The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

Traveling downstream at a brisk pace, Shen An and Qu Feiyan entered the city the morning after receiving the letter.

On the wide cobblestone streets, half of the passersby were swordsmen and knives-wielding wanderers. They came from all corners of the country, dressed in various styles, and spoke with accents from all over the country. Some were in groups of three or five, engaging in lively discussions; others were alone, their eyes sharp.

The restaurants and inns along the street were packed to capacity, and even the usually quiet tea stalls were now filled with resting wanderers. Tea vendors carrying copper kettles moved back and forth, their shouts mingling with the soft clinking of swords, creating a lively atmosphere.

Shen An held Qu Feiyan's hand, and the two walked side by side.

As they passed a roadside tea stall with a blue cloth canopy, a few lively conversations drifted over clearly.

"If we're talking about the most talked-about thing in Hengyang City recently, it has to be the 'Sword Testing Tournament' a few days ago!" A burly man with a full beard said in a loud voice after taking a swig of coarse tea.

"Indeed!" A tall, thin man opposite him immediately chimed in, "That young master Shen from Hundred Refinements Workshop is truly a hero among youths! You didn't see how fierce that notorious womanizer Tian Boguang was! His swift knife skills were unpredictable, but what happened? In front of young master Shen, he was severely injured with a single sword strike, looking as pathetic as a stray dog ​​on the roadside!"

"I've heard about it too! And the Northern Desert Twin Bears, those two ruthless killers, are said to have also fallen to Young Hero Shen! So young, yet so skilled in martial arts, and so decisive in his actions—truly a role model for us all!"

These few words of conversation drew the attention of a young Taoist priest at the next table, dressed in Qingcheng Sect attire and with a slightly arrogant expression.

This person is Peng Renqi, one of the disciples of Yu Canghai, the leader of the Qingcheng Sect.

He was originally going to Fuzhou Fuwei Escort Agency with his master, but on the way he heard that Liu Zhengfeng was going to retire from the life of a镖局 (armed escort service), so Yu Canghai ordered him to go ahead and make preparations in Hengyang.

He had only been in Hengyang for a day and knew very little about the people and the situation in the city.

Hearing everyone praising this unknown "Young Master Shen" so highly, he felt a surge of disdain and jealousy.

"Is this young hero Shen from the Hengshan Sect?" Peng Renqi hesitated, deciding to assess whether he could afford to offend this man.

"No, that's not it." The tall, thin man who was talking enthusiastically glanced at him in surprise. "We people in Hengyang all know that Young Master Shen is the owner of Bailian Workshop. He's in his twenties and not only is he highly skilled in martial arts, but the swords from his family are also all of the finest quality."

If it's not from Hengshan, then I'm relieved.

"Hmph, spreading rumors and exaggerating." Peng Renqi snorted coldly, his voice not loud, but loud enough for the surrounding tables to hear clearly.

Bai Lian Fang's business hasn't even expanded to Sichuan yet. In his mind, it's just a small, insignificant sect in Hengyang that uses the usual trick of boasting about its disciples to inflate weapon prices.

His arrival in Hengyang proved to be a misuse of the Qingcheng Sect's reputation, as he was looking for an opportunity to establish his authority. Now, however, presented a perfect opportunity.

Seeing all eyes on him, he felt even more smug and was determined to show off. With a "clang," he slammed his longsword on the table, most of the blade sticking out of the table, the tip pointing diagonally at the street.

He pointed to a noticeable nick on the sword and boasted loudly, "You ignorant fools think that so-called masters from some small sect are something special? Do you even know how this nick on my sword got here?"

He had whetted everyone's appetite before proudly declaring, "This is what I left behind two years ago in western Sichuan when I single-handedly stormed 'Black Wind Stronghold' and personally slew the notorious bandit 'One-Zhang-Qing'! That fellow was ten feet tall, incredibly strong, and wielded a mountain-splitting axe weighing eighty pounds!"

