"Now, folks, you might well ask: how can this Tiannü Sect have male disciples?
"The two characters for Tiannü, 'Heavenly Maiden,' merely refer to the origins of its arts, not to the gender of its current inheritors. Just as the Emperor's Daughter Sect traces its roots to Nüwa, daughter of the Flame Emperor, its disciples comprise both men and women alike.
"That Su Yunzhang, you see, comes from a distinguished martial lineage. His aunt Su Liudan was the universally acknowledged peerless beauty of the jianghu thirty years ago.
"Now, my good listeners, as the saying goes, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, and spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums each have their own charm. Whenever busybodies compile a Jianghu Beauty Ranking or a Jade Tree Ranking, controversies inevitably flare up. Who belongs on the list, and who ranks higher or lower—everyone has their reasons, and when opinions clash, people often come to blows, even shedding blood! So for a very long time, these rankings have had no fixed order; anyone who enjoys widespread acclaim simply makes the list.
"Nearly two hundred and sixty years have passed since our court fled south across the river. Amid all the world's turmoil, only two women have ever been recognized by heroes and heroines across all realms as the absolute number-one beauty: one was Su Liudan of the Tiannü Sect thirty years ago, and the other was Feng Yining of the Five Saints Sect ten years back.
"When Feng Yining was young, she swallowed a phoenix egg. By sixteen, when she stepped into the jianghu, she had already attained the Dharma Realm and become a grandmaster. For four whole years she dazzled the world with her peerless brilliance! Who knows how many chivalrous heroes lost their hearts to her and longed to follow in her wake? In her final battle before returning to the Five Saints Sect, she wielded her Spear of Righteousness and Fist of Faith to shatter the Heaven-Earth Shifting Divine Art of the Juesheng Dao witch Ji Hanyi! This left a flaw in the witch's spiritual heart, forever barring her from the Heaven-Man Realm and keeping her from joining the ranks of grand masters.
"Now, you good folks might say: she only lost a single match, so why would her martial path grind to a halt? Not so! Ji Hanyi was just as extraordinarily gifted, only nineteen at the time, and had cultivated the Heaven Heart Wisdom Sutra, one of the Juesheng Dao's three great secret scriptures. Driven by pride, she went out of her way to challenge Feng Yining. In the end, she lost by far more than a single move! And the foundational discipline of the Heaven Heart Wisdom Sutra, the Heaven-Earth Shifting Divine Art, centers on 'imprinting one's own heart upon Heaven's heart.' If one's own heart has a flaw, how can it blend seamlessly into Heaven's heart to attain the Heaven-Man Realm?
"Had she later managed to defeat Feng Yining, her spiritual heart might have regained wholeness. But after returning to the Five Saints Sect, Feng Yining chose to enter death seclusion to seek the Heaven-Man Realm. Eight years have passed with no word of her. Going by past precedent, she likely perished long ago. Truly, 'Pity the smitten wanderers of the jianghu; no longer do they hear the phoenix's cry.'
"I didn't make these things up, mind you! The prestigious, orthodox sects love nothing more than broadcasting the martial techniques and weaknesses of heretical demons, so our own people can stay on guard. Ah, but let us stop there! If some villain from the Juesheng Dao happened to pass through Dingjiang Prefecture and heard this, he might sneak into my home tonight and not even give me a quick death!
"Listeners, speaking of such dangerous matters isn't easy—spare a bite of hot food for this humble performer! If you have coin, show your support with coin; if you don't, show your support by staying around! Big or small, every copper is kindness, and it's all up to your good pleasure!"
Ding Songyan tossed a few coppers into his fellow storyteller's bamboo basket, then continued listening to the martial anecdotes and jianghu lore.
By the end, Xu Chang'an was already utterly enraptured. He could not help whispering to Ding Songyan, "Second Brother Ding, do you think I could become a great thief? One who comes treading moonlight, stealing treasures right under the guard of layers upon layers of experts?"
*You?* Ding Songyan glanced sideways at him and said mildly, "Straighten your back."
Xu Chang'an looked bewildered, but obediently straightened up.
Ding Songyan studied him closely for several breaths, his face gradually breaking into a smile. Choosing his words carefully, he said, "Now that has the bearing of a great thief."
Flattery cost him no silver and bought goodwill besides—why not indulge him?
Hearing this, Xu Chang'an beamed with delight, convinced that Second Brother Ding was truly the finest friend of his life.
