《World of Honor》


 CH 1

    Seven years ago.


    Twilight City


    It was the rainy season in the south, and it had been raining for nine days straight. The mist was thick, the air was humid, and the whole city seemed to fall into a fairyland, looking ethereal and dreamy. But today¡¯s rain was different, it was no longer the silky drizzle, but the torrential downpour, pounding on the eaves with a loud sound.


    Under the eaves of a pharmacy at the entrance of Orange Blossom Alley, a woman in plain clothes looked at the sky. She seemed to be in her twenties, with a beautiful face but a bit pale. She stared at the rain curtain as if thinking about something, and after a long time she muttered a sentence.


    ¡°What a heavy rain.¡±


    But her voice overlapped with another voice.


    The woman was startled and quickly turned her head, only to find that there was already a scholar in white standing next to her. The scholar looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with a long sword at his waist and a bookcase on his back. He seemed to have just taken shelter under this eave, and was wiping the rain off his face with his hand.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The woman asked in surprise.


    The scholar wiped off the rain on his face, turned his head and smiled gently at the woman, ¡°Greetings, miss. My name is Su Baiyi.¡±


    The woman was stunned, and the rain suddenly became lighter at this moment. She could not detect any hostility in the scholar¡¯s gentle smile, and she thought: Could he be a traveler who really lost his way?


    The scholar who called himself Su Baiyi turned around and set his bookcase by the wall, still with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. You were so wound up with murderous aura, even this soft rain felt threatening.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the rain became heavier again.


    A long knife was pressed against Su Baiyi¡¯s chest, and the woman said coldly, ¡°I just asked you who you are, not your name. I asked why you appeared here. The checkpoints within three miles should be guarded by people from the four major families. How did you sneak in?¡±


    Su Baiyi faced the sharp knife, still smiling calmly, ¡°Miss, however you got in here, I got in here the same way. This question is meaningless. But our meeting here is very meaningful. Because¡­ I¡¯m here to help you.¡±


    The woman withdrew her knife and looked at Su Baiyi suspiciously. ¡°Are you from Devil City? I thought they didn¡¯t receive my letter.¡±


    Su Baiyi scratched his head and pointed at his face. ¡°May I ask, miss, what do you see on my face?¡±


    The woman looked at him for a long time, frowning more tightly. She didn¡¯t understand what this young man was up to. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Innocence. I have the face of a noble gentleman, pure and harmless. How could I be from Devil City?¡± Su Baiyi sighed helplessly and fiddled with his sleeve. ¡°Do people from Devil City have such fine features as mine? Do they have such clear eyes as mine? Miss, your vision is really not very good. No wonder you like¡­¡±


    ¡°Qing Yi Lang such a man.¡±


    A gust of wind blew by, and the rain came in, hitting their faces, hurting a bit.


    Su Baiyi still had a gentle smile on his face, looking at the woman in front of him, although his words were clearly provocative.


    The woman felt that she should be angry, but she held back her knife and met Su Baiyi¡¯s eyes, only lowering her head slightly.


    The wind died down, and the rain resumed its steady fall, and then there was the sound of horse hooves splashing water.


    ¡°They¡¯re here.¡± Su Baiyi raised his eyebrows.


    The woman¡¯s expression became serious in an instant. She said in a low voice, ¡°I can¡¯t guess who you are, but since you say you are my helper, I believe you. After all, I have no choice. But we have to work together to fight the enemy, on the edge of life and death. I hope you won¡¯t lie to me, Su Baiyi.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know what to say. I have no sect, no school. I come from a small village. You¡¯ve never heard of that village, but maybe you¡¯ve heard of its wine. As for why I¡¯m here to help you? My master sent me.¡± Su Baiyi scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m a good disciple, you know. I always listen to my master.¡±


    ¡°Who is your master?¡± The woman asked, trailing off.


    ¡°Shh.¡± Su Baiyi raised a finger and made a gesture of silence. He raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°Listen, the sound of horse hooves has passed the second street corner. When they reach the third one, it will be time to act. I¡¯ll go first. If things go smoothly, I can handle it alone. If I need your help, I¡¯ll send a signal.¡±


    The woman shook her head anxiously. ¡°The fourth street corner is a better place to act. That place is very narrow, and the carriage can¡¯t move easily. Even if they have more people, they can¡¯t use their full strength¡­¡±


    ¡°True, but we¡¯re not the only ones who can think of such a good place. So I guess there are already other people waiting there to ambush.¡±


    ¡°Achoo!¡± At the fourth street corner, a carriage was parked quietly. A burly man in white sat in front of the carriage, holding the reins in his hand. He sneezed heavily and blew his nose. He said unhappily, ¡°Senior sister, we¡¯ve already come this far. Can you tell us who we¡¯re waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard of Qing Yi Lang?¡± A gentle voice came from the carriage.


    ¡°The young gentleman in green clothes, who comes and goes in the apricot garden fragrant. Isn¡¯t he the most charming young master in the south nowadays? I heard that half of the women from the four major families like him. Senior sister, could it be that you also¡­¡± The burly man raised his eyebrows suggestively.


    The woman in the carriage seemed to have no mood to joke with him. She continued calmly, ¡°Wang, Xie, Chen, Dongfang, the four major families in the south. They hold a meeting every three years to compete for supremacy. In this meeting, each family sends out their most powerful young disciples to fight each other. Qing Yi Lang represents the Xie family this time. The Xie family has declined in recent years and become the weakest of the four families. But against all odds, Qing Yi Lang broke into the final round of this meeting with his own strength. Many people say that after more than ten years, the Xie family finally saw their long-awaited dragon among men in this generation.¡±


    ¡°The Xie family in the south? Isn¡¯t that where Xie Yuling, whom I hate the most, comes from?¡± The burly man snorted. ¡°I heard he had big plans to restore the Xie family¡¯s glory. Looks like someone got there before him.¡±


    ¡°Not really. In the final battle with Wang family¡¯s young master, Qing Yi Lang suddenly went berserk and lost control of his true energy. Only by joining forces, four elders from Wang family barely subdued him. According to them later, Qing Yi Lang was able to rise suddenly in this meeting because he secretly practiced some martial arts, and these martial arts might be evil arts passed down from the extinct Demon Sect. So now the four families decided on taking Qing Yi Lang to Wang family¡¯s mansion as a captive and questioning him about this matter.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re here to¡­¡±


    ¡°For these years, Wang family has been leading the four families and deliberately suppressing the power of the other families. If Qing Yi Lang is really sent to Wang family¡¯s mansion, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t have much luck. Qing Yi Lang is Xie Yuling¡¯s elder brother. He learned about this and begged our master for help. Master also felt that there was something fishy about this matter, so he sent me here.¡±


    The burly man licked his lips. ¡°To save that kid¡¯s elder brother? Then will he still dare to be arrogant in front of me? No wonder senior sister chose to bring me along. I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll have to wait.¡± The voice in the carriage was gentle, but it had some kind of irresistible power. The burly man shrugged his shoulders and looked up. ¡°Fine, fine. It won¡¯t be long anyway.¡±


    ¡°One, two, three, four.¡± Su Baiyi counted under his breath at the entrance of the pharmacy, each number matching a sound of rainwater splashed by the horse hooves. ¡°Five, six, seven¡­now! Lend me a hairpin!¡±


    A white figure darted out like an arrow, only to see Su Baiyi¡¯s movements were extremely fast, his feet stepping on the water, but not splashing a drop.


    Such a movement¡­ The woman thought of a legend in the martial arts world that she had heard a long time ago. She touched her hair bun and found that the green hairpin on it was gone.


    When the carriage turned into the third street corner, a white figure suddenly appeared at that corner, and then leaped up. As he leaped up, he also brought up a lot of rainwater, which then scattered and poured down on the people guarding the carriage.


    ¡°Ambush!¡± The leader of the escort drew his sword and yelled in alarm.


    But the white figure had already disappeared.


    The leader wiped the rainwater from his face and looked around. He cursed and then said, ¡°Everyone, stay alert. Be careful on the rest of the way!¡±


    Inside the carriage, two people were staring at each other.


    A man in green clothes was leaning there, his face pale and dull, his eyes lifeless. His neck, arms, and face were covered with festering sores. He looked like he was dying, nothing like the charming young master in the south. He looked at Su Baiyi in front of him and tried to say something with all his strength, but only made some unintelligible sounds.


    Su Baiyi quickly took out the green hairpin and put it in the man¡¯s hand.


    The man in green clothes lowered his head and looked at the hairpin. His eyes welled up with tears.


    Su Baiyi whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here to save you.¡±


    The carriage sped through the third street corner and reached the fourth one.


    ¡°Whoa.¡± The coachman yanked the reins and halted the carriage.


    Another carriage was blocking their way at the fourth street corner. A burly young man stood up from the carriage, wearing a loose white robe that fluttered in the wind. He had a toothpick in his mouth and a bamboo sword on his shoulder. ¡°Senior sister, they¡¯re here.¡±


    There were four riders escorting this carriage, besides the coachman. The leader rode to the front and looked at the arrogant burly young man. He asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Leave Qing Yi Lang behind.¡± The burly young man pointed his bamboo sword at their carriage.


    ¡°You dare to stop a carriage of the four families?¡± The leader sneered.


    ¡°The four families are so impressive, huh? Just now you asked me who I am, so I¡¯ll tell you.¡± The burly young man said proudly. ¡°I am the leader of the Extremely Evil Sect, Feng¡­¡±


    A steamed bun flew out of the carriage and hit the burly young man¡¯s head, interrupting his introduction.


    ¡°What Extremely Evil Sect leader? Say it again!¡± A woman¡¯s voice came from the carriage.


    ¡°Fine.¡± The burly young man jumped up and swung his bamboo sword down. The sword had a strong wind force that swept down the rain curtain and hit the leader¡¯s guard.


    ¡°This is the Great Wind Style of swordsmanship!¡± The leader¡¯s guard tried to block with his iron sword, but it was pressed down by the bamboo sword after one move.


    The burly young man snorted and suddenly retracted his sword and kicked the leader¡¯s guard away. Then he flipped and landed on the ground, splashing water everywhere.


    ¡°Xue Gong, Feng Zuo Jun.¡± The burly young man smirked.


    * Xue Gong is the name of a martial arts school, and it literally means Learning Palace

 CH 2

    ¡°Xue Gong?¡±


    Su Baiyi, who was in the carriage, heard the commotion outside and glanced at the young man in green in front of him. ¡°Why would the people from the academy come here¡­¡±


    The young man in green showed a trace of uneasiness in his eyes. He grabbed Su Baiyi¡¯s hand and squeezed out two words from his throat. ¡°Take¡­me¡­¡±


    ¡°Take you away, take you away, of course I will. I have not only promised my master, but also that girl. Master said that I can ignore his words, but I absolutely can¡¯t lie to girls, especially pretty ones.¡± Su Baiyi lifted the young man in green on his back and said to him, ¡°I¡¯ll take advantage of the chaos and rush out from the back. You hold on tight.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The young man in green gasped heavily.


    Outside the carriage, the guard who had fallen to the ground got up and took off his straw coat. The remaining three guards also jumped off their horses and surrounded Feng Zuojun.


    ¡°Four people together, not bad, not bad.¡± Feng Zuojun faced the siege of four people without any panic, and even seemed¡­excited!


    ¡°Don¡¯t go too far.¡± The woman in the carriage reminded him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, senior sister. The people from the four big families are all trash. You can tell by looking at Xie Yuling, he¡¯s no match for me.¡± Feng Zuojun waved his bamboo sword and charged at one of the guards.


    Su Baiyi, who was in the carriage, heard the sound of fighting outside and smiled. ¡°Now is the time.¡± He kicked the wooden board at the back of the carriage and rushed into the rain curtain with the young man in green on his back. But he had only taken two steps when he stopped.


    ¡°I noticed that there was another breath in the carriage a long time ago.¡± A gentle voice sounded. Su Baiyi looked up and saw a woman holding an oil-paper umbrella standing in front of them. The oil-paper umbrella hung slightly down, covering the woman¡¯s face.


    ¡°Senior sister.¡± Feng Zuojun shouted.


    ¡°You play your game, leave this to me.¡± The woman said indifferently. She lifted her umbrella slightly and was about to speak, but the white figure had already passed by her.


    ¡°Hold on to me, this person¡¯s breath is very strong, I can¡¯t beat her for sure!¡± Su Baiyi said to the young man in green behind him.


    ¡°Young brother¡¯s body technique is very fast, but it lacks some meaning.¡± Su Baiyi¡¯s words were not finished yet, when the woman appeared in front of him again.


    ¡°Damn it, then I¡¯ll go faster!¡± Su Baiyi shouted and withdrew his steps to the left, passing by the woman again.


    ¡°This body technique is¡­¡± The woman lifted her oil-paper umbrella slightly, revealing a pair of eyes as clear as water. ¡°Zouma?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m using eight levels of Zouma, I don¡¯t believe she can catch up with me!¡± Su Baiyi said proudly.


    The young man in green who had been leaning on Su Baiyi¡¯s back also breathed a sigh of relief, but then widened his eyes and exclaimed. ¡°You! You! Who are you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Su Baiyi, you are called Qing Yi Lang, don¡¯t you think we are very fated?¡± Su Baiyi ran and laughed.


    The young man in green¡¯s question ¡°Who are you¡± was not meant to ask Su Baiyi¡¯s name. He exclaimed in horror, ¡°You are absorbing my martial power!¡± He tried to pull back his hand that was resting on Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulder, but his hands were like stuck to Su Baiyi¡¯s body, unable to move at all. He could only watch as his inner strength flowed into Su Baiyi¡¯s body continuously.


    ¡°Yes, I am absorbing your power, but I am also saving you. Didn¡¯t you notice that just now you could barely say two words, but now you can scold me without panting?¡± Su Baiyi said helplessly.


    ¡°But¡­but this is my¡­¡± The young man in green suddenly shed tears. ¡°My only chance.¡±


    ¡°You have many chances. The chances you have in mind are all for fame and fortune, to become the glory of the four big families, to compete for the position of the family head in the future. But if you don¡¯t become the family head, and just have a peaceful life, then your chance is right in front of you.¡± Su Baiyi stopped and looked at the woman who was standing under the eaves.


    The woman¡¯s originally dull pupils finally brightened up. She looked at the two people in front of her, both surprised and amazed. She couldn¡¯t say a word for a moment.


    ¡°I promised you that I would bring him back.¡± Su Baiyi proudly put down the young man in green from his back.


    The young man in green finally felt that the force that was sucking him disappeared, but he had no inner strength left in his body. He stood on the ground, staggered a few times and almost fell. The plain-clothed woman hurriedly came forward and supported him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    The young man in green leaned on the plain-clothed woman and barely stood up. He looked at Su Baiyi. ¡°Only someone who has practiced the same martial art as me can absorb my inner strength. Otherwise, you would have died from qi explosion long ago. Alen, who is he!¡±


    Before the woman could speak, Su Baiyi spoke first. ¡°I came here by my master¡¯s order. My master¡¯s surname is Xie. The same as yours ¨C Xie!¡±


    The young man in green was stunned at first, then laughed loudly. ¡°How can there be anyone from our Xie family who would help me now? These trash are all avoiding me like the plague, just like they did to my seventh uncle back then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you still have a seventh uncle, don¡¯t you?¡± Su Baiyi turned his head and looked at the end of the street. The woman¡¯s body technique was not weak, and she could catch up at any time.


    ¡°Everyone knows that my seventh uncle is dead! What are you trying to say!¡± The young man in green shouted angrily, taking a few steps forward and reaching out to grab Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulder. Su Baiyi turned back and pointed a finger at the young man in green¡¯s forehead, lightly flicking it. Then he lowered his voice, as if deliberately imitating another person¡¯s tone. ¡°I have warned you since you were young, keep your strange books to yourself and don¡¯t let others see your sword. Xie Xing, what are you in such a hurry for!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± The young man in green was flicked back a few steps by that finger. He widened his eyes, his expression changed drastically, but he only managed to say this one word before he fell backwards. The woman called Alen took a step forward and carried the young man in green on her back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here for now. You two hurry up and get out of the city through the secret passage in the house.¡± Su Baiyi spoke quickly, as if he didn¡¯t want to say more.


    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Alen understood his intention and carried the young man in green into the house. But after walking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and took out a book wrapped in cowhide paper from her bosom and threw it back.


    Su Baiyi caught it and pondered. ¡°He might be very angry when he finds out, and even kill you.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± Alen gave a bitter smile and walked into the house with the young man in green on her back.


    ¡°What a sad farewell.¡± Suddenly there was a sigh on the roof.


    Su Baiyi quickly put the book into his bosom. ¡°I have never met these two people before. This farewell is nothing but natural. How can you say it¡¯s sad?¡±


    ¡°Who said it was about you? I was talking about that ambitious young man in green. He left behind his dream of reviving the Xie family and dominating the martial world. You tell me, isn¡¯t that sad?¡± The voice on the roof sounded a bit regretful.


    Su Baiyi felt the rain or sweat dripping down his forehead. ¡°Miss, when did you get here?¡±


    ¡°Of course I came after you.¡± The girl held up her oil-paper umbrella and stood on the roof, as if she had no intention of coming down.


    ¡°I thought my body technique was fast enough to shake you off.¡± Su Baiyi swallowed. ¡°Miss, your martial arts are so profound, why didn¡¯t you come down and stop us?¡±


    ¡°Like you, I was also entrusted by a friend surnamed Xie to come here and save the young man in green. Since you have already saved him, I naturally have no reason to intervene.¡± The girl¡¯s voice was gentle.


    Su Baiyi breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn¡¯t dare to fully believe what the girl said. He tentatively said, ¡°Then, miss, shall we say goodbye here?¡±


    ¡°Before you go, I have one more thing to confirm.¡± The girl took a step forward.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Su Baiyi pressed his hand on his waist sword, his hand trembling slightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your answer for this.¡± The girl lifted her oil-paper umbrella and jumped down from the roof.


    ¡°Draw your sword!¡± Su Baiyi shouted and tried to pull out his waist sword.


    Only one move!


    Only one chance!


    Right at this moment!


    Su Baiyi looked up, but he only saw a purple dress fluttering in the wind.


    A soft hand suddenly pressed Su Baiyi¡¯s hand and then gently pulled it back. With a swish ¨C


    Time seemed to freeze in an instant.


    When Su Baiyi came to his senses, the girl was already holding her umbrella and standing in the rain with her back to him. And in her left hand, there was an extra sword.


    Su Baiyi touched the rain on his face and muttered to himself. ¡°This is bad, this is bad, this is bad. I¡¯m not going to die here, am I?¡±


    The girl lifted the sword in her hand and shook it lightly, shaking off the rain on the blade in an instant. Then the two words on the sword became especially clear.


    ¡°Junyu.¡± The girl whispered softly.


    Su Baiyi looked at the empty scabbard and felt like crying. Even if he could go back alive, he lost the sword that his master gave him. He was afraid that he would be beaten to death.


    ¡°We will meet again.¡± The girl threw the sword into the air. The sword spun in the air and then fell back into the scabbard in Su Baiyi¡¯s hand. Then the girl walked away with her umbrella.


    ¡°Miss¡­do you know my master?¡± Su Baiyi gathered his courage and asked.


    ¡°My surname is Nangong.¡± The girl didn¡¯t look back, but only said a vague sentence.


    Su Baiyi stood in the rain for a long time, and finally came to a conclusion. He cursed angrily. ¡°It must be some kind of romantic debt!¡± He turned around to get the bookcase, but he saw another shadow flash past the corner of the wall.

 CH 3

    Outside the town of Maple Bridge.


    Apricot Blossom Village.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this Young Master Su? Back from a long journey?¡± In a simple bamboo shed by the roadside, a waiter tossed the towel in his hand over his shoulder.


    Su Baiyi, who was carrying a bookcase, had just appeared at the entrance of the village when he heard the waiter¡¯s call. He immediately jumped towards the bamboo shed and smiled: ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been away for more than ten days and I¡¯ve missed your apricot blossom wine here. Hurry up and bring me a pot, and a plate of donkey meat in sauce. And pack another one for me to take to my master.¡±


    The waiter smiled and replied, ¡°Alright. Wait a moment.¡±


    Su Baiyi found a corner seat and sat down. He had been afraid of being chased by that woman with amazing martial arts skills on the way, so he didn¡¯t dare to stop for a moment. After all, that sentence ¡°We¡¯ll meet again¡± was really scary. Now that Su Baiyi had finally stepped into Apricot Blossom Village, he breathed a sigh of relief. He put the bookcase aside and took out the parchment-wrapped scroll from it. He took a deep breath and opened the parchment.


    Inside was not a whole book, but only a few pages of fragments. Su Baiyi picked them up and counted: ¡°One page, two pages, three pages, only three pages of fragments and you dare to practice, no wonder you¡¯ve crippled yourself.¡±


    ¡°What are you looking at, young master? The wine and donkey meat are here.¡± The waiter put a pot of wine, a plate of donkey meat in sauce, and the packed food and wine on the table.


    Su Baiyi smiled. ¡°Mind your own business.¡±


    ¡°My little shop doesn¡¯t have much business.¡± The waiter saw that Su Baiyi didn¡¯t want to talk and didn¡¯t ask any more questions. He turned his head and saw two people passing by the door. He hurriedly greeted them. ¡°The two guests look unfamiliar. Are you passing through our Apricot Blossom Village? Why don¡¯t you come in and have a drink of our village¡¯s specialty apricot blossom wine?¡±


    One of them was a monk, with a sturdy figure, about forty years old, with a string of huge Buddhist beads hanging on his chest, holding a crescent spade in his hand, with a serious expression. He turned his head and glanced at the waiter, making him flinch.


    Su Baiyi quietly tucked the fragments into his sleeves.


    The other person who accompanied the middle-aged monk was a masked man, with a thin figure and carrying a dark green umbrella on his back. He sounded like a kind young man. ¡°That¡¯s right, since we¡¯re here, we should have a drink of apricot blossom wine. Abbot Jiekong, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I never drink alcohol.¡± The middle-aged monk named Jiekong walked straight into the bamboo shed. ¡°Just give me a cup of tea.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t drink alcohol. Our shop¡¯s apricot blossom cake is also excellent.¡± The waiter hurriedly said.


    ¡°Just bring us a pot of wine, a pot of tea, and no need for apricot blossom cake.¡± The masked man and Jiekong found a seat and sat down. The masked man lowered his head and suddenly saw a line of words written on the table.


    ¡°In Apricot Blossom Village flows apricot blossom wine, Apricot blossom wine soothes all woes of mine.¡± The masked man stretched out a finger and touched the line of words, saying softly.


    ¡°This was written by Mr. Xie back then.¡± The waiter put a pot of apricot blossom wine on the table.


    ¡°Oh? Mr. Xie.¡± The masked man chuckled lightly. ¡°Looking at this handwriting, it doesn¡¯t look like it was written with a brush. But rather¡­¡±


    ¡°Like it was embedded in this table!¡± The waiter proudly tossed the white cloth over his back. ¡°I¡¯m not bragging, but I saw Mr. Xie wrote these words with my own eyes that day. That day, he and Li Xiucai from the city got drunk. He lay on the table, dipped his hand in some wine from the cup, and wrote this poem. After they left, I wiped the table with cloth to clean up the wine stains. Every time I wiped it, the handwriting sank deeper into the table. Finally, when I wiped the table dry, the handwriting remained there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± The masked man¡¯s tone had a hint of amusement, but the middle-aged monk¡¯s brows grew tighter.


    Su Baiyi put down a piece of silver, got up and carried his bookcase quietly out.


    Don¡¯t look at me, don¡¯t look at me, don¡¯t look at me. He repeated in his mind.


    ¡°By the way, this is Young Master Su!¡± The waiter¡¯s shrill voice interrupted his illusion. ¡°He is the proud disciple of Mr. Xie!¡±


    ¡°I have something to do.¡± Su Baiyi walked out, but stopped again.


    The wind blew the masked man¡¯s gray robe. He gently lifted his hand to adjust his mask, with a hint of coldness in his tone, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to leave, young brother?¡±


    Su Baiyi smiled awkwardly. ¡°You two don¡¯t look like you¡¯re here for the wine. I think you¡¯re either here to rob or to rape. I¡¯d better run away quickly.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why do you think we¡¯re not here for the wine?¡± The masked man asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re a monk who doesn¡¯t drink.¡± Su Baiyi pointed a finger at the monk, then at the masked man. ¡°And as for you, how can you drink with a mask on?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re indeed not here for the wine, we¡¯re here for your master.¡± The masked man admitted calmly.


    ¡°Are you interested in my master¡¯s calligraphy? My master¡¯s writing is very expensive¡­ The rich people in the city come every year to ask for a pair of couplets for the New Year, but¡­¡± Su Baiyi stopped halfway, swallowing his saliva.


    A curved knife suddenly flew out of the masked man¡¯s hand, stopped at a foot away from Su Baiyi¡¯s forehead, and spun rapidly. The aura of the sharp knife made the young man¡¯s forehead ache slightly.


    ¡°My master¡¯s surname is Xie, and his name is Zhize.¡±


    ¡°The two lines of poetry on that table were written by him!¡±


    ¡°He is over forty years old, with a fair face and no beard! He likes wine and donkey meat in sauce! He is very lazy! During the New Year period, those couplets were all written by me on his behalf, but he never gave me a share of the silver he received!¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± The masked man pulled his hand lightly, and the knife flew back into his sleeve. He moved aside and let the way open. ¡°Tell your master that Xie Zhize is not a good name, and that there are guests here. We hope he will welcome all guests with open arms.¡±


    ¡°Welcome them?¡± In the backyard of the calligraphy school, a middle-aged scholar in white clothes threw a piece of donkey meat in sauce into his mouth. He looked like Mr. Xie mentioned by the waiter. ¡°This guy has quite an attitude.¡±


    Su Baiyi bent down and whispered, ¡°Master, ever since I left Twilight City, I felt someone was following me. At first I thought it was that girl, but now I think it was these two people. I felt there were a few more people hiding in the dark, but I thought I was being paranoid. Are they also here for these three pages of fragments?¡±


    ¡°These three pages of fragments are naturally what they want to get, but the purpose of their trip here should be me. Three pages of fragments can¡¯t tempt them that much.¡± Mr. Xie smiled. ¡°Do you know who they are?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t guess.¡± Su Baiyi shook his head.


