Seeking Truth with a Sword

SWISH.

Pei Jing swung his Han Sword and nodded slightly to show respect to his opponent. These simple movements nonetheless caused some of the young girls in the audience to unconsciously fix their gazes on him. It had to be said that Pei Jing was indeed suited for such occasions. With a face as fair as jade, sword-like brows, and star-bright eyes, he possessed an ethereal aura. Even with sweat trickling down his forehead and his hair in slight disarray, he did not appear disheveled but rather exuded an added touch of valor.

"How handsome..."

"Is he the fourth son of the Pei family from Chang'an?"

"Yes, that's him. His father is the Minister, and his mother is the legitimate daughter of the Taiyuan Wang Family. In terms of moral character, personality, or talent, he is outstanding—truly one of the best among his peers."

The young girls below the stage whispered among themselves, "How could there be such a good-looking person in this world?"

"Such an excellent person must have been engaged long ago, right? Ah, what a pity. Why am I not from Chang'an?"

"Actually, no. A long time ago, our Emperor intended to grant him a marriage at a family banquet. However, at that time, the fourth son was only six or seven years old. He had already set his sights on entering the Academic Palace and serving the nation, declaring he wouldn't consider marriage until he graduated. This led the Emperor to exclaim that heroes truly emerge from the young, a tale still famously recounted in Chang'an today."

"Is that so? Truly, the outstanding are excellent from a young age. What type of girl does he like..."

Girls from various nations whispered to each other.

Nearby, the boys clicked their tongues in annoyance, saying sourly, "Although Pei Silang is outstanding, he doesn't rank at the very top among his peers in the Academic Palace. There are two people ahead of him. In terms of grades, isn't He Fanshuang, the top student of the Academic Palace, better than him? In terms of achievements, Li Ang, also known as Li Risheng, is simply incomparable."

Another young man added, "Yes, the soap that people are using now—those are his creations. The reduction in summer and autumn malarial diseases is thanks to him. And the currently priceless Allicin and Penicillin were also invented by him."

Looking at Pei Jing on the stage, the youths—boys full of vigor—involuntarily found common ground in their sentiments.

"What are you talking about? Li Ang and Pei Jing can't even be compared, can they?"

The girls immediately retorted, disgruntled, "We're just praising Pei Silang, and you drag Li Ang into it. So jealous."

"Yes, terribly jealous. Is it so hard to admit that someone else is outstanding?"

"Stick to the facts. Don't demean one to praise another, okay? That's so crude and shows a lack of confidence."

The chattering from that part of the crowd grew slightly louder. Li Ang heard it clearly, and a peculiar expression immediately appeared on his face.

You can talk all you want, but leave me out of it, okay?

Li Wei and Yang Yu snickered, nudging Li Ang in the chest with their elbows. "Risheng, it seems you're quite famous in other nations, huh? Could you give us an autograph, or perhaps a piece of your calligraphy or a painting?"

"Get lost."

Li Ang waved his hand dismissively and turned his gaze back to the stage. "It's starting."

Pei Jing, on the stage, had likely grown accustomed to being the subject of discussion, his expression remaining unchanged. Meanwhile, Ashina Galuo walked over to the weapon rack. She selected a Turkic Scimitar and a small, lightweight Kite-shaped Shield.

Pei Jing frowned slightly at her choice. A scimitar was actually better suited for mounted combat. Its curved blade could leverage the momentum of a charging horse to execute longer slashes, tearing through an enemy's leather armor and flesh. However, in ground combat, the scimitar's disadvantages were clear. Its insufficient length meant one would often enter the enemy's attack range before being able to strike. And in terms of thrusting, it was less effective than a longsword.

HUFF...

Holding the scimitar and shield, Ashina Galuo stood her ground, closed her eyes, and exhaled deeply. When she opened her eyes again, her entire aura had transformed, becoming sharp and unstoppable, like the edge of a blade.

As Xue Che announced the start of the match, Galuo stomped the ground fiercely. Her petite figure darted out like an arrow, the scimitar tracing an arc through the air as it aimed directly for Pei Jing's neck. Indeed, the scimitar possessed an Innate disadvantage in length during foot combat, so her first move was to close the distance.

THUD—

Faced with the rapidly swinging scimitar, Pei Jing advanced instead of retreating. He raised his oval shield with his left hand while simultaneously chopping downward diagonally with the Han Sword in his right. He was taller than Galuo and anticipated that she would have to lift her shield as high as possible to block his strike. He foresaw two possibilities: either she would lack the strength to block his stroke, leading to his direct victory, or she would block it. In the latter case, Pei Jing planned to use a stomp or a headbutt to trade blows and create distance.

