Ten Thousand Sword Masters

"You won. Let me take you to a jewelry store to buy some jewelry," Zhang Jianyun said gently after Lou Qingluan stopped cheering.

"Buy me jewelry?" Lou Qingluan asked happily.

"You guessed right, here's a little reward for you."

"Let's go then."

After taking Lou Qingluan to a jewelry store and buying some jewelry, the two returned home.

He practiced with the Flying Cloud Sword in the courtyard for a while, and just as he stopped to rest, Xiong Changhai arrived.

Upon seeing Xiong Changhai, Zhang Jianyun sheathed his Flying Cloud Sword. "Let's go to a teahouse and talk over tea."

He took Xiong Changhai to the teahouse Chayixuan, asked for a private room, and ordered two pots of tea.

"Master, our activities in Tuanyuan Village are going very smoothly. I have established a good relationship with Pi Biao, the village chief of Tuanyuan Village. Once the time is right, we can take control of the entire village," Xiong Changhai said.

"Controlling Tuanyuan Village doesn't necessarily mean stepping into the limelight. You might be able to take control of Tuanyuan Village now, but if people from other villages find out that Tuanyuan Village is controlled by people from outside the Ten Thousand Mountains, they might unite to resist, which would be detrimental to the next step of our work," Zhang Jianyun said.

"What do you mean, Master?" Xiong Changhai asked cautiously.

"Pi Biao can continue to serve as the village elder of Tuanyuan Village. On the surface, Tuanyuan Village still belongs to the Shanyue people. You can control it from behind the scenes. The main thing is to spread my faith, make the Shanyue people my followers, and then use this as an opportunity to spread my faith throughout the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Gradually expand your power, and eventually make the entire Hundred Thousand Mountains the place of my faith," Zhang Jianyun said.

After a moment of silence, Xiong Changhai said, "Master, rest assured, I will act prudently and ensure that you establish faith in the Ten Thousand Mountains."

"How are those two sisters doing lately?" Zhang Jianyun asked about Pi Shanshan and Pi Feifei.

"They've gotten used to living here. They wear our clothes every day, and their lifestyle is basically no different from ours."

"Several times I asked them to come back to the Ten Thousand Mountains with me to help me communicate with people from other villages, but they refused. They said they hadn't had enough fun yet and would come back to the Ten Thousand Mountains to help me in a while."

"As long as they enjoy life here, that's all that matters," Zhang Jianyun said with a smile.

"The sisters didn't go out to play today; they stayed home. Would you like to go and check on them, Master?" Xiong Changhai asked.

Zhang Jianyun thought for a moment and said, "Let's go see them."

Zhang Jianyun felt that these two girls might be key to establishing faith in Tuanyuan Village. After all, pretty girls have an easy time doing anything. If they could be developed into believers and then have them assist Xiong Changhai, it might be twice as effective.

The two arrived at Pi Shanshan and Pi Feifei's residence and knocked gently on the door. A servant opened the door.

"Master Xiong!" The servant recognized Xiong Changhai and hurriedly opened the door.

"Master Zhang~"

Upon seeing Zhang Jianyun, Pi Feifei, who was pruning the flowers, was pleasantly surprised. "I'll go call Sister Shanshan."

Zhang Jianyun and Xiong Changhai went into the living room and sat down. Not long after, Pi Shanshan and Pi Feifei arrived.

"Mr. Zhang, I was just saying you're not going to take care of us sisters anymore," Pi Shanshan said, walking over to sit down next to Zhang Jianyun.

"How could I not care about you? My caravan still relies on you sisters. I was just away from town recently and only returned yesterday. I came to see you today," Zhang Jianyun said.

"Heh, if Captain Xiong hadn't come back from the Ten Thousand Mountains today, would you even remember us sisters?" Pi Shanshan said with a cold laugh.

"Even if Captain Xiong doesn't come back today, I will still come to see you," Zhang Jianyun argued.

"How hypocritical of you to say that! How could you possibly find where we live?" Pi Shanshan said with a stern look.

