Successfully confining Wei Xun to practice calligraphy in his room, Bao Zhu donned her archery finger guard and arm protectors, fully armed from head to toe. She descended from the second floor with imposing dignity, but what caught the crowd of heroes’ attention first was the dagger at her waist. Immediately, some felt indignant, others gloated with malicious pleasure, and still others showed complete disdain.
A single thought echoed in everyone’s mind: He actually gave her the Fish Intestine Sword!
Fish Intestine was one of the ten legendary ancient swords. Historically, it was famously used by Zhuan Zhu to assassinate King Liao, making it more than just a famous blade collected by royal nobility that had never tasted blood—it was a fierce weapon imbued with absolute courage. Chen Shigu had stolen it from a pre-Qin tomb, and after a thousand years without bloodshed, it had rusted into an iron rod.
In his youth, Chen Shigu used this blunt iron rod to kill the masters of seven sects in Guanzhong, carving out his own territory. As Fish Intestine drank blood, it gradually sharpened and regained its former cold gleam—this marked the founding of Canyang Academy. Decades later, as Chen Shigu aged, he passed Fish Intestine to his eldest disciple, Wei Xun.
What was infuriating was that neither master nor disciple truly treasured this ancient sword. Chen Shigu, finding the size unsuitable, ground the short sword into a dagger. Wei Xun, who rarely used weapons, simply used Fish Intestine as a dining knife after receiving it. The other sect members had long found this behavior intolerable.
Everyone’s hearts were filled with resentment and confusion. Huo Qi Lang stepped forward with a smiling face, first lavishly praising Bao Zhu’s masculine attire today, then asked, “Where is eldest senior brother?”
Bao Zhu replied, “He’s not going. I’m taking his place to solve the case.”
Tuoba Sanniang felt furious and said in a low voice, “Does that dead brat really think that dagger is our sect’s command token? Does she want to use it to order all of us around?”
Xu Baozhen said coldly, “None of us have ever acknowledged that the Fish Intestine Sword is our sect’s command token. It’s merely a symbol of the highest martial arts skill.”
Qiu Ren chuckled, “Then do you two dare snatch the dagger from that little girl’s hands? Wei Da’s meaning seems to be that we should regard the sword as we would regard the person himself, and not be insolent toward her.”
Several people conversed in lowered voices. Huo Qi Lang pressed Bao Zhu further, “When it comes to fighting, eldest senior brother has never been absent. Is he ill from his injuries?”
Bao Zhu didn’t want this group to understand Wei Xun’s actual condition, so she casually said, “No, he’s decided to abandon martial arts for literature. He’s taken me as his teacher to study calligraphy and is currently practicing writing in his room.”
Hearing such absurd words, the entire room fell silent, then erupted in uproar. Xu Baozhen and Tuoba Sanniang immediately wanted to storm out in anger. However, the Fish Intestine Sword was Canyang Academy’s divine weapon, and placing it with an unknown young girl of mysterious background made them uneasy—what if someone seized it? They truly couldn’t let go of this concern.
Both of these individuals harbored ambitions to lead the sect. For a moment, they were caught in a dilemma—staying was uncomfortable, but leaving was equally problematic, leaving them vexed and agitated.
Bao Zhu walked straight through the crowd and out the door, leading her donkey and mounting it with clear purpose. Huo Qi Lang, who always prided himself on being protective of women, immediately followed to guard her.
Seeing most people standing motionless, Bao Zhu said, “I already have seventy to eighty percent confidence about who the real culprit behind the bride substitution is. Since Wei Lang isn’t coming out today, standing here waiting will yield no results. Following me offers better chances of success.”
Hearing her rather arrogant tone, Tuoba Sanniang mocked, “Oh my, such big talk today. Aren’t you the one who only knows how to cry and wait for that little brat to come save you?”
