In the story, Xu Yanyang had an exceptional talent—or rather, he was a prodigy of the Martial Dao.

It's just that he was too naive.

The jianghu is the jianghu, after all; the road is long and slippery. Many slick veterans have capsized, let alone a seventeen-year-old Xu Yanyang who knew only of honing his martial arts.

So, the cruel people of the jianghu taught Xu Yanyang, dazzled by the glamorous world, his very first life lesson. While having tea on the street, he was not only tricked out of all his money but was also tied up and brought to a dilapidated temple, where his captors intended to kill him.

"You could see the thief's sword flickering in the dim candlelight. He let out a hideous laugh and swung his sword... and with a CRACK—"

The blind storyteller suddenly stopped, lifted the lid of his teacup, took a sip, and even clicked his tongue twice.

"..."

The audience below was about to erupt. They were just getting to the good part, so why did he stop?

What happened next? Did Xu Yanyang die? Was that the sound of his head falling, or did something unexpected happen?

Ruan Tang stared with great anticipation at the old storyteller.

But Xu Lai murmured, "He didn't die."

Ruan Tang looked at him in surprise and whispered, "How do you know?"

"I once had a friend who was struck dead by Heavenly Thunder for spoiling the plot." Xu Lai also took a sip of his tea. "So I can't say."

Ruan Tang was speechless.

She didn't believe for a second that Xu Lai really knew the story. As for that friend who spoiled plots... he was probably an imaginary friend. Perhaps it was Xu Lai himself who got struck by lightning.

Fortunately, at that moment, the blind storyteller continued, "At that critical juncture, as the crack echoed, the sword that was supposed to behead Xu Yanyang was knocked away by a thrown dagger! Everyone turned to look. Standing outside the temple was a handsome young man in white, with refined features and fair skin."

"The thieves yelled, 'Pretty boy, don't get yourself killed!' but the young hero's daggers flew one after another, each one claiming a life!"

The blind storyteller leisurely continued his tale. After being rescued, Xu Yanyang traveled the jianghu with his savior. It was only when they parted that the simple-minded Xu Yanyang still didn't realize his 'bosom friend Lu Xue' was a woman.

It wasn't until Lu Xue removed her hairpin, letting her waist-length hair fall loose. She stood amidst a blossoming peach grove, expressing her dream of one day becoming the wife of the number one hero in the jianghu, and said how happy she was to have met Xu Yanyang on her journey.

Xu Yanyang said, "Wait for me to become the greatest under heaven, and I will come to marry you."

After saying that, he turned and left without even asking where Lu Xue's home was.

「From that day on...」

A madman who wielded a saber roamed the jianghu, claiming he would become the greatest under heaven.

「Years later...」

It took Xu Yanyang five years to become the second-strongest martial artist in the jianghu. He had no rivals, save for the Sect Hierarch of the Demonic Cult and his wife, infamous for their countless killings.

So he took his saber to Luyuan Mountain.

After a battle that shook heaven and earth, the Demonic Cult's Sect Hierarch and his wife died under Xu Yanyang's saber. In the torrential rain, Xu Yanyang became number one in the jianghu.

But in the end, he still lost. He lost completely.

Because Lu Xue was standing by the door, tears streaming down her face, smearing the fresh rouge she had just applied. Hearing that Xu Yanyang had gone to Luyuan Mountain, she had thought he was coming to propose marriage, so she had rushed back a thousand li. She had even put on the white robe she wore when they first met and applied makeup in the carriage, only to witness her parents dying at the hands of the man she loved. Holding their bodies, she wept and apologized to them over and over.

"Xu Yanyang stood silently in the rain, the hand holding his saber trembling slightly. The words 'I've come to marry you' never left his lips."

The blind storyteller sighed, "A day later, the daughter of the Sect Hierarch took her own life with a sword atop Luyuan Mountain. Xu Yanyang buried the Lu family of three in a peach grove, and then he vanished. From that day on, the jianghu never saw a trace of the Saber Saint again."

"In the years that followed, the peach blossoms bloomed annually, but the woman in white never appeared again."

CLACK!

With a clap of the waking wood, the blind storyteller concluded the tale.

Yet the audience remained immersed in the story, feeling the helplessness of the jianghu and a deep sympathy for Lu Xue.

Xu Lai frowned slightly, because the blind storyteller hadn't told the whole story. The missing Saber Saint had left behind a Sky Ranking in Shushan for future generations. He was revered as the first Martial Ancestor of Hua Country! It was Xu Yanyang who personally ushered in three hundred years of glory for Hua Country's Martial Dao.

Ruan Tang's eyes were red as she continuously wiped their corners. "Xu Lai, Xu Yanyang should have never entered the jianghu."

"The jianghu was better for having him," Xu Lai replied.

The blind storyteller 'glanced' at Xu Lai and said cheerfully, "Indeed, it was. One man and one saber slew over a hundred thousand Otherworlders. He stood alone in a frontier fortress, protecting the realm for a hundred years. Chang'an City has not fallen to this day—it is the great fortune of our Hua Country."

"What does 'protecting the realm for a hundred years' mean?"

"Where is the frontier? Is Chang'an the modern-day Anxi?"

"You've been talking for three hours, and you end by mentioning 'Otherworlders'? What country are Otherworlders from?!"

"..."

The audience's curiosity was piqued, and they barraged the storyteller with questions, vaguely guessing that Xu Yanyang's story was just beginning.

"If you want to know what happens next, please come back for the next chapter," the storyteller continued with a chuckle.

"Wow, you wretched old man! It's always 'next chapter'! You're always starting new stories without finishing the old ones! That's it, I'm not coming back!" a middle-aged man exclaimed, repeating something he had said at least ten times before, with others quickly chiming in.

Yet, every time they got word from the young cashier that the storyteller was back, they would still eagerly rush over. This old man... his stories were just too captivating. What could they do but forgive him?

Leaving money for the tea, the crowd dispersed, and the teahouse instantly emptied. Ruan Tang also got up to leave.

Just as she and Xu Lai reached the doorway, the blind storyteller suddenly spoke, "Having Xu Yanyang in the jianghu was a good thing. But having you in Hua Country... what about that?"

"Hmm?"

Ruan Tang looked around. Besides the freckle-faced cashier who was cleaning up, it was just her and Xu Lai.

"Is he talking to us?" Ruan Tang asked, looking toward Xu Lai.

Without turning his head, Xu Lai whispered, "Perhaps. Xu Yanyang could defend a city for a hundred years. I shall protect Hua Country... for ten thousand!"

The blind storyteller remained expressionless.

"Let's go, honey," Xu Lai said.

"Ten thousand years? You think you'll even live that long?" Ruan Tang pouted.

"Of course I will. I have to love you for ten thousand years, too. No... a million years."

"S-stop it!" Ruan Tang flushed. Saying such things in public was mortifying.

"Loving you for a million years, my deep affection will never change..." Xu Lai began to hum.

Ruan Tang, blushing, tried to hit him, but his pace was neither fast nor slow, always keeping him just one step ahead of her. When she got out of breath, Xu Lai would even stop to encourage her, which made her grind her teeth in frustration.

「Meanwhile, back in the teahouse...」

The blind old man said softly, "Wei, do you really believe someone can live for ten thousand years?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.