Sword Roaring in the Sky

Chapter 299 Who gave you this idea?
Wenxi had just gotten up when he heard a report that the Chamberlain Hei Guanghan had come to visit.

The Grand Tutor pondered for a moment. He had no relationship with Hei Guanghan. Although they were both Grand Tutors in the court, Hei Guanghan never supported any of the princes and always stayed out of it, unlike him, who was clearly trying to promote the Second Prince to the throne.

However, Wenxi quickly had someone invite Hei Guanghan into the study. The black-clad attendant had a livid face and said to Wenxi, "Was it the Grand Tutor's idea to have someone use matters between men and women to tarnish Sun Yanwan's reputation?"

Wen Xi was greatly surprised and exclaimed, "What do you mean by that, Attendant Hei?"

Hei Guanghan said in a deep voice, "Isn't it the Grand Tutor's doing to send Sun Yanwan out of Luojing this time to mediate the dispute between the Hu family and the Mirror Flower Sword Boat?"

Wenxi said in a deep voice, "I did indeed push this matter forward, and I also wanted to see if this Scholar Sun was truly talented or just a theorist. But how could he allow someone to tarnish his reputation through matters of men and women?"

"Where did you hear that, Black Attendant?"

Hei Guanghan said calmly, "That's what the Second Prince said himself."

Hearing this, he was furious and shouted, "Sun Yanwan has already made a name for himself by annotating the Six Classics. Who on earth slandered him and caused the Second Prince to commit such a grave mistake?"

Hei Guanghan said, "It's not the Second Prince, it's someone else. He just heard about it."

Wenxi was furious and said, "Who dares to do such a despicable thing? Are they not afraid of divine retribution?"

Seeing Wenxi's reaction, Hei Guanghan was somewhat convinced, but he still sighed and said, "The Grand Tutor can find out about this person with a simple question, so I cannot reveal it. By the time I learned of this, Sun Yanwan should have already arrived at Dangmo Manor, and I'm afraid it would be too late."

Wenxi looked slightly dejected, and after a long while, she said, "I need to see the Second Prince."

Hei Guanghan said, "The Second Prince only told me about this. Go find him, and he will surely know that I was the one who leaked this secret."

Wenxi pondered for a moment, then sneered and said, "Does the Black Attendant still want to play both sides?"

Hei Guanghan did not answer and walked away.

Wenxi's anger subsided slightly, and he suddenly realized something, saying, "So the Second Prince used Hei Guanghan to get me to handle this matter."

"To be able to do something like this, I'm afraid..."

"She must be a woman from the inner palace to have such a vicious heart."

Wenxi immediately understood why Hei Guanghan said he would know as soon as he asked, but it was inconvenient for him to say who it was.

The Grand Tutor, who was in a state of agitation, had initially been quite cautious of Sun Yanwan, but after the publication of the Six Classics Annotated Edition, he knew he had to protect this man at all costs. Sun Yanwan was destined to become a pillar of the Great Lang Dynasty, which was already considered a stroke of good fortune for the nation, and absolutely could not afford any mishaps.

Even the Second Prince dared not bear this responsibility, which is why he sent Hei Guanghan to find Wenxi.

Wenxi sighed and shouted, "Zhu Chong, prepare the carriage and horses; I'm going to see Marquis Wu."

This matter is too complicated, and Wenxi also needs to consult with others.

Sun Yanwan sat in the center, with the five elders of the Hu family on her left and the three innate elders of the Mirror Flower Sword Boat, Lu Chaoxiu and Duanmu Xianling, on her right.

Because there were too many people, it would be inconvenient for everyone to stand. If the hall were filled with chairs, it would be difficult to start a fight if they disagreed. Therefore, the martial arts hall was filled with futons. Since everyone was a martial artist, sitting cross-legged was a habit, so everyone was comfortable sitting there.

Sun Yanwan listened patiently to both sides' accounts. He had already heard the Hu family's version of events yesterday, and today, they kept insisting on the Subduing Demon Sword Technique. Regarding the name of the Demon-Slaying Sword Technique, they only said that it must have some origin. However, the Mirror Flower Sword Boat had gathered a lot of evidence and corrected the name of this sword technique. It was not the Subduing Demon Sword Technique, but the Suspended Mirror Listening to Flowers Subduing Demon Sword.

Even the originator of the sword technique, and the relationship between this predecessor and the Mirror Flower Sword Boat, are unknown. Furthermore, four incomplete moves can be produced to prove that the Mirror Flower Sword Boat did indeed have this sword technique, but it was unfortunately lost.

Sun Yanwan also took out the sword manual, glanced at it, and found it to be an old item. As for the sword techniques on it, he also glanced at them briefly and found them somewhat familiar. After thinking for a while, he suddenly remembered that the Martial Arts Pavilion also had a collection of them, but it was also a fragment, with about ten moves.

However, he won't talk about it, lest he get involved in trouble.

He returned the sword manual and said, "Since both sides have their own version of events, I cannot distinguish between them. Why don't you discuss it and come up with a solution that satisfies both sides?"

"Besides, I heard that the sword manual is still in that young man's hands. Why don't you retrieve the sword manual first, and then discuss its ownership?"

The two sides immediately changed the subject, knowing that once the other side took the sword manual, they would definitely not return it, so how could they allow the other side to succeed?

The reason that the nameless youth is still able to live freely is because both sides are interfering with each other to prevent the other from obtaining the sword manual. Otherwise, either side would have taken the sword manual long ago.

Sun Yanwan understood this principle, but he was there to smooth things over, not to solve problems, so he preferred to play dumb rather than act clever.

