Chapter 59: DISABUSE

CHAPTER

59

DISABUSE

JIEYUAN

—∞—

This should be interesting. Jieyuan followed Xianjun’s approach.

The Xiyunfeng Clan’s scion might have won his match, but he hadn’t gotten out of it entirely unscathed. His robes, much like Jieyuan’s own, had been swapped out after his duel. There’d have been a large, bloody tear in the cloth around the level of his upper thigh otherwise, and another one over his right shoulder.

He had a very subtle limp, his right leg dragging behind slightly. His right arm also sagged a bit. Jieyuan wasn’t clear on the extent of the damage, but it was probably still within the limits of what could be healed overnight.

Still, for Xianjun to drag himself over in this state meant that whatever business he had with Daojue, it was important. He was showing weakness, and that might as well be a sin as far as cultivators were concerned.

“Any idea what this is about?” Jieyuan said. The Xiyunfeng Clan had kept mostly to themselves so far. Sure, there had been that meeting with Sovereign Zhihao in the beginning, but there hadn’t been anything else from them afterward.

Xianjun was unaccompanied, but it was clear that the Xiyunfeng Clan’s elders were keeping an eye on him. Everyone was right now, really.

“None,” Yongyi said. “I don’t know much about Xianjun, and even less about Daojue. If anything, I should be asking you. You know Daojue, at least.”

“Know Daojue? Me?” Jieyuan shot him an incredulous look that was only half pretend. “What kind of fiendish misconception did you cook up in that head of yours?”

“You spent almost a month with the man in the Gleamstone Valley.”

“Yes, and I came out of the Hunt with more questions than I had when it started.”

“You didn’t talk?” Now it was Yongyi’s turn to look surprised. “Not once?”

Jieyuan scoffed. “You’ve seen Daojue. What do you think?”

He’d like to think that their experiences in the Gleamstone Forest had earned him a comradery of sorts with Daojue—or at least some measure of regard, slight though it might be—but he really was no closer to figuring out the man himself. Not by a long stretch.

Yongyi turned to his sister. “Meiyao?”

She gave an indifferent shrug. “I learned one thing about Daojue during the Hunt, and one thing only. Between teaming up with him and setting out alone, always choose the latter.”

“Was it that bad?” Yongyi didn’t seem convinced yet. “Everything else aside, Daojue’s clearly powerful. That’s a good thing in a teammate. Perhaps the most important thing, even.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Meiyao said. “Because there’s uncooperative. And there’s Daojue.”

Xianjun finally reached the little, empty bubble of space around Daojue, and came to a stop. Daojue had been standing some ways off to Jieyuan’s right. Too far for talking to each other, but still close enough to listen in on any conversations.

“That was a good match,” Xianjun said, pleasant.

Daojue turned to look at the Xiyunfeng scion. And though Daojue now had his back to Jieyuan, he had a good idea of what kind of expression Daojue wore right now.

And good match? Xianjun was definitely up to something. Yunzhu had literally thrown the fight. Sure, Daojue had revealed more of his inhuman speed and skill, but that hardly warranted that evaluation.

Not one word came from Daojue in reply, but Xianjun didn’t seem to mind. “We’ve both made it to the seventh round,” Xianjun continued. “From what I’ve seen today, you might be the strongest competitor in the running, soulsign aside. So I’d like to fight you tomorrow. What do you say? I can make sure it happens, if you agree.”

Xianjun’s angle here continued to escape Jieyuan. He didn’t mind the likely unintentional slight against him with that comment about Daojue being the strongest—he’d barely beaten Yongyi, and despite the anticlimactic end to Daojue’s fight with Yunzhu, it was clear as day that Daojue was monstrously skilled—but he couldn’t see the purpose of this.

Though Jieyuan was fairly certain that Xianjun approaching Daojue and having this talk in public like this, with others hearing, might very well be intentional.

Daojue remained silent, but Xianjun looked perfectly at ease as he waited for a reply. Xianjun’s seemingly endless patience and affability only reinforced Jieyuan’s suspicion that he had some sort of agenda.

