Chapter 50: The Boss, the Blade, and the Moonlight Vow
Chapter 50: Chapter 50: The Boss, the Blade, and the Moonlight Vow
"Young Brother Ji."
"This is for you."
Just as Ji Xiu’s heart stirred.
Wei Zhi suddenly rose to her feet. She took a Fine Embroidery Saber that had been tucked under her dress and placed it gently beside him.
The saber was as thin as a cicada’s wing and about a forearm’s length. It resembled both a saber and a sword. There seemed to be some characters engraved on the hilt, and from the patterns on the scabbard alone, one could tell it was considerably valuable.
Her eyes shimmered, the tips of her brows slightly upturned, making her look both playful and valiant. She said in a low voice,
"This saber... I had a Grand Craftsman forge it, modeled after the weapons of the masters from the Northern Garrison Command. It surpasses ordinary iron."
"It’s as thin as a cicada’s wing, yet it can channel Force and slice through iron as if it were mud. It won’t even shatter when striking an Iron Bone. It can already be considered an Eighth-Grade Mortal Weapon."
"Ordinary iron weapons and forged blades are merely Ninth-Grade Mortal Weapons at best, far inferior to this."
"In terms of silver coins, it would cost at least two or three hundred, and you often can’t even find someone to forge it."
"This time... I’m gifting it to you, Young Brother Ji."
Ji Xiu glanced down. Back at Feiyan Tower, he hadn’t gotten a clear look and had just assumed it was a young lady’s decorative embroidery saber.
But when Wei Zhi’s two slender fingers gently slid the scabbard aside, revealing a small, gleaming section of the blade, his pupils immediately constricted. He felt a stir of temptation.
However, the value was simply too high, prompting him to refuse.
"Miss Wei, this saber, I can’t..."
He didn’t get to finish his sentence.
She gripped the spine of the blade and forcefully pressed the saber in front of him.
"I heard that when you were of humble status, it was through sheer determination that you knocked open the doors of the Sword Sect to get where you are today."
"Compared to you, I once pestered my father to have this saber made, but after it was forged, I only used it to weigh down my dress. It’s no different from a pearl gathering dust."
Wei Zhi shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
"Since that’s the case, I might as well give this Fine Embroidery Saber to you. A treasure saber belongs with a hero, after all. I hope that in the future, you can be like the masters of the Northern Garrison Command, patrolling the world and intimidating outsi—"
Her eyes curved into crescents, and she was about to speak with a light smile, but seeing Xuu Heng’s stiff expression and the pale Lu Yu clutching his chest, she thought for a moment, lowered her lashes, and spoke in a hushed voice instead.
But before she could finish speaking.
STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!
Several sets of sharp footsteps suddenly burst through the doorway, interrupting their conversation.
"Father!"
Xuu Heng, who had been stiff-faced, saw the livid Purple-robed Crane arrive. He shot to his feet with a WHOOSH, his face lit up with joy, and he suddenly came to life.
Ji Xiu also followed the sound with his gaze.
In a single glance, he saw the three heads of the Wind and Cloud Association—Lu Chengfeng, Purple Robe Crane Xuu Manor, and Butcher’s Saber Wei Dinchang—enter the Wind and Cloud Association’s base, followed by their top disciples.
"The men from Tiger and Leopard Hall..."
"They were this ruthless?"
Seeing his own son’s arm swollen to such a state, Xuu Manor’s brows furrowed tightly, his refined and scholarly face instantly hardening.
Meanwhile, Lu Chengfeng, supported by Lu Hongyu, saw the pale Lu Yu covered in medicinal powder the moment he entered, and his eyes filled with anger.
"We’ve had some minor conflicts with them recently, but in all these years, it’s rare to see their three houses so united!"
"If they’d done something else out of line, I might have let it go."
"But this time..."
"They’ve crossed the line!"
"We’re all at the first stage of Skin Refining, Jade Skin, and none of us have cultivated Outer Gang. If things really get serious, do they think we businessmen can’t beat a bunch of thugs like them!?"
Lu Chengfeng’s tone was sharp. When he reached Lu Yu and examined him, he found his son only had superficial injuries, and his expression finally softened a little.
Then, he turned to Ji Xiu, his eyes filled with both astonishment and a complex mix of emotions.
"You..."
Lu Chengfeng recalled the rumors he’d heard on the way here. He held his breath for a few moments before saying heavily,
"A good foundation!"
