WJ Chapter 29

Beating the Drums (1)

Beat the drums, their clang resounding,

Leap forth, take up arms.

To Tuguo’s city of Cao I go,

Alone, I march southward.

——

Another small city along the way.

Being a small city, the walls were naturally not high, and the common folk naturally not many. However, these past few days had brought more travelers than usual, lending it a bustling air. The bluestone-paved roads in the city were narrow and long, and after years of wind and rain, foot traffic treading upon them, they had become pitted and uneven.

It was from one end of this long bluestone street that two peculiar men approached.

Both were burly men of imposing stature, like two iron towers, resembling evil generals under the King of Hell, drawing frequent sideways glances from passersby.

The one walking on the right had thick eyebrows and large eyes, a full beard covering his cheeks, wearing a bearskin cloak. The one on the left was bald with a face full of fierce flesh, dressed in common cloth but with his left arm bared—a thoroughly menacing appearance.

What was even more astonishing were the weapons these two carried. The bearded man had two heavy hammers strapped to his back, while the bald man carried two giant axes. Judging by the weight of those weapons, ordinary people would struggle even to lift them, yet these two door-god-like strongmen carried them as if they were nothing, sufficient proof of their tremendous strength—not an exaggeration to call it heaven-born divine power.

At one end of the street stood a small teahouse.

Inside the teahouse sat two customers who were also different from the crowd. However, their distinctiveness took a completely opposite direction from that of the approaching strongmen.

“Young Master, have you noticed… something’s been off these past few days?”

Guan Wujue’s seat was by the window, with bright lighting. He lowered his head and gently blew on his tea, causing ripples of light to dance across the cup.

In truth, the Protector privately preferred wine, but Yun Changliu firmly refused to touch the stuff. Though the Sect Leader didn’t mind keeping him company, he really couldn’t bear to drink merrily while the Sect Leader sat motionless across from him…

Five or six days had passed since that night at the inn. The two had traveled at varying speeds. Without realizing it, they had traveled far from the Zhuyin Sect, and now the journey to Wanci Manor was almost complete—perhaps only another day or two away.

“Yes.” On the other side, Yun Changliu nodded slightly, paused in thought, and uttered a word. “Too many.”

The statement seemed disconnected, but Guan Wujue understood.

——There were too many jianghu travelers along this route, so many it had reached an abnormal degree.

Those martial artists who made their living in the jianghu were actually not difficult to identify.

First were those who carried ornately decorated weapons, revealed in their bearing a slight arrogance that distinguished them from common folk, and were quick to draw swords at every turn, as if constantly showing off their martial prowess.

This type was easiest to identify, yet their martial skills were often merely an empty show. They could only intimidate ordinary people; facing true masters, they wouldn’t last even one exchange.

The second type, though more restrained in their behavior, had vibrant spirits and energy, with an underlying killing intent in their aura. Ordinary people probably couldn’t detect it, but experts could tell at a glance. They were martial artists with respectable internal and external cultivation, most likely pillars of some major power, or wanderers with some small reputation in the jianghu. These two strongmen belonged to this category.

As for the next level up, the third type were not so easy to recognize. Not only had their internal power and mental discipline both been cultivated to the point where they could conceal their edge, but the weapons they favored were diverse—some didn’t even carry weapons at all. Casually plucking flowers or leaves, breaking branches or hurling stones, they could take lives.

For instance, Sect Leader Yun Changliu, who was always particular—he was one who disliked carrying weapons. The Dragon-Chasing Whip had been brought out and worn for only two days before he couldn’t stand it anymore and halfway through tossed it to the Protector to stuff in their baggage. Now dressed entirely in white, unstained by a speck of dust, he looked only like a refined and noble young master—where was there even half a trace of the Zhuyin Sect Leader’s bearing?

As for the fourth type of monster, they had long reached the realm of returning to simplicity, absolutely beyond what ordinary people could fathom regarding their true strength. These masters might rarely appear, but when they did, it was earth-shaking. With nothing better to do, if they stomped their feet, the entire martial world would tremble.

…That’s right, the one who lazily lounged every day in the pitch-dark Yanyun Palace, playing the qin so miserably it sounded like ghosts wailing—Old Sect Leader Yun Guyan—was precisely such an old monster.

And along their journey, Yun Changliu and Guan Wujue had encountered martial artists mainly of the second type—they’d run into five or six groups already. Mixed in were also a few of the third type, whom they’d encountered perhaps twice.

This was not a normal phenomenon.

Guan Wujue drank his tea in one gulp.

