Chapter 23

The Power of the Northern Mystic Art

Muxiang was taking a sip of wine when he heard a woman's voice from behind.

"It's been a long time. But you came here and didn't even look for me."

Without turning around, Muxiang pointed to the empty seat next to him and said,

"Sit down."

As the woman sat next to him, Muxiang finally turned to look at her and realized it was Yulingren.

"Aha! I was wondering who it was... I was stupid. I completely forgot about it."

"You deliberately asked Grandfather to invite me, and this is all you have to say?"

"Deliberately?"

Yulingren's face turned slightly red as she said,

"Grandfather formally invited Deputy Leader Muxiang to his birthday, writing it down."

Only then did Muxiang understand what had happened. The leader knew Muxiang wouldn't come and used his troublesome granddaughter as bait to send Muxiang.

"Damn it..."

Hearing Muxiang's curse, Yulingren's face turned slightly pale, and Muxiang quickly apologized.

"Ah... That's not it. I'm carrying a huge burden right now. The leader thought I wouldn't move like you, so he sent me to watch over his troublemaker granddaughter. No one else but Chief Deputy Leader Zhang or I can handle her. She's a wicked woman who burned the beard of the actual Chief Elder, so no one can do anything about her."

"I'm sorry for the unnecessary request..."

"Have you made any progress in your martial arts?"

Muxiang asked with a playful expression, and Yulingren's face turned red as she protested.

"Thinking about the humiliation I suffered because of you..."

"Why?"

"I told Grandfather what you said, and do you know what he said with a smile?"

"What did he say?"

"He said I was completely fooled, being so naive."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That's strange."

"What's strange about it?"

"I thought my martial art was quite well-made... If I had taught you the actual incantations, he wouldn't have said that. How did you demonstrate it to him?"

She sighed deeply with a serious expression.

"Grandfather was right. He praised me for my rapid progress after seeing me use the Red Horse Commanding Sword Technique in a sparring match with my senior brother. My fifth senior brother was better than me, but now I'm slightly better. But I couldn't just leave it at that, so I told him the story. I said you cursed Grandfather and stole the sect's martial arts."

Muxiang felt uneasy and asked,

"So what happened?"

"Grandfather asked me to demonstrate the moves you taught me. I did, and he said the Red Horse Commanding Sword Technique was indeed more advanced and terrifying than the Red Horse Unrivaled Sword Technique. He asked me to teach him the incantations. When I refused, he asked me to demonstrate the moves again and compared them carefully. He said the Red Horse Unrivaled Sword Technique is suitable for the intermediate stage of learning the superior White Stream Plum Blossom Sword Technique, but the Red Horse Commanding Sword Technique is so natural in the flow of energy and draws out the user's full strength that it becomes even more terrifying than the White Stream Plum Blossom Sword Technique when mastered. He said the Red Horse Unrivaled Sword Technique was clearly created by him, so the similarity could be a coincidence, or you might have created it on the spot after seeing my martial arts. He suggested that if you subtly ask later, you might find out."

Muxiang laughed awkwardly.

"Haha, I must have felt guilty, so I confessed. But I insisted... So, has there been any progress with the unique martial art that Grandfather praised so much?"

"But it's not going well. I'm stuck at the third move."

"If you say it like that, I won't understand. You need to show me the moves. I've long forgotten the Red Horse Commanding Sword Technique."

Yulingren was shocked at Muxiang's words.

"At that time, you performed the sword technique to its full extent, and Grandfather also highly praised it. How could you forget it?"

"I tend to forget things easily. I've long forgotten most of the sect's dark arts. What's the point of remembering such things? Words won't do, so I'll teach you during a sparring match later. Now, have a drink."

As Muxiang poured the wine, Yulingren smiled, took a sip, and then quickly put down her cup.

"My sister is coming. Hurry up and hide. She's planning to tear you apart when she sees you."

But Muxiang remained calm.

"Can she really tear me apart with that skill? If I were in such a situation, I'd start avoiding her."

Muxiang laughed sarcastically and took a sip of wine. Suddenly, a sharp sound was heard, and a knife was pressed against Muxiang's neck. A low, angry voice said,

"You, you're in for it now..."

