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墨書 Inktalez
I found a quiet and inconspicuous spot at the banquet. Although my action was subtle, it still caught the attention of Old Buddy, who nodded and smiled at me. I returned his smile while focusing on the delicious food on the table—at banquets, I always paid attention only to eating. However, I soon felt a burning gaze from across the table. When I looked up, I couldn't help but feel indignant. The guy who should have been passed out drunk in his room was now casually sitting opposite me, a charming smile playing on his lips as he caught my gaze. How shameless! I thought to myself, this guy is pretending to be drunk to gain sympathy. Remembering my nearly broken back, my anger flared up!
I quickly averted my eyes, refusing to look at him.
As I scanned the room, ten Uncles waved excitedly at me, and thinking of their quirky antics lifted my spirits. I raised my glass in their direction, and they laughed joyfully. Seeing them so eager for fun made me feel a twinge of pity. Had they been lonely in Prajna Valley for too long? It seemed they were always seeking lively places to fill the void in their hearts. Perhaps after this event, I should take them to Jun Jin Villa, where it was bustling and there was no worry about food or clothing. They could enjoy themselves however they liked. Yes, that’s what I would do; I must ask them before leaving.
Little Seven discreetly tapped me, signaling that the show was about to begin. Looking ahead, I saw a large stage had been set up for tonight's martial arts competition. This reminded me of the scene in The Return of the Condor Heroes when Guo Xiang's birthday was celebrated with a contest for the new leader of the Beggar's Sect. Observing the crowd of martial artists around me, their voices buzzing with excitement, it truly felt like that kind of atmosphere. The position of martial arts leader must be the pinnacle of power among martial artists; while it may not compare to the current emperor's authority, it was certainly a lifelong goal for many in the martial world. However, this was likely not Old Buddy's ambition; otherwise, he wouldn't have held this martial arts festival early, practically eager to relinquish his title as leader.
In fact, the descendants of Sword Sage Villa had been traditionally recognized as martial arts leaders without needing to compete—this had been a custom for hundreds of years, somewhat akin to abdication. Thus, many came from afar to seek apprenticeship at Sword Sage Villa; it was quite a spectacle, with the threshold almost worn down from visitors. As long as one was outstanding within Sword Sage Villa and earned the favor of the previous leader, they could become the next leader.
This situation was somewhat unfair; other sects had few disciples while Sword Sage Villa became an insurmountable barrier. Those wishing to apprentice had to undergo rigorous trials. To change this imbalance in the martial world, Old Buddy decided to alter everything through skill and virtue—the ultimate victor would be deemed strong enough to become the martial arts leader. Once this news spread through the martial community, it caused quite a stir; everyone questioned his motives yet rushed to obtain an invitation from Sword Sage Villa—only those who received one could compete for leadership.
Old Buddy had always been someone I admired—he regarded fame and fortune as fleeting and viewed money as worthless. His carefree nature aligned perfectly with my own thoughts.
After Old Buddy donned his flowing white robe and slowly explained the rules on stage, two spirited young men stood ready on the platform. I subtly shifted my gaze but suddenly felt a cold disdainful stare directed at them from somewhere in the shadows. Following that gaze, I couldn’t help but smirk slightly upon spotting a pale-faced man lurking in a dark corner; his overly pale skin made him appear unhealthy with dark purple lips and a scar at the corner of his left eye that gave him an oddly sinister look. Little Seven followed my gaze and gasped, "It's him!" I nodded and took a sip from my cup of tea with a faint smile, saying lightly, "Little Seven, I'll help you get everything back."
He really did come. I had Old Buddy take this opportunity to send him an invitation; how could he not seize such a chance to dominate the martial world?
Azure Thorn understood immediately: "Then we shall wait patiently. We only need to observe."
I chuckled lightly: "Azure Thorn, you truly think like me."
"But," he suddenly said with a teasing smile, "may I ask you a small question?"
"What is it?" I turned my head toward him.
He leaned closer to my ear and whispered: "Just like now—the one whose gaze almost pierces me through—how does he resemble the Current Emperor so much?"
My ears flushed slightly, but my tone remained calm: "Before I entered the palace, we were sworn brothers." With that one sentence, all questions were resolved—why the emperor appeared here and why his presence seemed ever-following.
Azure Thorn's expression shifted as he cautiously asked after a long pause: "Do you care for him?"
I fell silent. This question left me unsure how to respond. Azure Thorn sighed softly beside me; that gentle sigh stirred ripples in my heart that could no longer settle down.
