A Disgrace to His Ancestors!

Su Yang was fuming.

At first, Gu Feidi broke away from his lines in Mount Mei Zhu, which was fine because he was, after all, the protagonist of Arch-Rivals. But now, how could even a random side character, a cannon fodder, dare to change the script’s lines?

Why couldn’t any of these people let him perform according to the script?!

He narrowed his eyes and made a sound of dissatisfaction. He jumped out from the water, drew the soft sword kept around his waist, and initiated an attack on the leader. 

The guards around him immediately came forward, but Gu Feidi stopped them, “I will face him, go protect the horses and the supplies.”

The guards knew that their Young Lord was highly skilled in martial arts. They exchanged looks with each other, then turned around to lead the horses away, leaving space for the two who were en route to a sticky fight. 

Xu Yunzhan grabbed Huo Ying’s wrist and pulled her away from the fight. A complicated expression appeared on his face as he spectated the fight from afar.  

As soon as Su Yang’s blade crashed with Gu Feidi’s, he was surprised.

Although he wasn’t using full strength, he should have been able to sweep most of his opponents in the Jianghu with seventy to eighty percent of his power. But this little supporting character in front of him, covered from head to toe, blocked his attack and seemed to match his skill with ease.

When could a cannon fodder possess the strength to compete with him? Did he spend too much time having fun during his years in the House of Jade? Did he not reach the same level as the original Young Master at the present time?

So he increased his internal energy by ten percent.

He turned his wrist slightly, and used the Divide Lotus Technique’s third sequence, Cleansing Ripple, and smoothly transitioned to the Gliding Blossom Art’s second sequence, Sweet Summer Lotus. His soft sword flipped and twisted toward Gu Feidi’s wrist.

Instead of using Flying Kite Technique, Gu Feidi used the Returning of Waterfowl Technique, Graceful Wings. He sidestepped the frontal attack. The deadly strike tapped the empty space lightly. 

Su Yang grinned slightly and used Cherished Flower Steps to perform a series of sword dances: Spiced Autumn Osmanthus, Treasured Winter Plum, then Vermilion Spring Peach. With his dazzling body movement, he pushed his opponent several steps back. 

The House of Jade’s Gliding Blossom Art used a perfect cycle composed of four seasons of peach, lotus, osmanthus, and plum. Also supplemented with Jade Peony, Lilac Knot, and Red Calyx. Although the moves were simple, they were ever moving, with no fixed form. When Su Yang first fought in the House of Jade under Shizun’s order, this was his favourite set of sword techniques, which he trained more than the Evil Sect’s Divide Lotus Technique.

Gu Feidi’s Returning of Waterfowl Technique was skewed more toward the pure fundamental way when against the Gliding Blossom Art, the fight appeared as if a scholar wanted to reason with logic, but being importuned by a pampered woman, the scholar became at a disadvantage. 

Seeing the light in Su Yang’s eyes getting brighter, Gu Feidi chuckled and increased his reserved internal energy to eighty percent. He swung his arm to perform Sandfall—he thrust his blade into the flurry. Because of the increase in his internal energy, he interrupted and dispelled Su Yang’s dance.

Su Yang frowned, feeling the person he was against would not be easy. 

So he raised his internal energy to ninety percent. He rotated his waist and changed his tempo to Drunkard’s Plum Wine Slash.

Drunkard’s Plum Wine Slash’s style differed completely from the two styles he used prior. After all, Su Yang created it, using a dance as a base. The series of attacks were very simple and straightforward, using his whip-like sword, it had less stabbing, and more chopping and lashing. A dance overflowed with ferocity. 

This sword technique was also with no defensive move. 

Ultimately, Su Yang was not a master of martial arts, so he relied on what he knew best, dancing. Unable to figure out how to complement attacking and defending, he created a style that could be compared with a suicidal glass cannon. But unexpectedly, this offensive oriented martial art was very suitable for his mental skills and his train of thought during a fight. So Di Ling didn’t stop him from studying this set of sword skills. 

Gu Fei blocked some of Su Yang’s attacks and barely dodged the flurry of blows. He couldn’t help a smile from showing on his hidden face and praised, “Good sword technique!”

