M49S Vol 1 Chapter 54. Choose One Of The Two

The disciples of Beidou flushed with shame under Qing Gu’s scolding. In that brief moment of distraction, Jiang Xie had already been forced back to the railing by Chen Boyan. Propping himself up with one hand, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and glared at Chen Boyan with hatred in his eyes.

“This is the Knock upon the Immortal Gate! Are you trying to kill me?!”

“No,” Chen Boyan shook his head. “I only want you to apologize to my Little Martial Uncle.”

The shift in momentum caught everyone on the seventh floor off guard. The white-bearded elder’s expression changed slightly. He hadn’t expected even Yu Yao to fail in subduing Meng Qiqi. Unable to hold back, he stepped forward and said to Chen Wujie, “Young Master Chen, this Meng Xiu refuses to follow the consensus. This…”

But Chen Wujie raised a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence. He stood at the railing, eyes fixed on the scene below, not sparing so much as a flicker of attention to the elder beside him.

A trace of indignation flared in the old man’s chest. He couldn’t help but feel insulted. Yet he dared not show it, and could only follow Chen Wujie’s gaze downward.

And there, in a sudden burst of sword light, his vision was momentarily blinded.

His eyes widened as he followed the sword light, and caught a fleeting glimpse of Meng Qiqi’s figure, swift and radiant like a startled swan.

“Break!” Meng Qiqi slammed his palm against the hilt of his sword. In an instant, ninety-eight streaks of luminous flying swords flared with light, bursting through Yu Yao’s vital force barrier by sheer force.

Yu Yao was stunned. He hadn’t expected Meng Qiqi to be holding anything back. He immediately retreated, his feet pressing into the air as he scrambled backward, not even sparing time to turn around.

But the flying swords were too fast.

Yu Yao stared at the glowing little sword, its tip nearly pressing against the bridge of his nose. In that split second, a plan formed in his mind. Gambling on taking a few hits, he dropped straight down.

Bang!
His legs slammed hard against the ground. At the same time, around ten flying swords pierced through the left side of his shoulder, making his entire body stagger.

Meng. Qi. Qi.

The injury wasn’t serious, but to Yu Yao’s pride, it was a blow heavier than anything he had suffered in decades. He didn’t even stop to staunch the bleeding. Instead, he launched a counterattack.

By then, Meng Qiqi had already closed in.

After only a few exchanges, Zheng Cheng suddenly tightened his grip on the saber at his waist. A gleam of frenzy flickered in his eyes as he watched Meng Qiqi. Those killing strikes, fierce as a violent storm, stripped of all excess, were so utterly perfect, so breathtakingly precise.

His fingers tapped unconsciously against the hilt of his saber. In his mind, he stepped into Meng Qiqi’s place and ran through the sequence again and again. He asked himself whether, if it had been him, he could have done the same.

The answer was: impossible!

Moves as refined as Meng Qiqi’s were not something forged overnight. His killing intent formed a razor-thin thread that subtly interfered with Yu Yao’s rhythm, creating the smallest sliver of advantage for himself.

Killing was far easier than sparring. Often, just the slightest misstep could produce the perfect result. What mattered was timing.

Yu Yao could feel it now. Meng Qiqi truly meant to kill him. But how could he dare?

“Scared?”
In a flash of silver light, Meng Qiqi appeared behind him. His voice, deliberately lowered, brushed past Yu Yao’s ear and sent a wave of goosebumps down his spine.

Yu Yao spun to strike, but Meng Qiqi was already somewhere else.

He was smiling. Whether it was mockery or playfulness, to Yu Yao, it was an unbearable humiliation.

Yu Yao’s attacks grew more vicious. What had begun as a sudden clash was now escalating into a deadly battle.

Seeing that the fight was spiraling out of control, Wang Changlin immediately stepped in to intervene.

But the two were fighting too fiercely. If he intervened rashly, he might end up being the one injured. Wang Changlin turned to Master Kongming. “Master, may I ask for your assistance?”

“Amitabha.” Master Kongming wasted no words. He tapped his staff against the ground, the golden rings ringing clear. As the Sanskrit chant rose, a gentle wave of vital force swept directly between Meng Qiqi and Yu Yao.

Wang Changlin followed at once. “Stop!”

With two masters stepping in, Meng Qiqi and Yu Yao finally ceased their fight. On the other side, however, Chen Boyan and Jiang Xie had already reached their conclusion. Chen Boyan had won decisively. Xiao Xiao took over and escorted Jiang Xie directly to Meng Qiqi.

Blood still stained Yu Yao’s shoulder, soaking half his sleeve. And now, seeing Jiang Xie being brought over, he nearly couldn’t hold back from charging at Meng Qiqi all over again.

Meng Qiqi gave a pleasant smile. “What’s the rush, Elder Yu?”

Yu Yao’s voice was low and heavy, with barely veiled threat. “Meng Xiu, you’ve taken my disciple into custody. Are you really set on becoming an enemy of Beidou?”

“What a joke,” Meng Qiqi replied. “Your Beidou disciples can show open disrespect to their seniors, but I’m not allowed to lay a hand on them? Are they all heaven’s chosen sons, standing above the rest of us?”

“You claim he disrespected you. And how exactly did he do that?” Yu Yao said coldly. “As an elder, shouldn’t you show at least a little tolerance?”

Meng Qiqi blinked in surprise. “You just tried to throw my senior nephew out of the competition, and now you’re talking to me about tolerance? Sounds to me like Elder Yexin of your sect didn’t go missing. He died of rage from dealing with you.”

Yu Yao’s breath caught. His lungs felt full of blood from sheer fury. But before he could say anything, a loud, booming laugh rang out from the crowd. Yin Wuhua pushed through the onlookers and said, “Meng Xiu, you really are something else.”

