Only the younger generation remained in place.
Song Yuzhi raised his long brows slightly: "Three years ago, when Heroine Cai passed away, my father brought my elder brother to pay respects." His implication was clear—why pretend you've never met Song's father?
Cai Zhao replied solemnly: "When my aunt died, I had recurrent high fevers and was bedridden for over half a month. I missed her funeral procession and didn't see any visiting mourners."
Surprisingly honest, Song Yuzhi pondered before saying: "Heroine Cai once turned the tide and saved the martial world from peril. It's truly regrettable she passed so young."
Cai Zhao said nothing, turning her face away.
Song Maozhi grew impatient: "My father is the Sect Leader of Vast Heaven Gate! How dare you, a mere child, speak so improperly! Who taught you such manners?" He cared not for Cai Pingshu's sacrifices to the martial world.
"My aunt did," Cai Zhao answered. "She raised me from birth and said there are too many rules in this world—that having a conscience matters more than having manners. As long as one has conscience, whether they follow rules is trivial."
Song Maozhi flew into a rage: "Are you saying I lack conscience?!"
Cai Zhao looked startled: "No, no, of course not. I merely think Second Young Master Song lacks manners."
The crowd: "......"
Song Maozhi roared: "What did you say?!"
Cai Zhao pointed to a small stone tablet half-hidden in the grass: "The inscription clearly states 'All guests must dismount and leave vehicles here.' Sect Leader Song already descended from his sedan chair in advance, yet Second Young Master remains mounted."
Song Maozhi choked before bellowing: "My father and Sect Leader Qi are as close as brothers! Such trivial formalities don't matter—"
"My aunt and Sect Leader Qi were sworn siblings too, yet even my parents never presumed upon that status," Cai Zhao cut in.
For generations, the Azure Tower Sect leaders had been magnanimous and informal, so the tablet's rule hadn't been strictly enforced in decades—though Song Maozhi couldn't admit this outright.
"...Sect Leader Qi is broad-minded! He wouldn't fuss over such minor matters!"
"That's not how it works. If Second Young Master enters a shop and the proprietor says 'Your presence honors my humble establishment,' would you take that literally and refuse to pay? My future master is merely being polite. When hosts extend courtesy, guests shouldn't overstep. How can one exploit a gentleman's virtue?" Cai Zhao found Second Young Master Song rather lacking in integrity.
Nearby, Song Yuzhi didn't intervene, merely studying Cai Zhao through slightly narrowed eyes.
The fifteen-year-old girl had lustrous black hair and snow-white skin, radiantly beautiful, yet she affected an absurdly stern and righteous demeanor that was unintentionally comical.
"What business is this of yours?!" Song Maozhi began speaking recklessly.
Cai Zhao concluded Second Young Master Song lacked both decency and wit: "You're confused, Second Young Master. I'll be formally joining the sect in two or three days—my future sect, my future sect rules, my future master. Of course it concerns me."
"So you're not an Azure Tower Sect disciple yet!"
"Now you're talking nonsense. If you saw your betrothed visiting brothels, would you think 'We're not married yet, so it's none of my business'?"
"The engagement is settled, only the ceremony remains—that's completely different!"
"My apprenticeship is equally settled. The elders have corresponded for years with everything arranged. Only the formal ceremony remains—what's the difference?"
"You... you..." Song Maozhi trembled with rage atop his saddle, nearly suffering an apoplectic fit.The ever-inquisitive Cai Han raised an objection with scholarly spirit: "Elder Sister, how can women drink flower wine? I heard Scarface Uncle from the back mountain say only men can visit brothels and drink flower wine."
Cai Zhao affectionately patted his head. "Scarface Uncle from the back mountain is an honest man. When he roamed the Martial World, he only knew how to kill and rob, occasionally slaughtering entire families. But in truth, he's a simple and genuine soul. There are many things in this world he doesn't understand. Actually, when it comes to drinking flower wine, it doesn't matter if you're male, female, neither, or both."
Little Cai Han let out an "Oh," seeming genuinely enlightened.
Simple and genuine...
Genuine...
Simple...
Genuine...
A cold wind swept by, carrying a few leaves as the remaining disciples stood frozen in place: "......"
Song Maozhi's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "Your Cai Family actually harbors such filth, sheltering evildoers who commit atrocities—"
"Second Brother!" Song Yuzhi swiftly cut off his elder brother before he could further embarrass himself. "What Junior Sister Cai meant was 'One Palm Decides the Universe,' the Purple-Scarred Guest Sun Dingzhou. Though he robbed, he only took ill-gotten gains. Though he killed, his victims were always the most heinous of villains."
