Forgotten Tale of Jianghu

After a moment of silence — a flash of movement.

A figure darted onto the stage, landing in a smooth, practiced motion. Xin Long's eyes locked onto the newcomer.

A woman.

She appeared to be around twenty-five, draped in flowing violet robes. Every piece of jewelry adorning her was a shade of purple, carefully matching her attire. Her face, pale as porcelain, held a faint blush along her cheeks — a sharp contrast to the dark kohl outlining her almond-shaped eyes.

And her lips...

Painted a deep shade of purple, like a blooming nightshade flower.

A delicate, calculated beauty — and a clear display of wealth.

Xin Long's gaze swept over her quickly, a mere nod of acknowledgment given in return. He neither welcomed nor dismissed her. Just a simple tilt of his head.

The crowd below stirred at the sight of the violet-clad woman. Voices rose in shouts and cheers, the martial artists showing their support, though whether for her skill or her beauty, it was hard to tell.

Yet Xin Long remained unbothered — as if the noise did not exist at all.

"The Violet Princess, Ye Ziyan..."

Noticing that Ye Ziyan carried no weapon — not even a hidden blade — he couldn't help but ask,

"Are you really going to fight unarmed, Ye Ziyan?"

The words had barely left his lips when Ye Ziyan gave a small nod, as if to confirm his assumption.

"I entered this for fun… I don't intend to use weapons… But if you wish, you can attack me with whatever you like…" she replied softly, her voice calm and unshaken.

Hearing those words, Xin Long gave a slight nod in return and said,

"Then it seems we'll be having a weaponless match…"

Ye Ziyan, the Violet Princess, was the cherished daughter of the renowned Silver Goddess, Ye Sanhao, a well-known figure in the martial world residing in Luoyang City. With her father long deceased, Ye Ziyan lived in Luoyang and shared ties with Bai Jing Jing and her circle. She had only arrived this morning in Kunming City, accompanying Bai Hongfu's eldest son, Bai Luchan, to attend an upcoming wedding.

Little was known about Ye Ziyan's true martial prowess, and her mysterious reputation only added to the intrigue.

Xin Long fixed his gaze on Ye Ziyan standing before him. Then, he stole a quick glance toward the Shaolin Sect's head monk and the other prominent martial artists seated nearby.

At that moment, the chief of the Wudang Sect gave a subtle nod — the unspoken signal that the match could begin. From the elevated platform, the Shaolin Sect's head monk, along with a few other martial masters, observed the scene with unwavering focus.

Turning back to Ye Ziyan, Xin Long gave her a brief nod before adopting a stance inspired by the Dragon-Coiling Vine Whip technique once wielded by Bai Yiyue. His right palm extended toward Ye Ziyan, while his left arm stretched in the opposite direction — his body angled slightly sideways, prepared for the fight.

Ye Ziyan's eyes flickered with surprise. The stance before her was oddly familiar — too familiar. It bore a striking resemblance to the martial forms used by her friend, Bai Jing Jing.

For a fleeting moment, doubt crept into her mind. Martial arts often carried similarities across techniques, and perhaps this was simply one of those coincidental overlaps. Pushing aside her surprise, Ye Ziyan surged forward, launching her first attack without hesitation.

Bai Hongfu, seated above the platform, furrowed his brows as he studied the young man's stance.

The way he held himself mirrored the Bai family's signature Flaming Sparrow Blade Technique — specifically, the Sparrow Soaring to the Sky move. The resemblance was undeniable.

Before Bai Hongfu could dwell on it further, Ye Ziyan lunged forward, her attack swift and direct. She targeted the young man's lower body with a series of rapid kicks, aiming to break his footing.

As soon as she closed the distance, Ye Ziyan dropped into a low stance, executing a Whirlwind Circle Kick — her foot slicing through the air in an arc, aimed at his legs.

Bai Hongfu's eyes narrowed. The young man's upper-body stance was tight and unyielding, making direct attacks from above nearly impossible. It was a clear strategy — forcing the opponent to strike from below.

Realizing this, Bai Hongfu understood why Ye Ziyan chose to aim for his lower body. Yet, what puzzled him was the young man's response.

