The morning air was exquisitely fresh, a thin mist shrouding the woods as if draped in fine gauze, the forest utterly silent, allowing one to almost hear the breath of the wind.
Despite the stillness, no sounds carried from the distance, leaving Mo Jiye and the others perplexed, half-believing, while Liu Biyun remained utterly convinced.
She dismounted lightly, approaching Li Muzhan, and whispered, “Big Brother, how many are there?”
Li Muzhan shook his head and sighed, “Perhaps a hundred.”
“Ah, a hundred?” Liu Biyun gasped, her red lips parting slightly, and she murmured, “Are they really coming for us?… A hundred people.”
She genuinely could not fathom who would mobilize such a force against them, whispering, “Could there be a mistake? Are they looking for the wrong people?”
Li Muzhan shook his head. “It might be people from the Linhai Pavilion.”
“Linhai Pavilion?” Liu Biyun’s delicate eyebrows twitched lightly, and she slowly nodded, a look of realization dawning. She knew Li Muzhan had seized the demonic artifact and had been curious ever since.
She glanced down at the long sword at Li Muzhan’s waist, noticing that if one wasn't paying close attention, it was easy to overlook that two swords were bound together, appearing as one at first glance.
Li Muzhan said, “It seems they are determined to capture you all. Let’s go.”
“Big Brother, there are over a hundred of them—how can we possibly escape?” Liu Biyun whispered softly.
Li Muzhan frowned. If it were only Liu Biyun, he could whisk them away with a single Flash Step, but there were four people now, and he preferred not to reveal his teleportation ability in front of Mo Jiye and the others.
This meant that to save all four, they could only fight head-on; the encirclement formed by over a hundred individuals was already complete. It would be difficult to leave without a battle.
Li Muzhan pondered for a moment, then slowly said, “Stay right behind me.”
“Big Brother, are you planning to…?” Liu Biyun whispered.
Li Muzhan said, “We charge out!”
Mo Jiye leaned closer and murmured, “Brother Li, what exactly is going on?”
Li Muzhan lowered his voice. “Over a hundred disciples from Linhai Pavilion have surrounded this area. They are all masters!… Are your affairs connected to the Linhai Pavilion?”
“No,” Mo Jiye shook his head.
Li Muzhan frowned. “Then this is strange… We can’t worry about that now; stick close to me. We’re breaking through!”
He did not wish for others to know he possessed the demonic artifact; it would make him a target, as countless people across the world desired such treasures.
“Good!” Mo Jiye nodded without hesitation.
Cui Shaoqing and Xie Jianfeng also edged closer, nodding vigorously, expressions a mixture of tension and excitement.
If it were up to them, four against a hundred Linhai Pavilion masters, the chances of survival would be slim. But now, with Li Muzhan present, they felt fully confident.
Li Muzhan had defeated the entire younger generation of Linhai Pavilion. They deeply admired his swordsmanship… “Let’s go!” Li Muzhan whispered. “Forget the horses for now!”
“Right,” the others nodded. They followed behind Li Muzhan, their movements almost soundless as they floated forward, covering two hundred meters in moments.
They heard footsteps, not quite a hundred, perhaps twenty or thirty, and tension immediately spiked. Li Muzhan whispered, “I’ll charge east. You all head south!”
“Big Brother!” Liu Biyun called out quickly.
Li Muzhan waved a hand. “I will catch up to you; don’t get entangled. Just run!”
Liu Biyun asked, “Big Brother, can you manage alone?”
She knew this move was designed to draw all attention to him. Although his swordsmanship was exceptional, facing one hundred enemies was a desperate prospect just thinking about it.
Li Muzhan smiled. “No worries, I can escape anytime!”
Recalling Li Muzhan’s Flash Step ability, Liu Biyun breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, “Big Brother, don’t overexert yourself. Even if we fall into their hands, they wouldn't dare do much.”
Li Muzhan nodded. “Mhm, I know.”
He clapped Mo Jiye on the shoulder. “Be careful!”
With that, he floated away, vanishing from their sight in an instant, immediately followed by a long, piercing cry, like rolling thunder, echoing throughout the entire expanse.
Mo Jiye sighed. “We are truly useless!… Junior Sister, Brother Li’s sword skills are astonishing; he’ll be fine.”
Liu Biyun nodded. “Mhm, Big Brother will be fine. We must seize this opportunity, or we’ll be letting Big Brother down!”
“Right, let’s wait and see what happens,” Mo Jiye declared resolutely, waving a hand. Everyone pressed themselves against the trees, while Mo Jiye climbed into the canopy.
Among the four, his cultivation was the deepest, and his sight the sharpest. Dressed in his cyan robe, he blended almost perfectly with the leaves, unafraid of exposure, his gaze like lightning.
