At noon on a summer day, the scorching sun was shining brightly outside the window, making the room a bit stuffy. From the next room, there were faint whispers:
"Jile——Jile——"
"Shh~ Don't wake Jingtang up..."
"Gu~"
...
Between the bed curtains, Yejingtang's eyelashes fluttered, and then he opened his eyes. His mind was blank after a deep sleep. After a moment of confusion, he remembered where and when he was.
The weather was sweltering, and the thin quilt that was originally covering him had long been kicked to the side.
He turned his head and saw that Miss Luo might have thought he was too hot, so she had moved to the innermost side of the bed. She was sleeping with her back to him, revealing her perfectly curved back, a buttocks as white as snow, and long legs...
So white...
Yejingtang blinked his eyes. He felt that the already stuffy weather had become even more sweltering. Seeing that Ning'er was sound asleep and didn't react, he couldn't bear to "continue his work day and night" directly. Instead, he just turned his head to admire her carefully. Then he picked up a small porcelain bottle from beside the pillow.
Last night, when he used the Dragon-Slaying Order, he had exerted too much force, and his arm inevitably felt a bit sore. When Ning'er was being "bullied," she didn't want to make a sound, so she casually found something to do and helped him massage his arm to distract herself. As a result, she was dizzy and took the wrong medicine bottle.
He asked what kind of medicine it was, but Ning'er hesitated and refused to say. Finally, under his "attack," she confessed that it was a temporary depilatory cream. She was also full of vigilance and covered it, for fear that he would be impulsive and try it.
He thought this thing wasn't necessary. After all, Ning'er's figure was perfect from head to toe, and adding or subtracting anything would be like painting snakes on a snake. Moreover, with Ning'er's small temper, if he dared to make her look so embarrassing, she would definitely be angry and ignore him for half a month.
However, it was okay to scare her a little.
Yejingtang thought for a while, dipped his finger in some water in the cup, then held the small medicine bottle, and moved behind the coldly beautiful Ning'er. He carefully reached his hand around to the front of her slender waist...
"Um~..."
Luo Ning was taking a nap at noon and wasn't sleeping very deeply. When she felt the cold touch two inches below her navel, her feet slightly arched, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and then she opened her eyes.
The first thing that caught her eye was the extremely handsome side face of the little rascal, who was concentrating on doing something.
She looked down and saw that the little rascal was holding a medicine bottle in his left hand and his finger was on her...
"Ah——!"
With a scream.
Luo Ning's beautiful peach-blossom eyes visibly widened, and fear and helplessness appeared in her eyes. She turned over and backed away like an electric shock, and then looked down to check. Although "it" was still there, it would definitely be gone at night, and she would become a disgraceful sight...
Thinking of this, a touch of grief and indignation even appeared on Luo Ning's face. She picked up the pillow and threw it at the stinky man who had been up to no good while she was sleeping:
"I'll beat you to death, you little rascal! How could you do this?!"
Tears of anger welled up in her eyes.
Yejingtang was hit by the pillow several times, but it didn't hurt at all. Instead, Ning'er's movements were too big, and her "little watermelons" were swaying around, making him a bit dizzy. He quickly grabbed her wrist and comforted her softly:
"It's just water. It's just a joke. Don't be angry."
Luo Ning stared at Yejingtang for a moment. Seeing that he was just joking to scare her, she felt relieved. Then she became even angrier and picked up the pillow and hit Yejingtang a few more times:
"A joke? Do you believe that I'll turn you into a brat with incomplete hair while you're sleeping..."
Slap slap slap——
While the two were fighting and playing around, the door was pushed open, and Sanniang poked her head in from the door:
"What's wrong with you two?"
Although they were separated by the bed curtains and couldn't see much, Luo Ning was still startled and quickly hugged the pillow, pretending to be calm:
"Nothing. He was calling the Queen Princess's name in his sleep and woke me up... It's getting late. Let's get ready to set off."
