M49S Vol 1 Chapter 38. Day One

Meng Qiqi wore his veil today. The wind over the lake was strong, and the breeze stirred mist across the water, fluttering the white gauze until it looked nearly ethereal. But because the pale-blue robes of Gushan Sword were so easy to recognize, even with his face covered, cultivators passing by could still identify him at a glance.

Their eyes would inevitably fall to the elegant sword at his waist, and they would think to themselves. So it really is Meng Xiu.

Once inside the tower, the wind no longer reached him, and no one could see his face behind the veil. Meng Qiqi made his way up to the seventh floor. Tang Li was already waiting there.

“Junior brother, over here.” Tang Li pulled Meng Qiqi over to sit beside him. Before Meng Qiqi could even take a sip of tea, Tang Li leaned in and asked impatiently, “What’s the story with Xiao Yu’er’s eyes?”

“He was born that way. You saw his eyes?” Meng Qiqi sounded surprised.

Tang Li nodded rapidly, though he felt too embarrassed to admit that he had actually fainted on the spot. So he asked vaguely, “Didn’t Xiao Yu’er tell you?”

Meng Qiqi raised an eyebrow. His silence was clearly a no. Tang Li felt a wave of relief and quickly followed up, “What do you mean, born that way? Those eyes are anything but ordinary.”

“This isn’t the place to talk. I’ll explain everything in detail once the competition is over.” Out of the corner of his eye, Meng Qiqi noticed Elder Yu Yao from Beidou taking a seat on the other side, his gaze cold and hostile. Jin Man had also appeared, which meant the Wang clan hadn’t done anything to him after all. He had likely just been held overnight. The full story would have to wait until they had a proper conversation.

Just then, Tang Li asked curiously, “Junior Brother, you’re not taking off your veil?”

“Not yet.” Meng Qiqi gave the crowd a quick scan. The reason he was wearing it was simple. It was because of the Chen family. And they had not arrived yet.

The seating arrangement here was quite interesting. Several polished hardwood chairs, made from rare timber, had been lined up along the railing, circling the tower’s outer edge. Four seats in the middle were left empty, likely reserved for the Chen and Wang families. To the left and right, the order proceeded as follows. Gushan Sword, Tianlao, then Beidou and Ruizhu, and finally Wuhou Manor and the Twelve Guests of Nandao near the back.

As for elders from other sects and some well-known rogue cultivators, they had all been placed on the sixth floor to observe. Every position had been meticulously arranged, strictly in accordance with each sect’s standing within the cultivation world.

Wang Changlin had likely placed Tianlao next to his own clan to keep their Grand Elder from lashing out at Meng Qiqi, while deliberately assigning Gushan Sword to sit beside the Chen family.

Meng Qiqi glanced at the empty seats, his mind turning. Suddenly, he felt a gaze settle on him. It was warm and without hostility. He looked up and saw the straw-hatted old man from Tianlao studying him. The aged face was full of calm, carved gently by the passing of time.

“Meng Xiu greets Senior.” Meng Qiqi lifted his veil and stood to give a respectful salute.

The old man nodded kindly and said nothing. Meng Qiqi could not guess what this reclusive elder was thinking, so he simply stood in silence.

Just then, the representatives from the Wang and Chen families arrived.

Everyone rose to greet them. Meng Qiqi, without revealing a single ripple in his expression, quietly lowered the veil again and stood off to the side, watching. Leading the procession was Wang Changlin, with Wang Jing at the end. The two figures in between were presumably the guests from the Chen family.

Whether by good luck or bad, one of them turned out to be a familiar face. Meng Qiqi had once asked Zhou Ziheng about this man. He was Chen Boyan’s third uncle, Chen Wujie.

Back when the Chen family came to take Chen Boyan away, Chen Wujie had been there. Though his face looked kind, his heart was vicious. If Chen Boyan’s mother hadn’t personally intervened that day, Meng Qiqi might have died at his hands.

When enemies met face to face, Meng Qiqi’s heart could not stay calm. The hatred surged up from deep within, like a ghost born in the depths of hell, gnawing endlessly at his heart.

So much hatred. After all these years, Meng Qiqi had never once forgotten it. He had buried it deep, savoring it over and over again.

To Chen Wujie, he had probably always been nothing more than a mad dog, something to be beaten to death on a whim. Pathetic. That contempt from high above, that brutal disregard, had carved itself into Meng Qiqi’s soul like a scar that would never fade.

How could he forget? He never would. Not for the rest of his life.

Suddenly, a trace of warmth touched his arm where the chill had started to set in. Meng Qiqi snapped out of his memories and looked up, meeting Tang Li’s concerned gaze. Tang Li gently patted his arm. “You alright?”

Aside from Zhou Ziheng and the late former sect leader, few at Gushan knew much about Meng Qiqi’s past. But that had never stopped them from treating him like a true brother.

Tang Li’s concern gradually warmed his heart. Meng Qiqi gathered himself, adjusted his state of mind, and soon regained his composure. What he hadn’t expected, however, was that when Wang Changlin and Chen Wujie approached to exchange greetings, he deliberately lifted his veil, but Chen Wujie showed no sign of recognition. His expression didn’t shift in the slightest.

For a moment, Meng Qiqi was stunned. Then it dawned on him that after so many years, Chen Wujie had probably already forgotten a person as insignificant as him.

And it made sense. The last time Chen Wujie had seen him, he’d been covered in wounds, utterly wretched, his face smeared with blood. Even if Chen Wujie did remember, he might not recognize him now.

