Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 90: Sword Techniques Unleash Their Power, Spiritual Talismans Bless Us
In September, the weather remained unbearably hot.

Around noon, the group found a willow grove to rest, intending to continue their journey after the intense sunlight subsided.

The dozen or so knights and guards were all handpicked by Chen Shounian; each one exuded a fierce aura and was a first-rate martial artist.

The leader, "Su Zhen," had prominent temples and gleaming eyes, clearly a master.

Two horse-drawn carriages.

One car belonged to Chen Jin, and the other to Guo Ai.

After all, men and women are different, and they are not married, so they cannot share a room.

In her spare time, Guo Ai always liked to come over to Chen Jin's place.

She was fascinated by the heavy black iron sword inside the sword case, and even more puzzled:
How do you use such a big, heavy, and long sword?
If it were stuck into a person, wouldn't it pierce them to pieces?

Chen Jin explained that this sword is mainly used for drills and rarely used in actual combat.

That's the truth.

Strictly speaking, the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword has never been used in actual combat since it was forged.

That killing of Zhao Zhubu was a trivial matter, like killing a chicken, and had nothing to do with actual combat.

Upon further reflection, it becomes clear that, aside from personally slaying the mountain demon on the desolate mountain, he had rarely engaged in direct combat with others throughout all this time.

On the one hand, they are self-aware and know that they are not strong enough, so they should be cautious in their words and deeds; on the other hand, their social circle is quite narrow and monotonous, and they rarely go into dangerous situations, so naturally few things happen.

That time in the Ghost Realm was purely accidental.

Later, we traveled on official roads, which was much smoother.

But for Chen Jin, the lack of real combat experience is not a good thing.

Having broken through to the third realm, it's time to find some opponents to spar with, to test my own abilities and see just how good I really am.

Guo Ai reached out and picked up the heavy sword, casually twirling it with a flourish, displaying impressive skill and flair.

It's clear that he has considerable wrist strength.

However, the sword was too heavy and too long to be practical, so he put it down and said, "Young Master Chen Jin, you said you often practice swordsmanship. I also use a sword. Why don't we have a little sparring session?"

Chen Jin glanced at her and saw that she was dressed in men's clothing, with a slender waist and a plump figure, and her eyebrows and eyes were clear and beautiful. He pondered and said, "Isn't that a bad idea? I'm used to using a heavy sword, it would be too much of an advantage for me."

Under normal circumstances, heavy weapons have an advantage.

Guo Ai raised an eyebrow: "Young Master Chen Jin, are you looking down on me?"

"Don't dare."

"Hmph! I'm not afraid to tell you, my master is Plum Blossom Master, one of the ten greatest sword masters in the world. Although I have only learned a fraction of her skills, this Jade-Splitting Sword has defeated enemies and made them drink blood."

Guo Ai stood proudly, her posture upright and majestic, full of dynamism.

"The Ten Greatest Sword Masters in the World?"

Chen Jin looked completely bewildered; he had no idea who these people were.

"The Plum Blossom Abbess of Plum Blossom Temple?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Qifeng was greatly surprised and quickly said, "Young Master, Master Plum Blossom is a renowned grandmaster. Although I only roam the local martial arts world, I have heard of her name; it is truly legendary."

Those who roam the martial arts world value their reputation above all else; as the saying goes, "A tree's shadow reflects a person's name." No matter what happens, they almost always announce their name first, which greatly reduces the probability of conflict and bloodshed.

In the martial arts world, the division and judgment of strength levels is quite vague, mainly divided into two categories: external and internal styles.

Other terms include third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate.

Further up, there are Grandmasters, Great Grandmasters, and Primordial Grandmasters, who are quite mythical.

At his peak, Shi Qifeng was at best a second-rate martial artist. As for Wang Fu, he was completely insignificant.

In the eyes of the unsavory, a second-rate martial artist is nothing more than a formidable bandit.

For example, to the people in the countryside, a county magistrate is the highest-ranking official they can be. They have no way of knowing or contacting officials of higher rank.

Wang Fu was already considered lucky; at least he could learn through books that the world was vast, with mountains, seas, rivers, gods, and demons.

But knowledge gained from books is ultimately superficial; it's a mixture of truth and falsehood, reality and illusion.

During his travels, Shi Qifeng had heard of the reputation of Master Plum Blossom; the title of "Grandmaster" alone was enough to intimidate people.

As a disciple of a grandmaster, Guo Ai's strength is naturally not lacking.

In contrast, Chen Jin...

Although Shi Qifeng knew that he had reached the level of effortless mastery during the drills, drills were one thing and actual combat was another.

As for those unpredictable techniques and spells, they cannot be used casually.

It's not that I'm worried about Chen Jin making any mistakes; it's just a friendly spar, and besides, his opponent is Guo Ai, so he'll definitely hold back.

The main reason is that if Chen Jin were defeated by Guo Ai in front of everyone, he would lose face.

Therefore, Shi Qifeng quickly pointed out the power of Master Plum Blossom so that Chen Jin could be mentally prepared and it would be best to politely decline.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jin fell into deep thought.

Guo Ai blinked: "Young Master Chen Jin, I've actually wanted to spar with you for a long time. But back then you had to focus on the provincial examination, and my grandfather told me not to disturb you, so I could only wait until now."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Don't worry, I'll be careful and won't hurt you. Hmm, how about this, we won't use real swords, we'll use wooden swords."

Chen Jin nodded: "Okay."

Upon hearing his agreement, Guo Ai cheered with joy and ordered her personal maid, Xiao Yu, to fetch two wooden swords from the carriage.

