I'm Already the Richest Man, Why Did My System Just Arrive?

Chapter 289: Chapter 176: Grand Event

Halfway up the mountain.

A loud rooster’s crow echoed from the distance, heralding the sunrise as the sky slowly brightened.

The slanted morning sun pierced through the shadows of the trees, casting mottled patches of light.

He listened to the whispers around him.

Unlike Xie Luohe, Zheng Xiu couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying.

But ever since Zheng Xiu learned he was to impersonate "Xiao Buping," he knew what he was in for.

The man’s reputation was just too great.

In an era of limited information, impersonating someone wasn’t particularly difficult.

With no photographs or videos, stories of "Xiao Buping’s" deeds spread throughout the Jianghu largely by word of mouth.

Perhaps the common description of Xiao Buping shared over tea in the Jianghu was this: tall and slender, extraordinarily handsome, waving a folding fan inscribed with the two words "Worldly Freedom," and always accompanied by a beautiful woman, roaming the world carefree. See? It all matched up. You couldn’t just say it was a close resemblance—it was a perfect match.

At first, Zheng Xiu had been a little worried about running into Xiao Buping’s acquaintances or enemies at the martial arts tournament, but on second thought, if Xie Luohe wasn’t worried, why should he be? With that, he relaxed and continued up the mountain at a leisurely pace, as if on a pleasant outing.

As the other Knights competed with their Lightweight Step Techniques, Zheng Xiu fell almost to the very back.

At the top of the stone steps, a stretch of green-tiled eaves gradually came into Zheng Xiu’s view.

In the distance, black smoke billowed from the roofs of workshops, while up close, rows of green-tiled eaves stood like scales, interspersed with flying archways, long corridors, and small, curved bridges.

A white crane with a red crown spread its wings, took flight, and landed atop a flying arch, striking a pose like a golden rooster standing proudly on one leg.

Beside the magnificent gates stood two youths in plain robes, their hair tied in ox-horn buns, with refined, handsome features.

The youth on the left of the gate first clasped his fist to his palm in a salute to Zheng Xiu and Xiaotao.

"Young Master, please present your Heroic Invitation."

Xiaotao subconsciously tightened her grip on Zheng Xiu’s sleeve.

She was a little nervous.

She knew perfectly well that her young master was playing the part of another "celebrity" from the Jianghu.

Zheng Xiu calmly handed over the Heroic Invitation.

HISS.

The two youths huddled together. The moment they saw the name, they both sucked in a sharp breath of the cool, moist, misty air.

"Scholar’s Assistant Xiaozhuang,"

"Scholar’s Assistant Xiaoli,"

"We greet Hero Xiao."

The two youths shrank back as they cupped their fists.

Zheng Xiu watched their reaction in puzzlement, thinking, ’This is ridiculous.’

’Brother Xiao, oh, Brother Xiao, just how high is your status in the Jianghu? You’re making things very difficult for me.’

Zheng Xiu took back the Heroic Invitation with a headache. The two Scholar’s Attendants furtively tried to push the task onto each other, and after a silent struggle, they played a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide. In the end, it was Xiaozhuang who would lead Xiao Buping into Hidden Sword Manor.

The terrain of Hidden Sword Mountain wasn’t treacherous; it could only be considered a small hill.

The path up the mountain was far from rugged or perilous, just a single flight of stone steps leading straight to the summit.

From a distance, the cluster of buildings of Hidden Sword Manor, with their varying heights, resembled a tiger crouching on the mountain.

Xiaozhuang walked ahead, a nervous expression on his face.

Although he was intimidated by Xiao Buping’s resounding fame in the Jianghu, after a few steps, he saw that Xiao Buping had no ill intentions toward him. His anxious heart gradually settled, and he began to introduce Zheng Xiu to the parts of Hidden Sword Manor that were open to visitors.

As it turned out, Hidden Sword Manor had been managed by the Dugu Clan for generations.

The Dugu Family’s ancestor was a Swordsman known as "Dugu Wuming." A long, long, long time ago, that Swordsman had carved out a magnificent reputation in the Jianghu with just himself and his sword.

He was called "Dugu Wuming" simply because the family’s genealogical records were lost, leaving only legends and no name. Thus, he was conveniently called "Dugu Wuming."

Xiaozhuang proudly recounted the deeds of Dugu Wuming.

Legend had it that this senior first held a sword at age three, became famous at six, was unrivaled by age twelve, sealed his sword in a tomb at nineteen, and at thirty, sought a worthy opponent but found none, remaining undefeated under Heaven.

He lived for several hundred years before comprehending the ultimate truth of the Sword Dao and "shattering the Void to ascend to the upper realm."

Zheng Xiu couldn’t help but smile when he heard this.

Wasn’t this just like the exaggerated tales of the Sword Saint from the [Heaven and Earth Sword Intent]?

’It seems like the legends of all these invincible seniors follow the same template.’

’Whether in reality or in Gongsun Mo’s world of memory, Zheng Xiu had rarely heard anyone mention "shattering the Void to ascend to the upper realm." It was too fantastical; it sounded like pure bragging the moment you heard it.’

But Zheng Xiu just smiled and didn’t point it out.

As Xiaozhuang was telling Zheng Xiu about Hidden Sword Manor’s long history, they passed by a series of workshops.

The powerful, resounding sound of hammering iron came from within.

Zheng Xiu asked, "Hidden Sword Manor... don’t tell me it’s famous for forging weapons?"

Xiaozhuang looked at Zheng Xiu in astonishment. "Hero Xiao, you mean you don’t know about Hidden Sword Manor’s unrivaled ’Three Extremes’?"

His expression seemed to say that it was utterly inconceivable for Zheng Xiu not to know of Hidden Sword Manor’s "Three Extremes."

Zheng Xiu gave a dry cough and explained, "I’ve heard a little about them, of course, but hearing is not as good as seeing for oneself."

Upon hearing this, the Scholar’s Attendant had a moment of enlightenment. Zheng Xiu’s words were very pleasing to hear; they held a hint of flattery without being sycophantic.

So he gladly began to explain the "Three Extremes" to Zheng Xiu.

"Hidden Sword Manor has Three Extremes, famous throughout the Jianghu. The first extreme is the Sword: Hidden Sword Manor’s Swordsmanship is unparalleled in the world. The second extreme is the Smithing: as everyone knows, the weapons forged by Hidden Sword Manor can split a hair that is blown against the blade and are worthy of being passed down as family heirlooms. The third extreme is the Tea: the tea leaves grown on the back mountain of Hidden Sword Manor, ’Northern Sword Travel,’ have a fragrance that carries for ten miles, and a single tael is harder to obtain than a thousand pieces of gold."

The first two extremes left Zheng Xiu unimpressed, but the third made his eyes light up. He said cheerfully, "In that case, I really must try some."

Zheng Xiu’s reaction made the Scholar’s Attendant pause for a moment.

He subconsciously wondered if this great hero was more interested in tasting the Swordsmanship of the Dugu Family, or the great treasured swords they forged.

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