SS CH4

As night fell, the vast sky was draped in ink, and heavy rain poured down in torrents. The large streets and small alleys of Guyang City were practically devoid of any human shadows; every household had its doors and windows tightly shut.

In the back courtyard of Duanshui Manor, continuous sounds of chopping persisted. A ten-year-old boy, dressed in black martial short-clothes, executed obscure and complex footwork. Wielding a wooden dao that was somewhat too large for him, he ceaselessly hacked at a stone pillar the height of a grown man.

His tender, youthful face was entirely frozen in cold concentration. Even though his entire body was drenched through, and the web between his thumb and forefinger was red from the rebounding force, he systematically continued to swing his blade. The stone pillar was densely covered in shallow white marks, and in some places, spiderweb-like cracks had already begun to appear.

Standing under the corridor was a man draped in a heavy cloak trimmed with fox fur. He coldly watched the young boy practice the blade in the rain. Suddenly raising his hand, a walnut shot through the curtain of rain and struck the child’s blade-wielding wrist. The boy’s hand trembled from the impact. Unable to grip the blade with a hand whose web was already split open, the wooden dao flew out of his grasp. The boy’s eyelashes fluttered. Just as he bent down to pick it up, unexpectedly, another walnut struck his knee. He was about to fall face-first to the ground, but fortunately managed to brace one hand against the floorboards, narrowly avoiding throwing himself into a full prostration.

The man under the corridor said coldly, “Come in.”

Strapping the wooden dao to his back, the boy looked exactly like a water monkey dripping wet from just crawling ashore out of a river. Standing before the man, he respectfully called out, “Father.”

“Xie Li, I’ve told you many times… the greatest taboo for a martial artist is lacking strength in the hands and having an unstable xiapan (lower foundation). You’ve practiced for three years, yet you haven’t made a single bit of progress. What a disgraceful display!” The man possessed sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, but unfortunately, his face was fraught with sickness, occasionally letting out a few coughs. He was only a little over thirty years old, yet his features carried an aura of aging death.

This was the master of Duanshui Manor, Xie Wuyi.

Xie Wuyi’s wife passed away from illness two years ago, leaving only this one son, Xie Li, by his side. Logically speaking, he should have treated the boy as the flesh of his heart and the pearl in his palm. Yet in reality, this “flesh” was treated like the cheap scraps sold off by a butcher, and the “pearl” was like a flawed, inferior good accepted by a blind pawnshop clerk.

Waking earlier than the roosters and sleeping later than the dogs; the four words ‘studying literature and practicing martial arts’ were pressed over this child’s head like an unshakable mountain. It was fine in his earlier years, but these past two years, his life had been nothing but torment. Since his accident, Xie Wuyi’s temperament had become utterly erratic, and he treated this son with extreme harshness. Sometimes even the servants in the manor couldn’t bear to watch, but whether the master’s child was good or bad, what right did they have to gossip?

Xie Li swallowed the words that had reached his lips back down, remaining as silent as a toad sinking its qi into its dantian (energy center). Xie Wuyi scolded him a few more times before finally flicking his sleeves and walking away, his face full of disgust and impatience.

Once he was gone, Xie Li lifted his right hand. Seeing the purple-blue walnut bruise on his wrist, he felt his wrist still throbbing and trembling with pain. He silently rubbed it, not uttering a single word, his stomach full of grievances.

The sound of footsteps approached. Xue Chanyi took a brocade handkerchief to wipe his face and sighed, “Scolded again?”

Xie Li remained as silent as a sealed gourd, but someone behind Xue Chanyi picked up the conversation: “How pitiful. Your Shifu (Master) strikes with too heavy a hand, completely lacking humanity.”

The child’s face paled, and only then did he notice that Xue Chanyi had brought a stranger with her. This person wore a cyan-colored, narrow-sleeved long robe with a wide sash cinched by an indigo brocade belt. With ink-black hair draped over his shoulders and picturesque features, he looked to be about the same age and height as Xie Wuyi. Only, he had seven parts less decay and three parts more free-spirited elegance.

