Chapter 102:
Uninvited Guests

 

DURING THE SWORD TRIAL CONFERENCE, Chunyang Monastery had to be wary of anyone trying to stir up trouble. Disciples were stationed at the foot of the mountain on sentry duty, and Yi Pichen had even sent an elder down there, just in case. Yet now these people were coming up the mountain one by one, as if they were entering some no-man’s land. It was obvious that the screening set up below the mountain had become completely useless.

The moment this young man appeared, the already chaotic situation only grew more so—especially when he’d brought up Shen Qiao’s name. “May I ask this distinguished master his identity in Huanyue Sect?”

He was clearly far too young to be Yan Wushi.

As expected, the man said, “This one is Yu Shengyuan, a disciple under Huanyue Sect Leader Yan. I heard that Qingcheng Mountain was very lively today, so I came up to take a look. I’m sure that Abbot Yi wouldn’t drive me away, would he?”

“All who come are guests,” said Yi Pichen. “This humble Daoist would never turn anyone away at the gates. Someone, come and prepare a few more seats for these honored guests.”

“No need to trouble Abbot Yi,” said Yuan Xiuxiu in a gentle voice. “Everyone around us is about to attack. If I sit down now, I’ll have to stand again right after—that’s far too troublesome!”

But Yu Shengyan laughed and said, “If you don’t want to sit, that’s your business. I haven’t seen Daoist Master Shen in a long time, so I can’t suppress my excitement and joy! I wish to go and reminisce about the past with him.”

With that, he walked over to Shen Qiao and sat down in the seat Gu Hengbo had vacated earlier. He turned his head and smiled at Shen Qiao. “I trust you have been well, Shidi!”

When this “Shidi” slipped out so smoothly, the nearby Zhao Chiying was beyond astonished. She thought to herself that even if Shen Qiao was close to Yan Wushi, surely it wasn’t to the point that he’d abandon his own sect and join him instead?

Shen Qiao didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. “Why did you come, Yu-gongzi? Where is Sect Leader Yan?”

Yu Shengyan joked, “Why is Shidi acting like we’re strangers? No matter what, I was the one who carried you back from Banbu Peak—for over an hour! That time, you were so dazed as you called me Yu-shixiong, and it was downright adorable. How could you forget? You’re breaking my heart!”

With the arrival of Hehuan Sect’s party, Yu Shengyan’s lone presence wasn’t enough for people to drop their guard. Even though he’d shown up out of nowhere and interrupted Yuan Xiuxiu, the atmosphere didn’t ease in the slightest.

Li Qingyu rose, his expression indifferent. “If Sect Leader Yuan is here as a guest, we will naturally give her a warm welcome,” he said, “but if she isn’t here in good faith, please forgive Chunyang Monastery for being unable to entertain her.”

Yuan Xiuxiu smiled. “What a temper you have, Li-gongzi. This one was merely asking a question. Since anyone can participate in the Sword Trial Conference, surely Hehuan Sect can as well.”

She swept her lovely eyes about her, and her gaze fell on Yuan Zixiao. “Is this the Young Palace Mistress of Liuli Palace? I’ve long heard that the disciples of the Liuli Palace are wonderfully broad-minded, and that you know the martial arts rankings as well as your own fingertips. May I ask Young Palace Mistress Yuan if Hehuan Sect also has a spot on your ranking list?”

Everyone knew that Yuan Zixiao was a disciple of Liuli Palace, but they didn’t know that she was the young palace mistress herself. Yet Yuan Xiuxiu had exposed her identity right away. No one would believe Hehuan Sect if they said they’d come without preparations.

Yuan Zixiao remained sitting, her sleeves tucked together. After Yuan Xiuxiu’s words, she began reciting a stream of information without batting an eyelid. “Hehuan Sect’s Yuan Xiuxiu, ranked ninth in the jianghu. Her disciple is Xiao Se, who uses fans as blades. He defeated Zhongnan Sect Leader Guo Xun, Liuhe Guild’s Hall Master Shangguan Xingchen, as well as Linchuan Academy’s Zhan Ziqian. Though his martial arts are not yet first-rate, they are already exceedingly impressive. Hehuan Sect’s Sang Jingxing, ranked sixth in the jianghu. His disciple is Bai Rong, who’s skilled in palm techniques. Due to cultivating with the secret techniques of Hehuan Sect, her martial arts have improved by leaps and bounds. He also has Xia Hanqiu, Ji Shuang’er, and Zhou Cuiyue as disciples; though their skills pale in comparison to Bai Rong’s, they are still figures among the rising stars in the jianghu that cannot be underestimated.”

It wasn’t just other people, even Yuan Xiuxiu looked surprised. “As expected of Liuli Palace,” she said. “Even I didn’t know that Xiao Se once defeated a disciple from Linchuan Academy. Yet Young Palace Mistress Yuan has it memorized so well, this information is practically at her fingertips!”

