Chapter 175: Three Pieces of News

Meng Qi turned his head and looked at the slightly awkward Jing Shao and the foreign youth he was carrying on his back: “If you wish to see Marshal Lu and meet Chancellor You, follow me then.”

After saying this, he didn’t wait for the two to reply and walked down the stone bridge by himself, fully displaying a non-coercive demeanor.

“Meng, Meng Hero, I trust you!” Jing Shao hurriedly followed, exclaiming, “My name is Changsun Jing, and I will surely become famous across the land in the future.”

Originally, he had intended to address Meng Qi as Senior, but after glancing at Meng Qi’s youthful face, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Calling him Young Hero didn’t seem appropriate for his current level and status either.

Meng Qi’s face twitched slightly, gazing coldly ahead without uttering a word.

“He is my good friend Batu, from the Jiang Clan, one of the eighteen allied western tribes…” Changsun Jing continued chatting.

“Discuss it after meeting Marshal Lu,” Meng Qi maintained his image of a cold-faced, aloof swordsman, as this was not an appropriate place to linger or talk.

Changsun Jing suppressed his excitement from narrowly escaping death and meeting his idol, nodded heavily, and fell silent.

The night was clear and cold, with no further noise. Meng Qi reviewed his recent experiences, feeling quite “nervous in hindsight.” If he hadn’t previously seen the Sword Emperor and imitated part of his sword-drawing posture, he truly wouldn’t have known whether he could scare off Ruyi Monk and Ghost King. Even so, the subtle changes in people’s hearts were all in the details; a slight carelessness would have forced him to draw his blade directly, fully activating the Golden Bell Cover, his muscles bulging, clothes tightening, with Ruyi Monk and Ghost King’s strength being no small matter. In the heat of battle, he might even lose his wig… The image was too beautiful to even imagine!

In this world, the distinctions between earthly, heavenly, microcosmic, and enlightenment cultivation were rather vague. Essentially, they encompassed a blend of physical training, mental refinement, and an understanding of the world. The strength of Ruyi Monk and Ghost King was roughly comparable to that of a master who had simultaneously unlocked the nine apertures and the two hidden treasures of Yuan Qi (vital energy) and Jing Li (essence and strength). However, due to significant disparities in the quality of their martial arts, they were far weaker than Meng Qi’s previous adversaries, An Guoxie and You Huan. They were likely on par with Yuan Mengzhi.

In the main world, martial arts similarly demanded mental refinement and comprehension of the world, emphasizing contests of Qi, spiritual confrontations, and inner struggles. However, the three Nine Apertures experts Meng Qi had directly fought against had not demonstrated these aspects.

When An Guoxie first fought Meng Qi, Meng Qi hadn’t even opened his apertures yet, and An Guoxie likely hadn’t contemplated engaging in a battle of spirits. Just like when Meng Qi carried Hua Lun at night, swiftly and decisively executing “killing one every ten paces,” there was no time wasted in a clash of Qi. During the temple ambush, An Guoxie was completely caught off guard and perished before he could even react.

Yuan Mengzhi had it even worse. Just as he was reaching his peak and preparing to suppress Meng Qi with his aura, Meng Qi’s “A-Nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique” stunned him, leading to his death by heavenly lightning.

You Huan mainly took advantage of Meng Qi’s temporarily weakened state, similarly not needing Qi confrontation, intending to kill him with a distant palm strike. Later, after repeated setbacks, he never found an opportunity to bounce back and eventually died under Jiang Zhiwei’s sword.

Thus, Ruyi Monk and Ghost King were regarded as masters of the Nine Apertures who lacked superior legacies. Under such circumstances, each of them could push Meng Qi—whose strength had grown—to exhaust all his capabilities just to achieve a stalemate.

If attacked by both, Meng Qi could only rely on the Golden Bell Cover to harden his protective aura, fully unleashing his saber techniques to forcibly block for a while, giving Changsun Jing and Batu a chance to escape. In that case, the news would spread in the capital the next day: “The ‘Soul-Shocking Sword’ Xiao Meng is actually the ‘Mighty Vajra’!”

Lie Dao also had all nine orifices open, but his mind was shattered by the Living Buddha, causing him to lose the conviction to progress further and the confidence to compete with true masters. His strength diminished to less than half of its original capacity, with his combat effectiveness estimated at only half of his peak, slightly surpassing that of an average eight-orifice expert.