Not wanting to acknowledge the supporting character, Su Yang increased the ferocity to his attack, each of them aimed to kill. 

Unable to parry with the Returning of Waterfowl Technique, he changed his form. As his internal energy surged out, he switched to the Flying Kite Technique, first mark, Soaring Scarlet Falcon. He dived at Su Yang, front and centre. 

Su Yang evaded the blow using his light movement skill. He gritted his teeth secretly and twisted the blade in his hand to wave his sword like a whip, and aimed at Gu Feidi’s neck. 

Dodging the blow with the Forest Hunting Owl by twirling away, Gu Feidi sent back Strike of the White Hawk, directing his blade at Su Yang’s chest. 

Su Yang buckled away fearlessly and nimbly switched back to Gliding Blossom Art. He swindled Gu Feidi’s sword and coiled using Lilac Knot, successfully pushing back the sword that was aiming at his vital point. 

Xu Yunzhan’s eyes were fixed on the duel between the two. His breathing was barely audible as if he was afraid that the slightest sound would disturb the fight. 

Suddenly, someone clenched tightly on his wrist. He regained his thoughts and turned to look at Huo Ying.

Her face was ghostly white, and the hand clenching on his wrist was shaking.

“Husband, that man…” She muttered out, swallowing her saliva before continuing, “That man could corner Gu Feidi to use Flying Kite Technique, and even fight at a standstill with him. I'm afraid that is the Evil Sect’s Young Master…in person…”

He stayed silent for a moment, then patted her hands and comforted, “Don’t be afraid, Feidi won’t lose.”

Finishing that, he turned back to look at the situation. From outside of his wife’s view, he clenched his cold fingertips into his palm, as if trying to use this tactic to calm his raging mind. 

The two were still duelling. 

The petal retainers that were following behind Su Yang earlier had long arrived at the edge of the pool, but seeing the guards from the Tengyun Pavilion not making any move, they also didn’t immediately join the fight. Instead, staying in the dark quietly, on alert for any change that happened in the duel. 

Suddenly, Mei Shisan said in a deep voice, “Young Master, be careful. Someone is approaching from the east!”

Su Yang had no time to look back, but he could vaguely sense that newcomers must be people from the Central Plain. Maybe they were Gu Feidi’s subordinates that came to this cannon fodder’s rescue!

Thinking of this, he became more anxious. 

He hasn’t captured this person yet, and reinforcements have arrived already! How could he fight a two front battle?

He tried to recall the plot. It seems that in the script after Gu Feidi saved the captured victim, the Evil Sect withdrew after spitting out a bunch of cruel language. 

So, as long as he exited the stage in time, he shouldn’t derail the plot…right?

At the thought of the Hidden Pearl Pavilion incident, fear filled his thoughts. Distracted, he was almost tripped by his own Cherished Flower Steps.

Gu Feidi avoided landing a deadly blow in a hidden panic. He lightly scratched Su Yang’s neck, leaving a faint bloodstain behind. 

Su Yang sucked in a cold breath. Too close! He was so distracted that a cannon fodder almost killed him! This was a disgrace to his ancestors! 

His expression immediately darkened when he thought of this, as he clenched harder on his weapon and threw an attack back at his masked opponent.

Gu Feidi went into defensive form, unknowingly, he stopped seizing the opportunity to attack.

The new group to the east of the pool soon arrived and saw the two men fighting. One side was obviously holding back, yet the other side was going all out, recklessly throwing his life into each attack. For a moment, the audience couldn’t tell whether they were swapping pointers or fighting for their lives. 

When they were almost thirty meters from the pool, a cry sounded among the crowd, “It’s the Evil Sect! That man in red is Su Yang, the Young Master!”

At the end of the person’s outburst, two in the group readied their bow and arrows. Without a single warning, they released two arrows in Su Yang and Gu Feidi’s direction.

Xu Yunzhan shouted in alarm, “Watch out!”

Mei Shisan immediately used his Cherished Flower Steps and rushed forward to try to intercept the arrows.

However, the arrows were too quick. He managed to stop one, but not the second one as it flew to its target.  

