Chapter 1: Exceptional Talent

Early morning, fog, thick fog.

Ding Peng pushed open the window of his small room, and the milky white fog drifted in like willow catkins, brushing against his face.

His face was delicate, his body healthy, and his speech full of vitality and vigor. When he smiled, he often revealed a childlike innocence, like a boy you had watched grow up.

But Ding Peng was no longer a child.

In the past three months, he had successively defeated three renowned swordsmen in the martial world.

Sunlight and water make plants grow strong; victory and success can also make a boy mature into a man.

Now, he was not only a true man but also calm, stable, and full of confidence in himself.

He was born in March and had just turned twenty. On his birthday, he defeated the famous swordsman Shi Ding of Baoding with a move called “Meteor from Beyond.”

Shi Ding was a master of the Northern Green Duckweed Sword. Ding Peng used this victory as a birthday gift to himself. In April, he defeated Ge Qi, the “Chasing Wind Sword,” with the same move. Ge Qi was the chief disciple of the Huashan Sword Sect, known for his swift and unique sword techniques and ruthless strikes. He was a proud man.

But in that battle, he was utterly convinced and publicly admitted, “Even if I practice for ten more years, I could never block that move of his.”

In May, Guo Zhengping, the leader of the Iron Sword Sect, also fell to his “Meteor from Beyond.”

Guo Zhengping’s comment on this move and Ding Peng was, “Like an antelope hanging its horns, leaving no trace. Within a year, this young man will surely make a name for himself in the martial world and rise above others.”

Although the Iron Sword Sect was not a prominent sect in the martial world, it had a long history and a righteous reputation. Guo Zhengping’s words, as the leader of the sect, carried significant weight.

Even now, Ding Peng felt an indescribable excitement when he recalled those words.

“Famous in the martial world, rising above others!”

He had practiced hard for thirteen years, seven hours a day, until his palms and soles were calloused.

Especially on those cold winter nights, to keep himself motivated, he often held a lump of ice and snow. Whenever he felt lazy, he would stuff it into his pants. The sensation was something no one else could imagine.

He tormented himself like this because he was determined to rise above others and bring honor to his father, who had achieved nothing in his life.

His father was an unknown escort who had accidentally obtained a page of a broken sword manual.

One page, one volume.

On that page was the move “Meteor from Beyond.”

—A meteor from beyond. Suddenly disappearing, the brilliance and speed of that moment were unstoppable. But by then, his father was already old, his mind dulled, his reactions slow, and he could no longer practice this sword technique. So he passed this page to his son.

On his deathbed, his last words were, “You must master this move, you must bring honor to me, let others know that I, Ding, have a son who will rise above others.” Whenever Ding Peng thought of this, he felt his blood boil and tears well up in his eyes.

Now, he no longer shed tears. Tears were for the weak; a man should shed blood if he must!

He took a deep breath of the morning air and drew his sword from under his pillow. Today, he would use this sword technique to win another victory.

If he could win today, it would be a true success.

Shi Ding, Ge Qi, Guo Zhengping—though they were all famous heroes in the martial world, compared to today’s battle, those three victories were nothing.

Because today, his opponent was Liu Ruosong.

Liu Ruosong, the “Green Pine Swordsman” of the renowned “Three Friends of Winter,” master of the “Ten Thousand Pines Manor,” the only secular disciple of the Tianyi Zhenren of the Wudang Mountain’s Xuanzhen Temple. He had heard this name many years ago. Back then, it was like Mount Tai and the Big Dipper, lofty and unshakable. But now, it was different. Now, he was confident he could defeat this man. He had challenged this senior master in the most proper way, making it impossible for Liu Ruosong to refuse. Because he had to defeat this man to take a step further into the ranks of the true masters of the martial world. The time and place of the duel were decided by Liu Ruosong: “June 15th, noon, Ten Thousand Pines Manor.”

Today was June 15th.

Today’s battle would determine his fate for the rest of his life.

Last night, he had washed, smoothed, and hung his clothes on a bamboo pole by the window. They were almost dry now.

Though not completely dry, they would dry quickly once he put them on.

This was his only set of clothes, sewn by his elderly, ailing mother before he left home. Now, they were faded and worn in some places, but as long as they were clean, they were still presentable.

Poverty was not shameful; laziness and dirtiness were.

He put on his clothes and took out a blue cloth money bag from under his pillow.

Inside was only a small piece of broken silver.

This was all his wealth. After paying the inn, he would probably have only a few dozen coins left.

