Volume One: Autumn Festival Chapter Sixteen: The Old Fellow Plays No Fair

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Inside a teahouse on South City Alley.
Jiang Wang remained calm and expressionless, quietly sipping his tea.
The elderly man in coarse linen clothes merely glanced around upon entering, then, like any ordinary tea guest, found a seat and sat down.
Miss Shu toyed with the long spear laid across the table, smiling lightly as she said, “He’s a martial man, and quite advanced in his realm—his entire aura exudes a fierce and ominous energy. He is by no means someone to be trifled with.”
Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow and probed cautiously, “Can you defeat him?”
Miss Shu shrugged, “To be honest, he could fight ten of me with one hand.”
Jiang Wang was speechless.
So far, none of those seeking the traces of immortals in Hun City seemed formidable.
He began to suspect he might be overly cautious.
True great figures wouldn’t care much about mere immortals, would they?
Otherwise, how could they send only mediocre people?
Yet, considering that Su Lingyi might be a direct disciple of the grand sacrificial master of the Yuyuan Academy, and Miss Shu before him possibly held an extraordinary status, could it be they were simply here to gain merit?
But the quest for immortals was a nebulous affair; one had to earn merit to justify it.
Otherwise, it would just be a superficial performance, a gilding of one’s reputation.
After all, the Xunyang Marquis’s mansion housed some books on immortals, and Jiang Wang knew that seeking immortals was the empire’s paramount concern.
Regardless of success, merely trying would earn some merit.
If the court’s enthusiasm for immortals was waning, then surely there must be a greater plan at play, and it was uncertain if future seekers arriving in Hun City would encounter beings above the Dongming realm.
Jiang Wang felt it wise to remain cautious.
He looked at the long spear on the table and smiled faintly. “If you want me to help you, it’s actually very simple.”
Miss Shu blinked, “You finally admit it? Speak then, what do you want?”
Jiang Wang glanced toward the elderly man not far away and whispered, “Though you may not defeat him, if you can just hold him off for a moment, I’ll agree to all your requests.”
He planned to use the opportunity to escape back to Qixia Street, where he would be in control. Promises were promises, but whether he would fulfill them was another matter.
Miss Shu hesitated.
She had spoken honestly at first.
That elderly man, radiating a vigorous martial aura, was at least in the fourth realm—a level where, given the right moment, a single punch could kill a cultivator outright.
Yet, holding him off briefly shouldn’t be too difficult.
She was unaware of the dangers of the martial world, believing that helping would ensure Jiang Wang kept his word.
After all, someone good-looking probably wasn’t so bad.
So she firmly grasped the spear on the table and said seriously, “It’s a deal!”
Jiang Wang watched as Miss Shu took a childlike stance, aggressively approaching the old man, and silently thought, “What a pity. I’ll have the Black Flame Army rescue you in time, but I definitely won’t do what I promised.”
He tugged on Xiao Yu’s sleeve, and without hesitation, the master and servant dashed out of the teahouse.
The old man, who had been watching Jiang Wang from the corner of his eye, suddenly rose.
But Miss Shu was already standing before him.
Just as he was about to say something to buy time, a doubt struck him.
The officials guarding the government office said Jiang Wang once fought Cai Tanggu from Yuyuan Academy and even destroyed half of Qixia Street. By rights, this man should be formidable. Why then ask someone else to block him?
Though Miss Shu didn’t know who Cai Tanggu was, she understood that the Yuyuan Academy in Shendu was filled with peak Dongming realm cultivators, so the branch in Kutan shouldn’t be weak either.
She turned to confront Jiang Wang but found no one by the window.
Frozen in surprise, she saw the elderly man stride past her and chase after Jiang Wang outside the teahouse.
“Stop!” Miss Shu immediately blocked him again.
The old man frowned and said gravely, “That man left you here without a care for your life. If you’re smart, step aside; otherwise, I won’t hesitate to crush you ruthlessly.”
He looked outside, where Jiang Wang had already vanished.
Realizing his aura had been unintentionally revealed and the problem detected, he knew lingering could invite trouble.