    ¡°The number one sect in the world, Shanglin Tiangong.¡± Mr. Xie took a sip of wine.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Su Baiyi opened his mouth wide.


    ¡°Shanglin Tiangong is based on Weilong Mountain, with three towers and four courtyards. That monk named Jiekong is the head of the Punishment and Discipline Courtyard, and that masked man is Wen Xi, the deputy head of the Thousand Inventions Courtyard. They have been tracking my traces for more than ten years, and it¡¯s time they found me.¡± Mr. Xie threw another piece of meat into his mouth.


    Su Baiyi quickly got up and opened the cabinet, throwing the silver bills inside into his bookcase.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mr. Xie asked.


    Su Baiyi didn¡¯t look back. ¡°Running away!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t run away. Since they appeared here, the whole village should be surrounded by Shanglin Tiangong by now.¡± Mr. Xie said calmly.


    Su Baiyi slapped his sword on his waist. ¡°Then we can only fight.¡±


    ¡°Disciple, oh disciple, I¡¯ve taught you for more than ten years. You¡¯ve become more and more handsome, quite like me in my youth, but why is your demeanor so much worse? It¡¯s either fight or run, can¡¯t you have a more refined way?¡± Mr. Xie sighed.


    Su Baiyi quickly sat down cross-legged. ¡°What way?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait.¡± Mr. Xie drank another cup of wine.

 CH 4

    ¡°Master!¡± Su Baiyi pretended to be calm and accompanied his master for less than a moment before he couldn¡¯t help but wail, ¡°You said you stole their treasure back then, and they searched for it for more than a decade. Now that they have caught you, they will surely skin you alive¡­¡±


    ¡°Composure.¡± Mr. Xie emphasized.


    Su Baiyi could only put away his bitter face and reluctantly said, ¡°A gentleman does not suffer losses in front of him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a hero.¡± Mr. Xie corrected.


    ¡°Where is the treasure you stole back then, master?¡± Su Baiyi naturally changed the topic, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it back to them and apologize?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have that treasure anymore, I gave it to you a long time ago.¡± Mr. Xie suddenly smiled slyly.


    Su Baiyi was stunned. ¡°How come I don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°The martial art you practice is it.¡± Mr. Xie said faintly.


    ¡°What, that¡¯s what you stole?¡± Su Baiyi was shocked.


    Mr. Xie nodded. ¡°And I burned it, so the only one who remembers that martial art is you. You are the treasure.¡±


    Su Baiyi held his forehead, ¡°Master, you are really too good to your disciple. You said Qing Yi Lang became like that after practicing three pages, I practiced half a book, won¡¯t I be worse off in the future? What kind of treasure is this, can¡¯t I refuse it¡­¡±


    ¡°Xie Xing was too impatient.¡± Mr. Xie walked outside, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my disciple, we won¡¯t have any trouble. In a while, I will let them take me away on the condition that they let you leave. After I return to Shanglin Tiangong, I will deal with them. If they can¡¯t get the half of the scroll, they won¡¯t dare to kill me. When you come back after learning, come and save me, okay?¡±


    Su Baiyi was stunned, his eyes suddenly moistened. ¡°Master, you are sacrificing yourself for me¡­¡±


    ¡°When did I¡­¡± Mr. Xie frowned slightly.


    ¡°You must be saying this to make me feel at ease to leave, but when you return to Shanglin Tiangong, you will surely suffer all kinds of torture and die¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you¡­¡± Mr. Xie said helplessly.


    ¡°By the way master, you said I should come back and save you after learning, but where should I go to learn? Do you have any arrangements?¡± Su Baiyi wiped away his tears, sat upright, and said seriously.


    ¡°Go to Xue Gong.¡± Mr. Xie said unhappily, ¡°The Academy has a sage in charge, and Shanglin Tiangong won¡¯t dare to provoke it.¡±


    ¡°The Academy?¡± Su Baiyi thought of the woman with the umbrella and shivered.


    ¡°My disciple, from today on, you will have to walk the world as my disciple, and you can¡¯t lose face for me. You look quite like me when I was young at first glance, but you have to remember one thing in the future.¡± Mr. Xie walked to the door and looked at the four characters ¡°Daxiao Calligraphy School¡± above.


    ¡°Master, please tell me.¡±


    ¡°Never talk too much.¡±


    Mr. Xie walked into the courtyard and looked up at the blooming apricot tree. He suddenly smiled and said, ¡°Baiyi, guess what poem I¡¯m thinking of now.¡±


    ¡°This journey is a long farewell, it should be ¡®Apricot blossoms bear dewy snow, willow-lined roads bid sad farewells¡¯.¡± Su Baiyi followed him and answered seriously after a slight thought.


    Mr. Xie shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What is it then?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s ¡®Spring spills over the garden wall, a lone apricot blooms bright and tall¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Mr. Xie closed his eyes, smelled the apricot fragrance, and said ecstatically, ¡°You are about to go to the world, and the world is full of spring. In spring, there must be a lone red apricot. Especially the Academy you are going to, that¡¯s in Qiantang City!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so special about Qiantang City?¡± Su Baiyi asked curiously.


    Mr. Xie took a deep breath. ¡°The girls in Qiantang City are very beautiful.¡±


    Su Baiyi smiled. ¡°Master has a story. By the way, the girl I just mentioned, she seemed¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is a long story.¡± Mr. Xie waved his sleeve lightly and swept away the fallen flowers and dust on the ground. Su Baiyi stopped talking and looked down. There was actually a jar of wine buried there.


    ¡°This jar of wine was buried by me when I first came here. Today I give it to you as a farewell gift.¡± Mr. Xie bent down and pulled out the jar of apricot blossom Fen wine from the soil. He put it to his mouth and sniffed lightly. ¡°To be honest, the days in Apricot Village were really boring. Fortunately, there was this apricot wine, and fortunately, there was you, my noisy disciple. But today, we are destined to leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes, today you have to leave.¡± A heavy voice suddenly sounded at the door.


    Su Baiyi turned around abruptly and saw a burly monk slam his crescent spade on the ground and glare at them.


    ¡°It seems that our information was not wrong.¡± The thin masked man walked to the monk¡¯s side, ¡°Long time no see, Xie¡­¡± He only said half of the sentence, and then suddenly retreated. A apricot blossom flew past his mask, leaving a shallow mark.


    Su Baiyi looked at Mr. Xie and whispered, ¡°Master, they are the ones I met earlier.¡±


    Mr. Xie did not speak. He held the jar of wine in one hand and an apricot blossom in the other, thinking about something.


    ¡°Xie Louzhu. Since we have come here, you should know that you can¡¯t hide anymore.¡± The burly monk slammed his crescent spade on the ground again, shaking off half of the apricot flowers.


    ¡°Still the same, like to knock that big shovel when talking. So noisy.¡± Mr. Xie put the jar of wine on the ground and turned around, ¡°The head of the Punishment Department, Master Jiekong. And ¨C the deputy head of the Thousand Inventions Department, Wen Xi.¡±


    Wen Xi touched the shallow flower mark on his mask and said faintly, ¡°When Xie Louzhu left that year, I was just an ordinary disciple in the Thousand Inventions Department. Becoming the deputy head was only last year¡¯s matter. It seems that Xie Louzhu, although hiding from the world, still has good sources of information.¡±


    ¡°Baiyi, do you still remember the story I told you about Shanglin Tiangong?¡± Mr. Xie smiled.


    ¡°I can hardly recall the other stories now, but I do remember that master told me about Louzhu in Shanglin Tiangong. His martial arts were unparalleled in the world, his appearance was stunning, he always wore a golden robe and held a jade sword. He walked the world and made half of the women fall for him. Everyone cried and shouted to marry him, but he passed through the flowers without touching a leaf. He was a rare man in ancient and modern times.¡± Su Baiyi replied.


    ¡°What is Louzhu¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Xie Kanhua.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±


    Xie Kanhua waved his hand lightly, and a long sword flew out from where the apricot wine was buried and landed in his hand.


    ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    A flash of silver.


    Jiekong lifted his crescent spade suddenly, Wen Xi grabbed the long umbrella from his back, and the dark green canopy snapped open!


    But soon, Jiekong¡¯s crescent spade fell back to the ground, and the umbrella closed again, as if nothing had happened. Xie Kanhua sheathed his sword and raised his hand lightly. Su Baiyi immediately understood and kicked the jar of wine on the ground. It soared over Jiekong and his companion and landed in Xie Kanhua¡¯s hand.


    The moment the jar of wine fell into Xie Kanhua¡¯s hand, there was a sound of eggshell cracking in the yard. The white mask that Wen Xi was wearing had a long slit. He lifted his head slightly, and the mask shattered instantly, revealing his pale face under the mask.


    Jiekong took a deep breath and suppressed the surging internal energy in his chest. His hand holding the crescent spade trembled uncontrollably. He frowned and said in a low voice, ¡°You are chasing mirages.¡±

 CH 5

    ¡°It was like looking at flowers in the fog. You couldn¡¯t see that flower clearly back then, and you still can¡¯t see it clearly today.¡± Xie Kanhua tilted his head and took a sip of wine, then looked up.


    On top of the courtyard wall, a man had appeared at some point. He was wearing a dark green robe that fluttered in the air as if there was a strong wind blowing, even though there was none. His face looked about the same age as Xie Kanhua, but unlike Xie Kanhua¡¯s refined and elegant demeanor, this man¡¯s eyes were full of arrogance, a kind of arrogance that looked down on the world and despised everyone. He gazed down at Xie Kanhua and said faintly, ¡°Looking at flowers in the fog?¡±


    ¡°Spring breeze is triumphant.¡± Xie Kanhua tilted his head and drank more wine.


    Su Baiyi muttered softly, ¡°Isn¡¯t this wine¡­ meant for me?¡±


    Xie Kanhua put down the wine jar, smiled slightly and threw it back to Su Baiyi¡¯s feet. ¡°Disciple, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. Otherwise, even if I don¡¯t drink it, it will be snatched by this dear friend in front of me, right? The owner of the Spring Breeze Tower, Helian Xi Yue.¡±


    Su Baiyi scratched his head, ¡°You never mentioned this name before, master.¡±


    ¡°Looking at flowers in the fog, the spring breeze is triumphant. We used to be called the two marvels of Shanglin, and we were always equally famous. The stories of wandering the world that I told you, at least half of them were actually Helian Xi Yue¡¯s stories. That¡¯s why you never heard his name.¡± Xie Kanhua replied.


    Su Baiyi was stunned. ¡°Is he that powerful?¡±


    ¡°Very powerful. Back then, I became famous for my swordsmanship, which was called looking at flowers in the fog. It was said that no one could see the moment when I drew my sword. And Helian Xi Yue relied on his internal strength to travel the world. His skill was called spring breeze is triumphant. You see how his robe is dancing wildly without any wind right now. That¡¯s the power of the spring breeze flowing around him. Anything close to him will be shattered.¡± Xie Kanhua spoke casually, as if he was really just talking about a close friend, with a hint of pride.


    ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°What question?¡±


    ¡°If anything close to him will be shattered, why won¡¯t his clothes be shattered? Shouldn¡¯t he be standing there naked?¡±


    ¡°Baiyi, think about what I said to you before they came.¡±


    Su Baiyi quickly lowered his head, ¡°Don¡¯t talk too much, don¡¯t talk too much.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I asked the same question back then, and then I was beaten so badly that I couldn¡¯t stand up for three days.¡± Xie Kanhua leaped back to their side and suddenly grabbed Su Baiyi¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t draw your sword.¡±


    Su Baiyi had been chatting with Xie Kanhua all this time, but he was actually secretly preparing to draw his sword. He didn¡¯t expect to be discovered by Xie Kanhua, and he shook his head at him, his tone firm, ¡°Master, I thought about it, and I think we can¡¯t let them take you away. Let¡¯s fight our way out. If we only seek to escape, there might be a chance.¡±


    Xie Kanhua smiled and spoke gently, ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m telling the truth. I won¡¯t die yet, and we will definitely meet again. Right?¡± Xie Kanhua turned his head and looked at Helian Xi Yue who was standing on the wall.


    Helian Xi Yue raised his eyebrows. ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, but you can¡¯t harm my student.¡± Xie Kanhua threw his sword up in the air.


    Helian Xi Yue¡¯s fluttering sleeves finally fell down. He reached out and caught the sword, and smiled. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Su Baiyi suddenly shouted, and leaped towards Helian Xi Yue, his sword already half drawn. ¡°Master, I said no!¡±


    ¡°Jun Yu Sword.¡± Helian Xi Yue¡¯s eyes flashed with a touch of tenderness, but he showed no mercy with his hand. He swung his hand and sent Su Baiyi flying.


    Su Baiyi hadn¡¯t even drawn his sword completely when he crashed through the wooden window outside and fell into the school.


    Xie Kanhua shook his head repeatedly. ¡°Tsk tsk tsk tsk, I already told you he has the power of the spring breeze. Anything close to him will be shattered.¡±


    ¡°Master.¡± Su Baiyi gritted his teeth and tried to stand up with his sword as a support.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Xie Kanhua jumped onto the wall.


    Jiekong picked up his crescent spade and looked at Su Baiyi in the school building, deep in thought.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Helian Xi Yue looked at Jiekong and emphasized his tone.


    Jiekong snorted and left with Wen Xi. Helian Xi Yue then took Xie Kanhua and leaped away.


    ¡°This spring breeze is triumphant thing is too formidable.¡± Su Baiyi struggled a few times to stand up, but he was in so much pain that he grimaced. He had to sit back and adjust his breath until half an hour later, when he heard the sound of a carriage outside.


    ¡°Are you back to kill me?¡± Su Baiyi hid his sword behind his back.


    A woman in purple landed in the courtyard. Although they were far apart, Su Baiyi couldn¡¯t see her face clearly, but he felt a sense of familiarity from her figure. He soon realized, ¡°It¡¯s you! You actually followed me here!¡±


    ¡°Where is your master?¡± The woman in purple asked.


    ¡°He was captured¡­ taken away!¡± Su Baiyi said anxiously. ¡°By the way, I remember you are from the academy. My master told me to go to the academy and find the Sage of Confucianism.¡±


    ¡°Which direction did they go?¡± The woman in purple ignored his latter words.


    ¡°They went north. They must be heading back to the Shanglin Heavenly Palace on Weilong Mountain.¡± Su Baiyi replied.


    The woman in purple leaped onto the wall and looked into the distance.


    ¡°Miss, take me with you. I want to save my master too.¡± Su Baiyi shouted.


    ¡°Li Kui, take this person back to the academy and treat him as a new disciple. I¡¯ll arrange the rest when I get back to the academy.¡± The woman in purple said to the person below.


    A short and sturdy middle-aged man was holding the reins of the carriage. He was not Feng Zuojun, who had robbed the green-clad youth with the woman in purple that day. He nodded and said, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Miss, the people who took my master away are not simple. You might not be able to handle them alone¡­¡± Su Baiyi warned.


    ¡°Taking you along would only make it harder.¡± The woman in purple snorted and jumped away, disappearing from Su Baiyi¡¯s sight.


    The short and sturdy man came in from outside and looked at Su Baiyi on the ground. He grabbed him and lifted him up.


    ¡°Ow ow ow ow¡­¡± Su Baiyi screamed.


    The short and sturdy man glanced at him, his expression cold, ¡°With your ability, you still want to see the Sage of Confucianism?¡± He carried Su Baiyi out of the yard and threw him onto the carriage.


    Su Baiyi leaned there, breathing heavily, ¡°By the way, who is that woman? Why does she also want to find my master?¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t let me speak, so I can¡¯t speak.¡± The short and sturdy man replied coldly.


    ¡°But she didn¡¯t forbid you from saying either, right? So you can say.¡± Su Baiyi persuaded.


    The short and sturdy man was an honest person. He thought for a moment and nodded, ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me.¡± Su Baiyi urged.


    The short and sturdy man turned the carriage around and whipped the reins hard. ¡°But I don¡¯t know either. The woman just asked me to help drive the carriage. I don¡¯t even know who your master is¡­¡±


    ¡°My master is Xie Kanhua.¡± Su Baiyi said helplessly.


    ¡°Hahahaha, your master is Xie Kanhua.¡± The short and sturdy man changed his coldness and suddenly laughed. ¡°You young people really know how to brag. Then my master is Helian Xi Yue!¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence, he just left.¡± Su Baiyi said sarcastically.


    But the short and sturdy man didn¡¯t understand the sarcasm. He just said gloomily, ¡°Who in the world doesn¡¯t know that Xie Kanhua died in the great battle between good and evil of Shanglin Heavenly Palace and Tianmen Holy Sect back then. How can a dead person be your master?¡±

 CH 6

    ¡°The water sparkles like a crystal, the mountains loom like giants. My brows stretch to the horizon, longing for my home. I rest upon the attic window, gazing at the distant scene. The spring breeze knows not the southern rain, I smile and seek a friend to share the alley¡¯s charm.¡±


    Five days have passed since Su Baiyi left Apricot Blossom Village. Now their carriage has finally entered Qiantang City, entering the mountains that are said to have the most lush trees in the south of the Yangtze River ¨C Ten Li Langdang. Su Baiyi pulled open the curtain of the carriage and looked at the scenery outside the window, and couldn¡¯t help reciting the poem that his master often muttered when he was drunk.


    ¡°They say the south of the Yangtze is a land of wine, where travelers drown their sorrows in a cup. But I know the south of the Yangtze has no wine, I smile and watch the spring breeze fill the air with scent.¡± The short and sturdy man who was driving the carriage also laughed and continued.


    ¡°Oh, you know this poem too, Li Kui.¡± Su Baiyi teased. After these five days of getting along, Su Baiyi had become very familiar with the scholar¡¯s carriage driver named Li Kui. Although Li Kui looked cold and serious at first glance, he found out after a long time that he was kind-hearted and enthusiastic. The surface coldness was only because this person was too dull and had difficulty communicating with others.


    But Su Baiyi was good at communicating with people, even if it was a piece of wood in front of him, he could talk for three days and three nights. But even so, Li Kui still felt that Su Baiyi was bragging when he said that his master was Xie Kanhua.


    Li Kui took a sip of water from his waist flask, ¡°Being a carriage driver, although it¡¯s a rough job, you don¡¯t need to know any poetry or literature. But I¡¯m different, I¡¯m a carriage driver in Ten Li Langdang Academy. There are three hundred scholars here, nine gentlemen, and Mr. Confucius himself. I can¡¯t lose face for them. We¡¯re here.¡±


    Li Kui¡¯s carriage came to a halt, and Su Baiyi lifted the curtain and stepped out. He saw a graceful academy standing among the mountains and forests not far away, surrounded by clouds and mist, with birds flying through. It looked hazy and illusory, as if it was out of reach. Su Baiyi rubbed his eyes, but when he opened them again, nothing had changed.


    The mountains here were not high, how could there be clouds and mist? And this academy, why did it look so close, yet so far?


    ¡°Do you see it?¡± Li Kui asked.


    ¡°Something is strange.¡± Su Baiyi muttered.


    ¡°This is the formation set up by the gentlemen of the academy, called ¡®Far in the Sky, Near in the Eye¡¯. If ordinary people enter this formation, they will not be able to get out for three days and three nights. Close your eyes.¡± Li Kui grabbed Su Baiyi¡¯s sleeve.


    Su Baiyi naturally understood that the academy had been secluded from the world for so many years, there must be some mystery in it. He immediately obeyed and closed his eyes. Then he felt dizzy, as if the ground was spinning. His feet seemed to stay still, but he vaguely felt that the scenery in front of him was changing rapidly. After about half an hour, Li Kui said lightly, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Su Baiyi opened his eyes and saw that there were many disciples of the academy wearing white robes walking past him with books in their hands. He quickly turned his head and saw that behind him was the closed gate of the academy. He was stunned, ¡°We¡¯re already inside?¡±


    Li Kui ignored him and led him straight ahead. ¡°Now that the Sage of Confucianism is traveling outside, the affairs of the academy are handled by Gentleman Zhou Zheng. I¡¯ll take you to the separate courtyard where he teaches his disciples. Let¡¯s meet him first.¡±


    ¡°Li Kui, how did you do that just now?¡± Su Baiyi was still marveling at the wonderful experience. ¡°I felt like I didn¡¯t move at all. How come I opened my eyes and I was in this academy?¡±


    ¡°The academy has its own mysteries. This is where the world¡¯s talents, knowledge, and morality are gathered. It is called by the people ¡®One Academy Here, All Mountains Look Up¡¯. It is the place that all scholars aspire to. If there are two choices in front of a scholar: one is to pass the imperial examination and become an official in the capital, and the other is to join the academy and become one of the gentlemen, then most of them will choose the latter. Being an official is a temporary wealth and honor, but being one of the gentlemen is a glory that can be passed down for generations¡­¡± Li Kui said proudly.


    Su Baiyi waved his hand and interrupted, ¡°Li Kui, you sound like you memorized this by force¡­¡±


    Li Kui blushed a bit, ¡°I¡¯m indeed proud of being a member of the academy, but I don¡¯t know how to boast about my pride to others, so I asked a girl to help me write this paragraph¡­¡±


    Su Baiyi followed Li Kui into a separate courtyard. Li Kui saw that there was no teacher in charge of teaching in the courtyard, so he asked Su Baiyi to go in and sit down first. He went to find Gentleman Zhou Zheng. After Li Kui left, Su Baiyi looked around the courtyard and saw a group of academy disciples discussing something. But unlike the ones he had seen before, these people seemed to have four words written on their backs¡­


    Su Baiyi read them out word by word, ¡°Dare, Not, Do, Evil.¡±


    The person in front heard the voice behind him and turned around. He was very tall, a whole head taller than Su Baiyi. He wore a loose white robe, with drooping eyes, looking listless. He played with the toothpick in his mouth and looked down at Su Baiyi. ¡°New here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Su Baiyi, from Apricot Blossom Village.¡± Su Baiyi glanced at the man and felt like he had seen him somewhere.


    ¡°Apricot Blossom Village?¡± The tall man frowned and said, ¡°Never heard of it. But you, I think I¡¯ve seen you before.¡±


    The students who were scattered around the courtyard all gathered around and stood behind the tall man. They all wore the same loose white robes as the leader, looking nothing like academy scholars. One of them took out the bamboo sword tied to his waist and pointed at the sword on Su Baiyi¡¯s waist, saying faintly, ¡°Boss, this guy hasn¡¯t unloaded his iron yet.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got some guts, huh? Hasn¡¯t anyone taught you the rules?¡± The tall man picked his ear with a finger and said, ¡°What¡¯s your name again?¡±


    ¡°Su Baiyi.¡± Su Baiyi frowned. He suddenly remembered who this tall man was. He was Feng Zuojun, the academy student who fought against the four guards of the four major families in Yelan City that day!


    ¡°I¡¯ve definitely seen you before.¡± Feng Zuojun said solemnly, ¡°Turn around!¡±


    Su Baiyi chuckled nervously, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    Feng Zuojun suddenly leaped and jumped behind Su Baiyi. He looked at Su Baiyi¡¯s back and realized, shouting, ¡°I remember now, you were the one who snatched the green-robed young master from us that day! I remember your back! How dare you come to the academy!¡±


    Su Baiyi backed away, ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°The first task I did after leaving the mountain as the leader of the Extremely Evil Gang was supposed to be a great show-off in front of Xie San, but it was ruined by you. My senior sister told me not to cause trouble and sent me back to the academy. I didn¡¯t expect you to come here by yourself. Very good, very good.¡±


    ¡°What? Extremely Evil Gang.¡± Su Baiyi was very nervous at first, but he couldn¡¯t help laughing out loud, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the academy is the best in learning in the world, but this name is too low-class.¡±


    Feng Zuojun was stunned at first, then furious. ¡°Kid, you said our Extremely Evil Gang¡¯s name is ugly!¡±


    ¡°This young master is quite honest and direct.¡± A voice with a hint of amusement suddenly sounded.


    The people behind the tall man all drew their bamboo swords and looked past Su Baiyi at the direction of the door. Su Baiyi curiously turned around and saw a group of men wearing scholar robes walking in from the gate. Unlike the ruffian-like ones he had seen before, they were all neatly dressed, except that their robes were blood-red, with a few white cherry blossoms painted on them. The leader had a cold face and icy eyes. He glanced at the tall man and then at Su Baiyi, without saying anything.


    ¡°Feng Gongzi, the way of extreme evil is not the way of extreme cruelty, nor is it to pick up a bamboo sword and hit people every day.¡± The fair-skinned young master who was waving a folding fan next to the leader said with a smile. He was the one who had spoken just now.


    * Gongzi is a Chinese honorific term that means ¡°young master¡± or ¡°son of a noble¡±.


    ¡°Lan Yuzhe, what right do you have to talk to me?¡± Feng Zuojun carried his bamboo sword on his shoulder, ready to fight at any moment.


    Su Baiyi looked closely at the folding fan in Lan Yuzhe¡¯s hand and saw that there were also four words on it. He frowned and read, ¡°Don¡¯t Rebel Against Superiors?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, don¡¯t rebel against superiors.¡± Lan Yuzhe closed his fan. ¡°Young master, are you interested in joining our Blood Cherry Sect?¡±

 CH 7

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Academy is the best place to learn in the world, and I thought you all read the classics and studied every day. Who would have guessed that you also love to read novels about heroes and adventures? But the Blood Cherry Sect and the Extremely Evil Gang, one is rebellious and the other is wicked, these titles are really¡­¡± Su Baiyi stopped mid-sentence.


    A folding fan pressed against his chest.


    ¡°Really what are you saying?¡± The leader of the Blood Cherry Sect had somehow appeared in front of Su Baiyi, his voice cold.


    ¡°Xie Yuling, get away, don¡¯t you know the rule of first come first serve?¡± Feng Zuojun raised his bamboo sword and swung it at Xie Yuling, the leader of the Blood Cherry Sect. Xie Yuling opened his fan in an instant, and it had the words ¡°don¡¯t rebel against authority¡± written on it. He dodged to the side and lifted his fan to block the bamboo sword.


