Clang, clang, clang—at the second watch, distant bell sounds rang out, especially melodious in the deep night. The night watchman also struck his wooden clapper, calling out: “Dry weather… beware of fire…”
Deep into the second watch, the Lantern Festival’s festivities continued, but Qiong Fang’s steps had become unsteady. She wrapped her severely injured left hand in a handkerchief, walking along gasping for breath until she reached a city wall where, unable to support herself any longer, she finally collapsed to the ground.
Before her lay darkness. Qiong Fang desperately hid herself in the shadows—she didn’t want anyone to see her.
It was truly like encountering a plague god. Since meeting that ghost at the Imperial Medical Bureau last month, in just one short month Qiong Fang had quarreled with her grandfather, broken up with her lover, and even lost her iron fan, fire gun, token, and silver. Finally, she was wounded all over, reduced to this helpless weak woman. Qiong Fang bit her teeth and defiantly raised her head toward that vast, endless sea of stars. She wasn’t a weak woman—she was Qiong Fang. In this capital ruled by black-clothed demons, she must carve out a bloody path.
For the first time in her life, she had to depend on herself. Even if every grain of rice and drop of water had to be earned by herself—otherwise, she’d have to return home to kowtow and beg her grandfather’s forgiveness, becoming a female general among the black-clothed demons.
It was truly too miserable. Qiong Fang naturally didn’t want to go back. Now the Purple Cloud Pavilion’s foundation and her lover’s swordsmanship had nothing to do with her anymore.
Tonight, at this moment, she’d rather wander to the ends of the earth than stay in Beijing. Brother Lu… would he be willing to leave with her?
The brilliant and strategic young master lowered her head, sitting in the street, staring blankly as tears flowed.
Lu Yun, who made his home everywhere—had he already left the capital? If she insisted on finding him, in this vast sea of people, did she have confidence she could find him? What if she couldn’t find him? Would she just live alone like this?
Having abandoned everything and bet her entire life on a phantom, at this moment Qiong Fang felt so lost. She really wanted to find someone to talk to, to pour out all the troubles she’d kept in her heart since childhood. At this moment, she couldn’t seek out Juan’er—she didn’t want to harm her good friend by getting her scolded. She didn’t want to seek out Fu Yuanying either, forcing him into a difficult position. But who else could she turn to? Zhe’er Dan? Song Tongming? Zhu Kang? Not to mention whether these people were close enough friends—just looking at their words and behavior, she knew they weren’t people to confide in.
What to do? Who should she seek? That person couldn’t be an old friend of the Qiong family, nor a friend from Huashan. That person would also need some perceptive spirituality to understand her troubles.
Loneliness flew into her heart. Qiong Fang stared blankly up at the vast sea of stars. Having commanded wind and rain all her life, now when great disaster struck, she couldn’t even find someone to talk to.
“Who…” Under the sky full of stars, Qiong Fang asked the heavens—who could point her toward a way out?
Suddenly the snow clouds scattered and moonlight shone down, revealing a magnificent official residence ahead. That gentle moonlight illuminated the gate lintel, making the doorway plaque sparkle like a mirror, as if made of mercury.
“Yang Shouzheng Residence…” Qiong Fang murmured to herself. She slowly stood up. In this moment of confusion and helplessness, someone suddenly came to mind.
That person… he didn’t know martial arts, had no involvement in politics, and wasn’t even familiar with her. But Qiong Fang vaguely knew that person wouldn’t report to her grandfather or betray her, because like herself, he had once loved the same things.
A peerless beauty exists, her emerald sleeves thin in the cold. In the deep night, Young Master Qiong leaped up and flew toward the residence across the street.
Clang… clang… The midnight bells finally ended. Tonight truly lived up to “curfew lifted”—in Wanfu Tower, young ladies had gathered for a nighttime meeting: Haitang, Mingmei, Cuishan, and Miss He Ningxiang… Now there was even one more—Su Ying. He looked dejected and exhausted. After playing hero to save beauties, he now held an unconscious beauty in his arms with crowds of villains still waiting for him.
“Manager,” Su Ying said coolly, “quickly go report to the authorities—say someone is causing trouble here.”
“Damn bastard!” Seeing the young ladies looking shyly at Su Ying, Prince Lu immediately roared in fury: “Looking at your thieving face, you must be Miss Qi’s lover! Watch this prince beat you to death!” He immediately shouted wildly: “Everyone attack!”
Whether Prince Lu, Marquis Wei, young masters or princes—Su Ying didn’t care about any of them. Seeing four lamas roaring there but none daring to actually approach, he reached out to pinch Haitang’s philtrum: “Miss, are you alright?” Haitang slowly awakened. Seeing Young Hero Su’s gentle, tender manner, she softly said: “Thank… thank you, great hero, for the rescue. May I ask… may I ask your honored name?”
Tonight Haitang had spoken carelessly, severely insulting Su Ying. Who would have thought that falling into his embrace, she’d lose her memory and spirit, actually not recognizing him. Su Ying was slightly stunned, not knowing how to respond: “Fellow practitioners helping each other in distress—why need many words of thanks?” He supported Haitang’s slender waist and was about to turn and leave.
Su Ying had quite the heroic bearing. After rescuing the beauty and exchanging a few polite words, he was ready to leave gracefully. But as soon as he moved, he suddenly felt his sword blade caught. Turning back, he saw a palm extended to grip his sword blade, yet the palm wasn’t bleeding—instead, it emanated black energy. Su Ying said in surprise: “Pinghu Iron Sand Palm?” A face lifted before him—a sinister middle-aged man who smiled coldly: “Wisdom Sword Pacifies Eight Directions?”
Su Ying was greatly shocked, realizing there were still formidable opponents present—he had been too careless.
