Chapter 2 The Night of the Three Heroes on the Fifteenth: A Major Crisis

Zhou Ziheng shook his head: "Although it's melodramatic, it may not be entirely unfounded."

Fu Chenyu smiled: "I didn't expect Brother Ziheng to be so childlike."

Seeing that the other party was adamant about not letting go, Zhou Ziheng decided not to pursue the matter any further.

He looked down and saw that the pool was deep, and the glittering thing he had seen before was nowhere to be seen.

Zhou Ziheng found it a bit strange, but he just assumed it was some kind of hairpin or jewelry and didn't think much of it.

“I heard that my godfather is going to hold a banquet here, so why don’t we wait here?” Fu Chenyu sat down on the ground and invited Zhou Ziheng to sit down with him. “I have heard that Brother Ziheng has become famous at a young age, and I would like to hear some interesting stories about you.”

Zhou Ziheng exclaimed in surprise, "How did Brother Chenyu know about someone as insignificant as me? You must be lying to me!"

Even so, Zhou Ziheng accepted the invitation to sit down. He talked about everything from becoming an apprentice to traveling the martial arts world, almost to the point of becoming sworn brothers with Fu Chenyu.

Fu Chenyu: "..."

Soon, dusk settled and night fell.

The moonlight, as white as frost, transformed the waterfall into a flowing silver ribbon.

A night breeze swept by, causing the water curtain to tremble slightly and shatter into countless shimmering stars.

Li Jin led his able-bodied men and set up a feast on the training platform.

He greeted Zhou Ziheng with a smile: "Young man, you've arrived very early."

Zhou Ziheng was used to being carefree and didn't bother to get up. He simply cupped his hands slightly and said, "It's all thanks to Brother Chenyu for his thoughtful hospitality."

Before long, the other volunteers also arrived slowly. The group sat on the ground, using the sky as their roof and the earth as their shelter.

The able-bodied men laid out a feast of fine wine and food, and poured wine for everyone. Li Jin raised his glass, just about to give a passionate speech, when Li Zhiheng walked up to the training platform, panting heavily, muttering to himself, "That old fogey is really crazy. He puts the banquet at Feitai Danpu. Is he trying to kill me with exhaustion?"

Li Jin wanted to curse, but with everyone watching, he felt that family scandals shouldn't be aired in public, so he could only glare angrily at Li Zhiheng.

Li Zhiheng ignored him, but Fu Chenyu stepped forward to help: "Young Master must have exhausted his strength from studying and practicing so hard, so now is the perfect time for a good meal."

Everyone present was shrewd; who didn't know the truth behind it? But they still gave Li Jin face, praising him as a worthy son and saying that Master Li had a worthy successor.

Zhou Ziheng rested his chin on one hand and poured wine with the other, neither undermining nor agreeing with Fu Chenyu, but simply watching him silently.

Just now, a burly man whispered something in Fu Chenyu's ear. Zhou Ziheng, with his sharp ears and eyes, could barely make out from the few words and lip movements that the man said, "The person has been brought."

He downed the fine wine in one gulp, instinctively sensing that something big was about to happen at the Liyang Conference.

As the mountain mist began to rise, and after several rounds of drinks, Zhou Ziheng, feeling quite tipsy, decided to get up and take his leave.

There are two paths leading back to Liyang Valley from Feitai Waterfall. One is a brightly lit main road with strong men guiding the way; the other is a secluded path, which is also the path that Fu Chenyu took Zhou Ziheng up the mountain.

With the moonlight just right, Zhou Ziheng took a different path and stepped onto the trail.

But at this moment, Zhou Ziheng met an unexpected person.

Huo Qin, holding a longbow, was about to climb the mountain.

He sobered up considerably and looked at Huo Qin in surprise. Just as he was about to speak, Huo Qin spoke at the same time, and the two of them said in unison:

What are you doing here?

"Brother Ziheng, what a coincidence."

Zhou Ziheng: "..."

He looked at the longbow in Huo Qin's hand. In the darkness, the black bow shone brightly, like a handful of solidified moonlight.

"Isn't that a spectator pass in your hand? You're supposed to be allowed to enter after three days. How did you get in?"

Huo Qin was no longer the beggar he once was. He had changed into a brand new outfit and, feigning mystery, chuckled, "Just a little trick. I suppose Brother Ziheng won't report me, will he?"

Zhou Ziheng thought to himself that the Liyang Conference was getting more and more lively, but he said aloud, "That's hard to say."

As Zhou Ziheng brushed past Huo Qin, he noticed a solitary flower bud between Huo Qin's eyebrows, resembling a facial marking.

However, Zhou Ziheng had no time to care about Huo Qinfu and Chen Yu. The moonlight was too bright tonight, so bright that the curse of winning the laurel wreath on him was about to stir.

His left forearm trembled incessantly from the pain, but his face remained perfectly calm, making it impossible to tell what kind of suffering he was enduring.

Zhou Ziheng quickened his pace until he returned to his guest room in Liyang Valley, at which point he could no longer suppress a painful groan.

He rolled up his sleeves, and on his forearm, a lifelike osmanthus branch clung tightly to his blood vessels like a bloodsucking leech, its roots deeply embedded in his flesh, devouring Zhou Ziheng's life.

The osmanthus branch is orange-yellow in color, as if it is coming to life, expanding and contracting in rhythm with the pulse.

Zhou Ziheng was in so much pain that his vision went black and he almost fainted.

Cold sweat rolled down his temples. Outside the window, the full moon hung high in the sky, like a jade plate.

Today is the fifteenth.

...

After the party ended and everyone was gone, Fu Chenyu helped the tipsy Li Jin back to his room, and then went to the waterside pavilion to practice his swordsmanship.

