The person who leaped out from the earth was not Fang Pingzhai, but a burly bald man—it was the “Great Understanding” Zen Master who had mysteriously disappeared from Shaolin Temple. At this time he was dressed as a layman, wearing dark red short clothes, with bulging muscles and a mighty appearance, completely different from his appearance at Shaolin Temple.
The person walking behind Great Understanding Zen Master wore light robes with loose sashes, dressed in dark black clothes—it was Fang Pingzhai… or rather, Chai Xijin.
“Young Master Tang.” Chai Xijin nodded to Tang Lici, his demeanor graceful and noble, as if the person “Fang Pingzhai” had never existed. That head-shaking, chattering Young Master with the red fan seemed like a great dream of this person’s life. Now Chai Xijin straightened his back, composed his brows and eyes, and even his breathing when speaking was completely different from before.
“I watched from the side for a long time,” Chai Xijin’s expression was calm, “Young Master Tang has not killed this person until now—I was puzzled at first…” He stared at Tang Lici. “Then I suddenly understood. Your not killing this person is more sinister than killing him.”
“How do you see that?” Tang Lici’s fingers slowly slid along the blade of the azure Leaving the Group sword, as if caressing some precious object. Ten Thousand Li Peach Blossoms had coiled into his sleeve, splashing several delicate bloodstains on the snow-white sleeve like dark bamboo branches—quite beautiful.
“What you want to see… is when you throw such a large piece of fragrant bait, who will ultimately come forward to eat it—to replace and take over Yu Konghou’s authority over the Romantic Shop?” Chai Xijin said. “It would be best if we fight for power and profit and kill each other, saving Young Master Tang many methods.”
“Since Prince Ji says so, you must be unwilling to fight for power and profit and kill each other.” Tang Lici lowered his long sword. “But this person harmed your White Cloud Valley’s loyal family—don’t you want to…”
Before he could finish, Chai Xijin’s expression had already changed. “What did you say?”
Tang Lici said word by word slowly, “Zhao Zongjing led troops to flatten White Cloud Valley. He came to suppress rebellion—how did he get the information? Who was it?” He stepped forward. Chai Xijin instinctively wanted to retreat but finally restrained himself and didn’t step back.
He stared into Tang Lici’s eyes. Tang Lici let him look, his eyes calm as still water, neither sad nor happy.
Chai Xijin stared at him for a while, then asked again, “What did you say?”
Tang Lici said, “I said—Zhao Zongjing came to suppress rebellion and killed your entire White Cloud Valley family… who told him the information about White Cloud Valley?”
Chai Xijin slowly straightened his back and suddenly laughed out loud, “Haha…” For a moment, he seemed to laugh in Fang Pingzhai’s voice, then he brushed his sleeves. “At this moment… discussing who it was has no meaning for me anymore.”
The road had reached its end, with no shore to return to. After Zhao Zongjing led troops to flatten White Cloud Valley, Chai Xijin… had no choice, no way to retreat.
“It was Zhong Chunji.” Tang Lici didn’t listen to his self-mockery and said softly.
This was an unexpected name. Chai Xijin didn’t even remember who this person was and was stunned.
Tang Lici didn’t explain who this person was, still saying softly, “Zhong Chunji had never met White Cloud Valley. She neither knew Fang Pingzhai nor was aware of Chai Xijin. She might not even know the surname and given name of the previous dynasty’s emperor—why did she send a letter to Zhao Zongjing saying she learned White Cloud Valley was harboring rebellious ministers and traitors, leading to two thousand iron cavalry flattening White Cloud Valley?” He stepped forward again. Chai Xijin slowly retreated half a step as Tang Lici said, “Because the letter was written by her at the Romantic Shop’s instruction.”
Chai Xijin stood woodenly. After a while, he nodded.
Tang Lici said softly, “Then won’t you kill him?”
Chai Xijin laughed in a low voice, “Haha… hahahaha…” Great Understanding beside him had been listening to Tang Lici’s words but remained completely motionless from beginning to end, as if he hadn’t heard a single word. Chai Xijin said, “Young Master Tang, my White Cloud Valley didn’t die out solely because of this person. I’m very clear… don’t think that by enticing me to kill this person, you can turn back to shore.”
