M49S Vol 1 Chapter 36. Trapped

How long had it been since someone last played Jin Man like this? He couldn’t even remember. And yet, as a strange freshness rose from his anger, he found himself letting out a laugh.

When a beauty laughed, it was certainly a sight to behold.

But the laugh came and went in an instant. Jin Man stared at the man in dark robes being called “Wang Mu,” unsure if this was truly the same person he had been chasing earlier. It was entirely possible that the Wang family had made preparations ahead of time and swapped someone in mid-pursuit.

Still, that no longer mattered.

Jin Man gave a scornful laugh and shot back, “Do I look like a fool? That I would barge into the Lion Tower, crowded with cultivators, just to kill some nobody?”

The Wang family disciples hesitated. Wang Mu, on the other hand, remained calm and responded evenly, “It was Lord Jin who pursued me all the way here. Shouldn’t you be asking yourself why you would do such a thing?”

At that moment, Wang Ziqian, who had been standing guard by the door, stepped inside and cupped his hands. “Lord Jin, honored guests, I believe this may all be a misunderstanding. Why don’t I report this to my father, and we can all go to the Wang residence to speak openly and resolve this peacefully? That way, we can all save ourselves the trouble.”

“Young Master Wang speaks sensibly,” a disciple from a small sect chimed in support.

Wang Ziqian had not pressed the issue with aggression; instead, he offered Jin Man a way out. This won quiet approval from many present. After all, the Lion Banquet was still ongoing, and the final main course had yet to be served. No one wanted unnecessary complications.

But how could Jin Man possibly allow Wang Changlin to handle this on his own terms?

“If you want to talk, that’s fine,” he said coldly. “Hand over Wuyan, and then we’ll talk.”

“Lord Jin,” Wang Ziqian replied sincerely, “setting aside whether our Third Elder is truly Daoist Wuyan, the fact remains that he vanished after his battle with you two days ago. Everyone here knows this. We haven’t been able to locate him. How could we possibly hand him over to you?”

After speaking, he bowed deeply again. “We ask only that you return with us to the Wang residence and allow our family the chance to clear our name.”

Wang Mu also stepped forward from the crowd. “Lord Jin, please allow the Wang family to clear our name. Whether I, Wang Mu, live or die is of no consequence, but the reputation of the Wang family must remain intact. If you still insist that our Third Elder is Daoist Wuyan, then let us face the matter openly, right here and now.”

“Lord Jin, please come with us.” Several others stepped out, calling together. The pressure mounted, like being surrounded on all sides with nowhere to escape.

Jin Man was both furious and deeply disappointed.

He had been wondering what kind of move the Wang family would use against him. Now he saw it. It was clever enough, a taste of his own medicine. But this was the Wang family. A clan that had produced talent for generations, whose name carried the weight of legends and legacy. And yet, facing just one Jin Man, this was the best they could do?

It was pitiful.

Seeing Jin Man remain silent, Wang Mu stepped forward again and raised his voice. “Lord Jin, please come with us.”

A voice cut in suddenly. “Hold on.”

Someone had just stepped into the room. It was Lu Yunting of Jingbo Sword. Everyone had expected him to be at odds with Jin Man, but now he stood in front of him and blocked the path. “He’s not going anywhere with you.”

Wang Ziqian was startled. “Senior Lu, why not?”

Jin Man looked at him, clearly surprised as well. “Big Ox Lu, what’s gotten into you?”

Veins appeared along Lu Yunting’s forehead. It took all his strength not to strike Jin Man on the spot. “Nothing,” he said flatly. Then he turned to Wang Ziqian and said, “We haven’t finished our fight. Once I’ve finished with him, you can do whatever you want.”

Wang Ziqian was completely confused. What was that supposed to mean? Hadn’t the two of them been fighting for over a month already? How could they still not be done?

Many of the other cultivators in the room were visibly amused by Jin Man’s choice of words. Their expressions were odd, trying to suppress their laughter. The truth was, many years ago, when Lu Yunting was still a boy herding cattle in the countryside, he really did go by the name “Big Ox Lu.” Later, after he was accepted into a cultivation sect by chance, his master thought the name was too crude and gave him a new one. Lu Yunting.

And thus, Lu Yunting the sword cultivator was born, rising to fame alongside Gu Shutong of Lingnan. Both had reached the third great cultivation realm, and their prowess in the sword path made them the most likely to achieve true mastery after Zhou Ziheng. Among cultivators, they were famously known as “Gu of the South, Lu of the North.”

With such a pedigree, Lu Yunting detested hearing anyone call him by his childhood name. No one in the cultivation world dared to provoke him, except for Jin Man.

Twenty years ago, during the final day of the Knock upon the Immortal Gate competition, Jin Man and Lu Yunting had crossed paths. Gu Shutong had yet to appeared at that time, and the two were the strongest contenders of their generation. Right as they were locked in a fierce match, Jin Man shouted across the arena with a thunderous “Big Ox Lu!” That single phrase caused Lu Yunting’s sword to waver by three inches.

Although Lu Yunting still won that duel in the end, that one insult forged a lasting grudge between them. One that remained as solid as ever.

Even the young Wang Ziqian had heard of this famous anecdote. In his eyes, Jin Man wasn’t wrong to call him that. After all, wasn’t Lu Yunting just a stubborn ox? The kind no force on earth could pull back once it made up its mind. But Wang Ziqian didn’t dare offend Lu Yunting outright. So he offered diplomatically, “Senior Lu, why not come back to the Wang residence with us? I promise you, we won’t let Lord Jin out of your sight.”

