T3

Even if Fang Yunhua had known that Wuhua and Nangong Ling were already scheming against him, he would not have cared.

His was an open scheme driven by the momentum of the times.

In fact, if Fang Yunhua had known that Nangong Ling was sending him that beast with a reputation rotten enough to stink up the streets, the White Jade Demon Beggar, he would have thanked his buddy for delivering a tip from thousands of miles away.

With this man as his first target, the Beggar Gang was practically volunteering to highlight the righteousness of Mount Hua's actions.

Thinking it over, Master Tianfeng, who had chosen to adopt Wuhua, and Ren Ci, who had adopted Nangong Ling only to be killed when his ward turned on him, both had something seriously wrong with their heads.

Could those two possibly have been normal, with half their blood coming from Little Japan and the other half carrying Stone Guanyin's madness? Just because Tianfeng Jushiro had feigned heroic generosity and loyalty, using his own life to ensnare those two men.

They had been willing to gamble the futures of the Beggar Gang and Southern Shaolin on it.

If that fellow from Little Japan had planned things properly, making Wuhua the head of Southern Shaolin and Nangong Ling the chief of the Beggar Gang, wouldn't those two moles have brought about another Great Calamity of a Thousand Autumns, like the invasion launched from Japan to plunder and slaughter the Divine Land in Wind and Cloud?

What a sin!

But this was not the time for Young Sect Leader Fang, concerned as he was for his country and its people, to ponder the martial world's future. He was gazing reluctantly at Jin Lingzhi, who was about to leave.

"Do you really have to go?"

"Yes. It's my aunt's fortieth birthday, after all."

"Isn't that still a while away? Stay a few more days."

"A woman mustn't keep a man from attending to proper business!"

"I'm just waiting for news lately. I don't have any proper business!"

At that, Jin Lingzhi's face flushed crimson, whether from anger or embarrassment, he could not tell.

"So because you have no proper business, you pound away at me every day! It was fine when it was only at night, but now even in the daytime... in the daytime, you still... do you know I went to the clinic yesterday? The doctor said I've been doing it too often lately, and my kidneys are a little depleted!"

Fortunately, they were in the rear courtyard of the residence the Mount Hua Trading Company had arranged for Fang Yunhua. If Jin Lingzhi had shouted that in the street, even his thick skin might not have been enough to withstand it.

"Then I promise, all right?"

"Pah! I don't believe you! The day before yesterday, you promised not to do it from behind, and yesterday, you promised to hold back... how many promises have you made already? I'm leaving today, no matter what. If I don't go home and recover, how am I supposed to have children later?"

Only Jin Lingzhi could have spoken so boldly.

All Fang Yunhua could do now was imitate his idol, Fragrant Marshal Chu: stay silent, smile, and rub his nose.

"All right, I'm going back to help you, too."

The Fragrant Marshal's three-move combo really did work. Jin Lingzhi's tone softened.

"Didn't you tell me you'd already started taking action against the Beggar Gang? I can lend a hand and beat the drum for you from the sidelines. And, just as you said, I can take the opportunity to swallow up a few benefits. Those filthy beggars have plenty of businesses tucked away."

"All right." Once the conversation turned to proper business, Fang Yunhua could only let her leave.

Jin Lingzhi smiled happily, planted a fragrant kiss on his cheek, and skipped away.

That afternoon, Fang Yunhua received an invitation from the An Prince's Mansion.

The meeting place was a well-known tea house in the Capital City that served only regular customers. Barring any surprises, it was probably another of the An Prince's properties in the capital; only that could ensure their conversation remained private.

His time in the Capital City had also shown Fang Yunhua that this foremost city of the realm truly harbored hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

For instance, he had encountered more than one expert who could make him feel somewhat threatened.

At present, Fang Yunhua assessed his own strength as roughly the very top of T3.

By the original story's rankings, there were only two at T0: the Demoness of the Emerald Sea and Sea King Chu Liuxiang.

