North Zhou Dynasty, Juyuan County, the small city of Leli.
Because it was close to the borders of Jin and Zhou, Leli was filled with accents from all over the world. Many Jianghu people with swords and sabers came and went. The most popular businesses in the city were restaurants and inns selling goods from the south and north.
In a restaurant, a man with a Lulong accent said, "Damn it, the Ranking List of Young Masters from South Jin always looks down on the heroes of Great Zhou. Why is there only Cao Xiangu from the Cao family in the top ten? Where's Tian Ce from the Pure Sun Sect? Where's Wenren An from the Sword-enshrining Tower? Where are the heirs of Huamei Heights? "
There was also the Six Fan School in North Zhou Dynasty, but because the aristocratic families and the imperial court were suppressed by the sects, they had little sense of existence. Not to mention the Ranking List of Young Masters, they could only hide in their own fields in some places where the sects were powerful. They only did trivial things like suppressing the land and frightening the small fries. When encountering sect-related disputes, they often stayed far away.
Under such circumstances, the Six Fan School of the Great Jin Dynasty's Ranking List of Young Masters became the only one. No matter how much the heroes of North Zhou Dynasty disliked it, they had to pinch their noses and admit it. However, they often scolded the unfairness and disdained it.
"That's not true!" The man next to him slapped his thigh. "How many spies can the South Jin Dynasty plant in Great Zhou Dynasty? How much can they find out about Jianghu? Apart from the experts of the Exterior, everyone has their own secrets and is well-known. I'm afraid that only the most prominent masters of the Enlightened Acupores Realm will be known by them. They must have missed out a lot of people with enough strength and realm but not enough battle records to shock the world. "
The man with the Lulong accent drank a mouthful of wine. "Let's not talk about the missed out first. Look, why is Cao Xiangu, who has defeated all the masters of the Apertures Enlightenment in North Zhou Dynasty, only ranked third? Tian Ce from the Pure Sun Sect is rumored to have achieved Oneness of Heaven and Men, but he's only ranked 12th. "
"We all agree that he's not as good as the demon of the Shangguan family. But Shangguan Heng, who has the combat strength of the Half-step Exterior Scenery, is only ranked 11th. Even the Five Emperors' Knife and Right-guarding Sword with Nine Apertures are ahead of him!"
"Isn't he looking down on us?"
Filled with righteous indignation, he defended the heroes of the martial arts world of North Zhou, even though the other party definitely did not know him.
In the past six months, "Buddha Heart Palm" Xuan Zhen had not been affected by He Jiu and Wang Siyuan's sudden success. He had steadily advanced to the perfect Half-step level. Therefore, the top five were Wolf King Tie Sheng, Killing Blade Su Meng, Modest Deity of the Earth Cao Er, Blade Qi the Unstoppable Yan Chong, and Joy Boddhisattva Xing Yi.
There were three people sitting at the table next to them, two men and a woman, dressed as merchants. The leader stroked his beard and stared at the wine glass in front of him as if he was talking to thin air. "The Ranking List of Young Masters of the Great Jin Dynasty looks at one's military exploits instead of boasting. Shangguan Heng is said to have the combat strength of a Half-step Exterior Scenery master, but has he ever defeated a Half-step Exterior Scenery master? Has he ever fought a master of this realm one-on-one? Does he have a battle record that matches his combat strength? "
"It's just a rumor that Tian Ce has reached the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man. It hasn't been shown and seen by the world. Why would they believe it?"
This person was a thin middle-aged man, and from his title, one could tell that he was from the State of Jin.
"Bah, Shangguan Heng and Tian Ce don't have a battle record that matches their combat strength, but what about the Ultimate Purple Sword, the Five Emperors' Knife, and the Right-guarding Sword that are ranked ahead of them? Isn't it because they've been sparring with each other? That's why they're ranked ahead of us. Hmph, the State of Zhou doesn't care about such empty words. What we want is a fight to the death! "The man with the Lulong accent said angrily.
On the left side of the thin man was a beautiful girl with phoenix eyes. She burst out laughing when she heard the man's words. "It's not like Master Lotus hasn't traveled the North Zhou Dynasty. Apart from Modest Deity of the Earth, who barely defeated him, where are the other enlightened masters of the North Zhou Dynasty? The Five Emperors' Knife and the Right-guarding Sword are tied with him! "
There was something special about these two battles. Both were friendly sparring. Master Lotus Liu Su did not fight with his life on the line. After struggling to survive Qing Yu's killer move of "Heavenly Emperor Trampling Time", he did not counterattack and ended up in a draw. On the other hand, Wang Zai's "Unstoppable Force" had always been stronger than the opponent. If the opponent did not pay a price, it could only end in a draw.
With Master Lotus as a benchmark, the man with the Lulong accent and his companion did not know how to refute.
After hesitating for a long time, he forced himself to say, "That was then, and this is now. Master Lotus has been stagnant for a long time, but Tian Ce, Shangguan Heng, and the other heirs of the major sects have all advanced by leaps and bounds. Maybe they can defeat him now?"
"It doesn't count if you haven't fought him." The thin middle-aged man retorted disdainfully.
Sensing his attitude, the man with the Lulong accent flew into a rage out of humiliation. "So what if you haven't fought him? Let's not talk about the number one Wolf King, who has made a name for himself for many years and has killed countless masters. Even the number two Killing Blade hasn't really fought with the top ten on the Ranking List of Young Masters. He either ran away in a panic or stopped before going too far. He's only a little over 19 years old, maybe just opened his Nine Acupores, but he's already been promoted to his current position. Do you really think all the heroes of the world are useless? "
"If you have the ability to fight against three enemies and kill a Heterodox Evil Demon who's a Half-step Exterior Scenery master, and if you have the ability to fight evenly with Wolf King, you can also be ranked second on the Ranking List of Young Masters." The girl with phoenix eyes snorted coldly.
