My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

What is the Martial Arts Tournament? And what is the identity of the Alliance Leader?

Chu Ling and his group pretended to be busy, but in reality, they were secretly listening intently.

Shen Yulin smiled with a hint of helplessness and said, "You flatter me. There are so many talented people in the martial arts world today. It is not my place to be the leader of the alliance."

Seeing that he wasn't buying it, the man stopped flattering him and changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, the old leader sent out invitations not only to elect a new leader, but also because of what happened recently."

Xie Yan sat next to Chu Ling, listening to the gossip while quietly taking out a handful of melon seeds to eat, and even sharing some with Chu Ling.

When this topic came up, Shen Yulin's expression gradually became serious.

The man slapped his thigh angrily and exclaimed, "I never imagined that there would be such audacious and lawless thieves in the martial arts world!"

"In just half a month, he stole martial arts manuals from several sects. Not only did he steal the manuals, but he also injured many disciples from various sects!"

"I've heard that the elders and several disciples of Zixiao Manor are still suffering from lingering poison in their bodies and are bedridden."

"How despicable!" At this moment, the young man from the Azure Water Sword Sect also chimed in.

He gritted his teeth and angrily clenched his fist, "Actually, that scoundrel also came to our Azure Water Sword Sect to cause trouble. Fortunately, Master and Senior Brother discovered him early on and chased him away!"

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, the man immediately showed a surprised expression, "That thief actually went to the Azure Water Sword Sect?! He really doesn't know his own limitations!"

"Exactly! Who are my master and senior brother? They beat him to a pulp on the spot, leaving him bruised and battered, his head..."

"Cough cough."

Shen Yulin cleared his throat a few times, frowned slightly, and glanced at his junior brother, who silently shut his mouth and shrank back.

“The child is talking nonsense.” Shen Yulin sighed. “I didn’t fight that person. He left as soon as he saw us arrive. It was my master who chased after him and struck him with a palm.”

"I see."

The man stroked his chin thoughtfully, "However, that person is indeed formidable, managing to escape from Qingyun Daoist's grasp."

“That’s true.” Shen Yulin nodded. “After all, he is a very famous person, and his martial arts skills are only high, not low.”

"Something like this has happened recently?" Yu Bai lowered his voice and leaned closer to Xuan Feng.

"Haven't we received any news?"

Xuanfeng, upon hearing this, also remembered something. "Wait, I remember now, a message was indeed delivered by carrier pigeon today. But I put it away because I was in a hurry to get on my way."

As he spoke, he took out a small roll of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and began to read it with Yu Bai.

The two skimmed the text and quickly came to the last sentence—the perpetrator claimed to be Young Master Xie.

Two people: "..."

Two people: "!!!"

Xuanfeng hurriedly stood up and was about to go to Xie Yan and Chu Ling's side. Just then, he heard the man who was talking to Shen Yulin say disdainfully, "He's just a coward who doesn't dare to show his face. What number one in the world? It's all an exaggeration."

Xie Yan paused, her hand still cracking sunflower seeds: "..."

Everyone: "!!!"

Tao Xian, who had been engrossed in her medical books and oblivious to everything else, finally raised her head and looked at Xie Yan. "It seems like you're talking about me."

Facing the shocked and curious gazes of the crowd, Xie Yan said with a forced smile, "Didn't you hear that the word 'former' is missing? This isn't me anymore."

Then the man added, "I think it might be the work of the treacherous Fengyun Tower. Isn't that Number One in the Heavenly Palace someone from there?!"

Shen Yulin shook his head solemnly, "But I heard that this person left Fengyun Tower three years ago."

Xie Yan: "..."

Everyone: Oh wow.

Xuanfeng silently put the letter away: It seems it's not needed.

At the same time, he felt a little smug. It's true that fortunes change, and he never thought that Xie Yan, that scoundrel, would have this day.

Chu Ling's expression shifted slightly. He glanced at A Mo, who was still sitting stiffly, and turned slightly toward Xie Yan. "It seems that she came here to assassinate you for this reason."

No wonder the owner of Fengyun Tower accepted the bounty and spared no expense in expending a lot of manpower to find Xie Yan, who had disappeared three years ago.

Presumably, he was afraid of being implicated and suspected of being in cahoots with Xie Yan, which would have provoked the anger of the martial arts community.

Xie Yan calmly said, "Look away from me, and don't call me here for now—"

"Xie Yan!"

Lu Zizhao came running in from outside, panting and covered in weeds, shouting angrily, "Your horse just wouldn't eat the roadside weeds and even spat in my face!"

The man, who was having a lively conversation with someone, said, "Yes, yes, that person's name seems to be Xie Yan..."

Xie Yan: "..."

Everyone: "..."

The air was stagnant.

Shen Yulin's smile vanished, and he looked solemnly in the direction of Lu Zizhao's gaze. It was the man who had spoken to him at the beginning.

He stood up and walked over, his tone still gentle, "I forgot to ask earlier, may I ask this young master's name?"

Xie Yan nodded politely to him, "Of course, I am—"

Suddenly, in a corner where no one was paying attention, A-Mo shouted, "Don't be fooled by him! This person is Xie Yan! I can vouch for him! The number one you're talking about is him!"

Xie Yan: ...Is it too late to change my name now?

A flash of cold light appeared; it was a sharp sword gleaming with a chilling light.

The sword was as fast as lightning, tearing through the air with a sharp and piercing whistling sound.

In the blink of an eye, before anyone could even react, the astonishingly fast sword had already approached Xie Yan's vital point.

Xie Yan sighed helplessly. At this critical moment, he actually had the leisure to put away his melon seeds.

Just then, a folding fan came out of nowhere and blocked the unstoppable sword.

In an instant, sparks flew everywhere.

The fan's surface was cleaved open by the sword's edge, and the fan ribs, unable to withstand the weight, cracked and split apart under the impact of the internal force.

Chu Ling's lips curled slightly upward, forming a faint smile. He suddenly twisted his wrist, the movement as natural and fluid as flowing water.

With this turn, a powerful force flowed from his arm to the sword.

The sword, which was originally thrusting straight at you with unstoppable force, was deflected from its original trajectory as if gently brushed aside by an invisible hand.

The sharp sword energy and force vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea.

Shen Yulin thought to himself, "What domineering internal force!" He quickly twirled his sword and retrieved it.

He frowned, looked at Chu Ling, and said, "May I ask who you are, and why you are with this villain?"

Chu Ling tossed aside the folding fan with a hint of regret, put his hand on Xie Yan's shoulder, and said with a smile, "That's because, of course, he's one of my people."