At this juncture, who would rush forward to offer themselves up?

Yet who in the world didn’t know that Second Young Master Yue was an iron-willed hero and warrior? Now a stunningly beautiful young woman insisted repeatedly that she was Yue Changling—how could people be convinced?

However… if one were to truly say they didn’t believe it, who had executed that heaven-shaking, ghost-weeping move of the Hero’s Tomb just now?

At this moment, a flash of malice crossed Scholar Xue’s face as he angrily said, “A mere girl—who gave you the gall to impersonate Second Young Master Yue?”

Seeing his appearance of a villain filing a complaint first while not daring to approach, Changling smiled disdainfully. She turned her gaze toward the several people beside him and said unhurriedly, “Chi Zishan, back at Feiying Sect, you said as long as I helped point out a few moves to you, whenever you encountered anyone who disrespected me in the future, you’d be the first to go cause them trouble. I wonder if what you said still counts?”

Before Chi Zishan could express his shock, she looked toward Lu Tianlan again, “Lu Tianlan, you used to always worry that your pale face and weak fists would prevent you from finding a wife. Now that you’ve become the leader of Divine Fist Gang, have you married yet?”

“Second Young Master…” It was that familiar tone and manner. Chi Zishan and Lu Tianlan exchanged glances, both seeing the disbelief in each other’s eyes. “It really is Second Young Master…”

“Sect Leader Jiang,” Changling turned her head to look at Jiang Fangyao. “Last time at Dazhao Temple, I heard your ‘Dragon Soaring Tiger Roaring’ seemed a bit hoarse. After you injured your throat at Hengshan back then, did you fail to follow medical advice and quit drinking?”

Jiang Fangyao took a deep breath, his throat moving. He clasped his fists and bowed to Changling, then straightened up and said, “Second Young Master’s concern is appreciated, but this bad habit of mine for drinking—I’m afraid I won’t be able to quit it in this lifetime…”

Changling called out a few more names. Initially, she wanted to tell each person something only Second Young Master would know to dispel their doubts. But as she spoke, her thoughts drifted to the past, and she suddenly realized that those days she found annoying and troublesome had unknowingly been buried in time, fermenting into a pot of fragrant sweet wine.

Through the exchange of words, those old acquaintances were already beside themselves with excitement. Even their disciples, just watching their sect leaders’ reactions, believed it somewhat. However, for more people, Second Young Master Yue returning from the dead after many years as Second Miss Yue was still incomprehensible. Someone muttered in confusion, “How could such a thing exist in the world? If this is true, was Young Master Yue previously a woman disguised as a man, or is she now a man disguised as a woman…”

“In the past, Yue led troops on the battlefield. To intimidate enemy forces, I wore a mask year-round to conceal my female identity. Few knew of this… However, Shaolin’s Master Huiguang was also an old friend of my father’s. Whether I’m male or female, he knows.” Changling looked toward Master Huiguang. “The Master is a monk—naturally he wouldn’t speak falsehoods.”

When she was gravely injured in her youth, her father had also rushed to Shaolin to seek Huiguang’s help. As it happened, Master Jiaye was at Shaolin Temple paying respects to Buddha at that time. Later, that Changling could be saved—Huiguang also played a part in persuading him.

“That’s correct. The second child of the Yue Family is of female form. This old monk can testify to this. However…” Huiguang said hesitantly, “The young lady appears far too young. Although your martial arts are extremely similar to the Shimo Divine Technique, Second Young Master Yue’s identity is special after all. Based solely on your sword, this old monk doesn’t dare assert you are Second Young Master himself.”

Changling knew Master Huiguang acted cautiously, also fearing someone else might use her name to stir up trouble, so she didn’t blame him. Hearing Master Huiguang speak this way, Scholar Xue hastily chimed in, “Master Huiguang speaks correctly. If Yue Changling were still alive in this world, he should at least be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. How could you possibly be Yue Changling? Though I don’t know who sent you or from where you heard about the old affairs between several sect leaders and the Yue Family, today you first disrupted the assembly, then harmed many of my Xiaoyao Sect disciples. Now you want to steal a name with a few ambiguous greetings—do you think all the heroes under heaven are blind!”

“The one stealing names is perhaps someone else.” Suddenly two figures came flying swiftly. Jiagu, who leaped to the front, performed a high-difficulty flip in midair, not forgetting to mock, “How is it that your Xiaoyao Sect’s first disciple turned out to be Jing Wuwei’s son? Sect Leader Xue has yet to give an explanation. Now that the real person has arrived, how have you turned it around to interrogate them?”

