Chapter 153 - 152: Alright, Alright, Alright, Daring to Impersonate This Sword God

"Master, all you ever do is lie to me!"

Li Qinghe’s eyes were red as she sniffled. Seeing Qin Yang’s nonchalant expression only made her angrier.

’That Qin guy is definitely doing this on purpose!’

’He just wants me to keep calling Zixuan ’Martial Aunt’!’

’This is too much!’

"How are you going to explain this now?!"

Li Qinghe pulled out a chair and plopped down across the table, her cheeks puffed out. "Luckily, I found out early," she said, pouting. "Otherwise, you would have kept me completely in the dark."

"This news about the Sword God being in Jianghai... where did you hear it?"

Qin Yang put down his wrap, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and sighed. "What’s your source?"

"It’s gone viral online! You..."

Li Qinghe was indignant and about to lose her temper, but she faltered the moment she saw Qin Yang’s expression. It was unnervingly serious.

’After all, I still need him to find my grandmaster later.’

’I can’t afford to get on his bad side!’

With that thought, Li Qinghe meekly unlocked her phone and handed it to him. Her tone softened. "See for yourself, Master. It’s a news story that was just posted online..."

Qin Yang took the phone, placed it on the table, and tapped the link. A paused short video appeared on the screen, its title glaringly conspicuous.

[Shocking! The Sword God Has Reappeared in Sword Valley!]

It was posted at 6:00 AM from a burner account that looked like it had just been created.

"..."

Qin Yang’s brow tightened. He swiped to play the video, and the progress bar began to crawl forward.

On the screen, the layered peaks of Sword Valley were visible. The air crackled with sonic booms as a black-robed figure shot across the sky, free and unrestrained. It looked almost exactly like his old self...

The videographer was in the woods, filming the silhouette above from a low angle. The wind howled, and their hand was incredibly shaky.

Qin Yang watched for a few seconds before deciding he’d seen enough.

’This is definitely a fake. No question about it.’

’If you’re the Sword God...’

’...then who am I?’

"So I have a body double now?!"

"Are they posting this online to use public opinion to draw me out?"

Qin Yang’s mind raced as he scrolled down to the comments.

Just as he’d expected, public opinion in Jianghai City had already exploded. Everyone who saw the video was in an uproar. Its popularity was skyrocketing, and comments were flooding in.

[He’s here! The Sword God is finally back!!]

[I told my wife he’d definitely be back! With Jianghai City in such chaos, we need him to keep things in order!]

[Can I still meet him if I go to Sword Valley now?]

[Everyone, be discerning. The video is really blurry, so we don’t know if it’s real or fake. Don’t spread rumors.]

[It’s definitely real! I saw him this morning while I was walking in Sword Valley! I just couldn’t get my camera out in time!]

It was still early, so most people were asleep. The traffic wasn’t high enough yet, so the video was only number nine on the trending list.

Qin Yang estimated that once peak hours hit and people started checking their phones, its popularity would probably shoot to the top of the list.

It would push the public discussion to its absolute peak.

"So, they’re impersonating me to create a media frenzy?"

Qin Yang frowned slightly, recalling the "Venerable" that the two Demons had mentioned.

’So this was their plan?’

’Impersonate the Sword God, build up public pressure, and use it to force me out?’

’Is that it?’

’So transparent!’

At this thought, Qin Yang calmed down.

An online smear campaign was like smoke to him—nothing to be concerned about. With a clear conscience, he couldn’t care less what other people said or thought.

What he was *really* concerned about now...

...was what these Demons would do next. What other tricks did they have up their sleeves?

’If luring me out with public opinion is all they’ve got, that’s just childish.’

Qin Yang couldn’t be bothered with it.

He had left the Grassland Sword Saint hanging for four or five days last time, and he would do the same now. It was all a mind game.

It was just a matter of who had the stronger will.

"Um... Master?"

Seeing that Qin Yang had finished watching the video, Li Qinghe reached for her phone and asked cautiously, "When can I meet my grandmaster?"

Her lip quivered as she muttered, "You can’t lie to me again... You promised."

’Being lied to like this every day...’

’Who could stand it?’

’If this keeps up, my standing in the sect will never improve!’

"Wait a bit longer."

Qin Yang brushed her off casually. "The time isn’t right. When the moment comes, I’ll arrange for you to meet your grandmaster."

"Oh..."

At his words, Li Qinghe looked even more crestfallen. She opened her mouth as if to say something more, but after a moment’s hesitation, she silently got up and left the library’s outdoor seating area.

Not long after she left,

RING—

a crisp ringtone sounded from his pocket.

Qin Yang pulled out his phone. Seeing it was a call from Li Zixuan, he immediately answered.

"Senior Brother? Did you see this morning’s news? Is Master back?!"

On the other end of the line, Li Zixuan got straight to the point, her voice filled with urgency.

"..."

Qin Yang paused, considering how to respond. Should he tell her directly that it was a fake, or should he placate her with a vague excuse first?

Just then, Li Zixuan spoke again from the other end of the line:

"Senior Brother, a police team has already gone over to Sword Valley."

"Hm? They all went to welcome the Sword God?"

Recalling the video’s blurry footage, Qin Yang guessed they had gone to verify its authenticity.

After all, at a volatile time like this, everyone in Jianghai City was on edge. The mere mention of the "Sword God" was like a bombshell, stirring the hearts of many.

Qin Yang cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear, peeled an egg, and asked, "Besides them, who else went?"

"Elder Li and the Chief Commander!

They rushed to the scene immediately... A large contingent is now gathered outside Sword Valley. The entire upper echelon of Jianghai has been shaken!"

Li Zixuan lowered her voice. "Senior Brother, where in Jianghai is our Teacher now? I want to see him, too..."

"No rush, Junior Sister. He still has some business to attend to."

Qin Yang ate his boiled egg and said soothingly, "There are too many rumors online. You just need to trust me."

"Okay, I understand!"

Li Zixuan’s gentle voice came from the other end. "I won’t trust anyone but you, Senior Brother."

"Okay, just wait. I’ll let you know when I have news."

"Then I’ll head to class now."

BEEP—

As the dial tone sounded, Qin Yang put down his phone and went back to his breakfast, scrolling through the news online.

Sure enough, within minutes, someone else made a move, uploading more videos from different angles. The hype continued to build. The hashtag #JianghaiSwordGod shot up to number five nationwide, sparking another wave of public frenzy.

’So, they want to play the online pressure game, is that it?’

In the library’s outdoor seating area, Qin Yang watched the online developments, a cold glint in his eyes.

He’d just have to wait and see...

...what other new tricks this ’Venerable’ had up his sleeve.