He had been raised by Li Jin for a full ten years, and had never slacked off for a single day. He urged himself to learn and practice swordsmanship, just so that one day he could rightfully inherit the Liyang sword technique.

But……

Fu Chenyu swung his sword, severing the leaves falling from the waterside pavilion.

However, Li Jin would rather take in another adopted son than pass on his swordsmanship to him.

Fu Chenyu sheathed his sword and left the waterside pavilion, his figure lonely and forlorn.

Li Jin sobered up quickly. He sat alone on the bed, but his gaze was fixed on the direction of the waterside pavilion.

This is what Huo Qin saw when he jumped off the roof with Li Zhiheng in his arms.

Stripped of his former glory as the Valley Master of Liyang, Li Jin was just a man in his fifties, and his poor health in recent years had made him look even older.

Li Zhiheng was like a helpless chick in Huo Qin's hands. He cursed loudly, "Who are you?! How dare you treat me like this!"

Li Jin sighed, too exhausted to even get angry: "Heng'er, this is the tutor I hired for you."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhiheng became even more agitated: "What instructor? How can someone who knows how to use an archery be my instructor!"

Huo Qin released Li Zhiheng with a "smack," causing him to fall face-first into the mud.

"Ah, it was a slip of the hand."

Li Jin, who always doted on his son, showed no reaction. He didn't even glance at Li Zhiheng and said to Huo Qin, "I have returned your Moon-Inviting Bow. I hope you can keep your promise and protect my son's life."

Huo Qin was not buying it: "This is not how the deal is calculated. The Inviting Moon Bow only got me to teach your son swordsmanship, but it didn't say that I would protect him."

"If you want to make more requests, that will cost a different price."

Li Jin hesitated for a moment: "I know what you want, but I really don't know much about your father..."

Huo Qin sneered: "Even if you only know one word, you have to say it."

Li Jin smiled wryly and pondered, "I only know that your parents had some involvement with Plum Blossom Manor when they were young, but I don't know much else."

Plum Blossom Manor is a renowned forging family; most of the famous weapons and artifacts in the martial arts world are made by the manor.

Having received the answer, Huo Qin promised to protect Li Zhiheng at the Liyang Conference.

Li Zhiheng lay on the ground pretending to be dead. Only after Huo Qin left did he suddenly stand up and ask curiously, "Father, who was that person?"

Li Jin was annoyed that all his years of earnest advice had been in vain. He said irritably, "I've already mentioned the Moon Invitation Bow, and you still don't know who he is? All these years, I've been telling you about my experiences in the martial world, have you been listening at all?"

Li Zhiheng then feigned realization: "Oh! So he is one of the three young heroes, Huo Qin, the Moon-Inviting Bow!"

"If he requests to challenge us at the Liyang Tournament, wouldn't we have to hand over our Liyang Sword Technique?"

Li Jin winked: "Don't worry, I didn't send him a letter requesting to join the fight."

Li Zhiheng was speechless: "Did you send challenge invitations to the other two of the Three Heroes? What if they come too?"

Li Jin put on a confident look: "Of the three heroes, only Huo Qin ventured into the martial world at an early age. The other two are disciples of the Holy Mountain, who live in seclusion and look down on our swordsmanship."

Li Jin, after discussing the three young talents, steered the conversation to Li Zhiheng, saying with exasperation, "I've invited Huo Qin to be your tutor. You must seize this opportunity, learn from him, and broaden your horizons..."

Li Zhiheng let it go in one ear and out the other, giving perfunctory "uh-huh" while slowly shuffling to the door, waiting for the right moment to run away.

Li Jin was so angry he wanted to chase after him, but his health was deteriorating, and he could only watch helplessly as Li Zhiheng escaped.

He coughed up blood, his brow furrowed with worry: "Zhiheng... what am I going to do with you..."

Li Zhiheng's mother died early, and Li Jin was reluctant to force his son to practice swordsmanship, which is why he spoiled him and became an incompetent good-for-nothing.

Ever since the Star-Picking Pavilion issued its verdict, saying that he would not live past this winter, Li Jin has felt increasingly powerless.

Under his cover, Li Zhiheng always felt that there was plenty of time, that it was early and that he didn't take the Liyang sword technique to heart, leaving Li Jin with no choice but to comply.

...

In Liyang City.

A horse-drawn carriage departed before curfew, rumbling its way towards Liyang Valley.

The driver was a one-eyed man who looked menacing.

It was precisely because of his appearance that the people in the carriage were able to travel all the way without any bandits daring to rob them.

"Madam, the Suijin Mountain Range is just ahead."

The woman inside the carriage lifted the curtain, gazed at the mountains under the moonlight, and murmured, "Is this where Liyang Valley is located?"

The coachman nodded, and after a while he realized that the woman in the carriage could not be seen. He then explained, "Miss is waiting for you in Liyang Valley. You haven't seen each other for many years, so you must have a lot to talk about."

The woman remained silent, slowly sitting back in the carriage. Her words were muffled by the heavy curtains, and the one-eyed man could not hear her clearly.

"Do you have a lot to say...?"

"I hope so..."

The carriage slowly made its way towards Liyang Valley, but the woman's mind was filled with the image of her young daughter.

Years have passed, and the girl's face is now blurred; she doesn't even know if she can still recognize her daughter.

As the full moon climbed above the treetops, ripples spread across the night sky over Liyang Valley.

Zhou Ziheng, who suffers from a curse; Huo Qin, who is entrusted by someone; Fu Chenyu, who harbors a secret; Li Zhiheng, who is being harassed by Li Jin; and a woman who is recognizing her relatives.

Tonight is destined to be sleepless.

A cool mountain breeze blows away joys and sorrows.

Three days later, the Liyang Conference was held as scheduled at Feitai Danpu.