Blade - Unbound

Both processions met almost head-on in a narrow street.

The moment Shopkeeper Wan saw the situation, his temper flared. "Well now... they've come looking for trouble!"

Every team's route had been carefully planned, and one could discern their strategy from those routes alone.

Take the Jinzhou team, for instance. They were wealthy and powerful, yet they had deliberately chosen the route through Pingkang Street, allowing them to reach the gate while avoiding conflict with every other team.

They wanted only a single qualification slot, making their victory almost guaranteed. That cautious yet steady style had always been characteristic of the people of Jinzhou.

The banking houses were rich, yet they pinched every penny, like hamsters hoarding silver in underground cellars, unwilling to spend it on either food or clothing. Even their martial artists followed the same philosophy. They hid away within sprawling estates to train their disciples. Their boxing was plain and unadorned, neither ostentatious nor aggressive, always pursuing stability and long-term success.

There was even an old saying in the jianghu: You'll see Jinzhou boxing knock people down, but you'll never see a Jinzhou man practicing boxing.

Shopkeeper Wan's planned route was from Daozheng Street to Changle Street, then around the Eastern Market before proceeding directly onto Zhuque Avenue, preserving as much of their strength as possible during the early stages.

Had the Yulin procession simply continued straight ahead, they would have arrived before Shopkeeper Wan's team, and the two processions would have passed one another without meeting.

Instead, they had deliberately come from the opposite direction. They clearly weren't trying to intercept the Jinzhou team. They intended to eliminate Shopkeeper Wan's team first.

Shopkeeper Wan pushed his way to the front of the procession in a few quick strides. Seeing the elderly man in a sheepskin coat leading the opposing team, he immediately shouted angrily, "Hu Qingquan, what are you trying to pull? Do you think I'm easy prey?"

The old man in the sheepskin coat carried a long whip handle in his hand. Looking utterly helpless, he sighed. "Shopkeeper Wan, we've known each other for years. I don't want this either. But someone's got me by the throat. I don't have much choice."

Shopkeeper Wan's heart sank. "Someone told you to come after me?"

"Not just you." The old man shook his head. "They want more than one qualification slot. Even if I defeat your team, I'll still have to go and lose to someone else afterward. You understand what I mean."

Shopkeeper Wan's expression immediately darkened. "Is it the Fire Bear Gang?"

Some things were obvious with only a little thought. Originally, this had been a grand gathering of the orthodox mystic path. However, one anomaly had joined the competition this year: the Fire Bear Gang.

Those people would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. The out-of-province teams aside, the organizers of the local teams were mostly independent cultivators like Shopkeeper Wan, people with families and businesses. Having their loved ones or livelihoods held hostage was only too easy.

As long as several teams exhausted one another fighting before ultimately losing to the Fire Bear Gang, the latter could effortlessly secure multiple qualification slots.

Now that he understood the reason, Shopkeeper Wan wasted no more words trying to talk his way out of it. He simply sighed and declared, "Hu Qingquan, since it's come to this, how do you want to settle it? The civilized way... or the martial way?"

The old man in the sheepskin coat raised an eyebrow. "Just because someone's got leverage over me doesn't mean I have to sell my soul to them. Let's settle it the civilized way. If you can't even get past me, Brother Wan, you won't last long once you reach Zhuque Avenue."

Li Yan had already started walking over, but upon hearing this, he stopped and smiled at Guo Luquan beside him. "Brother Guo, if it's the civilized way... Then this one's up to you."

Everyone present came from the jianghu. The civilized way had nothing to do with poetry or elegant conversation. It simply meant competing honestly according to the traditional rules governing Divine Towers, letting skill determine the victor.

"Just watch!" Guo Luquan bellowed before turning to the others behind him. "Brothers, steady as the forest!"

"Master Zuo, leave the rest to us!"

At his command, the Divine Tower bearers immediately contracted their formation into a tight, compact array, each man positioned to support the others as they advanced slowly toward the opposing team.

Meanwhile, an elderly man and three young men leapt lightly upward, stepping on the shoulders of the tower bearers before landing atop the largest Divine Tower.

They were members of the Huayin Zuo Opera Troupe.

