He Underestimated the Evil Sect’s Bottom Line...

Two days later, Su Yang and his party arrived at a large oasis in the desert in the afternoon.

The oasis was in a low-lying valley, surrounded by stone banks about six meters high. 

In the middle of the valley was a dark-blue lake, twice the size of the small pool they passed by previously. With its narrow and long shape, the locals called it Willow Leaf Willow leaves...Lake for its similarity to the plant. The lakeside was full of vegetation that covered the entire valley.

Willow Leaf Lake’s oasis was the largest in the desert, excluding the one occupied by the Evil Sect. Because of the influence by the Evil Sect, their sanctuary was off the grid, making Willow Leaf Lake the biggest oasis known in the Jianghu and the only large oasis visible on the Imperial Court’s map. It was also an unavoidable stop for caravans through their journey to the western regions. 

Therefore, there had to be inns and stables constructed here.

When they arrived, there was no one by the lake, but there were two horses under the tree shade within a mud wall courtyard. It was obvious that there were visitors here. 

Mei Shisan came forward and asked, “Young Master, permission to scout ahead?”

Su Yang frowned, thinking that there seemed to be such a scene in the original script, and brushed the request off, “No need, let’s just go in.”

If he was correct, there would be a few cannon fodders in this oasis. After being defeated by him, Gu Feidi would show up just in time. 

Yes, that was right. Gu Feidi would be saving the show here.

This screenplay was about fitting with its title, Arch-Rivals. It always enthusiastically created circumstances for him and Gu Feidi to meet. The arrangement always started with him in charge of bullying people, followed by Gu Feidi in charge of saving people. It might sound boring and would get old quickly, but to his surprise, the screenplay didn’t feel that way with all the scripted scenarios.

After complaining internally, Su Yang rode down the rocky ramp to the bottom of the valley. He handed his horse to a petal retainer and went toward the small mud courtyard with Mei Shihan and the remaining party members. 

Probably after hearing their arrival, two buff men exited the house. Su Yang was about to walk forward to greet them, but he saw the stunned expression on their faces, before they morphed into a more ugly one. 

One of them disgustedly curled his lip and said with a sneer, “Evil Sect members dare to lust for the inheritance of our Central Plain’s Sword Sage?” 

Hearing their mockery, Su Yang raised his eyebrows. 

This was very much like the classic cannon fodder setting. Looked like the script hadn’t collapsed. As a matter of fact, this was exactly the same line written in the script. 

In a happier mood, he put on the Young Master’s persona, and said in a devilish smirk, “Oh! If this inheritance belongs to the Central Plains, then why was it located in this wasteland desert? Don’t you know the desert is my Sect’s backyard?”

The other man choked, but he recovered by raising his chin and shouting, “During the Sword Sage’s final year, he travelled too deep into the wasteland and unfortunately couldn’t leave before his death. It is our duty to bring the inheritance back to the Central Plains!”

Su Yang grinned, took out his sword, and strolled to the two men. He asked innocently, “Bring it back to the Central Plains…or bring it back to your sect?”

The two men became enraged when they heard Su Yang’s accusation. Their eyes squinted and they pulled out their weapons. 

“This child is full of deception!” He yelled, “This old man is going to eliminate the evil for the Central Plains today! Starting with your Evil Sect’s acute spirit!”

Su Yang shook his wrist and lifted his own sword. Using no sword technique, he blocked the robust man’s attack with a simple push from his internal energy.

There was the screech of clashing metal, but it ended after three or four blows, as Su Yang smacked the man’s wrist with a sword, who cried out in pain and could no longer hold his sword steadily. 

The man stepped back, watched his sword fall to the ground with a clang and asked in shock, “Who are you?!”

Su Yang grinned happily. “Now you remember to ask for my name? Isn’t this a bit late?”

His words aroused the man’s anger, who gave his companion an eye signal.

His companion immediately raised his voice and called out a series of dialects that Su Yang couldn't comprehend. In an instant, he called out eight tall men from the house.

The eight men and the two men were obviously birds of a feather flocking together. Seeing people from the Evil Sect, they were filled with righteous fury as they started throwing verbal abuse toward Su Yang and his party.

Annoyed by the foul language, Su Yang disinclined to argue with them. He rushed forward and beat them all to the ground without breaking a sweat, like a professional chef prepping vegetables.

He didn’t seriously injure anyone, only knocked them unconscious or incapacitated them. After tying their hands and stuffing their mouths, he left the rest of the work to Mei Shisan, and let him do as he saw fit. 