Yuan Zixiao did not show the slightest hint of pride, only continued indifferently, “Knowing such things isn’t hard. There are no secrets—it only involves asking a few extra people and traveling to a few extra places.”

At this time, someone in the crowd cut in, “Yuan-niangzi, is the ranking you speak of the one from ten years ago? Or the one now?”

“Naturally, it’s the current ranking.”

The speaker was unconvinced. “The Sword Trial Conference isn’t even half over, and many experts haven’t even shown up. So how was this top ten ranking conceived?”

“How can a single Sword Trial Conference take into account all the experts in the land?” replied Yuan Zixiao. “Today is just an opportunity for the elites of the jianghu to spar. If one or two astonishing masters appear for the first time, the rankings will of course change accordingly. And if not, the rankings will proceed as was previously determined.”

“Then may I ask the identities of the top ten martial artists? Could Young Palace Mistress Yuan regale us with this information?”

Yuan Zixiao continued to answer every question: “At first, the rank of tenth in the jianghu was unstable. Previously, it was the former sect leader of Xuandu Mountain, Shen Qiao. Later, Shen Qiao was defeated at Banbu Peak and replaced by Kunye. And after that, Kunye’s shixiong Duan Wenyang came to the Central Plains, and thus Kunye was replaced by Duan Wenyang. Shen Qiao and Duan Wenyang also dueled at the Su residence in Chang’an. Though both sides were evenly matched, Duan Wenyang had first fought with Chunyang Monastery’s Li Qingyu before fighting Shen Qiao. Thus, Shen Qiao had an advantage, so tenth place remains Duan Wenyang.”

Gu Hengbo couldn’t help but frown. “Your ranking is too biased,” she protested. “My Shen-shixiong is a heaven-blessed genius and inherited our shizun’s mantle. His defeat at Banbu Peak was due to a plot against him. After that happened, his martial ability was greatly reduced. That’s why he suffered setback after setback. If we’re talking about his original level of power, he was naturally more formidable than both Duan Wenyang and Kunye, so how could he fail to even make it into the top ten?”

Yuan Zixiao glanced at her. “People won’t just spin their wheels forever. There is always the chance of moving forward or backward for one reason or another. You refused to let me finish speaking and leapt to interrupt—was that not biased of you?”

Gu Hengbo knew that she was wrong and didn’t reply, though her eyes flashed faintly as she gazed at Yuan Zixiao.

Yuan Zixiao ignored her and continued, “Ninth in the jianghu, as I just mentioned, is Hehuan Sect Leader Yuan Xiuxiu. Eighth is Tuyuhun’s Kosa Sage.”

Most people knew of Tuyuhun’s Kosa Sage but had never seen him, so they knew very little about him. One of the onlookers asked, “The Kosa Sage has never set foot in the jianghu of the Central Plains, so how did this ranking come about?”

“Among the three demonic sects, only Fajing Sect has traveled far into the Western Regions, but they’ve been operating in Tuyuhun for many years. The Kosa Sage fought Fajing Sect Leader Guang Lingsan, and he was defeated by a hair’s breadth and has remained in seclusion since then. Guang Lingsan previously commented on his martial arts, saying that the Kosa Sage was on par with him as a fighter and that his victory was due to luck.”

Hearing that she was ranked ninth, only ahead of Duan Wenyang, didn’t seem to make Yuan Xiuxiu angry; instead, she showed great interest. “Then according to Young Palace Mistress Yuan, seventh place must be Fajing Sect Leader Guang Lingsan?” she asked.

“Correct,” said Yuan Zixiao.

Regardless of how accurate this ranking really was, it at least sounded like it was based on evidence instead of being drawn up at random. The higher up on the list Yuan Zixiao went, the more interested people became in the names at the top of the ranking.

Those who didn’t pursue benefits would pursue fame. One could never be free from those two things. Everyone possessed a sense of vanity and curiosity; the only difference was in whether it was big or small, excessive or restrained. Even martial grandmasters like Yi Pichen couldn’t stop their growing interest after hearing Yuan Zixiao’s comments on the land’s elites.

“And further up the list?” While Yi Pichen could still restrain himself, the others couldn’t take it and continued to ask for more details.

Yuan Zixiao continued, “Further up, starting from the sixth place, those can be considered experts who have achieved grandmaster status. These people, regardless of their moral character, words, or actions, are already more than capable of establishing their own sect and disseminating their own teachings.”

Earlier, she’d said that Sang Jingxing placed sixth. It was clear that the grandmaster-level experts included him in their ranks.

Yuan Xiuxiu smiled with her eyes. “It seems that Young Palace Mistress Yuan has a very high opinion of Elder Sang!”

“Sect Leader Yuan has no reason for dissatisfaction,” Yuan Zixiao said coolly. “Everyone knows that there are two separate factions within Hehuan Sect. If you could deal with Sang Jingxing, why have you allowed him to hamstring you?”

