nyslfriends Chapter 12: Divine Sword
Chapter 12: Divine Sword
Ma Kongqun finally lifted his gaze from the sword flag, slowly sweeping it across the entire arena. His calm voice broke the oppressive silence:
"Divine Blade Hall, Bai Tianyu."
He paused, as if carefully choosing his words:
"Over the past six months, you have all witnessed his sword, or... heard about it."
"Three months ago, Bai Tianyu encountered Xue Bin, the master of Haohan Manor, on the main street, and neither of them would give way. Bai Tianyu asked him to move aside, but Xue Bin, relying on his status and martial arts skills, refused to yield, and the result was..."
Ma Kongqun's voice was calm, yet every word was clear:
"By Bai Tianyu, Xue Bin was severely injured in the street, forced to kneel on the ground, and made to kowtow three times. He even allowed a street child to urinate on his head. The reputation of Haohan Village was completely ruined. After returning to the village, Xue Bin vomited three liters of blood and never left the house again."
"Guo Wei, the Divine Blade of the West City, was targeted by Bai Tianyu, the 'Invincible Divine Blade,' simply because his title offended Guo Wei. Three days later, Bai Tianyu, alone with his sword, visited Guo Wei and, in a single move, shattered seven major acupoints on Guo Wei's chest, crippling most of his power. He left behind the words, 'There can only be one divine blade in the martial world,' and then vanished."
"There's also Dai Xiaoxian, the chief镖头 (bodyguard) of Weiyuan Escort Agency. He had a conflict with Lukou, which was newly controlled by Shendaotang, over a shipment route. Three days ago, his entire family was brutally murdered. Although the people from Shendaotang were not as reckless and violent as they used to be, this sword flag was planted next to him, and Bai Tianyu immediately admitted that he was responsible."
Ma Kongqun's tone remained calm, but with each incident he mentioned, the expressions of the people in the hall grew more serious.
They had all heard about these things to some extent, but the fact that Ma Kongqun described them so clearly and calmly made the oppressive feeling even more overwhelming.
"In addition, among the five major families in the city, the Xiao family's three pharmacies were forcibly purchased, the Lin family's two gambling dens were smashed and the owners were killed, and a batch of furs that the Wang family was transporting to the border was robbed outside the city, with the robbers leaving behind knives and flags... There have been no fewer than dozens of similar incidents in the past six months."
Ma Kongqun's gaze returned to the small sword flag, and he lightly tapped the table with his finger:
"Whether it's to establish authority, to seize profits, or simply because he doesn't like something and wants to act domineeringly."
"Bai Tianyu is a man of extraordinary martial arts skills, and his actions are even more eccentric. He has no rules or laws to speak of, yet he is also full of vigor and unstoppable."
He paused, took a deep breath, and raised his voice slightly, making it clear to everyone:
"Now, this flag has been delivered to Wanma Hall. Shendao Hall's intention is very clear: they want Wanma Hall to submit to Shendao Hall."
"That's utter bullshit!"
A roar, like a thunderclap, resounded.
Gongsun Duan suddenly stood up and slammed his huge hand on the heavy rosewood table, making the cups and plates vibrate.
His eyes were wide open, and his beard and hair stood on end.
"Divine Blade Hall? Bai Tianyu? I refuse to believe his broken blade can be tougher than mine! Brother, let me go! I'll twist his head off and hang it on our Ten Thousand Horses Hall's flagpole!"
Ma Kongqun slowly shook his head, his gaze deep and thoughtful.
"Brother Gongsun, calm down. If he weren't tough enough, the Hero Manor, the Guo family, Chief Escort Dai... wouldn't have ended up like that. Although Bai Tianyu is extremely cruel and has no regard for the rules of the martial world, we must admit that his sword is fast, ruthless, and deadly. To this day, no one has been able to withstand his divine sword. To rashly fight him head-on is definitely not the best strategy."
"What the hall master says is absolutely right."
Hua Mantian's brows were furrowed as he spoke.
"The Divine Blade Hall rose too quickly, but its foundation is unstable, relying entirely on the power of Bai Tianyu alone."
