The masked man looked at the woman in front of him and gently tapped his mask with his hand. “It seems that this ship, the Golden Wind, is full of hidden talents.” “It’s all thanks to the poor judgment of the Mu family that we were able to sneak into this section of rooms. If they had discovered earlier that there were distinguished guests from the Shanglin Heavenly Palace on board, how could we, such insignificant people, have a chance here?” The woman bent her waist slightly, her eyes sparkling, full of charm. “Are you trying to cause me disgust? Murong He, the Buddha of a Thousand Faces.” The man in the mask said slowly. “You guessed wrong, I’m afraid. I’m not Murong He.” The woman smiled behind her hand. “Oh? Could it be the Master of a Thousand Faces, He Xue?” The man in the mask said again. “The Courtyard of Thousand Inventions is well-informed, knowing everything under the heavens, but who I am, you really can’t guess.” The woman made a gesture of “please”. “I’m going back to my room now, sir. Have a good day.” “Fine.” The man in the mask turned around and strode away. At that moment, the door swung open, and the person who entered the room changed back into the fat and wealthy man. He smacked his lips, shook his head, and said, “That was indeed disgusting.” Nangong Xi’er finally breathed a sigh of relief and put down her sword, but she was still puzzled. Who were the people living in the next…
Beneath the apricot tree, a man who had drunk too much wine lifted his sword and spoke to Su Baiyi, “There is no weapon more captivating than the sword, and no one more handsome than the swordsman. Would you like to become a swordsman?” "Yes." “Between heaven and earth, the swordsmen roam with grace. Many envy the one who travels the world with a sword, a white robe, and a pot of wine, enjoying the freedom and joy. But behind every stroke of the sword, there are countless times of forging. It is easy to practice the sword, but to truly become a swordsman, one must pay a price beyond the imagination of ordinary people.” “Master, I’m not used to you being so serious all of a sudden.” "You can play with life, but you have to be serious about swords." Xie Kanhua caressed his long sword and said, “There is a city called Jimo, where everyone practices swordsmanship and calls it the Sword City. They use many ways to judge a swordsman’s skill, such as sword qi, sword intent, sword momentum, sword heart, sword path, sword technique, and so on. They also made a tedious list, in which I ranked third in sword qi, first in sword intent, fifth in sword momentum, fourth in sword heart, ninth in sword path, and three hundred and twenty-sixth in sword technique.” “Master, if you think this list is so boring, why do you remember it so clearly?” “……” “Master, what does sword intent mean, and why are you ranked first?" "Sword intent…
Only a handful of crew members bustled about on the deck, while some young couples lingered there, talking and admiring the view, but soon they would retreat to the cabin, unable to bear the river wind. Only one person remained there, gazing at the faraway, motionless, as if sculpted in stone. There were quite a few people standing nearby, watching over this young master. This young master was usually cheerful and chatty, and among all the sons of the Mu family, he was the most playful and carefree, but he was also the most tender and good-hearted son to the Mu family’s servants. But this son, who always treated the servants with a smile and never a frown, would sometimes be quiet like this, gazing at the faraway in a trance, and they would also wisely keep their distance and not bother him, because this must be the son pondering over a very grave matter. A youth in white clothes walked past them at this moment, and in a few steps he reached the mast, slapping the young master’s shoulder, “What are you thinking about?” The servants were all startled, and some of them even planned to rush up and beat up this impudent fellow, but Mu Nianhua turned his head and just smiled. “It’s you, why aren’t you staying in your room?” Su Baiyi smiled awkwardly, “My senior…my wife wanted me to go out and get her something to eat.” “Come on, she’s not your wife, she’s just your senior sister, there’s no food to buy on the deck,…
