across the Quartet

Gai Nie has been out of control since he entered the martial arts arena. Within two days, he faced more than a dozen people in succession, seven of them were masters of the Red Leopard Battalion, and he was undefeated.His reputation in the Zhao army is also getting bigger and bigger. Everyone knows that among the recruits, there is a kid who "looks weak but can't win"; even the whole Bizi battalion seems to have a bright face.Like Lao Hu and Niu Er, they are often dragged into a corner to interrogate "Ge Da" about his life experience, but unfortunately they can only find out "from Yuci", "know how to kill pigs", and "sit and sleep". Human beings have inexplicable intelligence.

On the third day, the crowd around the martial arts stage was several times thicker than the previous few days, and even the wounded soldiers of the Bizi Battalion who were not seriously injured were brought over with support.On this day, Gai Nie finally encountered several rare and powerful enemies.

For example, the one I met in the afternoon, although she looks extremely young, has a very stable lower body, unusually long arms, and slightly raised temples, she looks like a master of both internal and external training.His standing posture is reminiscent of a long spear standing upright, calm and sharp, but the smile on his face is very lively.

He bowed to Gai Nie and said, "Xia Qi is a descendant of Da Xia."

Gai Nie was silently shocked by the name, thinking that this is not a descendant of Daxia, but clearly the ancestor of Daxia.

Xia Qi met his eyes, smiled even more openly, and said: "Your Excellency, be careful—" A long sword was shaken out of its sheath, and attacked fiercely.

So fast!

This was the thought that flashed through Ge Nie's mind instantly.The man seemed to still have the word "be careful" in his mouth, a white and miserable silver light had cut his cheeks and hit his body, and for a moment it seemed that all the vitals of his body were covered by his sword light, as if his head had been struck by a violent wind and rain Poured down, there is no escape.What's even more frightening is that when he held out his sword, the other free hand and foot also attacked the opponent wildly. His punches and legs were all deadly weapons; The speed has been increased to the point where ordinary people cannot handle it.

Xia Qi's sword moves are not too bizarre when viewed closely, they are nothing more than horizontal chops and straight stabs, slashing and slashing upwards, but they are fast, three times, five times, or even ten times faster than ordinary people.The so-called moves are nothing more than the position, angle, strength, connection and change of the attack. Like a game of chess, you can cover up your surprise by surprise; however, if you are fast enough, then no matter how many subtle moves your opponent has—you just need to grab it before he changes. Before the move, the escape route was blocked, so that he couldn't use it at all-then it was all solved.

For a moment, the world seemed to be full of him, the afterglow of the sword, the afterimage of the person.

Gai Nie can be sure that Xia Qi's internal strength is also astonishing, otherwise the body of an ordinary person would not be able to adapt to such an extraordinary speed of the sword and changes in body skills.He dodged around at the tip of Xia Qi's sword, dodging dangerously several times, which caused the soldiers watching below to exclaim again and again.It may be that the speed of the two of them was pushed to the extreme, Ge Nie felt a little dazed, and his head was still thinking wildly - there is a story in "Zhuangzi" that there is a man in Ying, and the chalk stained the tip of his nose. The thin layer was like a fly's wing; a craftsman named Shi helped him cut off this layer of chalk on the tip of his nose with an axe.Right now, Gai Nie felt that if he got a layer of chalk on his body, it would be wiped clean by Xia Qi's sword energy.

After about hundreds of strokes, Gai Nie seemed to have finally adapted to such a dangerous speed, and began to return a sword or two occasionally - but Xia Qi's swords, or punches, always came first; he was like Chu Like the spirit ape in the local legend, he is light and agile, receiving arrows from left and right without falling, and no sword can pierce him without being stabbed first.

Gai Nie pointed at his heart with a sword, Xia Qi's body had already flattened into the air before the sword energy was released, and when he kicked out, there was almost a sharp whistling sound of chopping the wind.If Gai Nie dodges backwards, he can turn around in the air with the power of this kick, and continue to attack the opponent like a storm with a sword and a punch.However, to his surprise, this kick did not fail!

