Ugly Hero - Chapter 5

In this jianghu, heaven was round and earth was square.

Now, it was divided into two sides. With Tianqiong Mountain as the boundary, the southwestern half was occupied by what the righteous path called the “Demon Cult.”

Large stretches of land in the Central Plains martial world were controlled by the orthodox sects, while Tianshan, where Lu Nanzhu lived, was in the northeastern corner. Its climate was cold, few people ever went there, and it remained outside the martial world.

Today was already the twenty-fifth. Lu Nanzhu needed to cross half the jianghu in twenty days to reach Tianqiong Mountain.

This time, the Tianqiong Sword Sect had widely sent out hero invitations, summoning all the heroes under heaven to gather at Tianqiong Mountain and discuss the great cause of demon-slaying.

However, according to what Lu Nanzhu had heard, the situation was not nearly as optimistic as the Tianqiong Sword Sect claimed.

Tianqiong Mountain towered into the clouds and had long been known as the foremost among mountains. There was only one road up the mountain. The Tianqiong Sword Sect was built on this mountain, which was easy to defend and difficult to attack. It possessed the imposing air of one man guarding the pass against ten thousand.

In truth, several years ago, Tianqiong Mountain had not been the dividing line between the Demon Cult and the orthodox martial world. It was only that, over the past few years, the Demon Cult’s momentum had grown tremendously. It had swallowed up many surrounding forces in succession and pushed all the way to the foot of Tianqiong Mountain before this natural barrier halted its advance.

Now, the Demon Cult was already entrenched below Tianqiong Mountain. Yet the Tianqiong Sword Sect still insisted on defining this gathering as a “Demon-Slaying” Assembly. It seemed somewhat like they were forcibly trying to save face.

Lu Nanzhu did not want to interfere in jianghu affairs. However, this was indeed a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. As one of the five great sects, the Tianqiong Sword Sect’s ability to rally others needed no explanation. At that time, all the various sects and schools scattered across the vast lands of the Central Plains would attend. This would save far more time than having her run around everywhere alone to investigate.

Lu Nanzhu arrived inside Mosu City. This place was already within the Central Plains. She still wore that shabby outfit and mask, but in order to hide her identity, she had already wrapped the Canglong Sword in cloth and carried it on her back.

There were still many people who wore masks. A mask alone could not confirm her identity.

Lu Nanzhu had already been traveling for ten days. She prepared to buy a horse and finish the rest of the journey on horseback.

But she had no money. Every time she went to “rob the rich to help the poor,” she took very little. The money she exchanged for those items had all been used to buy daily necessities, which she then distributed to the villagers of Shiyin Village.

Lu Nanzhu reached into her clothes. Inside was a jade hairpin. She had casually taken it the last time she went to Huaxia Manor to find a night pearl for Little Huzi. The jade hairpin was exquisitely made and happened to suit Lu Nanzhu’s taste. She had not been willing to sell it. After all, she had lived for seventeen years and still did not own a single piece of jewelry.

Lu Nanzhu looked at the delicate jade hairpin in her hand and felt reluctant to part with it. But she did not have much dry food left and still needed to buy a horse. She could only pawn it temporarily.

“What a fine hairpin!”

Lu Nanzhu raised her eyes and looked over. At some point, a young woman had appeared five steps away from her. The young woman wore white clothing. There were no ornaments at her waist, and she carried a sword in her hand. On her head was a bamboo hat, and the hanging white veil concealed her face.

Lu Nanzhu judged only from the woman’s figure and voice that she was not very old, probably around the same age as herself.

Behind the woman followed two black-clothed men, each also carrying a weapon.

Lu Nanzhu swept a glance through the small holes in her mask. From their auras, she could tell these three were all experts. Especially the woman leading them. Ever since Lu Nanzhu had mastered Heavenly Demon Art, her five senses had become extremely sharp. Yet before this woman spoke, Lu Nanzhu had not even noticed her presence.

Lu Nanzhu did not answer. She only looked through the small holes in her wooden mask at the young woman before her and thought to herself: This woman’s martial arts are probably not below mine.

