The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Chapter 30 Song Han easily defeats Wei Er in Lingao Town

As Song Han left the inn, the two white-clad swordsmen on the distant rooftop also disappeared, heading towards the courtyard where the sword immortal Duan Xiuzhang lived in the night.

Song Han walked out of two streets, unconsciously looked up at the rooftops in the city center, and then went to the city gate in the night.

According to the rules of Sword Immortal City, Song Han registered at the guard post at the city gate and then used his lightness skill to leave the city.

Song Han exited through the North Gate and headed north towards the port north of An Island.

The town where the port is located to the north is Lingao Town.

This morning, Ji Mi and his group departed from the port of Xuwen County in the southern part of the mainland and took a boat to the port of Lingao Town in the northern part of An Island. By the time they arrived, it was already dark, so the group found an inn in the county to stay overnight.

It was late at night, and the inn in town was a two-story wooden building. Like most inns, there were several guest rooms on the first floor, with a large dining hall in the middle, and guest rooms on all four sides of the second floor.

At this moment, a burly man was standing on the roof of the inn, looking south towards Sword Immortal City. This man was none other than Wei Er, the general guarding the city of Freedom.

Wei Er had been standing on this rooftop for some time. There were many swordsmen on An Island, so it wasn't strange for someone to see a figure on the rooftop when they got up at night. They could just assume that a fellow Daoist was observing the stars in the middle of the night.

The waiter on night watch didn't meddle, since he had paid enough and as long as the roof wasn't damaged, there was nothing to worry about.

Wei Er was staring intently when a figure quietly appeared beside him.

Although the figure was thin, he was not weak; his strong features revealed the young man's elegant demeanor. This young man was none other than Dugu Xin.

Dugu Xin arrived at Wei Er's side, and Wei Er turned to look at Dugu Xin, unaware of the commotion when Dugu Xin came up.

"Still not at ease?" Dugu Xin asked softly.

Wei Er did not give a direct answer, but instead brought up a topic that everyone was discussing: "It is said that the path to immortality will open in this life. As for the sixty-year cycle, I don't know where this life will start. If it is sixty years from now, I don't know what the world will look like."

"The world, after a long period of unity, will inevitably divide; after a long period of division, it will inevitably unite. It is all predetermined, so it is better to go with the flow. I do not seek to bring glory to my ancestors, but only to have a clear conscience." Dugu Xin's reply reflected the Dugu family's belief.

"It's a pity that the people suffer when the dynasty prospers, and they suffer when the dynasty falls." Wei Er stopped looking at Dugu Xin and turned to look in the direction of Sword Immortal City to the south.

As the two were watching, they saw a figure flying towards them on a sword from outside the town.

A swordsman who can fly on a sword is no ordinary swordsman in the martial arts world; he must be a master from a prestigious sect. And this person is none other than Song Han from the Tang Clan.

Upon seeing this figure, neither of them spoke again. They both used their lightness skills to jump onto the opposite rooftop, and then scaled the walls and eaves, arriving outside the town in no time.

Song Han happened to be at the outer city gate of the town when he saw the two of them and sheathed his sword.

Song Han introduced himself as "Song Han of the Tang Clan".

"Lonely Letter" Lonely Letter responded simply.

"Wei Er, the garrison commander of Free City," Wei Er replied.

"Did you two know I was coming?" Song Han asked.

Wei Er was already preparing to draw his sword, but Dugu Xin did not make a move.

"We have encountered many attacks along the way. I wonder if one of my friends has offended you?" Wei Er responded to Song Han's question.

"Your friend's name is Qi Yuan, right? I'm neither his friend nor his enemy. But I'd like to see what kind of skills his friend has." With that, Song Han picked up his sword and charged towards Wei Er.

Wei Er didn't hesitate and immediately drew his sword to block Song Han's attack.

What followed was a swordplay contest. Although Wei Er's swordsmanship contained immense power in every strike, he was not as agile as Song Han, and every strike missed its mark.

After several rounds, Wei Er became breathless and gradually lost ground.

Dugu Xin did not offer any assistance, since Wei Er was not in immediate danger during their duel.

In another round, their swords clashed. Wei Er was clearly stronger, but Song Han did not try to outmuscle him and instead retreated.

Song Han used a feigned retreat to advance, unleashing a sword strike imbued with his inner energy. Wei Er had no time to dodge; although Song Han's sword didn't touch his body, the resulting sword energy injured him.

Seeing Wei Er injured by the sword energy, Dugu Xin was about to help when Song Han sheathed his sword and then bowed.

Seeing Song Han bow to him with his left hand in a palm and his right hand in a fist, Wei Er knew that in Song Han's eyes the outcome was already decided, and could only return the bow according to the rules of the martial arts world.

“I’ve already met Qi Yuan in Sword Immortal City. Let’s talk somewhere else,” Song Han said to the two of them.

……

Late at night, at the Dream Inn in Sword Immortal City, Luo Yifei looked at Qi Yuan and asked, "Worried about me? What do I have to worry about?"

“We should start with the legend of the Orchid Pavilion,” Qi Yuan said to Luo Yifei.

"You didn't call me here just to hear the story again, did you?" Bili spoke first. "Several caravans traveled to another world, wrote a few books, and brought them back. No one has ever seen the original copies of these books; they are all just stories made up by later generations. The talk of prosperous times and immortal cultivation is all too fantastical."

“You just mentioned another world, and everyone thought it was one world. But now some people think it's three other worlds.” Qi Yuan responded to Bi Li’s words and continued, “The least attractive of these three worlds is the world described in ‘The Libationer’ because it’s too similar to our Floating World Continent. But this world actually exists.”