Chapter 8 Situation
Crouching in Xuan’s sister’s arms, I was secretly pleased with myself. When we reached the village entrance, I noticed that someone was ambushing us in the woods to the left and right. The forest on the left was very deep, and there were many ambushers, as many as seventy or so. There were only thirty or so on the right. Judging from the fact that Xuan’s sister escaped from the right, she must have realized something was wrong a long time ago. But even if I hadn’t helped her, she wouldn’t have gotten away so easily. Those mages were trying to cast a Freezing (Level 6) spell (presumably to capture Sister Xuan alive), but I secretly added some fire energy to it. Just as they were about to cast it, I also withdrew the mental energy, so the effect was like my “fiery” spell. Of course, the power was not too great, just enough to blow the magicians to bits. I didn’t want to blow myself up like last time, and it wasn’t a good feeling to land on your feet.
“Sister Xuan, you’re amazing, you couldn’t be stopped by so many people,” I praised.
“It wasn’t that easy. That blow just now cost me a third of my power, and I’ve only recovered nine levels (there are normally twelve levels).“
”Actually, I can help you too. Look, this is the Shadowless Divine Needle that Uncle Black gave me. It’s fired using the power of a machine, and it rarely misses within four steps.” I proudly showed her my treasure, which I had modified from parts I had removed from the broken robots in the base. It had extremely strong elasticity.
“Your Black-Robed Uncle is truly a strange man. He can use orcs and winged men, and he can also make strange things,“ Sister Xuan said with some admiration.
”Of course,“ I said proudly.
”Where are we going now?“ I asked.
”Rush to Moon Lake. I need to get in touch with my niece as soon as possible. I didn’t expect His Highness the Crown Prince to be here, too.“
”Isn’t he afraid that our emperor will detain him?”
“It’s not easy to detain him. There are so many people here and it’s so complicated. If he hides in the mountains, even if 100,000 people come, they won’t be able to find him. Besides, this would lead to direct war between the two countries. Even if they detain the crown prince, they won’t get any substantial benefits. The two countries are now separated by the river. It’s impossible for our country to cede land and destroy its own Great Wall (don’t ask me where the Great Wall is). This will only contribute to another prince becoming the crown prince.”
I nodded in agreement.
Xuan walked quietly in the forest without me noticing, occasionally levitating in the air with her magic. Xuan’s footsteps suddenly stopped. “Someone’s ahead. Be careful. It looks like a campsite,” Xuan whispered to me, and told me to lie on her back. She cast a soundproofing enchantment to completely cover my movements.
Xuan sister carefully approached the campsite in front of her, cast a fourth-level spell—levitation—and landed gently in the tree, without alarming the sentry below. After carefully observing the tents the other party had set up in the clearing, Xuan sister did not go any further, but retreated back into the forest.
“Who are they?” I asked.
“They are the royal family of the Xianbei. I don’t know who has come,” Xuan sister said indifferently, “let’s go.”
Taking me with her, Sister Xuan searched slowly and carefully around the Moon Lake. On the way, they encountered several groups of campers, but they were obviously not what Sister Xuan was looking for. After observing them carefully for a while, Sister Xuan left.
Sister Xuan, who was searching, suddenly stopped and looked to the right as if she had a hunch. A figure in green was standing under a tree.
“Ruoxin has met Uncle Xin,” the green-clad woman said in a silvery voice, bowing gracefully to my Xuan sister.
I looked carefully at my ‘niece’ (who called me her uncle’s younger brother). Her hair was like a cloud, her face like a lotus, her eyebrows like distant ink, and her skin like congealed cream. Standing in the breeze, her sleeves and skirt fluttering, she looked like a fairy.
“Ruoxin, your skills have improved again. I only realized it when I got here.”
Bi Ruoxin walked closer and gave a slight smile, ‘I’ve chosen a place to stay, please come with me, Uncle.’
Xuan Niangsheng nodded, ‘Okay, you lead the way.’
I was lying in Xuan Niangsheng’s arms, looking around, and I could clearly feel that there were quite a few people lurking around.
“This is the place the Gongsun family found. The people around us are the guards of the Gongsun, Dongfang, and Nangong families. Right now, the various forces are in a delicate state of balance, and each family is on high alert to prevent anyone from sneaking up on them,“ Bi Ruoxin explained to us.
