Volcanic Age

Who was the most famous present-day cultivator in Murim?

If a hundred people were asked that question, they'd respond with the same name.

"It's Zhou Xuchuan!"

Zhou Xuchuan's fame had spread to all corners of the Central Plains, and he was the hottest topic these days.

Everyone held the Red Forest in contempt for being a group of bandits, but everyone agreed that the Red Forest was a powerful faction in Murim. Since that was the case, any issues occurring within it would garner a lot of attention from the public.

However, two factions known to be the strongest within the Eighteen Stockades of the Red Forest—the Great Tiger and the Green Dragon—were annihilated by a group of cultivators numbering fewer than a hundred.

It wasn't strange for the public's interest to be quite explosive, to say the least. At first, the public was merely excited by the news of the Great Tiger and the Green Dragon's destruction.

Had the elite forces of the Murim Alliance finally stepped up? If they weren't the perpetrators, perhaps an unknown powerful expert was the perpetrator behind their destruction?

Many different wild guesses like these ran amok among the public, but none of them managed to hit the nail on the head.

To everyone's stupefaction, a punitive force of less than a hundred cultivators was the culprit behind the Great Tiger Stockade's downfall. Even more incredulous was that they had utterly crushed the "impregnable" fortress of the Green Dragon Stockade.

The news led people to wonder whether the punitive force was full of famous experts, as there were just too few of them. However, they were all shocked upon discovering that the members of the punitive force were cultivators below forty years of age!

"How did they pull that off?"

"Maybe the Green Dragon Stockade, or perhaps even the Red Forest, isn't actually that scary in the first place?"

"Uh-huh! Fella, would the righteous factions and the imperial government sit still if that were true?"

"That Meng Gang fella was there, too!"

"Right, the Red Forest's top boss, Meng Gang! I heard he's dead. Can someone tell me how he died?"

"I hear Zhou Xuchuan faced him by himself and won."

"Huh! Stop the nonsense, will you? Meng Gang isn't some no-name bandit. Isn't he a Harmony Realm expert?"

"More than a few righteous faction experts had lost their lives to Meng Gang, and one of them was a former expert of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven!"

"Sure, sure, but I still think you misheard."

They all thought it was another typical embellished gangho rumor.

However, there were far too many eyewitnesses, starting from the surviving Green Dragon bandits to the bandits' hostages. Of course, the most important of all eyewitnesses were the members of the punitive force that fought alongside Zhou Xuchuan!

On top of that, people from the Tang Family and the Zhuge Family stepped up to provide testimonies, leaving the public with no choice but to believe the story.

"The Red Forest's Meng Gang lost to Mount Hua's Zhou Xuchuan!"

"One of my cousins was a warrior affiliated with the Gold Will Sword Sect, and he took part in the subjugation. He told us that Zhou Xuchuan was at the helm of the troops from the beginning till the end, and he fought head-on with Meng Gang!"

"He defeated Flower Scattering Palm last year through his skills alone. It wasn't some fluke! But how can a young man in his twenties be so strong?"

"No, hold on. Zhou Xuchuan isn't even twenty yet. Yes, he's only nineteen!"

"Nineteen? Is that true? No way!"

It was unprecedented for a nineteen-year-old to stand toe-to-toe against a Harmony Realm expert, much less win. Even if there were a prodigy like that out there with incredible martial prowess, they'd usually lack the requisite battle experience and would inevitably lose.

"Hyah~ doesn't that mean he's been hiding his great martial prowess until now? People laughed at him for being a moron—no, a privileged scion who knows nothing, but he has always brushed those critiques aside with little concern. He sure has extraordinary patience."

"You think it's only his patience? I heard that he's always humble no matter where he is. He never looks down on cultivators with lower cultivation realms than him. He remains respectful toward them, too!"

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"What happened at the Green Dragon Stockade is more amazing…"

"Oh, yeah? What happened?"

"What would you do if you found a mountain of treasures that could set you up for life? No, it's going to set your descendants for the rest of their lives as well. What will you do?"

"Well, I'll probably take as much as I can and run."

"That's right; you'll definitely do that! But Great Hero Zhou didn't even bat an eyelid in the face of such a massive treasure hoard and prioritized rescuing the hostages first. I'm telling you, he's different from those righteous faction hypocrites who can do nothing but talk!"

The people of Murim—no, the denizens of the Central Plains all sang praises of Zhou Xuchuan. The tales of his feats spread far and wide, reaching remote villages with small populations.

It wasn't exactly a shocking outcome. After all, Zhou Xuchuan had led a small punitive force to destroy the Green Dragon Stockade, famous for its invincibility, and then he fought the leader of the Red Forest all by himself and won.

