Carrying a Saber Without an Umbrella on a Rainy Night
The capital was massive. There were the debauched and extravagant lives of powerful and wealthy families, and there were muddy old streets with few people.
Peregrine Street on the north side of the west market was a livestock market. Whenever it rained, the street would be flooded with sewage and emit a foul smell. Those who walked here were mostly low-level peddlers and servants, and most of the surrounding houses housed poor people.
It was late at night, and the rain was getting heavier.
Deep in the alley of Peregrine Street, an oil lamp lit up, illuminating the windows of an abandoned courtyard.
A thin figure wearing a bamboo hat placed the oil lamp on the windowsill and took off the bamboo hat. He carefully observed the movements outside. The light illuminated his ordinary face, making him look like an ordinary man living here.
The man’s name was Guo Yuanlong, but no one in Jianghu knew his real name. He was usually called by his title: Wingless Owl.
Just as Shang Jianli had said, everyone had their own stories. The only difference was that some were well-known, while others were unknown.
If Guo Yuanlong’s story were to be told, it would be considered exciting. He was born into a wealthy family in Yan Province. He had been fond of gambling since he was young. After losing all his family properties, he ‘returned from the lost path’ and began to support himself and make a living by stealing.
Although Guo Yuanlong was a poor player at the gambling table, he was extremely talented in the field of theft. At the age of 17 or 18, he became a famous local thief. Due to his agility, a ‘senior’ in Jianghu took a fancy to him and took him in as a disciple.
Afterward, Guo Yuanlong began to be lucky. After learning extraordinary lightness skills, he roamed around the various sects in Yan Province, stealing secret manuals, weapons, and rare treasures. He had never failed.
He had once taken the risk to infiltrate Yan Mountain’s Cutting Cut Palace not because he really wanted to target the overlord of Yan Province, Lu Jieyun, but purely because he wanted to sneak in and steal two useful martial arts manuals.
In the end, his luck was heaven-defying. He accidentally found Lu Jieyun’s place of seclusion. Lu Jieyun was not at home, so he obtained a martial arts book without any effort.
Lu Jieyun’s lightness skills and movement techniques were the best in the world. He had always been trying to break through his limits. If he had any insights, he would casually write them down and slowly ponder them. Ordinary people might not be able to understand them.
Guo Yuanlong believed that he was talented, but so far, he had only learned 30% to 50% of what Lu Jieyun had recorded. Even so, his lightness skills were already considered outstanding. Escaping from ordinary martial artists was like walking a dog. From then on, his name spread throughout Jianghu, and he became the well-known thief king of Yan Province, the Wingless Owl.
In the mind of the people of Jianghu, stealing Lu Jieyun’s martial arts insights was already Guo Yuanlong’s greatest battle record, but this was actually not the case.
Under the candlelight, Guo Yuanlong took out an item from his bosom and unfolded the black cloth wrapped around it. Inside was a piece of golden paper.
The golden paper was not made of gold, and Guo Yuanlong still didn’t know what material it was made of. He only knew that it was extremely tough and could bend but could not be folded. It was invulnerable to water and fire and indestructible to sabers and spears.
The golden paper was the size of a book page, and there was a picture engraved on it. The content was ‘a dragon turtle with the head of a dragon and the body of a turtle carrying three tall mountains on its back’. The picture shone with golden light under the dim yellow candlelight. It was dreamlike and unreal, and the picture was like a living creature.
Guo Yuanlong had found this golden paper in a secret compartment in the Prince of Yan’s study when he snuck into the Prince of Yan Estate. At first, he thought it was an ordinary treasure because it was indestructible. But after he stole it from the Prince of Yan, there was no movement at all.
The Prince of Yan’s reaction, coupled with the uniqueness of the golden paper, immediately made Guo Yuanlong guess the true identity of this golden paper: the Roaring Dragon Chart!
The Roaring Dragon Chart had been first obtained by the founding monarch in history. Therefore, since ancient times, there was a saying that whoever obtained the Roaring Dragon Chart would obtain the world. Throughout the dynasties, the Roaring Dragon Chart was a forbidden item. Other than the emperors, no one dared to hide it.
A vassal prince collecting this item was no different from hiding the dragon robe and jade seal. It was no wonder that the Prince of Yan only dared to deal with it in a low-key manner after losing it.
After Guo Yuanlong obtained this golden paper, his life’s ideals changed. He no longer cared about the secular world and Jianghu. In his heart, there were only the three old monsters on the mountains and the higher level of ‘longevity, immortality, and becoming an immortal’.
According to the rumors circulating in Jianghu, the Roaring Dragon Chart had a total of nine pages, and every page recorded a supreme secret technique. It was said that the previous dynasty had gathered more than half of them, but after the country was destroyed, heroes entered the capital to snatch them. The founding emperor of Great Wei had only recovered one page, and the rest were lost in Jianghu.
Guo Yuanlong had made many inquiries and learned that the one in his hand was the ‘Dragon Form Picture’ of the Roaring Dragon Chart. It was said that one could obtain a divine power comparable to a dragon turtle after learning it.
Although the Dragon Form Picture was not as famous as the Longevity Picture and the Fire Bathing Picture nor had the domineering effect of ‘shaking immortals and Buddhas with the power of mortals’, it was still far beyond the countless martial arts techniques in the mortal world.
