Why did you just stand there watching the whole show when you could've stopped it?—That really is a question. The other two thought about it, realized it made sense, and turned to look at him together.
"I tried telling him who I was, but he just wouldn't believe me. And..."
"And what?"
Jack Young gave a sly smile: "And isn't this way more fun?"
"Fun?!" The three tough girls stared at him.
"Yeah, think about it—Big Jack, Zhang Wei, and they're all three people! How often do you get this kind of bizarre coincidence?" Jack Young's eyes sparkled like a kid who found a new toy. "If it happened to you, wouldn't you want to see how it played out? Wouldn't you want to watch this once-in-a-millennium soap opera unfold?"
The tough girl was stunned, staring at Jack Young in disbelief. "You dragged unrelated people into this just for that?"
"It's not like you got hurt, did you?"
"That's just... that's just awful!" The tough girl suddenly got mad, spun around, and stormed off. The other two girls snorted at Jack Young and followed. Oh, the one who asked the question turned back to snatch the silver note, then hurried after them. The trio quickly disappeared into the crowd, and from afar you could still faintly hear, "Why'd you take his silver note?" "Miss, that's what we deserve!" and similar chatter.
Jack Young and the Big Boss exchanged a glance and smiled: "Honest kid."
The Big Boss said, "If you're heading to Eight Directions City, just follow the main road south. It's a long walk, but on horseback it's about three or four days. There are relay stations and villages all along the way, so you won't have trouble finding a place to stay. Here, take this—hope you'll visit The Grand Inn again." With that, he handed over a copper token shaped like a thumbs-up.
"This token's pretty interesting." Jack Young checked it, saw nothing wrong, and put it away. "But honestly, the odds of me coming back to Greenhill Town are pretty slim."
"No worries, no worries. The Grand Inn is new here, but we've got branches all over the country. Any Grand Inn will honor it."
"It's a chain?" Jack Young was surprised. The only national chain he'd heard of was the Yuelai Inn, but now The Grand Inn was apparently everywhere too. "There's one in Eight Directions City too?"
"Of course! Eight Directions City is the heart of the Flower Kingdom—rich merchants, martial artists, everyone's there. It's prime real estate. Not only do we have The Grand Inn, but there's also the Grand Restaurant, Grand Bank, Grand Trading House, and..." He leaned in and whispered, "The Grand Brothel."
Jack Young couldn't help but laugh. This multi-industry chain business really had vision. "Does this token get me a discount everywhere?"
"Everywhere gets you a discount," the Big Boss whispered with a grin. "Sir, I've been to the Grand Brothel a few times myself—it's really something. Huge place. If you make it to Eight Directions City, you should check it out."
Jack Young didn't bother pretending to be pure—he just grunted noncommittally. After all, places like that are part of the hero's journey, right? Besides, who's to say ancient brothels weren't classier than today's KTVs? No need to act all uptight.
"Let's go."
"Safe travels, sir!"
So Jack Young and his two disciples hit the road again. Greenhill Town had a booming logistics scene, so it was easy to buy a carriage and a horse. Normally, you'd just tag along with a transport convoy headed for Eight Directions City, but since the three of them needed to train, it was better to travel solo.
The horse had to be a good one. There were plenty in the stable with shiny coats, but Jack Young immediately picked one that didn't look like much. Its energy was way stronger than the others—more power, more stamina. The owner said it hadn't been gelded yet, so it was wild and hard to handle, maybe even dangerous. Jack Young thought that was fine. Thirty silver for a mount—who knows if that's expensive or not? Haggling? He left that to his two disciples; women are way better at that stuff.
The carriage had to be sturdy, too. Out of all the ones for sale, this one was the toughest. Just a slap and a listen told you it was solid. Of course, it was nothing compared to Princess Embroidered Jade's ride, but it fit three people just fine. Stocked up on food and drinks, spruced up the interior, and voilà—a pretty comfy carriage was ready to roll.
Neither Jack Young nor Rachel Luo had ever ridden a horse before, and Fiona Fang, who'd spent years in the Southern Wilds, knew camels but not horses. But as soon as Jack Young got his hands on this spirited horse, it was totally obedient. He just stroked its forehead a couple times and the aggression vanished—it calmly let itself be harnessed and started pulling the carriage.
"Master, how'd you do that?" Jack Young was full of mysteries, but you could usually chalk it up to martial arts genius. But come on—being good at kung fu doesn't make you a horse whisperer, right?
"Honestly, I have no idea." Jack Young really didn't know. He just suddenly felt like he could communicate with the horse, so he gave it a try—and it worked.
In ancient times, sages could make birds fall with music or gather crowds with song. The greatest monks could meditate in the woods and have tigers pass by without harm—all thanks to deep spiritual cultivation and a peaceful mind. Jack Young's Prajna Skill was nearing the seventh level, with four hundred petals lit up on his crown chakra, plus the Supreme Spiritual Emotion Path. He was getting close to that realm, so taming a horse was just a side effect.