Scholar Xue’s entire body shook. It wasn’t that he was intimidated by Jiagu’s words, but when those two figures landed, he immediately saw Jiaye, who shouldn’t have appeared. His face instantly alternated between red and white.

The situation at this moment was chaotic beyond measure. Most people were in a state of “why are people always descending from the sky?” Master Huiguang recognized the newcomer and was truly shocked. He hastily stepped forward, pressing his palms together, “Master Jiaye, you are well.”

Jiaye returned the gesture with a slight smile, “Many years have passed. Master Huiguang is just as he was back then.”

“A year ago, this humble monk received a letter learning that the Master wished to come to the Central Plains. Our entire temple has been respectfully awaiting your arrival, yet we’ve seen no sign of you. We thought urgent matters had delayed you.” The eyes of the old monk over seventy actually showed a gleam of admiration as he looked at Jiaye. “I wonder when the Master arrived at Xiaoyao Valley?”

“This old monk arrived at this Xiaoyao Valley before the new year.” Jiaye looked meaningfully toward Scholar Xue. “Only someone was unwilling to let this old monk leave, so I couldn’t keep my appointment at Shaolin.”

Master Huiguang was startled, “What do you mean by this?”

“Last winter, this old monk passed through Xiaoyao Valley as a guest. Who knew that Sect Leader Xue wished to obtain the Shimo True Scripture from me, so he forcibly detained me, using eighteen silver needles to seal my extraordinary meridians and eight vessels, imprisoning me in the Hall of Longevity.” As soon as Jiaye spoke these words, the faces of surrounding people instantly turned white as sheets. “Fortunately, my disciple acted in time to release the restrictions on my body. Only now can I stand here…”

Master Huiguang and Daoist Lingxu asked in unison, “Disciple?”

Jiaye turned toward Changling’s direction with a faint smile, “This old monk has only taken this one disciple in the Central Plains… Changling, have you not yet told everyone your identity?”

These words were enough to prove Changling’s identity—Master Jiaye was a renowned high monk known throughout the world. Even the highly respected Master Huiguang showed him utmost respect. What he personally acknowledged—who would dare question another word?

“I did say, but someone saw that I looked too young and accused me of stealing a false name. Yet how could others know the mysteries of the Shimo True Scripture?” Changling deliberately looked at Scholar Xue. “Sect Leader Xue, before we’ve even finished speaking, where are you rushing to retreat to?”

It turned out that from the moment Jiaye appeared, Scholar Xue had already shown signs of retreat—regardless of whether Changling’s identity was real or fake, Xiaoyao Sect’s imprisonment of Jiaye was an established fact. Since he couldn’t clear his name with a hundred mouths, could he possibly stay in place waiting to be denounced and captured?

Scholar Xue took advantage of the two monks’ greetings to shrink back from the Martial Alliance seats. Suddenly hearing Changling call his name, his form had already flown out, landing at the shore among the gathered Xiaoyao disciples. He cast a look of sudden realization toward Jiagu, “No wonder the scripture you gave me seemed right yet wrong, and the explanations you provided were vague and unclear. So it was to delay until now…”

“Amitabha.” Jiaye said calmly, “It’s not that the scripture this old monk gave seemed right yet wrong, but that those who cannot let go of fame, profit, and desire cannot comprehend the essentials of mental cultivation. Sect Leader Xue, you’ve harmed yourself—that’s one thing. But you truly shouldn’t have harmed your Xiaoyao Sect disciples in order to win first place at the martial arts assembly… Taking forbidden substances can superficially make their eyesight, hand strength, and body techniques more than ten times stronger than usual. However, the more this substance accumulates in the body, the more it erodes their will. Over time, they’ll become neither human nor monster. This is a great sin.”

As soon as these words came out, the faces of the disciples behind Scholar Xue instantly changed. You Hongzi immediately asked, “Master, is what he says true?”

“Pure nonsense! He was imprisoned in the Hall of Longevity for so long he never even left once. Can you believe his words?” Scholar Xue pointed at Jiaye with a hideous expression. “I don’t know when Jing Can disguised himself as Lu Yazi and infiltrated Xiaoyao Valley. For Master Jiaye to appear at this moment and openly spread rumors to sow discord—he probably wants to use his jianghu prestige to take personal revenge!”

