Chapter 84: Golden Tower

Dusk fell.

Towering buildings stood along the inner river, and every corridor bridge and surrounding pavilion was packed with crowds eager for spectacle.

The Golden Tower was a famed auction house in the capital, its large venue ideal for dueling arenas, and it frequently hosted events ranging from chess matches and martial contests to beauty pageants—appealing to both refined and common tastes—earning profits through ticket sales and betting.

Today’s “social death match” was initiated by Wei Lu of Snow Eagle Ridge, hosted by the Golden Tower as referee, with the challenger being Zhang Huaiyu of the National Academy.

Both contestants were young, not yet top-tier figures in the Great Qian, but their backgrounds were extraordinary.

Wei Lu was the legitimate grandson of the Great Qian’s foremost martial master, Wei Wuyi; if he failed the test and exposed his true nature in public, Snow Eagle Ridge would become that day’s laughingstock of the martial world.

Zhang Huaiyu’s master was Fan Li, the Director of the National Academy; his grandmaster was the Dual Sage Ye Ci—the very “Fan Muscles, Ye Bones” scripture Xie Jin had studied since childhood—and his uncle was Mu Yunling of Danyang.

As a direct disciple of Ye Sheng’s lineage, if Zhang Huaiyu disgraced himself publicly, the Confucian school’s prestige would suffer a severe blow.

Thus, this social death match, viewed broadly, could be seen as a sectarian conflict between martial arts and Confucianism!

To ensure both contestants were utterly ruined, the duel was held openly under the open sky, with the capital’s most cunning and well-connected young aristocrats devising the trials—even deploying the “Echo Drum” as the testing instrument.

The Echo Drum was an instrument used by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to examine celestial officials, primarily testing inner stillness.

Emotions such as fear, excitement, tension, lust—all triggered subtle bodily changes; if those changes exceeded the threshold, the drum would thunder loudly, causing public social death!

To witness this spectacle, the area around the Golden Tower was already overflowing before the contest even began.

Xie Jin attended with the Prince of Dan, seated atop the Golden Tower’s viewing terrace, offering a bird’s-eye view of the entire several-li radius.

Beneath the terrace railing hung a gilded plaque inscribed with four large characters:

True Gentleman!

A large red flower was also hung there, to be awarded to today’s victor.

Linghu Qingmo fed Meiqiu dried fish snacks and, seeing the sea of people below—even some climbing trees to peer inside—frowned:

“Such a grand spectacle—if anyone is humiliated publicly, their Dao heart may shatter. It’s just about pride; why go so far?”

The Prince of Dan, standing center stage in a striking red robe, fanned himself as he replied:

“Wei Lu insisted on proving himself, so he will lose this fight. Ling’er won’t arrive until the day after tomorrow; this morning she sent word specifically asking if Xie Brother would compete, to place a bet on his behalf. Say, Xie Brother—will you try? The Golden Tower’s betting pool closes soon.”

Xie Jin hadn’t expected his landlady, far away in Danyang, to still be involved in the betting; he paused to consider.

He had just inquired: the contest had three rounds—the first paid ten taels, the second a hundred, and the final round’s last survivor claimed a thousand taels of silver.

The ingredients for the “Living Dragon and Tiger Pill” required at least twenty thousand taels of silver, even with southern discounts and a free alchemist—excluding the major component, the Great Jiazi Lotus root.

Such a vast sum lay before him; he found it hard not to be tempted.

Still, for caution’s sake, Xie Jin asked first:

“How exactly will the contest proceed? Will the courtesans dance?”

Zhao De shook his head quickly, pointing his fan at the crowd below:

“Courtesans only test the vulgar masses. Confucian gentlemen and martial prodigies both have iron Dao hearts—how could they be fooled? This contest is a ‘Heart-Testing Trial!’”

Heart-Testing Trial?

Xie Jin examined his own heart:

Better I betray the world than let the world betray me…

Three wives, four concubines, five maids…

…

This might be impossible…

Xie Jin frowned; seeing the Prince of Dan seemed to know the details, he asked:

“Do you know the test?”

Zhao De glanced around, saw no outsiders, and whispered:

“I had a hand in setting the test, but to prevent leaks, I can’t reveal the specifics.”

“Rest assured, there are no lowbrow tricks like courtesans dancing—only tests of willpower. The first two rounds are just warm-ups; you could pass them blindfolded.”

“As for the third round, don’t worry—just bring the same grit and tenacity you showed at Huaijiang Bay, and you’ll make it to the end. If you lose, it’s only because you didn’t give your all.”

Xie Jin nodded slightly, believing Zhao De’s lies.

As long as there were no beauty trials, he felt confident.

In terms of remaining unmoved by desire, he certainly couldn’t match Confucian gentlemen—but in other areas, he didn’t believe anyone could overwhelm him.

Even if he lost, it wouldn’t be too shameful…

The sky wasn’t fully dark yet; going to see Han Jingchuan too early would be inconvenient, and he couldn’t leave his seat during the contest.

After brief consideration, Xie Jin nodded:

“Since the Prince holds me in such regard, since I’ve come, I might as well enter. Even passing one round will earn me enough for drinks.”