Instead of retreating, Ge Nie took a small step forward - the opponent's right foot just happened to kick his soft abdomen, but it seemed to be trapped inward by an invisible suction force, which made Xia Qi feel a little at a loss for a moment.What he wanted was the momentary loss of balance. Ge Nie used his sword-holding right arm and his free left hand to block the kicked leg at the same time, and suddenly threw him down from mid-air with force.Xia Qi instinctively protected the back of his head, but felt a sharp pain in his buttocks and back. There was a flash of lightning in front of his eyes, and a sword had already reached his neck.Gai Nie put his knees against his heart, and pressed his whole body on the stage, unable to move.

"...Okay!" After a while, the crowd who were stunned by such a wonderful and brutal confrontation finally cheered belatedly.Not only for the winner, but also for the amazing swordsmanship of both sides.

Gai Nie stood up and retracted a sharp and translucent long sword into its sheath.Xia Qi also got up and straightened his clothes, and suddenly heard the young man opposite him ask in a soft voice: "Excuse me, do you practice Yue Nu Sword?"

Xia Qi looked up in surprise, his expression changed from frustration to curiosity: "Your Excellency has good eyesight! I thought not many people in the Central Plains have seen this set of sword techniques."

"Your Excellency's sword seems to be faster and better than the 'Little Yue Girl' in 'Ten Swords'." Gai Nie praised sincerely.

"Brother Ge has seen my master?" Xia Qi was shocked, and grabbed Gai Nie's arm, "Master has always seen the head and the tail, I wonder when was the last time little brother saw her?"

"I... I haven't seen it, I just heard from Master..." Gai Nie knew that he had slipped his tongue, so he quickly withdrew his hand and wanted to run off the stage.

"Dare to ask where Brother Ge's apprenticeship is?"

"...I can't tell you anything." Ge Nie clutched his stomach, the place where he was kicked just now really hurt.

Xia Qi looked at him with a very different look: "Could it be that you are...you are really... no, if you are from that place, why don't you travel around the world and lobby freely, but you are in this Zhao country's military camp?" Fuck. No, definitely not."

Gai Nie secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but Xia Qi said again: "Brother Ge, don't blame me for talking too much. It's just that my master once made me swear that I will not fight anyone from the Guigu sect in my life, otherwise I will die by the sword."

...I will save you when the time comes.Gai Nie resigned silently in his heart helplessly.

His next opponent was the deputy commander of the Red Leopard Battalion.This man was a big man with a red complexion, Ge Nie also had a relationship with him once, it was the goatee who drove him from the right to the left when he joined the army.Of course, the big man himself can't remember him for a long time. After seeing the previous competition again, he knew that he was a strong opponent, so he bowed his hands in a polite way: "My servant, Ji Sunlong."

"After Sanhuan, I must have some skills." Lu Goujian, who was watching the battle below, sneered.

Gai Nie thought this person was a bit arrogant before, but only after the fight did he realize that he really has the capital of arrogance.Ji Sun's swordsmanship may not be as light and quick as Xia Qi's, but what is rare is that the sword is heavy and powerful, and his inner strength is strong, so that every move and style he uses at will carries power beyond imagination, such as galloping horses, dragons fighting in the wild.Among the opponents Gai Nie has faced in his life, only Wei Zhuang can compare with him in terms of domineering and fierce sword moves, and the ease of retracting and releasing his true energy.

But since his swordsmanship is like that of Wei Zhuang, it is natural that Gai Nie cannot be troubled.What's more, he is not as good as Wei Zhuang.

Gai Nie swung Ji Sunlong's sword to the right, and suddenly handed the sword to his left hand, his wrist trembled like a whip.Hearing a series of "ding ding ding", Ge Nie's sword tip hit the opponent's sword repeatedly like lightning, and every time it was struck, a sinister force spread along the spine to the hilt, shaking Ji Ji. Sun Long's entire right arm was numb, and the tiger's mouth holding the sword burst open and bled.

"Shaking the sword!" Xia Qi, who was watching the battle in the audience, exclaimed, "Isn't this the unique skill of Su Qin, Prime Minister of the Six Kingdoms? Could it be that this Ge Da is really... the descendant of Zongheng?"

Sima Shang glanced at him, shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. Although Su Qin's sword shaking is famous all over the world, it was nearly a hundred years ago. Nowadays, there are many people studying ancient sword skills in the world. For example, the trick 'Su Qin back Sword', there are countless swordsmen in Handan. Could it be that all of them are strategists!"

