Volume 10 Chapter 49

I shoved Fang What's-his-face into a tub that I made out of sixteen timber planks to have some peace and quiet, but I could still hear him crying, "You sgared ob me (You scared of me)!" over and over. As much as I wanted to show him what fear meant, I figured it would be best to listen to Wu Ba first in case there was any misunderstanding.

"What exactly is his name?"

"We separate our surname and first name. Usually, our first name goes in front of our surname. His name is Fanghuihong. He's from the heroic clan Sima Erdan."

"... Sima Erdan Fanghuihong?"

"Correct."

That's a pretty cool name, fadzo!

"He's a really good fighter. He has triumphed in a number of battles for His Majesty, so he is vaunted general. He's not very smart, unfortunately, which led to him offending His Majesty. As a consequence, he was demoted. The constant back and forth in ranks is the reason he is still a soldier."

Ah, so he's Nanjiang's Long Zaitian. But if you're saying he's not good with words, just how bad is he?

"The two of you are probably too far ahead for him to catch up, though."

You still think we're with Autumn Water Sword Sect, yet you're talking about him not being smart...

"Sounds like the situation in Nanjiang is far from normal." I looked over to Young Shiyi.

As per Young Shiyi's words, she wasn't insensible. While she did like to mess around, she, like Shifu, could be counted on when it counted. I heard he guided her in the realm of strategy, which was how her pranks on me suddenly levelled up.

"I believe what Huahua told us. Nieyao is too close to Baimu for comfort, so we better resolve their issue before proceeding further."

"I didn't expect any smooth sailing when I learnt of the place in Nanjiang. Still, this is more than I expected."

"You mean..."

"Mr. An."

I already told Young Shiyi everything about Mr. An. She had never heard anything about him before, but she didn't take him lightly when I told her he has a photographic memory and fought me to a draw. Even I couldn't get him off his mind, especially his movement that resembled a dark nightmare I couldn't escape. I still couldn't determine if his laughter had any purpose or implications. Nonetheless, his gift for martial arts was shocking - in the positive and negative sense.

I knew I wasn't going to be able to pick off Mr. An easily when I deliberately snatched Purple Forbidden Enclosure Dragon Slayer from him in an attempt to aggravate him, hoping he'd make a careless error I could exploit.

Mr. An had a good head, kept it in mint condition no matter the circumstances to make decisions, had no empathy to speak of and a skill set I had yet to see in full. He had the patience to wait twenty years to steal the sword carving in the palace and invested ten years training Luo Ming into his puppet for one sword. Despite the hefty investment, he chose to leave when I took his investment. While Mr. An was privy of my existence and spent a long time looking me up, I had no idea he existed. He was someone I couldn't read.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that I had walked into an elaborate conspiracy, yet I couldn't even produce a skeleton of what it might be. Young Shiyi didn't have a guess, either. The conclusion of our analysis was that, if there was one more Divine Realm adept, even if it was just one, the power scale in the pugilistic world would change the direction it tipped. Mr. An, who could flog Luo Ming when the latter was armed with Purple Forbidden Enclosure Dragon Slayer, must've had big ambitions. Whatever plot he was hatching could rattle the martial world. No, I should say, his plan had the potential to shake the foundations of the world.

"You suspect Mr. An is linked to the divine weapon Heisina Tribe is forging?"

"I can't say directly connected, but there's a fat chance. Luo Ming is a blacksmith and one of the few lucky people to survive an encounter with Six Evils, yet he never thought to forge a weapon. Where does a tribe that has borne with centuries of suffering find the inspiration from?"

"If you ask me, I think you're too fixated on Mr. An."

"Hmm?" Now that, I didn't expect to hear from Young Shiyi.

"It's impossible for him to facilitate a plan of this magnitude on his own. Have you forgotten it was Nanjiang's Poison King who rescued Luo Ming? Who demonstrated he could go to and fro the imperial palace unhindered to take my cousin's carving that went untouched for twenty years? You also suspect Princess Jingan's involvement. It's evident that Mr. An isn't working alone. For all we know, there might be several reclusive monsters we don't know of trying to stir the pot. There's no question that there's an organisation we can't even fathom behind the scenes, calculating each step. Every move they're taking is the product of years of planning and investment.

"Rather than saying Mr. An has a part in the divine weapon Heisina Tribe is forging, I'm more inclined to believe the organisation is involved. Besides, we don't have any evidence to support the notion that he's the organisation's only executioner. They must have more members as skilled, and possibly even more, or people with a specialty, like Poison King. We can't be fixated on Mr. An and overlook that possibility."

I scratched my head as I sighed: "You have a point. I feel stupid for having tunnel vision now."

"Hehe, you might've caught yourself in the past. It goes to show that Mr. An has piqued your interest. How long has it been since you've let loose? Well, I suppose there aren't many people who can walk away after fighting you. He must be the first after Baima, right? He's got you excited."

"Me?" I couldn't resist a smile. "Is it that obvious?"

"It's in plain sight, isn't it? Whenever he's the topic, you seem as though you want to fight right away; I even feel sorry for him now. Do you keep Forgiveness on you at all times so that you can maul him when you deliberately encounter him?"

Men can blush, okay? I didn't think I'd be read like a book.

"I do like that side of you, though." Young Shiyi pinched my cheek cheerfully. "It's cool."

"Ahem," interrupted Heisina Duohua. "Miss, you two, uh, have spent too long in your own world."

Have we?

The soldiers with their mouths clogged were having a crying session.

Do all the chicks at Baimu share my appearance or something? Why are you all crying? That's an insult, by the way.

