Chapter Seventy-Three: The Scholar's Face, the Ruffian's Heart

The middle-aged man at the head of the group frowned when Yan Chuanming emerged, and stepped forward until he was less than three feet from him. Using his height to his advantage, he looked down at Yan Chuanming and asked, "Are you the city lord?"

Yan Chuanming's gentle smile remained unchanged. He looked up and replied, "The city lord is absent. For now, I speak for Qinzhou."

Yue Zhe and Leng Mujun had intended to come out and observe as well, but Yan Chuanming felt there was no need for guests to be involved in such matters and had asked them to remain in the dining hall.

The middle-aged man nodded. "Yan Tao is not here, then. Boy, who are you?"

"I am Yan Chuanming," he said, adjusting his black brocade robe. "And may I ask who you are, sir?"

Yan Chuanming's manner, seemingly indifferent to the man's tone, appeared to enrage him. The man barked, "A mere junior dares to treat me with such disrespect!"

"Outrageous!"

Before the middle-aged man's words faded, a nearby youth shouted. It was Yan Jiuyin, the general responsible for Qinzhou's defense.

Yan Jiuyin had just arrived and witnessed the man's disrespectful words to Yan Chuanming. He was ready to act.

Yet Yan Chuanming raised his hand to stop Yan Jiuyin, speaking with a smile, "Indeed, it was a lapse on my part. May I know your esteemed name?"

The middle-aged man continued to look down at Yan Chuanming. "I am Xing Huaili."

The surname "Xing" belonged solely to the Xing Clan, but not all bearing it were of royal blood—many among them were not nobles. Furthermore, among the so-called "commoners" of Wangmai and Yandi, few knew much about the Xing Clan.

Yan Chuanming realized this instantly, and the smile on his face deepened. "So, it is Lord Xing. A misunderstanding, truly..."

He then called out to those around him, "Everyone except General Jiuyin, leave the city lord's manor front courtyard and shut the gates. These are guests—no need for alarm."

The soldiers exchanged uncertain glances, weapons in hand, but did not depart. After all, Xing Huaili and his retinue hardly seemed like proper guests.

Yan Jiuyin understood what the surname "Xing" signified. He had been ready to bow and apologize, but hearing Yan Chuanming's command, he thought perhaps Yan Chuanming did not want the soldiers to witness what was to come and hastily added, "Yes, these are guests. Leave at once!"

At his words, the soldiers looked at one another, then put away their weapons and withdrew.

During this, Xing Huaili remained silent, simply watching the scene unfold.

Once the soldiers had all departed, Yan Jiuyin quickly knelt on one knee, cupped his hands to Xing Huaili, and said, "This humble citizen was foolish, failing to greet the Xing Envoy promptly and speaking out of turn. I beg the Xing Envoy's forgiveness!"

Xing Huaili seemed quite satisfied by this display. "Since your attitude is sincere, I shall not hold you responsible..."

Before Yan Jiuyin could express his gratitude, Xing Huaili turned to Yan Chuanming. "Boy, tell me: have a man and a woman, both wanderers, come here?"

Among Yan Chuanming, Ye Pei, Yue Zhe, and Feng Shuichen, there was none of the reverence toward the Xing Clan found throughout most of Wangmai. Yan Chuanming had ordered the soldiers out not to spare Yan Jiuyin's dignity, but because he sensed trouble from the Xing Clan and did not want ordinary soldiers privy to certain things.

Hearing Xing Huaili's question, Yan Chuanming began to speculate.

"A man and a woman, both wanderers—could it be Old Yue and Miss Leng? When did they offend the Xing Clan?"

He sought more information and to confirm the man's identity, smiling faintly, "Forgive my skepticism, but... we have never had a Xing Envoy in Qinzhou, nor have I ever seen one. I cannot tell if you are genuine."

Before Xing Huaili could respond, a young man stepped out from among his twenty-odd followers, and his body trembled as deep blue wings unfolded from his back.

Seeing this, Yan Jiuyin prostrated himself further, silent in awe, but Yan Chuanming scoffed inwardly.

"Wings so dark in color—just a low-ranking Xing Clan member, yet he dares show off before me, Yan Chuanming."

Despite his thoughts, Yan Chuanming maintained his eternal smile, looked up at the clear sky, and said, "Well then, I beg the Xing Envoy's pardon. Qinzhou sees many people each day. Might the Xing Envoy provide more clues?"

As he spoke, Yan Chuanming discreetly shifted a small distance to the side, as if merely adjusting his stance.

"Hmph..." Xing Huaili snorted coldly. "They are both around twenty, the man carries two swords, the woman has a short blade."

"That must be them... I never noticed Miss Leng had a short blade, but her bearing certainly speaks of martial skill."

"Heh..." Yan Chuanming lowered his clasped hands. "I have not seen them."

