Chapter 103 - 82: Starry Night Visitor

"Whoa! You brat actually want to fight me?" Ding Mo asked, genuinely surprised.

Chen Cheng replied, "You’re climbing my wall in the middle of the night instead of sleeping. Aren’t you here to kill me? If that’s the case, why waste words?"

Ding Mo suddenly waved his hand and sighed softly. "Alas... you misunderstand. I was simply bored and happened to be passing by, so I came to take a look."

"Rest assured, I don’t kill nobodies. A small fry like you isn’t worthy of my attention."

"The only one even slightly worthy of my attention was Yan Jian, but it’s a shame he’s half-dead now. He won’t be recovering for at least a year or so."

"Even if he did recover, after so much time away from his cultivation, his Martial Dao would have long since fallen behind. He’d no longer be worthy of being my opponent."

Ding Mo’s martial arts were at Skin Grinding Realm Perfection, and his swordsmanship had reached the Perfection Level. Chen Cheng had no confidence he could kill him; otherwise, Ding Mo would already be a dead man.

Seeing Chen Cheng remain silent, Ding Mo shook his head slightly. "You’re no fun at all, brat. Why so quiet? Could it be that you’re still afraid?"

"Relax, I’m in a good mood tonight. I really won’t kill you."

"Then please, come down and we can talk, Young Master Ding," Chen Cheng said.

’Although I don’t have the confidence to kill Ding Mo, if he dares to come down, I can keep him here. Then I’ll call the City Guard Department for backup and have him arrested on the spot.’

"Now that’s more like it!" Ding Mo nodded in approval. He then leaped down from the wall and, holding that Broken Sword, sauntered toward Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng stood perfectly still, secretly calculating the distance between them.

Ding Mo’s figure suddenly accelerated, the Broken Sword in his hand angled toward Chen Cheng. The move was swift and sharp—clearly a Perfect Level Sword Skill.

Chen Cheng slightly raised the long saber in his hand, but otherwise remained still.

Ding Mo did indeed feel a surge of killing intent. To him, killing a Great Success Blade Master like Chen Cheng was a trivial matter.

But seeing Chen Cheng remain calm and composed, standing as firm as a mountain, Ding Mo suddenly changed his mind again. He stopped, let out a leisurely sigh, and said, "Forget it. Your strength is lacking, but your courage has earned my respect."

With that, he sauntered over to the courtyard wall and leaped back on top of it.

"If you can reach Saber Technique Perfection within six months, it won’t be too late for me to come and take your life!"

"Remember, I’m only giving you six months. After that, I will take your life."

Ding Mo called back over his shoulder, then leaped down from the wall and swaggered off.

Xiaoguzi rubbed its wing against Chen Cheng’s pant leg, then took flight. It circled above the Chen Family courtyard for a moment before landing under the eaves of the main hall, cooing again.

Clearly, Ding Mo was long gone.

Chen Cheng sheathed his long saber, his gaze darkening.

’A pity. If that bastard had come any closer—within three zhang—I could have kept him here!’

Uncertain whether Ding Mo had accomplices, Chen Cheng certainly wasn’t going to chase after him recklessly.

’Ding Mo kept referring to himself as "this young master." His identity probably isn’t simple; he’s likely the scion of some great family from the Inner City.’

Chen Cheng had once heard Liu Yunfeng mention that these scions of great Inner City families, priding themselves on their formidable Martial Arts Power, often came to the Outer City District to gain experience.

Many powerful experts of the Martial Dao in the Jianghu who were found brutally murdered in their homes had fallen at their hands.

As for the so-called six-month agreement, Chen Cheng paid it no mind. ’Forget six months,’ he thought. ’Give me just one month to cultivate my Saber Momentum, and I’ll make sure Ding Mo never gets the chance to say another word!’

"Young Master, the hot water is ready."

Xi’Er called out as she came from the back courtyard, seeing that Chen Cheng had stopped his cultivation.

"Mm."

Chen Cheng walked over, ruffled her hair, and headed for the back courtyard.

In the main hall, a large wooden tub was filled with hot water. The temperature was perfect—not too hot, not too cold.

Chen Cheng stripped and slipped into the tub, instantly feeling a wave of comfort and relaxation wash over his entire body.

Only after Chen Cheng was in the tub did Xi’Er open the door and come in. She placed a clean change of clothes on a nearby cabinet.

"Young Master, let me massage your shoulders."

Xi’Er had learned this shoulder massage technique from Mu Xiaowan. Although she wasn’t as skilled as Mu Xiaowan, she was decent enough.

"Young Master, you’re going to the Inner City Zheng Martial Arts Hall to become a disciple tomorrow. Does that mean you’ll get to see Miss Mu?"

Xi’Er asked as she massaged Chen Cheng’s shoulders.

Chen Cheng smiled faintly. "Mm, I haven’t seen Xiaowan in a while. I should be able to see her tomorrow."

Xi’Er said, "I miss her very much too!"

...

「The next day.」

After breakfast, Chen Cheng changed into a set of casual clothes, hired a carriage, and headed toward the Inner City.

...

「Inner City, Zheng Martial Arts Hall inner courtyard.」

Shen Qingshuang, accompanied by her maid Xiaoxing, emerged from Fifth Madam Shen Yuqiu’s courtyard and headed toward First Madam Gongsun Rou’s residence.

