Chapter 999: Sword Immortal

After many twists and turns, Zu An used his mystical movement technique to shake off his pursuers and returned to the Pei family manor.

He had just been interrupted by the mysterious swordsman, preventing him from seeing his beloved Manman. He wanted to try again.

Unfortunately, after what had just happened, the City Lord's Mansion had significantly increased its patrols, with guards everywhere. In such circumstances, no matter how high one's cultivation level, it would be impossible to slip in unnoticed in broad daylight, unless one were truly invisible.

"Who exactly was that swordsman?" Zu An cursed the mysterious individual under his breath, wondering about his identity. At first, he thought the swordsman was from the Pei family, but when the guards were alerted, the man also had to evade them, which made Zu An dismiss that idea. If he wasn't from the Pei family, why would someone with such high cultivation be near Pei Mianman's residence? From what the man had said earlier, it seemed he was protecting Manman. Yet, Manman had never mentioned anyone like him before.

Just then, there was movement near the side gate. Zhao Zhi, wrapped in a large cloak that concealed his face, boarded a carriage waiting there. Han Fengqiu looked around warily, then picked up a bamboo hat, put it on, and drove the carriage away.

Zu An's heart stirred, and he followed them to a mansion a few miles away, which appeared to be the residence of a wealthy merchant in the city. Although the mansion seemed unremarkable, it was heavily guarded, clearly a secret outpost of the Prince Qi's Manor in the area. Zu An didn't want to alert them. After circling the area and noting the surroundings, he quietly left.

Upon returning to the inn, he immediately changed into his Gold Medallion Eleven attire and went to Xiao Jianren's room. Upon seeing him, Xiao Jianren visibly relaxed. "Lord Eleven, we've been very worried, as we haven't heard from you in so long." After all, he had been nowhere in sight across the vast desert and grasslands, and they hadn't known if he had even reached Cloudmidst City. Now, they finally had their backbone.

"I came here ahead of time to investigate," Zu An explained. "I've discovered that Prince Qi's heir has secretly arrived in Cloudmidst Prefecture. I'll tell you their stronghold; send people to monitor it, and report back at the first sign of any unusual activity." He cautioned, "Han Fengqiu is also there, and they are highly vigilant, so be careful not to get too close and alert them."

"Understood, shadowing these Embroidered Uniform Emissaries is our specialty," Xiao Jianren affirmed with a serious expression, patting his chest. He then looked at Zu An with admiration. "Lord, you are truly unfathomable, to have uncovered such crucial information so quickly."

Zu An's face flushed slightly; the discovery had been entirely by chance. However, seeing the other's admiring gaze, he naturally offered no explanation. "One more thing, are there any renowned sword masters in Cloudmidst Prefecture who have reached the Grandmaster level?"

Seeing that his superior didn't seem to make a big deal out of discovering Prince Qi's heir, Xiao Jianren thought, *A true leader indeed. Such composure is far beyond us.* Hearing the inquiry, he quickly listed a few candidates and then said, "Although they are considered skilled swordsmen, none seem to have reached the Grandmaster level. Could the person you're referring to be from outside this area, Lord?"

Zu An's heart stirred. He quickly described the person's physical characteristics, recalling, "He also seemed to recite a line of poetry, something like, 'Today's wine, today's drunk; tomorrow's worries, tomorrow's sorrow.' I'm not sure if it's the name of his sword technique or just a catchphrase."

Xiao Jianren's eyes lit up. "Now that you mention it, Lord, I do recall someone who seems to fit that description perfectly."

"Who?" Zu An was very curious, as it concerned Manman.

"The Libationer's third disciple, Sword Immortal Xiao Yao," Xiao Jianren replied.

"He's the Libationer's third disciple?" Zu An was astonished that there was a connection to the Libationer. He had heard much about the Libationer's disciples when chatting with Jiang Luofu and Xie Daoyun in the Imperial Academy's back mountain.

The Libationer had a total of twelve direct disciples, each a top expert in a specific field. For instance, the eldest disciple specialized in runes, Shen Xuzi in alchemy, and Heibaizi was a passionate chess player. Besides those he had met in the capital, there were others he hadn't. Among the remaining disciples, some had known identities and were stationed elsewhere, such as the tenth disciple, who was skilled in military strategy and stationed at the border. Others had mysterious identities; the outside world didn't even know their names or origins, only scant information, such as the second disciple being a healer, the sixth a painter, and the ninth a singer. But their specific details, including their gender, remained unknown.

Apart from these, the third disciple was a special case. Everyone knew his name, Sword Immortal Xiao Yao, but no one knew his whereabouts. For at least the past twenty years, he hadn't returned to the academy or even the capital. He couldn't be found for any major events at the Imperial Academy, as if the Libationer had never had such a disciple in the first place.