Yuan Zixiao’s words had exposed the internal strife within her sect. Though Yuan Xiuxiu smile remained unchanged, murderous intent flashed across her face.

“Chunyang Monastery now stands above the rest of the Daoist sects. I trust that the top five of Liuli Palace’s rankings must have a place for Abbot Yi?” The person who posed this question obviously wished to curry favor with Chunyang Monastery.

“Correct,” said Yuan Zixiao. “At fifth place in the jianghu should be the current state preceptor of Zhou, Buddhist Master Xueting. However, the former sect leader of Xuandu Mountain, Shen Qiao, has made great advances in his martial arts and hence may be able to contend with him for fifth place. As for fourth and third, they should be Linchuan Academy Master Ruyan Kehui and Chunyang Abbot Yi, but as I’ve never seen them duel, it’s difficult to determine which one is the stronger.”

“Then first and second place?” asked someone, unable to wait any longer.

“Huanyue Sect Leader Yan Wushi might be able to contend for second place. As for number one in the world…” She wasn’t a timid person, nor someone prone to faltering, but for some reason, she didn’t continue speaking and only shook her head.

The crowd was shocked that Yan Wushi was ranked that high, but when they thought about it, they had to acknowledge that few in the world could withstand a group ambush from five of the best martial artists in the world and emerge unscathed. Furthermore, three out of the five experts who’d participated in the ambush were within the top ten. From this, it was clear that Yan Wushi’s strength was indeed astonishing. It wasn’t too hard to accept that he was number two in all the land.

Someone challenged her. “Ten years ago, Qi Fengge was number one in the world. Could his death mean that first place must remain vacant? Has there really been no one who could surpass Qi Fengge in the last ten years?”

But regardless of how others questioned her, Yuan Zixiao spoke no more.

Someone tried to provoke her. “Liuli Palace’s ranking might not even be accurate. What’s there to discuss if they can’t even determine who’s in first?”

“If you don’t believe me,” said Yuan Zixiao frostily, “you’re welcome to challenge every name on the ranking, one by one. If you can defeat them all, the title of world’s number one will naturally be yours.”

Yuan Xiuxiu was all smiles. “In my opinion, whether this ranking is accurate or not ultimately depends on strength. Though quite a few people are missing today, I, Abbot Yi, and Daoist Master Shen are all here. Of the top ten, three are present. Why don’t we duel to our heart’s content?”

“You’re not worthy of fighting Shizun,” Li Qingyu said with a cold face. “Defeat me first, then you can talk.”

With that, he drew his sword. Qiushui was as a stream of rippling autumn water, quavering within his hands.

Though Li Qingyu was a formidable fighter, he didn’t place in the top ten, so Yuan Xiuxiu had no reason to fear him. Even before she could speak, Xiao Se gave a bright laugh from behind her. “Why trouble our sect leader to fight? I’ll battle you instead!”

At those words, both sides swept toward each other with a tap of their toes, immediately tangling as they began to fight.

Though Yuan Zixiao had just ranked her second to last, Yuan Xiuxiu didn’t actually take the ranking seriously. To her, Yuan Zixiao’s words were just a prelude to the main act. Now, she smiled and said, “Abbot Yi, since our disciples are already dueling, as their masters, shouldn’t we set an example for them as well?”

Her goal in coming here this time was very clear: to capture some thieves, one had to capture their leader first. As long as she defeated Yi Pichen, both the Sword Trial Conference and any prospective alliance would crumple in an instant. Even if other sects wanted to oppose Hehuan Sect, after she made an example and warning out of Yi Pichen, they would be roundly intimidated and too afraid to create more trouble.

Seeing that this battle was unavoidable, Yi Pichen put down his whisk and took the longsword his disciple presented to him. He nodded and said, “Then this humble Daoist shall seek guidance from Sect Leader Yuan.”

At this development, Yu Shengyan leaned over and whispered into Shen Qiao’s ear. “Shidi, you shouldn’t be too eager to play hero. Wait until Yi Pichen is defeated, then you can step in. That way you’ll be able to effortlessly snatch the position of alliance leader for yourself.”

Shen Qiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I never wanted to be the alliance leader!”

Yu Shengyan was confused. “Shizun ordered me to come and help you. If you don’t want to be alliance leader, why did he instruct me to do so?”

Shen Qiao thought to himself, Your shizun just does as he pleases, and his actions and words couldn’t be further from a normal person’s. How am I supposed to know what he’s thinking?

Yu Shengyan knew little of what had happened between Yan Wushi and Shen Qiao, let alone his shifu’s change of heart. He only thought that Shizun was unwilling to give up his interest in Shen Qiao and had come up with some other idea. He hadn’t asked much, and now he’d misunderstood everything. He was even interacting with Shen Qiao the way he had in the past.