Prince Lu was known as the world’s second richest man and also called the world’s greatest miser. It was said he usually kept many attendants. Besides these four lamas, he also had a master tough opponent who practiced Iron Sand Divine Palm—this must be that person.
Su Ying made a “hey” sound, knowing he’d been careless earlier—his long sword was actually gripped by someone. He urgently tried to withdraw it, but the opponent’s iron palm was rigid, and he couldn’t pull it free. Suddenly he heard Haitang scream: “Hero Su, be careful!” With a roar, an attendant rushed from behind, wielding a mighty staff to strike viciously at Su Ying. Seeing the staff falling like rain while Su Ying still couldn’t draw his sword, the young ladies shouted: “Hero Su! Kick him! Quick, kick him!”
Everyone waited for Su Ying to leap up and kick wildly, but unexpectedly they heard an “ah” of painful groaning. Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Su Ying took a solid blow to his back, and in pain, his fingers released the sword hilt as his knees gradually gave way. Seeing the great hero wasn’t very effective, Haitang was naturally dumbfounded: “This… what’s happening?” The young ladies were stunned. That middle-aged man smiled calmly: “The great reputation of Huashan Sect—turns out it’s nothing special.” He activated his Iron Sand Palm, about to forcibly break Su Ying’s long sword.
Su Ying’s entire martial arts lay in his sword. Though he’d practiced some boxing techniques in childhood, after learning “Wisdom Sword,” he’d abandoned all fist and foot techniques. Now with his sword blade gripped, it was equivalent to having his martial arts disabled. Lu Yun watched from his private room, seeing the situation suddenly turn critical. He couldn’t let Su Ying be beaten and was about to go rescue him when he heard a loud “bang”—over ten martial masters tumbled to the ground.
“Who is it?” Prince Lu cried out in shock, but heard a cold, stern voice from behind: “A bad person.”
A young man in black clothing with a red belt approached from behind, wearing a cold expression that looked quite fierce. With an “ah” of agonized screaming, the attendants on the ground had their leg bones broken by iron boots and were crying loudly in pain.
The newcomer was over nine feet tall with imposing heroic bearing and strong killing intent, but his identity was unknown. Suddenly a sharp shout rang out—that middle-aged man assumed an Iron Palm stance and immediately struck out horizontally. The palm emanated trembling black energy—this was the ultimate technique of “Iron Sand Divine Palm.”
The Iron Palm master had deep cultivation, but the black-clothed youth just laughed “heh heh.” He lightly kicked up a wooden staff from the ground, which flew into the air for him to catch casually. With a “ha!” the black-clothed youth didn’t avoid the Iron Palm but struck back with the wooden staff, smashing down hard toward the skull.
With a loud “bang,” the mighty staff came with strange speed, striking the skull first. The Iron Palm master saw stars but his hands still moved with tiger-like force. Another “bang” sounded as the staff struck again. The Iron Palm master bled profusely but remained undeterred, still reaching forward. After a series of “bang bang bang bang” sounds, a middle-aged man lay in a pool of blood on the ground. His five fingers barely grasped the black-clothed youth’s iron boot, but he had already fainted. The iron boot lifted and kicked the Iron Palm master away. The black-clothed youth looked around coldly, seeing Haitang still leaning against Su Ying. He immediately twisted his neck and pointed to the side, indicating she should immediately move away. Haitang seemed to recognize this person and was both afraid and panicked. Gritting her teeth, she turned and ran toward her junior sisters. That Miss He still didn’t understand the danger and wanted to watch Hero Su display his might, but Huang Qiaoyun dragged her away.
The black-clothed youth intimidated the entire scene. He looked sideways at Prince Lu and clenched his fists with crackling sounds. Prince Lu was startled and hurriedly fled back to the lamas’ side, no longer daring to approach. With a scraping sound, the black-clothed youth pulled over a wooden chair to sit across from Su Ying, saying coolly: “Brother Ying… it’s been a long time.”
In an instant, the entire wine house fell silent. Those standing close like Prince Lu and Su Ying, those sitting far like Lu Yun and the servers—everyone was sizing up this uninvited guest. Even Miss He felt afraid now, tugging at Cuishan’s sleeve and whispering: “Who is this person? Why does he hit people on sight?”
Cuishan and Mingmei exchanged glances and whispered: “He… he’s our master’s son, Wu Chongqing.”
“What?” Hearing the three words “Wu Chongqing,” everyone was stunned. Prince Lu cursed in amazement, and Lu Yun also widened his eyes—all found it unbelievable.
Was this really the child Chongqing? The last time Lu Yun had seen him was outside a narrow alley. That night, little Chongqing wore a cotton jacket and was sneezing, his cheeks red and looking quite shy. But now little Chongqing had grown up, filled with violent energy. If not for hearing others explain, even if Lu Yun met him face to face, he probably wouldn’t recognize him.
With father Dingyuan and mother Yan Ting, the black-clothed youth indeed had extraordinary origins. He wore a stern expression, somewhat resembling a criminal. Seeing Su Ying slow to sit, he said coldly: “Brother Ying, please sit—don’t stand.” Seeing the young devil act as if no one else existed, how could Prince Lu endure it? He immediately charged over again, pointing and cursing: “You brat! I thought you were relying on whose power—turns out you depend on that Wu Dingyuan fellow. This prince tells you…” Just as he was about to chatter on, a thunderous roar suddenly rang out: “Scram!”
Wu Chongqing grabbed the staff and smashed it heavily on the ground, like a demon roaring with splitting eyes. In an instant, all four seats were alarmed. All the wine customers cried out and rushed downstairs. Prince Lu was shocked and pale. Seeing his attendants and martial masters had also fled without a trace, he could only flee with an ashen face while shouting: “You brat! This prince is magnanimous and won’t stoop to your childish level…” With an “ah,” Prince Lu stepped into empty air and tumbled down the stairwell.
