—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
As he raced through the quiet, moonlit night, his robes billowing behind him, he remembered the time he had asked Wang Meiyang if she was a celestial maiden sent to retrieve Sakra Devanam Indra.
He had only said it to distract her, but he never imagined it would lead to this, a scene straight out of the play, chasing after her under the moonlight.
“M-Master, wait!!”
“…….”
Fortunately for him, a cripple, a cripple with a broken staff no less, the nighttime chase didn’t last long.
Wang Meiyang abruptly stopped.
She hadn’t used light footwork to escape, which meant she hadn’t really been trying to get away from him.
If he played his cards right…
“Why did you come after me?” she asked.
“Before we clear up any misunderstandings, let me say this, I was wrong. I’m sorry…”
“Sorry? For what?”
“Huh?”
Her voice, low and laced with a mixture of emotions, made him reconsider his approach.
Something felt… wrong. He felt a sudden, inexplicable pressure emanating from Wang Meiyang’s small back, a back he had previously considered only cute.
“What did you do wrong?”
Alarm bells rang in his head. His instincts screamed danger.
He had never heard such a question, not even in his previous life.
Of course, the context was different, the relationship between disciple and master, but it only made him more nervous.
If he had nothing to hide, it wouldn’t be a problem, but…
He looked at Wang Meiyang’s slumped shoulders, her posture dejected.
She had trusted him, believed him, despite his obvious lies, and had taught him the secret techniques of the Quanzhen Sect with unwavering dedication. He felt a pang of guilt at having hurt her.
His conscience, both the good and the bad parts, berated him.
‘You ungrateful wretch! She took you in, taught you valuable techniques, and you betray her like this!!’
‘Wah~ wah~ Give back the Frost Treading Ice Shattering Palm~!!’
He dropped to his knees, his head bowed low.
He hadn’t actually intended to switch masters, and perhaps he could have talked his way out of this with his usual glib charm.
But he didn’t want to.
He had already lied to Wang Meiyang enough.
While he had been forced to conceal his master’s identity, his connection to a wanted criminal, he didn’t want to lie to someone who had shown him such genuine kindness.
So, without any embellishments or excuses, he apologized to Wang Meiyang, his voice sincere.
“I never intended to betray you, to seek another master. I simply… wanted to become stronger.”
“The more I thought about today’s fight, the more ashamed I felt, disgusted with my own weakness. I wanted to improve.”
“So when I saw the Martial Alliance leader’s impressive skills, I… impulsively asked for his guidance.”
He had intended to keep it short and simple, but the words tumbled out, his desire to regain her favor overwhelming him.
“As your disciple, I should have consulted with you first. I apologize.”
A short silence followed.
Then, he heard the soft padding of approaching footsteps.
“Look up.”
Wang Meiyang, her cheeks flushed, perhaps embarrassed at having acted so childishly, spoke, her head turned slightly away.
“Haah… I was the one who made a fool of myself.”
She let out a sigh, then, hesitantly, she extended a hand towards him, a gesture of reconciliation.
“So… let’s… grow stronger together.”
Sometimes, a master grew alongside their disciple.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Wait, Master, you’re thirty years old?”
“Yes, didn’t I tell you?”
They had cleared up the misunderstanding and, realizing how little they knew about each other, had moved to a more comfortable setting, sitting on the floor, sharing stories. He had learned something unexpected.
He had assumed she was much older, a master of age regression techniques.
But she was only twelve years older than him.
“But why did you pretend to be older?”
“I-is thirty not… old…?”
While thirty wasn’t young, considering the average lifespan in this era, it wasn’t exactly the age of a venerable master either.
He looked at Wang Meiyang, who fidgeted nervously, her embarrassment genuine, not an act.
It seemed that living in seclusion with her own master, his grandmaster, and Ma Yang, now a traitor to their sect,
focused solely on martial arts training, had… stunted her social development.
“Master, how did you… become younger?”
Wang Meiyang, as if anticipating the question, looked down, her hand resting on her chest.
“I was seriously injured once. I used a forbidden technique to heal myself, hoping for complete regeneration, but… there were side effects. I became younger.”
He wanted to ask for details, but judging by her demeanor, it wasn’t a story she wanted to share, so he didn’t press further.
He looked up at the Big Dipper, a constellation shaped like a ladle, shining brightly in the night sky.
The Big Dipper, also known as the “deadly star,” the symbol of the Quanzhen Sect.
While he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not, Ma Yang had remembered his name, his face…
and had essentially threatened to kill him. So, Wang Meiyang, knowing that Ma Yang would likely reappear if she continued to travel with him,
had agreed to stay by his side and continue his training.
Therefore, they still had plenty of time to get to know each other.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
And as Mancheon and Wang Meiyang enjoyed their… rendezvous under the moonlight,
“…….”
While it wasn’t exactly a rendezvous, that’s how it appeared to Xiaoshao, her grey eyes cold, a chilling aura emanating from her.
“Umm… B-Brother Xiaoshao… is the bathroom still occupied?”
Xiaoshao took a deep breath and composed herself as Xue Yuehua, standing awkwardly behind her, tugging at her sleeve, called out to her.
‘Master Wang is Young Master Sima’s teacher… what am I even thinking…?’
Xiaoshao pushed down the unpleasant feeling, a feeling similar to the one she had experienced when Mancheon had uttered the name “Yeonhwa,” and continued walking.
She had simply come out for a stroll with her younger cousin, who was afraid to go to the bathroom alone, and yet… she felt strangely unsettled.
