Chapter 59: Marquis Yun. Alehouse!

Yun Yang's heart was heavy. These bits and pieces of information had genuinely upset him.

Advisor of the crown prince, officials from imperial court, generals in the military, servants of the palace... and the so-called General Zhenbei of the twentieth of the first month. Yun Yang was sure it was a fake alias.

Yun Yang had planned to call for the Nine Heavens Dictum and have them investigate the situation once he came across any hints.

He dared not do so now.

It was not that he was afraid to go against these people.He simply did not dare to let the Nine Heavens Dictum do it.

The involvement was becoming too widespread.

If those children got to know that their most respected bosses were killed by these people whom they had been protecting, only God knew what they would do.

It was for certain, though, that Empire of Yutang would be in mayhem.

He thought about His Majesty the Emperor who had spat blood and fainted several times, about the old marshal who had overworked and worried himself sick for this, about the millions of citizens of the Empire of Yutang who would be sacrificed once havoc erupted...

Yun Yang gritted his teeth and gulped down all the despair in his heart.

"I shall bear this alone!"

"Watch as I single-handedly plunge this world into chaos." Yun Yang thought about Heaven's Inquisition's words and could not help but enunciate it word by word, "I... shall... reign... unchallenged."

...

Yun Yang stood under the flower canopy; he was in the heart of Tiantang City, the lights were bright and merry around him. Yet at this moment, he felt extremely lonely.

It was a despondent sense of loneliness.

Yun Yang had a feeling that he was the only one that existed under the many stars in the night sky.

He was the heart of heaven and earth.

Despite the crowd and overwhelming tide of people, he was entirely alone.

Yun Yang heaved a faint sigh.

Lao Mei stood behind him quietly. Looking at Yun Yang, he could distinctly feel Yun Yang's loneliness; it was a desolate loneliness that resided in the heart. He could not help but feel sad for him.

He could tell that his young master was shouldering a burden as heavy as the mountains.

"Young master," Lao Mei spoke softly.

"What is it?" Yun Yang did not turn around.

Lao Mei was silent for while, before he said in a low voice, "I'm really rather curious about young master's identity."

Yun Yang smiled to himself. "Curious?"

"Yes. Throughout this whole year, I've sent hundreds and millions of fortune out under young master's instructions." Lao Mei said, "Now, we have taken down Li Changqiu and captured Chu Tianlang. Although young master has always stayed behind the scenes, these people aren't insignificant characters in any sense of the word."

"Young master has seized both of them without much effort and does not allow anyone to be near during interrogation."

Lao Mei said seriously, "I know that young master is doing something important and does not want anyone to know about it, but Lao Mei is no outsider after all. I want to help young master as well."

Yun Yang smiled warmly. "I know."

He then looked at Lao Mei. "Lao Mei, you are one of the people I trust most regardless of the situation. I'm not letting you know anything now because... I am uncertain myself. It is not yet time."

"One day, you will know. I shall let you know." Yun Yang said gently, "Lao Mei, please wait patiently. If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have you involved in so many things..."

"Lao Mei understands," Lao Mei replied.

"Don't tell Marquis Yun these things," Yun Yang said softly.

Lao Mei's heart skipped a beat.

"Marquis Yun!"

Yun Yang had called Yun Xiaoyao as Marquis Yun!

What did this mean?

...

Thousands of miles away from Tiantang City, a tall silhouette dressed in black was flying in it's direction. With a tiptoe, his entire being had skipped over a distance of a hundred feet like he was flying. Each step took him a hundred feet away!

There was not a single misstep.

He moved with the wind in this place where human activities were scarce.

His black clothes fluttered, his handsome face calm with eyes black and deep; he wore a long black robe, a black belt tied around his waist as a long sword in a black scabbard hung by his side.

Just as he entered the forest, rustles came from the fringes as a dozen men in black appeared from every direction. The man in the lead shouted, "Is the man in front Marquis Yun?"

The person's gaze lifted slightly and did not answer but everyone could feel his bold stare answering for him, "I am!"

"Absolute Swordmaster Seven Stroke Death Yun Xiaoyao... A swordsman from the martial arts world, now ranked as an official in the imperial court, you have enjoyed enough wealth. You are to come with us."

The masked man in black laughed maniacally.

With a wave of his hand, he shouted, "Capture him!"

Marquis Yun who stood on the opposing side looked calmly at the dozen men in black charging towards him; within a heartbeat, he was floating in the air.

With a flutter of his black robe, he raced serenely towards them. With an elegant swipe of his right hand against his waist, a ray of sword light appeared in his hands. There were sounds of the air splitting as he raised them high.

Sha, sha, sha.

Sky-blue lightning bolts suddenly cut through the air, brightening the night sky.

Just as the men in black clashed with Marquis Yun, each of their throats spurted blood simultaneously; their eyes sparkling with disbelief.

The chilling tip of Marquis Yun's sword had already pierced the leader's chest with an elegant sky blue aftertrail.

The blade was as cool as water, the blue glow throwing gentle sparks about.

The two of them stared at each other with a sword in between them.

The man in black's gaze was hopeless and disbelieving; Marquis Yun's gaze was calm like snow, nothing in it had changed.

"You... you are... are not at the sixth peak... you... you're ninth..." The man in black spoke with great difficulty. Looking at the sword in his chest, he could only feel the depletion of his energy as his life leaked out.

It was all a joke, and he had been the butt of it.

