Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 196 I Have Nine Ways to Kill Him

Murong Fu wielded the Murong sword technique with elegance and grace, the sword light flowing continuously, protecting his body like a curtain of water.

The four swords of Runzhou rose and fell, but they only added ripples to his sword screen.

While Murong Fu was cautious, he occasionally unleashed stunning streaks of light. If it weren't for the perfect formation of the four swords, there would likely have been casualties long ago.

Jiang Mingzhe watched for a moment and nodded to himself. In terms of swordsmanship alone, these four people might not be as good as the swordsman whose throat he had torn off, nor as good as the Overlord Sword whose head he had spun off. Judging from their swordsmanship, they only focused on speed.

However, while it is undeniably fast, it also lacks variety and agility, making it less than truly skillful.

However, the opponent's formation was a sword formation. The advantage of numbers made up for the lack of agility and change in sword techniques, and the speed was highlighted even more. Once the formation was formed, the power increased dramatically.

Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself that if it were him, he could easily win by using his poison skills, or he could maneuver with his lightness skills and break his opponent's formation once they could not keep up with him, or he could use his strength to overcome speed and strike with his inner force, which would be difficult for the opponent to withstand, or he could use the Seven Child Sword Qi to defeat the enemy in the blink of an eye...

In short, there are at least nine ways to kill them.

But Murong Fu couldn't use any of these methods.

Murong Fu was first-rate in lightness skills, internal strength, and martial arts, but he lacked a single skill that truly gave him an overwhelming advantage.

His martial arts skills are characterized by their versatility; according to Jiang Mingzhe's classification, he is a jack-of-all-trades.

It is highly adaptable and has a wide range of applications, appearing impressive but actually lacking in depth and a true killer feature!

Once an opponent reaches the pinnacle in a certain area, such as having extremely high lightness skills, extremely fast speed, or extremely strong internal energy, Murong Fu will find it difficult to effectively restrain him.

In the original novel, during the Battle of Shaoshi Mountain, Murong Fu suffered a crushing defeat and committed suicide out of shame and indignation. His father then lectured him, saying, "The martial arts of your Gusu Murong clan are miraculous and profound, unparalleled in the world. It's just that you haven't mastered them. Do you really think they are inferior to the 'Six Meridian Divine Sword' of the Duan clan of Dali?"

Having said that, he unleashed the Canhe Finger technique, which immediately intimidated the audience.

Murong Fu had never used this powerful skill, probably because he hadn't studied it deeply enough or his skill wasn't pure enough.

Jiang Mingzhe watched a few more moves, then shook his head slightly, thinking to himself that not only did his brother lack any trump cards, but his combat awareness was also not particularly outstanding.

Judging from his actions, he seems to be stuck at the stage of "you do your thing, I do mine." He is first-rate in every aspect, but he cannot combine them organically to reach the top level through comprehensive ability. The problem lies in his mindset.

Logically speaking, given that he knows so many martial arts, if he can understand the principles and adapt to the situation, these four swords, relying solely on speed, should not be able to force him to a draw!

As his thoughts turned to this point, Jiang Mingzhe couldn't help but recall a story from the original novel:
Murong Fu appeared as Li Yanzong. Duan Yu used the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) to outmaneuver him, and after fifty or sixty rounds, Murong Fu tricked and defeated Duan Yu. Murong Fu was smug, but Wang Yuyan immediately pointed out his shortcomings.

"Just now you used a certain move. If you had countered that move, you would have defeated Young Master Duan long ago. However, you used a flashy but ineffective move. In the end, you relied on trickery and deception to make him distracted by his concern for me, and that's how you won."

He further said to him, "I guess you think that Taoists are only good at swordsmanship, but little do you know that the swordsmanship of famous families is both hard and soft, and has another skill." It can be seen that although Murong Fu's martial arts are extensive, they are not profound enough. He only knows the moves of various martial arts and lacks a deep understanding of the concepts. Therefore, he cannot make a targeted and organic combination in battle.

Thinking of this, Jiang Mingzhe couldn't help but wonder, if I were Murong Fu, I wouldn't have enough internal strength and lightness skills to overwhelm the opponent, nor would I know poison techniques or a divine weapon like the Seven Swords, but I would have learned various martial arts. How would I deal with the Four Swords of Runzhou?
He pondered for a moment, his eyes fixed intently on the battle. After only five or six exchanges, his eyes lit up, and he laughed, "The Four Swords of Runzhou, my brother sees your sword formation is superb and intends to subdue you. That's why we've been playing around like this. I advise you not to be ungrateful. Do you know that Nan Murong is proficient in all kinds of martial arts? If he really wanted to kill you, it would only be a matter of exchanging a long weapon for one..."