Mei Shisan accepted the order with a nod. With his fellow petal retainers, they carried the immobilized men away from the inn. Su Yang did not inquire where they were being taken. 

When Su Yang entered the guest house, he saw the luggage and dry rations left by the men, and not in small quantities either. He quietly gathered them and piled them in the room's corner, creating space for himself and his party members.

Suddenly, his sensitive hearing caught some unusual noise. It seemed that some were hurling abuse, and others were begging for mercy. Then, all the sounds disappeared, cut short by an indescribable reason, followed by an eerie smell.

He frowned and was about to reach for his bag when his hands suddenly froze. 

He remembered this portion of the scene from the script. 

In the script, the Young Master arrived at the Willow Leaf Lake’s oasis, and the cannon fodder provoked him. Unable to endure the taunt, he massacred everyone. 

Just after he murdered everyone in the oasis’s guest house, Gu Feidi arrived late. The scene he witnessed was the banks of the Willow Leaf Lake covered with corpses and its water dyed with blood. Enraged by this, he and his guards engaged in combat with members of Evil Sect. 

It was also because of this fight that Gu Feidi was wounded. Only because of this, was he later defeated by Su Yang in the next set and was knocked off the cliff with Pu Lingyun. 

Thinking of this, Su Yang’s face turned pure white. He ignored caring for his luggage and immediately went outside of the guest house using the Cherished Flower Steps.

However, before the time to finish one cup of tea, or less than fifteen minutes, the oasis by the Willow Leaf Lake was already like a purgatory. 

The men were tied firmly to the tree, suspended above the ground. Many of them had ceased breathing, and each of them carried a fatal wound. Either a single gaping hole to the heart, or their throat was sliced open. In both types of injuries, the blood was freely poured to the ground, coursing into the oasis, painting a devastating scene. The ten vigorous and lively men who were shouting like sailors earlier, only one was still breathing. The one man who was the first to throw insults at Su Yang, struggling under Mei Shisan’s blade. 

The man didn’t beg for mercy, the red anger in his eyes looked as if they would start bleeding anytime. 

“Damned Evil Sect…” Blood spilled from his mouth, as he continued to swear, “...You worthless scum will die a miserable death…flaunting your damned fake might…”

Su Yang stared at the scene before him. The rusty scent of blood filled his nose. Suddenly, he felt faint. 

He barely held down vomiting, but he could still taste it in the back of his throat. Closing his eyes, and forcing himself to speak, “...Shisan, stop!”

Mei Shihan pulled out the dagger that he used to pierce the swordsman's shoulder. Then he turned back and greeted Su Yang with a nod, “Young Master.”

“You…”

Su Yang’s throat was tight. Not a single word could escape.

It was not until this moment that he really comprehended what kind of world Arch-Rivals was.

In those days before, the setting of Wuxia, or martial heroes, was nothing more than crossing swords in the Jianghu or travelling far and wide for pleasure from his impression of the genre. Whether it was the description of the blood in the script or during a shooting scene where the corpse props were scattered in the background, it would never bring him this kind of soul shaking impact. 

But now…there were real dead people.

These people would not disappear with the turning of pages like meaningless words, nor would they be able to stand up unhurt after the shooting like a production cast.

Su Yang felt buzzing in his mind, and he couldn’t gather his thoughts. 

Mei Shisan came forward and explained, “Young Master, my subordinates are interrogating the whereabouts of the Sage’s tomb. Please remain calm.”

Su Yang regained his senses. Stunned, trying to form words from his open mouth, but he couldn’t form a complete sentence in the correct language. 

He even forgot how to recite his lines.

That man was still hurling cusses, even in uneven breath, he still persisted in shouting out a whole article of insults and curses. 

At this time, the sounds of horses’ hoofs came from afar. It sounded like they would be approaching the stone bank by the valley. 

The Evil Sect members became on guard immediately, as they formed a protection circle with Su Yang in the center. 

Mei Shisan glanced at the still dazed Su Yang. He made a quick decision and stabbed the loud man in the heart with his dagger!

Su Yang yelled in shock, “Shisan!!!”

The cursing man came to an abrupt end. His eyes twitched as he became motionless, hanging on the tree. 

Mei Shisan turned, knelt down before Su Yang and justified, “If someone comes to save him, it would cost us nothing but trouble to keep him alive. This subordinate made a rash decision, Young Master, this one deserved to be punished.”

At the same time, a white horse appeared at the top of the stone back. The rider’s back against the sunset, forming a silhouette. 

