I saw that Li Jing, who was highly praised by Song Que, was a tall and majestic man in his twenties and forties. He was not handsome, with a rough face, but a straight nose and a broad forehead. His eyes are sparkling and lively, giving him the impression of being both steady and resourceful.
This man has a green scarf on his arm and a long sword, bow and arrow on his body. His attire is the same as that of ordinary soldiers of the Jianghuai Rebel Army under Du Fuwei. Although he looks simple and unpretentious on the surface, if you look closely, you can find that the weapon on his body is actually a precious sword. The level of the treasure bow and the breath are at the level of a first-time innate expert.
Li Jing smiled slightly, showing a set of snow-white teeth, which were in sharp contrast with his dark and rough skin, and replied in a hearty voice: "Thank you, Lord, for your compliments. Frankly speaking, if the Lord had not informed me, Li would not have known in advance that he was The negative internal strength turns out to be the 'Dharma Technique' of Zen Buddhism."
"One night a few years ago, I met a one-armed old monk on the outskirts of Daxing. He taught me this skill and disappeared the next day. In the past few years, I have traveled around the world, in addition to exploring the general trend of the world. , and also the reason to find the master back then and express my gratitude to him."
"One-armed old monk? The direct descendant of Zen Buddhism's 'Dharma Technique'?" Standing next to Li Jing was a man about forty years old. He had white hair and a beautiful silver-white beard. He showed no sign of aging at all. Xiang is born graceful and majestic, and has the bearing of everyone.
This person is Song Lu, the famous master of the Song Dynasty. He is famous for his self-created "Silver Dragon Abduction Technique" in Jiangnan. He is the younger brother of Song Que, the "Heavenly Sword", and one of the core figures of the Song Dynasty. One, he can be regarded as the third master of Song Clan.
When he heard Li Jing mention that the "Dharma Technique" he practiced was taught by a one-armed old monk, Song Lu was shocked and immediately thought of a very senior figure in Zen Buddhism. He couldn't help but look to his eldest brother Song Que. Look.
"It turned out to be Master Huike, the second ancestor of Zen Buddhism. I didn't expect that he was still alive at that time."
After hearing this unexpected news, even with the arrogant character of "Heavenly Sword" Song Que, he couldn't help but feel a little cold in his heart. He guessed that Huike, who was obviously higher in seniority than the four great sage monks in the world, should at least have Ning Daoqi and Bi. Xuan's level is even better.
In the past, Huike, the second founder of Zen Buddhism, went to Shaoshi Peak of Songshan Mountain to seek enlightenment from Bodhidharma. He cut off his left arm with a sharp knife while standing in the snow to show his determination to seek enlightenment, and finally he was able to convey Bodhidharma. Since Bodhidharma was originally from India, Huike was actually the first person in Zen Buddhism in China.
After delivering the Dharma to the third ancestor, Seng Can, the second ancestor, Hui Ke, kept a low profile, changed his appearance and rituals, and preached the Dharma as appropriate, and was nowhere to be found. Even Master Daoxin, the fourth ancestor of Zen Buddhism, does not know whether he is alive or dead or where he is.
It now appears that at least a few years ago, Hui Ke appeared once near Daxing City and passed on to Li Jing the top Buddhist internal skill "Dharma Technique", which laid the foundation for him to reach the top master level in the future. .
Most of the profound Buddhist and Taoist skills are accumulated over time. Although Li Jing's current cultivation level is obviously not as good as Song Shidao's, many years later, there is a high probability that he will far surpass the latter. Coupled with his equally extraordinary talent in the way of swordsmanship, it can almost be regarded as Above is another Song Que.
At least, in the eyes of Song Shidao, who deeply suspected that his father was very disappointed in him, it should be equivalent to this, and he felt quite relieved that his father had finally found a suitable successor.
Sure enough, Song Lu praised from the side: "Brother Li's sword skills are obviously honed in bloody battles. When galloping on the battlefield and charging among thousands of troops, his power is quite amazing and he is not afraid of the opponent." There is strength in numbers.”