The stage was still filled with intense fighting, but I sat there in a daze, lost in thought, as if I had returned to a past life. I remembered sitting in a rocking chair by the window every day, reading and gazing at the clear blue sky. Occasionally, a few birds would fly past me. Back then, I lived in a twelfth-floor apartment, and my daily life revolved around the television, computer, lights, air conditioning, refrigerator... and of course, the ice cream, chicken legs, and various fruits that I loved.
"Young Master, he's coming up."
I was startled back to reality. Standing on stage was him and a flourishing young man. The young man had a handsome face and wore a long blue robe with his green hair casually tied back. He looked simple yet carefree, reminding me of another old buddy in his youth. At such a young age, he already possessed impressive martial arts skills; no wonder he was the most beautiful candidate for the next leader. Yes, it was him.
He must have already made his move; this young man had no other opponents left. This meant he was qualified. After a few months of closed-door training with my old buddy, he would surely achieve great things. I noticed a glimmer of appreciation in my old buddy's eyes; perhaps he too was reminiscing about his own youthful days.
I heard the young man politely say, "Senior, Yan Anran from Xiaoyao Sect seeks your guidance." With that, he unleashed a gust of palm wind.
I watched for a long time and realized their martial arts were evenly matched. However, due to the young man's youth and boldness, after several hundred exchanges, he began to struggle and fell into a disadvantage. Suddenly, a cruel glint flashed in his eyes. Before I could shout out a warning, he let out a terrible scream as he was kicked away.
Beside me, the irate Little Seven leaned forward to intervene, but I held him back. With a swift motion that no one could see clearly, I caught the young man who should have fallen to the ground. Although his martial arts were not weak, he was still young and lacked experience in the martial world; how could he anticipate that others would resort to trickery? I examined his injuries and discovered he had been poisoned. I took out the last remaining Great Rejuvenation Pill from my pocket after saving several uncles and gave it to him. Azure Thorn shot me an incredulous look as if to say how could I waste such precious medicine on someone else? Knowing that I had squandered all those life-saving items on others and now even gave away the last one for free explained his expression perfectly. I had heard him mention that it took forty-nine days to refine this Great Rejuvenation Pill; he hadn't finished explaining before I fell asleep listening.
I handed the young man over to the people from Xiaoyao Sect and coolly said, "Take good care of your future leader of the martial world." A chorus of dropped jaws followed my words. This guy was too arrogant! Someone voiced what everyone was thinking. Turning around gracefully, I snapped open my folding fan with a flourish and fanned myself lightly. Although dressed as a man, I still drew gasps from the crowd—had they been enchanted? Lost in self-admiration... I smiled charmingly at those on stage. He indeed seemed somewhat distracted as I slowly walked up to him. My old buddy behind me sighed lightly at my antics; he understood my nature well enough that if I showed up in such circumstances, someone would inevitably face an extremely tragic fate.
Thinking about what he had forced me to do made my expression turn cold as I recalled my earlier words: "I will make you pay an unbearable price for what you've done to my city. You will regret staining my hands with blood; you will know when the demon Satan descends."
I walked onto the stage until I stood opposite him and lightly laughed while covering my face with my fan: "Are you Jimo?"
He silently nodded, his eyes filled with malice. Indeed, when someone can directly call your name, it indicates they are prepared; naturally, one should feel nervous.
His poised stance reminded me of a cobra ready to strike—almost lethal.
"Are you sure you want to continue this match? The position of leader of the martial world is destined not to be yours. Do you think people will respect someone who wins through deceit?" Before my words could fully settle in the air, he drew a soft sword from his waist and lunged toward my heart. I dodged urgently but still felt a small cut on my arm—a bit of blood staining my new white robe glaringly obvious against its pristine fabric. My eyes turned icy.
Before I could take any action, Ten Monsters rushed forward angrily: "With us from Prajna Valley here, how dare you bully our Little Jin?" Looking at Sima Rui, if Chen Wen hadn't held him back tightly, he would have charged forward too—thankfully! Otherwise, chaos would have erupted in the martial world.
Hearing them announce their names caused an uproar among the crowd below as they speculated why Ten Monsters—who never appeared in the martial world—were present today and what connection they had with Little Jin or even with the leader of the martial world himself. Could it be true that years ago when the leader mistakenly entered Prajna Valley and subdued Ten Monsters?
I sighed inwardly, wondering how these ten uncles had come to cause trouble again. I hurriedly stopped them as they rushed forward, ready to confront Jimo. I winked at Old Buddy. He caught my plea for help and finally stood up, saying, "These ten gentlemen are my friends from afar, who enjoy a bit of fun. Please forgive them. Brothers, why don’t you sit back down?"