To be able to defeat three Bone Tempering martial artists at Feiyan Tower, even if they were just novices, was impossible without the kind of skill rumored to be close to reaching the first human Secret Treasure and breaking the body’s shackles.
And cultivating Golden Muscle and Jade Veins couldn’t be achieved by relying on medicine alone; it required a Superior Pile Skill.
Recalling the Broken Arm Captain that Lu Yu had mentioned, Lu Chengfeng understood.
’This kid...’
’I’m afraid he’s truly received the True Inheritance of that expert!’
With this thought, his expression turned solemn. He slapped his hand down decisively.
"From now on, within the Wind and Cloud Association, regardless of which of the Three Major Professions..."
"If any Disciple is resentful or dissatisfied with the position of Medicine Hall Master, bring them before me, Lu Chengfeng, and I will personally punish them!"
"I’d like to ask them to their faces if the promising talent my Lu Manor has cultivated is qualified enough!"
"What are your thoughts, gentlemen?"
His gaze swept over Purple Robe Crane Xuu Manor and Butcher’s Saber Wei Dinchang.
Xuu Manor shook his head, having no objections.
Ji Xiu had brought his son out safely. By all rights, he owed him a favor. That was an undeniable fact.
As for Butcher’s Saber Wei Dinchang, seeing Wei Zhi unharmed and then noticing the black-clothed youth with a fine saber by his side, he was stunned and remained silent for a long moment.
Then, the moment Lu Chengfeng finished speaking, he suddenly reached out and hauled Fang Xiao over from his side.
"Master?"
Fang Xiao jolted, completely confused.
"Kneel!"
Wei Dinchang bellowed sternly.
THUD!
Without a split-second’s hesitation, the Disciple, accomplished in Bone Tempering, dropped to both knees, nearly caving in the floorboards.
"Yes!"
Fang Xiao raised his head.
"What did I teach you back in the day?"
"When you do something wrong, you admit it."
"You kowtow and apologize!"
Wei Dinchang pressed down on his shoulder, rubbed his shiny bald head, plucked a non-existent strand of hair, blew on it, and said nonchalantly.
At this, Fang Xiao didn’t hesitate. He looked at Ji Xiu.
"Brother Ji, I kowtow to you!"
"I have offended you greatly. This position of Hall Master is yours by right!"
THUD, THUD, THUD!
After three loud thuds, he showed no emotion. The kowtowing done, his forehead red, he cupped his fists and retreated behind Wei Dinchang.
For a moment, everyone present fell silent.
’If I recall correctly, weren’t you the one who started all this trouble in the first place?’
Ji Xiu stood up from his chair. Watching the decisive Fang Xiao, he let out an "Uh..." but before he could even try to stop him, it was already over.
"Take the Young Master back to recuperate."
Purple Robe Crane Xuu Manor whispered an instruction to the person beside him and had Xuu Heng hastily taken away. Before leaving, he said to Lu Chengfeng and Wei Dinchang:
"Are we really going to swallow this insult?"
Lu Chengfeng’s eyes were grim.
"Of course... we can’t just let this go!"
"We’ll see about that."
With that, he also hurried away with Lu Yu to seek medical treatment.
Before leaving, Lu Hongyu looked at the fine saber at Ji Xiu’s waist, wanting to say something but hesitating.
...
「On the way to the Cattle and Sheep Market.」
Wei Dinchang walked with his hands behind his back, carrying the air of a big boss. As he walked, he suddenly sighed.
"Fang Xiao, you’ve achieved Minor Success in Bone Tempering and are a Hall Master in your own right. Forcing you to kneel and kowtow to someone... I’ve put you in a difficult position."
In response, Fang Xiao grinned and patted the Black Water Flood Dragon tattoo on his left arm.
"Master, I’ve been with you in the market since I was fourteen, for over a decade now. Before I started following you, I had to grovel to people. To save a bit on rent, I even endured crawling between someone’s legs. What’s a little kneeling compared to that?"
"Besides..."
"If I don’t take the fall, should you? There’s no logic in a little brother not kowtowing and letting the big boss lose face instead!"
He puffed out his chest, completely unconcerned, which made Wei Dinchang even more satisfied.
’Sometimes.’
’When you choose your top disciple, the face of your operation...’
’It’s not about how cunning or capable he is.’
’Even if he’s reckless and looks down on people, it doesn’t matter.’
