Great Immortal Makes a Name

Great Immortal Makes a Name

Above Gongzhou City's west gate, a bloody head hung from a flagpole, its disheveled black hair fluttering in the wind.

The dashing, sinister Young Master Silver Flower was nowhere to be seen. There was only a dead man's head, giving off a foul stench.

A crowd had gathered before the notice beside the city gate, and someone was loudly reading its contents aloud. The Great Zhou court seemed to be using this to intimidate the martial world, emphasizing the achievements of the Martial Rites Division and its captain, Zhongxing Du. Though it mentioned the Sword Immortal and several martial heroes, it merely glossed over them with the Spring and Autumn brush.

Yet the uproar caused by Young Master Silver Flower's death far exceeded all expectations. The whole of Gongzhou City and the martial world knew what had happened that night.

The tale of how Young Master Silver Flower had abducted the Two Daughters of the Li Family, how the Sword Immortal had lopped off his head with a single stroke atop the city walls, and how flowers had bloomed across the streets spread through every market lane and alley as vividly as if people had seen it themselves.

Even every detail of it—the Two Daughters of the Li Family's inner thoughts, the heroes' loyalty reaching the clouds, and the expressions on Young Master Silver Flower and the four Silver Flower demons' faces before death—had been filled in by people's imaginations into countless versions and passed around on street corners.

"He's really dead?" A bearded martial wanderer, who had rushed over in haste only to arrive too late, stared wide-eyed at the head on the city wall.

"How many people did this demon harm? How much sin did he commit? He's finally dead! Good! Good! Good!" An elderly man in brocade and fine robes clapped in delight.

"Is that really the head of the Silver Flower Palace's master?" A merchant leading a caravan from the northern State of Wei began trembling at the very mention of Silver Flower Palace, pointing shakily at the head atop the wall.

In Northern Wei, Silver Flower Palace's vicious reputation was even greater than in Great Zhou.

The old man laughed boldly. "Of course it is. What kind of place is our Great Zhou? A land of outstanding people and spiritual beauty. Since ancient times, it has been steeped in legends and myths, with no one knowing how many masters lie hidden among famous mountains and great rivers."

"This Silver Flower Demon Lord dared to stir up storms in our Great Zhou, even coming to Gongzhou City to commit every manner of evil. He was simply courting death."

"No sooner had he entered Gongzhou than an immortal descended from the mountain. He happened to pass through Gongzhou City and rid us of the demon."

The old man seemed to have taken the Sword Immortal as one of his own. Swelling with pride, he imitated the Sword Immortal's carefree, Immortal Qi-filled bearing and declared with utmost arrogance, "With only one sword strike, he made the Silver Flower Demon Lord lose his head. His blood sprayed across the sky, and his corpse lay in the street."

The Northern Wei merchant immediately asked, "What kind of person was he, to kill a demon like Young Master Silver Flower with one sword strike?"

At once, many people around them stepped forward to recount all manner of versions of the story. Some even pointed to the blooming osmanthus trees lining West Gate Street as proof of that night's supreme battle, that sword from the west beneath the moon.

The disturbance spread through the northern borderlands of the Great Zhou Dynasty in an instant.

Experts from the major nearby sects hurried to Gongzhou City just to see Young Master Silver Flower's head with their own eyes, confirm that he was truly dead, and carry the good news back.

The first to arrive were disciples of the Green Robe Sect, whose sect had once been exterminated by Young Master Silver Flower.

Early one morning, he arrived after traveling through the night from a thousand li away. Dressed in green robes and carrying a zither case on his back, he first stared fixedly at the head hanging from the flagpole atop the city gate. Then he began laughing and crying like a madman.

His eyes held a bone-deep hatred, as though he wanted to devour the man's flesh. Then, as he realized that Young Master Silver Flower was truly dead, that hatred slowly turned into tears streaming down his face.

At last, as passing pedestrians, carriages, and horses made their way along West Gate Street beneath the blooming osmanthus trees, he suddenly stopped and knelt in the middle of the road.

