Lan Yin Bi Yue

Chapter 20

“Brother Lie, the disappearance of ‘Lan Yin Bi Yue’ is a major event in the martial arts world. As fellow members of the martial arts community, we should all do our part.” Ming Er gently persuaded, “I heard that the leader of the Fengwu Sect has issued a decree calling on all Fengwu Sect members scattered throughout the world to investigate this matter. Such a public-spirited act is truly a model for us. Moreover, the Fengwu Sect leader will definitely attend the Yingshan Conference in person, and we juniors will have the opportunity to witness his demeanor.”

"The leader of the Wind and Mist Sect?" Lan Qi raised an eyebrow. "Is that the former 'Master of Lan Yin', the chivalrous Ming Kongming?"

“Yes, it’s this Master Ming.” Ming Er nodded. “The ‘Azure Sky Ode’ is hailed as the number one martial arts technique in the world. It is a closely guarded secret of the Wind and Mist Sect. In the past hundred years, only four people have mastered it, and this Master Ming is one of them.”

Lie Chifeng stopped in his tracks.

"Oh my, does that mean this Master Ming is the best martial artist in the world?" Lan Qi asked with a look of amazement.

Lie Chifeng's feet landed back on the spot.

“You could say that,” Ming Er nodded. “I’ve heard that this Master Ming is very supportive of younger generations, so I must ask him for some advice when the time comes.”

A glint flashed in Lie Chifeng's cold, star-like eyes.

"By the way, Brother Lie, your brother—Lie Chitang, the master of Cangyun Manor—should also be attending the Yingshan Conference, right?" Lan Qi suddenly turned to ask Lie Chifeng.

Upon hearing this, Lie Chifeng frowned and lifted his foot again.

“Such a big event, of course the Lord of Cangyun Manor will go,” Ming Er added. “Moreover, I heard that Qianbi Mountain has sent its sect leader’s disciple this time.”

"Oh?" Lan Qi's green eyes flickered as she looked at Ning Lang. "Ning Lang, I heard that your sect leader is only thirty years old, yet he has already mastered forty-eight of the eighty-one sword techniques of the Qianbi Sect. Is that true?"

“Ah… when I came down the mountain, my senior brother said I had already mastered fifty sets,” Ning Lang answered honestly.

"Fifty sets?" Yuwen Luo's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Ning Lang. "What is your sect leader made of? He actually knows fifty sets of sword techniques! An ordinary person would be considered exceptionally talented if they could learn ten sets in their lifetime!"

Lie Chifeng's feet landed back on the spot, and his gaze turned to Ning Lang.

“Master said that Senior Brother is both a genius and a fool.” Ning Lang scratched his head sheepishly, seemingly a little embarrassed to be called a “foolish” by his senior brother. “He can learn swordsmanship immediately, but he can’t learn any other martial arts, including lightness skills and internal energy.”

"What use are techniques if you don't have internal energy?" Yuwen Luo sighed in regret. Without the support of internal energy and lightness skills, even the most exquisite sword moves are just a useless display.

"So Master transferred ten years of his internal energy to Senior Brother, and gave him a 'Phoenix Robe Pill' every five years, so Senior Brother has about forty years of internal energy," Ning Lang said. With internal energy, he naturally gained the lightness skill of leaping and bounding.

"What?! Not only did he lose his internal energy, but he was also given the 'Phoenix Robe Pill'?!" Yuwen Luo was now filled with jealousy. The 'Phoenix Robe Pill' was such a precious thing; if combined with the 'Azure Cliff Pill,' it would practically be a miraculous elixir that could bring the dead back to life!

"Senior brother is the number one expert in Qianbi Mountain. Master said that in terms of swordsmanship alone, even he is no match for senior brother." Ning Lang looked quite proud.

"Your senior brother is going to Yingshan?" Lie Chifeng suddenly asked.

“I’ll probably go,” Ning Lang replied. “In recent years, Master has not been involved in worldly affairs much, and Senior Brother has been handling everything.”

“Speaking of which, I suddenly remembered something,” Lan Qi said abruptly.

"What brings you back to mind, Seventh Young Master?" Ming Er asked smoothly.

"Do you think that since Miss Fushu can't find Brother Lie, she might also go to Yingshan to see what's going on?" Lan Qi blinked her bright eyes and looked at Lie Chifeng with a questioning expression.

A vein bulged on Lie Chifeng's forehead.

"I might go, or I might not," Ming Er said with a nonchalant smile.

