The letter that Wei Heng had entrusted to the White Paper Hall was gripped tightly in Ying Laixian’s hand. It was identical to the one in his previous memories, though he had no way of knowing what contents the letter held this time.
Aside from using this letter’s recipient as his leverage to secure a foothold in the martial world during his upcoming trip to Yunwu, there was also someone he needed to see.
The carriage sped along an empty imperial highway. On either side of the wide road, towering mountains surrounded the pass, while loose pebbles trickled down the steep, craggy cliffs.
It was early morning, and the dew of early spring had yet to dry.
“My lord,” Jiang Ni called out from the driver’s seat, her hands continuously flicking the reins as the carriage picked up speed. “Perhaps we should rest for a moment.”
Barely an hour had passed since their early departure, and once they left Quedu, the roads grew steep and rugged. Ying Laixian’s constitution had never been able to endure much jostling, and continuous traveling like this risked breaking him down.
Ying Laixian lifted the carriage window curtain and looked outside. The rising dew carried a hint of dampness. He stretched his hand outward, feeling the chill of the early morning air.
“No need. Keep going.”
Ying Laixian inspected a white porcelain teacup in his hand for a moment before casually tossing it out the window.
A sword flying through the air had its trajectory violently redirected by the impact.
“Whoa!”
Jiang Ni hastily hauled back on the reins. Before the panicked horses could steady their footing, she had already drawn the sword tucked at her waist.
A troop of riders emerged from the side of the highway, led by Hua Qianmi, whose alluring red attire cut a captivating figure, followed by the male and female disciples of her Rouge Hamlet.
They hadn’t even cleared the outskirts of Quedu before these people grew impatient.
“Gentleman Liuyu, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?” Hua Qianmi’s eyes seemed to brim with affection. “Why didn’t you wait for me?”
Had anyone ignorant stumbled upon this scene, they would have inevitably mistaken Ying Laixian for a heartless and fickle lover.
Unflustered, Ying Laixian poked his head out. Although this wasn’t their first meeting, Hua Qianmi still felt a flutter in her chest, particularly at the sight of those rare, captivating eyes.
“So it’s Sect Leader Hua. We parted in such a rush last time that I never got the chance to bid you a proper farewell.” Ying Laixian’s gaze drifted to the disciples standing behind her. “If I recall correctly, Sect Leader brought just as many people last time as well.”
Hua Qianmi was well aware that Ying Laixian was mocking her incompetence, but such barbs meant nothing in the face of the Changye Temple treasure.
Hua Qianmi smiled, her appearance ravishing and her voice thoroughly bewitching. “As the Gentleman said, we didn’t have time for a proper chat last time. Why not accompany me today and be a guest at Rouge Hamlet? We can share some wine and make merry, what do you say?”
Ying Laixian replied softly, “Regrettably, I never touch alcohol. I’m afraid I must decline Sect Leader Hua’s kind offer.”
The female sect leader stepped forward, inch by inch. “No matter. I have fine tea as well.”
“I’ve always had poor fortune; I’m afraid I have no taste for fine tea.”
Seeing that Ying Laixian refused to toast willingly only to be forced to drink a forfeit, Hua Qianmi dropped all pretense of courtesy. “Liuyu Shouxue, you’ve obtained such a remarkable lead, but you’ll never achieve anything trying to guard it all by yourself. Why don’t you and I join forces? Once we find the treasure, we’ll split it fifty-fifty. How about that?”
“Fifty-fifty?” Ying Laixian chuckled softly. “Sect Leader Hua’s appetite is truly enormous.”
“What do you propose then?”
Ying Laixian continued, “The whole world wishes to find the Changye Temple treasure, and there are plenty of people far more formidable than Sect Leader Hua. Why on earth should I choose you?”
Hua Qianmi’s gaze hardened. “Are you referring to Tan Congye? As far as I know, he left Quedu several days ago.”
Ying Laixian shook his head. “Do you honestly believe he wouldn’t notice the spies you planted around him?”
Hua Qianmi’s heart skipped a beat, prompting many of the disciples behind her to instinctively scan their surroundings, terrified of being ambushed.