Bao Zhu felt angry but restrained herself from showing it. She declared loudly, “Your methods are underhanded and despicable. Now that daylight has come, I’ve never been afraid of anyone. Whether you come or not is up to you. I’ll only say this once: I personally solved the Buddhist pearl theft case at Xiagui County’s pagoda, and even Huazhou’s first detective, ‘Lion Mastiff’ Luo Chengye, fell to my hands. Your senior brother only helped with minor tasks.”
Everyone was stunned and exchanged glances with each other.
Qiu Ren spoke up, “This matter has been spreading like wildfire throughout the martial world. Wasn’t that white snake pearl from Xiagui County stolen by eldest senior brother?”
Huo Qi Lang patted his chest as witness, “It really wasn’t him. This matter, I, Old Seven, witnessed personally. The case was incredibly complex, and indeed Jiu Niang solved it herself.”
Qiu Ren said puzzledly, “Eh? This is strange. When I asked about this matter that day, eldest senior brother looked quite pleased and personally admitted to stealing an exceptionally rare pearl, saying he carries it with him now. Could it not be the one from Xiagui County?”
Bao Zhu was astonished, stunned for a moment. Realizing Wei Xun had been spouting nonsense using her given name, she immediately flew into a rage and said through gritted teeth, “That was something that happened in Chang’an, completely unrelated to the white snake pearl!”
The people of Canyang Academy—especially the Blue-Robed Guest Wei Xun—had always been prime candidates for taking the blame in the martial world. Everyone present had served as scapegoats more than two or three times, so they had developed resistance to so-called martial world rumors. They remained skeptical of Bao Zhu’s words, but with Huo Qi’s guarantee, they reluctantly believed.
In their eyes, Lion Mastiff Luo Chengye wasn’t considered a top-tier expert, but his title as “Huazhou’s First Detective” was more resounding. Who would have thought that this black-and-white manipulating villain would fall to a young girl’s hands? Only now did they regard her with higher esteem.
The sky was overcast today, with dark clouds gathering as if rain might fall at any moment. Bao Zhu didn’t want to continue wasting time with idle chatter. She gripped the reins and called out sweetly, riding her donkey ahead. Huo Qi Lang immediately followed.
Luo Tuotuo asked the group, “Do any of you have seventy to eighty percent confidence?” Seeing the others remain silent, he gripped his staff and strode after the donkey with long steps.
Qiu Ren curled his lip, mounted his own mule, and followed as well.
Tuoba Sanniang sighed, lifted her skirt gracefully, and stepped over the threshold with elegant movements. Seeing she was also about to leave, Xu Baozhen asked strangely, “Even you…”
Tuoba Sanniang turned back with a charming smile, saying in barely audible voice, “Second senior brother doesn’t understand the word ‘love.’ I suspect that little brat won’t feel at ease letting her handle things alone. Even if he’s to die tomorrow, today he’ll force himself to secretly follow. If he’s also there, what difference is there between acting together with the Seven Absolutes? It wouldn’t be beneath our dignity.” With that, she floated away.
Though Xu Baozhen didn’t quite understand, he was concerned that Tuoba Sanniang might seize the Fish Intestine Sword first. After much deliberation, he finally followed with his disciples.
Yang Xingjian stood on the second floor with an ashen face, leaning on his crutch, helplessly watching Bao Zhu walk into the group of demons, then seeing her off as she departed. He wanted to follow but lacked the physical strength to even go downstairs. At the same time, he was furious: for some unknown reason, that blue-robed youth had abandoned his post today and wasn’t guarding the princess’s side.
Wearing her veil hat and riding her donkey, Bao Zhu headed toward Jade City surrounded by the group.
Passersby on the road, seeing the fierce and domineering aura of this band of martial artists, feared provoking these lords of hell and actively moved aside. Though Bao Zhu wasn’t pleased to travel with a group of bizarre-looking people, this scene reminded her somewhat of the pomp when she held high position, with guards clearing the way during outings.
Leaving Lingbao County, heavy gloom shrouded the sky. The air carried the slightly fishy scent of earth, tinged with coldness and oppression. Wind tore at people’s clothes and hair, the dark clouds pressed extremely low, yet rain stubbornly refused to fall, leaving people hesitant whether to immediately return home to avoid the rain or wait and see how things developed.