Lie Chifeng sat down on the couch again, his cold, star-like eyes sweeping over Lan Qi and Ming Er, who were both smiling calmly, and said, "You two are quite in sync."

The smiles on Lan Qi and Ming Er's faces froze instantly.

IX. Together We Ascend Ying Mountain (Part 1)

On the evening of August 8th, Lan Qi and his party finally arrived at Xicheng, located at the foot of Yingshan Mountain.

More than a hundred years ago, at the end of the Eastern Dynasty, on Xiyuan at the foot of Yingshan Mountain, Queen Feng Xiyun of the Feng Kingdom led the Fengyun Cavalry in a fierce battle against the Imperial Guards led by General Dong Shufang of the Eastern Dynasty. At that time, this place was a desolate wasteland, stained with the blood of warriors and burying the bones of countless heroic souls. It was a desolate and tragic place. But more than a hundred years later, it is a prosperous and thriving small town—Xicheng.

"The Yingshan Gathering is the day after tomorrow. I'll go meet some friends first. Please make yourselves at home, brothers. We'll meet again on Yingshan."

Upon entering Xicheng, as soon as he alighted from the carriage, a sedan chair took Lan Qi away.

"Second Young Master, the Eldest Miss has sent us to fetch you."

No sooner had Lan Qi left than another sedan chair approached.

"Then I'll take my leave for now." Ming Er clasped his hands in a fist salute and departed.

The remaining Yuwen brothers and Ning Lang looked at each other, thinking that these two were too heartless. After traveling together for so many days, they had now abandoned everyone and left on their own.

"Let's find an inn first, Brother Lie, come with us..." Yuwen Luo said, seeking Lie Chifeng's opinion. But when he turned around, Lie Chifeng was nowhere to be seen. "Huh? Where is he?"

"How could it just disappear like that?" Ning Lang asked, puzzled.

The three of them stood on the street, looking left and right, but there was no sign of Lie Chifeng. Just as they were feeling disappointed, a group of people walked towards them. Leading the group was a very dignified middle-aged man. Upon seeing him, the Yuwen brothers were filled with mixed feelings of joy and worry.

The middle-aged man and the men behind him were also taken aback when they saw them. "You two are actually here."

The Yuwen brothers stepped forward and bowed in unison, saying, "Father."

Ning Lang watched this scene from behind and thought to himself: So it was his elder brother's father. He looks just like his elder brother Yuwen. His elder brother doesn't look like him at all.

"Hmm." Yuwen Lindong, the head of the Yuwen family, nodded. "Where did you come from? Feng'er, I heard you were quite rude at Changtian Manor. What happened?"

“Father, this is a long story. Why don’t we find an inn to stay in first? I’m very hungry,” Yuwen Luo said first.

"All you do is eat, and you don't seem to improve at all!" Yuwen Lindong raised his eyebrows and looked at his youngest son.

"Are you really that hungry?" Yuwen Luo muttered, head down.

Yuwen Feng glanced at his younger brother and said, "Fifth brother has made great progress in his experience in the martial world. Young Master Ming, Seventh Young Master Lan, and Third Master Lie all regard him as a friend. Father should be happy."

"Oh?" Yuwen Lindong looked surprised upon hearing this. His youngest son, whose martial arts skills were meager, was able to befriend top figures among the younger generation like Ming Er, Lan Qi, and Lie San. He nodded approvingly, then turned his gaze to Ning Lang. "And who is this?"

“He is my sworn brother, a member of the Qianbi Sect, and Ning Lang, the young master of the Ning family in Lanzhou,” Yuwen Luo quickly introduced, explaining his background to avoid his father asking any further questions.

"Ning Lang pays his respects to Uncle Yuwen." Ning Lang stepped forward to greet him.

"Hmm, no need for formalities." Yuwen Lindong looked Ning Lang over carefully, then nodded again and said, "Luo'er, your brother here is much better than you."

"Is that so?" Yuwen Luo was very pleased to hear this, as it was rare for his father to praise his friend.

"Father, it's getting late. Let's find an inn to stay in," Yuwen Feng said. So many people standing on the street would attract too much attention.

"Hmm." Yuwen Lindong nodded.

The group found a few rooms at an inn and ordered a table of food and wine in the lobby to fill their stomachs. During this time, Yuwen Lindong inquired about Yuwen Feng's situation at Changtian Manor. Yuwen Feng only said that he was outmatched and defeated by Lan Qishao, and that he would apologize to Senior Qiu for the rudeness at Changtian Manor another day. When asked about Yuwen Luo, he gave the same simple answer, saying that after leaving home, he met Ning Lang and they became sworn brothers. Later, upon hearing about the loss of the "Lan Yin Bi Yue," they came to Yingshan to see what was going on. On the way, they coincidentally met Lan Qi, Ming Er, and Lie San, and were kind enough to ride in Lan Qi's carriage. Upon arriving in Xicheng, they went their separate ways. As for following the sect to seek revenge on Yuwen Feng, he didn't mention it since his elder brother didn't bring it up.