Keeping his back straight as a rod, he paced back and forth.
Ding Songyan listened a little longer, then intended to head over to the storytellers who recounted historical chronicles to learn more about the world.
Throughout the walk, he quietly watched his surroundings, observing who might show shock at his "return."
After seven or eight paces, someone suddenly scurried up, produced a slender booklet, and lowered his voice. "Interested? The *Jianghu Beauty Ranking*, the illustrated edition! The artist's brushwork is superb—only three fen of silver, or twenty-four coppers."
Ding Songyan glanced at the book peddler and remained silent.
The peddler, quite young yet clearly worldly-wise, looked left and right. "Not interested in this one? What about this? The *Jade Tree Ranking*."
He pulled out another volume.
Ding Songyan pointed at the *Jianghu Beauty Ranking* with an amused look. "Is it genuine?"
The peddler roughly caught his drift. Just as he was about to spin a tall tale, he saw Xu Chang'an glaring fiercely at him, while Ding Songyan watched him with a faint, unreadable smile.
Stammering, he said, "The artist never saw them in person, so he could only imagine them based on jianghu rumors. If you gentlemen want to see authentic portraits, you could commission someone to buy a copy painted by Layman Xiaozhang in Yanjing. He actually met two or three of them."
Ding Songyan did not press the matter, but asked thoughtfully, "Do you have any books regarding the Xiaoming Sect?"
He had already made up his mind to learn martial arts, and the most renowned local power seemed to be the Xiaoming Sect. Even though gaining entry would be exceedingly difficult and the chances slim, Ding Songyan had always believed that only by aiming for the highest could one achieve the middle ground. If one aimed low from the start, the outcome would only be worse. Therefore, all his early preparations had to meet the standard of entering the Xiaoming Sect.
For that, he naturally needed to gather more information.
At Ding Songyan's question, the peddler stepped back abruptly and shook his head emphatically. "None!"
Ding Songyan raised an eyebrow.
The peddler darted glances to both sides and whispered hurriedly, "They're actually here in Dingjiang Prefecture!"
*So you only dare bully the experts on the Jade Tree Ranking and the Jianghu Beauty Ranking because they aren't local and can't come after you, right?* Ding Songyan clicked his tongue in amusement, then moved on with Xu Chang'an toward another storyteller.
After listening for a long while, Ding Songyan pieced together the martial lore he had heard earlier with what his sister had told him about Zhen Manor, forming a preliminary understanding of this world.
This realm was called Dahuang, or the Shanhai World.
After Xia Qi, the son of Emperor Yu, history seemed to diverge from the world Ding Songyan had left behind, and even the myths were only vaguely familiar.
There had also been a Qin dynasty and a First Emperor who unified Dahuang and subdued the hundred nonhuman clans, yet that dynasty had endured for over two hundred years.
Several lines of poetry familiar to Ding Songyan had surfaced here as well, though their exact origins remained unknown, as the storyteller had focused lately on the history of the current dynasty and only briefly touched on earlier eras.
The present dynasty bore the name Zhao. Its imperial clan claimed descent from Zhurong and carried the surname Hong. Originally, it held dominion over all beneath the heavens. Yet nearly two hundred and sixty years ago, nonhuman races—the Daren, Zhourao, Sanshen, Sanshou, Jingren, Junzi, Shouma, Quanrong, and others—suddenly rose in rebellion, plunging the world into fragmentation.
A Hong nobleman reestablished the dynastic title at Yanjing, south of the Great River, stemming the tide when all seemed lost and propping up the collapsing state. Through strategic alliances and diplomatic maneuvering, he finally stabilized the realm. Meanwhile, the nonhuman clans of the north descended into civil war and chaotic slaughter for many years, eventually giving rise to three major realms: Yu, which the storytellers called "New Yu," founded by the Sanshen clan—who claimed descent from Emperor Shun—in alliance with the Shouma and Jingren clans; Gan, dominated by the Daren, Junzi, and Zhourao clans; and Feng, established by the Sanshou, Quanrong, and Rong clans. Feng was separated from Great Zhao by Yu and Gan, sharing no border with it.
Beyond these four states lay countries like Ba and Tiandu, all situated on the distant frontiers.
