Chapter 1
Changchun Peak, Nine Heavens.

In the early morning, the mountain was shrouded in mist, resembling a fairyland. Jiang Chu Ting, dressed in a narrow-sleeved blue robe, holding a long sword, and wearing a silver mask that covered half of his face, stepped out of his wooden cabin. As he descended the stairs, his young disciple Wei Jia, who had come to deliver food, bumped into him. Wei Jia’s perpetually sleepy eyes widened slightly as he looked at him in a daze and said, “Master, are you going down the mountain?”

Jiang Chu Ting’s lips curved slightly, and his eyes behind the mask arched as he replied, “Yes, I’ll be back in a couple of days. You can go play by yourself.”

“Then you won’t have breakfast?”

“You can have it.”

Wei Jia, who was passionate about all kinds of food, loved hearing this. He immediately beamed with joy, grabbed a pastry from the plate, and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling as he ate, “Master, remember to bring me something delicious when you come back.”

Nine Heavens, being a major sect in the martial world, had over a thousand disciples, but only two were under Jiang Chu Ting’s tutelage. One despised and resented him but wanted to learn his unique swordsmanship, so he had to feign respect. Seven years ago, he betrayed the sect and disappeared.

The other was Wei Jia, who had only joined Nine Heavens for half a year. This child, at twelve years old, had poor aptitude and was not suited for martial arts. He couldn’t do other tasks well either and was unwilling to return home because he couldn’t get enough to eat there. The reason he became Jiang Chu Ting’s disciple was that he once accidentally wandered into the back mountain, got lost, and cried loudly by the roadside. Jiang Chu Ting, who was practicing swordsmanship nearby, heard him, brought him back to the cabin, and gave him food. Since then, Wei Jia had been attached to him and successfully became his disciple.

Here, he could eat a lot of delicious food, only needing to occasionally serve tea or water, and he wouldn’t be scolded for being lazy or not wanting to practice martial arts.

He was too young to care if his master was the shameless “dead sleeve” others talked about.

Perhaps only children could be so pure. Jiang Chu Ting smiled gently, tapping his young disciple’s forehead with his finger, “Alright, I’ll definitely remember.”

Since his reputation was ruined over sixteen years ago, Jiang Chu Ting had been living alone in the wooden cabin on the back mountain. Except for occasions where he had to attend sect events, he either stayed in the back mountain or disguised himself to roam the martial world under another identity.

Today, he was going out without a disguise because he was going to find his friend Jiang Xian.

The two had met at a martial arts conference and had been good friends for over a decade. Every year on the other’s birthday, they would drink and chat the night away.

“Little Martial Uncle.” To go down the mountain, one must pass through the mountain gate. The disciples guarding the gate, regardless of their inner thoughts, would respectfully greet Jiang Chu Ting as “Little Martial Uncle” when they saw him.

Back then, the affair between Jiang Chu Ting and Yun Zi Que was known throughout the martial world, bringing shame to Nine Heavens. However, due to the master’s favor and the senior brothers’ protection, Jiang Chu Ting was not expelled from the sect.

Now, the head of Nine Heavens was Jiang Chu Ting’s senior brother, Zhong Hua. He was deep and stern but extremely protective. Anyone who dared to gossip about that incident behind his back would be severely punished without mercy. Moreover, Jiang Chu Ting always lived in the back mountain, and when he occasionally appeared, he wore a mask, acted low-key, and treated people kindly. As a result, almost no one in the sect talked about him behind his back. Even if they had thoughts or were curious, they would only mutter to themselves. After all, his status was there.

Jiang Chu Ting nodded in return and went down the mountain alone, his graceful figure quickly disappearing into the white mist.

At the agreed tavern, Jiang Chu Ting happened to catch Jiang Xian tricking a child out of a candied hawthorn, making the child cry loudly.

“Cry, cry, why are you crying!” Jiang Xian shamelessly fooled the child, chewing sweetly and waving the empty bamboo stick, saying, “Didn’t you like my magic trick? Look, it disappeared in the blink of an eye!” Jiang Xian wasn’t short of money; he just had a mischievous hand and liked teasing children.

