Black Silkworm Treasure Robe

On the first day of September, a fine rain fell like silk, pattering down from the sky and scattering through the mountains, bringing a breath of coolness.

In the study behind the main hall of the Golden Cauldron Sect, Qū Dōng Liú stood with his back to Zhào Yù, who was respectfully bent at the waist. He opened the window and gazed at the misty rain veiling the mountains. His chest felt unburdened, much of the suffocating frustration of the past washed away, as he asked smoothly,

"Duàn Yì went down the mountain two days ago, to Daming County. Has he returned yet?"

As the master of the Golden Cauldron Sect, Qū Dōng Liú held great power. Nothing on the mountain escaped his eyes and ears. On the day Duàn Yì descended the mountain, the disciples guarding the mountain had already reported it to him.

Having learned from Liu Zhiwei that Duàn Yì had agreed to duel an expert sent by the Ruan family, Qū Dōng Liú naturally could not ignore his descent. He had long since sent people to follow Duàn Yì, ensuring that he would not lose track of him.

First, he did not wish to break faith with the Ruan family and bring disgrace upon the Golden Cauldron Sect's prestige.

Second, he did not wish to lose this useful chess piece. In the future, Duàn Yì might perhaps be used to keep Bái Xī Wén in check.

"Reporting to Master, he only returned this morning. You surely do not know what Duàn Yì did in Daming County over the past two days."

Zhào Yù unusually revealed a smile before Qū Dōng Liú, clearly in a fine mood. Seeing that Qū Dōng Liú neither turned around nor replied, his heart tightened. He restrained his smile and said solemnly,

"On the day Duàn Yì went down the mountain, he went straight to Daming County's yamen. By some unknown method, he had the county magistrate temporarily appoint him as an executioner. He beheaded a condemned criminal in the marketplace for public display. He—"

Before he could finish, Qū Dōng Liú coughed, interrupting him. His right hand, formerly held behind his back, came to rest upon the window ledge. His knuckles tapped against it as he said slowly,

"Murder?

"Bái Xī Wén must have told him that the quickest way to enhance the power of his swordsmanship was effective.

"Unfortunately, cramming at the last minute could at most keep him from being intimidated by his opponent's Killing Intent in battle. It was impossible for him to defeat Lin Bohui that way.

"What else did he do?"

A swordsman who had killed and one who had never killed were entirely different. The former struck more ruthlessly and decisively, while the latter seemed far more immature. Though Qū Dōng Liú was not skilled in swordsmanship, he understood this principle.

In truth, it was not only swordsmen. Any martial artist who had killed differed greatly from one who had not.

"After killing someone, Duàn Yì did not remain at the yamen. Instead, he went directly to Fragrant Courtyard, the largest and most flourishing brothel in the county seat. He stayed there for an entire night and did not leave until the next day."

Brothels and pleasure houses were lands of flowers and willows, places where men burned through gold, and men's paradises. Zhào Yù had once greatly yearned for such places of pleasure-seeking and merrymaking, but because ambition burned in his heart, he had never set foot in one.

The masters of the Golden Cauldron Sect had always remained virgins, for only virgins could cultivate the Pure Yang Divine Skill and bring forth its power and mastery. Zhào Yù aspired to the position of sect master, and he possessed that much self-restraint.

"Fragrant Courtyard? Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will fight a hundred battles without defeat. He must have learned of some of Lin Bohui's absurd behavior and gone there to gather information. He truly is a meticulous man.

"But it is nothing more than wasted effort. Lin Bohui's seventy-two forms of Bixie Swordplay are among the finest sword arts of Lingnan, with boundless power. No matter how much he learns, he cannot break it. Is there more?"

Duàn Yì was certainly not the first person to make such plans. Of the seven swordsmen defeated by Lin Bohui, aside from the first, the Willow-Whip Swordsman, the other six had all done similar things before their battles. Yet defeat remained defeat; the outcome had been predetermined.

Qū Dōng Liú did not believe Duàn Yì could find a way to defeat Lin Bohui through this. If that were so, Bixie Swordplay would be far too cheap.

The Lin Family of Fuzhou, Lingnan had produced a Bixie Swordsman five generations ago. His martial arts had been peerless. He roamed unchecked, dominated one region, led the underworld and greenwood of seven provinces, and cut an imposing figure in every direction, far surpassing the Golden Cauldron Sect.

Over the generations that followed, the Lin Family produced first-rate swordsmen in every generation. They had long been acknowledged as a family of swordsmanship, with considerable influence. This Lin Bohui was likely a member of the Lin Family of Fuzhou, Lingnan, though no one knew why he had come to Wei Prefecture in Hebei.

It was impossible to say that Qū Dōng Liú harbored no improper thoughts toward Bixie Swordplay. Yet behind Lin Bohui stood the Lin Family, no ordinary force. If he seized Bixie Swordplay, or if others discovered him using it in the future, he would surely invite the Lin Family's crusade. The loss would outweigh the gain.

"After that, Duàn Yì bought quite a few medicinal ingredients from a pharmacy in the county seat. It seemed he intended to take a medicinal bath.

"Then, this morning, he returned from Daming County. The moment he came up the mountain, Yue'er saw him and slapped him."

By the end, Zhào Yù could not help smiling again, pride showing on his face.

Whenever he thought of Yue'er's expression of disappointment and disgust after learning that Duàn Yì had spent a night at Fragrant Courtyard, followed by the sight of her slapping him across the face, he blossomed with laughter.

The boy toy had not gone there for women, of course, but how could Yue'er know that? She had likely completely given up on Duàn Yì now, with no lingering attachment left.

"Enough. Put Duàn Yì's matter aside for now. Let me ask you: how has the investigation into Sun Zhi gone? Whose connections did he rely on when he came up the mountain?"

