Ten Thousand Sword Masters

Zhang Jianyun didn't wait long in the office before Commander Deng De returned after the meeting.

"You did very well this time, successfully protecting the Third Princess on her travels around the world, bringing great honor to the county and the prefecture," Deng De said.

"Thank you for your encouragement, sir," Zhang Jianyun said.

"I heard that the Third Princess is with you?" Deng De asked curiously.

"Where did this rumor come from?" Zhang Jianyun feigned shock.

"A rumor?" Deng De said incredulously.

"Of course it's a rumor. How could I, a mere Pavilion Master of Cangxi Pavilion, possibly be favored by the princess?" Zhang Jianyun laughed.

Deng De looked at Zhang Jianyun suspiciously. His intuition told him that Zhang Jianyun was lying, but since this was a private matter, he didn't press him further.

"I called you here today to ask if you would be willing to take a position in the county?" Deng De asked.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir, but I don't want to come to the county for the time being," Zhang Jianyun said.

"Why? With your talent and strength, staying in Cangxi Town is a waste of time. You should take advantage of your great contribution in protecting the princess and come to the county to show your skills," Deng De said with concern.

"The time is not right yet. My strength has grown too fast. I need to settle down in my hometown for a while," Zhang Jianyun said.

"Think about it yourself. If you're willing to come this week, send me a message," Deng De said.

"Yes, sir, I will send you a message once I have figured it out," Zhang Jianyun said.

After leaving the county bureau, Zhang Jianyun headed straight for Cangxi Town.

Upon returning to Cangxi Town, Zhang Jianyun went straight to the pavilion.

"Master, you're finally back! Something terrible has happened!" Du Zhong, the clerk, said anxiously.

"What happened?" Zhang Jianyun asked seriously.

"Sir, the day before yesterday, Liu Fei was kidnapped by a strange creature while he was out on a case," Du Zhong said quickly.

"Abducted by a monster? What kind of monster?" Zhang Jianyun asked.

"Lotus Lord," Du Zhong asked.

"Where is the Water Lily Lord? At Rising Dragon Lake?"

"Yes, Pavilion Master, Zhou Wei and the others saw that Shui Lian Jun had taken Liu Fei to Sheng Long Lake during their pursuit," Du Zhong said.

"How dare you arrest my people!" Zhang Jianyun was furious. This Water Lily Lord was simply provoking a tiger.

Zhang Jianyun immediately rushed to Shenglong Lake.

Arriving at Shenglong Lake on horseback, Zhang Jianyun dismounted, surveyed the lake, and then walked into it.

It quickly swam towards the center of the lake and then dived down.

After diving and searching for a while, Zhang Jianyun spotted a cave and swam towards it.

Upon entering the cave, one discovers that the lake water has disappeared, as if the area has been separated by a barrier.

Inside the cave is a large gate with the words "Grey Night Lotus Lord's Residence" written on it.

On either side of the cave entrance, there is a painting. On the right, it reads "A thousand lotus flowers and a three-foot sword," and on the left, it reads "A clear breeze and a vast sky."

Just as I was about to admire the couplet, the gate of the mansion suddenly opened.

After carefully observing the interior of the mansion, Zhang Jianyun stepped forward.

Upon entering the mansion, Zhang Jianyun saw Grey Lotus Lord sitting upright on a green lotus platform.

"Zhang Jianyun, you've finally arrived," said Grey Lotus Lord.

"Why did you arrest Liu Fei?" Zhang Jianyun asked angrily.

"Then why did you kill my brother?" Grey Night Lotus Lord retorted.

Zhang Jianyun was taken aback: "When did I kill your brother?"

"What, you've already forgotten?" Grey Night Lotus Lord sneered. "My younger brother was killed by your men before he even woke up, and you've already forgotten?"

"Oh, so the Water Lily Lord I killed last time was your younger brother," Zhang Jianyun said with a smile.

"You know it, that's good." Grey Lotus Lord said coldly.

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. Why are you arresting Liu Fei? You could have just come to me directly," Zhang Jianyun said.

"Hmph, it's because you weren't in Cangxi Town when I went to find you. Otherwise, why would I have brought back such a burden, and now I have to find food for him every day?" Grey Lotus Lord said angrily.

"Now that I'm here, release him. If you have any grudges, come at me," Zhang Jianyun said.

"Now is not the time to release him." Grey Lotus Lord said, standing up and walking towards Zhang Jianyun.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" Zhang Jianyun asked.

"I want to take over this Rising Dragon Lake. You Nine Star Guards can't come looking for trouble with me," said Grey Lotus Lord.

"This isn't something I can decide on my own. If you want to take over this place, you'll have to go to the county bureau and talk to the commander," Zhang Jianyun said.

"As long as you don't cause me trouble, the rest of you from the Nine Star Guards don't have the power to do so," said Grey Night Lotus Lord. "Of course, you can also rest assured that I won't do anything to harm humans."