However, a sharp gleam flashed in Galuo's eyes. Her wrist shook violently as she suddenly turned the scimitar, blade facing upward. She pressed down heavily, scraping it fiercely across the edge of Pei Jing's oval shield.

CREAK—

Paint splattered from the shield's surface. The inner handle of this shield was somewhat loose, allowing for relatively generous gripping space. Under the heavy pressure, the upper half of the shield uncontrollably tilted slightly toward Pei Jing. This tilt redirected the scimitar's trajectory, once again aiming for Pei Jing's neck.

Gasps erupted from the audience. Due to their height difference, Galuo's scimitar would undoubtedly strike before Pei Jing's Han Sword could.

Without time to think, Pei Jing also turned his Han Sword, pushing the sword guard forward to trap the scimitar. The guards on most Han Swords are relatively small, often serving merely as decoration. This Han Sword, however, was designed for actual combat. Its guard was long and straight, capable of protecting the hand from cuts and blocking an opponent's blade. Furthermore, it could be used to guide, or even control, the direction of an opponent's weapon.

SCRAPE—

At that moment, Pei Jing completely forgot he was on the dueling stage. He gripped his sword hilt tightly, driving the sword guard forward. He absolutely could not retreat or withdraw his sword now. The scimitar's blade was curved; if it escaped the control of his sword guard, his opponent could push it sideways. The blade's curve would reduce resistance, allowing it to slash forward. He sought a stalemate, intending to follow with a shield bash.

Pei Jing's left hand thrust his shield forward heavily. At this angle, his opponent would have to retreat. Otherwise, the shield would strike her under the ribs. At best, she would be disarmed; at worst, it would trigger her talisman, and she would lose the match.

But Galuo had never considered retreating.

She suddenly raised her right arm, pulling the scimitar upward several inches. With a twist of her wrist, she used the force from Pei Jing's forward-pressing sword guard to completely flip the scimitar's orientation. Simultaneously, Galuo tapped the ground with the tip of her toe. She twisted her waist like an enchanting Concubine Hu performing the Hu Xuan Dance, channeling sufficient strength into her arm. The tip of the scimitar, like a scorpion's backward-curving sting, darted toward Pei Jing's neck.

CLANG!

The sound of clashing metal rang out. A red glow from a talisman flashed on the side of Pei Jing's neck. He instinctively stepped forward half a step, his face still wearing a look of astonishment.

HUFF...

Galuo exhaled deeply. She relaxed from her Hu Xuan Dance-like posture and bowed to Pei Jing. In slightly accented Chang'an official dialect, she said, "You let me win."

This fierce exchange lasted only a few moments. Students with sharper eyes and better weaponry skills could tell that Galuo had ended the match with an unexpected killing blow. Some students, however, hadn't even had time to clearly see the movements.

"Pei Silang lost?"

"How is that possible?!"

"It can't be..."

The noise from the audience was tumultuous. Pei Jing, after a moment of shock, regained his composure and nodded to Galuo. "I lost. Your scimitar is very impressive."

"Hehe, my teacher taught me well." Galuo smiled as she sheathed her scimitar and waved to her elder brother and clansmen below the stage.

TSK,

Li Wei clicked his tongue and frowned. "Those scimitar moves change so quickly; it's impossible to react. And her style doesn't quite seem like authentic Turkic Imperial Guard techniques."

"What do you mean?" Yang Yu asked curiously. "Is there a difference?"

"Yes. The Turkic Imperial Guard also uses scimitars, but they primarily employ them in mounted combat. They use dragging and slashing methods, leveraging the momentum of a cavalry charge to kill enemies and break through formations. Her scimitar techniques just now, however, seemed more designed for dueling." Li Wei pondered, speaking slowly. "Her teacher is truly formidable."

"Is that so..." Yang Yu's Martial Arts Skill was not particularly high, so he didn't fully grasp the nuances. He turned to look at Li Ang and noticed that Li Ang also wore a thoughtful expression. "Hmm? Risheng, what are you thinking?"

"I was wondering," Li Ang said, narrowing his eyes, "if I were the one on stage, could I have blocked that last strike with a Han Sword?"

Yang Yu, who considered himself knowledgeable about Li Ang, was greatly surprised. "You understand swords too?"

"Just a little," Li Ang replied. He paused. His mind's database stored a wealth of information on human biomechanics. He understood human physiological anatomy and theoretical physics. He knew the structure, function, and movement patterns of the human musculoskeletal system: the leverage principles of the muscular and skeletal systems, the range and angles of joint movement, muscular force and energy, and the principles by which the brain regulates and controls the musculoskeletal system... These, perhaps, could also be considered Martial Arts... right?