The Jianghu of Feng Qingcheng and Mo Xibei

Chapter 20

The Eastern Depot was once again represented by that Young Master Mu. After his ten consecutive victories yesterday, the morale of all the major sects was greatly dampened, so much so that no one dared to challenge him for a long time after he took the stage.

"The way of martial arts lies in mutual exchange, winning or losing is secondary. Why are all of you martial arts friends being so polite today, even deferring to each other on the stage for so long?" Huang Jin took a small cloisonné enamel shell-shaped box from the eunuch standing beside him, slowly broke it open, picked out a piece of white jade-like translucent paste, and very slowly spread it evenly on his hands, and a rich fragrance wafted around.

Mo Xibei knew that this was a type of face cream that was now being presented as tribute from Southeast Asia. The families of high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital considered it an honor to use it. However, due to the inconvenience of sea voyages, even an ounce of this face cream was worth an equivalent of an ounce of gold, and it wasn't easy to obtain. Therefore, many merchants were now trying to make their own face cream, hoping to sell it at a high price. And among these merchants, the one that made the best face cream and sold it at the highest price was none other than Mo Xibei's Jade Pavilion.

Jade Pavilion was designed by Mo Xibei according to the standards of a true five-star hotel a few years later. It not only has comfortable rooms and ridiculously expensive food, but also sells expensive tourist souvenirs, such as face cream, rouge and powder, and external face masks. It has everything a woman needs.

Mo Xibei finally managed to pull himself out of his thoughts triggered by Huang Jin's actions, because someone had already jumped onto the ring.

The person who stepped onto the stage was a disciple of the Huashan Sect. Huashan swordsmanship has always been known for its unconventional, ruthless, and precise techniques. Mo Xibei only glanced at him a few times before realizing that the person on the stage had indeed mastered the true teachings of Huashan. However, he looked to be under twenty years old and was rather impatient. He lost his composure in his advances and retreats. In less than twenty moves, Young Master Mu used his own strength against him, knocking his sword away. He staggered and retreated three or four steps before suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Below the arena, all was silent. Young Master Mu had made his move several times, but he had only taught them one thing: compared to the throne of the martial arts alliance leader, human life was far more precious.

"It seems that no one will accept the challenge this time. Since this is a martial arts tournament, shouldn't the person who surpasses all others be rewarded?" After a pause, Huang Jin spoke up. There was no second reward for the tournament to elect the leader of the martial arts alliance, so many people changed color upon hearing this.

"I am not very talented, but I would like to have a friendly spar with Young Master Mu today." A clear voice came from below the stage at the right time. At the same time, a figure appeared on the stage. His white sleeves were spotless and his smile was perfect. It was Chu Junfeng.

“I’ve heard that Young Hero Chu is a young hero. After seeing his character and demeanor today, he is indeed a worthy opponent to Young Master Mu. Very good, interesting.” Huang Jin nodded, turned his head to smile at Murong Songtao, and said, “I wonder who will win this battle. In my opinion, Alliance Leader Murong’s son-in-law is also a first-rate expert. After they decide the winner, I’ll go up and have a go.”

Murong Songtao simply smiled and didn't respond, his gaze immediately drawn to the two people on the stage.

When masters clash, they naturally don't waste time with idle chatter like the audience. While Huang Jin was speaking, the two on stage had already exchanged three to five moves. The moves they used were extremely simple, seemingly just beginner techniques, without any fancy embellishments. In fact, after exchanging more than ten moves, neither of them had moved an inch. Therefore, to an untrained eye, this match was not as exciting or entertaining as the other matches in the past few days.

However, Mo Xibei could see clearly that from the very beginning, Young Master Mu had already activated his inner strength. His seemingly ordinary moves were full of killing intent. Chu Junfeng also put away the shameless and lazy attitude he often showed in front of her. His expression was solemn and serious, and he constantly changed from passively enduring to actively attacking.

The outcome was unpredictable, so no one noticed when Murong Songtao left his seat or where he went in this seemingly ordinary but ever-changing competition.

Volume One: Ten Years of Wandering the Jianghu, Chapter Forty

The outcome was unpredictable, and every move was fraught with danger. The two on the stage gradually began to move, slowly, widening the distance between them. With each step, they left deep footprints on the stage. The moves were still not particularly complex, but those closer to the stage felt their clothes being blown by the wind from all sides, and their bodies almost spinning with the wind. Only then did they truly understand the feeling and feel a sense of fear.

However, while everyone's attention was completely drawn to the two people on the stage, no one noticed when Murong Songtao left his seat and where he went in this seemingly ordinary yet rapidly changing match.

A deafening roar suddenly reached everyone's ears at dusk, accompanied by a cloud of dust that blotted out the sky.

Mo Xibei was engrossed in watching and was caught off guard when Chu Junfeng unleashed a "Wind Howling Across the Desert" attack. The fierce palm wind was almost horizontally swung out from the palm, sweeping straight towards Young Master Mu along the arena. Young Master Mu stretched out both palms and actually managed to take the blow head-on. Then, the half-foot-thick pine boards covering the arena could no longer withstand the force of the blow and actually cracked into countless pieces of varying sizes, scattering in all directions.

