Chapter 657 - The Outlaws Compete for the Crown; A Casual Gesture Becomes a Legend - Part 3

Several days later.

Li Yuan left the lonely cliff where Xie Yu’s tomb stood.

But before he left, he carved another gravestone and placed it beside hers. The inscription read...

Tomb of the Li Clan Ancestor, Gucheng.

Two graves now stood side by side, no longer one lonely monument, but a quiet companionship across time.

Ordinarily, the Skygale Sect would never allow fresh earth to be turned beside their founder’s resting place. But Li Yuan had taught them a supreme movement skill. More than that, they had learned the backstory between the Li ancestor and Xie Yu and were told by Li Yuan that this was his ancestor’s dying wish. That he never thought it would come true, but fate worked in mysterious ways. So, they no longer objected.

And just like that, the boy who had once arrived in shackles, suspected as some strange immortal attendant candidate from the prisoner’s cart, was now respectfully addressed as Sir Li.

Some even took to calling him Young Lord Yu.

Perhaps

Sir Li

sounded too old for his youthful face, and gradually,

Young Lord Yu

replaced all other names.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Time flowed on. In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Li Yuan spent his days doing three things, probing the world to see if any trace of the extraordinary remained, observing the trends of this new era, and quietly tracking the whereabouts of Herderton’s Huyan Clan.

Skyscale Mountain’s rebel force, while still hidden in the shadows, was already a force to be reckoned with. Their ranks included 8,000 trained fighters, all skilled in martial arts, though admittedly lacking in battlefield discipline.

An army of 8,000 may not sound like much, but that was merely the number

before

the rebellion went public. If they ever rose up openly, a single rallying cry might gather an army of a hundred thousand in mere weeks.

Beyond the soldiers, there were tens of thousands living in the hidden villages across the mountain, men, women, elders, and children alike.

Here, among them, Li Yuan finally uncovered information that hadn’t been available to him back in the fish market of Herderton.

For instance, a phrase whispered among the higher circles of the martial world.

“He who masters the Human Emperor’s Martial Canon shall reign supreme beneath the heavens.”

Li Yuan requested the Skyscale Mountain rebels’ copy of the Human Emperor’s Martial Canon and, after examining it, confirmed it was the original version.

That alone gave him a better grasp of this world’s true nature.

This was a low-martial realm.

A world where the extraordinary had not yet emerged.

But the secret of the supernatural, it was likely hidden within the final page of the book, in the breathing method it described.

And for him, there was another key, the

Dusk

character..

Now, Li Yuan stood atop a mountain peak, the Human Emperor’s Martial Canon in hand, deep in thought.

Just then, Guo Qin came running over.

“Brother Li,” she called, “my father and Uncle Yang have gone down the mountain to attend the Green Forest Alliance gathering. You don’t think...anything will happen to them, right?”

It was the kind of worry only a daughter could feel, knowing she couldn’t change anything, but needing to speak the fear aloud just the same. Saying it helped, even if nothing else could.

Li Yuan said calmly, “They’ll be fine.”

“Mhm...” Guo Qin murmured softly and then asked, “Lunch is almost ready, wanna come eat with us?”

Li Yuan glanced toward the distance, where a group of children and rebel soldiers were still practicing martial arts. “I’ll come in a bit.”

With that, he tucked the Human Emperor’s Martial Canon under his arm and walked off, heading straight over to guide Xiao Hu, Xiao Zhen, and the other kids, as well as help the rebel fighters with their training.

Ever since he had revealed his strength, he had quietly become the de facto martial instructor of the Skyscale Mountain rebels.

Guo Qin watched him walk away, then sighed softly to herself. She muttered under her breath, “I even wore a new hairpin today...and he didn’t notice.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

That night.

Under the stars, Li Yuan was deep in conversation with a rough-looking man whose face was all scars and stubble.

He was trying to gather more intel about this world.

The man, clearly a veteran martial brawler, introduced himself as Sun Juli. He was built like a mountain, hairy as a bear, and shirtless even in the sweltering heat of midsummer, with only a pair of ragged shorts on.

He looked like a figure straight out of a classic novel. Li Yuan thought he resembled an old-school

Li Kui

type to a tee.

At the moment, Sun Juli was scratching his head and chuckling as he shared what little he knew: “I heard tell this world’s not just ruled by that damn dog emperor. There’s also these big shots called the Eight Pillar Clans. Like the Wu Clan, those bastards are terrifying. Every last one of them’s a monster. But me? Hah! I’m not scared. One day I’ll show those bastards what I can do with my axes.”

He rambled on endlessly about the Wu Clan.

Li Yuan’s head started to ache.

He switched to someone else to ask questions.

But the next person didn’t know much either.

After circling around a while, he eventually found himself talking to the rebel group’s third-in-charge, who was currently in charge of the mountain stronghold.

When he saw Li Yuan, the commander greeted him respectfully with a deep bow and a warm smile. “Young Lord Yu, what guidance do you seek?”

