Chapter 402: Who Else But Me? (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 402: Who Else but Me? (Request for Monthly Tickets)

The moment the banner of the Duke of Qian’s estate was raised, those with keen eyes noticed it.

A black tortoise was embroidered upon a background of blue silk.

It was exceptionally eye-catching.

On a nearby pleasure boat, several young lords holding singing girls in their arms caught sight of the banner, glanced at it for a moment, and muttered in surprise:

"Why has someone from the Duke of Qian's estate come here too?"

The butler waiting beside them looked closely, recollected for a moment, and said with a slight change in expression:

"Young Master, it should be the Duke of Qian himself who has arrived."

"Oh? Old Duke Zhang?"

"It should be him."

"Did you forget, Young Master? Lord Marquis Xiao held a great banquet a few days ago and invited many guests, and the Duke of Qian was among them."

The young lords exchanged glances, suddenly feeling that the beauties in their arms were no longer so heartwarming.

"How unlucky."

"This kind of excitement should be for us young people to enjoy, yet an old..."

"Hush!"

"Be careful lest the old gentleman hears you and punishes you for your offense!"

"Right, right..."

Zhang Xuan naturally caught some of those voices, but he had no intention of playing the elder, merely murmuring:

"If this were back in Guangyue Prefecture, this old man would have flayed his skin off."

With that, he looked toward Xiao Yuan, who stood by the window, and asked with a smile, "Old Xiao, you said just yesterday that you wouldn't come, so why the change of heart today?"

Xiao Yuan, the Old Master Xiao, withdrew his gaze, walked back to sit beside him, and said:

"This old man merely wishes to see just how capable the most outstanding talents of our Great Wei’s martial world are nowadays."

"Hmm? Do you also intend to recruit some of them?"

Zhang Xuan clicked his tongue in wonder, "You old fellow have finally seen the light."

"Back then, when this old man advised you to recruit more retainers and guards, you were stubbornly unwilling, claiming that people of the martial world care only for fame and fortune."

"And the result?"

"Over these years, your Xiao family line has seen its members die or be crippled one after another, and even Fengchun..."

Seeing Old Master Xiao suddenly glare over, Zhang Xuan realized his slip of the tongue and coughed, saying, "Well, it is still not too late now."

Old Master Xiao snorted, leaned both hands on his cane, and said in a deep voice, "For the past five years, this old man has grown accustomed to being cautious and prudent, so it is inevitable that I carry some atmosphere of decline."

"Taking advantage of the occasion where the Great Immortal Bai and the Snow Sword Sovereign are sparring, this old man wishes to look more at those young people, to see the younger generation that has emerged in our Great Wei Dynasty over these years, so that I might absorb some of their youthful vigor."

During these years, he had shrunk back inside the Xiao estate, partly because of the torment of his injuries and illness which left him unable to go out, and partly because he intentionally lay low.

Yet, the more he lay low, the tighter the various factions pressed him.

The last remaining shred of his grand ambition and heroic spirit had been nearly ground away into nothingness.

Now, his body had recovered, and his martial arts cultivation grew stronger by the day, yet a scar still remained within his state of mind.

That was why he had come along with Zhang Xuan.

His intention was to gaze upon the heroes of this world, in hopes of making his state of mind whole once more.

Hearing this, Zhang Xuan nodded, "You old dog indeed ought to come out and move about; staying in that quiet residence for too long grinds away all of a person's temper."

"Take the matter of Ma Shuhan during these days; had it been you in the past, I fear you would have already forced the Provincial Administrative Commission and the Prefect's Yamen to investigate the matter thoroughly."

"And now?"

"Now the entirety of Shu State is in chaos, yet I haven't seen you make a single move."

Zhang Xuan paused, a somewhat playful smile surfacing on his face, "Though this isn't bad either, it's at least better than when you were young."

"I remember back when the two of us were in Jinling, a certain imperial relative remarked that Shu State was a barren land of barbarians, and you pinned him to the ground and thrashed him brutally."

"Old Xiao, you too have learned to watch coldly from the sidelines."

Old Master Xiao squeezed out a trace of a smile, "The Xiao family can no longer withstand any more turmoil."

"This old man now has but a single wish, which is to hope for peace and tranquility in my household."

"As for Shu State... there will naturally be successors to carry it on their shoulders."

Zhang Xuan looked at him in surprise, "Successors?"

"Are you referring to Jinghong, or Wuge?"

"These past few days, this old man has seen that Wuge's progress in his martial arts cultivation is quite good; given time, he will surely surpass his old man."

"As for Jinghong... tsk tsk, that child's martial talent is so high that it is rarely seen anywhere in the world."

"I reckon that across the frontier martial marquis estates of our Great Wei Dynasty, it would be difficult to find anyone who can stand as her equal."

"Jinghong..."

Old Master Xiao fell into a brief silence, his gaze falling toward the south, his tone carrying a faint trace of worry.

"Jinghong's pride is too high, and she always thinks of bearing everything alone; this old man is very worried that it will crush her in the future."

Zhang Xuan thought nothing of it, "This is purely blind worrying on your part."

"What the girl Jinghong has done over these years is plain for all to see; who doesn't give a thumbs-up upon seeing her?"

"If one must speak of a deficiency, Jinghong lacks a strategist by her side; if there were someone to assist her, with her courage and might, she would surely achieve great things."

Speaking to this point, Zhang Xuan's eyes shifted, "Old Xiao, speak honestly, what do you think of Qingzhou?"

"Qingzhou?"

Old Master Xiao was just about to answer when he caught himself, turning his head to glare at him and saying, "You old fellow are actually scheming after this old man's grandson-in-law?"

Seeing that he had been see through, Zhang Xuan felt no shame either, smiling as he said, "That lad Qingzhou has extraordinary talent and learning, and he possesses strategy as well."

