An He Zhuan: Act Eight – Chapter 1

Thunder and rain shock the cycle of years,

While calculations mark Mangzhong’s clear skies. ( It usually occurs around June 5th to June 6th and signifies the time when grains begin to ripen)

…

“So this is Tianqi City.” A man wearing a sword on his back removed his hood and looked up at the magnificent plaque, his expression somewhat arrogant. “Doesn’t seem all that special to me.”

“People in the martial world say that Heaven-rank masters are rare, but in this city alone, there are dozens of renowned ones, not counting those hidden away in various mansions who have yet to make their presence known,” said another swordsman walking beside him, dressed similarly but carrying himself with more courtesy.

“Oh? Are you saying my skills aren’t up to par?” The front man cast a casual glance at his companion.

“For people of our status, the less impressive we appear before drawing our swords, the more formidable we prove to be,” the man behind him replied.

“You and I have different philosophies. I want to make my name known throughout the world, while you prefer to remain a silent ghost. I wonder what the Family Head was thinking, always pairing us together for missions,” the front man sighed, shaking his head.

“It’s precisely because we’re different that we’re paired together. If you were assigned a partner who, like you, insisted on leaving his name after every kill and bragging about it, you’d be dead by now,” the man behind him said with a smile.

The two continued their conversation while seemingly wandering through Tianqi City for over two hours before arriving at an elegantly decorated inn.

The inn was called Feng Qi Chao Ming (Phoenix Rising, Tides Singing).

“Not bad,” the front man nodded, approving of the inn. He then walked in and went directly to the second floor. The leftmost room’s door was open, and both men entered before the door closed behind them.

Inside, a man in Daoist robes with a peach wood sword on his back and a thin beard sat in a wooden chair. Seeing the two enter, he smiled and said, “Su Zhetian, Su Changfeng.”

Su Zhetian walked forward and sat directly in front of the Daoist: “Mu Qingyang? Why you? Where’s our Family Head?”

Mu Qingyang shrugged: “Your Family Head has been imprisoned by the Shadow Sect.”

“How could the Family Head, with his level of skill, be imprisoned by the Shadow Sect?” Su Changfeng stepped forward, frowning slightly.

“This is Tianqi City, their territory after all,” Mu Qingyang smiled.

“When do we rescue him? When do we strike? Who captured him? I’ll kill them first!” Su Zhetian growled.

“Don’t rush. When everyone’s gathered, you’ll have your chance to fight. Wait here for my orders,” Mu Qingyang stood up. “You can spend these few days exploring Tianqi City, but do not reveal your identities.”

“How bizarre,” Su Zhetian snorted coldly.

“Understood. We shall follow Family Head Mu’s orders,” Su Changfeng bowed with clasped hands.

“What an odd pairing indeed,” Mu Qingyang smiled, turned, and left. Half an hour later, he appeared in another inn.

In the room sat a woman completely wrapped from head to toe, wearing silver silk gloves, reading a book. Another woman in purple clothes of stunning beauty was reclining on a long chair, taking a light rest.

When Mu Qingyang entered, the woman in purple barely opened her eyes to glance at him: “You’re here.”

Mu Qingyang drew in a sharp breath, looking at the purple-clad woman’s long legs, then covered his eyes: “Praise be to the heavens!”

“Hey hey hey, you’re the Family Head now!” The woman wearing silver silk gloves lightly tapped the table.

“Ahem,” Mu Qingyang cleared his throat and smiled, “Mu Xuwei, Mu Yumo, it’s been a while.”

“Where’s Brother Yu? Why isn’t he here?” Mu Xuwei looked behind Mu Qingyang but saw no one else.

Mu Yumo yawned: “Yes, where is Brother Yu?”

Mu Qingyang scratched his head: “Why is it that when I meet the Su family members, they ask me why Su Muyu isn’t here, and when I meet our family members, they also ask me why Su Muyu isn’t here…”

“So why isn’t he here?” Mu Xuwei pressed.

“Because he’s been captured and is now imprisoned in the Shadow Sect’s dungeon…” Mu Qingyang said helplessly.

“What?” Mu Xuwei jumped up in surprise, “Where is the Shadow Sect?”

Mu Qingyang held his head: “If it were me who was captured, what would you do?”

“We would plan carefully,” Mu Xuwei replied.

“Then now that it’s Su Muyu, what should we do?” Mu Qingyang asked again.

This time it was Mu Yumo who answered: “Time is of the essence.”

“I’m crying,” Mu Qingyang wiped his eyes.

Mu Xuwei felt somewhat embarrassed and quickly said: “That’s not what we meant.”

“I was just pretending,” Mu Qingyang lowered his hand, his expression calm. “Su Muyu won’t be in any danger in the Shadow Prison for now. I didn’t come today to assign you any tasks; I’m just confirming whether all the representatives from each family are in position. This is your first time in Tianqi City as well, so feel free to look around, but don’t draw too much attention.”

“Alright,” Mu Yumo and Mu Xuwei exchanged glances and responded in unison.

Before leaving, Mu Qingyang looked at Mu Yumo once more and sighed: “If you go out, remember to wear a veil, otherwise… I fear your identity will be exposed very quickly…”

“Alright,” Mu Yumo smiled.

After leaving this inn, Mu Qingyang took a long detour before entering a teahouse. Inside, a storyteller was enthusiastically recounting the great achievements of the founding emperor Xiao Yi, his spittle flying as the audience responded with thunderous applause. Mu Qingyang weaved through the noisy crowd, dodging left and right, finally reaching the private booth at the back. Under the watchful eyes of two tiger-eyed burly men, he lifted the curtain and entered.

“Excellent!” Just then, the muscular middle-aged man sitting at the front caught up in the story, stood up and shouted in appreciation.

Mu Qingyang jumped in surprise and said helplessly: “Seventh Uncle…”

The muscular middle-aged man turned around and looked at Mu Qingyang: “Oh, Qingyang’s here.”

Mu Qingyang looked at the middle-aged man, then at the room full of strong, fierce young men, feeling that the killing intent in the room could almost blow off the teahouse’s roof. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: “Seventh Uncle, did you bring the entire Xie family here?”

The muscular middle-aged man was naturally Xie Family Head Xie Qidao. He smiled and stepped forward to pat Mu Qingyang’s shoulder: “After all, we’re coming to the imperial city. For people like us, this might be our only chance in life, so I brought the brothers to see the world.”

Mu Qingyang’s entire back was soaked with sweat. He gave a bitter smile: “That might not be appropriate…”

“Don’t worry. I borrowed someone else’s identity. Right now, we’re the Five Tigers Mountain-Breaking Sect, here to participate in the martial arts assembly. No one will suspect our identity,” Xie Qidao said, understanding Mu Qingyang’s concerns.