Chapter 52: Chapter 52

The next day.

The Riverside Pavilion was bustling.

Word of what had happened in the Nanyang Branch the day before had gotten out after all.

In the space of a single night, nearly every jianghu wanderer in the city of Nanyang Prefecture knew that Li Suifeng, who now held the Nanyang Branch, had slain the only son of Elder Ji—a fifth-rank expert of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers.

Even Granny Yu, the sixth-rank expert who had guarded Chen Dao, had died at Li Suifeng’s hands.

“This Lord Feng’s strength is truly fearsome. That fierce palm technique of his can shatter a man’s tendons and bones at a stroke. Once Lord Feng steps into the sixth-rank, I’d wager he could even go toe-to-toe with a fifth-rank expert!”

“I’ll grant that Lord Feng is formidable, but a fifth-rank expert is another matter. A fifth-rank’s gang qi is something even a body-tempering expert like Lord Feng probably couldn’t withstand, wouldn’t you say?”

“True enough. Lord Feng may be strong, but even at the sixth-rank he’d be no match for a fifth-rank expert. Now that he’s killed Chen Dao, once the news reaches the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, that Elder Ji is sure to come for him!”

“And what good would it do for Elder Ji to come? The Canal Gang is still the foremost power in all Nanzhou—how could it fail to protect a genius like Lord Feng?”

“Heh, there’s much you don’t know. According to my brother-in-law’s friend’s uncle’s nephew, the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers may already have allied with the Righteous Manor—and decades ago, the Righteous Manor was a colossus no weaker than the Canal Gang!”

“…”

Opinions flew thick and fast; the air in the Riverside Pavilion was fevered.

“I heard a demon blade appeared in Nanyang Prefecture a while back, and with a single stroke it slew the branch master of the Red Lotus Sect here in Nanyang Prefecture. Is that true?”

Someone had brought up the earlier slaying of Song Xian.

“Of course it’s true. The man even went and stormed the place alongside Ye Qingmei, third on the Human Rankings—there were plenty of witnesses. They say the Red Lotus Sect’s branch master, a peak-sixth-rank, couldn’t even block that man’s single stroke—split clean down the middle!”

“Was it really that incredible?”

“A seventh-rank actually killed a peak-sixth-rank in one stroke? I doubt even this Lord Feng could manage that.”

“With a record like that, Lord Feng ought to make the Human Rankings, don’t you think?”

“Without question—top ten at the very least!”

“…”

On the second floor of the Riverside Pavilion.

By the window sat two men and a woman, listening to the jianghu wanderers on both floors hold forth.

“Brother Hu, of the three of us your saber is the strongest. What do you make of that blade?”

Xu Tianyi looked at the bearded man in green robes seated by the window and asked with a smile.

Of the three of them, Hu Ming was the only one who had once made the Human Rankings—at thirtieth, true, but among this generation of Nanzhou’s prodigies he could still rank in the top five. Now, at twenty-eight, he had automatically fallen off the Human Rankings.

What was more, Hu Ming’s mastery of the saber was formidable; he had once earned the praise of the Righteous Manor’s lord, “Star-Plucking” Yan Wudao.

This time, too, Hu Ming had come to Nanyang Prefecture at the behest of the Righteous Manor’s young lord, Yan Yunxuan.

Beside Xu Tianyi, Xu Yiyi watched the jianghu folk holding forth, her eyes full of contempt:

“What would that pack of nobodies who aren’t even eighth-rank know?”

“That Ye Qingmei is nothing but a tramp who clawed her way up on men. Back in Dongzhou she carried on with the Little Marquis of War in some murky, improper way, and once she got to Nanzhou she latched onto some saber expert. That expert with her that day was clearly masked—who’s to say whether under the black cloth was a young man or some old codger?”

Xu Yiyi’s voice was far from quiet, making not the slightest effort to hide her resentment of Ye Qingmei.

This drew the ire of some of the young heroes on the second floor. They idolized Ye Qingmei—how could they stand by while someone insulted her?

“Miss, that’s hardly—”

A man in his twenties who had only just entered the ranks started to say something, but the old man beside him cut him off.

The old man rose and cupped his hands toward Xu Tianyi and his two companions:

“Miss Xu, he’s young and foolish—please don’t hold it against him.”

Seeing that Xu Tianyi said nothing—

SLAP!

The old man struck the young man across the face and barked:

“On your knees and apologize to Miss Xu, now!”

The young man was dumbstruck, and even the other jianghu folk on the second floor knit their brows.

“It’s those two from the Xu family.”

“I heard Miss Xu clashed with Ye Qingmei in Mingzhou a while back—seems Miss Xu got the worse of it…”

Still, a few people had recognized the three. Hu Ming needed no introduction—one of the rare figures in Nanzhou to have made the Human Rankings. The other two were direct-line scions of the great Xu family of Mingzhou, and the Xu family’s “Deft Hands, Orchid Heart” Fourth Aunt Xu was a genuine fifth-rank expert.

Not the sort of people that nobodies without backing could afford to cross.

“Get lost.”

Hu Ming spoke flatly.

“Many thanks, Young Hero Hu!”

The old man breathed a sigh of relief and, dragging the household junior along, went scrambling and crawling down the stairs.

“Senior Brother Hu, you’re still too soft-hearted. A creature like that, who doesn’t know his place, deserves to be taught a lesson!” Xu Yiyi said, plainly displeased.

Had she had her way, she’d have broken at least one of his fingers before letting him leave.

Hu Ming drained his cup in one gulp and said flatly:

“I’ve come this time to feel out the hand of this new face on the Human Rankings, for Yunxuan. There’s no need to invite extra trouble.”

“By my reckoning, the rankings should be reaching Nanyang Prefecture about now.”

“To defeat Li Suifeng on the very day he makes the rankings—that should be rather amusing.”

He was Yan Yunxuan’s friend; since Yan Yunxuan couldn’t get away himself, it fell to Hu Ming to deal with Li Suifeng—the man who had ruined Yan Yunxuan’s plans.

Xu Tianyi clapped his hands and laughed:

“When word of his ranking arrives, Li Suifeng is bound to be overjoyed. To cast him down from heaven into hell at that very moment—now that would be a delight!”

Just then—

From the street outside the Riverside Pavilion came an excited shout:

“A swift rider from the Star-Plucking Pavilion just went to the prefectural yamen—the rankings are about to be updated!”

As the cry carried into the Riverside Pavilion—

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

“Hurry, go take a look!”

“I want to see just what rank Lord Feng can manage!”

Xu Tianyi looked at Hu Ming and smiled:

“Brother Hu, shall we head over now?”

He could hardly wait to see Hu Ming and Li Suifeng fight. Hu Ming’s old Human Rankings placement had been only thirtieth, but that was because after the age of twenty-three he had stopped fighting altogether, staying ever at the side of the Righteous Manor’s Third Master Leng!

Over these five years, under Third Master Leng’s guidance, his strength had risen by who knew how much.

Hu Ming shook his head and said flatly:

“No hurry.”

“There’s time enough once I’ve finished this pot of wine.”

…

The Canal Gang’s Nanyang Branch.

Wen Bubao, his face alight with excitement, rushed to the courtyard where Lin Zhixu stayed and called out:

“Lord Feng, the Star-Plucking Pavilion’s people have come to change the rankings! You’re certain to have made the list this time. Will you go see for yourself, or shall I copy it down and bring it back to you?”

CREAK.

The courtyard door opened.

Li Suifeng stepped out and said evenly:

“Let’s go. I’d like to see what rank the Star-Plucking Pavilion has given me, too.”