Chapter 321: Xiao Yue and the Demon Master, Descending Zhongnan Mountain! (Combined!)

Zhongnan Mountain was originally part of Yu Province in Daqing.

Seven years ago, Grand Tutor Xie Chunan submitted a memorial proposing to annex it into Yan Province; the court erupted in outrage, and many heads were lost before the proposal was halted.

Empress Dowager Zhou Jinyu, holding the ten-year-old Son of Heaven, approved the matter.

Yu Province!

Its mountains towered high, its plains scarce, its people mostly hunters who lived off mountain taxes; among Daqing's provinces, it was long known for its poverty and backwardness.

After the Prince of Yan took to cultivating on Zhongnan, Yu Province established three military garrisons to guard it.

The annual expenditure of the eighty-thousand-strong Yanbei Army was substantial; during peacetime, Yanbei Army also implemented the equal-field and militia systems alongside Qianyuan, and soldiers settled locally, married, and raised children.

With population influx, roads widened, cities expanded, and Yu Province—once reliant solely on its mountains—gained new vitality.

Every year at year's end and start of the new year, pilgrims from Yan Province flooded Zhongnan Mountain in endless streams; the towns at its base glowed bright as day, inns were fully booked, and prices soared to astronomical levels!

All the silver and gold these pilgrims spent on food, clothing, and necessities became Yu Province's wealth.

Over these ten years!

The lives of Yu Province's people began to flourish, and their reverence for Zhongnan Mountain—perpetually wreathed in incense—grew ever deeper.

Zhongnan Mountain had once been merely an obscure, unremarkable peak.

A mountain need not be tall to be sacred—if immortals dwell there.

The endless mountains of Yu Province sloped down to Yue Tang River!

Yuejiang City was built along the river, strategically positioned at a north-south crossroads, blessed with convenient water transport, and connected in all directions; over the past decade, it drew countless merchants traveling far and wide.

Formerly famed performers and actors now took to its stages; theaters, song halls, brothels, and taverns all took root here.

Each year, wealthy pilgrims from the north came to Zhongnan, spending thousands of taels with reckless abandon—as if their chests of silver and gold had been washed ashore by the great waters of Yue Tang River.

Among outsiders, such spendthrift patrons were called "tycoons."

Yan Province's tycoons made brothels and taverns wildly profitable, filling rooms with gold and silver, their doors overflowing with wealth.

Those who arrived early had grown rich beyond measure; actors and entertainers now held their heads high, looking down on their counterparts in the imperial capital.

In every trade, there are hierarchies, ranks, and mutual disdain.

In Yuejiang City, if one spoke of the most famous restaurant, none could rival "Feng Kelai."

Once an ordinary tavern tucked in a quiet alley, it skyrocketed in fame two years ago after the Lipstick List was published.

The Lipstick List, issued annually, selects the ten most beautiful women in the realm; the top-ranked is hailed as "Beauty Supreme," and any woman named on it is famed across the Jianghu, stunning enough to topple nations.

The owner of Feng Kelai was on the list!

A beauty known throughout the world!

Instantly, the threshold of Feng Kelai was worn thin, guests from all directions jostled and scrambled just to catch a glimpse of the owner's face.

Only esteemed guests were granted an audience—she remained elusive, shrouded in mystery.

Today, however, was different.

In the most elegant, most spacious private room atop Feng Kelai,

the owner was attentively accompanying two guests.

To the left of the room, a carved bamboo window was gently pushed open; the river breeze brushed their faces, cool and soothing.

Outside the window!

The full panorama of Yuejiang City lay before them: ships plied the river without cease, the city buzzed with life, streets teemed with voices, shops displayed endless wares, bridges and alleys thronged with carriages and horses.

"Yuejiang City seems even better than the capital."

The speaker was a robust young man, leaning against the window, slowly chewing on a plate of peanuts.

The robust youth wore a blue brocade robe and a tiger-skin hat; his features were well-proportioned, his complexion ruddy, his eyes bright with the vigor of youth.

"Too many people aren't good—it's noisy!"

The reply came from a middle-aged scholar, his voice steady and magnetic, his temples streaked with gray, his eyes lined with time's marks, yet his elegance and mature charm unmistakable.

If Ma Bao, resurrected from death, were here, he would recognize both men.

The youth was Xie Mu.

The middle-aged scholar was Huang Dao, the Demon Master who once slew a dragon on Zhongnan Mountain.

Xie Mu's changes over the years were obvious: his blood and qi were full, his breath deep and prolonged—he had made great strides on the martial path and entered the Grand Master realm.

Huang Dao, however, seemed unchanged; yet upon closer inspection, one could sense his demeanor had grown more relaxed, his aura completely suppressed, as if he had merged entirely with his surroundings, appearing no different from an ordinary man.

The realm of returning to simplicity!

The woman standing silently beside Huang Dao was none other than the owner of Feng Kelai, the beauty from the Lipstick List.

She was in her early twenties, her figure supple as a willow in the wind, yet burdened with lush curves, radiating a mature, alluring charm.

