Naked Sword Art

Chapter 384 384: Matriarch's Secret

'This wasn't an accident.'

The Trial Pod rankings were for the most part anonymous, with only numerical scores displayed. There was the option to leave a name, class, and guild, but most disciples in the higher ranks typically chose to hide it.

Clearly, Xiao Fang did too.

Supreme Elder Song was dissatisfied. There was more and more mystery shrouding Xiao Fang's character, and she was now committed to uncovering it.

Her robes rustled as she turned sharply and exited the pagoda, her pace quickening with purpose. There was still one place that might hold the answer.

The Guild Recruitment Center.

The front hall of the Guild Center stirred as Supreme Elder Song entered. The clerk elder at the desk jolted, nearly spilling her tea.

"Supreme Elder Song! I—How may I assist you?"

"I'm investigating a disciple," Song said coldly. "Goes by the name Long Wang. I want to know what guild he belongs to."

The elder blinked. "That... may take some time. We'd have to search the paper records manually—"

"Then show me where they are. I'll do it myself."

Without another word, the elder stood and led her to a wide corridor that opened into the Guild Archives—rows upon rows of wooden drawers and stone chests, each one bulging with parchment scrolls, stamped guild filings, and founding records.

"Begin with the Major Guilds," Song instructed. "I'll work my way down."

The clerk hesitated. "I'll have someone assist you shortly."

Song didn't reply. Her fingers were already prying open a chest of scrolls, eyes scanning with the precision of a sword master.

Moments later, a young disciple stepped into the room.

"Disciple Ruo Shi greets Supreme Elder Song," she said with a respectful bow.

Song didn't even look up. She pointed at a large box.

"Search that one. Tell me if you find the name Long Wang."

A brief silence passed—too long for a simple task.

"May I ask… why you're looking for him?"

Song's head lifted slowly. Her gaze locked onto Ruo Shi's temporary blank nameplate, tied at her waist just like Long Wang's.

"You know him?"

"I do," Ruo Shi said cautiously. "We're in the same guild."

That got Song's full attention. "Which guild?"

"The Nameless Guild," Ruo Shi replied. "Long Wang is our guild master."

There it was. The final piece sliding into place.

"Guild owner?"

As ridiculous as it sounded, it made sense to her.

'Of course. If he wanted to remain hidden, joining someone else's guild would be too exposed…' she thought.

She rose and scanned the shelves until her eyes landed on a narrow black box—

[ New Guild Filings ]

She yanked it open.

There, penned in bold ink:

[ Nameless Guild ]

Founder: Long Wang

At the bottom of the page was a stamp of approval.

She turned sharply.

"Thank you," she said to Ruo Shi, already heading back toward the main hall.

"Elder," Supreme Elder Song said, her voice low and firm. "I need access to your backup guild records."

The woman blinked. "Of course… May I ask which guild you're interested in looking into?"

"Nameless."

She recognized the odd guild name because not long ago Xiao Fang reported his guild door was blown off its hinges.

The Elder nodded. "Right this way."

They moved through a set of tall double doors flanked by guardian talismans. As they opened, the scent of old ink and spiritual ash drifted out. One by one, floating lanterns lit themselves along the shelves.

The Guild Vault.

Each aisle held black stone—one for every Inner Court guild, inscribed with member lists, along with their Class and Trial Pod ranks.

"This way…" the elder murmured, leading her down a narrow path.

Then she stopped.

A blank spot on the shelf right above a sign reading "Nameless". An empty indent where a black slate should have rested.

"...It's gone."

Supreme Elder Song's heart dropped, her voice turning icy.

"Explain."

"I—I don't know! We've never had one go missing before," the Elder stammered, her voice trembling.

Supreme Elder Song's eyes darkened, her gaze fixed on the empty space where the Nameless Guild's black stone should have been. The silence pressed in around her like the weight of the mountain.

'Could it be the Matriarch's doing…?'

She recalled the Matriarch's offhand remark—that Xiao Fang had placed 9th on the Trial Pod test, despite being a new Inner Court disciple. But the only way she could've known that… was if she'd seen the backup slate stored in this very vault.

There was still no definitive proof that Xiao Fang held the 9th rank. But if it really was true, then she couldn't think of a reason why the Matriarch would let a cultivator with his monstrous talent remain in the Inner Court.

'If I know one thing for sure, it's that someone is shielding him… And if it's the Matriarch, then I need to tread carefully,' she thought.

She folded her hands behind her back, suppressing the urge to lash out. The wind outside howled faintly through the stone corridor.

