After the storm clouds of the capital gathered and dispersed, while everyone waited for the new Vice Minister to make another shocking move, the Vice Minister began leisurely working his nine-to-five civil servant job.
Or occasionally complaining to his precious son.
“Civil servants get mandatory public holidays, so why don’t I?” Qin Chang Ge pinched Baozi’s face, shaking it left and right with great satisfaction.
The shopkeeper Baozi, whose pockets were bulging with money and whose temper was excellent, grinned as he let his mother torment him. With the grand confidence of wealth, he patted his mother’s shoulder: “Take leave! I’ll pay to send you on a tour to Li Kingdom!”
“Can’t take leave,” Qin Chang Ge lamented. “Your mother is now at least a deputy ministerial level. Going abroad requires special approval. The question is—would your father approve it?”
Baozi looked sympathetically at his mother and shook his head. “I’ve already opened seven branch stores, but you’re only a deputy minister who still has to be managed by others. You’re doing terribly.”
Being despised by her son, Qin Chang Ge wasn’t angry at all and spread her hands: “CEO Xiao Rong of the chain food enterprise, please pay ten thousand taels in emotional damages and child support to comfort your terribly unsuccessful mother.”
“I’ll give you twenty thousand taels. From now on, stop rationing my snacks, okay?” Baozi immediately pulled out a pile of messy banknotes from his sleeve pocket. “Never seen someone who owns restaurants but still has to be monitored by everyone when eating snacks. My life is too tragic.”
“Fifty thousand taels.”
“You’re extorting me.”
“Sixty thousand.”
…
As mother and son were haggling, suddenly a gray shadow flashed—Rong Xiaotian swept in like wind and swept out like wind.
“What’s wrong with you?” Both asked in unison, bewildered.
“Great battle!” Rong Xiaotian was concise.
“What?”
Already rushing to the door, Rong Xiaotian hurriedly turned back and threw out: “The ten great martial arts sects all challenged the Blazing Flame Gang today, specifically demanding to see Su Xuan. They say Su Xuan stole Mount Song’s sect treasure, the ‘Langhuan Secret Manual,’ and want Su Xuan to return it, or they’ll flatten Blazing Flame!”
“What the hell!” Baozi jumped up with a whoosh. “That’s mine!”
He rushed outside with his legs, crashing into someone with a bang. His nose hurt from hitting someone’s solid muscles, and Baozi raged: “If you’ve flattened my high nose, you’ll compensate me six hundred thousand…”
“I gave you that high nose in the first place—what compensation!” The one striding in was Baozi’s original creator, Xiao Jue. He had come straight from court, still faintly showing the deep robe embroidered with golden dragons. Tucking his inner garment into his outer robe, Xiao Jue grabbed his still-struggling son and frowned: “Chang Ge, the Shadow Guards report that someone unknown leaked the news. Naturally everyone covets such treasure, and now all of Xiliang’s martial artists are rushing to the capital. Su Xuan will never reveal where the manual is now—he’s become everyone’s target.”
Qin Chang Ge pulled her son back and laughed coldly: “What’s this called? Fishing in troubled waters? The Langhuan Secret Manual belongs to Mount Song? How utterly shameless.”
“I’ve already ordered the nine gates of the capital to refuse entry to all martial arts figures under the pretext of investigating enemy spies, effective today,” Xiao Jue turned toward the city gates. “The Imperial Guard Battalion has been deployed to the nine gates. No matter who comes, they’re all blocked outside the city gates!”
Qin Chang Ge hummed in agreement: “Good, that’s exactly what I was thinking. First cut off those people’s reinforcements.”
“Chang Ge,” Xiao Jue turned from the window, pondering: “This matter seems to have someone deliberately orchestrating behind the scenes. The ten great sects came from various places, yet no one knew about it. Many martial artists followed them. If not for the Nine Gates Admiral’s high vigilance and timely report, if these people had mixed into the capital, who knows what would have happened—”
Before finishing his words, he couldn’t help but pause. Behind him, in almost no time, Qin Chang Ge had quickly changed into practical clothes and a mask, casually tossing another mask to Xiao Jue: “Going or not?”
Eyes brightening, Xiao Jue said joyfully: “Going! How could I not go! Su Xuan took Rong’er as disciple and brought such trouble—how can I not intervene? If not for knowing that using imperial force to resolve martial world disputes would make Su Xuan despised for life, I’d want to deploy the Imperial Guard Battalion to directly destroy the ten great sects.”