"But what about Little Jin?" the Ten Monsters chorused. I was somewhat astonished; when did I become so important in their eyes?
Old Buddy smiled at me with trust. "He will handle his own matters."
The Ten Monsters looked at him in confusion, then at me. Though they didn’t understand, they obediently returned to their seats.
Jimo glared at me with malice and suddenly launched another attack, which I deftly dodged.
Suddenly, a firework exploded in the distance. I smiled slightly; was it a signal from the informant in Suaru City? Little did they know that this so-called informant was someone I had instructed to send a message to the city lord. This was the signal I had arranged with Little Seven.
I cast a casual glance at Jimo. "Don’t you want to know what this is? Jimo, while passing through Suaru City, I heard a rumor. Can you help me clarify this confusion?"
Before he could refuse, I continued, "I heard that you are the true Master of the infamous assassin organization 'A Bead of Pearl.' How could I not know? You are the owner of A Bead of Pearl."
A wave of astonishment rippled through the audience; it turned out that the notorious Master of A Bead of Pearl was indeed him. Just then, a servant-like figure suddenly rushed onto the stage and whispered something into Jimo's ear. I noticed Jimo's expression darkening progressively until his once pale face turned almost ashen, with veins clearly visible beneath his skin.
Before the servant could finish speaking, I covered my mouth and chuckled lightly. "What’s wrong? Have you realized that your city will become a dead city in the coming years?" My tone remained nonchalant. "The crops will yield nothing, and the only water source will be contaminated by unknown substances. While it may be safe to drink, using it to irrigate any crops will result in their death, right? If you can't find the cause, there won't be any food stored for years or even decades to come. At that point, the people will surely not endure starvation; before long, they will leave Suaru City."
He looked at me, ready to retort, but I suddenly exclaimed in shock, "Oh right! You were going to say that there are many ports through which you can import goods from other countries?"
I patted my head as if in self-reproach. "What can we do? Those ports are all industries established by Jun Jin." I gazed at him cruelly and spoke without a hint of emotion: "What if I were to abandon those insignificant industries and refuse to open any ports? City Lord, what do you plan to do then?"
He staggered back a few steps, nearly collapsing on the spot. After a long moment, he finally managed to muster enough strength to ask weakly, "Why?"
"Why?" I asked innocently like a child. The next second, I pulled out a jade token and declared loudly to those around me: "A Bead of Pearl obeys."
Suddenly, figures emerged from the shadows or rose respectfully from among the guests and knelt down, proclaiming loudly: "Yes, Master."
I smiled coldly at the corner of my mouth. "Go, clear out all those impersonating A Bead of Pearl in Suaru City who are recklessly causing destruction and harming lives. Surround the entire Suaru City, ensuring the safety and normal lives of all its citizens. No one standing on this Stage is allowed to set foot in Suaru City. Otherwise, there will be no mercy."
"Understood." In an instant, the shadows that had been crawling on the ground vanished without a trace. The crowd seemed momentarily stunned, as if they had fallen into a Dream. How could this be possible?
"So, it turns out you..." He trembled all over, his finger pointing at me turning pale.
"That's right, I am the true master of A Bead of Pearl." I declared like a demon. Yes, I am the master of A Bead of Pearl; rather, I should say, I am its later master.
He struggled defiantly, "I am the true lord of Suaru City; my Subjects will not yield to you."
A smile crept across my lips, and to the audience below, it seemed as though they were witnessing the emergence of a devil—cruel and ghostly. "If I say I can uncover the mystery behind the polluted river water, that I can restore Suaru City, which has become a living dead city, to its former state, and that I can have Jun Jin provide all the lost food supplies within Suaru City—if the price for achieving this is merely replacing them with a wise and benevolent lord, do you think the oppressed and plundered citizens would agree?"
"Jimo, do you remember the true master of Suaru City, Ji Yu, whom you drove out years ago?"
Suddenly, a thunderclap echoed in the sky as lightning streaked across it; a storm was brewing with thunder and lightning.
The reason for not updating in the past few days was that I went on a trip for several days to a small town near Myanmar. It was incredibly easy to cross borders there; stepping out with one foot meant entering another country, and stepping back meant returning home. Hehe. It was quite fun. By the way, in the next chapter, I believe many questions will be resolved. Please support me! Votes and Collections are welcome! Don't hold back; give them all to me! Hehe.
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