Tang Lici said gently, “I entice you to kill this person to prepare to entice others to kill you. Who wants you to turn back to shore?” He raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. His previously emotionless eyes sparkled brilliantly due to this bit of surprise, making him seem to have gained a soul in this instant. “Prince Ji, the person who’s lucky enough to still think about whether he can turn back to shore is you—” He smiled slightly. “You’re unwilling to fight for power and profit and kill each other, yet you still think day and night about whether you can turn back to shore? Prince Ji, when people enter the game, good and evil are obliterated, in all directions… where is there a shore?”
Chai Xijin suddenly stared at him. “Those words are for yourself.” He said in a low voice, “Great Understanding!”
Great Understanding grabbed Yu Konghou and walked toward the wall. Chai Xijin followed closely, and both disappeared behind the earth wall.
Tang Lici didn’t stop them. Yu Konghou was severely injured to this extent, a tiger fallen to the plains with heroes surrounding him. His fate would only be more miserable than being killed with one sword. Chai Xijin intended to capture this person to control the initiative in the rebellion matter, but not only did Chai Xijin want to know who was behind Gui Mudan—Tang Lici also wanted to know.
He had made a trip to the capital but still hadn’t clarified some matters, which was very rare for Young Master Tang.
Fang Pingzhai was Prince Ji Chai Xijin. His White Cloud Valley was flattened by Zhao Zongjing’s troops, and all the old loyalists of Great Zhou died. This was one of Zhao Zongjing’s great achievements and wasn’t difficult to investigate. It was natural that Fang Pingzhai had to restart the Chai clan to avenge his old friends. But whose blade was he—who wanted to use him to stir up trouble? Or to put it another way—Gui Mudan wearing the Vairocana Buddha mask, the death warriors in black and red cloaks, the strange people with leather wings who could fly, and the Romantic Shop that used poison to try to control most of the martial world—were they all working for whom?
Such grand scheming—was it to revive Great Zhou?
This was a strange plot from bottom to top. Someone had developed ambition from strange arts and techniques, delusionally attempting to have a chance at ruling the world… but observing this person’s schemes and arrangements, their ambition was great but their courage was small.
Tang Lici smiled lightly, pressing his hand to his waist wound and bringing out a handful of blood.
He looked carefully at the blood covering his five fingers. It was just thick blood color, exactly the same as anyone else’s blood, with nothing different.
Then came a series of explosive sounds behind him. Something collapsed again in the distance behind him. Tang Lici gently exhaled and suddenly turned back to look—in the far distance, Cheng Yunpao came flying from that direction, crashing through an earth wall and landing heavily on the ground with a bang. He held the unconscious Gu Xitan, himself also covered in blood and in a wretched state. Kuanglan Wuxing was approaching step by step from the darkness, and standing with sword drawn in front of them was actually Zheng Yue.
“Young Master Jade” Zheng Yue, who was as famous as “Young Master Bi” Qi Xing, among the heroes of Haoyun Mountain, could neither be considered highly skilled in martial arts nor outstanding in character. Even his usually proud handsome face was merely average among Haoyun Mountain’s group of beautiful men.
Even for such an important task as the night raid on Drifting Brow Garden to rescue Bi Lianyi, Miss Hong hadn’t thought to include him.
However, on this dark and windy night, when Cheng Yunpao and Gu Xitan faced Kuanglan Wuxing who had absorbed eighty percent of Yu Konghou’s true power and were defeated miserably under the poisonous fire war halberd, the one who stepped forward to rescue them at the moment of death was not Tang Lici, but Zheng Yue.
Zheng Yue was currently trembling all over.
He gripped his sword very tightly. Kuanglan Wuxing had taken a sword from Cheng Yunpao in the chest and a palm strike from Gu Xitan on his back, but appeared completely unharmed, still looking like a demon or ghost.
And he… he was just indignant that tonight Xu Qingbo had a part in this mission while he actually couldn’t participate? Xu Qingbo was a third-rate character—his martial arts weren’t as high as his own, and in Jiangnan he wasn’t as famous as himself. Why could someone surnamed Xu act together with Cheng Yunpao while he couldn’t? So taking advantage of the night, Zheng Yue dressed in black with his sword and secretly snuck over alone.
All along the way he saw that Drifting Brow Garden had been torn open by falling rocks, creating a large breach. That breach was actually unguarded, and as he went deeper, no one stopped him. He just charged into the battlefield where Cheng Yunpao and Kuanglan Wuxing were fighting.
