1 001

A fine, misty rain fell.

Spring in Bianjing City was usually mild and warm, but this year the season was late, and the chill lingered even as the rains came.

Looking out from the street-facing tavern, under the gloomy sky, the wooden houses and green tiles appeared even duller and more faded.

Only the brown tiles of the distant stone pagoda shimmered with interlaced red and blue glazes. Closer by, the tavern's banner was made of reddish-brown felt.

But there was another color as well.

A man poked his head out of the window and immediately caught sight of a red figure fluttering in the wind, causing his eyelid to twitch.

That red shadow darted swiftly through the rain, barely leaving a trace before it leapt through the window and sat down opposite him.

“Lu Xiaoji—”

The man who had been sitting there raised his eyebrows and reached out to grab, but unfortunately, he was half a step slower than the newcomer who already held a wine flask.

The wine inside sloshed with a faint sound.

The newcomer touched his rain-dampened mustache with one hand, then flashed a satisfied yet mischievous grin.

“Si Kong Zhaixing, you’re late.”

The man who had been there first, bearing a face so forgettable it seemed undeserving of his grand name, rolled his eyes in a rather unflattering manner. “Late or not, when it comes to serious matters, I never miss. But you...”

“Where there’s excitement, you’ll find Lu Xiaofeng.”

That was something everyone in the martial world knew well.

Lu Xiaofeng, known for his distinctive 'four eyebrows,' always showed up where there was any sort of leisure or mischief—and he always meddled.

So it was no surprise that the “King of Thieves,” Si Kong Zhaixing, had become friends with Lu Xiaofeng.

Now, the two were seated together in a tavern within the capital.

The wine was just right.

Lu Xiaofeng took a sip, feeling the chill on his body ebb away somewhat.

“Rather than saying I’m where the excitement is, it’s more accurate to say…”

“Where there’s trouble, you’ll find me.”

Sigh.

Who knew why he had ruined two horses for a friend who only sent him to dig for earthworms, just to arrive in Bianjing before the fifteenth day of the second lunar month.

He had to rely on his many friends across the land to find his way to Si Kong Zhaixing’s whereabouts as soon as he reached the capital.

And all of this was because of a note the thief had sent him half a month ago.

Lu Xiaofeng wore his usual carefree yet handsome expression and asked, “What do you mean by stealing a treasure at a wedding banquet?”

He loved excitement but detested being dragged into deadly trouble, which was why he avoided the capital altogether in recent years.

After all, a place like the capital was no place for the unskilled or the insignificant—no one could stand firm or rise to prominence, let alone form a well-established gang.

Those who left a mark were never simple folk.

In the current Bianjing City, regardless of the palace politics, the martial world’s conflicts alone were a murky quagmire.

Even children on the streets could recite it:

“Sixty percent Lei, forty percent Su.”

“Lei” referred to the “Six and a Half Hall” of Lei Sun, the strongest gang in Kaifeng Prefecture, dominating the martial world for twenty-six years.

“Su” was the Golden Wind and Gentle Rain Pavilion of Su Mengzhen, the fastest rising power in recent years, commanding respect in both lawful and illicit circles, seemingly poised to replace the Six and a Half Hall.

The law of “survival of the fittest” ensured constant friction between the two sides.

Thus, martial artists in Bianjing inevitably found themselves embroiled in troubles.

Lu Xiaofeng truly could not understand what kind of reckless courage Si Kong Zhaixing had to suddenly want to steal something in Bianjing.

No—he cursed inwardly: This guy, who fancied himself unrivaled in thievery and needed to compete with the Thief Marshal Chu Liuxiang, usually acted on whim or targeted the most impossible things.

He probably even thought—

He had come at just the right time!

Looking at Si Kong Zhaixing’s disguised face, Lu Xiaofeng could see no sign of nervousness, only an utter lack of awareness of how perilous the situation was.

