A Useful Conversation

"Why are we in such a busy restaurant?" Wang Jingyuan asked as the waiter left to relay their orders to the kitchen. "Aren't we more likely to bump into an enemy sect here?"

They sat on the third floor in a booth by a window that overlooked the street. Bamboo partitions separated the booths and blocked customers from each other's views, which gave a little bit of privacy.

"Yes, but there are also great benefits. One, this is one of the best restaurants in the Capital, and I refuse to let you have anything less than the best." Mo Xian took a sip of tea. "Second, restaurants and tea shops are the places where information is traded. Here, we can overhear crucial information about the Hero Assembly. Since you have a special identity and I know next to nothing about the martial arts sector, we can't just go up to a group of martial artists and ask them. You saw all the martial artists milling around; there are no less than five different sects in this restaurant alone. We're bound to hear something useful here."

"Mo Xian, you're so brilliant, did I tell you that?" Wang Jingyuan was genuine in her compliment. "I could never think of something like this."

"You flatter me, Jing-Jing. It is just a small trick." Even so, Mo Xian smiled, pleased at himself. No one ever admired him and thought of him as brilliant like Wang Jingyuan did. If people complimented him, it was all bootlicking and empty flattery. When Wang Jingyuan complimented him, he could see in her eyes that she meant every word. It was a nice feeling to know that someone looks up to you in awe.

The waiter brought back their food. Wang Jingyuan's wrist had healed nicely, like the doctor predicted, but it still throbbed lightly with pain if she overexerted herself. She still couldn't wield her sword like before, but at least she could use her chopsticks with her right hand again. She happily picked up a braised pork rib and began munching.

"Jing-Jing, eat more." Mo Xian dropped some sweet and sour pork into her bowl of rice, along with some shrimp. "These are all your favorite foods."

"Thank you, Mo Xian." Wang Jingyuan beamed at the young man sitting across from her. How nice it was to have someone who remembered your favorite dishes and ordered them at every opportunity! Not to mention, they were at a high-end restaurant, so the cooking was splendid.

"Brother Zhang! There you are. Hurry and come sit down!" A man in one of the adjacent booths stood up and waved someone over. Wang Jingyuan saw a flash of a sword sheath as the person walked past her table.

"Brother Feng, Brother Chen, how have you been?" The newcomer addressed his friends who were already in the booth. "Do either of you think you can be the champion of the Hero Assembly this year?"

"Stop joking, Brother Zhang. We all know that it's a showdown between the big sects. For martial artists like us, who come from small sects and barely know any martial arts, the Hero Assembly is just an eye-opening chance to see cool skills." One of the men replied.

"You never know, Brother Chen." The man called "Brother Zhang" by his friends replied. "Maybe this year you'll beat all the big sects."

"Ha ha ha, and maybe this year you'll get a wife." The third man, "Brother Feng" retorted. The three men dissolved into a fit of laughter.

"We've got to get there early tomorrow to get a good spot. I want to witness the intense battles up close." The man with last name Chen said. His friends agreed.

"Yes, let's meet up at sunrise and head over to the western outskirts of the city together. Even though all the good seats will be taken by the big sects, I'm sure we can still find a spot close enough to the actual stage to stand and watch when the Hero Assembly starts at the chen hour [1] in the morning," said the man with last name Zhang. Then he lowered his voice a notch conspiringly. "I heard that this year it's going to be a good show."

"How so? Isn't it always a good show?" The man with last name Feng asked.

"Xuanyan Sect isn't here this year. That means, after they won twice in a row, another sect will be crowned the victor," answered the man with last name Zhang.

"Really? I thought I saw someone from Xuanyan Sect in the Capital a few days ago," said the man with last name Chen.

"Brother Chen, you probably saw wrong. Haven't you heard? Xuanyan Sect was destroyed two months ago!"

"What? By who?" The man called "Brother Chen" was clearly not in the loop.

"Who else? The five major sects—Qingsha, Huashan, Emei, Luoyun Manor, Feiye Pavilion—joined forces and attacked Xuanyan Sect. Chief Luo Qingye suffered major injuries, jumped off a cliff, and died." The man with last name Zhang clearly loved gossiping.

"I heard Luo Qingye burned the scroll that contained Song of the Phoenix," the man with last name Feng joined in the conversation. "The five major sects came back empty-handed. What a miscalculated move."

"Well, Luo Qingye is dead and Xuanyan Sect is no more, so that's not really coming back empty-handed." The man with last name Zhang disagreed. "I think it's karma. If Luo Qingye didn't use Song of the Phoenix at the Hero Assembly six years ago and kill the chiefs from the five major sects, they wouldn't wipe out his Xuanyan Sect. In my opinion, Luo Qingye got what he deserved!"

Wang Jingyuan was chewing on her sweet and sour pork aggressively now. She did not like it when people spoke badly about Luo Qingye. It wasn't even his fault! Accidents happened all the time at the Hero Assembly. People attended the assembly knowing that they were the only ones responsible for any injuries or death. The five major sects were only so hung up about this because they wanted the secret scroll!