After respectfully bowing before the deity's statue, the three moved to one side of the Divine Tower. Raising their hands, they pulled down a white screen concealed beneath the eaves. They lit ox-fat candles, reflected the light with polished bronze mirrors, and in an instant, transformed it into the stage for a shadow puppet performance.

"Ah-heh!"

Accompanied by a desolate, resonant cry, towering mountains and flowing rivers suddenly appeared upon the screen, all painstakingly crafted from shadow puppets. At the same time, the shadow puppet orchestra positioned before the drum troupe began their accompaniment, with gongs, drums, wooden clappers, and suona horns sounding together.

Moments later, nine golden crows appeared upon the screen. It was the famous Huayin Old Tune: Shooting Down the Nine Suns. As the ancient, heroic song echoed through the streets, the shadow puppets sprang to life.

"Look! Look!"

The people of the Guanzhong Plains loved opera, and the Zuo Opera Troupe had been operating for over a century. Experts needed only a single performance to reveal their skill. The spectacle immediately drew a huge crowd, as even many of the spectators following the Yulin team drifted over to watch.

Meanwhile, Guo Luquan and the other bearers continued advancing. As he watched from the side, Li Yan couldn't help but admire them. No matter how steady the tower bearers were, carrying such an enormous Divine Tower inevitably caused some swaying, yet the performers remained completely unaffected.

Their hands were astonishingly nimble, with a single performer manipulating several puppets at once. From scenery to characters, even their expressions and movements were vividly lifelike. Most remarkable of all, they continued singing while operating the puppets. Handling two or three tasks simultaneously seemed effortless for them.

Compared to Shopkeeper Wan's towering structure, the Yulin troupe's Divine Tower was noticeably smaller. After being coerced into this confrontation, they had evidently lost any desire to put much effort into the competition.

"Brother Wan, you've certainly put some thought into this!" The old man in the sheepskin coat gave him a thumbs-up before shaking his head. "We prepared a few little tricks ourselves, but compared to yours, they fall far short. Better not embarrass ourselves by bringing them out.

"What I do wonder, though... is whether your Divine Tower is sturdy enough."

Before he had even finished speaking, the two teams of bearers had already collided.

Guo Luquan roared, "Immovable as the mountain!"

At once, every bearer shifted to carrying the pole with a single arm while planting his stance firmly, using his free hand to brace against the back of the man in front.

The two formations slammed into each other. Since this was a civilized contest, no one resorted to dirty tricks. It became a pure contest of strength. Like two bulls locking horns, both sides shouted their work chants as they struggled to drive the opposing formation apart.

In the end, however, the Yulin team simply had fewer men. Once Guo Luquan's formation had settled into position, no amount of pushing or ramming from the other side could budge their Divine Tower. The faces of the Yulin team turned crimson, veins bulging from their necks, but the Divine Tower remained unmoved.

Carrying a Divine Tower while simultaneously trying to force back another team consumed tremendous amounts of strength.

Seeing the opposing bearers drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, Guo Luquan naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity. He roared, "Invade Like Fire!"

That was precisely why Shopkeeper Wan had hired him. His bearers had once developed an entire system of carrying Divine Towers based on military strategy. As long as the other side didn't resort to underhanded methods, they feared no opponent.

At Guo Luquan's command, the formation instantly changed. The men at the very rear began pushing their palms against the backs of the men ahead. One after another, they passed the power forward, like wildfire rippling across the plains. By the time the accumulated force reached the men at the front, it had multiplied severalfold.

The front rank had already prepared themselves. Shifting the carrying poles onto a single shoulder, they thrust both arms forward, forcing the opposing formation backward through sheer strength. The entire team moved as though it were a single body.

That explosive surge of strength instantly broke the Yulin bearers' formation, but they were still carrying a Divine Tower. Their center of gravity gave way and the enormous Divine Tower immediately began swaying violently.

As the front ranks stumbled and toppled aside, the men behind could no longer bear the crushing weight.

Crash!

The massive Divine Tower slammed heavily into the ground. The rules governing a Divine Tower were the same as those for a coffin. Once lifted, it could not touch the ground again until it reached its destination. Touching the ground was considered an ominous sign.

