“Regarding this matter… the Cangyun Sect…”
Mo Lixi paused. The wind atop the God-Conferring Platform gently tugged at her white robes, stirring a faint layer of dust around her. She looked less like a mortal and more like a celestial being descending into the world of men.
“It has absolutely nothing to do with them.”
After speaking, Mo Lixi leaned forward and cupped her hands in a respectful salute toward Ning Buqu. Startled for a moment, Ning Buqu quickly recovered and returned the gesture.
As soon as she spoke, the crowd erupted into whispers. The members of the Cangyun Sect beamed with relief, as if a great injustice had finally been washed away. Meanwhile, eyes turned toward the “hypocrites” of Moon-Set Villa.
“Goddess Mo, what is the meaning of this?”
Yue Wenjun, the Master of Moon-Set Villa, finally spoke. If Mo Lixi claimed the Cangyun Sect was innocent, was she not indirectly accusing Moon-Set Villa of framing them? After all, it was his villa that had initially “exposed” the scandal.
“Master Yue, there is no need for haste,” Mo Lixi said, turning to face him. “I heard that Moon-Set Villa was infiltrated by a thief a few days ago. Was anything stolen?”
Yue Wenjun’s face darkened. He replied stiffly, “Merely a few worthless trinkets.”
“Indeed, they were worthless. However, I must apologize—I accidentally injured your young master during the encounter.”
With those words, Mo Lixi admitted she was the intruder. Before Yue Wenjun could respond, the fair-skinned, handsome young man standing behind him burst out in anger.
“It was you!”
Yue Loufeng pointed a trembling finger at Mo Lixi. His hand was still wrapped in white bandages, with spots of crimson blood seeping through.
“Silence!” Yue Wenjun barked at his son. It was disgraceful enough that the villa had been robbed; if they were already in the wrong, he feared what else Mo Lixi might reveal.
“Young Master, I am returning this to you.”
With a flick of her wrist, a porcelain bottle appeared in Mo Lixi’s palm. She swept her sleeve and sent the bottle flying straight toward Yue Loufeng. He caught it, but the hidden force behind the throw sent him stumbling back a step, his palm stinging with pain.
The crowd watched in curiosity, wondering what the bottle contained. When Yue Loufeng looked at it, his face turned pale with horror. As he stood there paralyzed, Yue Wenjun spoke up quickly.
“That does not belong to our villa.”
Yue Wenjun knew exactly what it was, but he would die before admitting it.
“Acting as a ‘gentleman of the rafters’ (a thief) certainly lacks the grace of my sect,” Mo Lixi said with a light chuckle. Though her veil hid her expression, the mockery in her voice was unmistakable. “However, it did allow me to see what a true hypocrite looks like.”
“I advise Goddess Mo to watch her words!” Yue Wenjun stood up, clearly agitated despite his calm facade.
Watching from the sidelines, Fu Yunmo thought to herself that this old fox was quite skilled at acting. But as someone who had read parts of the original novel, Fu Yunmo knew it was futile. No matter how cunning you are, it’s useless when you have a stupid son.
“Everyone,” Mo Lixi addressed the crowd, “the bottle in the Young Master’s hand contains the very same knockout drug used on my sect’s disciples. I found it in Young Master Yue’s private quarters.”
“You—!”
“Be patient, Master Yue. I am not finished.”
The crowd below was now in an uproar. Mo Lixi then pulled a book from her sleeve. At the sight of it, Yue Loufeng dropped the porcelain bottle in shock.
“This is the Young Master’s personal diary,” she continued. “It records his daily activities. It is a wonderful habit; it saved me a great deal of investigative work.”
Ignoring Yue Wenjun’s darkening face and his son’s growing pallor, she flipped to a page and read: “Right here, it records in detail how he administered the drug, how he was discovered by the Cangyun Sect, and how he subsequently framed them.”
Before Yue Wenjun could argue, Ning Buqu of the Cangyun Sect stood up, holding a packet of medicinal powder.
“Coincidentally, one of my disciples also played the thief just now and swiped this from the Young Master’s person. Surely the Young Master knows what this is?” Ning Buqu smiled. Though in his forties, he possessed an air of righteous authority, with a neat beard and greying hair that gave him a sage-like appearance.
“You’re lying! That’s not mine!” Yue Loufeng shook his head violently, accusing Ning Buqu of planting evidence.
“It doesn’t matter,” Ning Buqu replied. “My disciple is quite mischievous. After taking the powder, he left a small note in your pocket…”
Yue Loufeng immediately searched his robes and pulled out a slip of paper. Before he could even open it, Ning Buqu burst into laughter.
“Young Master Yue, your robes were crafted by the finest tailor in the capital and feature six different pockets. Yet, you found the note my disciple ‘planted’ instantly. Truly impressive.”
Mo Lixi couldn’t help but smile. Yue Loufeng really didn’t have his father’s composure.
Yue Wenjun’s expression shifted through several shades of rage before he turned to his son. “Loufeng, did you truly do such a thing?”
Fu Yunmo watched from below, a smirk playing on her lips. The old fox is finally using his ultimate move: sacrificing the pawn to save the knight.
“Father… I…”
Slap! Yue Wenjun struck Yue Loufeng across the face so hard the sound echoed, silencing the entire platform.
“You beast!”
“I was wrong, Father! I was wrong!” Yue Loufeng cried, his nose and mouth bleeding as he knelt, begging for mercy.
