Yixi suddenly realized and exclaimed in shock, “You mean the most notorious Xing family among the Six Rivers?”
Pei Nai nodded. Among the Three Mountains, Five Peaks, and Six Rivers of the martial world, the Six Rivers were once famed for their chivalry. But in the blink of an eye, over a hundred years had passed, and the current state of these once-heroic families had long since changed.
If the decline of some families could be blamed on fate, then the Xing family’s present situation was entirely of their own making.
The Xing ancestors had originally been martial artists, renowned across the land for their unmatched Wind and Thunder Eight-Spoked Hammer technique. Later, they gained the favor of their nation’s ruler, were granted titles, and stationed to guard a region.
With power in their hands, the Xing family rose to prominence in the State of Hewei.
For descendants of common-born heroes, this was already a great blessing. Yet they were not content. Over forty years ago, the third head of the Xing family launched a rebellion. After a year of civil war, the uprising was finally suppressed.
On the eve of their defeat, the Xing family secretly sent their young heir out of Hewei, preserving their final bloodline.
That child was Xing Xiaoren’s father—Xing Taizhao.
Banished from their homeland, and with no country willing to accept the descendants of traitors, Xing Taizhao wandered the world with only a few attendants, making the four seas his home.
Though the Xing family had fallen, they still had supporters in the martial world. Eventually, they established themselves anew in a small nation near the Wu tribe. Using what remained of the Xing family’s influence, Xing Taizhao slowly rebuilt their reputation.
Sixteen years ago, on the Lantern Festival when Hewei celebrated nationwide, its ruler was assassinated in the palace. The assassin left behind a blood-written character—“Xing”—and escaped unscathed despite being surrounded by elite guards.
The incident plunged Hewei into chaos and shook the entire northern continent.
After years of scheming, the Xing family finally rose again through vengeance.
They never spoke of loyalty or virtue—only of repaying grudges. Yet no one dared step forward to bring them to justice.
As a result, the Xing family grew increasingly arrogant and lawless, causing trouble across various nations.
And now, they had extended their reach into Tianyao’s territory!
The surrounding crowd instinctively retreated, unwilling to provoke them, clearing a path for Xing Xiaoren and his group.
Xing Xiaoren strode to the registration table and slammed a silver ingot down. “Write it down! From Xuanjiang—Wind and Thunder Eight-Spoked Hammer, Xing Xiaoren!” He pointed to his companion in dark robes. “From Lingyue—mechanism master, Zhang Sheng!”
Shock rippled through the crowd.
The streets were packed—yet this year’s Ascending Cloud Assembly had drawn descendants of the Five Peaks and Six Rivers!
On East Street, a sea of people gathered, all eyes fixed on the registration table. Xing Xiaoren and Zhang Sheng had become the center of attention.
An elderly man with white hair, surrounded by followers, spoke first, breaking the tense silence.
He disdained addressing Xing Xiaoren and instead spoke to Zhang Sheng. “You are the son of Zhang Licheng, the mechanism master of the Valley Nation, one of the Five Peaks. Does your father know you are associating with the Xing family of the Wind and Thunder Eight-Spoked Hammer?”
Zhang Sheng frowned. “My father…”
“Old fool! Whether Zhang Sheng travels with me is none of your business!” Xing Xiaoren snapped.
“Insolence!” the elder’s disciple retorted.
“This is the leader of the Changxing Guild of Tianyao, Master Qianxuan. Watch your tongue! Our master acts for justice. He simply cannot bear to see a promising youth led astray by stray dogs like you. This is Tianyao—if you cause trouble here, you’d best think twice!”
Pei Nai knew of the Changxing Guild—it held a certain reputation in Tianyao.
They operated courier stations across the land, forming a vast information network. Their intelligence was sharp, and their ties with martial sects were close. They were well respected.
Xing Xiaoren sneered. “Master Qianxuan? Never heard of him. Outside Tianyao, people only recognize the Three Mountains, Five Peaks, and Six Rivers. What are you? At your age, you’re still signing up to compete—aren’t you ashamed?”
Another burly man stepped forward. “Show some respect! Master Qianxuan is here for the Wanyue Blood Whip. He fears that the Hunxi Whip might fall into the hands of villains like you, which is why he has come personally!”
Xing Xiaoren gave a cold laugh.
His father had once never dared step into Tianyao because of the formidable figures within—the Northern-Chasing Spear of the Three Mountains, the foremost of the Five Peaks, the Wanyue Blood Whip, and even three of the Six Rivers.
But times had changed.
The Pei family of the Northern-Chasing Spear had died out ten years ago. The Han family of the Wanyue Blood Whip had only one survivor left, now living in Huayun Stronghold in the southern region.
To them, Tianyao no longer held its former dominance.
And now, he relished the chance to mock these so-called righteous figures.
“The Wanyue Blood Whip? You mean the famed Han family? Where are they? I’ve come all this way to Tianyao and haven’t seen them.” He glanced at his men and suddenly burst into laughter. “Oh right—you mentioned before, didn’t you? Seems only one of them is still alive.”
Suddenly, a candied hawthorn skewer flew through the air and struck his head, cutting off his words.
Everyone turned to look.
Not far away stood a delicate young girl, her skin like jade, smiling brightly. “Oh—sorry. My hand slipped!”
Xing Xiaoren flew into a rage, about to grab the hammer on his back, when Master Qianxuan spoke again:
“When the Han family flourished, the common people benefited greatly. Their descendants devoted their lives to defending the nation. Their loyalty deserves eternal remembrance—how dare you insult them like this?”
After throwing the skewer, Pei Nai still felt it wasn’t enough. She could not stand others twisting the truth and tarnishing the Han family’s name.
“If people like him can enter the Ascending Cloud Assembly, then so can I.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Pei Nai stepped forward, placed silver on the table, and said, “Write it down—Tang Mingzhi!”
She had signed up for one reason—the Hunxi Whip.
As long as she lived, she would not allow the Wanyue Blood Whip to fall into others’ hands.
This was not only about the century-old honor of a great family, but also the promise the Pei family had made to the Han family. Even more, the fate of that whip was tied to the dignity of Tianyao itself.
Her strike with the candied hawthorn had cut off Xing Xiaoren’s insults, and her bold words had publicly humiliated him—deeply satisfying the crowd.
But when it came to actually letting such a delicate young girl enter the Ascending Cloud Assembly to fight seasoned men, the ordinary onlookers couldn’t bear the thought.
A plainly dressed middle-aged man spoke first:
“Miss, scolding him is enough. You don’t need to compete. Blades have no mercy—if you get hurt, what then? Leave the task of reclaiming the Hunxi Whip to Tianyao’s heroes. Everyone is united for this cause—we believe they won’t let us down.”