He originally could have fought Meng Qi without using blade intent, but Meng Qi’s Tian Dao cultivation had progressed, and he had fully executed the “Falling into the Mortal World” technique by applying an initial understanding of the essence of saber principles, directly attacking the “mind,” making him the perfect counter. Eventually, he fled in a rage.

On the other hand, Xie Jun was an exceptional expert among the Nine Apertures, with his Undying Seal Method being truly unique. It granted him various mystical abilities nearly on par with those at the half-step External Realm, making him almost capable of contending with figures like the Demon Queen. If Meng Qi were to encounter him now, he could only struggle for survival—unless his saber techniques, swordsmanship, and overall skills improved significantly, or his Golden Bell Shield reached the perfection of the sixth stage.

A young girl carrying a qin turned out from a nearby alley, wearing simple white noblewoman attire, exuding a cool and transcendent aura, skillfully and naturally following Meng Qi.

Meng Qi’s heart stirred, and suddenly inspired, he whispered through secret transmission: “Miss Ruan, in the future, when encountering such scenes and you don’t need to pretend to be the Sword Emperor or someone else, could you play a tune for me to enhance my aura?”

Ha ha, if she agreed, from now on he would be a man with his own background music, how stylish and cool!

Just imagine, emerging with a flourish as the melancholic tune of “The Wind Whistles Cold Over Yi River” played, how impressive that would be!

“Okay,” Ruan Yushu replied expressionlessly.

Meng Qi was overjoyed but hesitated inwardly: “Whose background music would be best? Maybe I can also have Ruan Yushu recite a poetic slogan?”

Ruan Yushu suddenly plucked the strings, producing a loud and mighty sound: “Like this?”

“No!” This was the background music suited for Mighty Vajra or Thunder Saber Mad Monk, not for him! Meng Qi firmly rejected it.

Ruan Yushu gently strummed the strings, producing a melodious and affectionate sound: “How about this?”

“No!” Too effeminate!

As Meng Qi was about to elaborate on his requirements, he suddenly noticed a faint smile on Ruan Yushu’s lips, instantly realizing that the previous two musical pieces were deliberately chosen by her! She was clearly mocking his mismatched style!

Thankfully, she wasn’t from Earth; otherwise, when he made his entrance, there might very well be background music like “The Vast Horizon Is My Love…” or “You Are My Little, Little Apple…” behind him. Then, fighting the enemy hand-to-hand with the Golden Bell Cover fully activated and his wig falling off, accompanied by such background music and poetic slogans…

Meng Qi shuddered involuntarily and decided not to provoke Ruan Yushu: “Forget it, I was just kidding.”

Ruan Yushu nodded indifferently, still maintaining her cool demeanor.

…

Danger lurked, and the group moved quickly, soon returning to the inn.

After paying respects to Lu Guan, Changsun Jing anxiously said: “Marshal Lu, the peace talks are a fraud; the western tribes are stalling for time to resolve internal issues! Once they settle these matters, regardless of the negotiations’ progress, they will immediately march southward to invade the Central Plains!”

“The western tribes have halted despite not being fully defeated, which indeed doesn’t align with their usual behavior,” Lu Guan nodded, as if already expecting it. “However, the court is also using this time to reorganize the troops and reinforce the defenses.”

He paused and asked: “But what internal threat are they facing?”

Batu, who was injured, leaned back in his chair and said: “We are not a unified force but composed of several relatively independent tribes. Among them, the Yu Clan is the strongest, with seven or eight tribes under its control. They have been leading our incursions into the Central Plains. However, several tribes, including our Jiang Clan, admire the Central Plains and have deep conflicts with the Yu Clan.”

“When we reached the upper reaches of the Pei River, several of our tribes finally decided to part ways and return westward. However, many of our leaders were tragically assassinated, causing chaos. We protected the young master and fled southward, seeking support from the Central Plains.”

Meng Qi wasn’t yet skilled at analyzing such situations and quietly listened and learned, while Ruan Yushu nibbled on the remaining snacks.

“The young master? How strong is his influence?” Lu Guan’s question went straight to the core.

Batu solemnly replied: “The young master carries the blood of the celestial family. As long as he appears at the front, the majority of our Jiang Clan and several other tribes will obey him. In fact, they want to rebel now, but using the words of the Central Plains, they are leaderless and can only be gradually suppressed and assimilated by the Yu Clan.”