Half a shichen (an hour) ago, Ye Fusheng had cleaned himself up to look presentable. Then, with an empty breeze in his sleeves, he entered Duanshui Manor. Relying on his glib tongue and three-inch thick skin, he followed behind Eldest Miss Xue, looking left and right. Just as he was planning to head to the kitchen for a midnight snack, Xue Chanyi heard that her Shifu was scolding her little junior martial brother again and hurriedly rushed over. Her heart ached so much that her beautiful face carried an aura of murderous intent. Unfortunately, the one doing the beating was her Shifu. No matter what, Xue Chanyi couldn’t just whip him, so she could only sigh while rubbing away Xie Li’s blood stasis.

Eldest Miss Xue was only sixteen years old, yet she was already the famous ‘Night Yaksha’ (fierce woman) of Guyang City. For years, very few people knew she possessed such a “womanly” side. Finding it novel and thinking this kid’s stubborn donkey temper was quite amusing, Ye Fusheng spoke up to tease him a bit. Unexpectedly, Xie Li suddenly stiffened his face into the exact same coffin expression as his old man and said sternly, “Duanshui Manor does not allow outsiders to set foot inside. Who are you? How dare you speak disrespectfully to the Manor Lord!”

Ya-hei! Ye Fusheng smiled until his eyes turned into slits. He bent down to look him in the eye and said, “I’m the newcomer your Sister Xue invited back with an eight-bearer sedan chair.”

Xie Li: “…”

Xue Chanyi gritted her teeth. “Ye Fusheng! What kind of ghost nonsense are you spouting?”

“Alright, there was no eight-bearer sedan chair, but I really am a newcomer.” Ye Fusheng waved his hand. As if performing a magic trick, a small oil-paper packet appeared in his palm, containing neatly cut sugar cubes.

A piece of candy was unexpectedly tossed into Xue Chanyi’s mouth. A rich osmanthus fragrance filled her mouth, and the scolding she was about to spit out was forcibly choked back down. Xue Chanyi glared with her almond eyes, but the man merely smiled apologetically with absolute shamelessness: “Please don’t take offense, Miss; this lowly one apologizes. This osmanthus candy is freshly made. Have one to sweeten your mouth; do not get angry and scold me, lest it dirty the Miss’s mouth.”

Xue Chanyi chewed the osmanthus candy with a loud kacha crunch, looking exactly as if she were chewing on a certain someone’s bones, but her ears slowly turned red. Watching this, Xie Li was dumbstruck like a wooden chicken. His tiny little head had never been filled with thoughts of romance, and right now, having an earful of sweet-talking rhetoric poured into him, he simply couldn’t handle it.

His mouth fell open slightly. Seizing the opportunity, Ye Fusheng stuffed a piece of candy inside. Spiciness accompanied by sweet fragrance exploded in his mouth. Xie Li’s face instantly flushed red, but unfortunately, his excellent upbringing forced him to suppress the urge to spit it out. Chewing it into pieces with great difficulty, he swallowed it down. Both his eyes misted over with watery tears, making him look incredibly pitiful.

Xue Chanyi: “…What did you feed him?”

“Candy, ah.” Ye Fusheng’s face was full of righteous integrity. Then he added, “Ginger candy. Look at him, he’s been in the rain for so long. How can he not have some ginger candy to dispel the wind and cold?”

Xue Chanyi sighed in defeat. She patted Xie Li’s head, lowered her face, and said to him, “Little Li, go back to your room, bathe, and change your clothes first. I still have some words to say to this fellow.”

Xie Li sucked in a breath of air to dilute the sweet and spicy taste in his mouth, his face still stiff as he asked, “Who is he?”

“He’s a guard I newly hired. Don’t worry.”

Only then did Xie Li take small, quick steps and run off into the distance. Ye Fusheng narrowed his eyes, watching him leave, and sighed, “He’s a good child, just a bit too old-fashioned.”

“Shifu has always been strictly disciplined him.” Xue Chanyi rubbed the space between her eyebrows and said, “I’ve already spoken to the steward. As long as you don’t break the rules or cause trouble, you can move freely within the manor. You don’t need to look at anyone’s face to survive.”

