Past Events

Langya Xing was dressed in white, whiter than snow. No emotion could be seen on his handsome face; only those star-deep eyes made people afraid to meet his gaze.

"Young Master is in fine spirits." Langya Xing stood before Mu Bai's table, his voice cool and clear as a spring.

Mu Bai gestured invitingly. "If Young Master Langya does not mind, would you care to share a drink?"

A flicker of surprise passed through Langya Xing's eyes. Then he gracefully swept back his robes and sat down.

Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, scattering fragments of light across his flawless profile.

"I never expected a young master of the Langya Family to have a compassionate side toward the weak." Mu Bai poured tea for Langya Xing. The tea in the celadon cup was emerald-green and crystal-clear. "I thought reclusive families like the Langya Family would regard commoners as dirt beneath their feet."

Langya Xing's long fingers gently brushed the rim of his cup. Only after taking a light sip did he say indifferently, "It merely reminded me of my younger sister when she was little."

"Younger sister?" The teapot in Mu Bai's hand trembled slightly, splashing several drops of tea onto the table.

Langya Xing gave Mu Bai a strange look. Then, for the first time since Mu Bai had met him, a truly heartfelt smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

That smile was like thawing ice and snow, bringing his entire person vividly to life. "I'm not some monster. What is so strange about having a younger sister?"

Mu Bai's ears reddened. He hurriedly took a sip of tea to hide his embarrassment.

Only then did he realize how discourteous his reaction had been—children of great families having siblings was perfectly normal.

"Has your sister also become a Martial Grandmaster?" Mu Bai asked curiously.

The teacup touched the table with a crisp sound.

The smile on Langya Xing's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a chilling coldness.

The temperature in the teahouse seemed to plummet. Several nearby patrons shivered unconsciously, though they had no idea where the chill had come from.

"She was crippled. She can no longer practice martial arts." Langya Xing's voice was like an icy wind blowing from the far northern tundra.

Mu Bai's heart jolted. He immediately realized he had touched upon a forbidden subject.

He set down his teacup and said sincerely, "I'm sorry. I brought up painful memories."

Outside the window, the street remained as lively as ever. The cries of candy figurine vendors, children's laughter, and hawkers' calls intertwined, forming a stark contrast to the heavy atmosphere within the teahouse.

Langya Xing did not respond at once. He merely watched the tea leaves rise and sink in his cup.

Sunlight passed through the tea, casting wavering specks of light over his fair fingers.

After a long while, he finally spoke slowly, his voice low and cold.

"Do you know? Unlike you people of the secular world, those of us born into reclusive families enjoy better resources and better cultivation arts from birth—but there is also far more competition."

He raised his eyes. Those star-like pupils looked directly at Mu Bai, light seeming to flow within them. "Sometimes, I truly envy the atmosphere in families like yours. At the very least, the three brothers can work together with one heart."

Mu Bai was slightly stunned.

He had never imagined that this heaven-blessed genius, born into a reclusive family and having reached the Martial Grandmaster realm at such a young age, would envy him.

Langya Xing lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingers, slow and steady, as if recalling something. "In my Langya Family, three members of the younger generation were known as the Langya Three Prodigies—myself, Langya Xin, and Langya Jie."

"The three of us were regarded as candidates for the next family head from childhood. We did not lack for open and covert struggles over the inheritance." A cold smile curled his lips.

Mu Bai listened quietly without interrupting.

He could sense that Langya Xing's confession was no ordinary matter, but the release of emotions suppressed for far too long.

"Each of the three of us had our own strengths, and the competition had always been fierce." Langya Xing's gaze grew distant. "Until my younger sister, Langya Xun, revealed her unique talent."

At the mention of his sister, Langya Xing's stern face softened somewhat. "Xun'er's talent for cultivation was not exceptional, but she possessed a one-of-a-kind ability—she could remember anything after seeing it once. Any martial art manual or secret technique, as long as she had read it once, she could recite it backward and forward. She could even point out the key to its obscure passages."

Surprise flashed through Mu Bai's eyes. Clearly, in the martial world, an ability akin to Wang Yuyan's was an invaluable treasure.

"With Xun'er helping me interpret cultivation arts, my rate of comprehension in martial studies far surpassed the other two." A trace of pride entered Langya Xing's voice. "Gradually, I gained the upper hand among the three."

A waft of floral fragrance drifted in through the window, mingling with the scent of tea and lingering between them.

Langya Xing's long fingers lightly traced the rim of his cup as he continued, "That advantage reached its peak when I became the first to comprehend one of the Langya Family's clan-protecting arts, the Pure Lotus Heart Sutra."

Mu Bai's heart shook.

The Pure Lotus Heart Sutra—was this the peerless art Langya Xing had displayed at that mountain pavilion?

Even now, the pure lotus blooming from his fingertips still sent a chill through Mu Bai's heart.

