Jiangnan Gaiden

Chapitre 1

[Synopsis 1]

A sinister world of martial arts, rife with blunders and rampant espionage.

A strange sect—the Fooling Sect.

An extremely intelligent, occasionally foolish female protagonist.

Several men, some yin, some yang, some righteous, some wicked.

According to folklore, Meng Jiangnu's mournful weeping caused the Great Wall to collapse.

Legend has it that Ye Xiao laughed so hard he brought down the Netherworld City.

A lighthearted and humorous martial arts story about a few nameless nobody solving a mysterious case and defeating a martial arts behemoth.

It contains romance, suspense, and numerous mysteries, big and small, waiting for you to unravel them...

[Synopsis 2]

After years of silence, a strange event has once again occurred in the martial arts world: the renowned martial arts master Shen Rujun has been brutally murdered, and a ghostly death-reaping talisman has been found on his body.

However, Lu Mingfei, the lord of Youming City, and his Youming City had already disappeared in the martial arts catastrophe twenty years ago.

The powerful martial arts alliance has issued a public notice to the world, seeking a capable person to solve this case.

Ye Xiao, a girl who claims to be "knowing everything," happily went there and happened to meet Xiao Xun, a young man from the Western Regions, and Luo Qingcheng, a man in black. The three of them formed the Hutumen (Confused Gate) to thoroughly investigate the case.

As the case delves deeper into the truth, all the behind-the-scenes intricacies become clear: Who is the undercover agent? Who is seeking revenge?

Years later, the legend of a smile that could topple a city spread throughout the martial arts world.

Who exactly captivated the beauty Ye Xiao—the one who could topple kingdoms or Luo Qingcheng?

I want you to be happy, and I want to give you happiness. So please let go of all past grievances and grudges.

[Editor's Recommendation]

A hilarious and heartwarming journey through the martial arts world, a series of witty and exciting detective stories. An unknown nobody solves cold cases and defeats a martial arts behemoth.

Folk legend says that Meng Jiangnu's mournful weeping caused the Great Wall to collapse, while martial arts legend says that Ye Xiao's laughter caused the Netherworld City to collapse.

A sinister world of martial arts, rife with blunders and treachery. A strange sect—the Fool's Sect.

An extremely intelligent, occasionally foolish, female protagonist. Several men, some yin, some yang, some righteous, some evil.

Content tags: Jianghu feuds, commoner life, thriller, suspense, romance

Main characters: Ye Xiao, Xiao Xun, Luo Qingcheng | Supporting characters: Yuan Peixin, Wan San, Shen Wan, etc. | Others: All available

【text】

A smile can topple a city

Author: As Asked

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A tranquil town in Jiangnan.

It is only a few dozen miles away from Suzhou.

It is indeed the warm Jiangnan region. Although it is late autumn when the grass and trees are withering, there are still lush greens interspersed among the withered yellow, proclaiming the tenacity and indomitable spirit of life to the bleak autumn wind.

The morning mist floated softly on the river that flowed through the town, and a dark shadow appeared faintly in the mist, gradually becoming clear that it was a covered boat.

Every day, countless such awning boats pass by, slowly gliding across the green ribbon-like river, gradually disappearing into the distance, carrying all sorts of goods, sometimes freshly harvested cocoons, sometimes fresh lotus pods and water chestnuts.

So at first, the early risers didn't pay much attention to it until someone said something, and people started whispering nervously, and their eyes gradually focused on the ship.

This awning boat has no boatman...

Without a boatman, the awning boat moved slowly like a ghost on the river shrouded in mist. As people's fear gradually increased, it rocked to a dock and stopped there, remaining motionless for a long time.

It is the private dock of the Shen family, a famous martial arts family in town.

The whispers in the crowd suddenly ceased, and a deathly silence descended.

Despite their curiosity about the Shen family's prestige and the bizarre scene, no one dared to step forward to investigate.

With a soft creak, the tightly closed gate of the Shen family finally opened, and a servant-like person tiptoed out, looking very uneasy.

He walked up to the covered boat, reached out and lifted the tightly closed curtain to look inside.

A few of the bolder ones in the crowd followed closer and vaguely saw what appeared to be a figure sitting inside, but they couldn't make out its face or size.

However, the servant seemed to be greatly frightened. He let out a horrified scream and fled back to the grand mansion as fast as he could.

...

Before long, a startling piece of news spread like wildfire throughout the martial arts world.

The martial arts master Shen Rujun died suddenly and mysteriously on his way home.

On him appeared the "Netherworld Death-Taming Talisman," a weapon once feared throughout the martial arts world.

Nearly twenty years ago, the mysterious and sinister Lord of the Underworld City suddenly appeared, stirring up trouble and creating chaos in the martial arts world. Every time he killed his enemies, he would leave behind an Underworld Death Talisman on the spot.

That was a blatant intimidation of the enemy, an arrogant boast in the martial arts world.

The Netherworld Soul-Taming Talisman had been rampant in the martial arts world for several years along with the Netherworld City Lord, causing everyone in the martial arts world to live in fear and turn pale at the mere mention of the Netherworld.

Until the Lord of the Underworld City, the universally acknowledged genius who was unparalleled in a century, suddenly disappeared without a trace.

The Netherworld City went underground overnight and remained mediocre in the martial arts world for more than ten years, achieving nothing of note.

But now, does this mysterious paper talisman that appeared on Shen Rujun's corpse mean that the Netherworld City has reappeared in the world?

Volume One: The Autumn Wind Rises

Where can we not meet?

Several months later. A tranquil town in Jiangnan. It is early spring, February, and all things are reviving. In the early morning, a thin mist once again shrouds the ribbon-like river.