Finally, Daojue said, “Yes.”

Xianjun smiled, tipping his head forward. “Perfect. May we have a good match, then.” He extended his hand out for Daojue to shake.

Which Daojue did not do. No, what Daojue did do was turn away as if the conversation was over, going back to his apathetic observation of seemingly nowhere in specific.

For the slightest moment, Xianjun’s eyes sharpened and his smile stretched wider. But then he took on an expression of strained courtesy, letting his smile slip and his arm drop.

“Until tomorrow, then,” Xianjun said tightly, with forced politeness.

But Jieyuan hadn’t imagined that savage flash of a smile. Xianjun wasn’t nearly as offended as he appeared to be. Whatever he’d meant to accomplish with this conversation, he’d succeeded.

Xianjun made his way back to the Xiyunfeng Clan’s delegation. Jieyuan kept his eyes on the man’s retreating black-robed form. No matter how he looked at that brief little interaction just now, though, he failed to see the point of it.

“That was odd,” Yongyi said.

Meiyao was frowning, but then she shook her head. “Whatever that was about, it doesn’t concern us. So Xianjun will get his father to arrange for him a match against Daojue tomorrow. All that means is that the seventh round is as far as Xianjun’s getting. Wait—no.”

She blinked, and turned to Jieyuan. “That means that we are fighting each other tomorrow.”

The thought had already occurred to Jieyuan. Three of the four participants of the seventh round were already said. The fourth one would be decided in the next match, Meiyao against Dayang, and if Xianjun did manage to get his duel with Daojue, Jieyuan would be facing whoever won today’s last duel.

And even though he was sure Meiyao would win, he still couldn’t help but quirk an eyebrow. “You’re so sure you’re beating Dayang next, then?”

Meiyao scoffed, throwing up her chin. “Please.”

“Honestly,” Yongyi said, “I won’t be surprised if Dayang throws the fight, even. He’s always been a fool for Meiyao.”

“Oh, he’s a fool, alright,” Meiyao said darkly. “I’m sure he was jumping with joy when he heard about our pathetic sham of an engagement.”

Yongyi cringed a bit, while Jieyuan kept his expression perfectly neutral. The situation—and Dayang’s role in it—wasn’t quite as Meiyao thought it was. But Jieyuan had little intention of going out of his way to paint in a better image someone else who was interested in Meiyao. He wasn’t half that gracious.

He couldn’t help but admit to some curiosity about the situation, though. Not because it mattered in the greater scheme of things—not because he thought he might get something out of it—but because it had to do with Meiyao’s life. He was still coming to terms with being interested in another person’s matters like this. “You three are familiar with each other, then?”

Yongyi glanced over at his sister. When she didn’t answer, he spoke up. “The three of us met rather often, growing up. The Radiant Gold Sect and the Gleaming Stone Sect are the oldest and closest of the district’s four cabals, and their royal families, the Wujinyao Clan and the Liangshibai Clan, have been growing closer over the last few generations. Father and some elders would often go to the Radiant Gold Sect for meetings, and he’d take Meiyao and me along. Sovereign Aoxin also came over to the Gleaming Stone Sect a couple of times, and Dayang often tagged along.”

“Dayang is a simpering lackwit.” Meiyao sounded thoroughly disgusted. “He can barely put two words together when I’m nearby.”

“Meiyao exaggerates,” Yongyi said, “but yes, Dayang’s very much so taken with her. It wasn’t like that at first, even if he was always rather tense around her. Dayang’s about two years younger than me, three years older than Meiyao, so they have an age gap between them. But around the time he turned sixteen, I think, and Meiyao was thirteen… Well, he started paying more attention to her. I always found it rather amusing how he was constantly trying to impress her and get her attention.”