"Let's go." No need for a whip or a driver—Jack Young just said the word and the carriage rolled out the south gate onto the main road.
From Greenhill Town to Eight Directions City, the group took their time, training as they traveled. Wang Wei's gift of money and battle experience inspired the two girls in different ways, so they used the journey to practice and spar. They spent more time walking and training than riding in the carriage.
Jack Young, meanwhile, was deep in thought. That young master's skills weren't impressive, but the Swallow Flash Technique had some clever tricks that sparked new ideas for blending internal energy with martial arts. He stored the good parts for inspiration, blacklisted the flaws, and tossed out the useless bits. Before long, he'd broken down the Swallow Flash Technique like a master butcher, turning it into raw material for his own style.
For example, if Jack Young's personal martial arts style is like a weapon in an online game, it's still at the sword embryo stage. The inspiration he broke down from the Swallow Flash Technique is like the ingredients for forging and refining that weapon. Only by collecting inspiration over and over can his own martial arts become complete, polished, and truly sharp.
Of course, that young master didn't provide much good material—he was pretty weak, honestly. If it had been his dad, Sam Lee, there would've been some real goodies. So, young master, hurry up and get your dad to come avenge you.
On the internal energy front, since Mr. Yang's inner schemer was satisfied, his mood was great—so his cultivation sped up and got way more effective.
Practicing internal energy, thinking about martial arts, and traveling—the days flew by. They passed through all sorts of towns and villages, none as lively as Greenhill Town. But you could tell something was up: the number of martial artists in the inns was skyrocketing, all flocking to Eight Directions City like pilgrims. After asking around, they found out the rumors were true—the Phantom Sword Saint really was going to show up.
The Phantom Sword Saint himself had put out the word—he'd be waiting in Eight Directions City for all the martial arts heroes, there to back up his old friend Ouyezi at the Sword Appreciation Conference.
Whenever martial artists started talking about this, they got super excited and wouldn't shut up. You didn't even need to pry—info just poured out. They said the Phantom Sword Saint had a habit of mentoring others. If you showed something interesting in his tournaments, he'd invite you over for a martial arts discussion. "Martial arts discussion" really meant he'd give you pointers.
"Anyone who's been personally coached by the Phantom Sword Saint has skyrocketed in skill and become a big deal. If I could get just one tip from him, I'd go three months without visiting a brothel!" Plenty of folks felt that way, which only made everyone more hyped about the Phantom Sword Saint.
"Fiona, who exactly is the Phantom Sword Saint?" Rachel Luo asked curiously.
"I've always heard of him—he's one of the Four Great Sword Saints of the Central Plains. But I don't know the details." It was Fiona Fang's first time in the Central Plains, so she'd never paid much attention to these high-level figures.
"So who's stronger—the Four Sword Saints or Princess Embroidered Jade?" Of all the people Rachel Luo knew, Princess Embroidered Jade was the strongest, so she used her as a benchmark. As for Jack Young, he was in a league of his own—impossible to rank for now.
"The Four Sword Saints are probably stronger. To earn the title 'Sword Saint,' you must be at least top ten in the world, maybe even higher—otherwise, nobody would accept it." Fiona Fang scratched her head. "Nobody knows for sure, though. It's all guesswork."
Rachel Luo had an idea. "Hey, isn't there some kind of ranking in the martial arts world? Like Top Ten Divine Weapons, Top Ten Beauties, Top Ten Masters, Top Ten Supreme Skills, that sort of thing?"
"Well... There's actually a weapon ranking called the Celestial Weapon Register, but only Ouyezi knows what's in it. As for masters, there's no official list."
Rankings are everywhere, but they're always controversial—especially when it comes to martial artists' pride. You don't accept my rank, I don't accept yours, and the whole thing is a mess. Still, people love talking about it. A martial artist at the next table chimed in, saying if anyone could rank the world's top fighters, only the Phantom Sword Saint's word would be respected.
Once again, it was all about the Phantom Sword Saint.
Thanks to the celebrity status of Ouyezi and the Phantom Sword Saint, Eight Directions City was more packed than ever—martial artists from everywhere were pouring in. Just as Jack Young was about to break through to the second level of his Bright Jade Technique, he finally saw Eight Directions City.
From afar, you could hear the roar of the great river and the buzz of the crowds.
From afar, you could see the towering city walls and the wide city gates.
People lined up at the city gates, waiting to be inspected before entering. Two out of every ten in line were martial artists—some strong, some weak, but plenty had over twenty years of cultivation. A young master of the Flying Swallow Gang would barely stand out here. There were even a few whose aura marked them as true experts.
Everyone's eyes were shining—only people with ambition and purpose looked like that. All those gazes converged in one place, forming a palpable sense of excitement.
"Wow—" Fiona Fang peeked out the carriage window and sighed. "Now this is the martial world!"