Chapter 7

Before making friends, Ruan Xuezong first needed to clear his name. He had no intention of playing the villain in this lifetime, so he naturally had to reject the first major accusation being pinned on him.

Ruan Xuezong blew gently on his tea, striving for an elegant and amiable tone. “Heart Washing Manor is vast and prosperous. Why would we hide a single treasure sword from your esteemed villa?”

Lan Cangfeng sneered. “Because that sword is no ordinary treasure! It is the Pure Shadow Sword, the foremost among the Ten Great Famous Swords treasured by Famous Sword Villa. A century ago, the supreme swordsmith Bai Ye forged it using ice soul stone and a volcanic furnace over forty-nine days and nights. It stands as the pinnacle of contemporary divine weapons. In battle, it can resonate with a hundred weapons. Its blade gleams like frost, sharp enough to slice through jade like mud. If it severs a river, a thousand streams would run dry…”

Ruan Xuezong showed little reaction, but Linghu Xiao, standing beside him, was utterly stunned. His jaw hung slack for a long moment.

The sword sounded incredibly powerful from Lan Cangfeng’s description—and it seemed to have gone missing at Heart Washing Manor! Regardless of truth or falsehood, Linghu Xiao’s keen instincts already caught the scent of major plot developments.

He stood to the side, itching with curiosity like a cat with nine lives clawing at his insides. He desperately wanted to shout, Tell us more! After silently screaming in his mind, he quickly logged into the forums and posted a thread.

[Come to the pavilion fast! Two distinguished guests from Famous Sword Villa are here, claiming their supreme famous sword vanished at Heart Washing Manor. The manor is now under suspicion of sword theft! This smells like the prelude to a major storyline!]

The post sent the entire forum into an uproar.

“It’s here! Major plot, I’m coming!”

In less than five minutes, countless players had gathered around the pavilion. They dropped their brooms, dishwashing, and horse-feeding chores to rush over, panting heavily yet beaming with uncontainable excitement.

Once they could make out the faces in the pavilion, Five-Colored Mottled Black stepped forward. He whispered, “I know this blue-clothed swordsman. He’s Lan Cangfeng, the outstanding second-generation disciple of Central Plains Famous Sword Villa. I took a commission quest from him on the street earlier to find someone—none other than Hero Hua. Who would’ve thought? We found the man, but the sword’s gone. By all logic, it must have been lost around the time Hero Hua disappeared.”

Linghu Xiao copied Lan Cangfeng’s speech and shared it. All the players were dumbfounded, their faces twisting into the wide-eyed expressions of country bumpkins seeing the world for the first time.

“Holy crap, is there really a sword that badass?”

Five-Colored Mottled Black nodded. “From the intel I begged for earlier, Famous Sword Villa is the foremost martial family in the Central Plains. They do house countless famous swords, and the Jianghu Know-It-All even ranked them on a weapon leaderboard. The top one is indeed a treasure sword called Pure Shadow.”

In other words, the Pure Shadow Sword truly existed.

“It fell right here in our manor? Man, we might eat our meals every day and unknowingly brush past this supreme divine weapon.” Knowing a famous sword was so close stirred a mysterious thrill in everyone’s hearts.

“So, does the next part of the plot mean whoever gets this sword can rally the martial world and unify it under one banner?” The players’ eyes sparkled, their faces flushed with excitement. Yesterday, they fretted over reaching level 5; today, they fantasized about Ruan Xuezong claiming the sword, leading them to invincible victories, eternal dominion, and unification of the land.

“Nah, didn’t you hear those two handsome NPCs? They’re suspecting Heart Washing Manor of coveting the sword and hiding it!”

“So, did Zongzong hide it or not?”

The players’ discussion was anything but quiet. Ruan Xuezong cleared his throat twice, fiddling with his teacup. He occasionally lifted it for a gentle sniff but did not drink—his bronze mask made that impossible.

The Pure Shadow Sword was real enough, but only true rivers-and-lakes veterans knew Lan Cangfeng’s description was exaggerated.

It was a divine weapon, no doubt, but nowhere near that powerful. It certainly couldn’t cleave rivers dry.

Its true significance was symbolic. Famous Sword Villa’s prestige was immense, and losing their number-one treasured sword was a massive embarrassment if word got out.

To make matters worse, Hua Bailian had indeed been locked up by him for three days. The timing and location were too coincidental to shrug off. Ruan Xuezong’s eyes sharpened beneath the mask, though he sighed aloud.

That wistful sigh triggered a quest notification on every player’s system interface.

【Triggered Serendipitous Quest “Finding Pure Shadow Sword”】

【Quest Description: Great Hero Hua Bailian has lost his personal sword, suspected to be somewhere in Heart Washing Manor. This concerns the manor’s innocence. Young heroes, search carefully and leave no clue unturned!】

【Participant Limit: Unlimited】

【Rewards (Success or Failure): 1000 EXP, 100 taels of silver, 5 Favorability with Ruan Xuezong】

The lavish rewards drew gasps from the players, clearly signaling their lord’s stance.

