Chapter 1 – Li Ziye


“Fairy Qin is coming to Yuzhou City!”

In the Great Shang Dynasty, Yuzhou City, a message from an unknown source instantly ignited the entire city!

“Fairy Qin? The Plum Blossom Sword Immortal? What is she doing in Yuzhou City?”

“Of course, she is here to recruit disciples!”

For several days, whether it was the storytellers or the influential figures in the city, they all talked about one person.

Qin E’nuo!

When it comes to Qin E’nuo, it is truly an endless topic.

Simply put, she is beautiful, powerful, and invincible in the world.

Now, such a divine figure is going to recruit direct disciples. How can people not go crazy?

But to become Qin E’nuo’s disciple, one must be a rare genius that appears once in ten or a hundred years. It is probably unimaginable for most people.

For the past three months, Qin E’nuo has traveled to more than ten cities in the Shang Dynasty, but still hasn’t found a satisfactory candidate.

This time, she came to Yuzhou City for only one person, the legendary unparalleled genius.

“Among the younger generation in the Nine Provinces, there are five individuals who are considered unparalleled arrogance. They are the Buddhist Disciple San Zang, the Divine Child Yan Xiaoyu from the Divine Temple, the Holy Maiden Huo Lin’er from the Vermilion Bird Sect, and the Fourth Prince Mu Bai from the Great Shang Dynasty. Unfortunately, these four already have their own masters.”

In the largest restaurant in Yuzhou City, a master storyteller with a folding fan in his hand was passionately speaking, and many customers at the surrounding tables were listening with great interest. Most of them were traveling tradesmen who stopped by the restaurant to rest and learn about the local customs.

“Storyteller, didn’t you say there were five people? But you only mentioned four,” a man at a nearby table asked.

“Don’t rush.”

The storyteller took a sip of tea and said, “Do you know which trading company is the largest in our Great Shang Dynasty?”

“Who doesn’t know? It’s the Li Family in Yuzhou City. They are known as wealthy enough to rival a country. What does that have to do with what you said?” the man replied unhappily.

“It is related, and it’s a big deal.”

The storyteller smiled mysteriously and said, “The head of the Li Family, Li Baiwan, has a son named Li Ziye. He is an unparalleled genius, not inferior to the Buddhist Disciple San Zang or the Divine Child Yan Xiaoyu.”

“You’re just bragging.”

A scholar at another table sneered, “What kind of people are the Buddhist Disciple San Zang and the Divine Child Yan Xiaoyu? How can Li Ziye from the Li Family be compared to them?”

“I’m not making it up. Sword Enthusiast, do you know?”

The storyteller glanced disdainfully at the scholar and said, “It is said that when Sword Enthusiast came to Yuzhou City some time ago, Li Baiwan wanted his son to become his disciple. However, after Sword Enthusiast saw Li Ziye from the Li Family, he directly refused and only said one sentence.”

At this point, the storyteller deliberately paused, leaving a cliffhanger.

The listeners around immediately became curious.

Sword Enthusiast, they knew, was a famous master of swordsmanship in the Shang Dynasty, known for his love of alcohol and swords, and had a great reputation.

The man at the table next to them became impatient and shouted, “Stop keeping us in suspense. What did Sword Enthusiast say?”

The scholar on the other side also perked up his ears, waiting for the answer.

Seeing that everyone was hooked, the storyteller took a satisfied sip of tea and slowly said, “Sword Enthusiast said that Li Ziye from the Li Family has the appearance of a Sword Immortal, but my Foolish Sword is not worthy to be his master.”

As soon as these words fell, the crowd erupted in astonishment.

Outside the restaurant, a young man dressed in a brocade robe heard the words and stopped in his tracks.

“Fourth… Young Master, these storytellers are just trying to please the crowd. The Li Family is a merchant family. How could there be any swordsmanship prodigy? When Sword Immortal Qin arrives in Yuzhou City, with the Young Master’s martial arts talent, he will definitely be able to successfully become her disciple,” a servant boy by the young man’s side spoke, flattering.

