Li Ziye, a prodigy of monstrous talent

"Fairy Qin is coming to Yuzhou City!"

In Yuzhou City of the Great Shang Imperial Dynasty, a piece of news from an unknown source instantly set the entire city ablaze!

"Fairy Qin? The Plum Blossom Sword Immortal? What's she coming to Yuzhou City for?"

"To take a disciple, of course!"

For days, everyone from storytellers to the city's rich and powerful had been discussing one person.

Qin Enuo!

When it came to Qin Enuo, even three days would not be enough to tell her story.

Put simply: beautiful, powerful, invincible in the world.

Now that such an immortal-like figure was taking a personal disciple, how could people not go wild?

But unless one was a genius seen only once in a decade or a century, one probably would not even dare dream of becoming Qin Enuo's disciple.

Over the past three months, Qin Enuo had traveled through more than a dozen cities in the Shang Dynasty, yet still had not found a candidate who satisfied her.

This time, she was coming to Yuzhou City for one person alone-a peerless genius of legend.

"Across these Nine Provinces, five names must be mentioned when speaking of the younger generation's unrivaled prodigies: the Buddhist Order's Buddha Child Sanzang, the Divine Hall's Divine Son Yan Xiaoyu, the Vermilion Bird Sect's Holy Maiden Huo Liner, and our Great Shang Imperial Dynasty's Fourth Prince Mubai. Unfortunately, these four all already have masters."

Inside Yuzhou City's largest restaurant, a storyteller holding a folding fan spoke with spittle flying. At the surrounding tables, quite a few guests listened with relish. Most were traveling merchants who had come to rest awhile and, along the way, hear about the city's local customs.

"Storyteller, didn't you just say there were five? That's only four," a burly man at a nearby table asked.

"Don't rush."

The storyteller took a sip of tea and said, "Do you know which family owns the largest trading firm in our Great Shang Dynasty?"

"Who doesn't? The Yuzhou Li Clan, whose wealth is said to rival a nation's. What's that got to do with what you're saying?" the man said irritably.

"Of course it has something to do with it. A great deal, in fact."

A meaningful smile appeared on the storyteller's face. "The Li Family's patriarch, Li Baiwan, has a son named Li Ziye. He's a peerless genius who is no less gifted than Buddha Child Sanzang or Divine Son Yan Xiaoyu."

"Oh, keep blowing hot air."

At a table on the other side, a scholar scoffed. "What sort of figures are Buddha Child Sanzang and Divine Son Yan Xiaoyu? How could that Li Ziye of the Li Family compare to them?"

"I'm not making things up. Have you heard of the Sword Maniac?"

The storyteller gave the scholar a disdainful look. "They say that when the Sword Maniac came to Yuzhou City some time ago, Li Baiwan wanted his son to become his disciple. But after seeing the Li Family's Li Ziye, the Sword Maniac refused outright and said just one thing."

At this point, the storyteller deliberately stopped, leaving them in suspense.

The listeners around him immediately had their appetites whetted.

They knew of the Sword Maniac. He was a renowned swordsman in the Shang Dynasty, a man addicted to wine and swords, with a tremendous reputation.

The burly man at the next table grew impatient and called out, "Stop keeping us in suspense! What did the Sword Maniac say?"

On the other side, the scholar also pricked up his ears, waiting for the answer.

Seeing that he had whetted everyone's appetite, the storyteller finally took a satisfied sip of tea and slowly said, "The Sword Maniac said, 'The Li Family's son has the makings of a sword immortal. With my clumsy swordsmanship, I am unworthy to be his master.'"

His words sent an uproar through the crowd.

Outside the restaurant, a young man dressed in splendid embroidered robes stopped when he heard the conversation inside.

"Third Imperial... young master, these storytellers are all merely playing to the crowd. The Li Family is a merchant family. How could it produce some prodigy of the sword? Once Sword Immortal Qin arrives in Yuzhou City, your martial aptitude will surely secure you a place under her tutelage," a servant beside the richly dressed young man said flatteringly.

The richly dressed young man shook his head. "He isn't talking nonsense. The Sword Maniac did indeed say that. That is why I came to Yuzhou City: first, to try my utmost to become Sword Immortal Qin's disciple, and second, to see whether this only son of the Li Family truly possesses the astonishing talent the rumors claim."

Inside the restaurant, the storyteller continued speaking confidently. Over the past few days, similar talk had begun spreading outward from Yuzhou City in every direction, growing ever more fantastic with each retelling.

"Did you know? The Li Family has a son named Li Ziye. They say he has the makings of a sword immortal. Even the Sword Maniac didn't dare take him as a disciple, for fear of holding back a great talent of our age."

"What little you know is nothing. I heard Li Ziye was born clutching a sword. When he was born, strange phenomena descended from heaven, purple clouds stretched ten thousand feet, and Sword Qi shot straight into the skies."

"Really? That incredible?"

"It's true. I've heard about it too. Li Ziye can be called the greatest prodigy of our age. At ten, he created a peerless sword art named Taiji. They say that when the sword art first took shape, wind and thunder surged, and strange phenomena soared into the heavens."

"What you know is all too ordinary. I heard that not long ago, Li Ziye comprehended a peerless sword intent and leveled a mountain with one stroke. Even those peerless experts who live in seclusion were alarmed. That's why the Plum Blossom Sword Immortal emerged into the world and headed to Yuzhou City to take him as her disciple."

"That's worth a fart! I heard Li Ziye will ascend any day now and attain the supreme Dao of the sword."

One person started a rumor, three made a wolf, and five made a tiger. In just three months, the rumors spreading outward from Yuzhou City grew increasingly outrageous, going from Li Ziye having the makings of a sword immortal to his imminent ascension amid radiant clouds, leaving the uninformed masses thoroughly bewildered.