After leading us into a tent, Sister Xuan and Bi Ruoxin joined forces to cast a barrier (for defense and sound insulation).
”How are the Nine Dragon Swords doing?” Sister Xuan asked.
“It’s still the same as before, appearing within a radius of 100 li centered on Moon Lake. Yesterday, it was said that someone saw two swords fly out of a hole.“
”Were there any casualties?
“From a month ago to now, a total of 20 people have died, 40 have been injured, and no less than 300 have been secretly killed by various forces.”
“When I arrived, I found that the one in the east may have come in person. His personal bodyguard, Chu Huding, came to see me.”
“It is said that whoever obtains the Nine Swords of Kowloon can unify the mainland, so it is not impossible that he has come to seize the sword. However, it is possible that he came in person to sow confusion, after all, this is not our Chu Huai Kingdom.“
”When did it spread that whoever obtains the Nine Swords of Kowloon can unify the mainland?”
“I don’t know who spread the rumour, but it might have been him himself. But the second prince is also tempted, and he even asked us to get the sword for him.“ Bi Ruoxin’s face showed her displeasure. ‘But the abbot said that we only need to make sure that the sword doesn’t fall into the hands of people with ulterior motives.’
”Can we completely rely on these three clans?”
“None of these three clans has the ambition to unify the continent and the martial world. Most of them came at our request this time, so of course it doesn’t rule out the possibility that they will seize the Nine Dragons Sword if the situation is favorable.“
”What about the other forces in the white way? Have they been watching the situation as well?“
”The senior figures from the four major sword schools have all arrived, and the remaining three major clans are still at the foot of the mountain. They are expected to enter the mountain tomorrow, and the people from Tiger Roar Villa, Hua Shan Xiao Yu, and Yan Xin Valley have also arrived.”
“So many people aren’t all here for the supreme martial arts techniques, are they? Don’t they know that those supreme martial arts techniques aren’t necessarily a good match for what they’ve learned?“
”They’re not stupid. If they can’t learn it themselves, they can let the next generation learn it.“
”Although A. Vinogradov is a peerless master, after more than 4,000 years, the supreme martial arts techniques he wrote about aren’t necessarily superior to the current supreme martial arts techniques.“
”If only those people had the same thoughts as Shifu,”
Xuan sister shook her head: “But the Nine Dragons Sword can truly be called a divine sword.”
“This is also an important reason for them to be tempted.”
…
These two kept talking about the situation around Moon Lake, and I asked questions from time to time. If Xin Xin answered them for me one by one, unfortunately, later, somehow, I fell asleep without knowing it.
In the morning, I was woken up by Xuan, who told me that I had to practice hard. I got up listlessly, yawning, and started to practice kung fu in the woods outside the tent (in the morning, everyone would find a place where no one could see them to practice). Xin Qixuan and Bi Ruoxin were dancing with their swords. After a while, I stopped practicing kung fu and focused on watching the two practice swordsmanship.
The people dancing with swords stopped, and Xuan looked at me reproachfully and said, “Lei, why did you stop practicing again?”
“Forget it, Uncle Xin, it’s time to eat now.“
”Yes, yes, I’m hungry and I don’t have the energy to practice boxing. Hurry, let’s go.“ I hurriedly agreed.
”You, if you hear about eating, you’ll be dead. Okay, let’s go back.“
”Miss Bi, your food is here.” As soon as we returned to our tent, we heard a young woman outside.
“Thank you.“ Bi Ruoxin went up to take the basket.
After finishing eating, a young man walked into the tent. ‘Hello, Fairy Xin and Miss Bi,’
”You must be Master Dongfang, is your father well?“ Sister Xuan asked.
”I am Dongfang Xuanyi, thanks to the fairy, my father is still in good health.“
”I wonder what Master Dongfang is here for…”
“My father and the other elders have asked Fairy Xin and Miss Bi to come and discuss matters.“
”Okay, you lead the way.”
Listening to a group of people discussing how to search the lake, how to repel the enemy, and what to do if someone gets the sword, I have no interest at all, but I also want to snuggle up in Sister Xuan’s arms, so I have to put up with the torture to my ears.
