M49S Vol 1 Chapter 18. Lord Jin Man

Three days had passed. Outside Chanhua Tower, disciples from every sect stood on the long corridor above the water, waiting for their juniors to return in triumph. And if anyone there looked the most anxious, it was Tang Li of Gushan Sword.

Tang Li was the fifth junior brother of the current sect leader and the master of Tu Youqiong. This time, the sect leader had assigned him to escort several younger disciples to the assembly, a task with no small responsibility.

But Tang Li did not see it that way. His senior brother had definitely chosen him because of his mild temperament. He was easy to deal with and not likely to drop dead from anger even if something upsetting happened.

Half an hour earlier, a bit of news had quietly spread from inside Chanhua Tower. Word was that Meng Xiu, the elusive Little Martial Uncle of Gushan, had also entered the secret realm. How could Tang Li not be worried? That was the junior brother he had not seen in three years. With that man’s nature, it would be a miracle if he didn’t poke a hole right through the secret realm.

In just thirty minutes, Tang Li had already devised dozens of ways to shield his junior brother or fight his way out with him if needed. Fortunately, Senior Nephew Chen Boyan was also inside. That gave Tang Li a bit of peace of mind.

He glanced around. Not far away, the bamboo-hatted elder from Tianlao was sitting beside the corridor with a fishing rod in hand. Such peace of mind. Then again, thinking of Shen Qingya’s gentle and unassuming nature, Tang Li had to admit it made sense. Shen Qingya was not someone who would stab others lightly.

But around them, the quiet murmurs had not stopped. Most of them were talking about his junior brother. Wondering what he looked like. How many sword strikes he could release.

The Little Martial Uncle had not even appeared yet and was already the center of attention.

Tang Li was worried. His junior brother was still just a child.

Suddenly, a stir rippled through the crowd. The young cultivators who had entered the secret realm were finally returning.

Tang Li looked up quickly. The others followed his gaze toward the disciples approaching in Gushan’s signature sky-blue robes. Everyone wanted to see for themselves what the famous Little Martial Uncle looked like.

One glance. Then another.

Something felt off.

The person walking in front of Chen Boyan looked entirely unremarkable, devoid of any distinct features. Compared to the brilliance and elegance of Zhou Ziheng in his prime, this was a far cry. Could they have mistaken the identity?

But when they glanced at Tang Li, they saw his face alight with excitement as he strode straight toward that very person.

That confirmed it. No mistake. That was indeed Meng Qiqi.

Someone couldn’t help but sigh, “So the Gushan Sword really has fallen…”

“Yes,” another murmured. “The glory of Zhou Ziheng’s era is gone and never to return…”

Yet someone nearby spoke up, clearly displeased. “Judging someone by their appearance alone. What a joke.”

By then, Tang Li had reached Meng Qiqi and grabbed his sleeve, looking him up and down. “Junior brother, what are you wearing?”

Meng Qiqi looked at his senior, who after three years was still as generous and warm as ever. A wave of warmth surged in his chest, but his words remained teasing. “As long as you recognize me, Fifth Senior Brother, why worry about the wrapping?”

“You little rascal,” Tang Li chuckled, instantly brushing aside the anxiety he’d held moments before. He took Meng Qiqi’s arm and was about to drag him off for a proper reunion.

But Meng Qiqi held him back. “Senior Brother, just a moment.”

“What is it?” Tang Li asked, a look of confusion crossing his face. The Knock upon the Immortal Gate event wasn’t fully over. In two days, the inter-sect competition would begin, assessing the cultivators’ gains from the secret realm. But until then, there were no further activities scheduled.

Meng Qiqi shook his head and turned to look at the towering statue of the immortal. Out of caution, he had not exposed the fact that the Wang clan’s Third Elder was actually Wuyan Daoist. That man might have already left ahead of them, or perhaps, fearing he would give himself away, had chosen to come out with them and pretend nothing was wrong.

The question was whether Jin Man’s people had already moved to intercept him. If Wuyan Daoist escaped, everything would have been for nothing.

Suddenly, a voice called out, “Look, what’s that?”

Meng Qiqi turned and saw a small boat slowly gliding across the mist-covered lake. A lone figure stood upon it, dressed in bright red. The mist softened the edges of that color, but it was still striking, almost the same shade as the evening light.

Cultivators gathered quickly by the railing.

Some stared, captivated by the sight. Someone with sharp eyes shouted, “Lord Jin Man!”

The figure landed among the cultivators. Red robes swayed. A golden hairpin tilted across dark hair. Phoenix eyes held a cold, seductive charm. The face was delicate like a woman’s, yet it was hard to tell whether the person was male or female.

Was this not the very same Jin Man, who had vanished without a trace after that battle against Lu Yunting atop Hangu Pass?

“Lord Jin!” Several young disciples from Wuhou Manor immediately stepped forward.

But Meng Qiqi did not see Yao Guan. He hadn’t shown up in the secret realm either. Perhaps Jin Man had sent him off on an errand.

Jin Man brushed past the younger disciples, his cold gaze sweeping the crowd. “Where is that filthy worm Wuyan? Tell him to get out here.”

Wuyan? Tang Li and the other elders were visibly stunned. Why would Jin Man come here looking for Wuyan? But among the younger cultivators just returned from the secret realm, many glanced toward Meng Qiqi, recalling what he had said earlier. “Even Lord Jin from Wuhou Manor has been searching for him.”

Why did they all seem so certain that Wuyan was here?

At that moment, the Wang clan’s patriarch, Wang Changlin, stepped forward and said politely, “Lord Jin, perhaps you are mistaken. There is no one called Wuyan here.”