Moments later, shouts rang out, followed by booming laughter that gradually receded until it vanished completely. The four of them remained motionless.
After a long pause, Mo Jiye floated down and whispered, “It should be safe now. Let’s go!”
“Go!” Liu Biyun and the others followed closely. The four transformed into four wisps of light smoke, gracefully drifting south, covering a mile in the blink of an eye.
“Heh heh…” A cold chuckle suddenly sounded. A group of people emerged ten feet away—more than a dozen middle-aged men clad in dark blue long robes, glaring coldly at the four.
“You…” Mo Jiye frowned, drawing his sword.
The leader was an old man, lean and vigorous, like a solitary pine clinging to a cliff edge, staring coldly at the four. “You might as well surrender now; save yourselves the trouble!”
Mo Jiye scoffed. “So you really were targeting us specifically!”
“Correct!” The old man’s eyebrows were frosted with coldness as he sneered, “We are ordered to capture all four of you, especially Miss Liu!”
Liu Biyun frowned and scoffed. “The Linhai Pavilion is really getting ambitious!”
She knew perfectly well they wanted her to deal with Big Brother and get their hands on the demonic artifact.
The old man snorted heavily. “The four of you, are you fighting or surrendering?… Rest assured, no matter what you say, as the Four Talents of Longshan Sect, we certainly won’t kill you!”
Mo Jiye snorted. “We don’t believe that. Come on then!”
He raised both palms and sneered, “Disciples of Longshan Sect do not surrender!”
The old man hissed, “Very well, let’s see what you’ve got. Attack…” Mo Jiye and the four formed a circle, each guarding a cardinal direction, some drawing swords, others unleashing palm strikes, meeting the torrential downpour of sword light. The clang of metal meeting metal erupted into a continuous din.
The four stood like four pillars, completely holding up a world, resisting the erosion of the overwhelming sword light. For a time, the Linhai Pavilion forces could do nothing against them.
“Good! Good!” The frost-browed old man sneered. “Truly worthy of being the Four Talents of Longshan Sect; you do have some skill. Bring in a few more men!”
“Yes.” The remaining few stepped forward together, and instantly the sword light grew denser and brighter. Although the four from Longshan Sect were slightly strained, they still held firm.
The frost-browed old man frowned and cursed, “A pack of good-for-nothings!”
He flashed into the middle of the sword light, a cold gleam flashing from his waist, striking toward Mo Jiye. Mo Jiye slapped out with his left palm. Clang… His right palm struck the blade.
“Bang!” The frost-browed old man slammed down with a fierce palm strike; his movement technique was incredibly fast.
Mo Jiye hadn't expected his sword art to be this formidable, using such a move suddenly. Caught off guard, he took a blow and was sent flying.
Clang clang clang… Mo Jiye drew his sword in mid-air, using it to shield himself, breaking free from the cage of sword light and landing outside the circle of his comrades.
“Senior Brother Mo, leave first!” Liu Biyun shouted sharply.
Cui Shaoqing and Xie Jianfeng yelled, “Hurry, Senior Brother Mo, go!”
The three backed to back, forming a defensive wedge, still blocking the deluge of sword light. Liu Biyun had already taken out her jade pendant, preparing to crush it.
“Hmph!” Mo Jiye spun suddenly, shooting back like an arrow behind the group. A ring of sword light encircled two of them, attacking from behind.
The two had to turn to fight for self-preservation, but they quickly fell into a disadvantage. Mo Jiye’s swordsmanship was formidable; they couldn't hold on after just a few exchanges.
So, four more Linhai Pavilion disciples turned around, surrounding Mo Jiye. The pressure on Liu Biyun and the other two immediately eased considerably… “Senior Brother Mo, you go first!” Liu Biyun shouted.
Cui Shaoqing grunted, “Senior Brother Mo, if one of us gets away, that’s a win. Go quickly!”
“Don’t worry, we can hold them off!” Xie Jianfeng bellowed. “Go report the news first; we can last a while!”
Mo Jiye shook his head; his sword light grew fiercer, pressing the six Linhai Pavilion disciples so hard they could barely breathe. Another Linhai Pavilion disciple arrived, barely managing to hold him in check.
The frost-browed old man, who had retreated from the fray to watch the brawl, sneered upon seeing Mo Jiye fighting so fiercely. “Disciples of Longshan Sect do have some backbone!”
He flashed forward, taking two steps behind Mo Jiye, and brought his palm down, intending to finish him off. Suddenly, a light chuckle reached his ear: “What a lively gathering!”
He felt a sharp pain in his back; the world flipped before his eyes, followed by a bang as he hit the ground. He hastily looked up to see a streak of cyan light flickering through the sword light, followed by continuous bang bang bang sounds as one Linhai Pavilion disciple after another was sent flying.
