Liu Xiaolou went back to the guest quarters where he was temporarily staying, then walked over to the main room and knocked on the door. No one answered. Clearly, the White-Robed Swordsman hadn’t returned yet. He thought to himself, could it be that this time the guy had finally caught someone’s eye?

That guess wasn’t far-fetched at all. Judging by the suitors he had just seen, not one of them could hold a candle to the White-Robed Swordsman in terms of talent and looks, second only to himself.

Then he wondered, if this fellow Yun really was chosen by the Su family and their marriage talks succeeded, who would be there to guide him around after that? Would that mean his own matchmaking journey would come to an abrupt end?

The Zheng family had given him one spirit stone, the Li family two. How many could he get from the Su family? Such a pity. That money-making path would be cut off. What to do now?

How could he come up with a way to ruin fellow Yun’s good fortune and keep him on the road?

After mulling it over, he came up with one. He would make a point of showing off the unusually close friendship between him and fellow Yun, stronger than with anyone else, and use his own Wulong Mountain reputation to drag Yun down with him.

The Su family’s bride search wasn’t like that of the Lis of Great Wood Mountain, who first screened for reliable family backgrounds before sending out banquet invitations. The Su family was more like the Zhengs of Luoshan, though even looser. They spread the word far and wide, and any stray cat or dog could come try their luck. That was why Liu Xiaolou’s Wulong Mountain identity had yet to be known to the Sus.

Since that was the case, he could use the banquet to drop hints about his background, making the Su family take a fresh look at fellow Yun.

Having made up his mind, Liu Xiaolou left the guest quarters and strolled around nearby. Whenever he saw a servant, he would ask, “Where has my Brother Yun gone?” If he came across a maid, he would pull her aside to ask, “Why has my Brother Yun abandoned me?” He even sought out the steward to press him, “Where is your manor hiding my Brother Yun?” Before long, the whole estate had heard about it.

By evening, two servant girls from the manor came to him and said, “The master has set food and wine in the Gualu Hall to entertain the gathered heroes. Please follow us, honored guest.”

Liu Xiaolou grabbed the arm of the girl in front. “Where’s my Brother Yun? Yun from White Cloud Manor, the one they call the White-Robed Swordsman. He’s my closest friend, and we should go together.”

The maid smiled. “Young Master Yun? The master invited him for a talk around noon, but right now I’m not sure where he is.”

Liu Xiaolou went on, “Don’t try to fool me. If I can’t see him, I can’t eat or sleep. You don’t understand. Every night we sleep with our feet touching, and on his left side… here… there’s a flower. I painted it on him myself…”

The maid covered her mouth, laughing. “Once you get to Gualu Hall, you’ll see for yourself.”

She looked around seventeen, with delicate features and a lively charm. Holding her arm, Liu Xiaolou could feel the soft, smooth skin. He gave it a few extra squeezes before reluctantly letting go. “Then please lead the way, miss.”

She laughed again. “I wouldn’t dare call myself a miss. Please, honored guest, come with me.”

The two maids brought Liu Xiaolou to the Gualu Hall, then took their leave and disappeared into an ornate courtyard of carved beams and painted rafters. This was the Qingyu Lotus Garden. At its center stood a two-story pavilion. In front of it were several archery targets, with a row of stone beasts on either side, their mouths gaping open.

About sixty paces from the targets stood a young woman with her hair in twin buns. Her left hand was clasped behind her back while her right hand flicked out a throwing knife. The knife spun like a wheel, a dragon of flame trailing in its wake, and struck one of the targets. In an instant, fire engulfed it. The blade whirled back through the air and, passing between the stone beasts, froze the water jets spouting from their mouths into solid icicles.

It was sword-flight technique applied to throwing knives; striking out like fire, returning like ice. This was the Su family’s secret technique of the Shenwu Sect, impossible to perform before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

The woman was about twenty, with looks and figure both of the highest order, but her expression was tight and her brows carried a chill. Dressed in close-fitting red, she radiated heroic spirit. When she saw the two maids approach, she caught the returning knife, sat down on a stone bench. “Did you see him?”