But her revenge was cut short. When she drew her knife, the nearby people buzzed like a swarm of bees, and the leader's stern command rang out. The leader had heard the general story from Yulinhua but didn't feel the need to reprimand Muxiang since he hadn't caused any real harm. Moreover, Muxiang had treated Yulingren very well and even taught her a powerful sword technique, so he didn't think Muxiang had acted maliciously from the start.

When the leader's command came, Yulinhua angrily sheathed her sword and stormed out, fuming. Muxiang chuckled as he watched her leave.

"Looks like she's still not satisfied."

Seeing this, Yulingren said awkwardly,

"You treat me so well, but why do you treat my sister so badly? Can't you be nicer to her?"

"I treat people as they treat me. If they treat me well, I treat them well. If they treat me badly, I treat them even worse. It's my nature, so there's no point in you nagging about it."

Muxiang took a long sip of wine.

"I should get up now."

At that moment, Mai and Guo entered.

"Did you call us?"

"Watch that troublemaker closely. If she makes a mistake, you know what will happen."

"We understand."

"I'll be going now."

As Muxiang left, Yulingren followed.

"When will you come back?"

"As soon as the banquet ends."

"There's a sword competition coming up. Would you like to attend? There are generous prizes..."

"That kind of competition is boring. Give me a sword."

Muxiang said, attaching his Muhun Sword.

"Unless someone like the leader shows up, why would I waste my time playing with kids who can't even be a match for me in one move?"

"If you stay for four days, let's have a drink and talk. There's a small pavilion over there. I'll have some snacks and wine brought over."

"Sounds good. You should come too."

Yulingren instructed a nearby maid and led them to a small pavilion not far from the Manbo Hall. Once they were seated, the maids brought simple snacks and wine. After the maids left, Yulingren noticed Muxiang unconsciously touching his Muhun Sword and said,

"You are so skilled in martial arts, yet you always carry a sword. Everyone was shocked when you used the Heart Sword technique back then."

"The Heart Sword technique can't be maintained for long. It consumes a lot of internal energy. Its power is only about the level of a basic sword technique. That's why I always carry this. I can take an opponent's sword and use it if I want. But this one is custom-made and I'm used to it, so I don't want to use anything else."

"Show it to me. I've never seen your sword in detail. It looks simple on the outside..."

Muxiang handed her the sword in its scabbard, and Yulingren said,

"It's short but very heavy."

She drew the sword halfway and exclaimed,

"I remember correctly. I thought it was black, which seemed strange... Is this made of black iron?"

"Yes."

"That's why it's so heavy. It looks simple on the outside but luxurious inside..."

Yulingren almost said, "Just like you..." but swallowed the words and continued,

"Probably no one else would carry such a fine sword in such a simple scabbard. There are characters written here... 'Muhun,' is this the name of the sword?"

"Yes."

"It's a great name. It fits perfectly. I've seen it."

Muxiang sheathed the sword and began drinking with his subordinates. Most of the conversation was between Yulingren and Muxiang, and his subordinates didn't dare to interrupt. Yulingren asked various questions about sword techniques and then suddenly remembered something.

"By the way! I received a good qin (zither) for my birthday."

She called a maid to fetch the qin from her room and said to Muxiang,

"It's very good. Play it for me, okay?"

Yulingren kept insisting, so Muxiang had no choice but to say,

"If you play first, I will too."

When the maid brought the qin, Yulingren plucked the strings a few times and then began to play. The qin music echoed softly, and the nearby guards and drunkards turned to listen. No one approached the pavilion, either out of respect for the people inside or because they knew they were from the demonic sect. Yulingren played with enthusiasm and even sang, but when she finished, her face was red as she apologized.

"My skills are still immature... Thank you for listening."

Muxiang and his subordinates applauded and praised her.

"You played very well. Your skills have improved a lot since last time!"

Hearing Muxiang's praise, Yulingren blushed and said,

"I've practiced a lot. Now it's your turn to play."

Muxiang placed the qin on his lap, tuned it, and began to play. Known for his exquisite internal energy control and having received guidance from a music master, Muxiang's qin playing instantly silenced the surroundings. The qin music spread far into the night sky, and even the loud voices from the Manbo Hall quieted down. Yulingren recited a poem to enhance the atmosphere.

The green mountains are faint, the waters are distant,

In late autumn, the plants in Jiangnan wither.

On the bright moonlit night at the Twenty-Four Bridges,

Where is the jade maiden teaching the flute?