“May I join your table?” A scholar wearing blue silk robes walked in through the doorway. After scanning the rapidly filling hall, he headed straight to where Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li were sitting. Ye Li glanced around the hall – the small inn only had seven or eight tables, which were already full. Though there were empty seats at other tables, it would be awkward for a scholarly type to squeeze in with the imposing martial artists. Since it wasn’t a big deal, Ye Li glanced at Mo Xiu Yao before saying calmly, “Please, go ahead.”
The scholar could tell at first glance that the man before him wouldn’t be easy to deal with, so he hadn’t held much hope. To his surprise, the woman in plain clothes agreed so readily. He was momentarily stunned before hurriedly expressing his thanks, “Thank you, miss.”
Ye Li’s mouth twitched as she sensed the frigid aura rising from the man beside her. She looked up at the scholar and said, “This is my husband.” The scholar’s expression showed even more surprise. He had noticed Ye Li’s plain clothes and that her hair wasn’t done up in the style of married women, instead tied back simply with a silver ribbon. Though she looked to be sixteen or seventeen, it wasn’t uncommon for women in Xi Ling to remain unmarried at seventeen or eighteen. He had assumed they were traveling siblings or perhaps master and disciple, never expecting them to be husband and wife. “My sincere apologies, madam… May I ask your surname, sir?”
Mo Xiu Yao raised his head to look at him, slightly furrowing his brows before responding indifferently, “Ye.”
In just that brief moment, the awkwardness and remorse had completely vanished from the scholar’s face. He now looked at them with the warmth of an old friend, “Brother Ye and madam, are you also here for this year’s Martial Arts Assembly?”
Mo Xiu Yao replied flatly, “We’re not really participating, just traveling through to see the excitement.” The scholar clapped his hands and smiled, “That’s wonderful! I was also hoping to join in the festivities. Why don’t we travel together? Oh yes… I’m Ren Qi Ning.”
This time Ye Li didn’t respond. She wasn’t familiar with the martial arts world, only knowing a few truly famous masters and not much about other remarkable figures. But she could tell that this Ren Qi Ning was not an ordinary scholar. Unlike Da Chu, Xi Ling wasn’t a place where scholars could be found everywhere. A scholar appearing in such a place was strange enough, let alone one wanting to attend a martial arts gathering.
Mo Xiu Yao put down his chopsticks, noticed that Ye Li had also finished eating, then stood up and took her hand to leave, saying coolly, “That won’t be necessary. My wife and I prefer not to be disturbed by others.” Without caring about Ren Qi Ning’s reaction, he led Ye Li upstairs to rest.
“Xiu Yao?”
In the afternoon at the inn, Ye Li sat by the half-open window reading a travel journal. The warm sunlight falling on her made her feel lazily content. When someone embraced her from behind, she put down her book and turned to look at the man.
“Hmm?” Mo Xiu Yao stood behind Ye Li, leisurely watching the people coming and going on the street below.
After thinking for a moment, Ye Li asked, “That Ren Qi Ning probably isn’t an ordinary person, is he?” Mo Xiu Yao lowered his head to gently smooth the stray hairs by her ear, saying softly, “Indeed, he’s somewhat extraordinary, but don’t worry. The martial arts world is full of remarkable people – A’Li should just treat this as entertainment.”
Ye Li asked curiously, “How skilled is Ren Qi Ning in martial arts?” She could only tell that he wasn’t a weak scholar incapable of self-defense, but couldn’t gauge his true ability. This meant that at least in terms of inner energy cultivation, Ren Qi Ning was considerably more advanced than her.
Mo Xiu Yao frowned, thought for a moment, and said, “He would rank at least in the top ten in the martial arts world. Perhaps even the top five, though I can’t tell which school he belongs to.” After all, Mo Xiu Yao wasn’t part of the martial arts world. After shocking the world with his sword skills at age fourteen and becoming one of the Four Great Masters, he spent most of his time and energy on the battlefield. He only knew the general situation of the martial arts world.
Ye Li smiled wryly, “What luck, just taking a casual trip and running into such a master.”
Letting Ye Li lean against him, Mo Xiu Yao bent down to look at her with a smile, “Don’t mind him. If such small matters spoil our trip, we might as well not go to the Martial Arts Assembly at all.”