"From the first form, 'Two armies confront each other', then 'showing off one's edge', 'protruding light cavalry', 'exploring objects', 'successful battle', 'praising the weak', 'impertinent forces', 'life or death', From 'Strong and Avoid' to the Tenth Style 'Domination of the World', all of them are moves that involve risking one's life, involving God and will, and reveal profound knowledge of military skills and lofty ambitions. No wonder the elder brother is seeing you. After the knife skills test, I had a rare smile."
"Brother Li, our Song family is very optimistic about your ability and future, and considering your status as the successor of Master Huike, we have regarded you as an equal friend, so you don't have to be scrupulous about what you say, and you can feel free to say so. Talk about the general situation of the world."
This was "Silver Beard" Song Lu's obvious show of goodwill to Li Jing and further praise for him when he knew that Song Que was inconvenient to lower his profile.
Feeling that "Heavenly Sword" Song Que and the people in the Song clan are very broad-minded, Li Jing also briefly expressed his views on the current situation:
"This is an era of great chaos. People with different stances are fighting with each other's wits and using all possible means. In the confrontation between swords and weapons, you will die or I will die. Those who are not ruthless enough will be eliminated."
"Looking at the current situation, although there are rebels everywhere, there are not many who can be regarded as outstanding figures. 'Big Dragon Leader' Zhai Rang, Zhai Rang's general Li Mi, as well as Wang Bo, Dou Jiande and Du Fuwei, these groups The force is currently considered to be the most powerful."
"In recent months, I have joined Du Fuwei's army, and through personal investigation, I found that although Du Fuwei is famous, he has too much recklessness and it is difficult to change his previous behavior as a gangster overlord. Your attitude is not what makes you competitive in the world.”
"This man is indeed very talented in marching and fighting, but he relies too much on his 'law enforcement regiment' to control the army, and uses the method of plundering towns and villages to support war with war, which is really unpopular with the people. If he continues to act like this , or it can be divided into one side, but that’s all.”
"However, in the initial stage of developing power, there is no stable territory. It is understandable that Du Fuwei temporarily uses such a strategy. We do not rule out the possibility that he is aware of his problems and can improve them in the future."
"Before he really saw Du Fuwei's way of governing the area under his control, Li still had not made up his mind to break away from his Jianghuai Army. He still had some hope and wanted to continue to wait and see for a while...perhaps he met by chance today. Being the Valve Master is my chance to make a decision."
Speaking of this, Li Jing glanced at a round stone jade that Song Que had been holding in his hand, and asked with some doubts: "Is the Lord of the Valve traveling to Liyang this time to prevent Du Fuwei from attacking the city and ensuring the smooth flow of the Yangtze River waterway?" Coming?"
In his opinion, the Yangtze River salt transport is the lifeblood of the Song clan. Once Du Fuwei captures Liyang and cuts off the traffic in the Yangtze River waterway, he is likely to seize the salt ships and threaten the Song clan's prestige and livelihood. The reason why Song Que suddenly came out of the mountain should be precisely for this matter.
After listening to Li Jing's views on the situation, Song Que, who had been looking far away in the direction of Liyang City, finally turned his head, revealing his handsome face without any flaws:
Embedded under the thick and clear eyebrows are a pair of eyes that shine like gems, and the broad forehead shows wisdom beyond ordinary people. There is a melancholy expression in the silence that can impress anyone, but yet It makes people feel that the emotion is so profound and elusive.
Song Que's temples were frosted, but they didn't show signs of aging at all. Instead, they gave him the aristocratic air of a high-ranking official and the demeanor of a Confucian scholar. It is also daunting and unattainable.
Coupled with his well-proportioned and graceful figure and his graceful posture, he indeed has the intoxicating demeanor of an incomparable top master.
Song Que's eyes shot out a divine light that seemed to be able to see through Li Jing, and then showed a friendly and friendly smile, and said: "Brother Li's views on the world situation, especially his evaluation of Du Fuwei, are the same as Song's .”
"Wei Liaozi of the Warring States Period once said in "Zhan Wei Pian": A warrior must lead his body to encourage the people, just like his heart can use his limbs. If the ambition is not motivated, the warriors will not die, and if the warriors do not die, the people will not fight. If the warriors are not motivated, the people will not fight. The way of living must be generous to the people. Ranks, ranks, relatives, relatives who have died and bereaved, and the camp of the people must be shown."
