Chapter 59

Moxiang slowly entered Henan Province with his unique gait. Henan Province is home to the Shaolin Temple (小林寺), which is revered by all martial artists, and the Beggar Sect, where the King of Beggars resides. Long ago, due to a power struggle, 100,000 beggars split off to form the Southern Beggar Sect. However, because the Southern Beggar Sect was weaker, the Northern Beggar Sect's leader always represented them in all official events. The Northern Beggar Sect, with 200,000 followers, was a massive sect, but it could not deny that its power had rapidly declined after the split.

In the southern part of Shaanxi Province, there is the capital city, Zhongjing (中京), where the emperor resides. It was once known as Chang'an. Zhongjing is home to the Central Military Command and the Chanhui Black Wind Sect, which was dissolved due to a tragic incident. Luoyang, which can be considered the eastern gateway of Zhongjing, is located in the north of Henan Province. It is a vast plain that was once the capital of several states, but it is a city with many defensive challenges due to its geography. Therefore, during the Song Dynasty, the Northern Military Command was established in Luoyang, not far from Chang'an. As a result, the emperor effectively had two military commands under his direct control, making him even more powerful than the kings.

Moxiang was heading to Luoyang, where the Northern Military Command, where he had briefly lived long ago, was located. Luoyang was a bustling city, a center of military, commerce, and transportation. After turning his steps toward Luoyang, Moxiang bought three pieces of plain cloth at a fabric shop and tightly wrapped the well-known Moxun Sword to prevent it from making any noise. He then put it in a box and carried it on his shoulder. Although he usually didn't bother with disguises and wasn't the type to worry about ambushes, he couldn't afford to be followed when meeting his adopted daughter.

After walking for a while, Moxiang felt hungry and found a decent restaurant. As usual, he glanced around the street before entering the restaurant. The restaurant was bustling with people, perhaps because it was near the famous Dongsan Mountain. Moxiang found a seat and called a waiter to place his order.

"Bring me a bowl of duck soup, two bottles of Zhuye Qing, and some fresh vegetables if you have them."

"Sure."

The conversations in the restaurant were focused on the war with the Yao, the recent defeat of the Western Capital's overlord, Zhen Tian Wang (眞天王), and how he took advantage of the weakening imperial authority due to the long war, the dissolution of the Black Wind Sect, and the decline of the Jin Yi Wei to conspire with Guang Hai, the deputy commander of the Central Military Command, to kill the commander Guo Jin (郭璡) and start a rebellion. While Moxiang, who was indifferent to the world's upheavals, listened with one ear and let it go with the other, for the weak commoners, this was their greatest concern.

While enjoying the duck and sipping Zhuye Qing, a young man entered the restaurant. Others paid him little attention, but if someone had seen him before, they might have thought:

"He must be a martial artist, judging by the sword he carries."

But someone with a bit more observational skill might have thought:

"He looks strong and has a sturdy build... His attire is decent, so he's not a bad guy."

And if that person was a martial artist, they might have thought:

"He has impressive eyes. He must be well-trained. He's not someone to be underestimated."

And if that person had Moxiang's discernment, they might have added:

"He knows his swords well."

Moxiang began to carefully observe his opponent. He was a very intriguing opponent. Although he hadn't met many people, he thought this person might be among the top 5,000 swordsmen he knew.

"He's quite interesting. For his estimated age, he has achieved something remarkable. He's still young, but he might surpass me by the time he's my age..."

High-level experts often suppress the aging of their bodies with their formidable internal energy. So, while he might look like a young man, it's not easy to identify a powerful expert. First, the eyes. Just by looking at the eyes, one can roughly gauge a person's level before they reach the Transformation Realm. In the Transformation Realm, one can achieve the stage of returning to simplicity, where they can perfectly hide their true nature, making it even harder to discern their true strength. However, for experts who haven't reached the Transformation Realm, their level can be easily identified. The depth of their internal energy...

Once the level of internal energy is determined, the difference in martial arts and training can cause significant variations in power, but there is a limit to how much one can achieve at a certain age. Without consuming any miraculous elixirs, one can roughly estimate a person's age. If the teeth are slightly visible while eating, it's hard to deceive, but the condition of the teeth can vary greatly depending on individual habits, so it can't be a definitive criterion. Some lazy people never take care of their teeth, while others brush religiously for beauty, so the color can be quite different...

At this moment, Moxiang caught a glimpse of the young man's sword. It was a familiar sword... He thought he must have seen the owner of this sword at some point.

"But it's not this young man. Who could it be?"

No matter how much he thought, he couldn't remember.

"I must have seen him a long time ago... It's not a common sword. The hilt's shape, the scabbard's design, and the overall effort to make it look plain... It's the work of a skilled craftsman. The carved marks alone show that... But where have I seen it before?"

