Chapter 29: The Tragic Fate of Third Master Liu

Page (1/3)

The tavern in Hengyang had nearly become an intelligence exchange by now, thanks to the recent gathering of wandering heroes from all over the martial world. Countless martial artists drank, boasted, and traded gossip there, with the occasional useful piece of information mixed in.

Yet in recent days, the atmosphere had grown faintly strange. The martial artists still chatted half-heartedly, but then, quite by chance, the eyes of two acquaintances met.

It was as though they had connected through Bluetooth. In an instant, a great deal of information passed between them through nothing more than a glance. One of them ventured, “You’ve heard about it, haven’t you?”

The other nodded. “By now, it’s practically common knowledge throughout the city. How could I not have heard?”

Someone beside them immediately joined in. “So everyone knows? What a bizarre mess this has become. When I first heard about it, I thought it had to be a rumor.”

Another person entered the conversation. “Not necessarily. In my many years of experience, stories that sound perfectly reasonable are the ones most likely to be false. The more absurd something sounds—so absurd that it could never possibly be true—the more likely it is to be true.”

Hearing this incisive assessment, everyone in the tavern nodded in agreement.

Still, there were a few who had spent the last several days drinking themselves senseless and had missed a great deal of sensational news. Seeing everyone chatting animatedly while acting as though they were discussing some forbidden secret, they grew frantic and finally asked, “What are you all talking about?”

A busybody, noticing that someone was still unaware, was just about to explain when his companion kicked him sharply in the calf. When he turned to look, his companion merely glanced toward the Hengshan disciples stationed inside the tavern to maintain order.

The busybody immediately lowered his eyes, sipped his tea, and said nothing more.

When no one answered, the confused man asked several more times. Eventually, someone who had grown irritated by his pestering told him, “Those who understand, understand. Those who don’t won’t understand even if you explain it. Stop asking. This matter involves far too much, and revealing it would do none of us any good. All I can say is that the waters run deep, and everything that was circulating in the city has been destroyed. So all I can say is: those who understand, understand. If you don’t, there’s nothing to be done.”

That only made the man more anxious. “You’ve gone on and on without saying anything at all. I—”

The Hengshan disciple on duty listened to the conversation, his face turning livid. But remembering his master’s instructions, he forcibly restrained himself.

His restraint, however, did not mean everyone else could restrain themselves as well. A disciple of the Songshan Sect suddenly slammed his palm on the table and rose to his feet.

“That’s enough! This matter is pure fabrication, nothing but baseless rumor! Those demonic cultists must be slandering Sect Leader Zuo. If you say another word, do not blame my sword for showing no mercy!”

The entire tavern fell silent.

But human nature was what it was: the more people were forbidden to discuss something, the more eagerly they discussed it in private.

A few martial artists with slightly more education suddenly realized that the saying “There is no smoke without fire” was followed by “though the fire may not be visible.”

At the residence where the Huashan Sect was staying, several disciples were gathered together, discussing the same matter.

Lu Dayou lowered his voice. “Do you think Sect Leader Zuo of the Songshan Sect and Third Master Liu of the Hengshan Sect truly share that sort of intimate relationship?”

Liang Fa nodded. “I have my doubts as well, but doesn’t that booklet say so? The reason Third Master Liu was able to bypass Sect Leader Mo and seize control of the Hengshan Sect was largely because Sect Leader Zuo, the alliance leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, lent him his full support.”

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

Lu Dayou frowned. “But that’s just too…”

Gao Genming added, “Didn’t that demonic cultist try to assassinate Third Master Liu a few days ago? Someone nearby heard the cultist angrily accuse Third Master Liu of pretending to befriend him, when in truth he had only lured him into lowering his guard so that he could surround and kill him.

“Those people heard clearly that the cultist spoke with an aged man’s voice. Isn’t that the same Qu Yang mentioned in the booklet?”

Lu Dayou shook his head. “It isn’t the truth or falsehood of the matter that concerns me. What concerns me is this: if everything written in that booklet is true, then Sect Leader Zuo and Third Master Liu had been in love since their youth. Later, when Third Master Liu traveled alone, he was abducted by the demonic elder Qu Yang, who then forcibly… violated him.