"An excellent leader must lead by example, inspire the fighting spirit of his subordinates, and treat them well, with clear rewards and punishments, and pay for the dead and mourning. However, Du Fuwei can only do it personally during the battle, and the inspiring soldiers behind him must , people’s livelihood is in shambles.”
"Such an army can only run rampant for a while at most, and its scale and organization are always limited. It is difficult to withstand major setbacks. With unclear rewards and punishments, it is easy for conspirators to take advantage of the situation, leading to civil strife and division, and it will come to an end."
After making an accurate inference about Du Fuwei's Jianghuai Army, Song Que smiled slightly and began to reply to the new question raised by Li Jing:
"When it comes to the reason why Song left Lingnan, it cannot be summarized in a few words. From a certain perspective, it can be said that he was inspired by the swordsmanship he practiced, and he felt it in his heart, and happened to meet him. A few important things.”
"One of the things that touched Song the most was the piece of stone sent by Shi Dao, which gave me a profound new understanding of the art of swordsmanship, life, and even all things in the universe. However, It was an unexpected gain before my trip.”
How could a small piece of stone be such an inspiration to Song Que, the top person in the world? Li Jing couldn't help but be extremely surprised and had an incredible feeling. He looked at the stone jade in Song Que's hand. The more he looked at it, the more shocked he was, with an unbelievable look on his face.
On the surface, this is obviously a round stone slab made of ordinary mountain rocks, but if you look at it for a long time, you will feel an otherworldly and mysterious charm, and feel that this is not just a stone, but a stone. A piece of fine jade containing rare treasures.
Legend has it that the piece of He's jade discovered by Bian He was thought to be just a stone by the people who admired jade under the King of Chu many times. However, when the stone was actually opened, it turned out to be a rare jade that has never been seen through the ages. Is the situation at that time similar to this special stone?
Inexplicably feeling that there was immortal energy in the stone bi, Li Jing couldn't help but have the strong idea of cutting it open, and was deeply curious about the origin of the object.
"Many years ago, the ultimate sword skill in my heart, Song Que, was nothing more than 'there is nothing else but the saber'. This was the state of the 'Heavenly Sword' that I first reached when I defeated the 'Bad Sword' Yue Shan. .”
Song Quedan narrated indifferently. At some point, a sheathed sword with an ancient shape and unusual weight appeared in his hand. At the same time, the man and the sword became an indivisible and integrated whole. It was a completely intense feeling. And the profound feeling is subtle and hard to describe.
I saw his sword suddenly unsheathed, seemingly carelessly snapping it out, like an antelope hanging its horns. Not only does it have no beginning, it also has no end. It seems to be heavier than a thousand pieces, but also as light as a feather, which makes people unable to grasp it. , just looking at it can make people feel sad and dizzy.
This sword remained unchanged but contained ever-changing changes. It seemed to be done intentionally or unintentionally. Although it did not attack anyone present, it made them vaguely understand it, but it was difficult to grasp it.
Song Que had a sword sheathed on his left hand and a sword on his right. He stood in the forest like a god. His clothes were not blowing in the wind. He looked up at the stars and moon in the sky. His deep eyes were full of light and he said slowly word by word:
"It is necessary to concentrate on the spirit without distinguishing between will and spirit. Only when the spirit is concentrated can you realize the idea. Only when the idea is followed can you speak the method. Then when you have the method and enter the realm of lawlessness, you can then understand how to use the knife. The knife technique created by Little Brother Li, We are now at a critical stage where lawlessness leads to lawlessness.”
"The law is the level of the earth, and the law is the level of the heaven. The law implies the law, and the law implies the law. It is the highest level of the integration of heaven, earth and man. Only man can connect the heaven and the earth, and reach the point where there is nothing. Law, there is law but there is no law.”
"The total result of all the hard training and practical experience in the past is what I call the 'body and mind'. The mind knows to stop and the mind wants to do it, which is beyond the thoughts. However, if it can only be done occasionally, it is not enough. We all know that only when every move and every style is blended with spirit and will, can the sword technique be done as one pleases."
"Heaven has its laws, and things have their nature. The most important thing when using a knife is the intention of the knife. But if it is intentional, it will only be traced; if it is unintentional, it will be lost. Only by transcending the unity of the knife and intention, going in and out between intentional and unintentional, can we achieve perfection. The sword is the meaning, and the meaning is the realm of the sword.”
