9:00 AM.
A messenger arrived from the Elders' Court, inviting Chen Yang to a banquet. The envoy was an Eighth Rank Military General from the Chenlong Martial District; sending someone of such stature was a clear sign of respect.
When the envoy finished speaking, he saw Chen Yang still wiping an already gleaming spearhead with a piece of silk. An inexplicable irritation welled up inside him.
Is this guy snubbing me? Does he really think he's someone important?
Hmph! Derision filled his mind.
But as angry as he was, he still had a task from his superiors to complete. He forced a faint smile. "Chen Yang, the Great Elder personally sent me to invite you. Shouldn't you feel profoundly honored?"
"You should know that the attendees today are all high-ranking officials from the Martial Department and the most distinguished figures in Cangyun City. For a cripple like you to be invited, you should be overcome with gratitude.
"If I were you, I'd already be on my knees thanking him."
Chen Yang tossed the silk aside and said flatly, "That's your way, but not everyone enjoys being a lapdog like you."
"You..." The middle-aged envoy's smile vanished, a fierce glint appearing in his eyes.
"What? You want to start something?" Yang Hu, standing firm like an iron tower, sneered. "Calling you a dog is probably an insult to actual dogs."
The middle-aged man was speechless.
"Hmph!" The man straightened his back and clasped his hands behind him. "I hope you understand this is not just the Great Elder's wish, but also that of Jin Zheng and Wu Xing.
"After all, they've been so marginalized they can barely breathe. And at their advanced age, who knows when they might just..."
Before he could finish speaking, a spear shot out with a WHOOSH, its razor-sharp tip aimed directly at his throat.
The middle-aged man trembled, his body going rigid. His expression shifted multiple times, but he fell silent, merely staring darkly at Chen Yang.
He couldn't believe this man, this cripple, would actually dare to attack him.
"What's your name?" Chen Yang asked, lifting his eyelids slightly.
The middle-aged man straightened his spine even further. "This general is Song Yanming!"
"Remember him," Chen Yang ordered Yang Hu.
"You got it, Boss!" Yang Hu bared his teeth in a grin and made a throat-slitting gesture at Song Yanming.
Song Yanming was at a loss for words. What kind of people are these?
"Lead the way," Chen Yang said, rising to his feet.
Song Yanming didn't dally, turning immediately to leave.
"Wait for me to come back for dinner," Chen Yang said with a smile to Qin Qiu, picking up his long spear.
Qin Qiu nodded. "I'll wait for you."
Staring at Chen Yang's retreating figure, Qin Qiu clasped her hands tightly. Will there come a day when I can no longer wait for this man to return?
Upon leaving the courtyard, Chen Yang and Yang Hu were both taken aback by the sight of three tall, majestic horses waiting for them.
What is this all about?
"Please," Song Yanming said with a smile, mounting his own horse first and riding off with a flourish.
"There's something fishy here," Yang Hu said in a low voice.
Chen Yang swung himself onto his horse. "We'll deal with whatever comes our way."
As they left the residential area and turned onto the main road leading to the Elders' Court, they discovered the sides of the road were lined with spectators. Everyone craned their necks, their eyes filled with eager anticipation.
Chen Yang and Yang Hu both frowned.
"Boss, what's going on?" Yang Hu asked, riding alongside Chen Yang, completely bewildered.
Chen Yang glanced around and said calmly, "It seems we're being used as stepping stones again. This is clearly a ploy to elevate his own prestige at our expense."
"What a shameless old scoundrel," Yang Hu caught on at once and cursed coldly.
Indeed, with their arrival, the people lining the road immediately erupted into discussion.
"Who would have thought they'd actually invite the Former Chief Military Commander? It shows the new Great Elder is truly magnanimous."
"They've cleared the whole road and provided an eight-carriage escort, all to welcome the Former Chief Military Commander. Even though he's just a commoner now, is this a tribute to his glorious military achievements of the past?"
"It seems this new Great Elder is no ordinary man. With such a capable figure in charge, Hanyun Valley should be safe."
The murmur of voices thundered along both sides of the road.