Usually, he slept in places where he didn’t have to pay rent—under the altar in ancestral halls, on the grass in the woods—those were his beds.

For today’s battle, he had reluctantly stayed at this small inn because he needed adequate sleep to have enough energy and strength to win this fight.

After paying the inn, he even decided to spend the remaining money on half a catty of braised beef, ten pieces of dried tofu, a large bag of peanuts, and five large buns.

For him, this was not only a luxury but also an unforgivable waste. Normally, he could survive a day on three hard biscuits.

But today, he decided to forgive himself this once. Today, he needed energy, and eating well would give him strength.

Besides, after today, things might be completely different.

Fame not only brings honor and self-respect but also many things one could not dream of in ordinary times. Wealth and status would follow.

He understood this well, so he had endured poverty and hunger all along.

He would never let himself be tainted by anything dishonorable. He was determined to rise above others through the right path.

Now, there were still over two hours until noon. He decided to find a good place to enjoy this food.

He found a spot near the foot of the mountain, close to Ten Thousand Pines Manor, with a spring, grass, red flowers, and a garden view, surrounded by flowering trees and a clear blue sky.

By now, the thick fog had dissipated, and the sun had just risen. The dew on the green leaves sparkled like pearls.

He sat down on the soft grass, tore off a piece of beef, and found it even more delicious than he had imagined.

He felt extremely happy.

Just then, a girl walked into his secret little haven like a deer chased by a hunter.

This girl was completely naked.

This girl was young and delicate.

Ding Peng felt as if his breathing had stopped, and his heart was beating three times faster than usual.

He had never been close to a woman.

In his hometown, there were young girls, and he had seen them.

But he had always restrained himself, using every method possible—stuffing ice and snow into his pants, immersing his head in the stream, pricking his legs with needles, running, climbing, somersaulting…

Before achieving fame, he would never let such things distract him or drain his energy.

But now, he suddenly saw a naked woman, a young and beautiful naked woman.

Her snow-white skin, firm breasts, long and smooth legs…

He used all his strength to turn his head away, but the woman ran over and hugged him, panting, “Save me, you must save me!”

She was so close to him, her breath warm and fragrant. He could even hear her heartbeat.

His mouth went dry, and he couldn’t utter a word.

The girl noticed the change in his body, and her face turned red. She covered herself with her hands, “You… could you lend me your clothes?”

This was his only set of clothes, but without hesitation, he took them off. The girl, now wearing his clothes, calmed down a bit and said solemnly, “Thank you!”

Ding Peng also calmed down a bit and managed to speak, “Is someone chasing you?”

The girl nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ding Peng said, “This place is remote; it’s hard for others to find. Even if someone comes, you don’t need to be afraid.”

He was a man, with a natural instinct to protect women, especially one as beautiful as her.

He held her hand, “With me and this sword here, you don’t need to be afraid.”

The girl felt more at ease and whispered, “Thank you.”

She seemed to have said these words before. After speaking, she lowered her head and closed her mouth.

Ding Peng didn’t know what else to say.

He should have asked, “Why are you running? Who is chasing you? Why are they chasing you?”

But he forgot to ask, and she didn’t say.

Though she was wearing his clothes, a short garment couldn’t completely cover a mature girl.

A girl like her had too many places that could stir a man’s heart.

His heart was still racing.

After a long time, he noticed her eyes fixed on his package of beef.

This meal might be his last; he only had one copper coin left.

But without hesitation, he said, “This food is clean. Have some.”

The girl said again, “Thank you!”

Ding Peng said, “You’re welcome.”

The girl didn’t stand on ceremony.

Ding Peng had never imagined that such a beautiful girl could eat like a wolf.

She must have been starving for a long time, suffering greatly.

He could even imagine her tragic experience.

—A lonely girl, stripped by a group of villains, locked in a cellar, not even given food. She had managed to escape by some means.

While he was imagining her plight, she had already eaten all his food.

Not only the beef and dried tofu but even the buns were gone, leaving only a dozen or so peanuts.

She seemed to feel a bit embarrassed and quietly handed over the peanuts, whispering, “These are for you.”

Ding Peng laughed.

He should have been unable to laugh, even to cry, but he couldn’t help but laugh.

The girl also laughed, her face red like a flower in the sunlight.

Laughter not only makes oneself happy but also brings joy to others and shortens the distance between people.

They both became more at ease, and the girl finally told her story.

Ding Peng’s earlier imagination wasn’t far from the truth.

The girl had indeed been kidnapped by a group of villains, stripped, and locked in a cellar. She hadn’t eaten a grain of rice for several days. The villains, thinking she was too weak to move, had relaxed their guard, allowing her to escape.