Pei Xiangjun was just next door and didn't hear Jingtang talking in his sleep. She guessed that Jingtang might have been up to some mischief. But the two of them were fighting and playing around on the bed, and she didn't want to interrupt. She just said, "The sun is already shining on your buttocks. Get up and have a meal quickly," and then closed the door again.
After soothing Ning'er for a while, Yejingtang quickly dressed, went downstairs to have a simple meal. After the sun became a bit less intense, he mounted his horse and set off again, galloping towards Heyuan County...
——
On the other side, at Junshan Terrace.
Wuzhou and Zezhou border each other. The straight-line distance from Jianyang City to the southeast of Zezhou where Junshan Terrace is located is less than eight hundred li.
At noon, the Thousand Li Yunmeng Marsh was shrouded in mist. Thirty-six islands were hidden among the blue waves, connected by corridors, platforms, pavilions, and kiosks. Among them, magnificent boats and painted pleasure boats drifted with the waves, gathering countless swordsmen who had come from all over the country to pay homage or gain fame.
Recently, the rebellion of the Prince of Wu had caused a great stir, but among the people in the Jianghu around Junshan Terrace, few were concerned. Most of them were talking about another thing —— Qiu Tianhe had come out.
Qiu Tianhe was one of the "Three Heroes of Yunze" thirty years ago. Although he had experienced many ups and downs in recent decades, he was still active in the Jianghu. He was also a man of great righteousness. Up to now, he was one of the most qualified candidates for the next generation of Saber Champions in the hearts of Jianghu people.
On the day Qiu Tianhe came out, he shouted at Minglong Tower, "Old Xuanyuan, you didn't expect this, did you..." After the news spread in the Jianghu, countless swordsmen successively rushed to Junshan Terrace, wanting to see if the first stop of Qiu Tianhe's coming out of seclusion was to cause trouble for Old Xuanyuan.
Compared with the Jianghu people who didn't mind the trouble and just wanted to watch the excitement, the reaction of the Xuanyuan family itself was rather indifferent. After all, if Qiu Tianhe came, it would just be a friendly match, and whether he won or lost couldn't shake the foundation of Junshan Terrace.
Compared with that, another swordsman who might bring about a catastrophic disaster was obviously more worthy of Junshan Terrace's attention.
In the depths of Junshan Terrace, on a tall building facing the thousand li of blue waves, Xuanyuan Hongzhi was holding a piece of paper with a furious expression on his face. He paced back and forth and cursed:
"It's only been a few days. Not long ago, it was said that Yejingtang was favored by the Prince of Jing because of his outstanding appearance, and his martial arts skills were slightly stronger than those of the Black and White Impermanence. Now, it's suddenly said that he's at the Half-Step Eight Champions level. He effortlessly killed Huang Yulong and Xiao Shicheng together, and he's also serving as an imperial envoy, leading an army to besiege and suppress the Prince of Wu... Using someone else's hand to kill someone without even find out the intelligence. With such abilities, they still want to rebel. What a disgrace..."
Next to Xuanyuan Hongzhi stood a man with an extremely strong build. He was carrying a broad-backed heavy saber, had a beard under his chin, and his face was heroic and extraordinary. He was Yao Wenzhong, the direct disciple of Saber Champion Xuanyuan Chao.
Although Yao Wenzhong was an outsider by surname, his status was similar to that of Yejingtang. He was Xuanyuan Chao's adopted son and was being trained as the successor of Junshan Terrace.
Yao Wenzhong had extraordinary talent and also had the qualification to compete for the position of Saber Champion in the future. However, his ability to reach this position in Junshan Terrace was mostly due to luck.
Originally, the most legitimate heir of Junshan Terrace was Xuanyuan Chao's eldest son, Xuanyuan Tiangang.
Xuanyuan Tiangang ranked first among the former "Three Heroes of Yunze." His high talent was obvious to all in the Jianghu. It was almost certain that he would succeed his father, Xuanyuan Chao, as the next Saber Champion at the age of thirty. In the future, he might even surpass his father and move the ranking of the "Saber Champion" up by two more places.