A ninth heaven otherworldly expert. Who was it that said he was only a sixth peak? And they were foolish enough to try to ambush a ninth heaven expert?

This... this was a setup!

"I was never a sixth peak." Marquis Yun spoke lightly, "Who sent you?"

The man in black made some incoherent sounds as he mumbled, "You think you could get it out from me?"

Marquis Yun nodded indifferently. With further force, the sword went entirely through his chest.

Clang!

The long sword went back into its scabbard.

Marquis Yun's silhouette was already another hundred feet away by then. With another flash, he disappeared.

I don't plan on asking!

What should come, will come!

I have my sword, and that will be enough!

His long silhouette vanished into the forest as he flew towards Tiantang City. In the nightfall, he had turned into a speck of light.

In the forest, the masked man in black looked at the bloodied gap on his chest in disbelief, not expecting that the other party would kill him so abruptly.

Wasn't he about to ask something? Why didn't he ask then?

He was so transparent.

With confusion, the man in black slowly fell backward.

The twelve bodies of the black clothed men laid on the ground, fallen facing in twelve directions. Twelve of their heads were almost touching each other, their legs spread outwards.

It was like an extremely symmetrical flower had bloomed on the ground.

A direct slash of the sword and the flower of blood blooms; killing twelve in a single stroke, therein lies the formation of life.

...

There was a tiny alehouse by a corner in Tiantang City.

The tiny alehouse had no name.

The business was obviously poor, there were no customers. A white-haired old man sat on a small stool in front of the door, his eyes murky as he was about to fall asleep.

Yun Yang appeared in the nightfall and came to the side of this old man saying, "Old Dugu, a customer is here."

The old man hummed a few times in reply, his eyes bleary in old age. "What do you want to eat, sir?"

A warm smile came about on Yun Yang's face as he said, "I wish to have the Chinese cabbage tofu dish that you make. Also, I would like a bit of Concentric Wine."

The old man lifted his head and looked at Yun Yang. "This sir does not look familiar."

Yun Yang replied, "Those who have eaten your Chinese cabbage tofu dish... however unfamiliar they look, they will become familiar anyway."

The old man's eyes shone as he said, "Right, right, that makes sense. Please follow me."

Yun Yang walked into the shop. The old man was just behind him as he actually put on the door panel and hung a sign outside.

Shop closed.

He was not receiving any other customers.

"This small shop of mine... it has been a long time since anyone came in for a drink..." Old Dugu busied himself, hunching his body while he said in a low voice, "If you hadn't come today, I was going to close down and leave if there weren't any more people coming in the next few days."

Yun Yang was in a trance, he looked around the tiny, dirty, shop as emotions rushed to his eyes.

He could still remember each time they came back from a mission, all of them would use all sorts of tactics and methods to find their way here and gather.

Each brother would sit at separate tables and drink alone but their occasional meeting of eyes were all filled with delight and happiness.

We're together again.

Now, the small tables were all still here in this shop. Each table was only about two feet wide and could only fit a dish, a pot of wine, and a goblet; there was no other space for anything else.

All eighteen tables were arranged along the sides of the wall, neat and tidy.

Yun Yang subconsciously went towards the ninth table and sat down.

He could not help but scan the other few tables.

Old Dugu looked at Yun Yang's expression and suddenly lowered his head, two drops of his old tears landed on the floor. He then carefully scrubbed the wok and the rest of the utensils. He did his work delicately. A Chinese cabbage that was translucent like jade then appeared on the chopping board.

His fingers felt around and a hidden shelf appeared on the wall in front of him. He took out a kitchen knife that was gleaming with an icy glow from the shelf and murmured as if there was no one around, "Do you want to learn this craft of mine?"

"Do you want to learn how to make a Chinese cabbage tofu dish?"

"This Chinese cabbage, you have to devein it... This tofu, needs to be... the water used has to..."

Yun Yang listened attentively and finally said softly, "Old Dugu, will you leave as well?"

Old Dugu's hazy gaze froze in the void, dazed as he murmured, "Everyone has left... All the old customers have left... They won't come again... What's the use of me staying here?"

Yun Yang felt his heart squeeze in pain and said, "I'll come often."

"You won't come often, you can't come often too." Old Dugu mumbled, "This is the last meal I am making for you."

In his hazy eyes, the sparkle of tears danced.

Yun Yang was quiet.

Won't come often, you have too much to do; can't come often, it will affect your emotions coming here.

Yun Yang understood.

He was silent. Old Dugu was silent as well, as he went about with his cooking.

The sound of the kitchen knife and of boiling oil... an indescribable aroma filled the entire tiny shop. A strange sense of loneliness and a strange sense of warmth swarmed Yun Yang's heart.

A dish of Chinese cabbage tofu was placed in front of him.

The Chinese cabbage was like an emerald jade, translucent and clear; the tofu was like an ivory jade, white and untainted; the soup was like the sapphire sea and blue sky.

A pot of wine was placed in front of Yun Yang, it's fragrant scent greeted his nose.

"Old Dugu, serve the other eight tables a pot of wine and a dish too," Yun Yang's voice was raspy, unable to help himself.

Old Dugu paused in a stunned silence before he murmured, "Serve them?"

"Serve them!"

Yun Yang's head was lowered, his voice hoarse and tinged with a faint tremble.

F*ck hiding my identity. I'm here now, I want to eat and drink with my brothers!