“Aren’t you worried someone will take your title as one of the Four Great Masters?” Ye Li asked with a smile.
Mo Xiu Yao let out a disdainful snort, “Even if someone took all ten top master titles, it wouldn’t change the fact that this prince’s martial arts surpass theirs. Besides… how many people in this world require me to personally take action? Being a ‘great master’ was just youthful showing off.” Ye Li leaned in his embrace and sighed softly, feeling both moved and amused. The titles that martial artists pursued so desperately were mere child’s play in Mo Xiu Yao’s eyes. She wondered what expressions those martial arts masters would have if they knew.
“I’ve never seen a Martial Arts Assembly before, shall we go see what it’s like?” Ye Li turned and asked.
“Of course, wherever A’Li wants to go, we’ll go,” Mo Xiu Yao agreed.
The Martial Arts Assembly naturally wouldn’t be held in this unknown small town, though the location wasn’t too far – just two hundred li away at the Murong Manor, ten li outside An City, Xi Ling’s fourth largest city. Early the next morning, Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao prepared to depart for An City. As soon as they came downstairs, they saw Ren Qi Ning also preparing to settle his bill and leave. Unlike Mo Xiu Yao’s coldness, Ren Qi Ning was quite pleased to see them, “Brother Ye, Madam Ye, what a coincidence. Are you two also preparing to set out?”
Mo Xiu Yao led Ye Li to settle their bill and walked straight out. Being so blatantly ignored, even someone as refined as Ren Qi Ning couldn’t help but have his expression stiffen slightly. Still, he hurried after them, “Brother Ye, Madam Ye…” Before he could finish speaking, Mo Xiu Yao turned to size him up for a moment before saying, “Master Ren, my wife and I rarely have the chance to travel together. Disturbing a married couple can get you kicked by a horse.” Thus, a dumbfounded Ren Qi Ning could only watch as Mo Xiu Yao held Ye Li, mounted their horse, and rode away, unable to react for quite some time.
After leaving the small town, Ye Li couldn’t help but laugh remembering Ren Qi Ning’s expression like he’d swallowed a fly. Mo Xiu Yao leaned on Ye Li’s shoulder, casually controlling the horse’s speed and direction while chuckling softly, “What’s making A’Li laugh so happily?” Ye Li shook her head repeatedly. Mo Xiu Yao naturally knew what she was laughing about and didn’t mind, saying casually, “That Ren Qi Ning likely has significant ulterior motives. Whatever his reasons for insisting on traveling with us, having him along would be uncomfortable.” Ye Li nodded, she also had no interest in traveling with others. “What kind of place is Murong Manor? A famous martial arts family?”
Mo Xiu Yao said, “Murong Manor… isn’t a martial arts family. Rather… they’re the wealthiest under heaven.”
“Oh?” Ye Li was somewhat surprised, “The wealthiest under heaven?” She had seen wealthy people before – the Feng family was one of Da Chu’s four richest families, but even they wouldn’t dare claim to be the wealthiest under heaven. Just how rich must the Murong family be? “How do they compare to the Feng family?”
Mo Xiu Yao replied, “Even five Feng families combined might not match the Murong family’s wealth.”
Even though she was mentally prepared, Ye Li was still shocked. Mo Xiu Yao explained unhurriedly, “The Murong family, like the Xu family, is a noble clan with hundreds of years of history. But unlike the Xu family, which is known for scholarship, the Murong family is a merchant family. So their prestige has never matched the Xu family’s. Back when Xi Ling and Da Chu were one country, the Murong family was already the wealthiest under heaven. It’s said they control three mysterious gold veins, and for many years, whether it was the Xi Ling royal family or even Da Chu, Nan Zhao, or Bei Rong, all have wanted these mines, but none have succeeded.”
“Wealth to rival a nation… for such a Murong family to maintain their position in Xi Ling for so long, they must have some backing?” Ye Li said. Though merchants ranked lowest among scholars, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants, what aspect of daily life – food, clothing, shelter, transportation, money, or necessities – could exist without commerce? Throughout history, truly wealthy people rarely met good ends.
