Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 704: Name Traces

One of the Diancang disciples looked at the table where the boy was sitting, as did two of the Taoist priests and four of the Taihang disciples.

Everyone in the hall was looking at that table.

The words still seemed to echo in the hall.

For a moment, no one asked, "Is your name 'Peiye' or 'Peiye'?" These two syllables are actually quite distinctive; there aren't many phrases that can be used as a name.

This place happens to be in the capital region, and people feel as if they are in a dream.

Why did he know that Yan Feiqing couldn't fight with the Unstoppable Sword?
This statement is not only not crude, but it is also quite apt, because he really did fight a life-or-death battle alongside Yan Feiqing.

Who among us is qualified to do so?

Even after searching the entire capital, I couldn't find many names.

If Yan Feiqing did not produce such a sword, then the killing sword at that time must have come from his hands.

The Fourth Prince, Li Zhi, and they were just talking eloquently about Tian Lin Yi, who supposedly could unbelievably wield the power of heaven and earth, but he was defeated by this person with a single sword strike.

...How could something like this be broken with a single sword strike?

That unimaginable sword strike came from the hand of the young man before me… If he possessed such a sword, he could, of course, smile and say, “Yan Feiqing doesn’t actually wield the sword of unstoppable advance.”

He could, of course, say, "That wasn't a meteoric rise."

Five years to reach 800 places—that was, of course, a slow and methodical process, because the boy himself was sitting right here, and no one had ever heard of him before.

He leaped over countless legendary names, each one brimming with tales and triumphs, but he ignored them all, and with a single step, he secured a place in the top five.

People then realized that they mistook that for a leap because they had never seen a real crane soaring into the sky.

Everyone stared at the boy. The hall was silent. Diancang didn't speak, Jingming didn't speak, Taihang didn't speak... To be honest, if the boy were ranked 800th, 400th, or even 100th or 50th, they would all exclaim that they were blind and smile as they befriended him.

But the number "three" is still too far away.

The number of people is so high and so small that people are not unwilling to speak, but rather afraid to speak.

But the boy also remained silent, looking down at the national newspaper.

Pei Ye stared blankly at the text, with only one thought in his mind.

'Who put me here?'

His gaze fell on the titles of the books below, passing over Qiu Jizi and Yang Zhenbing, narrowing his eyes at the name Cui Zhaoye, and then pausing at the last two words, "Jinyang".

He paused for a moment, thinking that this was the March national report, and should have been finalized before the end of February. At that time, the matter of the assassin was still unresolved. He traveled between Mingyue and Zhujing every day, and the woman left the palace during the day and returned at night, never mentioning the matter to him.

Zhu Gaoyang leaned over and squinted at him for a while: "It's a pity I'm not in Shenjing, otherwise I would definitely join in the fun."

Pei Ye glanced at him: "What did you say when he asked you a question?"

“I said I disagreed.”

Pei Ye lowered his gaze and sighed, "This Cui Zhaoye is a bit reckless."

The man in the black cloak said, "That's right."

“…?” Pei Ye paused for a moment, “Anyway, I think Yang Zhenbing is only nineteen, and Yan Feiqing is only ninth… Third place is really too high.”

The man in the black cloak nodded vigorously, but his voice was very soft: "Your Excellency, Your Excellency's swordsmanship is indeed insightful, I agree. If, if we had won against fourth place, we should have been ranked fourth... How could we have been ranked third directly?"

"What you said makes a lot of sense."

"Thank you, thank you for your approval."

“You’re welcome. But I think they’re mainly considering the idea that ‘not necessarily invincible, but certainly capable of winning.’” Pei Ye thought for a moment. “Although they might not be able to beat Yang Zhenbing, beating Li Zhi would be easy, so beating the third-place finisher might not be impossible.”

