This Lady Is Trying to Kill Me - Chapter 89

Chapter 89: The Water Cloud Sword Pool

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

April 15th, the Zhou family’s birthday banquet…

On the south side of Azure Yang City, there was a mountain called ‘Morning Dew’. The Clear River passed by the mountain, and the tributaries converged at the foot of the mountain to form the Moon Reflection Lake. Beside the lake were scattered buildings. The common people called this place Zhou Manor, and in Jianghu, it was a famous sword sect of Great Wei—the Water Cloud Sword Pool!

The buildings in the center of Zhou Manor were ancient, and the members of the Zhou family lived in them. About seventy to eighty percent of the surrounding buildings had been expanded in recent decades. Because of the reputation of the Sword Saint, Zhou Chiyang, there were countless martial artists coming here to learn. But there were only around three hundred people who could really become disciples of the Zhou family.

The Zhou family had lived here for generations. Their ancestors were from the Sword Crafting Villa, and their main business was to help the people of Jianghu forge various weapons. In the previous dynasty, they were only a little-known small business.

Because Old Master Zhou was forthright, generous, and loved to make friends, when Great Wei was founded, he had helped the revolutionary army forge many weapons. As a result, the Zhou family walked the path of officialdom, but they were only a second-rate family in Jianghu.

It was only when the current Sword Saint appeared that the Zhou family was able to soar into the sky. They established their own sect and named it the Water Cloud Sword Pool, becoming the second most powerful Jianghu force in Ze Province, next to Jun Mountain Terrace.

Old Master Zhou was too old and had long stopped caring about worldly affairs. Currently, the head of the Zhou family and the sect master of the Water Cloud Sword Pool was Old Master Zhou’s eldest son, Zhou Huaili, the elder brother of the current Sword Saint.

At noon, music and singing were endless at Morning Dew Mountain. Famous figures of Jianghu who had come from all over to celebrate the birthday were drinking and chatting happily in the Seeking Sword Hall by Moon Reflection Lake. The manor was noisy, but the back of the ancestral residence was rather quiet.

Beside a pond at the foot of the mountain, there was an old blacksmith shop. There was a blackened sign hanging on the door, and the words ‘Zhou Family’s Shop’ were vaguely visible. This was where the Zhou family’s ancestors started their enterprise.

The fire in the blacksmith shop that had been passed down for a hundred years was still not extinguished, and the crisp sounds of hammering could be heard. Ding!

Ding!

The snow-white-haired Old Master Zhou was hunched over, holding a hammer in his hand and hitting an iron ingot clamped between tongs.

Because he was too old, his strength was not heavy, but his technique was extremely stable. Viewed from the side, it even had a unique rhythm.

Sect Master Zhou Huaili was standing outside the blacksmith shop with his hands in his sleeves. He looked to be in his fifties and had a three-foot-long sword hanging at his waist. His aura was quite extraordinary.

As the brother of the current Sword Saint and a genuine sword Grandmaster, Zhou Huaili’s status in Jianghu was definitely not low.

But facing his biological father, no matter how old he was, he could only stand quietly at the door like an ordinary son and listen to the elder’s long-windedness.

“Jianghu is the tides of the Clear River. When there are rising tides, there will be receding tides, and vice versa. When there are no waves, it will become stagnant water… Back then, when 1 gave Xuanyuan Chao a saber, who would have thought that an unfilial son who had been expelled from the Xuanyuan family could make great contributions in the army at a young age and practice a peerless saber technique to become the Saber Chief today? Back then, when your grandfather forged a saber for Kuang Yazi, Kuang Yazi was like the sun in the midday sky, dominating the saber world. Who would have thought that it would be difficult to see even half a successor of his in Jianghu today…”

Old Master Zhou stayed in this blacksmith shop covered in heavy smoke all year round. His voice was not good. He spoke slowly and hoarsely. If one didn’t listen carefully, they wouldn’t be able to hear him clearly.

Zhou Huaili listened patiently for a long time before saying, “Father, you’ve told me these old stories hundreds of times.”

Old Master Zhou hammered the iron in an orderly manner, as if he didn’t hear his son’s words, and continued to mutter, “It’s not easy to make a living in Jianghu. Tell me. If I had turned Xuanyuan Chao down when he came to ask me for a saber, how many people in the Zhou family would still be alive now?”