In addition, he focused on rescuing the poor captives, seemingly indifferent to the hoard of treasures before him. Zhou Xuchuan's feats were similar to the feats of heroes in heroic tales, so the people of the Central Plains were understandably excited to hear them.

His actions—reminiscent of a hero—remained a hot topic for everyone for quite a while.

"Mount Hua has produced a hero!"

"At this rate, Mount Hua's honor and glory will pierce the heavens."

Mount Hua's prestige climbed even higher heights, and it was all thanks to Zhou Xuchuan's rising fame.

"My dear husband, how about we send our children to Mount Hua instead of letting them become Shaolin's secular disciples?"

"Your suggestion is indeed wise, my dear. I was also thinking the same thing."

"Mom, I want to learn martial arts in Mount Hua!"

"I was convinced we'd have issues later on in our lives by letting our third child grow up that way, but… should we send him off to Mount Hua?"

Mount Hua would soon have a generational change. In a little while, the sect would start accepting new members. Thus, the public's interest in Mount Hua's secular disciple and legitimate successor positions increased explosively.

Famous families and merchant households began their preparations well ahead of time.

***

The center of Murim's attention—Zhou Xuchuan and the members of his punitive force—kept themselves busy over the past two weeks somewhere in the Fang County of Hubei province.

Time flew by, and it was soon three weeks since the fall of the Green Dragon Stockade.

After handing over the care of the captives to the government forces, who were busy cleaning up the mountain around the Great Tiger Stockade, the punitive force enjoyed their much-needed rest.

Exactly three days later, they headed to the nearest government office beneath the gazes of the people participating in the large-scale send-off for Zhou Xuchuan and the members of his punitive force.

"A-Aigoo, Great Hero! Please don't do this! You can't take me to the government office! Please!" the underboss begged to be spared from the inevitable, but Zhou Xuchuan ignored the man's plea and handed him over to the government officials.

It turned out that the underboss had a hefty bounty on his head. Zhou Xuchuan equally divided the sizable bounty into four and shared it with the people of Mount Hua, the Tang Family, the Zhuge Family, and the Gold Will Sword Sect.

A week flew by speedily as they took care of a few minor things. Once they were done, they spent another week leisurely traveling across Fang County.

The group rented out a luxurious inn and spent time chatting and unburdening themselves on each other. Time flew by as they did this and that.

"It's time to say our goodbyes," said Zhang Hong, looking reluctant and poignant. He wasn't here on a cultivation journey but to partake in the subjugation, so Zhang Hong and other Mount Hua disciples couldn't stay indefinitely in the gangho.

"Us girls finally got a chance for a get-together, so this is really disappointing," said Zhang Xuen. She smiled bitterly while holding Luo Xiaoyue's hand.

"I find it disappointing, too, Senior Sister." Luo Xiaoyue couldn't hide her disappointment as well.

Zhou Xuchuan enjoyed moving alone, so he and Luo Xiaoyue rarely ran into disciples of Mount Hua. Obviously, meeting other female members of the same age group as them was extremely rare.

Even while they were staying with the members of the Gold Will Sword Sect, the only people in her age group whom she befriended were Wu Zhenhua and Chu Lian.

"Oh, come on. You can see Junior Sister Luo either next year or the year after, can't you?" said Zhang Hong. He even shrugged in dismay.

Luo Xiaoyue's cultivation journey differed from the disciples of Mount Hua; it was shorter, as she had been doted on since she was young, and she had already become an unofficial Plum Blossom Sword.

At the latest, she'd have to return to Mount Hua next year and receive training as the newest Plum Blossom Sword.

"Sister Hui, Sister Xiuluan, you two must stay healthy, okay?" Zhang Xuen said gently to Tang Hui and Zhuge Xiuluan.

Since when did they grow so close? As expected of Senior Sister Xuen!

Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen were highly sociable; Boasting bright, warm personalities, they easily became friends with other people. Their statuses or strength weren't high enough, but their wonderful character and even more wonderful morals meant many fellow disciples followed them.

"By the way, Sister Hui. I honestly think you should curb your short temper a little more. Otherwise, people will start hating you," said Zhang Xuen playfully.

"And you should think about curbing that excessive friendliness of yours. You're so friendly that you give people a stomach ache." Tang Hui shot right back, remaining merciless even to her fellow ladies.

"Hohoho~, I'm so happy that you care so much about me, Sister Hui. I've always known that you're a kind person, despite your crude way of speaking," Zhang Xuen remarked.

"…"Tang Hui's forehead creased a little just then.

"Uh-whew, besides all that! With a junior brother this excellent, I might be able to talk proudly about you, but when will I get my time to shine, I wonder?"Zhang Hong remarked. He then stared at Zhou Xuchuan and shook his head theatrically.

"Please don't say that, Senior Brother Zhang," Zhou Xuchuan replied, "The feats that you and Senior Sister have achieved are praiseworthy, as well."