“But, but the true measure of a swordsman’s skill is a real fight,” the man in the black cloak said. “Breaking the ‘Seven Steps Sword Control’ and defeating the ‘Heavenly Unicorn Ease’, I think, I think they should be the same thing, meaning that this person can use the Sword of Escape… that’s very impressive. But how do they know that the top three can’t handle this kind of sword?”

"What kind of 'Sword of Stewed Fish' are you talking about?"

"The Book of Changes says, 'The Great Way is fifty, Heaven extends forty-nine, and man escapes one.' If you have an extremely high talent for swordsmanship, you can use a sword that can leap out of the heavens and earth."

“…I see, you are very knowledgeable.” Pei Ye was taken aback.

"No more, no more."

“I think you’re right. The difference in skill between swordsmen can only be determined by actual combat... Li Zhi has never actually fought anyone, so I don’t think it makes sense for him to be ranked fourth.”

“Exactly, exactly.” The man in the black cloak nodded in agreement. “He only fought this one person, and then the two of them fought each other, and one of them ranked third and the other fourth. Isn’t that a bit too dismissive of all the heroes in the world?”

"Hmm...actually, I think he's not that strong, but the one who beat him might not be weak. They can't really be compared." Pei Ye paused. "Because if someone beats him with just one sword strike, it means the winner is quite skilled...what do you think?"

“Yes, you make a lot of sense.” The man in the black cloak nodded quickly.

She added, "However, it's still not easy to get into the top three."

“They still have the potential to be in the top three,” Pei Ye added, complementing her statement. “However, they might indeed need some more concrete results to prove it…”

"Yes, young hero, your discussion on swordsmanship is very objective."

"You too, you too. Some people always have a stance before they speak, which is really meaningless."

The two nodded amicably and discussed something, while Zhu Gaoyang looked up at the man opposite him. The man ate elegantly, seemingly oblivious to everything else. After a few bites, he looked up and met Zhu Gaoyang's gaze.

The two looked at each other for a while, and then Zhu Gaoyang suddenly said, "Actually, I think I should know you, but I've never met you before."

"Hmm. I don't go out."

"As expected." Zhu Gaoyang thought for a moment, "Can I guess?"

"Please go ahead." The man continued eating, head down.

Pei Ye looked up curiously: "Is it possible to guess?"

Zhu Gaoyang was silent for a while: "You are over thirty years old, more capable than me, and much more capable. I think... you are within the top twenty of the Crane List."

The man said nothing.

Zhu Gaoyang thought for a moment: "I recognize the first four. He Wu [Tianyi] likes to wear gray clothes and has a plain appearance; He Liu Beihai Qi Ye is a woman; He Qi goes without saying; He Ba... Nie Shangheng?"

“That’s not right.” Zhu Gaoyang glanced at it. “Nie Shangheng knows how to order food.”

The man paused for a moment, then continued eating his food with his head down.

“He Jiu…that’s right, Xu Daoshan, Senior Brother He Miao.” Zhu Gaoyang raised his hand and clasped his hands in greeting, “Zhu Gaoyang of Dongting, it’s an honor to meet you.”

The man put down his chopsticks, tucked his sleeves in a bow, and said, "I wish you a speedy progress in your studies."

Pei Ye was shocked. Compared to the legends at the top of the Crane List, his ranking prediction on the Duck List seemed like child's play.

Those were legendary figures who had long ago topped the rankings, remaining unshakable for over a decade, with only one rising to prominence in recent years: the Young Sword Master of Yunlang. These were truly figures whose mere presence could shake the martial world. And now, they were sitting right in front of him, eating their meal.

Pei Ye was shocked for a moment, then frowned and turned to look at the black cloak beside him.

silence.

Beneath the black cloak, two hands seemed to be intertwined: "Hmm, I think that in the martial world, when people meet by chance... it's not always necessary to exchange names..."

"My name is Pei Ye."

"My name is He Yaoyao."

Quiet.

Pei Ye stared at the title "Pei Ye should be ranked third" in silence for a while, while the man in the black cloak was even more silent than him.

