Chapter 86: Fame Never Lies

Thud~

The figure landed in a blink!

Everyone turned to see a young young master, followed immediately by a white-robed beauty descending behind him.

Whoosh~

All along both riverbanks, eyes locked onto the woman—dressed in a plain white dress, tall and elegant, coldly beautiful, holding a sheathed sword like a heroine stepped from a book, even radiating a hint of the divine grace of “the First Beauty of the Daoist Sect.”

And the white-robed young master beside her carried an even more formidable aura!

Dressed in cloud-patterned brocade robes, with two weapons hanging at his waist, his icy gaze like a frozen spring; upon landing, he showed neither fear nor arrogance, merely glancing casually about, searching for a seat.

The contestants on the central river platform all held notable status; seeing such a brazen entrance, they muttered among themselves:

“This guy’s got no respect for anyone…”

“Who is he?”

“Flew out from the Prince’s viewing platform, carrying a sword—looks like someone from Ziwei Mountain…”

“How come we can’t read his cultivation? Is he even cultivated?”

“Who dares jump from five stories down if they have no cultivation?!”

…

Wei Lu, as the grandson of the Great Gan’s martial champion, had sharp discernment; after a quick glance, he recognized the woman as Ziwei Mountain’s direct disciple.

But the man, though appearing nonchalant, radiated an unnervingly powerful aura—he was utterly unknown to him, and his gaze grew grave:

“Who are you two?”

Linghu Qingmo, undaunted by the countless stares, drew her sword and performed a standard martial salute:

“Ziwei Mountain, Linghu Qingmo.”

“Xie Jin, pleasure.”

…

As his words faded, the arena fell silent for an instant—then erupted into thunderous drumming:

Thump-thump… thump-thump…

The Echo Drum tested composure; any emotional fluctuation exceeding the threshold—whether shock, fear, excitement, or elation—would trigger a resonance.

Of the dozens of contestants present, most had spent the past days discussing the Dan Yang case and the Corpse Case; suddenly seeing the very man who had broken through the enemy formation appear before them, it was only natural to be startled.

Along both riverbanks, spectators began murmuring:

“Whoa…”

“Is this the Dan Yang Divine Constable who single-handedly stormed the pirate ship and fainted County Magistrate Wu?”

“How is he so young? Looks barely twenty…”

“They say he’s the lover of Princess Changning—damn, he’s handsome…”

“Young Master Xie! Over here! Look! Wannan’s here…”

“Pfft~”

…

Linghu Qingmo had been standing tall, proud and honored.

But hearing that familiar voice, her heart jolted; she spun sharply toward the riverbank.

There stood Lin Wanyi, the “lawful wife,” dressed in a dazzling, elegant dark green gown, watching her and Xie Jin from a window of a riverside tavern.

In this very setting, seeing Lin Wanyi so suddenly felt to Linghu Qingmo like a mistress accompanying her man on a trip, only to run into the wife on the street—she froze with panic.

But stepping down now was impossible; she could only force a nod in response, silently cursing:

Oh no… oh no…

When I get off this stage, will Lady Lin come over and yank my hair out?…

Wasn’t she in Dan Yang? How clingy can she be?…

…

Xie Jin, however, remained calm; he smiled at the woman with glasses, scanned the area, saw no empty seats, then leapt onto a boat on the river’s surface, found two vacant spots, sat cross-legged, and settled into quiet stillness, awaiting the contest’s start.

Zhang Huaiyu, who had been watching Xie Jin all along, seeing he offered no opening remarks, spoke up:

“Young Master Xie, you’re the standard-bearer of the righteous path—willing to risk your life for the people, yet now you’ve come down to play games with us? That’s a bit excessive, isn’t it?”

Xie Jin would never have entered today if not to earn silver for upgrading; he bowed slightly:

“Brother Zhang, you flatter me—I’ve merely done what I could. I’m hardly even righteous, let alone a standard-bearer.”

His words were sincere, utterly devoid of pretense!

