Jianghu Demolition Squad

Martial Arts Competition Under The Heavens (Part Six)

Zhu Ji laughed beside her, “Lady Si Ming, your words carry deep meaning.”

Qing Jiu waved her feather fan, “Is that so?”

After entering the manor, the group encountered many distinguished figures. Some disciples from various sects had already arrived at Mingjian Manor, making Qing Jiu’s group somewhat late.

As they walked through a corridor, they came across two men standing at the entrance. One was a handsome young man dressed in a luxurious brocade robe, about twenty years old, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an air of nobility as he welcomed the guests. This was Yan Jianyu, the second son of the Mingjian Manor. The other man, standing behind him, held a long sword and wore black, exuding strength and fierceness; he was Meng Guang, Yan Jianyu’s subordinate.

After sending off a few jianghu guests, Yan Jianyu’s sword-like eyebrows raised slightly as he said in a cold voice, “What kind of background do they have to even claim to be masters? My brother issues invitations without considering who all are being invited.” His voice was soft, but Qing Jiu and the others, with their profound internal energy, heard every word he said, as the man spoke without any reservations.

The guide left the group where they were, holding two invitations, and walked with lowered hands to Yan Jianyu, saying a few words. Yan Jianyu took the invitations, glanced at them, and laughed softly, “When the great masters fall, one can only lament the lack of worthy successors.”

The guide didn’t understand and said, “Second Young Master, what do you mean by that? Jianghu is full of emerging heroes. Take the Second Young Master as an example. With your heavenly gifted talents and having fully inherited the Manor Master’s true teachings, how can you say there are no worthy successors?”

“What do you know?” Yan Jianyu scoffed and asked, “Aside from the Ning family and Yanyu Pavilion, who are the rest?”

The guide replied, “They should be attendants or guests.”

Yan Jianyu returned the invitations to him and said, “Arrange for them to stay in Ningqing Garden.”

“But Second Young Master, considering we have guests from Yanyu Pavilion, isn’t Ningqing Garden a bit too remote…”

“What, are you suggesting we should let them stay in the main residence?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then leave!”

“Yes…”

The guide returned to lead Qing Jiu and her group to Ningqing Garden, another party approached Yan Jianyu. Leading them was a man of distinguished appearance, in his thirties or forties, with an imposing demeanor, striding towards Yan Jianyu.

Following him was a woman in her early twenties, her long hair as dark as ink against her snow-white complexion, dressed in a golden robe.

Qing Jiu’s group immediately recognized them as the group that had been walking ahead of them at the Heaven’s Gate.

They had clearly been walking in front, but when did they fall behind?

Upon seeing the man approach, Yan Jianyu stepped forward with a formal bow, his tone neither warm nor cold, “The Sect Leader’s arrival was unexpected. Please forgive my lack of a proper welcome.”

The man tossed the invitation in his hand towards Yan Jianyu and glared at him coldly, his voice deep and powerful, “Spare me these empty words. Trying to show off such petty tricks in front of me, is it because I’ve been away from the jianghu for too long, making people underestimate me, or has your Mingjian Manor become so powerful that even a little brat who hasn’t entered the jianghu dares to act up in front of me!”

Yan Jianyu’s forehead tensed, but he replied with a forced smile, “This junior doesn’t understand why Sect Leader is so angry.”

The man stood with one hand behind his back, raising his head and snorting coldly, “Where is Yan Beili? Since he dared to send an invitation to Moonless Sect, he shouldn’t be afraid of me coming. I’m here as a guest, yet you leave your guests waiting at the main gate. Is this how your Mingjian Manor treats its guests? It seems he has grown more negligent with the years.”

Yan Jianyu replied, “Welcoming guests is this junior’s responsibility and has nothing to do with my father.”

“So, he’s not negligent, just increasingly senile,” the man retorted.

Yan Jianyu exclaimed, “You!”

As Qing Jiu’s group lingered, they witnessed an intriguing scene. Rumors of discord between Mingjian Manor and the Moonless Sect were at odds, and today, they had personally experienced it.