"It's not a matter of whether we trust you or not, but if someone reports us, we'll have to deal with you. And right now, I've seen you, and according to my duty as a Nine Star Guard, I have to kill you," Zhang Jianyun said, and the atmosphere became tense.

"Is it really impossible for us to coexist?" Grey Night Lotus asked seriously.

Zhang Jianyun was taken aback and looked at Grey Night Lotus Lord in surprise. He hadn't expected Grey Night Lotus Lord to have such thoughts.

"Although I am strange, I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to live a good life in this world and live my own little life," said Grey Night Lotus.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jianyun silently looked at Grey Night Lotus Lord: "It's not a matter of whether I trust you or not, but rather that humans and oddities are destined to be unable to coexist."

"Why can't we coexist? There are so many strange creatures that have never harmed a single human!" Grey Night Lotus roared.

"Have you ever learned about the differences between human nations and races?" Zhang Jianyun asked.

"I have some understanding of it." Grey Lotus nodded.

"Then you should know that even between human nations and races, it is impossible for them to completely coexist, let alone a completely different kind of monster like you."

"Whether you monsters harm humans or not, humans will never tolerate you."

"Why do you have to do this? Why are you humans so selfish?" Gray Night Lotus Lord roared.

"Selfish? How can there be selfishness in competition between races? Your bizarre existence will squeeze the living space of humans, not to mention that your appearance is somewhat an eyesore and disgusting to look at," Zhang Jianyun said.

"This is blatant prejudice! All creatures are born equal, and you humans have no right to deprive us, the strange creatures, of our living space," Grey Lotus Lord shouted.

"So when we humans were born into this world, you monsters tried to kill us, almost causing the extinction of our human race?" Zhang Jianyun questioned.

"Hmph, back then, we monsters were the rulers of this world. You humans were invaders from the outside. Of course, we should destroy invaders and not let them gain a living space," said Grey Night Lotus Lord righteously.

"Since you sit in such a strange way, what can't my human race do?" Zhang Jianyun said coldly.

"That's just sophistry! I already said that we monsters were the rulers of this world back then, and you humans were invaders!" Gray Night Lotus Lord roared and repeated.

"You're just making excuses. When did the supernatural become the rulers of this world? Demons existed long before you!" Zhang Jianyun said disdainfully.

"Hmph, demons have always been marginal beings in this world." Grey Night Lotus Lord's tone was somewhat weak.

"What a joke! During the three ancient wars between demons and monsters, were you strange beings even present?"

"And weren't you born from the murderous aura, malevolent energy, deathly energy, resentment, and so on, which were gathered on the corpses of the dead demons from these three demon wars?"

"How dare you say that demons have always been on the fringes of this world, while you monsters were once its rulers? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? How can you even say that?"

"you?"

Enraged, Grey Lotus Lord was at a loss for words.

"Stop wasting my breath and release Liu Fei!" Zhang Jianyun roared.

"You forced me to do this!"

Grey Night Lotus Lord roared, and two longswords flew up from his back. Grabbing the swords, Grey Night Lotus Lord thrust them at Zhang Jianyun.

call out!

Zhang Jianyun also drew his Flying Cloud Sword and engaged in battle with Grey Night Lotus Lord.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

blah blah blah!

shhhhhh!

The two engaged in a fierce battle inside the cave, their sword energy flashing and their sword light overflowing.

call out!

Zhang Jianyun thrust his sword horizontally, and Huiye Lianjun parried with his right sword. Then, with a quick maneuver, he thrust his sword at Zhang Jianyun with his left hand.

Zhang Jianyun dodged the attack by stepping back, then leaped forward and kicked off, charging towards Grey Night Lotus Lord.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

blah blah blah!

shhhhhh!

The two engaged in another fierce battle, the sounds of fighting echoing throughout the cave.

"Take this!"

With a roar, Grey Night Lotus Lord launched a fierce attack on Zhang Jianyun, forcing Zhang Jianyun to retreat from the cave.

As soon as he left the cave, Grey Night Lotus Lord immediately launched an attack using his crystal power.

call out!

After dodging Grey Night Lotus Lord's attack, Zhang Jianyun leaped upwards and darted towards the lake.

After emerging from the lake, Zhang Jianyun immediately swam towards the shore.

shhhhhh!

Grey Lotus Lord pursued Zhang Jianyun, unleashing a series of crystalline energy attacks.

Zhang Jianyun turned sideways and unleashed a burst of crystalline energy to counter the attack, buying himself time to return to shore.

Boom boom boom!

The two forces of crystalline light suddenly collided, producing a series of loud noises and generating massive shockwaves that whipped up waves of water.

call out!

Zhang Jianyun leaped out of the lake and finally returned to the shore.

It seems I need to learn how to fight in the water, otherwise I'll be too passive.

call!

Grey Lotus Lord caught up and unleashed a barrage of crystalline energy attacks on Zhang Jianyun.

shhhhhh!

While Zhang Jianyun unleashed a burst of crystalline energy to intercept the attack, he also launched his own attack.

The two sides traded blows, constantly attacking with crystalline light.

shhhhhh!

Boom boom boom!

