M49S Vol 1 Chapter 25. Lu Yunting Of Jingbo Sword

Lu Yunting had arrived far too quickly. Jin Man had only just surfaced yesterday, and today Lu Yunting was already at Lion Tower. Given the implacable enmity between the two, this boded ill for whatever Meng Qiqi and Jin Man planned next. The man who had just been sent flying, judging by his clothing, was clearly a retainer from Wuhou Manor.

At that moment, Lu Yunting caught sight of Meng Qiqi. Naturally, Meng Qiqi could not pretend he had not seen him. He landed lightly on the rooftop of Lion Tower and clasped his hands in greeting. “Brother Lu, it has been a while.”

“It has,” Lu Yunting replied with a nod, as cold and aloof as ever. “Where is Jin Man? I recall you encountered him at Hangu Pass.”

“That was more than half a month ago. I did see him again just yesterday, but all the cultivators present witnessed that. Perhaps you could ask someone else?”

Lu Yunting frowned, his gaze sweeping the interior and exterior of Lion Tower. But it was not as if he could go around questioning every person. Everyone knew that Lu Yunting of Jingbo Sword was a solitary swordsman, proud and fierce as frost. That he had even spoken to Meng Qiqi was already more than he would grant anyone else.

Meng Qiqi turned his head toward Yao Guan, who stood off to the side, his eyes nearly spitting fire though not a word escaped his lips. With a smile, he said, “And what happened here, Brother Lu?”

“He was too noisy.” Lu Yunting had detained Yao Guan in the hopes of drawing Jin Man out. At first, he had not intended to resort to such means, but Yao Guan’s insufferable mouth had provoked him.

Hearing this, Meng Qiqi assumed he would need to speak on Yao Guan’s behalf, but instead he said, “Then that is just as well. Two days ago he caused trouble for my senior nephew at Chanhua Tower. This makes for a fitting punishment, courtesy of you.”

Lu Yunting wanted to object but found no words. Yao Guan, though one of the Wuhou, was still junior in Lu Yunting’s eyes. Dealing with someone so young was beneath him, yet Meng Qiqi’s remark was not entirely unjust.

“I have other matters to attend to. If you will excuse me.” Meng Qiqi had only stopped by to exchange a few words. He turned and headed into the building, leaving the surrounding cultivators struggling to make sense of his true connection to Wuhou Manor. Yao Guan, on the other hand, was practically shooting flames from his eyes.

Meng Qiqi ignored him and continued deeper into the tower, his mind racing as he walked. He had no idea whether Jin Man was already aware of Lu Yunting’s arrival. Regardless, the first priority was to keep Jin Man from appearing.

Just then, a door along the corridor opened. Meng Qiqi came face to face with the person stepping out. Well, wasn’t this his senior nephew, who was supposed to be out on the street sparring with others?

Meng Qiqi stopped walking. “Senior Nephew, what are you doing here?”

Chen Boyan replied, “I’m waiting for you, Little Martial Uncle.”

Meng Qiqi smiled. He made no effort to determine whether the answer was true or not. Instead, a sudden idea came to him. He beckoned. “Come here. Your Little Martial Uncle has something for you to take care of.”

Chen Boyan stepped closer. After listening, he paused briefly in surprise, but did not ask a single question. He simply nodded and left to carry out the task.

Meng Qiqi watched his departing figure with a thoughtful expression. Then he glanced toward the room Chen Boyan had just come from. A teacup sat on the table inside, half full.

Never mind. Meng Qiqi shook his head. He needed to find Wang Ziling first.

At that moment, Wang Ziling was in the rear courtyard of the teahouse connected to Lion Tower. Very few people knew that the two buildings belonged to the same owner. Fewer still knew that a concealed door in the rear kitchen connected them.

Wang Ziling had come last night only to try his luck. The owner of Lion Tower was a clan uncle of his who had once owed his father a favor. But it had been years. This uncle had long since stopped involving himself in family matters, and the two had not seen each other in a very long time. Wang Ziling had no idea whether he would be welcomed.

Fortunately, after a short wait outside, the gatekeeper had let him in. With this place as a temporary shelter, at least he would not be accused of disgracing the Wang family by refusing to return home. For the time being, he could use the opportunity to make plans for the future.

Although he had secured a place to stay, Wang Ziling had not yet met his uncle face to face. His hopes of getting help were still unresolved. After some hesitation, he decided to go out and look for Meng Qiqi.

But by the time he left, Meng Qiqi had already passed through.

While Meng Qiqi failed to locate Wang Ziling, someone else arrived first. Xiao Yu’er found him in Lion Tower. The moment he saw him, he ran up quickly, stopped in front of him, and whispered in his ear.

“Master, not long after you left, someone from the Wang family showed up. They said they want to invite you as a guest. Even the head of the family came in person.”

Wang Changlin? Meng Qiqi immediately understood. As the head of the family, Wang Changlin had already shown considerable respect by coming in person to extend the invitation. If he managed to corner Meng Qiqi, there would be no choice but to return to the Wang residence for a short stay.

Clearly, they were worried he would stir up trouble again.

“In that case,” Meng Qiqi said, eyes glinting as a devious idea formed, “Xiao Yu’er, go set a fire at the Wang residence.”

Xiao Yu’er had always been an attentive disciple, and he grasped the intention immediately. “Make sure it’s discreet. Find a quiet spot outside the courtyard wall and toss a torch in. The smoke needs to be thick enough for the neighbors to notice.”