If he was not mistaken, Si Kong Zhaixing’s eyes even gleamed.

“The item I intend to steal is naturally a once-in-a-lifetime treasure.”

“Whose wedding banquet?” Lu Xiaofeng tugged at the corner of his mouth helplessly. “I imagine it’s no ordinary wedding. I heard the daughter of Lei Sun, the head of the Lei Hall, was once betrothed to the leader of the Su Pavilion. Surely you don’t mean this alliance is being formally announced?”

“The latter part is wrong, but the former is right,” Si Kong Zhaixing answered confidently, even proudly. “It’s the wedding of the Seven Saints Leader of the Mysterious Heaven Alliance.”

“Oh, no wonder…”

Lu Xiaofeng’s voice abruptly stopped and then shot up sharply. “Wait, you said who?!”

Who did he say?!

The Seven Saints Leader of the Mysterious Heaven Alliance?

Meeting Lu Xiaofeng’s shocked gaze, Si Kong Zhaixing calmly replied, “You weren’t in Bianjing earlier, so you didn’t hear. The groom is Guān Qī, the Seventh Leader of the Mysterious Heaven Alliance.”

Without hesitation, Lu Xiaofeng said, “But everyone knows he’s a madman…”

Guān Qī was more than mad.

The reason why the factions of the martial world in Bianjing were divided between the Six and a Half Hall and the Golden Wind and Gentle Rain Pavilion was precisely because the leader of the Mysterious Heaven Alliance, Guān Qī, had gone insane, neglecting the massive gang he once commanded.

Though the alliance had not disbanded, Lu Xiaofeng’s sharp mind could easily guess how many loyal followers remained within, and how many were spies for the Lei Hall or Su Pavilion.

That once-powerful gang was likely only a shadow of its former self.

Guān Qī’s sister, who married Lei Sun, the head of the Lei Hall, had once held a position of great influence in the martial world but had long since vanished as if she had never existed.

As a result, the alliance between the Lei Hall and the Mysterious Heaven Alliance had crumbled years ago.

Now, hearing that Guān Qī was to be married was as shocking as hearing that the Bitter Melon Master from the temple was renouncing his vows to wed.

Perhaps even more startling.

What sort of woman could possibly marry someone like Guān Qī?

And to top it off, Si Kong Zhaixing said a rare treasure would appear at the wedding banquet of this Saint Leader Guān.

Was it that he had traveled without rest and was hallucinating? Or had the ever-turbulent Bianjing finally become incomprehensible even to him?

Si Kong Zhaixing smiled, “Lu Xiaoji, you can’t deny that even if Guān Qī is mad, he’s the most formidable martial artist in the world.”

Lu Xiaofeng said nothing.

After a long silence, a sigh came: “The greatest in the world…”

Outside, the spring rain mingled with the cold wind, hammering down relentlessly.

…

As the rain grew heavier, pedestrians vanished from the streets of Bianjing.

Water pooled in the alleys, flowing swiftly beneath the arched bridges into the river.

In Xiaotianshui Alley, petals from early-blooming apricot blossoms, beaten down by the rain, floated along with the water southeastward until the stone gate ahead, where the current shifted.

At the bend lay another courtyard, tightly arranged.

Compared to the bustling pleasures on the other side, this place was quieter, even oppressively so.

When Zhu Xiaoyao reached to close a window, she caught a whiff of the damp, fetid air seeping through the wall cracks.

It was difficult to imagine that one of the critical strongholds of the Mysterious Heaven Seven Saints Alliance would be hidden here.

Yet perhaps, nestled among the bustling streets, was the best place for this once-mighty but now declining martial gang to hide.

“Standing by the window, don’t you feel cold?” a voice came from behind her.

“With inner energy… when one has inner power, there’s no cold to feel,” Zhu Xiaoyao replied.

Dressed lightly in red, she was indeed underdressed for the season, but as she said, with her internal cultivation, she had reason to say so.

