Chapter 1007: The Sword Rides the Wind, Purging Evils Throughout the World

The onlookers immediately began to whisper among themselves when they heard those words. Many of them wondered who Xiao Yao was. After all, that was already someone from the last generation. Many people had already forgotten about his existence after so many years passed.

But there were still many people who did remember. They looked toward that drunkard in shock while explaining just how stunning the Sword Immortal was in the past.

Sang Hong looked at Zu An in shock. Even I don’t know who he is; why was Ah Zu able to immediately see through him?

Sigh, how great would it be if Ah Zu were my son?

It’s impossible for me to have another son. He still has a chance to be my grandson’s father, though.

Gao Ying and Pei You were still too young and not too familiar with the name Xiao Yao. They were still completely immersed in the earlier scene where Zu An had easily received the drunkard’s sword with his wine cup. Big bro really is big bro; when will I become as outstanding as Brother Zu?

But the drunkard’s expression was also a bit strange. He hadn’t expected someone to actually recognize him! As if he suddenly began to remember many things, his entire figure entered a strange, almost stupefied state. Only after a while did he say, “The past Sword Immortal Xiao Yao has already died. What’s left is merely a useless drunkard.”

But when they heard that, how could those present not know he had tacitly confirmed the question? A commotion immediately broke out. This was the libationer’s third disciple! Even if his previous achievements weren’t mentioned, just his identity alone was enough for all of them to treat him seriously!

The officials all quickly began to express goodwill. Unfortunately, Xiao Yao just continued to drink without paying them any attention. Their expressions immediately became unpleasant. What are you putting this act on for? No wonder you wasted away back then.

The atmosphere had become a bit awkward. Xu Yu quickly moved to smooth things over. “Brother Xiao’s temperament isn’t suited to social interactions, so I must ask for everyone’s forgiveness…”

With that, the mood eased up a bit again. They soon found Xiao Yao uninteresting, and the conversation returned to Zu An.

Compared to their previous courteous respect, they were now all speaking sincerely. For him to have his cultivation at such a young age really was a reflection of extraordinary talent! If nothing unexpected happened, he would definitely be a huge star in the empire in the future! No family background? What did that matter? He could establish a glorious clan all on his own!

Their attitudes changed even more when they learned that he was already a viscount; their expressions became even more eager. There were even some who asked if he was married yet, intending to introduce their daughters to him. That immediately made Sang Hong panic. He became fiercely protective, chasing all of them off.

“I heard that Sir Zu is not only extremely proficient in cultivation, but your skills in poetry are also exceptional. Some even say that you have something of a poet immortal’s style. You wrote a few masterpieces back in the capital, and there are many places in Cloudcenter Province that sing your songs. How about you write a poem here too, to give us some experience?” Someone took a different route, trying to flatter Zu An from a different angle.

There were people who had looked into the imperial envoy’s information too, and they knew that Zu An excelled in poetry. However, back then, no one had treated him as anyone important. Poetry wasn’t anything they would care about too much either. But now that Zu An was a hot topic, everything was now completely different! All of them suddenly seemed to have become poetry enthusiasts.

Zu An smiled without saying anything. He had already seen what these people were trying to do. He was about to reject them when Sang Hong said with a chuckle, “Ah Zu, since everyone is full of sincerity, you should just make one.”

Meanwhile, he said in secret, “Ah Zu, if you use this chance to make a name for yourself, it will be beneficial to our investigation. We are newcomers, so there will be many people from Cloudcenter Commandery watching us. The greater your reputation, the more confidence everyone will have in the Imperial Envoy. More local officials will unknowingly side with us. This is what it means to have momentum and influence.”

Zu An felt a bit helpless. However, he trusted Sang Hong’s judgment in such official matters. He was wondering which poem was suitable when he glanced over at Xiao Yao, who was drinking out of his huge gourd. His eyes lit up and he said, “I just happen to have suddenly found some inspiration.”

The officials sat up straight when they heard that. They were curious as to just what kind of poem Zu An was going to create.

Gao Ying quickly called over a servant girl to grab some pen and paper. Pei You thought to himself, Are we doing this again? He immediately told a servant to grab some materials. He had always been the ink grinder or something in the past, which didn’t make him look all that good. Even if his handwriting was ugly, he had to be the one to write it this time.

Sang Hong stroked his beard. His eyes flickered. He already began to think to himself about what kind of topic he should give. As a court official, his desire to leave his name in history was stronger than most.

Unfortunately, before Sang Hong could even prepare himself, Zu An began speaking.

“The sword rides the wind, purging evils throughout the world.

“With wine to drink I remain free and unfettered; without alcohol I still reign supreme.

“One sip will empty a river; another and the sun and moon are devoured.