In the competition, it signified only one thing.

Defeat.

"Fuck!"

"Damn it all!"

The bearers sprawled on the ground pounded the earth in frustration.

They were seething inside. They had come full of enthusiasm, hoping to contend for glory at the Drum King Assembly, only to be manipulated into serving as sacrificial pawns blocking someone else's path. Anyone in their position would have been furious.

The old man in the sheepskin coat, however, took it all in stride. Rising to his feet, he cupped his fists and said, "Brother Wan, splendid skills. If the opportunity presents itself, help this old brother vent a little of this resentment!"

With that, he removed the ritual banner from atop the Divine Tower and, with a flick of his arm, hurled it over like a javelin. Shopkeeper Wan was an elder of the Artisan Guild. Though his expertise lay in crafting, he had practiced martial arts as well.

Using a deft movement, he caught the ritual banner in one smooth motion, cupped his fists, and replied, "Just watch, Brother!"

He then respectfully planted the banner atop his own Divine Tower.

Watching from the side, Li Yan found the scene rather interesting. He could clearly sense that the moment the ritual banner changed hands, the incense energy gathered within the opposing Divine Tower, along with the divine astral qi condensed upon its deity, surged with the banner and flowed into their own Divine Tower.

The Yulin procession also conducted themselves with admirable grace. Though defeated, they retained their dignity. They immediately carried their Divine Tower off to one side so as not to block the road, then all cupped their fists in unison.

"May the winds and rains be timely! May the nation prosper and the people live in peace!"

Li Yan and the others returned the salute together. "May the winds and rains be timely! May the nation prosper and the people live in peace!"

That, after all, had always been the original purpose of the Divine Tower procession. It originated from the ancient Rain Dance, meant to avert calamities and pray for blessings, not merely to determine a winner.

The townsfolk echoed the blessing as well.

"May the winds and rains be timely! May the nation prosper and the people live in peace!"

Carrying their incense, they gathered once more behind Li Yan's procession and continued onward.

The road ahead stretched straight and unobstructed. They passed through Anyi Street, Qinren Street, and Changxing Street while the shadow puppet performance beside the Divine Towers continued without interruption. Long before the procession arrived, crowds had already gathered outside each ward, clicking their tongues in amazement upon seeing the performance. Some burned incense by the roadside and prayed, while others took up incense sticks and joined the procession behind them.

By the time they passed through Anren Street and arrived at Zhuque Avenue, an immense sea of people had already formed behind them. Incense smoke curled endlessly into the air, the procession stretching like a giant dragon as far as the eye could see.

Walking alongside the procession, Li Yan was secretly astonished. The incense power surrounding the two Divine Towers had become increasingly dense. It had not been long, yet it felt as though they had already received decades' worth of worship. Their divine astral qi formation had fully taken shape.

It was even denser than that of the Earth God Temple at Li Clan's Fort!

Moreover, he could sense the incense aura rising from the Divine Towers and converging toward the northwest where the City God Temple stood.

Upon entering Zhuque Avenue, an endless sea of lanterns surged into view. People were packed shoulder to shoulder in the streets. Lanterns stretched endlessly into the distance, and the deafening clamor rolled like crashing waves.

Though Li Yan's procession was sizable, once it entered Zhuque Avenue, it was like a fish disappearing into the ocean of lights, unable to make much of a ripple.

There, every procession finally revealed its trump card.

Immediately to the north of their street marched the delegation from Ezhou. As expected, they had saved their best for the nighttime festivities. Their Divine Tower was respectable enough, but their true masterpiece was the Hundred-Segment Lantern Dragon.

Wooden poles of varying heights had already been erected around the Divine Tower. The men each carrying a section of the dragon's body leapt effortlessly from pole to pole, their movements swift and agile. They were clearly all seasoned martial artists.

Furthermore, those wooden poles were unmistakably plum blossom stakes. The hundred sections of the dragon lantern were also connected from head to tail. As the performers bounded from stake to stake, the blazing dragon truly seemed to come alive, soaring up and down around the Divine Tower like a living serpent of fire.

"Excellent!"

"Bravo!"