As soon as he arrived, he saw Cheng Yunpao thrust his sword into Kuanglan Wuxing’s chest. The fierce wind and qi waves nearly knocked him flying. Kuanglan Wuxing counterattacked after being wounded, his torn sleeves swirling with faint black qi, striking Cheng Yunpao under the ribs. Both were wounded and retreated together. Kuanglan Wuxing spilled blood on the spot while Cheng Yunpao was sent flying, landing heavily in the distance.
The difference was that Kuanglan Wuxing, wounded in the chest, stood firm and instead walked toward Cheng Yunpao step by bloody step.
Cheng Yunpao struggled several times after being struck by that palm before barely standing up. As Kuanglan Wuxing walked toward him all the way, Gu Xitan was already severely injured and lying on the ground. Seeing that Kuanglan Wuxing was about to stomp him into meat paste, Cheng Yunpao could bear it no longer. He barely summoned a breath of true qi, swept over to pick up Gu Xitan, and retreated.
Kuanglan Wuxing came trampling through blood, suddenly accelerating. The feathered true qi behind him helped him advance and retreat faster as he pounced down from above toward Cheng Yunpao’s crown. His war halberd had already shattered, and his five fingers were withered and scorched from excessive operation of “Demon Spitting Pearl Qi,” with white bone visible at the fingertips. Yet they still brought black poisonous flames, striking down toward Cheng Yunpao’s head.
Cheng Yunpao blocked horizontally with his sword. With a crisp “crack,” the Cold Sword Desolate Frost’s blade shattered. Cheng Yunpao’s sword hilt flew from his hand and fell heavily to the ground. He himself was also sent flying by Kuanglan Wuxing’s “Feathering” strike. Even though his body was beyond his control, he still tightly protected Gu Xitan. While in mid-air, he still waved his sleeves to block the fragments of his own shattered sword to avoid injuring his junior brother.
Then both fell heavily to the ground and could not rise again.
Kuanglan Wuxing swept away the fragments of Cold Sword Desolate Frost with his sleeve and raised his hand to give these two the final blow.
Just then, Zheng Yue in the distance shouted loudly, “Stop!”
He leaped forward, drew his sword, and blocked in front of Cheng Yunpao.
He didn’t know why he had rushed out either. He just saw Cheng Yunpao’s unyielding spirit even in the face of death, still not giving up on protecting Gu Xitan. He just saw “Cold Sword Desolate Frost” shatter on the spot, and his blood suddenly rushed to his head, so he drew his sword and charged out.
Blocking in front of two great masters of the current age.
He seemed to know what he was doing.
Yet seemed not to know what he was doing.
Kuanglan Wuxing paid no attention to his shout of “Stop!” He couldn’t hear anyway, and even if he could hear, he wouldn’t take Zheng Yue seriously. He just paused slightly, and in one breath, he was already before Zheng Yue, his deadly five fingers reaching Zheng Yue’s head.
Zheng Yue was after all famous from his youth. He slashed his sword toward Kuanglan Wuxing’s wrist.
With a “snap,” the sword blade struck Kuanglan Wuxing’s wrist as if hitting ironwood, only cutting a thin wound on that scorched black wrist. The wound didn’t even bleed.
Zheng Yue had used all his power in this sword strike. Seeing this, he was terrified but his second sword still stabbed toward Kuanglan Wuxing’s chest. He didn’t retreat. He didn’t have time to retreat, and he hadn’t thought of retreating at all. If he retreated one step, Kuanglan Wuxing’s palm would go straight for the Cheng Yunpao brothers. He had no time to think about whether he was trying to stop a chariot with his arms. When one sword failed, he struck another—besides this, there was nothing else in Zheng Yue’s mind at that moment.
Under his feet were fragments of Cold Sword Desolate Frost.
He only knew his sword hadn’t shattered yet.
Cheng Yunpao spat out a mouthful of blood with a “wa” sound. He opened his mouth wanting to tell Zheng Yue to leave quickly but couldn’t make any sound.
Gu Xitan in his arms slowly woke up. He saw Zheng Yue’s back and murmured, “Zheng… Young Master Zheng?”
With a “bang,” sand and stones fell all around. In the already dim vision of Cheng Yunpao and Gu Xitan, Kuanglan Wuxing grabbed Zheng Yue’s sword and casually twisted it into fragments, then grasped Zheng Yue’s neck.
Then an object flew through the air and coiled around Kuanglan Wuxing’s neck. Blood vessels bulged on Kuanglan Wuxing’s neck.
Then qi waves surged. Cheng Yunpao and Gu Xitan both fainted together, vaguely hearing the sound of someone falling heavily, as if several people had all fallen to the ground together.