"When I reach this state, even I don't exist. There is only the sword. The sword is everything. This is the saying that 'there is nothing but the sword.'"
Having said this, Song Quedan glanced at Song Shidao and continued: "All things have their own laws. From a macro perspective, the movements of the sun, moon and stars are constant. Extending to the rotation of the earth and the alternation of midnight, We can all find constant rules.”
"But if you probe into the smallest details, you will find that there are additional changes that are difficult to detect. It can be seen that things are always in a state of motion and change, and cannot be grasped with absolute accuracy, but only with relative accuracy. The extent of it ends at the point of lack.”
"How can life be perfect? When heaven and earth were first divided, yin and yang established judgments, and men and women treated each other, they were all imperfect states. Yang advanced and yin retreated, yin grew and yang disappeared, rising and falling. What we pursue is what we can never achieve. Perfection and balance. This is true between men and women, and the fame, fortune, wealth and power that ordinary people strive for are no exception. In the end, it is all the same."
"Everything in the world is yin and yang. For example, the other side of love is hate. As deep and complex as love is, hate will be as deep and complex as it is. It cannot be described with an absolute attitude. This principle can also be used in the way of swordsmanship. of."
"But even though we can never reach a truly perfect state, we can still start from the defective parts and seek their constancy in the ever-changing world. We should not be stuck in things, forget about things and myself, and be free and easy."
"After the union of heaven, earth and man, people are no longer human, and swords are no longer swords. Only in this way can we make further progress, from "there is nothing else except the sword" to the state of "getting the sword and forgetting it" , reaching the true ultimate state of sword art that I have thought about in recent years."
Hearing this, Song Shidao couldn't help but feel shocked, and realized that although his father was inspired by the idea after getting the stone bi left by Zhao Qing, and passed the sword to the talented Li Jing, secretly he also taught him that he had no shortcomings. The meaning of principle.
At this moment, Song Que suddenly turned his head and asked calmly: "Master, if you fall in love with that girl from Korea, you should also know what my attitude will be, right?"
Before Song Shidao could react, he immediately turned his head, looked at the Jianghuai Army's camp a few miles away, and said as if making a prophecy: "Don't reply to me yet, Du Fuwei is about to attack the city, and it will be a once-in-a-lifetime attack." An unprecedented full-scale attack by the entire army.”
…
Under the brilliant starry sky, Liyang City was in darkness. The soldiers and civilians at the top of the city were silently waiting for the enemy's arrival in the darkness.
Zhao Qing looked at the torches trembling in the distance on the plain outside the city wall like thousands of fireflies and extending like a long dragon. He heard the chaotic and heavy footsteps of a large number of troops in action, and sighed softly.
Not because of the inevitable massive casualties of the Jianghuai Army and the Sui soldiers in Liyang City, but because I heard Song Que describe his sword skills to Song Shidao and Li Jing from afar, and knew that this Heavenly Swordsman had seen her in the stone. After Bizhong left the essence of the "Sword Code" and "Zhiyin Wuji", he had a strong idea to challenge himself.
It has to be said that since Fan Qinghui has not read the "Release Technique" in "Sword Code" in detail, the similar chapter "Transferring Consciousness" in "The Great Method of Changing the Sun" has given her great inspiration. He is quite skillful in its use. With the blessing of inner strength, the scope of "Tian Er Tong" has been greatly expanded.
After vaguely sensing that Song Shidao had marched westward for three to four hundred miles with the stone slab, Zhao Qing began to turn back. Zhao Qing guessed the general situation and knew that he should have met Song Que who had appeared in Jiujiang for some reason. .
After getting the stone bi, Song Que obviously gained a lot of understanding about it and perfected his theory of "forgetting the sword after getting it". As she imagined, Song Que quickly rushed in her direction, wanting to see her. one side.
However, although the other party took a boat down the river, he had already disembarked before the river section of Liyang City, came to the land, and secretly approached Du Fuwei's camp outside the city, which was somewhat beyond Zhao Qing's expectation. She didn't notice the arrival of Song Que and others for a while.