He set down the cup, then simply moved to sit beside Yun Changliu, leaning close to the Sect Leader’s ear to whisper, “Yes, and if you listen to their accents, they’re from all over, yet all heading in the same direction. Someone must have sent invitations throughout the jianghu…”

Yun Changliu felt his ear tickle and couldn’t help letting his mind wander for a moment. He casually hummed in acknowledgment, reaching for the teapot on the table to fill Guan Wujue’s empty cup.

Hearing the sound of clear tea pouring into the cup, the Sect Leader suddenly realized the problem.

He pushed the teacup toward the Protector, his brow furrowing slightly. “…Could it be such a coincidence?”

“Many thanks, Young Master, Wujue is overwhelmed,” the Protector smiled, holding the cup with both hands as he said in a low voice, “You thought of it too? Perhaps it is such a coincidence. In this region, if we’re talking about forces capable of widely summoning jianghu travelers from across the land, there’s only…”

The two exchanged glances, the same answer surfacing in their minds——

Wanci Manor!

Guan Wujue couldn’t help but sigh. “Arriving early is not as good as arriving at just the right time…”

Yun Changliu knew his Protector’s nature well. Seeing him like this, he guessed the man was scheming again. The Sect Leader smiled almost imperceptibly, his voice low and mellow. “What do you intend to do?”

The Protector curved his finger and tapped twice on the table, declaring righteously, “With such a heaven-sent opportunity, naturally we must go take a look.”

Though he’d already guessed the answer would be roughly this, Yun Changliu still couldn’t help shaking his head helplessly.

Arriving uninvited already broke the jianghu’s unwritten rules, not to mention Guan Wujue was even plotting against them.

“Come to think of it, I forgot to ask you.”

Yun Changliu also raised his cup and took an elegant sip. “…What medicine are you actually looking for at Wanci Manor this time?”

Guan Wujue: “……”

The Four Directions Protector was momentarily at a loss for words, only managing a bitter smile after a long pause. “Young Master, why are you only thinking to ask this now… Also, you’re using Wujue’s cup.”

Yun Changliu said coolly, “Forgot. Took the wrong one.”

Guan Wujue’s mouth twitched. “…Wen Feng tattled on you? If you want to hold someone accountable, you’ll have to find Right Envoy Hua…”

The Sect Leader was definitely doing this on purpose… But why did this tit-for-tat method feel somewhat inappropriate?

The Protector turned his head to glance out the window. Those two fierce and menacing burly strongmen had already reached the entrance. The two seemed to be close friends, chatting and laughing together, occasionally breaking into hearty laughter.

Guan Wujue stared at the two strongmen and slowly stood up, saying to Yun Changliu, “What medicine it is, Wujue will explain to you carefully in a moment. Right now, please wait here briefly, Young Master.”

Yun Changliu asked, “What are you scheming now?”

“Right now we don’t know what Wanci Manor has summoned these people for. If we just mix in like this, if we say one wrong thing, our cover will be blown… We must first gather intelligence before acting.”

The Protector revealed a mysterious smile, tilting his head to wink at the Sect Leader with one eye. “…Watch closely.”

He saw the Four Directions Protector remove the left sword Pixing, leaving only the right sword Daiyue fastened at his waist. As for that ink-plum red robe that had become the signature of the Zhuyin Sect’s Four Directions Protector—he’d stopped wearing it two days ago.

Looking at him now, he was simply a young and carefree swordsman in red. Guan Wujue smiled at the Sect Leader once more and pushed open the teahouse door to go out.

“Pardon me, elder brothers.”

The two strongmen walking ahead turned around at the sound, only to see a stunningly handsome red-clothed youth of extraordinary bearing walking toward them with a smile, clasping his fists in salute. “This younger brother noticed you two elder brothers looked very familiar. Might you not be old friends from the northern frontier? Are you two also going to accept the invitation?”

The two strongmen exchanged surprised glances. The bearded man with the hammers broke into hearty laughter, his voice rough as a great bell, making people’s eardrums ache. “Indeed! This young brother actually saw us two brothers back in our hometown?”

“We brothers are the Tiger and Leopard of the North,” and upon mentioning this title, the bearded man puffed out his chest with overwhelming pride, patting it loudly, then pointing at the bald man, “I’m ‘Hammer-Frightens-Tigers’ Hong Kuo, and my brother here is ‘Axe-Slays-Leopards’ Chen Tang! Back in the day in our northern homeland, we acted as chivalrous heroes—you must have crossed paths with us then, young brother.”

——To be honest, someone of Protector Guan’s status could not possibly have heard of titles like “Hammer-Frightens-Tigers” or “Axe-Slays-Leopards”… titles that were, upon hearing them, rather indescribable. That line about “old friends from the northern frontier” was naturally just a guess based on their accents.

But he was able to instantly assume an expression of delighted recognition, and did so flawlessly.