Gongsun Qing waited patiently for a moment. Seeing that the other party did not reply, she was not annoyed. Her red lips parted slightly. “Seeing that Young Master carries a weapon on your back, I presume you are also a person of the jianghu. This jade hairpin is a woman’s item. Is Young Master planning to give it to someone?”

Lu Nanzhu shook her head.

Gongsun Qing continued, “Since that is the case, I wonder whether Young Master would be willing to sell this jade hairpin to me?”

As she spoke, Gongsun Qing took out a small silver ingot from her robes. “What does Young Master think of this price?”

Lu Nanzhu looked at the ingot in the woman’s hand. That much money would be enough for all of Shiyin Village to live on for quite some time. But she did not intend to sell the jade hairpin in this manner.

Lu Nanzhu shook her head again, turned, and left. Gongsun Qing watched Lu Nanzhu’s departing back and lifted her hand, stopping the subordinate who wanted to follow.

The man was rather puzzled. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Saintess?”

Gongsun Qing curled the corner of her lips. “You are not his opponent. Do not forget the purpose of our trip this time. Do not ruin matters.”

The man withdrew and respectfully said, “Yes.”

Gongsun Qing watched Lu Nanzhu’s back and followed with her two subordinates.

Although Lu Nanzhu had left, she had not lowered her guard at all. Sensing that the three of them had followed, she frowned. She did not want to provoke unnecessary trouble over this hairpin. Pretending she had not noticed the people behind her, she slowly walked through several streets. At last, she found a pawnshop.

For now, she had no choice but to temporarily part with the hairpin and redeem it later. First, it would solve her urgent need. Second, it would help her shake off trouble.

“Young Master.” The shopkeeper did not neglect Lu Nanzhu because of her shabby clothing. Instead, he received her warmly.

“Shopkeeper, I want to pawn something. A redeemable pawn.”

“May I ask what Young Master wishes to pawn?”

Lu Nanzhu handed the hairpin to the shopkeeper. After receiving it, the shopkeeper examined it for a while. He looked at the hairpin, then looked at Lu Nanzhu, and his face filled with a smile. “May I ask whether Young Master needs this old man to appraise the price, or will you name a price yourself?”

“There is no need for an appraisal. I will redeem this hairpin in the future. I need to buy a horse and replenish some dry food. Shopkeeper, just give me whatever price you think is appropriate.”

“In that case, how about twenty taels?”

Lu Nanzhu nodded. The shopkeeper swiftly issued the pawn ticket, accepted the hairpin, and handed two silver ingots and the pawn ticket to Lu Nanzhu. Warmly, he said, “Young Master, this is your pawn money and pawn ticket. You must keep the ticket safe. Within three years, you may redeem the item with this pawn ticket. If the time limit passes, we will handle it as a forfeited pawn.”

Lu Nanzhu took the silver and left the pawnshop. All of this fell into Gongsun Qing’s eyes.

This time, Gongsun Qing did not continue following Lu Nanzhu. She believed it would not be long before they met again.

But what Lu Nanzhu did not know was that this pawnshop was precisely one of Huaxia Manor’s businesses. The shopkeeper had seen the tiny character “Yi” on the hairpin at a glance. Combined with the hairpin’s special craftsmanship, he already knew who its true owner was.

However, the shopkeeper was smooth and experienced. He did not let the worldly inexperienced Lu Nanzhu notice anything unusual.

As soon as Lu Nanzhu left, he immediately went around to the back, wrote down the entire course of events in detail on paper, took a carrier pigeon, rolled up the paper slip, placed it into the bamboo tube tied to the pigeon’s leg, and released it…

Lu Nanzhu stayed in Mosu City for half a day. She found an inn to stop for a meal, took a bath, ate, and rested for one shichen. Then, after waiting for a fresh steamer of dry rations to finish cooking, Lu Nanzhu bought some. She also went to the southern part of the city and bought a sturdy, well-fed horse with strong hooves for five taels of silver.

From this, it could be seen that the price the shopkeeper had given her was quite fair. The remaining dozen or so taels of silver would not only support her until she reached Tianqiong Mountain, but would even be enough for her return journey.

Lu Nanzhu chose the moment just before the city gates closed to leave Mosu City. She was not afraid of spending the night in the wilderness. Compared to that, she was more afraid of being followed.

