Chapter 64 - 63: A Series of Bad News
Deep in the night, within the walls of Zou City.
Zou City was a small city, even smaller than Lianshan City. It had only prospered because of its location on a major trade route, growing from a small town to a city in just under a century.
The Patriarch of the Zou Family, the strongest Small Noble Family in the city, had only barely reached the Early Stage of the Qi Casting Realm.
Inside the Zou Family’s grand residence, the Patriarch, now in his seventies, was hosting a banquet for Zuo Feiyu and the various Jianghu heroes he had recruited.
"Master Zuo, and all you esteemed heroes, your presence brings great honor to my humble Zou Family.
My Zou Family has been established in this small city for decades, but we have always been like frogs in a well, unable to see the bright moon in the sky.
I never imagined that the bright moon itself would descend and deign to accept my Zou Family. This old man is endlessly grateful.
Though the Zou Family’s strength is meager, we are willing to go through fire and water for Master Zuo and the Nine Swords Alliance. We will not hesitate!"
The Zou Family Patriarch bowed low to offer a toast to Zuo Feiyu, his posture one of extreme deference.
Unlike the Iron Armor Sect, the Zou Family was weak, and its inherited Cultivation Technique was nothing to speak of.
So when Zuo Feiyu came to recruit them, the Zou Family agreed to join the Nine Swords Alliance without a second thought, hoping to secure a better future for their descendants.
The Zou Family Patriarch had just begun to bow when Zuo Feiyu helped him back up.
"Patriarch Zou, you are too kind. Ning Province is in turmoil. My father formed the Nine Swords Alliance so we could all band together for mutual protection.
The Nine Swords Alliance does not belong to my Zuo Family alone; it belongs to all of you, to everyone here.
I, Zuo Feiyu, am not the bright moon. Only when we all stand united can our Nine Swords Alliance truly become like the brilliant moon in the sky, establishing its place in the Ning Province Jianghu!
So today, I raise my cup to you all! A toast to everyone here, and a toast to our Nine Swords Alliance!"
Zuo Feiyu lifted his cup with both hands and bowed deeply to the crowd, his expression utterly sincere and earnest.
The Jianghu People present were either from backgrounds as Independent Martial Artists or hailed from Small Noble Families and Minor Sects.
Disciples from the Major Sects they usually encountered were either arrogant and rude or utterly condescending. When had they ever seen someone of Zuo Feiyu’s station act with such humility and respect for his subordinates?
It didn’t matter if he was faking it. At least he was willing to put on an act for low-level Martial Artists like them, right?
Some of the younger Martial Artists were especially thrilled. They raised their cups and shouted, "To the Nine Swords Alliance! To Master Zuo!"
Zuo Feiyu drank the wine in his cup, a faint smile playing on his lips.
’These low-level Martial Artists are really quite simple, almost excessively so.
All I have to do is say a few nice words and show them a little respect, and they’ll genuinely risk their lives for me, fighting to the death.
That’s why I can’t understand why those Noble Families with legacies stretching back hundreds, even thousands of years, are so arrogant. They can’t even be bothered to recruit people like this.’
Just then, a Martial Artist from the Iron Armor Sect rushed in, his voice choked with tears. "Master Zuo! The Sect Leader has been killed!"
The hall fell silent. Zuo Feiyu frowned. "Your Sect Leader was killed!? Explain yourself! What exactly happened?"
"That Chen Tian brazenly infiltrated the Iron Armor Sect, launched a sneak attack to kill the Sect Leader, slaughtered all the disciples left behind to guard the sect, and then just swaggered off!"
In truth, Chen Yuan hadn’t used a sneak attack at all; he had faced Wei Guangming head-on and killed him.
However, in the eyes of the Iron Armor Sect disciple, how could a mere Qi Casting Realm Martial Artist like Chen Yuan possibly kill their Sect Leader without a sneak attack?
’He must have used a sneak attack!’
Hearing this news, everyone present had looks of utter shock in their eyes.
Wei Guangming was a very famous figure on the Border of Youning.
He had built the Iron Armor Sect from an obscure Minor Sect into the sole power dominating Pan Yang City.
Furthermore, cultivating a Body Refining Technique like the Iron Chain Cross River Skill to the Great Success Realm was no easy feat.
The man’s ability and strength were both extraordinary.
Someone of the Zou Family Patriarch’s level would have to act humbly and bow obsequiously when meeting Wei Guangming.
And now Wei Guangming was dead? Killed by a Qi Casting Realm Martial Artist? How was that possible?
Could it be that the Loose Cultivator, Chen Tian, whom Zuo Feiyu had gathered everyone to hunt down, was that terrifyingly strong?
The Iron Armor Sect Martial Artist wailed loudly, "Master Zuo, the Iron Armor Sect has already joined the Nine Swords Alliance! Now that our Sect Leader has been murdered, please, Master Zuo, you must seek justice for us!"
Zuo Feiyu set down his wine cup, a cold glint in his eyes.
’The Youning Border isn’t that large. There are only a handful of outstanding individuals here.
Wei Guangming was someone I valued, someone I personally went to recruit with utmost courtesy.
And just as I was going on about becoming a brilliant moon and establishing our place in the Jianghu, Wei Guangming gets killed over there. This slap in the face came far too quickly and suddenly.’
