "If you act foolishly again, I'll send you on your way!"

That ghost is relentless!
Li Lingyue watched this scene, her eyes flashing slightly. She already knew about their open and covert struggles, or more accurately, Gao Jian's repeated targeting.

It is indeed difficult to deal with such a petty person who tries to trip you up. You can't just kill him because he played the zither in Luoshui and had impure thoughts. If you retaliate too hard, people will say that you are disregarding the laws of the court. If you retaliate too lightly, it won't hurt you. However, it is not a difficult problem for her. What she cares about most now is the rare anger in Lu Chenyuan's eyes.

This man, who was usually calm and collected, had not changed his expression even when faced with Wu Chengsi's severe injury. But now, he was truly enraged by a musical duel. The reason was simple: the enchanting and tender atmosphere just now, and his good opportunity to "cross the line," were all ruined by the music.

Thinking of this, a slight smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

She took light, lotus-like steps forward, her slender fingers subtly hooking the corner of Lu Chenyuan's sleeve.

"No hurries……"

Her voice was so soft that only he could hear it, and the tips of her ears turned a faint red, "There's plenty of time in the future..."

Lu Chenyuan raised an eyebrow, then grabbed the soft hand in return, causing Li Lingyue to hurriedly pull her hand away—so many people were watching! Lu Chenyuan didn't care about any of that; he couldn't not even hold hands since he hadn't kissed her, so he held her firmly.

Li Lingyue glared at him helplessly, sighed softly, and let him hold her hand. She pinched his palm lightly with her fingertips as a form of punishment.

This scene was clearly witnessed by Gao Jian.

Watching their subtle actions, recalling the schemes of the past two days and those self-righteous ideas, he coughed up another mouthful of blood, his vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.

"Brother!"

Lan Xiuyi cried out in alarm, her figure darting out from the shore like a swallow, arriving at the wreckage of the painted boat. She carefully helped the unconscious Gao Jian up, her fingers touching his wrist, her face turning deathly pale—his meridians were disordered, his true energy was flowing in reverse, and he was seriously injured!
It's time to get down to business.

Just as Li Lingyue was about to signal to Lu Chenyuan, she found that he had quietly let go of her hand, taken a half step back, and stood with his hands at his sides. This tacit understanding warmed her heart, and she strode forward, her imposing presence gathering.

"I will be making an inspection tour along the Luo River today..."

Her voice suddenly turned cold, and with a flick of her wide sleeves, several jets of water erupted from the water around the pleasure boat: "...How dare you block the way with your pleasure boat and play such frivolous music? You are committing insubordination! What is your punishment?"

As the last word "crime" was uttered, a fierce wind suddenly rose over the Luo River, and dark clouds gathered.

This is the fifth realm: to move heaven and earth with one's own body.

Li Lingyue found Lu Chenyuan's problems easy to handle, as he had plenty of charges against him, but she hadn't bothered with them in the past.

—If I'm in a good mood, and you recite love poems outside my residence, that's courtship. Everyone has a love for beauty, and I, being magnanimous, don't mind. But if I'm in a bad mood, then your words are frivolous, disrespectful, and an act of insubordination—you're asking for death!
"..."

Lan Xiuyi's hand, which was supporting Gao Jian, trembled involuntarily. This powerful feeling was no less than that of her master.

She bowed carefully and said, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. My senior brother... he acted impulsively and offended the imperial carriage. I beg Your Highness to consider this his first offense..."

Li Lingyue stared coldly at her for a long while before saying, "For the sake of Lord Yunzhe, I will make an exception for now. Leave the capital immediately! You are not to set foot in the capital again. If I see you again in the capital—" She suddenly raised her sleeve, and a blue light shot out from her fingertips. A large ancient maple tree on the bank snapped in two and fell into the Luo River. "It is just like this tree!"

Lan Xiuyi trembled all over and hurriedly said, "I will obey the princess's command!"

Li Lingyue snorted coldly, turned around, her skirt fluttering like a sword, and returned to the boat.

Lu Chenyuan smiled, turned around and followed.

The people on the shore remained silent until the princess's painted boat disappeared into the depths of the misty waves, at which point they dared to whisper among themselves.

"Good heavens, is that young master Lu really a male concubine? Such musical skills would probably make even the music master of the Imperial Academy admit defeat!"

"It's a pity I don't know its name... I've never heard of this piece before, yet it so poignantly expresses the sorrow of a land's inhabitants. No wonder Your Highness..."

"If you ask me, that person deserved it. Young Master Lu was famous throughout the capital recently because of the princess's favor, and he insisted on playing 'The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate' in public. Wasn't he just humiliating himself?"

Gradually, the crowd dispersed, leaving only the Luo River flowing eastward as before.

"The intelligence is inconsistent... This behavior is completely different..."

Dongfang Ming watched the departing pleasure boat with a slight frown. Suddenly, he formed a hand seal and unleashed his supernatural power. A phantom image of Bai Ze flashed in his eyes, followed by a strange silver light that brought the purple figure in the distance into his vision. His hair turned even whiter, and a few more wrinkles appeared under his scarlet eyeshadow. Finally, he saw what he wanted to see: a pair of golden eyes!

(End of this chapter)