Chapter 82: A Person of Certain Ability

Huang Dongye, the first of the Five Heroes of Luoyang, gritted his teeth inwardly.

‘Where did this lunatic get the nerve to talk about a journey into the martial world! That’s a sacred rite of passage for righteous sects only!’

However, he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.

Last year, after being freed from Wufeng Mountain, the Five Heroes of Luoyang, excluding Yan Shuzhu, often held meetings.

The topic of conversation was naturally revenge.

It was then that the usually passive Li Xiaomin revealed a stunning secret one day.

The conversation from that day came back to him as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.

***

The Green Hall of Luoyang.

Three men and one woman sat in a secluded corner, engaged in a serious private conversation.

They were Huang Dongye, Wu Zhongshan, Sun Shangji, and Li Xiaomin of the Five Heroes of Luoyang.

Their usual well-planned revenge plan had suddenly come to a halt.

It was because Li Xiaomin had said something completely unexpected.

Huang Dongye thought he must have misheard.

“What did you just say?”

“Let’s just forget about the Wufeng Ten Heroes.”

“Huh? Why?”

How could they forget the humiliation of the young martial artists being taken hostage by bandits?

“I just think we should.”

The three men frowned.

Li Xiaomin, who was usually logical, was being evasive today. His frustrated expression suggested he was hiding something.

Huang Dongye desperately wanted to know what Li Xiaomin was hiding.

“Don’t do that. Tell us the reason. Are we not brothers? We may have been born on different days, but we vowed to die on the same day as sworn brothers.”

Moved by the elder brother’s words, Li Xiaomin revealed a shocking secret.

“...He could easily evade even Grandfather’s Yi Qi Sword. Even if he were one of the Ten Great Martial Artists, he wouldn’t be able to catch him. Now you understand why Xiao Mai wants us to forget about the Wufeng Ten Heroes.”

After that day, Huang Dongye erased the Wufeng Ten Heroes from his memory.

He even wished he wouldn’t meet them again in his dreams.

Fortunately, the family’s attention had long shifted from the Green Forest to the Famous Teachings.

Thus, the dark history was gradually forgotten.

But today, at a guesthouse in Nanyang, he met the protagonist from that day again.

***

Xiao Jiao looked at Lian Jieha and the three men with a curious eye.

The young Lian Jieha was leading the conversation like a senior of the sect, without any hesitation.

What was surprising was the reaction of the three proud men.

They all accepted it as if it were natural. In fact, they even avoided making eye contact with Lian Jieha, as if they were afraid.

“Do you know each other?”

Xiao Jiao asked, and Lian Jieha replied.

“Yes, we met last year.”

“Oh, you know each other. Huang Xiaoye, this is the person I told you about. He is Lian Jieha, the son of the Moon Sword Hero Lian Daxie.”

Instantly, the three men’s gazes turned to Jieha almost simultaneously.

Lian Jieha spoke with a natural expression.

“Huh! You didn’t know? I’m Shuzhu’s younger brother. We have different mothers but the same father, so I can be called a brother. Shuzhu must have been embarrassed and kept it a secret.”

The three men were surprised to hear that Lian Jieha was Lian Shuzhu’s half-brother, but it made sense.

Upon closer inspection, he did resemble the Lian siblings a bit.

Huang Dongye asked cautiously.

“Are you really Shuzhu’s brother?”

“Yes.”

“But why did you do that back then?”

Why did you take Lian Shuzhu as a hostage and extort money from the Wulong Hall?

“Because I didn’t get along well with the Lian family. I was going to ruin them completely, but I let them off. Well, in the end, they were destroyed by the crazy woman, Moon Fairy.”

Xiao Jiao, who was listening, tried to understand Lian Jieha’s words.

‘Ah! He had a bad relationship with his half-siblings. But he must have some regret for being the son of the Moon Sword Hero, who was defeated by the Moon Fairy.’

Since the Five Heroes of Luoyang didn’t know Lian Jieha, it seemed he had been kept hidden by the Wulong Hall.

