470 The Eye of the Storm (1/2)
Meng Qi froze, taken aback. A thin, weak smile appeared momentarily as he shook to recollect himself. He would meet the matter candidly, as a true warrior should. It would be unbecoming of him to fret and despair over the inevitable.
Putting his thoughts aside, he strode to the central light pillar. The absence of information on the next task, as well as his companions, hindered his debate over which artifacts he should redeem. He used five hundred Karma points for a Recover Pill, bringing his total down to one hundred and ten.
He sat silently as moments passed. Suddenly he was enveloped in rising fumes that whisked him away from the Samsara Square.
...
It was July when the cold set in as autumn approached. The days were still quite warm, but the nights were cooling down.
The Imperial Capital of Luoyang, the most famous city in beneath all Heavens. The entire city was ringed by five layers of fortification, where the Imperial Palaces sat in the center of the city, surrounded by the Imperial Palatial Complex, encircled by another level of fortification. The Inner and Outer Cities made up the outer two layers of dwellings which were clustered by the banks of the city moat. What a breathtaking view it would have been if the scene of the entire city were beheld from above. The intricate, inexplicable arrangements of the city centered on the imperial palace would have been utterly fascinating.
Such magnificent architecture and impressiveness demanded substantial crowds of people passing through, giving the greatest city under all the Heavens its due justice. All kinds of people came shuffling through the horde of mobs streaming through the sprawling city even if market day was still days away. Towering trees lined the pavement, their branches offering cool shade to people resting below.
As passersbys strolled around, everyone sauntered about tending to his or her business. One could stand among the flock people and bask in the pride and dignity of the people living in the Imperial Capital. There were but miniscule differences in how the citizens of the capital and those of the surrounding cities of Jiangdong adorned themselves. Beggars in tattered rags, however, remained impervious to any hint of majesty or grandeur as they were still readily seen in alleys and streets of Luoyang.
The residence of Prince Wei lied in the Duozi Alley, adjacent to the Imperial Palatial Complex. Rarely would people or horse carriages came by, as Prince Wei rarely accommodated guests, unlike his imperial siblings. Imposing trees rose over the courtyard of his residence, adding a tranquil shade to the placidity of his dwellings.
”Where are we going, My Lord?” Hu Dou asked his master before him. The eunuch with thick brows spoke in a shrill voice despite his attempts at muffling himself. Sauntering ahead without looking at his concerned manservant was none other than Zhao Heng, the Prince Wei of the Imperial Family who had disguised himself as a commoner of the city.
His master had behaved most peculiarly today. He was pacing back and forth, immersed in deep thought ever since a weird note addressed to him was received earlier in the afternoon. Presently, he had escaped the eyes of everyone in his household and quietly slipped away from his residence with only his trusty manservant in tow.
Dressed in green robes and a small hat, Zhao Heng still held an air of nobility, despite his simple presence. His eyes squinted in the cheerful brightness of the sun as he said to his manservant following behind, ”You shall see.”
His tone was strong and determined. Hu Dou stooped in submission in obedient silence, questioning not his master's will.
As approachable and amiable he may have seemed to everyone on his common days, his master was nevertheless a son of the Imperial clan. Even the most haughty of ruffians would cower in compliance before the stern wrath of the prince.
”He has the cunning shrewdness of one of kingly distinction indeed...” Hu Dou surmised in his stupor.
They walked wordlessly as they left the Duozi Alley and continued until they had reached the edges of the Inner City. They came to a small saloon selling local bites to eat. The gathering there was mixed and rowdy.
Hu Dou pompously ordered stewards to clear a table for them, shedding much of his disdainful poise in public. He attended to his master as the prince took a seat at the table.
”My Lord, are we expecting someone here?” asked the eunuch. He drifted off in search of a clean rag. Not long after, he ended up wiping the table top himself with a greasy wet rag, but not before gawking distastefully at it.