Since crossing south, Great Zhao had flourished before entering decline, with sects and prominent clans contending for profit and demonic heretics stirring up unrest. When the late Emperor Wen, Chengzu, came to power, he made peace with the foremost sects, quelled internal rebellions, reformed state institutions, and ruled with vigor, finally ushering in another age of prosperity. The current Sage Emperor was even more ambitious and determined, drilling his armies and adopting the reign title "Jianwu," eager to reclaim the lost northern territories within his lifetime.
As for the martial path, there was no sign of powers on the scale of immortals, gods, or demons. Cultivation reckoned the Dharma Realm as grandmaster, the Heaven-Man Realm as grand master, and the Spirit Terrace Realm as Perfected One. As the saying went: *A grandmaster guards a prefecture, a grand master protects a province, and a Perfected One shields a realm.* Across the entire world today, there were only fourteen Perfected Ones—ten righteous and four demonic.
The division between righteous and demonic had nothing to do with state borders. Anyone who took throwing the world into chaos as their duty, delighted in spreading calamity, or practiced cruel and bloody techniques was branded demonic, hunted down across all nations. Even so, certain states were not above colluding with demonic factions to sow chaos in rival lands.
Only powers possessing a grand master counted as top-tier sects or great aristocratic clans. Great Zhao currently had the Six Sects and Four Orders, Two Religions and Three Clans, Two Great Sacred Lands, Two Hermetic Gates, the Duokang Agricultural Overseers, the Divergent Sect of Body and Intent, and the Xingtian Clan. Gan, Yu, and Feng had similar lineups; the Changliu Sect and Tiannü Sect, for instance, were the foremost powers of Gan Kingdom.
The demonic path followed a similar pattern. Those recognized as elite were collectively known as the Twenty-One Ways of Demons, divided into the Upper Nine and Lower Twelve; Juesheng Dao was one of the Upper Nine.
The local Xiaoming Sect had once been a paramount power, but suffered catastrophic losses during the upheaval two centuries ago, losing key portions of its heritage. Relying on a handful of surviving disciples, it struggled through adversity and was eventually rebuilt in Dingjiang Prefecture, Ningzhou, south of the Great River. Over several generations, it had managed to regain some of its former vitality, and now boasted several grandmasters.
Old Master Zhen Qianfan of Zhen Manor served as Grand Elder of the Sishui Gang. This gang mainly held sway over Ningzhou's internal waterways, though it had declined in recent years to leave only two grandmasters, Old Master Zhen being one of them. He enjoyed immense prestige within Dingjiang Prefecture.
Every year, Great Zhao published a new edition of the *Register of Orchids Under Heaven* to evaluate and grade heroes across the land. This had nothing to do with cultivation realms or official bureaucratic ranks; it was based purely on combat performance and accompanied by brief appraisals. The storyteller had so far only mentioned that grandmasters were divided into two grades: the lower being "Entering the Subtle," and the higher "Communing with the Divine." As for Perfected Ones and grand masters, their numbers were few and fixed across the world, so they were not listed in the register...
While mulling these things over, Ding Songyan prepared to move on to the next storyteller.
Just as he turned, his eyes suddenly caught sight of another pair of eyes.
Those eyes were mostly black with very little white, set squarely across a bronze-colored chest. Below them, an enormous navel opened and closed like a mouth, and slightly above the lips sat a prominent black mole—as though attempting to mark where a nose ought to be.
*Uh...* Ding Songyan's gaze slowly drifted upward, taking in the raw, severed flesh at the neck. The space where a head should have rested was utterly empty.
*A man can live without a head? Wait, the Xingtian Clan?!*
His dark greenish-black padded tunic hung open, revealing ropy, corded muscles. Standing a full nine feet tall, the headless man—who had already been preparing to leave—cast a glance back at Ding Songyan, then turned and strode toward Duokang Temple.
"That's one of the headless folk from Qiaoqian Prefecture," Xu Chang'an whispered to Ding Songyan. "His Majesty wishes to combine the Xingtian arts with military doctrine to strengthen the army, so he dispatched this Commandant of Elite Cavalry to Dingjiang Prefecture to whip the garrisons into shape. Those headless folk dream day and night of fighting their way back north."
*The Xingtian arts? Not out of the question...* Ding Songyan felt a stir of excitement.
A strictly one-sided excitement, to be sure.
Yet to be excited was to act. He decided to go make the acquaintance of this headless Commandant of Elite Cavalry.
Chapter 6