Chapter 14: The Bond of Gold and Silver, Unbreakable

Soon, the martial arts contest ended.

West Sect, total victory!

Now comes the filler time.

The crowd surged toward Luo Jie like a tide, eager to meet this outstanding disciple of the West Sect.

With Luo Jie in their ranks, the Wuliang Sword Sect will surely one day stand shoulder to shoulder with the Five Mountain Sword Sects.

Then, the Five Mountain Sword Sects will become six!

As for punching Wudang and kicking Shaolin…

No one dares even imagine it.

Faced with all the praise, Luo Jie was thoroughly pleased.

After all, I might forget who praised me, but I’ll instantly notice who didn’t.

Amid the crowd, Luo Jie spotted a familiar middle-aged man.

He was broad-shouldered and dark-skinned, unremarkable in appearance but radiating a simple, hearty charm.

It was Ma Wude, the old boxing master from Pu’er in Yunnan.

Ma Wude’s martial arts were merely peasant-level, plain and unremarkable.

But as a local tea magnate, wealthy and generous, he welcomed all who came to him with open arms, treating destitute martial artists with sincere hospitality and enjoying excellent reputation in the jianghu.

He was known as the Little Mengchang of Yunnan, the Little Xinling of Pu’er.

Who doesn’t love a god of wealth?

Luo Jie and he had developed a certain bond.

A bond of real gold and silver.

Unbreakable!

Ma Wude beamed, hurried over to Luo Jie, and laughed heartily: “Brother Luo, splendid skills!”

“This match today was truly eye-opening.”

Luo Jie smiled in reply: “Brother Ma, Itachi flatter me too much. I merely got lucky.”

After a few pleasantries, Ma Wude stepped aside and introduced the young man beside him.

“Brother Luo, let me introduce Itachi—this is Duan Yu, a noble guest visiting Wuliang Mountain for leisure.”

“Duan Young Master, this is Luo Jie of the Wuliang Sword Sect, who just displayed divine prowess.”

Only then did Luo Jie turn his gaze to the young man in blue robes.

He wore a simple blue robe, its sleeves fluttering, with a smooth jade pendant tied at his waist, clearly valuable.

His face was as radiant as polished jade, his eyes holding a purity untouched by worldly corruption.

It’s Itachi, Litang Prince… the Crown Prince of Nanzhong!

Duan Zhengchun… the son of Yanqing, the protagonist of The Eightfold Heavenly Dragon, star of the epic drama “Lovers Always End Up as Siblings.”

The infamous sycophant Duan.

Duan Yu bowed to Luo Jie with a smile: “I’ve long heard of your great name, Brother Luo. To meet Itachi today is truly an honor.”

“Watching your martial arts just now, your swordplay was exquisite beyond compare—I am deeply impressed.”

Luo Jie’s lips curled slightly, revealing a faint, barely noticeable smile.

“Young Master Duan, Itachi flatter me. My skills are but trifles.”

“But Itachi, Young Master—your bearing is noble and commanding. Clearly no ordinary mortal. Even imperial kin could not surpass Itachi.”

Even as he flattered, Luo Jie thought to himself:

Big brother-in-law, I want to become the Dali imperial son-in-law.

So, please, entrust your sisters to me!

Soon, under Luo Jie’s deliberate effort to connect, the two chatted freely, each feeling they had met too late.

They wished they could swear brotherhood right then and there.

The surrounding crowd, seeing how well they got along, dared not interrupt, only watching Duan Yu with envy.

Damn pretty boy, Itachi’re blinding me.

As Luo Jie conversed with Duan Yu, he silently pondered:

According to the principle that within ten steps, a sister must be near.

Since Duan Yu has appeared here,

Then his lively, adorable little sister, Zhong Ling, must be nearby.

Duan is decent, but his sister is far more appealing.

Luo Jie casually scanned his surroundings, his gaze sweeping across the crowd and buildings.

Sure enough, not far off, he caught sight of a slender figure on a roof beam.

It was a girl, about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a blue robe.

In her hands she held a dozen small snakes, each about a foot long, handling them with effortless ease, showing no fear.

Her round face bore a tiny dimple at the corner of her lips.

Such beauty, radiant and captivating, made one forget it at a single glance.

Luo Jie’s heart stirred slightly as he silently compared her to others.

This girl’s demeanor differed entirely from his own senior sister’s, yet her looks far surpassed her.

No wonder she’s a supporting character—she’s no mere extra.

He sighed inwardly.

Prince Duan’s taste is truly excellent—truly enviable…

A true model for our kind!

Perhaps sensing Luo Jie’s gaze,

The girl leapt down from the beam like a nimble bird, landing gracefully beside Luo Jie.

She tilted her head slightly, her expression half-irritated.

“Why are Itachi staring at me so much?”

At that moment, a gray-white shadow shot past like lightning.

Luo Jie reacted instantly, snatching the shadow out of the air with lightning speed.

He looked closer—it was a small gray-white weasel.

The famed Lightning Weasel.

Famous for being single-handedly killed by the Manggu Zhuha.

Pathetic thing.

This little creature moved at incredible speed; ordinary people could never catch it.

But before Luo Jie, it had lost all its arrogance.

“Give me back my weasel!”

Zhong Ling cried out, alarmed as her beloved weasel was seized.

Luo Jie smiled faintly and tossed the Lightning Weasel back to Zhong Ling.

She caught it gently and cooed: “Good little weasel!”

Then, with two fingers of her right hand, she gripped the tail of one small snake, holding it upside down, and waved it gently before the weasel.

The weasel swiftly extended its front paws, clamped onto the snake, and devoured it whole.

Thus, all the small snakes in Zhong Ling’s hands were merely daily feed for the weasel.

After finishing one snake, the weasel settled contentedly into the leather pouch at Zhong Ling’s waist.

Zhong Ling patted the pouch lightly, then looked up at Luo Jie again. The irritation in her eyes had vanished, replaced by curiosity.

As Luo Jie and Zhong Ling conversed, a commotion suddenly erupted nearby.

Noise rose in waves.

Luo Jie turned his gaze toward the sound.

Who’s so clueless?

Can’t Itachi see I’m chatting with my little sister?

There, the East Sect’s leader, Zuo Zimu, looked frantic as he supported a man on the verge of death.

The man slumped in his arms, face as pale as paper, utterly bloodless.

Zuo Zimu, desperate, forgot propriety, immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, placed the injured man before him, and began channeling Qi to heal him.

Yet the man’s breath grew weaker and weaker.

Sweat drenched Zuo Zimu’s forehead; his hands trembled slightly.

He simply could not understand how his own junior brother had suddenly been mortally wounded during a martial arts contest.

Now, heedless of the many women present, he hastily reached to unbutton the injured man’s upper garment, desperate to examine the wound.

As the clothing slowly parted, the crowd drew in a sharp breath, then collectively gasped.

There, on the man’s chest, eight black characters were clearly visible.

“Shennong Gang exterminates Wuliang Sword Sect.”

The eight characters were jet-black and glossy, deeply embedded into the flesh.

Closer inspection revealed no ink marks, no cuts from sharp objects—these characters had been written with potent poison.

The poison’s corrosiveness was extreme, sinking the characters deep into the skin, turning the surrounding flesh a strange bluish-black, emitting a faint odor of decay.

The scene instantly fell into dead silence; everyone exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion.

Luo Jie’s gaze sharpened instantly.

Though the one severely wounded was from the Eastern Sect.

But the Shen Nong Gang’s move was clearly slapping him in the face.

This tiny Shen Nong Gang truly dared to act with reckless audacity!

Must not be allowed to live!

(End of Chapter)