An Encounter in the City

On the morning of the tenth day, Mu Bai did not go practice his swordsmanship again.

He returned to the Carefree Prince's Estate, bathed and changed clothes, then put on a simple white robe with the Qinglin Sword hanging casually at his waist.

"Looks like you're in a good mood." Mu Rongyi ran into his son in the corridor. Seeing Mu Bai's relaxed expression, he could not help letting out a sigh of relief.

"Good morning, Father." Mu Bai smiled and bowed. "I won't be practicing swordsmanship today. I'm going out for a walk."

Mu Rongyi looked his son over and keenly noticed that the aura emanating from Mu Bai differed from before—more restrained, yet deeper. "You broke through?"

Mu Bai nodded. "Last night, by the little stream outside the city, I was fortunate enough to gain insight into the Fifth Sword."

Delight flashed through Mu Rongyi's eyes, but he quickly regained his calm. "Very good. But you truly should relax today and adjust your condition. Do you need your father to accompany you?"

"Thank you for your kind offer, Father, but I would like to walk alone." Mu Bai politely declined.

After leaving the estate, Mu Bai strolled along the streets of Xiaoyao City.

Xiaoyao City was already growing lively beneath the morning light. Diners crowded around breakfast stalls of every kind, while vendors' cries rose and fell without pause.

Mu Bai sat down at a stall selling tofu pudding and ordered a bowl of savory tofu pudding.

The steaming tofu pudding melted in his mouth, delicious beyond compare, and reminded him of how he used to sneak out of the Carefree Prince's Estate as a child to eat street snacks.

"Young Master?" The stall owner was an old man in his fifties. After studying Mu Bai closely, he recognized him. "It really is you! This old man failed to recognize Mount Tai..."

Mu Bai waved with a smile. "No need for such ceremony, sir. Your tofu pudding is still as delicious as ever."

After leaving the tofu pudding stall, Mu Bai went on to sample fried cakes, sugar-fried fruit pastries, and other snacks.

He walked slowly, stopping now and then to watch street acrobatics or listen to storytellers' tales.

This ordinary yet bustling life of the common streets gave him a long-lost sense of ease.

At noon, Mu Bai sat by the window on the second floor of a teahouse, sipping tea as he watched the bustling crowds below.

He knew that at this time tomorrow, he might be fighting Langya Xing to the death outside Xiaoyao City.

But at this moment, he only wanted to savor this rare time of peace.

"The martial path requires both tension and relaxation." Mu Bai took a light sip of clear tea, recalling the novels he had read in his previous life. "A string pulled too tight is more likely to snap."

Suddenly, a rapid clatter of hoofbeats came from the end of the street, accompanied by cries of alarm and the sounds of pedestrians scrambling aside.

Mu Bai frowned and looked out the window. A snow-white steed was charging wildly down the street. On its back sat a richly dressed young man, whip in hand and a wanton smile on his face.

"Move! All of you, move aside for this young master!" the young man shouted, with no intention of slowing down.

Pedestrians scattered out of the way. Some vendors had no time to pack up their stalls, and their goods were kicked flying in every direction by the horse's hooves.

A trace of anger flashed in Mu Bai's eyes. His hand was already resting on the Qinglin Sword, ready to intervene.

Just then, a piercing cry rang out. "Xing'er, get out of the way!"

Following the voice, Mu Bai saw a little girl of five or six standing in the middle of the street. She held a sugar figurine in her hand and seemed frozen by the sudden chaos, standing completely still.

The white horse was less than ten zhang from the girl. At this speed, she would be trampled beneath its hooves in the blink of an eye.

The young man on horseback saw the girl as well, yet showed no sign of reining in his horse. Instead, a cruel smile appeared on his face, as though he were looking forward to something.

A cold gleam flashed in Mu Bai's eyes. Just as he was about to leap from the window, a white figure shot out from the roadside at astonishing speed and stood before the little girl.

Bang!

With a dull boom, the charging steed seemed to crash into an invisible wall. Its entire body was flung sideways, smashing heavily into the wall of a roadside shop with enough force to crack it.

The richly dressed young man was thrown miserably from the horse, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

The street fell silent. Everyone stared at the scene in stunned disbelief.

Mu Bai's pupils contracted slightly as he fixed his gaze on the white-clad figure standing before the little girl.

The man had his back to him, standing as straight as a pine. His white robes were spotless, almost dazzling beneath the sunlight.

The man in white slowly turned around, revealing a face so handsome it scarcely seemed mortal.

His eyes were as deep as the stars, and a faint smile lingered at the corners of his lips.

"Langya Xing..." Mu Bai softly spoke the name. At some point, cracks had already appeared in the teacup clenched in his hand.

Langya Xing seemed to sense something. He lifted his head toward the teahouse window and met Mu Bai's gaze directly.

The two stared at each other across the distance, as though invisible sparks were bursting through the air between them.

The richly dressed young man who had fallen to the ground scrambled up, his face full of rage. "Which blind fool dared stop this young master's horse? Do you know who I am? My father is—"

Before he could finish, Langya Xing sprang forward and seized the young man by the throat, lifting him until his feet left the ground and his face rapidly turned red.

"I don't care who you are." Langya Xing's voice was soft, yet it carried clearly through the entire street. "And I don't care who your father is. If I see you riding down people again..."

His fingers shifted slightly, and the young man was flung several zhang away like a rag doll. He hit the ground hard and began coughing without stop.

"Next time, I won't be so polite." Having said that, Langya Xing lowered his head to look at the little girl, who had been frightened into tears. The coldness on his face instantly melted away, replaced by a gentle smile. "Little sister, it's all right now. Your sugar figurine is dirty. How about big brother buys you a new one?"

The little girl stared blankly at the immortal-like elder brother before her. She had forgotten to cry and nodded dazedly.

Up in the teahouse, Mu Bai released the shattered teacup in his hand and watched Langya Xing on the street with a thoughtful expression.

The opponent who would fight him to the death tomorrow was now soothing a frightened little girl like a gentle boy next door.

"What kind of person are you, Langya Xing?" Mu Bai murmured to himself.

As if sensing something, Langya Xing looked up at the teahouse window again, a meaningful smile curling across his lips.

He gently patted the little girl on the head, placed a silver coin beside the sugar figurine stall, then turned and walked toward the teahouse.

Mu Bai watched Langya Xing, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the tabletop.

At that moment, the waiter came over trembling to clear away the shattered teacup. Mu Bai casually tossed out a silver ingot. "Replace it with a pot of the finest Biluochun Tea, and bring another cup."

When Langya Xing stepped into the teahouse, the entire building seemed to grow quieter in an instant.