Jianghu Demolition Squad

Eleven Yanyu Pavilions (Part Nine)

Liu Xiu sent her junior sister, Liu Yun, along with their master to Qixian Palace. Later, Liu Yun sent word that upon presenting Qing Jiu’s jade flute, the Palace Master indeed relented, allowing both of them to stay in the palace for their master’s treatment.

Liu Xiu was both surprised and delighted. At the same time, Yanyu Pavilion’s defenses were bolstered as allies from various locations in the south were called for assistance. With increased martial strength, no one dared to harass Yanyu Pavilion anymore. Liu Xiu’s two major worries were alleviated, bringing her immense relief and a sense of rejuvenation.

With Yanyu Pavilion’s power restored and Qing Jiu and the others having fulfilled their agreement, there was no necessity for them to stay any longer. However, waiting for news about the Meiren Gu and also not in a hurry to leave, they found Yanyu Pavilion’s tranquil and elegant environment to their liking. Liu Xiu’s considerate hospitality made them decide to extend their stay for a while.

On this day, the group, along with Yang Chun, were gathered in the courtyard, feeling the need to stretch their muscles after days of idleness.

Hua Lian and Yang Chun were showcasing their lightness skills, leaping between eaves, their movements so swift they were practically invisible. Their exceptional agility made it difficult to determine who was superior.

Qi Tianzhu was on the side, diligently practicing his external martial arts. Tang Linzhi, fully recovered from her injuries but stiff from days of inactivity. As soon as Mo Wen allowed her to practice martial arts, she wanted to spar with everyone. However, Mo Wen was busy grinding medicine, and Yan Li and Qing Jiu were sitting at the stone table, too lazy to move. So, Tang Linzhi grabbed Yu’er to practice with her. Yu’er was also happy to spar with her. Yu’er’s skills had greatly improved, and as the two of them exchanged moves, she was actually able to last over a hundred moves against Tang Linzhi.

Liu Xiu, entering the courtyard and seeing this lively scene, couldn’t help but comment with a smile, “How lively!”

Qing Jiu and Yan Li greeted her warmly, inviting her to join them at the table. The three women were all rising stars in the jianghu, their knowledge and experiences rivaling those of any seasoned wulin heroes. After weathering the crisis at Yanyu Pavilion together, Liu Xiu witnessed their sincerity and unwavering support. Despite their initial rocky meeting, she now considered them dear friends, their shared ordeal forging a bond of trust and camaraderie. As they chatted, a sense of ease and shared understanding filled the air.

As they were talking, they suddenly saw Yu Bai walking over with his hands behind his back, handing Liu Xiu a letter. Liu Xiu glanced at it and, without concealing it from the others, opened it in front of everyone. Inside was an invitation. As Liu Xiu unfolded it and read, her expression changed, and she couldn’t help but shake her head.

Seeing that she didn’t avoid them, Qing Jiu knew it wasn’t a secret of the Yanyu Pavilion, so she directly asked, “What’s the news?”

Hua Lian and Yang Chun, having failed to determine a winner after a long contest, came over to rest. Yu’er and Tang Linzhi also paused their sparring, joining the group at the table.

Liu Xiu announced, “The World Martial Arts Competition is being convened, set to take place at the Mingjian Manor.”

“World Martial Arts Competition?” Yu’er echoed, intrigued.

As Hua Lian and Yang Chun competed for half a day, they were already parched and thirsty. Hua Lian was drinking cold tea, and after finishing a cup in one gulp, he placed the porcelain cup on the table with a sigh of relief, “Little Yu’er probably doesn’t know about this yet. The World Martial Arts Competition, held every eight years, is just as its name suggests. It’s a grand gathering where heroes from all over the world come together to compete and exchange martial arts skills. At that time, various schools and sects, with their palm techniques, leg techniques, sword techniques, saber techniques, and all eighteen martial arts, will give you a feast for the eyes.”

Yu’er was in her youth, and although her mindset was more mature than her peers, everyone doted on her and always indulged her. She rarely made requests, but when she did, everyone would fulfill them without fail. As a result, she gradually shed her previous gloominess and caution, learning from everyone’s carefree and unrestrained ways. Therefore, when encountering such novel events, she couldn’t help but feel curious and eager, “It sounds quite exciting.”