I turned my head and looked back and forth at everyone, but I saw three burly men in the distance who, like me, did not have an audience, but were instead drinking their wine in silence. Curiosity got the better of me, and since I had been in Sister Xuan’s arms for a long time, I didn’t care about this moment.
“Sister Xuan, I’m going to have some fun.” I pointed at the three burly men and said, ‘They seem like they’re having a lot of fun.’
Sister Xuan looked at the three men and nodded, so I jumped down and ran over to them, ignoring the stares from the others. There was one seat missing at the table for four, so I sat down next to them with great aplomb. The three of them were in their thirties or early forties, each of them was over 1.9 meters tall. At first glance, they looked like they had strong limbs and simple minds, but when some people in the front spoke, a light of wisdom sometimes flashed in their eyes. These four people looked relatively ordinary. If they were replaced with someone 1.7 meters tall, no one would pay any attention to them in a crowd, but they would inadvertently reveal a steady demeanor. Each of them used a machete, the style was only slightly longer than that used by ordinary people.
“I don’t know how to address this young master, and the Xun fairy is…“ the burly man sitting opposite me asked.
”My name is Qiu Lei, you can just call me Xiao Lei, and the Xun fairy is my sister.”
The three men had strange expressions on their faces. One had the surname Xun, and the other had the surname Qiu. How could they be siblings, and there was such a big age difference? Could it be that they were half-siblings? Just by looking at the three men’s faces, I knew what they were thinking, ‘She’s my foster sister, don’t get any wrong ideas.’ They really had no brains, how could they think something like that?
The three of them looked embarrassed. “Xiao Lei, what do you want with us?”
“Can’t I just want to see you? By the way, you haven’t told me your names yet.”
“I’m Wu Jianjun, the one on your left is Lei Zibing, and the one on your right is Zhao Yun. We’re fellow disciples.” Wu Jianjun from across the room introduced himself to me
I nodded in satisfaction, “Why did you come here?” I asked, pretending to be curious.
“Of course it’s for the Nine Dragons Sword,” Lei Zibing on my left said.
“You use swords, but you can also switch to using swords.“ I was a little surprised.
”Of course not. It’s just that we heard that the sword is extremely powerful, and if it falls into the hands of an ambitious person, it could cause widespread killing. Therefore, this time we heard that the Immortal Fairy of Wuxun Sword Dao is here, so we have come to join forces to prevent the sword from falling into the hands of unruly people,” said Wu Jianjun.
I never thought that Wuxun Sword Dao had such a high reputation in the martial arts world that just the name ‘Immortal Fairy’ would make people come and join forces.
I pretended to be unimpressed, saying, “Even if the sword is really good, it can only be used by one person, so it can’t be that powerful, can it?”
“That’s not the point. Some people are powerful and influential, and just one order from them can get countless people to work for them. If you kill such a person at this time, you can maintain peace for a while. If you have this sword to protect you, assassinations will become infinitely more difficult. Legend has it that this sword can even alert you when you encounter an enemy, although I don’t believe in such things.” Zhao Yun said.
“More importantly, if such a person gets the sword, his ambition will immediately grow. He will dare to do things he was afraid to do before.” Wu Jianjun said.
These people’s analysis is quite clear, but I don’t think as deeply as they do. In order to learn more about these three people, I immediately started a conversation with them. The three of them are disciples of Yun Lei Men in Jinzhou, and Yun Lei Men has been declining day by day. There are only seven disciples in this generation, and only three remain from the previous generation. There are none above them. These three are now leaving the school to travel and gain knowledge and skills. It is said that although these three people are not considered to be any kind of geniuses, they are hardworking and almost unparalleled. They have not only mastered all the Yunlei Heart Methods left by their master, but have also filled in the three realms. Although the cultivation of the three cannot compete with some of the top experts, they are not defenceless.
The three came to Changbai Mountain this time, one reason being the Nine Dragons Sword, and the other reason being the gold coins. Yun Lei Men is not wealthy, and it is somewhat difficult to maintain the food for ten people. They spend one-third of their time practicing martial arts while working part-time. When the three of them go out to experience the world, they bring three days’ worth of dry food with them. For seven years, they have been working part-time while taking risks. If they accept any task, such as fighting monsters or something, and make money, they will keep the necessities and remit the rest of the money to Yun Lei Men in Jinzhou, so that the school has more money to ensure that their younger brothers can practice normally. This time, in order to obtain the Nine Dragons Sword, Gongsun, Dongfang, and Nangong are recruiting people and have promised to pay each person 20 gold coins every two months, paid once a month. However, each of the three of them can only earn a maximum of 20 gold coins a year.