The entire floor fell silent. The Iron Palm master on the ground had already been carried away, and the rest of the troublemaking princes and dice-playing customers had all scattered. In the vast hall, only about ten servers remained. Lu Yun looked carefully and saw Haitang, Mingmei, Cuishan and other young ladies still refused to leave, hiding in a corner watching Wu Chongqing with worried faces.
Strangely, these three girls were all Yan Ting’s disciples and should be familiar with Chongqing as fellow disciples. Yet meeting in the wine house, they didn’t even greet each other—truly worse than strangers. He wondered what was going on.
In the silence, the hall was quiet except for the drinking and laughing sounds from downstairs. Only Chongqing’s deep voice could be heard: “Server.” The fierce god had just left, and an evil spirit arrived. Hearing panicked footsteps, the server hurriedly ran to the table with a bitter smile: “Sir… sir, what are your orders?” Wu Chongqing took out an ingot of silver and threw it over: “Bring two large bowls and a jar of strong wine. Without my orders, no one is allowed to disturb us.”
“Who would dare disturb you?” The server smiled bitterly in a low voice, fearing he might provoke the fierce god. He tremblingly turned around to ladle wine and fetch bowls.
Wu Chongqing wasn’t an ordinary person but a noble’s son. He didn’t fear Prince Lu or the authorities, but he greatly respected Su Ying. He raised his head calmly: “Brother Ying, please honor me by drinking a cup with me.”
Seeing Wu Chongqing staring at him and repeatedly inviting him, Su Ying hesitated. He observed Chongqing and saw this person had an impressive bearing—when seated, his waist was straight and back erect, showing good upbringing. But somehow this person’s gaze didn’t show the gentleness of a noble family’s son, instead carrying a cold, sinister aura that looked extremely strange.
Seeing Su Ying still unmoved, Wu Chongqing’s face darkened as he lifted cold eyes and said coldly: “Afraid of me? You… big brother…”
With a bang, the “Three Extend Successor” threw his long sword onto the table and sat down proudly on the spot. Seeing Hero Su intending to display his divine might and teach the insolent youth a lesson, Miss He’s heart fluttered wildly. Haitang and other young ladies, however, were familiar with Wu Chongqing and felt miserable, crying out in alarm, fearing some terrible disaster might occur. Wu Chongqing’s provocation succeeded, but he didn’t show any pleased expression. He leaned back slightly, crossed his arms proudly, and said: “Brother Ying, do you still recognize me?”
This question was quite strange. After the previous commotion, everyone present, regardless of background or status, knew Wu Chongqing. Su Ying didn’t know why he asked this and only replied coolly: “Aren’t you Lord Wu’s son? With such strict family discipline, who in the capital would dare not recognize you?”
These words subtly involved Wu Dingyuan. Haitang, Mingmei and other young ladies naturally didn’t like hearing this and frowned with displeasure. Wu Chongqing heard him disparage his father but showed no dissatisfaction, only shaking his head: “You still haven’t recognized me.”
In the silence, trembling laughter came from beside the table: “Sir… the wine… wine and food are here…”
The pitiful old manager arrived. He had encountered only villains tonight—first a prince came to beat people, then a commander’s son caused trouble. Tonight evil stars were high—he truly didn’t know what great misfortune he’d offended. He tiptoed with a jar of wine in his hands but didn’t dare get too close, only passing over bowls and chopsticks from a distance, fearing to suffer collateral damage. Chongqing didn’t make things difficult for him, simply taking the items and placing them on the table: “Big Brother Su, we haven’t seen each other for a long time—tonight let me be the host.”
Hearing Wu Chongqing claim they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, Su Ying looked surprised: “Have we met before?” Wu Chongqing said coolly: “If Brother Su wants to remember, I’ll naturally help you.” He filled two bowls of wine and passed one over.
Su Ying was troubled, thinking tonight Qiong Fang had run away, his master uncle would blame him, plus he’d encountered problems with sword practice—everything was going wrong. He had no mood to deal with this person. Seeing the wine bowl offered, he didn’t want to accept it: “I appreciate your kind intentions, but it’s late and I have business early tomorrow. Perhaps we can gather another day.”
Su Ying’s few words were insincere—he just wanted to leave quickly and was about to rise and bid farewell when he heard Wu Chongqing laugh: “Sit down. Your wife has already run away—what are you busy with now?”
Which pot doesn’t boil, mention which pot—this person somehow learned the news and actually knew Qiong Fang had left home? Su Ying’s face darkened. He sat back down, lowered his eyes, and said quietly: “Young Master Wu, I’m in a bad mood tonight. Please…” He placed his hand on his long sword and then remained silent and motionless.
Su Ying was angry and ready to explode into action at any moment. Wu Chongqing ignored this and picked up his wine bowl: “Brother Su, don’t be angry. I came to find you tonight with no ill intent—I just want to make friends with you.” Hearing the word “friends,” Haitang and other young ladies all looked miserable and said anxiously: “Hero Su, absolutely don’t.”
Seeing the young ladies so panicked, this Wu Chongqing was definitely not a good person. Anyone who befriended him would be like stepping in dog shit—truly unlucky for three lifetimes. Fortunately, Su Ying had clear judgment and said coolly: “I dare not presume. Su is just a commoner while Young Master Wu comes from nobility. Please forgive me for not daring to reach so high.”
Hearing this, the young ladies breathed a sigh of relief, but Wu Chongqing laughed “heh heh.” He leaned forward, staring at Su Ying’s large eyes with a smile: “You… big brother… why must you keep people at arm’s length? Haven’t you already reached high by climbing up to Qiong Fang? Why not add one more—me?”