Meng Qiqi gave a faint, self-mocking smile and stepped quietly behind Tang Li without saying anything more. Soon, everyone took their seats. This time, Wang Changlin didn’t deliver another lengthy speech. The grand competition began just like that.

The first day was dedicated to the Life-Bound Weapon Duel.

With five petal-shaped platforms, all five dueling stages would run simultaneously. The names of all participants had already been registered. Before each match, a steward from the Wang clan would hang a nameplate on the notice board of each terrace to announce the duel.

With over two to three hundred cultivators participating, even five platforms running in parallel would not shorten the process much. This opening round would take a long time to complete. Of course, to ensure fairness, and to avoid eliminating capable cultivators on the first day just because their life-bound weapons were not exceptional, the final ranking would be based on the accumulated results from all three days of competition.

Even so, the principle remained the same. No matter what day it was, striving for the top was what mattered most.

“First match, Du Guang versus Chen Boyan of Gushan Sword!”

The steward, dressed in resplendent robes, announced the pairing in a booming voice that drew everyone’s attention to the field. No one had expected Chen Boyan to be the first to appear. Wasn’t this a gift-wrapped good omen for Gushan Sword?

Tu Youqiong was delighted. “Senior Brother, go get them! I’m rooting for you!”

Song Ru shook her head in exasperation. This junior of theirs was practically begging to be beaten up by their senior brother. Tu Youqiong, however, was still grinning like a fool. It didn’t matter anyway. Today’s duels were against other sects. Senior Brother wouldn’t take it out on him.

But calling Tu Youqiong a fool wouldn’t be fair. As Dai Xiaoshan often said, their junior brother Youqiong simply hid his wisdom beneath a bumbling front.

Yet Tu Youqiong quickly realized that someone else across the way was also cheering for his senior brother, and their voice was even louder than his. Just listen to that shouting: “Big Brother, go get them! Big Brother, look over here, I’m right here!”

At first, Tu Youqiong thought the kid was cheering for Chen Boyan’s opponent. He was just about to challenge the stranger to a shouting contest when he noticed something odd. The kid actually looked a lot like his senior brother.

No, not just a little. A lot.

“Senior Sister, Senior Sister! Don’t you think that guy looks like Senior Brother?” Tu Youqiong tugged at Song Ru, looking for confirmation.

Song Ru had already spotted him. It was a boy about the same age as Tu Youqiong, with two thin braids hanging by his temples and a face that looked seventy percent like Chen Boyan’s.

Dai Xiaoshan leaned in and mused, “I think I remember Senior Brother mentioning he had a younger brother…”

While the group was still talking, Chen Boyan had already finished his duel. The outcome left no room for doubt. The entire match passed without the slightest ripple, so uneventful that the spectators were left glancing at one another, unsure whether they should even applaud.

They turned to check the neighboring platform, where the duel had only just begun.

In that moment, many eyes shifted back to Chen Boyan, now filled with new respect and envy. That level of talent was downright terrifying.

Tu Youqiong was still dazed. “Huh? It’s over already? How did I miss it?”

Xiao Yu’er helpfully explained, “It really is over. Senior Brother got on the platform, summoned his sword, then swish swish, and he won!”

Nearby cultivators turned their heads. How arrogant. Far too arrogant.

But Xiao Yu’er was simply stating the facts. Just then, a figure in pale blue broke through the crowd and rushed straight toward Chen Boyan. “Big Brother!”

Chen Boyan glanced at him calmly, then raised a hand just as the boy drew near, pressing a palm against his face and holding him at arm’s length.

He grabbed Chen Boyan’s arm and pulled his hand down, cheeks puffed up in protest. “Big Brother, how could you treat me like this?”

Cearly overwhelmed by his overly affectionate younger brother, Chen Boyan ignored the complaint and turned back to his fellow disciples. “This is my younger brother, Chen Boxi.”

“Hi, everyone!” Chen Boxi grinned from ear to ear, his bright smile practically lighting up the air around them.

He was nothing like their senior brother.

Tu Youqiong stared at him with curiosity, and Chen Boxi stared back with just as much interest. The two boys, so similar in age and temperament, locked eyes in a mutual standoff that had everyone around them fighting back laughter.

Soon after, two more rounds of duels played out on the platform.

Chen Boxi kept chattering away beside Chen Boyan, sticking so close that Tu Youqiong couldn’t get a single word in. He started to feel a little jealous. But the moment he remembered that this was Senior Brother’s actual younger brother, he figured he was probably the one in the wrong.

Ah… he really wasn’t the most doted-on disciple on Gushan anymore. The days ahead were looking bleak.

Suddenly, someone patted him. Tu Youqiong looked up. “What is it?”

Everyone turned to look at him. Dai Xiaoshan, thoroughly exasperated, grabbed him by the shoulders and gave his head a good shake. “Youqiong, are you still not awake? It’s your turn already!”

“Huh?” Tu Youqiong hurriedly turned toward the center of the platform. His opponent was already waiting, and the face looked familiar.

Heavens above. Wasn’t that the same person who had beaten him on the streets of Jinling just a few days ago? What kind of rotten luck was this?

But was it really just a coincidence? From the terrace, Chen Boyan narrowed his eyes slightly, and high above, Meng Qiqi also leaned forward, their gazes sharpening with the same suspicion.

Whether their guess was correct would have to be confirmed in what came next.