For some unknown reason, ever since she saw that white-clothed woman during the day, Lu Nanzhu’s heart had been faintly uneasy. She kept feeling that something would happen, and that woman’s unfathomably deep martial arts had placed great pressure on Lu Nanzhu.

Lu Nanzhu had only recently entered the jianghu and had little experience of the world. She had to be careful in all things.

Fortunately, the road was safe and uneventful. Lu Nanzhu traveled day and night and finally arrived at the foot of Tianqiong Mountain on the fourteenth of that month, the day before the Demon-Slaying Assembly began.

Tianqiong Mountain’s cliffs rose a thousand zhang straight up. Three hundred years ago, the Tianqiong Sword Sect had been founded here. Below Tianqiong Mountain was a small town. It had originally been extremely lively, but recently, with the Demon Cult stirring restlessly, the townspeople had moved north one after another, leaving it much quieter. Now that the Demon-Slaying Assembly was being held, the town had once again recovered its former clamor.

Lu Nanzhu had not received a hero invitation. During such a special period, if she wanted to go up the mountain, she feared she would have to spend some effort.

Lu Nanzhu stood below the mountain and looked upward. The Tianqiong Sword Sect was indeed cautious. They had set up a checkpoint at the foot of the mountain, where four mountain-guarding disciples inspected the hero invitations of those going up. Lu Nanzhu looked upward without leaving a trace and saw that, along the only road up the mountain, every so often there were several disciples guarding the way. She feared it would be very difficult to sneak up!

At the very least, it would not work during the day.

Lu Nanzhu did not intend to give up. She turned and walked toward the back of the mountain. With her skills, she could climb smooth ice walls, so what was Tianqiong Mountain in comparison?

Lu Nanzhu circled around to the back of the mountain. Along the way, her mood sank more and more. The Tianqiong Sword Sect had actually arranged mountain-guarding disciples all around the entire mountain. Around the whole circumference of Tianqiong Mountain, every fifty steps or so, there were several disciples on guard.

With such strict defenses, it was not that Lu Nanzhu did not dare to force her way through. She was only afraid that if she were discovered, especially at such a sensitive time, it would bring too much trouble.

Helpless, Lu Nanzhu could only return to the small town below Tianqiong Mountain and see whether there were any other methods…

Just as Lu Nanzhu was thinking of a plan, she suddenly sensed someone behind her. She abruptly leaped forward, turned in midair, and her hand had already pressed onto the hilt of the Canglong Sword.

When she saw the person behind her, Lu Nanzhu hesitated for a moment. In the end, she landed gracefully without drawing her sword.

Lu Nanzhu did not speak. Her voice did not sound like a man’s, so even while wearing a mask, she rarely spoke, to avoid revealing too many traits.

“Your martial arts are not bad, but your jianghu experience is too shallow. I have already followed you for an entire round, and you only just noticed.”

Lu Nanzhu looked at the white-clothed woman a few steps away. She was still wearing her bamboo hat. It was precisely the person who had wanted to buy Lu Nanzhu’s jade hairpin that day. Unexpectedly, she had also come here.

Lu Nanzhu released the Canglong Sword and looked at the woman without saying a word.

“Do you want to go up the mountain?”

…

Seeing that Lu Nanzhu still remained silent, Gongsun Qing simply walked up to her. Although Lu Nanzhu did not move, her body had already gone on guard.

As if the woman had not noticed, she lowered her voice and said to Lu Nanzhu, “Do you know that when you circled Tianqiong Mountain just now, you already drew their attention? Right now, the Tianqiong Sword Sect is so nervous that every blade of grass looks like an enemy soldier. With such a distinctive outfit, you are very easy to remember.”

“I do not know what your intention is,” Lu Nanzhu said in a lowered voice.

“Nothing much. I have a hero invitation in my hand. One invitation allows four people to go up the mountain. I will bring you along. How about it?”

Author’s Note:

Today’s update is here. Please give me lots of support.

The second female lead has appeared~

The Demon-Slaying Assembly has begun.

That’s right, Jun Moxiao is a transmigrator. But that is the story of Eccentric Hero, so I won’t write too much about it here.

Everyone, guess Gongsun Qing’s identity?