The taverns in Hengyang City had nearly become information exchanges, now that martial heroes from all over the world had gathered there. Countless martial artists drank and bragged, and every so often, something useful slipped into their conversation.
But lately, the atmosphere had been a little strange. The martial artists still chatted here and there, until two acquaintances happened to meet each other's eyes.
It was as if they'd connected via Bluetooth, instantly conveying a wealth of information through a glance. One of them tentatively asked, "You've heard about it, right?"
The other nodded. "By now, it's pretty much common knowledge throughout the city. How could I not have heard?"
Hearing them, someone nearby immediately chimed in. "So everyone knows. What a mess. It's downright unbelievable. When I first heard, I thought it had to be fake."
Someone else joined the conversation. "Come on, in all my years, I've found that stories that sound plausible are the ones that might be fake. The unbelievable ones, the ones that don't sound true—that's what might actually be true."
The people in the tavern heard this incisive take and nodded in agreement.
Still, a few had spent the past several days drinking themselves into a stupor and missed all the juicy gossip. Seeing everyone chatting animatedly while being so tight-lipped, they were on tenterhooks and couldn't help asking, "What are you all talking about?"
One busybody noticed that someone still didn't know and was about to tell him, but his companion kicked him in the calf. He turned to look at his friend, who merely glanced toward the Hengshan Sect disciples keeping order in the tavern.
The busybody lowered his eyes and sipped his tea, saying no more.
When no one answered, the man asked a few more times. Someone grew annoyed by the pestering and told him, "Those who know, know. Those who don't, wouldn't understand even if we told them. Don't ask, either. This matter involves too much, and it won't do any of us any good to talk about it. All I can say is, there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. Everything being passed around the city has been destroyed, so all I can say is, those who know, know. If you don't, there's nothing to be done."
That only made the man more impatient. "You've been rambling on and on, but you might as well have said nothing. I—"
The Hengshan Sect disciple on duty listened to the conversation, his face turning livid. But remembering his master's instructions, he forced himself to hold back.
He could hold back, but that didn't mean everyone else could. A Songshan Sect disciple suddenly slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and snapped, "Enough! This is all baseless rumor, nothing but a fabrication! Demonic Cult scum must be slandering Sect Leader Zuo. Keep talking, and I'll show you no mercy!"
Everyone fell silent. But human nature was what it was: the more you forbade people from discussing something, the more they discussed it in private.
Some of the more educated martial artists suddenly realized that "baseless rumor" was followed by "not necessarily without cause."
At the guesthouse where the Mount Hua Sect had settled.
Several disciples had also gathered to discuss the matter.
Lu Dayou lowered his voice. "Do you think Sect Leader Zuo of the Songshan Sect and Third Master Liu of the Hengshan Sect really are lovers?"
Liang Fa nodded. "Though I'm skeptical too, doesn't the booklet say so? Third Master Liu was able to bypass Master Mo and take control of the Hengshan Sect because Sect Leader Zuo, as the leader of the Five Great Sword Sects, had a hand in it."
Lu Dayou frowned. "But this is just too..."
Gao Genming added, "A few days ago, didn't that Demonic Cult scoundrel try to assassinate Third Master Liu? Some people nearby heard him denounce Third Master Liu for pretending to befriend him, when really he was trying to make him lower his guard so he could surround and kill him.
"They heard clearly that the Demonic Cult scoundrel had an old man's voice. Wouldn't that be Qu Yang, the one mentioned in the booklet?"
Lu Dayou shook his head. "I'm not concerned with whether it's true or not. I'm concerned that if everything in that booklet is true, then Sect Leader Zuo and Third Master Liu had been in love since they were young. Later, when Third Master Liu traveled alone, the Demonic Cult elder Qu Yang abducted him and forcibly... raped him.
"Afterward, Third Master Liu decided to play along and offer himself to the demon, hoping to seduce Qu Yang. But Qu Yang saw through him and tried to kill him in a fit of rage. Something like that... It's simply too shocking. What will our fellow martial artists think of the Five Great Sword Sects?"
"Alas!" Shi Daizi sighed. "The evidence is conclusive. You all saw it a few days ago: the bodies carried out of the courtyard next to Liu's residence were all Songshan Sect disciples.
"They were up in the middle of the night, fully dressed and armed with their swords. What could they have been doing if not lying in wait for Qu Yang?
"And why were the ones waiting for Qu Yang Songshan disciples, not Hengshan disciples? Why could Third Master Liu give orders to Songshan disciples?
"All the signs point to the truth. If everyone had kept Qu Yang there that day, no one outside would have found out.
"Unfortunately, Qu Yang escaped. Afterward, all of this was exposed. I expect it was his doing."
Ying Bailuo had listened without saying a word. Suddenly, he realized something. "I heard... I mean, I only heard it from someone else. I haven't read that booklet.
"I heard that besides describing what happened, the booklet also gives a detailed account of what went on in bed between Qu Yang and Third Master Liu, and between Qu Yang and Sect Leader Zuo. The details are very explicit.
"The part about Qu Yang and Third Master Liu is easy enough to explain, but how did Qu Yang learn so much about the private affairs between Sect Leader Zuo and Third Master Liu?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Wang Jingyuan said as he walked past, chewing on a steamed bun. Everyone turned to look at him when they heard him speak.
"I'd love to hear your explanation."
"Junior Brother Wang, tell us what you think happened."
Wang Jingyuan finished his bun in a few quick bites, then said, "People are possessive, and they want to outdo each other. The most common thing I heard from the customers when I visited a brothel was, 'Am I the best one you've ever had?'
"Some savvy courtesans would just say, 'Yes,' and save themselves a lot of trouble. The more honest ones would say, 'Someone else was better than you.'
"Then the customer would demand to know exactly how the other man was better. If she couldn't say, he might beat her in a rage. But if she did, he'd probably beat her even worse.
"Qu Yang knew so much about what went on between them, so, um...
"Third Master Liu was probably an honest man."
A crowd of Mount Hua disciples swarmed around him. Wang Jingyuan thought his answer must have been so airtight that they'd gathered to praise him. But he hadn't expected those bastards to stare at him with shining eyes.
"Junior Brother Wang, you said you went to a brothel, didn't you?"
"Junior Brother, what's it like in a brothel?"
"Junior Brother, is it fun in a brothel?"
Wang Jingyuan's expression fell. "I only went twice. The first time, I just ate a meal there. The second time, I spent the whole night practicing my sword. How would I know if it's fun?"
Damn it, I want to know if it's fun in there too!
"Pfft!" The disciples walked away, looking disappointed.
"Junior Brother, you're not being honest."
"Junior Brother, you're treating us like outsiders."
"Junior Brother, take me with you next time."
"Me, me, me! Take me too!"
Wang Jingyuan had to put in a great deal of effort to shake the bastards off. Then he spotted Lin Pingzhi peeking over from a corner.
Wang Jingyuan walked over and asked, "What are you hiding here for?"
Lin Pingzhi hesitated for a moment, then answered honestly. "The senior brothers don't like spending time with me."
Wang Jingyuan understood at once. "Young people can't abide any unfairness. It's normal to resent someone who got in through connections."
When Wang Jingyuan had first arrived, he'd been the one everyone shunned too, but he hadn't cared. They were a bunch of NPCs who couldn't give him quests. As long as they didn't go too far, he couldn't be bothered to find a way to force them into a fight.
Lin Pingzhi suddenly remembered that Senior Brother Wang seemed to be a well-connected newcomer too. "What about you, then, Senior Brother?"
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