Huo Qi Lang asked her, “With no clues at all, you claim seventy to eighty percent confidence. Who is the suspect?”
Bao Zhu raised her head proudly, “Heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed. My suspicions are calculated from old cases of the Court of Judicial Review.”
She countered Huo Qi Lang, “During the wedding procession that day, you were beside the bridal carriage the entire time. Did you notice any signs of the bride being switched along the way?”
Huo Qi Lang shook his head, “Absolutely not. After picking up the person from the Xiao family, my eldest senior brother and I constantly monitored the movements inside the bridal carriage. Whether real or fake, there was only one person. When the carriage was being disrupted at the time, the person inside maintained perfectly steady breathing. I even admired Old Sixth’s bride for her calm temperament. Thinking about it now, it’s possible she wasn’t the real person from the moment she left her natal home.”
She pursed her lips and said, “It’s all because the bride was covered with a knee screen. If Old Sixth had exposed her on the spot, we three wouldn’t have needed to endure that brutal beating from the sisters-in-law.”
Bao Zhu pondered silently. Though she had been present throughout the wedding ceremony that day, she simply hadn’t entered the bride’s natal Xiao family home. Hearing Wei Xun and Huo Qi Lang’s secondhand account afterward inevitably meant missing many details.
While deep in thought, she noticed a large burial mound standing in the wasteland about a hundred paces from the roadside. On the day they went to attend the wedding, they had traveled this exact same route, but everyone had been in high spirits then. Even if her eyes had seen it, she hadn’t taken it to heart. Now, under these gloomy circumstances, seeing such an inauspicious place evoked completely different feelings.
Suddenly, a strange and eerie wind swept over from the direction of the burial mound. In an instant, sand and stones flew through the air, filled with yellow dust that made it impossible to keep one’s eyes open. Accompanying this evil wind’s rampage, the tomb area suddenly echoed with ear-piercing, chattering strange cries, like wails and roars from the underworld. Hearing this sound, Bao Zhu’s hair stood on end.
With her veil hat providing protection from the sinister wind and gauze screening her face, her eyes could barely make out objects. She saw what appeared to be a gray-black shadow hiding behind the burial mound’s tombstone.
A wave of intense fear surged in Bao Zhu’s heart. Suddenly, the shadow darted out like a specter, accompanied by piercing cries as it spread its wings and soared skyward. She reflexively grabbed her bow, aimed at the black shadow, and shot an arrow. With a shrill scream, the shadow struggled and writhed in mid-air, dragging two wings as it fell diagonally and escaped into a nearby peach grove. It appeared to be some kind of large bird of prey.
Everything happened in an instant, and at a distance of a hundred paces. When everyone opened their eyes after the strange wind passed, the ghostly thing had already vanished, leaving only the echoing cries above the graveyard. At such a distance, no martial arts technique could reach—only long-range weapons like bows and arrows could strike the target.
Initially seeing Bao Zhu carrying bow and arrows, they assumed she was just a rich family’s daughter who had learned a few moves to show off. But witnessing this lightning-quick response, no inferior to contemporary first-rate experts, everyone was startled. Tuoba Sanniang, being an expert in concealed weapons, was particularly knowledgeable. She knew that shooting arrows accurately in such strong winds required extremely rich experience and calculation, and couldn’t help but secretly marvel at this young girl’s precise archery.
She rarely praised others. Though impressed in her heart, her mouth insisted on criticism and disparagement: “You’re wearing finger guards and protective gear, keeping your hands’ skin very delicate, but this inevitably affects your feel and reduces your strength, preventing a killing blow.”
Bao Zhu already didn’t get along with her, so how could she back down? She said proudly, “Wearing protective gear is indeed less nimble than bare hands, but even with these hindrances, I was still the only one to strike and wound the enemy. Doesn’t this better demonstrate that my martial arts are superior, far exceeding others? If you’re not convinced, you shoot one and let’s see.”
