Song of Adolescence

Side Story Arc: Follow the Dao, Chapter 3: Daoism Congress

The handsome young Daoist did not bat an eyelid and he nodded. "The young hero is very perceptive."

The swordsman in red swung the sword in his hand, stuck it into the floor, and said with a smile, "I'm not a young hero. As for how perceptive I am, we'll have to test it out."

The young Daoist looked at the sword in other's hand and hesitated. "I've heard about recent events in Heavenly Revelations City. I know who you are and I know I can't beat you. Can we resolve this matter in some other way?"

The swordsman in red tapped his fingers on the table and looked out the window.

The young Daoist bowed his head and said, "Do you mean you want us to leave Heavenly Revelations City?"

The swordsman in red smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

The young Daoist stood up and sighed. "At the very least, you have to give us a reason."

The swordsman in red pulled the sword out from the ground, reached out his hand and flicked it lightly. "You received a letter, did you not?"

The young Daoist waved his hand, and together with the rest of the Daoists, they jumped hurriedly out of the window and sprinted towards the gates of Heavenly Revelations City without the slightest bit of hesitation nor did they turn around even once. One of the middle-aged Daoists couldn't help but ask, "Little shizu, who was that? There are so many of us. How could we not be a match for him?"

The young Daoist reprimanded in a low voice, "Didn't you see the sword in his hand?"

"Sword?"

"The fourth-ranked sword under Heaven, Heart," the young Daoist pronounced deeply.

The middle-aged Daoist was shocked. "You mean, he's that red-clothed sword immortal that all the rumours from the martial world are talking about?"

"That's right. Although Bai Xiao Hall has not ranked him in their new Hundred Weapons List, most people agree that the next time Bai Xiao Hall releases their martial ranking lists, he will definitely have a place on the list of sword immortals. He will become one of the new sword immortals, together with the Unrivaled Citymaster." The young Daoist turned his head and saw the swordsman in red who had stuck his head out of the window in the top floor of the wine shop and watching them with interest. An involuntary shudder ran through his body and he quickened his pace.

"Then… what about that matter?" the old Daoist suddenly asked.

The young Daoist gritted his teeth and said bitterly, "We can't be sure whether that matter is a good thing or a bad thing. Now we can only withdraw ourselves from the matter. It's probably not a bad move either."

The swordsman in red watched the group until they were far away and still heading in the direction of the city gates. Then, he took out a notebook from his robes and a writing brush, dipped it in the wine cup, and drew a huge X on one of the pages of the notebook. He grinned with satisfaction and remarked, "One more down." Then he closed the notebook, got up and was just about to leave when he looked up. An old man who looked like a house steward stood at the top of the stairs leading down. He frowned, as the old house steward seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen him before.

The old house steward smiled kindly. "Young master, it's been a long time since we last met."

The swordsman in red nodded. "This old mister looks very familiar, but I don't know where we've met before?"

"This one is the house steward of the Lanyue Marquis Residence, and we met once when I was with the Marquis," the old house steward replied.

The swordsman in red came to a sudden realisation. "So, you're the house steward of the Lanyue Marquis Residence. Has the Marquis been well?"

The old house steward turned to his side. "Whether the Marquis is well or not, young master, why not see him in person to find out? The Lanyue Marquis Residence is not far from here."

The swordsman in red shook his head and said, "I came back to Heavenly Revelations City this time, not to see old friends. I just want to come quietly and leave quietly. Give my thanks to the Marquis' kindness. I will see him next time."

The old house steward sighed. "You're making things difficult for this old man."

"Not difficult at all. Just give my regards." The swordsman in red reached for the railing, vaulted over and jumped down from the second floor, landing steadily on his feet. He brushed off his clothes, straightened and prepared to leave. However, the curtain on a carriage parked on the side of the road suddenly lifted and a familiar voice called him, "Lei Wujie."

The swordsman in red turned his head and smiled wryly at the man in the carriage. "Marquis."

This swordsman in red was obviously Lei Wujie, who caused quite a storm in Heavenly Revelations City a few months ago. This time, he returned to Heavenly Revelations City on his own because he had a personal errand and he didn't want anyone else to know. However, even before the emperor in the palace realised he was here, the golden Lanyue Marquis had already found him.

Lanyue Marquis said in a soft voice, "Why did you come back so quietly? You didn't even come to visit me in my Residence."

Lei Wujie shook his head. "I heard that the Marquis is now in charge of the Court of Judicial Review. I'm just visiting Heavenly Revelations City to sightsee. That wouldn't warrant a visit to your Residence for tea, would it?"

"Where are the others?" Lanyue Marquis asked.

Lei Wujie scratched his head. "They're wandering around sightseeing and refuse to come back. Alas, my status is the lowest so I had no choice."

Lanyue Marquis patted the seat next to him. "Come in and talk."

Lei Wujie retreated a step. "I still have business to…" He started to refuse but the eight attendants around the carriage suddenly stood on guard and moved their hands an inch closer to their belts. The atmosphere immediately turned cold. Lei Wujie looked at the eight swords hanging from their waists and remarked in a low voice, "The Eight Divine Blades of the Southwest Road? Marquis, this hand is quite heavy."

"Come in," Lanyue Marquis repeated evenly.

Lei Wujie could only board the carriage reluctantly. Lanyue Marquis arranged a small table in front of them. He was really drinking tea and poured a cup for Lei Wujie. "Why are you back this time?"

"I was having fun travelling and ran out of money. Xiao Se asked me to go back to his Residence to get some money." Lei Wujie put on his most honest expression.

Lanyue Marquis retrieved a stack of silver bills from his shirt and placed them on the table. "Then you can have these. Will you leave now."

Lei Wujie was stunned for a moment, and he didn't know how to answer. Instead, Lanyue Marquis answered himself, "Today, His Majesty summoned me to the palace and gave me a job. He wants me to preside over the upcoming Daoism Congress. But, in the last few days, many of the Daoist disciples who entered Heavenly Revelations City left again for no apparent reason. I followed the trail and ran into you here. Those people who were from the Divine Heavenly Sect must also be leaving Heavenly Revelations City by now."

"Hehe." Lei Wujie could only return a foolish smile.

"Give me a reason. Otherwise, we won't be drinking tea here," Lanyue Marquis said solemnly.

Lei Wujie frowned. "Marquis, it's only been a few short months and your attitude has really flipped completely. Just because the current emperor's surname is White…"

"The emperor's surname is Xiao," Lanyue Marquis interrupted.

Lei Wujie sighed. "Xiao Se said that we owed a big favour to the State Preceptor and Qingcheng Mountain and it's now time to repay that favour. The upcoming Daoism Congress will be used to select the future State Preceptor. But, the older celestial masters in the Directorate of Astronomy were not interested in the position so Fei Xuan will be the only one attending. So, I'm here to help him."

"Can a child even become the State Preceptor?" Lanyue Marquis put down the teacup.

"That's why I drove all these people away, right? Then, Fei Xuan will have no opponents." Lei Wujie scratched his head.

"A Daoism Congress with no opponents." Lanyue Marquis chuckled. "Won't that mess up the job I've been given?"