Chapter Fifty: It Turns Out the Young Master Is Xiao Zhu

The Three Heroes of the Northern Desert advanced step by step toward Shen Lian, their anger roused by his earlier words.

Each stride was weighty, the three of them moving in perfect sync. It seemed one could almost hear the trembling of the tiles overhead—whether it was from the downpour outside beating on the roof, or from the force of their footsteps causing the tiles to shudder, was unclear.

Three men, six fists—each one capable of felling an ox.

Yet faced with these three fierce brutes, Shen Lian found himself rather uninterested.

As those six fists lashed out at his vital points, Shen Lian bent slightly, swaying left and right as if drunk. His movements were erratic, almost chaotic, yet he managed to avoid every strike with uncanny precision.

This was a technique he had gleaned from Bai Yufei's footwork—not identical, but both were derived from the principle of “balance.”

The wind from their fists howled past his ears, even drowning out the roar of the rain.

With a casual gesture, he placed his hand on one man's shoulder, hooked his foot behind another’s knee, then gave a gentle push—sending the first man crashing into the third.

The three brutes, once fearsome, were now like puppets on strings, manipulated at Shen Lian’s whim. In the end, they tumbled together in a tangled heap, unable to extricate themselves.

When they landed, they formed a great mound of flesh.

The Three Heroes of the Northern Desert were renowned figures in the martial world, yet Shen Lian dispatched them so offhandedly—something the “Young Master” had not anticipated.

His attention had previously been drawn to the short-haired monk, and by the time he returned to himself, the three had already been subdued.

The trio possessed innate strength, to be sure, but Shen Lian’s spirit far surpassed theirs. He slipped through their defenses with ease, exerting little effort.

“You are no ordinary man. What is your name?” The Young Master blinked, expression growing serious. It seemed as though a faint glimmer escaped from her captivating lashes.

“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t know me. As for who you are—I have no desire to find out.” Shen Lian replied unhurriedly, his mind sharply focused, prepared at any moment to let his spirit leave his body and attack.

The Young Master’s earlier display had indeed given him cause for caution.

Though the Fox Spirit had warned him not to use the Soul-Extinguishing Sword unless absolutely necessary, the world seldom allowed one to act according to their wishes.

“You may not say it, but I know—you must be surnamed Shen?” The Young Master smiled faintly.

“And I know your name: Xiao Zhu—Xiao, as in desolate, Zhu, as in bamboo leaf—the Young Mistress of Returning Cloud Manor,” said a new voice, not Shen Lian’s, but that of the short-haired monk who had seemed asleep.

The Sword Manor and Returning Cloud Manor stood at opposite ends of the empire—one in the south, one in the north—both the longest-standing sanctuaries of martial tradition in Great Wei. It was said their lineage stretched back a thousand years, predating even the empire itself.

Shen Lian had not expected to meet Ye Liuyun, the Young Master of Sword Manor, and now Xiao Zhu, heir to Returning Cloud Manor.

No wonder, as scions of such martial sanctuaries, they could recognize Shen Lian’s origins at a glance.

Xiao Zhu lightly tapped her jade-like palm with her folding fan, tilting her head and smiling demurely. “So it’s Master Kuhui, the Bladewielding Monk. I remember, many years ago you attended my ‘first grasp’ banquet. You gave me a string of prayer beads from a living Buddha as my ceremonial item. No wonder you seemed familiar.”

“It’s often said you could remember things from the moment you were born. I always thought that was an exaggeration, but it seems to be true,” Kuhui replied serenely.

“I heard you met Ye Liuyun three years ago. Between him and me, who is stronger?” Xiao Zhu stopped tapping her fan, more interested in her rivalry with Ye Liuyun than in Shen Lian.

“If you don’t use the Diamond Talisman, two of you together could not match Ye Liuyun. Besides, you two are betrothed—he is a bit stronger; it will serve you well in the future,” Kuhui answered with a gentle smile.

At this, Shen Lian realized that Xiao Zhu was a woman, and that Returning Cloud Manor and Sword Manor were not rivals, but relatives by marriage.

The protective aura Xiao Zhu had displayed was probably linked to the so-called Diamond Talisman—likely a celestial artifact.

“The Diamond Talisman belongs to my family, so naturally it’s mine to use. You wield treasured swords and sacred sabers, yet I cannot use a Daoist talisman?” Xiao Zhu huffed, her coquettishness plain to see.

Shen Lian mused: This woman’s moods are mercurial, and she regards human life with disturbing indifference. If Ye Liuyun marries her, bitter days await him.

Recalling Ye Liuyun’s aloof pride, Shen Lian dared not imagine their future together.

“Leaving Ye Liuyun aside, even this Shen, with your Diamond Talisman in hand, you are no match for him,” Kuhui said calmly, gesturing to Shen Lian.

“What’s so remarkable about him? Even Ling Chongxiao could not break the Diamond Talisman,” Xiao Zhu retorted coldly. Though Shen Lian was known as the “Jade Young Master,” in her eyes he was still far from capable of overcoming the talisman.

This talisman was a celestial relic that required no inner energy to use. With the slightest focus of the mind, it could be activated at will, generating an invisible protective shield—far beyond mundane means to penetrate.

As long as the internal spiritual energy was not depleted, the shield would endure indefinitely. When not in use, a minor formation within the talisman would draw in the world’s spiritual energy, replenishing itself.

Moreover, in drawing this energy, it would subtly improve the bearer’s constitution.

Even in the celestial realms beyond the world, such an artifact was exceedingly rare.

“But if he has mastered the Soul-Extinguishing Sword, do you think it could break your defense?” Kuhui said slowly.

Shen Lian thought to himself: It seems my secrets are not so easily hidden from those with discerning eyes. Fortunately, no one knows I have trained in the Supreme Purity Spiritual Treasure’s True Explanation of Natural Mind-Locking.

He had already realized that, at least among the martial world, there were no techniques specifically designed to cultivate the spirit. As for the celestial factions, he could not say.

The true reason he was beginning to transcend the mundane was this enigmatic art—the True Explanation of Natural Mind-Locking from the Supreme Purity Spiritual Treasure.

Xiao Zhu scrutinized Shen Lian. “So, aside from that madman Yang Xuan, someone else has dared train in this doomed technique? How could Ling Chongxiao let you live, let alone teach you martial arts?”

“Others who practice the Soul-Extinguishing Sword either die violently or descend into obsessive madness, like Yang Xuan. But Master Shen is an exception.”

“And why should I believe you?” Xiao Zhu laughed coldly.

“Why not try and see?”

“Hey, Shen—have you truly mastered the Soul-Extinguishing Sword?” Xiao Zhu asked Shen Lian directly.

“More or less.”

“What do you mean, ‘more or less’?” Xiao Zhu’s dark eyes studied Shen Lian with curiosity.

“I can indeed use the Soul-Extinguishing Sword. If your protective aura can’t defend against spiritual attacks, then it is true—I could defeat you,” Shen Lian replied leisurely.

Since the woman before him was Ye Liuyun’s betrothed, and still a young lady, Shen Lian wished to avoid unnecessary trouble. After all, he hoped to learn more about the selection of disciples for Azure Mysterious from Ye Liuyun.

As for the feud between Xiao Zhu and Ye Liuyun, it had nothing to do with him, nor did he wish to pry.

Suddenly, a fit of coughing echoed through the hall, clearly heard by the three inside.