The young man in the brocade robe shook his head and said, “He is not making it up. Sword Enthusiast did say such words. That’s why I came to Yuzhou City. One reason is to try my best to become Sword Immortal Qin’s disciple, and the other reason is to see for myself if the only son of the Li Family is truly as talented as the rumors say.”

Inside the restaurant, the master storyteller continued to talk, and the same rumors spread from Yuzhou City as the center, gradually spreading to various places and becoming more and more sinister.

“Do you know? The Li Family has a son named Li Ziye, who is said to have the appearance of a Sword Immortal. Even Sword Enthusiast doesn’t dare to accept him as a disciple, fearing that he would miss out on a great talent of this era.”

“Do you know what? I heard that Li Ziye was born holding a sword, and when he was born, there was a purple mist covering the sky, and the sword aura soared into the clouds.”

“Is it true? That’s so sinister!”

“It’s true. I heard about it too. Li Ziye is truly the strongest genius of this era. At the age of ten, he created a peerless sword technique called Tai Chi. It is said that when the sword technique was first completed, there was a surge of wind and thunder, and extraordinary phenomena occurred.”

“These points you know are too ordinary. I heard that Li Ziye recently comprehended an unparalleled sword intent. With one sword, he leveled a mountain, even shocking those unparalleled experts who have not appeared in the world. That’s why the Plum Blossom Sword Immortal entered the world and came to Yuzhou City to accept him as her disciple.”

“What a load of nonsense. I heard that Li Ziye is about to ascend and achieve the supreme sword path.”

One person spreads rumors, and three people believe them. In just three months, the rumors that spread from Yuzhou City as the center became more and more outrageous, from Li Ziye having the appearance of a Sword Immortal to Li Ziye soon ascending to the heavens, shocking the unsuspecting masses.

However, no matter how absurd the rumors were, they couldn’t change one fact.

Li Ziye became famous.

Extremely famous!

***

And at the center of the rumors, in the Li Residence in Yuzhou City, a magnificent mansion comparable to a royal courtyard, it was more appropriate to call it a city than a residence.

The Li Residence was too large, so large that it was difficult to determine the directions once inside.

The Li Family in Yuzhou City was known to be wealthy enough to rival a country, and it was not just an empty claim.Based on speculation, the wealth controlled by the Li Family even surpasses that of the Great Shang Treasury.

Although the Li Family has been engaged in business for generations and possesses astonishing wealth, the real transformation of the Li Family to its current state only happened in the past decade or so.

Perfume, crystal, mirrors, soap… Over the past decade, one after another, these novel yet popular items appeared in the Li Family’s shops all over the place, allowing the Li Family’s wealth to accumulate rapidly, truly reaching a state of wealth that could rival a nation.

Few people knew why the Li Family could develop these novel items, but the Li Family knew.

It was all because of the birth of the Young Master.

Young Master Li Ziye was different from the moment he was born. He invented many strange things that didn’t exist in this world, which took the Li Family’s business empire to another level.

However, Li Ziye, who should have grown up with a golden spoon in his mouth and lived a carefree life, didn’t seem to be very happy.

He even seemed a bit melancholic.

In the backyard of the Li Residence, a teenager of about sixteen or seventeen was sitting in a pavilion in the middle of the lake, fishing and looking melancholic.

The teenager was very handsome and dressed meticulously. With gold and silver threads, jade accessories, and his rich appearance, he was clearly a child of a wealthy family.

To put it bluntly, he was a nouveau riche.

The teenager was Li Ziye, who was now famous throughout Yuzhou City and even the entire Royal Dynasty.

“Old Li, you won’t go back on your word about the ten jars of Intoxicated Blossom Brew, will you?”

On the riverbank, a slovenly drunk old man glanced at the potbellied middle-aged man next to him and asked.

