The Nine-Ringed Saber and a Disgruntled Disciple

The martial arts school’s courtyard quickly filled with a throng of disciples, all eager to witness the unfolding spectacle.

“Psst, psst, have you heard? Someone’s here to challenge our school!”

“I’ve long heard tales of Master’s formidable ‘Nine Heavens Overlord Saber Art.’ I’ve been a disciple for five years, yet the only time I’ve ever glimpsed its power was when he was casually peeling potatoes…”

“Look quickly! That’s Master’s ‘Nine-Ringed Mad Saber’! It truly lives up to its name, cutting through chicken and duck, and slicing earth as if it were iron!”

As whispers filled the air, two figures emerged from the main hall.

The disciples, quick-witted and eager to please, had already begun clearing the courtyard. They swiftly moved aside wooden dummies, stone blocks, and various training equipment, creating a wide, open space in the center for the two combatants.

They then scrambled to arrange small benches, grab handfuls of melon seeds, and settle down with fruit platters, ready to watch.

By this point, the two figures facing each other in the courtyard’s center could no longer restrain themselves.

Lei Ling was the first to make a move, unleashing a thunderous roar.

The disciples’ eyes widened, fully expecting their Master to unsheathe his saber.

Instead, Lei Ling flexed his powerful arms, his knees slightly bent, and began to artfully wield his great saber right where he stood.

Gusts of chilling wind swirled around him, scattering the phoenix tree leaves across the courtyard.

“Excellent!”

‘Master’s strike is like thunder,’ the disciples mused. ‘An instant victory would be far too uninteresting.’

‘A bit of posturing first, then, to make the audience’s journey here worthwhile.’

Thus, they were very supportive. As he performed his art on stage, they cheered from below, practically ready to pass around a begging bowl for contributions.

“Good for nothing,” Xu Niantang muttered.

Xu Niantang, who had been squatting in a corner of the main hall, now found herself in a corner of the courtyard. She picked up a twig and began to draw a small figure on the ground. A circle, five lines—a stick figure of ‘Ye Di’ was swiftly completed.

Then, her embroidered shoe viciously stomped over it several times, instantly rendering the stick figure of ‘Ye Di’ utterly disfigured.

Seeing this, Xu Niantang’s mood immediately brightened.

Two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks as she pursed her lips. “That’s what you get for making me angry…”

Suddenly, she was ‘apprehended’ on the spot, startled so badly she nearly leaped three feet into the air.

“Young lady, you seem unfamiliar. Have you perhaps come to learn martial arts?”

Xu Niantang turned her head to find a man, whose appearance was almost as abstract as the stick figure beneath her shoe, smirking sheepishly at her.

He wore the martial arts school disciple’s uniform—a simple blue cloth shirt—and, oddly enough, seemed to have some sort of rag tied around his waist.

Xu Niantang replied, “Yes, I’m here to learn martial arts. But I have no money.”

The disciple immediately brightened, rolling up his sleeves. “Little Junior Sister, there’s no need to worry. My family has a considerable amount of extra wealth; supporting a few apprentices would be no issue at all—”

“Hold on,” Xu Niantang interjected. “When did I become your little junior sister?”

The disciple paused, bewildered. “But don’t you wish to join the martial arts school and learn skills?”

Xu Niantang confirmed, “That’s right.”

“I also train within Master’s school, and I joined before you did. So, wouldn’t that make you my junior sister—”

Xu Niantang nodded. “However, after speaking with you, this young lady has changed her mind. From this day forward, you and I are sworn enemies. In this Lei family martial arts school, there can only be one of us. If I join, you will be expelled.”

The disciple looked as if he had been struck by lightning. A single falling leaf from the courtyard drifted onto his forehead, seemingly pressing him down with a soft *thud* as he collapsed to the ground.

Faint chuckles were already beginning to ripple through the crowd.

“That’s what you get for a toad trying to eat swan meat, didn’t you see? My dear Junior Brother, next time, forget about yearning for the Cloud Brocade Pavilion. The Pheasant Inn is more our speed!”

“Senior Brother Long has been tormented by Senior Brother Zhao for years. He tried to get ahead this time, but still got a cold shoulder…”

“Just look at her attire; she’s clearly a young lady from a prominent family. We should simply watch from the sidelines… unless Senior Brother Zhao makes his move…”

“Alright, alright, enough chatter! Master has already begun!”

“Silence! Silence! Master is about to unleash his ‘Nine Heavens Overlord Saber Art,’ a technique that remains dormant until it astounds the world!”

All eyes swiftly turned, fixed on the unfolding spectacle.

There stood Lei Ling, gripping his Nine-Ringed Mad Saber, legs spread wide in a powerful stance, resolute against the fierce winds. The nine small iron rings on his saber clinked softly but ceaselessly.

Someone, seizing the opportune moment, began to stir the crowd. “Come, come, place your bets! Let’s see how many rings of Master’s saber art this challenger can withstand!”

Indeed, he was already tossing a chipped bowl, circling it through the crowd. Occasionally, a few copper coins would jingle out from within.

The gambling-prone disciples eagerly craned their necks forward. “Here, I’ll bet on three rings! Ten coins—that’s all my pocket money for the month!”

“What virtue! Only ten coins? How can you ever achieve greatness by being so stingy? I’ll bet on four rings, eleven coins!”