Two people sat across from each other in the Golden Wind’s bottommost deck, where iron walls enclosed them in the most secure and secluded spot on the whole vessel. One was an old man with a square face and a pale complexion, who had a bronze abacus in front of him. The other wore a white mask, had a thin figure, and carried a long sword at his waist. “We both came here on orders. The master I serve has high martial skills, but a bad temper. He is one of the most difficult masters to serve on Weilong Mountain. He also speaks very rudely. I might as well tell you, manager Yan.” The masked man tapped the table, his tone mocking. “The Mu family of Qingzhou is nothing in my eyes.” Manager Yan moved the abacus and placed it in front of the masked man, “This is all the wealth you have on Weilong Mountain now.” “Manager Yan knows a lot. Even I, who belong to the Courtyard of Thousand Inventions, am not too sure about the exact amount of wealth.” The masked man said softly. Manager Yan started to click the abacus again, and after he finished, he pushed it over. “Within three months, the Mu family can make the price of gold drop by 30%. By then, this will be the amount of wealth on Weilong Mountain. Your master is troublesome, but what about Master Bai? Is he easy to serve?” The masked man cleared the abacus with one swipe after a moment of silence, “I trust…
"But on the day we met, Master only told me that my surname was Su, and my name was Su Baiyi. As for who my real parents were, and why those people came to kill me, he did not tell me." Su Baiyi looked at Nangong Xi'er. "I wonder if senior sister can tell me the answer?" "Since Xie Kanhua said that you are surnamed Su, and he took you as his disciple and raised you with all his heart, then you are either the son of the Grand Palace Master Su Han, or the son of the Second Palace Master Su Dianmo. As for the real answer, we can only rely on ourselves to find it." Nangong Xi'er stood up. "And I came down the mountain because I also want to know what happened that year. Heavenly Gate Sacred Sect is definitely not a demonic sect, and it would never do things like invading the martial world and killing innocent people. There must be something hidden behind the events of that year." "What about the Second Palace Master Su Dianmo? How come I never heard Senior Sister mention her?" Su Baiyi asked. "According to my mother, Su Dianmo is Su Han's younger sister. She has mediocre martial arts, ordinary appearance, and a bad temper. She holds the position of the second palace master, but she hasn’t done anything remarkable." Nangong Xi'er replied. "Senior Sister, I asked you a question last time, but you did not answer me directly." Su Baiyi suddenly sat up straight, his expression serious. "If, as…
Most of the disciples under Heavenly Gate Sacred Sect came from the barren land of Yunhuang, and they were unfamiliar with the customs of the Central Plains. Therefore, they often clashed with Yunmeng Prefecture, which was adjacent to them. Once, because of a dispute over the ownership of a night-cool treasure horse, the disciples of Heavenly Water Manor were defeated by the Heavenly Gate Holy Sect. Manor Lord Meng Zexi personally challenged them with his blade, but Nangong Yunhuo, the great sect master of Heavenly Gate Sacred Sect, severed his tendons with a single stroke of his sword. Since then, the name of Heavenly Gate Sacred Sect began to spread officially in the martial arts world. But apart from the legendary feat where Nangong Yunhuo defeated the lord of Heavenly Water Manor with a single sword stroke, which had a bit of a martial arts legend feel, the rest of the rumors were not friendly. It was said that the disciples of Heavenly Gate Sacred Sect were all bloodthirsty and murderous, rude and barbaric, and they all practiced a kind of evil technique. They claimed that practicing this technique could lead them to ascend to immortality. This evil technique could enable those ignorant of martial arts to attain a level of martial power surpassing the Ascending Realm in mere months, and it could also allow them to unleash a burst of strength that was several times greater than their own in a flash. But it had a great backlash. After practicing this martial art for one or two years, these…
It was early morning on the second day. Nangong Xi'er slowly opened her eyes. She hadn't slept so well in a long time, as if all her strength had dissipated and she was floating above the clouds, free and peaceful. Even though she knew it was because she had lost all her cultivation, she still felt very happy. Because she dreamed of two people she hadn't seen for a long time. One was a beautiful young woman in a white dress, standing under a peach blossom tree, holding an umbrella and smiling at her. The other was a thin figure with a long sword hanging from his waist, facing away from her, climbing up the mountain. It was her mother and her second senior brother. "Sister." A clear voice suddenly called her. "You're awake. Come and have breakfast." Nangong Xi'er propped herself up on the bed board and rubbed her eyes. She looked at the young man in front of her who was drinking porridge and asked in confusion, "When did I fall asleep?" "You fell asleep as soon as you got on the boat." Su Baiyi smiled. "Nailuo brought a bowl of hot water. Sister, you should wash up first and then come and drink some porridge. Let me tell you, the fish slice porridge on this boat is amazing. I've never had such delicious porridge before." Nangong Xi'er got out of bed and walked to the window. She picked up a hot towel and washed her face. She finally woke up and asked, "Who is Nailuo?" "She said…