“Attempting to ruin a woman’s reputation is lower than a beast’s behavior! You have brought shame to our family! Today, I shall give the Tianyuan Sect and the heroes of the martial world an explanation!”
Yue Wenjun drew his sword. The silver blade flashed. He hesitated for a moment, waiting.
“Xiao Mo, what is he doing?”
“Pfft…” Fu Yunmo whispered. “The old fox is waiting for someone to stop him. He didn’t expect no one would step in. Now he’s stuck.”
On stage, Mo Lixi watched coldly. Ning Buqu turned his head away. Thousands of eyes were fixed on Yue Wenjun.
“Father… no…”
“Beast!”
Yue Wenjun swung his sword. Fu Yunmo, who had been watching intently, suddenly remembered what was coming and squeezed her eyes shut, narrowly avoiding the sight of the carnage.
“ARGH—!”
Yue Loufeng’s long, piercing scream filled the air. A collective gasp rose from the crowd; no one expected Yue Wenjun to actually go through with it. Mo Lixi closed her eyes and turned away from the bloody scene, where a severed arm now lay on the floor.
“Wow, how ruthless,” Nan Kunlun remarked. Fu Yunmo opened her eyes to see the platform stained with blood.
“A truly ambitious man must be ruthless,” Fu Yunmo replied. If he hadn’t done this, not only would Moon-Set Villa’s reputation be destroyed, but his son would never have been able to show his face in the martial world again.
An old man sent by the City Lord of Tianji watched from below. He wasn’t shocked; instead, he smiled. “Sacrificing the chariot to save the general. A clever move.”
Yue Wenjun signaled his disciples to carry the unconscious Yue Loufeng away. He then bowed to Mo Lixi and Ning Buqu. “My family is unfortunate to have sired such a son. I shall discipline him strictly from now on. This arm is my apology to you both. I shall take my leave from this assembly.”
By cutting off his son’s arm, Yue Wenjun remained the “honorable gentleman” in the eyes of the public. Moon-Set Villa remained the “Villa of Gentlemen,” and his son would be seen as a man seeking redemption. That was exactly the illusion Yue Wenjun wanted to maintain.
As they left in disgrace, Fu Yunmo felt a sense of satisfaction, though she lamented that the old fox had reacted too quickly for the villa to be completely uprooted. Suddenly, she spotted a familiar face in the crowd—a woman in blue with a white jade mask.
It’s her!
It was Ye Xihan. She merely smirked at the scene before turning to disappear into the crowd.
With the drama over, the God-Conferring Platform fell silent. The severed arm remained until a disciple from the Shenren Sect cleared it away.
“Ahem… let us continue!” announced Chu Heng of the Shenren Sect. As the eldest and most experienced of the three great leaders, he was the first to regain his composure.
Next, He Renfeng, the head disciple of Linglong Villa, stepped forward. “Our Mistress is unwell and could not attend. She sends her apologies and wishes to withdraw from the martial arts competition.” Linglong Villa focused on blacksmithing and weapon forging; they had little interest in fighting and had withdrawn for three years running.
Fu Yunmo stroked her chin, remembering that the Master of Linglong Villa was indeed a woman.
After various sects reported minor issues, the duels finally began. Most of the early fights were mediocre—stiff movements and quick knockouts. A few were decent, but their styles were messy.
Fu Yunmo was beginning to yawn when a clear, cold voice rang out.
“I am unskilled, but I would like to ask for guidance from this hero.”
Mo Lixi? Fu Yunmo perked up. Mo Lixi ascended the stage with the grace of a startled swan. Her movements were fluid, and when she landed, the dust stirred by her toes looked like a blooming lotus.
Step of the Rising Lotus. This was the legendary lightness skill of the Tianyuan Sect.
“I have long heard that Goddess Mo’s ‘Seven Captures, Seven Releases’ sword style has defeated many heroes. I shall test it!” Her opponent was a man dressed as a scholar, a remnant of the Sword and Blade Gate which had mysteriously vanished ten years ago.
“Please, sir, teach me.”
Mo Lixi unsheathed her Black Sword. It looked ordinary, but it held hidden mechanisms. The scholar attacked with incredible speed, reminiscent of the old Sword and Blade Gate style, but he lacked true depth.
Mo Lixi didn’t panic. She parried, drawing the opponent in. This was the “Allure” phase—the First Capture. When the scholar saw an opening and lunged, she ghosted past him with supernatural speed. This was the “Evasion” phase—the First Release.
Fu Yunmo was mesmerized. In just one sequence of capture and release, the opponent was already faltering. Mo Lixi looked like a literal immortal in motion.
Suddenly, Fu Yunmo noticed Ning Min’er of the Cangyun Sect slipping away. Remembering that Min’er was destined to be captured by the Black and White Twin Demons, Fu Yunmo grabbed Nan Kunlun.
“Hey, we have to go! Quick, it’s urgent!”
“Huh?” Nan Kunlun was dragged away just as the fight reached its peak.
On stage, Mo Lixi’s sword suddenly retracted into its hilt, only for a two-and-a-half-foot blade to spring out from the opposite end. The transition was so fast the scholar couldn’t react. By the time he realized she had dodged his final strike, her blade was already resting against his throat.
“I accept your concession,” Mo Lixi said with a faint smile. She scanned the crowd for a specific person, but when she couldn’t find her, her eyes dimmed with a flicker of disappointment.