Chapter 015: Strife in the Martial World

The ancient world, after all, was a place of rather dull entertainment.

Although in the eyes of ancient people the present Great Tang was already extremely prosperous, in Wang Bo's eyes it was still backward; what could be eaten, drunk, and enjoyed was far inferior to the dazzling world of modern times.

In this present age without movies, without the internet, without all kinds of talent shows, only these places of romance and pleasure are the favored haunts of high officials and nobles.

In the past, Wang Shao'ai would linger here and forget to return.

But Wang Bo was not Wang Shao’ai; though he was curious about such places, going every day held little appeal.

Thus, encountering a woman of many talents, skilled in song and dance, is no easy matter.

Especially since this woman is also a chaste courtesan.

Thus, Wang Bo's desire to marry her and bring her home grew even more fervent.

At the very least, listening to songs every day would be wonderful. If nothing else, Wang Bo could teach those modern popular songs to this woman, and perhaps she might even sing them with a distinctive charm.

Wang Bo was very much looking forward to this.

After touring one scenic spot, Wang Bo and Hanyue chatted and laughed as they walked toward the next.

But just then, Wang Bo suddenly heard the sound of fighting. His ears were exceptionally sharp, and he pinpointed the direction of the sound almost instantly.

His footsteps halted involuntarily.

Hanyue asked in surprise, "Young Master Wang, why have you stopped walking?"

Wang Bo said, "I heard the sound of fighting."

Hanyue was taken aback. She pricked up her ears and listened for a while, but apart from the sound of the wind and the rustling of leaves, she heard nothing else.

But she didn't think Wang Bo would joke with her at a time like this, so she said with a smile, "Hanyue has heard that those martial arts masters have sharp ears and keen eyes, able to hear sounds from far away. I never imagined that you, Young Master Wang, could do the same."

Wang Bo smiled faintly and turned his head to look in the eight o'clock direction.

His ears were sharp, and his eyesight was exceptionally keen; he could clearly see, nearly two thousand meters away, three men locked in combat.

A man in a blue tunic and sturdy attire held a sword, whirling it into a mass of silver light to block the enemy's attacks.

The other two were dressed in gray clothes, one wielding a sword, the other a saber, their coordination seamless as they attacked the blue-shirted man from left and right.

But the man in blue was clearly the superior martial artist; facing the two-pronged attack, he advanced and retreated with measured steps, protecting himself flawlessly.

Wang Bo glanced a few times, then withdrew his gaze and said to Hanyue, "Let's go."

Hanyue said, "Master Wang, aren't you going to take a look?"

Wang Bo said in surprise, "Miss Hanyue is interested in the bloody feuds of the jianghu?"

Hanyue spat and said, "How could I be interested in the bloody feuds of the jianghu? But I've heard that people of the jianghu always uphold the principle of drawing their swords to help those in need when they see injustice on the road, don't they?"

Wang Bo said, “Well said, but Miss Hanyue has got one thing wrong.”

"Oh, I wonder what point Hanyue got wrong. Please enlighten me, Master Wang."

"It is true that people of the jianghu draw their swords to help when they see injustice, but your mistake is in taking me for one of them," Wang Bo said very calmly. "Miss Hanyue, it is true that I, Wang Bo, know martial arts, but I am no jianghu person."

These words left Hanyue speechless.

Of course, the above was merely a pretext; in truth, Wang Bo did not know martial arts at all.

He was a superman, and had Spartan blood—neither of which had anything to do with martial arts.

Even the Ripple Qigong is not martial arts.

Although Ripple Qigong is indeed similar to martial arts, in reality it is not; Ripple is neither internal energy nor true qi, and does not require accumulation from childhood.

More importantly, even if one practices Ripple Qigong for decades, one cannot calculate the total amount of Ripple Qigong in terms of years.

This is fundamentally different from internal energy.

Thus, it was false that Wang Bo knew martial arts, but it was true that he had not the slightest connection to the jianghu, the martial world, or martial arts.

After Hanyue collected herself, she couldn't help but glare coquettishly at Wang Bo, yet she said, "Since Young Master Wang has little interest in fighting and killing, how about we head over there instead?"

She pointed in a direction.

Wang Bo said helplessly, "That won't do."

"Why?"

"Because you are pointing right at the place where those jianghu fighters are battling."

Hanyue couldn't help but exclaim. Seeing Wang Bo's half-smiling expression, she felt her face burn as if on fire. "Hanyue never imagined that Young Master Wang could be so wicked, just delighting in making fun of me."

Wang Bo said, "Could it be that Miss Hanyue has not heard a saying?"

What?

If a man isn't bad, no woman will love him.

Such lines, which would be unbearably awkward in the twenty-first century, still found a receptive audience in the Tang dynasty—after all, ancient people had never weathered such a storm. At the very least, Hanyue herself was told this by Wang Bo until her face turned bright red; her delicate, dewy countenance was so flushed it seemed about to bleed, and even her neck was red.

Wang Bo couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. He knew full well that his eloquence was actually quite ordinary, and in the twenty-first century, trying to pick up girls with such eloquence would be nothing short of a joke.

But in ancient times, it seemed he could try his hand at winning a girl with his eloquence.

After a long while, Hanyue finally calmed her pounding heart and said in a fluster, "Master Wang, I think we should leave now. If those martial artists discover us, it will be troublesome."

Wang Bo was just about to agree when his expression suddenly changed.

Because he noticed that the three martial artists who were fighting even more fiercely had suddenly encountered a turn of events.

The blue-clad man, besieged by the two gray-garbed men, suddenly exerted his strength, his sword strokes faster and faster. In just a few blinks, several wounds had been left on the bodies of the two gray-clad men.

The two gray-clad men, both startled and enraged, hastily retreated.

But the man in blue was unwilling to let the two go, pressing them step by step.

One of the gray-clad men said, "Gu Xingwen, don't push people too far."

The other said, “Today we, the Twin Heroes of Lingnan, have lost. We will not contend with you for that item. As for today’s affair, we swear by heaven that we will keep our mouths sealed. What do you say?”

The blue-robed man, Gu Xingwen, remained silent, but the sword in his hand quickened, and brilliant arcs of sword light enveloped the two gray-robed men.

Both men, shocked and enraged, let out hoarse shouts: "Gu Xingwen, you intend to kill us to silence us."

Gu Xingwen sneered coldly, his sword speed increasing once more.

In just a few breaths, the two gray-clad men were battered into a sorry state, with danger lurking at every turn.

One of them seemed to have foreseen the outcome, and with a grief-stricken roar, he cried out, "Gu Xingwen, I'll fight you to the death!"

The next second, he threw himself forward without flinching.

A snort!

Gu Xingwen's long sword pierced through his chest.