Ethan Xie, the seventh generation owner of Broken Water Villa, is 34 years old. He is good at both civil and military affairs. He is good at using the family's Broken Water Sword Technique. Based on this, he has realized the Thirteen Swords of Canglan. He has a handsome appearance and a gentle personality. He first entered the martial arts world at the age of 16 and went to the Western Regions for five years. He experienced 82 battles, only one draw and one loss, and became famous all over the world. After that, he returned to the Central Plains and participated in the Wulin Sword Competition with his father. He challenged the martial arts heroes and never lost. Because he was still young at that time, he was ranked eighth on the hero list for his amazing sword skills.
Since Ethan Xie turned 20, few people have come to test his sword skills. However, during a period of time three years ago, more and more people began to challenge him. There were even many killers wandering around the villa, lying in wait.
The reason was simple. At that time, there were rumors that Ethan Xie might not live long, and Duan Shui might really put his sword away from then on.
On the first day of the first lunar month three years ago, a masked swordsman from the Western Regions challenged Ethan Xie to a duel on the top of Lingyun Peak. He was defeated and set up a poisonous plot to kill him. The two fell off a high cliff together, and the spectators could not find them. Three days later, Ethan Xie returned with serious injuries. He invited more than ten famous doctors from Jianghu, all of whom said that he was poisoned by a strange poison that was difficult to cure and that he didn't have much time left.
Two days later, the ghost doctor Jasper Sun arrived in Luoyang. After a round of diagnosis and treatment, he also felt that the case was quite difficult. He set a deadline of 49 days and tried his best, but the chance of success was only 50%.
If Ethan Xie is really incurable, then he has never been defeated before his death, and he will always be the best swordsman in the world. In addition to taking revenge, people in the martial arts world also seek fame and fortune. Those who have been defeated by him and those who are afraid of Canglan are now coming from all directions like flies, which is really annoying.
"So what happened next?" Finn Ye sat on the wooden board, swinging his feet while talking in a low voice to the steward.
Ethan Xie is still alive in this world. It seems that the ghost doctor is either a magical doctor who can bring people back to health, or he is just a street vendor selling powerful pills and talking nonsense.
After entering the city, the caravan split into two groups. Finn Ye and the manager drove Riley Xue to the east of the city, and the rest of the group agreed to stay at an inn. The manager naturally didn't trust the half-blind man to drive the car, so he controlled the reins and answered him concisely: "I don't know what happened later. I only know that after the forty-nine days, Ethan Xie was still alive, but he never fought with anyone again, so rumors gradually spread in the martial arts world that although the ghost doctor saved his life, he destroyed his martial arts..."
"Nonsense!" A loud shout suddenly came from the carriage. Miss Xue opened the door and whistled out with a long whip, almost breaking the manager's mouth into three pieces.
"Miss Xue, please don't be angry. If the two of us said anything inappropriate, I, Ye, will apologize first." Finn Ye grabbed her whip and smiled in a friendly way. Unfortunately, this time the old hand in the world of flowers hit a caltrop. Miss Xue's eyebrows raised, and she shook the whip, broke free from his palm, and still hit the manager in the face.
The whistling sound of the wind was like the clanging of metal and stone. If this whip hit him hard, I don’t know if I would be reborn with a yin-yang face in my next life.
Miss Xue's beautiful eyes were filled with murderous intent, and she was determined to whip the steward's face until he was covered in blood. Unexpectedly, two fingers suddenly touched the wrist holding the whip. She only felt the muscles in her wrist tremble, and the strength in her hand loosened. The two fingers passed by lightly like ghosts, and leisurely snatched the whip from her palm. With a light shake, the long snake circled back and fell obediently into his hand, as lightly as if he had just picked up a petal of a flying flower from the wind.
Miss Xue hadn't even had time to breathe before her weapon was easily taken away. She looked at the handsome but somewhat shabby man in disbelief. His face was as pale as a ghost, but he had such a skill.
