The Green Ivy Blade Su Xiaoxiao

As the Mistress finished speaking, the hall fell into a stifling silence.

"Pardon the intrusion."

The red-browed Ji Chuan suddenly rose, crossing the distance to Lu Chen in two strides. His right hand darted out, fingers tapping rapidly against Lu Chen's shoulder, neck, ribs, and spine. As his fingertips passed, Lu Chen felt his muscles and bones vibrate slightly, the strand of energy in his dantian faintly stirring in response.

This was a top-tier method for assessing bone structure and pulse.

Within two or three breaths, Ji Chuan withdrew his hand and stepped back. He remained silent for a moment, then looked toward Zhou Lan and the others, nodding slowly and heavily.

It was true.

Lu Chen's foundation was ordinary, yet he had truly and undeniably broken through to the External Strength realm.

The folding fan in Young Master Zhou's hand stilled, Lin Wei'er's look of skepticism vanished, and the dark-faced man sat up straight.

The silence in the hall, where one could hear a pin drop, lasted for several breaths.

It was finally broken by the Mistress's gentle voice.

"Why are you all just staring?" Her gaze swept over the four people seated before her, a smile touching her lips as she turned to Lu Chen, her tone intimate: "Come, Lu Chen, let the Mistress introduce you. These are your senior brothers and sisters. Though they are not often at the hall, they are all of the Plum Blossom lineage."

She first pointed to the young man in silk robes who had been fanning himself: "This is Zhou Lan, the eldest son of the Zhou family in the West City. You may have heard of his family's reputation."

Lu Chen's heart stirred. He naturally knew of the West City Zhou family; they were a truly wealthy and prestigious household in the city.

He immediately cupped his hands and said respectfully, "Senior Brother Zhou."

Zhou Lan's face had returned to its habitual, warm smile. He closed his fan and returned the gesture: "Junior Brother Lu, no need for such formality. I did not expect that in the short time I have been away, the hall would have gained such a talent. This is a joyous occasion."

The Mistress then looked toward the short-haired woman: "This is your Senior Sister Lin Wei'er, currently an inner disciple of the Iron Sword Sect."

The Iron Sword Sect! Along with the Green River Sect and the Flying Cloud Sect, they were known as the three great sects of Wen'an. Their influence was deeply entrenched, far beyond what a common martial hall could compare to.

Lu Chen's demeanor became even more cautious as he bowed: "Senior Sister Lin."

Lin Wei'er's spirited eyes lingered on him for a moment. The disdain she had shown earlier had faded. She gave a slight nod, acknowledging him, but said nothing more.

"This is your Senior Brother Zheng Tie." The Mistress shifted her gaze toward the mountain-like, dark-faced man.

Lu Chen noticed that while this Senior Brother Zheng had a dark complexion, he was dressed entirely in black—black clothes, black trousers, a black belt, and black boots. Sitting there, he looked like a shadow cast from thick ink.

He hurriedly saluted: "Senior Brother Zheng."

Zheng Tie grunted an "Mm," his voice deep and resonant.

The Mistress smiled: "Your Senior Brother Zheng is a well-known hero in the Northern Lands. He goes by the nickname, the Ink Mountain Hero."

Lu Chen realized then why he was dressed in ink-black and remained so taciturn; he possessed a steady, imposing presence that lived up to the name "Ink Mountain."

Finally, the Mistress looked toward the red-browed man, her expression turning more solemn: "This is Senior Brother Ji Chuan. He serves in the Red Ghost Army, which is under the direct command of the Flame King Mansion."

Lu Chen understood now; those two red eyebrows were clearly not natural, but deliberately dyed.

It was the custom of the Flame King's Red Ghost Army for soldiers to dye their bodies red. The higher the rank, the more prominent the dye. Since Ji Chuan only had his eyebrows dyed, he was likely a low-ranking officer in the army.

Lu Chen greeted him according to etiquette: "Senior Brother Ji."

Ji Chuan merely nodded slightly, appearing quite aloof.

The four personal disciples under the Mistress were impressive: Zhou Lan came from a wealthy West City clan, Lin Wei'er belonged to one of the three great sects, Zheng Tie had made a name for himself in the Northern Lands, and Ji Chuan was tied to the Prince's personal army.

This small Plum Blossom Martial Hall was truly a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers resided!