Before he finished speaking, Murong Fu suddenly felt enlightened and secretly ashamed, thinking: "That's it! These four people's swords moved like lightning, protecting each other. Why would I be so foolish as to fight them with swords? Why should I desperately look for an opportunity to use the 'Star Shift' technique? As long as I force them to create distance and prevent them from helping each other, wouldn't this damn sword formation collapse on its own?"
He laughed loudly and said, "Good brother, I know you can't hide my little thoughts from you. The four brothers of the Lü family have unique skills in swordsmanship, and it is rare to see them working together so well. I admire the deep affection between them and I really can't bear to hurt them. Well then, let's break their formation first and then talk about other things."

As he spoke, his sword aura surged. Taking advantage of the opponent's defense, he leaped out and flicked his longsword, sending Hu Longhua's spear flying. He then abandoned his sword and switched to his spear, charging back into the fray.

The battle situation changed immediately. Murong Fu was a man determined to restore his country, and his skills in wielding spears and halberds and charging into battle were not to be underestimated.

He wielded his long spear with the agility of a dragon taking water and a python turning over, displaying a variety of techniques including the Zhongping Spear, Yang Family Spear, Luo Family Spear, Zhao Family Spear, and Huyan Spear. He also incorporated moves from the Kinnara King Staff, the Great and Small Yaksha Staff, and the Five-Brother Bagua Staff. In just seven or eight moves, he had separated the four swordsmen of Runzhou, forcing them to fight independently.

Wang Yuyan's eyes lit up as she looked at Jiang Mingzhe in surprise.

In fact, seeing that Murong Fu had been fighting for a long time without success, she had long wanted to say something to remind him, but she had angered Murong Fu several times before, so she did not dare to speak up for the time being.

Now, after seeing Jiang Mingzhe speak, Wang Yuyan suddenly realized a truth: the important thing about speaking is not just what you say, but how you say it!
Jiang Mingzhe rattled off a bunch of things, but the key was just four words: switch to a longer weapon!
Those words, which Wang Yuyan had previously considered meaningless nonsense, were now being spoken by Murong Fu with a beaming smile and swiftly switching to his spear. Wasn't that precisely the meaning behind those words?

While nodding to himself, he suddenly thought: My cousin is a dignified man, and he is determined to become emperor. Even when others kindly advise him, he has to speak in such roundabout ways. Where is his own magnanimity? Besides, loyal ministers throughout history have mostly been straightforward. With my cousin's vain nature, I'm afraid that even if he becomes emperor, he will be deceived by treacherous ministers.

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Looking at Murong Fu again, she suddenly realized that she could no longer see any good in him.

Unaware of the girls' thoughts, Murong Fu pointed his spear east and west, forcing the four swordsmen of Runzhou to break through his encirclement several times. Among the four, the youngest, Lü Hu, was the least skilled and was hit by Murong Fu's counterattack, which knocked his sword out of his hand. The remaining three were immediately more and more overwhelmed.

The leader, Lü Hai, sensed something was wrong and shouted, "Young Master Murong, it was the gang leader's intention to make things difficult for you. Now that the gang leader is dead, do you really want to wipe out the Green Dragon Gang?"

Murong Fu was overjoyed. He quickly withdrew his spear and said with a smile, "We are all from the same lineage of martial arts in Jiangnan. We should be of one mind and one heart. If you hadn't made things difficult for me, things would have turned out like this. If the four of you are willing to turn back from the wrong path, I will make a decision. From now on, the Azure Dragon Gang will be led by 'Jade-Faced Divine Sword'! My Murong family is also willing to assist with the business in Taihu Lake and the Grand Canal."

Upon hearing this, Lü Hai was overjoyed. Looking at the pile of corpses on the ground, he threw down his sword and said with a sigh, "It's not that I, Lü Hai, am disloyal. Now that the old gang leader is no longer here, I, Lü, hold the highest position in the gang. I have to find a way to make a living for thousands of brothers, so I have no choice but to set things right and turn the enemy into a friend of the Murong family."

After saying this, he summoned several brothers, who knelt down together, clasped their fists, and said, "From now on, the thousands of brothers of the Azure Dragon Gang will follow Young Master Murong's lead!"

Murong Fu laughed heartily, quickly discarding his spear and stepping forward to help him up with both hands: "Good, good, Brother Lü, please rise! We've become friends through this fight, from now on we're all brothers!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kumārajīva appeared carrying an iron boat, walking over with a smile: "What do you mean, 'our own brothers'?"

Murong Fu laughed loudly, "So that the Imperial Preceptor may know that the four brothers of the Lü family are righteous and understanding, and the Azure Dragon Gang is now one of our own."

(End of this chapter)