Whispers of a Lonely City Beyond the Heavens – Chapter 27

Ch 27: The Enhancement of the Critical Strike Technique

“Ah. Thinking of this isn’t actually that hard. In fact, as soon as I heard Master Liu from the prefect’s office say that Big Brother took down Tian Weihu’s sword in less than one move, I knew something was wrong.

“The Tian Family’s swordsmanship—how brilliant it is. Its precision is said to surpass that of the other three of the Four Great Families. No matter how skilled Big Brother’s swordsmanship is, he couldn’t possibly defeat Tian Weihu in a single move just by technique alone.

“Moreover, according to what you said, their swords clashed once, and the outcome was decided. I can deduce that Big Brother must have bent his sword’s blade while simultaneously unleashing a burst of sword radiance—something that would have exceeded Tian Weihu’s expectations…”

Long Yang asked curiously, “Sword radiance? What’s that?”

“It’s a type of sword energy, something only cultivators can produce. And it requires a divine-grade precious sword. Sword radiance is almost tangible, far sharper and swifter than ordinary sword energy.”

Long Yang recalled the scene back then. Right, at that moment, a sudden flash of cold light extended a few inches from the tip of Zhang Tianxun’s sword. But in the blink of an eye, it vanished, and that was when Tian Weihu’s sword flew out of his hand. That cold light must have been the sword radiance.

But—

Why would such a simple move exceed Tian Weihu’s judgment? Did Senior Zhang really need to use the Critical Strike Technique just to unleash that small burst of sword radiance?

Sun Jiacheng glanced at Long Yang and continued, “Producing sword radiance is already extremely difficult. It requires pure true energy combined with profound mastery of the sword path. On top of that, you need a divine-grade precious sword.

“Such swords are exceedingly rare in the world, and they’re all hard swords. Their blades are usually forged from refined iron, mysterious iron, or obsidian—materials that make the blade incredibly difficult to bend. The Flying Frost Sword I gave Big Brother is just as unyieldingly firm.

“For a sword like that to bend under true energy is already no small feat. To make it bend precisely in an instant requires an abundance of pure true energy, let alone producing sword radiance at the same time. How could Tian Weihu have anticipated that?”

“I understand,” Long Yang said. “I’m just worried—would Tian Weihu figure out afterward that Senior Zhang used the Critical Strike Technique?”

“He can’t deduce it from that alone,” Sun Jiacheng replied. “Whether to use the Critical Strike Technique with that same move depends on the user’s own cultivation level. When Big Brother wasn’t injured, he could probably pull off that move without it. But now, with his meridians damaged for days and his true energy nearly depleted, he had no choice but to use the Critical Strike Technique.”

Sun Jiacheng took out a small stone and showed it to Long Yang—it was the very one Zhang Tianxun had been holding.

“Look at this. It’s an energy storage stone I gave Big Brother. Of course, it’s nowhere near as good as yours, but it still held a decent amount of true energy. Now it’s lost all its translucence and is just an ordinary agate stone. With Big Brother’s own true energy so low, he used up all the energy stored in this stone. That, of course, worsened the damage to his already injured meridians.”

“Senior did all this for me,” Long Yang said, his heart filled with regret and self-blame. But what could he do? Could he really not have saved Xiao Hei, even though it was just a dog?

The answer was—he couldn’t. If he faced that situation again, he’d still act.

Sun Jiacheng let out a long sigh. “Don’t blame yourself too much. My Big Brother has a grand wish resting on you. Right now, the most important thing is to convince him to leave this place quickly. You need to find a safe spot to hide for now. I’ll head into the mountains to gather Rain Spirit Grass to heal Big Brother’s injuries. But he absolutely refuses to go to my place…”

The candlelight in the room flickered dimly. Both of them fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

Tian Weihu probably wouldn’t come looking for trouble for the time being. Long Yang figured that after Zhang Tianxun disarmed him in one move, he’d be too afraid to risk further humiliation by coming here.

But was he really afraid?

After losing today, he still fiercely ordered his men to kill both Zhang Tianxun and Long Yang. But having been defeated in a single move, how could he believe his twelve subordinates could take down Zhang Tianxun?

Hmm, he was probably just furious at the time. In front of everyone, Zhang Tianxun had humiliated him publicly. If he didn’t put up a fight, he wouldn’t have been able to face his master. That order wasn’t given out of confidence in his men’s strength.

Back then, it was Long Fu who finally stepped in, and Prefect Xu mediated, giving him a way out. The letter from his master must have instructed him not to offend the Long Family. Plus, the words Long Yang had said also had an effect: “He’s just a servant—how could he decide on his own that he’s no longer a servant?” That stopped Tian Weihu from acting further.

Long Yang thought it over and felt a pang of regret.

Had his judgment back then been wrong? If he hadn’t said that and let Long Fu fight Tian Weihu instead, what might have happened? Maybe things would’ve turned out better than they had.

That Long Fu seemed unfathomably deep—possibly even stronger than an uninjured Zhang Tianxun.

Now, who knew where Long Fu had gone? Had he returned to Zifu Mountain? Long Yang couldn’t help but think: if only he could ask Long Fu to gather the herbs in the mountains. He’d do it effortlessly and wouldn’t fear the restricted mountain’s forces.

Sun Jiacheng suddenly coughed dryly, snapping Long Yang out of his wandering thoughts. Right now, they needed to find a safe place fast.

With Tian Weihu using a divine pigeon, he could quickly report what happened here to his master. If they sent experts, escaping would be impossible.

“My Lake Heart Island is in the neighboring Taiping Prefecture,” Sun Jiacheng said. “It’s secluded—you could stay there for a while. Tonight, I’ll arrange for someone to take you there by water. I’ll take the Flying Frost Sword and head into the mountains tonight…”

Before Sun Jiacheng could finish, someone entered the courtyard.

“Master Sun, it’s me, Chu Jun,” the person called out in greeting before stepping inside.

Long Yang and Sun Jiacheng’s expressions shifted—could Tian Weihu have sent his men already?

Chu Jun entered and bowed. “I’ve set up some eyes out there. We’ve got enough people on that side, so I came to see if Master Sun has any orders.”

“Well done,” Sun Jiacheng said, relaxing. “Stand guard at the door.”

Chu Jun agreed and stepped outside.

Long Yang said, “Master Sun, Lake Heart Island sounds good, but I’m not sure if Senior Zhang would be willing to go.”

When Zhang Tianxun woke up and heard Sun Jiacheng suggest they go to Lake Heart Island in Taiping Prefecture’s Cold Mountain Lake, he sighed. “That place might be remote, but if the Tian Family sends people, it won’t be hard for them to find it. Besides, it’s your property—it’ll drag you into this.”

No matter how they tried, he firmly refused to go.

Sun Jiacheng pleaded, “Big Brother, just go hide there for one night. By tomorrow, I’ll have gathered the Rain Spirit Grass and can meet up with you. Once your injuries are healed, you won’t have to fear them. If we hear they’re making a move, we can find another spot then…”

He was still arguing, his mouth dry, when Chu Jun rushed back in to report, “Master Sun, Liu Wei and Zhao Long are here. They say some people are riding horses down the street, carrying swords and knives, like they’re patrolling.”

Long Yang and Sun Jiacheng exchanged a glance, both showing worry in their eyes.