Leaving the Moonless Sect unattended, it was bold and audacious indeed.

Yu’er had been watching the woman in the golden robe. Despite it being over a year since their last meeting, she clearly remembered that face—the woman from Jiangnan who had given her a jade pendant. Seeing her with the Sect Leader of the Moonless Sect, Yu’er realized that she must be the Young Mistress of the Moonless Sect. Yu’er touched the jade pendant at her waist and couldn’t help but recall the scene in the Tomb of King Cheng. After careful consideration, she thought, “This isn’t the right time to return the jade pendant and express my gratitude. There’s still some time before the World Martial Arts Competition. I’ll find another opportunity.”

As Yu’er put down the jade pendant and looked over again, the woman’s gaze also swept across. She was just observing the group, her eyes briefly passing over their faces. When she looked at Yu’er and saw her wearing a mask, she stared for a few more moments.

The woman’s gaze carried a sense of probing, as if she could strip away all disguises. Yu’er instinctively averted her eyes from the woman’s gaze.

As Yu’er turned to leave with the group, Yan Jianyu had already been provoked to the point of turning red with anger, looking like he was about to make a move. The Sect Leader of Moonless Sect arrogantly glared at him, clearly a guest, yet not showing any courtesy.

Then, a voice cut through the tension, “Ren Qingkuang, no matter what, you are still the leader of a sect. Why are you giving a junior a hard time?”

Ren Qingkuang turned his head to look, coldly saying, “Jun Lin.”

The people from Jiuxiao Manor had also arrived. When Yu’er looked back, she could only vaguely see the Manor Master Jun’s silhouette, dressed in a dark-green long robe, his figure tall and straight. Because they were far away and people were blocking the view, she couldn’t clearly see his face.

Yang Chun rubbed his arms hidden in his sleeves a few times, shivering, “Incredible! The auras of the Sect Leader of the Moonless Sect and the Master of Jiuxiao Manor are intense. Even from this distance, their chilling killing intent sends a shiver down my spine.”

Qing Jiu said in a soft voice, “They might smile on the surface, but the killing intent on their bodies is so strong that it can’t be concealed.”

Zhu Ji grinned and said, “This is what they call a dagger hidden behind a smile.”

Qing Jiu’s eyes gleamed with interest as she asked Zhu Ji, “Everyone talks about the enmity between Jiuxiao Manor and Moonless Sect, but no one seems to know the reason. Does Yanyu Pavilion know?”

Zhu Ji replied, “The information collected by the Yanyu Pavilion is nothing more than rumors circulating in jianghu. We don’t know if they’re true or not.”

Qing Jiu covered half of her face with her feather fan, revealing a pair of smiling eyes as she glanced at Zhu Ji a few times, “I’m not pursuing the truth either. I’ll just listen to it as a way to pass the time.”

Zhu Ji obediently agreed. As he started to tell the story, he habitually raised his hand and adopted a storytelling posture. However, he quickly realized and covered his mouth with his hand, coughing lightly a couple of times before laughing, “Forgive my habits.”

“Speaking of the grudges between these three families, we have to start with the Mingjian Manor. The previous Master of Mingjian Manor, Yun Si, had a daughter named Yun Zheyue.”

Qing Jiu nodded and said, “A renowned female hero, I’ve heard a bit about her.”

The two lagged behind, speaking in low tones. Yu’er, walking alongside, was drawn into their conversation and listened with curiosity.

Zhu Ji continued, “Yun Si’s eldest disciple is the current Master of Mingjian Manor, Yan Beili. Yan Beili and Yun Zheyue were martial siblings, growing up together since childhood. Later, Master Yun Si passed away, and for some unknown reason, the martial siblings turned against each other. Yun Zheyue left the manor and disappeared, while Yan Beili took over the manor.”

Qing Jiu hummed thoughtfully, to which Zhu Ji added, “At that time, many people criticized Manor Master Yan, speculating that Manor Master Yun’s death and Yun Zheyue’s departure from Mingjian Manor were all orchestrated by him. His purpose in doing all this was to kill his master and seize power. But in the end, it’s just speculation. Only the people involved know the truth.”