Cai Zhao continued instructing her younger brother while stroking his head. "Xiao Han, remember this well in the future—if you don't understand the full story, don't be so quick to flare up in anger. You'll only make yourself a laughingstock."
Cai Han obediently nodded, which only further enraged Song Maozhi. Song Yuzhi hurriedly changed the subject.
"The family Junior Sister Cai mentioned, the one that was slaughtered, must be the Qiu Clan of Stone Creek. That incident caused quite a stir back then. The five Qiu brothers and their followers were utterly depraved—raping, pillaging, and tormenting the local populace. To ensure their fortress remained impregnable, they left no women or children alive inside. Any women they abducted for their twisted pleasures never survived beyond two days."
As Song Yuzhi spoke, the surrounding sect disciples listened in solemn silence.
He continued, "At that time, the former Demonic Cult leader was locked in a standoff with our Northern Star Lineage. Neither side dared make a reckless move. If not for Hero Sun risking his life to storm the fortress and eliminate those bandits, the local people would have suffered far longer... Second Brother, you should dismount now."
Song Maozhi, dumbstruck by the tale, unconsciously slid off his saddle.
Song Yuzhi turned his head slightly, his gaze fixed on Cai Zhao. "The Purple-Scarred Guest vanished from the Martial World nearly a decade ago, with none knowing his whereabouts. So he was hiding in Fallen Blossom Valley."
Cai Zhao sighed. "Scarface Uncle killed so many wicked men—naturally, he had countless enemies. When Father brought him back to Fallen Blossom Valley, he was covered in wounds, barely clinging to life. I was only five or six then, always pestering him with idle chatter."
Song Xiuzhi, who had remained silent until now, murmured, "I've often heard people speak of Hero Sun. Never imagined he'd already withdrawn from the Martial World, leaving old friends and comrades to wonder after him."
Cai Zhao replied indifferently, "Once, when Scarface Uncle was drunk, he told me he had no wife or children left, no parents, and no enemies either. As for friends—having them or not made no difference."
—What profound loneliness lay hidden beneath those words.
For once, Song Maozhi didn't argue back. Silently, he handed his jewel-encrusted riding whip to an attendant and stood stiffly to the side without a word. Song Xiuzhi's eyes filled with pity, but he dared not interject.
"If Hero Sun wished to retire from the Martial World and hide in Fallen Blossom Valley, was it right for you to reveal this?" Song Yuzhi took a few steps closer, his handsome eyes as cool and clear as the moonlit sky.
Cai Zhao answered plainly, "It makes no difference now. Two years ago, Scarface Uncle's old wounds flared up again, and he passed away."This is the Martial World. Whether you meet a good end or not has little to do with whether you do good or evil. That's why Cai Zhao had no interest in the Martial World whatsoever.
Song Yuzhi listened expressionlessly while discreetly observing Cai Zhao.
A jade hairpin, a side hair ornament, a crescent-shaped silver comb, half-sleeves, a ruqun dress, translucent silk shawls with long flowing sleeves, and the hem of her gauzy skirt weighed down by a delicate pink jade pendant shaped like... a plump little cat? And it even appeared to be dozing off?
Very good, very good. So this was the junior disciple his master had been eagerly anticipating, the legendary diligent and obedient junior sister—apparently you could only believe half of what elders said.
At this moment, noises came from the cliffside. Zeng Dalou called out loudly, "Brothers and sisters of the Song and Cai families, please prepare to cross the cliff."
At some point, several thick iron chains had been shot across the opposite cliff. Cai Zhao watched as nimble sect disciples leaped and maneuvered across multiple chains, swiftly laying down rectangular black iron plates. Each plate had hidden clasps on its sides and bottom—connecting with adjacent plates on the sides and firmly securing to the chains below to prevent slipping.
With a series of clicking sounds, a smooth suspension bridge appeared before the cliff. Cai Zhao had always wondered—while martial artists could cross via chains, how would carriages manage? Now she knew.
"Earlier when it was just us, only four chains appeared. Now that Sect Leader Song is here, not only do four more appear, but they've even laid down carriage-friendly plates. Father, Mother, does Myriad Waters, Thousand Mountains Cliff look down on Fallen Blossom Valley? Maybe we should just go back," Cai Zhao sincerely attempted to sow discord.
Cai Pingchun and Ning Xiaofeng couldn't even be bothered to respond.
The carriage moved slowly across the bottomless chasm, where beneath lay the traps, mechanisms, and poisonous mists left from the Great War of Demons. None who fell had ever climbed back out.