The senior disciples all formed a favorable first impression of Lu Chen.

The youth was neatly dressed and steady. Facing several senior brothers and sisters with such profound backgrounds, he was respectful without being sycophantic, and his conversation was calm without a hint of timidity. This frank, unpretentious demeanor was quite different from the rumors that he was "aloof and unapproachable," revealing instead a solid foundation of character.

The Mistress blinked her beautiful eyes, her red lips parting slightly: "Lu Chen, since you have broken through to External Strength, you have truly stepped into the gate of the martial path. I intend to take you as a personal disciple. Are you willing?"

Lu Chen did not hesitate for a second; he immediately pulled up his robes and knelt:

"This disciple is willing."

"Rise," the Mistress said warmly. "Tomorrow morning, come find me in the backyard. Since you have entered my tutelage, you must learn the rules of our lineage, and it is time to teach you the final two forms of the Plum Blossom Fist."

Lu Chen stood up and bowed solemnly once more: "Thank you, Mistress."

At lunchtime, the Mistress did not have Shuan Hu cook. Instead, she sent him to the Golden Goblet Pavilion in the East City to order a high-quality banquet to be delivered directly to the residence.

Within half an hour, several servants in green uniforms filed in carrying multi-layered food boxes, spreading plates and dishes across the round table in the main hall.

The banquet followed the Northern custom of the "Eight Great Bowls."

The first bowl was red-braised pork knuckle, the second was a whole chicken, the third was Four-Joy meatballs, the fourth was a foot-long braised carp, the fifth was preserved mustard greens with pork, the sixth was a tofu box, the seventh was a vegetable stew, and the final bowl was sweet rice—glutinous rice mixed with red dates and red beans, steamed until it glistened.

The meal was accompanied by four cold dishes, a basin of milky-white mutton soup, and an unopened jar of osmanthus wine.

The Master did not appear for today's meal; he was not a martial artist by trade and found such occasions uninteresting.

The two young ladies had left early in the morning; with the Lantern Festival tonight, the outside world was bound to be bustling.

Only the Mistress and her disciples remained at the table.

They chatted over their cups, speaking mostly of rumors from the pugilistic world and tales of the past.

Having just squeezed into this circle, Lu Chen listened more than he spoke, silently taking it all in.

The wine was half-gone.

Zhou Lan suddenly set down his cup, his expression turning serious as he said, "Have you all heard about that major event yesterday? Green Ivy Blade Su Xiaoxiao, with nothing but a single blade, stormed the Witch Sect's branch altar outside the city and slaughtered every last shaman and believer inside."

Lin Wei'er exclaimed in surprise, "Green Ivy Blade? Is that the female assassin famous in the martial arts world for her ruthless heart and exorbitant fees?"

"The very same." A flicker of gravity crossed Zheng Tie's dark face as he added in a muffled voice, "Rumor has it that while this woman possesses a pure appearance, she delights in dressing provocatively, and her actions are eccentric and vicious. She has at least eighty, if not a hundred, souls under her blade; she is one of the most formidable assassins to emerge in the Northern Lands in recent years."

Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

The Witch Sect branch altar was slaughtered?

He had only visited that temple yesterday, and he had indeed encountered a young woman there with a stunning face and an eye-catching outfit.

Could that person have been Green Ivy Blade Su Xiaoxiao?

Lin Wei'er frowned. "This was likely a contract killing. Who would dare provoke the Witch Sect like this? Could it be the Red Pill Sect?"

The Red Pill Sect was a recently emerged foreign sect, coming on strong and spreading rapidly through many counties and towns in the Northern Lands.

The two sects had been in open conflict, fighting over believers and territory, and were already at daggers drawn.

Zhou Lan, however, said, "It doesn't seem like the Red Pill Sect. They want to proselytize, not forge a blood feud. Doing something like this would be too stupid."

The mistress asked curiously, "It is said that the Witch Sect's branch altar has guardians who command exotic beasts, making it difficult for ordinary people to approach. If this Su Xiaoxiao could break the altar with a single blade, what level of the Outer Strength Seven Seals is she at now?"

The dark-faced Zheng Tie replied in a booming voice, "According to rumors in the martial arts world, she is at the Seven Seals."

Lu Chen was stunned, unable to help but ask, "What... is the meaning of these Seals?"