    ¡°We¡¯ve fought thirteen times and ended in a draw every time. I¡¯m sick of it. Today we¡¯ll settle this once and for all.¡± Feng Zuojun increased his strength and swung again, forcing Xie Yuling to retreat and land on the wall of the courtyard.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Xie Yuling waved his hand and opened his fan again.


    At the same time, cherry blossoms fell from the sky, and one landed on Su Baiyi¡¯s hand.


    ¡°How interesting, there are cherry blossoms in this season?¡± Su Baiyi looked up and saw two members of the Blood Cherry Sect standing beside Xie Yuling, each holding a basket and sprinkling cherry petals on him.


    ¡°You¡¯re off, you¡¯re off, throw higher, don¡¯t hit the boss¡¯s face!¡± Lan Yuzhe was directing them from below.


    Su Baiyi was speechless. He turned his head to look at Feng Zuojun.


    ¡°After today, we¡¯ll have an answer who among us will be the man at the top of the Academy.¡± Feng Zuojun raised his bamboo sword.


    Su Baiyi was startled and said to Lan Yuzhe beside him, ¡°I¡¯ve heard this line before.¡±


    Lan Yuzhe put away his fan, ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s from the novel by the writer Shan Xu Lao Gui, called ¡®Hot Blood Academy¡¯! This Feng Zuojun and I have the same taste!¡± Su Baiyi exclaimed, ¡°When I was in the second year of reading school, this was my favorite book!¡±


    ¡°Great wind from the north, surging with a million troops!¡± Feng Zuojun clenched his bamboo sword in his left hand and lifted it over his head. ¡°Gather! Momentum!¡±


    As Feng Zuojun shouted, the sword qi around his bamboo sword really gathered, making a sound of wind tearing through the air. The students around him quickly moved back, afraid that the sharp wind would accidentally cut them.


    ¡°Great wind, rise again!¡± Feng Zuojun stomped his right foot lightly, and a wave of sword qi burst out, forcing Su Baiyi and Lan Yuzhe to move back a step even though they were distant.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a bamboo sword, this move will kill someone.¡± Su Baiyi muttered.


    Lan Yuzhe smiled, ¡°Feng Zuojun is too impatient.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, there was a ¡°crack¡± sound.


    Feng Zuojun frowned slightly.


    The bamboo sword had broken in half, and then split into pieces and fell down. One piece even hit him on the head.


    ¡°How can a bamboo sword withstand such a fierce sword qi?¡± Lan Yuzhe sighed softly. ¡°Today we can only go this far.¡±


    ¡°No, today there is a real iron sword.¡± Feng Zuojun suddenly turned his head and looked at Su Baiyi.


    Su Baiyi was shocked and hurriedly said, ¡°You¡¯re dreaming!¡±


    ¡°You have no choice.¡± Feng Zuojun threw away the hilt of his bamboo sword, leaped forward, and rushed towards Su Baiyi.


    Lan Yuzhe moved to the side, giving up his position.


    Xie Yuling also jumped down at this moment.


    ¡°What kind of place is this?¡± Su Baiyi bent down slightly and reached for the hilt of his sword.


    But someone was faster than him and had already grabbed his sword hilt.


    At this moment, Feng Zuojun had not arrived yet, and Xie Yuling was still in the air. Someone was faster than them. And this person came from outside the courtyard, a white figure flashed and was already next to Su Baiyi.


    ¡°That¡¯s too fast¡­¡± Su Baiyi felt a cold sweat on his back. He might not have such a speed even when he used his full strength of Zouma.


    That person grabbed Su Baiyi¡¯s sword hilt before him, and with a ¡°clang¡± sound, the Junyu Sword was pulled out by him. He pressed Su Baiyi down with his left hand, and flicked his right hand with the Junyu Sword, sending Xie Yuling¡¯s fan flying. Then he turned around and pointed the sword at Feng Zuojun¡¯s chest.


    ¡°There is no such thing as the strongest in the Academy, because stronger people will always appear one after another, and the former weaklings may also become strong one day. When you know that there is no peak in the Academy, it is the day you should leave the Academy and travel the world.¡± The person said indifferently.


    Su Baiyi was still being pressed down, but he couldn¡¯t contain his excitement, ¡°This is it, this is it! The most classic line in ¡®Hot Blood Academy¡¯!¡±


    Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling both withdrew their hands and bowed respectfully, ¡°Teacher.¡±


    Li Kui finally rushed in from outside the courtyard and said to the person who was pressing Su Baiyi, ¡°Zhou Zheng, this is Su Baiyi, the young master that Miss asked me to bring back.¡±


    ¡°No wonder.¡± Zhou Zheng glanced at the sword in his hand, inserted it back into Su Baiyi¡¯s scabbard, and then let go of his hand that was pressing Su Baiyi.


    Su Baiyi straightened up and saw the face of the man in front of him. He had a fair complexion and no beard, and looked about thirty years old. He had a refined and scholarly air between his brows, and indeed had the demeanor of a gentleman from the Academy.


    ¡°Zhou Zheng, the gentleman.¡± Su Baiyi quickly bowed.


    ¡°Hand over your sword to the steward after class. Now go to class.¡± Zhou Zheng walked towards the inner hall.


    Inside the academy, Zhou Zheng sat at the lectern, behind him hung a long scroll with four words written on it ¨C The Way of Extreme Evil.


    Below him, the students of the Blood Cherry Sect and the Extremely Evil Gang occupied the left and right sides, sitting neatly and orderly. Su Baiyi sat at the back and looked over. This scene, along with Zhou Zheng and the four words ¡°The Way of Extreme Evil¡± behind him, really had some of the feeling of the book ¡®Hot Blood Academy¡¯. But¡­ was the prestigious Ten Li Lang Heng Academy really a place to cultivate ¨C the underworld?


    ¡°Today we have a new student joining the Academy. Lan Yuzhe, you explain to this fellow student what is ¡®The Way of Extreme Evil¡¯.¡± Zhou Zheng said.


    Lan Yuzhe nodded, bowed respectfully and said, ¡°Student obeys. Nowadays, the martial world is leaderless, and various sects are constantly clashing, only seeking the position of the leader of the martial world. Now Shanglin Tiangong still has some strength to maintain a fragile order, but within three years, the martial world will surely be in chaos. At that time, all the major sects will fight each other, killing endlessly, and the martial world will fall into the state it was twelve years ago, which is ¨C The Way of Extreme Evil. In The Way of Extreme Evil, the former distinctions between good and evil, right and wrong will become blurred, and to survive, there is only one choice ¨C to become strong.¡±


    Su Baiyi scratched his head. The world in chaos? The Way of Extreme Evil? Did these people really believe it? And this theory of strength, wasn¡¯t it the most common trick used by those small sects to gather the ignorant people and cheat them out of their money?


    Zhou Zheng nodded, ¡°Before I came here, Li Wai taught you The Way of Gentleman. He emphasized being respectful and courteous, benevolent and kind, which is very different from what I teach you ¨C ¡®The Way of Extreme Evil¡¯. What do you think is the difference between taking my class and taking Li Wai¡¯s class? Feng Zuojun, you answer.¡±


    Feng Zuojun stood up, thought for a moment, and replied, ¡°Taking your class is very cool!¡±

 CH 8

    Zhou Zheng sighed lightly and picked up the teacup in front of him. He gently blew the hot steam. The students understood that this was a sign that Zhou Zheng was about to start teaching them, and they all became serious.


    ¡°Feng Zuojun, how long have you been studying here?¡± Zhou Zheng finished the hot tea in his cup and put it on the table.


    Feng Zuojun thought for a moment and replied, ¡°I enrolled at the end of last autumn, and it has been more than half a year.¡±


    ¡°More than half a year, and you only learned one word ¡®cool¡¯ from the four gentlemen¡¯s teachings? Can¡¯t you¡­ say a few more words?¡± Zhou Zheng asked again.


    Feng Zuojun scratched his head, not knowing how to answer. It was Lan Yuzhe who laughed and said, ¡°Zhou Junzi doesn¡¯t know, Feng Gongzi enrolled in September, and he slept for the first eight months. It was not until he met Zhou Junzi that he fought for a month. It¡¯s not that he has nothing to say but ¡®cool¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then tell me more about where this ¡®cool¡¯ comes from.¡± Zhou Zheng¡¯s expression did not change, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.


    Feng Zuojun cleared his throat, ¡°Since the teacher wants me to say it, I will say it openly. I, Feng Zuojun, am destined to inherit the Tianxiao Yunjing. I have been living freely since I was young. I can drink with my friends until dawn, and I can drive away those who I don¡¯t like with a knife. So the teacher¡¯s evil way is exactly what I want. Who cares about the world, the truth is in the fist! So the teacher¡¯s lesson is really good! It¡¯s really ¡®cool¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Zhou Zheng threw a teacup at Feng Zuojun¡¯s head, and then the teacup bounced back to his hand. He scolded, ¡°This lesson is about the evil way, but it¡¯s not to make you join the evil! The gentleman¡¯s etiquette taught by Li Wai is different from my lesson in appearance, but they are actually the same in essence. If you don¡¯t understand this, you might as well go down the mountain and be the Yunjing sect leader.¡±


    Feng Zuojun sighed, ¡°Alas, if I could beat my father, I would have gone down the mountain a long time ago¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Zhou Zheng raised an eyebrow slightly, and clenched his fist.


    A gust of wind swept through the academy.


    Feng Zuojun quickly bowed his head and said, ¡°I misspoke, please teach me, teacher.¡±


    ¡°Do you only do evil things when you claim to be wicked?¡± Zhou Zheng pointed at Su Baiyi who had been laughing for a long time. ¡°Su Baiyi, what are you laughing at?¡±


    Su Baiyi quickly stopped smiling and shook his head. ¡°I saw Feng Zuojun and the teacher speak frankly, and I laughed at this young man¡¯s honesty.¡±


    Feng Zuojun frowned slightly, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°He means you are brainless.¡± Xie Yuling, who had been silent for most of the class, finally spoke up at this moment.


    Feng Zuojun was about to get angry, but he was glared back by Zhou Zheng. Zhou Zheng then asked Su Baiyi, ¡°You just enrolled today. After listening to our discussion about the evil way, do you have anything to say for yourself?¡±


    Su Baiyi thought for a moment, then bowed his fist and said, ¡°Today is the first day of my enrollment in the academy, but I encountered two big¡­ sects¡¯ siege. The so-called forming gangs and cliques is because one person can¡¯t do anything. But I¡¯m different. I¡¯ve been wandering alone in this world since I was young. I¡¯m the king of loneliness!¡±


    There was an uproar in the academy. One was because of Su Baiyi¡¯s arrogance, who offended the two biggest forces of this generation¡¯s disciples in one breath. The other was because this sentence¡­ was really well-written, very rhythmic, and very appealing to the hearts of the academy¡¯s disciples.


    Even Feng Zuojun pondered for a long time and finally nodded his head. He praised him, ¡°You are not bad! I admire you!¡±


    Su Baiyi sighed inwardly, ¡°Master, oh master, this academy claims to gather the literary spirit of the world, but I recited a few lines from ¡°Hot Blood Academy¡±, and they all admired me. Did I go to the wrong place, or has this academy fallen to this point in the years since you retired from the martial arts world?


    Zhou Zheng was stunned for a moment, then his mouth twitched and he wanted to laugh, but then he thought he shouldn¡¯t laugh, so he finally put on a serious face and raised a hand to signal the disciples to be quiet, ¡°Baiyi, these words of yours have some deep meaning. Why don¡¯t you explain them to everyone?¡±


    Su Baiyi thought for a while, then smiled ambiguously at Zhou Zheng, and raised his eyebrows, ¡°I do have something to say, teacher, if you come here, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you say it in public?¡± Zhou Zheng asked.


    Su Baiyi still smiled mysteriously, ¡°I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t.¡±


    Zhou Zheng hesitated for a moment, but still got up and walked to Su Baiyi¡¯s side, ¡°What do you want to say?¡±


    Su Baiyi stood up, leaned to Zhou Zheng¡¯s ear, and covered his mouth with his hand, ¡°Zhou Junzi, I haven¡¯t bought the latest volume yet, I can¡¯t go on, please spare me.¡±


    Zhou Zheng¡¯s face turned red after hearing this. He patted Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulder, then coughed lightly, ¡°Let¡¯s end the class here today. Today is Su Baiyi¡¯s first day in the academy, don¡¯t bother him.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The disciples answered.


    ¡°Class dismissed.¡± Zhou Zheng said loudly.


    The students rushed out of the academy. Su Baiyi walked to the front, but was hugged by Feng Zuojun¡¯s shoulder. Feng Zuojun seemed to forget that Su Baiyi had just mocked him for being brainless. He was in a good mood, ¡°You kid just said something that suits my taste. What did you say to the teacher later?¡±


    Su Baiyi shook his head and said, ¡°Teacher just patted my shoulder, do you know what that means?¡±


    ¡°What does it mean?¡± Feng Zuojun asked.


    ¡°Teacher meant.¡± Su Baiyi also imitated Zhou Zheng and patted Feng Zuojun¡¯s shoulder, ¡°If you tell anyone, you are dead!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha, then I won¡¯t ask. But are you sure you don¡¯t want to join our Evil Gang? You have good martial arts skills, and you are not afraid of anything. If you join our Evil Gang, when the teaching period is over, we will defeat the Xue Ying Sect, and then I will be the strongest man among the disciples of this generation in the academy.¡± Feng Zuojun looked at Su Baiyi, his eyes sincere, ¡°And you will be the strongest follower of this generation in the academy!¡±


    ¡°Please excuse me!¡± Su Baiyi made a fist and palm salute.


    After the disciples left the academy, someone pushed aside the painting scroll behind the house and came out. He smiled and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t expect it, did you? The new student is also a reader of your ¡®Hot Blood Academy¡¯, and he can recite the lines without changing his face.¡±


    Zhou Zheng looked a bit embarrassed, ¡°He probably thinks I¡¯m also a fan of ¡®Hot Blood Academy¡¯.¡±


    ¡°He is Su Baiyi who was mentioned in Xier¡¯s letter, right? Xie Kanhua¡¯s disciple, and he also has the surname Su. It¡¯s really intriguing.¡± The person sat in front of Zhou Zheng and poured a cup of tea for himself and Zhou Zheng.


    Zhou Zheng took a sip of hot tea and exhaled, ¡°Xie Kanhua was taken away by Shanglin Tiangong. Then the chaos in the martial arts world that I predicted will happen within three years will be advanced.¡±


    ¡°The chaos in the martial arts world will start from Shanglin Tiangong. And what will Shanglin Tiangong cause chaos for?¡± The person blew the hot tea.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s the Immortal Book.¡± Zhou Zheng tapped his finger on the table.

 CH 9

    Although this Zhou Zheng gentleman seemed strange, his words did have some weight. After leaving that courtyard, no more students from the academy came to bother him. Only Li Kui was waiting for him outside, his expression was originally worried, but he showed a smile when he saw Su Baiyi unharmed, ¡°It¡¯s good that nothing happened, I was afraid you would be bullied.¡±


    Su Baiyi took off the Junyu sword from his waist and handed it to Li Kui, ¡°I don¡¯t trust this sword with anyone else, you can help me keep it for a few days. Also, this academy is not quite the same as what you said, the place where the literary spirit of the world gathers¡­ and these fools?¡±


    ¡°Lower your voice, lower your voice, don¡¯t let anyone hear you.¡± Li Kui hurriedly pulled Su Baiyi to the side, walking and talking, ¡°The academy is indeed the place where the literary spirit of the world gathers, there is the Confucian sage who is known as the first in learning in the world, there are the nine gentlemen who have both moral character and talent, there are three hundred scholars who have read poetry and books. But because of this, all the factions are eager to send their young disciples from their families to this place for a bit of cultivation, to feel the atmosphere of the academy, and when they return to their own families, they will give a different impression to others, those who should inherit the family head will inherit the family head, those who should marry the young lady from the opposite door or faction will marry the young lady. So these disciples are often the pride of heaven in their own sects, growing up being pampered since childhood, one more arrogant and rude than the other, the academy is also very troubled by this, especially after that gentleman went down the mountain, sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Which gentleman?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    Li Kui smiled mysteriously, ¡°You will know later. For now, you just need to know that there are currently three gentlemen living in the academy, third gentleman Li Yanqi, fourth gentleman Li Wai, fifth gentleman Zhou Zheng.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen Zhou Zheng gentleman.¡± Su Baiyi recalled the scene just now and came to a conclusion. ¡°I think his brain is not good.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha.¡± To Su Baiyi¡¯s surprise, Li Kui, who was very respectful and admiring of the academy, was not angry at all about this remark. ¡°Indeed. In fact, none of the gentlemen in the academy have good brains. For example, third gentleman Li Yanqi, known as ¡®peach and plum do not speak but make a path under themselves¡¯, people in the academy call him Li Buyan.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like to talk?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    ¡°On the contrary, on the days when third gentleman Li Yanqi taught, he could speak for six hours without interruption in the hall, without eating, drinking, or going to the toilet. Whenever a student asked him a question, he could answer a hundred sentences for one question, and eventually no one dared to speak in the hall. Later, whenever a student met his eyes, he would take the initiative to ask the student a question, and later no one dared to look up in the hall. The meaning of Li Buyan is¡­ don¡¯t talk to Li gentleman. But Li gentleman has so many lessons to teach, mainly because he is very knowledgeable.¡±


    ¡°What about fourth gentleman Li Wai?¡± Su Baiyi thought, one day he would have to compare with Li gentleman.


    ¡°Fourth gentleman Li Wai, full of righteous spirit, likes to talk about the way of the gentleman, likes to persuade people to do good deeds, is frank and generous, often leads the students of the academy down the mountain to help the old, weak, women and children of Qiantang City, such as helping the elderly repair their dilapidated houses, sending steamed buns to the poor, teaching children, and he is also one of the gentlemen that the academy students are most afraid of.¡±


    ¡°Old, weak and children are all there. What about women?¡±


    ¡°The building of the ¡°Thousand Flowers¡± and ¡°Ten Thousand Flowers¡± in Qiantang City has widely spread Mr. Li¡¯s reputation¡±


    ¡°My apologies.¡±


    ¡°Whenever fourth gentleman teaches, students can¡¯t make noise in class, can¡¯t chase and fight after class, can¡¯t talk loudly at mealtime, can¡¯t chat after lights out, can¡¯t turn their heads and peek at others when going to the toilet, and can¡¯t whistle.¡± Li Kui¡¯s tone seemed to reveal some kind of resentment.


    ¡°This is also Li Buyan!¡± Su Baiyi exclaimed. ¡°What about fifth gentleman Zhou Zheng¡­¡±


    ¡°Zhou Zheng, the epitome of upright person and gentleman.¡± Li Kui stretched out a fist and clenched it hard. ¡°He is also the gentleman with the most upright fist.¡±


    ¡°When will the Confucian sage come back? I¡¯ll leave the mountain as soon as I see him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±


    Night fell, Su Baiyi sat in the small room arranged for him by the academy, lit a candle, took out the book from his sleeve, picked up a pen. He felt that what his master said that day made sense. In this academy where there were dangers everywhere, he had to speak less. He might as well write down what he wanted to say¡­


    ¡°Maybe I can write a work like Mr. Shan Xu¡¯s ¡®Hot Blood Academy¡¯.¡± Su Baiyi bit his pen and thought about what happened today. ¡°Xie Yuling, Xie family¡¯s third young master, he must be the one who asked that woman to save his brother that day. But why didn¡¯t he go down the mountain himself, instead he let his rival Feng Zuojun go down? Feng Zuojun, he said today that he will inherit the Tianxiao Yunjing in the future, it seems that he is the grandson of the legendary Cloud Realm. The academy is really full of hidden talents. And that gentleman Zhou Zheng, he actually likes to read novels and stories, I thought the academy gentlemen were all old and decayed, but I didn¡¯t expect them to be so leisurely, which increased my favor a bit.¡±


    Su Baiyi was talking to himself while writing something on the book, until the third watch he had no sleepiness at all, but rather the more he wrote the more interested he became, and he stopped talking to himself, picked up the pen and wrote on the book with flying dragons and dancing phoenixes. Little did he know that on the distant wall of the courtyard, there were three academy students lying down, who had long been so sleepy that they couldn¡¯t open their eyelids.


    ¡°Is this newcomer made of iron? He doesn¡¯t sleep at this hour? Xu Zhe, why don¡¯t we just forget it?¡± One of them yawned.


    The academy boy who was called Xu Zhe quickly covered his mouth, ¡°Don¡¯t make noise, don¡¯t make noise, wait a bit more.¡±


    As soon as Xu Zhe¡¯s words fell, Su Baiyi put down the book in his hand, then got up and blew out the candle. The three people on the wall waited for another half an hour before quietly climbing into the courtyard and crawling under the window. Xu Zhe slowly stood up and opened a crack in the window. He saw Su Baiyi lying on the bed, his back facing them. He immediately took out a blow dart from his sleeves and blew it lightly at Su Baiyi.


    ¡°Got him.¡± Xu Zhe smiled.


    But Su Baiyi suddenly turned over and caught the dart with two fingers.


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t you sleep?¡± Xu Zhe exclaimed.


    Su Baiyi sat up from the bed, ¡°You¡¯re right. I haven¡¯t slept for many years.¡±


    ¡°Xu Zhe, what do we do now?¡± The other two asked.


    Su Baiyi looked at the person in front of him in the moonlight and recognized him as the one who stood next to Feng Zuojun during the day. He said helplessly, ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    Xu Zhe suddenly sneered, ¡°You¡¯ll know soon enough. The boss was right, you do have some skills, but you¡¯re still too young. How dare you catch my Xu family¡¯s hidden weapon with your hand?¡±


    Su Baiyi frowned slightly and found that his hand was slightly numb. He looked closely and saw that his whole hand was already black, ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Since you haven¡¯t slept for many years, why don¡¯t you have a good sleep today?¡± Xu Zhe jumped into the room with a leap, walked over and carried Su Baiyi, who couldn¡¯t move anymore, on his back. ¡°This poison is called Sleeping Bone Fragrance, enough for you to sleep soundly for a few hours.¡±

 CH 10

    After a short while, the west wing of the academy.


    A string of curses erupted!


    ¡°Xu Zhe, are you sick? You sneaked a person into my room in the middle of the night. If it was a beautiful woman, I would have accepted it. At worst, people would say that I¡¯m a libertine, which would match my Feng family¡¯s reputation in martial world. My father would even praise me a few words. But you brought me a big man. Do you want me to be laughed to death by Xie Yuling and his gang?¡± Feng Zuojun sat up from the bed in his light clothes, his hair messy like a bird¡¯s nest. He scratched his hair in annoyance and glared at Xu Zhe.


    But Xu Zhe still smiled, ¡°Boss, I saw how much you hated this kid. You were still nagging about him at dinner. So I caught him for you. I have thirty-six kinds of deadly poisons with me. They are specially used by my Xu family to torture prisoners. I don¡¯t believe that this Su guy won¡¯t submit to our Extreme Evil Gang tonight.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Feng Zuojun grabbed a pillow and threw it over. ¡°Today I was scolded for being brainless. I think you are the ones who are really brainless. Such a low and despicable method, how could you think of it!¡±


    Xu Zhe scratched his head, ¡°But aren¡¯t we¡­ doing all kinds of evil¡­¡±


    ¡°Today, the teacher¡¯s words enlightened me.¡± Feng Zuojun yawned. ¡°If we do all kinds of evil, then we will really become evil people. I thought about it, and we have to add a few words at the end.¡±


    ¡°Which words?¡± Xu Zhe asked.


    Feng Zuojun said solemnly, ¡°With some restraint.¡±


    Xu Zhe was stunned, then bowed his fist, ¡°Boss, you are so right! Yes, doing all kinds of evil, but with some restraint. This makes our Extreme Evil Gang have a different level altogether. Boss, I¡¯ll take him back now.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Feng Zuojun suddenly stood up, reached out and grabbed the bamboo sword on the bedside, and looked at Su Baiyi¡¯s face with a slight frown. ¡°He¡¯s a bit strange.¡±


    ¡°He was poisoned by the sleeping bone incense. Without my antidote, he won¡¯t wake up in four hours.¡± Xu Zhe walked to Su Baiyi¡¯s side and said with a smile, ¡°Boss, don¡¯t worry. When he wakes up tomorrow, he¡¯ll think he just had a dream.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go near him!¡± Feng Zuojun shouted, reaching out to stop him.


    But it was too late. Su Baiyi suddenly stood up and grabbed Xu Zhe¡¯s throat. Xu Zhe saw Su Baiyi¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, but he seemed to see nothing, as if he had lost his mind.


    ¡°Get off.¡± Feng Zuojun leaped forward, grabbed Xu Zhe¡¯s collar with his left hand and pulled him back hard, then kicked Su Baiyi to the door. ¡°Xu Zhe, what else did you poison him with besides the sleeping bone incense?¡±


    Xu Zhe squatted on the ground, gasping for air. ¡°Only¡­ only the sleeping bone incense. I¡­ I swear.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, he looks a bit like he¡¯s gone mad from cultivation.¡± Feng Zuojun examined Su Baiyi carefully. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t seem like it either. Xu Zhe, did you notice anything wrong when you caught Su Baiyi?¡±


    Xu Zhe finally caught his breath and quickly recalled. ¡°Su Baiyi said he hadn¡¯t slept for many years¡­¡±


    ¡°Many years without sleep? He would have been dead long ago, wouldn¡¯t he?¡± Feng Zuojun said doubtfully. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡±


    Su Baiyi lifted his head slightly and met Feng Zuojun¡¯s eyes. A trace of killing intent flashed in his red eyes. Feng Zuojun was startled and wanted to retreat subconsciously, but Su Baiyi moved like a flash and appeared in front of him in an instant. He reached out to grab his throat. Feng Zuojun hurriedly swung his bamboo sword to block, but Su Baiyi grabbed the sword with one hand and threw it to the door.


    ¡°What a great strength!¡± Feng Zuojun exclaimed. He was born with extraordinary power and could compete with his uncles¡¯ experts when he was six years old. But Su Baiyi¡¯s casual swing just now was as easy as an adult teasing a child. Before Feng Zuojun could think more, Su Baiyi appeared in front of him again and kicked him into the yard. Feng Zuojun flew with his sword and fell in the middle of the yard. He felt like his bones were breaking and he couldn¡¯t even stand up on the ground.