"If he were there to assist her, Jinghong could also have an easier time, could she not?"

"He..."

Old Master Xiao shook his head and said, "Qingzhou, for the time being, will still not do."

"Why?"

"Old Xiao, you should know that this old man holds no good feelings toward the Chen family; that I can regard Qingzhou highly now is entirely because of his outstanding performance of late."

"This old man does not believe that you cannot see it."

"I can see it, but..."

"You old dog are still hiding things from me; what, could it be that Qingzhou marrying into your Xiao family as a live-in son-in-law has some other arrangement?"

Hearing this, Old Master Xiao hesitated slightly, and after a moment, he let out a sigh and said, "Qingzhou, his marrying into my Xiao family actually involves another hidden truth."

Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly, "What is the hidden truth?"

"Does it concern the brothers, Chen Xuanji and Chen Xuandu?"

"Yes, and no."

The elderly Master Xiao nodded, then shook his head, saying, "In truth, back then, this old man hoped to bring Li Changqing into the family as a matrilocal husband."

"For one, he was the garrison commander of Tiebi Town and the nephew of Li Fu, the regional military commissioner of Shuzhou, making him the most suitable candidate."

"Alas..."

Seeing him hesitate, Zhang Xuan said with no small amount of curiosity, "I recall Sun Fu asked you back then as well, but you remained silent..."

"Give me the honest truth, why on earth did you set your sights on the Chen family?"

Master Xiao let out a long sigh and said, "Because of the Cui family..."

"The Cui family?"

"The Cui family of Qinghe?!"

Astonishment colored Zhang Xuan’s face. "Which member of the Cui family... Cui Mao?"

"Was it him?"

"It must have been him!"

"If it weren't for him, an old fellow like you would never have changed your mind."

Master Xiao nodded slightly. "It was him."

"Back then, he wrote a letter to me, laying out the stakes clearly, saying that the Chen family was currently held in high regard by the Emperor."

"If my Xiao family could forge a marriage alliance with the Chen family, the Emperor, for the sake of the two brothers Chen Xuanji and Chen Xuandu, might well show leniency."

"Looking at it now..."

Master Xiao sighed deeply. "This old man must have fallen into his trap."

He had only recently come to realize

“How… the White Elder is…”

“Han Jue.”

“Hiss… but the Han Jue senior, known as the ‘Sword Ghost,’ would he…?”

“Indeed, the family’s master.”

“I have long revered the illustrious name of the White Elder…”

Whether the White Immortal had reached the pinnacle of the three stages, even the stars could not tell.

Yet he clearly perceived the subtle deference in his lord’s words toward the White Immortal, enough to recognize the White Immortal’s formidable prowess.

As for the Snow Sword Lord… it was best left unmentioned.

At that moment, several renowned martial artists below began discussing a matter.

“Not sure which disciple the White Elder senior will send to hold the line today.”

“Heard that the ‘Fist Dominating the Mountains and Rivers a Thousand Li’ Shuǐ arrived in Shuzhou, surely it must be him.”

“Not necessarily.”

“Yesterday, someone saw the Tang female warrior in the city.”

“Who? Tang Huan-shu?”

“If she’s come to Shuzhou, the one who’d fight must be her.”

“Know that Tang female warrior’s fist surpasses Shuǐ’s by a step, said to be near the pinnacle now.”

A young swordsman in blue robes asked, “You say the Snow Sword Lord senior will send whom to battle?”

The others shook their heads, “Haven’t heard he’s taking disciples, perhaps… perhaps it’s you who’ll represent him.”

“Nowhere in the Jianghu is anyone unaware of your title, the ‘East Sea Sword Master’?”

“His swordplay has reached perfection, his age even younger than the ‘Uncontested Sword’ Song Jin-jian.”

The man in blue robes, the one known as the ‘East Sea Sword Master,’ Chen Jun-he, hearing this, lifted his head and said,

“If there’s a chance, who else would I let take my place?”

“Hah… it should be so…”

As Xingling listened to their words, his face remained calm, though his heart shook its head.

Their prowess was too sharp.

Most martial artists of great renown in the world below were like this.

Yet in truth, such people rarely walked a long path.

Even Li Wujin, as formidable as he was, only achieved the ‘Sword Saint’ title after countless trials.

Xingling thought, about to glide off to the side forests to observe in hiding, when a cold voice echoed beside him:

“Xingling.”

Upon hearing that name, Xingling’s entire body tensed instantly.

He halted mid-flight, daring not to move a muscle, lips slightly parted as he asked,

“Lord, my lord?”

“It is I.”

“The eastern small Liang Mountain, come.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll come immediately!”

Confirming his thoughts, Xingling didn’t hesitate a moment, turning sharply toward the small Liang Mountain.

As he flew, doubt surged within him.

Why would his lord come here?

Could it be that letter from before?

No, no, the letter had only just been sent yesterday; his lord surely hadn’t received it yet.

Then… was it to watch the duel between the White Immortal and the Snow Sword Lord?

That must be it.

No time to dwell on it.

Xingling alighted on the small Liang Mountain, scanning left and right, and spotted a figure in white robes facing away from him toward the upper reaches of the Red River.

It was Chen Xuan-ji.

Xingling knelt on one knee: “I, Xingling, bow to your lordship.”

Chen Xuan-ji turned his head slightly, revealing the tiger-pattern mask on his face.

“Rise.”

Xingling bowed and rose, then approached respectfully at his side, voice low:

“I do not know my lord has come without a proper greeting, I pray…”

Chen Xuan-ji raised a hand to halt him, then asked, “Tell me about the situation in Shuzhou these days.”

“Yes…”

“These days, affairs in Shuzhou have been chaotic, first there was Ma Shuhuan…”

(End of chapter)