I recounted my life story, but did not say how I and Sister Xuan had become siblings.
“What are the three of you planning to do after this?” The three were busy with money, so maybe I could easily recruit them. I had just used my spirit to probe their spirits a little, and could confirm that they were good people.
“Nothing much, just wandering around and making some money on the side.”
“Gentlemen, we have become friends at first sight, and it will be a pity to part ways in the future.” I said with emotion
The three of them also quite like me, and they also showed a hint of sadness. Zhao Yun comforted me, saying, “There is no banquet that does not end, and being able to meet is a kind of fate.”
“Yes, we can still meet in the future, and there is no need to be too sentimental when we part,” Lei Zibing said.
“Hey, this is a time to get together, why say such parting words,” Wu Jianjun said.
“By the way, I can introduce you to a job that pays 20 gold coins a month,” I whispered mysteriously to them.
If I weren’t a child, and if they hadn’t seen Fairy Xin hugging me with their own eyes, they would almost have thought I was a human trafficker. How could there be a job that pays 20 gold coins a month just waiting for them? The three of them looked incredulous.
“Just think, 20 gold coins a month, if you work for two or three years, you won’t have to worry about money anymore, you can go wherever you want, and you won’t have to work half the year, and your younger brothers and sisters at home won’t have to work either.“ I tempted them with benefits, hmph, just work for two years, and I’ll let you go, you won’t want to leave.
”That’s true, but is there really that much money?“
”Of course there is, if it’s not enough, you can quit!”
“What kind of work is it?“ Wu Jianjun remained calm.
”Don’t worry, Xian Xianzi is my sister, what bad things can I make you do?“ As I said, if I let you do it, you won’t know what it is.
Thinking about it, the three Xian Xianzi nodded, Sister Xuan is really powerful.
”Okay, where is the workplace, not too remote, it’s not good for sending money.”
I glanced at Xuan Niangjie and Bi Ruoxin, but I couldn’t let them hear. Just in case, I cast a barrier. I leaned my head towards the middle and whispered to them, “This is a secret. You must never tell anyone, except for the people of your Yunleimen. No one else is allowed to say anything.”
The three nodded.
“The work is in the capital. You go to Milan Capital and tell them that you are friends of mine, Qiu Shuihan, and they will arrange accommodation for you.”
“You’re not called Qiu Lei, why did you become Qiu Shui Han?“
”Shui Han is my style name.“
”Where is Milan Capital?“
”You’ll know once you arrive in the capital. No one in the capital doesn’t know about Milan Capital.“
”Okay, after this matter is settled, we’ll go.“
”You don’t need to rush. I still have some things to do. Without me, they won’t give you the money.” After saying this, I removed the barrier.
“You really don’t have the slightest idea about the Nine Dragons Sword.“ After talking with them for a while, I started talking about the Nine Dragons Sword again.
”To say that we don’t have any ideas is to deceive ourselves. It is possible that we will seize the Thunder Dragon Sword and the Zelin Sword. The heart skills on these two swords may be suitable for our path. Our Yunlei Heart Technique is not considered top-notch martial arts, and Yunlei Technique is only ranked sixth.”
Is that right? I don’t believe you are all saints, and you don’t want this kind of good stuff in front of you. Seeing that these three people attach so much importance to the martial arts, can I use my stunts to lure them? I have to try it in the future.
“I heard that one of the two swords that have appeared now is the Thunder Dragon Sword.” I said excitedly, “By the way, didn’t you come to get money to help people? It’s not very good if you take the sword.”
“We are only here to escort them to the lake, and then to Jingjhuang afterwards. And every two months, they can withdraw if they want to. So there is no such problem.“
It seems that these three major families are reasonable people.
”Report… Someone outside the account is seeking an audience and claims to be from the BuXingGe.”
Most of the people sitting there changed their faces. The Puxin Pavilion is one of the six schools of the Demon Sect, and its status in the Demon Sect is the same as the Wuxun Sword Path’s status in the righteous sect.