Hua Lian opened his folding fan and gently waved it, smiling, “It most certainly is! This is a major event in the wulin, a grand gathering hosted by the entire community. Not only will esteemed, centuries-old sects like Wuwei Palace, Shaolin, Juxiao Manor,  Mignjian Manor, and Qixian Palace bring their disciples to participate, but it will also attract wandering martial artists, elusive practitioners of rare family styles, self-taught masters, and members of various specialized sects. It’s a chance to showcase their skills and foster camaraderie through martial arts.”

Yan Li pondered, “If Mingjian Manor is hosting the World Martial Arts Competition this time, I’m afraid it might be a bit lackluster.”

It was common knowledge in jianghu that Mingjian Manor, Jiuxiao Manor, and the Moonless Sect were not on friendly terms.

During the World Martial Arts Competition, regardless of any deep hatred or resentment between different schools and sects, they were supposed to temporarily put them aside. They could only compete in martial arts and not engage in private duels. However, these three major sects would always fight whenever they met, so during the World Martial Arts Competition, they would never gather together. At the very least, the three major sects would not appear at the same time. Therefore, Yan Li simply stated that this time, the Moonless Sect and Jiuxiao Manor would not bring their disciples to attend.

Liu Xiu, however, corrected with a smile, “The Daoist sister has miscalculated this time. The World Martial Arts Competition this time will definitely be unprecedentedly grand. Not only will various great heroes flock to it, but even the Moonless Sect and Jiuxiao Manor, who have difficult-to-resolve grudge, are highly likely to attend.”

Caught off guard, Yan Li asked, “Oh? And why is that?”

Liu Xiu placed the invitation on the table and slowly said, “Mingjian Manor has issued invitations far and wide for two reasons to invite the heroes to participate in the World Martial Arts Competition, and to showcase the ‘Fenghou Sword’ —the number one sword under the heavens.”

At the mention of the Fenghou, Hua Lian’s eyes widened in shock. As Liu Xiu finished her statement, he couldn’t help but loudly object, “Fenghou Sword? That’s impossible!” His agitation was unlike his usual demeanor, causing everyone to look at him in surprise.

Hua Lian realized his own loss of composure and lightly coughed a couple of times. While concealing himself with his sleeves, he glanced at Qing Jiu and saw her sitting calmly on the stone bench, her expression unchanged.

He then explained, “Fenghou has been lost for many years. How could it suddenly appear? It must be a fake.”

Yu’er recalled that when they were in the Cheng Wang Tomb, she had heard Yang Chun and Qing Jiu mention Fenghou. Although it was considered a divine weapon along with Aihong, it was ranked first, with the verse “One sword seals the throat, those who see it shall not live.” Its power was said to be three times stronger than Aihong. If a single Aihong could cause such a fight among everyone, this Fenghou sword would likely create an even bigger uproar.

Liu Xiu remarked, “Mingjian Manor wouldn’t make empty claims. If they sent out such invitations, there must be a reason. Regardless, with Fenghou’s appearance, this martial arts conference will be quite lively.”

Hua Lian glanced at the invitation and saw that it was written in black ink on white paper, with the seal of the Mingjian Manor as the signature. He frowned, “This…” Liu Xiu’s words indeed made sense, making Hua Lian feel even more anxious.

Hua Lian looked at Qing Jiu again, only to see her coldly smiling, “Interesting.”

Qing Jiu then inquired of Liu Xiu, “Will the Yanyu Pavilion participate in this conference?”

Liu Xiu sighed, “Although the Yanyu Pavilion hasn’t been damaged to its core after this calamity, it has left everyone exhausted. My master’s intention is to keep a low profile and recuperate. For this conference, we will only send one or two people to observe.”

Turning to the others, Liu Xiu asked, “Would any of you be interested in going?”

Qing Jiu’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, “Of course! How could we miss such a grand event?”

Tang Linzhi and the others didn’t have strong preferences either way. Since Qing Jiu wanted to go, they agreed. Yu’er was already extremely interested, and Qing Jiu’s words perfectly aligned with her intention, so how could she object?

Only Yan Li was hesitant. Attending this conference would inevitably lead to encountering people from the Wuwei Palace. Although the sect leader hadn’t expelled her from the sect, she was too ashamed to see everyone again. After much deliberation, she finally let out a light sigh and said, “Let’s go.” Even though she was too ashamed to see everyone, deep down, she still wanted to see her fellow disciples again and check on their current situation. She could always disguise herself and watch from the shadows.

Yanyu Pavilion was still recovering from its recent ordeal, with information flow disrupted. The murder of Yuan Wenliu had already alarmed the enemy, and Meiren Gu’s movements had become even more cautious. As a result, the Yanyu Pavilion had been unable to gather information about the Meiren Gu for a long time.

