Unexpected Encounters at Wangjiang Tower

Ji Yuchang was furious. Having been pampered since childhood, always showered with flattery and deference, she had never experienced such disregard.

Seeing him completely ignore her and descend the stairs, she felt a pang of indignation.

She felt both wronged and heartbroken, wondering, ‘Could it be that he truly doesn’t like me? Was I mistaken all along?’

Ji Yuchang refused to believe it. She was convinced he was merely trying to save face, fearing embarrassment if others saw through his affections, which was why he feigned indifference.

Having thus convinced herself, Ji Yuchang regained her confidence and followed him down to the inn’s main hall.

Just then, two more figures entered from outside. The sharp-eyed Senior Brother Fang immediately announced:

“Senior Brother, Senior Sister, you’re back!”

The man and woman who entered possessed extraordinary bearing. He had sword-like brows and star-like eyes, while she had skin like jade and a face like a flower, appearing every inch a perfect couple.

As Ling Yafu, the Senior Brother of Ji Family Sword Manor, stepped in, he didn’t even pause for a hot cup of tea before sweeping his gaze over the assembled disciples. He then began:

“Junior Sister Gu and I just finished scouting ahead. Several groups of righteous cultivators will be passing through Wangjiang Tower in the coming days. Junior Sister Gu, I believe that’s correct, isn’t it?”

The woman, clad in black, with a striking figure and an imposing heroic aura, nodded.

“Senior Brother Ling is right. Furthermore, I’ve sent a letter via carrier pigeon to inform them to first rendezvous here at Wangjiang Tower. After resting and recuperating, we will then join Alliance Leader Fang to collectively assault the main Zhaixing Pavilion.”

This Senior Sister of the Ji Family Sword Manor, named Gu Beizhu, had lost her parents early in life and was sent to the Ji Family Sword Manor to learn martial arts from a young age.

Fortunately, she was naturally intelligent and willing to put in arduous effort. Over more than a decade, her sword skills had reached a pinnacle of perfection, even brushing against the threshold of becoming a Sword Saint.

Among her peers in the Ji Family Sword Manor, none could surpass her.

Senior Brother Fang Shiwun then chimed in:

“So, what’s our plan now? Should we rest for a bit, or continue our journey?”

Just as Senior Brother Ling Yafu was about to speak, his arm was suddenly embraced.

He shifted his gaze, only to find the Junior Sister of their manor clinging to his arm, her head gently nuzzling against it.

Ling Yafu had never witnessed such a display. In his memory, the Junior Sister had always been closer to Senior Sister Gu, and such physical contact with him in front of outsiders was frankly inappropriate.

Ling Yafu knitted his brows, admonishing her in a low voice:

“Junior Sister Ji, what are you doing? Have you no decorum? Let go at once!”

The young woman who had just latched onto his arm was none other than Ji Yuchang.

Far from releasing him upon hearing Ling Yafu’s reprimand, she clung even tighter.

“As the saying goes, ‘an elder brother is like a father.’ What could possibly be wrong with me acting a little spoiled towards an elder?”

Gu Beizhu, standing nearby, sighed and spoke:

“Junior Sister Ji, we are out in the world, not within the manor. Everyone is watching, so it would be best if you didn’t cling to your Senior Brother.”

Ji Yuchang was, of course, well aware that everyone was watching. Indeed, that was precisely her intention.

She stole a glance at Ye Di in the corner, noticing he showed no reaction, merely resting with his eyes closed.

Gitting her teeth, she tightened her hold on Ling Yafu even further, her nails nearly digging into his flesh.

“Oh, Senior Brother, there were a few crucial points about the ‘Lingxiao Soaring Cloud Steps’ you taught me last time that I haven’t quite mastered. Would you mind teaching me again next time?”

Ling Yafu let out a wry chuckle.

“‘Lingxiao Soaring Cloud Steps’ is the manor lord’s personal secret technique. I was fortunate enough to receive the manor lord’s favor and be taught this profound art. Alas, my talent is meager, and I’ve only grasped a fraction of it. Last time, I taught you because I couldn’t refuse, but how could I bear to mislead a disciple again?”

Ji Yuchang retorted:

“I don’t care! Senior Brother Ling, you are now a master of the Sword Saint realm. There isn’t a single young talent under heaven who can compare to you. Aren’t you ashamed to refuse even a small request from a little girl like me?”

Upon witnessing this, the sword manor disciples, though filled with envy and jealousy towards Senior Brother Ling, acknowledged that he was a genuine Sword Saint master.

Among the younger generation across the entire martial arts world, he was considered a paragon.

It was only natural for the Junior Sister to be close to him, and even more so if the manor lord were to look upon him favorably in the future, offering his precious daughter in marriage.

Fang Shiwun sighed inwardly, a bitter thought crossing his mind.