“With such preferential treatment from the Miss, what do I need to do?”

Xue Chanyi raised her eyes to look at him. “I handle all these arrangements for you, and you take care of Little Li for me.”

Ye Fusheng asked, “Does the Shao Manor Lord of Duanshui Manor truly need a wandering Jianghu rogue like me to take care of him?”

Setting aside the guards and disciples in the manor, with a man like Xie Wuyi present, could he really not protect his own son?

If that were truly the case, then this Number One Saber in the World… really ought to be replaced.

Instead of answering, Xue Chanyi asked, “When you entered the city today, did you notice anything?”

“I saw a lot of people. People of the Jianghu.” Ye Fusheng began to smile, a piece of osmanthus candy in his mouth. “The Three Religions and Nine Schools, a mix of dragons and snakes. The large and small inns nearby are packed so tightly not even water could leak through. I only managed to bribe a waiter with great difficulty to clear out a woodshed for me to boil water and bathe.”

Hearing this, Xue Chanyi sneered coldly. “Pressing step by step closely. Truly maggots attached to the bones; how infuriating!”

Ye Fusheng swallowed the rest of the candy in one gulp, his speech slightly slurred: “Are they coming for the Manor, or… Manor Lord Xie?”

Xue Chanyi’s voice was freezing cold. “They are coming for the ‘Number One Saber in the World’.”

Chewing on a mouthful of candy pieces, Ye Fusheng said nothing.

Xue Chanyi took a deep breath and asked, “Have you ever heard of a man named ‘Li Feng’?”

Ye Fusheng spoke slowly, “If you’re talking about that Li Feng from Zanghun Gong of Mizong Ridge, then yes, I have heard of him.”

Since ancient times, the orthodox and the unorthodox could not coexist. The righteous path had Four Great Sects, and the evil factions were not far behind. On the southwestern border lay a deep, secluded mountain valley stretching for a hundred li. The terrain was complex, shrouded in miasma, making it difficult even for flying birds to find their way out, hence the name “Mizong” (Lost Track). And entrenched within this deep valley was the current leader of the Demonic Path—Zanghun Gong (Burial Soul Palace).

Zanghun Gong was like a miniature Jianghu. Aside from martial artists who had betrayed their sects or committed heinous crimes, it also took in foreign tribes who had lost their homes and countries in the chaos of war, and even the descendants of disgraced court officials. People from all walks of life—all three grades and nine ranks—could be found there; it was truly a mix of dragons and snakes. Once they entered Zanghun Gong, they were like snakes, insects, rats, and ants plunging into a mud pit, lying dormant in the swamp and spying on the human world, yet completely severing all ties to their pasts. From then on, they were merely dogs of Zanghun Gong.

Dogs naturally didn’t have names. Those who could be called by name were the vicious hounds highly valued by their master.

Li Feng, twenty-five years old this year, was the master of the Azure Dragon Hall of Zanghun Gong. He was an orphan adopted in his early years by the Gongzhu (Palace Master), and was now one of his most capable subordinates. Being targeted by him was like encountering the fiercest wolf on the steppes.

Xue Chanyi’s lips tightened. “For generations, Zanghun Gong has been active on the southwestern borders. Although they have entrenched forces in the Central Plains, they have always refrained from stirring up trouble. However, over the past two years, with the frequent outbreak of wars with foreign tribes, the power of Zanghun Gong has expanded further. Now, they have begun to shift their focus to the Central Plains.”

“The martial arts factions in the Central Plains are intricately intertwined. Between the orthodox and evil paths, who knows how many uncalculated messy debts there are. If Zanghun Gong acts rashly, they might pull one hair and move the whole body. That is why they need to kill a chicken… Ah pei, kill one to warn a hundred.” Ye Fusheng coughed lightly twice and hammered his aching, numb right leg, shaking his head. “Duanshui Manor is a major noble family in the Central Plains martial world, and Manor Lord Xie is the world-renowned Number One Saber. Logically speaking, it’s a tough bone to gnaw on. Unfortunately…”

Xue Chanyi said coldly, “Unfortunately, after the incident three years ago, the entire Jianghu believes my Shifu is crippled, and that the title of Number One Saber is now nothing but an empty reputation. This time, Zanghun Gong initiated the Zhengfeng Assembly to seize seven famous blades of the Central Plains orthodox path to flaunt their might. Duanshui is the fifth.”

