Liu Yinsheng brushed his sleeve.
The thousands of raindrops suspended in mid-air seemed to be released from their confinement simultaneously, crashing to the ground with a roar.
They created a dense pattering sound.
The torrential rain poured down once more, washing the inch-deep sword mark on the bluestone until it gleamed.
It also washed away every trace of the blood Cao Zhengchun had dripped onto the stone slabs.
It was as if the life-or-death duel that had been on the verge of erupting moments ago was merely an illusion within the curtain of rain.
Seeing this, Lu Chenzhou stepped forward quickly.
His green robe was half-soaked by the rain, and a few strands of white hair clung to his forehead, making him look somewhat disheveled.
However, his expression held little of the relief one might expect after a narrow escape; instead, it was filled with a complex and profound sense of emotion.
He walked up to Liu Yinsheng and cupped his hands in a solemn salute.
“Yinsheng, if you hadn’t arrived in time today, the Academy might have...”
He stopped mid-sentence.
He seemed to feel that the words that would follow were too heavy, so he merely shook his head with a bitter smile and swallowed the rest of his sentence.
Liu Yinsheng turned around, and a trace of warmth finally appeared on his indifferent face when he faced Lu Chenzhou.
He reached out to support Lu Chenzhou’s wrists, gently pressing his hands down.
“Brother Lu, why such formality?
In terms of seniority, you are my senior.
In terms of family background, the Lu and Liu families have been friends for generations, both ranked among the Four Great Families of Jiangnan.
Back when I was studying at Qingya Academy, you were already the Academy’s youngest Lecture Erudite, and you shielded me from a great deal of trouble.”
His tone was flat, but his words carried a warmth rarely shown to others.
Lu Chenzhou was taken aback for a moment, then laughed in spite of himself.
“You still remember those trivial matters?”
“Only the trivial things are worth remembering; I have forgotten all the major ones.”
Liu Yinsheng allowed a rare curl of his lips before returning to his usual imperturbable state.
He tilted his head, his gaze falling on Chen Zui, who was nearby wiping the blood from his spear.
A rare flash of approval appeared in those eyes that were normally as still as an ancient well.
“It is a good thing I arrived in time.”
He didn’t say these words with much weight, but Lu Chenzhou could hear their significance.
For the Sword Saint to say “it is a good thing I arrived in time” meant that the timing of that sword strike had truly been on the most perilous edge.
If he had been a breath slower, the situation between Chen Zui and Cao Zhengchun would have become a fight to the death.
Liu Yinsheng walked slowly to Chen Zui and looked him up and down. His gaze held both scrutiny and a hint of irrepressible surprise.
“When I saw you in Luoyan City three months ago, you were only at the early stage of the Inquiry Realm.
Now, after not seeing you for a mere three months, you have actually entered the Second Rank.
Truly rare.”
He paused slightly, his tone becoming more serious.
“The Second Rank Mountain-Viewing Realm is one in ten thousand across the entire Grand Zhao.
At your age, being able to reach this realm is enough to call you a heaven-sent talent.
But what surprised me even more was that you could actually use your Mountain-Viewing Realm cultivation to tangle with Cao Zhengchun for so long, and even wound him heavily with a single spear strike.”
Every word he spoke carried great weight.
The Academy disciples behind them were still immersed in the lingering fear of the earth-shattering duel.
Upon hearing the words “Second Rank Mountain-Viewing Realm,” they all sucked in a cold breath.
Though they were immersed in books and scriptures, they knew the power of the Second Rank.
Furthermore, the origin of this realm’s name was related to a beautiful line from a poem written by one of their Confucian Poetry Immortals.
It came from the famous verse: “Looking at each other, neither grows weary; only Mount Jingting remains.”
They hadn’t expected this Brother Chen to already be a Second Rank martial artist at such a young age!
Liu Yinsheng ignored the commotion behind him and continued.
“Of course, Cao Zhengchun’s Grandmaster status is not without flaws.
He is physically deficient, so he must have struggled immensely to cross the Abyss-Facing Realm; his mental state foundation is much shallower than that of an ordinary Grandmaster.
His resonance with the power of heaven and earth, as well as his control over his own inner demons, are greatly compromised.
His Wind-Riding Realm, strictly speaking, can only be considered that of a half-Grandmaster.
