Why do I have so many masters?

Chapter 766 -58: I Took the Job (1/2) (3400)

The echo of the sword’s hum slowly deepened.

Water vapor settled on the sword’s edge, cascading down along the ridge of the blade.

The longsword halted; it did not thrust forth, it did not take Zhang Zuosheng’s life to avenge his own grievances. This decision was beyond the expectations of everyone atop the mountain.

Li Qidao raised an eyebrow, unable to resist calling out “decayed scholar”.

If it had been any Grandmaster there, or even any martial artist, perhaps even those Taoists who pursued the path of cultivation, nine out of ten would have not hesitated in the slightest to strike with their sword, piercing through swiftly and decisively.

Yet, he also had a feeling that at this moment, not thrusting the sword was precisely what Jiang Wenyuan, who had once arrogantly claimed to possess seventy percent of Shu Kingdom’s talent, would do. This behavior was fitting of the young Confucian scholar who had once forced the Qin army to retreat with a single sword strike, defending three cities for several months without falter.

Jiang Yang slowly retracted his longsword, and at this moment, several disciples who had been guarding the path leading from the mountain to this waterfall corridor stumbled to the side, and then Wang Anfeng, with a wooden sword casually held in one hand, briskly stepped forward, followed closely by Xiahou Xuan and Jiang Lan.

Jiang Lan was already feeling uneasy. When she raised her head and saw her father covered in blood, his originally grey robe dyed with bloodstains, soaked by the waterfall’s mist, only his eyes maintained their usual gentleness.

The young girl’s nose felt sour, and she wanted to rush to her father’s side, but was abruptly held back by Xiahou Xuan, who, using his superior inner strength, forcefully controlled the violently struggling girl, and whispered sharply:

“Calm down!”

Unable to break free, Jiang Lan saw her father smile at her slightly, and then he nodded to Xiahou Xuan.

Turning around, he walked past his stupefied junior brother, slowly crouching down to pick up the Heavenly Inquiry Scroll Fragment that lay on the ground. With a complex and contemplative tone, he softly uttered “Heavenly Inquiry”, shook his head, and paced to the side of Li Qidao. He raised his hand and handed over the Heavenly Inquiry, that had caused countless martial artists of Jianghu to fight bitterly for, to Li Qidao, and spoke warmly:

“Brother, I apologize for the trouble this has caused the General.”

“A chapter of Heavenly Inquiry, please, General, accept it…”

Li Qidao looked at the jade-like but not jade treasure from Jianghu in his hand, squinting his eyes. He didn’t reach out to take it, but looked up at the gradually dimming arrogance of Jiang Yang, and asked:

“What is your intention? Scholar… One-Leaf Pavilion is also considered as a sect in Jianghu. A Heavenly Inquiry Scroll Fragment represents the heritage of top martial arts. Don’t you want it?”

Jiang Yang replied gently:

“A reader pursues the principles of the human world. The Heavenly Inquiry Scroll Fragment is a spiritual object of Heaven and Earth. It’s of little use to One-Leaf Pavilion. Moreover, after this, even if I try my best to keep my qi mechanism from dissipating, I have at most two to three years left. With such a treasure, it would be a curse rather than a blessing for One-Leaf Pavilion.”

“May I ask, General Li…”

Li Qidao laughed softly, without hesitation, he grabbed the Heavenly Inquiry Scroll Fragment from Jiang Yang, tossing it casually in his hand, indifferently saying:

“Since One-Leaf Pavilion can’t handle this hot potato, I won’t stand on ceremony. As it happens, this has some use for me.” ƒreewebɳovel.com

Jiang Yang bowed slightly, saying:

“Thank you, General.”

Then, looking at Wu Qiong beside him, he handed over the Confucian Sword, its edge pointed downward, and calmly said:

“After today, Jiang Yang can no longer serve as the Pavilion Master of One-Leaf Pavilion. I will take my junior brother to seclude ourselves near the mountain waterfall, trying to write out as many of my thoughts as possible. If future generations have similar thoughts, it may save them from taking some detours.”

Wu Qiong wept inconsolably.

Jiang Yang, who was facing his death, seemed to be more open-minded, smiling softly, his warm voice as unhurried and mellow as ever:

“I would like to trouble Elder Wu to make a trip to Fufeng and invite Uncle Ren out of seclusion to take the position of Pavilion Master of One-Leaf Pavilion. I will write a letter, and after Uncle Ren reads it, he should not ignore it.”