Dressed in plain robes, her skin glowed like jade, luminous as a new moon's halo.

Her eyes were clear as water; with every glance, she exuded a refined, noble grace that made one instinctively bow in awe, feel ashamed, and dare not entertain even the faintest impure thought.

Xie Mu turned from the window, stealing another look at her, silently marveling—this woman was truly beautiful.

The moment he entered, he had mistaken her for a white jade Guanyin descending from a Buddhist hall.

Huang Dao, seeing this, chuckled:

"So, taken? If you like her, shall I have her become your wife?"

Xie Mu quickly waved his hand; though he naturally admired beauty, his youth spent among brothels, years of martial training and wandering, had taught him to see worldly affairs clearly.

A woman is best admired from afar!

His gaze lingered a moment longer on the woman's slender waist, then dropped to where it flared dramatically.

That crevice!

She was still a virgin.

Xie Mu shook his head—some women were simply not meant to be touched.

This beauty from the Lipstick List, this saintly woman as pure as a bodhisattva, was in secret the current leader of the Saint Lotus Sect, one of the three supreme sects of the Demon Path.

The Saint Lotus Sect had disciples scattered across the four seas, numbering in the hundreds of thousands—from commoners to royal nobles.

Its doctrine taught that anyone with sincere devotion, following the Saint Lotus's guidance, would transcend reincarnation after death, be summoned to the legendary Saint Lotus World, become a citizen of the Holy Kingdom, and enjoy eternal peace, free from suffering and calamity.

Among the three Demon Path sects, it had the largest following, predominantly female.

And this woman was extraordinary—she had reached the pinnacle of the Grand Master realm.

She had also perfected the "Saint Lotus Deliverance" from the Heavenly Demon Codex to its legendary highest level: "Guidance." Her power was unfathomable, ranked 140th on the Jingzhe List.

To lead a sect within the Demon Path, her methods and cunning must be terrifying indeed.

Such a woman was more fearsome than a venomous serpent.

Xie Mu had not yet entered the Jingzhe List, but legends of him already spread through the Jianghu.

The Demon Master always traveled with a man at his side.

The Jianghu speculated he was the Demon Master's disciple.

Only the Demon Path knew the truth: this Demon Master cultivated the Path of Emotionlessness—how could he possibly have a disciple?

Xie Mu possessed exquisite Demon Path martial arts, but he disliked fighting; he only learned them for the sake of easier escape later.

Over these ten years, Xie Mu had come to terms with it all!

Following Huang Dao meant constant fear, but otherwise, he was treated as an honored guest wherever they went.

Riding on another's prestige!

Xie Mu watched Huang Dao's untouched bowl of plain spring noodles, the table laden with delicacies, none touched.

He had lived with Huang Dao for over a decade and knew his habits well.

Huang Dao had eaten only vegetarian noodles for ten years.

Like a revered monk—yet Xie Mu knew this man killed without flinching, as casually as stepping on ants.

He asked: "Is it really that good?"

Huang Dao smiled:

"Why not try a bowl?"

The woman's beautiful eyes turned to Xie Mu and Huang Dao, thoughtful.

Their relationship didn't seem like master and disciple.

Seeing the woman wasn't eating, Xie Mu began eating on his own.

He suddenly remembered why they were here.

"Do you think he'll come?"

He looked up at the stunning woman again.

That man was the infamous "Color Demon"—any woman he desired, he abducted and took to Great Snow Mountain.

He didn't believe such a beauty on the Lipstick List would escape his notice.

Huang Dao gazed out the window, calmly:

"Don't worry. My mere presence here, with my aura released, will draw him here without fail."

The man was none other than the Lord of Great Snow Mountain, the XIAO YUE Young Master, long famed in the Jianghu.

Ranked among the top ten on the Jingzhe List, he was one of the five acknowledged supreme masters of the realm.

After finishing, Huang Dao sat quietly in his chair, breathing steady as a man dozing.

Xie Mu, with his shallow cultivation, could not sense it.

To the woman's perception, Huang Dao had vanished entirely—the chair sat empty.

Such cultivation had reached unfathomable depths, rivaling even the ancient Demon Path patriarchs of history.

More astonishing still: Huang Dao cultivated the "Great Dharma of the Dao Heart Sowing Demon," a notoriously strange demonic art—but in his hands, it had mutated into something even stranger and bloodier, capable of absorbing others' cultivation and essence, a power far exceeding the original art's limits.

After Xie Mu had eaten his fill, the dishes were cleared away and two teapots were brought out.

Xie Mu slumped back in his chair, eyes glazed, staring at the ceiling.

The woman remained silently standing behind Huang Dao, not daring to slacken.

Half an hour passed!

Huang Dao opened his eyes, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

"He's here!"

Upon hearing this, the woman's nerves instantly tightened—another guest had arrived today, and she knew exactly who it was.

The Xiao Yue Young Master!

Xie Mu also perked up at once, eyes fixed on the door and window of the private room—only two entrances existed.

No trace of him!

He scanned the room again—where had the man come from?

The small private room held only the three of them.

