Volume 1, Chapter 51 – Origin

On the other side, Zhou Ji came home reeking of wine.

In the three-story villa, aside from the male and female servants there was not a living soul to be seen. He frowned, called for his personal maid, and asked, “Did anyone come looking for me while I was out?”

The maid was a little nervous. “Young master… there were calls on the landline. The master said, when you return, remember to finish your practice before resting…”

“Practice my ass. Where’s that phone?”

“That phone… had quite a few calls. But you said anyone who calls that phone is not important, so I…”

“Didn’t answer?” Zhou Ji finally smiled. “All right. Go collect a reward from Steward Fu later.”

“Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master!”

Shrugging off his jacket to a servant, Zhou Ji went to the study. First thing, he booted up the desktop, got online, and began browsing news.

While he did, the staff helped him out of his trousers, brought hot water for a foot soak, set down fruit and snacks, and a young maid stood behind him kneading his shoulders.

Zhou Ji had someone fetch “that phone” from the bedroom. He lit the screen and found the missed calls were almost all from Tang Min.

“Idiot.” He sneered. “What I promised at the start and how it is now are obviously different. How does she have the face to call me again?”

The servants could see he was in a foul mood. One by one they held their breath, trying not to draw his attention.

“Dry them and take everything away.” Feeling he needed some private space, Zhou Ji had them towel his feet and clear out.

Left alone, he thought a moment, then picked up another, clearly better-made phone from the desk and dialed a number.

After a brief wait, the other side picked up.

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“Little Martial Uncle.” It was a gentle female voice. “At this hour, what do you need of me?”

Look at that, look at that.

A woman with manners and one without are worlds apart. The difference is in the very first word.

At that “Little Martial Uncle,” Zhou Ji felt a pleasant shiver from head to toe. He even demurred politely, “Senior sister, no need to be so formal! You are not of our Qingya Sword Dao. Just call me Zhou Ji!”

“That will not do.” The girl on the line was very serious. “Before my master entered Benling, he was Qingya. Strictly speaking he is your senior brother, so by rank I should call you Martial Uncle. This is proper rite and must not be overstepped.”

“Suit yourself.” Zhou Ji did not intend to fuss. He exchanged a few pleasantries, then said, “I owe senior sister an apology… I did not handle what you entrusted me to do.”

“You mean warning that Bai Xiang?”

“Yes. I do not know what stupid luck she had. She entered the Dao before I could move on her. Without my sword, I was not her match.”

“And she broke a demon riot on the night of the 13th. Zhang Daoming, Governor Fang… plenty of people know her now. Even the Demon-Immortal Dao will not retaliate lightly.”

At this point, Zhou Ji could not help a flare of resentment.

Because of the Demon-Immortal Dao’s troublemaking, Governor Fang rushed to Chilong and put his main effort into tracing demonists, but Qingya Sword Dao was implicated too.

Governor Fang did not care whether Zhou Ji had been framed. Even though, after coming to Chilong and reading the files, he determined it had nothing to do with Zhou Jing’an at present, his beloved daughter had been in danger, and he was bound to be angry.

Just then Zhou Jing’an did not want to face him head-on. At Xu Zhe’s suggestion they sent the second grandson, Zhou Ji, to the Inspectorate to answer questions, which also expressed the Zhou clan’s posture.

So I became the sacrifice.

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Thinking of being locked to an iron chair, blasted all night by floodlights through the iron bars of the interrogation room, tormented till he could not sleep, Zhou Ji gnashed his teeth.

“But rest easy, senior sister,” he said coldly. “I have found Chengfeng Sword Dao… that Liu Mengqing and the Bai clan are old enemies. Others fear offending Governor Fang. That madwoman fears no one.”

“In that case, Xuan thanks Martial Uncle.”

“No need to be polite, senior sister!” Zhou Ji spoke with lively brows, then asked, “I heard from Uncle Fu you sent people to No. 1 High?”

“Yes. When my master heard of the demon kingdom, he felt the Dao cannot stand aside, so he sent Master Liang to lead the team. Senior Brother Hao and I are in it.”

“Calling it training? So you are in Chilong now?” Zhou Ji sprang to his feet. “Do you need me to host Liang Wenbo… I mean, Master Liang, to wash away the dust?”

He did want to curry favor with Benling, but she declined.

“Let us gather after this demon-kingdom turmoil is settled,” the girl said with a smile. “It is less than a year to the next National Sword Exam. If Little Martial Uncle trains diligently, we will soon meet at the Sword Institute. No need to rush a few days.”

“Practice sword?” Zhou Ji’s face fell. “Forget it… I do not have the talent.”

“The whole world is developing science and technology. It is obvious the future belongs to railguns, laser cannons, even orbital weapons. Sword Dao does not grant immortality. What is the difference, practice or not?”

After a few more courtesies, Zhou Ji made a date for her to visit after the demon riot was over, and casually hung up.

Elsewhere, the Benling group reached the camp. Under their instructor Liang Wenbo, they met Captain Huang and, like Bai Xiang, were assigned tents.

Their location was toward the southwest of camp. It too avoided the front line, but was clearly not as good as the north.

“Zhou Ji… far inferior to his brother Zhou Yingxing.”

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Making an excuse to get some air, Chai Xuan, cool-faced and striking, hid alone behind a clump of trees, head down over her phone, a hint of disdain in her eyes.

No matter how powerful, technology is still an external thing.

Just like the special phone in her hand. It can be used, but it is not something to rely on.

Chai Xuan had no intention of sacrificing her body for mechanical or bio-mods. In her view, Sword Dao is the only path to transcendence.

Her aim was the summit. Qingya Sword Dao, Qizhou University’s Sword Institute, were nothing but stepping stones to that goal.

“But Bai Xiang has entered the Dao…?”

“I just checked the roster board. She is actually in that recon team… that must be Governor Fang arranging a bit of gilding for her.”

A bit troublesome.

Chai Xuan frowned.

She had actively triggered that place to leak aura, drawing in the Demon-Immortal Dao and the like to sow chaos.

Benling would send students to temper themselves. She joined as well, legitimately coming to this place. All of that was within her plan.

Only this Bai Xiang, her identity, had become the greatest obstacle to the plan.

This trip mattered too much. It could decide whether she could re-forge her Dao foundation.

And she would be snatching the Bai clan’s chance, completing her breakthrough there. The Bai clan must not be allowed anywhere near.

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She had to remove her.

But how.

She was only a sword-track student, no match for this side. With Liang Wenbo and Hao Chengzhuo watching, Chai Xuan could not strike and kill her outright.

Right, did Zhou Ji not just say the Demon-Immortal Dao wanted revenge on her?

Light flickered in Chai Xuan’s eyes.

That meant the demonist Bai Xiang killed on the 13th was special, very likely close to the Demon-Immortal Dao’s upper ranks.

“Qingya has people in the Inspectorate.”

“The Inspectorate recently seized a demonist’s phone. It stored several numbers. He seemed to brag to me about it before.”

“If those people learn that Bai Xiang is here too…”

Hmph. In that light, Zhou Ji was still useful.

Chai Xuan looked around, then quietly swapped the SIM in her phone.

She did not open the address book. Relying purely on memory, she began to key in numbers, drafted a text message, and hit send.