The two maids stepped forward. “We saw him, miss.”

This woman was none other than the Su family’s Fifth Lady, Su Xi, for whom this bridegroom search had been arranged.  “Well?” she asked.

The maid who had kept silent until now, Xiaohuan, her personal attendant, pouted. “Looks decent enough, but he’s a lecher. The moment he saw Susu, he started pawing at her and wouldn’t let go.”

Fifth Lady turned to Susu. “You were brought from the back mountain to serve the new son-in-law. What do you think?”

Susu, the maid who had spoken with Liu Xiaolou earlier, replied, “This servant believes that precisely because he held my hand, he is not a lecher. One must remember, anyone coming to Shenwu Mountain to seek a bride should know to avoid impropriety between men and women. Even the most lustful would at least pretend to be a gentleman right now. It’s true he wouldn’t let go of my hand, but it wasn’t flirtation. He kept pressing me about Young Master Yun’s whereabouts. He was clearly anxious, which means there was no stray thought in his heart. He didn’t even see me as a woman.”

Su Xi looked back at Xiaohuan. Xiaohuan thought for a moment, then said, “It’s true he kept asking about Young Master Yun, but to conclude from that that there’s… something between them. This maid thinks it’s far too soon.”

She sighed again. “It’s a pity Young Master Yun left in such a hurry. I didn’t even get a chance to ask him. And how would I even bring something like that up? Even if I asked, how could he answer? I’ve never heard that he has any liking for men…”

Su Xi gave a faint smile. “Then watch again tonight.”

Susu sighed. “If you would just marry properly, Young Master Mao from Maogongtan or Young Master Wang from Xunxi would both be fine matches. And even if you didn’t choose them, there are countless talented men and sons of noble families under heaven. You could certainly have a happy marriage…”

Xiaohuan muttered, “And what’s so wrong with marrying into the wife’s family? These men act like it’s poison, yet they themselves can marry women into their own homes but refuse to marry into the woman’s. If Young Master Mao or Young Master Wang came here as sons-in-law, would the Su family really treat them poorly?”

“That’s just how the world is. What can we do?” said Susu.

“I know that,” Xiaohuan said. “I’m just saying it’s unfair to you. Any stray cat or dog can walk in here with their head held high.”

Then she suggested, “Miss, when the banquet starts, you should at least take a look. Pick the best of a bad lot, so at least you can stand to see him in the future.”

Su Xi shook her head slightly. “Leave it for Father to decide. It’s all the same to me. I already told him. I only want the title. Even if I do marry, I doubt I’ll see him more than a few times a year. I still have my cultivation to focus on, so I won’t go.”

Just then, a servant entered and reported, “Fifth Lady, Young Master Wang of Xunxi is here, asking to see you. He’s sent this letter. He says that if you read it and still want him gone, he will have nothing more to say.”

Su Xi took the letter, tore it open, and after the briefest glance, a burst of thunder and flame flared in her palm, reducing it to black ash.

She said to the servant, “Send him back… Tell him the Su family of Shenwu Mountain cannot be allowed to fall. If I marry, who else could hold up Shenwu Manor? This is the fate of a daughter of the Su family.”

The servant left with a murmured acknowledgment. Xiaohuan followed after, saying, “Let me speak with him properly. Young Master Wang has come from far away. It would be rude to treat him poorly.”

Su Xi neither agreed nor objected. The throwing knife at her fingertips spun into a ball of silver light, threads of wind and thunder glinting within it, its power now a shade stronger.

Outside, Xiaohuan found Young Master Wang craning his neck in expectation. She stepped forward to greet him and gently conveyed the Fifth Lady’s meaning. Young Master Wang pounded his chest and stamped his feet. “If Fifth Lady marries one of those rogues, wouldn’t her life be ruined forever?”

“The banquet has already begun,” Xiaohuan said. “If you truly wish to save my lady, you could attend it.”

That single sentence instantly doused his resolve. As the legitimate eldest son of the Wang clan of Xunxi, even if he were willing, his family would never permit it.

With no choice left, he turned away in dejection. Two silent trails of tears slid down his face.