"Heh..." Yang Hu sneered. "I was wondering why an Eighth Rank Military General was sent to invite us with so much pomp and ceremony. The only thing missing was a damned big red flower."
"So that old coot Luo Yunhai is playing these kinds of games."
Chen Yang said impassively, "This is the fastest way for him to cement his status, public image, and influence."
"He's so calculating. Elders Jin Zheng and Wu Xing are in for a rough few months," Yang Hu said, shaking his head with a storm of emotions in his heart. When a man loses power, his friends grow cold; when a tree falls, the monkeys scatter. It's been true since ancient times.
"I'll kill anyone who dares to touch them," Chen Yang said, his eyes narrowed into chilling slits.
The Great Elder was already gone. He would not allow any harm to befall Jin Zheng and Wu Xing.
γBefore long.γ
The Elders' Court was now in sight. This place, once so familiar, now seemed extraordinarily foreign.
The Court, which should have been utterly solemn, was bustling with activity. Besides some Civil Officials and Military Generals, there were also extravagantly dressed members of powerful families entering the grounds. They gathered in small groups, passing around cigarettes, discussing business or romantic dalliances, creating a lively atmosphere.
A hush had fallen over the area as Chen Yang approached, but a voice suddenly shattered the silence. It wasn't a whisper, but a deliberate provocation.
"Riding into the city so ostentatiously, does he really think he's still the Supreme Martial Commander? A mere cripple, it's laughable!"
At this, everyone in the vast courtyard turned to look.
"Where did this dog come from?" Yang Hu snarled, his fiery, tiger-like gaze sweeping over the crowd.
Chen Yang gestured for him to stop, his own eyes narrowing as he fixed his stare on a man in a white robe. He looked to be in his early thirties, with handsome features and an imposing presence.
Seeing Chen Yang staring at him, the young man was not the least bit intimidated, raising his head high to meet his gaze.
"And who might you be?" Chen Yang asked.
"I am Gu Qing of Biluo Sword Valley, from Yuning Mountain." The young man spoke with arrogance, pausing on each word, his pride needing no further expression.
Yuning Mountain again? Chen Yang raised an eyebrow, then shook his head, deciding to ignore him.
"Hmph!" Seeing Chen Yang's dismissal, Gu Qing scoffed. "What, you ride a fine horse and get an invitation from the Great Elder, and suddenly you forget you're a cripple?"
Gu Qing's fearlessness stemmed not only from his own strength but also from the backing of Biluo Sword Valley and the newly appointed Great Elder. His outburst was, in fact, one of the day's arranged events.
CHK!
Chen Yang reined in his horse sharply, and his bone-chillingly cold gaze fell upon Gu Qing once more.
"Gu Qing, that's enough!" Song Yanming, who was walking ahead, promptly intervened. "Regardless of his current state, he is a hero of the Martial Department. You will not humiliate him like this!"
"Fine, fine. I just can't stand seeing a cripple act so high and mighty," Gu Qing said with a shrug, stepping back two paces to his original position.
"Your little play is over, but I haven't made my move yet," Chen Yang said, his interest piqued. "Since we're playing a game, why end it halfway?"
Huh? Gu Qing and Song Yanming both frowned.
Before they could process what was happening, there was a CLANG! as a cold light flashed.
Gu Qing's face changed dramatically. He immediately reached for the hilt of his sword, but just as he was about to draw it, the cold light vanished.
Immediately after, with a flick of the reins from Chen Yang, the horse's hooves lifted with a CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP.
A moment later, with his back to the crowd, Chen Yang's voice drifted back, seeming almost ethereal. "My Three-Foot Green Peak Sword is drawn only to kill. To kill you, I need only draw it a fraction of its length.
"And you are only worth that fraction."
"You... a cripple... you dare ignore me?" Gu Qing's anger erupted. He lunged forward, but then his body suddenly crashed to the ground, landing hard on both knees.
A spray of blood gushed from his neck.
In an instant, everyone present was dumbfounded.
The Three-Foot Green Peak Sword... a three-inch gash to seal the throat?