    There was a round and bright moon hanging in the sky.


    ¡°What a big moon.¡± Feng Zuojun looked at the moon and sighed softly.


    ¡°And¡­ what a big fist.¡± Feng Zuojun shuddered, bounced up from the ground like a carp, and then leaped back, jumping out of ten feet.


    He saw Su Baiyi falling from the sky, punching the place where Feng Zuojun had just lain, and smashing out a small pit.


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what evil you¡¯re suffering from right now, you¡¯re really strong. At least you¡¯re the strongest among the disciples of the same generation I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Feng Zuojun¡¯s hand holding the bamboo sword trembled uncontrollably because of excitement. ¡°I suddenly became interested. If I defeat you, then I¡¯ll be the real strongest disciple of this generation. It¡¯s much more fun than defeating Xie Yuling. Big wind rises, thirty thousand miles! Look at my blade!¡± Feng Zuojun shouted and swung his bamboo sword down hard. The blade qi was like a flood, rushing towards Su Baiyi.


    Even if you¡¯re stronger, you can¡¯t take my big wind style without a weapon. That¡¯s a pipe dream!


    Su Baiyi stood up, didn¡¯t even turn his head, and just flicked his sleeve lightly. He actually dispersed the blade qi with one strike. He then turned his head, looked at Feng Zuojun, and grinned at him.


    ¡°Ghost, ghost! Quick¡­ call the teacher!¡± Feng Zuojun yelled. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t beat him.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Su Baiyi came to him again and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying out.


    Damn it¡­ if I fall again, my bones will really break. Feng Zuojun flew in the air and closed his eyes in despair. But at the same time, he felt something floating on his face. He opened his eyes and grabbed it.


    ¡°Cherry blossoms?¡±


    A pair of hands suddenly caught Feng Zuojun, and then the person spun lightly, slowly dissipating the domineering punch force, and finally landed steadily on the ground.


    ¡°Is this your idea of fun?¡± The person who saved Feng Zuojun sneered.


    Feng Zuojun heard the person¡¯s voice and realized that he was being held by this person¡¯s waist at this moment. He felt goosebumps all over his body, and finally said slowly, ¡°This move¡­ is really disgusting.¡±


    ¡°As you say.¡± The person nodded, let go of his hands, and stepped back. Feng Zuojun was thrown here like this.


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah, my bones are breaking, breaking¡­¡± Feng Zuojun gritted his teeth in pain.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a disgrace to be the strongest of this generation¡¯s academy.¡± The person sighed. ¡°You only exchanged one move with him and you want to call the teacher. How shameful.¡±


    Feng Zuojun snorted, ¡°You try it and you¡¯ll know. If you can beat him, I¡¯ll call you big brother from now on.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The person waved his hand lightly and opened his folding fan.


    Don¡¯t rebel against authority


    Xie Yuling.

 CH 11

    Following Xie Yulin, Lan Yuzhe appeared, leading several disciples of the Blood Cherry Sect into the western courtyard. Lan Yuzhe opened his folding fan and covered his mouth with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s quite lively in your guest house tonight, Master Feng Zuojun.¡±


    Feng Zuojun sat down cross-legged and ignored Lan Yuzhe¡¯s mockery. He began to regulate his internal energy that had been disrupted by Su Baiyi earlier, and said to Xie Yuling, ¡°He is very fast and very strong, faster than normal and stronger than usual. I¡¯ll give you a piece of advice, since you saved me just now. There is something wrong with Su Baiyi. You should call teachers to deal with him.¡±


    ¡°I heard that this Su Baiyi, you met him before in Twilight City. Was he the one who rescued Qing Yilang?¡± Xie Yuling asked.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you came here.¡± Feng Zuojun realized, ¡°That¡¯s right. He was the one who took away your big brother. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so annoyed by him. But you won¡¯t get anything out of him now. He has lost his mind and hasn¡¯t said a word since then. I suspect he has gone mad or been poisoned by something strange.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s knock some sense into him first.¡± Xie Yuling said coldly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea. After all, Su Baiyi is only¡­ enjoying the moon right now.¡± Feng Zuojun looked at Su Baiyi who was standing not far away. Su Baiyi had been motionless since he punched Feng Zuojun away. He was looking up at the full moon in the sky.


    ¡°Is he enjoying the moon? Why do I feel that his aura is getting more and more terrifying?¡± Xie Yuling bent slightly, ready to make a move.


    As if he heard Xie Yuling¡¯s words, Su Baiyi suddenly lowered his head. His red eyes suddenly changed color, turning into a faint blue.


    ¡°What the hell, his eye color keeps changing.¡± Feng Zuojun cursed softly.


    Before he finished speaking, Xie Yuling had already dashed past him and reached Su Baiyi¡¯s side. Su Baiyi immediately threw a punch, which carried a fierce internal energy that Feng Zuojun could feel from more than ten meters away.


    Feng Zuojun patted the spot next to him. ¡°Come join me, Xie Yuling.¡±


    But Xie Yuling bent down and dodged it skillfully. He spun his folding fan lightly and tapped it on Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Stop messing around¡­¡± Feng Zuojun said worriedly, ¡°Su Baiyi, weren¡¯t you very fast just now?¡±


    Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulder was lightly tapped by the fan, and a hint of ferocity flashed in his eyes. He slapped another palm towards Xie Yuling¡¯s head, but Xie Yuling spun around and came to Su Baiyi¡¯s back. He pointed his fan lightly at Su Baiyi¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Do you think Xie Yuling bribed Su Baiyi and deliberately put on a show with me here?¡± Feng Zuojun turned his head and asked.


    Xu Zhe picked up Feng Zuojun¡¯s wooden sword and placed it next to him. He nodded and agreed, ¡°That must be it!¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡± Lan Yuzhe also came to Feng Zuojun¡¯s side at this time. ¡°Su Baiyi is very fast and very strong, but he is only fast in his movements and not in his actions. As for his strength¡­ Su Baiyi doesn¡¯t know any techniques right now, and his close-range movements are very stiff. That¡¯s why Brother Xie chose to fight with him within three steps of him. That way, Su Baiyi can¡¯t use his strength even if he has it.¡±


    Without warning, Xie Yuling threw his fan into the air. It flew around Su Baiyi and struck him repeatedly. Xie Yuling moved nimbly and avoided Su Baiyi¡¯s fists while launching counterattacks whenever Su Baiyi showed a weakness.


    ¡°This is the Clear Wind Bright Moon Fan Technique of the Xie family.¡± Lan Yuzhe said quietly, ¡°I only heard Brother Xie mention it before. Thanks to your luck, I finally saw it with my own eyes today.¡±


    ¡°It feels like Su Baiyi has flaws all over his body, but why does Xie Yuling only use a fan to tap him here and there, like tickling him? It doesn¡¯t seem to work.¡± Xu Zhe wondered.


    ¡°He is hitting his acupoints.¡± Feng Zuojun said in a low voice, ¡°Clear wind bright moon, immortal acupoint striking. He is almost done.¡±


    ¡°Yes. He is done!¡± Xie Yuling smiled slightly and kicked Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulder lightly with his foot. Then he flipped over and landed steadily five steps behind Su Baiyi. He raised his hand and the fan fell back into his hand.


    A set of movements, done in one breath.


    ¡°Throw petals!¡± Lan Yuzhe shouted, and two disciples of the Blood Cherry Sect rushed out.


    Then Xie Yuling opened his fan and bathed in the cherry blossom rain. He turned around and looked at Su Baiyi, ¡°I hit thirty-six acupoints on your body. Even if you have the physique of the Autumn Water Realm, you can¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, the contest between the Extreme Evil Gang and the Blood Cherry Sect, today we will have a winner, right?¡± Lan Yuzhe smiled and glanced at Feng Zuojun.


    Feng Zuojun, however, seemed to have completely ignored this sentence, and instead looked at Su Baiyi with a serious expression.


    Xie Yuling also looked at Su Baiyi with a serious expression.


    But Su Baiyi looked confused and bewildered, then lifted his foot lightly and took a step forward.


    Lan Yuzhe¡¯s smile froze on his face.


    Feng Zuojun didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry at this moment. He muttered, ¡°It¡­ had no effect at all?¡±


    As he spoke, Su Baiyi took another step forward, then stopped and scratched his shoulder that had been kicked by Xie Yuling. Finally, he slowly uttered a word, ¡°Itchy.¡±


    This was the first word Su Baiyi said after his body became abnormal.


    It was with a bit of ignorance, innocence, and a childlike tone.


    Everyone present couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Feng Zuojun suddenly shouted.


    Su Baiyi flashed again and came directly in front of Xie Yuling.


    ¡°Run!¡± Feng Zuojun yelled.


    But Xie Yuling¡¯s legs seemed to be bound by some terrible force on the ground, and he couldn¡¯t move a step. He could only watch as Su Baiyi¡¯s fist smashed down on his chest.


    ¡°Break!¡± Feng Zuojun suddenly roared to the sky. That word ¡°break¡± carried a mysterious power that made Su Baiyi¡¯s movement slightly pause. Xie Yuling, who couldn¡¯t move, also got a chance to breathe. He quickly raised his fan and blocked it in front of his chest.


    Lan Yuzhe closed his fan and squinted his eyes. ¡°The Three True Words of the Feng family.¡±


    But it only lasted for a moment. After that, Su Baiyi¡¯s fist still hammered down and hit the fan. This time Xie Yuling wasn¡¯t sent flying into the air like Feng Zuojun, but his feet stuck to the ground and he was pushed back. By the time he reached Feng Zuojun¡¯s side, Xie Yuling¡¯s feet had sunk three feet deep into the ground.


    ¡°What do you say?¡± Feng Zuojun asked.


    Xie Yuling swallowed the blood in his throat. ¡°Call the teachers quickly.¡±

 CH 12

    Feng Zuojun suddenly stood up, holding his bamboo sword over his head, his voice filled with a bit of pride, ¡°You¡¯re giving up so easily, Xie Yuling?¡±


    Xie Yuling tried to suppress the turbulent true energy in his chest. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who surrendered first?¡±


    ¡°We have always been considered the strongest two disciples of this generation in the Academy, but this Su Baiyi only entered the school for one day and he beat us down one after another. Isn¡¯t that too humiliating?¡± Feng Zuojun laughed.


    Xie Yuling frowned slightly, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Feng Zuojun waved his bamboo sword, ¡°My idea is, why don¡¯t we team up?¡±


    Xie Yuling was stunned, ¡°Isn¡¯t that even more shameful?¡±


    ¡°My father once said a word, no matter what, it¡¯s always more honourable to win.¡± Feng Zuojun lowered his bamboo sword, and around him, sand began to float in the air. ¡°I¡¯ll go first, you follow up. Don¡¯t use any of those acupoint techniques anymore, use the most vicious ones! The strongest ones! The most barbaric ones! Just like me!¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Xie Yuling exclaimed.


    ¡°My surname is Feng, the same as in fengliu (romantic), fengdu (elegant), and also fengzi (madman)!¡± Feng Zuojun laughed loudly, rushing towards Su Baiyi. He swung his right hand with the bamboo sword, then grabbed the hilt with his left hand as well, clearly using the method of a heavy blade. ¡°Great Wind Blade Technique ¨C Sorrow of Ten Thousand Miles!¡±


    Su Baiyi turned slightly, reaching out to grab the bamboo sword in Feng Zuojun¡¯s hand.


    ¡°You think you can catch it with your bare hands just because it¡¯s a bamboo sword? You underestimate our Feng family¡¯s Great Wind Style.¡± Feng Zuojun said excitedly.


    Su Baiyi looked down at his hand, only to see that his skin was being torn apart bit by bit, blood flowing from his hand, and around the bamboo sword there seemed to be tiny winds swirling.


    ¡°It¡¯s blade qi.¡± Xu Zhe shouted. ¡°You¡¯re awesome, boss!¡±


    ¡°Snap.¡±


    Su Baiyi snapped the bamboo sword in one hand, then shattered the remaining pieces with a palm strike. Feng Zuojun¡¯s smile froze on his face, but before he could think more he immediately dropped his sword, jumped to Su Baiyi¡¯s back with a leap, dodging the fist that was about to hit him again.


    Feng Zuojun smiled smugly. ¡°It¡¯s just one punch after another, I¡¯ve already seen through it.¡±


    Su Baiyi seemed to understand his words, and turned around to kick at Feng Zuojun, who dodged again with a leap. He tore off his right sleeve, then bent his right hand slightly. ¡°You think I¡¯ll be afraid of you without a weapon? Look at my Feng family¡¯s hand blade!¡±


    He chopped down with his right hand, which indeed carried some of the momentum of a big blade!


    Su Baiyi flipped over, and lifted his right leg sharply, colliding with Feng Zuojun¡¯s right hand.


    ¡°Snap.¡± It sounded like two planks hitting each other.


    Su Baiyi retracted his leg, his expression unchanged.


    Feng Zuojun flipped over, landing three steps away. He first calmly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, then finally began to shake his right hand. ¡°Ow ow ow ow ow.¡±


    ¡°Being on par with an idiot like you in the Academy is really embarrassing.¡± Xie Yuling put away his folding fan, and clapped his hands together. ¡°Rise!¡±


    As Xie Yuling said this word ¡°rise¡±, his muscles swelled up in an instant, and his originally thin body became as tall and burly as Feng Zuojun at this moment. His forehead veins bulged, and the wind around him became more fierce.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hate this move the most?¡± Lan Yuzhe asked.


    ¡°I feel like I can only fight force with force now.¡± Xie Yuling shouted angrily. ¡°Su Baiyi, look here!¡±


    Su Baiyi turned his head at the sound, and a fist had already reached his face. He simply lowered his head, and took the punch with his forehead.


    ¡°Thud.¡±


    This sound was not like planks hitting planks anymore, but like iron hitting iron.


    ¡°What martial art is Xie Yuling using?¡± Xu Zhe asked.


    ¡°Xie family¡¯s ancestor had some connections with Shaolin Temple, and learned some of the Vajra Unbreakable Skill. Later, after integrating it with Xie family¡¯s own techniques, he created a martial art called ¡®Roar of the Tiger and Dragon¡¯. What Xie brother is using now is the first half of it.¡± Lan Yuzhe opened his folding fan and waved it lightly. ¡°Roar of the Tiger.¡±


    Xie Yuling¡¯s punches and palms were indeed somewhat tiger-like at this moment, but compared to the ordinary tiger fist, they were much more fierce and domineering, especially the roar that came out when he swung his fists and palms, which was really like a tiger¡¯s roar that chilled people. Any martial art that was extremely powerful would consume a lot of true energy, and Xie Yuling and Su Baiyi had exchanged thirty moves in a blink of an eye. Su Baiyi could not easily push back Xie Yuling as before, but his face and breathing did not change at all, while Xie Yuling¡¯s back was already drenched in sweat.


    Feng Zuojun suddenly looked up and howled again, ¡°Break!¡±


    Su Baiyi¡¯s figure finally paused, and Xie Yuling found a flaw and punched Su Baiyi out.


    ¡°Three true words really work!¡± Feng Zuojun exclaimed happily. ¡°Break!¡±


    ¡°Break!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a three-word mantra? You only know this one word?¡± Xie Yuling asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to read the other two words!¡± Feng Zuojun snapped. ¡°Hurry up and attack! I¡¯ll keep shouting!¡±


    ¡°Break!¡± But a voice shouted out first, and then Feng Zuojun opened his mouth, only to spit out a mouthful of blood.


    The one who shouted that word ¡°break¡± was Su Baiyi, who lowered his head and looked at Xie Yuling. He gently waved his palm, then lightly swung his right palm forward, while his left hand clenched into a fist and lifted slightly, looking exactly like Xie Yuling just now.


    Roar of the Tiger!


    ¡°I told you to call the teacher.¡± The sweat on Xie Yuling¡¯s back turned into cold sweat.


    ¡°Xu Zhe, bring Zhou Zheng gentleman  here. We¡¯re in trouble for today¡¯s situation. In the meantime, make sure no one dies, all of you from the Blood Cherry Sect.¡± Lan Yuzhe¡¯s eyes that had always been squinted also opened up, showing a sharp gaze like a falcon¡¯s. ¡°Prepare to meet the teacher.¡±


    ¡°Disciples of the Academy will have to rely on themselves to travel the world one day. How can they think of their teacher whenever they encounter danger?¡± A gentle voice suddenly sounded in everyone¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Sister.¡± Feng Zuojun¡¯s voice sounded like the whole world had lit up. ¡°Sister is here!¡±


    Everyone in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief, as if hearing the word ¡°sister¡± was more reassuring than hearing ¡°teacher¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re screwed.¡± Feng Zuojun pointed at Su Baiyi and laughed. ¡°I told you, you¡¯re screwed! You¡¯re done for!¡±


    Xie Yuling said helplessly, ¡°Can you stop being so childish?¡±


    A purple figure landed on Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulder at this moment, then the figure lightly bounced up, then stepped down again, then bounced up again, then stepped down again¡­ In just a few breaths, the purple figure had stepped on Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulder dozens of times. Su Baiyi had no time to react, and his whole body was stomped into the ground. In the end, he only showed his head, grinning at everyone in the courtyard but unable to do anything.


    Feng Zuojun immediately ran over and pointed at Su Baiyi and laughed, ¡°I told you you¡¯re screwed, right?¡±

 CH 13

    ¡°Senior sister, greetings!¡± All the disciples in the courtyard knelt on one knee, clasped their hands in a fist, and shouted respectfully to the purple figure standing on Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulders. Even Xie Yuling, who was always cold and proud, was no exception. Only Feng Zuojun still yelled, ¡°Senior sister, have a look at this guy. Is he possessed or what?¡±


    The woman in purple lightly flicked her sleeve and jumped down from Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulders. She bent down slightly and looked at Su Baiyi¡¯s pupils. She asked, ¡°What did you do to him?¡±


    Xu Zhe immediately ran over and said, ¡°We only used some sleeping bone incense on him.¡±


    ¡°Sleeping bone incense? Shouldn¡¯t that make him fall asleep? How did he become this inhuman and ghostly in appearance?¡± The woman in purple stretched out her slender finger and gently pinched Su Baiyi¡¯s chin. ¡°His pupils are light blue¡­¡±


    ¡°They were fire red at first.¡± Feng Zuojun reminded.


    ¡°Should we call Zhou Zheng gentleman over?¡± Xie Yuling asked.


    ¡°Is there an antidote for sleeping bone incense?¡± The woman in purple asked.


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Xu Zhe suddenly realized and took out a medicine bottle from his chest. He opened the cork. ¡°This is the true god incense. Just smell it and you will be cured.¡±


    As the cork was opened, an indescribable stench spread throughout the yard. All the disciples covered their noses. Feng Zuojun covered his nose too and cursed, ¡°Xu Zhe, what is this thing? I¡¯m about to faint from the smell.¡±


    With a smile, Xu Zhe ran over to the woman in purple and said, ¡°My apologies, my apologies. I hope you don¡¯t mind my little joke. Sleeping bone incense has such a sweet smell that it can make people sleep deeply. How can you wake them up if not with something special and stinky? Senior sister, just let him sniff it next to his nose.¡±


    The woman in purple didn¡¯t mind the stench at all. She took the medicine bottle and put it next to Su Baiyi¡¯s nose, ¡°Is this enough?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Xu Zhe quickly took back the medicine bottle. ¡°Thank you, senior sister.¡±


    ¡°Are you awake?¡± The woman in purple watched as the light blue color in Su Baiyi¡¯s pupils faded away and gradually returned to normal.


    Su Baiyi blinked his eyes and looked at the woman in purple in front of him. He smacked his lips and slowly said, ¡°Girl, you are so beautiful¡­¡±


    The courtyard became quiet in an instant. All the disciples held their breaths at that moment. Even Feng Zuojun opened his mouth wide, with a look of admiration and schadenfreude,  ¡°You kid¡­ You dare to flirt with senior sister. You have such a big guts¡­¡±


    Is senior sister beautiful?


    Of course she is beautiful.


    All the disciples of the academy could not deny this point. As long as senior sister appeared, all the disciples¡¯ eyes would be attracted to her. Even if the sage himself came, he might not have such a charm. But the disciples only dared to watch from afar. They didn¡¯t even have the courage to say a word to her. Because senior sister entered the mountain at the age of seven and was pampered by all the gentlemen from a porcelain doll to a big beauty today. Who would dare to disrespect senior sister? The gentlemen would personally beat you up. Even Feng Zuojun, who had a good family background and martial arts skills, only dared to earn the reputation as senior sister¡¯s first lapdog. Who else would dare to say ¡°Girl, you are so beautiful¡±?


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    One year, the sage asked the students, among the splendid scenery of ten miles of glittering jewels, which was more beautiful, the peach blossoms or the cherry blossoms, which was more fragrant, the hundred flowers or the green grass?


    The two gentlemen answered, when the peach blossoms bloom, so do the cherry blossoms, when the hundred flowers are fragrant, so is the green grass, but when junior sister walks in the mountains, all the splendor loses its color.


    But only the two gentlemen dared to say that, because the two gentlemen had high martial arts skills and even better lightness skills. They were not afraid of being beaten. Because the gentlemen all knew that this most beautiful junior sister hated it when people praised her beauty. Before this junior sister entered the academy, many people had said a sentence to her.


    You are so beautiful, you look just like your mother back then.


    And before she entered the academy, her mother had already died.


    So all the disciples could already imagine that in the next moment, Su Baiyi would be knocked out by a direct punch. But senior sister hadn¡¯t raised her hand yet. After Su Baiyi said that sentence, he looked at the woman in front of him foolishly for a few moments and then his head rolled down. He fainted first.


    ¡°Senior sister, what kind of martial arts have you mastered? You can knock people out without moving your hands?¡± Xu Zhe exclaimed.


    The woman in purple stood up and said helplessly, ¡°I didn¡¯t hit him.¡±


    Feng Zuojun immediately echoed, ¡°Yes, yes, yes. How could senior sister bully a newcomer?¡±


    The woman in purple said angrily, ¡°I really didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s call Zhou Zheng gentleman over.¡± Xie Yuling suddenly said. ¡°I feel that this Su Baiyi is very problematic. If we rashly accept him into the academy, I¡¯m afraid there will be hidden dangers.¡±


    The woman in purple looked down at Su Baiyi buried in the dirt and hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Junior Feng, you dig him out and send him to my yard. When he wakes up, I¡¯ll ask him personally.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir! Xu Zhe, come and help!¡± Feng Zuojun had no trace of being the leader of the Evil Gang at this moment. He became a diligent younger brother.


    The woman in purple looked at Xie Yuling and said, ¡°Qing Yilang is now recuperating at Chen¡¯s family in Jinzhou. You can go and see him after a while. If you are worried about his safety there, you can also bring him to the academy. I¡¯ll help you talk to the teacher.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, senior sister.¡± Xie Yuling clasped his fist and said. ¡°I won¡¯t tell Zhou Zheng gentleman about this matter here. But I¡¯ll leave it to senior sister to handle.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The woman in purple smiled and left the yard with a leap.


    And under the wall of the yard, two sneaky figures were hiding against the wall, afraid of being discovered by anyone.


    ¡°What do we do? Junior sister doesn¡¯t seem to want us to handle this matter?¡± One of them asked.


    ¡°This Su Baiyi is Xie Kanhua¡¯s disciple. The abnormality that appeared on him tonight must have something to do with Xie Kanhua. It¡¯s no wonder that junior sister is so nervous. She went to chase Lin Tiangong this time, but she must have failed. Now she must be angry. We¡¯d better¡­¡± The other one replied.


    ¡°But this matter involves Xie Kanhua, and that might have something to do with that half-volume of immortal book. This is not a matter of one person. It¡¯s a big deal. We need to send a letter to the teacher right away. As for this side, I¡¯ll trouble senior brother to go there.¡±


    ¡°What? Why me? Isn¡¯t it you who is in charge of the academy now? I was just going out to pee at night and accidentally found out about this.¡±


    ¡°Junior sister just said that we can¡¯t let Zhou Zheng know, but she didn¡¯t say we can¡¯t let Li Wai know. You know junior sister¡¯s temper too. She¡¯s usually like a cute kitten, but when it comes to those things of the previous generation, she can turn into a tigress. I don¡¯t dare to provoke her. You just pretend that you found out by accident.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t dare, and I do? Sigh. But if I don¡¯t go¡­¡±


    ¡°I have an idea?¡±


    ¡°I thought of it too.¡±


    ¡°Lie to third senior brother and make him go!¡±

 CH 14

    ¡°15 days ago, Elder Xuemo Bai of the Heavenly Book Hall in Daze Prefecture was killed in Yingdu. He was known as the peerless fast sword, but it was said that when he died, his long sword was only half drawn, and his head had already flown out of the window.¡±


    ¡°Twelve days ago, Mr. Sword Ghost of Jimo City went to Mingjian Mountain Villa to ask for a sword, but when the carriage arrived, it only carried a cold corpse. However, the coachman claimed that no one had entered the carriage along the way.¡±


    ¡°10 days ago, Qing Yilang, the eldest son of the Xie family, was suspected of secretly practicing the martial arts of the Demon Sect at the Peak Conference. He was later escorted to Wang family¡¯s mansion for detention, but he was hijacked on the way and his whereabouts are unknown.¡±


    ¡°7 days ago, Gu Xingshi, the first master of Tianshui Villa, had reached the end of his three-month seclusion. But when his son opened the door of the secret room, he found that there was no one in the secret room, only Gu Xingshi¡¯s famous weapon Qiushui Knife. But this knife was broken.¡±


    ¡°Two days ago, Dongfang Yanxing, the first forging master of the Dongfang family among the four major families, was found dead in his sword furnace. His hands and feet were chopped off by someone.¡±


    ¡°The last information I got was yesterday. The Tianxiao Yunjing closed its doors tightly and no one knew what happened inside.¡± A middle-aged man with a serious face sat at his desk, holding a scroll in his hand. Behind the desk hung a huge scroll with the words ¡°The Sea of Learning is Boundless¡±. He looked at his two junior brothers in front of him and slammed the scroll on the table. ¡°So many big things have happened in the Jianghu, but you came here to try to deceive me because you were afraid of being scolded by your junior sister?¡±


    Zhou Zheng and Li Wai both bowed their heads, looking like they were being trained. The one standing in front of them was naturally Li Yanxi, who was called ¡°Li Buyan¡± by the Three Gentlemen of Xue Gong. Facing this senior brother, Zhou Zheng and Li Wai were like ordinary Xue Gong students who did not dare to look at him when he spoke. Otherwise, they were afraid that before they finished speaking, the sky would have already brightened.


