Chapter 3

"Third Senior Brother, aren't you going to write? I often hear the people of Fucheng City say that the Xu family's daughter is exceptionally talented and as beautiful as a celestial being, a rare beauty that is hard to find in a hundred generations. If you could win her favor, it would certainly make everyone look at you differently!"

"I'm done." Zhou Xingyun folded the rice paper in a bad mood and stuffed it into the wooden box on the table. It was said that the Xu family's daughter would personally review the essays and reply to every young master who participated in the event.

"Already? Wu Jiewen was a bit surprised by Zhou Xingyun's writing speed. Did he finish in less than three minutes? Even scribbling would be faster. Could he have submitted a blank paper...

"Jiewen, don't rush. You can take your time." Zhou Xingyun originally planned to leave as soon as possible to avoid being noticed by Zhao Hua, but the other party was already fully engrossed in the matchmaking event, deeply engrossed in writing, and didn't pay any attention to them sitting in the corner of the inn.

To be honest, Zhou Xingyun had no hope for such a matchmaking event. It was like a job fair in his memory, where a group of interns with no track record submitted resumes to large companies, with an acceptance rate of less than one in a thousand.

But then again, was the Xu family's daughter really that alluring? The entire inn was packed, leaving almost no room to stretch.

Moreover, according to the waiter, the New Moon Inn was just one of many venues. Today, the Xu family's daughter had almost taken over all the inns, teahouses, restaurants, and inns in Fucheng City.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was already noon. Zhou Xingyun and Wu Jiewen returned to Shujian Mountain Villa along the way...

Wu Jiewen believed he had written a good essay and was beaming with joy on the way, as if he had already won the favor of the beauty.

"Jiewen, wait for me."

"Third Senior Brother, why do you always stop at the dilapidated temple by the city gate and place half a mountain peach on the altar?" Wu Jiewen was puzzled. Did Zhou Xingyun have a grudge against the land god in the temple, or something? Every time they passed, he would place the half-eaten mountain peach on the altar.

"Guess." Zhou Xingyun smiled with a sense of relief, his deep eyes hiding emotions that were hard to express, like joy, melancholy, and sorrow...

Time had passed, and things had changed. Lost things could never be regained.

The stars twinkled in the night sky, and the breeze in the valley was free. Zhou Xingyun lay alone on an ancient tree on the cliff, calmly gazing at the vast universe.

In this world, was there still someone who could understand him and listen to his confessions?

"You take half, I take half. We share prosperity and adversity." Zhou Xingyun leaped down from the tree and placed the half-eaten mountain peach under the ancient vine: "If we can't be brothers in this life, we will be in the next."

The night wind was desolate and lonely, and the moon was melancholy and sad.

Only he would listen to his stories, believe in him, support him, and encourage him, no matter how chaotic things got...

"Third Senior Brother? Is Third Senior Brother here? Master is looking for you, come back to the villa quickly!"

Wu Jiewen suddenly appeared. He knew Zhou Xingyun very well. Every time he returned from Fucheng City, Zhou Xingyun liked to come to the cliff and the ancient tree to daydream...

At midnight, in the desolate outskirts of the city, a rustling sound suddenly came from the darkness. Thirty masked men in black, like bats in the night, swiftly moved through the forest.

In no time, the masked men arrived at the dilapidated temple by the south gate of Fucheng City, surrounding a woman in a red silk dress with a murderous aura...

"Niaoyue, hand over the Phoenix Order obediently, and we will spare your life today."

"It's not Niaoyue, it's the Sect Leader." The red-dressed woman smiled, her extraordinary beauty shining in the faint starlight, making all the masked men stare in amazement.

"Don't be fooled by this demoness!"

"Right! As long as we capture her, all of us can fulfill our desires and enjoy the service of the Sect Leader's left guardian, Niaoyue!"

"Let's attack together!"

The thirty black-clad men, still in awe, drew their weapons and surrounded the red-dressed woman in layers.

"Hmph, you have the path to heaven, but you choose the path to hell. What a sin."

The woman was at ease, completely ignoring the black-clad men. She even took out a fresh mountain peach from her sleeve and took a bite.

The leader of the black-clad men was furious and immediately ordered his subordinates to attack.

Six black-clad men approached Niaoyue in the blink of an eye, their weapons ready. However, just as the sharp blades were about to cut through the woman's skin, a strange situation occurred...

Three black-clad men suddenly turned their attacks on their companions, cutting them down. Three heads fell to the ground, the scene gruesome and terrifying.

However, even more despairing was yet to come. The black-clad men, still confused, began to scream in agony one after another.

"What are you doing!"

"I can't control myself!"

"Ah! Leader, you..."

"Don't come near me! Get away! Get away!"

The battle erupted, with the sound of metal clashing and blood splattering everywhere...