“So what if he did?” Hua Qianmi sneered. “There’s no way I’m letting you leave today! Attack!”
Jiang Ni drew her saber and lunged forward, moving with blinding speed to ensure no one came within reach of the carriage.
“Your subordinate certainly exhibits unwavering loyalty,” Hua Qianmi said, fixing her eyes on Jiang Ni. Ever since their clash last time, she had engraved this person into her memory.
Though not yet a fourth-rank martial artist, her combat strength could not be underestimated. Her saber techniques were strange and unorthodox, bearing little resemblance to those of the Central Plains.
“Since Gentleman Liuyu refuses to be sensible, I’m afraid I have no choice but to send your loyal hound to an early grave,” Hua Qianmi said in a low voice. Her figure leaped into the air, and amidst a surge of imposing sword qi, their blades violently clashed.
Jiang Ni’s wrist tingled with numbness as she staggered backward, barely managing to steady herself and block the front of the carriage.
At that exact moment, the Rouge Hamlet disciples scattered, surrounding the carriage so tightly not even a drop of water could leak through.
A wave of disciples surged directly toward Ying Laixian inside the carriage, but Jiang Ni refused to let them succeed. In a flash, her ferocious saber technique swept out, accompanied by the flash of steel and the scent of fresh blood.
Hua Qianmi struck again, this time driving her blade straight into the flank of the stationary horse.
Startled, the beast reared its hooves and bolted. Recovering her stance, Jiang Ni slashed down the nearest attacker, but Hua Qianmi moved significantly faster, charging straight toward the moving carriage with her sword drawn.
Seated inside, Ying Laixian felt a wave of dizziness wash over him as the violent shaking threatened to dislocate his internal organs.
Hua Qianmi vaulted into the air, soaring directly toward the carriage, only for a sharp blade to hurtle out of nowhere straight for her vital points. Startled, she was forced to halt her advance.
Simultaneously, a figure plummeted from above, slashing through the reins with a single sweep. The careening carriage managed to brake abruptly, its momentum flipping it violently forward before it smashed into pieces on the ground.
Hua Qianmi narrowed her eyes to look closer, only to see Ying Laixian being snatched out of the wreckage unharmed by a pair of fast-reacting hands. That familiar stance—who else could it be but Ji Tingzhong?
“The Jade of Mount Kun,” Hua Qianmi gritted her teeth. “You martial siblings certainly share a deep bond.”
Ji Tingzhong extended her hand, and her gleaming twin blades flew back into her grasp. Standing protectively in front of Ying Laixian, she met Hua Qianmi’s gaze without a shred of fear. “Trust you’ve been well, Sect Leader Hua. Although my senior martial brother doesn’t know martial arts, he is not someone you can bully as you please.”
Hua Qianmi shot a mocking look at Ying Laixian standing behind Ji Tingzhong, making no effort to conceal the derision in her tone. “Walking the jianghu without knowing martial arts simply won’t do. The martial world is no place for a Gentleman Liuyu like you. Must you rely on others to save you every time you step outside, or do you rely entirely on that face of yours?”
Ying Laixian had been critiqued for his appearance more than once. Even in past lifetimes, when his performance in the martial world had proven far too exceptional, it still sparked controversy critics always claimed he simply used his face to wrap countless people around his finger.
Thus, being too incompetent wouldn’t do, but being too exceptional wouldn’t do either. It seemed nothing he ever did was right.
Consequently, he had long since grown accustomed to such criticisms, to the point where he could discuss them himself without the slightest taboo.
“Walking the jianghu requires competence,” Ying Laixian smiled. “Sect Leader Hua is quite right—this face of mine happens to be my competence.”
Hua Qianmi choked on her words, entirely unprepared for Ying Laixian to be so utterly candid.
“Gentleman Liuyu, I have always been a reasonable person,” Hua Qianmi pivoted. “As long as you give me that lead today, I can guarantee your safety in the days to come.”
