Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 80 The Gentleman's Sword (Please Subscribe)

Lu Chenyuan bowed respectfully to Wu Zetian:
"I recently studied ancient musical scores and came across a set of sword dances called 'Nine Heavens Dew-Gathering Sword Dance,' which means 'to receive the dew of heaven and earth and to be bathed in the radiance of the sun and moon.' I wish to use this dance to celebrate Your Majesty's long life and pray for the prosperity of our Great Zhou Dynasty."

These words surprised not only the Wu family but also Li Lingyue.

She knew all too well what martial arts Lu Chenyuan had learned.

Whether it's the "Momentary Spear" passed down by the Fubing soldiers, or the "Heaven-Cutting Hand," "Taiyi Beacon Cloud Finger," or "Dragon Soaring Mace Technique," they are all incredibly powerful and fiercely lethal, capable of killing someone within a few moves!

The purpose of swordsmanship is to take lives.

The purpose of sword dance is entertainment, appreciation, expression of emotion, sacrifice, and ritual.

The former belongs to skill, the latter to art.

It doesn't matter who is superior or inferior, but there are fundamental differences in both mental techniques and physical methods.

These martial arts techniques are incredibly fast when used for killing, but they certainly cannot be called "dance".

But Li Lingyue had no doubts.

She had gotten used to Lu Chenyuan's "keeping things to himself" and was determined to have him perform for her alone after returning to the manor!
Li Dan and Zhang Shuo gradually became familiar with his temperament and knew that he was by no means a person who spoke carelessly. If he dared to make a promise, he must have extraordinary skills. So they relaxed and began to observe carefully.

"Oh?"

Wu Zetian's gaze shifted slightly, a smile playing on her lips: "I'd like to see what kind of sword dance could earn such an elegant name."

Wu Zetian looked at Shangguan Wan'er.

Without needing to be told, Shangguan Wan'er had already taken a jade-fitted sword from the sword box in the corner of the main hall, which was intended to serve as a ceremonial object.

Wu Zhou inherited the Zhou system. In the Zhou Dynasty, jade swords were a type of ritual object, so such swords were used as decorations in the palace.

A jade-fitted sword consists of a blade and jade ornaments, including the pommel, guard, slide, and hilt.

Shangguan Wan'er held the jade sword and came to Lu Chenyuan.

She slightly raised her eyes, a barely perceptible glint of tenderness in them: "Lord Lu, please."

Lu Chenyuan accepted the jade sword with both hands: "Thank you, Attendant Shangguan."

Shangguan Wan'er nodded slightly, and as she turned around, her skirt swirled slightly, carrying a faint scent of agarwood.

Lu Chenyuan stood in the hall, sword in hand, holding his breath and concentrating, his posture upright like an ancient pine.

Everyone sensed the change in his aura; it was a solemn and dignified feeling.

present.

Confucian etiquette!

Lu Chenyuan studied classical dance and swordsmanship, which is the foundation of his current physique.

The kind of refined elegance that comes from self-cultivation and physical refinement cannot be faked. No matter how much you praise your acting skills, the popular young actors in the entertainment industry of later generations cannot portray true elegance and grace. They have nothing in their minds and simply cannot pull it off.

But Lu Chenyuan can.

Just like at this moment, the sword is a jade sword, and the person is a jade person!

Before the dance even began, the two great Confucian scholars, Cen Changqian and Di Renjie, were slightly surprised and cast their gazes at him. They saw Confucian etiquette in him, a humble gentleman, gentle and refined!
This discovery struck them as odd—this young man had just been flirting with the princess, pulling and tugging at her in public, completely lacking any "etiquette," yet his demeanor was so refined and elegant, it was truly astonishing.

How strange...

Wu Chengsi closed his eyes, his face ashen; he knew there was no point in watching any further.

Wu Zhonggui sighed, disappointed and genuinely puzzled. How could such a temperament appear on a male concubine, especially one with a military background?
Lu Chenyuan drew his sword, the jade-hilted blade gleaming warmly in the candlelight.

With a flick of his wrist, the tip of the sword drew a perfect arc in the air—

First Form: Clouds Rise and Dragon Soars!
The sword's momentum suddenly rose like a thunderclap piercing the sky, but at its highest point it transformed into a gentle spring rain.

His figure moved like willow catkins in the wind, his purple robe fluttering. Every turn he made subtly imitated the graceful "Jade Ring Step" of the Song Dynasty. With each twist of his waist, he shifted his center of gravity three times. The jade sword in his hand seemed to come alive, sometimes moving like a dragon soaring in the sky, sometimes like flowing clouds unfurling.

The eyes of everyone in the hall lit up.

Second move: Mountains and rivers enter the dream!
As the sword flashed, the resulting gust of wind drew the candlelight in the hall, outlining the contours of the landscape in the air.

What is most amazing is his footwork, which completely breaks the limitation of the "square formation advance and retreat" of sword dance during the Wu Zhou period. It adopts the dance footwork concept of "eight-directional displacement" of later generations. Every step is like a dragonfly skimming the water, but leaves a faint frost mark on the green jade floor.

Between stillness and movement, it was sharp and elegant, unrestrained and free. Unbeknownst to him, his body was already surrounded by sword energy!
Everyone in the hall was completely captivated.

The more one understands sword dance, the more novel and admiring it becomes. Traditional sword dance often imitates battle formations and emphasizes "power originating from the fingertips," focusing solely on strength and bravery. However, Lu Chenyuan's power surged from his heels to the tips of his hair like waves.