"I fought him fiercely for a day and a night, but in the end, my Qingcheng Sect's Pine Breeze Sword Technique prevailed. With the strength of a pine tree and the swiftness of the wind, I pierced his throat with a single sword strike and took his head!"

His words were so eloquent that they left the few uninformed martial arts practitioners around him completely bewildered, and they all cast admiring glances at him.

Peng Renqi grew increasingly smug, then changed the subject, focusing his attention back on Shen An: "As for that Hundred Refinement Workshop, I've never even heard of it! I imagine their weapons aren't any better. In my opinion, Shen An is just a lucky kid who's been hyped up by you all. If we're really talking about skill, he probably couldn't even withstand a single move from me!"

His words clearly revealed his intention to belittle Bailianfang and to gain fame by stepping on Shen An.

Just then, Shen An happened to be passing by the tea stall with Qu Feiyan in tow.

Qu Feiyan's face flushed red and her eyebrows furrowed. She was about to step forward and teach him a lesson, but Shen An gently held her down.

Shen An remained calm, as if he hadn't heard the discussions, but he paused slightly and his gaze fell on Peng Renqi's long sword, which was pointing diagonally at the street.

He walked over slowly, and the people who had been talking recognized him and tacitly shut their mouths.

Peng Renqi was enjoying the awe-inspiring gazes of the crowd, and he assumed that their silence was due to their fear of his power, which made him even more complacent.

When Shen An walked to his side, he was caught off guard when a young man walked up to his table. Before he could even ask him a question, the young man extended his right index finger.

By the time he noticed, the finger was already in front of his prized longsword, about to flick down the notch he'd been boasting about for so long.

It was so fast that he didn't have time to react!

"bite--"

A clear, resonant sound rang out, like a jade chime being gently struck.

Then, to everyone's utter astonishment, the seemingly indestructible steel longsword snapped in two at the nick!

"Clang!"

The broken sword fell to the ground, bounced a few times on the bluestone slab, making a series of piercing sounds, and finally lay motionless in the crack of the stone slab.

The entire tea stall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop in an instant.

Shen An acted as if he had only done something insignificant. He withdrew his finger, looked at the dumbfounded Peng Renqi, and said softly in a calm yet slightly reproachful tone:

"Don't point the sword outwards; what if it injures a passerby?"

He paused, then seemed to remember something and added sincerely.

"Also, if you want to buy a sword, I recommend you check out Bailianfang."

Having said that, he stopped looking at Peng Renqi's face, which had turned from white to red, then from red to green, as if it had been dyed. He turned around, grabbed Qu Feiyan, who was already holding back her laughter and whose shoulders were trembling, and walked away leisurely.

Only after Shen An's figure disappeared around the street corner did the once-silent tea stall erupt into a frenzy of discussion, like a pot of boiling oil!

"Heavens...Heavens! What did I just see? Was that a broken sword with a snapped finger?" a tea drinker exclaimed, forgetting to put down his teacup.

"It's him! That young man just now, that's Young Master Shen! I've seen him before!" Another person excitedly slapped his thigh.

His companion gasped, muttering, "That's...that's terrifying! I didn't even see how he made his move, just a light flick...and that's a fine steel longsword! I thought the rumors about Young Master Shen breaking iron with his sword were false..."

"Listen to that last line!" The tall, thin guy from the beginning laughed until tears almost streamed down his face. "He's going to the Hundred Refinements Shop to buy a sword! Hahahaha!"

All eyes, filled with undisguised mockery and ridicule, were fixed on Peng Renqi.

Peng Renqi stared blankly at the broken sword on the ground, then looked at the hilt in his hand, his face burning as if he had been slapped countless times invisibly.

He couldn't stay any longer. He suddenly stood up, abandoning even his broken sword, and amidst the laughter, he awkwardly squeezed out of the crowd and fled in panic.