Speaking of which, the reason why Zhao Qing brought Shi Qingxuan to Liyang City was due to several factors:
First, Shang Xiufang, the most talented woman in the world who is as famous as Shi Qingxuan, is also the daughter of the adopted daughter of "Ba Dao" Yue Shan. She will be invited by the court to come to Liyang to sing in the near future to encourage the soldiers and civilians of Liyang City, hoping to increase their ability to defend. on the motivation.
After practicing, it is also a beautiful thing to relax properly and enjoy music and opera. At the same time, it also allows Shi Qingxuan and Shang Xiufang, two music and art masters, to communicate with each other.
Secondly, Wang Shichong, who is currently the general guard of Jiangdu, is currently mobilizing his own troops under Yang Guang's order. He is about to march from the waterway to provide support to Liyang City. It won't take long to temporarily take over as the guard of Liyang. Location.
For Zhao Qing, who was preparing to obtain the "Wisdom Sutra on the Roots of Control of All Dharmas" from him, this was equivalent to being delivered to his door without any need to go out and look for it.
In addition, as far as she knows, Li Jing, the top military talent in the Tang Dynasty, should be serving as a soldier under Du Fuwei now. When the time comes, he can try to recruit him for his own use.
Speaking of which, when Li Jing first appeared in the original work, his martial arts skills were obviously not very good, and he could only barely defeat the five second- and third-rate characters in Du Fuwei's law enforcement team.
But a few years later, Li Jing became famous after arriving at Tiance Mansion, and he was ranked only below Hongfu Nu. This shows that his martial arts improvement was so rapid, it was even comparable to Shuanglong who practiced the Taoist magic of longevity and had many adventures. In the later period, he became the number one master in Tiance Mansion.
The "Ten Styles of Bloody War" he created were incorporated into the sword, and the sword was incorporated into the art of war. However, as Li Jing's cultivation and level of art of war continued to improve, he could be regarded as another version of Kou Zhong with fewer adventures and weakened force.
This person had the ambition to save the country and benefit the people, and worked hard for it. He was affectionate and kind, and his character was higher than that of Shuanglong. He was considered a very outstanding figure in the Tang Dynasty.
It’s no wonder that Zhao Qing now found out from a distance that after Song Que met Li Jing outside Liyang City, he admired this swordsman genius who was very similar to himself, and decided to challenge himself, feeling that his life or death would be uncertain at that time. Under the circumstances, there is a vague intention of inheriting the way of swordsmanship.
However, judging from Li Jing's experience, is Huike, the second ancestor of Zen Buddhism, still alive now? Zhao Qing was thoughtful and whispered to himself:
"There are methods and methods that cannot be done, intentionally or unintentionally, the sword is forgotten and the sword is forgotten. The "Heavenly Sword" has several divisions in the practice of swordsmanship. Each level and step is quite clear. It has indeed reached the point of being almost perfect. It can be called this world. One of the most outstanding swordsman masters of all time."
Lawful and intentional are about the level of Bian Fulai, Wen Caiting and others; helpless and unintentional are the levels of Zhu Yuyan, Zhao Deyan and others. To go between intentional and unintentional, one needs to be close to the great masters such as Luokong and Fan Qinghui. Only masters can maintain it.
If you move from "there is nothing else except the sword" to the realm of "getting the sword and forgetting it", where no one has a sword, then you will have reached the highest level among the great masters, and the distance is equivalent to the infinite. The true "unity of man and nature" is only half a step away.
Although the practice at the Grand Master stage and even higher levels actually differs from person to person, there is not only one path. For example, Zhao Qing starts from Yin Yang Wuji and the sublimation of sword intention, rather than "obtaining the sword" and "forgetting". sword";
However, Song Que's path of sword practice is an extremely profound conceptual direction, and is more universal than the peerless magical skills in the general sense. As long as it can be passed down, the "Heavenly Sword" method will never be discontinued, but Let the younger generations use this to realize the secret technique that is most suitable for them.
Coming to the other side of Liyang City, Zhao Qing's eyes seemed to penetrate a distance of more than ten miles, and he directly saw clearly the situation of Song Que and his party, and he commented sincerely:
"It seems that it won't be long, maybe in the next trial move, he can combine the information I left, make a new breakthrough, stabilize the 'Forget the Sword' state, and even rely on his understanding of the missing and perfect , truly entering the realm of heaven and man.”
