By the wavering torchlight, the mountain hollow revealed a forest of mechanisms and meshed gears. Ahead stretched a corridor whose floor was tiled with small squares—each etched with a different sigil. Plainly, it was a passage riddled with traps.
"It's your first time here," Master Ban said, turning to them with uncharacteristic gravity. "Listen closely to the pattern. One misstep could cost your life—"
"No need," Goku said mildly. "Let's go. I dislike fuss."
He stepped straight onto the checkered path and walked forward.
"Sir Goku—don't!" Ban, Dao Zhi, and others shouted at once.
Goku kept walking. Nothing triggered.
"What traps?" Tianming scoffed, jogging after him and hopping from square to square. "Old man, you were just trying to scare us!"
Dao Zhi blinked. "H-how… Master Ban?"
"Did the mechanism fail?" Duanmu Rong frowned.
"Come on." Yue'er giggled, trotting after Goku. "Nothing's broken—Big brother Goku already unraveled it."
"Un… unraveled it? How is that possible?" Master Ban stared, shaken to his core. Dao Zhi and Duanmu Rong exchanged a sober look.
"Under heaven there's nothing that can bar Goku's steps," Chi Lian said with an airy smile, and she, Xue Nu, Nongyu, and Xiao Li followed him into the "trapped" corridor.
"How can this be… I laid these arrays myself." Ban's voice had gone thin. Goku hadn't so much as lifted a finger—yet the corridor lay mute and harmless. It simply made no sense.
"'One man can sweep the world'—perhaps those rumors have a kernel of truth," Dao Zhi murmured. He clapped Ban's shoulder and moved on.
"Be glad he isn't our enemy," Duanmu Rong said quietly, then followed.
"Glad indeed…" Ban wiped a bead of cold sweat. "In front of that man, one's heart can't help but pound."
They went on, passed through the mountain's throat, and finally emerged into open air.
A vast waterfall roared before them, its torrent driving several giant waterwheels that turned with ponderous grace—feeding the Mechanical City its steady pulse of power. Across the bridge stood an elderly man with white hair and beard, waiting with two ranks of Mo disciples arrayed behind him.
Master Ban ambled up with a grin. "Brother Xu, even you, a man of a thousand duties, came to greet us?"
Xu Fuzi's face remained solemn, and he did not reply. The air tightened.
Dao Zhi chuckled and stepped forward. "I doubt Xu Fuzi is here to welcome us. He's interested in…" He tipped his chin toward Goku and Gai Nie.
At that moment, Yuanhong in Gai Nie's hand gave a violent tremor, sprang free with a ringing zheng, and shot toward Xu Fuzi, who caught it deftly and began to examine the blade with rapt attention.
"Hey! That's my uncle's sword. Give it back!" Tianming dashed up, pointing at Yuanhong. "I said—give it back!"
Gai Nie rested a calming hand on the boy's shoulder and addressed the elder. "Might you be…"
Xu Fuzi finally looked up. "Surname Xu. The men call me Xu Fuzi."
Gai Nie bowed. "So the famed Sword Exemplar himself. The blades you craft are every swordsman's dream."
Xu Fuzi lifted Yuanhong and sighed. "Compared to this sword, I've barely scratched the surface."
"Then the master who forged Yuanhong was…?" Gai Nie asked respectfully.
"My mother."
Tianming muttered, "First Sword Saint, then Sword God, now Sword Exemplar… and this old man doesn't look that tough."
That seemed to jog Xu Fuzi. He stepped forward, cupped his hands to Goku, and said, "You must be the so-called Sword God, Sir Goku. I was discourteous just now—please forgive me. It's an honor to have you in our Mo City."
Goku waved it off.
Xu Fuzi's gaze drifted to the demonic blade at Goku's waist, and his eyes grew intent. "That must be the number-one weapon on the rolls—the Demon Sword. Might I… take a look?"
"Be my guest," Goku said, drawing the blade and planting it point-down in the earth before him.
Xu Fuzi returned Yuanhong to Gai Nie and reached for the Demon Sword—
"Wait, Xu Fuzi!" Dao Zhi flashed in front of him. "This isn't an ordinary blade. There's spirit in the steel. Touch it barehanded and you'll be blasted off your feet—and bedridden for days."
"The rumors are true, then?" Xu Fuzi's eyes brightened. "A sword with its own will?"
"True as iron," Dao Zhi said solemnly. "I tried it myself. Brushed the hilt and—wham—flew like a sack of grain. Thought I'd never see your venerable face again."
Xu Fuzi studied the blade without touching it—and could not suppress a string of soft exclamations. "A divine weapon indeed. Such forging… I've never seen its like." His brow knit. "But the malice in it is heavy—no wonder they call it 'demon.' Sir Goku, you should take care when using it."
"It's nothing. This much baleful qi can't touch me," Goku said, sheathing the sword as meekly as if it were a docile pet.
Xu Fuzi stared at the now-quiet blade at Goku's hip and breathed, "To tame such a fiendish sword so completely… Your methods command awe. The tales do you no injustice."
He saluted Goku, then turned to Gai Nie. "There's another sword in the city—Shuihan. Its temperament clashes with Yuanhong: from materials to method, the two are opposites. They're destined to be incompatible. Shuihan ranks seventh on the register—five places beneath Yuanhong. But the top ten each have singular strengths. Rank isn't everything. (Sir Goku, of course, stands outside such lists.) You'd best be careful."
"Shuihan?" Goku smiled. "So Xiao Gao joined the Mo Family after all."
"Xiao Gao?" Xue Nu asked.
"Have you forgotten the qin master who fought his way out of Yan with us?" Goku said.
"Ah—him," Xue Nu murmured, understanding.
Goku glanced at Tianming, then told Gai Nie, "Be on guard. Because of that child, Xiao Gao may come looking for your head."
A flicker crossed Gai Nie's eyes. He bowed. "My thanks for the warning."
"Let's head inside," Xu Fuzi said, turning toward the city.
"Xiao Gao will fight my uncle? Who is he, really?" Tianming scratched his chin, trying to look profound.
Dao Zhi sidled up, grinning. "Someone you absolutely don't want to provoke." He followed the others through the massive gate.
Within the Mechanical City, mountains ringed the basin; buildings clung to the rock walls in tiers—a craftsmanship so exquisite it could only have been built across centuries. No wonder it took hundreds of years to complete.
They noticed Mo disciples hurrying in the same direction. Master Ban and the others traded puzzled looks.
"Xu Fuzi, what is it?"
"I don't know," he said, frowning. "If it were an attack, the alarms would be sounding."
_____
T/N:
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