Despite Su Ying’s high cultivation, hearing him repeatedly use Qiong Fang as an article of discussion, he couldn’t help feeling anger rise. He widened his cat eyes and said coldly: “Young Master Wu, forgive Su’s poor hearing—what did you just call me?”
“You… big brother…” Wu Chongqing crossed his arms, tilted his head with a slanted gaze, and smiled while looking at his companion: “Did you hear clearly?”
Su Ying took a deep breath, knowing he’d encountered a scoundrel. For a moment he remained expressionless, looking out the window, but his right hand slowly moved toward the sword hilt, planning to give him a show of force.
Suddenly there was a loud “bang”—Wu Chongqing struck first, heavily slapping the wooden table. A purple lightning spread across the table, shaking Su Ying’s long sword into the air. On the table, there was now an incense stick stabbed into the surface, penetrating over an inch deep.
“They’re fighting! They’re fighting!” The young ladies turned pale and couldn’t help crying out in alarm.
This was hard qigong. Incense sticks are brittle and easily broken, yet Wu Chongqing could forcibly stab one into a wooden table—showing he not only possessed internal energy but also struck extremely fast, able to pierce wood like tearing silk. Hearing Mingmei’s panicked cry: “Senior Sister, he’s going to do bad things again! Let’s quickly tell master!” Haitang shouted: “Go! Quick! Don’t delay! If we’re late, someone will die!” She grabbed her two junior sisters and fled downstairs. Miss He still didn’t understand the danger and wanted to watch Hero Su display his might, but Huang Qiaoyun dragged her away.
The fellow disciples fled in panic, but Wu Chongqing remained indifferent, not looking at or acknowledging his junior sisters, as if he didn’t know them. Lu Yun saw this and found it secretly strange. They say “heroes can’t pass the beauty barrier”—Wu Chongqing was only a twenty-year-old youth, at the age when blood runs hot and hearts first open to love. Seeing Haitang radiant, Mingmei clever and lively, even Cuishan gentle and tender—all beauties—if he were an ordinary person having such three lovely junior sisters, he should be delighted to his heart’s core. But Chongqing was so coldly indifferent—he really didn’t know what the boy was thinking.
At this moment, the entire fifth floor was empty—customers had fled without a trace, leaving only a few unlucky servers stuck there. The room quieted down. Lu Yun looked from afar and saw Chongqing in darkness. Wearing black robes with extremely dark skin, though oil lamps had lit the table, they couldn’t illuminate his body. In the dimness, at first glance only those bright, sparkling eyes and gleaming white teeth remained—truly like an evil spirit, indescribably sinister and strange.
In the silence, Wu Chongqing just sat quietly, and Su Ying also didn’t speak. Except for the incense stick on the table swaying slightly, there was no other sound. After a long, long time, Wu Chongqing extended his index finger to lightly touch the candle flame: “Brother Su, do you find women lovable?”
Wu Chongqing finally spoke, but his first sentence was so strange that Su Ying found it hard to respond. The flame burned his finger, but Chongqing felt no pain. He laughed and continued: “I was born with a strange temperament—every time I see women acting coquettish or men showing off, I can’t help but get goosebumps… Big Brother Su is naturally romantic and shouldn’t have my problem, right?”
Love between men and women was natural—how could it make one break out in goosebumps? Su Ying heard this person spouting nonsense and truly didn’t know what he meant, so he could only shake his head: “Sorry. I am a true man who has always loved beautiful women. If you suffer from some strange illness, I advise you to get treatment quickly to avoid ending your family line.”
Su Ying spoke harshly, but Wu Chongqing looked receptive to instruction. He bowed slightly, with a slight smirk at the corner of his mouth, looking up: “Holding jade feet, kissing little eyes… you love me, I love you, everyone smiling happily… hmm…” This person was probably trying to mock something. He smiled and turned his neck as if somewhat disdainful. Su Ying saw this person was like a madman and really didn’t want to continue talking with him, saying coldly: “Looking at your appearance, it seems you don’t love women—do you perhaps have the cut-sleeve preference?”
“Cut-sleeve preference… male prostitution…” Wu Chongqing heard the mockery but didn’t get angry, only squinting and smiling: “Unfortunately, I don’t want to touch women’s little feet, nor do I want men to touch my stinking feet… It seems I’m destined to be alone this lifetime.”
Su Ying knew he’d encountered a madman and shook his head: “Young Master Wu, whoever you want to touch hands and feet with, go busy yourself. Please excuse me for not keeping you company.” He picked up his travel pack and was about to stand when suddenly he heard a “ha!”—Chongqing’s left hand swept up, brilliant light flashing. The candle flame on the table swayed slightly, a wisp of green smoke rose, and the incense stick was actually lit.
Lu Yun’s heart tightened as he thought: “This is a sleeve sword.”
Lu Yun hid in the private room but could see clearly. Just now when Wu Chongqing’s left hand swept out, a short blade had soundlessly extended from his sleeve, then horizontally slashed the candle flame to light the incense. This technique was incredibly fast yet executed with perfect clarity, remarkably similar to Wu Dingyuan’s “True Dragon” movement technique.
“Sit down.” Chongqing quietly gazed at the incense with an indescribably lonely expression. Su Ying didn’t want to associate with him and stubbornly insisted on leaving. Carrying his long sword, he was just passing by Wu Chongqing when he heard him say coolly: “Big Brother Su, don’t think I’m strange—have you ever considered why you’ve practiced sword so hard all your life yet remain just a…”
“Three-legged cat?”