Xing Huaili growled, "I came to your manor with reliable information that the two are here! I am giving you the courtesy of asking first, hoping you will have sense and hand them over. Yet you deny it? Do you want me to tear off the mask?"

To these ordinary Xing Clan members, Wangmai and Yandi were but lowly folk, no better than slaves—even their nobles were mere head slaves. So, if they were in a good mood, they might show some respect; otherwise, they treated locals as beasts of burden.

Yan Chuanming was suddenly cursed at, yet his smile remained. Before he could speak, Yan Jiuyin, still kneeling, tugged at his robe.

"Young city lord, hurry and apologize to the Xing Envoy and hand over those two. Surely, they must have offended the Xing Envoy."

"Heh..." Nothing seemed to truly provoke Yan Chuanming's anger. "So you would betray me so easily? Is this what my grandfather taught you?"

"Enough nonsense!" the young man beside Xing Huaili shouted. "The two are here—hand them over!"

"Hmph..." The masks were slipping. Yan Chuanming dusted off his robe, clasped his hands behind his back, and looked at Xing Huaili with a mocking gaze, ignoring the young man entirely.

"May I ask, what crime have the two committed, that the Xing Envoy comes in force?"

Xing Huaili roared, "They killed more than ten Xing Clan members in the northern mountains of the Snow Country! I have come today to execute them—there will be no negotiation!"

"Oh... is that so..." Yan Chuanming smiled. "Did I ever say I would negotiate with you?"

"Insolence!" Instantly, the young man beside Xing Huaili strode forward and grabbed Yan Chuanming's hair. "Where do you find the courage to speak to our lord like this? Kneel and beg!"

"Mm..." Yan Chuanming still wore his faint smile. "Xing Envoy."

As he spoke, Yan Chuanming brought his left hand from behind his back.

"You... You haven't been in Wangmai long, have you?"

Xing Huaili said nothing, and the young man holding Yan Chuanming's hair shouted again, "Kneel and apologize!"

A sharp crack echoed.

In less than a second, Yan Chuanming had snapped the man's neck, and before anyone could react, he tossed the corpse several yards away.

The whole scene stunned everyone present; neither Yan Jiuyin nor Xing Huaili and his followers expected Yan Chuanming to dare strike the Xing Clan.

"I, Yan Chuanming, have been retired in Qinzhou for only two years," Yan Chuanming raised his right foot high and stomped heavily; a floor tile flipped, and a black halberd shot up from beneath, which he seized firmly.

His black robe fluttered with his movement and then settled, immaculate.

"Perhaps the world has forgotten the title 'The Gentleman-Faced Fiend.'"

With a resounding clang, Yan Chuanming slammed the halberd to the ground, unleashing a murderous aura. His presence surged ever higher as he spoke.

"You come to my domain, demanding my brothers' heads, laying hands on me... It seems your Xing Clan has grown too comfortable!"

"'The Gentleman-Faced Fiend?'" Xing Huaili, now wary, drew his sabre. "What kind of title is that?"

"A lone wind, dashing but not a scholar," rang out a clear poetic phrase, "A black halberd, fierce as a true overlord."

Yue Zhe, shouldering his twin blades, strode forward at a measured pace. "You come to Wangmai and haven't heard these words? How truly ignorant."

Yan Chuanming's title, "The Gentleman-Faced Fiend," was far more renowned in Wangmai than Ye Pei's "Jade Hero." Ye Pei's deeds were mere amusement, but Yan Chuanming had truly made his mark, roaming the lands of Xia and Xue since the age of fifteen—one halberd, black attire, a gentle smile, his unchanging signature. The savagery and bloodlust hidden beneath his refined exterior made him feared throughout the martial world.

In skill, he might not surpass Ye Pei or Yue Zhe, but in combat, none dared claim they could defeat Yan Chuanming.

"A lone wind, dashing but not a scholar; a black halberd, fierce as a true overlord." This couplet was widely sung in the martial world years ago, aptly describing Yan Chuanming's solitary exploits.

Two years ago, he met his current wife, the legendary heroine "Charming Green Ghost" Yin Wen, whose temperament closely matched his own. The pair, both aged eighteen, withdrew from the martial world and settled in Qinzhou.

Suddenly, a beautiful swordswoman dressed in pale green descended gracefully from the rooftop, landing at Yan Chuanming's side.

"If you haven't heard of my husband..." Yin Wen spun her sword in a blossom, "then naturally, you wouldn't know the 'Charming Green Ghost' either, would you?"

At the same moment, Yue Zhe's shadow shifted, and Leng Mujun's figure emerged beside him.

Instantly, the murderous aura of all four poured unrestrained onto the Xing Clan's entourage.

"Gentlemen..." Yan Chuanming's presence startled the birds in the trees, "I wonder—can your blood write the words 'Return to the Martial World'?"

The warmth of spring sunlight brought no comfort to the Xing Clan. Instead, it felt as though they were plunged into a boundless icy abyss.