A Banquet of Blades, a First Taste of Edge

The gates of the Qin Manor were vermilion.

So vermilion they seemed to have been painted layer upon layer with blood, exuding a heavy, suffocating majesty beneath the lingering light of dusk.

Two rows of black-armored guards stood before the gates, each eight feet tall, long sabers at their waists, their eagle-sharp gazes sweeping over every approaching carriage. Their breathing was deep and uniform, their feet planted as though they had grown roots into the ground. These were no ordinary servants; they were hardened border troops who had seen battle and blood.

The Qin family had built its house on martial prowess. Even their gatekeepers were elite soldiers tempered through a hundred battles.

Carriages stretched like a dragon from the end of the long street all the way to the manor gates.

"The Cui clan of Hedong presents a pair of Eastern Sea pearls and a pair of jade bi discs, wishing Old Madam blessings as vast as the Eastern Sea—!"

"The Canal Guild of Jiangnan presents a century-old red sandalwood Guanyin statue and a golden-thread nanmu longevity screen, wishing Old Madam a life as enduring as the Southern Mountains—!"

The ceremonial announcer's voice rang loud and drawn out, every word striking the bluestone pavement and echoing amid the bustling crowd. One priceless gift after another was carried through the gates, drawing waves of hushed exclamations from those nearby.

Power, wealth, connections.

They had already been laid bare at the very opening of this birthday banquet.

From deep within the Qin Manor came the faint sounds of silk and bamboo music, yet compared to the grim vigilance before the gates, they seemed especially unreal.

A pitch-black carriage with no markings, yet made from exceptionally fine materials, slowly pulled up at the very front of the line.

The carriage curtain was lifted.

The first thing to emerge was a pair of black, thin-soled riding boots, followed by a lean figure wrapped in a plain blue robe. A long object was bound to his back with rough strips of cloth, making him look as shabby as an attendant.

Yet when he raised his head and calmly swept his gaze across the two rows of black-armored guards, the two nearest guards unconsciously tightened their grips on their sabers.

It was the instinctive reaction of beasts encountering their own kind.

Then a slender hand wearing a red jade bracelet reached out and lightly rested upon the blue-robed young man's arm.

Xiao Hongxiu bent down and stepped out of the carriage.

She wore a grand crimson palace gown, her cloud-like hair piled high, a golden hairpin glinting with frigid light beneath the setting sun. Her beauty was profoundly aggressive, like an ornate dagger drawn from its sheath—beautiful, and lethal.

"Her Highness the Grand Princess has arrived—!"

The ceremonial announcer's voice abruptly rose an octave, carrying an almost fawning excitement.

The entire gathering fell silent for a moment.

Every gaze, whether from within carriages or from those currently disembarking, converged upon her in unison.

There was reverence, curiosity, calculation, and deep wariness.

As though she had not noticed any of those gazes, Xiao Hongxiu slightly lifted her chin. Her eyes swept over the high-hanging plaque bearing the words "Qin Manor," and an indistinct smile touched her lips. With her hand looped through Ji Ye's arm, she walked forward with peerless poise.

"This commoner, Ji Ye, attends Her Highness."

Ji Ye's voice was not loud, but it was enough for the steward at the gate to hear.

The steward was a capable middle-aged man. His gaze paused upon Ji Ye for an instant, and when he saw the shabby cloth wrapping in particular, an imperceptible flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes. Yet it immediately became deeper respect as he bowed low. "This way, Your Highness. This way, Sword Attendant Ji."

No gift was announced.

Yet everyone knew that the Grand Princess's personal arrival was itself the weightiest gift.

And the blue-robed man whose arm the Grand Princess held, the man named "Ji Ye," was in that instant etched into the minds of every perceptive person present.

The Grand Princess's Manor's newly appointed Sword Attendant, Ji Ye.

After passing through three ceremonial gates, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

A hundred banquet tables had been set, cups and wine vessels intermingling. A huge character for longevity was pasted in the main hall. Beneath it sat an elderly woman dressed in brocade embroidered with clustered auspicious characters, her silver-white hair gleaming, her smile kindly. She was the birthday honoree of the day, the Qin family's Old Madam. Yet the occasional flash of brilliance beneath her half-lidded eyes made no one dare mistake her for an ordinary old woman.

The moment Xiao Hongxiu appeared, it was like a drop of water falling into boiling oil.

"Hongxiu is here. Quick, come sit beside your grandmother." Old Madam smiled and waved, her tone as affectionate as if speaking to her own granddaughter.

