Dugu Hongjian's sinister grin stretched across his face as he raised his grotesquely shaped long blade—"The Weeping Sun".
"I want Qin Ren," he said coldly.
The vendetta between Dugu and Qin Ren was personal—a stolen bride, a broken vow. In Dugu's eyes, among the three sons of the Qin family, Qin Ren appeared the weakest, hence the easiest prey.
Wrapped in a voluminous black robe embroidered with a silver moon and sporting effeminately styled hair incongruently matched with a bushy beard, the Moon-Worship Cult's eccentric leader Zuo Tianfang declared ambiguously, "Qin Feng is mine."
Then came a thunderous voice from the other side. The giant leader of the One Blade Brotherhood—"One Slash to Topple a City" Heng Tianwang—bellowed, "Qin Lei's blade... now that's something I want to test!"
"Duke Du" gave a careless chuckle. "Kill them if you can," he said nonchalantly, then turned to the House Lord of Lianzhu. "What about you, Lord Lianzhu?"
Lianzhu Fenghua replied coolly, "If my daughter must die, then I will be the one to take her life."
"Righteous and ruthless. Impressive," Du clapped with a laugh.
From the north, Zhao Ziyang, the youthful yet chillingly handsome head of the Beihai Zhao Clan, smirked. His temples were already snowy white despite his youthful features. "I've long heard of the 'Time Spares None' technique. My own 'Invert the Cosmos' shares some essence with it. I'll take on Qiao Qitian."
From the Lianyun Zhou Clan, Zhou Lingfei declared, "I'll face the Phantom Demon Lord—Li Guding. Let's see if his hands are faster than mine."
"And what of the Three Killers? The Tie siblings?" Du's smile remained unnervingly pleasant.
The three remaining top constables from the Martial Court spoke in unison, "The Three Killers are ours."
"The Tie siblings are ours to deal with!" the Moon-Worship Cult's Twin Moon Envoys announced.
The cult's three Elders clenched their fists, their voices a ghostly hiss. "Years ago, the Three Killers, along with Qin Xiaoyao and Tie Kongshan, razed our stronghold. Today, the three of us will take our revenge!"
Meanwhile, the five Blade Commanders of the One Blade Brotherhood leered. One of them said, "We've always had a taste for breaking young women. Leave the girls to us."
Du Guofu chuckled again. "Seems my 'Sinful Quartet' and Gu Changkong of Wind and Ice might get the day off at this rate."
Just then, a burst of hearty laughter echoed from beyond the ruined training field.
"Hahaha! No grand occasion is complete without me—Qin Xiaoyao! Without me, this entire farce is meaningless!"
Everyone turned—everyone except Du Guofu—visibly startled. Their heads whipped toward the direction of the voice.
Qin Feng, locked in standoff against Gu Changkong, and Qin Lei and Qin Ren, just returning victorious, all beamed with joy and turned as one.
Qiao Wei, Uncle Li, the Three Killers, the Tie siblings, and Lianzhu Ruo'er also turned toward the voice.
From the shattered edge of the battlefield, a lone figure walked in slowly, stepping through rubble and blood.
"Huh? What happened to this place?" Qin Xiaoyao muttered theatrically. "Where's the ceremony? Where's the crowd from north and south? Don't tell me I'm late and everyone's gone home for tea? And what's with all the corpses? Did I miss the fun?"
Before anyone could react, another booming voice sounded:
"Brother-in-law! You made it! Excellent timing—it's been too long since we fought side by side!"
Everyone turned again, this time to the opposite side of the field.
A towering man in black combat gear with a fiery red cloak, over seven feet tall and broad as a fortress, marched in like a storm—Iron Mountain Fortress's Warlord, the Molten Iron Hand, Tie Kongshan.
Qin Xiaoyao clapped his hands with a laugh. "Ah, brother-in-law! You too, huh? But you came late. The whole show's nearly over. Nothing left but our kids and that sorry-looking bunch on the platform!"
"Father!" Tie Xuanxuan screamed joyfully, running toward the iron giant. She leapt from afar into his arms, and despite her tall frame—taller even than Qin Ren—she was cradled like a child by her mountainous father.
Tie Kongshan laughed heartily, "Still the wild little filly, aren't you? Remember to tame yourself a bit or no man will ever take you seriously—you'll end up unwed!"
Perched in her father's arm, Xuanxuan twirled his collar, grinning, "Then you'll have to take care of me for life! Besides, which man in this world is worthy of me?"
Tie Kongshan smirked. "Oh? Didn't you get betrothed to Ah Ren as a kid? Don't tell me even he's not good enough?"
Blushing furiously, Tie Xuanxuan shrieked, "That brat? He was just a snot-nosed kid! Don't say such nonsense, Daddy!"
"Rumor is," Tie Kongshan said slyly, "he's quite infamous in the martial world now. Takes some skill to earn that kind of reputation."
Watching her sudden girlish display, Qin Ren and Tie Jian exchanged glances.
"Cousin… am I seeing this right?" Qin Ren asked. "When did Sister Xuanxuan remember she's a girl?"
Tie Jian replied solemnly, "Predicting when Xuanxuan reverts to femininity… is a theoretical impossibility."
The three brothers rushed to greet their father and uncle, followed by Qiao Wei and Uncle Li. Even the Three Killers paid their respects.
Qin Xiaoyao looked at his sons and beamed. "Ah Feng, Ah Lei, Ah Ren… you boys have grown formidable." His eyes especially lingered on Qin Ren, the once-useless son now hailed as one of the top warriors of the realm.
Then his gaze slid past Qin Ren's shoulder to the ladies behind him. A knowing smile crept up.
"Ah Ren," he said slyly, "not bad, eh? You've got your father's youthful flair—"
Before he could finish, a looming shadow fell over him.
Qin Xiaoyao turned to see Tie Kongshan towering above, arms folded, grinning.
"Brother-in-law… about those youthful flings of yours," Tie Kongshan rubbed his hands, "my sister always wondered. Care to share a tale or two? For her sake?"
Qin Xiaoyao broke into a nervous laugh. "Haha… lovely weather, isn't it? Look at that sky! Haha…"
He quickly changed the subject. "These two behind you…?"
Qiao Wei performed a formal bow. "I am Qiao Wei, servant to Third Young Master."
Li Shu also bowed deeply. "Humble guard, Hu Li, personal bodyguard to Third Young Master."
Qin Feng coughed. "Father, they are… Qiao Qitian and Li Guding, former Demon Lords of the dark sects."
Qin Xiaoyao's expression changed instantly. He bowed solemnly. "Ah, Master Qiao, Master Li—please forgive my rudeness!"
The two men quickly stopped him, laughing. "Sir, you're our lord's father now! We should be the ones bowing."
Qin Xiaoyao shook his head firmly. "No! I once foolishly fought Master Qiao. Had he used his 'Time Spares None' technique, I'd be scattered ash long ago. I must pay my respects. Ah Ren!"
Qin Ren trudged over sheepishly. "This wasn't my idea. They insisted on calling me master…"
Just then, atop the stage, panic broke out.
"Supreme One," Dugu Hongjian suddenly clutched his belly, gasping, "I… I have a terrible stomachache! I need the latrine—hold the fort!"
He dashed off the stage at lightning speed.
The three top constables cried, "It's too dangerous! A bathroom break is the perfect chance for an ambush! We must protect the Chief!" and bolted after him.
Zuo Tianfang slapped his head. "Oh no! Today's my wife's due date! She's home alone—how could I forget?!"