Officials

8:45 AM!

Same time, same place, a copy of the Jincheng Industry Promotion Gazette rested quietly in Chen Wu's hands. If anyone were to look closely, they would notice this paper was actually three days old, and the Legend of Dayu'er hadn't even updated to the latest chapter.

Chen Wu didn't care; the old paper served well enough to hide his face, and he was only concerned with one question—where was Old Jin?

They had agreed to meet at the Xiguan Crossroads at this hour, yet Chen Wu couldn't find a trace of him.

Drawing on his experience from three days ago, Chen Wu looked toward the direction where Qiao Weisheng's carriage was expected to appear. Sure enough, a carriage turned the corner in the distance; its frame was crafted from high-quality wood, yet the color of its decorations was remarkably low-key.

It was Qiao Weisheng's carriage!

Damn it, don't tell me Old Jin stood me up?

Just then, on the somewhat deserted street, twang-twang-twang-twang—the sound of plucked strings rang out, followed by a mellow male voice.

"Hey—"

Chen Wu's heart settled; he knew Old Jin and his sanxian had arrived.

Tch, he always has to be so flashy with his entrances!

Old Jin had no idea what Chen Wu was grumbling about in his heart, his singing and playing continuing without a pause.

"Heaven has its Way, sending down sweet rain and dew. Earth has its Way, sprouting the roots of the five grains— Hey, the Court has its Way, producing loyal ministers and good generals. The home has its Way, producing filial sons and grandsons—hey—"

Chen Wu finally sensed Old Jin's location. Looking up, he saw Old Jin sitting on the eaves of a three-story building at the crossroads, twisting a few blades of withered grass in his hand. He played the sanxian with great relish, seemingly completely lost in the melody.

But as Old Jin sang, Qiao Weisheng's carriage seemed bewitched; it moved slower and slower, slower and slower, until it stopped dead in front of the building where Old Jin sat. No matter how the driver and servants whipped or urged them, the horses remained motionless.

The melody shifted, and Old Jin's voice rose again.

"Heaven has no Way, bringing forth evil winds and storms. Earth has no Way, leaching out salt flats and barren land."

As Old Jin played and sang, the people outside grew anxious and agitated, yet the carriage remained silent and still, as if the occupants were sitting comfortably, enjoying Old Jin's tune.

"The Court has no Way, producing treacherous ministers and thieves. The home has no Way, producing rebellious sons—yo-wei-yo—"

Just as the final note faded, the sanxian suddenly split open, and a cone-shaped sword sprang from within, landing perfectly in Old Jin's hand. Old Jin's entire form became like a dark cloud, fast as an arrow released from a bow, pouncing down from the sky without a sound.

The long, slender, cone-shaped blade, like a venomous fang, pierced diagonally downward through the gap in the carriage window.

Clang—

A sound of metal clashing erupted, followed by a loud boom as the roof and door of the carriage were blasted open. Old Jin flipped backward, returning to the eaves.

By now, the commotion had finally startled the passersby, who began to look toward the scene.

The carriage was now missing its roof and door, revealing the people sitting inside.

Besides Qiao Weisheng and Guo Xuchu, there was a third person.

That man wore a crown and a blue brocade robe embroidered with the patterns of some animal, sitting calmly beside Qiao Weisheng. Based on Chen Wu's limited knowledge, he guessed the pattern was a rank badge from an official uniform, though he couldn't tell what rank it represented.

Guo Xuchu gripped the scabbard in his hand, staring fixedly at Old Jin while shielding the two men behind him.

"Star-Pulling Sword Guo Xuchu truly lives up to his reputation. I struck first to gain the initiative, yet I couldn't gain the slightest advantage." Old Jin's sunglasses fell off, revealing his tightly closed eyes.

"I have long heard that the Gansu Inspector of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower was a blind man. I thought it was just hearsay, but it turns out to be true," the man in the brocade robe spoke.

Guo Xuchu frowned. "It is my place to respond; the official authority of the Crown Prince's Mansion does not extend to me."

"Some people have bright eyes but blind hearts," Old Jin mocked. "It is precisely because there are too many people in the imperial court with bright eyes and blind hearts that this world grows worse by the day."