Instead of countering her kicks with a downward strike — a simple move that would allow him to maintain his stance — he repeatedly dodged by leaping back, careful not to disrupt his form.

It was strange. His footwork was precise, but he made no effort to retaliate, avoiding confrontation rather than engaging.

Bai Hongfu found himself frowning deeper. Why did the young man insist on retreating?

Xin Long, still dodging Ye Ziyan's relentless Whirlwind Circle Kicks, had a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Is that all you've got?" he sneered, his voice calm yet mocking.

His words were a deliberate jab — not just to taunt her but to provoke a reaction, to break her rhythm and force her to shift tactics. He wanted her to stop targeting his lower body and attack from a more predictable angle.

Yet, the moment the words left his mouth, Ye Ziyan let out a cold chuckle.

"Oh? Says the man who only knows how to retreat…" she shot back, her voice smooth but cutting.

Their brief exchange crackled with tension, neither willing to yield — blades of words clashing before their fists could.

Xin Long's body twisted midair, a single foot tapping the ground before he leapt upward — his figure almost a blur — spinning twice to create distance.

Yet, this wasn't a retreat. It was bait.

He wanted Ye Ziyan to pursue.

And she did.

As Xin Long landed, his right foot planted firmly, his left leg slightly stretched back. His body leaned forward, seemingly open — but this was merely a feint.

Ye Ziyan's palm strike shot forward, aiming for his chest.

In that split-second, Xin Long twisted his torso, shifting the angle of the blow just enough to let it skim past him. His arms, which had been coiled like a spring, suddenly unfurled — both palms slicing through the air towards either side of her face.

The move was swift, sharp, and eerily familiar.

Ye Ziyan's eyes widened as realization struck.

"Shaolin Dragon Claw…" she murmured, her voice a mix of disbelief and suspicion.

Her mind raced — that was one of the moves from the Shaolin Dragon Claw Technique.

But before she could react further, Bai Hongfu's voice rang out from the sidelines.

"No… that's the Flaming Sparrow Blade Technique… the Flaming Sparrow Slash…"

Both moves, from two vastly different martial arts — yet here they were, intertwined seamlessly in Xin Long's counterattack.

The air crackled with tension as both Ye Ziyan and Bai Hongfu watched, their gazes locked onto the young man whose techniques seemed to blur the lines between rival schools of combat.

The moment Xin Long's attack veered towards Ye Ziyan's temples, Grandmaster Kongshan's heart surged with astonishment — "Catching the Dark Moon…"

Simultaneously, Bai Hongfu, eyes narrowed and fixed on the unfolding scene, echoed within his mind — "Flaming Sparrow Blade Technique — Firefinch Strike!"

Indeed, Xin Long's strike bore a striking resemblance to the "Catching the Dark Moon…" from the Dragon-Claw Technique of the Shaolin lineage. Yet, at the same time, it mirrored the Firefinch Strike — an exclusive move of the Bai Family's Flaming Sparrow Blade Technique.

The reason for this uncanny resemblance? Xin Long had seamlessly transformed Bai Ye Yue's blade technique into a palm strike — altering its form but retaining its deadly precision.

As Bai Hongfu silently repeated those words, his gaze locked onto the frozen scene above the platform — Ye Ziyan's right palm hovering a mere inch from Xin Long's chest, while Xin Long's hands, bent at a deadly angle, threatened both sides of Ye Ziyan's head.

A precarious standstill.

"How did he master our techniques?"

The question gnawed at Bai Hongfu's mind as he stared intently at the unfathomable young man before him.

Even Xu Zhu Han, witnessing Xin Long's palm technique, found himself stunned. The move's resemblance to the "Catching the Dark Moon…" from the Dragon-Claw Technique was undeniable — sparking a creeping unease in his heart.

Could Xin Long be a hidden dragon of the Shaolin as well?

The possibility left Xu Zhu Han uneasy — for a dragon from Shaolin could mean a tiger in disguise.

The synchronized thoughts of Grandmaster Kongshan, Bai Hongfu, and Xu Zhu Han rippled like a silent undercurrent — all struck by the same question:

How did Xin Long master these techniques?

End – 44