“Martial people have their own ways of peace and rules,” Qin Chang Ge was already walking outside. “Whatever the inside story behind this matter, we can’t worry about it now. In any case, these damned ten great sects—they came but won’t be able to leave.”
Outside the courtyard, several famous horses from Eastern Yan called “Nine-Flower Dragons” stood majestically in the center, their divine bearing heroic. Qin Chang Ge’s eyes lit up: “Excellent!”
Glancing toward Chu Feihuan’s room, just thinking of what excuse to trick him into not going, she discovered the room was empty. On the desk, a brush with ink still wet pointed toward the eastern suburbs, in the direction of Blazing Flame’s main headquarters.
Smiling helplessly, then frowning, Qin Chang Ge sighed without speaking. She returned to pack some of Chu Feihuan’s usual medicine. Just as she was about to mount her horse, a ball rolled out from the room behind her. With a claw-grab, it caught the horse’s tail and shouted: “Buddies go together!”
Qin Chang Ge smiled. Xiao Jue had already scooped up his son with one hand, placing him steadily on his own horse: “That’s your master, and this trouble was caused for you. You should help. Our Xiliang crown prince shouldn’t be timid and shrink from trouble. Let’s go!”
Peerless famous horses, chasing wind and treading moon.
The surrounding scenery retreated rapidly, and hair was pulled straight in the extreme speed.
Three people on two horses, racing toward the capital suburbs’ “Mufeng Manor,” now Blazing Flame’s main headquarters.
Since Su Xuan gave up being an imperial merchant, he only kept a large courtyard in the capital as a contact point. He moved the entire gang to the capital suburbs where the scenery was vast and open, building his own manor compound. It occupied extensive grounds with spacious and elegant buildings—he was ultimately accustomed to the magnificent scenery of northern high winds and bright sun, disliking being crowded in the bustling capital.
Before they approached, they could see the entire manor’s atmosphere was solemn and heavy. The main gate was wide open, and along both sides of the long red and white stone pathway, every two steps stood straight-backed Blazing Flame disciples in red clothes with black belts, their expressions serious. These people were silent and calm, but the grief and anger in their brows could be felt from far away.
At the end of the pathway, on a platform shaped like leaping flames built with red stone, many people in various colored clothes already stood, surrounding ten central figures—men and women, old and young—angrily striking the ground with various weapons and cursing continuously.
“Su Xuan has such arrogance! Still not coming out?”
“Is he afraid? Think being a coward will make us spare his life?”
“Kneel down and kowtow a few times, then hand over the stolen manual, and we grandfathers will spare Blazing Flame!”
Someone grabbed Song Beichen, the Xuanmu Hall Master responsible for reception: “Hey, where’s Su Xuan?”
Coldly brushing away his hand, Song Beichen’s tightly pressed lips locked away all disdain and hatred. After a long moment, he said flatly: “The Gang Leader is taking an afternoon nap.”
The crowd exploded again.
“This youngster dares to look down on the world’s heroes so!”
“Call him out to die!”
“Just for those words, today we’ll definitely wash Blazing Flame in blood!”
…
Amid the curses, the ten central figures said nothing. Among them, an elderly man gestured vaguely, and everyone immediately fell silent, showing this person was the leader here.
His expression was iron-blue but without anger, only saying in a deep voice: “We’ve come from afar to seek audience with Gang Leader Su. Is this how the Gang Leader treats guests?”
His voice spread word by word, each word causing the giant bronze bells hanging from ancient trees in the manor to resonate and vibrate. The continuous humming made people’s ears numb, and distant mountains seemed to echo back, with his deep, powerful voice coming from all directions.
Qin Chang Ge raised an eyebrow and smiled: “Such profound internal energy. Mm, good lower body foundation too.”
Xiao Jue watched from afar, beckoned with his hand, and immediately a guard disguised as an ordinary person came up, handing over a note.
After reading it, he crushed the note in his palm. Xiao Jue said: “Mount Song’s leader, Mu Huaiyu. The other nine are respectively from Tianji, Zhongnan, Taishan, Jiuhua, Wansha, Tianlong, and the three sword sects Penglai, Chongxuan, and Zixiao. It’s said Mu Huaiyu spread word that anyone helping Mount Song reclaim the treasure would receive some supreme martial art from the manual as reward.”
“Huaiyu holding jade—does he deserve such a name? Reward? Ridiculous!” Qin Chang Ge mocked, while Baozi already said viciously: “I’ll make him pregnant and fall in a well! Damn him wanting to steal my stuff!”