Qing Jiu said, “What you said makes sense.”

Zhu Ji continued, “After leaving the manor, Yun Zheyue actually traveled the world. During this time, she met Jun Lin and Ren Qingkuang, who are now the masters of Jiuxiao Manor and the Moonless Sect. Back then, the Moonless Sect was still called the Juelong Sect…”

At this point, Qing Jiu’s delicate eyebrows raised slightly, already able to guess a few things about what happened next. Sure enough, Zhu Ji said, “These two men both admired Yun Zheyue, but unfortunately, how could one heart be split in two? In the end, Yun Zheyue fell in love with Jun Lin, married into Jiuxiao Manor, and completed the wedding ceremony with him. Mingjian Manor came to congratulate them, and the martial siblings reconciled, their bond still deep.”

“It wasn’t like the rumors in the jianghu that they had become sworn enemies. Everything seemed harmonious, but the trouble started with Ren Qingkuang being obsessively in love with Yun Zheyue to the point of madness, unwilling to give up. His obsession led to sixteen years of grudges.”

Just as Zhu Ji reached the climax of his story, a group of people turned the corner, interrupting his story.

The group, affiliated with Xuhuai Valley and consisted of its disciples, turned left ahead without intersecting paths, merely an unexpected interlude.

The servants of that group were from Xuhuai Valley, and the people in the group were disciples of Xuhuai Valley.

The moment Mo Wen looked up and saw them, her body stiffened, and she squeezed herself to the back of the group, dragging her feet.

Despite their disguised appearances, ensuring no recognition even among acquaintances, an oversight occurred. One disciple from Xuhuai Valley, smelling something familiar, looked towards them with a moment of confusion before stepping their way.

Hua Lian, upon seeing the approaching figure, lightly covered his cheek with his fan and softly exclaimed, “Oh no.”

It was Zelan! He had saved this young lady in that village, but in return, she had slapped him. So, as soon as he saw her, Hua Lian instinctively covered his cheek.

Zelan walked straight up to the group. Yan Li stood on the left, Tang Linzhi on the right, with Mo Wen squeezed between them. Zelan easily recognized Mo Wen by her scent and smiled, “Wooden Face?”

The group was surprised to see her recognize Mo Wen and wondered about it. Then they saw her glance at the others a few times. Qi Tianzhu’s stature was very eye-catching and not commonly seen. After looking at him, she smiled, “Big monk?”

Seeing that he had also been recognized, Qi Tianzhu scratched his head and grinned

She looked around again and saw Yan Li holding a whisk. She smiled and said, “Miss Yan Li?”

“It really is you! You’ve actually come. I thought it was just a rumor in jianghu. But why are you dressed like this?”

Among the group from Xuhuai Valley, a gentle and pleasant female voice rang out, “Zelan.”

Mo Wen, with her head slightly lowered, suddenly tensed.

Zelan turned around and called out, “Master.”

“What are you doing?”

Zizhi was also among the group. Seeing their master speak, she hurriedly called out to Zelan, “Stop causing trouble and come here.”

Zelan said, “Senior Sister, it’s…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Mo Wen suddenly reached out and tightly grasped Zelan’s wrist, shaking her head at her.

Yu’er, who was behind them, saw Mo Wen’s reaction and couldn’t help but look towards the group from Xuhuai Valley. It was the first time she had seen such intense emotion in Mo Wen’s eyes – panic! What was it about the people from Xuhuai Valley that made her lose her composure like this?

Zelan looked at Mo Wen for a moment, then turned to Zizhi and said, “Master, Senior Sister, you go ahead. This disciple will be over in a moment.”

The people on the other side glanced in their direction a few times but still went along with Zelan’s request. They said, “Be careful. This is Mingjian Manor, not Xuhuai Valley. Don’t cause any trouble.”

“This disciple understands!” Zelan responded.