"Three, three, five, eleven." The casino was silent, and only the rich man slowly read out the number on the table, "It's big." "I won." Su Baiyi clenched his right fist and said word by word. “You won.” Mu Nianhua smiled slightly and picked up the pearl on the table, putting it back on the hairpin on his head. “It seems that this pearl is really hard to give away.” "My condition." Su Baiyi raised his head slightly, looking serious. "Everyone present, listen carefully. The esteemed guests of the Heaven Floor, Su Baiyi and his wife, while aboard this Golden Wind, their lives are as precious as my own. To harm them is to harm me, and to oppose them is to oppose our Mu family." Mu Nianhua declared, his sleeves fluttering, "If you wish to kill them, then kill me first." Su Baiyi smiled with relief, “Thank you.” "May the loser accept defeat." Mu Nianhua shrugged. On the second floor of the elegant seat, a window was quietly closed at this time. “The Mu family of Qingzhou, interesting.” A heavy voice said. "Vice-Chair, this Seventh Young Master of the Mu family may seem frivolous, but he is the chosen candidate for marriage by the Ye family, so it's highly likely he'll be the next heir to the family headship. If we were to kill him, we'd be offending the entire business world." "Then let’s offend them. I am a knife that kills people and never asks how to wipe off blood after killing. These are things you need to…
"Young master..." Nailuo whispered, with a hint of apology in her tone. The one who leaped down from the second floor's elegant seat and stood beside her was none other than the seventh son of the Mu family, Mu Nianhua. The entire gambling hall became silent in an instant. The Mu family's son personally appeared, what a grand gesture. This was just a few bets, what could have drawn him here? "You're still too young." Mu Nianhua scratched Nailuo's head, with a touch of indulgence in his voice. "You don't want to lose, do you?" Nailuo bit her lip, and finally lifted her hand slightly that was holding the treasure box. "Forget it." Mu Nianhua's hand suddenly pressed down hard, and crushed the treasure box along with the three dice inside. Then he casually shook his hand, and said in a careless tone. "I accidentally used too much force. It seems that the treasure boxes on the ship are too fragile. I'll have them all replaced later." Su Baiyi smiled and did not get angry. "I didn't expect that the dignified Mu family would resort to such tricks?" "Of course not." Mu Nianhua took out a pearl from his chest and placed it on the table. "Night-bright pearl!" Someone in the hall exclaimed. "This pearl is called Wen Duo, and it was a gift I received on my birthday one year. I originally gave it to your little lady, but you returned it to me. This pearl is worth three boxes of gold, do you want to bet?" Mu Nianhua…
The beautiful dealer looked at the three copper coins, a hint of surprise in her eyes, but still smiling, "So the young master likes to joke." "Is it a joke?" Su Baiyi scratched his head, "If I lose tonight, my senior sister and I will have nothing to eat when we get off the boat." "Then I'll open it." The dealer picked up the treasure box, and saw that the three dice were four four five, indeed big, "It seems that the young master is lucky." Su Baiyi's eyes were fixed on the treasure box, his gaze burning, "Hurry up and play the next round." "Okay." The dealer smiled sweetly, and swung the treasure box again. "This kid only bet three copper coins, I bet thirty taels of silver in one round, how come he is the biggest guest on this table? The guest of the heavenly room, is he so precious?" A fat middle-aged man slapped his belly, somewhat dissatisfied. "The guest of the heavenly room, is not the guest of the Golden Wind anymore, he is the guest of my Mu family, that is naturally precious, not to mention three copper coins, even one copper coin is very precious." The dealer said as she swung the treasure box. "Are three copper coins very little?" Su Baiyi asked the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was stunned, and laughed scoldingly, "Isn't this nonsense?" "But if I throw all the money I win in each round into the next round, even if I start with only three copper coins, as long…