Jiagu laughed loudly, “Ha! I thought Sect Leader Xue was only vicious toward others. Turns out he doesn’t even spare his own disciples! I just came from Yanling Mountain a while ago. That village is full of villagers poisoned by your kind of toxin. This poison originally came from the Five Poisons Sect. I don’t know where that fellow surnamed Jing found an improved version, but that thing is extremely sinister. I advise you all to confess early. Otherwise, spending your whole lives in regret for such an unreliable master—is it really worth it?”

Scholar Xue anxiously waved his whisk, “You shut your mouth!”

Jiagu dodged the surge of powerful energy that rolled toward him, “See! Gave himself away without even being interrogated, didn’t he?”

Seeing this, the corner of Ye Qi’s mouth curved slightly upward.

Last night after his detailed discussion with Changling, he had Jiagu take a message to Jiaye, telling him to appear and testify tomorrow only after Changling announced her identity—if he appeared too early, the masses wouldn’t feel the fury of being deceived. Since they were digging a pit for Scholar Xue to jump into, naturally the deeper the better.

After Jiagu faithfully delivered the message, he brought back Jiaye’s response—Jiaye indicated that Scholar Xue had obtained some strange medicine from Jing Can. In short, all three hundred-plus disciples throughout Xiaoyao Valley had their martial power multiplied. They should be careful when things turned ugly, lest Xiaoyao Sect throw caution to the wind. Prudence in all matters was paramount.

After hearing this, Ye Qi was not worried but delighted. With a slight calculation in his mind, he said a few words, telling Jiagu to seize the opportunity and point at Scholar Xue to curse and revile him. Jiagu marveled in amazement, “Little Ye, how do you know that the medicine Jing Can gave them is the same as the parasitic poison in those villagers we encountered at Yanling Mountain?”

“I don’t know.” Ye Qi said matter-of-factly, “It’s just a possibility. In any case, no matter what you say, Scholar Xue will categorically deny it. Moreover, in tomorrow’s situation, who will have the leisure to get to the bottom of where the medicine came from? In any case, it definitely harms the body. The more you speak as if it’s real, the more Xiaoyao Sect’s disciples will believe it without doubt… Once internal strife breaks out among them, no matter how many escape routes Sect Leader Xue arranged beforehand, he’ll be singing a lonely tune.”

Scholar Xue stared at Jiagu with eyes about to split, originally thinking this secret was known only to him and Jing Can. Who knew this strange monk would expose everything in public? How was he to explain himself before his many disciples?

Just from looking at his expression, Jiagu knew his divine calculator disciple had predicted correctly again. He was secretly sighing in admiration when he heard Scholar Xue frantically defend himself to his disciples, “I swear on my life that what I administered to you was for cultivation purposes, absolutely not the so-called poison they speak of. Moreover, your master has also taken that substance. Would your master harm himself?”

You Hongzi and the others naturally didn’t wish to turn against their own master at this time, but doubts still arose in their hearts. Yan Xingzi said, “Perhaps Master was deceived by that Jing Can without knowing it?”

Once these words were spoken, it both acknowledged taking forbidden medicine and confirmed Xiaoyao Sect’s collusion with Jing Can. The crowd erupted in indignation.

Scholar Xue couldn’t spare attention for the curses coming from all directions. He only said, “How could your master possibly be deceived by that mere boy? Fine, if you all don’t believe me, today your master will prove his innocence with death!”

Before his words fell, before his disciples could stop him, he had already rushed toward the lakeside. With one hand he drew a long sword and placed it across his neck. The next moment, blood sprayed as Scholar Xue fell into the lake with his sword, causing Xiaoyao Sect disciples to wail in grief.

“Master!”

Everyone was dumbstruck. Even the heroes who had already raised their blades intending to attack stopped in their tracks.

Today at this martial arts assembly, various unexpected changes emerged so rapidly one couldn’t take them all in. One could simply never guess what kind of reversal would occur next.

Changling glanced over disdainfully. Watching Scholar Xue drift with the waves for a distance, she said flatly, “Sect Leader Xue has wolfish ambitions. He’s harmed countless people, and even caused Alliance Leader Mo to lose all his limbs. For him to die like this is too easy… I wonder if someone can fish him back for me. Even if he becomes a corpse, his bones must be shattered into ten or eight pieces. Only then would it be fair!”

Before she could receive the furious glares from Xiaoyao Sect disciples, as her words fell, a water wave suddenly rose from the lake surface. That supposedly dead Scholar Xue suddenly “came back from the dead,” swimming forward at incredible speed like a carp that had stepped on a spring, whooshing several dozen zhang away in a few sounds.