“Everyone in Jianghu knows that you have been generous your entire life. If not for that, there wouldn’t be so many friends from Jianghu coming to congratulate you on your eightieth birthday…”

“This isn’t generosity. When others are down and out, a handful of rice is far better than a thousand gold coins when they are rich. When others are down and out, a cold gaze might be exchanged for the destruction of your entire family. This is how Jianghu is…”

“Father, I’m past the age of groping for my destiny. I’m not young anymore. It’s your birthday today. Rest for a day.”

Old Master Zhou paused in his hammering. After a moment of silence, he continued to raise the hammer.

Ding!

Ding!

It was quiet inside and outside the blacksmith shop, except for the sound of hammering iron.

Zhou Huaili waited for a while. Seeing that Old Master Zhou wasn’t in the mood to go out to meet guests, he stopped trying to persuade him. He turned around and walked out of the ancestral residence to the Seeking Sword Hall by Moon Reflection Lake.

‘Seeking Sword’ was to understand the meaning of swordsmanship. Back then, Sword Saint Zhou Chiyang had attained enlightenment by the lake and soared into the sky. From a young swordsmith, he became the most powerful swordsman in Jianghu.

For this reason, the Seeking Sword Hall was considered the holy land of the Water Cloud Sword Pool. Usually, idlers were not allowed to enter. It would only open when there was a celebration banquet. Those who could enter were all famous figures in Jianghu.

Zhou Huaili led some servants in from the back of the Seeking Sword Hall. The enormous hall was full of guests, and outside was the blue Moon Reflection Lake. There was a boulder by the lake with the word ‘chivalry’ written on it. It had been personally carved by Sword Saint Zhou Chiyang. The brush strokes were bold and sharp. Many people were observing and studying it.

When Zhou Huaili saw the word ‘chivalry’, a hint of displeasure flashed across his eyes.

As the saying went, every family had their difficulties, and this was also true for the Zhou family.

Zhou Huaili had become the head of the family at an early age. Because of the family’s wealth, he was not very polite to his brother, whom his father loved very much. Although they hadn’t drawn their swords against each other, there had been many quarrels between them.

After his younger brother’s sword resounded throughout the twelve provinces, he didn’t teach his elder brother a lesson. After carving this word, he picked up his sword and left. He began to travel the mountains and rivers and never returned home.

Zhou Huaili knew that his brother was teaching him a lesson, and like his father, he hoped that he would ‘return from the wrong path’, but he never felt that there was anything wrong with his actions.

His younger brother, Zhou Chiyang, was obsessed with the sword and had no interest in the mundane family business. He even looked down on his unscrupulous and utilitarian older brother. He was a hero respected by everyone in Jianghu, but such a person could only be regarded as ‘face’ and not a family member.

All the forces in Jianghu talked about ‘chivalry’, but if this was all they cared about, no matter how capable they were, they couldn’t accumulate a family fortune.

He, Zhou Huaili, was indeed unscrupulous. He was not noble or chivalrous enough, but if not for his unscrupulousness, how could the Zhou family have so many guests today? How could there be vast tracts of fertile land outside?

If he hadn’t immersed half of his life in business, no matter how famous the Sword Saint was, the Zhou family would still only be a small aristocratic family. To this day, they would still have to make a living by forging.

Between his personal reputation in Jianghu and the wealth of his family, what was wrong with him choosing the latter?

As the distracting thoughts flashed past, Zhou Huaili arrived at the Seeking Sword Hall. When he saw the guests present, he put on a smile and cupped his hands. “Madam Xue, Brother Xuanyuan, sorry for making you wait so long. My father is old and has been working as a blacksmith all his life. If he doesn’t stand by the forge every day, he will feel uncomfortable. He will come out later…”

The guests in the hall were all famous figures in Jianghu around Ze Province. The seven people sitting at the main table were all famous Grandmasters in Jianghu. The Three Absolutes Elderly Immortal of Wu Province’s Three Absolutes Valley; the head of Jun Mountain Terrace, Xuanyuan Hongzhi; and so on were among them. It could be said that the wealthy families and large sects near Ze Province had sent people here.

But the ones with the highest status here were the two women sitting at the main seats of the table!