On the film set.
The ancient town was bustling with activity, and the passersby began their day as usual.
The elderly man, dressed simply and with slightly unsteady steps, slowly walked to his work station and carefully tidied his beard.
Meanwhile, the audience below the stage had already focused their attention on the scene, taking a sip of their tea.
"The story goes that this Master Song was originally the son of Song Yuntian, the former leader of the martial arts alliance. However, when he was eight years old, he suffered a great calamity. More than a hundred members of the Song family were killed by °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° villains, and even Song Yuntian, the number one martial arts master, died tragically in his manor. But this Master Song miraculously survived the disaster, escaped alone, and diligently practiced martial arts, vowing to make his enemies pay for their crimes in blood..."
"Who would have thought that the alliance leader would be so utterly devoid of martial virtue? Seeing that the duel was about to end in defeat, he secretly summoned dozens of experts to attack! But then we saw the great hero Song wielding the Xianyun Sword, his movements as swift as a dragon, fighting from dawn until the third watch, his clothes soaked in blood like cinnabar, slaughtering all his enemies on the battlefield..."
"When the dust settled, Master Song, leaning on his sword and bathed in blood, departed, disappearing from the martial world forever..."
The old storyteller spoke with great enthusiasm and rapt attention, while the audience, clearly interested in the recent major events in the martial arts world, listened with rapt attention.
When they heard that Hero Song had pacified the bandits and wiped out the entire Black Swallow Mountain, they cheered loudly; when they heard that Hero Song had been slandered and framed, they were filled with righteous indignation; when they heard that Hero Song had won the martial arts tournament, they were excited again; and finally, when they heard that Hero Song's friends and confidants had all turned against him, they sighed at the injustice of fate.
Although Song Chenye had only made his mark in the martial arts world for about a year, his deeds had already spread far and wide.
The martial arts world is full of chivalrous heroes and heroines, and it's all about the rules: revenge for wrongs, vengeance for grievances. Song Chenye's ability to be open and aboveboard is truly commendable. Meanwhile, his enemies' past actions were far from honorable. Their current predicament is well-deserved, and no one will genuinely feel any sympathy for Song Chenye's behavior.
He truly deserves to be called a great hero!
Just then, a man with a somewhat bandit-like appearance, while holding a peanut in his hand, asked, "Now that all the aristocratic families and sects have been severely damaged, and the leader of the martial arts alliance has been killed, who will take over this position?"
Upon hearing the man's words, the old storyteller paused slightly. Before he could reply, another busybody raised his voice and said, "Of course, it should be Master Song who sits! Master Song has already won the championship of the martial arts tournament and has the qualification to challenge the leader of the martial arts alliance. Even if he is just seeking revenge, that qualification should still be valid."
"That's right!" someone echoed. "Hero Song is a chivalrous and benevolent man, with a heart full of ancient virtues. He should rightfully take over as the leader of the alliance!"
"Yes! Master Song is the most qualified person to become the next leader of the martial arts alliance!"
"I also support Master Song!"
Just as everyone was chattering and the discussion was about to get out of control, the old storyteller slammed his gavel and coughed loudly, "Ahem!"
He coughed so hard his face turned red, but he managed to get everyone's attention back.
Satisfied with everyone's gaze, the old storyteller stroked his beard and said with feigned profundity, "In fact, that's not the case. In my opinion, the position of alliance leader is currently vacant, and I'm afraid it's more likely that—"
"The martial arts world has lost its leader!"
The old storyteller's words were like a thunderclap, leaving everyone dizzy and disoriented. Some hot-tempered people even slammed their fists on the table and shouted, "You old man! What are you saying? Even if Master Song is unwilling to accept the position of martial arts alliance leader, there are countless heroes in the martial arts world. The position of alliance leader cannot be left vacant. A new alliance leader will appear sooner or later!"
That's utterly alarmist!
How could the martial arts world possibly be without a leader of the martial arts alliance!
Others began to whisper among themselves, but most shook their heads, seemingly not believing the old storyteller's words. Some even sneered, threw down their money, and left. People began to leave one after another.
"Old man, what's the basis for your statement?"
A person asked in the crowd.
However, the old storyteller shook his head, looking profound and unfathomable, unfolded his fan, and slowly said, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed—"
"cut--"
Some people sighed, and others, seeing this, also got up and left. The remaining tea drinkers turned to the other side, and one by one, no one paid any more attention to the old storyteller who was spouting nonsense.
The old storyteller wasn't annoyed. He glanced at Xiang beside him, knowing his time was almost up, so he smiled and bowed to everyone before slowly packing up his things.
Just as he was packing his things, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and gently placed a silver ingot on his table.
The old storyteller paused for a moment, looked up at the handsome young man with outstanding bearing, then smiled, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said politely, "Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome."
The young man paused, then smiled and asked, "How did you arrive at your conclusion?"
The old storyteller looked surprised, seemingly not expecting that the young man in front of him would actually believe his words.
Then, as if he had thought of something, he carefully looked the black-clad swordsman up and down, finally focusing his gaze on the swordsman's hand wrapped in black cloth. His face showed a strange mix of excitement and unease, but he still managed to bow again with great restraint and said, "What I am about to say may be somewhat disrespectful, so please keep it a secret for me, Master Song."
"Don't worry, go ahead."
Song Chenye nodded slightly, not surprised that the other party recognized him.
"The current emperor is young and mature, and his methods are swift and decisive. Moreover, the borders are peaceful and the people are prosperous. If he were to become too powerful in the martial arts world, it might bring disaster upon him."
In just a few short sentences, the old storyteller summarized almost everything he could see and guess.
Song Chenye exclaimed in amazement, "Sir, you are very perceptive."
"Haha, these are just some old jokes of mine, don't take them seriously, Master Song, please forgive my rudeness."
As he spoke, the old storyteller bowed again.
Song Chenye did not accept the offer, but instead stepped aside and said helplessly, "There's no need to be so formal."
"Perhaps Master Song has forgotten, but you deserve my deepest respect."
The old storyteller lowered his head and began to speak earnestly.
But no one answered for a long time.
The old storyteller looked up and realized that the black-clad swordsman who had been standing in front of him was gone.
He smiled in admiration and continued tidying up his things.
Outside the teahouse, a young swordsman mounted his horse and slowly rode out of the city.
His gaze fell on both sides of the street, admiring the peace and prosperity of the era, and he suddenly chuckled softly.
The martial arts world was not under the control of the imperial court, and they even created a martial arts alliance leader who commanded a large following and enjoyed great prestige. This had long been a thorn in the side of the person in charge.
Luring him in by taking advantage of the power of Qianye Manor, tacitly allowing him to wipe out the leading families and sects in the martial arts world, and using his revenge to vacate the position of the leader of the martial arts alliance, isn't that also a ruthless tactic of that person?
But it doesn't matter. He and that person had never met before, and from beginning to end, they were just using each other.
Song Chenye silently tightened the binding of his Xianyun sword, making sure it didn't reveal any obvious markings, then rode his horse slowly along the street, gradually disappearing into the distance...
That's fine.
From that time on, Song Chenye was no more.