Li Lingyue and Shangguan Wan'er both knew sword dance, and even Cen Changqian, Di Renjie, and Wu Zetian often used sword dance to cultivate their character. But in the past, there was no sword dance like this.

When powerful, it is like a raging wave crashing against the shore; when gentle, it is like a jade mountain about to topple.

Its movements are agile and graceful, fluid and easy to execute, light and swift, combining strength and gentleness.

Di Renjie nodded secretly: "The sword of a gentleman..."

Li Lingyue felt a surge of heat in her heart, her eyes filled with affection, and she only wanted to pull him back to the manor immediately.
Shangguan Wan'er gazed intently at the figure dancing with a sword. In a corner of her heart, a strange emotion sprouted like a spring bud, but she quickly suppressed it, turning it into bitterness and helplessness.

Why did it have to be her gigolo...?

Third Form: Sun and Moon Shine Together!
Suddenly, his feet were lifted into the air, his body drawing a perfect semicircle in the air. This leap seemed light, but in fact it contained a hidden downward force. When he landed, the sword blade split to the left and right, bringing not a sharp wind, but the "silk winding force" of Tai Chi sword, which made the tassels of the palace lanterns three zhang away sway.

The flickering lamplight resembled the shadow of a crane in the clouds, moving freely in and out of the clouds.

As the final move, "All Rivers Run into the Sea," came to a close, Lu Chenyuan's figure seemed to merge with the jade sword. The bronze bells in the hall rang without wind, and as the lingering sound faded, the trajectory of the jade sword left a dazzling trail of light in the air, faintly forming the two characters "Heavenly Gift."

The hall fell silent.

The entire court was awestruck and remained in awe for a long time.

"it is good!"

Wu Zetian clapped her hands and chuckled, her voice carrying a rare hint of pleasure: "Lu Qing's sword dance is a perfect blend of strength and gentleness, movement and stillness. Watching this dance, I am reminded of a saying in the Book of Rites: 'A gentleman compares his virtue to jade, which is warm and lustrous, and represents benevolence.' What a fine set of gentlemanly swordsmanship! He should be richly rewarded! Wan'er."

"The servant is here."

"I bestow the Flying View Sword upon Lord Lu."

Empress Wu Zetian raised her hand and gestured: "This sword was forged by Emperor Cao Pi of Wei from the finest iron from Kunshan, tempered in the Qingzhang River, and adorned with jade. Its light shines like a shooting star, and it is named [Flying Scene]. I have observed that Minister Lu's sword dance is characterized by its restrained brilliance, which perfectly matches the nature of this sword, 'riding the flowing light and soaring like a flying scene.' Today, I will use this gentleman's sword to reward you for your dance, 'Nine Heavens Receiving Dew.'"

This was an unexpected surprise.

Lu Chenyuan never expected that a fabricated name would be exchanged for a precious sword. His tone became much more sincere as he said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your generous gift."

After he finished his greetings and stood up, Shangguan Wan'er gracefully approached, carrying a magnificent, sheathed sword.

Lu Chenyuan accepted the sword with both hands. The sword was drawn three inches from its sheath, its cold light as clear as water, reflecting off his handsome features. The candlelight in the hall suddenly dimmed and then shone brightly again—the sword light and the lamplight complemented each other, as if the sun and moon were shining together.

What a sword!

Lu Chenyuan was satisfied and returned to his seat with the sword.

Li Lingyue quietly grabbed his hand and whispered, "Go back to the manor and dance for me."

You wish...

Lu Chenyuan whispered his request in her ear, and Li Lingyue immediately blushed, turning her face away in embarrassment and anger: "You scoundrel!!"

Undoubtedly, the Wu family's attempt to cause trouble failed. Not only did they fail to embarrass Lu Chenyuan, but they also made him look good in front of Wu Zetian. The atmosphere in the hall became tense for a moment, and the expressions of the Wu family members were uncertain.

At this moment, Wu Sansi calmly stood up, bowed to Wu Zetian with proper etiquette, and said in a calm and unhurried voice: "Your Majesty, on my return from the ancestral worship in Bingzhou, I came across a strange stone."

He clapped his hands lightly, and four attendants carried a sandalwood frame slowly into the hall: "The four characters 'Holy and Divine Prosperity' are naturally formed in the stone patterns, and what's even more amazing is..."

The servant lifted the brocade, revealing a strange stone on a jade tray.

The stone was bluish-gray all over, and the surface texture did indeed naturally outline the title of Empress Wu Zetian.

The most eye-catching feature is the glistening dewdrops seeping from the cracks in the rocks, which refract a rainbow of colors under the candlelight.

“This stone produces clear dew every full moon, and drinking from it is like drinking from a sweet spring.”

Wu Sansi bowed and presented the auspicious omen, saying, "Your Majesty, I respectfully offer this auspicious sign to wish you a long and prosperous life."

Wu Zetian narrowed her eyes—with her keen eyesight, she had long ago seen the hidden mechanism in the crevice of the stone, but at this moment she smiled and said, "After careful consideration, this offering does indeed correspond to the 'divinely bestowed' sign of Lu Qing's sword dance just now. I hereby bestow upon you a thousand bolts of silk and increase your fiefdom by a hundred households."

The tense expressions of Wu Chengsi and the others finally eased slightly.

After expressing his gratitude, Wu Sansi did not rush to return to his seat. Instead, he bowed deeply again, deliberately lowering his voice: "Your Majesty, I have also found an extraordinary person on this trip, born during the Wu Chiwu era, who has lived for five hundred years..."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

Wu Zetian's expression immediately changed, and she slammed the golden goblet in her hand onto the table with a bang, her voice suddenly rising: "What did you say?!"

(End of this chapter)