However, the "Three Heroes of Yunze" were rivals to each other, yet they were also bosom friends who became acquainted through battles. Xuanyuan Shuye, the eldest lady of Junshan Terrace, met Yejingtang's adoptive father, Pei Yuanfeng, during one of her brother's Jianghu duels.
Later, in order to curry favor with the court, the Xuanyuan family wanted to send their eldest daughter to the palace to become a noble concubine. Pei Yuanfeng went to propose marriage and was provoked. At the age of over twenty, he challenged Xuanyuan Chao and was directly poisoned and disabled.
Because of this incident, all the former "Three Heroes of Yunze" "perished."
Pei Yuanfeng went to Beiliang to search for the Snow Lake Flower but failed. Disheartened, he picked up Yejingtang and then lived in obscurity in a border town for the rest of his life.
Qiu Tianhe stood up for his friend and single-handedly rushed into the emperor's wedding envoy team. Since then, he became a bandit and had been living a vagrant life without a fixed abode for decades.
Xuanyuan Tiangang, on the other hand, was dissatisfied with his family's actions and directly discarded his saber in the Yunmeng Marsh, withdrew from the Jianghu, and became a rural fisherman, never to be seen again.
If these three people had grown up smoothly, for someone like Yao Wenzhong, not to mention becoming the successor of Junshan Terrace, it would have been a question whether he could even become a direct disciple of Xuanyuan Chao.
Now, the successor of the Eight Steps Crazy Saber had emerged again, and he was menacing. Yao Wenzhong understood what was to come.
Hearing Xuanyuan Hongzhi's cursing, Yao Wenzhong tried to persuade him:
"Last time, we didn't find out his true background. This time, it might be an exaggeration because of the urgent situation. Yejingtang has only emerged for a few months and is around twenty years old. I believe he has astonishing martial arts skills, but it's impossible for him to hold military power. At most, he is the leader of the Black Yamen, leading a hundred or so people..."
Xuanyuan Hongzhi said, "He was able to scare Bai Siming into revealing his identity and sending a message directly. He must have already tracked down to Bai Siming's side. Once Yejingtang captures the Prince of Wu, his merits will be enough for him to be promoted and rewarded. If we don't find a way to eliminate the hidden danger now, give him another two years. Do you think he will come to Junshan Terrace alone with his saber and talk like Zheng Feng? As long as he holds power in the court, he will first deprive the marquis title, then send troops to raid the mansion, and finally execute the whole family. I might not even see him until the day I'm sent to the execution ground..."
Yao Wenzhong knew that this was not a lie. After a little consideration, he said:
"At the critical moment of the Prince of Wu's rebellion, killing the head of the Black Yamen. If the news leaks out, we will definitely be labeled as colluding with the Prince of Wu... I will handle this matter myself..."
Xuanyuan Hongzhi stopped in his tracks and said in a deep voice:
"Even a lion uses all its strength to fight a rabbit. Bai Siming said that this young man is not far from the level of the Eight Champions. You might not be able to suppress him if you go. This is the time for Father to go out in person. It's best to call Zhou Chiyang. Let Zhou Chiyang avenge his brother's death together..."
Yao Wenzhong shook his head and said, "Zhou Chiyang will never get involved in such a messy matter. Master is the face of our Junshan Terrace. If we kill an official arrestor outside and something goes wrong, Master can still expel me from the family like the Elder Zhou and explain to the court that it was my own doing. If Master goes in person and accidentally reveals his face, Junshan Terrace will have no room for maneuver. Let me handle this matter."
Xuanyuan Hongzhi clenched his hands behind his back and turned around, saying:
"I'll go with you. I don't believe that this Yejingtang can really be comparable to the Eight Champions at just over twenty years old..."
Yao Wenzhong wasn't sure how powerful that Yejingtang was, so he didn't say much. He accompanied Xuanyuan Hongzhi and left the tall building...
——
The sun rose and set, and in the blink of an eye, it was night again.