Su Yang’s back was facing the new arrivals, he could only hear the sound of an arrow cutting into the air. He wanted to turn around to block it. However, if he turned around, he would leave an opening to his opponent. 

For a moment, being sandwiched by two threats, he didn’t know how to get out of this predicament and could only choke under intense pressure. 

Gu Feidi tilted his sword horizontally to block Su Yang’s move. Then he quickly stepped forward, pulled Su Yang by his shoulder, flipped him one hundred eighty degrees, and halfway into his arms.

He grabbed his long sword and swung to deflect the incoming arrow with the edge of his blade, keeping both of them from harm. 

Gu Feidi looked nervously at the man in his arms. “Are you…” 

However, before he could finish, Su Yang slapped him on the chest.

Carrying internal energy, the smack was so powerful that it made Gu Feidi release Su Yang and take a few steps back. With the sword in his hand, Gu Feidi coughed loudly twice. Under the silk scarf, astonishment filled the two dark eyes. 

Su Yang drew back his sword and commanded, “Shisan, let’s leave!”

Upon hearing the order, Mei Shisan immediately gathered up the other Sect members and led the well-rested horses to fall back toward the wasteland’s hinterland. 

Su Yang climbed on a horse and finally gave a good look at the newcomers. 

These people were not from a large sect. First hint, they had large age gaps, next hint, they used a mixed variety of weapons, and the last hint, their uniforms were disorderly. He couldn’t find the signature, stubborn expression of that young brat in the crowd. Feeling disappointed, he sighed and led his horse away.

Xu Yunzhan ran up to support Gu Feidi.

Gu Feidi gasped for breath, his eyes fixed on Su Yang’s back. For a long time, his attention didn’t move away.

“Who are you people?!” A violent yell came from afar, another question containing anger, “You low class scum, were you the one who intentionally let that evil spawn escape?”

Gu Feidi faced the speaker, to see the leader of the mob dismounting from his horse as he pointed his sword at him, face red with anger. 

Without waiting for Gu Feidi’s command, the guards of the Tengyun Pavilion gathered around and prevented the angry person from approaching. Gu Feidi didn’t explain either. He just took out his pavilion’s tag from his possession and held it in front of the man. 

When the leader saw the tag, he immediately made a strange cooing noise, like a strangled pigeon. Not daring to talk anymore.

Gu Feidi found a shaded area to sit down, untied the silk scarf, folded the scarlet stained side on the scarf into the inner layer, and wiped the blood on the corner of his mouth. 

Xu Yunzhan frowned. “He didn’t hold back on his last attack?”

Gu Feidi shook his head and said, “He probably only used fifty to sixty percent of internal energy. But I didn’t expect it, so I didn't guard against it.”

Then, he laughed as if he recalled something from the past. “What goes around comes around…”

Xu Yunzhan didn’t reply for a moment. He glanced at Huo Ying, who was in the process of settling down, and whispered to Gu Feidi, “Why didn’t you reveal your identity to him?”

Gu Feidi shook his head and explained, “I was hoping he would recognise me…”

“It doesn’t look like he did.” Xu Yunzhan sighed.

Gu Feidi smiled. “Indeed…he didn’t recognize me even after I used Flying Kite Technique, and with the Rejuvenating Pill of Fragrant Sorrow’s scent on top of that.”

A touch of disappointment and frustration laced his tone.

In the distance. 

Riding on his horse, Su Yang had a worried expression. 

Just now, when he was saved by the cannon fodder swordsman from the arrow, he had a mind blowing moment internally, and instinctively smacked him in the chest, giving no explanation. Now in retrospect, he used fifty to sixty percent of strength…plus at such a close distance to the heart…Could he have severely injured the guy? Did he just bite the hand that fed him?

—Although he still could not understand why a supporting character would save him. 

He remained puzzled after pondering over it a hundred times. All he remembered was, there was a nice scent on the man. It smelled familiar, but he couldn’t remember from where. 

There should be many men that carry a sachet in this time period. Maybe it contained a popular aromatic flower. 

Su Yang was lost in his thoughts.