Li Muzhan moved like a gentle breeze, sweeping past the crowd in an instant, knocking over more than a dozen Linhai Pavilion disciples. Without a word, he ordered, “Hurry and follow me!”
Mo Jiye and the others didn't have time to utter thanks. They quickly followed Li Muzhan, sprinting away, and vanished from the sight of the dozen or so Linhai Pavilion disciples in moments.
“Brother Li, impressive martial arts!” Mo Jiye praised.
Li Muzhan smiled. “Brother Mo, I see you in a new light!”
Mo Jiye quickly waved his hands. “This wasn't intentional hiding, Big Brother; I’ve only just managed to cultivate a little skill.”
Only then did Liu Biyun and the others relax. If Mo Jiye had been intentionally concealing his ability all this time, his self-control would have been too deep, making them feel uneasy.
Li Muzhan glanced back a few times, then sighed in relief. “These guys are crazy; they’re dead set on keeping you. Head east!”
Saying this, he turned, and the group hurried to follow.
Li Muzhan reached out and placed a hand on Liu Biyun’s waist, his speed suddenly accelerating. The other three summoned all their strength, running madly, keeping closely behind Li Muzhan.
After running for about fifteen miles, Li Muzhan finally slowed down and smiled. “This time we’ve lost them… Biyun, where are you headed?”
Liu Biyun replied, “Big Brother, we are going west.”
“Going west…” Li Muzhan frowned, thought for a moment, and shook his head.
Liu Biyun glanced at the other three and whispered, “A secret trove has appeared in the west; we are going to check if it’s real.”
“Secret trove?” Li Muzhan was surprised.
Liu Biyun explained, “It’s a tomb.”
Li Muzhan slowly nodded. “Belonging to a martial arts master?”
“Yes,” Liu Biyun whispered. “It’s said to be the tomb of a grand master from a thousand years ago, containing his secret manuals.”
“A thousand years—wouldn’t that have vanished long ago?” Li Muzhan laughed.
Liu Biyun shook her head. “It is said this grand master’s physical body has not decayed, and the manuals remain. However, whether the stories are true or false is hard to tell; we need to find out for sure.”
Mo Jiye and the others pretended not to hear Liu Biyun’s explanation, looking around… In the past, they might have held reservations, but Li Muzhan had saved them once again. Although this matter required secrecy, Li Muzhan was not an outsider; knowing it was fine.
Li Muzhan slowly nodded. “I am curious to see it myself.”
“Big Brother, why don’t you come with us!” Liu Biyun’s bright eyes lit up.
Li Muzhan pondered, then shook his head. “Unfortunately, I have other matters to attend to. Perhaps in a while. I travel fast; how long will it take you to reach it?”
“It might take us a month,” Liu Biyun replied.
Li Muzhan frowned. “That far?”
Liu Biyun explained, “It’s by the Boundless Sea, quite remote. That’s why it hasn't spread widely; otherwise, the whole world would know by now!… We have a Senior Brother traveling the world who accidentally heard the news and reported it immediately.”
Li Muzhan nodded. “Alright then. I’ll go in a while; maybe I can catch up to you all… You should hurry on your way!”
“Big Brother, you really aren't coming?” Liu Biyun asked, unwilling to give up.
Li Muzhan smiled. “How could I miss such an exciting event? You go ahead first; I promise I’ll catch up.”
“Very well, then,” Liu Biyun sighed helplessly.
Li Muzhan waved. “Brothers Mo, Cui, and Xie, we shall meet again!”
The three cupped their fists. Li Muzhan floated away and vanished into the woods.
Liu Biyun gazed wistfully in the direction Li Muzhan disappeared, standing perfectly still, her red lips tightly pressed together, the atmosphere instantly turning cold.
“Ahem.” The three men exchanged glances, and finally, Mo Jiye covered his mouth and coughed lightly.
Liu Biyun turned to look at them.
Mo Jiye hurried to say, “Junior Sister Liu, it’s getting late; we should set off too!… We owe Brother Li a great debt for his help this time!”
Liu Biyun let out a soft sigh.
Mo Jiye continued, “But Brother Li is a very busy man and can’t stay with us forever. However, the allure of this secret trove is immense; Brother Li will surely come to see it. I believe we’ll see him within a month at most!”
“Exactly, exactly!” Cui Shaoqing quickly agreed. “A month is but the blink of an eye.”
“Senior Brother Mo, Senior Brother Cui, I understand,” Liu Biyun said sheepishly, forcing a smile, though the lingering sadness in her heart did not dissipate quickly… Li Muzhan returned to Jingzhou City. He circled the city once but sensed nothing unusual, so he returned to the small courtyard, only to find Yi Xiaoru gone.
Xiuxiu and the five girls were practicing in the back garden. Seeing him enter, Xiuxiu hurried to greet him, smiling, “Young Master, Miss Yi went out.”