Sun Zhi was the true murderer of Ruan Dong, and he had also watched Duàn Yì and Ruan Dong compete in swordsmanship that day. Unfortunately, after being captured, he bit through the poison capsule in his mouth and killed himself, leaving them with nothing. They could only seek other clues.

"It was Martial Uncle Wu who introduced him into the sect. I heard he accepted Sun Zhi's silver. Could Master suspect Martial Uncle Wu? That cannot be, can it? There is simply no reason for Martial Uncle Wu to do such a thing."

Qū Dōng Liú snorted coldly.

"You may know a man's face, but not his heart. Back then, my master had originally favored Bái Xī Wén to succeed as sect master, but an accident occurred in the end. Everyone believed Bái Xī Wén was too young and not steady enough, so they elected me as sect master.

"This matter has remained like a fishbone stuck in the throats of my junior brothers. Since I, who was not Master's most satisfactory choice, could become sect master, why could they not?

"Enough. Let this matter end here. You may withdraw."

Realizing that he seemed to have said too much, Qū Dōng Liú's expression turned stern. He waved Zhào Yù away, then furrowed his brow as he pondered who the person operating in the shadows could be.

At the same time, within a rather grand and lavishly built residence on the mountain, Helan Yue'er lay sprawled across velvet bedding, covering her face as she sobbed. She coughed between sobs, nearly unable to catch her breath.

Her skin, once as white as milk, had turned red from excessive agitation. Her face in particular was streaked with tears that fell like pearls from a broken string, making her a pitiful sight.

Granny An's heart ached terribly as she watched. She hated Duàn Yì, the chief culprit behind all this, all the more. She could only keep patting Helan Yue'er's soft back, offering words of comfort while bitterly condemning Duàn Yì's improper conduct.

For more than two days, Yue'er had been confined and rarely gone outside. This morning, just as she had wanted to find Duàn Yì, she learned this news. The person she had constantly thought of had acted in such a manner. Had Granny An been in her place, she might have wished to kill him.

"Yue'er, I fear you have misunderstood Duàn Yì. I have just returned from Bái Xī Wén's place. I learned that Duàn Yì will duel Lin Bohui tomorrow, the man invited by the Ruan family. He went to Fragrant Courtyard to gather information on that man, not to seek flowers and ask willows."

At that moment, Eunuch Qiu strode in through the doorway. His square face was exceptionally stern, and when he mentioned Lin Bohui, a trace of apprehension appeared in his expression.

"What? Eunuch Qiu, what do you mean? I do not understand."

Hearing that she might have misunderstood Duàn Yì, Helan Yue'er's heart lurched. She hurriedly stopped crying, sat up from the bed, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and stared at Eunuch Qiu with still-red, swollen eyes.

Eunuch Qiu then explained the entire sequence of events in detail. At last, he said worriedly,

"I once experienced the Lin Family's Bixie Swordplay at the hands of the previous Lin Family master, Lin Wangchun. The swordsmanship was truly swift and strange beyond measure, and his internal strength was extremely profound. Had I not used a life-risking method to fight him and force him back, I would certainly have died beneath his sword.

"This Lin Bohui is likely a descendant of the Lin Family. Though Duàn Yì's talent is extraordinary, he has trained in martial arts for far too short a time. He will not be Lin Bohui's match."

When Granny An heard the name Lin Wangchun, her expression changed as well.

Helan Yue'er seemed to have been struck heavily. She froze in place, anxious and distressed, filled with regret and unsure what to do.

When Zhào Yù had told her that Duàn Yì spent a night in a brothel in Daming County, she had been both anxious and angry. Without caring to learn the reason, she had slapped Duàn Yì the moment she saw him. Now, she regretted it terribly.

Beyond regret, Helan Yue'er felt even greater worry. She feared Duàn Yì would be injured by Lin Bohui, and feared even more that if he lost, one of his hands would be cut off. At the thought of him without a hand, Helan Yue'er became so anxious that tears streamed down her face.

Seeing Helan Yue'er crying again, Granny An could not bear it. Her wrinkled face was filled with heartache as she hurriedly comforted her.

"Little Yue'er, do not cry. This matter is easy enough to resolve.

"On the day Duàn Yì fights, we can go watch in person. If Lin Bohui tries to deliberately injure him after winning, we certainly will not let him have his way.

"And if Duàn Yì truly loses, we can simply seize him and take him away. Never mind the Ruan family or the Golden Cauldron Sect—we will not let him lose a hand. Rest assured."

After hearing this, Helan Yue'er's anxious and worried heart calmed considerably. After thinking for a moment, she walked to the bedside cabinet, took out a square piece of gray cloth, bit her lip, and pleaded,

"Granny An... this Black Silkworm Treasure Robe can ward off blades and swords and disperse heavy force. Give it to Duàn Yì. Just... just consider it an apology and a gift of atonement for hitting him before I understood what had happened."

The Black Silkworm Treasure Robe was woven from the silk of black silkworms from the Great Snow Mountains. Though not one of a kind, it was exceedingly precious. The head of the Helan family had given it to Helan Yue'er as a gift on her tenth birthday.

Granny An had initially wanted to stop her, but upon further thought, Helan Yue'er did not usually like wearing the garment. Besides, with the two elders protecting him, that was far safer than any Black Silkworm Treasure Robe.

Since Duàn Yì had won Yue'er's affection, giving it to him was nothing much. It was better than having him die in the conflicts of the martial world someday and leave Yue'er heartbroken.

"Alright. Little Yue'er, be good and listen. Do not cry anymore. Granny An will certainly not let anything happen to Duàn Yì. Rest assured."