“As for this sword, it was temporarily on loan from the Imperial Academy in Great Qin’s Heavenly Capital. Elder Wu, when you go down the mountain, please make a detour to the Imperial Academy and return this sword to its rightful owner, along with my apologies.”

“I understand the Pavilion Master’s command.”

Wu Qiong’s face was streaked with old tears, and upon hearing this, he bowed deeply, lifting his hands to receive the Confucian Sword, and at this moment, Li Qidao, who had carelessly stuffed the Heavenly Inquiry Scroll Fragment into his robe, grabbed the Confucian Sword.

Wu Qiong was startled and looked up.

Li Qidao, holding the Confucian Sword that was not divine but had spirituality surpassing others, said:

“One-Leaf Pavilion is after all one of the seven sects of Jianghu, rashly going to Heaven Capital City is not appropriate, and that old man is worse off than you, a complete scholarly pedant who might get swindled at every turn if entrusted with returning this precious sword, probably exposing everything about himself.”

“I’ll be going to Heaven Capital City myself soon.”

“I’ll deliver this sword for you.”

Wu Qiong opened his mouth, feeling wronged, yet unsure how to counter.

Jiang Yang thanked the General.

Li Qidao, sword in hand, took several steps, the sword humming lowly as he flicked it with his finger, causing it to vibrate ceaselessly with thunderous energy rolling along the blade until it finally steadied, the deep humming persisting.

The old man stood on a bluestone before the hundred-feet-high waterfall, took a deep breath, and mumbled to himself:

“It’s not as handy as the Zhènyuè, but it’s still a broad sword.”

“It will suffice.”

The murmurs were quiet, and neither Jiang Yang nor Wu Qiong could hear them clearly. Jiang Yang shifted to the side, only to see the elder take a slow step forward, saying:

“I’ve taken the benefit this time, and so I’ll bear the consequence. Scholar Jiang, you have too many eyes on you here. You say there’s a thousand-feet-high waterfall, yet it can’t wash away these filthy things.”

“I will lend you a hand…”

Li Qidao casually planted the Confucian Sword beside him and slowly raised his hand.

“Great winds stir as clouds soar, where are the valiant guardians to secure all directions?”

“The wind, arise!”

With a raise of his hand, the storm abruptly ceased.

From every corner of One-Leaf Pavilion, hidden gazes froze, witnessing a purple streamer flutter upwards like snow, and a low, thunderous roar between heaven and earth that made one’s spirit quiver without end.

With a thunderous boom, the assembled experts within One-Leaf Pavilion leapt into the air, no longer concealing themselves, relying on their superb qinggong and movement techniques, they soared across a distance of several tens of meters in nearly an instant.

The people of Zixiao Mountain Villa had only just neared One-Leaf Pavilion.

Yuan Ziyi was still unwilling to give up on the temptation of the Heavenly Inquiry Scroll Fragment, and moreover, secret intelligence reported that the previous steadfast Pavilion Master of One-Leaf Pavilion, Jiang Yang, who had firmly set foot in the Grandmaster Realm, had been underhandedly stabbed with a sword by his junior brother, Zhang Zuosheng, his cultivation wasted and his Qi Mechanism disrupted.

It seemed that roll of Heavenly Inquiry had also fallen into the hands of Zhang Zuosheng.

Yuan Ziyi licked his lips, his eyes flickering with excitement.

To an ordinary person, seeing this situation would surely mean fleeing immediately, but not him. Since Zhang Zuosheng had chosen to sneak attack, it was evident he had not completely taken control of One-Leaf Pavilion, implying a considerable number of powers remained loyal to the Pavilion Master, Jiang Yang.

The more chaotic, the more likely one could succeed.

And the greater the danger, the richer the rewards after succeeding.

Thus, disregarding the concerns of the two Guest Elders with him, he decided to head towards One-Leaf Pavilion to investigate. After traveling another dozen miles, he saw energy stirring ahead, a person rushing out from the direction of One-Leaf Pavilion.

The expression of the woman from Zixiao Mountain Villa changed slightly, as she drew her longsword with one swift movement. Her body, hidden beneath light gauze, was already tensed like a fully drawn longbow, ready to kill with the release of her hand.

Seeing this, Yuan Ziyi’s brows furrowed slightly and he whispered,

“Who is it?”