“Afterward, Third Master Liu simply decided to turn the situation to his advantage and offer himself to the demon, hoping to seduce Qu Yang. But Qu Yang saw through the scheme and tried to kill him in a fit of rage. This sort of thing… it is simply too shocking and horrifying. How will our fellow martial artists throughout the world regard the Five Mountains Sword Sects after this?”

“Alas!” Shi Daizi sighed. “The evidence is conclusive. You all saw it yourselves a few days ago. Every corpse carried out of the courtyard beside the Liu residence belonged to a disciple of the Songshan Sect.

“They were awake in the middle of the night, fully dressed, with their treasured swords at their sides. If they were not lying in wait for Qu Yang, then what were they doing?

“And why were the men ambushing Qu Yang disciples of the Songshan Sect rather than the Hengshan Sect? How was Third Master Liu able to command Songshan disciples?

“All these signs speak for themselves. If everyone had managed to keep Qu Yang there that day, none of this would have become known to outsiders.

“Unfortunately, Qu Yang escaped in the end, and everything came spilling out afterward. It was probably his doing.”

Ying Bailuo had remained silent for a long while. Suddenly, he said, “I heard… I only heard this from someone else. I haven’t seen the booklet myself.

“I heard that besides describing the whole affair, the booklet also went into meticulous detail about the intimate relations between Qu Yang and Third Master Liu, as well as those between Qu Yang and Sect Leader Zuo. The descriptions were extremely explicit.

“The matter between Qu Yang and Third Master Liu is one thing, but how could Qu Yang know so much about the private affairs between Sect Leader Zuo and Third Master Liu?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Wang Jingyuan said as he passed by, chewing on a steamed bun.

Everyone turned to look at him.

“We would be most interested to hear your explanation.”

“Junior Brother Wang, tell us what you think happened.”

Wang Jingyuan finished his bun in three quick bites and said, “People are possessive by nature, and they have a competitive streak as well. Back when I visited a pleasure house, the question I heard its patrons ask most often was, ‘Am I the most impressive customer you’ve ever had?’

“Some clever courtesans would simply answer, ‘Yes.’ That saved them a great deal of trouble. The more honest ones, however, would say, ‘Someone else was better than you.’

“At that point, the patron would start interrogating them about exactly how the other man had been better. If they could not provide an answer, an irritable patron might beat them. But if they did provide one, they would probably be beaten even worse.

“As for how Qu Yang could know so many intimate details… well…”

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

“Third Master Liu was probably an honest man.”

At once, the Huashan disciples swarmed around him. Wang Jingyuan had assumed his answer had been flawless and that they had gathered around to praise him. Instead, those wretched fellows stared at him with shining eyes.

“Junior Brother Wang, you just said you’ve been to a pleasure house, didn’t you?”

“What are those places like, Junior Brother?”

“Are pleasure houses fun?”

Wang Jingyuan’s face fell. “I’ve only been twice. The first time, I merely ate a meal there. The second time, I practiced swordsmanship there all night. How would I know whether it was fun?”

Damn it, I want to know whether they are fun too!

“Neigh!”

The disciples dispersed with faces full of disappointment.

“You’re not being honest, Junior Brother.”

“You’re treating us like outsiders, Junior Brother.”

“Take me with you next time, Junior Brother.”

“Me too! Me too!”

Wang Jingyuan had to expend considerable effort before he finally managed to shake off the bunch of miscreants. Soon afterward, he noticed Lin Pingzhi hiding in a corner and secretly watching them.

Wang Jingyuan walked over and asked, “What are you hiding here for?”

Lin Pingzhi hesitated for a moment before answering honestly. “The senior brothers don’t like associating with me.”

Wang Jingyuan immediately understood. “Young people can’t stand even the slightest impurity. It’s perfectly normal for them to reject someone who got in through connections.”

When Wang Jingyuan had first arrived, he had also been ostracized. He simply had not cared. A group of non-player characters who could not provide him with quests was hardly worth worrying about. So long as they did not go too far, he could not be bothered to find a way to force a player-killing fight with them.

Lin Pingzhi suddenly remembered that Senior Brother Wang seemed to be a beneficiary of connections as well.

“Then what about you, Senior Brother?”