At this point, Xiao Jianren spoke with a sigh of regret, "In his youth, Sword Immortal Xiao Yao was exceptionally brilliant, reaching the peak of the Ninth Rank at a young age. Everyone believed he would be the youngest person in history to break through to the Grandmaster realm. Even the Libationer himself stated that Xiao Yao was the most talented among all his disciples and was destined to become a Great Grandmaster."

"Xiao Yao was full of youthful vigor, traveling the world with his long sword, defeating all heroes. Because the great war between humans and demons had only recently ended, there were still many demon remnants within the Great Zhou territory, so he journeyed across the land, slaying demons and evil spirits."

"However, later, for unknown reasons, he suddenly became extremely dejected. His cultivation suffered significantly, and even the Libationer publicly reprimanded him."

"In a fit of anger, he had a huge argument with the Libationer, then left the academy's back mountain and never returned."

"After that, many people reported seeing him across the country. He was no longer the handsome and unrestrained Sword Immortal; instead, he was constantly indulging in drink, and it was even rumored that he was bullied and beaten by members of minor sects without retaliating."

"Since then, it seemed no one had seen him again."

"Some believed he had died, others that he was crippled, but everyone agreed that a rising star had thus fallen."

Zu An frowned upon hearing this. "Then why do you say the person I encountered could be Xiao Yao? After all, he was only of the Ninth Rank back then, his cultivation level declined, and everyone believed he was crippled."

Xiao Jianren's voice suddenly rose. "Because I don't believe he was truly crippled!"

Zu An was puzzled. It was rare to see Xiao Jianren this agitated. What was going on?

Xiao Jianren realized he was losing his composure. He took a deep breath and explained, "Back when I hadn't yet been chosen as an Embroidered Uniform Emissary, I once encountered mountain bandits who tried to rob and kill me on the road. My skills were insufficient at the time, and I was about to lose my life when a white-robed swordsman passed by and casually dealt with the bandits."

"To this day, I can still never forget the elegance of that sword strike." His eyes, usually somewhat cloudy due to nearsightedness, now shone with an unusual light.

Zu An blinked, finally realizing. "So, you're his fan?"

Although Xiao Jianren didn't understand the exact meaning of "fan," he generally grasped it. He said somewhat awkwardly, "Actually, I'm an orphan and don't know my original surname. It was after I met him and admired his grace that I took on the surname Xiao."

Zu An was at a loss for words, genuinely surprised that the usually calm and composed Xiao Jianren was such an ardent admirer.

Xiao Jianren continued, "Later, I joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and with the numerous duties there, we had no further contact. Then, one day, I learned that something had happened to Xiao Yao. I refused to believe someone like him could simply fall, so I specifically investigated information about him through various channels."

"Unfortunately, he truly seemed to vanish from the world afterward."

"It wasn't until a few years ago that I suddenly came across mentions of a mysterious drunkard swordsman in some case files. Although the descriptions varied greatly from the Xiao Yao of old, for some reason, I always felt it was him."

Xiao Jianren's expression suddenly became excited. "Based on your description, Lord, it further confirms my suspicion. May I ask where you encountered him? I would truly like to see him again..."

Seeing his fervent admiration, Zu An felt a bit uncomfortable for a moment. He responded with a few perfunctory remarks before excusing himself and returning to his room.

Was that man truly Xiao Yao, the Libationer's third disciple? But how could Manman be connected to him?

As night fell, Sang Hong led Zu An, Gao Ying, Pei You, and others to attend the banquet. As Embroidered Uniform Emissaries, Xiao Jianren and his group found it inconvenient to attend and remained behind to guard the inn.

On the way, Sang Hong asked Zu An about his discoveries that afternoon. Upon learning that Prince Qi's heir had also arrived, his expression subtly changed. "Prince Qi truly harbors ill intentions, to even send Zhao Zhi here. Clearly, he has grand ambitions."

Zu An thought to himself, *We've clearly come to sever Prince Qi's influence; it would be abnormal if he remained indifferent.*

Sang Hong said in a deep voice, "A'Zu, this journey to Cloudmidst Prefecture is fraught with danger. One wrong step, and we could be utterly ruined."

Zu An replied calmly, "It's just a matter of dealing with challenges as they arise."

Sang Hong was momentarily startled, then chuckled. "Haha, indeed, the older I get, the more timid I become. You're right, we've arrived with overwhelming force; they should be the ones afraid."

He grew to admire Zu An even more, thinking, *This young man would make a truly excellent son-in-law. When we return, I must encourage Qian'er to spend more time cultivating a relationship with him.*