Mo Xiu Yao said, “The Murong family provided crucial support when Xi Ling was founded, so naturally they received tremendous benefits after Xi Ling was established. Xi Ling’s commerce has never been as prosperous as Da Chu’s, and one reason is that the Murong family reportedly controls nearly sixty percent of Xi Ling’s shops.” Ye Li nodded – with one family controlling sixty percent of a nation’s commerce, no wonder business was difficult in Xi Ling. With business being difficult, commerce naturally struggled to develop. After thinking, Ye Li smiled and said, “So the Xi Ling royal family has long been dissatisfied with the Murong family?”
Mo Xiu Yao nodded in agreement and smiled, “Correct. But even so, the Xi Ling royal family doesn’t dare move against the Murong family rashly. First, the Murongs are merchants, unlike the Ding Wang Manor – if pushed too far, whichever country they sided with would deal Xi Ling a fatal blow. Additionally, it’s said the Murong family has an extremely mysterious supreme master. Yet no one has ever seen this master, and if provoked into a desperate fight… whether the Xi Ling Emperor or the Zhen Nan Wang, each has only one life.”
“Even the Zhen Nan Wang isn’t a match?” Ye Li was surprised.
Mo Xiu Yao looked down at her with a smile, “Although the martial arts world has its Four Great Masters from competitions, the true masters in this world live in seclusion. Many masters of the older generation have already retired to the mountains, but if they were to fight, their martial arts attainment aside, how could the younger generation compare with their experience and knowledge? The Murong family is the wealthiest under heaven, yet for so many years no one has dared to cause trouble at Murong Manor or steal anything, so the existence of a supreme master is somewhat credible.”
“Is Your Highness interested in this mysterious master?” Seeing Mo Xiu Yao’s eyes shine brighter than usual, Ye Li asked.
Mo Xiu Yao shook his head, “Can’t say whether I’m interested or not. If we truly meet, naturally I’ll fight with everything I have. If we don’t meet, there’s no regret.”
If this were the younger Mo Xiu Yao, knowing of such a mysterious master, he would certainly have gone to challenge them. But the current Mo Xiu Yao wouldn’t. As the Lord of the Northwest, he bore responsibility for hundreds of thousands of Mo family troops and the safety of the Northwestern people. He was A’Li’s husband and Mo Xiao Bao’s father – he needed to protect their safety and give them a peaceful home. If circumstances forced him to face such a mysterious master, he would naturally fight with all his might. But if not, there was no need to seek out trouble. He was different from people like Ling Tie Han who single-mindedly pursued the martial way.
“Who’s left in the Murong family now? I don’t seem to have heard of any particularly famous people with the surname Murong in Xi Ling.” Though unfamiliar with the martial arts world, Ye Li had some understanding of the Northwest. Logically, she shouldn’t have missed a family as renowned as the Murongs.
Mo Xiu Yao smiled faintly, “Extreme prosperity inevitably leads to decline. The Murong family flourished for hundreds of years without the Xu family’s patience to maintain a low profile, so naturally they had to pay some price. The previous Murong family head had three sons and four daughters. One son and one daughter died before reaching adulthood. Of the two surviving sons, the more talented one Murong Kun died mysteriously at twenty-three. The other son was sickly from childhood and didn’t live to thirty. He left behind a son and daughter, but unfortunately… that son was born simple-minded. The Murong family head, fearing his brothers’ branches would steal his grandson’s wealth and position, ruthlessly eliminated all his brothers’ descendants. Who would have thought that a simple-minded child would drown in a pond at age nine? From this incident alone, the Murong family had suffered greatly, and it’s said he hasn’t seen outsiders for many years. Naturally, A’Li wouldn’t know about this.”
Ye Li’s heart stirred, and she asked, “Doesn’t that mean all the Murong family’s assets will go to the remaining Miss Murong? How old is she?”
Mo Xiu Yao paused, thought for a moment, and said, “It’s said the Murong family head’s granddaughter is three years younger than the deceased simple-minded child. She should be seventeen or eighteen now.”
Ye Li pursed her lips in a smile, turned to look at Mo Xiu Yao, and said, “For some reason… I feel this Martial Arts Assembly might have something to do with Miss Murong?”
Mo Xiu Yao lowered his head to rest against Ye Li’s forehead, chuckling softly, “Even if it does have something to do with her, it has nothing to do with us, right A’Li?”