Xia Qi turned to Lu Goujian and asked, "What do you think, Brother Lu?"

Lu Goujian frowned, and said in deep thought and annoyance: "There are indeed many people in the Six Kingdoms who can shake swords, and they have mastered ten or twenty percent in the next year; however, I have never seen anyone like Ge The younger brother is so proficient, and the timing is so coincidental—"

During the speech, the two on the stage were still fighting fiercely.Ji Sunlong also had a stubborn personality. Although he suffered a big loss from Gai Nie, he still held his sword firmly to resist, and refused to admit defeat easily.Seeing that Ge Nie had gained the upper hand everywhere, he suddenly staggered and knelt down on the stage.

This is beyond everyone's expectations.Ji Sunlong seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, raised his sword, and slashed at Gai Nie's left shoulder—Gai Nie seemed to be unable to move his legs, and had to twist his upper body to avoid it—but Ji Sunlong's sword suddenly turned halfway. , and wiped it on the side of his neck!

When there was no time left, Gai Nie's whole body fell to the ground, and he simply lay on his back on the martial arts stage; at the same time, he crossed his wrist with his right hand, and set up Ji Sunlong's ultimate move with his sword behind his back; precious neck.Taking advantage of this down, one fight, one push effort, he earned a little space, and he did not change his old problem, and once again rolled his body and escaped.

"What's going on..." Xia Qi said to himself: "His foot...hasn't been injured before? Could it be Brother Jisun's invisible sword energy?"

"...Maybe it was just twisted accidentally." Lu Goujian was also very surprised by the sudden change in the offensive and defensive posture on the stage.

Sima Shang remained silent, his fists hidden in his sleeves clenched tightly.

Gai Nie rolled fast on the stage, and stopped when he almost fell.Ji Sunlong chased after him with his sword, but halfway he saw Gai Nie staggering and stood up again, so he had to stop there, fully alert.

Gai Nie glanced at the crowd below the stage, and suddenly dropped the sword in his hand.

Many people only felt a gust of wind sweeping across their eyes.Only a very few people saw a silvery afterglow clearly, and Ji Sunlong had already collapsed on the stage when he came back to his senses.

"That was just now..." Lu Goujian said in horror.

"..." Xia Qi smiled wryly, "I've never seen this move before. I'm afraid no one in the world knows this move."

In fact, Gai Nie still kept his hands, no matter the strength or angle of the sword.After all, this is just a competition in the army, not a fight to the death.Otherwise, the Hundred Steps Flying Sword would have cut its throat with one blade.

Although most of the soldiers watching the battle didn't understand it, they also felt that it was powerful; so there were cheers one after another.In the confusion, he saw a blue figure in a toga with long sleeves jumping onto the stage, holding Ge Nie's arm with one hand, and asked, "What's going on?"

This person is naturally Sima Shang.

Ge Nie shook his head, and rolled up the trousers of his left leg until he reached his thigh, only to realize that there were two blood holes the size of rice grains at the back of his knee; when he took a closer look, he saw a small blue needle point protruding from it.

The two poisonous needles were extremely small, and the way they were fired was quite clever. In addition, it was a bit late at that time, so that neither the swordsmen on the stage nor the people watching the stage realized that they were When did the plot fall on Gai Nie's lap.

Sima Shang's face darkened, and suddenly he shot like lightning, using acupuncture to cut off the pulse to seal the toxin from ascending, and then took out a dagger from his bosom to cut open the muscles, exposing the tail of the thin needle.Then he pressed both sides of the wound with both hands, and secretly channeled his internal strength, only to hear two "chi chi", the two thin needles were forced out by him, and fell gently to the ground.

Sima Shang heaved a sigh of relief, wrapped his hands with his sleeves again, picked up the thin needle, stood up just now, pointed at Ji Sunlong who fell to the ground, and said, "Take it to the left and right!"

Immediately, four soldiers armed with knives and axes jumped onto the stage; Ji Sunlong was still fainted from Ge Nie's sword, and was escorted away without any resistance.The crowd of onlookers was about to disperse when Sima Shang said again: "Wait a minute, I will also take away all the people from the Chibao Battalion who are watching the battle today."

"...It's none of our business again!" Lu Goujian was startled and angry, and several people besides him shouted one after another.