"You bold thief!" the man in the brocade robe interrupted. "The Great Shun now has the world in submission and hearts turned toward it. Your Yongjiu School defies the imperial court and assassinates high-ranking officials; this is an act of treason."

"Hahahaha—" Old Jin laughed loudly. "Only when the home has no Way do rebellious sons appear. The Great Shun court allows nobles and wealthy merchants to annex land, leading to refugees rising up across the Yu-Wan provinces. That is the true act of treason."

"Audacious!" the man in the brocade robe shouted in anger.

Guo Xuchu glanced sideways at the man in the brocade robe, remaining motionless.

The man in the brocade robe realized his mistake and quickly corrected himself. "This Humble One saw this man spouting wild words and spoke in a moment of haste. I hope Master Guo will forgive me."

Guo Xuchu snorted and did not reply. The man in the brocade robe looked at Qiao Weisheng in embarrassment.

"It is all for the sake of the imperial court, so it is understandable," Qiao Weisheng said with a wink, smiling to smooth things over.

"Enough."

Guo Xuchu's expression turned solemn. He raised the scabbard in his hand and slowly drew his sword.

"This sword is three feet and three inches long. According to the measurements set by the last Rotterdam Convention, it can be called one hundred and ten centimeters. Since my battle with Qi Lin three years ago, I have only used the scabbard to injure people; I have never used this sword."

As Guo Xuchu drew the blade, the surrounding light seemed to be pulled toward it, drawn in by the sword, as if the very space itself were being twisted.

"The Star-Pulling Sword!" The man in the brocade robe, his mind captivated, could not help but exclaim.

"I know, this sword of yours is nourished by your focused spirit, possessing the ability to distort light and shadow to deceive the five senses. If drawn at night, it carries the sensation of pulling down the stars from the heavens."

Old Jin's voice was unhurried, yet carried a hint of mockery.

"I hear you spend all your wealth maintaining this blade, living a life of hardship yourself. What a pity; I am a blind man, unable to see the wonders of your sword. No matter how you stimulate it, it is useless. Under my qi, this sword is utterly ordinary, no different from any other longsword."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wu stopped watching with his eyes and relied solely on his qi to sense the surroundings. The sensation of spatial distortion indeed vanished, leaving behind nothing but a plain, unremarkable sword.

So that was it! That feeling of pulling light and twisting space was merely an illusion.

"I do not display this sword to show off, but because you are a formidable martial artist, and I must give my all to show my respect."

As the words fell, Guo Xuchu moved like a dragon, charging straight for the eaves. A single thrust forced Old Jin to dodge sideways and retreat. The tiles beneath his feet shattered, spraying debris in all directions.

Guo Xuchu pressed his advantage; before his move was even spent, he swung his sword horizontally, sticking to Old Jin like a shadow. The surrounding light and shadow scattered, making Old Jin's figure appear to flicker in and out of existence. Old Jin's expression was solemn as he raised his cone-shaped sword, blocking the sharpness of the Star-Pulling Sword.

Clang—

The cone-shaped sword collided with the Star-Pulling Sword, halting Guo Xuchu's momentum. Old Jin's fingers lightly tapped a mechanism on the hilt, and the cone-shaped body of the sword suddenly began to rotate like a drill.

Skreeee—

The friction between the rotating cone-shaped sword and the Star-Pulling Sword produced a sharp, piercing screech. Everyone nearby felt dizzy and nauseated. Even Chen Wu, hearing the sound like metal scraping on metal, felt his mind grow agitated.

Guo Xuchu paid no heed, changing his stance once more. The tip of his sword circled along the rotation of the cone-shaped sword, thrusting directly at the palm of Old Jin's hand.

Unexpectedly, Old Jin retreated, swaying and rotating to neutralize the sword's momentum. He backed all the way to the edge of the eaves. Just as the Star-Pulling Sword's move reached its limit, the cone-shaped blade suddenly reversed its rotation.

A counter-vibrational force surged up the Star-Pulling Sword, stacking with the previous tremors. Guo Xuchu, caught off guard, felt a violent shock at the hilt that made his grip unstable. He hurriedly withdrew his blade, breaking contact with Old Jin's weapon.