Li Yuan asked about the Eight Pillar Clans and the current layout of the martial world.

The commander paused in thought before replying.

“The Eight Pillars are Ying, Xie, Li, Ji, Song, Pang, Gao, and Wu. The Ying Clan is the royal family, currently ruling from the Central Capital.

“The Xie Clan is also a prominent aristocratic family with royal blood, but they’ve had some sort of falling out with the throne and now reside in the ancient Jade Capital in Hidden Dragon Province.

“The Li Clan branched off from the Xie lineage and is a rising power. They’ve established their own domain in Swallowcloud Province, where they’ve stationed their troops.

“The Ji Clan are remnants of the old royal house. They’ve kept a low profile and voluntarily relocated to the western lands of Westgorge Province.

“The Song Clan is tied to Song Yehuang, the founder of the Ink School. They, too, are increasingly dissatisfied with the tyrant’s rule and have moved south.

“The Gao Clan is based in Silkfloss Province.

“As for the Pang and Wu Clans, those two are firmly in the dog emperor’s pocket. They command the imperial army and oversee the court’s martial forces.

“The head of the Pang Clan is the current Grand General, and the Wu Clan’s patriarch is hailed as the supreme commander of all military forces. They’re our main adversaries.”

Li Yuan now had a clearer picture: the structure of the Nine Provinces had shifted slightly.

For example, Cloudpeak Province was now known as Westgorge Province.

And Hidden River Province had been split into two distinct regions, Northriver and Southriver.

In the south, the once-barren wastelands had transformed into vast grasslands, and now seemed to be the domain of nomadic tribes. Skilled in mounted archery, these tribes thrived in the open terrain. Their growing power and autonomy hinted at something more ominous, a creeping desire to break away from the Central Plains altogether.

“What of the powers that rule this land today?” Li Yuan continued his inquiry. He added modestly, “Forgive my ignorance. I’m sure this all sounds laughable to someone as well-informed as yourself.”

“Not at all, not at all.” The commander waved his hands repeatedly. He then launched into a rundown of the major factions. He spoke of the Heavenly Masters’ Sect, Green Forest Alliance, and the Seven Swords, Eight Blades, and Nine Strange Schools.

Li Yuan listened intently, absorbing every detail until a name caught his ear, one he hadn’t heard in a long, long time, the Tang Sect of Westgorge.

[1]

He leaned forward. “This Tang Sect of Westgorge, what kind of sect are they?”

The commander shook his head. “Shrouded in mystery. What we do know is they’re masters of mechanical traps, puppetry, and poisons. Most folks in the martial world steer clear of them. Their leader is the old matriarch, Grand Matron Tang. But from what I’ve heard, the clan’s day-to-day affairs are mostly handled by one of her descendants, the so-called Madam Bright Moon.”

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The two spoke late into the night, a single candle flickering between them.

Outside the door, Guo Qin stamped her foot in frustration.

She had thought Li Yuan treated her differently, that he cared for her.

But now it seemed...he was just kind by nature, patient, approachable, and polite to everyone. Even when teaching martial arts, he gave his full attention, no matter who stood before him.

And now he was asking everyone for their insights, everyone but her. He was clearly keeping his distance.

Heart aching, Guo Qin turned and walked away.

Inside, Li Yuan caught the faint sound of her footsteps retreating. He looked toward the commander.

The older man gave a helpless smile. “Miss Guo...she’s a good one.”

“I know,” Li Yuan said quietly.

The commander slapped his thigh with a grin. “Young Lord Yu, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but that girl clearly has feelings for you. And let’s be honest, you’re well-matched. Strong, decent, easy on the eyes. Why not—”

Li Yuan shook his head gently.

This life was just a trial run for him. He could be gone at any moment. Accepting Guo Qin’s heart would only lead to her pain.

And besides...he didn’t feel anything for her. Not really.

After witnessing the likes of Bai Xinxuan and Cui Huayin, women whose beauty could shake the heavens, even the most dazzling mortal flowers had begun to seem ordinary.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Three months passed.

Then, news came from afar.

The Skyscale Mountain rebels had taken the crown. Guo Xi, the Soaring Golden Roc, had swept through the competition with overwhelming force. None of the famed warriors of the Green Forest Alliance could last more than three moves against him.

The rebels erupted in celebration.

Li Yuan only let out a sigh.

What kind of world is this?

he thought.

I casually made up a movement technique, and now Guo Xi is unbeatable in the entire alliance?

And so, the name Young Lord Yu echoed through the Green Forest Alliance like thunder.

But whether due to word of mouth or deliberate embellishment, the title somehow changed along the way.

By the time it reached the ears of the wider martial world, it was no longer Young Lord Yu.

It had become...

Lord Yu

.

1. The actual Chinese name for

Westgorge

is 巴蜀, an old name for Sichuan Province. So, we actually have a Tang Clan/Sect of Sichuan reference. ☜