After all, outsiders always seemed more impressive. The people of Chang'an had seen countless dragon and lion dances before, but never such a colossal lantern dragon performed by a hundred people, nor one that displayed its most difficult techniques from the very beginning.

Cheers erupted from every direction as more and more spectators streamed toward them. Even many of the people following behind Li Yan's procession drifted away to watch.

Meanwhile, on the south side of the avenue marched the delegation from Xiangchu. Their procession was even livelier. Not only was their Divine Tower of an entirely different style from those of Guanzhong, but they too had brought dragons. In fact, they had two of them.

The first was woven entirely from straw and incense. Lifted high by its handlers, it twisted and danced through clouds of smoke and fireworks with imposing majesty. Li Yan could even smell the incense transforming into the shape of a dragon. It coiled and danced from side to side as though devouring the incense offerings before finally returning to the ritual banner atop the Divine Tower.

The second dragon was a Fireworks Puppet Dragon, held aloft by its performers as showers of sparks burst continuously from its body, making it an irresistible spectacle. That procession likewise drew away a great number of spectators. An even larger portion of the crowd following Li Yan's procession was quickly lured away.

Sweat poured down Shopkeeper Wan's forehead as he quickly called out, "That's the Chenzhou Road Incense Fire Dragon and the Liuyang Fireworks Puppet Dragon! How did we end up right between these two teams? Master Zuo, quick, show them your masterpiece!"

"Right away!"

Hidden behind the screen of the Divine Tower, Master Zuo immediately opened the wooden chest beside him and carefully removed an object from within. It resembled a bronze mirror, but it was much thicker, with crystal inlays on both sides. A sinister yin aura coiled around it, making it impossible to tell exactly what kind of spiritual artifact it was.

On the opposite side, one of his disciples produced an identical artifact.

Li Yan's eyes widened in shock. He quickly understood the Zuo Opera Troupe was finally about to unveil its signature technique, the Eight Directions Projection Art!

Thick clouds of smoke suddenly billowed around the Divine Tower. The smoke had been prepared in advance by the troupe. Rather than dispersing, it lingered in dense layers.

As Master Zuo and the others formed hand seals and chanted incantations, the small shadow puppets in their hands were projected through the bronze mirrors onto the swirling curtain of smoke, bringing to life images of divine beings one after another.

Each stood nearly three men tall. Their colossal forms were indistinct, yet that very indistinctness only made them seem more mysterious and majestic. Viewed from afar, it appeared as though the gods themselves had descended, surrounding the Divine Tower.

Li Yan stared in astonishment. What they were doing was a form of illusion art, but he had never imagined it could be incorporated into shadow puppet theater. Nor was that all. The singers of the Zuo Opera Troupe had also altered their vocal technique. Using their throats in combination with ventriloquism, their voices became deep, ethereal murmurs, like the whispers of the gods themselves.

"Look!"

"The Lord... The Lord has appeared!"

"What ignorance. That's the Eight Directions Projection Art, the signature technique of the Huayin Zuo Opera Troupe. I never thought I would live to see it in person. This trip was worth it!"

The moment the secret technique was displayed, an overwhelming tide of spectators flooded toward them. Even the neighboring processions could not help turning to look.

Among the Xiangchu delegation, an old man with a black cloth wrapped around his head immediately began cursing one of his disciples. "You stupid brat! I told you to bring the equipment, but you kept whining that it was too heavy. Look at us now! What are we supposed to compete with?"

The disciple was dark-skinned and skinny. After taking several smacks to the head from the old man, he replied stubbornly, "Master, if you hadn't been such a softhearted fool and agreed to help someone win qualification slots, would we even be in this situation?"

The old man raised his hand to strike him again. "You're still talking back!"

The disciple quickly dodged aside. His eyes darted about before suddenly lighting up. "Master, they've got two banners now. I'll go have a little match with them and bring another banner back."

With that, he strode toward Shopkeeper Wan's procession. The old man merely snorted and made no move to stop him, clearly having complete confidence in his disciple.

Li Yan had noticed the young man long ago.

As the youngster walked up to Shopkeeper Wan, the fellow grinned mischievously, cupped his fists, and said, "Uncle, care for a little contest?"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!