Linghu Qingmo, who considered herself a steadfast ice-maiden, saw women among the contestants and added:

“If you go, I’ll try too.”

Zhao De grinned, waving his hand:

“Laifu, add Xie Brother and Linghu Miss to the roster—and place three thousand taels each on Xie Young Master’s behalf, on the Wang Fu account!”

Xie Jin wasn’t certain he’d pass; he raised his hand to stop him:

“No. I have no guarantee of victory. If you must bet, a hundred taels is enough…”

“Hey!”

Zhao De frowned, speaking earnestly:

“Do you think I’d dare to shortchange Ling’er’s message? If you win, no matter how much I bet, she’ll demand full payout—and if I can’t pay, she’ll break my legs! Are you going to pay for me?”

How could I possibly pay for you?!

Seeing Zhao De couldn’t override his landlady’s bet, and to ensure a graceful exit if he lost, Xie Jin reluctantly pulled out the funds Wu Su had given him:

“Then I’ll join the fun—five hundred taels on myself to win. If I fall short, I hope the Prince and Princess will forgive me.”

Zhao De hurried to reply: “No problem! Who ever wins every bet? As long as you give your all, even if you lose, it’s just Father funding your training!”

Linghu Qingmo also wanted to join in, but she knew her Dao heart was far less resilient than Xie Jin’s; she took out a small pouch and tossed it to Laifu:

“Bet two hundred taels on Xie Jin to win!”

Yang Dabiao, watching, gritted his molars, then pulled from his belt an unbelievable single silver ingot:

“So stingy—I’m betting everything I own! Jinhuan, if you lose, you’re stuck feeding and housing me from now on.”

“Gukji!”

Meiqiu snatched a dried fish snack and placed it on Yang Dabiao’s palm—as if she too had gone all-in!

Even the ever-present Night Demoness whispered in his ear:

“If you make it to the end today, I’ll dance for you—the most seductive kind~”

Oh my…

Seeing all his friends and allies betting everything on him, Xie Jin was moved—and his fighting spirit ignited:

“I really want to test how ironclad these noble prodigies’ Dao hearts are. Fine—I’ll die on this arena today!”

—

The last sliver of sunset slowly sank behind the city walls.

The bustling streets along the inner river transformed into a dazzling sea of colorful lanterns.

On the river platform and surrounding boats, forty Echo Drums had been placed; many contestants already sat cross-legged before them, faint drumbeats rising and falling:

“Gudong~ Gudong…”

The platform was small, holding only eight drums arranged in a circle, reserved for serious contenders; seven seats were taken, including two ethereal Daoist nuns.

Wei Lu, as the initiator, wore a black robe, sat facing the setting sun, eyes closed in meditation; his Echo Drum remained silent until the surrounding noise surged, when he opened his eyes toward the riverbank.

“Here he comes…”

“Young Master Zhang…”

…

The crowd on the riverbank parted, revealing a young Confucian scholar in blue robes, around twenty years old, hurrying through with his robe lifted, bowing apologetically:

“Sorry, sorry—I was playing chess with my master and lost track of time. Thank you for waiting…”

His flustered demeanor made him seem like a shy, modest Licentiate—utterly unlike the cool, showy Wei Lu on stage.

As the grandson of the Great Qian’s foremost martial master, Wei Lu bore no grudge against Confucians and was never arrogant in daily life.

But the book “The Lustful Chronicles of Wei Wuyi” was simply too outrageous!

According to its account, his grandfather started his fortune selling hooks in the Western Rong…

Had touched the wife of Sikong Tianyuan’s buttocks, been tricked by Lu Wu into calling him “Father,” borrowed ten taels from the monk Wu Xin to aid lost souls in the mortal world…

And worse—Zhang Huaiyu had the audacity to read it right in front of him!

Wei Lu had restrained himself from drawing his blade and killing this brat only because his willpower was exceptional; now seeing Zhang still performing, he spoke coldly:

“Stop pretending. Whether you’re a false gentleman or a true villain, we’ll find out soon. Get on stage.”

“You speak harshly, Brother Wei—leaving me no escape.”

Zhang Huaiyu leapt onto the circular platform, sat beside Wei Lu, glanced around, noticed the two women, and added casually:

“Even the Astronomical Bureau’s students are here—and two ladies present. I fear neither you nor I will earn that plaque.”

Both women wore Daoist robes, hands forming the Zi-Wu seal, eyes closed in meditation, showing no reaction.

Wei Lu had endured enough; seeing all present, he turned to the Golden Tower’s proprietor:

“Begin.”

Fan Guangyuan, the Golden Tower’s proprietor, was reviewing the newly arrived roster; he responded immediately:

“Young Master Wei, wait a moment—one more distinguished guest has just arrived…”

"Hm?"

Wei Lu’s status was far from low; seeing Zhang Huaiyu arrive, he was puzzled that Fan Li still had him wait—wondering which big name was coming to join the spectacle.

Before he could ask, a faint whooshing sound came from the five-story building glowing with brilliant lanterns:

Hss~

Everyone looked up to see a streak of brilliant white, leaping from the fifth floor, body like a turning cloud-white dragon, plummeting straight down onto the center of the circular stage!

Thud~

After the muffled impact, the entire crowd fell silent…

…

(End of Chapter)