That was right-Chu Liuxiang needed the title "Sea King" attached. This meant that only when fighting in water could he stand shoulder to shoulder with the Demoness of the Emerald Sea.

There were four at T1: Stone Guanyin, who bore a clan-extermination grudge against Mount Hua; Xue Yiren, who had a score to settle with Fang Yunhua over his assessment; Wuhua's blind-with-his-eyes-open master, Master Tianfeng; and the Old Man in the Hemp Cap, who had left Chu Liuxiang completely outmatched in a contest of internal strength during the Legend of the Peach Blossom arc.

There might actually have been another two or three hidden experts at this level in the martial world, but certainly no more. Cultivating one's martial arts to such heights required exceptionally rare aptitude.

There were far more experts at T2.

At the upper end stood Chu Liuxiang after he had fully matured through countless real battles, Yuan Suiyun at his peak four years later, Hua Zhenzhen at her peak four years later, Xue Xiaoren, Shi Tianwang, and Li Guanyu.

The rest were also T2, but half a tier below those listed above. These included the leaders of the Seven Great Schools and a handful of their senior elders; Shuai Yifan, who could unleash sword qi with a slash; Ling Feige, Xiao Shi, Daoist Tieshan, Huang Luzhi, and Xiong Niangzi, who could form a six-man combined sword formation with him; and Jin Lingzhi's fourth uncle...

Powerful princes, for example, generally had at least one T2 expert guarding them. Otherwise, given how dangerous the martial world was these days, even going out for pleasure would leave them feeling quite unsafe.

Among T3 experts, the most iconic was Wuhua.

He stood half a tier above the other T3 fighters. Nangong Ling, One Red Dot of the Central Plains, Hu Tiehua, Ji Bingyan, and one of Fang Yunhua's hapless fathers-in-law, Zuo Qinghou, were all incapable of shaking Wuhua's hold on the top seat of T3.

In fact, this level was widely recognized throughout the martial world as the threshold for a true powerhouse.

Reaching T3 brought a measure of fame in the martial world, as well as recognition as an expert in martial arts.

During his earlier idle strolls through the Capital City, Fang Yunhua had sensed more than one T3 powerhouse through the contact between experts' auras.

But as he entered this tea house.

He felt an entirely different atmosphere.

There were no other tea drinkers left inside. Only a middle-aged man dressed like a proprietor sat at a table in the center, while behind him stood another man who drew far more of Fang Yunhua's attention.

His features looked carved by knife and chiseled by axe, his long, narrow phoenix eyes half closed. He possessed a commanding dignity that came from deep within his bones, yet also a relaxed air completely at odds with his appearance.

Of course, what truly caught Fang Yunhua's attention was the weapon he had seemingly set casually on a wooden chair behind him.

It was an unusual weapon rarely used by martial artists. As the saying went, an inch longer meant an inch stronger, and an inch shorter meant an inch more dangerous. This weapon was the most dangerous of the dangerous!

It appeared to have been forged from mystic iron and tempered cold steel, its entire surface black as ink. Yet faint dark-gold patterns showed along its edges, like overlapping dragon scales and phoenix feathers.

The paired rings were divided into a dragon and a phoenix. The dragon ring's outer edge was serrated, while seven barbs lay hidden along the phoenix ring's inner circle. When closed, they could fit together without the slightest gap to form a complete wheel.

"These are... the Dragon-Phoenix Mother-and-Son Rings?!"

"You have a keen eye, Young Sect Leader."

After greeting him with cupped hands, the man gestured for Fang Yunhua to sit. The middle-aged man, who had been resting with his eyes closed, also lifted his brows and looked toward Fang Yunhua, offering a friendly smile.

"Young Sect Leader Fang, allow me to introduce myself first. I am Lin Yi, the Outer Mansion Steward, and the An Prince's Mansion's representative for this collaboration with Mount Hua."

He then pointed toward the man who wielded the Dragon-Phoenix Mother-and-Son Rings.

"This is our mansion's Chief Instructor, Shangguan Cangxing."

Shangguan, huh...