She was immensely grateful to him, “Meeting you is my luck.”

Ding Peng’s hand was always on his sword hilt, “Where are those people? I’ll go with you to find them!”

The girl said, “You can’t go!”

Ding Peng asked, “Why?”

The girl hesitated, “There are some things I can’t say now, but I will tell you later.”

There seemed to be hidden details. Since she couldn’t say, he didn’t press.

The girl continued, “Now, I need to find someone, and then I can feel at ease.”

Ding Peng asked, “Who are you looking for?”

The girl said, “An elder of mine, already seventy years old, but still wearing bright red clothes. If you see him, you’ll recognize him.”

She looked up, her beautiful eyes full of pleading, and softly asked, “Can you help me find him?”

Ding Peng certainly couldn’t go, really couldn’t, absolutely couldn’t.

There was less than an hour left before the battle that would determine his fate.

He was still hungry and hadn’t practiced his sword. He needed to prepare his emotions and conserve his energy to face Liu Ruosong. How could he go looking for an old man he had never met for a strange girl?

But he couldn’t bring himself to say “no.” Saying “no” to a beautiful girl was not easy. It required great courage and a thick skin. A man had to go through many painful experiences to learn to say “no.”

Ding Peng sighed inwardly and asked, “Where is this elder?”

The girl’s eyes lit up, “You’ll help me find him?”

Ding Peng could only nod.

The girl jumped up and hugged him, “You’re such a good person. I’ll never forget you!”

Ding Peng believed that forgetting this girl would be just as hard for him.

“Follow the stream upstream. When you reach the source, you’ll see a uniquely shaped ancient tree. On a good day, he’ll be there playing chess.”

Today’s weather was good.

“When you see him, you must first disrupt the game he’s playing. Only then will he listen to you and come with you!”

Chess enthusiasts are like this. Even if the sky falls, they must finish the game.

“I’ll wait here. No matter if you find him or not, you must come back quickly.”

The stream was clear.

Ding Peng followed the stream upstream, walking quickly.

Of course, he had to return quickly; he had many things to do. The sun was rising, and he suddenly felt extremely hungry, starving.

Today might be the most important day of his life, the moment that would determine his fate.

Yet, like a fool, he was starving, looking for an old man in red clothes for a naked girl.

If someone else had told him this story, he wouldn’t have believed it.

The only real thing was that the girl was indeed beautiful, not just in appearance but with a unique charm that made it hard to refuse her requests, hard to be unkind.

Not many men could say “no” to such a girl.

Fortunately, the stream wasn’t long.

At the end of the stream, there was indeed an ancient tree, two people playing chess, and one of them was an old man in red clothes. Ding Peng finally breathed a sigh of relief and strode over, reaching out to disrupt their game.

He was very obedient, but just as his hand reached out, his foot stepped into a hole, and he fell in.

Luckily, the hole wasn’t too big, and he didn’t fall through. Unfortunately, as he pulled one foot out, the other got caught in a rope loop on the ground, which tightened immediately.

His other foot was still in the air, and with one foot caught, he lost his balance.

Even more unfortunately, the rope loop was tied to a tree branch that had been bent to the ground. As the loop moved, the branch sprang up, and he was flung into the air.

Most unfortunately, as he was flung up, he hit another branch right on a soft spot near his waist. Even a light touch there would make him lose all strength. So, he was left hanging upside down like a fish.

Was this hole, this rope loop, and this branch all set up on purpose?

Did the girl send him here to fall into this trap? They had no enmity; why would she harm him?

The two men under the tree were focused on their game, not even glancing at him, as if they didn’t know someone had arrived and was now hanging upside down.

These two were truly chess enthusiasts.

Chess enthusiasts don’t like to be disturbed while playing.

Perhaps they set up this trap to prevent interruptions, not specifically for him.

The girl probably didn’t know about this trap.

Thinking of this, Ding Peng felt a bit better and calmly said, “Elders, please help me down.”

The chess players didn’t hear him. Ding Peng repeated himself two or three times, but they seemed not to hear a word. Losing his patience, Ding Peng shouted, “Hey…”

As soon as he opened his mouth, something flew over and stuffed it—something smelly, soft, sticky, and fishy, perhaps mud or something worse. This thing came from a branch opposite, where a little monkey in red clothes was sitting, grinning at him. What could a red monkey throw but something nasty? If it was mud, he was lucky!

Ding Peng was almost furious. After years of hardship, on the verge of success, he encountered such a thing.