Yet Huang Dao smiled and said:

"Young Master Xiao Yue, since you've come, please take a seat."

No sooner had the words left his mouth!

The woman felt a warm breath brush past her ear, and her heart leapt in surprise.

When she regained her composure, a white-clad man had already taken a seat at the table, appearing as silently as a ghost.

Xie Mu's eyes widened—he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

The door had been shut tight; though the window was open, this floor stood over ten zhang high, and he had been watching it constantly, yet noticed not the slightest movement.

How had the Xiao Yue Young Master appeared in the room without a sound?

His lightness skill was truly terrifying!

Treading snow without leaving prints, a white crane soaring through heaven.

But Xie Mu was even more stunned by his appearance.

This man looked nothing like the rumors described.

The woman also turned to look curiously at this mysterious figure of the martial world—the Xiao Yue Young Master.

He was merely a thin, middle-aged man with an ordinary face.

Dressed in a white robe embroidered with golden thread depicting a hundred birds, a white jade belt at his waist, holding a carved ivory fan, his features were plain, his cheeks slightly sunken, a faint red patch on his lip, his narrow eyes radiating a subtle air of condescension.

This was the Xiao Yue Young Master!

Xie Mu stared wide-eyed—the Xiao Yue Young Master, famed in the martial world as a peerless beauty, a celestial being descended from heaven.

And this was what he looked like!

The rumors of the martial world could not be trusted.

Xiao Yue carefully studied the woman, then smiled.

"To make the Rouge List and be named 'White Jade Guanyin'—you truly are a beauty beyond compare!"

At this, the woman instinctively moved closer to the Demon Master.

Compared to the cold-hearted Demon Master, this Xiao Yue—who had hundreds of concubines and was obsessed with women—was far more terrifying to her.

Xiao Yue idly unfurled his folding fan, upon which was painted a pair of mandarin ducks playing in water, and chuckled:

"I've come today for serious business—I'm afraid I cannot fulfill your wishes, young lady."

As he spoke,

the red patch on Xiao Yue's lip seemed to deepen in color.

Seeing this, Xie Mu could only sigh inwardly—how could this man's appearance make women fall madly in love with him?

He truly believed himself a celestial being, beloved by women—more likely he simply kidnapped them by force!

A flower-plucking bandit!

Xiao Yue seemed to sense Xie Mu's thoughts, turned his face toward him, and smiled:

"Young friend, are you also planning to visit Great Snow Mountain for ultimate pleasure?"

"My several ladies are quite skilled at pleasing others."

Xie Mu's blood ran cold.

He suddenly recalled another rumor from the martial world: Xiao Yue invited men to Great Snow Mountain.

Among them were examination candidates, pig butchers, street beggars—every kind imaginable.

After being brought up the mountain, these men were made to impersonate "Young Master Xiao Yue" by his hundreds of concubines.

They were made to experience the illusory ecstasy of being "Young Master Xiao Yue"—power, lust, all of it.

But when they were later returned to their original identities after drowning in delirium, many could not bear the crushing contrast and either committed suicide or went mad.

Xie Mu felt a twinge of fear—this man was a Grand Master of Martial Dao, on the same level as Huang Dao, capable of snapping his neck at will.

Huang Dao spoke up calmly: "Young Master Xiao Yue, why bother with a mere youth?"

Xiao Yue closed his fan, turned his gaze away, and stopped staring at Xie Mu.

"Did the Demon Master summon me this time, hoping to plant the Demon Seed in my heart again?"

Huang Dao's eyes narrowed slightly: "I did not seek you out this time."

"Didn't you seek me out?"

Xiao Yue laughed upon hearing this.

"Could it be the Demon Master came for the same reason?"

"I've heard you were defeated by this man twice—do you still have the nerve to show up?"

Behind him, the woman seemed to understand at last.

Twice the Demon Master fled in disgrace—there was only one man in the martial world who could do that.

Lu Yu of the Three Truth Sect!

The Demon Master's wound was exposed, yet his face showed no anger—he spoke gravely:

"Precisely because I know how strong he is, I dared not act rashly—I chose to ally with Young Master Xiao Yue."

Xiao Yue remained silent, his face only faintly smiling, then with a soft "whoosh," he unfurled his fan and gently fanned himself.

"Why should I ally with you? I have no mortal grudge against Mount Zhongnan."

The Demon Master remained unmoved, speaking with deep implication: "For the past few months, you've been lingering by Yuetangjiang—what are you after? I may not know all, but I can guess at least a little—it must be tied to that Mount Zhongnan."

Xiao Yue's smile faded, as if his thoughts had been pierced.

The Demon Master continued:

"I don't care what you seek, nor do I wish to know."

"I only wish to kill Lu Chen myself. What do you say?"

After a moment of silence, Xiao Yue slowly nodded: "Very well. I agree with you."

Xie Mu sighed—he could not escape being entangled with this young protector after all.

The Demon Master's face broke into a smile.

"The time will be next month, when Lu Chen descends from Mount Zhongnan!"

(End of Chapter)