Upon hearing these words, everyone felt a familiar arrogant flavor. The first three disciples of Canyang Academy had a cliff-like gap with those who came after, and Wei Xun had another cliff-like gap with Xu Baozhen and Tuoba Sanniang. He had said similar prideful words more than once, and others simply lacked the ability to refute him.
Thinking of that dead brat’s world-scorning expression, everyone felt frustrated and stifled, all thinking: No wonder this pair of young man and woman would stick together.
But Bao Zhu was thinking that this group really couldn’t compare to Wei Xun. In the past, when she shot down prey, he would immediately dash out to track and retrieve it. This group lacked any perceptiveness—were they expecting her to personally go finish it off? Riding her donkey over to pursue wasn’t impossible, but there was that large burial mound there. She had always been afraid of ghosts and didn’t want to approach such inauspicious places at all. If Wei Xun were here, he would naturally consider her feelings.
She didn’t know that this group refused to submit to each other. Without their leader present, no one could command their fellow disciples. Though some had intended to give chase, they now deliberately refused to budge.
After waiting a moment with still no response, Bao Zhu sighed and was about to forcibly assign someone when she heard the ground rumbling and shaking, as if a large group of people and horses were approaching. After another moment, Pang Liangji arrived with over twenty attendants from the direction of Jade City. The group rode at full gallop with impressive momentum, coincidentally meeting Bao Zhu and her companions on the road.
“Second Senior Brother! Third Senior Sister! Fourth Senior Brother! Fifth Senior Brother! Old Seven!”
Unable to dismount conveniently, he quickly called out to everyone in turn, finally rushing to Bao Zhu’s side: “I was wondering why you hadn’t arrived yet. After waiting and waiting, I decided to bring people to meet you.”
Pang Liangji had completed everything Bao Zhu arranged the previous night within an hour. Though the Swift Wind Protector’s legs were disabled, he remained as impatient as fire. With this thread of hope, he immediately took action.
Bao Zhu thought privately that when she first met this person, she found him full of foolish energy. Now, compared to his sect’s group of wanted-poster-candidate suspects, he seemed like the only normal person. She recounted the strange incident that had just occurred, saying, “I’ve hunted for many years but have never seen such a strange bird. Even the dog-headed vultures tributed from the Western Regions weren’t that large.”
Pang Liangji immediately said, “You go to Jade City first. Searching wasteland is time-consuming and troublesome. Since I can’t fight anyway, I’m perfectly suited to bring people for a detailed search.” He then ordered his attendants to dismount and offered their mounts to his senior brothers and sisters.
Bao Zhu examined the attendants he brought—all ordinary household servants. Thinking that since someone was targeting the Pang family, they couldn’t leave the most vulnerable person exposed, she said to the Canyang Academy members, “One of you stay with Pang Liangji in case of emergencies.”
Everyone quietly glanced at the dagger at her waist, understanding that protecting Pang Sixth was indeed necessary. Even if this order hadn’t come from her mouth, someone would have to carry it out.
Luo Tuotuo said concisely, “I’ll stay.”
Author’s Note:
There’s a misconception that archers are physically weaker than close-combat warriors, possibly due to game balance settings that created this misunderstanding.
But historically it was quite the opposite—archers’ basic requirement was exceptional physical strength and arm power. Without the ability to draw a bow, all other techniques become useless.
Bao Zhu only appears as a “delicate little girl” in the eyes of Canyang Academy’s top experts. In reality, her maximum arm strength should approach two stones, roughly equivalent to deadlifting 100 kilograms.
She uses a horn bow, specifically designed for mounted archery—lightweight and flexible, not belonging to hard bows or heavy bows. Combined with horsemanship for close-range surprise attacks, it’s more convenient. Her ancestor, Second Phoenix, conquered territories using this tactical system.
As for horsemanship, it requires well-trained core strength, with powerful hips and legs.
Bao Zhu’s real weakness in martial arts is not mastering a close-combat weapon like battlefield archers do, and her close-combat experience is completely blank because she previously had too many guards and didn’t need it. Wei Xun had already pointed this out to her early on (Volume One).