"Hu Tong of the Green Robe Sect thanks the Sword Immortal for slaying this villain on behalf of the Green Robe Sect."

"Hu Tong of the Green Robe Sect thanks the Sword Immortal for slaying this villain on behalf of the Green Robe Sect."

"..."

The man performed three kneelings and nine kowtows in the middle of West Gate Street, his voice shaking the long avenue.

With every kowtow, he shouted those words once. Only after knocking his forehead bloody did he turn and leave.

As he departed, he laughed freely, as though heaven had opened and earth had stretched wide.

After that, disciples from the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, Mysterious Mechanism Temple, and the other martial sects arrived one after another.

Over the years, Old Demon Silver Flower had committed countless crimes. Nearly every righteous sect in the Great Zhou martial world bore a towering hatred and blood-deep enmity against Silver Flower Palace, whether directly or indirectly.

That was why Young Master Silver Flower's death had caused such a tremendous sensation.

There might have been other experts in the world like Young Master Silver Flower, but none were demons whose vile name had spread across the land, known by every passerby, as his had.

At a tea stall in the city, a storyteller began recounting the events of that night. A down-and-out middle-aged scholar slapped the table, and his voice immediately rose several pitches. "What we shall speak of today is A Sword Comes from the West, Flying Immortal Beyond the Heavens! The tale of the Sword Immortal beheading the Silver Flower Palace demon beneath the moon!"

As soon as the tale began, the tea stall filled at once. Several rings of people even gathered in the street outside.

That was the state of Gongzhou City. When the Silver Flower Demon Lord had first appeared in the city, everyone had feared for their safety. Recently, however, any telling of the Sword Immortal slaying the demon beneath the moon could draw throngs of customers, prompting tea stalls, taverns, and bookshops throughout the city to follow suit.

Soon after, the teahouse across the street began as well.

The teahouse was even more professional. It had people gather information and specially prepare a more detailed, more truthful storytelling account, and it invited an old scholar with quite the air of an immortal sage to tell it. "It is said that Granny Mountain held a Cloud Heaven Temple. Within the temple lived a Sword Immortal by the name of Kongchenzi..."

At the tavern by the east gate, they told a different version. A storyteller with a beard and a somewhat shifty, sleazy look opened with a touch of marketplace flavor. "I imagine everyone has already heard the tale of the Sword Immortal slaying the demon beneath the moon, so let me tell you the heartrending and soul-stirring story behind it."

"Why did the Sword Immortal descend the mountain to slay demons? What relationship existed between the Sword Immortal, the Silver Flower Palace demon, and the Two Daughters of the Li Family? What, exactly, was all this..."

The old scoundrel spun his tale the moment he opened his mouth. Just as everyone's blood began to race, he abruptly stopped and slapped the wooden block against the table.

"Those with money, give what you can; those without, give us your presence. The bookshop next door is also selling the unabridged complete edition of Romance of the Sword Immortal. Limited to one hundred copies, first come, first served."

Yinglai Inn had several superior rooms behind its main gate, each with its own separate courtyard. Flowers and grass grew in the courtyards, while the rooms contained not only braziers but also daily hot water. More importantly, they were quiet.

The Sword Immortal who had become famous throughout the Great Zhou martial world the moment he descended the mountain, Kongchenzi Gao Xian, had been staying here these past few days.

As long as one had money, life below the mountain was indeed far more comfortable than life upon it. There was food and drink every day, and without lifting a finger, one could be clothed and fed. Even in winter, it could feel like warm spring.

It was just that he was about to run out of money again.

Fortunately, someone would soon be bringing Gao Xian money.

Xie Zizhi was an aide to Prefect Hu of Gongzhou. Dressed as a scholar, he entered the small courtyard with a group of yamen runners, followed by large and small chests.

These were the reward for the Silver Flower Demon Lord, along with a gift from the prefect.

Before he had even moved, he stood reservedly at the courtyard gate. A yamen runner beside him called toward the people inside, "Where is Kongchenzi?"

"Is Kongchenzi here?"