Sword Among Us
Sword Among Us - Chapter 697: Xu Zhiling, Pass the Fake as the Real Deal

Chapter 697: Xu Zhiling, Pass the Fake as the Real Deal

After all, Snow Spirit came for Xu Zhiling. Even though Happy did not like her, Shi Qingxuan was in the boat, and if he ignored Snow Spirit, it would not be appropriate. His image would be impacted in a negative light in Shi Qingxuan and Xu Zhiling’s minds.

Hence, he could not kill her because of his memories from his previous life. He had to be careful.

“Right now, all the people in Yangzhou City know that I, Xu Zhiling, am on this pleasure boat. Since you are from Bright Sword Sect, that must mean that you came to Yangzhou from far away. What has brought you here?”

“I am Snow Spirit of Bright Sword Sect, and I am also Fu Junxian’s disciple. Fu Junchuo is my martial-uncle.”

“Oh,” Happy replied faintly. He tried as much as he could to make his Xu Zhiling persona act as coldly as possible.

“I came here on orders to bring my martial-uncle’s relics back to Bright Sword Sect!”

While Snow Spirit spoke, the people on the deck stopped fighting. The three men in night-traveling clothes shot the top of the boat and stood behind Snow Spirit.

The disciples from Twin Dragons Club received orders and returned to their posts.

While Happy was thinking about how he should construct his next sentence, a voice that was as thin as a thread reached his ears. “Young Swordsman Happy, if Xu Zhiling learned that the people from Bright Sword Sect came to search for Fu Junchuo, he would definitely be very happy. You can tell them where Fu Junchuo’s sword tomb is.”

Even though it was the first time Happy heard that voice, he could immediately tell that it belonged to Shi Qingxuan, and warmth bloomed in his heart.

Snow Spirit and the others watched Xu Zhiling’s back quietly. Even though Xu Zhiling said nothing, none of them found it strange. They only thought that Xu Zhiling was reminiscing about their martial-uncle.

Happy said nothing for the time being. Once he finished listening to what Shi Qingxuan said, he pondered it for a moment. He did not act based on what Shi Qingxuan told him to. Instead, he said coldly, “Do you have the authenticating token from your sect?”

“The authenticating token?”

Snow Spirit was instantly stunned. She did not have her sect’s authenticating token, but no matter what, she was from Goryeo and a disciple from Bright Sword Sect.

“Come and spar against me.” Happy knew that if he could not bring the meeting to a successful conclusion, there would be problems, so he immediately said to Snow Spirit. “We will fight using Bright Sword Sect’s techniques.”

“I understand.”

Even though Snow Spirit did not receive any system notification, she did not suspect anything. She stood up as if it was only logical and drew her sword.

Bright Sword Sect prioritized assassinations. Their sword techniques were light and silent, but quick and fierce. They also executed each attack once they had already predicted the enemy’s preemptive strike.

Before their enemies could attack, they would attack their actions. The sword techniques were very profound, and they were brilliant even among Life and Death Realm martial arts.

However, Happy had some understanding of Bright Sword Technique. When he saw the sword glare charging at him, he did not even activate his body movement or Petite Dragon. He only made judgments with Nine Yang Divine Skill’s spiritual senses and used his astonishing movement abilities to avoid the attack with his eyes closed.

Sword glares shone brightly at the top of the boat. Snow Spirit had extraordinary sword skills, but she could not even tear apart Happy’s sleeves. He was like a willow that moved among the sword glares that seemed slow but were actually very fast.

Snow Spirit originally thought that Xu Zhiling would provide her guidance, which was why she used her full strength from the start, but she did not expect that Xu Zhiling would only avoid her attacks instead of attacking her. He seemed to have a great understanding of her sword techniques, for each of her slashes and thrusts missed their target. They were completely useless, and her expression grew incredibly solemn and serious.

Soon, she finished executing the entire Bright Sword Technique and was covered in sweat, but she still did not manage to force Xu Zhiling to attack.

“Come here tomorrow.”

“I understand.”

Sword Spirit’s sword technique did not manage to get Xu Zhiling to attack her, and she was incredibly depressed. She did not doubt Xu Zhiling’s status or orders at all. She just nodded, turned around, and left with the three men.

Shi Qingxuan did not stop them either. She seemed to approve of Happy’s words and did not say anything to him.

When Happy saw the four put on their wetsuits and leave through the water again, he looked as if he had done something very difficult. He heaved a long sigh and stared at the bright moon in the sky.

Moonlight shone on the river, and he could vaguely see flickering shadows on the distant pleasure boats and the riverbank.

The real trouble had just arrived.

*****

Once Happy gave the warning, he received the first batch of people who attempted to get on the boat.

They were three evil cult elders!

The trio stepped on the water in the distance and rushed over. Before they reached the boat, they saw Xu Zhiling standing at the top of the boat. They were first stunned before they showed a cold expression.

“He got himself a substitute?”

With their previous expression, it was clear that they would not fall for the same trick. They jumped on the pleasure boat in one single breath.

Happy watched the three evil cult elders quickly rush to him from the river while at the top of the boat. His gaze focused a little. Then, he turned to look at the pleasure boat behind him. There was slight conflict in his eyes.

There were a lot more people trying to get on the boat compared to what he imagined.

If another group of players appeared, it would not be easy for him to rely on just True Nine Words Seals to stop everyone and not reveal his identity.

Just when Happy showed a slightly solemn expression, he saw the people from Twin Dragons Sect prop up powerful bows on the deck of the boat. They drew their bows, nocked their arrows, and showed that they were about to shoot.

Happy’s eyes immediately lit up.

Anyone who wanted to jump over from the riverbank needed to use a lot of qi. If they were attacked in the middle, they would need to spontaneously change their breaths and avoid the arrows, and the pressure on them would become much greater.

‘This is a good chance!’

Joy appeared on Happy’s face. He did not remain idle and moved like lightning to the deck. Right when the disciples fired their arrows, he shot to the trio on the river.

Whileairborne, Happy quickly formed a few complicated seals with his hands.

An astonishing aura swiftly rose from his body. It was filled with awe-inspiring might and an explosive power. At the moment Happy completed the seals, a deafening tiger roar shot into the air.

The eyes of the three evil cult elders widened.

“True Nine Words Seals!”

“It’s Xu Zhiling!”

“Duo[1]!”

When Happy made that sound, a circle of fierce power that was very difficult to block violently flew out of his hands and crashed into the three evil cult elders’ chests.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Even though it could not compare to the full powered strike from a martial artist at the peak of Inaction Realm, the damage of True Nine Words Seals was not something normal defensive body fortifications could hope to block. The trio were sent flying in the air, and they coughed up blood.

When the rain of arrows fell upon them, they were in an even more pathetic state.

Happy was a little delighted. He did not think that even though he had not used a lot of strength, he still managed to make the trio fall back. He wanted to chase after them while he still had the upper hand and land a heavy blow to kill them so that he could establish his might, but when he thought about Xu Zhiling’s temperament, the killing intent in his heart instantly diminished by a large margin.

He executed two palm strikes consecutively and sent the trio into the river. Then, he lightly landed on the boat.

Thud!

The people from Twin Dragons Sect did not seem to realize that the Xu Zhiling before them was an imposter. When they saw their sect master show his might, they were incredibly excited.

A pleasure boat stopped 328 feet away from Happy’s boat.

In a flurry of motion, a few people grabbed the elders who were injured and had drank quite a lot of water from the river. After a while, the pleasure boat stopped on the river and did not dare take a step forward.

Instead, the pleasure boat a few players had rented slowly approached the pleasure boat at the center.