Shen Qingshuang wore a moon-white dress, an emerald longsword hanging from her waist. Her expression was as frosty as ever.

First Madam Gongsun Rou’s residence was a sprawling three-courtyard complex. As Shen Qingshuang entered the gate to the first courtyard, a maid came forward, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Miss Shen."

"I’m here to request an audience with the First Madam," Shen Qingshuang said.

"The First Madam is in the middle courtyard, instructing Miss Mu in her swordsmanship. I will go inform her at once," the maid replied.

"There’s no need. I’ll go in myself."

Shen Qingshuang waved her hand and proceeded directly toward the middle courtyard.

She was Mr. Zheng’s True Disciple, and her aunt, Shen Yuqiu, was Mr. Zheng’s fifth wife. As such, she also had a decent relationship with First Madam Gongsun Rou.

The maid hurriedly replied, "Yes, miss."

Shen Qingshuang had come to see First Madam Gongsun Rou for two reasons. First, she wanted to ask for her guidance on some questions regarding swordsmanship.

The second reason was that she had learned from her aunt, Shen Yuqiu, that First Madam Gongsun Rou had recently taken on a new disciple. This disciple was said to have extremely high aptitude for the Martial Dao, to the point that even her own master, Mr. Zheng, praised her endlessly.

First Madam Gongsun Rou was not known for taking disciples, so Shen Qingshuang couldn’t help but feel a flicker of curiosity. She wanted to see this new, highly-touted student for herself.

As they walked through the passage to the middle courtyard, Xiaoxing pouted with indignation. "The First Madam has always been so aloof. My lady, your aptitude for the Martial Dao is exceptional, yet when you wanted to become her disciple, she refused to take you."

"But now she takes a girl from a Humble Family as her student. I’d really like to see just how incredible this Miss Mu is!"

Fifth Madam Shen Yuqiu was engrossed in painting and calligraphy and wasn’t very enthusiastic about Martial Arts Cultivation, so she didn’t know much about the disciple First Madam Gongsun Rou had accepted.

All she knew was that the girl’s name was Mu Xiaowan, she came from a Humble Family, and First Madam Gongsun Rou doted on this new student, even teaching her the Phantom Sword Technique.

Shen Qingshuang had desperately wanted to learn this Superior Swordsmanship, but despite her repeated pleas, Gongsun Rou had refused to teach her. And now, she had passed it on to her new disciple.

Deep down, Shen Qingshuang harbored a great deal of resentment.

First Madam Gongsun Rou’s Martial Arts Power was formidable, and her status in the Zheng Martial Arts Hall was exalted. Though Shen Qingshuang felt resentful, she didn’t dare to let it show.

"Xiaoxing, how dare you speak so casually about the First Madam’s esteemed disciple?" Shen Qingshuang turned and chided her. She knew Xiaoxing was only speaking out of indignation on her behalf, but if someone else were to overhear and the words reached First Madam Gongsun Rou’s ears, it would inevitably cause displeasure.

"I was wrong!" Xiaoxing had spoken rashly. Realizing her words were inappropriate, she quickly shut her mouth, not daring to say another word.

The two of them passed through the corridor and came to a veranda. There, on the wide, bluestone-paved grounds of the middle courtyard, a young woman in a pale cyan tunic was practicing a sword form with a short sword.

The young woman’s features were as delicate as a painting, her skin was as fair as jade, and her figure was slender and graceful. She was, in fact, a legendary beauty.

Even with Shen Qingshuang’s incredibly high standards, she couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

Xiaoxing, too, was stunned. ’So this is the disciple the First Madam recruited,’ she thought. ’She’s certainly not ordinary. In looks and disposition alone, she’s not inferior to my own mistress.’

However, the amazement in her eyes was quickly replaced by disdain. The swordsmanship this Miss Mu was practicing, while agile and fluid, was riddled with openings. It was clearly only at the Small Success Level.

’How could someone like that possibly compare to my mistress?’ she thought. ’So much for her so-called exceptional aptitude for the Martial Dao. It’s nothing special at all.’

The young woman practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard was, of course, Mu Xiaowan. Having spent so much time with Chen Cheng, she was already extremely enthusiastic about cultivating the Martial Dao.

After becoming Gongsun Rou’s disciple, she trained even more diligently under her strict tutelage. Combined with her own excellent aptitude for comprehension, she had managed to bring her Phantom Sword Technique to the Small Success Level in just over a month.

After completing her sword form, Mu Xiaowan retracted her blade and stood still, carefully reflecting on the details of her practice. A faint smile graced her lips.

’When Brother Cheng was cultivating the Wind Chasing Saber Technique, I think he reached Great Success in just two or three months.’

’My cultivation speed seems to be much slower than his. Still, in a few more months, I should also be able to bring the Phantom Sword Technique to Great Success.’

’Master said that anyone who can bring the Phantom Sword Technique to Great Success within half a year is a prodigious talent. But really, Brother Cheng’s aptitude for the Martial Dao is the strongest. I still need to work harder.’

Thinking of Chen Cheng, the smile on Mu Xiaowan’s face widened. ’Today, Mr. Zheng is accepting a new disciple,’ she thought. ’I’ll probably be able to see him.’

Just as Mu Xiaowan was about to return to the inner courtyard, she turned and saw Shen Qingshuang and her maid on the veranda. Her eyes couldn’t help but light up, especially at the sight of Shen Qingshuang’s snow-white skin and stunning beauty.