It seems they had been planning this for a long time, and the props were prepared well in advance.

No wonder, since you're choosing a son-in-law, you need to observe and understand him from many aspects.

The two wooden swords were almost identical in weight and size.

Guo Ai suddenly said, "Su Zhen, take your men and patrol the surrounding area."

"Order."

Su Zhen immediately left with all his guards.

As a seasoned veteran, Shi Qifeng naturally understood Guo Ai's intention: she truly was a lady from a prominent family, thoughtful and considerate.

He immediately shouted, "I'll go take a look over there too." His maid, Xiaoyu, was equally sensible and left as well.

Soon, only the two of them remained in the woods.

Guo Ai, sword in hand, bowed gracefully and asked, "Young Master Chen Jin, are you ready?"

Chen Jin simply replied with one word: "Please."

"Looking for plum blossoms in the snow!"

Guo Ai loudly announced his sword move and thrust his sword forward.

This sword strike clearly held back some strength, and the speed was slightly slower.

Chen Jin: "..."

He swung the wooden sword directly.

Bang!

With the sword in Guo Ai's hand being deflected, her body was pulled forward and she lost her position.

Having suffered a minor setback, her eyes lit up, and she became delighted.

This was all because the first sword strike only used two or three tenths of its power, purely as a test. If it had been used at full strength from the start, and Chen Jin couldn't have withstood it, wouldn't he have lost face?
Even though no one else is watching, it is still not beautiful.

After testing, it was confirmed that Chen Jin had practiced, so the second sword strike was increased to 50% of its power:

"Red plum blossoms proudly in the snow!"

The sword tip swiftly touched Chen Jin's chest.

But Chen Jin casually swung his sword.

Snapped!
This time, Guo Ai's hand jerked, and the wooden sword in her hand almost flew out.

The girl's heart skipped a beat, and her gaze quickly turned serious as she looked over. She shouted, "Alright, now I'm going to use all my strength. Take this, Plum Blossom Melody!"

The wooden sword transformed into a phantom, swiftly enveloping Chen Jin.

Chen Jin narrowed his eyes and swung the wooden sword again.

Crushing Sword Style!
BOOM!

Wood fragments flew everywhere, and in the fierce collision, the wooden sword in Guo Ai's hand shattered into pieces, leaving only a small half that she held tightly.

Her pretty face turned pale as she stared at Chen Jin in disbelief. In an instant, her eyes reddened, as if tears were glistening in them.

He seemed to be frightened.

Seeing this, Chen Jin threw down his wooden sword, stepped over, and asked with concern, "Miss Guo, are you alright?"

"you you!"

Guo Ai leaped into Chen Jin's arms, nestled against his shoulder, and embraced him tightly. Her pretty face, which had been filled with tears, was now beaming with joy.
This husband is both scholarly and martial—I love him…

……

Chenjia, Datang Township, Maoxian County.

Su Su recently gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, much to the delight of her entire family.

But because of this, she suffered a massive hemorrhage, but fortunately, she survived.

When a woman in labor encounters this situation, it is extremely dangerous, with a slim chance of survival, as if she has just walked through the gates of hell.

Chen Zhi immediately thought of the amulet that Chen Jin had given him when he left home.

This talisman was always worn by Su Su.

What a magical talisman!
Su Su is weak after childbirth and needs nourishing food.

However, these days, the family has been struggling to make ends meet and can't even afford to buy meat.

Fortunately, the neighbors were kind and offered their help, bringing rice, eggs, and other necessities, which helped them overcome the difficulties.

However, this is not a long-term solution, since the county government's harsh policies and heavy taxes have made life difficult for everyone.

Knowing that her family was out of money, the sensible girl Chen Min took out her treasured silver bracelet and asked her father to exchange it for money to help support the family.

The silver bracelet was a gift from Chen Jin; the craftsmanship was average, but it was quite heavy.

Chen Min was so fond of it that she couldn't bear to wear it and kept it hidden at the bottom of a box, thinking that she would wear it out during the New Year. She was sure that her friends in the village would be very envious when they saw it.

But nowadays, compared to the family's livelihood, compared to the hard-working mother, compared to the younger siblings crying for food, those boasts are worthless.

Although Chen Zhi knew he had let his eldest daughter down, there was nothing he could do.

The most urgent task is to ensure the survival of the entire family.

Suddenly, it occurred to her that Chen Jin might have had a reason for giving away this heavy and valuable silver bracelet, perhaps specifically to save it for an emergency at home.

That's too thorough a plan.

I wonder how Chen Jin did on the provincial examination.

May God bless me, may my ancestors bless me, I will surely pass the imperial examination...

In a county town, news travels slowly, and it's unclear how long it takes for many things to reach you.

Moreover, Maoxian County is not what it used to be; it's chaotic and full of horrifying stories, so many villagers are afraid to go to the city.

Inside the courtyard, Chen Yuan and his son sat facing each other in silence, listening to the baby crying from inside the house, their hearts filled with increasing sorrow.

Mid-Autumn Festival has passed, and September is here; winter is fast approaching.

How should we get through this cold winter month of December?
If there's really no other way, we'll have to sell our fields and land.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps and a commotion came from outside.

What happened?

Chen Zhi suddenly stood up, wondering if those damned yamen runners and clerks had gone to the countryside to swindle money again.
I was just about to close the doors and windows, determined not to make a sound.

The people outside had already rushed in, and the leader was none other than Zhou Tongsheng, panting heavily. His turban had fallen off, and his hair was disheveled, but he didn't care. He shouted, "I passed! I passed this time..."

(End of this chapter)