Bang bang bang!

After a series of attacks, Zhang Jianyun finally found an opportunity and struck Gray Night Lotus Lord's thigh with a beam of crystal energy, sending him flying.

shhhhhh!

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhang Jianyun unleashed a series of crystalline energy attacks on Gray Night Lotus Lord!

Although Grey Lotus Lord was knocked away, he still managed to unleash a burst of crystalline light to block Zhang Jianyun's attack.

Boom boom boom!

The two crystalline lights collided with a loud bang.

call out!

With little crystal energy remaining, Zhang Jianyun used his sword to attack Grey Night Lotus Lord.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Grey Night Lotus Lord also had very little crystal energy left, and the two sides clashed again using their longswords.

blah blah blah!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

shhhhhh!

After a brief exchange, Zhang Jianyun suddenly summoned Zhu Lan.

Zhu Lan appeared out of thin air behind Grey Night Lotus Lord and with a single swing of her sword, severed Grey Night Lotus Lord's head.

The eyes on the flying head of the Gray Night Lotus Lord appeared utterly shocked, as if saying, "How could I have died?"

After killing Grey Night Lotus Lord, Zhang Jianyun re-entered the lake, arrived at the bottom of the lake in the center, and dived into the cave.

After searching the cave, they finally found Liu Fei, who was being held captive in a room.

"Jianyun, you've come to save me!"

Liu Fei was overjoyed to see Zhang Jianyun arrive.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With a few swings of his sword, Zhang Jianyun severed the iron chains binding Liu Fei's hands and feet.

Having regained his freedom, Liu Fei stretched his body.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!

"What about Lord Water Lily? Did you kill him?" Liu Fei asked while stretching his body.

"Yes, I've already killed them." Zhang Jianyun nodded.

"Then go and loot the cave; there should be quite a few good things there," Liu Fei said.

"Let's go, let's go loot together."

Afterwards, Zhang Jianyun and Liu Fei searched the cave dwelling and found only some gold and silver.

"Wow, this Grey Lotus Lord is too poor! How come he only has this little bit of stuff?" Liu Fei was speechless.

"This Grey Lotus Lord must have only recently awakened and hasn't had time to collect his treasures yet," Zhang Jianyun said, sharing some of the gold and silver he had plundered with Liu Fei.

There were a total of 60 taels of gold and 200 taels of silver, which were split equally between the two.

"You saved me today, so I should thank you. Come on, let me take you to Hongxiufang for a visit," Liu Fei said, putting his arm around Zhang Jianyun's shoulder.

"Let's leave Rising Dragon Lake first," Zhang Jianyun said, and he and Liu Fei left the cave and walked out of Rising Dragon Lake.

After landing, Zhang Jianyun rode his horse back to Cangxi Town with Liu Fei.

"Let's go, let's have some fun at Hongxiufang. You were under so much pressure protecting the princess and traveling the world, you should have some fun now that you're back." Liu Fei grabbed Zhang Jianyun's shoulder and forcibly led him to Hongxiufang.

"Oh, Mr. Liu, you've arrived."

"Lord Zhang, you've arrived too."

Upon seeing Zhang Jianyun and Liu Fei, the madam of Hongxiufang, Xiu Sanniang, warmly welcomed them.

"Arrange a private room for us," Liu Fei said.

"No problem, gentlemen, please come upstairs with me." Xiu San Niang said, leading Zhang and Liu to a private room on the second floor.

Upon entering the private room, Liu Fei said, "Call everyone over, let's make our selection."

"I'll have Xu Yaoyao come and keep me company," Zhang Jianyun said.

"Sir, you're so lucky. Yao Yao hasn't had any customers ordering her today. I'll arrange it for you right away." Xiu San Niang said, turning to leave.

Not long after, Xiu San Niang arrived with Xu Yao Yao and several other girls.

Xu Yaoyao walked straight to Zhang Jianyun's side. "Brother, you've arrived."

"Yes, I came to see you today," Zhang Jianyun said.

"Brother, I've missed you so much these past few days," Xu Yaoyao said as she poured Zhang Jianyun a drink.

At this moment, Liu Fei also chose a girl, and the group started playing drinking games and drinking.

"Brother, aren't you going to hire a musician to sing some songs to liven things up?" Xu Yaoyao asked after clinking glasses with Zhang Jianyun.

"Sing us a song, it'll be so cheesy," Liu Fei coaxed.

"I'm not a professional, and my singing isn't as good as the musicians'," Xu Yaoyao said shyly.

"Sing! We'll love to hear anything you sing," Liu Fei urged.

"Brother, I want to sing for you too," said the girl next to Liu Fei.

"Alright, you all go sing." Liu Fei was overjoyed.

"I'll sing first, I'll sing first!" The girl next to Liu Fei stood up abruptly.

"I'll sing a song for my two brothers, 'Evening Breeze,'" the girl said.

"Good." Liu Fei clapped his hands.

"The evening breeze blows, the evening breeze blows, whose wife lives alone in her empty house?"

I like the Ten Thousand Swords Master.