Qin Chang Ge patted her son’s big head: “Don’t talk nonsense later. Today isn’t for playing.” Seeing Xiao Jue signal their guards to hide and wait, she dragged her son through the gate.
Today Blazing Flame Gang opened their main gate wide, not stopping or blocking anyone—this also fit Su Xuan’s usual nature. Want to come? Then come. Why avoid anything?
Upon entering, they discovered that besides those making trouble, quite a few martial artists from around the capital had also come. Most came invited by the ten great sects, drawn by the martial arts treasure. Others, knowing they had no chance, came to watch peerless masters battle—beneficial for their own martial progress. Su Xuan versus seven great sect leaders—this was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.
Qin Chang Ge’s gaze swept around, seeing Qi Fan and Rong Xiaotian behind rocks in the courtyard, and Chu Feihuan in disguise sitting under a tree in the shade.
His clear eyes casually swept over, flowing like a spring across Qin Chang Ge, then looking at Xiao Jue. His gaze showed no fluctuation, but he casually gestured to Baozi.
Baozi immediately moved toward that direction inconspicuously but quickly.
Xiao Jue looked up at the sky glumly, pretending not to see. Qin Chang Ge suppressed a smile, her gaze moving until she softly exclaimed.
On both sides of the manor grew large trees. On the largest green-canopied banyan tree, a red-clothed man lay lazily, his posture fox-like, languid and seductive. His fire-red garments appeared and disappeared among the dense green shade like a red stream. Perhaps due to heat, his garments were half-open, his exquisite collarbone appearing from a distance as a strikingly beautiful horizontal line. A graceful jade-like neck extended elegantly from the gorgeous collar, creating beautiful curves that even the world’s most elegant artists could hardly paint.
He bent his knees and legs, fingertips lightly tapping on his knee. Even though his eyes only gazed at the red lantern that never left his side, they were indulgent and lingering.
Today is quite lively… Qin Chang Ge smiled. Honestly, it would be strange if the jade fox didn’t appear.
While she observed Yu Zixi, Xiao Jue wasn’t idle either. His gaze swept through the crowd, then he gently pulled Qin Chang Ge. They moved to shadows near Chu Feihuan, and Xiao Jue said: “Chang Ge, look at those two people in the northwest corner.”
Looking at the two ordinary-appearing people in the northwest corner for a few moments, Qin Chang Ge asked: “What do you find suspicious?”
“The dark-skinned man on the left,” Xiao Jue stared at his hands. “He doesn’t seem like a martial artist. His walking gait and the way he wears his sword diagonally behind him are more like a battle-hardened general. Moreover, he shouldn’t be from our country. He’s cautious and careful, always maintaining distance from surrounding people. Such wariness has only one reason—everyone is an enemy.”
Smiling approvingly, Qin Chang Ge said quietly: “Your Majesty has gained much better ability to read people than in the past. Truly worth celebrating.”
Laughing heartily, Xiao Jue said: “Wasn’t it you who taught me back then?”
Smiling faintly, Qin Chang Ge asked: “What about the person beside him?”
After careful observation, Xiao Jue pondered: “This person has almost no distinctive features, and his behavior is impeccable in every detail, but… looking at him gives a strange feeling, though I can’t say why.”
“That feeling is natural enmity,” Qin Chang Ge said decisively. “Those who have long held high positions have natural instinct toward enemies of equivalent status.”
Shocked, Xiao Jue said: “Equivalent status? To me?”
He naturally knew what this meant. In other words, Qin Chang Ge meant these two were not only from enemy nations but might even be emperors or similar status!
This was shocking news. How could an empire’s emperor run to Xiliang martial territory to watch this treasure-争夺 excitement?
“It can’t be Wei Tianqi or Wei Tianzi—they’re both busy with internal chaos. These two definitely aren’t women, so it’s not Liu Wanlan or Chu Fengyao either. You mean Beitang Xiao or Yin Li?”
“You’ve forgotten someone. Though I’ve never met him, you had one encounter…” Qin Chang Ge’s eyes glimmered. “Could it be him? Very possible…”
“You mean… him?”
When Xiao Jue asked this question, he immediately stepped back and gestured to the disguised Shadow Guard leader who had followed them in.
Qin Chang Ge just held her hands behind her back, hiding in the shadows.
In the northwest direction, the man leaning casually against a tree with calm bearing suddenly tilted his head slightly.