Next to the slovenly old man, a sword was casually placed. The sword was not bad, it had the look of a famous sword.

The slovenly old man was the Sword Enthusiast, surnamed Zhang. His name was unknown to most, and those who knew him well often called him Old Zhang, or Slovenly Zhang.

Although the Sword Enthusiast didn’t look impressive and was addicted to alcohol, no one could deny that this slovenly old man was a renowned powerhouse.

Next to the slovenly old man, the potbellied middle-aged man dressed in rich attire was Li Ziye’s father, Li Baiwan.

If Li Ziye’s image could still be associated with some noble qualities, then Li Baiwan was the epitome of a nouveau riche.

Li Baiwan was wearing Cloud Brocade from the Southern Frontier, wearing jade from the north, sitting on a Tiger Bone Chair from the Western Regions, and holding a Black Pearl from the Eastern Sea.

His entire outfit was worth tens of thousands of gold. If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t wear any more, Li Baiwan would have wished to wear all the gold and jade on his body, fearing that others wouldn’t know he was rich.

“Of course not.”

Upon hearing the slovenly old man’s question, Li Baiwan replied with a smile, “Old Zhang, do you think Qin E’nuo will believe the rumors in the city?”

“I don’t know, don’t ask me.”

Slovenly Zhang took a sip of wine from his jug and said, “I’ve done what you asked me to do. Whether she believes it or not, it’s none of my business.”

“Ah.”

Upon hearing this, Li Baiwan looked at his only son in the pavilion in the lake with a worried expression and said, “Old Zhang, do you really think my son has no talent for martial arts?”

“No.”

This time, Slovenly Zhang answered very decisively.

In the pavilion in the middle of the lake, Li Ziye seemed to have heard something. He turned his head to look at the slovenly old man on the bank and said, “Old Zhang, you’ve lived a long time and seen a lot. Is there any heaven-defying technique or pill in this world that can transform a person and make them a martial arts genius?”

“Heh.”

Upon hearing Li Ziye’s question, Slovenly Zhang put down his wine jug and said, “There’s no such technique, but there is a way. Do you want to hear it?”

“What’s the way?”

Upon hearing this, both Li Ziye and Li Baiwan perked up and asked.

“Dream on!”

Slovenly Zhang said indifferently.

“……”

Li Ziye was speechless.

“Kid, you don’t need to worry.”

Slovenly Zhang glanced at him and said, “Just because I can’t teach you martial arts doesn’t mean Qin E’nuo can’t. Her realm is higher than mine, and she’s seen no less than I have. She might have a way. Of course, the premise is that you can figure out a way to make her take you as her disciple.”

“That makes sense.”

Li Ziye nodded in agreement and said, “She’s a Sword Immortal, she should have some abilities that others don’t.”

“I’m not a good father!” Li Baiwan said with guilt.

In the middle of the lake, Li Ziye got on a small boat, stood at the bow with his hands behind his back, and behind him, a beautiful maid was rowing the boat. It was a picture of a beautiful woman and a talented man, like a fairy tale.

On the shore, Slovenly Zhang watched Li Ziye on the small boat and shook his head.

This kid, only his appearance was passable.

He was now somewhat regretful. Was it worth it to say such words just for ten jars of Intoxicated Blossom Brew?

He had tarnished his reputation!

The small boat docked, and Li Ziye got off the boat, patted Li Baiwan’s shoulder lightly, and whispered, “It’s okay.”

Hearing Li Ziye’s comfort, Li Baiwan felt even more guilty and sighed, “I’m useless as a father. I’m so sorry for you. Apart from money, I can’t give you anything.”

“Father, I don’t blame you.”

Li Ziye looked at the lake with a melancholic expression and said, “Money can make the devil be the worker. Didn’t Old Zhang compromise? When Old Qin comes, we’ll give her whatever she wants. If that doesn’t work, we’ll smash her with mountains of gold and silver. I don’t believe she won’t be moved.”


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