The thunderstorm on the day of Yiyou and Jiashen startled all, yet the clearing skies for Grain in Ear brought joy. (Originally wanted to write more, but upon reflection, decided against it—must maintain the tone!)
...
"So this is Heaven Revelation City." A man carrying a long sword removed his wind cap, looking up at the grand plaque with a hint of arrogance in his expression. "Seems rather unimpressive."
"Those in the martial world claim Sky Realm Experts are rare in this world, yet in this city alone, there are dozens of renowned ones—not to mention those lying low in various mansions, never revealing their true strength," said another swordsman dressed similarly but appearing far more refined, walking beside him with a quiet tone.
"Oh? So you're saying my skills aren't worth mentioning?" The man in front casually glanced at his companion.
"For people like us, the less noticeable we are before drawing our swords, the more impressive we seem," the man behind replied.
"Our philosophies differ. I seek fame across the land, while you prefer to remain a silent ghost. I wonder what our family head was thinking, always pairing us together for missions," the front man sighed, shaking his head.
"Precisely because we differ that we're paired together. Had you been assigned a partner as reckless as you—one who leaves names and boasts after every kill—you'd have died long ago," the leisurely trailing man chuckled.
Chatting as they strolled, the two wandered seemingly aimlessly through Heaven Revelation City for over an hour before arriving at an exquisitely decorated inn.
Its name: Rising Phoenix Tidecall.
"Not bad." The man in front nodded approvingly before stepping inside, heading straight to the second floor. The leftmost room's door was open, and as they entered, it closed behind them.
A man in Daoist robes, carrying a Peach Wood Sword and sporting a thin beard, sat on a wooden chair inside. Seeing them enter, he smiled. "Su Zhetian, Su Changfeng."
Su Zhetian strode forward and sat directly across from the Daoist. "Mu Qingyang? Why you? Where’s our family head?"
Mu Qingyang shrugged. "Your family head? The Shadow Sect has him locked up."
"Our family head’s strength is unmatched. How could the Shadow Sect imprison him?" Su Changfeng stepped forward, frowning slightly.
"This is Heaven Revelation City—their territory," Mu Qingyang replied with a faint smile.
"When do we rescue him? When do we act? Who captured him? I’ll kill them first!" Su Zhetian growled.
"Patience. Once everyone’s gathered, you’ll have your chance to fight. Wait here for my orders." Mu Qingyang stood. "Feel free to explore the city these next few days, but don’t expose your identities."
"Ridiculous," Su Zhetian snorted.
"As you command, Family Head Mu." Su Changfeng clasped his fists and bowed.
"What an odd pairing," Mu Qingyang mused before turning to leave. Half an hour later, he appeared in another inn.
Inside, a woman wrapped tightly in layers, wearing silver-threaded gloves, sat reading a book, while another woman in violet robes, breathtakingly beautiful, reclined on a long chair, dozing lightly.
When Mu Qingyang entered, the violet-robed woman slightly opened her eyes and glanced at him. "You're here."Mu Qingyang took a sharp breath, his eyes lingering on the purple-robed woman's slender legs before he quickly shielded his eyes with a hand. "Infinite Heavenly Lord!"
"Hey, hey, hey! You're the family head now!" The woman wearing silver-threaded gloves lightly tapped the table.
"Ahem." Mu Qingyang cleared his throat and smiled. "Mu Xuewei, Mu Yumo, it's been a while."
"Where's Brother Yu? Why isn't he here?" Mu Xuewei glanced behind Mu Qingyang but saw no one else.
Mu Yumo yawned. "Yeah. Where's Brother Yu?"
Mu Qingyang scratched his head. "Why is it that when I meet the Su Family, they ask why Su Muyu isn't here, and when I meet our own people, they also ask why Su Muyu isn't here..."
"So why isn't he here?" Mu Xuewei pressed.
"Because he's been captured and is now locked up in the Shadow Sect's prison..." Mu Qingyang said helplessly.
"What?" Mu Xuewei stood up abruptly. "Where is the Shadow Sect?"
Mu Qingyang massaged his forehead. "If it were me who got captured, what would you do?"
"Plan carefully," Mu Xuewei replied.
"And now that it's Su Muyu, what then?" Mu Qingyang asked again.
This time, it was Mu Yumo who answered. "No time to waste."
"I'm crying." Mu Qingyang wiped his eyes dramatically.
Mu Xuewei felt a bit embarrassed and quickly added, "That's not what I meant."
"I was faking it." Mu Qingyang lowered his hand, his expression calm. "Su Muyu is in no immediate danger in the Shadow Prison. I didn't come here today to assign you any tasks—I just wanted to confirm if the people sent by each family have arrived. Since this is your first time in Heaven Revelation City, feel free to explore, but don't draw too much attention."
"Understood." Mu Yumo and Mu Xuewei exchanged a glance and responded in unison.
Before leaving, Mu Qingyang looked at Mu Yumo again and sighed, shaking his head. "If you go out, remember to wear a veil. Otherwise... your identity might be exposed very quickly..."
"Got it." Mu Yumo smiled.
Mu Qingyang left the inn and, after taking a long detour, entered a teahouse. Inside, a storyteller was enthusiastically recounting the great achievements of the founding emperor, Xiao Yi, his words flying like spit, the applause thunderous. Mu Qingyang weaved through the noisy crowd, dodging left and right, until he reached the private booth at the very back. Under the watchful eyes of two burly men with fierce gazes, he lifted the curtain and stepped inside.
"Bravo!" Just then, the burly middle-aged man sitting at the front, caught up in the excitement, stood up and roared in approval.
Mu Qingyang jumped in surprise and said helplessly, "Uncle Seven..."
The burly middle-aged man turned around and looked at Mu Qingyang. "Ah, Qingyang, you're here."
Mu Qingyang glanced at the man, then at the room full of robust and fierce young men, feeling as if the murderous aura in the room was about to blow the teahouse's roof off. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Uncle Seven, did you bring the entire Xie Family here?"
The burly middle-aged man was none other than Xie Qidao, head of the Xie Family. He chuckled and patted Mu Qingyang on the shoulder. "Well, we're in the imperial capital. Men like us might only get one chance in our lifetime to bring our brothers here to broaden their horizons."
Mu Qingyang's back was drenched in sweat. He forced a bitter smile. "This might not be appropriate...""Don't worry. I've borrowed someone else's identity. Now we're from the Five Tigers Mountain Severing Sect, entering Tianqi to attend the Martial Gathering. No one will doubt our identities." Xie Qidao saw through Mu Qingyang's concerns and reassured him.
OpenNovel