You Hongzi shouted loudly, “Master’s not dead! Master’s escaping!”

Ye Qi gave Changling a meaningful look. Changling nodded slightly and said to You Hongzi, Yan Xingzi, and the others, “Your master faking death to escape shows his guilty conscience. Considering you also were unaware, your crime doesn’t warrant death. The poison in your bodies has a method of cure, but the key to detoxification is exactly how much medicine Scholar Xue administered… If you can promptly blockade all routes out of the valley and capture Scholar Xue, you can regain your lives.”

Spoken personally by Second Young Master Yue—how could it be false?

The Xiaoyao Sect disciples looked over as if grasping their last life-saving talisman. You Hongzi and Yan Xingzi conferred with their eyes. You Hongzi was first to cast off his robe and kneel, “We are willing to heed the Alliance Leader’s command and capture Mas… Scholar Xue and bring him back!”

Yan Xingzi led the numerous disciples in kneeling together, “We are willing to heed the Alliance Leader’s command!”

In everyone’s eyes, once they truly learned that the woman on the platform who had turned the tide was genuinely the Second Young Master Yue who once dominated the jianghu, no one dared question Changling’s position as Alliance Leader anymore.

At this moment, several hundred Xiaoyao Sect disciples spoke in unison—it was truly inspiring. Chi Zishan, Lu Tianlan, and others raised their swords even higher, ordering their disciples to join in shouting “The Alliance Leader Returns.” In moments, more and more people joined the earth-shaking chorus. The scene was like rivers overturning and seas boiling—utterly震撼.

Scholar Xue swam for what felt like ages, nearly dying at the lake bottom. With great difficulty, he endured until darkness fell before passing through a secret passage beneath the lake.

When Jing Can first came to him, he had originally planned to drive him away. Then Jing Can produced evidence that Xiaoyao Sect had once participated in harming Young Master Yue, and only then did Scholar Xue have to agree to cooperate.

Though the results of this transaction were enticing, he was gambling with everything he had. He truly couldn’t fail to prepare this final contingency.

The hour of Hai had passed. Xiaoyao Sect disciples and the Martial Alliance had already searched around Qiong Lake several times—this was when defenses were most lax.

When Scholar Xue’s head emerged from the water surface again, he had already reached the Nine Linked Pools Valley.

He carried a large bag of dry provisions prepared long ago on his back. Taking a few steps in the pool, he reached through the valley crevice and triggered several switches barely visible to the naked eye in succession. The next moment, a sound of crumbling mountain stone rang out. The embedded rock shook violently, as if divine craftsmanship and ghostly axes were splitting down in response—the mountain gate thus opened wide.

Scholar Xue’s form was like lightning, swiftly passing through the water curtain. Upon reaching the other side, he couldn’t wait to close the mountain gate.

Only after the rock wall sealed did he finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

Fortunately, only he knew the method to open this mechanism. Even if the people outside had already noticed, they absolutely couldn’t get inside.

However, just as he turned his head, two figures—a man and a woman—stood beneath the moonlight.

Scholar Xue’s eyes widened. In this moment, his heart nearly stopped.

Ye Qi, seeing him frightened colorless, nudged Changling beside him with his elbow, “I told you not to run so fast. Look at him—what if he’d been scared to death?”

The corner of Changling’s mouth twitched slightly. “Ha ha. Whose idea was this?”

Naturally, the young Marquis’s.

During last night’s discussion, after Changling heard everything, she only asked one question, “Tomorrow on the platform, if I’m too aggressive and actually frighten Scholar Xue to death, how do we open the stone valley mechanism to rescue my elder brother?”

“This is the final step I must gamble on. We must first turn Xiaoyao Sect’s disciples against him, then force him away without leaving a trace, and finally let him know all his escape routes are sealed. With no way to retreat, he has only one path left to take.” Ye Qi revealed a smile of certain victory. “That path is his escape route—and coincidentally, it’s the route we’re seeking.”

At this moment, Scholar Xue trembled all over, unable even to stand steadily. He wouldn’t be foolish enough to resist desperately before Second Young Master Yue.

“What… what are you going to do…”

She turned around, gazing at the deep valley ahead. “Sect Leader Xue has misunderstood. Your measly rotten life isn’t worth us waiting until now.”

She had come to see a long-separated relative.

The eldest young master of the Yue Family, Yue Changsheng.