After dinner, it was already completely dark. Yuwen Lindong called Yuwen Feng into his room, probably because he had something to say. Yuwen Luo, seeing that he hadn't been called in to relax, had already asked for a large room to share with Ning Lang. Now the two of them went back to their room, asked for hot water, took a shower, and lay down on the large bed, intending to get a good night's sleep, but they couldn't fall asleep.

"Ning Lang, let's talk." Yuwen Luo turned on the light.

"Okay." Ning Lang got up and sat cross-legged on the bed.

Yuwen Luo then placed the teapot and teacups on the small table by the bedside, and then climbed onto the bed and sat down cross-legged.

"Brother, have you been to Yingshan before?" Ning Lang asked.

“No,” Yuwen Luo replied, pouring two cups of tea. “This is my first time participating in the Yingshan Conference. In the future, heroes from all walks of life in the martial arts world will gather on Yingshan Mountain. The scene will definitely be more spectacular than that of Changtian Manor.”

"Yes, I might be able to see my senior brother the day after tomorrow." Ning Lang was overjoyed at the thought of seeing his long-lost fellow disciple again.

"By the way, Ning Lang, there's something I want to ask you that I keep forgetting." Yuwen Luo handed him a cup of tea.

"What does elder brother want to ask?" Ning Lang asked, taking the tea.

"There are rumors in the martial arts world that the founders of your Ning family and Qianbi were both from the royal family of the previous dynasty. Is that true?" Yuwen Luo asked as he picked up paper and pen, never forgetting his important mission.

Ning Lang, who was usually quite naive, remained silent for a moment before softly replying, "You could say that."

"Oh?" Yuwen Luo's eyes lit up, his gaze fixed on Ning Lang.

“Our family has a genealogy. Every descendant’s name is recorded in it after birth and is kept by the head of the family in each generation. When I was four years old, my father sent me to Qianbi Mountain to learn martial arts. Before I left home, he showed me the genealogy and pointed to the first name to teach me to recognize the three characters ‘Ning Jing Yuan’. My father said that every descendant of the Ning family should know where they came from.”

"Ah, I know who he is!" Yuwen Luo exclaimed excitedly. "He was one of the seven founding generals of the Eastern Dynasty, and was later enfeoffed as the King of Ning by the First Emperor."

Compared to Yuwen Luo's excitement, Ning Lang remained calm. "Well, although our ancestor was a founding hero of the Eastern Dynasty, over two hundred years ago during the reign of Emperor Li, another ancestor was a traitor to the Eastern Dynasty. He led an army to kill the emperor in the capital, hoping to usurp the throne. However, Emperor Jing gathered the armies of six kingdoms to suppress him. That ancestor ultimately failed and committed suicide. The Ning Kingdom was then divided up and ceased to exist by other kingdoms. The entire Ning clan was exterminated, with only a few escaping." Speaking of this tragic past of his family, the usually honest Ning Lang's expression became somewhat somber.

“I know that too, it’s in the history books,” Yuwen Luo said, nudging Ning Lang’s arm. “So what happened next? How did the Ning family get involved in the martial arts world?”

"The Ning clan members who escaped were all criminals, so they all changed their surnames and names. Many years passed like this. Towards the end of the Eastern Dynasty, two brothers from the Ning clan joined the service of King Feng Lanxi of Feng Kingdom. The elder brother was named Ren Chuanyu, and the younger brother was named Ren Chuanyun. The brothers originally wanted to help King Xi quell the chaos and unify the country to build a great career. However, seeing that half of the country was already in their hands, King Xi abandoned the throne and went into seclusion. The two brothers' grand ambitions were all in vain. They were unwilling to serve two masters again, and they no longer cared about which family was in the country. King Xi settled them in Qianbi Mountain and they lived there." Ning Lang paused here.

“I know that too. These two brothers are Ren Chuanyu, the strategist of the Prince of Xi, and Ren Chuanyun, one of the Four Generals of Moyu, known as the ‘Cloud Piercer.’ They are both figures who have left their mark in history.” Yuwen Luo looked at Ning Lang with sparkling eyes. His sworn brothers had such a distinguished background! Their ancestors were all great figures who had left their mark in history! “And then? Tell me quickly.”