Zhao Heng gave no answer. Instead, he studied the hustle and bustle of the disorderly crowd around him with interest.
”Ranking List of the Young Masters! Fresh off the press!” A loud cry came ringing amidst the rambunctious crowd.
Freeing himself from the crowd, a scholar made his way to the landing of the stairs which led to the second floor. The curious eyes of everyone present landed on him. He took out a sheet of paper and proceeded to paste it on the wall.
”Ill-informed brutes!” Exclaimed Hu Dou contemptuously, looking at the crowd around him as if they were uncultured savages, ”The shifts of the rankings in the List of Young Masters should have long been expected. There's nothing to be amazed about.”
Loud murmurs and interesting debates began arose from every corner. A man holding a folded paper fan shook his head and asked a friend, ”My most esteemed friend, how long do you think the brutality of the Wolf King will last?”
Citizens of the capital were accustomed to the use of honorifics while addressing friends and family. It was esteemed as having refined culture and decorum.
”The educated in the capital believed that Wolf King was but inches away from grasping the breakthrough that he has hungered for. I fear he has but only one more warrior to slay to reach his goal. One last warrior of the Exterior,” replied the friend assuredly, whose sword was on the table.
He felt wholesome, basking in conceited knowledge that the scoop on all warriors, pugilists, belligerents were at his fingertips despite not setting foot outside of Luoyang boundaries.
The edges of Hu Dou's lips curled at the tone and words of the speaker as he feigned a lack of interest.
The large paper the scholar was trying to hang unfurled. Lines and lines of black writing on the notice were scrawled from top to bottom.
”My God! The Wolf King has been toppled off the first place!” The man with the folded paper fan cried aloud.
Dubiously, his friend with the sword nodded, his eyes intently scrutinizing the white sheet on the wall. Su Meng, the Killing Blade, had taken the highest spot on the list.
His probing eyes rolled downwards, then suddenly stopped.
There had been many differences on the information regarding Killing Blade Su Meng, save for the missing portion of his former achievements. It had been lengthy and detailed until now. It was but one short sentence that adorned the name of the champion of the Ranking of the Young Masters:
”Slaying of the Wolf King in the Bayan prairies.”
”He slew Wolf King in the Bayan prairies... He slew the Wolf King...” He murmured in a whisper with a distant gaze. He could not believe what he had just read.
Suddenly, the entire saloon became very quiet, almost pensive. It felt like a blanket of silence had descended upon them.
”This, this cannot be possible...”
”The invincible Wolf King has been slain?”
”Has the Killing Blade reached such greatness?”
Not even thousands of words would be fully adequate to render the awesomeness of Killing Blade. Yet, a mere sentence was all that was needed to deliver ripples of shockwaves across the entire land!
”Ignorant fools,” Hu Dou muttered disdainfully, pleased with himself. His memory of his own initial shock when he had heard Su Meng's name had apparently disappeared.
It did not take long for the saloon to suddenly erupt into a constant stream of excited chatter. Screams of exclamation and loud debates began to roar in collective dissonance.
The scholar with the folded fan sat with his friend quietly, their gazes locked for mere seconds that could have just as easily been a year. The scholar broke his trance and laughed weakly. ”Your words were true, my friend. The Wolf King is not in first place anymore. But not due to a breakthrough. In fact, he was slain.”
”Who would have thought that Killing Blade possessed such power? He reminds me of the Outer-Sky God Sword of old!” His friend laughed sheepishly. Immediately he steered the subject from the Ranking List of Young Masters by saying, ”It seems the news will not go well with Fan Changmiao. Haha.”
”Now why would Fan Changmiao be distressed by this?” asked his puzzled friend, his hands still upon his folded fan.
The man with a sword asked his friend slyly, ”You really want to know about him?”
”He's the Martial Arts Scholar of the year and a Sliver-Badge Arrester of the Six Fan School. Is there a problem?” his friend asked quizzically, his curiosity rising.