The words abruptly stopped. Hua Chongyang turned around and saw blood gushing from Yue Feilong's lips on the stage. Lan Wuxie expressionlessly waved his left sleeve and turned to the audience, coldly calling out:
"Orchid, sword."
"Yes, Master."
A girl dressed in green responded and walked from the sedan chair to the stage, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, tossing a sword to Lan Wuxie. With a clang, the sword was drawn, and Lan Wuxie caught it with his right hand, lightly slashing off the sleeve of his left arm before tossing the sword back to the girl in green.
In the silence, he let out a soft hum, glanced at the broken sleeve on the ground, and spoke in a low, cold voice:
"I don't like being touched by dirty hands. If it happens again, this is the same sleeve I'll wear."
Yue Feilong, who was standing respectfully to the side, turned ashen-faced. Hua Chongyang watched with some reluctance as Yue Feilong was helped off the stage by his disciples. The crowd parted to make way for him, and he staggered over, blood streaming from the corner of his lips.
Before his gaze could be withdrawn, Ji Chong beside him suddenly sighed softly:
"Thirty years of dominance in the martial world, and in one day, all his reputation was ruined."
She turned around in surprise to look at Ji Chong.
Ji Chong looked straight at the stage and sighed deeply:
"This is the world of martial arts. To become famous, you have to climb over your rivals. If you don't step on others, they'll step on you; if you don't kill, they'll kill you. The victor is king, the loser is villain—it's been that way since ancient times. In this world, how many things are truly wonderful—fine silks and satins, gold and silver jewels, beautiful women, grand mansions, standing at the top and becoming famous throughout the world—but aren't all of these earned with blood and tears?"
Ji Chong slowly turned his head to look at Hua Chongyang, his gaze deep and serious:
"Chongyang, do you still intend to walk this path of the martial world alone?"
This is the same question again...
Hua Chongyang fell silent, recalling a question Master Deyun had asked her long ago: Chongyang, wouldn't it be better to listen to Master Deyun, go down the mountain, choose a good family, grow up peacefully, get married, have children, and live a stable life?
...Isn't it good? Isn't it good? But if you don't step on others, they'll step on you; if you don't kill, they'll kill you. The victor is king, the loser is villain—that's been the way of things since ancient times. Even if she didn't want to dominate the world, how could the world tolerate a poor bandit?
After a long while, she turned to look at Ji Feixiang, who appeared innocent yet full of pride, before finally replying with a forced smile:
"...We've already started, Uncle Ji, how can we just turn back?"
Having said that, she slowly stood up and turned to look at Rong Chenfei:
"Senior Brother Rong, may I borrow your sword?"
All eyes in both rows of seats were fixed on her. Rong Chenfei was also taken aback, then turned to look at Ji Chong. Ji Chong sat upright in his chair, shaking his head and sighing after a long while:
"Chongyang, how am I supposed to explain this to your mother?"
"Uncle Ji, you don't need to explain anything to my mother," Hua Chongyang said, his face slightly lowered, his voice so low that only he could hear, "It's always been my mother who wronged you, why do you need to explain anything to her?"
She turned to the side.
Twenty years ago, the Flower Sword Technique became famous in the martial arts world, firstly for its light and sharp swordsmanship, and secondly for its unparalleled footwork accompanying the swordsmanship. Before Rong Chenfei could react, Hua Chongyang swept past him in a few steps, took the long sword hanging at his waist, and leaped onto the dueling platform.
With just this one move, her footwork had already surpassed Rong Chenfei's. Ji Chong reached out to stop Rong Chenfei, saying:
"Let her go."
Having steadied himself, and standing a foot away from Lan Wuxie, Hua Chongyang carefully dodged Yue Feilong's blood-red fist and slightly raised an eyebrow at Lan Wuxie:
"The Flower Pavilion School presents flowers for the Double Ninth Festival. Please offer your guidance, Master Lan."
There was no response. Hua Chongyang chuckled softly and repeated:
"Pavilion Master Lan, please make your move."
Lan Wuxie kept her eyes glued to the sidelines, ignoring Hua Chongyang, before suddenly turning her gaze to Ji Chong below the stage:
"What I want is to be the best in the world. Wasn't last year's winner Ji Chong of Wudang? Sect Leader Ji, you don't dare to come up on stage?"
...Even their arrogant disdain for others is exactly the same.
Hua Chongyang chuckled inwardly, glanced at Ji Chong, then turned and thrust his sword directly at Lan Wuxie's chest. The sharp sword energy transformed into a swift flash of light. Lan Wuxie slightly sidestepped to avoid it, but Hua Chongyang's sword momentum remained unchanged as he took a step forward and then suddenly flipped backward, the sword passing just an inch from Lan Wuxie's throat. At the same time, Lan Wuxie restrained his right arm. Hua Chongyang glanced at him, released his right hand, and the sword landed in his left. He swung it down, aiming for Lan Wuxie's right side. Lan Wuxie released his right hand to block Hua Chongyang and staggered back three steps.