Jin Man raised an eyebrow. “Just because you say so?”

The Wuhou were all madmen and wild swordsmen. Jin Man, one of the Five Lords of Wuhou Manor and the second in rank, showed no courtesy even when speaking to the Wang clan’s patriarch. His phoenix eyes swept across the crowd, and the pressure in the air shifted. “Meng Qiqi. Where is Meng Qiqi?”

Meng Qiqi had no interest in responding, but he could not ignore him either. He tossed the Qilin Plate straight over. “Lord Jin, what a grand display of power.”

Jin Man caught the Qilin Plate and then gave Meng Qiqi a sweeping glance from head to toe. “Why are you dressed like this? So ugly. Ugly enough to dirty my eyes.”

“Get lost,” Meng Qiqi replied bluntly.

Jin Man laughed instead of taking offense. His laughter rang out without restraint. “Seeing you this hideous puts me at ease.”

Meng Qiqi ground his teeth. “Do not stop me, Senior Nephew. I’m going to kill this man.”

Chen Boyan replied sincerely, “I’m not stopping you, Little Martial Uncle.”

Meng Qiqi narrowed his eyes. “Then you get lost too.”

Chen Boyan remained exactly where he was. “I promised Master that I would bring Little Martial Uncle safely back to Gushan.”

Jin Man laughed even harder. He even clapped in delight. “So Meng Qiqi has finally met his match.” His brows lifted, and the smile on his face turned icy. “Now tell me. Where is Wuyan?”

The question was not directed at Meng Qiqi but hurled at the group of elders led by Wang Jing, who were the last to exit the secret realm. Wang Jing had never expected one Meng Qiqi to appear, let alone be followed by Jin Man.

Wuhou Manor was infamous for acting with madness and disregard for rules. Compared to Meng Qiqi, Jin Man was even harder to handle.

Worse still, the Third Elder had indeed followed them out rather than leaving ahead of time. Wang Jing wanted nothing more than to tear the arrogant fool apart, but it was too late for regrets.

“Jin Man, have you and Meng Qiqi conspired to disrupt the Knock upon the Immortal Gate?” Wang Jing forced himself to stay composed and pushed back.

Wang Changlin quickly stepped in, his voice heavy. “Lord Jin, I respect your bluntness and disregard for formalities, but words like that cannot be thrown around carelessly.”

Jin Man sneered, not bothering to respond to either of them. The moment he spotted the Third Elder, he flicked out a thread of golden silk and attacked without warning.

The Third Elder had just stepped out of the secret realm. Caught off guard, he narrowly avoided having half his face sliced open. Even so, his cheek burned with pain. Such humiliation was impossible to swallow. He lashed out in fury, grabbed the golden thread with his bare hand, then drew his sword and stabbed toward Jin Man’s face.

The fight broke out in an instant.

Wang Jing’s anger flared. “Outrageous!”

He stayed put, holding onto appearances with so many people watching. But the two elders behind him stepped forward without delay. If they failed to stop Jin Man now, there was no point in continuing the Knock upon the Immortal Gate.

As soon as the two elders from the Wang clan made a move, the Wuhou Manor cultivators joined the fray. The rest of the sects looked on, unsure of what to do.

Tu Youqiong edged over to his senior brother. “Senior Brother, aren’t we going to do something?”

Chen Boyan remained silent. Meng Qiqi answered with a smile, “No need. Let Jin Man do the fighting. Your Little Martial Uncle is tired.”

He turned and walked off. While everyone else watched the chaos unfold, anxious about the clash between Wuhou Manor and the Wang clan, he alone walked away, hands clasped behind his back, moving with ease and poise.

That only made it harder to guess what scheme he was hiding.

Wang Ziling caught sight of his uncle Wang Changlin’s grim expression and quickly chased after Meng Qiqi. Meng Qiqi noticed he had followed, and while bemoaning how cowardice could not be cured in a day, offered a casual reminder.

“Go check on your Miss Yun. Stop following others around.”

“You can look down on me, Little Martial Uncle,” Wang Ziling protested, “but don’t speak like that about Miss Yun.”

Meng Qiqi gave a soft laugh. “So this is your Miss Yun. While I was fighting the Black Demon in that farmhouse, everything around us was destroyed. You were nearly scared out of your wits, yet that delicate little girl who couldn’t even lift a chicken came out without a scratch. If that’s truly what happened, why bother cultivating at all? “You might as well slit your own throat at your Chanhua Fairy’s feet and stop getting in the way of everyone else.”

“You—” Wang Ziling was so furious he nearly jumped, but he couldn’t argue back. It was true. He had been too busy worrying about whether she was hurt and had completely overlooked the fact that her being unharmed was the most suspicious thing of all.

The more he thought about it, the more restless he became.

Meanwhile, the disciples of Gushan Sword found themselves facing a new problem. The Wangs had assigned a fixed number of rooms to each sect, and with so many cultivators present, there were none left for Meng Qiqi and his disciples.

It wasn’t that the Wang clan couldn’t solve the issue. It was simply a nuisance, especially when they were still in the middle of a major brawl.

“Then let Xiaoyu share with Youqiong, and let Xiaoxiao stay with Guinian. Qing Gu can remain with Xiao Ru. As for me, I’ll just bunk with your senior brother. What do you say, Boyan?”

Chen Boyan instinctively wanted to refuse, but the moment he met Meng Qiqi’s half-smiling eyes, he found himself inexplicably agreeing.

“All right.”

Little Martial Uncle really was easygoing, Tu Youqiong thought to himself.