“Gao Jinfang from Hedong, a master of poison technique, has killed plenty and is honey-tongued with a heart like a sharp sword, ruthless and harsh.”

The old man beside him with a bizarre appearance in his hands responded in a hoarse voice, a low and unclear phlegm in his throat.

Yuan Ziyi raised an eyebrow.

The old man slightly lifted his hands upwards, assuming a ready stance for defense.

Anyone could tell they were facing a foe, not a friend. Yuan Ziyi gripped the hilt of his longsword tightly, hesitated for a moment, and only drew the blade an inch, contemplating an alliance in his mind.

But that expert paid them no heed and simply madly sped off, leaving the three from Zixiao Mountain Villa confused. Yuan Ziyi chuckled scornfully and was about to mock when he heard an uncontrollable cry of alarm from the side.

Turning his head to look, he saw figures frantically running out. Within his line of sight, he could recognize several famous and named experts from the Jiangnan Road area—let alone the rest who were also able to walk on air, clearly having reached the standards of the Middle Third Rank—at this moment, all fleeing in panic.

The heavenly phenomena in the sky had already dissipated.

That was also the reason why Yuan Ziyi dared to come and investigate.

But at this moment, the clouds and mist that had dispersed were gathering again. Yuan Ziyi’s longsword trembled unsettlingly in his hand, and suddenly, a flash of electrical plasma burst forth on the metal blade, causing Yuan Ziyi to instinctively throw the sword away from himself. It landed upside down in the ground, yet still trembling non-stop.

Violent thunder energy surged around.

It was so dense that even a slight motion could pull out an electric arc in the air.

The old man murmured in a low voice, and suddenly, his body began to quiver, his face, accustomed to adversity, turned pale in an instant. Yuan Ziyi looked sideways, this Guest Elder was once a general in Jingguo. After Jingguo’s destruction, he roamed the Jianghu and wandered to the Sword Southern Road before being taken in by Zixiao Mountain Villa, appointed as a Guest Elder.

His experience in Jianghu was vast and he knew how to deal with a steward, rare was his martial arts, which were robust, cultivated his Qi Mechanism in the Fourth Rank Realm quite bountifully. Below a Grandmaster, there were few who could match him. He had a record of facing three Middle Third Rank martial artists with ease and was courageous, valued by Yuan Shouyue.

But now, not only was his face deathly pale, but his pupils were constricted.

Yuan Ziyi, who had studied medicine, knew this was the body’s instinctive reaction to intense fear and anger, unsure of what had startled the old man, and thus felt even more anxious and restless. He couldn’t help but step forward, placing a hand on the elder’s shoulder, and shouted,

“What’s happening?!”

“What has occurred, Zhao Keqing, Zhao…”

He liked to dress in elegant and noble cyan and purple, wearing a waist belt interwoven with gold and silver, which highlighted his refined air. As he moved about erratically, his body brushed past the air, and suddenly a terrifying flash of lightning appeared right in front of him, or rather, around One-Leaf Pavilion at the same time.

The angry roar of thunder resonated in his ears, and the old man, as if he could no longer endure, stepped forward and roared:

“Tyrant Qin Tyrant!”

His voice boomed, startling Yuan Ziyi.

The old man moved forward again, his angry shouting continuing, as if he held an unspeakable grudge:

“Divine Martial!!!”

But he had only taken three steps before being counteracted by the Qi Mechanism of heaven and earth, coughing up blood profusely and falling to his knees. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, one hand supporting the ground as he still defiantly glared at the sky.

Atop the peak, someone inhaled deeply.

And then, endless lightning converged, forming a pure thunder dragon roaring in rage, protecting One-Leaf Pavilion beneath it. Apart from the fierce Qi Mechanism of martial artists, it carried the vast Heavenly Secrets from the Heavenly Inquiry.

Both together, reinforcing each other like adding wings to a tiger.

Lightning is the pivot of heaven and earth.

An old man with a sword stood, white hair in blue clothes, atop the dragon’s head, his white hair blowing wildly in the fierce wind, his demeanor even more contemptuous and arrogant.

In the thundering chant that shook heaven and earth, the dragon seemed to come back to life, its scales clear, soaring towards the firmament, roaring ceaselessly, shredding the clouds of the entire sky.

PS: The first update of the day is presented… three thousand four hundred words