At a breakfast stall on the corner of a small street, Xiao Xun sat leisurely, a pot of brewed tea in front of him, its delicate aroma slowly wafting through the rising steam. The breakfast here was delicious and unique; for several days in a row, he had come here for tea and breakfast, and had become quite familiar with the stall owner, Uncle He.

Crispy pastries, savory sesame cakes, and shrimp wontons—Uncle He laid out several breakfast items in front of Xiao Xun. This guest was amiable, generous, and approachable—exactly the ideal guest. The only problem was his excessive curiosity; he kept asking about this and that, which put Uncle He, who disliked causing trouble, in a difficult position. He was particularly interested in the matter of Shen Rujun's death that day, making things even more complicated. But he had unexpectedly encountered a benefactor, and he couldn't refuse… Uncle He sighed inwardly and went inside to busy himself.

Suddenly, he heard Xiao Xun call him, "Uncle He!" Uncle He quickly came out to serve him. Xiao Xun smiled and asked, "Was the fog this thick that morning too?" Uncle He sighed, realizing he was referring to the day Shen Rujun died, and carefully replied, "Indeed. Morning fog means clear skies, evening fog means overcast skies; today will surely be a bright and sunny day..."

Xiao Xun interrupted him, "Is it this daylight?" Uncle He became even more cautious, "It's darker than it is now, it's late autumn."

"Is no one rowing that boat?"

"...At first we didn't notice, but a customer having breakfast said, 'Why isn't anyone rowing this boat?' That's when everyone started paying attention. Earlier, the officials and some other martial arts practitioners had asked us the same thing, and we gave them the same answer."

Xiao Xun slowly got up and walked to the riverbank. The small river flowed along this street, making a bend at this corner, and then continued straight ahead for about a mile before reaching the Shen family's private dock. He turned back to look at Uncle He who had followed him and asked, "What kind of awning boat is it?"

Uncle He carefully considered how to explain: "...It's the most common kind, the most common type on the waterways here...it can transport both goods and people...look, like that one..."

Following Uncle He's pointing finger, Xiao Xun saw a small boat slowly approaching through the thin mist.

A man lifted the curtain, walked from the cabin to the bow of the ship, looked around with great interest, then cheerfully tossed his long braid, and with a whoosh, leaped onto the roof and sat down without any regard for appearances. He laughed and talked loudly, unrestrained and carefree.

She was a slender figure dressed in a white robe with blue flowers, like many other young ladies here. She looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, with a delicate and pretty face, and a pair of exceptionally bright eyes that seemed to move gracefully in the thin mist. Behind her hung a striking long, jet-black braid...

Xiao Xun glanced at the awning boat; it was indeed the most ordinary kind of awning boat he had ever seen. Finding nothing particularly special about it, he turned to head back to the breakfast stall. Suddenly, he heard a thud behind him, followed by a series of splashing sounds. Unable to resist his curiosity, he turned around.

The once cheerful and carefree girl was now utterly disheveled, stuck in a pile of dark tarpaulins, frantically trying to scramble to her feet. It seemed the awning of the awning boat was only meant for shelter from the wind and rain, not for sitting; it couldn't support a person's weight and had collapsed!

"Arrogance never brings good." Xiao Xun muttered to himself, then finally burst into laughter. The man on the boat glared at him angrily! He could only glare back… the poor fellow was still struggling, wrapped in a pile of tarpaulins…

An unmanned awning boat drifted on the river, soon starting to spin and crashing into the banks. Still no luck… Xiao Xun shook his head in frustration. He had tried several times, but without a boatman, the awning boat simply couldn't have reached Shenjia Wharf without any obstacles, as it had that morning under everyone's watchful eyes. Could it really be, as people say, the work of a ghost?

The next morning, another misty dawn broke. Xiao Xun strolled along the quietly flowing river. A small, covered boat drifted slowly downstream. Xiao Xun glanced at it with some annoyance, then suddenly froze. The boat had no boatman, yet it moved smoothly and silently forward! Without hesitation, he jumped aboard. There was truly no one there! No one inside or out. Yet the boat continued its smooth journey through the mist, slowly, slowly approaching—Shen Family Wharf! Xiao Xun almost cried out!

In the hazy mist, a figure could be vaguely seen squatting on the dock, busy with something. Xiao Xun immediately gathered his strength and leaped, quickly landing beside the person. The person jumped in fright, almost falling off the dock into the river. His long braid suddenly billowed up, brushing against Xiao Xun's cheek like a worm, tickling him unbearably. A light green spring robe fluttered gently in the wind, and his bright, lively eyes looked at Xiao Xun with some surprise.

"Isn't this the unlucky girl who fell into the awning yesterday?" Xiao Xun was very surprised to recognize the girl who jumped onto the awning of the boat yesterday.

"Isn't this the big idiot who kept crashing his awning boat onto the shore yesterday?" the girl retorted.

Xiao Xun was immediately annoyed and ashamed. So she had seen it yesterday?

"What are you doing here, sneaking around like this!" Xiao Xun's initial shock at seeing the ghostly awning boat had gradually subsided, and he spoke up. Could it be related to this girl?

"What are you doing sneaking around on the boat! You almost scared me to death!" The girl was clearly more eloquent than Xiao Xun.

"This ship... is it your masterpiece? How did you manage to dock so smoothly without a pilot?" Xiao Xun couldn't help but ask curiously. The girl smiled disdainfully: "Why should I tell you? Who are you to me?"

Xiao Xun felt a tightness in his chest, and his face flushed. He had stayed at home for twenty years, rarely interacting with strangers. This was his first foray into the martial world, and he was at a loss as to how to interact with a stranger, especially a woman. "I just hope you can tell me... because this matter is very important to me!" Xiao Xun lowered his tone and softened his voice.

The girl turned her head back: "Important? What's your relationship with Shen Rujun?"