A loud cry of pain echoed out within the large meeting hall. Zhang Fengtian fell backward, landing on his backside and holding a hand to his face, where a large mark had appeared. He looked up in fear at the man standing over him. Blazing red eyes, rich silver hair, and an arrogant sneer were always the hallmark of Luo Feng… but he had never looked as enraged as he did now.
“So let me get this straight… you picked a fight with a newcomer who just arrived at the Heavenly Sword Sect… and lost? Am I getting this right? Did I hear you correctly?”
“I… I… am so… sorry… but I had no idea he was so strong!”
SLAP!
Luo Feng swung his hand again, the back of which caught Zhang Fengtian across the face and sent the other man sprawling to the ground.
“Face” was an integral concept in their culture. A person’s face represented their dignity, reputation, and pride. To slap someone across the face, especially in public or within the context of a duel, was to directly attack their pride. It was a severe blow to a cultivator’s honor and standing in society. Yet Zhang Fengtian did not lash out even after being slapped in the face twice.
“I’m sorry… I… I am so sorry…”
Instead, he kowtowed before Luo Feng and begged the man for forgiveness.
“Zhang Fengtian… do you know why I allowed you in the Crimson Swords? It’s not because of your power, or because of your reputation. You have neither of those. All you have is your family name, and that is not your reputation.”
Luo Feng walked around Zhang Fengtian, his steps slow and methodical, the sound of his boots echoing around the room. Zhang Fengtian squeezed his eyes shut as if that would somehow help block out the sound.
They were not alone in this room. At least a dozen members of the Crimson Swords was present. Each of them was a high-ranking member, someone so high up the social ladder that Zhang Fengtian would have normally considered himself lucky to be in the same room as them.
Normally.
At that moment, all the people present were sneering or glaring at him, their disgust almost palpable. The tension in the room was at an all-time high.
The meeting hall was brightly lit, allowing anyone and everyone who entered to see the traditional architecture. Wooden beams and pillars adorned with sword carvings complimented the polished redwood walls, which gave the room a warm and regal ambience. It was a spacious meeting hall. A high ceiling that seemed to touch the heavens covered their heads. The large, rectangular room could have easily accommodated hundreds of disciples. That was also why Luo Feng’s footsteps echoed so much. The acoustics in this room ensured every sound was amplified.
“I asked you a question, Zhang Fengtian.”
Zhang Fengtian’s gulp was audible. “I… I don’t…”
“So you are stupid on top of being a buffoon.” Luo Feng made a full circuit around Zhang Fengtian. He stopped in front of the man, raised a foot, and planted it on the other man’s head, grinding his heel into it as Zhang Fengtian groveled. “I allowed you to join the Crimson Swords as a favor to my master. Master Zhang Zhou is an esteemed elder of your clan, and he asked that I look after you. That is the only reason you are here. I gave you every courtesy despite your less than stellar talent, provided you with every concession I could make… and you repaid me by getting beaten by a newly initiated disciple.”
“I… I…”
“Do not talk. I don’t want to hear it.”
Luo Feng removed his foot after grinding the man’s head into the tile, then spun around and walked away. He soon came to a stop, closed his eyes, and clasped his hands behind his back. Zhang Fengtian didn’t dare say anything. The room remained silent for a long moment.
“I cannot expel you because of my promise with my master, but you will need to be punished.” Luo Feng opened his eyes and looked at two people. “Take him to the Hall of Penance so he can serve his punishment. Let him out after a week has passed.”
Zhang Fengtian bit his lip as a strangled cry escaped his throat, but he didn’t say anything as the two hauled him up by the arms and dragged him out of the room. Luo Feng and the others watched him go. Once he was gone, the man turned to one of his subordinates.
“Although Zheng Fengtian is a fool, we cannot let what happened to him go unpunished. What do you know of this Jian Wu?”
“Only what everyone else knows,” his subordinate shrugged. “He won the International Power Ranking Tournament, beating out the Phoenix Clan’s strongest members in one-on-one combat. The Lady Oracle also seems to favor him.”
Luo Feng held a breath for a moment, and the subordinate froze as the man’s rage washed over him. It only lasted for a moment, however, and then the man smiled, though it was far from pleasant.
“Is that so? You have proof of this?”
“Uh, um, yes. A lot of people saw the Lady Oracle showing Jian Wu around Heavenly Sword City the day he arrived.”
“She’s never done that before with anyone,” Luo Feng muttered.
Wu Meiying, otherwise known as the Lady Oracle, often remained secluded on her mountaintop pavilion. She never displayed an interest in anyone. Even Zhe Fēnglì barely got her attention. Her aloofness was part of what made her so attractive. Luo Feng was, of course, quite infatuated as well, and he longed to claim that which many had deemed unclaimable.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Bai Qiang! Hong Liang!”
Two people stepped forward as their name was called.
The one on the left was lean, possessing an agile build. His lithe physique lent itself well to his talent. He had jet black hair that was cut short, giving him a sleek and streamlined appearance. His piercing eyes were a shade of blue, sharp and intense like a drawn blade.
On his right was a tall and imposing man who stood a head and shoulders above almost everyone present. He had a sturdy and muscular build, denoting his incredible physical strength. Hair a rich brown hung shoulder-length around his head. Anyone standing before this mountain of a man would find themselves intimidated.
“Observe this Jian Wu and report your findings to me. Also, if you see an opportunity to take him down, feel free to do so.”
“As you command,” they both said at the same time, offering a martial bow.