Miss Xue was unruly but not stupid. She raised her chin and said, "I didn't expect you to be such a hidden expert."
"I'm not an expert, but I am a sinner who offended the young lady." Finn Ye rolled up the whip and handed it back to her with both hands, smiling gently and politely, "We both came from the northern border, and we don't know these old stories. If I said anything wrong, could you please correct me, young lady?"
Miss Xue sneered, "It's not about giving advice, but isn't it a big mistake to gossip behind people's backs?"
After hearing this, Finn Ye understood that the Miss Xue in front of him was Ethan Xie's only disciple Riley Xue.
Thirteen years ago, Ethan Xie returned from the Western Regions and saved a girl named Xue in a small border town. He took her in as his apprentice and taught her carefully. In addition to the family-inherited Broken Water Sword Technique, he also taught her the Thirteen Swords of Canglan. Unfortunately, Riley Xue's physique was not good, so she could only learn 40% to 50% of her master's skills. She knew nothing about sword techniques, and only the whip technique was worth mentioning.
Ever since Ethan Xie's accident three years ago, Duanshui Villa has been in turmoil. If Riley Xue hadn't returned in time and held up the crumbling beams together with the old owner, Duanshui Villa would have ceased to exist long ago.
Unfortunately, although she has a strong character, her martial arts skills are far inferior to her master. Now the old owner has passed away. If Ethan Xie really becomes a disabled person, Duanshui Villa will sooner or later be submerged by the waves of the world.
Broken Water Villa is located in the east of the city. The surrounding streets are quiet, almost deserted. The simple manor does not look very prominent, with flying eaves and green tiles, high walls and deep green. There is no lion guarding the door, only a basalt stone tablet more than five meters high and about three feet wide, with a sharp blade engraved with free and unrestrained words: The world's winds and clouds are created by our generation.
The marks gradually deepen from shallow to deep, from sharp to restrained, just like a young boy who has just entered the world of martial arts and gradually grows into an unfathomable senior master.
Unfortunately, after only three years, Duanshui Villa lost its glory, and only the elderly, the weak, women and children were left to survive, supporting the sign of "the best knife in the world" with their increasingly hunched backs.
The rain had stopped and the sky was getting brighter. Finn Ye's eyes became blurry again and he could only barely see some outlines. He simply closed his eyes and waved his hand, "Ms. Xue, please get out of the car."
Riley Xue snorted: "Why are you closing your eyes? Could it be that you have such high standards that you look down on the gate of Broken Water Villa?"
Finn Ye smiled but didn't answer. Riley Xue rolled his eyes and asked, "What's your name?"
Finn Ye stood still with his eyes closed, speaking with a pedantic tone like a Confucian scholar: "Life is like a leaf, and death is like the extinguishing of a lamp. I am Finn Ye."
"When a person dies, it's like a light goes out..." Riley Xue sneered, "You've never died, so how do you know what death feels like?"
Finn Ye: "I dare not hide the truth. I was originally a wild ghost. Unfortunately, the King of Hell hated me and refused to take me in. So I had to borrow a corpse to come back to wreak havoc on the world again... Tsk, I have lived twice. I feel that life is like adding more firewood, and death is like blowing out a candle. It is simplest, and also hardest."
Riley Xue was amused by him: "Then how did you die before?"
Finn Ye tilted his head towards her: "If you can't think straight, you're looking for death."
"Then why do you think it's better now?"
Finn Ye had not expected that the young lady would be so interested in him, so he said, "I have made a promise to someone, and I will keep my breath waiting for him to see me off."
The manager stood aside for a while, then couldn't help but interrupt and asked, "Your children?"
"Better than."
Riley Xue's eyes were a little cold: "People from all walks of life, from all walks of life, are there any day when there won't be deaths in this world? Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by God. If you make a promise, can you definitely keep it?"
She said it very impolitely, but Finn Ye laughed: "If I really die one day, my soul will turn into a breeze and fly thousands of miles to send him a dream."