At these words, with a loud bang, Su Ying pulled over a chair and slammed it heavily to the ground, then sat down. He stared at Wu Chongqing and said coldly: “Brother… I’m warning you one last time—you’d better not provoke me.”
Su Ying revealed killing intent. His face darkened and those cat eyes burned with raging fire—apparently he was truly enraged. Wu Chongqing remained completely unconcerned and continued: “Brother Su, don’t be angry. I’m just speaking the truth. If you don’t believe it, Brother Su might smell yourself…” He leaned forward a few inches, squinting and sniffing: “Mm, do you smell it… do you smell that scent… so stinky… really stinks to death…”
Wu Chongqing’s words were bizarre like a madman’s. Su Ying burned with fury and said coldly: “What scent? Are you talking about your own mouth?” Wu Chongqing laughed heartily: “Still don’t understand? The reason Big Brother Su is Loser Brother is purely because you have a scent of…” He leaned his head over, pretending to sniff, and said with a smile: “Milk smell.”
Before the words finished, the table rang with a buzzing sound—the “Three Extend Successor’s” long sword left its sheath, already sweeping toward Wu Chongqing’s brow. This sword came with strange speed, but Wu Chongqing’s response was even faster. He executed an iron bridge, leaning backward to dodge the incoming sword in the nick of time. Looking under the table, an iron boot lifted up, and the cold blade extending from the toe was already pressed against Su Ying’s abdomen.
Su Ying’s “Wisdom Sword” missed by a hair—only an inch away from Wu Chongqing’s throat.
“Loser… big brother…” Wu Chongqing laughed heartily and sat up straight: “Let me advise you—stop playing lovey-dovey. A sissy like you is only fit to be second-rate for life.”
Su Ying was furious beyond measure and immediately struck again recklessly with his long sword. Having learned from his previous mistake, this time he first pushed the table forward toward Wu Chongqing’s waist to prevent another sneak attack.
Masters’ duels change in an instant. Lu Yun watching from the side also praised Su Ying’s cleverness. Seeing Wu Chongqing had hidden tricks at his feet, Su Ying could naturally use the terrain to his advantage—as long as his opponent’s lower body was obstructed, Su Ying could take whatever he wanted and gain the upper hand.
The “Three Extend Successor’s” second strike came with unstoppable momentum, but at this moment Wu Chongqing’s knee thrust forcefully upward. With a loud bang transmitted through the tabletop, it actually flipped over like a shield to block Su Ying’s “Wisdom Sword.” Chongqing pressed his advantage and immediately roared “Ha!” raising his left palm to strike down. With a thunderous crash, he forcibly pressed the table back down. Lu Yun looked closely and saw a cold gleam appear before Su Ying—once again Chongqing’s sleeve sword pointed at his throat.
Another loss—this time even worse. Trying to compete in speed with the “True Dragon’s son” was hopeless.
Ding-ding-dong-dong sounds continued as candlesticks and wine bowls fell from mid-air. Wu Chongqing remained leisurely—both his sleeve swords were out, the right sword at his enemy’s throat while his left sword picked and caught the falling objects, placing them back in their original positions with perfect precision.
Wu Chongqing’s martial arts prowess and speed had awed the entire scene. The servers’ souls flew to the heavens and they all shrank behind the counter to peek. But Wu Chongqing didn’t kill anyone. He smiled and slightly raised his arms, retracting his sleeve swords like tiger claws: “Do you recognize me now? Ai Zong?”
Hearing the two words “Ai Zong,” Su Ying exclaimed “Ah!” with widened eyes and said tremblingly: “It’s you…” He slowly took out a theater ticket from his bosom, his hands trembling constantly. Wu Chongqing reached out to take it and nodded: “That’s right, I gave you this ticket. No need to doubt it.” He filled two large bowls of wine and pushed them before Su Ying: “Drink. We haven’t seen each other for a month.”
Su Ying looked dazed as he slowly raised his wine bowl. Wu Chongqing was quite straightforward, directly lifting his bowl and draining it in one gulp.
Gulp… gulp… The two men drank facing each other without speaking. Lu Yun watched their behavior from the side, secretly paying attention, knowing they must have some past conflict, but not knowing why this Wu Chongqing had come looking for trouble again. He listened carefully, wanting to understand the situation clearly, so he remained seated without rushing forward to acknowledge them.
In the silence, neither Su nor Wu spoke. After a long, long time, Wu Chongqing put down his wine bowl with a bang and spoke first: “Brother Ying, do you hate me?” Su Ying touched his face and said softly: “Why should I hate you?” Wu Chongqing smiled slightly: “If you hadn’t met me, you wouldn’t have fallen to this state.”
Su Ying gazed at the night scene outside the window and sighed softly: “This day would have come sooner or later. Even if I didn’t lose to you, I would have lost to someone else eventually. I know this.” He filled his own wine, his expression somewhat dejected.
Once a person loses completely, they let go of everything instead. Wu Chongqing heard his self-abandonment and only smiled: “So it seems you have some self-awareness after all.”
The other’s words were extremely harsh, but Su Ying didn’t want to argue anymore. Still gazing out the window, he smiled and said coolly: “Let’s not talk about this. You asked me here—you must have some business, right?” Seeing his straightforwardness, Wu Chongqing was also direct: “I want to borrow something from you.” Su Ying made an “oh” sound and glanced sideways at Chongqing: “You want to borrow something? Will you return it after borrowing?” Wu Chongqing shook his head frankly: “Of course not.”
Taking without asking is called “stealing”; borrowing without returning is called “robbing.” Hearing Wu Chongqing intended to openly rob, Lu Yun couldn’t help sighing inwardly, wondering how Wu Dingyuan, with his constable background, had taught his son to become such a character. Su Ying was quite magnanimous, only smiling slightly: “Your words are quite frank. But all my belongings are stored at the National Uncle’s residence. If you wanted to borrow, why didn’t you ‘speak up’ earlier when you came tonight? Why go to such trouble to ask me out?”
