Chapter 52 — All In!

"I never thought you'd make inner disciple too," Luo Li said, his face blank, his manner indifferent.

Zuo Yan glanced into the valley and felt somewhat reassured. Luo Li had only wrecked the barrier at the valley mouth; he had not gone inside. Clearly he had come prepared. For all that Luo Li basked in the favor of the various martial uncles, he did not dare act rashly. If the spirit herbs and spirit plants in the valley had suffered any harm, the sect elders would never let him off.

He would not dare use underhanded tricks against Zuo Yan himself—of that Zuo Yan was certain. His status as a spirit cultivator meant the sect would protect him. All his opponent could use were open, legitimate means.

Looking at the mess everywhere and the barrier utterly destroyed, Zuo Yan knew the man had only come to vent his spleen, yet he could not keep the anger from rising. The fellow had surely come over what had happened with Senior Sister Hao Min. Zuo Yan was not the least bit afraid—in this matter he held the full weight of principle on his side; even if it went before the sect master, no one could say he had done wrong.

Zuo Yan tamped down his fury and said with a biting edge, "Brother Shi Heng's sword is truly keen. A pity about all these flowers and grasses."

Luo Li regarded him with cold indifference, his eyes brimming with scorn and contempt. "Whether my sword is keen, you'll learn soon enough. You dared to touch my woman—you've got nerve."

"Oh?" Zuo Yan answered lazily, looking down at his own right hand, wholly unconcerned. "And what if I did?"

If not for that business with Hao Min, these two would surely have been men he'd want to curry favor with. But matters had come to such a pass that they were like fire and water, with no hope of peace. Zuo Yan's stubborn streak flared. Better to rise up and fight back than to be trampled underfoot; even if his end was wretched, he would not let his opponent have an easy time of it. Without a bit of hot blood, a man of his outer-disciple origins would likely be bullied beyond reckoning in days to come.

Luo Li's pupils contracted sharply, and at last a change came over that perpetually placid face. "Three months from now, the sect assessment. I'll be waiting."

"You say you'll wait, so I'm to wait?" Zuo Yan sneered, then clicked his tongue in mock admiration. "Brother Shi Heng's face is certainly grand!"

Luo Li's features twisted; the look he bent on Zuo Yan all but spat fire. He forced himself to hold back, snorted furiously, and said, "Heh. We'll see if your mouth is still so stiff then!" With that he rose into the air and departed.

"What a piece of work," Zuo Yan scoffed with great contempt, then turned and walked into the valley. Everything inside was untouched; Luo Li had not entered at all. Arrogant though he was, Luo Li was no fool—he had judged the line precisely. Destroy the barrier of the West Wind Valley, but leave the spirit plants alone, and the sect elders would simply turn a blind eye.

The Weilan Sect had always had rules forbidding strife among fellow disciples. Yet such strife occurred again and again within its ranks, for many reasons—but the elders' indulgence and tacit permission was undoubtedly one of the chief among them. What a sect feared most was an atmosphere without competition. The occasional small clash, in the elders' eyes, did more good than harm, and to a considerable extent they would adopt a posture of tacit consent.

Still, Zuo Yan felt these affairs had little to do with him. He refused to believe Luo Li would dare charge into the West Wind Valley—his valley was now one of the sect's key areas, more important even than the Cold Mist Valley.

As usual, he went on busily refining pills, until Senior Sister Li Ying arrived.

"What?" Zuo Yan blurted out. "What kind of rotten rule is that?"

Li Ying explained, "But that's really how it is. I hear the sect, to prevent disciples from fighting among themselves, simply made the assessment the channel for settling such things. He can challenge you then, and you must accept. If you don't, you have to give him fifty sect contribution points."

"But I'm a spirit cultivator! A spirit cultivator—and you want me to haul out a flying sword and go hack and slash at him?" Zuo Yan was indignant.

"You can also ask someone to fight for you," Li Ying said, her face equally helpless. "That isn't against the rules. A cultivator like you, who produces things, can use the pills you refine or the things you grow to hire someone. But you can only hire other brothers of this sect—not cultivators from other sects."

"Other brothers of this sect? Brother Wei Sheng hasn't come out yet. Who else can I hire?" Zuo Yan felt he was about to go mad. Within the sect, only Brother Wei Sheng could beat Luo Li, but Brother Wei Sheng was in the Sword Cave and could not possibly come out anytime soon.

"That's the rule." Li Ying offered, "You could also go buy some of Li Duo's dharma treasures."

Zuo Yan felt he might faint. Buy dharma treasures? He was so poor the dust was flaking off him, and she wanted him to buy dharma treasures! Only now did Zuo Yan understand what Luo Li's parting words that day had meant, and his mood instantly turned foul beyond measure.

Damn it! This was a big problem!

Facing Luo Li outside the valley, he had been so calm and unafraid because he was certain Luo Li dared not do anything to him. Now that he knew such a rule existed in the sect, he was stunned. Something like sword radiance might scare others, but against Luo Li, who had mastered the Voidless Sword Art—while he himself had not even learned a single sword art—he wouldn't even know how he died.

The sect elders would of course not let Luo Li truly injure him, but a public humiliation was surely unavoidable. Fifty sect contribution points—that was a vast fortune. He could sell himself and still not scrape together fifty contribution points. At this thought, Zuo Yan's gloom doubled.

Li Ying looked at Zuo Yan with sympathy. She too was helpless to do anything, and could only take the Great Strength Pills Zuo Yan had prepared and bid him farewell.

Word that Luo Li had issued a challenge to Zuo Yan had already spread far and wide; everyone in the sect knew. These days Hao Min put on a smug, high-and-mighty air whenever she saw Zuo Yan, which made him itch to slap her again. The looks others bent on Zuo Yan were rather strange as well, and not a few among them were gloating sorts. Clearly no one favored Zuo Yan's chances in the fight.

"I hear Brother Luo Li has sent you a challenge?" Shi Dai asked Zuo Yan, leisurely and at ease.

Even his master knew...

Zuo Yan answered, "Yes."

"Mm. The business between you and your Senior Sister Hao Min—I won't meddle in it," Shi Dai said blandly. "But as for the sect assessment—I don't care what method you use, you are not to lose. If you lose, hmph, hmph..."

The meaning behind those last two cold snorts made Zuo Yan's already withered heart wither further still, like petals shriveling and scattering across the ground.

"Your disciple is only a spirit cultivator..." Zuo Yan could not resist reminding his master.

"So what if you're a spirit cultivator?" Shi Dai raised her voice, phoenix eyes flashing upward. "So long as you are my disciple, you may not lose!"

"But..."

"I don't care what method you use," Shi Dai interrupted impatiently.

Zuo Yan set his jaw and simply said, "Master has such faith in your disciple, and your disciple is naturally unwilling to lag behind. I ask nothing else—only that I might choose a sword art from the Scripture Hall." Since his master required him not to lose, it would be foolish indeed not to seek some help. He was thinking of the *Lishui Sword Art* in the Scripture Hall.

"It's too late for you to start practicing the sword now," Shi Dai said with a frown.

"This is your disciple's only request," Zuo Yan said hurriedly, seeing an opening and secretly delighted.