“… My, my, the new Supreme Ten Saints have finally been settled after such a long fight. League of Assassins’ top assassin, Six Blades Guild’s Hong Xue is the newcomer. Tsk, tsk, tsk, the youngest Supreme Ten Saints ever if I’m not mistaken.”
The three people out at the desolate place in the middle of the night had no regard for decorum. One of the men condescendingly said, “Why are you acting surprised? In recent years, every new person has surpassed the last. Amongst the orthodox sects, there’s Xian Suiyue and Wudang’s Wu Yunqi. Before them, there was Metal Yu Feiyuan and God of Battle Yi Ya. Then, there was Beiping’s Lian Zhuiyue and Song Chi. I can’t beat any of them. Among the unorthodox groups, there are three who appeared out of thin air – Valley of Villains’ Mo Xing, Tang Clan’s Tang Ni and League of Assassins’ Crimson Blade Hong Xue.
“I hear Sky Palace’s sacred maiden has also returned. When You Shili was last active, heroes of the three rivers were practically exterminated, affording Demon Sect a free opportunity to develop. Man, I really wonder if our resurgence in the pugilistic world is a good or bad thing.”
The maiden with beauty comparable to the moon that was out smiled. “Who would’ve thought the once-revered Hai Yecha would become such a coward after shelling up for twenty-odd years? Where did the courage you used to kill Wudang’s elder in the water back then vanish to?”
Hai Yecha dropped his head.
The man in his thirties was the one who brought the book they passed around. Unlike the other two, he had a childish vibe, ignoring the back and forth between the others. “My, my, how did they decide this new ranking for Martial Deities?”
“Let me see.”
The woman mocked, “Move aside. Since when could you read?”
“I haven’t read Black and White Reflection magazines in a long time, but it’s not that odd. Martial Deities is split into orthodox and unorthodox rankings, but I don’t see Hong Xue on either of the top ten. He’s one of the Supreme Ten Saints.”
Although Black and White Reflection covered a lot of ground in the pugilistic world, the most popular column was the martial world’s rankings. The constant updates to Martial Deities rankings were a product of the violence in the pugilistic world. The top twenty – ten from orthodox factions and ten from unorthodox factions – who consistently stayed on the rankings were those who were at the top of the chain.
The top ten on the Black rankings were the best fighters among the unorthodox factions. The top ten on the White rankings were the best among the orthodox factions. The twenty of them weren’t ranked, and it was difficult to write a description of their combat abilities. Nevertheless, once ranked, it was incredibly rare for them to be removed because they rarely showed up in public. Changes to their ranking were typically due to their successors taking over or some major events.
Hai Yecha sneered. “How are you the second strongest among us seven Fiend Stars when you have as much knowledge as a three year old? While being one of the Supreme Ten Saints is a representation of personal strength, the rankings are also decided based on the power you hold over groups. As an example, Bodhi Abels may not been superior to the top ten on the black rankings, but he’s the uncle of Tiezhen’s King. He’s the one who supported Tiezhen’s King’s coronation and partially trained him. You think you can just walk away if you kill him? That’s why he was ranked.”
“Yeah, ‘was’ is the keyword here. Who was the one who confiscated his Dark Token?”
The maiden juddered and, in a soft voice, uttered, “Lai Jingzhen.”
The three sighed in synchrony.
“Well, Abels sure has dodgy luck to run into that nutcase.”
Hai Yecha: “Gu Wuzhu was called Mountain Bandit King with all mountain bandits across the lands as his subordinates. Subsequent to him dropping off the radar, though, his Dark Token was handed to the leader of the underworld – Hua Feihua. These two cases show that Supreme Ten Saints is about influence, not physical might. On the other hand, Martial Deities is all about martial prowess. That’s why Hong Xue has no place among the top ten in the blank rankings.”
The maiden snickered.
“What are you laughing about, Nine-Lives Cat Fiend?”
“I’m laughing at the boastful tone of a certain coward. Most importantly, he talks as if he knows when he doesn’t know anything,” replied Nine-Lives Cat Fiend.
“What errors have I made?” Hai Yecha may have sounded indifferent, but he was bristling with anger.
“Someone makes it sound like they’re speaking facts, yet they didn’t check to confirm that Lai Jingzhen didn’t give Hong Xue a Dark Token. Hong Xue obtained the token by lopping the head off an unsuspecting person to steal the token. Hong Xue doesn’t even officially count as one of the Supreme Ten Saints, let alone being in the conversation to rank as one of the top ten on the black rankings. Brother Drought Demon, why are you seeking answers from a page when you’re illiterate? Are you putting on a comedy skit?”
Hai Yecha would’ve uncorked an attack if Nine-Lives Cat Fiend were to direct another scathing remark at him.
“Hahaha, our meeting is coming up. Once we return to the pugilistic world, we need to have a good fight with all of these people,” commented Drought Demon.
While Hai Yecha lowered his head, seemingly not sharing the desire.
Nine-Lives Cat Fiend bobbed her head. “I agree. Why is that lass still not here? We three Fiend Stars didn’t resurge to argue among ourselves by a riverbank.”
Disturbing the peaceful breeze and slow sound of flowing water, a black silhouette vaulted out of the water they gazed at, landing on the bank. The trio didn’t fix their gazes on her because of her accentuated curves but because of the bizarre black diving suit she wore.
“You seriously came from Zhenjiang?”
The girl replied, “Both waterways are heavily guarded; I had no choice.”
Nine-Lives Cat Fiend: “Tsk, tsk, Xue Yanjun’s gear truly is miraculous. That ‘Water Fiend’ suit stimulates internal breathing, allowing not even trained people to dive for four hours without needing to surface for oxygen, all without compromises and even boosting speed. No traces would be left behind if someone trained in martial arts were to utilise it.”
Hai Yecha: “You are Master Qi?”
The girl grinned. “Indeed.”
After Master Qi stole Yongheng Bank’s seal, she sneaked out of the city via the water channel. They could stop people at the gate, and they could stop boats by piers, but they couldn’t stop her. Upon escaping the capital, she exchanged the seal for cash.
“Five hundred thousand as a first-meeting gift, your master is very generous.”
Wearing a smile, Master Qi held her hands in a palm-fist salute. “Five hundred thousand is but a paltry sum to invite Lord of Fiends, one of the Supreme Ten Saints, back to the pugilistic world.”
Glossary
Three Rivers – Which one they’re referring to is impossible to determine since it’s unclear which era this story is set. For instance Eastern Zhou, Western Zhou and the Three Kingdoms era, all had different classifications for what the “three rivers” referred to. There’s also a possibility that they’re referring to Luoyang if you examine the poetry from the Song Dynasty and Tang Dynasty.