The wheels pressed against the cold iron plates, producing a spine-chilling screech like nails on steel, making Cai Zhao and her brother scratch their goosebump-covered arms. Ning Xiaofeng grumbled, "We could've just crossed via chains in a few steps, but the Song family just had to put on airs."
Cai Han looked surprised. "Mother, your lightness skill is that good?"
Ning Xiaofeng flushed slightly—a rare sight. "Well, your father would carry me across." She had always been mediocre in martial arts and had no intention of improving.
"My lightness skill isn't great either," Cai Xiaohan sighed with unusual maturity. "Father will have to carry me too."
Cai Zhao scoffed. "You don't have lightness skill? Do you even have any martial arts?"
The bean sprout sighed again. "I know Elder Sister is upset, so I won't argue. But Father, does Elder Sister really have to stay here for three years? Who's going to scare off Ah Hei and Ah Gou when they bully me?"
This made Cai Zhao genuinely melancholic, and she sighed too.
Ning Xiaofeng snapped, "Your father is the master of Fallen Blossom Valley, yet you let children from the valley chase you around! Have you no shame?"
Cai Zhao quickly pulled her little brother into a hug. "This just shows how down-to-earth Xiao Han is—he never acts like the valley master's son, so the children play with him freely. Auntie said Father was just as simple and easygoing as a child, and look how reliable he turned out!""If Xiao Han could have even half your father's qualities, I'd thank the heavens!" Ning Xiaofeng casually praised her husband.
Cai Xiaohan snuggled close to his sister, and Cai Zhao pulled the chubby boy into her arms before saying sorrowfully, "Father, must I really become Sect Leader Qi's disciple? I don't want to be a heroine..."
Ning Xiaofeng cut in: "Who expects you to be a heroine? We're just preventing you from becoming a demoness~~"
Cai Zhao furrowed her delicate brows: "Father, Mother, you saw the town at the foot of the mountain yesterday too. The shopkeepers there put on airs grander than the Martial World Alliance Leader. If you didn't know better, you'd think that perfume shop was a coffin store. Oh wait—no, even the coffin sellers in our Fallen Blossom Valley's town greet customers like they're celebrating a wedding."
Ning Xiaofeng burst out laughing.
Cai Pingchun said helplessly, "...That might not necessarily be a good thing either." A coffin shop owner being all cheerful and smiling at customers was rather horrifying to behold.
Cai Zhao linked arms with her parents: "If the town's like this, life on Nine Conch Mountain must be even more austere. It's nothing like our town where we have everything—from the blind fortune-teller's stall at the town entrance westward, there's pan-fried buns, wontons with thin wrappers, crispy sugar rolls, steamed meat buns, plum vegetable pancakes, crystal shrimp dumpling soup, lamb potstickers, soy-braised pork zongzi, sweet rice soup... I could eat a different breakfast every morning for a month! Even at midnight I can get supper, unlike here..."
Her casual words nearly made Cai Xiaohan drool.
Cai Zhao looked disgusted, "Unlike here, where even if I bravely sneak down the mountain via the Iron Chain, the best I can get is that pockmarked tall guy's bland noodle soup! He doesn't even put scallions in it!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Cai Xiaohan agreed indignantly.
"Wontons without scallions—what an outrageous thing in this world, truly appalling." The young girl's face showed utter disbelief, as if the sun had risen from the west.
Ning Xiaofeng laughed so hard she turned away, while Valley Master Cai sighed helplessly: "Zhao Zhao, think of Scar Uncle from the back mountain. Qingque Town is actually similar. That perfume seller, the noodle stall owner, even the quiet innkeeper where we're staying—they were all once mighty figures who roamed the Martial World. When they reached dead ends, they received Qingque Mansion's kindness. Now they've settled in town, essentially guarding Nine Conch Mountain's gates."
"If they're guarding, why do business? Every trade has its ways—poaching isn't good." Cai Zhao sighed like an adult. "Of course, I know the Martial World is tough. Aunt said many great heroes are glorious in their youth, but when they're injured, disabled, aged, or fallen, their twilight years become miserable. Truly, since ancient times heroes are like beauties—neither are permitted white hair."
Ning Xiaofeng shook with laughter.
Just then, sect disciples outside the carriage shouted 'We've arrived.' The Cai family of four hurried out, finding their carriage had moved from iron plates to stone pavement. Cai Zhao adjusted her hair and smoothed her skirt, carrying herself with proper young lady decorum, then looked up...
This glance left her utterly stunned, mouth agape for a long while, unaware that her parents and brother had already walked far ahead.
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