Supreme Elder Song continued to wrack her brain, but no matter how much she thought about it, it simply didn't make any sense to her. Unbeknownst to her, the answer was simple.

The reason the Matriarch had refused to elevate Xiao Fang into the Core Court wasn't because he lacked strength or talent—it was because, for the time being, she needed to keep him far away from someone that is special for the future of the sect.

Her new direct disciple.

Li Lian.

…

[ Core Court ]

Atop the secluded terrace overlooking the Core Court training grounds, the Matriarch stood beneath the broad canopy of a crimson-leafed spirit tree, her gaze steady and unwavering. In her hand, the black slate pulsed faintly with spiritual light—[ Long Wang ] etched clearly upon it, along with the seal of his guild and the unmistakable Trial Pod Rank: 9th.

But her eyes weren't on the slate.

They were on the girl below.

Li Lian's silhouette moved across the training grounds like a flowing river laced with lightning. Her whip cracked with precision, each strike whistling through the air and striking marked targets with surgical elegance. The weapon didn't merely obey her; it danced with her. Golden arcs of fiery Qi trailed each motion, drawing lines of intent and discipline in the open air.

"She's almost there," the Matriarch murmured under her breath.

But the faint pride in her voice was laced with something colder. Heavier.

She turned the slate over slowly in her palm, letting her thumb trace the name again.

Long Wang.

She still remembered the look on Li Lian's face whenever his name came up—quiet affection, subtle admiration. A flicker in her eyes that no amount of discipline could fully extinguish.

The Matriarch had warned her multiple times: "If you truly wish to succeed me, you must understand—there can be no marriage. Not for a Matriarch."

A cruel truth, perhaps, but an unshakable one.

That was why she intervened.

Xiao Fang was a talent that could greatly benefit the sect, but if he were to get brought into the Core Court, she wouldn't be able to stop Li Lian from seeing him everyday.

That was something the Matriarch couldn't let happen. Not yet anyway.

Li Lian wasn't just a Core Court disciple. She was the chosen heir—the one meant to carry the Matriarch's mantle. The next leader of the sect. And there could be no room for divided loyalties in a role that demanded complete devotion.

No husband. No marriage. No Xiao Fang.

"With time, she'll forget him," the Matriarch murmured, though whether she was trying to convince herself or fate itself, even she couldn't say. Her gaze sharpened as Li Lian unleashed a barrage of whip strikes—each one precise, thunderous, fierce.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The sound reverberated through the courtyard like war drums.

With a final, resounding snap, Li Lian's whip split the training post clean in half. She exhaled and straightened, turning toward the terrace, eyes silently awaiting her next command.

The Matriarch slid the black slate into her sleeve without a word, then stepped away from the ledge.

"Good work," she said at last. "You're ready for the next phase of your training."

.

.

.

In the Soul Devouring Clan, Xiao Fang remained seated in the lotus position as he attempted to mend the damage to his soul through Luo Biya's teachings.

[ Soul Heal ]

Xiao Fang's body illuminated with a subtle golden glow, overtime the glowing became stronger—more prominent.

"This boy…" Luo Biya whispered to herself, lips barely parting.

Luo Biya leaned back slowly, eyes narrowed in quiet speculation. For all her years of teaching, she had never witnessed a disciple grasp a soul cultivation technique at this pace—not even in her prime.

'Who are you really,' she wondered to herself.

Just then, a knock echoed from the front of the house. Luo Biya blinked once, rising without a word. She slipped through the doorway quietly, not wanting to break Xiao Fang's trance.

Outside, a middle-aged elder stood with a slight bow.

"Elder Biya," he greeted respectfully, "your granddaughter… she's returned to the clan. She's with her mother now."

Luo Biya's expression didn't shift, but a faint warmth flickered behind her eyes.

"That's good news. How does she look? Did she return on her own?" she asked.

"Yes, and she seems well."

A slow nod. "Good."

She glanced briefly back at Xiao Fang, then turned again to the elder.

"When she's ready, tell her to come see me here. There's someone I wish for her to meet."

The elder bowed again, stepping back. "As you wish."

When the door closed and silence returned, Luo Biya lingered for a moment at the threshold, a curious thought crossing her mind.

'If Xiao Fang continues like this… and if Luo Yue can accept him… there's no telling what the future will hold for this clan,' she thought.

Her gaze drifted back toward the chamber where Xiao Fang sat, still glowing faintly with soul light.

'...Perhaps fate truly has plans for our clan afterall.'