Hearing this, Ying Laixian remarked, “Sect Leader Hua speaks with such grandeur. Anyone listening would think you had already reached the rank of Sword Sage.”
“You!”
Ying Laixian continued in his soft, unhurried tone, “Though Sect Leader Hua and I share no particular friendship, allow me to offer some advice: certain things whose existence remains unconfirmed are not worth such a massive expenditure of effort. Returning empty-handed is one thing, but losing your life over it would be a rather poor trade.”
“It seems Gentleman Liuyu has no intention of cooperating with my Rouge Hamlet,” Hua Qianmi flicked her sleeve. “Tan Congye isn’t here today, and a mere Jade of Mount Kun cannot save you.”
If Hua Qianmi had previously been holding back her true strength, she was now displaying her full power without reservation.
Ji Tingzhong’s swordsmanship not only inherited Wei Heng’s teachings, but her ancestors had also practiced martial arts for generations, allowing her to trade blows with Hua Qianmi on relatively even terms.
Trading thrusts and parries, the two clashed dozens of times within the span of a single incense stick, yet neither could secure an advantage.
At that moment, Jiang Ni charged out with her blade, having already shaken off the incompetent disciples to join the fray.
Two against one, the dynamic flipped instantly.
Hua Qianmi retreated step by step, her footsteps light and form flawless, yet a sheen of sweat coated her brow.
Pressing her advantage, Ji Tingzhong channeled her internal energy into her twin blades, enclosing Hua Qianmi from front and back. With Jiang Ni providing cover from the flank, the two coordinated seamlessly, knocking Hua Qianmi’s weapon to the ground with a swift movement and driving her back dozens of meters with a single palm strike.
Swallowing the coppery taste of blood rising in her throat, Hua Qianmi was stunned to realize that after only half a month apart, Ji Tingzhong had improved so dramatically, she was clearly on the verge of stepping into the second rank, just like her.
Ying Laixian stepped forward, preparing to speak, when a sudden, violent gale whipped up from behind. Spinning around, he saw Nian Zheng lunging at him with a sword already mere inches away.
“My lord!”
Jiang Ni screamed in alarm.
Another gust of wind swept past, carrying a faint wave of scorching heat. As Ying Laixian instinctively shifted his weight, a pair of hands violently yanked him backward, breaking his momentum. He turned his head to see a sharply chiseled face flash into view.
The stranger hauled Ying Laixian swiftly behind him, raising his free hand to catch Nian Zheng’s incoming blade entirely bare-handed.
Nian Zheng gasped in shock, too late to retract her weapon as the young man exerted a slight pressure and twisted his wrist. A surge of majestic internal energy erupted forward, forcing Nian Zheng to abandon her weapon entirely just to dodge the backlash.
“Who the hell are you! How dare you cross paths with Crane Manor!”
The man shook his hand out. “I just saw an injustice and decided to draw my blade. I don’t give a damn who you are.”
Though humiliated, Nian Zheng could not identify the newcomer’s background and dared not rashly strike again.
Watching the scene, Hua Qianmi chuckled. “Sect Leader Nian is also here for the Gentleman? You certainly move fast.”
Nian Zheng snapped back without mercy, “Not as fast as the idle busybodies of Rouge Hamlet.”
“Hey, hey, hey!” the young man interrupted. “You two hags stop bickering and pushing blame onto each other. I’ve been watching you for a while now, ganging up on people just because you outnumber them, picking on a young lord like this.”
The young man’s voice trailed off entirely as he turned his head to look at Ying Laixian.
A face like peach blossoms, an immortal-like bearing, coupled with that rare eye color, completely robbed the fellow of his train of thought.
“I.” The young man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. After a long moment, he blurted out in amazement, “How can any man look like this? He’s breathtaking no matter how you look at him. Oh, by the way, do you know me?”
Ying Laixian: “What does Your Excellency think?”
Embarrassed, the young man pulled his gaze away. “Apologies, you’re just a bit too easy on the eyes. Now, where was I? Ah, right, you lot, bullying people with sheer numbers! I happened to be passing by today, and I’m definitely stepping in to manage this business!”