They say robbing is worse than stealing, stealing worse than cheating. Su Ying’s words were subtle—he was asking why the other didn’t steal earlier, which would have been much more convenient. Wu Chongqing heard his roundabout question and spoke directly: “You’re wrong. I did go to the National Uncle’s residence tonight to steal. But later, while hiding under the window, I happened to hear your conversation with your master uncle, which changed my mind.”
Su Ying smiled: “I wouldn’t have expected such a gentleman burglar as yourself to be moved by my master uncle?” Wu Chongqing heard his sarcasm but didn’t care: “You’re overthinking. I’m someone who never accepts instruction. Even if your master uncle had a hundred times more ability, I’d be too lazy to listen to a word from him.” Su Ying raised his wine bowl and smiled: “My master uncle is indeed long-winded—you understand quite clearly. But then why did you change your mind? Did you think street robbery would be more comfortable?”
“Brother Su… the reason I changed my mind…” Wu Chongqing said solemnly: “was because I heard your crying.”
With a thud, the wine bowl was set down. Su Ying’s face had been full of smiles, but he slowly clenched his fists, then slightly gritted his teeth, finally slowly lifting his eyes to glare sideways at his opponent across the table—an extremely angry expression.
Wu Chongqing was completely unconcerned. He observed Su Ying and suddenly said: “Brother Su, I should get you a mirror to let you see what you look like now.” Su Ying heard his seemingly mocking, non-mocking words. Despite being known for his quick wit, at this moment he could only breathe heavily in his chest, unable to respond. After a long while, he finally said: “You… what are you trying to mock?”
Wu Chongqing said coolly: “Nothing, I just think Brother Su’s appearance has changed a lot, so I want to give you a mirror to see yourself.” The ancients used the past as a mirror. Hearing Wu Chongqing’s implied meaning, Su Ying smiled: “Have I changed a lot?” Wu Chongqing nodded: “That’s right, you definitely weren’t like this before.” Su Ying gazed out the window and sighed softly: “Then according to you, what should I have been like before?”
Wu Chongqing said: “You used to be high and mighty, with a cheerful and carefree expression, not a trace of evil aura about you. Do you know what I call people like that?” He looked at Su Ying: “Kings. I call you people kings.”
High and mighty kings, invincible in all directions. The Su Ying of the past indeed had such radiance. He took a deep breath: “And now?” Wu Chongqing said: “Now you’re exactly like a little ant, crawling on the ground most of the time, afraid of this one stepping on you, afraid of that one crushing you. Even dogs can bully you.”
Hearing such insulting words, Su Ying surprisingly didn’t fight back, only saying softly: “So it seems I’ve become a weakling.”
Wu Chongqing’s gaze was domineering as it swept over his face, smiling slightly: “You are very weak, that’s true, but you’re not quite a weakling yet.” Su Ying heard his harsh words and closed his eyes, saying quietly: “Then what am I? Not even worthy of being called a weakling?”
Wu Chongqing smiled slightly: “Don’t get angry. I say you’re weak because your martial arts are truly poor, but I say you’re not a weakling because weaklings only cry, only scream, only kneel and beg for mercy. You’re different—you keep struggling with all your might.” He fell silent and said: “Brother Ying, let me give you an honest word. In my eyes, you deserve the title ‘brave one.'”
Su Ying looked completely surprised. Wu Chongqing had humiliated him all night, and now he was being condescending—what was his scheme? Wu Chongqing saw his surprise and smiled: “Brother Su, I’m someone who speaks the truth. Your martial arts, in my view, belong to the showy but useless category. You really need to be careful—many people in the martial world are eager to defeat you, and none of these people will live past thirty. But I can still tell you that none of these fellows have your courage. You dare stand on a lonely peak, arms spread wide, letting wind and rain batter you, while everyone below waits for you to fall, waits to see you make a fool of yourself. But you dare stand in the heavens…” He raised his wine bowl in salute: “Just for this unparalleled courage, I must respect you.”
Daring to take on his master’s mantle at sixteen, the seemingly glorious Su Ying had been stumbling and crawling alone ever since. Su Ying of Huashan—he was indeed a very, very brave person. In an instant, Su Ying lowered his head, avoiding Wu Chongqing’s gaze. Lu Yun looked from afar and saw the “Three Extend Successor’s” eyes had already turned red with moisture.
Su Ying was shedding tears. Wu Chongqing didn’t add further humiliation. He pushed open the window to let cold wind and snow blow in, slowly revealing his sleeve sword to repeatedly heat it over the candle flame: “Brother Ying, let me be frank with you. I’m also a lonely person. I don’t know why, but I just don’t fit in with this entire world. You know, in my eyes, the human world is both cruel and hypocritical, moreover base, bloody, and heartless to the extreme. So from age fourteen, I’ve been unwilling to associate with anyone in the world, nor willing to help anyone. But today I’m willing to make an exception…” At this point, his eyes showed rare fervor as he said in a deep voice: “Su Ying, let me help you once!”
Su Ying fell silent—clearly he didn’t want to accept the favor. Wu Chongqing knew his thoughts and said: “I know you’re a proud person, so I won’t really help you much. I just want to introduce you to a shortcut for training.” He didn’t press, just continuing to heat his sleeve sword for amusement. After a long while, Su Ying slowly raised his eyes: “What shortcut?”