Mo Xibei subconsciously closed his eyes, raised his arm, and waved his sleeve to brush away the dust flying towards him.

"The Imperial Guards have killed someone!" In the short time it took to close his eyes, someone suddenly screamed from the Murong Mansion behind him. First, it was a man's voice, filled with vicissitudes, fear and despair. Then, many men, women, and children shouted and cried for help one after another.

Almost simultaneously, the people from all the major sects turned around in the arena, but at some point, thick smoke silently billowed from the Murong Mansion, and a moment later, flames erupted.

"The imperial court wants to kill us!" someone shouted from inside the arena.

"Let's charge out!" More people responded.

"Are you rebelling?! All of you, stand still!" The Imperial Guards and the experts from the Eastern Depot who were protecting Huang Jin drew their weapons and glared at him.

"Damn it, I'm rebelling! Do you think I'll just wash my neck and wait for you bunch of bastards to chop it off?!" Someone shouted from the crowd and pushed hard from the center to the outside. Naturally, some people on the outside lost their balance and crashed into a Jinyiwei guard who had already drawn his sword. Since someone rushed over, the Jinyiwei guard naturally raised his sword and brought it down, and blood splattered everywhere.

"The court wants to exterminate them all, everyone fight your way out!" The blood made everyone stunned. Then, upon hearing someone shout this, they quickly drew their weapons, their eyes bloodshot, and began to desperately rush outwards.

Those guarding Huang Jin now were mostly Imperial Guards from the palace, used to a life of luxury and rarely seeing such a desperate charge. Their formation was thrown into chaos, and many were cut down.

It wasn't until the Murong residence caught fire that Mo Xibei noticed Murong Songtao was no longer there. Looking up, he saw Huang Jin being heavily guarded by his men, quickly retreating towards the door, apparently preparing to join the imperial guards on the outer perimeter. The arena was now in complete chaos. The dust on the stage hadn't even settled, yet a sudden burst of fighting had turned the place into a scene of bloodshed, the air thick with the unique stench of human blood.

Mo Xibei commanded herself to calm down. Although the smell made her feel nauseous, she knew that the Tigai would rush over soon. Although those people might not be very skilled in martial arts, their powerful bows and crossbows and well-equipped firearms could make someone ten times more skilled than them die without ever understanding how they died.

Right now, with everyone rushing out, her position was undoubtedly the calmest and safest. Behind her, inside the Murong mansion, many had been shouting in terror, "Fire!" Yet here, no one thought to rush to put out the fire. Mo Xibei paused, noticing that Chu Junfeng and that young master Mu were nowhere to be seen. However, she guessed that Chu Junfeng would be alright, because in terms of martial arts, he was no less than the young master Mu, and in terms of intelligence, he should be the same. Therefore, without further hesitation, she turned and rushed into the Murong mansion, contrary to everyone else's actions.

The magnificent splendor of the morning contrasted sharply with the raging flames of today. Mo Xibei was deeply shocked by the stark contrast between the two scenes. Houses in this era were all made of solid wood, without even a single iron nail. Once the fire started, it was naturally impossible to control. In just a short while, a dozen or so courtyards from south to north had been burned to the ground.

Mo Xibei rushed anxiously to Murong Lianyun's courtyard. After such an incident, he didn't know if Murong Lianyun had escaped or not, and what about Honglu? His Honglu... But the further he went, the more frightened he became, because along the way he saw many servants lying dead on the ground, with messy knife wounds on their bodies. These knife wounds didn't seem to be left by a master, but rather looked like they were caused by a group of people randomly slashing during a battle. It seemed that the Imperial Guards might have really taken advantage of the fact that no one was in the Murong residence to break in and commit the crime. But why?

Murong Lianyun's courtyard was not spared from this calamity either. When Mo Xibei rushed there, her house had already burned down. The originally exquisite three-section courtyard was now exposed at a glance.

Mo Xibei stood there stunned for a while, her gaze sweeping across the fire. Suddenly, she leaped to a patch of embers, kicked up a half-burnt log, and from beneath it, kicked out a broken tile. It was just an ordinary piece of broken tile, likely originally from the roof, which had shattered when the house collapsed. However, something was smeared on the tile, and there was a small black substance on it, neither liquid nor solid.

"I see." Mo Xibei picked up a tile and smelled it. After a long while, he sighed. Seeing that the fire, fueled by the wind, had almost surrounded him, he could only stomp his feet and jump out.

Outside the Murong residence, some villagers had already taken the water hose, but seeing the imperial guards lingering there, no one dared to step forward to help. Later, a group of imperial guards took the initiative to take the water hose and began to fight the fire. However, the huge garden had already been completely destroyed by the fire, and many of the neighboring houses were also on fire. After a series of firefighting efforts, they could only prevent the fire from spreading further with the wind. When Mo Xibei jumped over the outer wall in the chaos, he saw many affected people crying and wailing, in unbearable pain.