Riley Xue looked stunned. At this moment, the manager was standing outside the car. Finn Ye had her eyes closed, so naturally no one could see the complicated expression on her face. The corners of her mouth moved slightly, as if she was smiling and crying.
After a while, she put her expression into a clean state and said with a straight face: "Finn Ye, I have a business I want to do with you."
The manager quietly tugged at the corner of Finn Ye's clothes, but he was blind and didn't seem to notice. He smiled and replied, "What?"
Riley Xue said, "There have been many incidents in the city recently, and I want to find another guard to look after my junior brother. If you agree to my request, you won't have to stay in this small caravan and eat and wait for death."
The steward's face flushed red, and he couldn't help but want to confront this beautiful and unruly young lady. Finn Ye was quick this time, and he pressed his shoulder, tilted his head and smiled, "Thank you Miss Xue for your kindness, but unfortunately I am just a lowly person, and I just hope to have enough food and clothing, and I don't have any lofty aspirations."
Riley Xue said: "You are all from other places, and you don't know much about the market and opportunities in Guyang City. How can you gain a foothold in a short period of time? Even if you don't consider yourself, you should think about the old, weak, sick and disabled people."
The steward froze, his expression identical to Yan Gua's. Finn Ye turned around, pointed at his eyes with one hand, patted his right leg with the other, and said with some sadness: "Miss, I am blind and lame, what use can I make?"
"Just think of me as a shield, at least it can withstand three cuts and six holes." Riley Xue flicked the whip impatiently, "In a word, do you agree or not?"
Finn Ye said sternly: "I won't sign the contract to sell myself!"
As he said this, he had a serious face, and his back was twisted unconscious by the butler. He heard the sound of wind beside his ears, and he raised his hand and caught a silver ingot.
"Take it and buy some clothes, don't disgrace the reputation of my Duanshui Villa." Riley Xue stepped out of the car and left a message, "Come to see me at 15:30 in the evening, and I will ask the servants to take you in."
Finn Ye shrugged, broke off a corner of the silver ingot with two fingers, gave the rest to the steward, and said with a smile: "Thank you for your care these days. I will never forget your life-saving grace. If you have any orders in the future, I will go through mountains of swords and seas of fire to help you."
The manager was shaking with anger as he held the silver in his hand. He patted his shoulders repeatedly and said, "I saved you for no reason. You don't have to wade into muddy water for us! Which of these people in the underworld is easy to deal with? Swords have no eyes. Why are you, a blind and lame cripple, joining in the fun? Do you think you can climb the sky if you can't climb a tree with your mediocre skills?"
Finn Ye: "Hey, hey, hey, don't be angry. What if you get an asthma attack later?"
"Get lost, you B@st@ard! Go and die, no one will collect your body!" The manager angrily pushed him away, turned around, put on his horse and got on the carriage, and rode away so fast that Finn Ye was almost covered in mud.
Finn Ye heard the rumbling sound of the carriage gradually disappear, and he kept tossing the silver coin in his hand. His face was pale, and he had a pair of peach blossom eyes under his distant mountain-like eyebrows. He looked somewhat romantic, but when he didn't speak, his expression was cold and hard, and he looked a little unkind.
He took out a brocade bag from his waistband. On the snow-white silk cloth was a cluster of green bamboo embroidered. The stitches were messy, twisting the bamboo leaves like caterpillars, and stained with some dried black blood. He touched the brocade bag carefully and found a square jade pendant inside.
"Who says I have no clothes? I share the same robe with you. When the king raises his army, I will sharpen my spears and swords..."
He hummed a song "Qin Feng·Wu Yi", put the sachet back into his pocket, and walked away shaking his head.
At this moment, the sky gradually darkened, and a faint light fell on the stone tablet in front of Duanshui Villa. The words were blurred in the interweaving of light and dark.
The world's ups and downs are created by our generation, and once we enter the world, time will urge us on.
Login to comment
Be the first one to comment...