“Although the relationship between the righteous and the evil is not a life-and-death relationship, there are still disputes and constant feuds. The people from the Puxin Pavilion came here at this time, presumably for the Nine Dragons Sword,” said Dongfang Zhengxin, the head of the Dongfang family.
“Xin Xianzi, why don’t we go out and see, listen to what they have to say, it’s been two months here, and we’ve got nothing,“ Gongsun Xidao, head of the Gongsun family.
”Everything is best left to Mr. Gongsun, after all, this is Mr. Gongsun’s sphere of influence,” Sister Xuan said politely
Hearing that there was going to be a good show, I hurriedly said to the three brothers I had just recognized, ‘There’s going to be a good show, I’ll find you later,’ and then I scurried back to Sister Xuan’s side.
“Xuan sister, are we going out? I want to go too,“ I said, taking Xuan’s hand.
Xuan sister smiled, charming everyone (except for me, Xuan sister doesn’t often smile): ‘You little rascal, whenever there’s something going on, you pop up.’
”Hurry up, I can’t wait,”
Outside the camp, three people were standing: a man in his late 20s or early 30s, and two middle-aged men with unremarkable faces. Watching everyone come out, the young man stepped forward three paces and, waving a fan, introduced himself: “I am Lou Mantian of the Buixin Pavilion. This time, by order of my master, I have come to discuss something with everyone.”
This guy kept looking at my sister Xuan and sister Ruo Xin, and even waved a fan in the middle of winter. Hmph, just by looking at him, I knew he was no good. I really wanted to use a “fire pillar” to burn his bottom, just like the other day when I burned the little bird. Thinking about this, I couldn’t help but giggle. The kid even glanced at me, and my sister Xuan patted my head to indicate that I should be quiet.
Gongsun Shi also stepped forward and said, “I wonder what the owner of the pavilion wants to discuss with us.” (The owner of the Pavilion of Mending Hearts was said to be surnamed Lou, but no one knew his name.)
Facing the heads of these six great families, this Lou fellow dared not be rude. He first exchanged greetings before saying, “It’s about how to search for the Nine Dragons Sword. If you seniors are interested, you can meet at the lakeside in the afternoon and sit down and talk, so that we don’t all waste time here and no one dares to act first.”
Gongsun Shijie froze for a moment, exchanged glances with the others, and immediately agreed, “Okay, we’ll go in the afternoon. I wonder what time it starts?”
“How about this, I’ll come personally in the afternoon to lead you there, okay?” His eyes were looking at my sister Ruoxin, and I greeted his family several times in my heart.
“That’s even better, I’ll be very grateful.” Gongsun Shiyi smiled and got up.
This time, this guy turned his head towards my two sisters and said, ‘I heard that Miss Bi is good at the xiao and Fairy Xin is good at the flute. I am not very talented but I know a little about playing the qin and would like to exchange ideas with the two of you.’ This guy actually wanted to kill two birds with one stone and immediately put it into action, even more actively than me. I looked at this guy viciously, thinking about how to get rid of his evil ways.
“I’m not going. I still have some homework to do. Ruoxin, if you’re free, you might as well go ahead. I’m going back first.” After saying that, he turned around and took me back. I hurriedly looked back to see if my sister Ruoxin had been tricked by this guy. No good, Ruoxin sister actually agreed to him, ‘Ruoxin sister, don’t let him trick you, I don’t think this guy is a good person.’
Ruoxin sister’s face remained calm, but she shot me a reproachful look in her eyes. Everyone’s gaze was also a mixture of anger and amusement.
“My name is Dongfang Xuanyi. Although I have not studied much about music, I have dabbled in it, so I would also like to exchange ideas with you two.“ After Dongfang Xuanyi met Bi Ruoxin in the capital, he was amazed and followed her all the way to Changbai Mountain. This time, seeing that Lou Mantian had asked out the woman of his dreams, he was not about to miss out.
”That’s fine, let’s all learn from each other,” Bi Ruoxin said.
“Sister Ruoxin, be careful, that Dongfang is not a good person either,“ I said from a distance.
Everyone laughed.
”Then who is a good person?“ someone teased me.
”Of course it’s only me,” I said, pouting in Xuan’s sister’s arms.
A loud laugh rang out.