“I never expected so many people to show up today. This could give Qiao Yiyi’s concert a run for its money.” Jiang Fei walked along, looking at the dense crowd and feeling quite emotional.
He had known beforehand that the news of his duel with Yanagishou Munenori at Mount Emei’s Golden Summit had been leaked. However, he hadn’t anticipated it to be this serious or that this many people would come.
“If I’d known, I should’ve set up a cordon at the foot of the mountain and issued tickets or something. So many people want to watch my duel, and they all look pretty well-off. I bet we could’ve sold tickets for tens of thousands of RMB each, and they’d still sell like hotcakes. That’s a huge income, even higher than what Qiao Yiyi makes from her concerts,” Jiang Fei said to Ye Yuanyuan. He then added, “And best of all, no venue rental, no equipment fees, no taxes, and no profit-sharing. I doubt Yanagishou Munenori would want to split this money with me, right?”
Ye Yuanyuan had been feeling quite heavy-hearted, but upon hearing Jiang Fei’s words, her sadness, anxiety, and reluctance instantly vanished into thin air.
She almost couldn’t help but jump up in a mix of exasperation and amusement, feeling like giving this guy a good slap.
Hey! You’re about to face a life-or-death duel, someone who might not make it out alive. Can’t you be a bit more mature and steady? Can’t you have the proper mood and mindset one should have before a major battle?
“What do you mean, no venue fee? What do you mean, no profit-sharing?” Ye Yuanyuan glared at Jiang Fei with a cold face. “Do you know how much effort the relevant authorities have put in, how much work they’ve done to arrange this duel between you and Yanagishou Munenori at the Golden Summit? Do you know how many tourists they’ve had to turn away at the foot of the mountain today? However much you charge for tickets probably wouldn’t even cover those losses!”
Jiang Fei rubbed his nose. “Oh, I see. Well then, better not charge for tickets.”
As the two continued their ascent and were about to reach the Golden Summit, Jiang Fei suddenly stopped.
A few seconds later, just as Ye Yuanyuan was getting puzzled and about to ask what was going on, Jiang Fei abruptly changed direction. He headed towards another path, one that was desolate and barely developed.
Ye Yuanyuan hurriedly said, “You’re going the wrong way! The Golden Summit is over there, not this way. Look, everyone is heading that way.”
Jiang Fei smiled without explaining the reason. “Would I go the wrong way? I’m the one dueling today. Wherever I go, that’s where the duel will take place.”
“What about Yanagishou Munenori then? What if he can’t find you later? Aren’t you going to duel him?” Ye Yuanyuan asked, widening her already large eyes.
Jiang Fei gave a slight smile. “He’s already waiting for me on a peak over there…”
Both Bai Kedi and Xiao Jiugui had managed to notice upon reaching the Golden Summit that Yanagishou Munenori wasn’t there. Naturally, Jiang Fei could sense it too.
“This… there’s no path here at all. How do we get up?” Ye Yuanyuan asked, baffled, looking at the almost vertical, ninety-degree cliff face ahead.
Jiang Fei stood below, looking up. Not dueling at the Golden Summit wasn’t bad either; he didn’t mind.
While dueling at the Golden Summit sounded more prestigious and would make for a more impressive story, given today’s crowd, going there meant too many spectators. It would be impressive, sure, but how could he and Yanagishou Munenori fight properly with so many people watching?
Finding a less crowded peak would make fighting more convenient.
However, all those martial artists who had traveled thousands of miles, enduring hardships to reach Mount Emei’s Golden Summit today, eagerly anticipating the duel, would probably end up hopping mad with frustration.
The peak Yanagishou Munenori had chosen was such that even if the huge commotion from their battle later alerted the crowd at the Golden Summit, they wouldn’t be able to come over to watch. They could only stare helplessly from afar.
Jiang Fei turned back. “Maybe you shouldn’t come up? Just wait down here.”
“No way!” Ye Yuanyuan replied without hesitation. “I have to go up.”
“Alright then,” Jiang Fei nodded helplessly. He wrapped an arm around Ye Yuanyuan’s waist, activated Wudang’s Ladder Cloud Leap, and with a few leaps and shifts along the cliff face, soared upwards.
Although carrying a person undoubtedly increased the difficulty of using qinggong, climbing wasn’t purely about flying through the air. The difficulty was reduced as there were places to leverage force along the way, making it not too hard.
“He’s here!”
Seeing the two figures suddenly float up over the cliff edge amidst the swirling snowflakes, everyone on the mountaintop turned their gaze.
Indeed, besides Yanagishou Munenori, it wasn’t just Xiao Jiugui and Bai Kedi who had discovered this was the real dueling ground. Besides them, there were nearly seven or eight others present.
These people were the true masters within the Chinese Jianghu. Even without prior knowledge, they had been able to detect Yanagishou Munenori from dozens or even a hundred meters away while on the Golden Summit, and then disregard the treacherous cliffs to come here.
Among them, three were familiar faces Jiang Fei had met before. Besides Bai Kedi and Xiao Jiugui, another was none other than Qingxu Daozhang, the publicly acknowledged top master of the Wudang Sect.
“This guy brings a woman up even for his duel? Really something!”
“But it seems Jiang Fei is in pretty good spirits, looking quite relaxed, not nervous at all.”
“Let’s hope this kid can give us a pleasant surprise. It would be such a pity if a prodigy like him were to fall here.”
This group seemed quite familiar with each other, standing together and conversing. After all, the Chinese Jianghu isn’t that big when it comes to the top tier. True masters inevitably cross paths. They were somewhat speechless about Jiang Fei bringing a woman to his duel.
“Quite a few masters have come,” Jiang Fei thought to himself after scanning the area.
Having just ascended as if riding the clouds and mist, even the proud and aloof Ye Yuanyuan felt a sense of novelty. So, being held by Jiang Fei like that didn’t feel inappropriate at the time.
Once on the mountaintop, sensing the many eyes on her, she quickly pushed Jiang Fei’s arm away, putting on a slightly angry expression.
Jiang Fei couldn’t be bothered with Ye Yuanyuan’s girlish antics. He glanced once more at Yanagishou Munenori, who was still standing by the distant cliff edge, baring his chest and striking a pose. Instead of walking over immediately, he approached the group of spectators.
“Daozhang Qingxu, long time no see,” Jiang Fei greeted with a smile.
Daozhang Qingxu was still dressed in his Taoist robes. He made a single-handed salute. “Young friend Jiang Fei, it has been many days. Your qinggong has improved yet again. Truly, it seems far superior to our Wudang’s Ladder Cloud Leap.”
That’s actually your Wudang’s Ladder Cloud Leap, Jiang Fei thought to himself.
“Unfortunately, in a real battle, qinggong doesn’t play much of a role,” a voice suddenly rang out, clear and loud, as another figure gracefully rose from near the cliff edge.
This person seemed rather unusual. His appearance not only made Daozhang Qingxu and the others turn their heads, their eyes widening in considerable surprise, but even Yanagishou Munenori, who had been quietly posing, turned around for the first time, looking over in astonishment.
“This person… why is he here?”