Just as the World Martial Arts Competition was convening, everyone couldn’t find any leads on the Meiren Gu and had no other matters to attend to. After discussing, they truly prepared to head to the Central Plains to participate in the World Martial Arts Competition.

On this day, with perfect weather, as everyone was about to leave, Liu Xiu came to see them off, followed by Yu Hei and Yu Bai carrying many things in their hands.

Liu Xiu took a stack of silver notes from Yu Hei and greeted them with a smile, “This is the promised reward for you all, which I’ve converted into silver notes.”

Liu Xiu knew that Qing Jiu was always the one making decisions, Liu Xiu extended the silver notes to her. However, Qing Jiu declined with a smile, and Yan Li stepped forward to solemnly accept the thick stack of notes on behalf of everyone.

Liu Xiu smiled knowingly and then took wooden tokens from Yu Bai, handing out one to each person, “These are cypress wood tokens. With these, you can access information and request assistance at any Yanyu Pavilion branch.”

Yang Chun, the infamous sky-thief who always ensured he had all necessary information before undertaking any venture to guarantee success, was particularly pleased. With Yanyu Pavilion’s support, it was as if a tiger had grown wings, “This is invaluable. We must take good care to not lose it; falling into someone else’s hands would be a great loss!”

Liu Xiu added, “Each token is specially made. If the token is not presented by the rightful owner, the Yanyu Pavilion will not acknowledge it.”

Upon Liu Xiu’s reminder, Yang Chun glanced at Hua Lian beside him and saw that the secret inscriptions engraved on the back of the two tokens were different. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “How remarkable!”

Liu Xiu then took another item wrapped tightly in white cloth from Yu Hei, “There’s also this…”

Approaching Tang Linzhi, she said, “My master’s life was saved by your selfless act, and we can’t thank you enough…”

Tang Linzhi’s expression changed. Recalling how Liu Xiu had teased her that day, she thought she was going to do it again. However, Liu Xiu’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she chided, “With your temper, do you think I’d really be willing to offer myself to you? Hmph!” Seeing Tang Linzhi’s expression, Liu Xiu knew what she was thinking. She then imitated Tang Linzhi’s local accent, her voice lovely and enchanting, capturing everyone’s attention.

Tang Linzhi was stunned and didn’t retort. She silently lowered her gaze.

Liu Xiu shoved the item into Tang Linzhi’s arms and said, “Take it!”

Tang Linzhi took a look, and as a corner of the item was exposed, her eyes instantly lit up. She uncovered the white cloth and saw that it was indeed Chini. She couldn’t help but feel overjoyed. Although she had always spoken coldly to Liu Xiu and met her with a frosty face, at this moment, her smile was radiant as she asked, “This is for me?”

It turned out that when Liu Xiu was negotiating with the five people by the forest and took out Chini, she had also noticed Tang Linzhi’s expression and knew that she admired this sword.

Qing Jiu chuckled, “The Young Mistress is truly generous.”

Liu Xiu explained, “Although valuable, keeping such an item in Yanyu Pavilion really is a waste. Moreover, the misfortune that befell the Yanyu Pavilion this time was entirely caused by this sword. It seems that we are not fated to keep it. Yanyu Pavilion is better off without it, and a precious sword belongs with a worthy hero. So,” Liu Xiu continued, addressing Tang Linzhi, “whether you give it away, throw it out, or keep it, is up to you. Today, I gift it to you, to do with as you please.”

The more Tang Linzhi looked at Chini, the more she liked it. She gently caressed it, as if she were caressing a lover. She was a straightforward person, and upon hearing Liu Xiu’s words, without even considering the previous unpleasantness, her smile at this moment was sincere and bright. She said to Liu Xiu, “I will cherish it well. Thank you!”

Liu Xiu softly coughed, modestly covering her face with her sleeve and subtly turning her head away.

When everyone departed, Liu Xiu, along with Yu Hei and Yu Bai, accompanied them all the way to the dense forest outside the city. Qing Jiu and the others mounted their swift horses, pulling on the reins. They turned their horses’ heads towards Liu Xiu and said, “After accompanying you for a long journey, we must finally part ways. Young Mistress, please return.”

Liu Xiu wished them well, “Safe travels to all of you. Should there be any news of the Meiren Gu, we will send a message immediately. There’s no need to worry about this matter.”

Qing Jiu simply replied, “Thank you.”

The group then rode off, dust billowing behind them, they rode away with carefree joy, disappearing into the distance on the grand road.