    Zhou Zheng frowned and glanced at Li Wai with a surprised look, ¡°How come we don¡¯t know about these things?¡±


    ¡°I just learned about the news that Die Feng just lifted its seal. We stay on the mountain every day, so naturally we don¡¯t know. But these news have already spread all over Jianghu. Junior sister just came back to the mountain and she must have already known these news herself.¡± The middle-aged man put down his scroll. ¡°And there is a rumor in the martial world that this matter was done by Tianmen Shengzong.¡±


    ¡°The Demon Sect?¡± Zhou Zheng sneered. ¡°The Demon Sect is a very useful thing. Any bad thing can be blamed on them.¡±


    ¡°The three major sects of Daze Prefecture, Tianxiao Yunjing, Heavenly Book Hall, and Tianshui Mountain Villa, the four great families of Jiangnan, Wang family, Xie family, Lu family and Dongfang family, as well as Jimo City, they were all participants of the Weilong Alliance in Shanglin Tiangong back then. After the Weilong Alliance was formed, they defeated Tianmen Shengzong in one fell swoop, leaving only a few sect members to survive. There is a rumor in Jianghu that they have been plotting revenge ever since. And now that the masters of the various sects that participated in the Weilong Alliance have been killed one after another, it is inevitable to think that it was done by Tianmen Shengzong.¡±


    Li Wai nodded and said, ¡°This is bad.¡±


    ¡°First, the master of Wuyu Tower, Xie Kanhua, reappeared in the world. Then, Tianmen Shengzong returned to Jianghu and stirred up waves. Junior sister there¡­¡± Zhou Zheng sighed softly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it can¡¯t be stopped.¡±


    ¡°The matter back then was complicated and the truth has not been revealed yet. Junior sister dreams of finding out the truth about this matter. This is the best opportunity for her. Do you think junior sister will let it go easily?¡± Li Yanxi stroked his chin where there was no beard. ¡°Go and find junior sister right away. At the same time, let Die Feng¡¯s people notify the master to come back to the mountain as soon as possible.¡±


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    ¡°Then¡­ who will go to find junior sister?¡± Zhou Zheng and Li Wai asked at the same time.


    ¡°The more people, the more courage! Naturally together!¡± Li Yanxi sighed helplessly.


    In the quietest courtyard in the back garden of Xue Gong, Feng Zuojun was carrying Su Baiyi on his shoulder and watching his senior sister pacing back and forth.


    ¡°Senior sister, why don¡¯t I beat him up and wake him up? This is not a solution to wait like this.¡± Feng Zuojun yawned. ¡°I want to go back and sleep.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Feng, if I ask you to accompany me down the mountain, would you be willing?¡± Senior sister suddenly asked.


    Feng Zuojun¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Can we go down the mountain again? What kind of interesting task is this? Yes, yes, absolutely yes!¡±


    Senior sister shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s not the same as last time. This time, if you go down the mountain with me, it will be leaving the Academy without permission. You might be sent back home by Xue Gong.¡±


    Feng Zuojun¡¯s eyes brightened even more, ¡°There is such a good thing?¡±


    Senior sister was stunned for a moment, then rubbed her forehead, ¡°Tianxiao Yunjing is also one of the most powerful sects in Yunmeng Daze. Are you really going to inherit it in the future?¡±


    ¡°If you had met my father, you would not have this question. Compared to my father, I Feng Zuojun am really a good talent that our Tianxiao Yunjing has been longing for a hundred years.¡± Feng Zuojun weighed Su Baiyi on his back. ¡°Senior sister, when are we going down the mountain?¡±


    Senior sister walked to Su Baiyi¡¯s side and hesitated for a while before saying, ¡°Now.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Feng Zuojun did not think at all and nodded directly.


    ¡°So readily?¡± Senior sister smiled.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Feng Zuojun said proudly. ¡°The sons of our Feng family have always been like this.¡±


    ¡°I did not take you as a junior brother in vain.¡± Senior sister stretched out two fingers and made a loud whistle at her mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Following senior sister¡¯s orders!¡± Feng Zuojun jumped on the wall with Su Baiyi on his back, and senior sister also followed him up. The academy was very quiet at night, as if everyone had fallen into a deep sleep, but the figures of the two people shuttling through it were still seen by someone.


    The two stepped out of Xue Gong, and a carriage was already waiting for them there. Li Kui held the whip and said helplessly, ¡°Miss, didn¡¯t we agree to discuss it carefully?¡±


    Senior sister tapped her toes and landed on the carriage, ¡°I also said that we have to adapt to the situation.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, but why did you bring two more people? Isn¡¯t this the kid surnamed Su? Why did he faint?¡± Li Kui asked, with a hint of concern in his tone. ¡°Young Master Feng, did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t wrong a good person. I was almost beaten to death tonight.¡± Feng Zuojun threw Su Baiyi on the carriage. ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly, otherwise it will be troublesome if we are caught up by those gentlemen.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Li Kui turned the horse¡¯s head and raised the whip in his hand, but saw a white figure flash by and stop in front of the carriage. He was stunned and asked in confusion, ¡°Third Young Master Xie?¡±


    Xie Yuling held a folding fan in his hand, with a long sword hanging from his waist and a backpack on his back. He stood in front of the carriage like this.


    Feng Zuojun clenched his fists, ¡°You want to stop us?¡±


    ¡°Take me with you down the mountain.¡± Xie Yuling weighed his backpack.

 CH 15

    ¡°Go!¡±


    On the quiet and deserted mountain road at night, only one carriage was speeding down the hill. The coachman was sitting behind two young men, one of them tall and sturdy, speaking with arrogance, ¡°If you want to go down the mountain, just go by yourself. Why do you have to hitch a ride with us?¡±


    The other one was thin and cold-faced, and his tone was even colder, ¡°I¡¯m following the carriage of my senior sister, not yours. Please make that clear, Feng Zuojun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the first loyal dog of senior sister. Her carriage is my carriage.¡± Feng Zuojun¡¯s tone was somewhat proud.


    ¡°May I ask, how can you say such a shameful thing so proudly, Tianxiao Yunjing¡¯s junior sect master?¡± Xie Yuling asked.


    ¡°You think it¡¯s shameful, I think it¡¯s proud. Why? Because senior sister is strong. To acknowledge the strong, is to become strong. This is the way of our Tianxiao Yunjing. That¡¯s why we are the hegemon of Yunmeng Daze, while your Xie family, is just a stepping stone among the four major families.¡± Feng Zuojun mocked.


    ¡°Say that again.¡± Xie Yuling reached for his sword hilt.


    ¡°You¡¯re stressing yourself out too much.¡± Feng Zuojun stretched out a finger and wiped his eye. ¡°Just looking at your eyes makes me tired. Relax a bit, learn from your uncle who is famous all over the world, Xie Kanhua.¡±


    The senior sister who had been closing her eyes to rest suddenly opened them.


    Feng Zuojun knew he had misspoken and immediately shut up.


    Xie Yuling turned his head and asked, ¡°Senior sister, is my uncle really still alive?¡±


    Senior sister took out a long sword that was beside her, suddenly drew it out, and gently slid her finger over the blade.


    ¡°Junyu.¡± Xie Yuling said solemnly.


    ¡°Huh~¡± Li Kui pulled the reins hard and stopped the carriage. He said in a deep voice, ¡°Master Zhou Zheng.¡±


    Zhou Zheng wore a green robe and stood in front of the carriage. He sighed lightly, ¡°Go back.¡±


    Li Kui handed the reins to Feng Zuojun and whispered, ¡°On my word, you two will immediately go down the mountain.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to reason with you, so I called the third senior brother. But you left the mountain before he arrived. Since reasoning is out of the question, we have no choice but to fight. I¡¯m the toughest and most outspoken among the senior brothers on the mountain.¡± Zhou Zheng¡¯s voice slowly faded away. ¡°So I¡¯m here, to bring you back to the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Senior brother, speak louder, I can¡¯t hear you clearly.¡± The voice in the carriage was very soft and sweet.


    ¡°I said!¡± Zhou Zheng suddenly shouted. ¡°I came here, to take you¨C¡±


    ¡°Roar!¡± A furious roar suddenly sounded, like a thunderbolt exploding in the woods, startling the leaves within three miles to rustle. Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling in the carriage were both shocked and fell to the ground.


    ¡°What a powerful Buddhist lion¡¯s roar.¡± Feng Zuojun gritted his teeth.


    Zhou Zheng¡¯s expression did not change. He watched Li Kui walk down from the carriage and said slowly, ¡°Li Kui, you have been forbidden from martial arts for ten years. Do you want to break your vow today?¡±


    ¡°I met the young lady, and it also happened to be ten years.¡± Li Kui still had his usual honest smile. ¡°Ten years ago, the young lady took me, who was dying, up the mountain. Ten years later, the young lady wants to go down the mountain. I naturally have to send her down. You always say, appreciate kindness, release hatred, hatred is short-lived, kindness is enduring. I¡¯m doing nothing wrong, right, Zhou Zheng Junzi?¡±


    Zhou Zheng nodded, ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re not wrong.¡±


    Feng Zuojun got up from the ground, took a deep breath, and asked his senior sister in surprise, ¡°Li Kui knows martial arts?¡±


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    Xie Yuling wiped the sweat from his forehead, ¡°Just that one Buddhist lion¡¯s roar, he must have at least thirty years of internal energy accumulated.¡±


    Senior sister just shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m seeing it for the first time too.¡±


    Zhou Zheng stretched out a palm, ¡°Xue Gong, Zhou Zheng.¡±


    Li Kui put away his honest smile, and his slightly hunched body slowly straightened up. ¡°Jun Ziya¡¯s renegade disciple, Li Gui.¡±


    ¡°Li Gui!¡± Feng Zuojun trembled all over. ¡°The Li Gui who betrayed his sect for the love of the Demon Sect¡¯s holy maiden!¡±


    ¡°It is said that Li Gui was the designated successor of Jun Ziya, and many martial families came to propose marriage to him. But he fell in love with the Demon Sect¡¯s holy maiden, and even killed three elders and more than ten senior brothers for her in the end¡­¡± Xie Yuling said in a low voice. ¡°The rumors in the martial world said he was already dead, but he has been hiding in Xue Gong all this time.¡±


    ¡°Third Young Master Xie, you should travel more, and listen less to the martial world¡¯s gossip. When I left my sect, I did not kill anyone. I only exchanged one move with my sect master, and they let me go. If I really killed anyone, with Jun Ziya¡¯s rules, how could I live until today?¡± Li Gui spun his right hand lightly, and a faint purple palm energy lingered around his palm. ¡°Back then, my sect master ranked thirteenth on the Jianghu¡¯s Heavenly Martial List, and I did not lose to him. Zhou Zheng Junzi, what about you?¡±


    ¡°The disciples on Xue Gong mountain do not enter the Golden List, but the second senior brother once went down the mountain and ranked third on the Heavenly Martial List. I admit that I am far inferior to him in martial arts, but after years of hard work, I finally hope to be on par with him.¡± Zhou Zheng lightly jumped and broke off a branch from the phoenix tree above his head. ¡°I was in a hurry when I left, and did not bring my sword, so I will use this branch as a sword. Please!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Li Gui¡¯s entire right arm was now enveloped by that faint blue palm energy, like a layer of armor. He suddenly leaped forward and smashed his head at Zhou Zheng Junzi.


    Zhou Zheng lifted the branch in his hand and lightly tapped it on Li Gui¡¯s right arm.


    The faint blue palm energy dissipated in an instant, and a trace of surprise appeared on Li Gui¡¯s face. Then Zhou Zheng¡¯s branch was already pressed against his chest.


    ¡°You have regressed a lot after ten years of forbidding martial arts.¡± Zhou Zheng said indifferently. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    Li Gui smiled, ¡°Zhou Zheng Junzi underestimated me too much.¡±


    Zhou Zheng lowered his head slightly, and saw a faint blue light flash at the end of the branch. He immediately withdrew his hand and retreated a step back. The branch fell to the ground and turned into dust.


    ¡°Young lady, you go first.¡± Li Gui shouted loudly.


    Feng Zuojun immediately pulled the reins and looked back at his senior sister. Senior sister nodded, and Feng Zuojun did not hesitate. He whipped the reins and rushed down the mountain.


    Zhou Zheng sighed lightly, ¡°You are harming senior sister.¡±


    ¡°Seeking kindness, gaining kindness.¡± Li Gui attacked Zhou Zheng with a fist.


    Zhou Zheng flipped over and jumped on a big tree behind him. He shook his head,¡°You are also pursuing an outcome, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Gui let out another lion¡¯s roar, and the big trees in the woods began to sway.


    Zhou Zheng raised both hands lightly, and the branches on the trees around him broke off at the same time, falling beside him and spinning with the wind. He swung his hand down sharply, and hundreds of branches fell like flying swords.


    ¡°Is this the Passing Water Sword Intent created by the second gentleman?¡± Li Gui praised. ¡°Everything in the world can be used as a sword. Good!¡±

 CH 16

    The rain was torrential, the thunder and lightning deafening. It was as if the sky had a gaping hole, and the raindrops as big as beans poured down, making a loud noise on the eaves. All the shops on the long street had closed their stalls, even the taverns by the roadside had shut their doors. A boy in ragged clothes ran through the rain curtain and took shelter under a relatively large eave. The whole street was deserted, he looked around and took out a steamed bun from his bosom.


    It must have been a freshly baked bun, it was still steaming.


    The boy grinned and started to gnaw at it, but his face was so dirty that he stained the white bun black. He ate and laughed, but then he cried again. He swallowed the whole bun and then collapsed on the ground, sobbing. He looked at the rainwater on the ground and choked out, ¡°Who are you? Why¡­ why do you want to kill me?¡±


    A few men in straw raincoats, who were knife-wielding assassins, had somehow appeared on the opposite eave. They silently watched the boy cry, and then slowly drew their long knives.


    The rainwater washed the blades until they were shining, shining so coldly that it made one¡¯s heart ache.


    ¡°Who can save me, who can save me, who can save me!¡± The boy shouted to the sky.


    Naturally, there was no voice to answer him. The men jumped down from the roof, splashing the rainwater on the ground and hitting the boy¡¯s face. The boy seemed to wake up in an instant, and suddenly straightened up and ran along the roof.


    One of the assassins immediately leaped in front of the boy, then lifted his foot and kicked the boy into a puddle on the side. He raised his long knife and walked towards the boy step by step.


    The boy lay on the ground, looking up at the sky. Blood flowed from his nose and mouth, staining his clothes red.


    Is it over?


    His life had not even begun properly, and it was going to end like this?


    The blade flashed, and the boy closed his eyes.


    ¡°Never put your fate in someone else¡¯s hands, not every time in life, there will be someone to save you.¡± A gentle voice sounded above his head.


    The rain seemed to stop, but why was the sound of rain still in his ears?


    The boy opened his eyes and saw a paper umbrella held above him, blocking the rainwater. A handsome scholar in white looked down at him and smiled slightly, ¡°But maybe this is too harsh for a boy.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡± The boy asked fearfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m temporarily called Xie Kanhua.¡± The scholar bent down and reached out a hand to the boy.


    The boy hesitated, subconsciously wanting to retreat.


    ¡°I¡¯m your family.¡± The scholar still smiled gently.


    The boy looked into the scholar¡¯s eyes, and finally reached out his hand. The scholar pulled the boy up, then stretched out his hand and scratched the boy¡¯s wet hair. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The boy glanced around, and saw that the assassins in straw raincoats were all lying on the ground, motionless.


    ¡°Are they dead?¡± The boy asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like killing people, I just crippled their martial arts.¡± Xie Kanhua bent down and handed the umbrella to the boy. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you, you hold the umbrella for me.¡±


    The boy looked at his clothes and then at Xie Kanhua¡¯s snow-white robe, feeling a bit embarrassed. ¡°It will stain your clothes.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, they are trivial things.¡± Xie Kanhua put the umbrella in the boy¡¯s hand and then picked him up.


    ¡°White clothes are hard to wash when they get dirty.¡± The boy said softly.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I have a lot of white clothes.¡± Xie Kanhua laughed. ¡°Traveling in the martial arts world, it¡¯s inevitable to get some dust, but I can¡¯t change my white clothes, so I just have a lot of them.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you change your white clothes?¡± The boy asked.


    ¡°Because women like them.¡± Xie Kanhua¡¯s voice was serious.


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    ¡°I want to wear them too.¡± The boy said shyly.


    ¡°I have prepared some for you.¡± Xie Kanhua¡¯s voice had some pride. ¡°From now on, you will live with me, and naturally you will be like me, white as snow, graceful and elegant.¡±


    ¡°My name is Chen Sancai.¡± The boy suddenly said.


    Xie Kanhua shook his head. ¡°No, from now on you¡¯ll be called Su Baiyi.¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyes lit up. He didn¡¯t care about his name, but he cared very much about his surname. ¡°Su?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A very nice Su. There was a very beautiful and gentle woman who had this surname Su, and there was also a very great and heroic man who had this surname Su. So you¡¯ll also be amazing in the future. Because you¡¯re not only surnamed Su, but you also have a master surnamed Xie.¡± Xie Kanhua raised his head. ¡°Hold the umbrella higher.¡±


    The boy hurriedly lifted the umbrella. ¡°A master surnamed Xie?¡±


    ¡°Me.¡± Xie Kanhua smiled.


    Su Baiyi, from that day on, lived with this person who claimed to be his family and also his master, Xie Kanhua. They found a quiet little village called Apricot Blossom Village, because Xie Kanhua said the wine there was good. They bought a courtyard and settled down. Su Baiyi always wanted to ask about his origins, but Xie Kanhua always said that he would naturally know more when he grew up. And Xie Kanhua, he drank wine every day, read books, taught Su Baiyi martial arts, and seemed to enjoy himself in this small village. Only sometimes, when he drank too much of the Apricot Blossom wine, he would lie on the apricot tree and sing.


    ¡°Binding wood with silk, three stars shining bright. What a special night it is, to find such a treasure in sight. My child, my child, where can you find such a treasure in sight?


    Wrapping grass with silk, three stars in the edge. What a lucky night it is, to have such a fate to pledge. My child, my child, where can you have such a fate to pledge?


    Securing Chu with silk, three stars in the place. What a glorious night it is, to meet such a dazzling grace. My child, my child, where can you meet such a dazzling grace?¡±


    The song was melodious and lingering, with a hint of sadness in it. Every time he listened to it, he would shed tears, but¡­ why was the voice this time a woman¡¯s?


    Su Baiyi finally opened his eyes in a daze. He saw a woman sitting on the tree not far away, wearing a purple dress, swinging her long legs.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± The song suddenly stopped. The woman leaped down from the tree and landed in front of Su Baiyi. Her voice had some surprise.


    Su Baiyi slowly opened his eyes. The appearance of the woman in front of him gradually became clear. She had bright eyes and white teeth, fair skin and beautiful features. If the person of dazzling grace sung in the song had a specific appearance, it must be like this.


    ¡°Speaking of which, this is the third time we¡¯ve met, but maybe this time we can really get to know each other.¡± The purple-dressed woman stood up and flicked her hair on her forehead. ¡°My name is Nangong Xi¡¯er.¡±


    ¡°What a lucky night it is, to have such a fate to pledge.¡± Su Baiyi had just woken up from a deep sleep. His head was buzzing. He didn¡¯t know if he was still dreaming.


    The purple-dressed woman nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s this night.¡±

 CH 17

    Su Baiyi¡¯s mind gradually came to his senses, and he carefully looked at the woman in front of him, who claimed to be Nangong Xi¡¯er. He finally remembered, ¡°It¡¯s you¡­ We met twice in Twilight City and Apricot Blossom Village. You are Feng Zuojun¡¯s senior sister!¡±


    ¡°Now you are also my junior brother.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er picked up the long sword beside her and held it in front of her. ¡°What a lucky night it is, to have such a fate to pledge. Have you heard this song?¡±


    ¡°Junyu Sword!¡± Su Baiyi exclaimed happily, and quickly took the sword from her. ¡°Yes, my master loves to sing this song when he gets drunk, but he doesn¡¯t sing as well as you do. Sometimes he even sings with tears and sobs, and at the end he has to dance with his sword, always making a mess of the yard.¡± Su Baiyi noticed that Nangong Xi¡¯er¡¯s eyes, which were like water, suddenly moved slightly, as if a calm and windless pool was suddenly disturbed by a stone and rippled. He immediately stopped talking.


    There is a story here. Su Baiyi had a voice shouting in his heart.


    ¡°Tears and sobs?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er murmured softly.


    It must be a romantic debt. I knew it! Su Baiyi sighed in his heart, and hurriedly waved his hand. ¡°This girl, oh no, Nangong senior sister! I don¡¯t like my master¡¯s romantic temperament either, and I often scold him for it. Under my supervision, he has been much more stable these years¡­¡± Su Baiyi said while watching Nangong Xi¡¯er¡¯s face getting worse and worse, and his voice also got lower and lower, ¡°The debt has its owner, my master¡¯s affairs have nothing to do with me. It¡¯s not my fault.¡±


    ¡°Is his temperament really that romantic?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er asked.


    Su Baiyi thought carefully and said, ¡°My master said that he passed through the flowers without touching a leaf, I guess he is only good at being romantic with his mouth. I don¡¯t know what my master did to you, Nangong senior sister¡­ Something romantic?¡±


    Nangong Xi¡¯er was stunned at first, then sneered, ¡°Do you think that your master, Xie Kanhua, and I have any romantic past?¡±


    ¡°Is that not the case?¡± Su Baiyi awkwardly pursed his lips, thinking that he had guessed wrong.


    Not far away, two young men who were eavesdropping looked at each other. Feng Zuojun scratched his head helplessly, ¡°Should we save him or not?¡±


    Xie Yuling glanced coldly at Feng Zuojun, and after a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s save him.¡±


    After Su Baiyi said that sentence, Nangong Xi¡¯er had been silent with her head down. Just when he was a little confused, a thick hand suddenly landed on his shoulder. Su Baiyi turned his head and saw Feng Zuojun¡¯s exaggerated smile.


    ¡°Oh my, you are finally awake, you made us worry so much. You slept for so long, you must be hungry. Come on, I just roasted a rabbit, eat it up¨C¡± Feng Zuojun pinched Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulder hard. ¡°We have a lot of things to talk about!¡± After saying that, he didn¡¯t wait for Su Baiyi to reply, and dragged him out of the carriage.


    Xie Yuling whispered to Nangong Xi¡¯er, ¡°Senior sister. I just went around to explore, and it seems that no one from the academy has followed us. I guess Li Gui has stopped them. If we go further, we will reach Xuande City¡­¡±


    Feng Zuojun pushed Su Baiyi to the side of the carriage and sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve always been told that I¡¯m not good at talking, but I found out that you are even worse than me, and you also like to talk too much.¡±


    Su Baiyi was still confused. ¡°What did I say wrong?¡±


    ¡°I ask you, how old is Xie Kanhua?¡± Feng Zuo Jun asked.


    Su Baiyi thought for a while. ¡°If my master didn¡¯t lie to me, he should be thirty-seven.¡±


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    ¡°Then how old do you think senior sister is?¡± Feng Zuo Jun asked again.


    Su Baiyi thought again. ¡°Twenty-six?¡±


    Feng Zuo Jun¡¯s eyes widened, and he immediately rushed forward, covering Su Baiyi¡¯s mouth with his hand, and whispered, ¡°I told you not to talk nonsense, so don¡¯t talk nonsense. Why are you so loud? Do you want to die?¡±


    Su Baiyi was suffocated, ¡°No¡­isn¡¯t it you who asked me? Could it be that¡­I guessed wrong?¡±


    Feng Zuojun let go of his hand. ¡°How old are you this year?¡±


    ¡°I just had my birthday last month, and I¡¯m eighteen now.¡± Su Baiyi replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m twenty this year, and Xie Yuling is nineteen. You have to call us brothers.¡± Feng Zuojun then changed his face and lowered his voice. ¡°And the reason why senior sister is senior sister is just because she joined the academy earlier than us. She was seven when she entered the academy, and now ten years have passed, she is only seventeen, and even younger than you by one year. Do you think she would have any romantic affairs with your master at her age?¡±


    ¡°What? Seventeen?¡± Su Baiyi exclaimed.


    ¡°I told you to lower your voice!¡± Feng Zuojun glared at Su Baiyi. ¡°I know, senior sister¡¯s appearance is indeed the kind of beautiful and charming one, not like a seventeen-year-old girl. And senior sister¡­¡± Feng Zuo Jun suddenly licked his lips, and his right hand made an up-and-down motion. ¡°These parts of her body, ha, they have developed really¡­really well, it¡¯s hard to avoid causing some misunderstandings.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re drooling, wipe it off.¡± A faint voice came from behind them.


    Feng Zuojun quickly reached out and touched his mouth, and said solemnly, ¡°I was just explaining to Su junior brother that senior sister is very sensitive about people getting her age wrong, nothing else! Xie Yuling, why did you come here alone, where is senior sister?¡±


    ¡°Senior sister said she wanted to be alone for a while.¡± Xie Yuling turned his head and looked at Nangong Xi¡¯er in the distance.


    Nangong Xi¡¯er looked up at the moon in the sky and whispered, ¡°Mother, just now that young man said he also often sings that song, and he also cries when he sings it. Is he really as you said, never forgetting us?¡±


    Su Baiyi saw Nangong Xi¡¯er¡¯s dazed figure, and also frowned slightly.


    What he didn¡¯t say just now was that every time Xie Kanhua got drunk and danced with his sword after singing that song, he always lay alone in the yard, looking at the moon in the sky, and kept whispering a name.


    That name also had the surname Nangong. Nangong Yuwen.