But the effect of Roaring Dragon Chart was domineering, and the threshold was not low either. This was because it was completely different from worldly martial arts. After Guo Yuanlong obtained and studied it for several years, he had only scratched the surface. Until now, he had not been able to reach basic mastery.
The Roaring Dragon Chart was a secret technique to ascend to immortality, so it was inevitable that progress was slow. Guo Yuanlong wasn’t too anxious. While studying it, he was also searching for the whereabouts of the other pages of the Roaring Dragon Chart.
Over the years, Guo Yuanlong had searched the studies and back residences of various aristocratic families. He had even taken the risk to enter the Sword Pavilion of the Water Cloud Sword Pool, but unfortunately, he had found nothing.
Without any leads, Guo Yuanlong came to the capital. He wanted to look through the historical records inside the Censorate to find clues. At the same time, he wanted to see if there was a chance to sneak into the Imperial City and search for the only page of the Roaring Dragon Chart whose whereabouts was known: the Jade Bone Qilin Picture kept by the Great Wei imperial family.
Night was naturally the work hours of thieves, when they generally didn’t sleep.
But when Guo Yuanlong heard the strange rumor of the Wingless Owl stealing a Mr. Horn, he realized that something was wrong.
He had followed the male and female thieves throughout the afternoon and had yet to figure out their background. For safety reasons, he didn’t go out to work and temporarily changed his residence to hide. Under the quiet night rain, he carefully studied the Dragon Form Picture in his hand.
But not long after Guo Yuanlong started studying, his ears twitched. He heard a soft sound coming from the alley not far away.
Swish!
A trap was triggered, and the sound of silver needles piercing through the air could be heard!
———
Boom!
Muffled thunder resounded through the majestic city under the rain.
The raindrops were like soybeans as they hit old tiles, making crackling sounds.
Ye Jingtang held his saber in his hand, leaned against the wall of the alley, and slowly walked toward the abandoned courtyard in the depths.
Luo Ning walked in front and took off her veiled hat to prevent any bumps from alerting their prey.
This place was not as deserted as Double Osmanthus Alley, but it was safer.
A butcher who sold dog meat lived in the alley, and there were more than ten dogs waiting to be slaughtered in the courtyard. As long as there was the slightest sound, it could cause dogs to bark. For this reason, even the bird stayed at the entrance of the alley.
The two of them used the sound of the rain to cover all their sounds and slowly searched for their target. When they arrived near the abandoned courtyard, they could vaguely see a faint light in the extremely dark night.
Luo Ning’s eyes focused as she gently raised her slender hand, indicating the alley at the side of the courtyard.
Seeing this, Ye Jingtang held his breath and turned to the side of the courtyard, splitting up to outflank the target to prevent him from escaping.
But even though the two of them were so cautious, they still underestimated the Wingless Owl’s vigilance.
Even though he had temporarily settled down here, he had already calculated the possible routes that enemies might approach and made meticulous arrangements in the surroundings of the abandoned house.
Ye Jingtang leaned against the wall and turned into the side alley. He noticed a wooden stick leaning against the alley wall. Through the subtle movements of the rainwater falling, he noticed the existence of a thin thread. It was clearly a trap.
After observing carefully, he paid attention to the wooden pole and wanted to bypass the trap. But unexpectedly, when he moved, he heard a sound coming from below.
Snap!
It was the sound of a thread snapping!
!
Ye Jingtang didn’t expect the other party to set up two mechanisms, one in the open and one in the dark. His heart sank, and he jumped out without hesitation.
But the Wingless Owl was a veteran of Jianghu. When he arranged traps according to the current environment, he knew how people would dodge them.
The moment the thin thread snapped, several flying needles shot out from the shadows.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The target of the hidden weapons was not where Ye Jingtang was. Instead, it was a few steps in front and a few steps behind.
The moment Luo Ning heard the commotion, she already knew that something was wrong. She slid her soft sword into her hand and leaned directly behind Ye Jingtang. The sword’s momentum was like the wind as it cut off the silver needles that shot out from the rain.
Ding! Ding!
Ye Jingtang heard the sound of silver needles piercing through the air, and his saber was instantly out of its sheath. He identified the position of the sound and swept his saber across twice, knocking down all the hidden weapons flying toward him.
But from the corner of his eye, through the curtain of raindrops, he discovered that an object had already arrived in front of him without any sound.
Ye Jingtang was horrified. It was already too late to block with his saber, so he could only try his best to move and avoid his vital points from being hit.
Unexpectedly, before he could move, a slender arm grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to the side, forcefully making him avoid the hidden weapon that was inches away.
After all, Luo Ning was more experienced in Jianghu. Her soft sword was like a peacock spreading its tail, making the defense in front of them watertight. After coming into contact with the silent black needle that even she didn’t notice, she knew that the shameless little thief, who was still inexperienced in Jianghu, couldn’t block it.
Although she had a lot of opinions about Ye Jingtang taking advantage of her, when life and death were at stake, she didn’t hesitate at all. She pulled Ye Jingtang away with all her might and used her three-foot-long sword to sweep away the shadowless black needle that shot out from the dark.
Whoosh!
Ding!
In her haste, Luo Ning felt a sharp pain in her shoulder.
She ignored it. She tapped her left shoulder lightly to seal her acupoints and jumped over the courtyard wall with her sword in hand…