’As long as he’s loyal, respectful, and knows when to step up and take the heat, then even a wild dog, with daily guidance, can be trained into a Wild Flood Dragon!’
’That’s a point those two fools, Xuu Manor and Lu Chengfeng, will never understand in their lifetimes!’
Finally, he looked to his right at his daughter, with her slender figure and delicate, narrow waist, who had grown up to look nothing like him. His expression was one of helplessness.
"That saber... back then, I moved heaven and earth to have that blade forged for you, modeled after the Brocade Spring Saber of the Northern Garrison Command. It’s like a saber and a sword... do you know how much effort that took?"
"And you just turned around and gave it away?"
"Your mother was a cultured lady from a noble family in the Prefecture City."
"Before she left, she personally carved a line of poetry on the hilt. I don’t understand it, but..."
"That fine saber you used to weigh down your dress, according to her, was for you to choose a husband, to select your man!"
"That Ji Xiu is a dragon among men. The way I see it, Lu Chengfeng’s daughter is probably wasting her time. It’ll all come to nothing. That investment of several hundred silver coins of yours was really..."
To this, Wei Zhi replied with a soft smile:
"It doesn’t matter."
"As long as I’m happy."
Wei Dinchang was at a loss for words.
He couldn’t help but...
...recall a time some twenty years ago, when he had fought his way out of five hundred li of the Mountain Dao, arriving in Jiangyin Prefecture in simple cloth robes and meeting a gentle woman.
Back then, he didn’t have this overbearing air; he was incredibly simple and honest.
Back then...
When she followed him back to this rundown County town, she had said the same thing.
"Oh, you..."
Someone next to him handed him a tobacco pipe.
Wei Dinchang took a puff, his gaze growing distant.
This scene.
It was just like all those years ago.
...
「Fire Kiln, Lu Manor.」
「As dusk fell.」
The moment Ji Xiu stepped inside, he saw Hong Jiang instructing Ji Wei in her Saber Technique.
Lu Manor had some Martial Arts suitable for Entering the Realm. Unlike Pile Skills, which solidified one’s foundation, practicing them casually to build a base was still quite good.
Therefore, over the past few days, Ji Xiu had intentionally started teaching Ji Wei how to practice with the saber.
As for Hong Jiang, he had gone from a Fire Kiln Guest to one of the Wind and Cloud Assembly Members, and was now completely won over by Ji Xiu, willing to serve him faithfully.
Even when Ji Xiu wasn’t around, he took it upon himself to look after Ji Wei.
This pleased Ji Xiu greatly.
As he arrived, Ji Wei, with beads of sweat on her forehead, wiped them away. Her eyes immediately lit up.
"Brother!"
She skipped over to him. Ji Xiu smiled slightly, bent down, and pulled a box of Golden Rouge from his robes, waving it in front of her.
"Look what this is."
When the little girl saw the wooden box, her eyes shone even brighter.
"Huh? Brother, you practice martial arts all day, why would you buy this?"
She took it carefully, but then her gaze fell on the fine saber at Ji Xiu’s waist. She narrowed her eyes and touched the hilt.
"You got a new saber, and there are words on it, hmm..."
"Let me see."
She fiddled with it, looked closely, and murmured softly:
"’I wish to follow the moonlight that flows to shine upon you...’"
Just then, Lu Hongyu, having finished tending to Lu Yu, ran over to the small courtyard and stepped over the threshold.
She happened to overhear that very line.
When she froze, stopping in her tracks, her expression became complicated as she looked at the saber.
It was as if a hidden gem she had discovered in the sand was now having its brilliance discovered by someone else, and she felt a little sour.
However,
When she saw the young man, upon seeing his little sister’s curiosity, smile and hand the scabbard to her,
and at the same time, take a deep breath, set his stance, circulate his blood, and temper his great tendons, completely focused, without a trace of attachment to the saber...
Leaning against the doorframe, she was silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but chuckle.
’That’s right.’
’A person like this, with a heart free of distractions and filled with such passion... It would be strange if he didn’t attract attention.’
...
"Soaring Serpent Cloud-Chasing Technique Progress Advance +1!"
[Soaring Serpent Cloud-Chasing Technique: (19/30)]
Under the twilight sky, a sweat-drenched Ji Xiu looked at the prompt on the Primordial Daoist Talisman.
After wiping away his sweat, he felt the trembling in his muscles and bones and clenched his fists.
’I... I’ve improved again!’