“You flatter me,” Meng Qiqi replied modestly.

At that moment, a cup of tea suddenly appeared in front of him. He turned his head and heard Chen Boyan say, “Little Martial Uncle, have some tea.”

“You’re quite thoughtful,” Meng Qiqi said as he accepted the cup, took a sip, and placed it back in Chen Boyan’s hand, without the slightest concern for where the tea had even come from.

To everyone else, their behavior was simply too much. It was far too dismissive. The entire Beidou sect was seething, while the two of them were calmly drinking tea. Not from a kettle or gourd, but from an actual teacup. No one even knew where they got it.

Yin Wuhua laughed so hard his side ached.
“I’m telling you, Meng Xiu, you ought to go into politics. With you around, the emperor wouldn’t need an executioner. He could just let you stand there and talk someone to death.”

Meng Qiqi laughed in exasperation. “Get lost.”

But Yin Wuhua wasn’t offended. Instead, he turned to Yu Yao and said, “I was at Lion Tower that day too. Your disciple really did speak out of turn to Meng Xiu. I can vouch for that. If it had been me, I would’ve smashed his skull in on the spot.”

Yu Yao: “……”

Wang Changlin had taken in everything, and his heart grew heavy. He had thought that sending Yu Yao in would be enough to suppress Meng Qiqi, at least for now. But instead, Yu Yao had been forced back. Meng Qiqi may have been young, but his cultivation was nothing like the rumors claimed.

They had miscalculated. At the moment, Beidou was being completely outmatched by Gushan. If they wanted to force Meng Qiqi to back down now, it would require pushing the Wang clan forward once more.

But Wang Changlin hesitated. A move that would ruin their reputation while gaining nothing was fine for someone like Yu Yao, hungry for quick results. The Wang clan, however, could not afford to take that risk.
Still, could they really let things end just as Meng Qiqi wished?

As Wang Changlin turned the matter over in his mind, a new idea came to him. “Everyone, I believe that Nephew Jiang acted out of youthful impulse. I doubt he meant any real disrespect toward Brother Meng. He has already been disciplined by Nephew Chen. Why not let Brother Yin serve as a witness, and have Jiang offer a sincere apology to Brother Meng? We can consider the matter settled. What do you say?”

Then he turned to Meng Qiqi with a gentle smile. “Brother Meng, a man of your stature surely wouldn’t hold a grudge against someone so much younger.”

Meng Qiqi replied calmly, “And what if I say no?”

“Brother Meng, why not give Master Kongming and me some face? If Nephew Jiang ever disrespects you again for no reason, you won’t need to lift a hand. I’ll personally hold him accountable.”

Hearing this, Meng Qiqi’s suspicion stirred.

He had always been wary by nature, and nothing set him more on edge than a known enemy suddenly wearing a friendly face. Wang Changlin might have formed an alliance with Beidou, but given the Wang clan’s arrogance, there was no way they genuinely respected a late-rising sect like Beidou. And yet here he was, speaking up for Jiang Xie with such sincerity. It was more than suspicious.

Wang Changlin knew full well that Meng Qiqi would never agree to this. Right now, Jiang Xie was his bargaining chip. Without that chip, how could he pressure Yu Yao?

But since Wang Changlin had made the move, Meng Qiqi decided to see just what the old fox was up to.

His expression darkened. “No,” he said flatly. “Everything has a price. Surely Clan Leader Wang understands that.”

Wang Changlin, of course, understood. A trace of helplessness flickered across his face. He turned to Yu Yao, who caught his meaning at once, but found himself in a bind. Letting Chen Boyan go would mean giving in to Meng Qiqi, and that he could not stomach. But Jiang Xie was one of his most valued disciples. He couldn’t just abandon him either.

“Master…”
Jiang Xie looked disheveled, but his eyes had taken on a hard glint. He knew better than anyone what Beidou was like. If he cost them the chance to suppress Meng Qiqi, and disgraced their name in the process, then no matter how much his master cared for him, the entire elder council would hold him to account when they returned.

Better to hold his ground. There might still be a chance.

“Master, I ask you to uphold justice for me!” Jiang Xie shouted, loud and urgent, afraid Meng Qiqi would cut him off. “Even if I was in the wrong, it was just a slip of the tongue. But Meng Qiqi had Chen Boyan issue me a death match challenge—he’s clearly out for revenge!”

Wang Changlin’s lips curled slightly in a subtle smirk, though his face wore a look of polite concern. “Elder Yu, what do you think we should do…?”

Yu Yao felt that Jiang Xie made a good point, and Meng Qiqi’s threats might not work on him. “I think Jiang’er is right. Why don’t we ask the other elders in the tower to judge? Let them decide just how serious his offense was, and whether Gushan Sword was justified in issuing a death match over it.”

The more he thought about it, the more confident he felt.

Meng Qiqi’s eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. “You want to invite a judgment? From the same people who just unanimously voted to force my senior nephew out of the competition? You think I still believe in their so-called fairness?”

“All the sect elders are gathered here,” Yu Yao said, his tone solemn. “How can you say such things, Meng Xiu?”

Meng Qiqi raised a brow and spread his fingers, pulling Jiang Xie toward him. “You made your move on the first day of the month,” he said coldly, “so don’t blame me for making mine on the fifteenth.”

He turned to Jiang Xie. “Still want to hold your ground? Choose. One or the other.”

Yu Yao’s expression turned grim. But Chen Boyan, quick-eyed as ever, caught a nearly invisible thread of vital force slip into Jiang Xie’s body. In the next instant, pain twisted across Jiang Xie’s face.

It was a setup.