Grand Discussions and Lofty Theories

Xiao Yun'er heard him mention Mount Shouyang, and thought to himself that his own hometown, Yuling Village, lay at the foot of that very mountain. This was a matter concerning his homeland—what great event could it possibly be? He began to listen more attentively.

Beside him sat a thin, shifty-looking man, who quickly asked, “What great event?”

The burly man took a sip of wine and answered with pride, “It happened just over ten days ago. The greatest hero of the righteous martial world, leader of the Martial Alliance, master of Shadowless Manor, and wielder of the Invisible Sword, Hero Zhao himself, fought a duel atop Cloud-reaching Cliff on Mount Shouyang against the infamous demoness in white, the Blood-robed Fiend.”

He had only gotten this far when the thin man interrupted, “I heard that Old Master Xiao from the Xiao Family Manor, and Long Wei, the master of the Long family in Luoyang, were present as well.”

The burly man replied, “Of course! Hero Zhao is merciful and broad-minded. He had both Master Xiao and Master Long accompany him, hoping to persuade the demoness in white to retreat in the face of overwhelming odds, abolish her martial arts, withdraw from the martial world, and cease her reign of terror. Unexpectedly, the demoness stubbornly refused to repent, her evil nature unchanged, and even tried to ambush Hero Zhao. Enraged, Hero Zhao struck her down from the Cloud-reaching Cliff.”

He told the tale so vividly it was as if he had witnessed it himself.

The thin man, unconvinced, retorted, “My friend, you weren’t even there. How can you be so sure of the outcome of that duel?”

The burly man laughed. “Isn’t it obvious? Hero Zhao is head of the Martial Alliance. His Invisible Sword is unmatched, the number one sword under heaven. Everyone knows that the ‘Book of Masters’ ranks him at the very top. As for the Blood-robed Fiend, she doesn’t even make it onto Lady Baihua’s ‘Catalogue of Famous Flowers.’ She was never a match for Hero Zhao.”

The thin man countered, “That’s not what I heard. I heard it was Long Wei from the Long family who fought an earth-shattering duel with the demoness in white, and in the end, he used his world-renowned Heavenly Dragon Palm to strike her from the cliffs.”

The burly man was surprised. “Impossible! How could Long Wei’s skills surpass those of his father, Old Master Long? Back then, even Old Master Long was wounded by the demoness in white. Are you saying Long Wei is greater than his own father?”

The thin man chuckled. “What’s so strange about that? Haven’t you heard the saying: ‘The student surpasses the master’? The father of the demoness in white, White Eagle, was defeated by Long Wei himself.”

As the two debated, the other patrons of the tavern fell silent, captivated by their tale.

Among them was a youth about Xiao Yu’s age, who exchanged a smile with Xiao Yu, then suddenly interjected, “And what became of the demoness in white? I hear her head is worth tens of thousands of taels of silver.”

Xiao Yun’er, seeing the youth and Xiao Yu exchange a smile, was curious and whispered, “Do you know him?”

Xiao Yu nodded, “Half a month ago, I spoke with him here. He calls himself Lord Carefree, Qu Buping—he’s an odd fellow himself.”

Hearing this, the thin man regretted, “Ah, if only I’d known! I’d have rushed to Mount Shouyang myself. If I’d been lucky enough to run into the demoness in white, I’d have killed her and made a fortune.”

The burly man snorted, “Keep dreaming! If you ever met her, disaster would befall you. Many have coveted the reward on her head and died for it—one more like you, Iron Monkey, is nothing special. Frankly, you’ll only kill the demoness in your next life.”

The thin man, stung by the mockery, retorted, “True, I, Iron Monkey, probably can’t kill the demoness, but you, Fat Ox, aren’t much better. Besides, what if I found her already gravely wounded or dead? Then I’d get rich with no effort at all.”

The youth, Qu Buping, laughed, “Not necessarily. If you’re lugging her corpse and run into someone more skilled than yourself, you might lose your life before you ever see a single tael.”

Fat Ox laughed heartily, “That’s very possible.”

Iron Monkey, angered by their ridicule, snapped, “What, am I so useless? I don’t think either of you is better than me.”

Qu Buping smiled, “Exactly. That’s why I don’t bother dreaming of riches.”

Iron Monkey snorted, “So much for Lord Carefree! Turns out you’re just a coward.”

Qu Buping replied, “It’s not cowardice, just self-awareness. Contentment brings happiness, after all.” Yet few truly understood the fierce ambition burning in his chest.

At this point, Fat Ox continued, “They say this Blood-robed Fiend is extremely beautiful, always dressed in white…”

The others burst into laughter, “Who doesn’t know that? That’s why they call her the demoness in white.”

Fat Ox blushed and added, “It’s said she’s very young and astonishingly beautiful, as lovely as a celestial maiden. Ah! For a goddess to become a demoness—what a pity.”

Qu Buping sighed, “She really is as beautiful as a goddess. If I could marry her, I’d be content to die.”

Fat Ox grinned, “You’re truly fearless when it comes to beauty.”

Listening to their talk of the demoness in white, Xiao Yun’er’s heart stirred. He thought of Xue Hua—his Snow Sister also favored white, and was as beautiful as a celestial being. Could she be the same demoness in white?

It was entirely possible. That day, she had felled a deer with nothing but a small bamboo arrow, and later, with a jade flute, easily killed two of Xiao Tianfeng’s henchmen. Clearly, her origins were extraordinary, and whenever he asked about them, she would not answer. With these thoughts, Xiao Yun’er listened even more intently.

Iron Monkey said, “If I could marry her, I’d cut off her head at night and strike it rich.”

Fat Ox laughed, “Dream on. The demoness in white is bloodthirsty by nature—she’d kill you before you even tried. She’s slain countless people and brought disaster to the martial world. That’s why Hero Zhao pursued her across a thousand miles. Do you really think a woman like that would marry the likes of you? Keep dreaming.”

Xiao Yun’er thought to himself that Snow Sister had always been kind and gentle with him, but then again, she had only been that way because he saved her. When she first awoke, there had been a murderous gleam in her eyes that was truly intimidating.

His curiosity about the demoness in white only grew. He walked over to Qu Buping and asked softly, “Hey, big brother, what happened to this Miss White you were all talking about?”