Da Xi’an shouted from the side, “You already said he’s the Southern Qiang Sword of the Upper Three Mountains, and you’re still fighting him—are you stupid?!”
He looked at the woman in green who had already raised her spear and charged again at the Wuqiang Sword. His gaze revealed undisguised admiration, though he still shook his head and muttered, “Stubborn to the core.”
Gongyang Zisheng’s swordsmanship was fluid and agile. With a single stroke, his long sword knocked aside Pei Nai’s thrusting spear, then slid along the shaft toward her.
It was like a surging current, fierce and unstoppable, coiling around the spear—
Striking straight at her weak point!
Pei Nai released her grip in time. The spear dropped downward as she leaned back to evade the Wuqiang Sword. With a swift kick, she flicked the spear upward, and it bounced once before landing neatly back into her palm.
She twisted her body, and the spear tip collided with the sword’s edge, producing a sharp metallic ring.
Gongyang Zisheng withdrew his sword in time, then shifted his stance. The Qingbo sword angled downward in a slashing arc, its blade cutting through the air with a piercing sound—like wind through a vast forest, its intent deep and lingering, or like a lone boat traversing countless ravines and streams.
Pei Nai stepped onto the trunk of a tree and leapt sideways into the air.
Sword energy swept past, narrowly slicing through the thick trunk beneath her feet. The tree uprooted instantly, swaying as it began to collapse.
“‘Blending Light with Dust’—a move famed across the world. Truly worthy of its name!” Pei Nai exclaimed.
She dropped from the treetop, raising her spear high and striking straight at Gongyang Zisheng.
A violent gale erupted, clashing with the intent of the Southern Qiang Sword. A great ring of white force spread outward, destructive energy surging in all directions.
Pei Nai landed lightly. With a move called Twilight Illuminates the Sky, sunlight pierced through the leaves and fell upon her spear tip, as if a blazing sun had been reborn. Each motion sank and rose, like mountains emerging from clouds.
Da Xi’an had just avoided the shockwave and hadn’t even had time to complain before he was left speechless by her technique.
Gongyang Zisheng grew even more interested. His movements became more nimble as he calmly dismantled Pei Nai’s techniques, countering with effortless mastery.
Opening and closing, his strikes were like rolling thunder—each sword blow unstoppable.
Pei Nai gradually struggled, forcing herself to endure his Southern Qiang Sword with nothing more than an ordinary black iron spear.
A surge of frustration rose within her. Thinking of the historical records from ten years later—how people claimed she had defeated the Western Cold Blade—she wanted to curse aloud.
What nonsense. She couldn’t even defeat the Upper Three Mountains. Even against the Six Rivers, she would have to risk her life, and victory was never certain.
Her memories had yet to fully return, and she almost pitied her past self. After her father and Uncle Guo Min passed away, she had only borne an empty reputation. She had no idea how she had managed to endure it all ten years ago.
At that moment, a clear voice sounded not far away.
“Liancheng, how many times have you seen a duel of this level?”
Pei Nai and Gongyang Zisheng both stopped.
Wang Yixi and Ju Liancheng had apparently been standing there for some time. The clash of metal and the roar of wind had masked their approach.
“I have little experience. This is the first time I’ve seen a duel between two of the Upper Three—” Ju Liancheng stopped himself abruptly, as if afraid of revealing Pei Nai’s identity.
Gongyang Zisheng stood still, his expression serious, eyes filled with doubt.
He sheathed his sword and said, “Since the death of Pei Nai, the last inheritor of the Northern Spear, ten years ago, the Pei family’s spear techniques have vanished from the world. May I ask where you learned this long-lost art?”
Pei Nai glanced at Ju Liancheng with restrained anger. He was far too perceptive—it did not seem like an accidental slip, but something deliberate.
Over the past two months, she had invited him countless times, hoping to learn what techniques he had secretly mastered through his extraordinary memory and to explore cooperation.
Yet he had always refused.
She suspected he still held a grudge about being dressed as a girl before.
He always avoided her, distant and indifferent—so why had he suddenly appeared today with Yixi?
Pei Nai did not answer Gongyang Zisheng. Instead, she turned to Yixi. “Why did you come together?”
Yixi lifted her skirt and ran over, taking Pei Nai’s arm. “I went to the Ju Residence this morning to find you. The servants said you weren’t there. Then I ran into Liancheng, who was about to go out. He said you might be here. He was worried I’d run into trouble alone, so he came with me.”
Worried?
That didn’t sound like Ju Liancheng at all.
Pei Nai narrowed her eyes at him, but he avoided her gaze.
Suspicious.
A thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Could it be… this boy liked Yixi?
No wonder Yixi had known from the beginning that Tang Mingzhi was his cousin.
Pei Nai felt as though she had uncovered something significant.
“What did you need me for?” she asked.
“In a few days, it’ll be the Winter Solstice. The emperor rewarded my father with some gifts, including fine fabrics. I wanted to go with you to Li Jinxiu Workshop to make some clothes,” Yixi said, blinking playfully.
Pei Nai understood immediately—Yixi had clearly seen she was at a disadvantage and had interrupted the fight on purpose.
She held back her words, intending to praise her later.
Pei Nai had already gauged Gongyang Zisheng’s strength. She had felt the sharpness of the Southern Qiang Sword and understood the gap between them.
She was not in a hurry.
He was already over thirty, more than a decade older than her. It was no surprise he held the title of Southern Qiang Sword. She would train for a few more years and challenge him again.
She turned to leave with Yixi, but Gongyang Zisheng raised his sheathed sword to block their path.
Da Xi’an stepped forward slowly. “In my twenty-three years, I have never seen a woman as extraordinary as you. I admire you greatly. May I ask your name, so that I may come propose marriage?”
Pei Nai stared at him in disbelief, her grip on the spear trembling slightly.
This man… was even more shameless than she had been back then.
Even Ju Liancheng, who stood not far away with his usual indifferent expression, could not suppress a smile.
As if to add fuel to the fire, he said casually, “She is my younger sister, Tang Mingzhi, currently staying at the Ju Residence.”
Pei Nai shot him an angry glance, then avoided Da Xi’an’s eager gaze and tried to leave with Yixi.
Da Xi’an grinned like a carefree nobleman. “You still haven’t explained the origin of your spear techniques. Zisheng is very persistent—if you don’t tell him, he won’t sleep tonight.”
Pei Nai gritted her teeth and seized the chance to return the favor to Ju Liancheng.
“My cousin Ju Liancheng has an extraordinary memory. When he was young, he spent some time with Lady Yingwu and secretly learned many techniques. He taught them all to me.”
Ju Liancheng had not expected this counterattack. Just as he was about to explain, Pei Nai shot him a sharp, warning glare.
Fearing she might reveal too much, she said nothing more and hurriedly pulled Yixi away.
She hadn’t expected that this time—
It would feel like fleeing in defeat.