Chapter 7: It’s Evil Shiyuan’s Turn (2)
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The title “Treading the Dust” may not be well-known in other regions, but in Lehua Town, when Lin Nan made her entrance at the tea house, draped in her iconic red dress and veil, she could no longer feel like the unnoticed wallflower she once was. Just sitting there, curious glances from onlookers reminded her that “Treading the Dust” had managed to make a name for herself, at least a bit, in Lehua Town.
The glorious tales of her fierce battles against “Qingcheng Yijian,” the Dali Sect, and the “Lingnan Sword Demon” had already spread through the town like a viral meme, trumpeting her existence far and wide.
Let’s not forget—this “Treading the Dust” was also a stunningly beautiful woman. Now, a pretty face comes with its own spotlight, but combine that with her mysterious origins and martial prowess? Boom! She shot to fame faster than a cat on a hot tin roof.
So, as she sat at the tea house, instead of hearing any juicy gossip, she became the gossip. The whispers of her presence was flying around faster than a trending hashtag.
“Heroine Treading the Dust! I am Ao Hongtu, the head of the Burning Moon Sword Manor. Would you be interested in joining the Demon-Subduing Alliance?”
Dressed in white, Ao Hongtu was tall, handsome, and had a smile that could charm the stripes off a tiger.
She vaguely remembered her first day at the mountain stronghold when Ao Hongtu, along with his entourage, had tried to block her path and challenged her to a duel. She managed to send them packing without a fight, thinking she had completely dodged any further interactions. Yet, here he was, popping up unexpectedly today.
“The Demon-Subduing Alliance?” Lin Nan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Ao Hongtu held his hands together, clearly reveling in his chance to announce his presence in the tea house.
“Heroine Treading the Dust, you might not realize, but Lehua Town is currently swarming with martial artists eager to break into the stronghold and rescue Young Master Shi for the handsome bounty set by the Martial Arts Alliance. While there are countless factions, we’re all like cats in a room full of rocking chairs—everyone squabbling for their piece of the pie, and it’s nearly impossible for a single sect to take down the Demon Sect’s demoness. Just look at the sorry fate of bl**d Cloak Building!
So, a few of us sect leaders have banded together to form an alliance to combine our strengths. This way, we may just have a fighting chance against the sheer numbers and defenses of the stronghold, and take down the demoness!”
By this point, Lin Nan was starting to see where Ao Hongtu was going with this grand plan.
He wasn’t wrong; just as he stated, the overwhelming majority of martial arts sects—all vying for enrichment—were constantly at each other’s throats over fame and fortune. Following the Martial Arts Alliance’s bounty announcement, everyone was rushing into Lehua Town, eager to grab the spotlight.
Yet, their scattered forces made them pathetically weak—one by one, they could barely stand up to a gust of wind, let alone the stronghold!
“That sounds like a clever plan. But have you thought about how everyone’s here for profit? Is that little bounty from the Martial Arts Alliance really enough to satisfy all these folks?” she quipped.
Ao Hongtu chuckled, “No wonder you are the Heroine Treading the Dust! Right to the heart of the matter! Our solution is simple: since the demoness has been hoarding treasures for ages, we’ll just split the loot among all participating sects based on their contributions. And that rare sword manual provided by the Martial Arts Alliance? We can all copy it! Everyone wins!”
Lin Nan nodded, “Ao Manor Master, you’re a true dragon among men—your foresight is impressive!”
“Heroine Treading the Dust, you flatter me! If you join our alliance and take part in our actions at the Burning Moon Sword Manor, I assure you, I will treat you like royalty!”
His sincerity was shining brighter than a thousand suns.
At this point, Lin Nan finally understood his real goal. In simpler terms, Ao Hongtu wanted to solidify his own faction’s power within the alliance. Once they breached the stronghold, the wealth would be divvied up based on effort, but who would have the authority to figure out who contributed what?
In the end, it all boiled down to who could fight the best. Ao Hongtu seemed to have his eyes wide open to this reality, going so far as to put aside his pride and charm her into joining.
Lin Nan was on board.
If he was so keen to invite an undercover agent into his crew, she might as well play along.
Just then, leaders from the other factions, now aware that Treading the Dust had resurfaced in the tea house, rushed over, clearly hoping to get in on the action, but found themselves outmaneuvered by Ao Hongtu. Glaring at him in frustration, they regretted not getting there sooner.
“Manor Master Ao, count me in!” Lin Nan readily agreed.
Her enthusiastic agreement nearly made Ao Hongtu shout with glee. After all, a gal who could hold her ground against “Qingcheng Yijian” and then take down the remnants of the Demon Sect was definitely more powerful than they had anticipated.
With such a formidable ally in their ranks, their odds of success just skyrocketed!
“Heroine Treading the Dust, we’ve secured a guesthouse here in Lehua Town with outstanding accommodations and meals. If you don’t mind, you’re welcome to stay with us. It would make our communication much easier.”
Lin Nan hesitated briefly. Would this not expose her whereabouts to the Burning Moon Sword Manor?
But as the saying goes, you can’t catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger’s den. If she wanted the inside scoop on the alliance’s plans against the stronghold, the best way was to infiltrate. Besides, she had plenty of methods to stay in touch with the stronghold.
“Alright, I’ll impose on you then.”
“Heroine Treading the Dust, you’re too kind. It’s our honor!”
In a gesture of invitation, Ao Hongtu made a sweeping motion as they left the tea house, the onlookers brimming with jealousy and regret, wishing they had arrived a moment sooner to catch this opportunity.
……
At the same time, more than a dozen swift boats raced across the expansive waters.
Unlike horses that needed to rest after a bit of galloping, these boats could flow downstream nonstop around the clock, helmed by seasoned captains. They were nearing their limit in speed.
“Boss, just one more day until we hit Lehua Town!”
“Mm-hmm, good.”
Standing at the bow of the first boat was a man wearing a steel mask. His crew kept quiet, avoiding any noise that might disturb him. The boss really hates interruptions when he’s deep in thought—not a soul wanted to be the one to ruin the moment!
“Treading the Dust… the stronghold… heh, this is getting interesting.”
The man gazed out at the churning waves, his eyes growing colder than a dead fish.
“I’ll hang you all upside down in the water and make you realize who really owns these waters!”