    With a ¡°thud¡±, a bamboo sword hit Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulder, interrupting his thoughts. He turned his head and saw Feng Zuojun who suddenly attacked him. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Feng Zuojun¡¯s mouth curled slightly, ¡°I¡¯ve solved the problem of senior sister¡¯s age for you, now how about we settle our accounts between us?¡±


    ¡°What accounts do I have with you?¡± Su Baiyi was a bit annoyed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just that I saved Qing Yilang first in Twilight City? We¡¯re both saving people, what¡¯s the difference?¡±


    Xie Yuling narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Feng Zuojun. ¡°It seems I guessed right, he really doesn¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    Feng Zuojun shook his shoulders, and his bones crackled. ¡°He doesn¡¯t remember? But my bones still hurt a lot. They remember for me.¡±

 CH 18

    ¡°Wait!¡± Su Baiyi waved his hand to interrupt Feng Zuojun¡¯s words, then closed his eyes and frowned to recall: That night he returned to his room and started to rest, lying on the bed when he was suddenly attacked by someone, he caught the person¡¯s hidden weapon, but the hidden weapon was poisoned, the person said this poison was called Sleeping Bone Incense, if you get this poison you will sleep to death¡­


    Sleep to death! Su Baiyi suddenly opened his eyes, incredulously pointed a finger at himself, and asked Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling, ¡°I¡­ fell asleep?¡±


    Feng Zuojun was a bit helpless. ¡°Otherwise, what do you think? You blinked your eyes and you were here?¡±


    ¡°No wonder I feel so comfortable all over.¡± Su Baiyi stretched lazily, feeling very happy, but suddenly seemed to think of something, his expression on his face stiffened a bit, ¡°Then after I fell asleep, did I do anything excessive?¡±


    Feng Zuojun pointed to his rib area with his left hand, ¡°There might be a few broken bones there.¡±


    Xie Yuling lifted his foot, ¡°My foot is still swollen, although I applied medicine, but it still hurts when I walk.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Su Baiyi scratched his head, ¡°It¡¯s all the fault of that guy who poisoned me, I didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    ¡°You mean, as long as you fall asleep, you will become like that?¡± Xie Yuling asked, ¡°Then won¡¯t you become like that every night?¡±


    Su Baiyi sighed, ¡°That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t slept for a long time.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t sleep, won¡¯t you die?¡± Feng Zuojun was stunned.


    ¡°My master taught me a martial art, every night when I use that martial art, I will enter a state of false sleep, barely able to ensure that my mind gets some rest.¡± Su Baiyi shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Master said I got a strange disease, and later he would help me find a famous doctor to treat it. He used to say that Master Ruxian from Xue Gong had very good medical skills. I came here this time actually wanting Master Ruxian to help me take a look. By the way, second senior brothers, where are we now?¡±


    ¡°This is Yanhui Mountain.¡± Xie Yuling replied.


    ¡°Where is that?¡± Su Baiyi was even more confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s the place a hundred miles away from Xue Gong.¡± Feng Zuojun laughed.


    ¡°What?¡± Su Baiyi opened his mouth wide, ¡°Why are we here?¡±


    ¡°We are going to investigate a case.¡± Feng Zuojun put away his bamboo sword, clasped his fists and said, ¡°During this period of time, several masters from various sects in the Jianghu have been killed, their deaths were miserable, the cause of death was mysterious, rumors spread throughout the martial world¡­¡±


    ¡°Baiyi is ignorant, I never heard that Xue Gong is like Liushanmen in the Jianghu.¡± Su Baiyi looked blank.


    * Liushanmen is a department of detectives


    ¡°Xue Gong is located in Shili Langzhen, and has always been indifferent to the affairs of the Jianghu. But since senior sister has such a righteous heart, you and I should follow her.¡± Feng Zuojun said loudly.


    Su Baiyi shrugged his shoulders, ¡°But my master told me to come to Xue Gong, specifically to see Ruxian, I was hoping to find a way to save my master after seeing Ruxian. You can go and investigate the case, Baiyi admires senior brother and senior sister in my heart, but I want to go back to Xue Gong.¡±


    ¡°You make a lot of sense, you don¡¯t have any reason to follow us.¡± Xie Yuling nodded.


    Feng Zuojun didn¡¯t argue, and also nodded. ¡°But you can¡¯t go back.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Su Baiyi was a bit frustrated.


    ¡°Because of me.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er had already stood behind them at some point.


    ¡°Senior sister, I still want to discuss with Master Ruxian how to save my master.¡± Su Baiyi tried to reason with her.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re just afraid of death.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said mercilessly.


    ¡°Senior sister, you¡¯re really wronging me by saying that.¡± Su Baiyi¡¯s face twitched awkwardly, ¡°Master told me to see Master Ruxian, and then find a way to save him. My master always has a perfect plan, so I have to follow his steps, otherwise I might harm him.¡±


    ¡°What if his steps are meant for you to sacrifice yourself?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er asked.


    Su Baiyi laughed bitterly, ¡°Then you don¡¯t know my master at all, senior sister. How could he do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er narrowed her eyes, ¡°Then what kind of person is your master?¡±


    ¡°Once I played chess with him, and when he made a move, he had already thought of the next nine moves. His fate was always within his calculations, and there was never any change.¡±


    Nangong Xi¡¯er suddenly laughed, ¡°But I happen to know one person, who became a change in his life. And today, my existence will also be a change, because I will never let you go.¡±


    ¡°Senior sister, you look very beautiful when you smile, but I¡¯m not fooled by that.¡± Su Baiyi also smiled, ¡°Your martial arts are very good, I¡¯m sure I can¡¯t beat you, but¡­¡±


    ¡°My lightness skill is very good.¡±


    ¡°You want to run away?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said faintly.


    ¡°Run away? Of course not. If we¡¯re from the same family, how can it be called running away.¡± Su Baiyi suddenly stopped smiling, slightly moved his body, and ran towards the foot of the mountain, his speed was so fast that Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling were both surprised.


    ¡°What kind of lightness skill is this? It¡¯s faster than our Feng family¡¯s Wind Chanting Step.¡± Feng Zuojun asked.


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    ¡°It¡¯s Zouma.¡± Xie Yuling said solemnly, ¡°Our Xie family¡¯s unique lightness skill.¡±


    ¡°Stop bragging.¡± Feng Zuojun curled his lips, with a disdainful look on his face, ¡°I¡¯ve seen you use Zouma before, where is it so fast? Unless this kid¡¯s cultivation level is much higher than yours, even without entering the dream state.¡±


    ¡°It is indeed Zouma, but it was improved by a genius young man from the Xie family many years ago, when he added two words behind it, making it the top lightness skill in the world. But he left the Xie family after creating this lightness skill, so the people of the Xie family don¡¯t know this lightness skill.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er suddenly said.


    ¡°Oh? Which two words?¡± Feng Zuojun asked.


    ¡°Zouma¡­¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er leaned slightly forward, ¡°Guanhua.¡±


    A gust of wind blew by, Feng Zuojun reached out and caught a falling leaf, looked at Xie Yuling and smiled, ¡°Senior sister, your lightness skill is exactly the same as that kid Su Baiyi. Of the three of us here, only you, a true Xie family member, don¡¯t know this Zouma Guanhua lightness skill. Aren¡¯t you curious? Don¡¯t you want to ask?¡±


    ¡°I am curious, I do want to ask.¡± Xie Yuling jumped onto the carriage, picked up the water bag and took a sip of water, ¡°But it¡¯s not too late to ask them when they come back later.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so sure they can come back? After all, Su Baiyi ran away fast, what if senior sister didn¡¯t catch up with him.¡± Feng Zuojun mocked.


    ¡°No, they will definitely come back.¡± Xie Yuling looked up at the sky.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve always been curious, Xie Yuling, where does your confidence come from? Why do you think they will definitely come back?¡± Feng Zuojun¡¯s tone was a bit provocative.


    Xie Yuling pointed to the back and then to the front, ¡°Because Xue Gong is in the south, but Su Baiyi ran to the north.¡±

 CH 19

    ¡°Spring breeze fills me with joy, as I ride my horse and admire the flowers. I dare not boast of anything else, but my lightness skill is the true legacy of my master. You think you can trap me? Not so easy.¡± Su Baiyi had been running for almost half an hour, and when he looked back, he saw no one behind him. He thought he had shaken her off, and felt a bit smug. But before his smile could last, a gentle voice suddenly sounded in his ear.


    ¡°You¡¯re going the wrong way.¡±


    Su Baiyi shuddered, and quickly retreated a step. He turned around, and the wind brought by his movement gently lifted Nangong Xi¡¯er¡¯s long hair. They passed by each other, and stopped at the same time.


    ¡°Thank you for the reminder, senior sister!¡± Su Baiyi gasped, and ran forward again.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. We¡¯re all fellow disciples, and we have to travel together from now on. Why be so polite?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er turned around, stepped on a meteor, and flashed to Su Baiyi¡¯s side in an instant.


    Su Baiyi was shocked, ¡°Senior sister, you¡¯re also riding your horse and admiring the flowers!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er jumped onto a big tree ahead, sounding casual. ¡°Exactly the same, right? Oh, no, I think I¡¯m a little bit more relaxed than you, a little bit faster than you.¡±


    Su Baiyi was already sweating profusely. He wiped the sweat on his forehead, and asked, ¡°Senior sister, you see I can¡¯t run faster than you, nor fight better than you. Why do you insist on taking me to investigate this case?¡±


    ¡°Because this case has something to do with you.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said.


    ¡°Heaven and earth are my witnesses.¡± Su Baiyi raised his hand and swore. ¡°Those people, I really didn¡¯t kill them.¡±


    Nangong Xi¡¯er covered her mouth and laughed, ¡°I believe that.¡±


    ¡°Senior sister.¡± Su Baiyi finally stopped running, panting heavily. ¡°Give me a way out.¡±


    Nangong Xi¡¯er leaped down from the tree. Her purple dress fluttered in the wind. She put away her smile, and her expression suddenly became extremely serious. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be innocent anymore. Your strangeness after entering the dream, do you really think I would believe that it¡¯s a strange disease?¡±


    Su Baiyi shook off his sweat, and his mouth curved slightly. ¡°Senior sister, you know a lot, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°But I still feel it¡¯s not enough, so I want to know more now.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said softly, ¡°For example, there are things I want to know about you.¡±


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Su Baiyi retreated a step, ¡°Senior sister, you make me think of something else.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t care about what Xie Kanhua left for you.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er saw through Su Baiyi¡¯s thoughts, ¡°I care about the fact that your surname is Su.¡±


    Su Baiyi was stunned at first, then smiled bitterly, ¡°Yeah, I also care about that.¡±


    Nangong Xi¡¯er frowned slightly: ¡°So your surname follows your mother or your father?¡±


    ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be called Su Baiyi.¡±


    ¡°A very nice Su. There is a very beautiful and gentle woman who has this surname Su, and there is also a very great and heroic man who has this surname Su. So you¡¯ll also be amazing in the future.¡±


    Su Baiyi remembered what Xie Kanhua said when they first met. He scratched his head helplessly, ¡°Senior sister, why do you always ask me things that I also want to know?¡±


    Nangong Xi¡¯er looked surprised, ¡°You don¡¯t know who your parents are?¡±


    ¡°No. The two people who raised me, one I called him Uncle Chen, the other I called her Aunt Qian. We spent seven or eight years of ordinary days in a small city. Until one day, some martial arts experts from the Jianghu came. They killed Uncle Chen, and Aunt Qian took me away. We ran for about ten days, and they caught up with us. Aunt Qian was killed, and I was almost dead too. That¡¯s when master appeared and saved me. He said my surname was Su, so I changed my name to Su Baiyi.¡± Su Baiyi calmly told this past story, but his fists clenched tighter and tighter.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er asked, ¡°Who killed Uncle Chen and Aunt Qian? Who are your parents?¡±


    ¡°Master said he would tell me everything when the time was right.¡± Su Baiyi¡¯s expression suddenly became serious. ¡°Could it be that you know?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I¡¯m like you, a person who is looking for answers. And what we are going to do next is to get this answer.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er turned around, ¡°Do you know that all those dead sect masters have one thing in common?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    ¡°They all belonged to the sects that participated in the Weilong Alliance.¡±


    ¡°The Weilong Alliance?¡±


    ¡°There is a big mountain in the north, called Weilong Mountain. It has jade on it, gold on its sunny side, and iron on its shady side. It is very rich. Weilong means ¡®to become a dragon¡¯, that is, the dragon and phoenix among people, the pride of heaven. The number one sect in the world, Shanglin Tiangong, is built on Weilong Mountain. The so-called Weilong Alliance is an alliance formed by Shanglin Tiangong as the leader, and the four major families of Jiangnan, the three major sects of Daze Mansion, and Jimo Sword City. They were established to jointly resist the rise of a big sect south of Yunmeng Daze, the Tianmen Shengzong, which is also known as the Demon Sect by the jianghu people. It is said that the Demon Sect obtained a martial arts secret book, and anyone who practiced that secret book could improve their martial arts by multiples in a very short time, but the side effect was that they would become bloodthirsty and ruthless. So the Weilong Alliance was formed under the banner of upholding justice, and the Tianmen Shengzong was no match for them. They were soon destroyed. But the martial arts secret book mysteriously disappeared.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er gave Su Baiyi a meaningful look, ¡°The irony is that this secret book of the Demon Sect, people call it, the Immortal Book.¡±


    Su Baiyi shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°The Weilong Alliance was formed because they were afraid of the chaos caused by the Immortal Book, but in the end the Immortal Book was not found. So don¡¯t you think this is a bit ridiculous, or rather¡­ not so logical?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er smiled, but her smile was full of sarcasm, ¡°But the Immortal Book does exist, you and I both know that. So what do you say about finding the Immortal Book, practicing the martial arts in it, and seeing if it¡¯s really as rumored back then? Wouldn¡¯t this puzzle have an answer then?¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand. What does this have to do with me?¡± Su Baiyi felt an inexplicable pressure.


    ¡°Su Han, the master of the Heavenly Palace in Shanglin, and Su Dianmo, the second master. They share the same surname as you, Su.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er¡¯s tone suddenly turned icy.


    ¡°Su, huh.¡±  Su Baiyi felt his back was soaked. This was the first time in so many years that he was so close to the truth he wanted to know the most.


    ¡°They are all dead.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er continued.


    Su Baiyi took a deep breath and straightened up. ¡°Then, senior sister, please allow me to be curious too. What does this have to do with you?¡±


    Nangong Xi¡¯er smiled, a smile that was incredibly charming and beautiful.


    ¡°The Tianmen Shengzong, also known as the Demon Sect, had a grand master named Nangong Yunhuo, and a second master named Nangong Yuwen. They are all surnamed Nangong.¡±


    ¡°They are also dead.¡±

 CH 20

    Su Baiyi carefully chewed on Nangong Xi¡¯er¡¯s words, and finally trembled like a thunderbolt, and exclaimed, ¡°Senior sister, are you saying that between us, there is either a feud of killing father or a feud of killing mother?¡±


    Nangong Xi¡¯er did not deny or affirm this statement. She took a step forward and whispered in Su Baiyi¡¯s ear, ¡°Yes. Maybe one day I¡¯ll kill you with a sword.¡±


    Su Baiyi didn¡¯t hear any killing intent in her words, and hesitated to ask more, but Nangong Xi¡¯er turned around and walked towards the mountain. After walking a few steps, she heard that Su Baiyi behind her didn¡¯t follow up and said, ¡°Whether you go with us to investigate the case, or go back to the academy, right now you¡¯re going the wrong way. Aren¡¯t you coming?¡±


    ¡°Senior sister, I¡¯ll go with you to investigate the case!¡± Su Baiyi no longer hesitated and walked forward.


    ¡°Are you disobeying your master?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er smiled.


    ¡°My master is a liar who loves to deceive people. He talks nonsense all the time. He can¡¯t be trusted.¡± Su Baiyi waved his hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re really bold.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said helplessly.


    On the mountain, Xie Yuling and Feng Zuojun were betting.


    ¡°Su Baiyi went down the mountain and took a detour. It¡¯s not impossible. I think that kid is very cunning. He won¡¯t come back.¡± Feng Zuojun lay on the ground and thought for a long time, and made a conclusion.


    ¡°He¡¯ll come back.¡± Xie Yuling looked up at the stars in the sky. ¡°Spring breeze fills me with joy, as I ride my horse and admire the flowers. If he doesn¡¯t come back, I¡¯ll catch him back even if I go back to the academy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about that genius from the Xie family, the one who was the master of Misty Rain Tower, one of the Shanglin Twin Wonders, Xie Kanhua, right? Didn¡¯t he die in that battle with the Tianmen Shengzong?¡± Feng Zuojun asked.


    ¡°Shanglin Tiangong did tell our Xie family that, but I never believed it. If Uncle could die so easily, he wouldn¡¯t be the prodigy that our Xie family waited for a hundred years.¡± Xie Yuling said solemnly.


    ¡°But as far as I know, he was already expelled from the Xie family.¡± Feng Zuojun said gloomily.


    ¡°That¡¯s why our Xie family, from being the leader of the four major families back then, fell to this state today.¡± Xie Yuling said lightly, ¡°Because the roots have rotted, so Uncle, such a person, would be expelled from the family.¡±


    ¡°Senior sister is back.¡± Feng Zuojun heard footsteps and got up from the ground. He saw Nangong Xi¡¯er¡¯s figure and asked, ¡°What about Su Baiyi? Did he leave?¡±


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    ¡°I thought for a long time and still couldn¡¯t bear to leave you two senior brothers.¡± Su Baiyi ran out from behind. ¡°This trip is hard and dangerous. I, Su Baiyi, am willing to offer my loyal service.¡±


    Feng Zuojun walked up to him, touched his head, and patted his shoulder. He sounded puzzled, ¡°How come? You don¡¯t look like you¡¯ve been beaten up?¡±


    ¡°Senior sister, where are we going next?¡± Xie Yuling asked.


    ¡°Daze Mansion, Tianxiao Yunjing.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er sat back in the carriage.


    ¡°It sounds familiar.¡± Su Baiyi frowned slightly.


    ¡°My home.¡± Feng Zuojun blinked, looking confused.


    Liangzhu, the ten-mile-long city of Qiantang, the academy.


    ¡°They should go to the Tianxiao Yunjing. According to the information from Butterfly Wind when junior sister left, the Tianxiao Yunjing has recently closed its doors and sealed itself off. There must be something big happening.¡± Li Yanxi, one of the Three Gentlemen, sat at his desk and rolled up a paper note in his hand and put it on the candle. ¡°Who will go?¡±


    Zhou Zheng, the Righteous Gentleman, lay down and raised his arm and leg wrapped in white cloth. He only said three words, ¡°Willing but unable.¡±


    ¡°Who told you to fight with Li Gui? Back then, he was the first choice for the sect master of Junzi Cliff. If it weren¡¯t for the ten-year ban on martial arts, he would have probably entered the top ten of the Heavenly Martial List by now.¡± Li Wai, the Crooked Gentleman, sitting next to him, mocked. ¡°Now you and Li Gui are both crippled, and there is no one around junior sister who can protect her.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you go?¡± Zhou Zheng asked back.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a weak scholar.¡± Li Wai sighed lightly. ¡°What use would I be if I went?¡±


    ¡°A weak scholar? The courtesans in the Thousand Flowers Pavilion at the foot of the mountain don¡¯t say that!¡± Zhou Zheng said angrily.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Li Yanxi slammed the table and stood up. ¡°Are you two putting on this show to make me go?¡±


    ¡°Junior brother dares not.¡± Zhou Zheng and Li Wai bowed their heads.


    ¡°Then which one of you two will go?¡± Li Yanxi asked again.


    Zhou Zheng raised his arm and said those three words again, ¡°Willing but unable.¡±


    Li Wai sighed lightly and said, ¡°I¡¯m just a weak scholar, ah.¡±


    ¡°I see, you two don¡¯t really want to stop junior sister.¡± Li Yanxi sneered. ¡°When I said we should go together to stop her, Zhou Zheng, you said you were enough by yourself. But when you met Li Gui, you didn¡¯t call us for help. You just played a trick of self-injury and let junior sister go. Now you are pushing each other away. Fine, fine!¡±


    ¡°Senior brother.¡± Zhou Zheng said helplessly. ¡°Junior sister has grown up. Some things can¡¯t be stopped.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know that?¡± Li Yanxi lay on the chair and rubbed his temples. ¡°But the opponents she has to face, aren¡¯t they too strong? If second senior brother were still here, maybe we would have some power to investigate. But now¡­¡±


    ¡°Second senior brother.¡± Li Wai muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send a message to the teacher first and let him decide.¡± Li Yanxi took out a pen and started writing.


    Weilong Mountain. Shanglin Tiangong.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I came back. Our Shanglin Heavenly Palace is still so magnificent. It¡¯s worthy of being the number one sect in the world. Look at this building covered with gold powder. Tsk tsk tsk, so rich. Just scraping it casually would be enough for me to drink for a year.¡± Xie Kanhua had iron shackles in his hands, but his expression was very relaxed. He looked around and joked. ¡°Ouch, isn¡¯t that my Misty Rain Tower? Why does it look so shabby? Is there a master of the Misty Rain Tower now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The one who walked beside him was Helian Xiyue, with a faint smile on his face, answering as concise as ever.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been here for these years. You must have been very lonely.¡± Xie Kanhua said with emotion.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Helian Xiyue shrugged.


    ¡°The third floor and the fourth courtyard, without my most interesting Misty Rain Tower, besides your Spring Breeze Tower, isn¡¯t there only the most boring Floating Dream Tower left?¡± Xie Kanhua sighed longly. ¡°It¡¯s hard for you these years. No wonder you talk less and less. Where are you taking me? Helian. I¡¯m the one who stole the treasure of the Heavenly Palace. Shouldn¡¯t I be thrown into the dark prison without a word?¡±


    ¡°Here we are.¡± Helian Xiyue shook the chain in his hand and stepped back.


    Xie Kanhua looked at the plaque in front of him and read the words on it: ¡°Floating Dream Tower.¡±


    A man in a white robe stood in front of them. He turned around after hearing Xie Kanhua¡¯s voice. The man was thin and pale, with a hint of sickness on his face. He looked at Xie Kanhua and coughed lightly three times. ¡°Long time no see, Master Xie.¡±


    ¡°Bai Jile.¡± Xie Kanhua¡¯s pupils tightened slightly.

 CH 21

    ¡°Bai Jile, at the age of sixteen, became the master of the Floating Dream Tower in the Shanglin Tiangong, the youngest master of the third floor in history. In a battle with the Tianmen Shengzong, he single-handedly killed nine elders of the Tianmen, making him the most illustrious and feared man in the righteous martial world.¡± Feng Zuojun whipped the horse as he drove the carriage, and said to Su Baiyi beside him, ¡°If your master is taken back to the Shanglin Tiangong, the one he needs to be most careful of is this man. My father once told me that Bai Jile is the most terrifying man in the entire martial world.¡±


    ¡°But my master only told me about the Shanglin Twin Wonders, who dazzled the martial world. He never mentioned this Bai Jile.¡± Su Baiyi wrote down Feng Zuojun¡¯s words in a book with a pen, and asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s because he has another name. Bai Jile, his title is ¡®The Hand of Heaven¡¯.¡± Feng Zuojun said solemnly.


    ¡°The Hand of Heaven?¡± Su Baiyi was stunned.


    ¡°Because Bai Jile has always been the executor of the Shanglin Tiangong, especially in these years, when the deputy palace master Ning Qingcheng closed himself off, the master of the Misty Rain Tower Xie Kanhua disappeared, and the master of the Spring Breeze Tower Helian Xiyue was indifferent, Bai Jile actually became the ruler of the Shanglin Tiangong.¡± Feng Zuojun waved his whip vigorously. ¡°Isn¡¯t he the number one person in the martial world?¡±


    ¡°Is he that powerful? Can¡¯t my master beat him?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    ¡°There is no rumor of them fighting in the martial world, so I don¡¯t know who is more powerful. After all, the stories of the Shanglin Twin Wonders are often accompanied by romance and beauty, while the rumors of The Hand of Heaven are all blood and gore. It¡¯s hard to compare. But Bai Jile, I¡¯ve never heard of his defeat. Your master, on the other hand, has lost quite a few times.¡± Feng Zuojun laughed.


    ¡°Who did he lose to?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    ¡°The big palace master of Shanglin Tiangong Su Han, and the second palace master Su Dianmo, both fought with him. He lost and was forced to join Shanglin Tiangong. But there are also rumors that it was because Su Dianmo was too beautiful that Xie Kanhua deliberately lost, wanting to marry into their family. That¡¯s why he was kicked out by his own family.¡± Feng Zuojun became inexplicably excited when he talked about Xie family¡¯s scandal.


    A murderous aura quickly filled the carriage, but Feng Zuojun was not afraid but rather more proud. However, another more fierce murderous aura soon made him wilt.


    Su Baiyi noticed the change in the carriage and continued to write on with his pen. Then he changed the topic, ¡°Then from what you said, isn¡¯t my master doomed?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. I think your master will be imprisoned until he returns that treasure to Shanglin Tiangong. With his status, he won¡¯t be killed anyway. If Bai Jile really makes a move, then Helian Xiyue will definitely oppose him. By then, if Shanglin Twin Wonders join forces, there will be a good show to watch.¡± Feng Zuojun raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Helian Xiyue personally captured my master. Why would he be helping my master?¡± Su Baiyi was puzzled.


    ¡°One thing at a time, your master stole the supreme treasure of Shanglin Tiangong and ran away for ten years. Helian Xiyue, as the master of the Spring Breeze Tower, captured him back. That was his duty. But if Shanglin Tiangong wants to kill your master, Helian Xiyue, as your master¡¯s best friend, will definitely be the first to draw his sword. I absolutely believe that.¡± Feng Zuojun¡¯s voice was very certain.


    ¡°Why?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    ¡°I once read a book called ¡®The Song of the Young Heaven¡¯, which is about the story between Xie Kanhua and Helian Xiyue. The two of them went crazy and romantic in the martial world, and later went through life and death together. They are the kind of relationship that can give up their lives for each other. I admire these two seniors very much, and I also like this book. I believe in their feelings.¡± Feng Zuojun said seriously, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you are writing these down for a story about the martial world? Write it well, and don¡¯t forget to arrange a role for me.¡±


    ¡°How do you want me to write it?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    ¡°Feng Zuojun, the strongest man among the disciples of Xue Gong in this generation, and later the strongest man in the world! You are my junior brother, you rank second. Xie Yuling, he ranks third!¡± Feng Zuojun said loudly.