The crucial point was that not only did the Junior Sister respect and adore him, but even Gu Beizhu, the Senior Sister—the most skilled, most beautiful, and the lofty, unattainable ‘white moonlight’ in every male disciple’s heart—seemed to hold Senior Brother Ling in extremely high regard.

Within the manor, the two would often spar with swords and exchange insights on martial arts.

They frequently appeared together, and in the eyes of the disciples, they already seemed like a deeply devoted couple.

However, if the Junior Sister also entered the fray, Senior Brother Ling outwardly favored Senior Sister Gu. But would he, under the pressure of parental decree, go against his true feelings, resolutely abandon his genuine love, and marry the Junior Sister Ji whom the manor lord had betrothed to him?

Instantly, the spirit of gossip blazed fiercely in the hearts of the manor’s disciples.

At this moment, Ye Di, who had been in the corner of the main hall, seemed to have rested sufficiently.

He opened his eyes, estimated the time, and decided to return upstairs to check on Xu Niantang.

Unexpectedly, halfway up, he heard someone loudly proclaim:

“Senior Brother Ling, do you like me?”

The voice that replied clearly faltered for a moment, but then responded:

“Among everyone in the manor, who doesn’t like the Junior Sister?”

“So, you’re admitting you like me and will be good to me, right?”

“Naturally. This was also the manor lord’s instruction before we departed…”

“Now *that’s* the Senior Brother I respect and admire! Bold and decisive, loyal and righteous—a true man!”

Ye Di had no idea what this girl was shrieking about at the top of her lungs, as if she were afraid others wouldn’t hear her.

He mused, ‘Could it be that the almanac warned against travel today, lest one encounter all sorts of strange and sinister beings?’

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than it was proven true.

Another series of footsteps echoed from outside, and this time, a group of martial artists, diverse in appearance, entered.

Leading them was an old woman, dressed as a village matron, leaning on a thick wooden staff.

Ye Di merely glanced at her, yet immediately discerned the depth of her martial arts foundation.

The old woman appeared frail and trembling.

In reality, each step she took was incredibly powerful, her lower body exceptionally stable.

Her gait exuded the solemn and dignified presence of a grandmaster.

If one were to compare her to the sword dao realms, this old woman possessed at least the strength of an initial-stage Sword Immortal.

This revelation finally piqued Ye Di’s curiosity.

A Sword Immortal was no common sight. Throughout centuries of the Great Liang martial arts world, only a few dozen had ever achieved such an esteemed title.

Ye Di pondered for a moment, connecting what he had heard about the “Righteous Alliance” with the current discussions among this group of sect disciples.

It wasn’t difficult to deduce that a major battle would soon erupt in Luoyang.

If Luo Yifang’s words were true, Xiao Wushang was dead, power within the pavilion was shifting, and the Righteous Alliance was seizing the opportunity to launch a full-scale assault on the main Zhaixing Pavilion.

In such turbulent times, why would the new pavilion master, not overseeing matters within the main pavilion, travel to the Wangjiang Tower, a mere branch?

With this thought, Ye Di decided he wanted to gather more information.

He halted his steps and returned to the inn’s main hall.

At that moment, a booming voice echoed through the hall:

“We few wish to sit down and eat, but there are no seats. Would a few of you esteemed heroes mind moving your esteemed bottoms and lending us some warm stools?”

The speaker was a burly man dressed in plain cloth. He smiled as he looked at the sword manor disciples, yet there was no humor in his brows, and his eyes even gleamed with an ominous light.

Ji Yuchang was startled by the group’s imposing aura. Involuntarily, she released her grip on Senior Brother Ling’s arm and timidly retreated a few steps.

Ling Yafu, as the manor’s chief disciple, had cultivated his composure well. He was not intimidated by these individuals; instead, he met their gaze and stated in a deep voice:

“If you wish to eat, we certainly won’t stop you. However, rules dictate ‘first come, first served.’ To simply demand we leave like this is hardly reasonable.”

“First come, first served? Precisely.” Behind the burly cloth-clad man, a masked woman spoke coldly.

“That’s a rule for the living. If we simply kill all of you, the dead naturally won’t be queuing for seats, and we will be the first to arrive!”

As she finished speaking, she waved her delicate hand, and instantly, several streaks of silver light shot forth from her fair wrist.

With two ‘whooshing’ sounds, they pierced the air, heading directly for Ling Yafu’s glabella.

Ling Yafu stiffened, hastily twisting his body to evade. The poisoned iron darts narrowly grazed his brow bone before embedding themselves firmly into the inn wall, instantly creating several cracks.

Witnessing this display of skill, the sword manor disciples gasped, their hearts growing cold.

Meanwhile, Ye Di, who had observed everything, narrowed his eyes. From the second-floor railing, he murmured:

“‘Little Heavy Mountain’? Isn’t that Zhaixing Pavilion’s unique hidden weapon?”