Still, no matter how absurd the rumors became, they could not change one fact.

Li Ziye had become famous.

Wildly famous!

At the very heart of the rumors stood the Li residence in Yuzhou City, a magnificent estate comparable to an imperial compound. Rather than a residence, it was more like a city.

The Li residence was enormous-so enormous that once inside, people could barely tell which direction was which.

The claim that the Yuzhou Li Clan possessed wealth rivaling a nation's was not mere talk.

By some estimates, the wealth controlled by the Li Family surpassed even the Great Shang's treasury.

Although the Li Family had been merchants for generations and possessed astonishing financial strength, its true transformation into what it was today had occurred only in the past dozen years or so.

Perfume, glass, mirrors, soap-over those dozen years, one novel yet immensely popular product after another appeared in the Li Family's shops across the land, rapidly accumulating wealth until the family truly possessed riches to rival a nation.

Few knew why the Li Family could develop these novel objects, but the members of the Li Family knew.

It was all because their young master had been born.

Their young master, Li Ziye, had been different from birth. He invented many strange things that did not exist in this world, taking the Li Family's commercial empire to even greater heights.

Yet Li Ziye, who had grown up with a golden spoon in his mouth and ought to have been carefree, did not seem very happy.

He even seemed somewhat troubled.

In the rear courtyard of the Li residence, a youth of sixteen or seventeen sat in a pavilion at the center of a lake, fishing and fretting.

The youth had very fine, delicate features and dressed with great care, in gold thread and silver stitching, adorned with gold and jade. One glance marked him as the son of a wealthy family.

To put it bluntly, a nouveau riche.

This youth was Li Ziye, whose name now resounded throughout Yuzhou City and even the entire Great Shang Imperial Dynasty.

"Old Li, you aren't going back on those ten jars of Drunken Flower Brew you promised, are you?"

On the bank, a drunken, slovenly old man glanced at the potbellied middle-aged man beside him and asked.

A sword lay carelessly beside the slovenly old man. It was a fine sword, with something of the look of a famed blade.

The slovenly old man was the Sword Maniac. His surname was Zhang, but no one knew his given name anymore. Those familiar with him mostly called him Old Zhang or Zhang Lata.

Although the Sword Maniac cut a poor figure and loved wine as dearly as life itself, no one could deny that this slovenly old man was an expert renowned throughout the world.

The potbellied middle-aged man beside him, dressed in wealth from head to toe, was Li Ziye's father, Li Baiwan.

If some trace of a noble young master's bearing could still be found in Li Ziye's appearance, Li Baiwan was a pure, unadulterated nouveau riche.

Li Baiwan wore cloud brocade from the southern borderlands and fine jade from the north, sat on a tiger-bone chair from the Western Regions, and held black pearls from the Eastern Sea.

His entire outfit was worth no less than ten thousand gold. Had there been room for more, Li Baiwan would have gladly worn every piece of gold and jade he owned, as though afraid others might not know he was rich.

"Of course not."

Hearing the slovenly old man's question, Li Baiwan answered with a smile, "Old Zhang, do you think Qin Enuo will believe those stories going around the city?"

"Don't know. Don't ask me."

Zhang Lata picked up his wine flask and took a drink. "I've already done what you asked. Whether she believes it isn't my concern."

"Ah."

Hearing this, Li Baiwan gazed at his only son in the lakeside pavilion, worry showing on his face. "Old Zhang, does my son really have no talent for martial arts?"

"None."

This time, Zhang Lata answered quite decisively.

In the pavilion at the center of the lake, Li Ziye seemed to hear something. He turned to look at the slovenly old man on the bank. "Old Zhang, you've lived a long time and seen a lot. Are there any heaven-defying cultivation methods or pills in this world that can remake someone's very bones and turn them into a martial genius?"

"Heh."

Hearing Li Ziye's question, Zhang Lata put down his wine flask. "No cultivation methods, but there is one way. Want to hear it?"

"What way?"

At his words, Li Ziye and Li Baiwan both perked up and asked at once.

"Dream!"

Zhang Lata spoke indifferently.

"..."

Li Ziye was instantly speechless.

"Boy, there's no need to fret."

Zhang Lata glanced at him. "Just because I have no way to let you practice martial arts doesn't mean Qin Enuo can't. Her cultivation realm is higher than mine, and she's seen no less than I have. She might have a way. Of course, first you'll have to find some way to make her take you as her disciple."

"That makes sense."

Li Ziye nodded in wholehearted agreement. "She's already a sword immortal. Surely she has some abilities other people don't."

"I've failed as a father!" Li Baiwan said, deeply ashamed.

At the center of the lake, Li Ziye boarded a small boat and stood at its bow with his hands behind his back. Behind him, a pretty maid poled the boat along-a beauty and a talented young man, a picture fit for immortals.

On the bank, Zhang Lata watched Li Ziye aboard the little boat and shook his head.

The boy only had his looks going for him.

He was beginning to regret it, wondering whether saying those things deliberately for ten jars of Drunken Flower Brew had been worth it.

My reputation in my twilight years is ruined!

The boat reached the bank. Li Ziye stepped ashore, reached out to pat Li Baiwan's shoulder, and said softly, "It's all right."

Hearing Li Ziye's reassurance, Li Baiwan felt even more ashamed and sighed. "Your father's useless. I've let you down so badly. Apart from money, I can't give you anything."

"Dad, it isn't your fault."

Li Ziye gazed gloomily at the lake. "Money can make ghosts turn the mill. Didn't Old Zhang compromise? When Old Qin comes, we'll give her whatever she wants. If that doesn't work, we'll bury her in mountains of gold and silver. I don't believe she won't be tempted."