Zhou Xuchuan wasn't lying. Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen had excellent command throughout the battles. The way they executed the Plum Blossom Sword Formation toward the end of the battle was truly incredible as well.

Zhou Xuchuan's feat had stolen most of the limelight during this subjugation, but it wasn't like the others had gotten swept away into obscurity. The public praised Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen as geniuses who'd surely become Plum Blossom Swordsmen one day.

"Still! This excellent junior brother has truly put me in a bit of a tight spot," said Zhang Hong.

Despite what he said, he didn't look displeased at all.Never mind being displeased, he smiled proudly and pounded Zhou Xuchuan's shoulder enthusiastically.

"If we had a bit more time, I'd love to exchange moves with you and learn a few things. But it looks like I'll have to take a rain check on that."

"We really have to go now. Take care of yourself, junior brother."

"It was an honor fighting by your side, Senior Brother Zhou!"

"We'll travel to the gangho next year. Please don't hesitate to call us if you need our help."

Starting off with Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen, the Mount Hua disciples all bade their goodbyes.Even though Zhou Xuchuan had spent over ten—no, decades at this point in Mount Hua, he had never received this much greeting and farewells from his fellow sect members until now.

"Thank you for all your hard work, young heroes!"

"If I have a chance to journey in the gangho again, allow me to treat you to a good alcohol."

Farewells from the Tang Family, the Zhuge Family, and the Gold Will Sword Sect followed next. The subjugation effort had transformed them into war buddies who protected each other's backs, bringing them all closer with each other.

Mount Hua's group departed from Fang County, and the others set off in the north-easterly direction. The plan was to exit Hubei, cross Henan, and return to Shandong.

"We'll also depart here," said Zhuge Xiuluan.

When the group reached a village called Yangyang about midway through their journey, the Zhuge Family revealed their intentions to part ways.Unlike her younger brother, Zhuge Xiuluan was only here to subjugate the bandits, so she had to return to her family.

"Thank you for helping us, Elder Sister," said Zhuge Shengji even before Zhou Xuchuan had a chance to do so.

Afterward, Zhou Xuchuan turned to Zhuge Xiuluan and said, "I didn't expect the young lady of the Zhuge Family to assist us personally."

"Well, we do have a duty to perform and a connection to the great hero, Plum Blossom Order Sword, to consider, after all."

"Please, I don't deserve the title as grandiose as 'great hero,'" Zhou Xuchuan said, smiling wryly. He gesticulated playfully as he added,"I'm embarrassed to be called such, so I implore you to call me 'young master' instead."

"I see. Then, I'll do that. Oh, and by the way…?"

"…?"

"The guidance you gave me earlier. It helped me out greatly."

"…Oh!"

It was a story from back when Zhou Xuchuan visited the Zhuge Family to bring Zhuge Shengji along on his journey. He had imparted a bit of his "future" knowledge regarding array formations in passing, but it seemed that Zhuge Xiuluan had learned something from it.

"I'm glad that I could be of some help," said Zhou Xuchuan.

"I'm genuinely curious where you picked up such knowledge. If we have another chance in the future, I'd love for us to sit down and discuss array formations at length," said Zhuge Xiuluan.

"Aha… hahaha…"Zhou Xuchuan laughed awkwardly. He genuinely didn't know much about array formations other than the basics.While the two of them conversed, the eavesdropping Zhuge Family's escort warriors couldn't close their slack jaws.

T-to think Young Lady Xiuluan has spoken to someone at length like this!

Unless she's chatting to someone from the family, she rarely speaks more than ten words in a day to outsiders, so this… This…!

I'm so jealous. Jealous, I say! To think Great Hero Zhou is so close with two of the Three Phoenixes!

It wasn't as if Zhuge Xiuluan had never spoken to strangers. She was simply the type not to say anything unless it was necessary. In fact, she'd talk more than anyone when it came to matters related to array formations or battle tactics.

However, she couldn't be bothered to talk about anything else.

Keuh-huh! I'd have scolded him to death had he been someone with nefarious intentions, but knowing Young Hero Zhou… I can't!

Didn't Young Hero Zhou Xuchuan become one of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven?

Whether it's cultivation or his character, he's great! And he's close to the number one beauty in Hubei, too! I'm so jealous that my stomach actually hurts!

And just like that, they promised to meet again in the future before going their separate ways amidst a warm and friendly atmosphere.

"All right, then! Let's not dally and return right away! I heard that the head merchant has prepared a banquet for us back in Shandong."

"Woaaah!"

Cyncoco's Thoughts

The original chapter title is "신급돈어(信及豚魚)", a four-character idiom that roughly translates to 'Not even mindless beasts like pigs and fish will question this belief/faith.'