Well, Jieyuan would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy to know his supposed rival had never really stood a chance. But he was surprised about Dayang’s age. He’d thought him to be much closer to Yongyi in age. That he’d managed to get to sixth-sign despite being so much younger and having lower heavenly affinity meant that lovestruck fool or no, Dayang wasn’t afraid of pain—of Pain. Everything else aside, Dayang was at least a proper cultivator.

“When he wasn’t hopelessly floundering for words, he’d strut around like some pompous peacock,” Meiyao said. “Once he even tried telling me about how rich the Wujinyao were, about how their vaults were filled with every treasure imaginable. Because that’s so impressive. But then I’d challenge him to a duel, and he’d get all weird and back off.”

“In his defense,” Yongyi said, a bit hesitatingly, like he’d rather keep quiet but felt he had an obligation to speak, “he was three years older. He didn’t want to hurt you.”

If that was meant to assuage Meiyao, it most definitely didn’t have the desired effect.

“Oh, yes. He didn’t want to hurt me. He actually told me so, once. That, I think, was the worst of it all. He thought me some delicate little flower, even though I could’ve always wiped the floor with him.” And she smiled sharply. “And now it seems I’m finally getting the chance to disabuse him of that notion.”

Yongyi seemed uncomfortable, but made no comment. Jieyuan decided to shift the conversation to something else before Yongyi let something unfortunate slip. “Back to Daojue and Xianjun. What do you two know about the Xiyunfeng Clan? Because I think they might be up to something.”

As it turned out, neither of them knew much more than what he already did. No particular insights that being clan-born might have afforded them. The Xiyunfeng were indeed a fairly reclusive bunch. The Gleaming Stone Sect virtually only dealt with them during the Radiant Gold Summit, barring any exceptional circumstances.

He was still trying to get a better grasp on the Xiyunfeng Clan situation when the proctor’s voice came again.

“Linzushen Meiyao, from the Gleaming Stone Sect.” Then, a beat later, “Wujinyao Dayang, from the Radiant Gold Sect.”

Meiyao had a look of dark determination as she looked down toward the arena floor. Turning around, she gave Jieyuan and Yongyi brief nods before stalking over to the stairs. At the same time, Dayang detached himself from the Radiant Gold Sect’s delegation, which was positioned diagonally to the Gleaming Stone Sect’s.

Instead of heading down the same stairway Meiyao was now just entering, though, Dayang made for the more distant one, closer to the Xiyunfeng Clan and the Viridian Death Cult.

Not long after, Meiyao and Dayang were on the stage, having reached it at roughly the same time. They armed themselves as the elder went over the rules. A saber for Meiyao, a sword for Dayang.

The proctor then called the duel.

It was within the first few seconds of the duel that Jieyuan knew it’d be a quick one. He’d had his suspicions from before it began, given the ones fighting and the history between them, but it only took a couple of clashes to confirm it.

Meiyao was the one to close the distance between them, and upon reaching Dayang she threw herself fully into the offensive. Dayang stuck to the defensive, and he wasn’t doing a particularly good job of it. Meiyao had him back-stepping from the moment her saber first met his sword, and that continued on thereafter.

Up to this point, Dayang hadn’t had a poor showing. He’d beaten two sixth-sign with ease. He’d been the indisputable champion of the Radiant Gold Sect’s lineup for the tournament. But right now he was displaying none of the skill and surety that had won him all his duels so far. He just kept on retreating, not even making an effort to strike back, just blocking Meiyao’s strikes again and again, and poorly at that.

Meiyao, for her part, only leaned more into the offense the longer the fight went on. Her martial arts were usually a more aggressive spin on the Liangshibai Clan’s, but now she took it a step further—several steps, even. So much so that as she swung her saber, again and again, Jieyuan detected a wildness to her movements that was rather familiar.

“The Viridian Death Cult’s style?” It wasn’t quite it—despite the intensity of Meiyao’s swings and overall movements, there was none of the reckless, mindless abandon Jieyuan had seen in every disciple of the Viridian Death Cult so far. Her strikes were still precise, intentional. But there was something to the way she moved, a fervor, a ferocity, that reminded him very much so of the cultists.