"Although Bai Tianyong is also capable, his courage and skills are far inferior to your younger brother's. Our Wanmatang is a well-established and deeply rooted organization, so there is no need to compete with him for a moment."
"In my opinion, although Bai Tianyu is ruthless and strong, he is too arrogant and overconfident. He always thinks that he can subdue everyone in the world with just his sword. Such people are usually very trusting. It would be safer to pretend to join the Divine Blade Hall first, and then secretly contact the families that have suffered losses to devise a countermeasure."
Yun Zaitian said coldly:
"Contacting everyone? I'm afraid morale has already crumbled. Good Manor is closed, the Guo family is ruined, Dai Xiaoxian is dead, and the Xiao, Lin, and Wang families dare not speak out against their anger. Can we really count on them?"
Old Master Liu's beard and hair trembled as he angrily said:
"Outrageous! Master Ma, this Bai Tianyu is going too far! When did it become the place for such a madman from out of town to run rampant in our border town's martial arts world? Though I am old, my palms can still split rocks! You invited me here today not just to freeload!"
Young Master Zhao also raised his head and said:
"Uncle Ma, although my Zhao family is not as powerful as the Wanma Hall, we are willing to offer our humble assistance! The Divine Blade Hall is so arrogant; our comrades in the border city should join forces to defeat them!"
As he spoke, his gaze couldn't help but drift towards Ding Baiyun, as if he wanted to see if his "ambitious words" could make this aloof fairy Baiyun take a second look at him.
Young Master Sun pondered for a moment and said:
"Bai Tianyu's martial arts are too advanced; we might not be able to withstand him in open combat. Perhaps... we could start with Bai Tianyong, or exploit the weaknesses in his gang? What do you all think?"
The crowd began to chatter, some expressing indignation, others scheming, and still others worry, and the sounds in the hall gradually rose.
Only Li Xunhuan continued to drink his wine at a leisurely pace, coughing occasionally, as if he were detached from the situation.
Ding Baiyun was like a beautiful doll sculpted from ice and snow, completely out of place with her surroundings.
Ma Kongqun listened quietly, his fingers still lightly tapping the table, his gaze deep, lost in thought.
Just as the discussions subsided and everyone's eyes returned to him, awaiting his final decision—
A series of hurried, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, growing louder as they approached, breaking the solemn atmosphere inside.
A servant from Wanmatang, his face ashen, stumbled and crawled into the hall. He didn't even have time to bow before collapsing before the long table, his voice trembling with fear:
"Master, Master! Something terrible has happened! Second Master... Second Master, he..."
Ma Kongqun's brows furrowed sharply:
"Ma Kongyun? What happened to him? Tell me!"
That man's hands were trembling all over, and he could barely speak:
"Second Master...Second Master was...on Manchunlou Street, he took a fancy to a beautiful woman and wanted...wanted to invite her over for a drink...who...who knew he would bump into the swordsman next to that woman...that swordsman...that swordsman..."
"What about that swordsman?!"
Gongsun Duan grabbed the man's hand, his voice booming.
The porter was terrified, tears streaming down his face.
"That swordsman...drew his sword...and chopped off Second Master's head with one stroke!"
"What?!"
The room fell silent!
You could hear a pin drop!
All the discussions, schemes, and anger were frozen in time by this bloody news.
Ma Kongqun's fingers, which were tapping on the table, suddenly stopped.
He slowly, extremely slowly, raised his head. The calm, abyss-like expression on his face vanished, and deep within his eyes, it seemed as if a cold flame was burning silently.
His gaze passed over the stunned crowd, over the glaring banner, and seemed to pierce through the walls of the hall, seeing the pool of blood that had not yet cooled on the Manchun Tower, and the head of his beloved that had rolled to his feet.
Ma Kongyun, his younger brother.
died.
He was beheaded in the street by a swordsman.
Here in this city, right under the nose of Wanmatang.
Inside the hall, a deathly silence, like a cold tide, instantly engulfed every inch of air.