“Is your young master in the capital?” Lu Guan calmly asked, displaying the demeanor of a renowned general.

Batu nodded heavily: “Yes, the young master is hiding in a safe and secluded place. We came out to gather intelligence, looking to ally with one of the princes, but we encountered Lie Dao. Marshal Lu, Jing Shao and I both trust your character and also trust Hero Meng. We will take you to meet the young master.”

“There’s no rush,” Lu Guan remained completely calm and unexcited. “Now, countless experts are secretly watching; leading them there would only endanger your young master. Wait until tomorrow when I visit Chancellor You and have him personally intervene.”

For now, the true decision-maker was still the unconscious emperor. However, the country could not be without a ruler for a single day. In a few days, the chancellor would have to find the imperial will and install a new ruler, although currently, the crown prince was acting as regent.

Lu Guan’s calm attitude eased Batu and Changsun Jing’s tension, and their expressions immediately relaxed.

“There are two more pieces of news. The leader of the Yu Clan is supposedly a disciple of a powerful figure from the Evil Sect. This eastern invasion has seen many members of the Evil Sect actively involved,” Changsun Jing recalled another matter.

“If this is an Evil Sect plot, we must reconsider the arrival of the Demon Queen and Xie Jun in the capital. Perhaps their intentions go beyond merely supporting the seventh prince…” Lu Guan mused.

The room contained only Meng Qi, Ruan Yushu, Lu Guan, Taoist Hu, Changsun Jing, and Batu, so such matters could be spoken openly.

“What’s the other piece of news?” Meng Qi asked coldly.

He felt that if he kept up this act for too long, his facial nerves would become disordered.

Batu hesitated slightly before replying: “The Yu Clan sent envoys for peace talks, and besides stalling for time, it seems related to the Evil Sect—they’re searching for some treasure of the Demon Lord?”

“The Demon Lord’s treasure? Did he pass away in the capital?” Taoist Hu was greatly startled.

Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu had never heard of the Demon Lord before and could only wait for Taoist Hu to explain.

“Master Taoist, do you know about the Demon Lord’s treasure? What is it?” Changsun Jing also lacked knowledge on the matter.

Taoist Hu sighed: “The Demon Lord was the previous grand master of the Evil Sect, who reunified the previously fragmented Evil Sect. His strength was slightly above that of the Demon Queen and the National Preceptor. It is said that he had already touched the realm of unity with heaven and earth, breaking through the void. He was hailed as the strongest leader of the Evil Sect since the founding patriarch.”

“However, at the height of his power, during the Evil Sect’s revival, just when we all believed he would break through the void at the peak of his life, he suddenly saw through worldly illusions, abandoned his great cause, and left to become a monk, disappearing from the martial world without a trace. Judging by his age, he should have passed away long ago.”

“At that time, the Demon Queen was still young and couldn’t control the Evil Sect, leading to its resurgence of chaos. By the time she also became a grand master, the Evil Sect produced other peak human experts like Xie Jun, Ghost King, and Yin Shi, hindering her ambition to reunify the Evil Sect once again. Especially Xie Jun, who survived multiple assassination attempts by the Demon Queen and remained unharmed, nearly rivaling a grand master.”

“As for the Demon Lord’s treasure, I am not a member of the Evil Sect and know little about it, so I cannot provide details.”

Meng Qi gritted his teeth as he listened, now particularly sensitive to stories about seeing through worldly illusions and becoming a monk.

Batu thought for a moment and said: “My young master seems to know something about the Demon Lord’s whereabouts…”

“Don’t say more. Discuss it after I meet Chancellor Lu,” Lu Guan feared eavesdroppers and ended the conversation.

After exiting the room, under the frost-like moonlight, Changsun Jing rubbed his hands together and said: “Hero Meng, I never expected your saber techniques to be so impressive. I’ve always prided myself as a saber genius, but today I realize my skills are still far inferior.”

“You’re not old, and previously had no reputation, so you must have started martial arts training not long ago,” Taoist Hu smiled.

Changsun Jing hesitated slightly and nodded: “I was originally a beggar who accidentally obtained a secret manual, which allowed me to cultivate superior Yuan Qi. My saber techniques were all developed through real combat experience.”

“Show me,” Meng Qi suddenly said.