Her brief pause was not due to shivering from the cold wind through the half-open window, but because of…

The questioner.

The gloomy rain outside added a ghostly pall to the cramped residence.

Even with the candlelight burning bright inside, the damp earthiness and the musty smell of vegetation permeated everywhere.

But when Zhu Xiaoyao’s gaze turned to the mirror, these unpleasant feelings seemed to vanish in an instant.

She couldn’t help but wonder if such a place should even have such a splash of vivid color.

For in the mirror, illuminated by candlelight, was a face of exquisite beauty.

She did not turn around.

All Zhu Xiaoyao could see was the shimmering light in the eyes within the mirror’s reflection, and the half-face framed by jet-black hair, pale and flawless like a jade disk.

Even so, she dared say that no pearl or jade could rival the lady before her.

Though she was quietly gazing at her own reflection, she was also looking upon…

The bridal gown sent by the disciples of the Mysterious Heaven Alliance draping her.

The gown was a splendid creation completed in just half a month.

To uphold the alliance’s waning prestige, those in charge had summoned the most renowned embroiderers in Bianjing, yet the gown seemed to lose its luster simply because it was worn by the lady before her.

“No wonder you’d rather look out the window than at me.”

A soft laugh came.

The moon’s reflection in the water rippled, and the lotus in the mirror stirred from stillness.

Only then did Zhu Xiaoyao realize that she had been holding her breath, fearing to disturb this illusory scene, and she finally breathed again.

The next moment, she met the face turning toward her.

No one with sight could remain unmoved by such a face—not a mere monochrome painting but a living masterpiece.

The beauty lowered her eyes and whispered, “I know my words are useless, but you need not flee out of pity.”

“I am not…” Zhu Xiaoyao hurried to reply, but the words faltered on her tongue.

The sudden appearance of the Saint Leader and the lady he claimed to wed struck like thunder before all.

What could she say?

That in this whirlwind of Bianjing, the Mysterious Heaven Alliance was prey to others at any moment, and not only was the leader trapped, but the woman he brought was in grave danger?

That because Master Qingruo practiced no martial arts and possessed a stunning beauty, she sympathized, recalling her own past suffering and could not bear to see her suffer?

But such words were not hers to voice.

When she spoke again, she only heard herself say, “Master need not worry. As long as the Saint Leader lives, you shall be the First Lady of the Mysterious Heaven Alliance, and we shall guard your side.”

Indeed.

At least for now, she would be the matriarch of the alliance—the highest-ranking woman under Guān Qī—and the one they were to serve.

What happened afterward was another matter.

If these words were spoken to those familiar with Bianjing’s affairs, they would sense the hesitation beneath Zhu Xiaoyao’s tone.

But the woman before her, having never set foot in the martial world, simply used her delicate hands—too gentle to wield sword or knife—to tuck a strand of white pearls from her hair behind her ear, then looked up and said, “Very well, then all shall depend on you.”

Depend?

Those two words sounded simple, yet spoken by her, they carried a weight beyond measure.

Zhu Xiaoyao nearly stepped back in surprise, seeing in those lifted eyes a starry brilliance like moonlight rippling over water, hastily turning to mask her embarrassment.

“No… no need to thank me. It’s late. I’ll have dinner brought in.”

She dared not linger.

As she stood guard, day by day she understood more why a madman insisted on marrying this lady.

Because…

Though Master Qingruo lacked martial skill, she possessed a power that could unseat even the most armored foe.

Hurrying away, Zhu Xiaoyao did not notice that behind her, Master Qingruo watched her retreating figure, slowly lifting the corners of her mouth in an increasingly amused smile.

…

How amusing.

In the eyes of this unwilling participant, the Second Saint of the Mysterious Heaven Alliance, Zhu Xiaoyao, carried above her head the five characters:

“Golden Wind and Gentle Rain Pavilion,”

shining brightly alongside her system panel.