Ye Li blinked and said, “The Murong family’s wealth rivals nations, is Your Highness truly not tempted?”
Mo Xiu Yao sighed helplessly, “What can I do? This prince has already married someone who, though not wealthy enough to rival a nation, is more precious than mountains of gold and silver. So the Murong family’s vast fortune – this prince has no fate with it.”
Ye Li narrowed her eyes at him, trying to look angry but unable to hold back her smile, “Does Your Highness regret it?” Mo Xiu Yao shook his head, “Between A’Li and gold, this prince would only abandon gold and marry A’Li. As A’Li says, if this is true, this year’s Martial Arts Assembly will certainly be lively. Let’s hurry to see the excitement. However… if the Murong family truly wants to choose a husband for their granddaughter, why choose the Martial Arts Assembly? Generally, the wealthy and noble scholars wouldn’t attend, right? Could it be the Murong family only wants to choose someone with strong martial arts?”
“Who knows? We’ll find out when we get there?”
The wild horse captured from Nan Zhao was no less impressive than the finest steeds, covering the two-hundred-some li journey carrying two people in just half a day. Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li went directly into An City. As Xi Ling’s fourth largest city, they naturally didn’t need to settle for less and found lodging at the city’s finest inn. This Martial Arts Assembly was indeed different from previous ones – though it wasn’t time yet, every inn in the city was already full. Not just martial artists, but many wealthy merchants and even nobles were among the guests. The best rooms at the inn where Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao stayed were already fully occupied, so they had to settle for a second-tier “Di” grade room.
Originally, with Mo Xiu Yao’s status, they wouldn’t have needed to squeeze into an inn. Because Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao had spent over a month traveling remote paths for sightseeing, they didn’t know that more than a month ago, the Murong family had already widely distributed invitations to heroes throughout the land to attend the Martial Arts Assembly. As Prince Ding, Mo Xiu Yao was naturally among those invited, but the invitation had been sent to Li City in the northwest. For all those who received invitations, the Murong family arranged accommodations, specifically clearing out a separate courtyard to house these heroes. Mo Xiu Yao had no intention of participating in this Martial Arts Assembly, so naturally he wouldn’t reveal his identity to the Murong family and could only stay at an inn with Ye Li.
The Qing Yuan Inn in An City was one of the finest in the entire city. Those who could stay here were naturally either wealthy or noble, including some outstanding disciples from famous martial arts schools.
Ye Li curiously watched the finely dressed travelers coming and going, turning to ask Mo Xiu Yao who was leisurely drinking tea beside her, “Is every Martial Arts Assembly this formal?”
Mo Xiu Yao pursed his lips and said, “How could that be? Most of the time, it’s just a few masters from the previous assembly agreeing on a place to compete. Once word gets out, martial artists naturally gather to watch the excitement. The one I attended was an exception – Ling Tie Han went to challenge Zhen Nan Wang, and I was just playing nearby and accidentally got involved in the fighting. Mu Qing Cang was the only one who truly went to participate in that Martial Arts Assembly.”
Learning that the so-called Martial Arts Assembly was so casual, Ye Li felt somewhat disillusioned. But this also proved from another angle just how great the Murong family’s attraction was to the world.
Downstairs, several handsome young men started fighting over a disagreement, causing immediate chaos. Ye Li coldly watched the people below trading moves meant to kill, showing no desire to interfere. Soon enough, the outcome was decided – the loser had his arm tendons severed, ensuring he could never practice swordplay again. The victor was naturally triumphant, sneering, “Know your worth before daring to dream of Miss Murong.”
This statement immediately revealed that these people weren’t here for the so-called Martial Arts Assembly but for Miss Murong, or rather, for the Murong family. Before he could finish gloating, a hidden weapon shot from somewhere struck his chest, and the previously smug young man immediately fell.
“Which family let such a fool out to harm others and himself?” Ye Li frowned and said softly. The fighting below had been started by the young man who was just struck by the hidden weapon – he had ruined someone else’s hand but lost his own life.
“That was Sun Jian Hui, the eldest son of the famous Sun sword family of Da Chu.” An elegant, smiling voice came from behind. Ye Li turned to see Ren Qi Ning standing at the top of the stairs, smiling as he looked at the two by the window.