But even so, it is still the Wind-Riding Realm.”
His gaze looked directly into Chen Zui’s eyes.
“For you to hold out until I arrived while he was going all out, and even force him to use an underhanded method like the Soul-Pursuing Needles...
And then to turn the tables on him in the end is truly no easy feat.
Especially that final strike.
Driven by Mountain-Viewing Realm internal energy, the spear intent was condensed and did not dissipate; even Cao Zhengchun could not block it.”
Chen Zui stood with his long spear planted beside him, listening to Liu Yinsheng’s assessment with a calm expression.
He showed neither the trepidation of being overwhelmed by favor nor the arrogance of a youth who had achieved success.
He merely lowered his head slightly, as if deep in thought.
Rainwater slid down his temples and dripped onto the spear shaft, splashing into tiny droplets.
A moment later, he looked up.
His clear and sharp eyes gazed directly at Liu Yinsheng.
“Senior Liu, you said just now, ‘It is a good thing I arrived in time.’”
Liu Yinsheng’s brow twitched slightly, but he did not respond.
Chen Zui continued.
“You arrived far too perfectly.
Just as Cao Zhengchun exerted his full power and I was prepared to fight to the death, your sword intent fell from the heavens.
Not a moment too early, not a moment too late—it fell at the most perilous moment.
This shows that you didn’t just happen to be passing by, but rather, you knew long ago that Cao Zhengchun would come to the Academy to cause trouble.”
These words pierced through the curtain of rain and reached the ears of everyone present.
“Also, you knew that I was here at Qingya Academy,” Chen Zui added.
The rain pattered.
Liu Yinsheng was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
“Correct. I did indeed know that Cao Zhengchun was coming, and I knew you were at the Academy.”
Chen Zui’s gaze still didn’t leave Liu Yinsheng.
“Cao Zhengchun is the Seal-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. For him to be able to leave the capital and head south, he must have made thorough preparations.
He certainly wouldn’t have let even a whisper of news leak out.
How did you obtain this information?”
Liu Yinsheng looked at him and spoke slowly, his voice still as clear as water.
“This matter needs to be explained in detail.”
He turned and glanced at Lu Chenzhou beside him.
“Brother Lu, a word in private.”
Lu Chenzhou nodded with a solemn expression.
He then waved his hand at the Academy disciples behind him, signaling them to disperse.
The disciples were full of curiosity, but seeing the Mountain Lord give the order, they didn’t dare to stay.
They retreated into the Academy gates in small groups.
As they entered, some couldn’t help but look back, their gazes lingering between Chen Zui and Liu Yinsheng.
The three of them walked through the Academy’s front courtyard.
The pines and cypresses on both sides of the bluestone path were weighed down by the rain, and the branches of several old plum trees were covered in water droplets, glinting coldly under the gloomy sky.
The Academy was exceptionally quiet.
It was as if the earth-shaking battle from earlier had nothing to do with this place.
Only the water rushing from the eaves and one or two stray cats huddled under the corridor proved that there were still signs of life here.
Liu Yinsheng walked straight into Lu Chenzhou’s study.
He was no stranger to this room.
The furnishings were as simple as ever. The walls filled with thread-bound ancient books gave off the characteristic sour fragrance of aged paper, and on the central desk lay a scroll of bamboo slips half-written, the ink smudged in several places by the moisture.
Liu Yinsheng glanced at the scroll, reached out to push it aside, and sat down on the futon across from the desk.
His movements were as natural as if he had returned to his own home.
Lu Chenzhou watched from the side without any discomfort.
Instead, he lifted a copper kettle from the small clay stove in the corner and poured two cups of steaming ginger tea.
He handed one to Liu Yinsheng and pushed the other toward Chen Zui.
He didn’t drink any himself, but stood by the window with his hands behind his back.
As he gazed at the drizzling rain outside, his brow furrowed into a knot.
Liu Yinsheng picked up the ginger tea, took a sip, and then placed the cup on his knee, looking up at Chen Zui.
“You said just now that since Cao Zhengchun is the Seal-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the news of his unauthorized departure from the capital would naturally be hidden.
Then let me ask you, in this world today, who is the most capable when it comes to gathering information?”
Hearing this, Chen Zui’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Zhizhou Tower?”
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