“Go search,” Ruan Xuezong commanded. The players surged out like young beasts released from a pen, each clutching a manor map as they scoured front courtyards, rear yards, south wings, and north halls. They checked every roof tile and pond, vowing to dig three feet deep to find the sword.

Yet two hours passed with nothing found. Disappointment crept over the players’ faces as they slunk back to the pavilion, deeming the quest a failure.

At least the rewards were guaranteed, win or lose. It was just a shame they never laid eyes on the supreme divine weapon.

Ruan Xuezong had anticipated as much; the sword was gone for good. Apart from the traitor Shuiyin, his control over the manor remained firm. If a famous sword had truly been lost on his turf, wouldn’t he know about it?

He had orchestrated the search merely for show—to give the two visitors face and to deflect the accusation.

“Thank you for your trouble, Manor Lord Ruan. Perhaps losing it is the fate of a famous sword.” Hua Bailian sighed, his palm caressing the teacup. Moments later, he lifted it and drained it in one bold gulp. The simple motion carried a wild, carefree air, as if the delicate porcelain held not tea—despised by Central Plains folk—but the wine they cherished.

That was his character through and through.

Having lost the sword from his own possession, Hua Bailian moved past his gloom with open-mindedness. After all, the Pure Shadow Sword hadn’t originally belonged to Famous Sword Villa. It had entered their collection amid the shifting tides of the martial world. If it hadn’t truly been theirs, perhaps wandering the rivers and lakes was its destiny.

No, no—being stolen was a famous sword’s destiny.

Ruan Xuezong rebutted inwardly. From his memories of his previous life, famous swords would vanish one by one from the martial world, all due to that man’s schemes. Bedridden and crippled back then, he had been out of the loop for a while. Even after rebirth, he hadn’t expected the timeline of sword thefts to start earlier than he remembered.

The very first famous sword stolen hadn’t come from the Imperial Palace, but from Famous Sword Villa’s Pure Shadow Sword. Naturally, the blame for the theft would land squarely on him, in this life or the last.

Lan Cangfeng refused to accept that.

He turned to Linghu Xiao, his phoenix eyes stubborn and piercing, as if they could see straight through to the heart. “Are you certain you’ve searched everywhere, inside and out, top to bottom? You’re truly not covering for your own manor lord?”

Holy crap.

His words implied their frantic search was all for show. The players clenched their fists, hardening.

“We didn’t!” Linghu Xiao stepped forward to declare loudly, but Ruan Xuezong interjected. The brow beneath his mask didn’t even twitch as he delivered a seemingly casual remark laced with subtle mockery. “Young Swordsman Lan, have you forgotten? I practice palm arts.”

The words pierced the clouds like sunlight, instantly enlightening everyone.

“Right! Our Young Master practices supreme palm techniques. Why would he want your sword?” The players chimed in supportively.

Lan Cangfeng scoffed. “Famous swords stir the heart even in ordinary folk, let alone with the Pushing Heart Palm—which hardly counts as supreme martial arts in the rivers and lakes. It pales against Famous Sword Villa’s swordsmanship, and flesh-and-blood palms can’t match the Pure Shadow Sword’s innate edge…”

Holy crap. This trash-talk had pulled maximum aggro.

Starnet’s encyclopedia noted that ancient Earth had eighteen martial weapons—saber, spear, sword, halberd, mace, staff, fork, whip, and more—with swordsmen being the haughtiest and most prone to belittling others. Now they saw it firsthand.

The players balled their fists, seething. They begged to learn it, yet this outsider dismissed it as third-rate.

Hua Bailian’s heart skipped a beat. His gaze instinctively slid to Ruan Xuezong beside him. Though the bronze mask hid the other’s expression, for some reason, he seemed to glimpse a peerlessly beautiful, impassive face beneath it.

He was about to reprimand his hot-tempered, loose-tongued junior brother when a voice drifted from nearby.

“Why not spar, then? Let’s see if Young Swordsman Lan’s swordsmanship prevails or if my palm arts prove fiercer and more domineering.”

Ruan Xuezong dusted off his white robes and rose. His tone remained languid, but the chill in his words made the players’ spines stiffen, breaths catch, and a palpable pressure from a superior weigh upon them.

Lan Cangfeng paused, then lifted his chin arrogantly and drew his sword. “I accept.”

The two stood tall, one masked in bronze, the other smirking faintly. Both scions of renowned lineages, they loomed like walls, stifling the air. A single glance passed between them before they strode to the open ground.

Hero Hua rubbed his temples in headache.

Amid the tension, the players buzzed with thrill. “Whoa! Two elite NPCs are fighting!” This had to be prime plot material. They crowded forward like spectators at a grand drama, climbing rooftops when the ground filled up.

Five-Colored Mottled Black moved swiftly, snagging a prime front-row spot. In his mind, the title for his next serialized post was already set.

If the Young Master lost: [Alas, the world’s fleeting prodigy falls to a sword’s chill bite]

If the Young Master won: [Beyond your three feet of snow-white blade, who in the world deserves the white robes!]