I had no intention of entering the martial world.

Chapter 39 Night Rain in Lin'an

Yuelai Inn is located deep in a small alley. Its entrance is unassuming, but the interior is surprisingly spacious and charming. The three courtyards, with artificial hills and flowing water, and winding corridors, resemble a miniature garden. There aren't many guests, but they are all unassuming yet sharp-eyed wanderers of the martial arts world—informants of Wenjian Pavilion, or guests protected by Wenjian Pavilion.

When Lu Chenzhou returned to the room, Chu Xueya was reading a book.

She changed into a light blue dress, her hair loosely tied up, and sat by the window under the lamp, holding an ancient book in her hand, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she was pondering some difficult problem.

Hearing the door open, she looked up:

"You're back?"

"Hmm." Lu Chenzhou folded his umbrella and placed it by the door. "I saw Zhao Wanshan."

The scroll in Chu Xueya's hand fell to the table with a "thud".

"Where?" Her voice was a little tense.

"At Wangxian Bridge, they were riding in a sedan chair, heading west of the city." Lu Chenzhou sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "The four sedan chair bearers are all highly skilled, and there are three guards as well."

Chu Xueya was silent for a moment, then asked:

"You want to take action?"

"I want to," Lu Chenzhou said, "but I can't."

Why?

"The timing is wrong." Lu Chenzhou took a sip of tea. "This is Lin'an, right under the emperor's nose. Zhao Wanshan is now a favorite of the Vice Minister of Revenue. Killing him is easy, but escaping will be difficult."

Chu Xueya breathed a sigh of relief.

She was also afraid that Lu Chenzhou might act impulsively.

"So what do you want to do?"

"Wait," Lu Chenzhou said. "Wait for the Sword Debate Tournament, wait for him to leave Lin'an, or... wait for a better opportunity."

Looking at his calm face, Chu Xueya suddenly felt a complex emotion welling up inside her.

I feel relieved, but also heartbroken.

The good news is that he has matured and knows how to weigh the pros and cons, and no longer acts recklessly.

What's heartbreaking is that this maturity comes at the cost of emotional loss—now he talks about his enemies as if they were nothing out of the ordinary, without hatred or excitement, only cold calculation.

"Lu Chenzhou," she said softly, "do you still hate him?"

Lu Chenzhou was stunned for a moment.

Then, he thought for a moment and said:

"I should hate. But I can't feel it anymore."

"Then why kill him?"

"Because he deserved to die." Lu Chenzhou said simply, "Just like eating when you're hungry or sleeping when you're tired, killing him is something that should be done. There's no need for hatred, just doing it."

Chu Xueya's eyes reddened.

But she didn't cry, she just nodded:

"I see."

The sound of rain outside the window grew louder, tapping against the windowpane like countless tiny drumbeats.

Neither of them spoke; the only sounds in the room were the rain and the occasional crackling of the lamp wick.

After a long while, Chu Xueya asked:

When does the sword-fighting tournament begin?

"Three days later," Lu Chenzhou said, "at the 'Sword Debate Manor' by West Lake. Yuehua said Zhao Wanshan will also be there—he is now the representative of the imperial court and is going to win over the martial arts forces."

"Then we..."

"We'll go too," Lu Chenzhou said. "Yuehua has already made the arrangements; we'll participate as guest elders of the Sword Inquiry Pavilion."

Chu Xueya nodded, picked up the book again, but couldn't concentrate on reading it.

She had a feeling of unease.

Like the calm before a storm, it was so quiet it made one's heart race.

"Lu Chenzhou," she suddenly said, "if...if you encounter danger at the Sword Tournament, don't be reckless. Revenge is important, but staying alive is more important."

Lu Chenzhou stared at her for a long time.

Then, he reached out and took her hand.

It's light, but firm.

"I will live," he said. "I promised you."

Chu Xueya's hand trembled, but she did not pull it away.

Palms touching, warmth transferred.

Her hands were cold, his hands were hot.

Like ice and fire, at this moment, a certain balance was found.

"Mmm," she responded softly, lowering her head, her ears slightly red.

---

Three days later, the sword-fighting tournament was held as scheduled.

The location was the Sword Debate Manor by West Lake—a property owned by Shen Qianqiu, the leader of the Jiangnan martial arts alliance. Spanning hundreds of acres, it boasted pavilions, terraces, artificial hills, and flowing water, exuding an extraordinary grandeur. Today, it was especially festively decorated, with guests flocking in, and almost every prominent figure in the martial arts world was present.

Lu Chenzhou and Chu Xueya followed Yuehua and entered as guest elders of the Wenjian Pavilion.

Today, Yuehua wore a purple dress, her long hair tied up with a jade hairpin, and a bright red cinnabar dot between her brows. She walked ahead, exuding a powerful aura; wherever she passed, the crowd automatically parted and bowed in respect.

"Lord Yue!"

"The Pavilion Master himself has come?"

"The Sword Inquiry Pavilion rarely participates in occasions like this..."

Yuehua ignored them all, simply nodded slightly, and walked straight towards the main hall.

Lu Chenzhou and Chu Xueya followed behind, attracting a lot of attention.