Exactly three moves, and three moves were enough for Hua Chongyang to stand out among the younger generation. Suddenly, someone in the audience shouted "Bravo!" Ji Chong, who had been watching intently, also suddenly remarked:
"Chen Fei, Chongyang's swordsmanship is probably no less than yours."
But after the fourth and fifth moves, discerning viewers gradually noticed something amiss. Lan Wuxie was using only techniques, not internal energy. When Hua Chongyang used her seventh move, Lan Wuxie deftly used her lightness skill to leap up, her toes barely touching the tip of Hua Chongyang's sword as she gracefully flipped two zhang behind her.
Hua Chongyang swung her sword back, and it broke into three pieces, clattering to the ground. Lan Wuxie didn't even glance at her, his gaze fixed on the audience below, and slowly said:
"Didn't you want to revive the Flower School? Consider these six moves my help."
Hua Chongyang chuckled lightly, his hands forming fists:
"I do not benefit from Lan Ying Palace. Please enlighten me."
The martial arts tournament has a clear rule: stop when you've made a move, or everyone will kill you. She didn't believe Lan Wuxie would dare to defy the world and kill her.
Lan Wuxie then looked up, glanced at her, paused, and said:
"You're no match for me, yet you still want to fight me?"
"Why should I, Hua Chongyang, need Pavilion Master Lan to yield?" Hua Chongyang chuckled, mimicking Lan Wuxie's tone, "If it were anyone else, it would be fine, but I just can't stand Lan Ying Palace."
Having not uttered such arrogant and provocative words in so long, Hua Chongyang felt an immense sense of exhilaration as soon as the words left his mouth. He couldn't help but let a slow, gentle smile curve his lips as he added:
"I just can't stand it. What should we do, Pavilion Master Lan?"
Two zhang away, Lan Wuxie's long, deep eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at her. His lips seemed naturally curved in a slight smile, a faint, almost imperceptible glint that Hua Chongyang couldn't immediately discern whether the subtle light in those long eyes was anger or mockery. After a long while, Lan Wuxie slowly raised his sleeve and swung his right palm towards the northeast of the dueling platform.
A gentle breeze brushed past him, and Hua Chongyang heard a loud "boom".
A faint echo lingered in her ears. She turned her head and saw that the three-foot-square stone block that had secured the weapon rack in the corner of the arena had been reduced to dust. Fine fragments drifted to her feet on the breeze. The faint glint in Lan Wuxie's eyes faded, and she repeated in a cold, low voice:
"If you don't like something, there's nothing you can do about it."
Almost simultaneously, Ji Chongyue stepped onto the dueling platform and stood in front of Hua Chongyang, raising his sword and assuming a starting stance:
"Pavilion Master Lan, please don't make things difficult for Chongyang. Didn't you want to compete with me? Please!"
Lan Wuxie glanced coldly at Ji Chong. Just as Hua Chongyang was about to speak, Ji Chong turned his head and said in a low, authoritative voice:
"Chongyang, go down!"
This was the first time Ji Chong had ever spoken to Hua Chongyang in such a sharp tone since childhood. Hua Chongyang paused, then leaped off the dueling platform. Before he could even regain his footing, he heard Ji Feixiang's cold laughter:
"Don't think you're so great. In the end, you'll still have to rely on my father to smooth things over!"
Hua Chongyang didn't turn his head, staring fixedly at the stage.
Ji Chongxian launched his first attack, his sword imbued with powerful internal energy, which Lan Wuxie blocked and dodged with her palm. After three, four, even ten or eight moves, when they had exchanged over twenty blows, Hua Chongyang suddenly realized that Lan Wuxie had been solely on the defensive, while Ji Chongxian was relentlessly pressing forward; the two were almost evenly matched. Ji Feixiang, watching from the side, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Old ginger is spicier; after all, Father's skills are superior. What do you say, Brother Chenfei?"
If you ask me --
Hua Chongyang glanced back at Rong Chenfei, their eyes meeting. Rong Chenfei, however, kept his gaze on the stage and continued, "..."
"Naturally, Master's martial arts are superior—"
Before he finished speaking, Ji Chong cornered Lan Wuxie on the stage, and the wind of his sword swept over him. Ji Feixiang clapped her hands and shouted "Good!" Lan Wuxie bent back and then turned to avoid Ji Chong, his toes touching the ground as he skimmed across the arena and landed on the opposite side.
Ji Chong turned around.