It wasn’t anything he hadn’t already seen in the Gleamstone Valley, but now that he’d spent the last few days seeing Viridian Death Cultists fight, he caught it straight away.

“Aunt Lianhua used it,” Yongyi said, not looking away from the fight. “She taught it to Meiyao and me, while my mother taught us the Gleaming Stone Sect’s. I haven’t practiced it much since Aunt Lianhua’s disappearance, however. Meiyao kept at it, integrating it with the Gleaming Stone Sect’s, even if she doesn’t often use it to this extent.”

“She wasn’t kidding about proving him wrong,” Jieyuan said, watching as Meiyao kept on driving Dayang back. Meiyao was good, but not that good. Jieyuan had no doubt she could’ve beaten Dayang, but it’d have been a close thing—or at least a closer thing. Jieyuan knew that he wouldn’t be able to face Dayang himself, not unless he figured out a specific way to win, or could use his own abilities without restriction.

Yongyi looked not just uncomfortable now, but also faintly grim. “I’m afraid this is something that’s been a long time coming.”

Meiyao had gotten Dayang near the edge of the stage when a bright golden radiance appeared around his sword. Its prime skill.

Dayang had used it once before, in his previous duel, and from what Jieyuan understood, that golden radiance was solid, and shared some similarities with Caoluan’s sword’s wind sheathe. Except instead of obscuring properties, Dayang’s sword’s golden light was more extensible. Dayang had extended the length of his sword by more than threefold last time, and it was that particular move that had gotten him the win.

Meiyao didn’t seem to hesitate as she brought her saber down on Dayang’s sword—and as they met, her saber briefly glowed a burning, eye-searing white.

And it cut cleanly through the sword.

For a moment, there was stillness, and the fast, unceasing pace of the duel so far only served to give it greater weight by contrast. Meiyao, her saber half-swung, no longer glowing. Dayang, standing barely an arm’s length away from her, holding in front of him half a sword, the other half of the blade having fallen to the ground.

Jieyuan knew Meiyao’s saber by name. Radiant Edge. It’d been among the most expensive weapons in the atelier. It had the same prime skill as Ruby Radiance, the first spear he’d seen in the atelier—Radiant Light Cut, which allowed its blade to emit the same, searing light that emanated from Radiant Light Blast Talismans, giving it the same destructive power. Essentially, it allowed Meiyao’s saber to go through Redsoul entities as if it were at an Orangesoul—even though against a true Orangesoul gear, like Gleaming End, it’d be as effective as a soggy toothpick.

Despite the damage, Dayang’s sword remained glowing its golden radiance. And for a moment Jieyuan wondered whether the fight would continue, if Dayang would use his sword’s prime skill to make up for the absence of the upper half of his sword. It was certainly possible, and what Jieyuan would’ve done in his place.

But then Dayang failed to react in time as Meiyao broke the stillness by closing the distance between them and pressing the blade of her saber against his throat.

And that was that. An appropriately disappointing conclusion to a fight that had promised disappointment from the moment it began. More along the lines of what you’d expect from a first-round fight.

Yongyi sighed heavily, but said nothing else. Looking over to the Radiant Gold Sect’s side, Jieyuan saw that most of them kept neutral, though strained, expressions. Sovereign Aoxin was shaking her head softly, a sad, mournful look on her face that was at odds with all the exuberance Jieyuan had seen from her so far.

The proctor got back on the stage and announced Meiyao’s victory. Without another word, Meiyao turned around and started walking back. Dayang stood in place for a good while, facing her retreating form—watching her, no doubt—and it was only after Meiyao had gotten off the stage that he turned around and started on his way back himself.

Soon Meiyao was back with them on the viewing floor. Jieyuan had expected her to be exultant, vindicated, or something of that flavor, but she instead wore a disgruntled frown and didn’t seem to be in the mood for talking.

That should have been the end of it. And it would’ve been, if it weren’t for the pair that made their way over to the Gleaming Gold Sect’s delegation as they were preparing to leave.