"Brother, I'm thirsty. Let me have a drink of water first." Ning Lang gulped down a cup of tea in a few mouthfuls.

"Finished drinking? Tell me quickly." Yuwen Luo looked at Ning Lang expectantly.

“Hmm.” Ning Lang continued, “Later, when the new dynasty was established, the two brothers no longer needed to hide their ancestral surname. The younger brother, Ren Chuanyun, restored his original surname and returned to the ancestral home of the Ning clan—the former capital of the Ning Kingdom—now Lanzhou. There, he married and had children, and our Ning family continues to this day. The older brother, Ren Chuanyu, however, said that the surname 'Ren' had protected them for many years, so he did not change his surname and continued to use his original name as a sign of gratitude. His lifelong ambitions had all vanished like smoke, and in his despair, he no longer wanted to return to his hometown or concern himself with worldly affairs.” "And so she lives on Mount Qianbi. Mount Qianbi was originally the royal palace of the Feng Kingdom, guarded by Zhe Di, the top martial arts expert under the Queen of Feng. The two of them lived on Mount Qianbi, were both former officials, and, given the relationship between the two kings of Feng and Xi, they became good friends. Zhe Di's martial arts skills were unparalleled, and he had taken on many disciples. Ren Chuanyu, who possessed the talent to govern a country but had no opportunity to use his skills, helped Zhe Di manage the palace and teach his disciples. Over time, this led to the formation of the Qianbi Sect." After saying this, he quickly poured himself another cup of tea.

"So that's how the Ning family and the Qianbi faction came about." Yuwen Luo suddenly realized, "No wonder the Ning family and the Qianbi faction have always stood together like one family for more than a hundred years. They were originally one family."

“Yes,” Ning Lang said after taking a sip of water. “Most of the Ning family’s descendants are sent to Qianbi Mountain to learn martial arts, generation after generation, so the bond between them continues.”

Yuwen Luo quickly wrote it down, then asked, "Hey, why do you think Young Master Lan and Young Master Ming insisted that Third Master Lie come to Yingshan?"

Ning Lang thought for a moment and said, "Because 'Lan Yin Bi Yue' has gone missing, they hope that Third Master Lie can also do his part."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Luo glanced up at Ning Lang and shook his head, "Only you would think that way."

"Isn't that how it is?" Ning Lang asked, puzzled. Wasn't Third Master Lie moved by Second Young Master Ming's earnest words about learning from the righteous deeds of his predecessors and contributing to the martial arts world?

After Yuwen Luo finished recording, he put down the paper and pen and said dismissively, "I think it's more like Lan Qishao and Ming Ershao want to see Lie Sanye in a difficult position."

"Huh?" Ning Lang stared wide-eyed, somewhat incredulous.

Yuwen Luo shook his head, looking at him with a sigh, "Simple-minded." After a moment, he asked again, "What kind of person do you think the Second Young Master is?"

Ning Lang thought for a moment before saying, "Good person."

"That simple?" This time, Yuwen Luo's eyes widened.

“The Second Young Master is a good person.” Ning Lang nodded with certainty. After thinking for a moment, he couldn’t find the right words to express it, so he could only say, “He is kind to everyone. He is a very good person. Moreover, when Brother Yuwen Feng treated him like that in Mengshan, he was not angry but helped him and healed his brother’s injuries. No matter how unacceptable Seventh Young Master’s words and actions were, he could always treat them with composure and courtesy. He is truly a magnanimous person.”

Yuwen Luo nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, "That's true, but..."

"Just what?" Ning Lang asked, puzzled by Yuwen Luo's confused expression.

Yuwen Luo thought for a moment and said, "From his appearance to his words and actions, he is simply the kind of person everyone in the world admires. Everyone would wish to be like him. He has a noble family background, a handsome and otherworldly appearance, superb martial arts skills, a clever mind, and an aura that commands respect..." As he spoke, he looked at Ning Lang with some confusion, "Ning Lang, you are also a very good person. I can see you clearly, but I just can't see the Second Young Master clearly. He is too perfect, which makes people feel unreal."

"Unreal?" Ning Lang was also confused by what he said. "He really exists, and we've been traveling together for so long. We've all encountered him. He's clearly a person with flesh and blood."

"Not this!" Yuwen Luo lowered his head in frustration. "It was a waste of time to talk to you."

"Big brother..."

"Never mind, let's go to sleep."

The two turned off the lights and lay down. Soon, sleepiness overcame them, and they drifted off to sleep.