Moxiang, who was naturally a martial bone, didn't know much about paintings and didn't try to learn. However, he could instinctively recognize the delicate craftsmanship of artifacts, especially carved ones. The carving knife was a knife, and he could read the skill of the person who used it.

The young man ordered food and, apparently very hungry, started eating enthusiastically with his drink.

"It's hard to tell just by looking at the scabbard, and I might recognize him if I see the sword. If I still can't recognize him, maybe I'll remember by seeing his swordsmanship. I can't ask him to show me his sword... The best way is to create a situation where he has to draw his sword. How should I provoke him...? But if he's a disciple of someone I know, should I kill him for drawing his sword at me?"

While pondering these thoughts and drinking, the young man finished his meal and got up. Moxiang, seeing him leave, threw some money on the table and followed. He started following the young man, who was the owner of the sword. Moxiang, who couldn't resist his curiosity, was indeed following him.

While Moxiang was preoccupied with following the young man, a ridiculous scene was unfolding on the main road leading to Henan Province. Over ten men, each carrying a long sword, were wandering around the ground, dressed decently. It was a bizarre sight.

Seeing the twelfth person crawling around, a woman, unable to hold back her frustration, burst out:

"Brother!"

The man on the ground gruffly replied:

"I can still hear, so speak quietly."

"What are you doing right now?"

"Can't you see? I'm looking for traces."

"You, who boasted about your tracking skills, are crawling on the ground in the middle of a busy road... It's embarrassing. Are you still a former assassin?"

"Please stop talking. Do you think it's easy to track the trail of a former assassin, a high-level expert?"

"Have you found any traces? Are you just deluding yourself? This is the road to Henan Province. If you were heading to Hubei, you should have gone to Hunan Province. Why are you coming this way?"

"Well, I'm not sure. He was heading towards Hunan Province, but then he strangely changed direction..."

"Is that correct?"

"What do you take me for... Even if I rested, my eyes aren't that bad."

At that moment, one of the men crawling on the ground called out:

"Boss, I found it."

"Really? So this is the right direction. Come here, I'll explain..."

The woman followed and showed her a few footprints.

"Here on the main road, the ground is hard, making it difficult to find footprints. Besides, there are many passersby, so even if they are left, they are easily erased. Until now, he chose secluded paths, making it easier to follow the footprints, but after passing through the village, he started walking on the main road, making it more difficult."

"Oh, the village where he bought plain cloth and a wooden box?"

"Yes. Judging by the size of the wooden box, he must have hidden his sword. He's not someone who would easily stand out if he could hide his unique sword... Look at these footprints. He's a very meticulous person."

The woman looked at the footprints carefully and shook her head.

"I can't tell at all."

"Usually, martial artists walk with a consistent stride on flat ground. This is a habit formed through long-term practice of footwork, lightness techniques, and flying techniques. Soldiers also have a consistent stride. But this person's stride is inconsistent. The first footprint is 2.5 feet, and the next one is always irregularly longer or shorter by about half a foot (about 1.5 centimeters). Even ignorant villagers don't have such inconsistent strides. He must be paying constant attention to his stride while walking. And martial artists never walk on their heels. It's to reduce noise and to be ready to jump at any time. But this person walks on his heels. His footprints are almost like those of a villager. I've been tracking him this far by finding his inconsistent stride, but on this solid main road, it's difficult... Since he's heading to Henan Province, let's keep following him."

Moxiang, hesitating whether to follow the young man or not, carefully observed every movement of his opponent. Each movement was precise, clearly indicating that he was a disciple of a prestigious school, making it even more mysterious for Moxiang.

"I don't know many righteous figures... To achieve such sword skills at a young age, he must have been guided by a significant figure. Among the people I know, who is a high-level expert... Yes! Could this guy be a disciple of that sect leader? If so, how should I kill him to vent my anger? If he's definitely a disciple of the sect leader, I'll first break his bones, crush his fingers and toes, and... What else? Yes! I'll peel his skin, but not all of it, to prolong his suffering. I'll start with one leg and sprinkle salt on it. I'll make him suffer, unable to live or die, slowly and leisurely."

Unaware that his life was threatened by a ruthless person, the young man was leisurely enjoying the scenery around him. Moxiang, following him, was thinking of all kinds of torture methods he knew. If the torture started, the guy's life would last about three days, even if he was as tough as a tendon. Moxiang was enjoying the anticipation of the thrill to come.

The sect leader, recently realizing the limits of his abilities, was spending his free time hunting to soothe his mind. His favorite type of hunting was with hawks. The sect leader had several well-trained hawks. When he hunted, a few hunting dogs and over ten agile experts would drive the prey, and five professional hawk trainers would follow with five hawks. The five hawks wore hoods, but one smaller hawk on the sect leader's hand did not.