His gaze seemed to wander casually through the scene once, then withdrew.
His sweeping gaze appeared just like anyone’s casual glance with nothing special or unusual, but the sharp-eyed Qin Chang Ge had already caught several barely perceptible pauses in that brief moment.
He had paused once each on Yu Zixi and Xiao Jue.
And just at that moment, Chu Feihuan suddenly bent down to pick up a dropped handkerchief.
Qin Chang Ge smiled faintly—today was far more than just Su Xuan’s battlefield. Probably everyone who came had work to do.
By now it was past noon, and Su Xuan still hadn’t appeared. People cursed like waves, and the old man showed slight anger, speaking deeply again: “Gang Leader Su, we came according to proper martial world etiquette to pay respects at your mountain. Why do you act so arrogantly, delaying your appearance? Do you truly despise the world’s heroes so?”
The last ten words “Do you truly despise the world’s heroes so” were spoken word by word, each like a great bell, shaking hearts. Continuous humming sounds could be heard, with faint cracking noises. Someone turned to look and cried out in alarm.
The ten giant bells hanging around the stone platform, large enough for children to sit and lie in, suddenly all cracked, and the thick chains suspending them all broke.
With each word he spoke, the bronze bells trembled once. When the last word ended, ten bronze bells crashed to the ground, smashing ten large holes in the earth and raising choking dust!
One bronze bell fell beside a Blazing Flame disciple. When it landed, it crushed his toes. Though his face twisted in pain, he remained motionless, glaring at the opponents through gritted teeth, not even making a sound.
Amid the cries of alarm, Blazing Flame members bit their teeth and twisted their faces, all showing anger.
This was clearly disrupting their place. Originally these people had wanted to follow martial world etiquette to force Su Xuan to hand over the Langhuan Secret Manual—it would sound better in future telling. Now they finally couldn’t endure and acted.
Blazing Flame Gang was currently in their semi-annual inspection period. The gang’s Grand Protectors and the three Hall Masters of Red Fire, Black Water, and Golden Earth had all gone to various places for inspection. Only the Left and Right Protectors Han Ping and Liang Fen, along with Song Beichen, remained among the high ranks.
All three were present. Probably following Su Xuan’s instructions, they stood with iron-blue faces saying nothing. The more impulsive Song Beichen tried to rush forward several times but was stopped by Han Ping.
However, Mu Huaiyu’s internal energy was truly impressive—controlled freely, reaching perfect mastery. Song Beichen wouldn’t be his match either.
Qin Chang Ge showed puzzlement, murmuring: “What’s wrong with Su Xuan? This isn’t his nature. Being bullied to this extent and still not showing his face?”
Glancing around, she saw Chu Feihuan also frowning slightly, looking toward the main hall with some worry.
Suddenly a wind rose.
Gentle yet sharp, vast yet fierce, disturbing floating clouds and breaking through star towers, in an instant covering countless mountains.
In the wind someone laughed loudly: “What kind of heroes do you people count as?”
Also ten words.
But he didn’t speak each word with full force like the other, but said them casually and smoothly. Yet each word made people feel as if their hearts were being gripped and forcefully pulled upward. When he finished ten words, among the seven sect members on the stone platform, disciples with shallow cultivation all spurted blood mist and collapsed.
After ten words, the bronze bells that had fallen to the ground suddenly rang without being struck, rising from the earth and shooting upward against gravity. With clanging sounds, the chains seemed manipulated by invisible hands, climbing like proud dragons up to the ancient tree tops, hanging stably once again!
Amid the uproar, the seven sect members involuntarily stepped back together.
Using internal energy to knock down bronze bells was difficult but only required cleverly breaking the chains. The impressive effect came mostly from the bells’ own weight falling.
But lifting deeply embedded bronze bells from the ground again—each bell weighed over a thousand catties. Just lifting them would be difficult, let alone doing it without appearing, transmitting power through voice alone.
The world’s number one, his reputation well-deserved.
The ten sect leaders’ expressions grew much more serious as they exchanged glances.
But Qin Chang Ge frowned.
Su Xuan… his nature was free-spirited and casual, not competitive. If he deliberately made such an impressive show, it was mostly due to urgent circumstances.
Like that day at Shi Family Village, like a few days ago at Shang Mountain cliff.