The little boy pouted and cried even louder.

Jiang Chu Ting took out money and bought another skewer by the roadside, handing it to the boy, “Here you go.”

His voice was gentle and pleasant, and the boy looked up at him with tearful eyes. Although half of his face was covered by a mask, his smiling mouth was like a spring breeze, much kinder than Jiang Xian, and he even bought him candied hawthorn. The boy sniffed, took the candied hawthorn, and turned to run, afraid the big bad guy squatting in front of him would snatch it again.

Jiang Xian stood up, crossed his arms, and snorted at him, “You’re no fun!”

Jiang Chu Ting said, “Why do you always like to snatch things from children?”

“You don’t understand, it tastes better this way.”

Jiang Chu Ting indeed didn’t understand. Jiang Xian sighed, “I can’t have children in this life, so I can only play with other people’s kids.” Like Jiang Chu Ting, Jiang Xian liked men. However, even though they had known each other for over a decade and understood each other well, they could only be friends, not a couple.

Jiang Xian naturally placed his hand on Jiang Chu Ting’s wrist, checking his pulse. Although the pulse was steady, he still frowned, “What kind of poison did that old witch from the Lin family force you to take back then? How come there’s been no reaction all these years?” The lack of reaction was even more unsettling, leading to many speculations. After all, that woman from the Lin family wasn’t known for her kindness.

Jiang Chu Ting had pondered this for a long time without understanding, shaking his head and sighing, “I don’t know either.”

The reason the affair between Jiang Chu Ting and Yun Zi Que caused such a stir back then was because it involved the Lin family. The Lin family was large and influential, famous in the martial world, and unlike other prominent families, it was matriarchal, with female heads of the family, each generation more formidable than the last. The previous head, Lin Xuan, was particularly vicious and ambitious. If given the chance to seize power, she would undoubtedly use her strategies to become an empress, ruling the world and making all men bow at her feet.

Lin Xuan was formidable but had a significant weakness: poor health. Despite hiring countless famous doctors and buying numerous precious herbs, spending a fortune, she couldn’t improve her condition. She had only one daughter, Lin Xi.

And Yun Zi Que was Lin Xi’s fiancé.

Jiang Chu Ting, though an orphan, grew up cherished and protected by his master and senior brothers. His swordsmanship was exceptional, and he became famous at the martial arts conference, but he was naive about love, like a blank sheet of paper. It was only after meeting Yun Zi Que by chance that he realized men could love men.

When he was with Yun Zi Que, he was filled with pure, passionate feelings, unaware of why Yun Zi Que was always troubled or why he couldn’t hide the gloom in his eyes even when smiling.

Later, he learned that Yun Zi Que was the son of a Lin family servant, chosen by Lin Xi as her fiancé.

If not for his master’s intervention back then, it wouldn’t have been just a matter of losing face and being scorned; his life might have ended at Lin Xuan’s hands.

Eight years later, Jiang Chu Ting disguised himself as “Chu Ran” and roamed the martial world. He encountered a little boy with a face full of sores and, feeling compassionate, saved him. The child clung to him, and with a name similar to his former lover, Jiang Chu Ting pitied him for being only six or seven years old and alone, so he kept him by his side for a while.

One day, the child suddenly disappeared. Having spent day and night with him, Jiang Chu Ting had developed feelings and anxiously searched for him. In a moment of carelessness, he wandered near the Lin family, and at that time, the disguise pill had just lost its effect, revealing his true face, which was spotted by the Lin family’s spies. Lin Xuan had many experts under her command, and Jiang Chu Ting, unable to fight them alone, was captured. Lin Xuan forced him to swallow a pill, causing him immediate abdominal pain and profuse sweating.

“Don’t you like seducing men?” Lin Xuan looked at him with a smile, her sickly pale face full of cold malice, “Trust me, after taking this pill, you’ll enjoy it even more.”