    ¡°Why do you always emphasize the word ¡®man¡¯?¡± Su Baiyi was puzzled.


    ¡°Because the strongest person among the disciples of Xue Gong in this generation already exists.¡± Feng Zuojun raised a big thumb and waved it backwards. ¡°My senior sister.¡±


    ¡°Stop flattering. Drive well.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er sat in the carriage and laughed and scolded.


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    ¡°I see.¡± Su Baiyi gave a dry laugh. ¡°But isn¡¯t Shanglin Tiangong known as the Three Towers and Four Courtyards? You only mentioned the three towers just now. What about the four courtyards?¡±


    ¡°The four courtyards are more mysterious than the three towers. If I were not the young sect master of Tianxiao Yunjing, you wouldn¡¯t hear so much. The four courtyards are: Courtyard of Punishment and Law, Courtyard of Thousand Inventions, Courtyard of Starry Constellation, and Courtyard of Clear Sky. Courtyard of Punishment and Law is in charge of the internal punishments of Shanglin Tiangong . It is the place that the disciples of Shanglin Tiangong fear the most. Most of the disciples there are monks, who are harsh and ruthless. Courtyard of Thousand Inventions is where they make all kinds of strange weapons and collect intelligence. The disciples there all wear masks, and even their own fellow brothers, who have been together for more than ten years, do not know each other¡¯s faces. Courtyard of Starry Constellation is rumored to be studying medicine, or astrology, very mysterious. As for Courtyard of Clear Sky¡­¡±


    ¡°What about Courtyard of Clear Sky?¡± Su Baiyi saw that Feng Zuojun suddenly stopped and asked.


    Feng Zuojun said gloomily, ¡°They are all killers.¡±


    Shanglin Tiangong, Courtyard of Clear Sky.


    ¡°I heard that little brat Xie Kanhua came back. I wanted to see this old friend today.¡± A burly old man with silver hair sat in the middle chair, lifted his tea cup and gently blew on it. On his sides sat eight other men, all dressed in black and carrying swords, with a cold killing intent on them. ¡°But Bai tower master specially sent a letter, asking all the disciples of the four courtyards to stay in their own courtyards and not to go out a step. I wonder what his purpose is?¡±


    Bai Jile walked in from outside. ¡°Ying sect master will always have a chance to see him. And this time he came back, he came back by himself.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The old man put down his tea cup.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t bring back the thing that belongs to Shanglin Tiangong.¡± Bai Jile said indifferently.


    ¡°Oh? What did Helian Xiyue say?¡± The old man narrowed his eyes. ¡°Is this how the master of the Spring Breeze Tower does things?¡±


    ¡°Helian Xiyue said that he only received the order to bring Xie Kanhua back, and no other orders.¡± Bai Jile said.


    ¡°Then Bai tower master came to my Courtyard of Clear Sky because¡­¡± The old man sneered.


    ¡°The task of bringing that thing back to the Shanglin Tiangong is entrusted to Courtyard of Clear Sky.¡± Bai Jile turned around and walked towards the outside.


    ¡°What an arrogant kid.¡± The old man cursed.


    ¡°Bring Xie Kanhua¡¯s disciple back. His name is Su Baiyi.¡± Bai Jile stepped out of the gate of Courtyard of Clear Sky.


    The old man was stunned at first, then smashed the tea cup on the table with a palm. ¡°In my life, I hate people with the surname Su the most!¡±

 CH 22

    The Eight Directions City.


    A city with four directions, accessible from eight directions.


    ¡°They say that the distance from here to the imperial city of Chang¡¯an in the north, the coastal city of Sunset in the east, the Luoxia Fort in the south, and the Holy Buddha City in the west is exactly the same.¡± Feng Zuojun drove his carriage into it. ¡°So they say that this place can lead to eight directions, and it is the midway station for travelers from all over the world.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to take a detour from here to Daze Mansion?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    ¡°No, I guess my senior sister came here to look for someone.¡± Feng Zuojun looked back and asked, ¡°Senior sister, where are we going next?¡±


    ¡°Butterfly?¡± Su Baiyi suddenly exclaimed in surprise, then stretched out a finger and saw a pure white butterfly landing on his finger. ¡°The butterflies in this Eight Directions City are really bold. Aren¡¯t they afraid of people?¡±


    Feng Zuojun glanced at it and muttered, ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Su Baiyi was puzzled.


    ¡°It¡¯s Butterfly Wind.¡± Feng Zuojun smiled. ¡°Gently lift your hand and let the butterfly go.¡±


    Su Baiyi followed Feng Zuojun¡¯s words and flicked his finger lightly. The white butterfly fluttered its wings a few times and flew up, stopping not far in front of their carriage. Feng Zuojun lightly whipped the reins, and the butterfly slowly flew forward. Feng Zuojun then drove the carriage to follow the butterfly.


    Su Baiyi was dumbfounded. ¡°This butterfly is actually leading the way?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is a butterfly made by the Butterfly Wind people. I don¡¯t know what kind of wonderful method they used. It¡¯s amazing, just like a demon technique.¡± Feng Zuojun replied.


    ¡°Butterfly Wind?¡± Su Baiyi frowned.


    ¡°Master Ru Sheng said that butterflies seem insignificant, but a single flap of their wings can inadvertently cause many things to happen. The same is true for the affairs of the Jianghu. Some seemingly insignificant news may lead to a bloody disaster. So the intelligence department of Xue Gong is called Butterfly Wind. It seems that there is a branch of Butterfly Wind in Eight Directions City. My senior sister came here to find them.¡± Feng Zuojun said.


    ¡°I need the latest news about Tianxiao Yunjing.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said.


    The butterfly finally led them to a bustling street nearby. The carriage was inconvenient to drive, so the four people got off the carriage and followed the butterfly through the streets and alleys. The Eight Directions City lived up to its reputation of ¡°a city with four directions, accessible from eight directions¡±. There were indeed many travelers from all directions here, even some exotic people with blue eyes. Su Baiyi had lived in the village since he was a child and found it very novel. He stared at the exotic people¡¯s eyes and exclaimed, ¡°This person¡¯s eyes are like sapphires.¡±


    The exotic person had skin that was surprisingly white. He wore a gray-white robe and stood in the sun.  Su Baiyi could almost see the blood vessels under his skin. The exotic person seemed to notice Su Baiyi¡¯s gaze and turned his head slightly to look at them.


    ¡°What are you curious about? Your eyes can change too.¡± Feng Zuojun twisted Su Baiyi¡¯s head and hurriedly followed the butterfly that was flying faster and faster.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look around. There are many hidden lines of the big gangs in Eight Directions City.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er reminded.


    Su Baiyi was pulled by Feng Zuojun to walk forward, but he couldn¡¯t help but look back again, but the exotic person was no longer there.


    The butterfly led the four people through seven or eight alleys and finally stopped at the entrance of a quiet courtyard. It also fell to the ground like it had exhausted its strength. Su Baiyi bent down to pick it up, but the butterfly suddenly burst into flames. In a short while, it turned into a pile of ashes.


    ¡°What a clever thing.¡± Su Baiyi sighed.


    ¡°Big senior brother has always been good at tinkering with these things. This guiding butterfly is only the most ordinary among his many ingenious devices.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said indifferently, then walked to the gate of the courtyard. She knocked three times lightly and heavily, then lightly twice, and then heavily once. The door opened by itself.


    ¡°What would happen if you knocked wrong?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    ¡°Your hand would break.¡± Feng Zuojun raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°What if you just forgot?¡± Su Baiyi was surprised. ¡°That¡¯s too cruel.¡±


    ¡°Your hand wouldn¡¯t break, but the scenery behind the door would be different.¡± A young man with a slender figure and long hair stood there, his hands tied behind his back, polite. ¡°Luo Q¨ªn has been waiting for you for a long time. Eight Directions City is far away from Qiantang City, and it¡¯s rare to see fellow students from Xue Gong. Greetings, junior brothers and junior sister.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Luo senior brother.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er bowed her fist. ¡°Junior sister Nangong Xi¡¯er.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Luo senior brother.¡± The other three also greeted him immediately.


    ¡°Sister Nangong, we have got the information you wanted. Please come in.¡± Luo Qin turned around and led the people forward.


    ¡°Is this Luo Q¨ªn also a Xue Gong disciple?¡± Su Baiyi asked in a low voice.


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a name later, called Su Wenwen. Why do you have so many questions?¡± Feng Zuojun said impatiently.


    ¡°There is no shame in asking.¡± Su Baiyi said confidently.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Feng Zuojun sighed. ¡°What would you do without me, brother?¡±


    Xie Yuling shook his head behind him and whispered, ¡°Others say there is no shame in asking and they are so happy. Doesn¡¯t he know he is being scolded every time?¡±


    Su Baiyi seemed to hear Xie Yuling¡¯s words, turned his head and raised his eyebrows at Xie Yuling proudly. Feng Zuojun didn¡¯t hear it and continued to explain enthusiastically to Su Baiyi. ¡°The Academy has ten years as a generation, but all the disciples except for Master Ru Sheng are not divided into masters and disciples, they are all disciples. So although each generation has their own big brother, little brother and so on, they still call each other brothers and sisters among generations. And after many disciples have learned their skills, they have three choices. The first is to go down the mountain and return to their sects, and have no actual contact with the Academy, but still call themselves disciples of the Academy. The second is to stay in the Academy for life, dedicate their lives to the Academy, some go to Liuyin Pavilion, take on the responsibility of teaching new disciples, some go to Butterfly Wind and become members of the intelligence department, scattered all over the world to collect information for the Academy, like this Brother Luo Qin, and some go to Pastoral Square, did you see a large piece of vegetable field before you entered the Academy? They grow vegetables there. And some go to Five-Spice Courtyard, mainly raising chickens and feeding pigs. In short, there are many places to go.¡±


    ¡°What about the third choice?¡± Su Baiyi asked curiously.


    ¡°The third choice is to become a gentleman!¡± Feng Zuojun said proudly.


    ¡°What do you need to do to become a gentleman?¡± Su Baiyi was puzzled.


    ¡°You are wrong.¡± Feng Zuojun stretched out a finger and looked like he hated iron for not becoming steel. ¡°The most important point of becoming a gentleman is that you don¡¯t need to be forced to do anything. Do whatever you want, be free and easy, just do one thing in your life.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We call this thing ¡®A gentleman says¡¯.¡± Feng Zuojun smirked.

 CH 23

    ¡°When a disciple of the Academy receives the title of a gentleman, he must utter a word as his lifelong motto, and dedicate his martial arts to this word for his entire life. This word is what is called ¡®A Gentleman Says¡¯. The voice of Xie Yuling, who had always been indifferent, seemed to have a hint of excitement at this moment. ¡®It is said that when a gentleman utters this word, heaven and earth will resonate with him!''¡±


    ¡°Yes. Every disciple of the Academy has a goal in his heart, whether he plans to leave the mountain in the future or stay on the mountain for his whole life.¡± There seemed to be a glint in Feng Zuojun¡¯s eyes. ¡°That is to become, a gentleman.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Luo Qin, who had been walking in front, said with a smile. ¡°I also wanted to become a gentleman before, but unfortunately the sage master did not favor me. He said that I had the ambition of a swan, but no sound of a zither. At first I thought he was advising me to find a wife, but later I understood that he meant that I was overconfident and incompetent. But it doesn¡¯t matter if I can¡¯t be a swan, then I¡¯ll be a gust of wind, and help you all soar into the clouds.¡± He pushed open a door, where seven or eight people were doing some copying work, and in front of them were some white butterflies with broken wings.


    ¡°Xie Yuling, Su Baiyi, you guard outside. Feng Zuojun, you come in with me.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The three answered at the same time.


    After Luo Qin led Nangong Xi¡¯er and Feng Zuojun in, he closed the door. ¡°The Butterfly Wind is controlled by the Academy, but not every disciple can see the messages. Nangong junior sister is naturally fine, but who is this junior brother?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my name is Feng Zuojun.¡± Feng Zuojun bowed his fist.


    ¡°Oh, it turns out that you are the young master of the Feng family from Tianxiao Yunjing. Then there is no problem. Because this message came from your Feng family.¡± Luo Qin whistled, and a white butterfly landed on his finger.


    Feng Zuojun nodded. ¡°I heard about it. They said that our family closed its doors? But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal. When I was young, every year our family would close its doors for the clan sacrifice. And when my mother wanted to settle accounts with my father for his affairs, she would also close the door.¡±


    ¡°But this matter is different.¡± Luo Qin took out a paper from the butterfly¡¯s body and threw it to Nangong Xi¡¯er.


    Nangong Xi¡¯er took the paper and looked at it, frowning slightly. Feng Zuojun leaned over and looked at it too, and was shocked.


    There were only seven words on it: The second branch rebelled in Tianxiao Yunjing.


    Then the paper burned itself up and fell to the ground as ashes.


    ¡°The second branch refers to my second uncle. He has a leg disease and can¡¯t move well. He rarely comes out of his mansion. He rebelled? With what did he rebel? What was the result? How is my father?¡± Feng Zuojun¡¯s face became agitated.


    Luo Qin shook his head. ¡°Tianxiao Yunjing is still closed until now. We only got this message with great difficulty. As for what happened, we didn¡¯t find out. Maybe we¡¯ll know when the next message comes.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer, senior sister! Let¡¯s go now! Don¡¯t waste time here.¡± Feng Zuojun urged.


    ¡°Little Feng, don¡¯t be anxious.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er reached out and pressed Feng Zuojun¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If your second uncle won, he would have announced himself as the successor of Tianxiao Yunjing. But since Tianxiao Yunjing is still closed, that means this matter has not been settled yet.¡±


    Feng Zuojun nodded. ¡°You are right, senior sister. So¡­ we should still leave right away!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er turned around.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Luo Qin suddenly said.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, Luo senior brother!¡± Feng Zuojun waved his hand impatiently, but accidentally hit something. He looked closely and found that it was another white butterfly flying in front of him.


    Luo Qin stretched out his hand and caught the falling butterfly, and took the paper from it.


    ¡°What does it say? Is there any new news?¡± Feng Zuojun asked.


    Luo Qin frowned slightly, then shook his head. ¡°This is bad.¡±


    Outside the room, Su Baiyi and Xie Yuling had been guarding the door since Nangong Xi¡¯er and Feng Zuojun went in. Su Baiyi¡¯s mind was filled with the stories that Feng Zuojun had told him along the way, the stories about Shanglin Tiangong, which had nothing to do with him, a young scholar who grew up in Apricot Blossom Village. But after Nangong Xi¡¯er said those words, they seemed to be related to him.


    Su Han, the grand master of Shanglin Tiangong, was he the hero with the surname Su that master had mentioned?


    Su Dianmo, the second master of Shanglin Tiangong, was she the beautiful woman with the surname Su that master had mentioned?


    Then what was the relationship between these two people and him?


    Could he be the son of the grand master of Shanglin Tiangong? But if that was the case, why did he wander around since he was a child? That was too unrealistic. But Xie Kanhua adopted him for a reason, and thinking about it this way, it seemed possible again.


    Su Baiyi was lost in his thoughts when he suddenly noticed that Xie Yuling next to him had been secretly looking at him. Su Baiyi looked over, but Xie Yuling quickly turned his head away.


    He was so shy and timid, which was completely different from the way he talked to Feng Zuojun, who was always competing with him. Su Baiyi turned his head, but found that Xie Yuling was looking at him again. He felt a bit uncomfortable, and hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Xie senior brother, do you have any questions for me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± Xie Yuling turned his head again.


    Su Baiyi scratched his head, wondering what Xie senior brother was hiding.


    The two stood in silence for a while, but Xie Yuling opened his mouth hesitantly again. ¡°I heard that you came from Apricot Blossom Village. How is it there?¡±


    ¡°Apricot Blossom Village.¡± Su Baiyi didn¡¯t understand Xie Yuling¡¯s meaning, and thought for a while before saying, ¡°It¡¯s a nice place. There are not many villagers, very quiet, and the apricot wine there is very good. But it gets boring if you stay there for too long.¡±


    ¡°Very quiet.¡± Xie Yuling murmured.


    ¡°Yes, sometimes at night, it feels too quiet, and a bit scary.¡± Su Baiyi laughed. ¡°I also told master that we should move to Fengqiao Town, so we wouldn¡¯t have to eat donkey meat with sauce every time we drink.¡±


    ¡°What did your master say?¡±


    ¡°Master replied with two words.¡± Su Baiyi held up two fingers and shook them. ¡°No money.¡±


    Xie Yuling actually smiled. ¡°Are you very poor?¡±


    ¡°Master opened a school in Apricot Blossom Village, and students from several nearby villages came to study with us. But you know, they are all villagers, they don¡¯t have much money, and master doesn¡¯t mind. Sometimes poor families gave him a few copper coins, and he asked me to send them back, saying that a few jars of homemade apricot wine would do. Every year, only during the New Year, master would write for the rich people in the city, and earn a lot of silver.¡± Su Baiyi¡¯s tone suddenly became dissatisfied. ¡°But let me tell you, those words were all written by me!¡±

 CH 24

    Xie Yuling could tell from Su Baiyi¡¯s tone that although he was a bit displeased, he also revealed a kind of warmth. He lowered his head and smiled. ¡°You seem to have a good relationship with your master.¡±


    Su Baiyi also smiled. ¡°Senior brother, I¡¯ve been with you for a few days, and I feel like you¡¯ve smiled more in this period of time than in the previous days combined.¡±


    ¡°Your master is my seventh uncle.¡± Xie Yuling said lightly.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Su Baiyi suddenly realized. ¡°So the man in green is your elder brother. I thought your Xie family was a big sect, and although you all had the same surname, you were not very close to each other.¡±


    ¡°My elder brother and I liked to follow our seventh uncle around when we were young.¡± Xie Yuling laughed. ¡°He is the person I admire most in my life. I haven¡¯t seen him for so many years, and I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s still the same as before, so I asked you a few questions. Sorry for the trouble.¡±


    ¡°Is he different now? I heard he used to be a madman in the martial arts world, awe-inspiring and majestic, but when he came to me, he was just a teacher who cheated his disciple of money.¡± Su Baiyi shook his head and sighed. ¡°Time makes people old.¡±


    ¡°No, he is the same as before.¡± Xie Yuling¡¯s tone revealed a hint of nostalgia, ¡°Back then, he took us to Gusu for fun, but he lost all his money in the gambling house there. He could only buy a steamed bun for me and my elder brother and sit on the roadside to eat, while he drooled on the side. In the end, we didn¡¯t go to the Rain Flower Pond that we wanted to go, we didn¡¯t climb the Wind and Rain Tower that we wanted to climb, we didn¡¯t see the Cloud Rising Lantern Festival that we wanted to see, and we ran back to the Xie family in disgrace.¡±


    ¡°May I ask senior brother what do you admire about master¡­¡± Su Baiyi curled his lips.


    ¡°Have you heard of the Four Great Families¡¯ Contest?¡± Xie Yuling suddenly asked.


    Su Baiyi nodded, ¡°I know this. The green robe gentleman participated in the Contest before. It¡¯s where the young disciples of your four great families compete in martial arts.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Back then, my seventh uncle also participated in the Contest, but that day Helian Xiyue invited him to go to Tianyuntai to watch the martial arts contest for the hand of Xiyue Fairy. He was very anxious and worried that he would be late. Seeing that the others were fighting too slowly, he finally couldn¡¯t help but start running around the field, and probably only spent a quarter of an hour to knock down all the young disciples he could see. I was only five years old then, but I still remember the dumbfounded expressions of everyone.¡± Xie Yuling laughed. ¡°It was very refreshing.¡±


    Su Baiyi thought for a moment and said, ¡°That was a matter of his lifetime after all, it¡¯s understandable that Master did that.¡±


    ¡°What matter of his lifetime?¡± Xie Yuling was puzzled.


    ¡°My master¡¯s matter of his lifetime, ah. Didn¡¯t you say that Xiyue Fairy held a martial arts contest for her marriage at Tianyuntai? Or was it Helian Xiyue who wanted to go?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Xie Yuling shook his head while laughing. ¡°Neither of them. They just went to watch the fun! Xiyue Fairy didn¡¯t know them at all.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Su Baiyi said helplessly. ¡°That¡¯s really something Master could do. Wouldn¡¯t the people from the four great families be furious?¡±


    ¡°Originally, the Xie family was hoping that my seventh uncle would make a name for himself at this meeting, but they didn¡¯t expect that he would end up with a bad reputation. But everyone saw his strength.¡± Xie Yuling¡¯s expression dimmed slightly. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not talk about it. Sigh, why is there a fire in the house?¡±


    At this moment, flames rose up in the house. All the members of Butterfly Wind who were sitting there had just put the manuscripts on the table into their arms, and then gently twisted the inkstone on the table. The desk caught fire and they got up and retreated behind Luo Qin.


    ¡°We just got news that you were spotted on your way here.¡± Luo Qin sighed softly. ¡°This butterfly nest can¡¯t stay here anymore. Retreat separately and meet at the Academy!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The others answered and immediately pushed the door and walked out.


    ¡°Senior sister, what happened?¡± Xie Yuling and Su Baiyi asked at the same time.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been targeted by someone.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er walked outside. ¡°We have to leave here quickly.¡±


    ¡°How do we leave? Can we fly like them?¡± Su Baiyi pointed to the front, his tone surprised.


    Everyone looked up and saw that those disciples of Butterfly Wind had put on mechanical wings one by one. They used their momentum to bounce off the ground and then stayed in the air. But in the end they looked coldly at them and flew away in the distance.


    ¡°These are mechanical wings, they can only bear the weight of one person, and they can only fly a short distance. Their martial arts are ordinary, staying here is just waiting for death.¡± Luo Qin explained.


    ¡°What about us?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    Luo Qin pulled out two short knives from behind his waist, suddenly took three big steps forward, waved his hands, and knocked out two short arrows that flew from the dark. ¡°Naturally, we can only fight our way out.¡±


    ¡°There are four on the left wall, five behind the right wall, seven at the door, and three squatting on the roof over there.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er closed her eyes and sensed the aura around her, ¡°A total of nineteen people.¡±


    ¡°Nangong junior sister is really as amazing as the rumors say. She can find their location and number so clearly just by using the aura sensing technique. But we are outnumbered, everyone please be careful.¡± Luo Qin said solemnly.


    Su Baiyi was puzzled. ¡°Who are they? We don¡¯t know anyone in Eight Directions City. Why do they want to kill us?¡±


    ¡°Greedy Wolf.¡± Luo Qin licked his lips, ¡°The most mysterious killer organization in Eight Directions City. Many people who came to Eight Directions City were quietly erased by them. We have investigated for a long time and could only find out that they are raised by a certain big sect in the martial arts world here, but the true power behind them has always been impossible to determine.¡±


    ¡°So we offended a big sect in the martial arts world?¡± Xie Yuling waved his sleeve and knocked down a sleeve arrow. ¡°Is it related to this case?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of asking so many questions! The five on the right are mine!¡± Feng Zuo Jun shouted angrily.


    With his bamboo sword, Feng Zuojun charged to the right wall, slashed it fiercely, and swept away half of the entire wall. The killers who were hiding behind it had no chance to react, and their heads appeared in his sight. Feng Zuojun stood on the remaining wall and yelled, ¡°Get lost if you know what¡¯s good for you!¡±


    The killers were startled by this roar, and then drew their long knives and slashed at Feng Zuo Jun.


    ¡°You use knives against me?¡± Feng Zuojun raised his eyebrows, swept his bamboo sword again, and knocked out the long knives in the hands of the five people. ¡°Is this called a knife?¡± He leaped into the air, caught a long knife in mid-air with his left hand, spun it lightly, then landed quickly, and stabbed it straight into the ground. A fierce aura burst out from the long knife, directly blasting the five people away. But the long knife also broke because it couldn¡¯t bear such a fierce aura. Feng Zuojun threw the knife handle on the ground disdainfully and snorted, ¡°Xie Yuling!¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± A voice sounded on the roof.


    The three killers who had blowguns in their mouths and were ready to sneak attack Feng Zuojun broke out in a cold sweat behind their backs.

 CH 25

    A folding fan flew out of Xie Yuling¡¯s hand, circled around the three assassins, and returned to his hand. He flicked the fan lightly and snorted, ¡°Greedy Wolf?¡±


    Standing below, Luo Qin looked at Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling who had settled the two waves of assassins with thunderous momentum, and couldn¡¯t help swallowing. ¡°Are all the junior brothers in the academy so terrifying now?¡±


    ¡°You think I chose them for nothing?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er smiled and said, ¡°They are all the strongest monsters in this generation of the academy.¡±


    Luo Qin nodded, ¡°I see.¡± He put away his double knives and retreated to the side, looking at Su Baiyi.


    Su Baiyi smiled at Luo Qin, ¡°Senior brother, what¡¯s up?¡±


    Luo Qin waved his hand and made a ¡°please¡± gesture, ¡°There are still four on the left wall.¡±


    Su Baiyi immediately understood Luo Qin¡¯s meaning. It turned out that this senior brother saw Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling each show their martial arts, and then it should be his turn next. And not only Luo Qin, even Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling looked at him¡­


    ¡°According to the development of the novel, it should be my turn to make a move.¡± Su Baiyi looked at the sky awkwardly, ¡°But I always feel that you have some misunderstandings about me.¡±


    ¡°Okay, stop dawdling.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er urged, ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then let me show you mine.¡± Su Baiyi suddenly shouted, ¡°Flower in the Mist!¡±


    Flower in the Mist?


    Everyone in the field was shocked. This famous sword technique of Xie Kanhua only existed in legend for them. They had heard that when Xie Kanhua used this move, he would burst out two layers of sword qi. One layer of sword qi enveloped the outer layer, shaped like a lotus flower. The other layer of sword qi condensed at the tip of the sword, called the Life-taking Flower. The storytellers liked to use that somewhat clich¨¦d but never boring phrase to describe this flower.


    ¡°No one has ever seen this Flower in the Mist technique, those who have are all dead.¡± Xie Yuling said in a deep voice.


    Su Baiyi stepped on the wall, holding the hilt of his sword with one hand.