Li Muzhan frowned. “When?”
“Around noon,” Xiuxiu said, bringing tea, smiling. “She said someone arrived from the Sect, and she had to show her face. She asked you not to worry.”
“Someone from the Sect?” Li Muzhan asked.
“Yes, it seems people arrived from all the major Sects,” Xiuxiu nodded.
She hadn’t known these things originally, but the five girls were well-informed and knew everything about the inner workings of the Wansheng Sect. They were usually discreet, but Xiuxiu’s status was different; she was Li Muzhan’s maidservant, and Li Muzhan was the consort of the Hidden Sect, meaning he was certainly not an outsider.
Li Muzhan frowned. “Mhm, I see.”
“Is Young Master looking for Miss Yi?” Xiuxiu asked with a smile.
Li Muzhan waved his hand. “Forget it. I’ll rest for a while first… Don’t practice too fiercely, or you’ll hurt yourselves.”
“We know our limits,” Xiuxiu nodded quickly.
Li Muzhan picked up a book and sat in the small pavilion, the sounds of their lively chatter reaching his ears. After practicing their swordsmanship for a while, they would sit on the swings and chat.
Their topics ranged widely—first clothes, then jewelry, then cooking, and finally rouge, even fabrics; they could talk endlessly about anything.
As evening approached, the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky red.
Yi Xiaoru returned to the small courtyard. She looked exhausted, her steps heavy. She slowly entered the pavilion and sat opposite Li Muzhan, rubbing her temples and sighing heavily.
Li Muzhan smiled. “They all arrived?”
“Mhm, they all arrived,” Yi Xiaoru said helplessly. “But Martial Uncle Tang didn’t come. For him not to take action this time is truly…”
She shook her head in frustration, a faint trace of anger showing. In the previous attempts, Tang Tianyu had been nowhere in sight; otherwise, the Divine Sword Sect would have ceased to exist long ago. This time, they sent people from the Seven Sects, yet these people were always bickering among themselves, accustomed to never yielding to one another. Yi Xiaoru was too young to command universal respect, so no decision had been made yet on when to attack the Divine Sword Sect.
In Yi Xiaoru’s opinion, they should attack immediately before the Divine Sword Sect got wind of it, as Jingzhou City was their territory, and they would know of any disturbance right away. Unfortunately, her voice held little weight, and no one listened… Li Muzhan said softly, “Where are they?”
“On a pleasure boat,” Yi Xiaoru replied.
Li Muzhan smiled. “That’s a good spot; it won’t be easily exposed!… When are they planning to strike?”
Yi Xiaoru sighed helplessly. “They want to figure out the location of the main lair before making a move.”
Li Muzhan raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Don’t you already know?”
Yi Xiaoru possessed a unique tracking technique that allowed her to sense Feng Zui’s location.
Yi Xiaoru sighed. “They don’t believe me, saying Feng Zui’s location might not be the lair’s location. If they make a mistake, the Divine Sword Sect will slip away, and finding them again will be much harder.”
Li Muzhan pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. “That’s understandable.”
Yi Xiaoru said helplessly, “So I have no choice. What they say isn’t entirely wrong, but I can’t do anything. Now that everyone has withdrawn, they are getting annoyed, saying I’m making a fuss over nothing!”
Li Muzhan frowned, thinking, but found no good solution, sighing, “How about I go scout it out? I can find their location.”
Yi Xiaoru quickly waved her hands. “Big Brother, don’t move!… It’s clearly their business, yet they’re being lazy. We don’t need to get involved!”
Li Muzhan replied, “If we don't get involved, it will ultimately be your responsibility, the responsibility of our Hidden Sect. I think I should take a look.”
Yi Xiaoru shook her head. “Even if I told them, they wouldn’t believe me. Ultimately, they don't trust me!”
Li Muzhan pondered. “Surely not?”
“Big Brother, you haven’t seen their faces!” Yi Xiaoru scoffed, her anger clearly evident.
Li Muzhan shook his head with a wry smile; he was getting angry too. Yi Xiaoru was usually aloof, unconcerned with most matters, so for her to be this agitated showed how unreasonable those people were.
“Bang!” A firework suddenly exploded in the sky, brilliant and bright, overwhelming the sunset glow, visible across all of Jingzhou City.
“It’s them!” Yi Xiaoru suddenly stood up. “Big Brother, that’s their signal!”
Li Muzhan frowned. “Are they in danger?”
“It must be the Divine Sword Sect!” Yi Xiaoru said. “Big Brother, we have to go save them!”
Li Muzhan asked, “Weren’t they coming to destroy the Divine Sword Sect? Wouldn’t this be the Divine Sword Sect walking into a trap?”
Yi Xiaoru hurriedly replied, “Not everyone is on the boat, Big Brother. Let’s go quickly!” (To be continued) RQ