She hadn’t realized it yet, but…
burdened by the ridiculous prophecy, “The daughter of Nangong shall become king,” forced to live as a man,
unable to express her feelings openly, she envied those who could approach Mancheon so easily, so naturally.
The small seed of possessiveness within her continued to grow.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The Deng Dynasty, the new dominant power in the Central Plains, risen from the ashes of war, having conquered the Jurchens, the Mongols, and finally, the Song Dynasty.
In the capital city of Luoyang,
a man with long, white hair, neatly braided, his features delicate and almost feminine,
the Minister of the Household, responsible for managing the imperial palace gates,
and the General of the Guards, responsible for the security of the palace and the Emperor’s safety, appointed by the late Emperor as the Emperor’s guardian and advisor,
held the title of Grand Preceptor, the Emperor’s teacher, an eunuch who had risen to become the most powerful figure in the Deng Dynasty.
“He’s… he’s coming! The Unregistered Invincible! That monster! Aaaaaargh?!”
Bai Hu (White Tiger) watched as the Emperor awoke from a nightmare, his body convulsing, and addressed the worried palace maids.
“His Majesty’s health is my utmost concern. Prepare a medicinal decoction.”
It was a thinly veiled dismissal, and the palace maids, understanding his intent, quickly and quietly filed out of the Emperor’s chambers.
Alone with his Emperor,
“Your Majesty, the traitor Wu Ming, the Unregistered Invincible, has been driven away by the imperial forces. There is no need to…”
Bai Hu’s attempt to reassure the Emperor was cut short.
“Cease your empty reassurances!”
The Emperor’s bloodshot eyes glared at his incompetent minister.
“If the imperial forces failed to eliminate him, then they have failed! Explain yourself, Grand Preceptor!!”
“……”
Bai Hu couldn’t answer.
He knew his words were nothing but empty platitudes, meant to appease the Emperor.
What was the point of calling them “imperial forces” if they couldn’t even eliminate their target?
Where was the Unregistered Invincible’s head?
Still attached to his body.
That was why the memory continued to haunt the Emperor, gnawing at his mind.
“I… I still remember how my brother died. The image is seared into my memory.”
How could he forget?
The assassination of Crown Prince Huo Feng, the Emperor’s older brother, the rightful heir to the throne, by the Unregistered Invincible, the most humiliating incident in the history of the Deng Dynasty.
The Emperor, shedding his imperial demeanor, crawled towards his teacher, a broken man.
“Your Majesty.”
“Master… it was an ordinary day. My brother and I were on an inspection tour, observing the lives of our people, as per our father’s orders.”
“My brother… he was… a spirited man… so he snuck away with his bodyguards to hunt. Hee-hee… he always boasted about his kills afterwards.”
“It was a common occurrence. But… but… then he appeared.”
Huo Xian’s hands, like those of a man clinging to a cliff, clutched Bai Hu’s robes desperately.
“The Unregistered Invincible… that monster! He appeared out of nowhere, slaughtered everyone who tried to stop him… and then he… he captured my brother… and… he… he pinched him to death… slowly… with his thumb and forefinger…!”
Bai Hu sighed inwardly, his heart aching for his Emperor.
While he hadn’t been present at the assassination, he had seen Huo Feng’s corpse.
To say he had been “pinched to death” made it sound… trivial, but in reality, it was a gruesome and brutal method of execution, the assassin slowly tearing off pieces of flesh from his victim’s body while they were still alive.
“I had never heard my brother scream like that. He begged the man to spare him… offered him twice the amount he had been paid… hee-hee.”
Huo Xian’s lips twitched, his face contorted in a grotesque parody of a smile, or perhaps a sob.
“And do you know what that monster said?”
[In that case, two bowls of chicken porridge. But I’m not hungry right now, so no thanks. ]
“He… he… killed my brother… a human being… for a single bowl of chicken porridge…”
Huo Xian, the Emperor, wept, his demeanor so unlike that of a demigod, so unlike the ruler of an empire.
“Oh… Master… I am afraid. I’m terrified of the Unregistered Invincible… terrified of a martial world where such monsters exist… I’m going mad…”
Bai Hu, unable to bear the sight of his disciple, whom he had raised and taught since childhood, in such distress, gently stroked the Emperor’s back, despite the impropriety of the gesture.
“Your Majesty, it’s alright. As long as I live, no traitor shall ever harm you.”
He invoked his title, despite the embarrassment of boasting at his age, hoping to reassure the terrified Emperor.
“You needn’t fear the martial world. You know my title, don’t you?”
“One of the Ten Great Masters… the Supreme General of Heaven’s Strategy…”
‘Supreme General of Heaven’s Strategy (天策上將).’
Man proposes, God disposes. Or, as they said in the Central Plains, While planning is up to man, success lies with heaven.
In essence, the Supreme General of Heaven’s Strategy was a title bestowed upon a general favored by heaven, a warrior destined for victory. An invincible soldier.
“Yes, heaven’s favor rests upon you, Your Majesty. Therefore, you have nothing to fear.”
Bai Hu smiled reassuringly at his young disciple, his voice firm and unwavering.
“I will protect you from any enemy, no matter how powerful.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Sima Mancheon, the genius who deceives even the heavens, has arrived at the Martial Alliance headquarters!!”
Mancheon stepped out of the carriage and took a deep breath, gazing at the magnificent structure before him, the symbol of the orthodox martial world, the Martial Alliance headquarters.
His long and arduous journey had finally reached its destination.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Well I was a bit in emotional state when mancheon about to get a new master, and sorry for the late update, my PC is stills not in a good condition and it’s lagging af
Thanks for the chapter!
Welcome Bud! Enjoy!