386 A Handsome Lad

"Party of Happycloud..." Meng Qi nodded with a smile and accepted the invitation.

"Please tell your young master I'll arrive on time."

The invitation indicated the party would be held on New Year's Eve. It seemed to be a celebration of discarding the old and bringing in new. Calculating the time, Meng Qi found that he still had enough time to go to Wen An to accomplish Yun Zhongzi's exhortations.

...

It was at the end of the year when he arrived at Wen An in the River East, so the weather was cold and windy. Though the river had yet to be frozen, it was clammy and cloudy. The chill in the air could invade one's body no matter how thick the clothes one wore, which was quite different from the North.

Lv Jian, famous for his sociability and his even temper bringing wealth, put his hands in his sleeves and held a small copper stove. He was walking in the streets and greeting the passersby as if he was acquainted with everyone.

When he was young, he harbored the ambition of being a hero in the Jianghu. He had relied on his ability to communicate with others and met many important people. Unfortunately, he received severe injuries later and wasn't promptly treated, so he couldn't be completely healed, leaving him with no hope of getting new breakthroughs. Hence, he returned to his hometown and became a somebody through his connections.

He coughed a few times and hugged the small stove in his arms closer to prevent the coldness.

This was because of his old injury. Winter days were a particularly hard time for him. Otherwise, how could such coldness trap a Seven Apertures master?

"The disturbance in Jianghu is really terrible..." Lv Jian said to himself with a sigh.

When he felt stiff from head to foot, he would be especially touched by this matter. Had he chosen to take over the family business in the beginning, he would certainly have opened his nine Apertures. Though it was impossible for him to reach the level of Half-step Exterior Scenery, he wouldn't have had to lead a tough life for two or three months each year. He had thought it would be a pity if he couldn't be a master of the Exterior, hence his ambitiousness in his young age. He did his best to achieve his lofty aspiration, adventuring in the Jianghu, and finding a way to be a master of the Exterior.

When he recalled this, he found there were countless masters at the level of the enlighten the Apertures, but very few of them could open the Hidden Latch. As for the average heroes in Jianghu, they had even less hope!

"Second Uncle, why are you so sensitive to the weather like an old man?" his nephew asked, walking beside him with a smile. Though his uncle was no more than 40, he was always sighing like an old man in his seventies or eighties.

Lv Jian smiled. "You'll understand my feelings after going through the Jianghu..."

He suddenly recalled his various experience in the Jianghu.

Wiping out bandits, encircling and suppressing evil spirits, going through fire and water for some relic...

He had gotten drunk in a restaurant and won money in the biggest wager shop in River East. He had also ridden 300 miles day and night just for a promise, sparing no effort...

Many of his close friends crossed his mind—Jin Li, son of a concubine, who never trailed at fate; Xue Rui, who grinned all the time and liked to make fun of others; Zhong Meixian, a shy lady who never abandoned her partners when facing their enemies...They all made him feel warm. He sighed with emotion again. If he had not chosen to adventure Jianghu, his life would have been tedious, leaving pale memories. Alas! Even if he was given a choice, he would still make the same decision.

Lyu Huo was at the age of longing for adventuring in the Jianghu, so he paid his uncle's words no mind. He was staring at a man with a sword and a blade.

He cried, "Second Uncle, look! The new Ranking List of Young Masters is out!"

They passed the Yamen of the Six Fan School of Wen An.

"Ranking List of Young Masters?" Lyu Jian was rather surprised, wondering why was the list was being updated so frequently. Could there be a big change?

As one of the Turf Lords, it was necessary to learn the latest information of Jianghu. He took his nephew to the square in front of the Yamen and studied the ranking list.

"Killing… Killing Blade, Su Meng, has been promoted on the list!" Lyu Huo cried. It was fantastic that Su Meng raised his ranking in just three months!

Generally speaking, one had to gradually improve his strength when he first stepped foot in the Jianghu. It always took half a year to get promoted on the list. After all, an improvement on cultivation often took a long time. It didn't only depend on winning against stronger enemies. However, it had been less than three months since Su Meng defeated Five Emperors' Knife in the River East. He had accomplished yet another great feat, shocking the world. Nobody could believe the strength he presented was of the same person as he had been two months before!

"What?" Lv Jian was also shocked. When he looked at the list, he found that the rankings of He Jiu and the others had remained the same but the names below them had changed.

'Name: Su Meng, former Dharma name Zhen Ding.'

'Kungfu: Seven Apertures. He first cultivated the Golden Bell Shield and was absorbed in Protection Hard Kung at present; His spiritual power is superior to the average master at the level of Nine Apertures, so his strength is outstanding; He majors in the blade in his right hand and assisted by the sword in his left hand. Though his sword technique isn't systemative, it's famous for the Desperate Hit, while his bladesmanship adopts something of the Gist of Trueness from the Ananda Buddhist Commandment Blade. It can be continuously used without activating the Blood Essence.'

'With the assistance of his Precious Weapon, he can derive the Exterior moves of the Thunderclap. If he tries his best, he can exert the strike which is nearly at the level of the Exterior. At the same time, his Knife Dao and Essence can be compared with the famous masters. In addition, he possesses the tricks to call for the Sky Thunder.'