Then, Sun Shangji, the third, casually said,

“If you’re Lian Mai’s younger brother, you should be much younger than us, but your tone is a bit...”

Lian Jieha immediately retorted.

“Oh, I almost forgot. You spoke well. I have a grudge against the Lian family, so can I hold you, my sworn brothers, responsible for it?”

Huang Dongye, startled, hastily waved his hands.

“No, no. What you do is your business, and what we do is ours. Although Lian Mai is our brother, if he did something wrong, he should be punished. We have no intention of taking his place.”

“You? You don’t have to pretend.”

Lian Jieha glared at Sun Shangji.

Sun Shangji, feeling a chill down his spine from the gaze, shook his head.

“No, the elder brother is right. What you do is your business, and what we do is ours. I also believe that others shouldn’t meddle in family matters.”

“Then why did you talk about Lian Mai and his brother in front of me?”

Lian Jieha’s voice rose slightly.

People nearby started to glance over.

Sun Shangji, tense, swallowed hard.

He had almost caused a big problem by trying to act like an elder brother in front of Lian Shuzhu. If this young man caused trouble, the Green Cloud Hall would be in trouble.

‘Why did I say that to that evil guy! ’

What’s the point of being treated like an elder brother?

Sighing, Sun Shangji finally bowed his head.

“Lian Xiaoye, I’m sorry. I must have misspoken.”

“Fine. Just be careful next time. Don’t even mention the Lian family in front of me.”

“Yes.”

The three men answered in unison.

Xiao Jiao couldn’t understand the conversation between the four men at all.

It was clear that the Five Heroes of Luoyang were trying hard to please Lian Jieha, who was much younger than them.

Is Lian Jieha’s martial arts so outstanding?

But no matter how he looked, Lian Jieha seemed weaker than a young man of his age.

After the conversation, Lian Jieha walked to the window and sat down with a slightly frivolous gait. It was the best seat, which people had left empty as the mealtime approached.

After an awkward silence, Huang Dongye spoke.

“Xiao Jiao, with Lian Xiaoye’s help, everything will be fine. He is a person of certain ability.”

There was something more than just ability.

Xiao Jiao was curious about what he didn’t say but didn’t ask further. Considering the Five Heroes of Luoyang’s mood, it was polite to pretend not to know.

***

It had been about four days since the three sects of Luoyang gathered.

After a late breakfast, Lian Jieha and Xin Tong were resting in their room when Xiao Jiao came to see them. This was entirely due to the influence of the Five Heroes of Luoyang.

“You two have been waiting for a long time, haven’t you? We’re going to Nanyang Merchant Association at noon today.”

Xin Tong asked,

“Hey, are the Famous Teachings people at the Nanyang Merchant Association?”

“It seems... the leader is treating a stranger with utmost respect. He might be from the Famous Teachings.”

“Huh. That guy must be a nobody.”

Xin Tong’s words made Xiao Jiao secretly surprised.

The news worried not only her father but also the leaders of the three sects. Yet, the wandering swordsman was so relaxed that he was even making jokes.

“Please do your best.”

Xiao Jiao repeated her request and left.

‘He’s full of bravado,’ she thought, but considering the Five Heroes of Luoyang’s reaction, it didn’t seem to be just bravado.

‘We’ll see soon enough.’

In the martial world, the strong survive.

Martial artists sweat and bleed in the training grounds for that reason.

She hoped these two were strong for the sake of the Green Cloud Hall and these two.

***

Eighty martial artists gathered in front of the Yangri Guesthouse.

Thirty disciples of the Green Cloud Hall, thirty experts from the three sects, and twenty wandering swordsmen.

The leader of the Green Cloud Hall, Wu Shanquan, and the leaders of the three sects led the way.

Wu Shanquan and the leaders stopped about fifty steps from the headquarters of the Nanyang Merchant Association.