The Qin family head, a refined-looking middle-aged man with a deep and composed bearing—Qin Muzhi—also rose to welcome her. Cupping his hands, he smiled. "Your Highness's presence brings radiance to this humble home. Please take the seat of honor."

Greetings and formalities proceeded without a single flaw.

Everyone's gaze intentionally or otherwise brushed over the silent blue-robed young man at Xiao Hongxiu's side.

Ji Ye simply stood there, at the center of the scrutiny of Capital City's most powerful nobles, beneath countless probing gazes both open and concealed.

He stood straight, like a spear planted in the earth—quiet, yet impossible to ignore. The crude cloth-wrapped bundle on his back was so conspicuous amid this banquet glittering with jewels and crowded with magnificent robes that it was nearly absurd.

"This gentleman is..." Qin Muzhi's gaze finally settled upon Ji Ye, carrying precisely the right degree of puzzlement.

"My newly hired tutor, Sword Attendant Ji Ye," Xiao Hongxiu introduced him flatly. Her tone was casual, but she enunciated the words "Sword Attendant" with particular clarity.

"Oh?" Qin Muzhi seemed to understand, his smile gentle. "So you are Mister Ji. I heard that your swordsmanship is divine, that even Attendant Liu Bai willingly conceded defeat. You truly are a young hero. It is a pleasure to meet you today."

As he spoke, the aura around him was perfectly rounded and natural, not revealing the slightest edge. Yet Ji Ye's [Martial Dao Heavenly Eye] could sense that this man's presence was as deep as abyss and sea. He had at least reached the pinnacle of Organ Tempering, and his foundation was exceptionally solid—not something built by piling up Elixirs.

"Patriarch Qin overpraises me." Ji Ye cupped his hands, his tone placid and unruffled. "A trifling trick, unworthy of mention."

There was no worldly affectation in his reply. He was neither falsely modest nor ostentatious enough to invite disgust. It was like a punch landing in cotton.

A strange light flickered deep within Qin Muzhi's eyes, though the smile on his face did not change. "You are too modest, Mister Ji. Someone, prepare a seat for Mister Ji."

His seat was arranged near Xiao Hongxiu, below her position. It was not among the most central seats, but it was enough to demonstrate the status of a Sword Attendant.

Ji Ye calmly took his seat, removed the "No Longevity" sword bound to his back, and casually laid it across his knees.

That action stirred a faint commotion among several nearby tables. On such occasions, weapons were normally entrusted to attendants or worn at the waist as a mark of propriety. To so casually set something that looked like battered scrap iron across one's knees was truly both rude and strange.

"So that is the new Sword Attendant recruited by the Grand Princess? He looks... utterly ordinary."

"More than ordinary—he looks downright shabby. Look at what he brought. Is that a fire poker?"

"Keep your voice down! If the Grand Princess values him so highly, how could he be commonplace? Not just anyone can withstand Liu Bai's sword."

"I say he is merely putting on airs..."

The whispers flowed like gnats beneath the cover of the silk and bamboo music.

Ji Ye seemed not to hear them. His calm gaze swept across the entire gathering. He was observing people, and he was observing the currents of power. Who had come solely to offer birthday wishes, who were Qin family retainers, who were spies from other factions, whose blood and qi were vigorous enough to mark them as experts... all gradually became clear in his eyes.

Then his gaze fixed upon the entrance to the corridor beside the main hall.

At some point, someone had appeared there.

He wore white robes without a speck of dust. His features were handsome to the point of perfection, a gentle smile on his lips as he raised his cup from afar in greeting to Xiao Hongxiu.

Qin Wuji.

He had appeared without warning, yet it felt perfectly natural, as though he had always been there.

His gaze met Xiao Hongxiu's briefly, then naturally fell upon Ji Ye.

In that instant, the "No Longevity" sword on Ji Ye's knees gave an almost imperceptible hum. Beneath the cloth wrapping, the blue-gray blade seemed to flash with a fleeting streak of cold light.

The smile on Qin Wuji's face deepened slightly. He stepped forward and crossed the crowd with unhurried composure. Wherever he passed, guests nodded in greeting and made way for him. Arriving before the main table, he first paid his respects and offered birthday wishes to Old Madam and his father, his bearing beyond reproach.

Then he turned toward Xiao Hongxiu and cupped his hands in salute. "Your nephew, Wuji, greets Your Highness the Grand Princess. Your Highness's visit today has brought Grandmother great joy."

"Wuji has grown increasingly steady." Xiao Hongxiu nodded with a smile, her gaze traveling over him. "I hear your martial arts have improved again. Congratulations."