Wu Chongqing stared at the candle flame: “I want to take you to a place. I’ve been there myself, and there I felt I grew up a lot and thus developed today’s martial arts. I’m thinking that if I could take you there to see, perhaps you might improve.” Hearing of such a mysterious place, not only Su Ying was moved, but even Lu Yun was quite curious—where could this place be that was so suitable for martial training? Su Ying lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. He slowly turned his gaze to the window: “Tell me, where is this place?”
“Hell.” Wu Chongqing answered quietly with a solemn, serious expression.
Hearing Wu Chongqing’s words, Lu Yun was naturally shocked. Several servers eavesdropping nearby felt even more chilled to the bone and couldn’t help whispering among themselves, not knowing what this person intended to do. Su Ying listened blankly. Hearing Wu Chongqing wanted to push him into hell, logically he should be afraid, but strangely, he didn’t feel there was anything to fear—as if even if Wu Chongqing raised his sword to kill him on the spot, he wouldn’t care. He touched his face and said softly: “You want to take me to hell?” Wu Chongqing smiled coldly and nodded. Su Ying slowly raised his eyes to stare at Chongqing’s cold face and smiled: “That’s fine. When do we depart?”
“No need to rush…” Wu Chongqing quietly extended his hand to point at Su Ying’s chest: “Hell is right here.”
Su Ying was surprised and looked down. Following Wu Chongqing’s index finger, he felt it was pointing at his heart. Wu Chongqing said coolly: “Having your sword taken away, your woman stolen, you’ll suffer and weep, fall and sink… Until the day you have nothing left and lose all conscience…” Chongqing smiled slightly as he revealed the short sword from his sleeve: “You’ll fall into hell, transform into a ghost, and become my companion.”
Everyone was stunned. Su Ying was drenched in cold sweat, and Lu Yun had already stood up in horror. He never could have imagined Wu Chongqing would become like this.
The Wu Chongqing he’d known years ago was just an innocent youth, shyer than ordinary children, but now he’d become this strange creature. His words were too terrifying—every word and sentence filled with sorrow. That wasn’t the tone of a twenty-year-old youth, but rather like someone who had experienced vast changes and suffered the pain of family destruction before being able to speak such words.
Over ten years, Lu Yun had wandered the world alone with no one to rely on—no one understood the suffering of hell better than him. But even Lu Yun himself hadn’t become a demon or monster because of it. Looking at the Chongqing child before him, he suddenly thought of that square face and felt an impulse to rush to the Grand Commander’s residence, grab those broad shoulders, and demand: “Dingyuan! What exactly are you busy with? Your son has gone mad—aren’t you going to do something about it?”
“Brother Ying…” Uncle Lu looked anxious, but Wu Chongqing was coldly sinister. He leaned forward, squinting as he whispered: “The journey to hell is about to begin. Are you ready to depart?” Gasping breaths sounded as Su Ying’s body trembled slightly, sweat dropping one drop after another. He was finally afraid—he didn’t want to fall into hell, didn’t want to become a demon. The “Three Extend Successor” belonged to heaven; he wanted to return to the celestial realm and stay forever with the beautiful Qiong Fang.
In the silence, Su Ying quietly extended his left hand toward the sword hilt, moving inch by inch. The “Three Extend Successor” was about to counterattack—no matter what, he couldn’t let Wu Chongqing have his way. He wanted to escape this place forever and never encounter this monster again.
Few people in the world knew that Su Ying could wield a sword not only with his right hand but also his left. In this seated duel where evasion was extremely difficult, if he could strike like lightning with his left hand to catch his opponent off guard, he had a chance to turn defeat into victory.
One inch, two inches… The “Three Extend Successor’s” left palm secretly moved until it finally reached the sword hilt. Just as he was about to grasp it tightly for a surprise assassination, he heard Wu Chongqing chuckle: “Big Brother Su, congratulations.” Su Ying froze. Following his opponent’s gaze, he saw he was looking at his left hand. Su Ying drew a sharp breath, knowing his trick had been discovered. Just as he was thinking of how to cover it up, he heard Wu Chongqing laugh: “Do you feel it? Underhanded sneak attacks, unscrupulous methods, base and shameless… we two… heh heh… are becoming more and more alike…” He reached out to pat Su Ying’s shoulder in congratulation.
It was over… The journey to hell had already begun. The dignity of being “number one in the world” vanished like light and shadow. Su Ying stared blankly with his mouth open. In an instant, as if his body was constantly falling, everything before his eyes went dark. In his dazed state, he only felt someone’s arm around his shoulder and heard the voice of ox-headed and horse-faced demons softly encouraging: “Don’t mind it… once you’ve come to hell, don’t mind being base… that’s the advantage of being ghosts. Otherwise, when you meet kings… you’ll be in trouble…”
The first level of hell had arrived. Su Ying’s throat trembled as he heard more sinister laughter in his ear: “Kings… what are kings? These kings… they’re the best good people in the world. Why are they good? Because from head to toe, their entire bodies are all ‘right.’ Why are they ‘right’? Because they’re never wrong. The people he kills must all be bad people, and those who disagree with him are called petty people. If you were a woman, wouldn’t you want to be his ‘wife’?”
“Surely you would…” The hell demon revealed a mouthful of white teeth. After this self-answered question, as if wanting to tell some secret, he leaned close to Su Ying’s ear and whispered with a smile: “You see, it’s precisely because of this that there are so many good people breeding in this world. Brother Ying, kings are so wonderful—you must really want to be a king too…”
“Get away!” Su Ying could bear it no longer. He had to escape hell quickly. His right hand immediately swept out—with a swoosh, he desperately drew his sword. Wu Chongqing reached out like lightning to seize his sword first, then used his superior strength to forcibly press the “Three Extend Successor” back into his seat.