"The Pure Lotus Heart Sutra is one of the most difficult arts in the Langya Family to cultivate. Throughout the generations, those who have mastered it could be counted on one hand." Langya Xing's voice suddenly turned cold. "On the third night after I mastered the Pure Lotus Heart Sutra, a mysterious person infiltrated my residence."

Mu Bai held his breath, sensing that the story to come would be a turning point.

"That person did not attack me. Instead, they went straight for Xun'er's room."

Langya Xing's fingers unconsciously tightened. The porcelain cup gave a faint creak, as though it could no longer bear the strain. "Fortunately, the guardians arrived in time. But Xun'er's dantian had already been crippled, and even her tongue had been injured by true qi. She could never... speak again."

He nearly bit out those final words through clenched teeth.

The air in the teahouse seemed to freeze. Even the distant patrons unconsciously lowered their voices, as though they sensed some invisible pressure.

A chill rose in Mu Bai's heart.

Crippling her dantian and injuring her tongue—this had not only ruined a martial artist's future, but completely stripped a person of the ability to express herself.

What a cruel method!

"The Langya Family was enraged and pursued the culprit with all its might." Langya Xing's voice returned to calm, but beneath that calm lay a shuddering coldness. "In the end, the trail led to a secular sect—a small sect guarded by only a Houtian Limit Martial Grandmaster."

"They claimed they were taking revenge over a verbal dispute." Langya Xing sneered. "How laughable. How could some mere secular sect dare lay hands on a direct descendant of the Langya Family?"

Mu Bai frowned. "It truly makes no sense."

"The family sent an Innate expert, who slaughtered that sect within half a day."

Langya Xing spoke as lightly as if discussing the day's weather. "But that was all. The fact that Xun'er was crippled could not be changed, and my greatest advantage... vanished with it."

As the sunlight shifted, half of Langya Xing's face sank into shadow, making him seem especially cold and severe.

Mu Bai noticed that when he spoke the words "slaughtered," there was not the slightest ripple in his eyes, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

"Many people have speculated..." Langya Xing suddenly lowered his voice. "That Langya Xin and Langya Jie were behind this. After all, they were the ones who stood to gain the most."

Mu Bai considered this. "Indeed. If you had been attacked, the Langya Family would certainly have pursued the matter to the bitter end. But since it was only Xun'er..."

"Exactly." A cold gleam flashed through Langya Xing's eyes. "If I had been attacked, the family would have turned everything upside down. But Xun'er... once that sect was destroyed, the family stopped digging deeper."

Silence fell.

From the street came the clear, pleasant singing of a flower girl, a sharp contrast to the heavy atmosphere between the two men.

"So that was why you saved that little girl today..." Mu Bai said softly.

Langya Xing did not answer directly. He merely looked out the window, his gaze following the little girl, who had begun smiling again. "When Xun'er was little, she once stood in the middle of the road like that, frozen in terror before a runaway horse."

Mu Bai suddenly understood.

This seemingly indifferent young master of the Langya Family still harbored deep affection for his sister in the depths of his heart.

Perhaps his intervention today had merely been a momentary transference of emotion.

"I can sense that your strength has made an enormous breakthrough..."

"At the Long Pavilion tomorrow..." Langya Xing suddenly changed the subject, his voice returning to the aloof chill it had carried when they first met. "I hope Young Master will not disappoint me."

Mu Bai met Langya Xing's eyes directly. "I'm curious. Why did you choose me as your opponent?"

The corners of Langya Xing's lips rose slightly. "Because since I became a Grandmaster of Martial Arts, you are the only Houtian martial artist with any hope of touching the Innate realm."

He paused. "And besides... I need an opponent strong enough to give me even greater stimulation, so that I can break through to the Innate realm!"

"Break through to the Innate realm?" Mu Bai pressed.

Langya Xing did not answer. He simply rose gracefully, his white robes pure as snow. "Noon tomorrow, at the Long Pavilion. I hope Young Master's swordsmanship will not disappoint me."

With that, he turned and left, his steps light as though he were treading upon clouds.

When he reached the staircase, he suddenly stopped and said without looking back, "Oh, right. The one who rode roughshod over people was the Left General's son from the military camp. Young Master did not make a move today, which spared you quite a bit of trouble."

Mu Bai was taken aback, then gave a bitter smile.

So Langya Xing had known all along that he had been watching from the teahouse.

Watching Langya Xing's departing figure, Mu Bai sank into thought.

He lowered his head and looked at his palm. The lingering resonance left in his meridians by the Tornado Rain Strike he had comprehended only yesterday was still there.

This battle seemed to carry great significance, whether for him or for Langya Xing.

Outside the window, the setting sun draped Xiaoyao City in a layer of golden afterglow.

At this time tomorrow, outside Xiaoyao City, the scene would be entirely different.

Mu Bai lifted the tea that had already gone cold and drained it in one gulp.

The tea was bitter, yet its aftertaste lingered long, like the tangled thoughts in his heart at this moment.