…
The fields outside the city wall were littered with corpses, seeming to tell the story of the brutal siege that had lasted more than a month. The vast urban wilderness was dotted with flames and boundless. The sound of war drums and trumpets, and the sound of horseshoes and wheels, resounded throughout the world.
Du Fuwei's central army set out from a hillock, with cavalry as the main force and heavily equipped armored troops as the auxiliary. The forward army is composed of shield soldiers, archers, sword and axemen, and engineering soldiers, and is equipped with necessary tools for siege such as logs, ladders, and carts.
Each of the left and right flanking armies has five thousand men and one type of cavalry. There are still two troops in the rear of the Chinese army, which can not only defend the rear route, but also serve as reinforcements.
At this time, the bright moon rises in the sky, reflecting the cold light of the weapons, adding to the atmosphere of killing. These troops were advancing rapidly towards Liyang City, apparently preparing to launch a large-scale night attack.
The war drums sounded, and more than seventy iron-branded vertical carts, designed to block arrows from missing, began to move in the direction of Jingling. Behind each cart were more than a dozen archers. As long as they reached the appropriate distance, they could move from the two-foot-high vertical cart. Shoot arrows toward the city from behind the iron plate to cover other people's attacks.
The carriages began to advance, moving towards the city wall like towers. Since the height of the warriors on the carriages is similar to that of the wall, they can not only cover the entire city within the range of the arrows, but when they are close to the city wall, the soldiers can also directly step on the wall and attack the city.
The horn sounded loudly. Hundreds of catapults, driven by thousands of fortification soldiers, arrived first, passed over the building trucks, and chased after the arrow-blocking iron trucks. Tens of thousands of Jianghuai troops shouted together and their horses neighed wildly, causing the situation outside Liyang City to change color.
With the sound of drums, arrows rained down, and thousands of arrows rained down towards Liyang City. They were all rockets, drawing countless beautiful fireworks trails in the sky. They were indeed beautiful to look at, but full of devastation. threatening meaning.
Following the rocket, huge rocks hurled toward the wall like locusts, and the fire lit up the night sky. The soldiers and civilians on the city hid behind the city walls or defensive planks. Amidst the roar, the huge boulder hit the top of the city wall, and stone debris flew everywhere, which was shocking.
For a moment, the situation became extremely tragic, and the originally dark sky was turned blood red by the torch light. Both inside and outside the city were filled with cries of killing, the sound of trebuchets, the screeching sound of wheels rubbing against the ground, and the rumble of rocks hitting the ground or walls.
After casually shattering a few boulders that were thrown at him and might affect the residents of the city, Zhao Qing quickly noticed a tall, thin old man in the Jianghuai Army with a high crown on his head, about fifty years old, and a clumsy and rigid face.
This person is almost a head taller than the others. He has his hands behind his back and is surrounded by dozens of martial arts masters. He is coldly observing the battle situation in Liyang City at this time. It is obvious that he is the underworld overlord who controls the Jianghuai River and has everything in his sleeves. "Du Fuwei.
Even though he has the ability to kill the opponent with thousands of troops, considering that the Jianghuai army will inevitably disperse in all directions after losing its leader, and the military discipline will be disordered to loot the surrounding areas, Zhao Qing does not have enough men to restrain and control the rebel army. , not ready to take action for the time being.
To calm down the troubled times and restore peace to the world, although it is Zhao Qing's current goal, it does not make her devote herself to it anytime and anywhere and take action continuously. It is an incidental behavior while practicing.
However, a considerable number of the Sui soldiers who defended the city may have committed evil acts of oppressing the people, but the residents of Liyang City were innocent. Therefore, when Du Fuwei led his army to attack the city, she took action to block it. Some of the flying stones missed the arrows, thus indirectly revealing their existence.
Glancing at Shi Qingxuan next to him, who had been unable to use a lot of internal energy recently due to the "Sun Changing Technique", Zhao Qing returned his attention to Song Que's talk in the distance, and said calmly:
"Qingxuan, do you want to know how Song Que will evaluate the "Sword Code" and the essence of 'Zhiyin Wuji' that I handed over to him that day, and what insights he will draw on it?"