Could it be…
Before her thought finished, a white shadow flashed—too fast for anyone to see how it appeared. Suddenly someone stood behind Mu Huaiyu, gently patting his shoulder and smiling: “Master Mu, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
For martial artists, having someone suddenly approach your back was tantamount to death. Greatly shocked, Mu Huaiyu spun around but caught empty air. Su Xuan had already sidestepped, standing a zhang away with his back to the seven sect leaders, walking leisurely toward the main hall’s gang leader seat connected to the stone platform.
His tall, straight figure and the snow-white robe corners floating in the afternoon breeze were all bathed in pale golden sunlight. His steps were like ascending clouds, light as fluttering feathers, graceful as flowing stars.
Just like that, with his back to hundreds of masters and countless hostile gazes, unhurried and calm, he walked toward his purple sandalwood chair.
Everyone held their breath, staring at his retreating figure. Not one person dared think of a sneak attack, thus wasting the best opportunity.
In the treetops, Yu Zixi’s upturned eye corners suddenly fluttered, staring at Su Xuan’s back with an especially peculiar smile.
Su Xuan settled into his seat, leaning back comfortably, and smiled as he gestured elegantly: “Everyone, please, please sit.”
People looked at each other, truly somewhat embarrassed. Sit? Sit where? All the chairs were smashed…
Mu Huaiyu, extremely ashamed and angry from his earlier loss of composure, stepped forward first, saying coldly: “Gang Leader Su, no need for pretense. You stole our Mount Song treasure, the ‘Langhuan Secret Manual,’ and should return it now, shouldn’t you?”
Raising a black eyebrow, Su Xuan’s gaze fell on Mu Huaiyu’s face.
When their eyes met, just being stared at by those beautiful dark pupils made Mu Huaiyu’s heart skip for some reason. He heard Su Xuan slowly say: “I stole? Yours? Treasure?”
Three question marks with indescribable sarcasm. Mu Huaiyu’s face changed, and he said sternly: “The ‘Langhuan Secret Manual’ was given personally by Langhuan Sacred Hand to our Mount Song Sword Sect’s founder Feng Yinzi. It has been treasured in our Mount Song back mountain secret cave for years, but half a year ago you injured our cave-guarding disciples and seized the manual. How can you still deny it?”
“Hey, old blockhead!”
But it wasn’t Su Xuan who responded.
The voice came from the treetop.
Everyone looked up in unison.
The treetop parted, revealing a smiling, beautiful face of such radiance that even the afternoon sunlight paled. “I say, how is your head constructed? How does your mouth have the nerve to say such things? Langhuan Sacred Hand died three hundred years ago, but your Mount Song Sword Sect is only two hundred years old. How did your sect founder receive Langhuan Sacred Hand’s ‘personal gift’? In dreams? Resurrection? Or was your sect founder also a sacred hand—a tomb-robbing sacred hand who dug up Langhuan Sacred Hand’s grave?”
The tone was lazy, but the verbal attacks were truly vicious.
Someone in the crowd couldn’t help but snicker quietly.
His old face flushing red, Mu Huaiyu turned around furiously, staring at Yu Zixi: “Who are you? Why do you speak so rudely, insulting our sect’s sacred founder? Mount Song will be irreconcilable with you from now on!”
“Very good, I don’t want to share the same sky with you either,” Yu Zixi still smiled charmingly. “I find it insulting.”
“You!!!”
His sleeves fluttering like a red cloud gracefully descending, Yu Zixi leaned seductively against the tree and crooked his finger: “Old blockhead, I find you very displeasing today. Come quickly, let me deal with you.”
With such arrogant behavior, Mu Huaiyu didn’t dare act rashly. He turned to ask a capable man beside him, and after they whispered a few words, Mu Huaiyu’s eyes suddenly flashed. He no longer paid attention to Yu Zixi but turned back to sneer at Su Xuan, shouting: “The mighty Blazing Flame Gang Leader, the so-called world’s number one, unexpectedly colludes with officials, relying on imperial power against us martial world men. You’re not worthy to be a martial artist!”
This statement caused an uproar. Martial world people most taboo against involving official power. Hearing such accusations, everyone immediately became angry, and the hot-tempered ones began loudly denouncing.
Su Xuan sat steadily in his seat with a rare cold expression, watching Mu Huaiyu. His gaze was cold as a peerless famous blade freshly pulled from an icy pool, radiating sharp brilliance and pressing toward Mu Huaiyu.
Under his gaze, even Mu Huaiyu couldn’t help but pause.
But suddenly a clear, childish voice shouted loudly: “Langhuan Secret Manual? Isn’t it right here with this young master? Old man, why are you bothering Gang Leader Su?”