Sitting upright on the horse’s back was the man dressed in a very pale blue form-fitting garment. His face was covered with a silk scarf. His eyes were as dark as ink and as bright as stars, but they were hidden in the shadows. 

A pair of chestnut and yellow dun horses with a masked man and woman appeared beside him, followed by a dozen uniformed guards, lining up on the high stone back. 

Su Yang looked at the group in distress. 

Gu Feidi’s eyes swept over the fresh blood and the corpses and finally landed on Su Yang’s pale face. A deep sinking silence in those pairs of dark eyes. 

When Xu Yunzhan saw the hell-like scene and the spotless person among it, his pupils suddenly dilated.  

He clung tightly to the reins, and his joints turned white from the restricted blood circulation. He gritted his teeth and asked in a deep voice, “This…you did this?!”

Su Yang’s mind rotated back, but he didn’t know how to reply on the spot. 

This hellish scene came not from his original intention, but the command of “pull them away and do so as you saw fit” was indeed given to Mei Shisan according to the script. 

But he underestimated the Evil Sect’s bottom line and caused these irreparable consequences. 

Seeing Su Yang’s unspoken affirmative, Xu Yunzhan said angrily, “I didn’t expect…How could you do this! I was really wrong about you!”

Su Yang tugged at the corners of his mouth and gave a fake confident smile. Finally, he recalled a few lines, “You from the Central Plains. Didn’t you always view us from the Evil Sect this way? What were you wrong about?”

Hearing this, Xu Yunzhan was so angry that he was about to draw his sword. 

But Gu Feidi stopped him by holding his wrist. 

The scent of blood infused the air, it became harder for Su Yang to suppress his nausea. 

He gritted his teeth, faced toward Mei Shisan, and ordered, “It’s too dirty for me to stay here. We will camp on the other side of the lake tonight.”

With that, he suddenly turned around, raised his hand to cover his mouth, and disappeared into the oasis bush with Cherished Flower Steps

Xu Yunzhan snapped, “Feidi, don’t stop me. I will go down and kill every last one of them!”

Gu Feidi said in a harsh whisper, “How about him? Are you going to kill him too?”

Xu Yunzhan clamped his mouth tight. “Since he was the culprit. I...how…I too…”

For a long time, Xu Yunzhan couldn’t put his feelings into any cruel words. He slammed back his half drawn saber back into its scabbard, and sat feebly on his horse in silence. 

Gu Feidi overlooked the Evil Sect’s members in the valley. He watched them quickly pack up their things and lead their horses to withdraw from the guest house. Then he finally took his group to the valley. 

He ordered his guards to untie the bodies tied to the tree, take them out of the oasis, and find a good place to bury in the desert. Then he checked the deceased's luggage and concluded that they were boors from the Wu Household in the Central Plain. 

“Over the years, an uncertain number of people die in the hands of the Wu Household. They are not good people, so please calm your mind.”

Gu Feidi showed the evidence to Xu Yunzhan and tried to comfort his best friend, “Besides, you should know that our Tengyun Pavilion and Village of Mount Qianfeng are not completely clean either. Power disputes, even influencing the Imperial Court, I mean, who among us do you know that have never seen blood in conflicts?”

“I was too impulsive as well. Seeing his innocent face under this situation, I…”

Halfway through, he couldn’t go on. With a bitter smile, he said, “I am obviously older than you, yet I need you to pacify me. The longer I live, the less I mature.”

Gu Feidi took a quick glance at Huo Ying, who was brushing her beloved horse by the stable, and lowered his voice to whisper, “It’s understandable for you to lose your sense of propriety when it comes to his affairs.”

After a pause, he also asked, “Do you still…care about him like that?”

Xu Yunzhan sighed, “Since I’m married. My wife is the one who I must treat wholeheartedly. I shouldn’t think about the other. Also, what I have toward him was just young admiration, nothing more…”

Gu Feidi stayed quiet for a moment and raised his hand to pat his friend on the shoulder.

Authors Corner

The author has something to say:

This chapter was a bit serious emmm…But don’t worry, there won’t be angst…

Tomorrow could be, maybe, possibly, will be a surprise…right? 

Translator's Corner

Translator has something to add:

Teo: The surprise that the author mentioned was multiple updates. I can’t translate as quickly so only 1 from me.

Editor's Corner

Sahl: But through the magic of time we bring you…multiple uploads!

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3 Comments

    • MkMzE

      In deed Su Yang was very naive … at least those men were not good people… the first stain of blood in his hands (indirectly, but his responsibility) will he able to sleep in the future?

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