The two families argued from morning until noon, so Sun Yanwan suggested that they have a meal first.

The Hu family did prepare food, but the members of the Mirror Flower Sword Boat weren't new to the martial world; why would they eat the Hu family's food? They had already prepared dry rations for themselves, and even shared some with Sun Yanwan. Sun Yanwan was also hesitant to eat the Hu family's food. He did have some real grudge against the Hu family, but he also dared not eat the Mirror Flower Sword Boat's food. After all, he and the Mirror Flower Sword Boat weren't on the same side, and who could guarantee that they wouldn't add some extra ingredients to his dish?

Sun Yanwan brought a group of people with him on this trip. Now that he has a high status, although the people around him are not famous, there are warriors from Northern Yan, extraordinary people from Boshi Kingdom, and skilled people from the Tianma Gang that he has trained. They are either very experienced people who have traveled all over the country, or people with some talent who are the focus of his training.

Sun Yanwan escaped and returned to her resting place. Just as she was about to eat something, a young man walked over hesitantly. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, handed her a piece of tattered silk, and said, "There is something I cannot bear to do. Please, Scholar Sun, make the decision."

Sun Yanwan remembered this young man, whose surname was Duan and given name was Yu. He had studied for a few years, but he failed the imperial examinations repeatedly and could not even pass the first level. He had to make a living. After all, he had studied and was smarter than ordinary peddlers and laborers. He had some talent for martial arts and had mastered one meridian in two or three years. Although he was still some distance away from entering the first level, he could be considered to have a promising future.

Upon seeing the tattered handkerchief in his hand, Sun Yanwan immediately became wary and, instead of taking it, asked, "Who gave it to you?"

Duan Yu said eagerly, "Scholar, you'll know at a glance!"

Sun Yanwan looked at her strangely and asked, "I remember there was a rule in the gang that forbids me from bringing anything near me?"

Duan Yu hurriedly said, "This matter is truly unbearable."

Sun Yanwan suddenly made a move, knocking down the gang member. With a burst of internal energy, the intense power of the Crimson Essence Fire Flag instantly burned the remaining silk to ashes. He had already sensed the danger, so he called his men in again to thoroughly search Duan Yu on the spot, but they found nothing. He then ordered his men to search Duan Yu's residence and also searched his own residence, but found nothing.

Duan Yu looked anxious and kept trying to speak, but Sun Yanwan wouldn't let him open his mouth.

He pondered for a moment, then called in everyone around him one by one and asked about Duan Yu's whereabouts over the past two days. None of them had noticed anything amiss.

Sun Yanwan still felt something was off. Suddenly, a young man named Jiang Yuncheng said, "Yesterday we all heard someone crying. Duan Yu said he was going to go and see, but he came back with some worries on his mind."

Sun Yanwan nodded, thinking to herself, "This must be it. I heard someone crying yesterday too."

If it were just someone crying, it wouldn't be surprising. With a family as large as the Hu family, how could there not be some sordid things going on?
But the fact that this crying led Duan Yu out, and that he actually brought back a tattered piece of silk for her, meant there was something very wrong with that.

There must be some conspiracy to get me involved.

After pondering for a long time, Sun Yanwan said, "Tie Duan Yu up and send him to the nearby Tianma Gang's warehouse. Once he's transferred to Jin Diao City, someone will naturally take over."

But whatever the conspiracy, it must be designed to provoke Sun Yanwan into taking action. As long as he doesn't act, no conspiracy can be carried out.

By sending Duan Yu far away, he would have room to maneuver.

After dealing with her subordinates, Sun Yanwan leisurely ate lunch and then went to mediate between the two families.

The afternoon was uneventful, but the two sides couldn't keep arguing forever. After all, martial arts practitioners would eventually resort to violence if they couldn't win an argument verbally.

Three of the five elders of the Hu family made an appearance. The first two matches were taken by the two elders of the Mirror Flower Sword Boat. Both matches ended in a draw. In the third match, Duanmu Xianling took the initiative and defeated Hu Yunqian, the seventh elder of the Hu family. However, the Hu family cheated and insisted that Duanmu Xianling had cheated, so the match was disregarded.

Sun Yanwan almost dozed off, but she forced herself to stay awake and rambled on and on until night finally arrived.

As evening fell, Sun Yanwan arranged for a caravan to come from nearby. This caravan was just passing through and was not a local Tianma gang member. They protected her residence so well that she could finally go to bed in peace.

Although he was lying down, he was still breathing in his inner energy, which was no different from meditating.

That night, the soft sobbing lasted for a while, then quietly faded away.

The three gaunt old men, their eyes glowing like ghostly flames, asked in a flat, emotionless tone, "Who gave you this idea?"

Hu Yunshou's face turned ashen, and he remained silent.

Seventh Brother Hu Yunqian lost the martial arts competition today and was in a bad mood. He whispered and said, "It was my idea."

"He's nothing but a lecherous scoundrel, known throughout the land for his lust for beautiful women. I'll arrange for a woman to cry in the middle of the night. When his curiosity is piqued, he'll go to investigate, and how could we not end up having a good time?"

“He slept with the woman I arranged, so naturally he will side with our Hu family.”

"What's wrong with what I did?"

The three withered old men remained silent for a long time. One of them spoke in a faint voice, like a ghost's wail, "But it's really strange that you, Hu Laoqi, actually brought a woman from the palace here."

Seventh Brother Hu Yunqian was speechless. How could he not know that his rash actions this time were likely a trap? If the three elders of the clan happened to come out of seclusion, heard a woman crying, inquired about it, and discovered the identity of the woman he had arranged, who knows what might have happened.

(End of this chapter)