***
There had been an unexpected boon to defeating Zhang Fengtian in public that Wu Jian had not considered. Ever since that day, Wu Meiying had begun stopping by his estate. The excuse she gave others was that she and Youmei had become very close and she wanted to play with her. Youmei was Wu Jian’s magical beast companion, so of course, even Wu Meiying could not just take the girl and run. Most people accepted that explanation without complaint.
Of course, there were always people who wouldn’t see things this way, and they had spread rumors that Wu Meiying was showing favor to Wu Jian--which was completely true. This was all a part of their plan, however. Wu Jian didn’t just want to go against the Crimson Swords. He would take on any strong opponent who might give him a challenge, and Wu Meiying was helping that by spending time with him.
… That was also an excuse of course.
Wu Jian and Wu Meiying just wanted to spend time together.
Which was what they were doing just then.
For the past several days, Wu Jian had been training with Wu Meiying. They mostly sparred. Wu Jian had been training to better utilize Pale Moon. Up to now, he had been swinging the sword around without truly understanding how to use it, relying instead on his strength and spatial manipulation to deal with his opponents. As a means of testing himself, he had been relying only on his sword skills. Thanks to that, his skills with his greatsword had improved by leaps and bounds.
That was what Wu Jian and Wu Meiying were doing right now. Youmei slept on the veranda, sprawled across the ground like a lazy cat as she snored away. Meanwhile, Wu Jian was attacking Wu Meiying with everything he had.
“You’re very fast, but you need to be faster.”
“That’s. Easy. For you. To say.”
“Tee-hee. I guess it is. I don’t use a greatsword, after all.”
The greatsword was an unwieldy weapon that offered great strength at the cost of being difficult to use. It was big, heavy, and therefore hard to swing. There weren’t many techniques for a great sword either since so few people wielded them. Wu Jian had only found a few low-quality techniques when he visited the library.
Fortunately, Wu Jian did not have the same problems other people did.
He wielded his sword with both hands, swinging the blade horizontally in a cut that would have sliced a person in half. Wu Meiying leapt over the sword and landed lightly on the flat part. He almost didn’t even feel her presence. However, he rotated the sword so the sharp end pointed up, forcing her to leap off, then spun around and swung his weapon in a diagonal slash. He missed again. Wu Meiying moved like the wind and he struck nothing but air.
Wu Meiying was an extremely difficult opponent to hit. She moved as though she knew exactly what you were going to do before you knew yourself. That was her technique at work. Future Sight was a powerful technique that allowed the user to glimpse several moments into the immediate future. According to her, this technique manifested as a hazy vision superimposed on the user’s current perceptions. It was a difficult technique to master because it overloaded your mind with more information than the average person was used to seeing. However, Wu Meiying had mastered it within a few days of learning it.
Of course, she was a reincarnated goddess, so that was no surprise.
Hours passed before Wu Meiying said they should call it a day. Wu Jian hadn’t managed to hit her even once. His body was covered in sweat and his breathing was heavy. Fortunately, Wu Meiying was also exhausted, even though she hadn’t been hit. Wu Jian suspected he might have been able to hit her if they’d kept going since he had more stamina than she did.
Neither of them liked to be sweaty, so they both took a quick bath before adjourning to the living room. Youmei had woken up and was eating sweets on Wu Meiying’s lap as all three of them sat together on the couch.
“Luo Feng is a powerful Seeker Realm cultivator. Of course, he is only at the first subrealm, but he’s skilled enough at quick-draw techniques that he can beat cultivators at the peak of the Seeker Realm. You should know that he is very arrogant. He won’t let what happened to Zhang Fengtian stand. He’s also infatuated with me, so he’ll probably come after you to prove himself better in the hopes of impressing me.”
“What I am hearing is that he’s an idiot… but a powerful idiot that I should watch out for.”
“More or less.” Wu Meiying shrugged. “I doubt he’ll come after you himself at first. He’s arrogant enough to believe you aren't worth his time just because you beat Zhang Fengtian. You’ll need to beat more of his subordinates if you want to draw him out. Fortunately, I’m fairly certain he’s already sent some people after you.”
“I did feel someone lurking around the last time we went into Heavenly Sword City,” Wu Jian murmured.
“I did too. It was Bai Qiang and Hong Liang. They’re both members of the Crimson Swords. They wouldn’t be much of a threat if you used the Dao of Space to deal with them, but you should restrict yourself to using just your sword for now. There’d be no point in fighting them otherwise.”
“Right.”
Wu Meiying looked out the window and saw the sun beginning to set. She sighed.
“I should probably head back now.”
“Not staying the night?”
“Don’t tempt me. You know I’m not good with temptation.”
Wu Meiying leaned over and kissed Wu Jian. One second turned into two, two into three, and soon, several moments passed as they partook of each other’s lips.
“What are you two doing?” asked the innocent Youmei.
“Just expressing our love,” Wu Meiying said.
“Should Youmei kiss you and master too?”
“That would not be appropriate.”
“But Youmei loves Master and Big Sis too!”
Wu Jian could only shake his head at Youmei. He wondered if maybe he should give her some sex education now that she had a human form… but the idea was so awkward. She really was too young and innocent. Teaching her just didn’t feel right. He also thought Wu Meiying could do a better job since they were both girls.
As Wu Meiying left, Wu Jian decided to go out and explore. He might not have hit Wu Meiying at all during any of their matches, but his skills had improved, and he wanted to test them out. Those two who had been tailing him would make excellent training partners.