    ¡°What a fast speed.¡± Luo Qin exclaimed.


    Su Baiyi lowered his head slightly, a fierce killing intent revealed in his eyes, looking at the four assassins standing under the left wall. ¡°Watch my Flower in the Mist!¡±


    The four assassins finally reacted, glanced at each other and immediately abandoned their swords, running away.


    Su Baiyi let out a long breath, moved his hand away from the hilt, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and whispered, ¡°That scared me to death.¡±


    The other four people in the field frowned, thinking about Su Baiyi¡¯s sword just now.


    ¡°Is this Flower in the Mist?¡± Xie Yuling whispered, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be so fast that I couldn¡¯t even see the moment he drew his sword.¡±


    Feng Zuojun also licked his lips and said faintly, ¡°It seems that I have to defeat him to become the strongest man in this generation of the academy.¡±


    Su Baiyi leaped back to Nangong Xi¡¯er¡¯s side, Luo Qin walked up and patted Su Baiyi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This sword is really powerful, I didn¡¯t expect you to be the disciple of Master Xie, my childhood wish was to see this Flower in the Mist with my own eyes, it¡¯s really a dream come true.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Baiyi was stunned.


    Xie Yuling also jumped down from the roof, nodded and said, ¡°Uncle¡¯s Flower in the Mist is truly well-deserved, if I see him in the future, I must ask him to teach it to me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Baiyi was even more confused.


    ¡°If it were normal, I would definitely want to spar with you.¡± Feng Zuojun carried his bamboo sword on his shoulder, ¡°But today is urgent, let¡¯s leave it for later.¡±


    Su Baiyi thought: What are you talking about? I didn¡¯t even draw my sword! How did you see my sword technique? Could it be that my sword technique should be so fast that even I can¡¯t see myself?


    Nangong Xi¡¯er smiled helplessly, only she could be sure that Su Baiyi¡¯s hand had never moved after he placed it on the hilt. Those assassins were clearly scared away by his movement and words. But she didn¡¯t expose him, she just walked forward. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t waste time here.¡±


    The gate was opened, and seven black-clothed assassins stood there with long knives. The seven people stood in different positions, forming a strange formation.


    ¡°These guys are still not running, they are really persistent.¡± Feng Zuojun impatiently picked his ears, ¡°Senior sister, let me do it!¡±


    ¡°Starry North Star?¡± Luo Qin¡¯s tone was a bit worried, he stopped Feng Zuojun, ¡°Seven as one, one as seven, a siege formation. When we were fighting in the courtyard just now, they had already formed this formation at the gate. The killing move is here, this is troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Luo senior brother, maybe I¡¯m being nosy, but I can¡¯t help but say something.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er sighed softly.


    Luo Qin asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Although Mr. Confucius told you not to be arrogant, you shouldn¡¯t overestimate your opponents either.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er walked straight ahead.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Luo Qin said anxiously.


    But Nangong Xi¡¯er had already walked to the side of the leader of the assassins. She looked at him and asked coldly, ¡°Starry North Star?¡±


    The leader of the assassins had beads of sweat the size of soybeans falling from his forehead. His hand holding the long knife trembled violently. Nangong Xi¡¯er was standing in front of him. He only had to swing his knife to cut off her head, but the knife seemed to weigh a thousand pounds in an instant, and he couldn¡¯t lift it up. In the end, he gave up, dropped his long knife, and knelt down on his knees.


    He didn¡¯t understand why he had to drop his sword, why he had to kneel down, and why he wanted to kowtow after kneeling down.


    ¡°This is the Emperor¡¯s Bow!¡± Luo Qin widened his eyes.


    ¡°Butterfly Wind knows a lot indeed.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er walked forward again. Wherever she stepped, those assassins all dropped their long knives and knelt on the ground. They sweated profusely, their eyes bulging as if they had experienced something extremely terrifying in that moment. After passing by the seven people, Nangong Xi¡¯er turned her head and smiled at them, ¡°Why don¡¯t you hurry up?¡±


    ¡°Senior sister said we are monsters, this is the real monster.¡± Su Baiyi looked at those kneeling assassins who had all fainted and muttered.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything yet.¡± Feng Zuojun smiled and walked forward, ¡°Senior sister¡¯s strength is beyond your imagination.¡±


    Xie Yuling asked Luo Qin in a low voice, ¡°What is Emperor¡¯s Bow? What kind of martial art is it?¡±


    Luo Qin¡¯s expression returned to normal. He ignored Xie Yuling and stepped back. He spread his hands and a pair of mechanical wings unfolded behind him. He jumped into the air with his feet. ¡°Nangong junior sister, be careful on this trip.¡±


    Nangong Xi¡¯er turned her head. ¡°I know, senior brother. The remaining two, hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Emperor¡¯s Bow?¡± Su Baiyi silently memorized these two words.

 CH 26

    The City of Seven Partings.


    A tavern at dawn.


    A drunken man was waving his chopsticks, reciting a poem in a leisurely manner, ¡°On the mountain cold and high I meet old friends from days gone by. With a horse to carry me along. And a flask of wine to cheer my song¡­¡±


    There were always drunkards in the tavern, and many of them liked to chant poems. People were used to seeing them, but this man still drew the attention of the whole tavern, because he was a monk.


    His bald head and white robe revealed his identity.


    ¡°He¡¯s just a madman who breaks the rules, why does the chief care so much about him?¡± Two monks entered the tavern. The one in front was tall and burly, with fierce eyes and a huge string of beads on his chest. His imposing aura made the waiter hesitate to greet him. Fortunately, the other monk had a kind face and a gentle tone. He said to the waiter, ¡°We are here to look for someone, you don¡¯t need to serve us.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ alright.¡± The waiter quickly stepped aside, glancing at the drunken monk, who was still reciting poems. He thought they must be from some big temple, here to catch a monk who broke the rules.


    ¡°This wine is good, waiter, bring me another flask.¡± The drunken monk slammed the table.


    ¡°No need.¡± A huge palm landed on the table, drowning out the drunken monk¡¯s voice.


    The drunken monk looked up. He was quite handsome, and looked no older than twenty. His eyebrows were like two sharp swords, and his eyes were bright as stars, even though he had drunk wine. He truly deserved the phrase ¡°sword-like brows and starry eyes¡±. He smiled slightly at the fierce monk. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Brother Jie Xue. How about joining me for a drink?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you drink!¡± The fierce monk frowned, smashing the wine flask on the table with his palm. ¡°You know you¡¯re wrong, but you still break the rules. How did our Courtyard of Punishment and Law produce such a disciple like you!¡±


    The drunken monk didn¡¯t get angry. He pointed his finger and guided the spilled wine to the air. Then he spun it lightly and turned the wine into a thread. He tilted his head and opened his mouth, and the wine fell into his mouth. He licked his lips, burped and smiled. ¡°I paid for this, I can¡¯t waste it.¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡± The fierce monk shouted, and everyone in the tavern covered their ears.


    ¡°You are being insolent.¡± The drunken monk raised his eyebrows, his voice was not loud, and only the three of them could hear it. But the fierce monk¡¯s voice was instantly suppressed, and the beads on his chest suddenly cracked with a ¡°bang¡±.


    ¡°Alright, alright, we are all brothers from the same sect.¡± The kind monk tried to mediate. ¡°We came to find you today, not to quarrel with you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s even worse. If it¡¯s just a trivial matter like a quarrel, that would be fine.¡± The drunken monk smiled. ¡°There must be some big trouble.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what it is, but you¡¯ll know soon.¡± The kind monk always had a gentle smile. ¡°The chief is waiting for you, come with us.¡±


    ¡°The chief?¡± The drunken monk was stunned.


    ¡°The chief is already in the City of Seven Partings.¡± The kind monk said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± The drunken monk fell on the table, and the fierce monk and the kind monk looked at each other, puzzled, until they heard a low snoring sound from the drunken monk. The kind monk smiled wryly, probed his breath with a finger, and shook his head. ¡°He passed out? He really knows how to pick a time.¡±


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    Lake Deer Temple.


    In a quiet meditation room, a middle-aged monk was turning the beads in his hand, reciting the scriptures in a low voice, until he heard footsteps outside. His hand suddenly stopped.


    The door was opened, and two monks carried a drunken monk in. They tried to make him stand up, but as soon as they let go of him, his legs went limp and he fell forward, lying flat on the ground.


    ¡°Chief¡­¡± The two monks sounded somewhat helpless.


    ¡°Go out.¡± The middle-aged monk who was called the chief waved his hand.


    The two monks respectfully chanted a Buddhist name and immediately closed the door and left.


    ¡°Jie Se.¡± The middle-aged monk sighed. ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    The drunken monk¡¯s snoring was thunderous.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend.¡± The middle-aged monk stood up, turned around, and walked to the drunken monk¡¯s side. ¡°Senior brother came to find you, there is a very important matter that he needs you to do.¡±


    The drunken monk turned over and scratched his belly.


    ¡°You know that Shanglin Tiangong is not what it used to be. The three towers and the four courtyards are divided and estranged. Everyone wants to gain an advantageous position in the upcoming struggle. Our Courtyard of Punishment and Law is in charge of the punishments within the sect, and we have never been popular.¡± The middle-aged monk¡¯s expression revealed a bit of helplessness. ¡°So, we have to take the initiative and act first.¡±


    The drunken monk burped, and the room was filled with alcohol for a moment.


    ¡°Recently, someone has returned to the Shanglin Tiangong. I originally wanted to take him away first, but I couldn¡¯t beat him.¡± The middle-aged monk sighed.


    The drunken monk¡¯s eyes suddenly opened. ¡°It¡¯s him.¡±


    ¡°The master of the Misty Rain Tower, Xie Kanhua, he¡¯s back.¡± The middle-aged monk turned around. ¡°But he came back empty-handed, he didn¡¯t bring back that thing. Bai Jile guessed that the thing is on Xie Kanhua¡¯s disciple, and he has already sent assassins from the Clear Sky Courtyard to find him.¡±


    The drunken monk jumped up. ¡°When did Xie Kanhua take a disciple?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a young man.¡± The middle-aged monk took out a portrait from his chest and put it on the ground. ¡°I saw him that day, this is his portrait. I wanted to take him away that day, but I was stopped by Helian Xiyue. Now that Bai Jile has intervened, our Courtyard of Punishment and Law can¡¯t act rashly, but Jie Se, you haven¡¯t returned to Weilong Mountain for ten years, they won¡¯t even recognize you.¡±


    ¡°I wondered why senior brother was willing to let me go down the mountain back then.¡± The drunken monk smiled. ¡°So you had this plan in mind. But those are the assassins of the Clear Sky Courtyard, can I beat them by myself?¡±


    ¡°You should be more familiar with them than me.¡± The middle-aged monk said slowly. ¡°You are the only child who was born in the Clear Sky Courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Senior brother, you are talking about a dangerous topic.¡± The drunken monk¡¯s voice suddenly became cold.


    ¡°Go, Jie Se. Find Su Baiyi, and bring him to me.¡± The middle-aged monk said solemnly. ¡°Now that the three towers and the four courtyards are about to face a storm, our Courtyard of Punishment and Law¡¯s survival depends on you.¡±


    ¡°What a troublesome matter. I don¡¯t care about the survival of the Courtyard of Punishment and Law.¡± The drunken monk picked up the portrait from the ground and put it in his chest. ¡°But I¡¯ll take this job.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, Jie Se.¡± The middle-aged monk said.


    ¡°Senior brother, don¡¯t call me this ugly name anymore. I changed my name after I went down the mountain.¡± The drunken monk¡¯s mouth curled up. ¡°From now on, call me Jie Qing Bu Jie Se.¡±


    The middle-aged monk was stunned, then scolded, ¡°Nonsense, there is no five-word name.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense? Isn¡¯t that what I am?¡± The drunken monk raised his eyebrows and pushed open the door.

 CH 27

    Late at night, on the silent and deserted official road, a carriage was still speeding along.


    Sitting in front of the carriage, holding the whip, was Su Baiyi. After discussing with the others, they decided that since Su Baiyi did not need to sleep at night, it would be better to let Feng Zuojun drive the carriage during the day and switch to Su Baiyi at night. Su Baiyi¡¯s meditative rest would be moved to the daytime. This way, they could travel day and night without stopping, and they would be able to reach Tianxiao Yunjing in no time.


    This idea was certainly good, but there was a hidden danger. The three people in the carriage were too tired to think of that when they fell asleep. Su Baiyi did not have the heart to say it.


    ¡°I have a poor sense of direction.¡± Su Baiyi touched the horse¡¯s buttocks and whispered this little secret. He took out the map drawn by Feng Zuojun from his sleeves. It was scribbled and only three parts of the road were drawn on it. The other seven parts had to be imagined by himself. He was helpless.


    Anyway, just go west. Tianxiao Yunjing was in the west, and going west was always right. Su Baiyi nodded to himself for his cleverness, and then he resolutely chose the western road at every fork.


    Thirty miles away, at the entrance of Fengdu Town.


    A man stuck his long sword in the ground, stretched his waist and yawned, ¡°Why haven¡¯t they come yet? I¡¯m sleepy.¡±


    ¡°A disciple of Thousand Inventions Courtyard sent a message that they are heading to Tianxiao Yunjing this time. They left Eight Directions City before sunset. They should have arrived here an hour ago. To go to Tianxiao Yunjing, this is the only official road.¡± Another man leaped up and jumped onto the roof of the nearby post station, looking into the distance. ¡°Why is there still no trace?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that they knew we were waiting for them here? And changed their route?¡± The man who yawned earlier turned his head. ¡°Boss, what do you think? Should I go ahead and take a look?¡±


    No one answered him. He turned his head and saw his boss lying on a pile of straw, sleeping soundly.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± The man who was sleeping soundly suddenly opened his eyes. The long spear next to him instantly fell back into his hand. He stomped his feet and the crows that were sleeping on the trees around him all flew away. The killing intent that rose in an instant made even his two companions shiver. But when he looked closely, he found that the official road in front of him was empty. He put away his long spear and cursed, ¡°What are you shouting for?¡±


    ¡°Boss, from Eight Directions City to here, even if they walked, they should have arrived before sunset. Could it be that they ran away?¡± The man on the roof said.


    ¡°Ask the people from the Thousand Inventions Courtyard. They were the ones who followed their tracks. We only have to kill them.¡± The man threw his long spear aside and lay back on the straw pile. ¡°Chi Wu, if you shout again, I won¡¯t be polite to you.¡±


    The man who had woken up the leader smiled awkwardly, ¡°Boss, if they don¡¯t come, do we just keep waiting like this?¡±


    ¡°Let the Thousand Inventions Courtyard find them. We¡¯ll wait here for news.¡± The leader closed his eyes.


    The man on the roof nodded and shot a firework into the air.


    ¡°Somebody is setting off fireworks at night?¡± Su Baiyi saw a flash of fire in the eastern sky and said curiously, ¡°If we weren¡¯t in a hurry, I really want to go and see. Alas, why are there other people traveling at night besides us?¡±


    He saw a person walking quickly towards their carriage. Su Baiyi was a bit alert and pulled the reins, slowing down the speed. He looked at the person ahead. It was a monk wearing a white robe. He looked no more than twenty years old, quite handsome, bathed in the white moonlight, he had the demeanor of a Buddhist master.


    Su Baiyi showed respect and clasped his hands together, chanting a Buddhist name, ¡°Amitabha.¡±


    The young monk was stunned at first, then smiled and chanted a Buddhist name back, ¡°Amitabha.¡±


    The two passed by each other.


    Su Baiyi continued to whip the reins and sped up. The young monk walked a few steps and his smile gradually disappeared from his face. He stopped and took out a portrait from his arms. He looked at it and laughed again. ¡°Is this fate?¡±


    TN: Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying this translation. If you are reading this on any other website than the translator¡¯s website (dwarflib.online), I kindly ask you to visit the original source. I often update and revise the chapters I have already translated, so you might be missing out on some important changes or corrections. Thank you for your understanding.


    Su Baiyi sat on the carriage and thought about the monk he had just met. Why was he traveling alone at night? Could it be that he was undergoing some kind of cultivation? Seeing that he had nothing on him, he should have given him some dry food. As he was thinking this, he suddenly felt a breeze blowing from the side. He turned his head and found that the young monk had already sat next to him.


    ¡°Ghost¡­ ghost.¡± Su Baiyi exclaimed.


    ¡°A human, a human, a destined one.¡± The young monk was very calm, holding a portrait in his hand. He looked at the portrait and then at Su Baiyi, looked at the portrait and then at Su Baiyi, and finally nodded, asking, ¡°Young master, are you Su Baiyi?¡±


    Su Baiyi swallowed, ¡°Master, how do you know?¡±


    ¡°Buddhist fate, Buddhist fate.¡± The young monk could not control his inner joy and laughed loudly. ¡°I thought that our meeting would be even later.¡±


    The curtain of the carriage suddenly rolled up at this time.


    Su Baiyi pulled the reins hard and stopped the carriage. He turned his head and saw that the young monk was no longer next to him.


    ¡°Amitabha, so there is a real master in the carriage.¡± The young monk smiled.


    Nangong Xi¡¯er lifted the curtain of the carriage and came out. She looked at the monk in front of her, ¡°You have good martial arts. Who are you? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Jie Qing Bu Jie Se. A monk, beautiful as a flower, abstaining from emotion but not from lust.¡± The young monk lifted his finger lightly, making a gesture of picking a flower. ¡°I came here to take away this little donor Su Baiyi.¡±


    TN: I used the word ¡°donor¡± to translate the term ¡°Ð¡Ê©Ö÷¡± in Chinese, which literally means ¡°little giver¡± or ¡°little benefactor¡±. It is a respectful way of addressing someone who practices the virtue of generosity or dana in Buddhism. Dana is any form of giving or offering to others without expecting anything in return.


    ¡°Your Buddhist name is a bit silly.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said coldly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s very unique?¡± The young monk asked back.


    ¡°Very uniquely silly.¡± Su Baiyi made this conclusion and ended this conversation.


    Jie Qing Bu Jie Se laughed loudly, ¡°Not bad, not bad. I¡¯m more sure now that you are the Su Baiyi I¡¯m looking for. You speak with the same tone as that guy.¡±


    ¡°That guy?¡± Su Baiyi asked in confusion.


    ¡°Your Buddhist name is Jie, you are from the Courtyard of Punishment and Law.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said. ¡°The head of the Courtyard of Punishment and Law, Jie Kong, has a little junior brother who was able to defeat the elders of the Courtyard of Punishment and Law when he was ten years old. Later he was expelled from Shanglin Tiangong for breaking the rules. I remember his Buddhist name was Jie Se, that¡¯s you, right?¡±


    Jie Qing Bu Jie Se clasped his hands together and smiled, ¡°There was no breaking of rules. I just cursed Ning Qingcheng a few times and then peed at his courtyard door.¡±


    ¡°Ning Qingcheng?¡± Su Baiyi recalled this name. It seemed that Xie Kanhua had mentioned it. ¡°Isn¡¯t he the current grand palace master of Shanglin Tiangong?¡±


    ¡°That bastard.¡± Jie Qing Bu Jie Se cursed.

 CH 28

    ¡°On the matter of cursing Ning Qingcheng, I think we can agree.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er reached out and shielded Su Baiyi behind her. ¡°But on other matters, I¡¯m afraid not.¡±


    ¡°What is your esteemed name, miss?¡± Jie Qing asked.


    ¡°Xue Gong, Nangong Xi¡¯er.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er replied.


    ¡°Xue Gong?¡± Jie Qing was stunned. ¡°Xue Gong lives alone in the ten-mile Langhuan, and never wants to get involved in these affairs of the Jianghu. Why are you so interested in this Su Gongzi?¡±


    ¡°Su Baiyi has joined Xue Gong, and is now my Xue Gong disciple.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said solemnly. ¡°I am his senior sister, and naturally I have to protect him.¡±


    ¡°But I have to take him away. I promise you, miss, that I will keep him safe. How about that?¡± Jie Qing said sincerely.


    Nangong Xi¡¯er sneered, ¡°Why did you only curse Ning Qingcheng back then, and not beat him up?¡±


    Jie Qing was startled, and said helplessly, ¡°That¡¯s because I couldn¡¯t beat him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, since you couldn¡¯t beat Ning Qingcheng, how can you protect my junior brother?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er asked back.


    ¡°Miss, your logic is clear, but I can¡¯t beat Ning Qingcheng.¡± Jie Qing stomped his right foot on the ground. ¡°Can I not beat you?¡±


    A powerful aura emanated from Jie Qing¡¯s body, and pressed down on the carriage where Nangong Xi¡¯er and the others were. Su Baiyi instantly fell back into the carriage, and was lucky that Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling reached out to catch him before he fell out of the carriage.


    ¡°What is this¡­¡± Su Baiyi exclaimed.


    ¡°Ordinary people practice martial arts for years, but they can hardly be called masters in their lifetime. There are nine levels in the lower realm of martial arts, and four in the upper realm. Only those who enter the upper realm can be considered as stepping into the threshold of masters. The first level of the upper realm is the Autumn Water Realm, where the masters¡¯ inner strength is like autumn water flowing into the sea, endless and unstoppable. Just now, this monk showed his hand, and announced that he is a master of the Autumn Water Realm.¡± Feng Zuojun activated his inner power to suppress the surging true energy in his chest.


    ¡°Very good.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er casually picked up a nail beside her, flicked it with her finger and shot it out. With a bang, the monk¡¯s robe that was flying in the wind suddenly fell down.


    Jie Qing raised his eyebrows. ¡°You broke my Hidden Image Skill with just one move. Miss, your strength is higher than I imagined. But the next one won¡¯t be so easy.¡±


    ¡°The next one will be handled by me as well.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er picked up another nail beside her, flicked it again, and flew straight towards the monk.


    ¡°Good.¡± Jie Qing suddenly clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and the nail stopped in front of him an inch away. It didn¡¯t move forward or fall to the ground, but just spun rapidly in place.


    ¡°What kind of martial art is this?¡± Su Baiyi asked in surprise.


    Nangong Xi¡¯er frowned slightly, ¡°Heart-Mind-Energy Mixed Skill.¡±


    ¡°Miss, you have good knowledge. If you stop now, you can all leave.¡± Jie Qing said with a smile, his eyes still closed.


    ¡°I guess when you open your eyes, that nail will come back at you.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er moved her hand to the side again.


    ¡°Senior sister, if you pull out more nails, the carriage will fall apart!¡± Su Baiyi reminded her.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er lightly shook her wrist, and Su Baiyi saw that she had a green bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet was crystal clear, and the green color was like a pool of clear water. Nangong Xi¡¯er moved her hand slightly, and the bracelet flowed with her movement. She flicked the bracelet and held it in her hand.


    ¡°What a beautiful bracelet.¡± Su Baiyi praised.


    ¡°This is the Green Water Bracelet.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er touched the jade bracelet, then closed her eyes and threw it out.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Jie Qing shouted angrily, opened his eyes, and the iron nail that had stopped in front of him shot out. It hit the Green Water Bracelet, making a crisp sound. Then the iron nail fell straight to the ground, and the Green Water Bracelet flew back. Nangong Xi¡¯er raised her hand and put the bracelet back on her wrist.


    ¡°Miss, you are¡­¡± Jie Qing¡¯s expression changed slightly.


    ¡°So what?¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er raised her eyebrows, stretched out her right hand, and Feng Zuojun quickly took out a sword from the carriage. Nangong Xi¡¯er drew the sword in an instant, pointing it at Jie Qing. ¡°Monk, get out of the way.¡±


    The sword was long and narrow, pure white and flawless. It looked like a piece of jade under the moonlight. And on the sword, there were two words.


    Liang Ren.


    On the sword manual, there were seven famous swords listed. There was no ranking among them, but each had its own merits. They were King¡¯s Command Sword Tian Li, Rebel¡¯s Bone Sword Shui Yue, Rogue¡¯s Star Sword Liu Xing, Heartless Sword Xuan Bing, Immortal Wind Sword Bu Gui, Gentleman¡¯s Word Sword Jun Yu, and Foolish Love Sword Liang Ren.


    ¡°Master, is this the sword you often talk about, the most beautiful sword in the world, Liang Ren?¡± Su Baiyi whispered softly, remembering the words that Xie Kanhua once said when he touched his own sword, ¡°She said, Jun Yu, Liang Ren. These two words together form a sentence that is very beautiful.¡±


    Jie Qing sighed softly, ¡°As expected.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it one last time, get out of the way!¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er shouted, and a strong sword aura emanated from this flawless Liang Ren sword. Jie Qing faced the sword aura, his white robe fluttering in the wind. His face was stung by the sword aura, but his eyes became more and more sharp.


    ¡°Nangong, so it¡¯s this Nangong.¡± Jie Qing waved his sleeve violently, dispersing the sword aura.


    ¡°Ascending Realm!¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said in a deep voice.


    ¡°Soaring up a thousand miles in a day, this monk looks no more than twenty years old, but he already has the power of the Ascending Realm.¡± Feng Zuojun exclaimed.


    ¡°Senior brother, what realm have you reached?¡± Su Baiyi asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m still a step away from the Autumn Water Realm.¡± Feng Zuojun sighed.


    ¡°What about Xie senior brother?¡± Su Baiyi asked again.


    ¡°I¡¯m only a foot of water away from the Autumn Water Realm.¡± Xie Yuling replied.


    ¡°Then we¡¯re two realms behind this monk, aren¡¯t we useless?¡± Su Baiyi said anxiously. ¡°What realm is senior sister in?¡±


    ¡°I touched the threshold of the Autumn Water Realm when I was ten years old, but I didn¡¯t really enter it until I was sixteen.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er said slowly. ¡°Although it¡¯s only a foot of water away, it may take a lifetime to cross.¡±


    Feng Zuojun and Xie Yuling understood that their senior sister was teaching them, and immediately bowed their heads and said, ¡°Thank you for your guidance, senior sister.¡±


    Su Baiyi was a bit anxious. ¡°Then we can¡¯t beat this monk.¡±


    ¡°I entered the Autumn Water Realm when I was sixteen, and two hours later I entered the Ascending Realm.¡± Nangong Xi¡¯er leaped up and stood in front of Jie Qing with her sword. ¡°Because that day I experienced life and death.¡±


    Jie Qing laughed loudly. ¡°Good!¡±