'Battle records: killed An Guoxie, White-headed Vulture; defeated Wang Zai, Right-guarding Sword in the practicing field of Yedu with one move's advantage; successfully retreated from Jiang Hengchuan, the Astounding who had intended to kill him in the Flower-viewing Garden, Maoling, Jiang Province; forced Wang Siyuan, Ledgerkeeper of Lives, to defend himself in the Dongyang Villa; narrowly defeated Qing Yu, Five Emperors' Knife in the street of Changchuan, Jiang Province…'

'He hurriedly covered thousands of miles and arrived at the temple near the Dragon-rocky Mount, only to be sandwiched by Shadow Cold Palm, Flame-scorching Devilman and Soul-losing Flute. He fought against the three and chopped them. Though no one knew the details of their fight, Su Meng's Golden Bell Shield was better at defeating enemy troops with a force inferior in number than the other on the ranking list.'

'Rank: 6th.'

'Nickname: Killing Blade, Reckless Monk, Thunder Blade Furious Monk.'

'Identity: an abandoned disciple of Shaolin Temple; a swordsman in the Jianghu.'

How could only one of his battles expunge Shadow Cold Palm, Flame-scorching Devilman, and Soul-losing Flute from the list? Lyu Jian couldn't believe his eyes.

Though Shadow Cold Palm once suffered from Qi-deviancy Derangement, greatly reducing his strength, his countercharge would be more serious the fiercer the battle became. He was a real master of the Half-step Exterior Scenery. Both his Body Movements and palm force were outstanding. Besides, with the perfect cooperation of the top-ranked Flame-scorching Devilman of the Devilman school and the famous Soul-losing Flute from the Heretical, their movements were so controlled and violent that they could easily defeat an ordinary Half-step Exterior Scenery master, let alone Su Meng at the level of Seven Apertures.

It was difficult for them to believe the fact!

No one would question him being ranked in top five with such a battle record. Six Fan School considered that Su Meng was better at the life-and-death battle and sandwiched fights, thus ranked him 6th. It actually raised the suspicion of the school trying to suppress him.

"Wonderful! How wonderful! How unimaginable that he could defeat three such top evil spirits doing their best to siege him!" An excited Lyu Huo said to himself, "Could the Sword Blade Ambidexterity really be so powerful? I'm dying to learn it!"

"Maybe he has just opened Seven Aperture s..." Lyu Jian paid no attention to his nephew's shouts and thought about the problem to himself.

It suddenly hit him that the information on the list this time was different. It wasn't simply the reduced battle records on the list to present the latest and most important information. It had also downplayed Su Meng's Sword Blade Ambidexterity. Su Meng seemed to prefer his blade more than his sword, so the description of his sword art was much less.

Of course, it wasn't because this part was completely omitted. The description had merely changed. Lyu Jian didn't think too much and shook his head with a bitter smile.

Back then, when he was struggling hard all the time and repeatedly took the risk of battles, he wanted to be on the ranking list but never achieved what he wished. Now, when he was over 35, he finally witnessed the so-called rapid promotion on the list. He understood what it meant to never to compare oneself with another.

The rankings underneath weren't all kept the same order. There had been several changes with some newcomers included due to their breakthroughs and some removed due to their age.

"Come on, let's go home." Lyu Jian tightly held the stove, urging his nephew. He couldn't help lamenting each time he saw the ranking list, especially on such a windy winter day.

Lyu Huo reluctantly turned around and walked toward the bridge. "Uncle, do you know which sect is famous for Sword Blade Ambidexterity?"

"You can't even use the blade or sword well by themselves. How can you learn to be ambidextrous?" Lyu Jian regretted that his nephew didn't live up to his expectations.

"Perhaps I'm good at the cooperation of sword and blade," Lyu Huo replied excitedly.

Lyu Jian was about to say something when he saw a master dressed in a blue robe standing in front of him.

He stood quietly on the edge of the bridge and looked at the mystery coupon hanging on the tree nearby. He was learned and refined in a simple blue robe, a black silk ribbon scarf wrapped around his head.

He didn't look eye-catching at first glance. Given a close look, this master in a blue robe was in perfect harmony with the stone arch bridges, rivers, trees, and the ground. It seemed that he was part of this land.

On such a moonless night, the water was flowing while the green trees were languishing. The stone arch bridge rose and fell but the ground was still. It was quiet except for the sound of the flowing water, making people feel like they were in a dream. Lyu Jian's expression became serious, his eyes fixed on the hands of the master. They were crossed at his back, long and energetic under the fluorescent light. They seemed to be jade sculptures, glamorous beyond words.

The master turned around and revealed an antique face, a devilishly attractive one. His voice was steady and heavy as he asked, "Are you Lyu Jian?"

Lyu Jian was smart and replied with a question of his own. "Yes, it's me. What can I do for you?"

"I've been asked to look for Jin Li. Are you sure that he was last seen in Wen An?" the master said calmly.

The master was none other than Meng Qi. Since this matter involved the Heavenly Primogenitor, it was impossible for him to use his real identity to investigate it or often wear a mask to do it. Therefore, he changed his appearance with the help of the Eight Nine Mysteries and some disguise skills.

Lyu Jian looked around and motioned for the guard to take Lyu Huo away. He then cupped one hand in the other before his chest and said, "Are you one of the Jin Family?"

"Jin Li is one of my life-and-death friends. More than three years ago, he suddenly came to Wen An and said something that seemed ordinary at the time but now quite strange after thinking about it. He then left my humble home on a rainy night. At that time, I didn't care much about this, thinking he had something important to attend to. It wasn't until someone from his family came to ask and ask me about him that I found he had been missing for a couple of years. He was in Wen An at the time of his disappearance."