Chapter 155: Vicious
“Xie Bo?” At this point, all three of them couldn’t be bothered with eating anymore and began discussing animatedly: “How many years has he been at Black Rank? And he has the nerve to bully the weak with his seniority!”
“His ranking is below Fourth Brother’s, so of course he can challenge.”
“Is the ranking reliable? Everyone knows his strength far surpasses Xie Tian’s; he’s just been biding his time all along!”
“Indeed,” Lu Wei nodded in agreement: “Xie Bo is an outstanding talent among the younger generation of the Xie Clan, but because he comes from the collateral lineage, he has no choice but to bide his time. This time, for him to suddenly step forward against his usual behavior, it’s probably the intention of the Xie Clan’s higher-ups.”
“Xie Tian suffered a major loss, and they’ve long wanted to get revenge.” Lu Song sneered: “Sending Xie Bo to challenge Lu Yun, they must think it’s a sure win!”
“It’s really hard to say who will win or lose.” Lu Bai pondered for a moment, then sighed: “Xie Bo has been at Black Rank for many years; his accumulation of cultivation and experience are things Fourth Brother can’t compare to.” He paused, then glanced at Lu Yun again: “Moreover, with the Grand Competition approaching, there can’t be any mishaps. Even if you want to accept the challenge, it’s best to wait until after the Grand Competition.”
“Dragging it out that long would let the Xie Clan smear Fourth Brother in all sorts of ways; that wouldn’t be good for his reputation either.” Lu Song disagreed with Lu Bai’s view. The Grand Competition was just one part of the official appraisal; when the final rank was determined, reputation was also a very important reference.
“Whether to accept the challenge or not, it’s your call.” Lu Wei raised his hand, signaling the three not to chatter, and looked at Lu Yun before slowly saying: “If you don’t want to accept, the clan will step in and block it; no need to worry about the Xie Clan talking behind our backs.”
Lu Yun nodded, then smiled without the slightest hesitation: “Fight, why not fight? If he can’t even dare to accept Xie Bo’s challenge, how can he face all the powerful enemies from various sides at the Grand Competition?”
“Well said!” Lu Wei nodded approvingly: “The sons of my Lu Clan should have this kind of essence, qi, and spirit!” As he spoke, he reminded Lu Yun: “Since it’s a challenge proposed by the other side, the time and place of the competition, and whether it’s public or not, are all up to you to decide.”
“I’ve thought it over,” Lu Yun pondered briefly, then said in a deep voice: “The first day of next month, at Chen hour, Ten Mile Slope east of the city, not public.”
“Why not at the Investigative Bureau? There, the opponent would have to follow the rules much more.” Lu Bai frowned: “Moreover, at the Investigative Bureau, you can still have a closed-door duel.”
“I hear Ten Mile Slope is full of maple trees, and the maple leaves should be red next month,” Lu Yun smiled as he explained: “It feels very poetic to duel amid a sea of red leaves.”
“Uh…” Everyone in the room was immediately speechless.
.
The Investigative Bureau soon sent the news of Lu Yun accepting the challenge back to the Xie Clan.
Demao Ward was one of the Xie Clan’s four wards north of the Luo River, where several sons of Clan Leader Xie Xun resided. The deep manor right next to the ward gate was the residence of Xie Xun’s eldest son and the Xie Clan’s Fourth Steward, Xie Ju.
The furnishings and decor inside the manor were extremely luxurious. The back residence featured rockeries, flowing streams, and koi swimming about. Though it was already deep into autumn, it was still blooming with fresh flowers and lush green grass.
An open hall pavilion faced this picturesque garden. The winding corridors on either side of the hall pavilion were hung with colorful parrots, thrushes, and other birds, their melodious calls adding much liveliness to the scene.
The hall pavilion had the finest nanmu wood for its flooring, with a full coral screen on a rosewood stand in the center. In front of the screen sat a dignified and elegant madam, and to her left was a youth with an injury on his mouth—it was Madam Xie and her son Xie Tian.
Facing Xie Tian sat a man in his mid-to-late twenties, with long limbs and restrained divine light; he was Xie Bo, the one who had issued the challenge to Lu Yun.
Several pretty maids held tea cloths and fruit trays, kneeling silently to the side, carefully attending to the three.
At this moment, however, the three had no mind to appreciate the garden’s beauty; their gazes all fell on the challenge letter sent back by the Investigative Bureau.