Taking advantage of Guo Xuchu's retreat, Old Jin's internal energy erupted. He stepped forward, his cone-shaped sword striking out like a viper, sticking to his opponent's counter-thrust and aiming straight for Guo Xuchu's face. The murderous intent was so chilling that onlookers felt their hearts skip a beat, as if the previous defensive stance had all been a setup for this single, lethal counter-strike.

Guo Xuchu remained calm in the face of danger, sliding backward as if shrinking the distance of the earth, retreating several feet to dodge the thrust and face Old Jin once more. Old Jin's heaven-shaking strike was neutralized with effortless ease, devoid of any trace of exertion.

Tap, tap, tap.

Suddenly, a faint cracking sound emerged; the tiles beneath Guo Xuchu's feet had split into several fissures.

This was the first time Guo Xuchu had retreated since the fight began.

Chen Wu was mesmerized. The two had exchanged blows in the blink of an eye, moving with the speed of a rabbit and the grace of a falcon, each unleashing extraordinary techniques until the balance was restored once more.

"The heroes of the world are truly as numerous as the crucian carp in the river!"

In the midst of this tense silence, a voice drifted over. Chen Wu followed the sound, only to sense an unexpected person with his qi.

Monk Zhongcheng!

Chen Wu turned his head to see Monk Zhongcheng walking toward him with a smile.

Wasn't this guy supposed to be holding back Zhang Zhihe? What was going on?

Where was Zhang Zhihe?

Chen Wu looked around, fearing that Monk Zhongcheng had failed to delay Zhang Zhihe and that the man might suddenly appear.

"Do not worry, benefactor. The Iron Ruler Silver Fox cannot come," Monk Zhongcheng whispered as he reached Chen Wu's side. "Cloud-Grasping Iron Hand Wu Chengyi broke through to the sixth stage of the Great Heavenly Cycle last night and escaped from prison. Zhang Zhihe is currently busy hunting him down."

"Capturing Wu Chengyi was Zhang Iron Ruler's greatest achievement, which earned him the transfer order to the capital. With Wu Chengyi's escape, Zhang Iron Ruler's merit is greatly diminished, and his future has become bleak. Right now, Zhang Iron Ruler must be in a state of utter chaos and cannot spare any attention for this place!"

Wu Chengyi? He remembered now. Old Jin had mentioned him—the Red Pole of the Red Lantern Society, the half-step sixth-stage expert captured by Zhang Zhihe.

Hiss—

The timing of this prison break was far too coincidental.

Chen Wu looked at Monk Zhongcheng with suspicion.

"A monk does not tell lies; it was not this humble monk who let Benefactor Wu go," Monk Zhongcheng said with a radiant smile. "This humble monk merely used the method of heart-to-heart transmission to pass the true essence of Tummo to Benefactor Wu. I never expected that Benefactor Wu was so gifted, drawing inferences from one instance to reach the sixth stage immediately, thereby breaking his shackles and fleeing."

Damn, this sophistry sounds a bit like 'It was not me, but the weapons,' Chen Wu thought. Truly a monk who makes his living by his tongue.

"A fine method," Chen Wu said with admiration. "But, Master, why are you here?"

"There is a retired naval admiral nearby who donated six hundred and sixty silver dollars in incense money to the White Pagoda Temple where I am staying. I volunteered to chant the Contemplation of Amitayus Sutra to pray for the admiral's ninety-year-old mother. I have been staying at the admiral's mansion for the past two days and happened to run into you, benefactor."

As he spoke, Monk Zhongcheng paused, looking up at the eaves with a look of fanaticism.

"It is even greater fortune to have encountered a duel between two supreme experts!"

Following Monk Zhongcheng's words, Guo Xuchu and Old Jin launched themselves at each other on the eaves. Metal clashed, and the battle resumed. The light and shadow that twisted the eyes and the noise that pierced the ears once again threw everything around the two experts into a chaotic mess.

Chen Wu, however, saw it clearly. As the two fought in the heat of the battle, the space within a foot of their bodies was like the eye of a typhoon—the force was condensed and held tight. Outside that foot, however, the energy surged outward, affecting the surrounding bricks, tiles, and even the pedestrians on the street.

The onlookers were forced back again and again by the scattering energy, yet the battle continued to hold everyone's spirit captive.

Chen Wu felt a flash of inspiration; he realized the perfect moment for an assassination had arrived.