Chapter 51: Sword Dancing at Midnight—A Dance of Loneliness

Gazing out at the night beyond his window, Xiao Wanli was feeling exceedingly pleased with himself. The very thought of his clever, two-pronged plan filled him with an involuntary sense of delight. Ning Xiu, aren’t you so very clever? Don’t you enjoy pretending to be a fool? Then I’ll just be perfectly open and tell Zhou Qun you’re my man. I’ll present you with the Purple Bamboo Elixir in front of everyone, and let’s see what you do then.

While setting a trap for Ning Xiu, he was also pushing him entirely to Zhou Qun’s opposing side—Xiao Wanli thought it a flawless stratagem. By now, perhaps the two parties had already clashed.

In his glee, Xiao Wanli couldn’t help but pour himself a cup of Green Bamboo Wine. The taste was sweet, the aftertaste lingering.

Knock, knock, knock!

Just then, a sudden knocking sounded at the door.

“Didn’t I say that unless it was urgent, I was not to be disturbed today?” Xiao Wanli’s brows knit together, his good mood beginning to fade.

“Chief Xiao, it’s me.”

A familiar voice came from outside. Xiao Wanli recognized who it was, and his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

“Is that Steward Ning? Come in,” Xiao Wanli called out with a smile.

Creak—

The wooden door swung open slowly. Xiao Wanli looked at Ning Xiu, a triumphant grin tugging at his lips.

That smile seemed to say: So, you tried to play the fool, but in the end you still had to come crawling to me. You refused a toast only to drink punishment; some people just don’t know what’s good for them.

In Xiao Wanli’s eyes, Ning Xiu had been driven to desperation by Zhou Qun and had no choice but to turn to him for help. However, Xiao Wanli had no intention of granting him any special status or favor. Even accepting him into his ranks now would have to be done with a show of dominance and humiliation—only after thoroughly venting his spleen would he agree.

He had imagined many ways the conversation might begin, but he had never expected Ning Xiu’s first words to be:

“I killed someone.”

Xiao Wanli frowned. In this world where strength reigned supreme, killing was hardly unusual—especially for those living by the sword; it was entirely commonplace. The fact that Ning Xiu would bring it up so deliberately was itself out of the ordinary. Xiao Wanli’s first thought was that Ning Xiu had killed one of Zhou Qun’s men.

“Who did you kill?” Xiao Wanli asked in a low voice.

If it was an ordinary disciple, or even an outer steward, Xiao Wanli would be willing to cover for Ning Xiu.

“Zhao Tianfeng.”

That was the name of the Elder of the Violet Lightning Hall of the Bamboo Grove Society, and one of Zhou Qun’s most trusted lieutenants.

Hearing this name, Xiao Wanli was genuinely taken aback. He looked up at Ning Xiu, his gaze filled with a tangle of emotions.

He hesitated. On the one hand, anyone capable of killing Zhao Tianfeng had undeniable ability. On the other, he was loath to break with Zhou Qun so soon. The dilemma vexed him.

After a few moments' silence, he nodded, about to speak.

But Ning Xiu spoke again.

“And Sun Qian.”

“What?!” Xiao Wanli was so shocked he nearly leapt from his seat.

Sun Qian was one of the Guardians, and though his cultivation had long been stalled at the peak of the Second Rank—making him the weakest of the four Guardians—he was still not someone easily dealt with, even for most who had just entered the First Rank.

From the sound of it, Ning Xiu had killed both Sun Qian and Zhao Tianfeng!

“You’re saying you killed Sun Qian?”

Ning Xiu nodded. Before Xiao Wanli’s expression could soften, he added, “Yes, and besides those two, I also killed Zhou Ziru.”

His tone was as calm as if he’d swatted a stray dog or cat.

Xiao Wanli fixed his gaze on Ning Xiu, his eyes narrowing, a dangerous killing intent flashing within them. Yet Ning Xiu seemed not to notice, seating himself and pouring a cup of wine from the jug on the table.

“Vice Chief Zhou Qun has plotted treason and rebellion. His cronies Zhou Ziru, Sun Qian, and Zhao Tianfeng have all been executed by my hand. Shouldn’t the Chief record this as a great merit of mine?” Ning Xiu took up his cup and laughed lightly.

“How dare you, Ning Xiu! Not only have you slain your own brothers in the Society, you now slander Vice Chief Zhou and seek to sow discord between us. Your crimes deserve death!” Xiao Wanli slammed his palm down on the table and sprang to his feet, glaring fiercely at Ning Xiu.

But Ning Xiu remained perfectly composed, seated calmly as he replied, “There’s no need for the Chief to so hastily distance himself from me. Rest assured, my loyalty is to the Society alone. I am solely responsible for my actions.”

He paused for a moment, the corners of his lips curling up.

“It’s just—how Zhou Qun interprets this, I can’t say. I worry he’ll suspect I acted under the Chief’s secret orders. But even so, I shall explain it to him myself. When I kill, I need no accomplice.”

A threat!

A blatant threat—an unbearable humiliation for Xiao Wanli!

From the moment he learned of Zhou Ziru’s death, Xiao Wanli had been bent on killing Ning Xiu. Yet now, after Ning Xiu’s speech, he forced himself to calm down.

He stared at Ning Xiu, murderous intent flaring and fading, and at last spoke:

“You win.”

Indeed, as Ning Xiu said, if he hadn’t heard it himself, even Xiao Wanli would never have believed Ning Xiu could defeat Sun Qian and the others alone, leaving no witnesses. If even he couldn’t believe it, how could he expect the furious Zhou Qun to accept it?

“All for the Bamboo Grove Society, all for the Chief,”

Ning Xiu replied unflinchingly, meeting Xiao Wanli’s gaze, downing his wine in one gulp, and turning to leave.

Just as he reached the door, he abruptly paused.

“What more do you want?” Xiao Wanli demanded through gritted teeth.

“There’s one very important thing I forgot to mention,” Ning Xiu replied. “I placed the heads of Zhou Ziru, Sun Qian, and Zhao Tianfeng in separate wooden boxes, right outside the back entrance of Zhou Qun’s residence.”

“By tomorrow morning at the latest, he will discover them. There’s a letter on each box, in which I detail precisely how I killed the three of them alone.”

“So, if you plan to take any action, Chief, I suggest you do it tonight.”

“Very well, very well!” Xiao Wanli laughed in fury as he watched Ning Xiu depart. All his life, he’d been the one outwitting others—never had he imagined a wild goose would peck out his own eye in the end.

Not only had Ning Xiu killed those men, he’d left their heads at Zhou Qun’s back door. This went beyond provocation—it was a declaration of war.

This was an open declaration of war from Xiao Wanli to Zhou Qun!

That night, the Bamboo Grove Society would not know peace.

Many would die; many would seize the opportunity to rise. The entire Society would undergo an unprecedented upheaval.

And as for Ning Xiu, the instigator of it all, he practiced his sword forms alone in his courtyard.

Yes, sword forms.

Dancing with his sword at midnight—he danced with solitude.