Even the Echo Drum, steady as an old dog, confirmed it.

Zhang Huaiyu, seeing this, felt sudden pressure.

He knew full well his own achievements and reputation, yet he insisted he “wasn’t even righteous”—this was excessive false modesty.

If he were merely pretending humility, some inner pride, self-satisfaction, or secret delight would inevitably stir—enough to cause faint ripples in the Echo Drum, though not exceeding the threshold.

But Xie Jin’s heart was utterly still—meaning either he harbored some hidden truth, genuinely believed he wasn’t righteous, and was speaking plainly…

Or he was a true gentleman, who, despite having sacrificed everything for the people, still felt he hadn’t done enough, and was too ashamed to claim credit!

Xie Jin had taken pills and charged onto the boat to fight demon bandits—what hidden truth could make him believe he wasn’t righteous?

So this was genuine gentlemanly heart, unblemished Dao-heart…

Indeed, fame never lies…

Wei Lu hadn’t even begun his trial—he already knew he’d lost today.

But losing to Xie Jin, a madman who risked his life to slay demons, he had no complaint; losing to Zhang Huaiyu, this hypocrite—he could not accept it. After cultivating his emotions, he spoke:

“Begin.”

…

Ding~—

The Prince of Dan Wang stood atop the top floor, personally striking the golden gong, signaling the official start of today’s “public humiliation match.”

Along both riverbanks, silence fell—only the steady, rhythmic whisper of drums remained:

Thump-thump… thump-thump…

Over thirty contestants sat upon the Echo Drum, waiting in quiet anticipation.

Fan Li, owner of the Golden Pavilion, delivered two brief opening remarks, then turned to the subject:

“The test questions were devised under the leadership of the Dan Wang Prince and deliberated by the young masters of Wenzheng Street. There are three rounds; the first two determine qualification: defeat is declared for any who cause the drum to thunder, leave the drum surface, or disturb others. Round One begins now.”

With that, he waved toward the Golden Pavilion, and several capable men carried a red-cloth-covered platform to the center of the stage.

“The object for this first round was brought by each young master from their ancestral temple—a sacred treasure. Every monarch of past dynasties has paid homage to it; even the Martial Ancestor once burned incense before it. Great Confucians and scholars have hailed it as ‘the foundation of the state, the root of the people.’ I hope you will not be overly astonished when you see it…”

“Hum…”

The spectators along the riverbanks, stirred by this description, began whispering among themselves, curious.

All contestants were stirred too, silently guessing what it might be.

Fan Li, after setting the platform down, assumed a solemn expression, wiped his hands with a towel—as if preparing to unveil a treasure of incalculable value.

Seeing this, everyone’s hearts rose to their throats; several contestants, overcome by tension, triggered the Echo Drum outright and were eliminated on the spot.

Even Xie Jin, witnessing this spectacle, furrowed his brow in thought:

Could they have brought out the original copy of the Dragon Soaring Decree? Would the ghost bride just… freely take it?…

Or the Great Gan’s secret divine weapon—the Imperial Command…

But even as everyone speculated to the most outrageous extremes, what followed still proved they’d underestimated the depravity of these aristocratic brats!

Seeing the suspense sufficiently built, Fan Li seized the corner of the red cloth and yanked it away with a sudden motion:

Whoosh~

Beneath the cloth appeared a lifelike yangguan!

The yangguan originated from fertility worship—indeed, “procreation” was the foundation of the state, the root of the people.

This yangguan was astonishingly realistic!

Entirely formed from natural black jade, one foot in diameter, three feet tall, its jade rich and dense, its veins clear and distinct, standing tall and proud toward the heavens!

It radiated an aura of “Who among the celestial immortals would dare approach this mortal realm?”

So solemn and dignified was its presence, that the moment it appeared, the stage’s atmosphere shattered instantly; the entire Golden Pavilion fell silent—then erupted:

Thump-thump-thump-thump~

The drumming surged like a tide…

(End of Chapter)