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He tried to bypass Miss Shu once more.
But she was a woman who kept her promises.
She stepped back slightly, holding the long spear horizontally before her, an inexplicable energy beginning to spread through the teahouse.
The surrounding patrons had already retreated behind the counter at the first sign, having often heard the storyteller recount martial world tales, and the scene unfolding now mirrored one of those stories exactly.
They were both frightened and eager.
Although Hun City had seen frequent disturbances recently, the people’s lives remained peaceful, save for moments of panic after violent incidents.
Unaccustomed to such events, their first instinct was to watch the spectacle unfold.
As the saying goes, amateurs watch the excitement; experts watch the technique.
Since Miss Shu targeted only the old man, the patrons felt the sudden chill but did not grasp the severity of the situation.
The old man, however, saw clearly that the young woman was a cultivator.
His mind raced, clenching his fist as he struck fiercely.
Though he had slain cultivators more than once, if a cultivator only aimed to buy time, they could be extremely troublesome. The only way to end it quickly was to seize the initiative.
With just one punch,
the gust shattered the teahouse’s door.
Even the cobblestone pavement outside South City Alley was upheaved.
Though Miss Shu braced the spear in front of her, the force of the punch was so tremendous that the spear trembled violently; if it weren’t made of special material, it would have snapped.
With a muffled thud,
Miss Shu’s body was hurled out of the teahouse and crashed into the rouge shop opposite.
The noble ladies selecting cosmetics inside screamed in unison.
When she emerged from the shop, the old man was nowhere to be seen.
Wiping blood from the corner of her mouth, she recalled Old Xu’s directions to the Xunyang Marquis’s mansion and swiftly headed toward Qixia Street.
...
Exiting South City Alley led to Pinglan East Street, not far from Qixia Street.
Xiao Yu carried Jiang Wang on her back. From certain angles, she seemed invisible.
Yet Xiao Yu bore no burden and ran swiftly, soon covering most of Pinglan East Street.
“Master, why didn’t you fight back directly and chose to run?”
Xiao Yu thought her master was formidable, but she had to obey orders, though she didn’t quite understand.
Jiang Wang hugged her tightly and glanced back.
The old man in coarse linen was covering several yards per stride and would catch up shortly.
Though he had used others, Jiang Wang was somewhat worried—had Miss Shu been killed?
“I’m just using this chance to get away from that lady,” he replied.
It seemed escape was impossible. Jiang Wang patted Xiao Yu’s shoulder, signaling her to put him down.
Xiao Yu handed over the Long Night Sword and obediently stepped aside, eager to witness her master’s prowess.
Jiang Wang’s lips twitched.
He resolved never to leave Qixia Street again, no matter what.
“Wait!” Jiang Wang took a deep breath, reaching out to block the incoming old man. “Have you heard how Cai Tanggu from Yuyuan Academy was defeated by me with just a few punches and kicks?”
The old man paused, shaking his head slightly.
Then he struck again with a punch.
“That old geezer has no sense of martial ethics!”
Compared to the veiled stranger from Jianli, this man was clearly more ruthless—no idle talk, just deadly force.
Jiang Wang hurriedly raised his sword to guard his chest.
*Crack.*

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Blood splattered across Pinglan Street.
The Long Night Sword remained intact.
But Jiang Wang’s ribs were broken.
It was a pain he had never experienced before.
His whole body was flung dozens of yards away.
If not for the Long Night Sword absorbing most of the force, that punch would have ended his life.
Even so, Jiang Wang gasped for air, struggling to breathe. Without timely treatment, he would surely perish.
Trembling, he raised his arm and hoarsely whispered, “Help... help.”
Xiao Yu was stunned.
This was not what she had imagined.
The citizens of Pinglan Street were also shocked by the sudden scene.
Some dropped their cabbages.
Others quietly pocketed jade trinkets from their stalls.
A tavern helper froze, spilling wine everywhere.
Beggars took the opportunity to grab steaming buns and flee like the wind.
In a short time, many things had happened on Pinglan Street.
When people recovered, some shouted, shops closed, shoppers fled home, but eventually stopped at a safe distance to watch cautiously.
Some righteous townsfolk immediately reported the incident to the local magistrate’s office.
Miss Shu arrived at Pinglan Street.
Seeing Jiang Wang seemingly dead and motionless on the ground, she was shocked.
What about the tale of him defeating Cai Tanggu?
Could the officials have lied to me?
The old man acted decisively.
He drew a short knife and, to save time, threw it directly.
Xiao Yu had no chance to intervene.
But Miss Shu summoned her flying sword,
drawing on the Yellow Court Qi as guidance, forcibly absorbing the surrounding heaven-and-earth energy to maximize its speed.
Yet she was still a step too late.
Just as the short knife was about to strike Jiang Wang,
a hand reached out—
the old steward, limping, stood between Jiang Wang and the knife.
He caught the short knife with a firm grasp.
The old man’s expression tightened, realizing he had missed his chance. Without hesitation, he leapt onto the rooftop and vanished after a few agile maneuvers.
The old steward did not pursue him; his priority was his master’s safety.
Turning carefully, he lifted Jiang Wang and instantly disappeared into Pinglan Street’s crowd.
Back at the mansion’s gate, Jiang Wang suddenly opened his eyes and struggled to stand.
“Master, are you badly hurt?”
The old steward was anxious.
Jiang Wang’s expression was strange.
Though unseen, he clearly felt his broken ribs had miraculously healed.