"Miss Shanshan, Master Zhang has been thinking of you all. As soon as he learned of my return, he immediately sent me to bring you here to visit," Xiong Changhai said.

"Miss Shanshan, Miss Feifei, I am very pleased that you have chosen to cooperate with my caravan. I am quite optimistic about the future of Tuanyuan Village, otherwise I would not have agreed to cooperate with you in the first place. To further express my sincerity, I am now giving you this house. Changhai, you can give them the deed in a moment," Zhang Jianyun said.

"Then we won't stand on ceremony!" Pi Shanshan said, unable to hide her joy.

"Captain Xiong, let me know next time you go to the Ten Thousand Mountains, and I'll go with you," Pi Shanshan added.

"Then I'll thank you in advance," Xiong Changhai said with a smile.

The next day, Zhang Jianyun went to the slaughterhouse to collect 2000 hostility points before heading to the pavilion.

Looking through the archives, it seems there haven't been any major cases recently; things have been relatively calm.

Hopefully, the Third Princess of the Dynasty will finish her travels soon, so everyone can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Just when Zhang Jianyun felt that the overall situation was not bad, Mayor Cao Jin suddenly arrived.

"Have you received the news? I just received a message from the county saying that the Third Princess may arrive in Kaiyang City tonight."

Zhang Jianyun was startled and quickly looked at the back of his hand, but there was no movement. "The county bureau didn't send me a message. Do you government officials have better access to information?"

Just then, a message appeared on the back of Zhang Jianyun's left hand, a message from the county bureau saying that the Third Princess might arrive in Kaiyang City that night, and that security should be ensured.

"If the Third Princess really comes, she may not go directly to Kaiyang City; she will likely pass through some towns and villages," Cao Jin analyzed.

"What if the Third Princess comes to our Cangxi Town?" Zhang Jianyun asked.

"Then let's pray that the Third Princess's identity isn't exposed and that she isn't discovered by demons or monsters," Cao Jin said, frowning.

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"What if the princess's identity is exposed and attracts demons and monsters?" Zhang Jianyun asked again.

"With our strength, all we can do is evacuate the civilians from the battle area in time to reduce the damage," Cao Jin said helplessly.

"Lord Cao, you can arrange what we need to do now." Zhang Jianyun handed over command of the pavilion, since it involved the safety of all the people. At this time, the government could mobilize the Cangxi Pavilion soldiers beyond the established system.

Cao Jin thought for a moment and said, "Arrange for all your armored soldiers to wear civilian clothes and patrol the streets. Report any suspicious strangers they encounter immediately. You and Counselor Zhu should go to the town government; we might have to stay up all night."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Jianyun convened a meeting of all staff members and relayed Cao Jin's arrangements and instructions.

"This is a serious matter, so everyone must patrol diligently and report any incidents immediately," Zhang Jianyun said.

"Yes." The soldiers agreed and quickly changed into civilian clothes before going out on patrol.

Du Zhong stayed behind to guard the pavilion, while Zhang Jianyun, Zhu Yiwen, and Cao Jin went to the town government.

Upon arriving at the town government council hall, all the other important figures from the government office were present, while the constables had all changed into civilian clothes and were patrolling outside.

"Master Zhang, Counselor Zhu, I've prepared some melon seeds and snacks to pass the time. Please don't find them offensive." After inviting Zhang Jianyun and Zhu Yiwen to sit down, Cao Jin ordered someone to bring up the melon seeds and snacks, and then personally prepared tea for Zhang Jianyun and Zhu Yiwen.

Subsequently, Cao Jin introduced the town government officials present to Zhang Jianyun: Chief Clerk Qi Xiu, Prison Warden Long Chengguo, Constable Luo Dashang, and Supervisor Wan Bing.

Time passed slowly, and the people in the room chatted idly while eating melon seeds and snacks to pass the time.

The soldiers of Cangxi Pavilion and the constables of the town government kept reporting encounters with unusual strangers. Zhang Jianyun and Cao Jin would go together to investigate each time, but none of them were Princess Wangchao.