Guan Wujue stepped forward and rather boldly patted the two on the shoulders. “Ah yes, it truly is you two heroes! Back then, this younger brother admired your heroic bearing. Now to meet again—truly this is fate! Meeting old friends in a foreign land is one of life’s great joys.”

The two strongmen were clearly the straightforward, simple-minded type. How could they possibly match wits with the Zhuyin Sect’s Four Directions Protector? Flattered by such enthusiastic praise, they were pleased, yet couldn’t actually remember this handsome young brother in red, which made them feel rather embarrassed.

The bald axe-wielder scratched his head and asked, “Cough, we brothers, well… we have poor memories and don’t recall young brother’s esteemed surname? To receive an invitation from Wanci Manor, your kung fu must be quite impressive indeed.”

“My humble surname is Yun,” Guan Wujue smiled leisurely. “Speaking shamefully, I’ve only learned some superficial fancy moves. How would I dare accept praise from you two heroes?”

With just a few exchanges like this, they quickly became familiar, addressing each other as brothers. Guan Wujue naturally steered the conversation toward what he wanted to find out, deliberately speaking vaguely, “This world truly is full of wonders. Speaking of Wanci Manor, it’s the foremost of the great martial family clans. This time it really is…”

“Ha, isn’t that so!” Hammer-Frightens-Tigers slapped his thigh, filled with righteous indignation. “Tell me, with Wanci Manor’s great reputation, how could the Manor Lord’s son have been missing for eighteen years with no word whether he’s dead or alive!?”

——So it was about this!

From the looks of it, the Great Manor Lord of Wanci Manor, Duanmu Nanting, head of the Duanmu family, was planning to seek help from these jianghu people to find his child?

Guan Wujue remained composed and continued fishing for information. “To lose and then find again after so long is truly not easy. No wonder Manor Lord Duanmu has gone to such lengths, hosting heroes from across the land.”

Hammer-Frightens-Tigers sighed. “Indeed. If not for that righteous mysterious master who provided guidance, Manor Lord Duanmu would still believe Young Master Duanmu had died by accident.”

Fine, now there was a mysterious master involved…

Guan Wujue stroked his chin. “This younger brother also always thought so, never imagining there was more to the story.”

Axe-Slays-Leopards snorted angrily. “That previous generation’s Zhuyin Sect Leader Yun Guyan is truly no good person! To not even spare a six-year-old child! I heard he cultivates evil arts, specifically eating children’s hearts and livers, sucking children’s bone marrow!”

“Exactly,” Hammer-Frightens-Tigers nodded. “That Young Master Duanmu could escape those demonic clutches shows heaven protects the virtuous… Ah, speaking of that old demon Yun Guyan, in his day he was a renowned hero of his generation. Now he’s fallen to such depths…”

“…Cough,” the incognito Four Directions Protector of the Zhuyin Sect maintained his smile, working hard to steer the conversation away from the Old Sect Leader. “I truly wonder who this master is, to have even ferreted out the Zhuyin Sect’s secrets?”

Unfortunately, this time both strongmen shook their heads and sighed. It seemed the invitation sent out by Wanci Manor hadn’t mentioned more specific details.

Guan Wujue probed a few more times and discovered that regarding the specifics of how Duanmu Nanting’s child had met with misfortune back then, and how Yun Guyan had abducted the child, Wanci Manor had not clarified.

However, he did find out the exact location where the banquet would be held. About eight or nine li from Wanci Manor, in a peach blossom garden elegantly named “Fusheng Huan.”

(TL: 浮生歡 (Fúshēng Huān) literally means “Joy of Fleeting Life” or “Pleasures of a Transient Life.”)

At this point, Axe-Slays-Leopards Chen Tang had casually slung his bare arm over Guan Wujue’s shoulder. “Brother Yun, why not come along with us two brothers?”

If he went with them, that would be disastrous—Sect Leader Yun was still waiting in the teahouse. Guan Wujue hastily declined, “No, no, this younger brother still has a companion. We agreed to wait for him here—how could I break my word?”

Since “Brother Yun” put it that way, the Tiger and Leopard naturally didn’t insist further, only parting rather reluctantly. Protector Guan, now in full possession of the information, smiled as he watched the two burly figures depart. Turning around, he pushed open the teahouse door and immediately met Sect Leader Yun’s gaze, cold as frost and snow.

“Did the Sect Leader hear?” The Four Directions Protector walked back and sat in his previous spot, smiling with some self-satisfaction. “What do you think?”

Yun Changliu drank the last mouthful of tea and set down the cup heavily, his face expressionless. “Arm over shoulder, behaving improperly—what kind of conduct is that?”