Chu Xueya was a highly skilled disciple of the Emei Sect, and many people in the martial arts world knew her. They were all curious about how she ended up with the Wenjian Pavilion. As for Lu Chenzhou... although no one knew him, his pale, almost eerily pale face and the striking red mark at the corner of his eye made him unforgettable.

"Who is that kid?"

"I've never seen him before, but he has an extraordinary presence."

"Walking with Chu Xueya, could she be a rising star of Emei?"

Whispers continued.

Lu Chenzhou ignored him, his gaze sweeping across the room, searching for Zhao Wanshan.

He found it very quickly.

At the very front of the main hall, in a grand chair, sat a plump man in his fifties, wearing a brocade robe, with a piece of mutton-fat jade hanging from his waist, and holding a snuff bottle in his hand, slowly sniffing it.

Zhao Wanshan.

Two years had passed, and he was even fatter and richer. A fake smile played on his lips, and his eyes were narrowed to slits, like a well-fed cat.

Behind him stood two guards—one tall and burly with prominent temples, clearly a master of external martial arts; the other thin and sinister with long, slender fingers and dark nail polish, likely a master of poisons.

Sitting next to Zhao Wanshan was a young man.

He was in his early twenties, dressed in a moon-white scholar's robe, holding a folding fan in his hand. He had delicate features and a refined demeanor. But Lu Chenzhou noticed that his eyes were sharp, like two knives, scanning the crowd with a condescending scrutiny.

"That's Zhao Wanshan's son, Zhao Yuanjing," Yuehua's voice rang in her ears, very softly. "He just passed the imperial examination this year and is now a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, highly favored by the Emperor. It is said that he is a protégé of Eunuch Qin."

Eunuch Qin?

Lu Chenzhou's heart skipped a beat.

It's that name again.

"Zhao Wanshan was able to climb from a local tycoon to his current position entirely thanks to Eunuch Qin's promotion," Yuehua continued. "So, his presence at this sword-fighting tournament is ostensibly to represent the imperial court in winning over martial arts forces, but in reality, it's to recruit soldiers for Eunuch Qin."

"What does Eunuch Qin want the Jianghu forces for?" Chu Xueya asked.

"I don't know," Yuehua shook her head, "but it's definitely not a good thing."

As they were talking, the main hall suddenly fell silent.

An elderly man dressed in a green robe with white hair and beard stepped into the main seat; he was none other than Shen Qianqiu, the leader of the Jiangnan martial arts alliance.

"Gentlemen," he said, clasping his hands in greeting and looking around, "thank you all for gracing us with your presence at this once-a-decade sword-fighting tournament. As usual, the tournament consists of three parts—a literary test, a martial arts test, and a sword-fighting contest. The top three will receive three treasures from my personal collection."

He clapped his hands, and three servants presented three brocade boxes.

The first brocade box was opened, revealing a yellowed ancient book.

"The Qiankun Sword Manual is the posthumous work of the sword saint Li Chunfeng, who lived a hundred years ago."

A commotion broke out in the crowd.

The second brocade box contained a short sword.

"The Fish Intestine Sword, an ancient divine weapon, can cut through iron like mud."

The unrest grew even greater.

The third brocade box was opened, revealing a jade bottle.

"The Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill can revive anyone who has even a breath left."

This time, even his breathing became heavier.

Each of these three treasures is enough to make people in the martial arts world fight tooth and nail for them.

Shen Qianqiu looked at the crowd's reaction with satisfaction and continued:

"The rules remain the same: proceed with caution and do not cause death. Now, the written test begins—"

Before he could finish speaking, a voice suddenly rang out:

"Wait a minute."

Everyone turned to look.

It was Zhao Yuanjing who spoke.

He slowly stood up, walked to the center of the arena, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Shen Qianqiu:

"Alliance Leader Shen, I have a suggestion."

"Young Master Zhao, please speak."

"How about we try a different approach to this year's martial arts tournament?" Zhao Yuanjing unfolded his folding fan and smiled slightly. "The literary and martial arts tests are too old-fashioned. How about... a real battle?"

"Real combat?" Shen Qianqiu frowned. "Young Master Zhao means..."

"In the end, those who roam the martial world must let their swords speak for themselves." Zhao Yuanjing looked around, his voice clear and resonant. "I propose that we set up an arena where anyone who wants to challenge can do so. The person who stands on the arena at the end will be the champion of this year's Sword Tournament, and all three treasures will belong to him."

The crowd erupted in uproar.

This is tantamount to canceling both the written and martial arts tests, turning it into a naked contest of strength.

Moreover... all three treasures belong to one person?

The temptation is too great.

But that's too dangerous.

"Young Master Zhao," Shen Qianqiu said in a deep voice, "swords have no eyes; what if someone gets killed..."

"Don't worry, Alliance Leader Shen," Zhao Yuanjing interrupted him. "I will have the imperial physician present and prepare the best medicine for the injuries. Moreover..."

He paused, then his smile deepened:

"His Majesty attaches great importance to this sword-fighting tournament and has specially dispatched the Imperial Guards to guard the perimeter. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be killed without exception."

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Imperial Guard?

emperor?