“If the house catches fire,” he added, “then it’s clearly not safe. They would have no reason to insist Master stay there.”

Meng Qiqi chuckled and ruffled Xiao Yu’er’s head. “Clever boy.”

Xiao Yu’er left right away. No sooner had he stepped out of Lion Tower than a disciple from Wuhou Manor came rushing in, looking for Yao Guan.

But Yao Guan was still being held by Lu Yunting. The disciple, unaware of the situation, asked around briefly and, after learning where Yao Guan was, marched straight into Lu Yunting’s room. At once, all eyes on both floors followed him as he passed through the open doors.

“Lord Guan! Lord Jin is missing! You must think of a way—” The disciple’s voice rang out, full of urgency, but stopped short the moment he spotted the other man in the room.

Lu Yunting looked up. “What did you say?”

The disciple opened his mouth again, seemingly unaware of who Lu Yunting was. He quickly turned toward Yao Guan. “Lord Guan!”

Yao Guan’s face flushed bright red, but he could neither speak nor move. Lu Yunting pressed again. “What did you mean just now? What happened to Jin Man?”

The disciple suddenly grew wary. “Who are you?!”

“I am Lu Yunting.” He rose to his feet, his icy aura pressing down on the room. “Speak. What happened to Jin Man?”

Overwhelmed by the pressure, the disciple stammered, “L-Lord Jin fought with that Daoist Wuyan this morning, and then he… then he…”

“What?” Lu Yunting’s tone sharpened.

“He disappeared! No matter how we searched, we couldn’t find him!” The disciple blurted it all out, then anxiously turned to Yao Guan. Yao Guan frowned deeply.

At the stairwell on the second floor, Meng Qiqi had quietly taken in the entire exchange. Then he turned to Chen Boyan, who had appeared behind him at some point, and asked, “Did you see Jin Man?”

Chen Boyan shook his head. “He received word of Daoist Wuyan’s whereabouts and went after him. But I’ve already informed the others. Jin Man will hear the news very soon.”

At that moment, Lu Yunting had already pried the location of Jin Man’s disappearance from the disciple. Then, he drew his sword and left.

The entire Lion Tower erupted into a commotion. That was Jin Man. Could he really have lost to Daoist Wuyan?

No, if it truly had been Daoist Wuyan, then there were certainly tricks involved. If Jin Man had fallen for one, it would not be entirely his fault.

Moments later, Yao Guan forcibly broke free of the restriction Lu Yunting had placed on him and rushed out after him. Meng Qiqi slowly descended from the second floor, passing him on the stairs.

Neither said a word. One walked with the graceful air of a celestial, while the other moved quickly, his face tight with anxiety. Only after stepping out of Lion Tower did Yao Guan reach into his robes and pull out a slip of paper that had somehow been tucked inside.

On it were: Go to the Wang estate. Demand the person.

Yao Guan did not know whether Meng Qiqi had planned this from the start, or if he had come up with such a strategy in the brief half hour after encountering Lu Yunting. With just a light stir of his hand in the water, he had managed to fool Lu Yunting and, at the same time, strike a blow against the Wang family.

After that stir, the idea that the Wang family’s Third Elder was Daoist Wuyan had firmly taken root in the minds of the crowd. Even if the Wang family wanted to deny it now, they would have a hard time explaining it away.

Yao Guan suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Fortunately, Meng Qiqi was still on their side.

But Meng Qiqi himself didn’t feel relaxed at all. First, Lu Yunting wasn’t an idiot. Second, the matches on the street had wrapped up, and the first wave of cultivators seeking a bout with Gushan’s Little Martial Uncle had already reached Lion Tower.

Lion Tower was more crowded than ever. Cultivators who were usually elusive and rarely seen had arrived one after another, dazzling the ordinary onlookers who’d come to gawk.

Meng Qiqi stood at the second-floor railing, face hidden by his veil, bearing an expression of composed nobility. He would have to make a move eventually, but not yet. The later, the better. Once he started fighting, it would be hard to pull back.

It was nearly noon now. Xiao Yu’er had delivered the note to Shen Qingya first thing in the morning. By all rights, he should have arrived by now. Why was there still no sign of him? Meng Qiqi trusted this friend deeply, yet even he was beginning to feel a twinge of worry. If Shen Qingya couldn’t arrive in time, he’d need to come up with another way to stall.

As it happened, Shen Qingya had indeed been delayed.

Right after Wang Changlin left Chanhua Tower, Wang Ziqian showed up with several attendants in tow. He had come specifically to deliver healing pills to Shen Qingya, Master Yinian, and the others, to thank them for protecting him in the secret realm.

Shen Qingya didn’t think Wang Ziqian was deliberately stalling. He likely didn’t even know about his connection with Meng Qiqi. Still, the gesture unintentionally delayed Shen Qingya at Chanhua Tower. And given Tianlao’s usual detached, courteous manner, he couldn’t exactly throw the guest out.

After a brief internal calculation, Shen Qingya summoned a junior disciple and whispered a few instructions. Then he continued chatting with Wang Ziqian in a warm, polite tone, answering the young man’s questions about cultivation.

Wang Ziqian was full of gratitude, but when his gaze caught that junior disciple heading out the door, a flicker of suspicion crossed his heart. He dared not ask further.