Outside Tiehe Villa, which ranked first among the Twelve Gates of Wuzhou in Wuyan Mountain in the middle of Wuzhou, from time to time, the heads of Jianghu sects who had come from afar arrived and were led into the villa by the disciples.
The "Thief Saint of Beiliang" dressed in night clothes observed for a while on the mountainside, then silently sneaked in from the back mountain. He didn't alarm any patrolling martial artists and slowly circled around to the cliff behind the villa.
The cliff was dozens of zhang high and could overlook Tiehe Villa below. In a tea pavilion in the rearmost area, two figures could be faintly seen sitting on the tea couch by the window and talking.
The person sitting on the left was Bai Siming, who had rushed to Tiehe Villa without stopping after arriving at Heyuan County in the early morning. The middle-aged man on the right was Guan Yujia, the leader of the Twelve Gates of Wuzhou.
Both of these people were top masters in the Jianghu. To prevent eavesdropping, the servants in the surrounding houses had been sent away, and they were also speaking in a low voice. A normal master lying on the distant cliff couldn't hear anything at all.
However, the man in black could detect the movement of the True Person Xuanji half a li away. His six senses were already far beyond those of ordinary people. Even though the distance was far, he could still vaguely hear the conversation coming from inside the window:
"The vanguard of the court has already reached the front. Even if the Pingtian Sect really wants to win over the Prince, I'm afraid it's too late. The situation with the Prince of Yan is also not reliable. To leave Wuzhou, we still have to rely on ourselves..."
It was Bai Siming who was speaking. After the non-stop long-distance journey, a look of fatigue had appeared on Bai Siming's face, but his expression was still focused.
Guan Yujia, who was sitting opposite, was playing with a string of beads in his hand, and his face didn't look very good:
"I, Guan, have worked hard in Wuzhou for decades to secure the position of the leader of Wuzhou's martial arts world. It's true that the Prince of Wu has shown me some favor in the past, but I have also helped him a great deal..."
Bai Siming knew that Guan Yujia was reluctant to give up the position of the leader of the martial arts world in Wuzhou. He frowned and said:
"All the affairs of the Prince in the Jianghu have been handled by Brother Guan. I'm afraid it's too late for Brother Guan to get off the boat now and distance himself from the Prince. Moreover, Brother Guan has the reputation of the 'Little Fist Champion,' but you also know very well the gap between you and Jiang Zahu. Without the pills that the Prince has refined, you'll never be able to get rid of the 'Little' in your title in this lifetime..."
Guan Yujia's hand holding the beads paused, and he was quite dissatisfied with this statement:
"I have served the Prince for several years. I've only heard Lord Bai boast about the so-called 'Tianlang Pearl' to the skies, but no one has actually seen the actual effect of the finished product. To gamble all my wealth on a secret medicine whose authenticity is in doubt..."
"This medicine is definitely real, and it has already been successfully made. It's just that an ordinary martial artist can't withstand the potency of the medicine, and a grandmaster with a solid foundation is needed to test the medicine and verify its effect.
Bai Siming leaned in closer: "In a few days, when the leaders of the Twelve Gates of Wuzhou are all here, as long as they are poisoned by the strange poison prepared by Zhang Jinglin, they will have to obey the Prince's orders in order to get the antidote... The Three Absolute Immortal Elder is an elder in the Jianghu. He values rules and has lived enough. He definitely won't bow and scrape for a cheap life and will surely choose to die rather than submit. At that time, he will just be used to test the medicine..."
Hearing this, Guan Yujia frowned, then turned to look at Bai Siming and snorted:
"Using the Three Absolute Immortal Elder to test the medicine. If he suddenly dies, it will mean that the 'Tianlang Pearl' researched by the Prince is useless at all, and I will never follow the Prince of Wu to flee.
"And if the medicine takes effect and the Tianlang Pearl is as powerful as Lord Bai said, the Three Absolute Immortal Elder, after being reborn, might even be able to directly enter the rank of Martial Champion.
"The Three Absolute Immortal Elder's saber skills can compete with Xu