Gongzhou City

Chapter 4: Gongzhou City

Gongzhou City was the largest city within a thousand-mile radius and the first stop for Gao Xian after descending the mountain.

Even in winter, it was bustling with activity. Merchants and travelers flowed endlessly along the main thoroughfares. Gao Xian and Lu Canghai headed towards the south gate of Gongzhou City.

"Sir, what business do you have in Gongzhou?" Gao Xian spoke first, otherwise, Lu Canghai would have been like a silent gourd, not uttering a word the entire journey.

"To kill those who deserve to die, and to settle injustices," Lu Canghai replied, carrying his straw hat and sword, riding a scrawny horse, as if still immersed in the sword strike from yesterday.

"And what about you, Immortal?" After a moment of silence, Lu Canghai asked in return.

"To slay demons and exterminate devils, and save the common people," Gao Xian answered, leaning back on his donkey and flipping through a Daoist scripture.

Then, another long silence followed.

The Ling River flowed past Gongzhou. Willows were planted along the riverbanks. If it were spring or summer, the riverbanks would surely be filled with scholars and young ladies of noble families out for a stroll, with painted boats and pleasure barges sailing on the Ling River, creating a scene of poetic beauty.

However, at this moment, there was only ice and snow, and pedestrians shivered, hunched over.

Passing through the city gate, the streets were crowded with shops and bustling with people. Porters and vendors rushed past them like a stream. The two men clasped their hands in farewell.

As they parted, Lu Canghai handed a long scroll to Gao Xian.

"This scroll is a Daoist Venerable Divine Painting I obtained long ago, from the ancestral home of Daoism, Kunlun. It is said to contain some secrets. The Son of Heaven in the Shu Kingdom to the west searched everywhere for this item, but I believe only a Daoist immortal like yourself is worthy of it."

It was evident that Lu Canghai was a proud man and unwilling to owe anyone a favor.

Whether it was Gao Xian saving his life yesterday or the enlightenment he gained from that sword strike, it was all repaid with this Daoist Venerable Divine Painting, which even the Emperor of Shu desired.

Gao Xian did not stand on ceremony and accepted Lu Canghai's gift.

Lu Canghai put on his straw hat and adjusted his long robe, "From the moment I began practicing swordsmanship, I warned myself, reminding myself that the world is vast, and there are many powerful individuals."

"But unknowingly, I became lost in the false reputation of being the Third Sword Under Heaven. If you hadn't saved me yesterday, I would have already died at the hands of that Demon Wolf. From now on, I will continue to travel with my sword, honing my swordsmanship."

"Farewell."

The two did not say anything about meeting again, nor did they exchange addresses.

They clasped hands in farewell and parted ways, heading in opposite directions along the main road without looking back.

Meeting in the vast sea of people is fate. Whether they meet again depends entirely on fate.

Do not ask about the road ahead.

Gao Xian greatly enjoyed this feeling, as if this was the Jianghu he had envisioned.

Once inside the city, the donkey, which had been holding it in all the way, finally found an opportunity to speak, eager to find a place to drink and eat heartily.

Gao Xian sat on the donkey, swaying unsteadily, barely looking at the road. The donkey had an automatic navigation system, so there was no fear of getting lost, and a bell would ring when they reached their destination.

"Immortal Kongchenzi, I've found the inn," the donkey's bell rang at that moment, and a three-story wooden building named Yinglai Inn appeared before them.

However, a large crowd gathered in front of West Gate Street not far away, attracting Gao Xian's attention. As he walked closer, he discovered a wanted poster for a man pasted on the city wall.

The drawing depicted a handsome and dashing man with a sinister smile, holding a folding fan.

A seemingly ordinary Jianghu swordsman read the contents of the poster aloud: "Young Master Silver Flower. Report his whereabouts to the authorities, and upon verification, you will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver. Killing or capturing him will earn you one thousand taels?"

A peddler carrying a load greedily added, "What's a thousand taels of silver? This Young Master Silver Flower is no ordinary person. He is the seventh generation Palace Master of the Silver Flower Palace in Northern Wei. His wealth rivals a nation. Just the fan in his hand, the Fan of Mountains and Rivers Brocade, belonged to a Martial Saint of the previous Great Zhou Dynasty and is priceless."