Lu Yunting looked tempted. Sensing this, Jin Man immediately interjected, “How about we fight right now?”

“Fine.” Lu Yunting drew his sword. His movements were so fast that Wang Ziqian could barely follow them.

Jin Man’s scheme had worked, and he was inwardly pleased. If he could lure Lu Yunting away from the Lion Tower and then shake him off somewhere along the way, he’d be able to escape the predicament he was currently in. As for whatever the Wang family said about him afterward, he didn’t care. Better that than being trapped inside the Wang residence.

But Wang Ziqian saw the danger at once and reacted swiftly. He suddenly pulled out a token from his waist and called out, “The Chen family’s elders are already waiting at the residence. Lord Jin, please come with us!”

The Chen family?!

Both Lu Yunting and Jin Man halted at once. Meng Qiqi also looked up sharply. At the center of that jet-black token was a single silver sword scar, identical to the one on Chen Boyan’s forehead.

This turn of events had not been part of Meng Qiqi’s expectations. Based on the information he had gathered, the Chen family was supposed to arrive on the final day of the competition. Yet they had appeared two full days ahead of schedule.

Could this have been Wang Changlin’s doing? Considering the longstanding ties between the Wang and Chen families, it would not have been difficult for the Wangs to request the Chens to arrive earlier. What now weighed on Meng Qiqi’s mind was the question of who exactly the Chen family had sent this time.

Was it one of the people who had taken Chen Boyan away all those years ago? Would he still recognize his face?

While Meng Qiqi was deep in thought, the rest of the cultivators in the room reacted more instinctively. All eyes turned to Chen Boyan, who had silently walked to Meng Qiqi’s side. He was the direct heir of the Chen family.

Chen Boyan himself was far from calm. The Chen family had already arrived, yet they hadn’t informed him right away. That alone spoke volumes.

“Brother Chen,” Wang Ziqian said respectfully, “the elders arrived at dusk and are currently resting at the residence after their long journey. The servant who came to deliver the news said they were very eager to see you and asked me to personally invite you to join them. What do you think…?”

Wang Ziqian’s tone was courteous, his eyes as reverent as ever, glowing with admiration.

Chen Boyan, however, showed no emotion in his gaze. “Since they are weary from travel, let them rest for now. Tomorrow will be soon enough.”

Wang Ziqian was taken aback. He had not expected Chen Boyan to refuse. Unable to discern his intentions, he chose not to say anything further. At that moment, Lu Yunting had already been intimidated by the Chen family’s name. This was a chance that could not be missed.

“Lord Jin. Everyone.” Wang Ziqian swept his gaze confidently across the room. “To prove my Wang family’s innocence, my father has specially invited elders from the Chen family to serve as witnesses, hoping to resolve this matter as soon as possible. The elders are waiting at the residence right now. I believe that before the start of tomorrow’s competition, we will be able to give Lord Jin and everyone present a proper explanation. Lord Jin, I ask you to come to the Wang residence, if only for the sake of those elders.”

He had spoken with both tact and pressure. Now that the Chen family had been invoked, Jin Man had no real reason to refuse. He was, after all, a free-spirited man who wore his moods openly. Since he could not decline, he decided to go with grace.

When Jin Man left alongside Wang Ziqian and Wang Mu, he looked no different from a guest headed to a banquet. There was even a faint smile on his lips. Wang Ziling, who had more or less guessed that Jin Man and Meng Qiqi were working together, wanted to act, but Meng Qiqi stopped him.

Wang Ziling had no choice but to suppress the impulse and turn back to urge the guests to continue the interrupted banquet. Still, after everything that had just occurred, no one could truly relax. They clustered into small groups, whispering among themselves with various expressions on their faces.

Wang Ziling noticed it all and grew increasingly anxious. In all the time he had known Meng Qiqi, the man had never once slipped up. But tonight, he and Jin Man had both been caught in someone else’s snare. A deep sense of crisis suddenly welled up inside him.

Yet if Jin Man had walked into the trap, how could Meng Qiqi not be just as worried? The only difference was that he knew how to bear it. Before leaving, he gave Wang Ziling one quiet instruction: “Keep your eyes on Wang Wan’nan.”

Then he left Lion Tower with Xiao Yu’er.

Chen Boyan followed. They had only walked a short distance when Xiao Yu’er looked up at him and asked curiously, “Senior Brother, is your family really that powerful? Why did Lord Jin Man just go with them like that?”

Xiao Yu’er’s question was so direct that Chen Boyan didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

Meng Qiqi, ever perceptive, gently patted Xiao Yu’er’s head and stepped in to answer. “Xiao Yu’er, do you know about the Elders in the Wang family?”

“I do.” Xiao Yu’er nodded.

“To the cultivation world, the Chen family is like an exalted Elders’ hall. For generations, they’ve guarded Yin Mountain. According to their ancestral rules, they’ve never accepted disciples from outside the family. Even those of their own blood rarely walk the world. But because of that, they’ve gained a level of reverence and prestige that few other great sects can match.”

“Why’s that? Is Yin Mountain really that important?” Xiao Yu’er still didn’t quite understand.

“It’s very important,” Chen Boyan answered this time.

“Then will you go back one day, too?” Xiao Yu’er asked again.

Chen Boyan fell silent and looked toward Meng Qiqi. Their gazes met beneath the moonlight. The feelings long buried by time surged faintly in their eyes, but who could say when they would ever see the light of day again?