If she could, Mo Xibei would also like to join them, sit on the ground, and have a good cry. She had searched the Murong mansion again and again, unwilling to give up, but the more she searched, the more desperate she felt. The entire Murong mansion was devoid of any sign of life. Honglu, the spirited girl who was contemplating suicide by Mochou Lake one moment and fiercely beating the wealthy suitors who were pursuing her the next; the sister who complained every night about having to show her face in public for her so that she might not be able to get married in the future, but who still stood in front of her the next day to handle all the trivial matters for her—where had she gone? Was she alive or dead?

"Young Master Mo, I've been looking for you for ages, and you're actually here?" Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind. Mo Xibei turned around abruptly and saw Chu Junfeng's page, Tian Xin, staring at him with wide eyes. When he saw Mo Xibei looking directly at him, Tian Xin seemed startled and took a step back. After looking around for a while, he said, "While things are still chaotic, Young Master Mo, let's leave here first."

"You're alright? You escaped?" Mo Xibei suddenly rushed over, grabbed Tian Xin's arm, and forcefully turned the person in front of him from side to side. He felt a mix of sorrow and joy in his heart. "You escaped. That's great. But Honglu... Honglu... how did you get out?"

"Let me go first, talk to me properly, don't hit me." Tian Xin frowned and struggled. The person in front of her, whose face was blackened by smoke, revealed a few snow-white teeth when he spoke, which was really shocking. Thinking of the strange smile that this person usually gave her when he saw her, Tian Xin felt extremely awkward. It wasn't until Mo Xibei realized that he had lost his composure and awkwardly let go and took a few steps back that he said, "Miss Honglu is alright. Our young master is waiting for you. It's not safe here. The imperial guards have already started searching the city. Let's leave here first."

Volume One: Ten Years of Wandering the Martial World, Chapter Forty-One: Reunion After the Fire

Chu Junfeng's residence was naturally Li Qingchen's place. As Mo Xibei stepped onto the stairs, he saw a petite figure approaching from the second floor, who said softly with a smile, "Boss Mo, I didn't expect it to be so soon..."

The voice behind him stopped abruptly as Mo Xibei looked up. Li Qingchen seemed surprised and amused. It wasn't until Mo Xibei came upstairs that he said, "No wonder the young master said that Boss Mo is the most loyal and righteous person."

Mo Xibei had just experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, and his mind was still unsettled. Seeing Li Qingchen's expression and recalling the look of disbelief he'd seen on Tian Xin's face earlier, he suddenly realized what had happened. He reached up and wiped his face, only to find his fingers were black. Always mindful of her appearance, she quickly looked at her other hand, only to find it was also black. She was slightly embarrassed, wondering how she had gotten so disheveled. Li Qingchen, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but chuckle. "This servant will go prepare some water for Boss Mo right away," she said, then went downstairs with a smile.

"Young Master Mo!" Tian Xin, who came up next, had already pushed open a door and said something. Before she could finish speaking, a figure suddenly ran out of the room, bumped into Mo Xibei, and hugged her tightly. "I thought I would never see you again, sob sob—"

"Sister Honglu!" Mo Xibei pulled the person in her arms away and looked her up and down. Honglu's eyes were filled with tears, and her expression was slightly flustered, but she was completely unharmed. Mo Xibei's heart was suddenly relieved, and she hugged Honglu back. "It's so good that you're alright!" As soon as she said those five words, she wanted to laugh out loud. However, when she laughed, she felt her eyes sting and tears fell down her cheeks.

Chu Junfeng raised his hand to stop Tian Xin from stepping forward to persuade them, and simply stood quietly to the side watching the master and servant embrace and weep. Only after Li Qingchen carried a small bucket of water upstairs did Chu Junfeng approach and pat Mo Xibei on the shoulder, comforting him, "Brother Mo, it's all over now. You're both alright, so don't cry anymore."

"Who's crying!" Mo Xibei suddenly remembered that he was on Chu Junfeng's turf, dressed as a man but hugging Honglu and crying his eyes out. He quickly distanced himself from Honglu and rubbed his face hard twice. "I just got something in my eye, is that a problem?"

"Pfft!" This time, not only Li Qingchen, but also the usually elegant Chu Junfeng, Honglu who was crying her eyes out just a moment ago, and Tian Xin who had been watching Mo Xibei's crying as if it were a monster, couldn't help but laugh. Li Qingchen exaggeratedly put the bucket on the ground and wiped his tears with a handkerchief; Tian Xin was laughing, but when she saw Mo Xibei looking at her, she quickly turned her head to the side, trying hard to control herself, but her mouth still twitched; Honglu stared wide-eyed for a moment, then suddenly clutched her stomach and laughed so hard she bent over; only Chu Junfeng remained relatively calm, laughed for a moment, then bent down, picked up the bucket, went into the house, and poured the water into the copper basin.