Although neither of them had ever met the Third Princess, they could still distinguish between officials from the court and ordinary people at a glance.

When it was lunchtime, Cao Jin arranged a simple meal, which everyone quickly finished and continued to wait.

As soon as he finished lunch, Du Zhong hurried to the town government.

"Master, five Heart-Stealing Wolves have appeared outside Bamboo and Wood Village."

"I'll handle it." Zhang Jianyun stood up abruptly.

"Sect Master, I'll go with you." Zhu Yiwen also stood up.

"Qi Xiu, arrange horses for Pavilion Master Zhang," Cao Jin instructed Qi Xiu, the chief clerk.

Qi Xiu stood up and led Zhang Jianyun and Zhu Yiwen to the town government's stable.

After Zhang and Zhu ordered two horses, they rode to Zhumu Village.

Upon arriving at Zhumu Village, they found that every household had its doors tightly shut, and five Heart-Stealing Wolves were leaping around on the rooftops, as if searching for something.

Zhang Jianyun drew his Flying Cloud Sword and chased after the Heart-Stealing Wolf, while Zhu Yiwen also drew his Fish Pattern Knife.

With their combined efforts, the two killed five Heart-Stealing Wolves in a short time.

The villagers, who were hiding in the houses, saw that the Heart-Stealing Wolf had been killed and came out to cheer for Zhang and Zhu.

"Thank you, gentlemen. I have prepared some food and wine at home. Please have a meal before returning to town," Village Chief Luo Lin warmly invited the two.

"No need, Village Chief Luo. We have other matters to attend to in town, so we need to hurry back." After saying this, Zhang Jianyun and Zhu Yiwen rode back to town.

They rushed back to the town government and continued to wait. During this time, soldiers and constables came to report that there were unusual strangers. Zhang Jianyun and Cao went in to check, but neither of them was the Third Princess.

As evening approached, Cao Jingang had just arranged some stir-fried dishes when he and Zhang Jianyun received separate messages from the county saying that the Third Princess would not be coming to Kaiyang City that day.

Upon receiving this news, Zhang Jianyun and Cao Jin were not happy; on the contrary, they were somewhat depressed. They hoped that the Third Princess would come to Kaiyang City today and leave as soon as possible. The longer she delayed, the greater the pressure would become.

"It's alright, the Third Princess won't be coming today. Everyone has worked hard today, so I'll treat you all to a meal at Jiaxing Restaurant. Let's eat," Cao Jin said.

Immediately afterwards, Cao Jin led his group to Jiaxing Restaurant, booked a private room, ordered food and drinks, and then chatted with Zhang Jianyun.

"I'll still call you Jianyun. You're so young, calling you 'Pavilion Master' makes us seem distant," Cao Jin said with a smile.

"Jianyun, are you married?"

"Not yet," Zhang Jianyun shook his head.

"How old are you?" Cao Jin asked.

"I'll be twenty soon."

"It's about time he found a woman to marry," Cao Jin said.

"There's no rush. When the time is right, things can happen." Zhang Jianyun said with a smile.

"Lord Cao, with Zhang Gezhu's strength, he will leave Cangxi Town sooner or later, so he naturally won't marry someone from here," said Qi Xiu, the town's chief clerk.

"Old Qi, what kind of talk is that? Is it that the girls from Cangxi Town are inferior?" Supervisor Wan Bing said with dissatisfaction. "Putting everything else aside, the daughter of the White Tiger Gang's deputy leader, Wang Qinqin, has been admitted to the Jixia Academy. Her future is bright."

"Brother Wan, you're overthinking it. I'm not saying the women in our town are bad, but that Zhang Jianyun will leave sooner or later and won't get married and settle down here," Qi Xiu said with a laugh.

"When men and women get married, they naturally hope that each other is outstanding, but more often than not, it is difficult for two outstanding people to come together," Cao Jin said.

