Chapter Sixteen: Return to the Mortal World

Everyone tried one by one, yet the Hundredfold Tempered Blade remained completely unscathed.

“Bring it here!”

In the end, it was Master Guo who spoke. He took the Hundredfold Tempered Blade, the one that had already been broken once, into his hand. Then, with his breath sinking into his dantian, he let out a thunderous roar and smashed his fist onto the blade!

A sharp crack echoed—at last, the scene everyone had anticipated unfolded: the blade fractured, splitting once again.

“What skill! Truly worthy of Master Guo!”

“Remarkable indeed!”

“With this mastery of external martial arts, Master Guo must be at the pinnacle!”

A chorus of praise followed, none seemed concerned by the destruction of the evidence—there was, after all, still another blade.

Yet, no trace of joy appeared on Master Guo’s face; only a bitter smile remained. He had indeed managed to break the Hundredfold Tempered Blade with all his strength. But his fist was visibly swollen, his arm trembling uncontrollably. For a while, his entire arm was drained of strength, and his palm throbbed with pain.

Was this cause for celebration? Since childhood, he had trained in martial arts for sixty years now. He was, without exaggeration, the strongest practitioner of external martial arts in Qing County. Perhaps there were those who had trained longer, but age had withered their vitality and diminished their fighting strength.

To smash a blade with a fist was one thing; to effortlessly snap it between two fingers during a heated battle, another entirely. The difference was not something one could gloss over with “I too can break the Hundredfold Tempered Blade.”

Anyone who trained in martial arts and failed to grasp this would never have kept Guo’s Martial Hall running for a century.

“If what’s been said is true, then that person must be a once-in-a-millennium martial genius, achieving in one year what others struggle for over ten.”

Master Guo did not shy away; he extended the hand that had broken the blade, showing its bruised hue to the others. Then, clasping his fists in salute to Wang Hongbo, he said, “Whatever their age, such a master is beyond my ability to contend with. You honor me with your invitation, but I can be of no help. I bid you farewell!”

With that, not waiting for Wang Hongbo’s reply, Master Guo turned and left.

He wasn’t about to risk his life—if the one in question were an elder, it might be negotiable, but the person was young. Though he himself was old, he had not yet reached the point of courting death.

It was said that wisdom comes with age; he had long since outgrown youthful recklessness. Whatever offense the county magistrate’s son-in-law had caused, it was none of his concern.

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The county magistrate may change, but the power of the local gentry is eternal!

Better to guard Guo’s Martial Hall and avoid trouble; when such matters arise, stay as far away as possible, lest blood splatter onto oneself.

No sooner had Master Guo left than Ji Yun followed, saying, “If even Master Guo finds himself lacking, I fear I can offer little help. My apologies.”

He too turned to leave.

Seeing this, the others hurriedly found their own excuses and departed, leaving Wang Hongbo’s face flushed dark red with rage.

“These scoundrels! They haven’t even met the man and already rush to shirk responsibility. With vermin like these, how am I to govern Qing County?”

Once everyone had left, Wang Hongbo swept the contents of his desk to the floor in anger, his whole body quivering.

They fled before even seeing the man—if he actually arrived, wouldn’t they stand by and watch him die?

“Master, at this point, we can only rely on connections within the government…”

Li’s guest advisor, his face swollen like a pig, hurried to comfort him.

“The government…” Wang Hongbo’s complexion darkened further.

Martial prodigies drawn by celestial phenomena had caused havoc countless times; the authorities were powerless to intervene. If not for this, he would never have sought out Qing County’s martial artists.

But now, it fell to him alone.

He would have to hire several martial experts for his own protection; a son-in-law could be replaced, but if he died, that would be the end.

…

“Hahaha, you should have seen the new magistrate’s face!”

At Ji Family Escort Agency, Ji Yun laughed heartily, recounting the events as if he were a storyteller.

Beside him sat Cai Shulan, Ji Wu, and Ji Wen—all people who had crossed paths with Mr. Xu.

Each displayed a different expression: Cai Shulan’s face was full of calm certainty, Ji Wu’s eyes shone and fists clenched, clearly stirred. Only Ji Wen’s brows were furrowed, his face puzzled.

When Ji Yun finished, Ji Wu quickly asked, “Father, if even Master Guo admits he’s no match for Mr. Xu, just how formidable must Mr. Xu be?”

Master Guo was acknowledged as Qing County’s strongest martial artist—within the county, at least. If even he felt inferior, how high must Mr. Xu’s skill reach?

“That’s hard to say,” Ji Yun pondered.

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“Let me put it this way: before you two were born, your mother and I escorted a shipment of honey and syrup.”

In these times, honey and syrup were extremely valuable, worth their weight in gold, useful everywhere.

“Who would have thought that transporting honey and syrup would attract a black bear from the mountains? That bear was like a living hill—neither blade nor axe could harm it.

It merely swung its paw, shattering bones and tearing sinews. At the time, more than twenty of us couldn’t so much as scratch it.”

Ji Yun shuddered at the memory. “Had the escort failed, the Ji Family Escort Agency would have been ruined. Just when we were at our wit’s end, Mr. Xu appeared!

The black bear, which we could do nothing against, was kicked by Mr. Xu ten yards away, saving most of the goods. Truly, Mr. Xu has not only saved our lives!”

“There’s such a story? Father, why didn’t you tell me before!” Ji Wu was ecstatic. “We actually know such a legendary figure!”

“Tell you?” Ji Yun glanced at him. “Mr. Xu is as elusive as a dragon, rarely seen. Even your mother and I meet him only occasionally.

Besides, Mr. Xu cares nothing for wealth. We tried to cultivate a good relationship, but he rejected worldly possessions.

However, he does seem fond of our back mountain. We’ve met him there a few times; he once praised the peach blossoms, so your mother and I planted a peach grove.

Even so, Mr. Xu has rarely visited…”

“The peach grove on the back mountain?” Ji Wu made a mental note.

“Enough, let’s not dwell on this. Wang Hongbo has no hope of overcoming Mr. Xu, but we mustn’t ignore the matter either.”

A cold smile appeared on Ji Yun’s face. “He’s been wanting to repair the river lately… Well, let’s see how that turns out.”

…

The world continues on, indifferent to anyone’s absence.

The newly appointed magistrate’s son-in-law’s death caused a brief stir at first, but after fruitless searches and proclamations, Wang Hongbo could only utter empty threats and let the matter fade.

In the blink of an eye, a year passed.

As strange phenomena appeared once more, Xu Yuan’s figure reemerged in the world.

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