Ye Fusheng asked, “Then, regarding these so-called Jianghu rumors… are they actually true, or simply wind coming from an empty cave (baseless rumors)?”

Xue Chanyi didn’t speak. Her eyes stared fixedly at him. After a long while, she finally said, “Ye Fusheng, you are a smart man, and a man who understands.”

What a muddy puddle of water. Ye Fusheng sighed and said, “The grace of a drop of water is repaid with a surging spring. This lowly one thanks Miss Xue for your trust and will certainly not fail what I have been entrusted with.”

“Since you’ve promised me, you absolutely must do it.” Xue Chanyi lifted her chin, revealing her usual arrogant dominance. Her gaze was sharp and harsh, not resembling a maiden at all, but rather more terrifying than a venomous snake. “If anything happens to Little Li, even if you tunnel deep underground, I will dig up your ancestors’ graves for eighteen generations and scatter your ashes to the wind!”

—”You promised me… you must do it. Otherwise, I will not rest in peace.”

Two voices merged into one, stabbing ruthlessly into Ye Fusheng’s heart like a sharp sword. His mind buzzed loudly, and everything before his eyes began to sway and blur into chaos. His right leg throbbed with a bone-piercing ache. The color instantly drained from his face, and he instinctively pressed a hand against his chest—the place where the brocade pouch and the jade pendant lay.

“What’s wrong with you?” Sensing something was off, Xue Chanyi reached out to support him. Who could have known that this lecher, dizzy and confused, would actually grope her waist in his disorientation? Eldest Miss Xue’s almond eyes glared sharply, and she nearly threw him to the ground.

Yet the primary culprit still wore an innocent, pure, and weak expression, looking exactly like someone terminally ill and on the verge of coughing up blood: “Ke… Ke… I’m sorry, this lowly one couldn’t see clearly.”

Xue Chanyi ground her teeth and said, “The Zhengfeng Assembly begins in seven days. Over the next few days, people from various sects will definitely arrive in Guyang City, and Duanshui Manor naturally cannot close its doors and refuse guests. Since you are half-blind and your eyes don’t work well, just stick close to Little Li without missing a single step. And don’t go causing trouble everywhere, lest you offend people you can’t afford to provoke.”

Hearing this, Ye Fusheng let out a yawn and spread his hands. “Since that’s the case, Miss, please have someone lead me to the Shao Manor Lord‘s courtyard. The night is long, and this lowly one is sleepy.”

Miss Xue felt an itch in her hand; the long whip at her waist was restless.

Just at this moment, the sound of horse hooves came from the distance, likely a carriage stopping at the front gate.

At such a late hour, in a place sitting on the crest of a storm.

Xue Chanyi ordered a servant to lead him to the back courtyard, while she hurriedly walked toward the front gate to meet the guests. Ye Fusheng narrowed his eyes. Fortunately, entering the inner courtyard required passing through a long corridor. Using the light from the lanterns under the eaves, he turned his head for a final glance, only to see Xue Chanyi hurrying past a group of people. The leader of the group was just closing his paper umbrella, perfectly revealing his appearance.

He looked very young, but completely lacked the impulsiveness or foolishness of a greenhorn. His black clothing made his face look excessively pale. His eyebrows were like blade edges, his eyes like deep pools. His features were breathtakingly, flawlessly handsome, and his thin lips were a patch of blood red, exactly like a blade that seals the throat with blood.

Note: “The grace of a drop of water is repaid with a surging spring” (滴水之恩，當湧泉相報) is a classic Chinese proverb expressing deep gratitude. It means that even the smallest favor received should be repaid with immense generosity.