Among the ten hawks he owned, the sect leader particularly liked the two Songge hawks imported from Goryeo. He liked them because they were appropriately cruel and elegant. The flight of the Songge hawks was perfectly beautiful, like a dream. When they approached their prey, they didn't rush due to their cruel nature but slowly and elegantly pounced, perfectly and elegantly choking their prey.

During today's hunt, he used the Songge hawks twice. Watching them fly majestically towards the prey, slowly and elegantly pressuring them, and finally using their talons to beautifully end their lives, the sect leader always applauded. In fact, a high-level expert like the sect leader could catch several rabbits with a few darts in a short time. But he enjoyed the elaborate method of hawk hunting because of the thrilling and beautiful spectacle it provided.

After several rounds of hawk hunting and sending his subordinates to drive the prey again, he was lost in thought when he suddenly heard a sound. One of his subordinates pointed to a bush by the road. The sect leader stopped his horse and untied the leg strap of the hawk called Xue Dian, which was perched on his hand without a hood.

"Now."

As the sect leader spoke softly, one of his subordinates holding the leash released the dogs. The dogs barked and ran, and a rabbit jumped out of the bush and ran to find a hiding place. At that moment, the sect leader released Xue Dian. The hawk flapped its wings fiercely and flew straight towards the prey like an arrow.

About 25 zhang (about 75 meters) ahead was a thicket. The rabbit ran towards it at an incredible speed. However, Xue Dian was gliding low, just a few feet above the ground, closing the distance. In the next moment, Xue Dian reached directly above the prey and pounced.

The rabbit screamed, stood on its hind legs, and then started running again. Xue Dian, frustrated by the failure, cackled and chased after it. When the rabbit made its final dash towards a hiding place, Xue Dian's talons deeply pierced the rabbit's neck. The hawk folded its wings. The rabbit's final twitch... The hawk, intoxicated with victory, looked arrogantly at the sect leader.

The sect leader dismounted and approached, offering bait. As Xue Dian left the rabbit's body, he quickly hid the bait, and the hawk perched on his gloved hand. He tightened the hawk's leg strap on the glove and said:

"Well done."

At that moment, one of his subordinates cut off part of the rabbit's ear and fed it to the hawk as a reward. He only gave a little to avoid making the hawk too full and disobedient.

The sect leader watched Xue Dian arrogantly survey the surroundings and eat the bait with satisfaction, thinking:

"Yes, you killed it well. But it didn't have the same excitement as the Songge hawks. The hawk is just a hawk. It's a bird born to kill with its short wings. It doesn't wear a hood and doesn't want to. It looks down on the world with its sharp eyes, sometimes a good friend, sometimes a terrifying enemy. A wild hawk that lives by its mood. Lately, I've often thought that you and I are alike. Deputy Leader Moxiang, making you an enemy might be the biggest mistake of my life..."

Three days had passed since Moxiang started following the young man. Knowing his own nature, he was well aware that he could easily kill him at any moment, but he kept delaying, day by day. However, the opportunity to see the young man's sword came sooner than expected. That day, while leisurely following the young man and imagining various torture methods with a smile, he saw four strange men surround him. One of the strange men's voices followed:

"Are you the one who made the fifth one a cripple?"

The young man scanned the men and replied calmly:

"If you are the Henan Five Freaks (河南五怪), you've come just in time."

"Ha ha ha, you're a bold one. Since you made the fifth one a cripple, it's only right that you become one too. Will you cut your own arm, or should I do it?"

"Ha ha, to think you see me as such a weakling..."

At the same time, the young man drew his sword. As the sword was drawn, a sharp aura from the transparent jade-colored sword enveloped the surroundings. The Henan Five Freaks, seeing the sharp sword, all stepped back and drew their weapons. The moment Moxiang saw the young man's sword, he was shocked.

"Jade Sword (明玉劍)!"

The words "Jade Sword" slipped out of his mouth without him realizing it, and his shock quickly turned into a volcanic rage. Moxiang's figure shot forward with lightning speed. The young man, sensing something coming from the side, tried to turn his body to prepare, but he collapsed as sixteen pressure points were instantly sealed.

Feeling a sudden numbness, the young man, who considered himself a high-level expert, was filled with disbelief. His master had repeatedly warned him that there was always a higher sky, and he should always be cautious, but he never imagined the skill gap could be so vast.

Seeing Moxiang about to carry the collapsed young man over his shoulder and leave, one of the Henan Five Freaks objected:

"Wait, this guy had a prior agreement with us."

"So what?"

Due to the terrifying martial arts Moxiang had just displayed, the Henan Five Freaks couldn't speak lightly. If they provoked him, they might lose their