"Your Highness overpraises me. I have merely trained without pause." Qin Wuji humbly replied, then shifted the topic. His gaze finally landed on Ji Ye, his smile gentle, but his eyes clear and sharp as two ice awls.

"This must be Sword Attendant Ji, whose name has recently resounded throughout the Capital City?"

Ji Ye raised his eyes and met his gaze.

Their eyes met.

There were no sparks, no killing intent.

Yet the entire noisy birthday banquet seemed to have all sound stripped away in that moment. Countless gazes focused upon them as everyone held their breath.

"You flatter me." Ji Ye spoke, his voice as level as ever. "Ji Ye."

"Brother Ji." Qin Wuji smoothly changed his form of address, making it sound more intimate while concealing a sharp edge. "Since our parting at Zuisheng Tower that night, I have remembered Brother Ji's swordsmanship deeply. Fast, precise, ruthless—especially that sword strike that borrowed force to counter force. It was wondrous beyond compare."

Zuisheng Tower!

He had uttered those three words in such a calm tone, yet they exploded like thunder.

Several nearby tables instantly fell quiet. While not everyone knew the precise details, word of "the fire at Zuisheng Tower" and "Barbarian spies being slain" had long spread in secret. Now that Qin Wuji had revealed their connection to this Sword Attendant Ji, the implications were alarming.

Xiao Hongxiu's brows drew together almost imperceptibly, then relaxed. She merely lifted her teacup and gently blew away the floating leaves.

Ji Ye looked at Qin Wuji and suddenly smiled as well.

His smile was faint, yet like the first crack when ice broke in the depths of winter, carrying a bone-piercing chill.

"You praise me too highly, Young Master Qin." He spoke slowly, his fingers lightly brushing the rough cloth across his knees. "The fire was fierce that night, and the wind was strong. Young Master Qin's wine was also too potent. In my haste, I only had time to take away one head that needed taking. My technique was crude; please excuse the laughter it brought you."

He had admitted it!

And he had admitted it so lightly, even turning the blade back upon Qin Wuji by pointing out that cup of "potent wine."

A sharp glint flashed through Qin Wuji's eyes, but the smile on his face became even warmer and more radiant. "Brother Ji jests. One Barbarian's head in exchange for half my Zuisheng Tower—this is a bargain the Qin family can afford. It is only that..."

He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice, though it remained just loud enough for nearby perceptive listeners to hear clearly.

"Brother Ji left in such a hurry that night and did not have the chance to enjoy yourself. Today happens to be Grandmother's birthday, and after the banquet there will be a Sword Appreciation Gathering, with several friends from the martial world in attendance. Would Brother Ji be willing to bring this divine sword..."

His gaze fell upon the cloth across Ji Ye's knees, his tone gaining a perfectly measured hint of inquiry and expectation.

"...and enter the arena for a look?"

The map was exhausted; the dagger had been revealed.

The Sword Appreciation Gathering had finally been brought into the open.

Before the guests filling the hall, before the Grand Princess, before the Qin family's Old Madam.

To accept was to leap into the trap.

To refuse was to show weakness—to admit that this "sword" of his was dull and unworthy of being the Grand Princess's Sword Attendant.

Everyone's gaze focused upon Ji Ye once more.

Ji Ye's fingers stopped stroking the cloth.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over Qin Wuji. He seemed to glance at the kindly smiling Old Madam in the main hall, yet he also seemed merely to be looking into nothingness.

Then he turned his gaze back. His eyes fell upon Qin Wuji's face like an ancient well—without ripples, without warmth.

As though he were not looking at a mortal enemy, but at the remnants of a game whose outcome had already been decided.

He gave an exceedingly slight nod.

"Yes."

Only one word.

Clear, calm.

Yet it did not strike the ground like cold iron. It was like the first move placed by a player in the endgame.

Granting the beginning of a life-and-death contest.

Qin Wuji smiled and raised the wine cup in his hand. "Then after the banquet, I shall await the elegance of Brother Ji's divine sword."

"You flatter me." Ji Ye also lifted the cup before him, though he did not know when it had been filled, and inclined it slightly. "I certainly will not disappoint Young Master Qin."

The two wine cups swayed faintly through the air.

The wine rippled, reflecting the lights filling the hall, as well as the concealed cold gleam deep in both men's eyes.

The birthday banquet continued, and the silk and bamboo music rose once more.

But everyone knew that the flavor of this banquet had changed.

The true banquet would begin after the feast.

Upon the sword.