Even the street vendors and passersby backed away, and a few patrolling soldiers, startled by the intimidating presence of the martial artists, hurriedly retreated. They would only come back to the Nanyang Merchant Association after sunset.

Upon arriving at the Nanyang Merchant Association, Wu Shanquan and the leaders of the three sects stepped back.

The twenty wandering swordsmen, who had been following silently, moved to the front.

Their role was to suppress the enemy’s morale, so they took their positions.

Xiao Jiao, standing next to her father, glanced at the wandering swordsmen.

Seeing this, Wu Shanquan said,

“I told you not to come, but why are you so restless?”

“It’s about the Nine Heavens Sword of the Wulong Hall. Is it really as bad as the rumors suggest?”

“Although the Moon Sword Hero’s fate was tragic, I can’t say for sure. I’ve never fought him.”

The newly appointed leader of the Eight Immortals Sect, Huang Zhangyi, added,

“I once saw it by chance, and it was a good sword. If it were as bad as the rumors, the Nan Gong family wouldn’t have kept Lian Wubai for ten years.”

“Is your curiosity satisfied now?”

Xiao Jiao nodded in response to her father’s question.

At that moment, the main gate of the Nanyang Merchant Association slowly opened.

More than fifty martial artists poured out from inside.

Though outnumbered, the martial artists of the Nanyang Merchant Association looked formidable.

About twenty wandering swordsmen, gathered for some reason, stepped to the front.

Seeing their confident appearance, Wu Shanquan felt a heavy heart.

They wouldn’t act like this without a reason.

Sure enough,

The leader of the Nanyang Merchant Association, Lin Yuanying, pointed and shouted,

“Wu Shanquan! Do you know what happens when a dog bites its master? It gets eaten. Since you dared to stand against me, are you prepared to die?”

One of the Green Cloud Hall’s disciples couldn’t hold back and retorted,

“You’re the dog! The sects of Luoyang couldn’t stand the injustice and have come to deal with you. Prepare to die!”

This time, the leader of the Jingtian Hall, Xiao Junping, stepped forward.

“Damn lunatic! If the master wants to change the workers, what injustice are you talking about? Wu Shanquan! Are you really willing to kill your disciples for a few more coins? It’s not too late to apologize and retreat!”

Then, the leader of the Fengyun Hall, Wang Yingjie, who was from the Green Cloud Hall, interjected.

“Xiao Junping! Even if your mouth is twisted, speak straight. Is it righteous to lead the Hong Hall to insult and drive us out of the Fengyun Hall? If you have a conscience, don’t say such things!”

As Xiao Junping was about to defend himself,

A man in his fifties, standing quietly next to Lin Yuanying, spoke.

“Enough.”

Xiao Junping immediately shut up.

The man spoke calmly.

“I am Dali Gui, the Law Protector of the Yezhou Temple. How dare you persecute the disciples of the Famous Teachings? Cut off one of your arms and apologize. If you resist, you will all die.”

The Yezhou Temple is where the Silver River Hall is located.

Dali Gui is one of the Four Great Generals, who follows the Hall Master of the Silver River Hall, Che Shanjing, as one of the Ten Cavalry.

Wu Shanquan and the three leaders turned pale and looked at each other.

They never expected the Law Protector of the Silver River Hall to be here!

As Wu Shanquan and the three leaders hesitated, Dali Gui roared with his inner strength.

“Are you not going to cut off your arms?”

Dali Gui’s voice made the air vibrate, and Wu Shanquan’s face turned dark.

He knew he couldn’t stand against him with his current abilities.

The leader of the Eight Immortals Sect, Huang Zhangyi, gritted his teeth and drew his sword.

“Wu Shanquan, let’s... cut off our arms. We can’t let all our disciples die.”

The new leaders of the Dalian and Qiyang Sects looked as if they had lost their souls.

Losing their leaders to the Famous Teachings and coming to seek revenge, only to lose their arms, was a bitter irony.

They couldn’t fight, and they couldn’t cut off their arms. They were truly in a dilemma.