“A’si, back at this again, are we? Last time, when we bet on whether Master’s study secretly held a genuine, original copy of ‘The Iron Plum Blossom’, you made quite a profit, didn’t you?”

“Hehe, well, everyone enjoys it, don’t they? Come on, Senior Brother Niu, care to place a wager yourself?”

Listening to their nonsensical chatter, Xu Niantang found herself utterly bored.

She slowly let out a yawn, only for yet another person to approach her.

Xu Niantang cast a glance at the newcomer. His appearance was decent enough, she supposed—a presentable sort. “What do you want?” she asked bluntly.

The exceptionally handsome man, with his sharp eyebrows and sparkling eyes, offered a gentle smile. In a refined tone, he asked, “That gentleman is with you, young lady, isn’t he?”

Xu Niantang affirmed, “Yes, that’s correct.”

The handsome man chuckled. “They’re all preoccupied with their bets, and I have no interest in joining their little game. However, from what I can see, that gentleman is likely facing a grim outcome.”

The surrounding shouts—”I’ll bet five coins, just to warm things up!” “You little scoundrel, I’ll raise it to six!” “Haha, tonight’s silver for the Jadeite Pavilion is secured! Miss Xiaofang, wait for me…”—gradually faded into silence.

They were replaced by murmurs: “Holy cow, Senior Brother Zhao is personally making a move?” “How unjust this world is! Too many wolves and too little meat… no, too many monks and too little porridge, what misery!” “Senior Brother Zhao is young and accomplished, and this young lady is as beautiful as a flower. They’re a match made in heaven, a true pair of talented individuals. It seems another prized ‘cabbage’ is about to be snatched away…”

Xu Niantang’s eye twitched. She wanted to curse them all, but feared Ye Di might overhear, which would undoubtedly lower her standing in his eyes.

She simply pursed her lips, pressing her foot down harder on the stick figure she’d drawn.

Senior Brother Zhao, seeing that the young lady completely ignored him, remained unperturbed. He maintained his warm, spring-breeze-like smile.

“Young lady, do you understand the meaning of their bets?”

Xu Niantang thought that while he looked like a human, his intelligence was quite lacking. She had clearly shown her disdain, yet he persisted, shamelessly clinging to her. He truly had no sense of propriety.

She conveniently overlooked the fact that she herself was not much different, stubbornly clinging to a certain man named Ye.

However, hearing him mention the ‘bet’ piqued her curiosity, and she perked up her ears.

Senior Brother Zhao noticed her reaction, and his smile deepened. “Do you know that Master Lei relies on his ‘Nine-Ringed Mad Saber’ and the ‘Nine Heavens Overlord Saber Art’ for his reputation in the pugilistic world?”

Xu Niantang had heard this before. She furrowed her delicate brows, stating coldly, “I already know that. This young lady doesn’t care for idle talk.”

Senior Brother Zhao thought to himself, ‘To win over a young girl, the key is to stir her emotions.’

‘First, make her feel moved or admiring, then offer a sense of security.’

‘Her initial poor impression of me doesn’t matter. Although right now, her eyes are still filled with hearts for the man accompanying her, that man will soon suffer a crushing defeat beneath Master Lei’s saber.’

‘Young girls often view their crushes through rose-tinted glasses. Once those glasses shatter and the young girl recognizes reality, her affections will rapidly cool.’

‘Then I can step in, seizing the opportunity to ‘kick him when he’s down.”

‘Of course, it must not be too obvious. I need to ‘kick him when he’s down’ with grace and style—what is commonly known as ‘showing off.”

‘This way, with such a dramatic reversal, an innocent girl like her will be even more prone to falling in love.’

Immediately, he felt brimming with confidence, as if he held all the wisdom. He smiled, “Young lady, have you noticed the small iron rings on Master Lei’s saber?”

Xu Niantang replied, “Yes, I have.”

Senior Brother Zhao explained, “In his early years, Master Lei established a rule while traversing the martial world. Each ring he removes from his Nine-Ringed Mad Saber signifies a greater challenge posed by his opponent.”

Xu Niantang responded, “Oh, I see.”

Senior Brother Zhao cleared his throat twice and adjusted the collar of his robe. He said gently, “For ordinary opponents, Master Lei typically only needs to remove two or three rings. For renowned masters, however, he must remove four or even five rings to subdue them.”

Xu Niantang nodded. “Understood.”

Senior Brother Zhao stretched out his arms, tilting his head back as if to embrace the heavens, and declared passionately, “And I, though unworthy, am capable of forcing Master Lei to unleash his sixth-ring state.”

Xu Niantang simply said, “Understood.”

Senior Brother Zhao felt his body language had conveyed enough, and the atmosphere was perfectly set. The young lady should now grasp the significance of the sixth ring.

He offered a subtle, humble smile and a slight nod. “Precisely. Therefore, in my estimation, if that gentleman can withstand Master Lei in his third-ring state…”

The young girl before him suddenly leaped up, as if stung by a hornet.

She cried out excitedly, “Awesome! Villain, go! Beat him to death!”

Senior Brother Zhao stared blankly at the flushed-faced girl before him.

By all accounts, his steps were flawless. He had successfully lured so many respectable young ladies before.

So why was it that her eyes were now brimming with even more hearts for *that* man?