"Excuse me!" Staring, Heisina Duohua pointed at me and questioned, "Do you have time?!"

What? You want to throw hands outside?

"I, I, I..."

Based on Lass Duohua's cheeks that resembled reflections of a setting sun and her gulp, I asserted, "I get it!" I showed my palm, elaborating, "I must reject your marriage proposal!"

"Huh?"

"I know I'm hot, but you should give up."

"Don't flatter yourself!"

Understandings could arise if I caught her leg to stop her kick, so I restrained her using celestial spider silk, even using the eighteenth binding method to ensure she couldn't resist, turning her into a humanoid tortoise shell.

"There is nothing this one can't bind into a tortoise shell."

"Feizhen." As my alarms went off, Young Shiyi continued slowly, "I had no idea you invented this new discipline to play this game. What was it called? Tortoise Shell Thread?"

"No, no, no! No, no, no! It's Seven King Threads! Seven King Threads! I didn't touch her precisely because I was worried you'd misunderstand!"

"Look at her! You've touched every part of her! Bring your ear over here!"

"I! I want to ask you to come to Nanjiang to help us!" Heisina Duohua regained movement once I removed my threads, allowing calmness to seep back in. "We have a lot of elderly and children. My brother may be strong, but he is no match for Baimu's elites. Please help us! Please!" she beseeched, prostrated on the ground.

"Why me?" I queried.

"I, I've never seen someone so skilled. You're markedly stronger than my brother."

"You don't suspect me?"

"... To be honest, I do, but I feel that you two wouldn't harbour ill will... I used to be really afraid of coming to the Central Plain. In Xiacang Anxi, we are told that people in the Central Plain are as sly as Qingqiu State's foxes and as cruel as bats in Chiyi State. After coming here, I've discovered it's not true. People in the Central Plain... are the same as Xiacang people. We're told we're welcome, but the lies are peeled back one by one. You two are different. She is the first person to be so kind to me. You... grind my gears when you open your mouth, but you don't lie. That's why I feel that you are good people."

"Feizhen... I think you should help her," Young Shiyi whispered.

"Nanjiang has its own set of rules. Besides, there's no reason she has to ask me for help. Hey, Lass, if you have money, I can introduce you to some pretty assassins. I won't ask for a middle-man fee."

"We... don't have much money." Rubbing her hands, Duohua expounded, "The aim of my trip to the Central Plain is to search for Morcher's Princess, A-Lan. Among the twelve states, Morcher is the only one that treated us differently. My brother was a general for Morcher's King when he was young and highly valued. Sadly... Morcher perished overnight twenty years ago.

"Although less than half of Morcher's royal family survived the ordeal, the other states hunted them down. Princess A-Lan is the only member to have escaped. That is why the royal court now has rights to the majority of Morcher's territories. My brother wants to help her resurrect Morcher so that Morcher and our clan can survive.

"I was thinking: if we can't find Princess A-Lan, I should bring back someone strong. There are plenty of adepts in the Central Plain; I'll find one if I try. If I couldn't find one, we would disclose the fact that Baimu's King wants to hire help from the Central Plain so that we sabotage their plan."

I have a bad feeling about where this is going. Why does everything s-

"I know I'm being inordinately optimistic. I want to find someone who knows where a Princess is, is strong and can help us quash Baimu's plan, but nobody of that calibre exists."

You're coming after me, aren't you?! I tick every box you're listing! You're trying to point at me, aren't you?!

Holding her aching sides, Young Shiyi cheered me on with shoulder pats.

"I need to think about it."

Young Shiyi: "I'll help you. I'll go with you."

Me: "I'll also help in that case. I've got plenty of time on my hand to kill."

"Hahaha!" Young Shiyi pointed at me.

"Y-you will help us?!" Heisina Duohua beamed.

"And tell you I know where A-Lan is. As a matter of fact, her husband is my bro. If you need anything, hit him up."

Heisina Duohua, legs almost giving in beneath her, murmured, "... Noble Sun Divine Bird, noble gods, are you protecting me from above?"

"Finally," I uttered under my breath.

The wind started blowing harder as over a dozen swordswomen in white flitted over the walls of the courtyard in formation, prompting Wu Ba to blast, "Who are these women? They reek of vixen vibes! And they're painfully ugly!"

Recognising the group, Heisina Duohua turned to me. I could see from her aghast face that she was sorry for dragging us into her problem.

"Go pack your luggage. We're setting out in an hour."

"Huh? But they ar-"

"You won't go wrong following my instructions. Go."

Heisina Duohua reluctantly led her people away.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, they're all decent." Young Shiyi scoped out all of the swordswomen with laser-sharp focus. "If I could turn them into my dancers, I would get to watch a performance every day."

"I can capture them if you like."

"Quite the arrogant one, aren't you?" A thirty-odd woman ambled in through the front door, her light steps making a statement of her advanced qinggong. Her light breaths were a clear indication that her internal energy had been developed much further than Ah Su. Her qi was most condensed in her hands and feet, especially her wrist, which was an indication that swordplay was her main skill. The beautiful lady dimpled. "This one is Autumn Water Sword Sect's deputy matriarch - Qiuxin. It is a pleasure to meet y-"

"Kneel."

And... girls started raining down from the roof, shrieking before they hit the ground.

Qiuxin's exasperated face put a grin on my face.

"Harro. I mean, hello!"

Glossary

Fanghuihong - This is the correct way to write his name. In the , I deliberately wrote it as "Fang Huihong" due to the difference between the Central Plain and Xiacang's languages.

Harro - Ming Feizhen is suddenly speaking Cantonese, which, in Mandarin, reads as "lightning monkey".