The two remained silent for seven or eight breaths before Pei Ye finally coughed lightly twice and said casually, "Let's... let's look at the next page."

"Okay, okay."

There are many more discussions below, about fifty or sixty in total, but they no longer occupy as much space as the previous ones. They mostly involve cultivators in the top 100 of the rankings, or those like the White Dragon who ascended too quickly.

For most of the geniuses of this generation from various sects, being able to achieve even one of these criteria is already an unattainable goal, representing the most prominent group of names in the Feather Scale Trial.

Pei Ye flipped through the pages and muttered to himself, "Why isn't there much news about the Crane Ranking?"

He Yaoyao quickly chimed in, "Because the Crane Ranking doesn't change much... the Feather Scale Trial doesn't really pay much attention to those below the top thirty."

Pei Ye was just making conversation, but the black-cloaked man's earnest explanation did give him some new perspectives.

"Miss Crane, you have truly great insight."

"No no."

Here, the Duck List and the Crane List actually show a difference that is not intuitive—that is, on the Crane List, only the top group of names are respected and sought after, while on the Duck List, all nine hundred names from top to bottom are the focus of attention in the martial arts world.

Firstly, both the Crane and Duck Rankings exhibit the same trend—young talents often end up at the bottom, while the higher one goes, the more established masters from previous generations gradually occupy those positions. The younger generation cannot compete with them without years of continuous improvement.

This situation may have continued for a long time, to around the top 30 or 40 on the Crane Ranking and the top 100 on the Duck Ranking, before the names of the previous generation of masters began to gradually become rare.

Until you reach the very top, in the top ten and top twenty of the badminton rankings, it is almost entirely composed of the younger generation.

They came from a handful of sects, each a true genius seen only once every few decades, far surpassing the older generation who had reached their limits. Looking across the Feather Rankings, only one of the top ten in the Crane Division was over forty, and among the top twenty in the Duck Division, those over thirty were few and far between.

Therefore, it is conceivable that a large number of mid-level names on the Crane List will not participate in the Feather Scale Trial.

They were either already famous and had no desire for fame or fortune; or they were the founders of various sects and no longer showed their faces in public; or they held important positions and it was inconvenient for them to reveal their strength... In short, most of them became legends with a fixed image, becoming a part of the background and character of the martial arts world, and few were willing to step into the arena to fight again.

But the Fu Bang is different.

Although the Ranking List contains many such individuals, it only records nine hundred people, while the entire martial arts world boasts over a million cultivators at the Pulse Realm. Therefore, its fluctuations are dramatic and vibrant, almost reflecting the rise and fall of the entire martial arts world.

Moreover, it is very difficult for cultivators on the Crane Ranking to advance to the Heavenly Tower, but almost everyone on the Duck Ranking can enter the Profound Gate. Therefore, regardless of age, they all strive to be the first. These people are closer to the entire martial arts world. Even if they are not one's own master, they may be one's own master. Even if they are not one's own master, they may be the true disciple of one's sect or that admired figure. Therefore, people always talk about them with great interest.

However, when the real battle begins, the most captivating will undoubtedly be the battle between the Xuanmen sects.

The two awkwardly flipped through the booklet. After the pre-exam section, it turned to the usual martial arts news. Pei Ye focused on a few entries, such as: [News from Mount Hua: The master of the Glazed Sword will visit a sect within seven days to challenge the sword, only seven hundred li from the capital] [A hundred gangs from the eight rivers of Chang'an are gathering; will the eight hundred li waterway have a master?] and so on.

In the latter half of the discussion, Pei Ye brought up a topic about He Jiu's "Seven-Step Sword Control," which led to a thorough discussion with He Yaoyao. Because both of them were very polite and knew how to appreciate each other when discussing swordsmanship, the discussion progressed very smoothly and pleasantly.