Sima Shang covered his face with frost, and said sharply: "A martial arts competition in the army is an upright affair; now, someone is attacking a lieutenant with a poisonous needle in order to win. This kind of despicable behavior will never be tolerated by my Zhao army!! Ji Sunlong is a red The vice-commander of the Leopard Battalion plotted against his opponent in the hope that he would win the competition. Then the person who used the poisonous needle must have a very close friendship with Ji Sun!"

"...Master Captain, but there are so many people in our Red Leopard Battalion, we can't be suspicious of everyone!"

Sima Shang sneered and said: "This is just a stopgap measure, I've wronged you all. I just ask you to go to my tent to take off your clothes and check it. Maybe the sneak attacker still has evidence of the needle being issued just now. By the way, each of you Personal belongings also need to be handed over to the military criminal order, and if there is nothing wrong with the inspection, they will be returned to you."

Lu Goujian was still waiting to argue, Xia Qi suddenly patted him, and whispered in his ear, "Brother Lu, don't struggle. I guess, Captain Captain has been waiting for such an opportunity for a long time."

Gai Nie unintentionally helped Sima Shang a lot.He didn't know it himself, but he was carried to the wounded barracks in a daze, and lived in the same tent with Aji, who was shot in the knee.Although the two ox hair needles were powerful, Sima Shang dealt with them in time, and Gai Nie suppressed the poison with his own internal strength, and did not hurt the internal organs.It's just that in the next ten days or so, I couldn't walk smoothly, limping and limp-like.

Sima Shang was extremely busy with inspections and torture, but every two days he would send his own soldiers over to inquire about Gai Nie's injuries.Sometimes they bring some condolences, such as a whole pot of beef knee bone stew.

"Hurry up and drink it while it's hot." The soldier who brought the soup said enthusiastically, "The general specifically ordered the kitchen to ask for the left leg of the cow, not the right leg."

All the same!

Gai Nie really wanted to say that in his heart.But he was still very grateful to Sima Shang for his kindness.

Unexpectedly, half a month later, when Gai Nie felt that his left leg had recovered to the same level as his right, he suddenly learned that both Xia Qi and Lu Goujian had been selected as a hundred-gold man, and they went back to Handan to enter the court with the general. .He himself didn't give any explanation, only Li Mu sent ten gold to make him recuperate.

According to the rumors among the soldiers, it seems that the general had a rift with Guo Shangqing, so that the food and payment that should have been allocated by the treasury were delayed; The ten gold was also taken by the general from his own savings.The corporal chief who came over to inspect the flaws persuaded him that since he could get ten gold, it can be seen that the general also chose you, but he just returned to the court in a hurry, so he couldn't take your wounded number.Gai Nie didn't think much about it, but when he heard about Li Mu's situation in Zhao State, he couldn't help worrying about him.He didn't have much idea about money, so he simply asked someone to divide the gold into small pieces and distribute them to the four people in the same team.

Wu Zhang and the others were a little embarrassed, and declined for a while; later Ge Nie said that I have no parents, no wife and children to support, and the gold is useless to me, so everyone just accepted it.

Niu Er couldn't help sighing: "Brother Ge has such a good appearance and character, why hasn't he married a wife in his hometown?"

Gai Nie blushed and turned to look at the geese outside the tent.

"It's better to marry one earlier and have a big fat boy; even if there is a war in the future, at least the family will keep the seed."

"What's the use of keeping seeds, the world is so chaotic, how many little ghosts have grandparents but not grandparents, in the future... I don't know what will happen." Corporal Chief's eyes were a little cloudy, as if he was thinking of the past.

"Brother Ge's swordsmanship is so good, the son he gave birth to must be the most powerful." Aji also joked.

"It's not natural to use swords. You can still let him give birth to a son with swordsmanship!"

Gaine pursed his lips and smiled.He never imagined at that time that not long after, his only true friend in his life would come to his door in panic—"Anie, Anie, I seem to have a son, what should I do"—and many years later, he began to... Teach the child what he has learned all his life.

Gaine had no sons.But his sword skills survived after all.

The author has something to say: Note: The descriptions of martial arts and swordsmanship in this article are all fabricated, especially those involving historical figures, such as Su Qin.Here, in conjunction with the mysterious setting, it is assumed that all the disciples of Guigu's lineage have practiced swords.