The thirty black-clad men suddenly turned on each other, even the leader, who went mad, swinging his sword to kill his companions.

However, on this battlefield of life and death, the red-dressed woman remained an outsider, calmly tasting the fruit as if it were none of her business.

In less than a moment, the thirty black-clad men were almost all dead, leaving only the leader, who was barely alive.

"Spare me, Sect Leader, please spare me. I will never dare to do it again. I will be your most loyal subordinate, never to betray you!" The black-clad man held a sword, trembling, in a position to commit suicide, blood flowing from his neck, looking at the woman in front of him, his mind in chaos.

"Hmph, if you don't seek death, you won't die." The red-dressed woman's eyes curved into a smile, her expression like a cunning fox.

The black-clad man, not understanding the deeper meaning of the girl's words, felt his breath stop, and left the world in pain and unwillingness.

When the last enemy fell, a figure appeared silently in the shadows of the wall: "Congratulations, Sect Leader, for clearing the ranks. Your Pure Yin Entanglement Technique has become even more refined."

"Not the ranks, but the waste." Niaoyue coldly looked at the bodies at her feet. It was pitiful and laughable that thirty first-rate experts dared to come and trouble her.

"Report to the Sect Leader, in three days it will be the birthday of the merchant Su in Dachang. The Right Guardian, Muya, has already entered Fucheng City as per your instructions. At that time, we can join forces with the Ghost Vase Palace and the Tiankui Sect to give those hypocritical righteous sects a great gift!"

"Burial the bodies."

Niaoyue said this casually, not sure if she had heard the other person's words. Then a light silk fluttered, and the girl disappeared into the night sky.

The half-eaten fruit fell to the ground.

You take half, I take half. We share prosperity and adversity. You are my hope in despair, the light in the darkness. I want to hear your stories again...

But, the little beggar of the past, the female demon of today, do I still have the right to sit by your side? Can you still accept me as you did before?

The moon quietly departed, and the sun rose in the east, the bright sunlight enveloping the mountain, a new day arriving as expected.

Shujian Mountain Villa basked in the gentle morning light, and the disciples naturally came to the square to practice martial arts. In this era of cold weapons, strength was the only truth.

Zhou Xingyun didn't like practicing martial arts when he was young because his memory told him that kung fu was a thing of the past, and even the best martial artists couldn't withstand the onslaught of guns, planes, and cannons.

However, as time passed, Zhou Xingyun realized a big problem: there were no planes or guns, and martial artists were the most powerful. So today, he, like everyone else, stood on the square to practice swordsmanship...

"Third Senior Brother, it's been two days, why hasn't Miss Xu replied to us yet?"

"There are hundreds of young masters participating in the matchmaking event. It will take several days just to read the essays. How could we receive a reply so quickly?"

"Third Senior Brother is right. I didn't really have any hope of participating in the matchmaking..."

"Look at it this way, Miss Xu is a noble's daughter, not someone we can aspire to as mere martial artists."

Zhou Xingyun didn't want to discourage Wu Jiewen, so he had to tell him in a gentle way that not receiving a reply meant failure.

"Tomorrow is Mr. Su's birthday, and Master suggested I accompany him to celebrate. Are you going?"

"Of course! Second Senior Sister is going, how can I not go!"

"I heard from Master that Mr. Su comes from a martial arts family. He is not only a wealthy merchant in Fucheng City but also a great philanthropist who often helps the poor. He has a wide network of friends. This birthday banquet will be very lively, as he has invited many famous martial arts sects."

"Unfortunately, my mother is on a long-distance escort mission and won't be back in time for the banquet."

Shujian Mountain Villa had its own escort agencies, hunting shops, and ironware stores in nearby cities and towns to earn money to maintain the daily expenses and operations of the villa.

"Third Senior Brother, something seems off."

"What's off? My mother is on a long-distance escort mission and won't be back until the weekend."

"I'm not talking about that. Haven't you noticed that many people are missing from the training ground?"

"Huh? Where did they go?"

Zhou Xingyun was puzzled and looked around. The morning practice wasn't over yet, so why had everyone dispersed? If the masters and uncles saw, they would be furious.

"Mo Senior Brother, stop practicing and go to the main gate..."

"What for?"

"Go and you'll see. If you don't go, you'll regret it."

"What did you say? A beautiful woman is visiting the villa."

"I've never seen such a beautiful girl in my life!"

"Where is she! Take me to see her."

"The main gate. Follow me quickly!"

The news of a beautiful girl visiting Shujian Mountain Villa spread like wildfire, and soon all the disciples received the message.

The young men, hearing about the beautiful visitor, put down their work and rushed to the main gate to see the beauty.

Naturally, Zhou Xingyun and Wu Jiewen followed the crowd and hurried to the main gate, wondering what kind of beauty could stir the entire villa's male disciples to 'welcome' her.

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