In the battle between Mengqi and Wolf King, those who favored him thought that they were evenly matched, while those who disliked him thought that he ran away in a panic.
"What Half-step Exterior Scenery Heterodox Evil Demon? It's obviously the old, weak, sick, and disabled working together … "Another man said angrily.
"Alright, stop arguing." At this time, a plain and ordinary voice sounded, and a young man wearing an embroidered robe and a jade belt stood up from the corner. The most impressive thing about him was his thick and messy eyebrows, as well as his sharp eyes that hid a faint hint of brutality.
The restaurant was noisy, but his voice clearly reached everyone's ears. Suddenly, the voices stopped and the restaurant became eerily quiet.
The young man walked to the table of the girl with phoenix eyes and nodded gently. "You're right. Arguing is useless. It all depends on the outcome of the fight."
After saying that, he slowly walked out of the lobby with his hands behind his back.
"He …" The thin middle-aged man had felt something terrifying, as if the young man in front of him was a Fierce Beast in human form.
The man with the Lulong accent stammered, "Shangguan, Shangguan Heng, Shangguan Heng!"
Everyone was shocked. They never thought that the son of the legitimate wife of the Shangguan family, the famous fiend, would appear in Leli.
It was normal for someone from the Shangguan family to appear in Juyuan County. What kind of place was Leli? It was the border between the two countries and had always been chaotic.
"Shangguan Heng …" The thin middle-aged man muttered to himself. "It seems that he wants to go south and fight with the top ten on the Ranking List of Young Masters …"
The people in the restaurant looked at each other and didn't know how to react.
With Shangguan Heng's interruption, the noisy environment could not be restored for a while. Only the buzzing of whispers could be heard.
Just then, a young man came in. He had handsome features and was dressed in a green robe. With a smile on his face, he looked approachable.
However, there was a strange long saber hanging from his waist. Even though it was wrapped in a scabbard, it still looked like a huge wound.
He looked around the restaurant and walked straight to the man with the Lulong accent. He smiled and said, "I heard that you two are quite familiar with the city. I want to inquire about the residence of a family."
As he spoke, he took out a piece of silver and put it on the table politely like a gentle and elegant young master.
Seeing him, the thin middle-aged man frowned slightly. He seemed to have heard of such a face and such a saber.
"Which family are they from?" The man with the Lulong accent was well-connected, so he had some discerning eyes. Seeing that the newcomer had an extraordinary temperament, he restrained his voice and did not use any vulgar words.
"The Si family moved to Leli five years ago," the young master said softly.
The man with the Lulong accent laughed and took the silver and put it in his pocket. "Others may not know, but I do. We were the ones who arranged the Si family's household registration and land. They bought a house at the junction of Xiangyang Street and Pear Blossom Lane."
He paused and lowered his voice. "Did the man from the Si family do something wrong and offend you? He looks shifty-eyed and doesn't look like a good person. He spends no more than half a year in Leli every year. "
"Not really. I'm here to visit a friend." The young master smiled and walked out of the restaurant unhurriedly.
The man with the Lulong accent turned his head and was about to continue arguing with the table of people from the Great Jin Dynasty when he saw the shocked expression on the thin middle-aged man's face.
"Mad, Killing Blade Su Meng!" he blurted out in shock.
"What?" The man with the Lulong accent and his companion were dumbfounded.
…
The Si family was the name of the Sikong family. Who would have thought that the "King of Thieves" Sikong Tu, who dominated River East, would settle down in a small city at the border of the North Zhou Dynasty.
This place was a place where people of good and bad mixed together, making it easy to hide. Moreover, it was maintained by the Shangguan family of the Vast Plains and nearby sects. It was not a lawless place. It could be considered the best place for a great thief to retire and settle down in his old age.
Mengqi did not go north directly. Instead, he took a detour to the northeast in order to settle the karma as soon as possible and obtain the secret skill.
Thump, thump, thump. Mengqi pulled the knocker and knocked on the door.
The Sikong family's mansion occupied a large area. There were two stone lions in front of the door. It was obvious that this was a wealthy family.
Creak. Not long after, someone opened the small door and poked his head out to look.
"Young master, what business do you have with the Si family?"
"I'm old friends with Mr. Si De. He asked me to bring a message back," Mengqi said with a warm smile.
Si De was Sikong Tu's alias.
When the gatekeeper heard his master's message, he quickly asked Mengqi to wait while he went in to report to his mistress.
After a while, he walked out quickly and said respectfully, "Young master, please. Madam is waiting for you in the inner study."
Mengqi nodded and followed him into the mansion. After passing through two courtyards, he saw a young boy of about six or seven years old holding a small wooden sword. He was swinging it around in an open space, laughing and waving it around. Although his movements were disorderly, he was full of enthusiasm. Sweat dripped from his forehead, but he did not seem tired at all.
"You great thief, don't try to escape. Eat my sword!" The young boy shouted at the servant who was playing with him.
Mengqi suddenly felt a little sad. This kind of family happiness was something that Sikong Tu had longed for. But now that he had died in a foreign land, there would be no chance of them ever meeting again.
Collecting his thoughts, Mengqi and the gatekeeper walked through the open space and corridor to the outside of the study.
"Come in." A gentle and beautiful female voice sounded from inside.
The gatekeeper respectfully excused himself. Mengqi pushed open the door and walked in.
A woman in plain clothes stood in the study. Her hair was tied into a bun, and she was dressed like a married woman. She looked beautiful but cold.
When Mengqi closed the door, she revealed a sad and inexplicable smile.
"He hasn't returned for ten months. I'm afraid he won't be coming back."
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