A scholar, knowledgeable in many things, scoffed at the peddler, "This Demon Lord is not to be trifled with. He is extremely cunning, and countless Jianghu experts have fallen into his hands. Every time he appears, it results in a river of blood. He is known in the Jianghu as 'Better to provoke the wrath of a Sword God than to see the Demon Lord smile.' If you truly encounter him, forget about the silver, just run for your life!"

Gao Xian leaned forward on his donkey, his eyes fixed on the thousand taels of silver.

The few taels of silver he had looted from the bandit leader had been mostly spent on food and drink during the journey.

The donkey, understanding Immortal Kongchen's thoughts perfectly, whispered, "Immortal? Are we taking the job? If we pull this off, we won't have to worry about food and drink anymore, and we can return to the mountain."

Immortal Kongchen was extremely displeased with the donkey's words and smacked its head, "I, the dignified Kongchenzi, am passing through this place to slay demons and exterminate devils. Why do you describe me as a greedy scoundrel seeking profit?"

After reprimanding the Donkey Dharma Protector General, Gao Xian sat up straight and noticed something else. He pointed at the folding fan in the wanted poster: "I like his fan! It's very cool!"

Turning back to the street, he dismounted at a noodle stall in front of the inn and ordered a bowl of noodles. As Gao Xian sat down, he heard everyone at the noodle stall discussing the matter of the old Demon Silver Flower. From the conversations of the surrounding crowd, Gao Xian understood the situation.

A few days prior, the Jianghu received news that Young Master Silver Flower of the Wei Kingdom to the north would appear in Gongzhou City. The Li Sisters, the Duke of Wei's wards, were renowned throughout the land for their exquisite beauty. The elder Li had married into the Great Zhou Dynasty's imperial palace as a consort. Young Master Silver Flower, naturally, dared not intrude upon the Great Zhou imperial palace, so his target became these two Li sisters.

Top experts from all over the realm gathered in Gongzhou City, along with personnel from the imperial Martial Rites Division, all with the intention of capturing this demonic fugitive who had been on the Zhou Dynasty's wanted list for years.

Young Master Silver Flower was the notorious Palace Master of the Silver Flower Palace, known for his fondness for beautiful women. Every time he appeared, it was to collect beauties from all over the world for the Silver Flower Palace.

Moreover, he only coveted famous beauties. Not only did they have to be beautiful, but they also had to be renowned.

For example, the former number one beauty of the Western Shu Kingdom, the Saintess of the Moon Goddess Palace, fell into Young Master Silver Flower's hands. She was controlled by his poison, unable to live or die, and became his plaything.

The Heavenly Mountain Sword Couple from the eastern Yu Kingdom, famous in the Jianghu, had their husband cruelly murdered by Young Master Silver Flower. The female knight was then trained by him to become one of the Eight Beauties of the Silver Flower Palace.

Shi Qingyi of the Green Robe Sect in the current Great Zhou Dynasty was taken a fancy to by Young Master Silver Flower. He massacred the entire Green Robe Sect and took her back to the Silver Flower Palace to indulge in his depravity. He even treated her as a servant girl to entertain guests in the Silver Flower Palace, a true practitioner of the demonic path.

He was not a stealthy, philandering thief. Any woman Young Master Silver Flower desired, he never stole; he simply snatched them openly.

He seemed to enjoy the feeling that once he set his sights on someone, no matter how much they despaired or struggled, they could not escape.

This time, his appearance in the Great Zhou Dynasty had already brought disaster to Le Xiang'er of the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, Nun Fan Hui of the Mysterious Mechanism Temple, the concubine of the Jiangnan magnate Li family's patriarch, and the daughter of the Prefect of Wenxi Prefecture. The entire Jianghu was thrown into turmoil, with various experts pursuing him. Even the imperial wanted notice had failed to capture him.

His Peerless Lightness Skill was unmatched. Those in the Jianghu who could defeat him couldn't catch him, and those who could catch him couldn't defeat him. He was also skilled in poison and hidden weapons, and his schemes were incredibly devious.

In a corner, the Donkey Dharma Protector General, tied to Gao Xian, seemed to read Gao Xian's mind and said with a lewd donkey laugh, "Wow! This Young Master Silver Flower is truly enviable!"

"Immortal, why don't we stop being upright figures? Let's become Demon Lords instead?"

Donkey General's mouth was wide open, his tongue flicking back and forth with his lewd grin, almost drooling. "Look at being a Demon Lord – you have money, beautiful women, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. It's much more carefree than being a poor Daoist priest on the mountain."

"Wicked creature, shut your mouth!"