Lin Xuan released him. Jiang Chu Ting lay on the ground in pain for over three hours before recovering. He initially thought it was poison, but after consulting doctors and having Jiang Xian examine him thoroughly, there were no signs of poisoning.

This was not something Lin Xuan would typically do.

So Jiang Xian had always been worried about Jiang Chu Ting over the years. Lin Xuan was dead, and there was no way to confront her about what he had taken back then. The fear was that the poison was lying dormant in his body, ready to strike unexpectedly, leaving no time to concoct an antidote, which would be disastrous.

The two walked side by side into the tavern, sat in their usual spot, and began drinking to celebrate Jiang Xian’s birthday. They drank and chatted.

Jiang Xian wasn’t really a part of the martial world. His father was a mid-level official in the court, and Jiang Xian was his only son. Early on, due to Jiang Xian’s preference for men, there was a lot of family drama. Frustrated, Jiang Xian ignored family matters, wandered around, and happened to meet Jiang Chu Ting at a martial arts conference, becoming friends.

“My father has relented, saying I just need to have a child to carry on the family line. But how can I deceive a girl like that?” Jiang Xian, dressed in a neat outfit, chewed on peanuts. Though handsome, he wore a practical outfit full of martial world vibes, not like a noble son. He sneered, “I told him to have another child, and he said I was being cheeky. Hmph, stubborn old man.”

Jiang Chu Ting listened with a smile. Every time they met, Jiang Xian would complain about his father, and he was used to it.

Jiang Xian paused and continued, “But lately, he hasn’t had much time to worry about me…” He glanced around casually, continued peeling peanuts, and lowered his voice, “The court is getting more unstable. My old man is afraid of choosing the wrong side and is on edge every day. Whether my sleeve is broken or not isn’t as urgent.”

Jiang Chu Ting set down his wine cup and sighed silently.

The current emperor had many offspring, with nearly twenty sons, and the path to power was bound to be bloody. His friend’s father was caught in the middle, and any misstep could bring disaster to the entire family. He was worried.

After drinking, both were a bit tipsy. Although they had booked a room at the inn, they ended up spending the night on the roof, each lost in thought. The next morning, Jiang Xian bid farewell, saying he wouldn’t visit for a while, still concerned about his family.

After exchanging well-wishes, Jiang Xian rode away.

Jiang Chu Ting usually traveled for a few days after meeting Jiang Xian, but with Jiang Xian gone, he had no plans to go out and decided to return to Nine Heavens early.

Unexpectedly, he was ambushed by black-clad men on the way.

The attacker was young but skilled. Jiang Chu Ting, initially empty-handed, underestimated him and was about to draw his sword when, during the fight, the youth’s loosely covered face cloth fell, revealing his entire face.

The familiar face made Jiang Chu Ting almost immediately dazed, his movements stalling. The youth seized the opportunity, striking him with a sword.

Jiang Chu Ting staggered back two steps and fell, his chest stained with blood, looking disheveled. The pastries he had brought for his young disciple scattered on the ground.

His face pale, tears glistened in his eyes as he stared blankly at the youth standing before him. It was as if he was looking through him at another person who had already passed away.

The person whose life he had ended with his own hands.

The youth stood tall, with a handsome face and bright, dark eyes, exuding a fierce aura. He looked down, pointing his sword at him, “Hey, are you the shameless ‘dead sleeve’ who seduced my father back then?”

The youth used his blood-stained sword to flick off the mask on Jiang Chu Ting’s face. The mask fell to the ground, and the blood droplets on the sword tip splattered onto his fair, jade-like cheek, like red plum blossoms against snow.

Jiang Chu Ting’s eyes were slightly moist, seemingly calm as he met the youth’s gaze.

The youth was momentarily stunned, then sneered, “You don’t look like much. How did you enchant my father?”

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

I don’t have a single word of a draft, but whatever, I’ll start the story first. If you like it, make sure to add it to your favorites!

Opening bonus: 2-point comments within 24 hours will receive a red envelope.

Mwah!