"Lord Cao, your daughter is of marriageable age, why not introduce her to Zhang Jianyun?" Qi Xiu said jokingly.

"Never mind, never mind." Cao Jin hurriedly waved his hand, but his eyes inadvertently glanced at Zhang Jianyun to see how Zhang Jianyun would react.

"Hey, your daughter Cao Shuangyi is a rare woman of both talent and beauty, a perfect match for Pavilion Master Zhang," Qi Xiu chimed in.

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"No, no, Jianyun definitely wants to find a woman with high martial arts skills," Cao Jin said, waving his hand.

"Lord Cao is right. A woman without martial arts skills is indeed not suitable for Pavilion Master Zhang," Zhu Yiwen said calmly.

His words made Cao Jin and Qi Xiu slightly embarrassed.

"Who can explain fate? If two people are attracted to each other, what does it matter if there's force or not?" Qi Xiu said loudly, trying to ease the awkwardness.

"Let's not talk about this anymore," Cao Jin waved his hand, changing the subject.

"Master Zhang, you have achieved so much at such a young age. What is your secret? I hope that more outstanding young people will emerge in our Cangxi Town," said Supervisor Wan Bing.

This question made Zhang Jianyun a little embarrassed. "I rely entirely on the system, but I can't say that."

"Talent plus hard work, there are no shortcuts in cultivation." Zhang Jianyun said this nonsense with a straight face.

Hearing this, Inspector Wan Bing was somewhat disappointed; it seemed that Zhang Jianyun's success could not be replicated.

After the food and drinks were served, everyone ate and drank for a while before heading home.

After leaving the restaurant, Zhu Yiwen took Zhang Jianyun's hand.

"Master, you really should leave Cangxi Town. Look at the kind of people they are, daring to covet your marriage."

"Counselor Zhu, thank you for your concern. I will consider leaving Cangxi Town," Zhang Jianyun said.

I went home and fell asleep immediately.

Three days passed, and Zhang Jianyun gained 6000 hostility points from the slaughterhouse.

Inside the office, Zhang Jianyun was reviewing some old case files, learning from his experience in handling cases, when Xiong Changhai came to see him.

"Master, I will be taking Pi Shanshan and Pi Feifei to the Ten Thousand Mountains in a little while. This time, we will do two things: first, strengthen our relationship with Tuanyuan Village; and second, I plan to bring the two villages next to Tuanyuan Village under my control as well."

"We must proceed with caution to avoid provoking resentment or resistance from the villagers, and strive to gain the support of the majority," Zhang Jianyun said.

After Xiong Changhai left, Zhang Jianyun looked at the documents for a while, then found Zhou Wei and asked to go to the training ground with him to practice swordsmanship.

"Master, where did you acquire a precious sword?"

Seeing the Flying Cloud Sword in Zhang Jianyun's hand, Zhou Wei asked curiously.

"I bought it from a hidden sword manor in Houhai City," Zhang Jianyun said.

"When will I buy a precious sword too?" Zhou Wei said longingly.

The two arrived at the training ground and began to spar.

After a brief fight, Zhang Jianyun felt that he would gain more from fighting swordsmen like Yuan Tianqi and Zhu Chiyu, while fighting Zhou Wei was more about building a foundation.

"Master, how about I have a match with you?"

At this moment, Zhu Yiwen, who was passing by the martial arts training ground, shouted loudly at Zhang Jianyun.

Zhang Jianyun was overjoyed: "Counselor, come up on stage quickly!"

shhhhhh!

Zhu Yiwen leaped onto the martial arts stage and took the longsword from Zhou Wei.

Holding the longsword, Zhu Yiwen sighed, "Since coming to the pavilion, I've been using the fish-patterned saber and haven't touched a sword much. I can't even remember the last time I used a sword."

"Would you like to familiarize yourself with it first?" Zhang Jianyun asked with a smile.

"No need for that. Come on, let me see how good your swordsmanship is." Zhu Yiwen said, standing with his sword horizontally across his body.

I like the Ten Thousand Swords Master.