“That little beast really accepted the challenge!” Seeing Lu Yun’s signature on the challenge letter, Xie Tian’s eyes blazed with fury as he gnashed his teeth. He had to admire the prowess of a great noble clan—after having a full mouth of teeth knocked out, Xie Tian now had two neat rows of new white teeth, so white they were dazzling. Xie Tian glanced at Xie Bo and sneered: “He has no idea that Older Cousin is already at Black Rank Peak, invincible below Earth Rank!”
“Younger Cousin, you are mistaken,” Unlike the flamboyant and impetuous Xie Tian, Xie Bo had a very steady demeanor, more befitting a scion of a noble family. Xie Bo’s slender hands rested motionless on his knees as he said calmly: “It’s true that I have reached Black Rank Peak, but in this world under heaven, countless fellow cultivators are stuck like me below the chokepoint of the Ren and Du Meridians—there are plenty stronger than me.”
“As long as you’re stronger than that Lu Yun, it’s fine.” Madam Xie also sneered.
The encounter that day in Cuihe Garden was the greatest humiliation she and her son had ever suffered in their lives. After carrying Xie Tian back, she lodged a fierce complaint with her father-in-law and husband, thinking the old master would fly into a rage and immediately have that Lu Yun arrested and interrogated. Who knew Xie Xun would say she had spoiled Xie Tian too much on ordinary days, leading to his reckless behavior, and that he would suffer a big loss sooner or later. He even said it was good to have this lesson—not just losing a mouthful of teeth, which was better than losing his head in the future!
From what the old master meant, he surprisingly wasn’t going to pursue Lu Yun’s matter. How could Madam Xie swallow this anger? As soon as her father-in-law left, she tearfully complained to her husband, saying that they, the direct lineage of the prestigious Xie Clan, had been bullied by a collateral lineage member of the Lu Clan, and if they didn’t vent this anger, she wouldn’t live.
Xie Ju knew his father was concerned that Lu Xin was, after all, the Xie Clan’s son-in-law. It wouldn’t look good for family members to fight among themselves. Moreover, once Lu Yun entered the palace to accompany the Emperor, he might soar to high officialdom. So, following his consistent principle of ‘make fewer enemies, befriend more,’ he didn’t want to pursue the matter.
But Xie Ju was hounded by Madam Xie with no way out, and besides, he also felt sorry for his son and couldn’t swallow the anger. So he allowed Madam Xie to use his name to find a suitable candidate in the clan to properly teach that arrogant kid a lesson. Of course, the premise was not to cause him trouble, lest he couldn’t explain to the Clan Leader.
Xie Ju was the Martial Guard Steward of the Xie Clan, and he had been half a teacher to most of the clan’s disciples. Moreover, all the Xie Clan’s retainers, guards, house soldiers, and generals obeyed his command. With his word, Madam Xie and her son could freely select the most suitable person from the tens of thousands of Xie Clan members in the Capital City to deal with that kid named Lu Yun!
The reason it was the most suitable rather than the strongest was that the Xie Clan’s grandmasters wouldn’t get involved in such childish nonsense. Those elite direct lineage disciples whose status was no less than Xie Tian’s wouldn’t help Xie Tian behind the Clan Leader’s back either… It was really his own fault; Xie Tian not only had a bad reputation outside, but even within the Xie Clan, few looked up to him. Only that bunch of fair-weather friends took him seriously, but those types were even worse than Xie Tian and couldn’t be relied on.
After much selection, Madam Xie settled on Xie Bo. Though she indulged in luxury and pleasure all day, she was sharp-minded. She often heard her husband praise this man, saying that if he had a complete cultivation method, he could definitely break through to Earth Rank and become another grandmaster of the Xie Clan. In Madam Xie’s view, Xie Bo was at least a quasi-grandmaster now, so having him step in would naturally be a piece of cake.
“That little beast is only that age; at most he’s just entered Black Rank—what does he have to compete with Older Cousin?!” Hearing his mother’s words, Xie Tian grinned. The scar on his mouth had scabbed over, like a red earthworm lying on it, looking hideous and terrifying. His words were even more chilling: “Older Cousin, this time you must cripple him—at least destroy his martial arts, sever his hand and foot tendons, and turn him into a complete cripple!”
“This…” Xie Bo shook his head: “In this kind of martial competition, it’s always just about victory or defeat; intentional injury is not allowed.”
“Pedantic!” Xie Tian scoffed: “Every year in competitions, how many people are beaten to death or crippled? It’s always just ‘an accident,’ and the Investigative Bureau turns a blind eye.”
“But,” Xie Bo frowned slightly upon hearing this: “Auntie only said beforehand to have me compete in martial arts with that Lu Yun; she didn’t say to deliberately cripple him.”