“A thousand cups and still standing tall; only I alone, Drunken Sword Immortal.”

The onlookers turned to look at Xiao Yao when Zu An spoke those words. Even Xiao Yao himself couldn’t help but lower his wine gourd, stupefied; his entire figure was frozen in place. He was clearly extremely moved.

“Wonderful!” They all clapped their hands in praise. This poem’s contents were just too fitting of Xiao Yao!

The key was that his name had even been mentioned, and ‘Drunken Sword Immortal’ was much more suited to his current self than his past ‘Sword Immortal’ title. It was as if it had been made for him![1]

They all looked at Xiao Yao, feeling a bit jealous. They thought to themselves that poets really were incredible! This was clearly a good-for-nothing drunkard, and yet it made it sound as if he had reached a whole new realm of enlightenment from drinking or something.

Sang Hong stared at Zu An, thinking that he had been way too inflexible earlier in coming up with a topic. He had to get this kid to write him a poem one day! He could even write a poem for an outsider like Xiao Yao, while Sang Hong had even given him his daughter. It was reasonable to ask for a poem in return, right?

The onlookers thought that Xiao Yao would be grateful, but he instead seemed to have entered a kind of confused trance. He mumbled to himself, “The sword rides the wind, purging evils throughout the world… Purging evils throughout the world? But what is man, and what is evil…” Eventually, his voice even seemed to become a bit hoarse. Zu An keenly sensed that there were some sparkling droplets in his eyes.

“He’s actually crying?” Zu An was stupefied. Wasn’t this reaction a bit too much?

Xiao Yao staggered outside. When he passed by Pei Shao, he suddenly stopped and looked at him with red eyes. Pei Shao was a bit surprised, asking, “Does Sir Third have any guidance for me?” As an official, he cared more about Xiao Yao’s identity as the libationer’s disciple.

Xiao Yao only stared at him silently; a moment later, he walked out while staggering as if drunk. He didn’t say a single thing the entire time.

Xu Yu didn’t try to hold him back when he saw that. The other party only casually waved his hands before ultimately disappearing from view.

“What is this?!” Pei Shao’s son Pei Xing exclaimed resentfully.

Pei Shao stopped his son’s complaints, saying, “He is not someone you can offend. You should stay away when you see him in the future.”

Pei Xing replied with an ‘oh’, but he clearly didn’t pay it too much mind. He wouldn’t even have dealings with people like that, so why would he end up offending Xiao Yao?

That little episode didn’t affect the mood. After all, the main characters were Sang Hong, and now Zu An as well. Everyone drank together happily and the atmosphere quickly became lively again.

But Zu An couldn’t feel anything sincere when faced with so many hypocritical greetings. He continued to wonder why someone like Xiao Yao would visit such a banquet. He really couldn’t figure it out. As such, he found a chance to ask Xu Yu about it.

Xu Yu replied, “We just happened to meet each other during a military mission. I’ve really troubled Sir Zu; only now do I know Brother Xiao’s real identity. I didn’t expect him to be the glorious Sword Immortal.”

Seeing as Xu Yu’s expression wasn’t fake, Zu An couldn’t really keep questioning him either.

…

When the banquet ended, the Acting Commander-in-Chief Jian Taiding had some men escort Sang Hong’s party back to their temporary residence.

Sang Hong called over Zu An, Gao Ying, Pei You, and the others, saying, “I am suspecting that Jian Taiding sent these people not to protect us, but perhaps to monitor or threaten us. You should all pay Yu Manor a visit tomorrow morning. I suspect that Madam Yu has already been put under house arrest.”

“That shouldn’t be, right?” Gao Ying and Pei You couldn’t help but exclaim. “She is a duchess after all, and also the Yu clan’s clan leader! Jian Taiding can keep her locked up for a day or two, but he can’t keep her under house arrest forever, can he? Otherwise, news would’ve already leaked out a long time ago.”

“We will know once you all go to the Yu clan tomorrow morning,” Sang Hong said with an overcast expression. “Our forces in Cloudcenter Commandery are a bit too weak. We do not know much about many things here. That is why, just as we flaunted Ah Zu’s reputation today, we need to at least show our strength and make some neutral factions lean toward our side…”

After they discussed things with each other for a while, they all returned to their rooms to rest. Zu An wondered if he should visit the Pei clan while it was dark. But when he pushed open the door, he suddenly froze, because he saw someone sitting on his own windowsill.

The melancholy expression, the beard stubble, the look of hesitation, the green wine gourd, and the eye-catching tattered sandals; all of those things sold out the other party’s identity.

“Xiao Yao!” Zu An exclaimed, becoming vigilant. He couldn’t understand why the man would appear in his room in the middle of the night.

1. ’Xiao Yao’, in different characters, means ‘free and unfettered’ ☜