After the meal, the two surnamed He got up and left. He Yaoyao earnestly expressed her gratitude to Pei Ye for sharing the national newspaper. Pei Ye said that she was welcome, and the two then said goodbye.

The next morning, there was a gentle knock on the door of Zhu and Pei's room. Pei opened the door, and two people surnamed He stood at the door. He Yaoyao was still wearing a black cloak and came to say goodbye.

Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang escorted them to the inn, promising to meet again in Shenjing. They watched them climb the small bridge and descend, their figures gradually disappearing at the end of the town.

Although they were just strangers who met by chance, Pei Ye still quite liked this very polite swordsman from Xudao Mountain. His understanding of swordsmanship was also extremely high and profound, even reminding him of his feelings when he talked about swordsmanship with Miss Ming.

When he turned back to return to the inn, he saw Zhu Gaoyang staring at him with his chin resting on his hand.

"…What are you doing?"

Zhu Gaoyang looked at him and said thoughtfully, "You've met another girl."

"..."

“It seems you didn’t attract the ladies from wealthy families through any special means,” Zhu Gaoyang analyzed.

"First, the world is either male or female; second, I don't have any special skills."

“I feel that you have a natural innocence and an inexplicable destiny.” Zhu Gaoyang looked up in thought and paced back. “Naturally, you will meet more benefactors.”

“…Think what you want.” Pei Ye rolled her eyes and stepped across the threshold.

"Could it be the effect of the Divine Dragon Contract?" Zhu Gaoyang continued to mutter to himself, his brow furrowed.

……

The official gazette of March of the Renwu year was published on the first day of the month, and sent out in all directions on the second day. By the third and fourth days, at least the area around the capital had received this still-fresh gazette.

For many who have been in Shenjing for some time, the name "Pei Ye" is already familiar. But when they see the words "should be ranked third," they can't help but be surprised.

According to most people's expectations, adding a "ten" before "three" is already the upper limit of this name.

Outsiders in the martial arts world still only knew of this name but never actually saw it. This news only added to the mystery surrounding the name, creating another wave of excitement in the capital.

It was already surprising enough that Qiu Jizi was the dean's endorsement, and it wasn't unusual for Cui Zhaoye to cheer for him, but Yang Zhenbing's signature was something I had never seen before.

The name "Jinyang" is not even mentioned.

Or rather, no swordsman's name is associated with the heir, and none of the heirs have shown themselves, especially at this extremely sensitive time.

"Jin Yang" is too mysterious in everyone's eyes. This eldest daughter of the empire has never shown herself anywhere. The only thing people know is that she has true blood and is extremely beautiful, but no one has ever seen her face.

It is said that the major reshuffle of the imperial court in Shenjing before the new year and the current prime minister's rise to power are all thanks to this prince, but in fact, very few people know this inside story.

Now, this title has unexpectedly been placed after the name of a country swordsman, which in a way seems to be a cover-up and a claim, making the name "Pei Ye" seem to have a history.

Meanwhile, around Shenjing, another wave of discussion about this name began to stir. People seemed to finally know what this person had been doing during the days the name had disappeared.

The matter of the Eight Waters was something that all the martial arts practitioners who had just arrived in the capital had noticed, but none dared to investigate it lightly. The dozens of grandmasters and hundreds of cultivators at the Pulse Realm in the Eighteen Docks, along with the intricate network of interests in the capital region, were enough to inspire fear. The names of Mirage City and the Prince of Yan, which were vaguely mentioned behind the scenes, made people even more trembling with fear. Those who knew more about it could even sense some forbidden connections within the palace walls.

Now it seems that something crucial has changed in this matter.

Because the news was spreading like wildfire throughout the Eight Rivers and the Jianghu: Zhu Gaoyang and Pei Ye had traversed three hundred miles in two days, killing six Qingfeng Envoys on the river.

At this point, all eight waters and green winds had been beheaded.

(End of this chapter)