“Don’t rush… don’t rush… if you don’t want to be a king, you still have a path…” Wu Chongqing’s words weren’t finished. He held down Su Ying and whispered in his ear: “Actually being a weakling is quite nice… Brother Ying, kings have too many things—the leftovers they’ve eaten, the women they’ve tired of, they’ll all reward to you… Don’t worry about women not loving you. They pity little things most—they’ll hug you, kiss you, pamper you… and they won’t ask you to do anything for them because they’re also the king’s little things…”
Hearing Wu Chongqing’s loud laughter, Su Ying couldn’t help gritting his teeth and gasping: “Don’t… say anymore…”
“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry.” Wu Chongqing finally softened. Looking at the “Three Extend Successor’s” red eyes, he said compassionately: “Go find Qiong Fang quickly. Cry to her, act spoiled, bow your head and admit your mistakes. This way she’ll pity you, indulge you, and take you to climb onto the king’s big bed together.”
“I’ll kill you!” Su Ying was furious beyond measure and lunged forward bare-handed, swinging at Chongqing’s face. Wu Chongqing was also unceremonious—his fist swung up to strike back at his opponent’s fist. A painful groan passed as Su Ying fell back into his seat, rubbing his fist and bowing his head, gasping in pain.
Great shame and humiliation struck. Su Ying’s eyes became moist and red, ready to shed tears at any moment. But as a swordsman, he could never cry until death—if he shed tears before his enemy, his sword soul would dissipate forever, never again able to lift a sword… He desperately held back, constantly restraining himself, when suddenly he heard a great roar: “Three Extend Successor Su Ying!” Wu Chongqing roared with soul-tearing intensity, pointing accusingly: “Show your backbone! As a swordsman, even in death you must die with dignity! Don’t cry like a woman and make me laugh!”
With a sharp crack, his own sword was picked up and thrown hard to the ground. Suddenly two streams of merciless tears fell, hot and wet—Su Ying finally cried out loud.
All sorrows struck his heart at once—his lover had left, his spirit was broken. In this cruel world where the strong lived and weak died, tonight Su Ying experienced the suffering of the weak. That feeling was so heart-piercing, so bone-deep, he would never forget it for the rest of his life…
Seeing the “Three Extend Successor” lower his head and cover his tears with his hand, like a great wildcat defeated by a mouse, unwilling to hear or see anything, inexplicably Wu Chongqing leaned forward and tightly grasped Su Ying’s hand, saying softly: “Brother Ying, don’t be sad. You’re only one step away—just one more step… Look, here we have neither kings nor weaklings, only one kind of person…”
“Brave ones…” A jar of strong wine rose from the ground, splashing down. The pungent smell rushed at them as Wu Chongqing’s sleeve again extended the dragon fang, slowly striking down two sparks that fell onto the strong wine.
With a roar, two wine bowls blazed with blue flames—ignited by rage. Before the “Three Extend Successor” appeared a sea of hellfire, illuminating his pale, miserable face.
The end had arrived. The final stage of the hell journey—a bowl of soup, Meng Po’s soup. It was ladled from the sea of hell, covered with blue flames and raging fire. Su Ying trembled all over—he knew Wu Chongqing must have drunk this soup before, but he couldn’t drink it. He was mortal—if he drank this wine, his stomach and intestines would be severely burned, and he’d surely roll around howling in pain.
The demon flame wine burned fiercely. Chongqing across from him seemed to sit in a sea of hellfire, shaped like ox-headed and horse-faced demons. He gently beckoned to Su Ying: “Come, drink it down. Once you’ve drunk it, you won’t fear anything because you’ll be a ghost too. Then… we two can truly join forces… and have some fun with them…”
“You…” Su Ying lowered his head, gritting his teeth hoarsely: “What… what exactly do you want to do?”
“Me…” Wu Chongqing laughed coldly and said sinisterly: “I want to kill someone.”
Wu Chongqing’s tone was unusually excited, like Jing Ke preparing to assassinate the King of Qin after long anticipation. Hearing this, Lu Yun was suddenly alarmed, Su Ying also looked terrified, and the servers whispered among themselves, all feeling this person’s terror had reached an unimaginable degree.
“You…” Su Ying gasped: “Who… who exactly do you want to kill?” Wu Chongqing didn’t speak. His expression was solemn as he raised his index finger straight toward heaven. Su Ying was greatly shocked, knowing this meant “one.” He trembled all over and said in horror: “Number One Under Heaven? You… you want to kill my master?” Wu Chongqing squinted his evil eyes and shook his head, but his index finger remained raised upward, pointing at the vault of heaven.
Something higher than “Number One Under Heaven”… Su Ying murmured to himself. He looked toward the ceiling and vaguely seemed to see a shadow hidden in the nine heavens, concealed within Buddha’s shadow. That was… that was…
Above the king!
Wu Chongqing laughed sinisterly: “This person can defeat your master. He’s more fierce than lions and tigers, more cunning than jackals and wolves. He has incomparable great supernatural powers. Whether you or I, if we fought him one-on-one, we’d surely die. But we two have potential…” He leaned close and whispered: “You have a treasure in your hands capable of overturning rivers and seas, and I have a trump card capable of destroying heaven and earth. As long as we combine our two families’ power, we can destroy this entire…”
“Zhengtong Dynasty.” Wu Chongqing squinted and showed a pleased expression.
Su Ying felt slightly dizzy and quickly supported himself on the table, gasping: “What… what exactly are you looking for?” Wu Chongqing grinned and slowly raised his middle finger, then his ring finger, which together with his previously proud and straight index finger formed the character “three.”
“Three Extend Sword Manual?” Su Ying cried out in alarm as Wu Chongqing threw back his head in wild laughter with the momentum of a thousand troops.