A gentle breeze rustled through the air as the two faced off on the stage. Lan Wuxie stood at the opposite corner for a long time before suddenly speaking:
"Sect Leader Ji, is this just the beginning?"
Ji Chong channeled his energy again, drew his sword, and leaped forward to thrust it forward.
Lan Wuxie suddenly raised his arm and struck Ji Chong with a palm.
The black cloak and purple robes were both shaken and fluttered. Ji Chong drew his sword and used his inner energy to block, but was swayed backward by the strong wind. Just as he was about to fall off the dueling platform, Hua Chongyang leaped up and blocked him in front of him:
"stop!"
The powerful internal force suddenly dissipated. Lan Wuxie had withdrawn too abruptly and couldn't withstand his own internal force, so he took a step back before he could barely steady himself and look at Hua Chongyang.
A hush fell over the stage and the audience. After a long while, Lan Wuxie raised her eyes and looked past Hua Chongyang at Ji Chong, her expression indifferent, her gaze disdainful.
"Sect Leader Ji, I have won."
No one spoke. Ji Chong raised his hand to his chest, and Lan Wuxie also fell silent. He turned and slowly walked down the dueling platform. The onlookers quickly made way for him. He walked silently through the crowd, his long robes brushing the ground, and climbed into the sedan chair. The attendant beside the sedan chair immediately lowered the curtain and whispered, "Lift the sedan chair!" As the sedan chair sped out of the snow forest, someone in the crowd shouted:
"The new number one in the world is Lan Wuxie!"
The arena fell silent, with no one responding. Below the arena, the eyes of all the sect leaders turned to the arena, not to Ji Chong, but to Hua Chongyang.
Hua Chongyang stood still, recalling Rong Zaisheng's unfinished words: "Is it that the Yellow Springs Martial Arts are too powerful, or is Lan Wuxie simply—"
What is it? He suspects that Lan Wuxie is actually Yan Zhao in disguise, right?
6. Situ Qingliu
The celebration banquet for the martial arts tournament was held at the Rong family's Lake Moon Manor, naturally hosted by Rong Zaisheng and Rong Chenfei. Ji Chong was absent; only Ji Feixiang and a few young disciples from Wudang attended.
Situ Qingliu sat in the VIP section, with the other sect leaders seated in order. Hua Chongyang was treated as the guest of honor and surrounded by everyone. Apart from the occasional eye-rolls from Ji Feixiang across from her, amidst the cheerful congratulations, she experienced for the first time what it meant to become famous overnight.
However, even as the banquet began, a more prestigious seat next to Situ Qingliu remained unoccupied. At first, no one noticed, until Miao Yunshan, the leader of the Kongtong Sect sitting beside her, with his long beard and three tufts of hair on his cheek and lip, glanced at the seat and shook his head, saying:
"The martial arts world is likely to be in turmoil again."
Hua Chongyang put down his teacup:
"What does Sect Leader Miao mean by this?"
"Sect Leader Hua," Miao Yunshan pointed to the seat and asked, "didn't you realize who that seat was reserved for?"
Hua Chongyang instinctively guessed it was Ji Chong, but looking at Miao Yunshan's expression, he suddenly realized:
"Could it be...?"
"Indeed," Miao Yunshan stroked a long beard, "Alliance Leader Rong Zaisheng sent an invitation to Lan Wuxie and even had someone deliver it to the inn. But Lan Wuxie didn't come; it's clear he doesn't intend to stand with the Martial Alliance."
He paused, then shook his head:
"Lan Wuxie's martial arts are unparalleled. His first appearance in the martial world was so ruthless and domineering, almost like Yan Zhao back then—"
Miao Yunshan suddenly stopped talking and glanced awkwardly at Hua Chongyang.
Hua Chongyang pretended not to hear, picked up his teacup, lowered his head to drink tea, and casually curled the corners of his lips:
"Sect Leader Miao is right."
She put down her teacup and stared blankly. She had heard that when Yan Zhao first appeared at the martial arts tournament, he single-handedly defeated the masters of the six major martial arts sects and, with a single sword strike, shattered the "Supreme Ruler" banner of the Nine Heavens Sect, which dominated the martial arts world at the time. She had heard this story more than once, but seeing Lan Wuxie's imposing aura on the dueling platform today, she saw for the first time what true supremacy meant. Recalling that first impression of him etched in her mind: he did indeed have the same indifferent expression as Lan Wuxie, the same nonchalant demeanor, but for some reason, she could sense that the face beneath Lan Wuxie's mask was definitely not Yan Zhao.
Whether to make up for his earlier slip of the tongue or to elicit information, Miao Yunshan took a sip of tea and, making conversation, added another sentence:
"I've heard that Lan Ying Palace has been quite high-profile lately, with constant activities in Hangzhou. They must be preparing for a comeback. Are you aware of this, Master Hua?"