Even for someone as mature for his age and deeply calculating as Zuo Feiyu, he was finding it hard to keep his composure.
"Sect Leader Wei was the first to agree to join my Nine Swords Alliance. Although we haven’t yet held the ceremony at the alliance headquarters, he was one of our own!
That villain Chen Tian has murdered a brother-in-arms of my Nine Swords Alliance. This debt of blood must be repaid, just like this cup!"
As his voice fell, a burst of incredibly sharp True Qi erupted from Zuo Feiyu’s hand, crushing the wine cup to dust!
Just as Zuo Feiyu was about to give the order to head to Pan Yang City and corner Chen Yuan, another Martial Artist ran in to report.
"Master! Han Dong and the rest of the Dongjiang Five Swords encountered that Chen Tian in a town. The five of them surrounded him, but he killed them all!"
The people in the hall looked at each other in dismay.
Although the Dongjiang Five Swords were Loose Cultivators, they were rare experts among Independent Martial Artists.
The five had been sworn brothers for over a decade and had impeccable teamwork. They could even hold their own against a Sea of Reincarnation Realm master. To think they still died at Chen Tian’s hands.
’Are we hunting him, or is he hunting us?’
The crowd, which had been boiling with excitement just moments before, had now cooled down completely.
They hadn’t seen any of the benefits of joining the Nine Swords Alliance yet, but the danger, it seemed, was right in front of them.
Hearing this news, Zuo Feiyu could no longer contain himself. He slammed his palm on the table, leaving a deep handprint in the green-rock tabletop.
"Go and inform Daoist Qi! Tell him to take his men to Pan Yang City immediately, hunt down Chen Tian, and avenge the Dongjiang Five Swords and Sect Leader Wei!"
The banquet, only halfway through, ended abruptly.
Led by Zuo Feiyu, the group made straight for Pan Yang City.
「Meanwhile, in Fanglin City」
Elder Qi’s Dao also received the news.
Fanglin City was another small, unremarkable city. Relying on Zuo Feiyu’s reputation, Elder Qi’s Dao had recruited over thirty men there, but most of them were dregs and lowlifes.
The reputation of the Yin Mountain Five Ghosts was, after all, not a good one, and that remained true even after Elder Qi’s Dao had pledged allegiance to Zuo Feiyu.
After receiving the message, Elder Qi’s Dao led his men toward Pan Yang City, his heart pounding with anxiety.
’I never would have imagined that Wei Guangming would die at the hands of that bastard Chen Tian,’ he thought.
’Wei Guangming had achieved the Great Success Realm in his Iron Chain Cross River Skill, making him extremely difficult to kill. Even if I fought Wei Guangming to the death, I would have no confidence in being able to kill him.
How on earth did that Chen Tian manage to slay a Reincarnation Sea master while only at the Qi Casting Realm?’
As they walked, Elder Qi’s Dao performed a divination for himself, but the result was not good.
But he was a fake Daoist. He had practiced plenty of assorted Evil Techniques but had never finished reading a single orthodox Daoist Sect scripture.
’If the result is bad, it just means my skills are lacking.
If the result is good, it means the Daoist Ancestor has shown his power, and my journey will be smooth sailing.’
Elder Qi’s Dao led the group along a forest path.
The main roads were smooth but too roundabout. In order to catch up to Chen Yuan as quickly as possible, Zuo Feiyu had specifically told Elder Qi’s Dao to take the shortcut.
Suddenly, a confused voice came from the crowd.
"Where did He the Eighth go? How did he disappear?"
"Couldn’t have gone off to take a shit, could he?"
Elder Qi’s Dao’s brow furrowed, and he snapped, "All of you, straighten up! If you still look like a bunch of slackers when we see Master Zuo, what will people think?"
Although Elder Qi’s Dao himself was hardly a righteous figure, even he felt that this group of low-class dregs from the bottom of the Jianghu was truly an embarrassment.
"No, seriously, He the Eighth is really gone. He was right behind me a second ago..."
Before the man could finish his sentence, a soft *PFFT* was heard clearly in the dark night.
Everyone present, regardless of their strength, was experienced in battle. They were all too familiar with that sound.
It was the sound of a weapon tearing through flesh and blood!
And because the weapon was incredibly sharp, the sound was exceptionally faint.
"Blood! Yang Dayan’s been killed!"
A cry of alarm rose from the group. Everyone’s faces filled with terror as they hastily drew their weapons and faced their surroundings.
Elder Qi’s Dao’s expression changed. He quickly drew the black Dao Sword from his waist and stared into the darkness behind them.
"Who’s there!? Stop playing games and show yourself if you have any guts!"
From the gloomy darkness of the night, Chen Yuan’s voice drifted out eerily.
"If I remember correctly, you Yin Mountain Five Ghosts were also sworn brothers who took an oath, weren’t you?
As for me, the one thing I value most in this life is loyalty.
When you’re making your way in the world, loyalty should always come first.
Sworn brotherhood... you don’t ask to be born on the same day, but you vow to die on the same day. That is the true meaning of loyalty.
Your four sworn brothers are waiting for you down below. I’ve come today to send you on your way and fulfill the bonds of loyalty between you all!"