The Righteous Man's Search for His Wife [Complete] - 9

Chapter 112 Turning Danger into Safety

After Xu Zhengqi's battle with the leaders of the fourteen sects, all the heroes were injured, and even Xu Zhengqi only had half of his Dragon Strength left. Suddenly, the powerful enemy of the court, Young Master Wang, appeared.

I stood up and said, "So it's Young Master Wang. What brings you here?"

Young Master Wang chuckled, a very eerie laugh, and said, "Brother Xu is a smart man. When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman naturally benefits. Tell me, how could I, the fisherman, not come?"

Hearing this young man's blatant threat, the heroes began to curse.

"Pretty boy, if you have the guts, wait until I'm healed. We'll have a one-on-one duel. Only a turtle wouldn't dare!"

"You brat, what kind of hero takes advantage of someone in distress?"

...

Curses erupted throughout the arena, and chaos ensued.

An old man stepped forward from beside Young Master Wang, his voice sinister: "Any hero who dares to utter another word, don't blame me, Ding Rang, the Ice Soul Palm, for being impolite." With that, he struck a nearby boulder with his palm, instantly freezing its surface! He struck again, and with a crack, the entire boulder shattered into ice crystals.

The assembled heroes, never having witnessed such domineering Ice Soul True Qi, immediately fell silent; none of them wanted to become ice pops.

Master Xuan, possessing profound skill, was now able to sit up. He coughed and said, "Amitabha! I never imagined it would be Ding Rang, the Ice Soul Palm who shook the martial world thirty years ago. Benefactor Ding, after that battle, I thought you had passed away, but I didn't expect you to be hiding in the government."

Ding Rang's old face lit up with joy, saying, "Old monk Xuan, you never expected this day to come, did you? Back then, you and the Wudang Qingfeng Taoist priest knocked me into the Yellow River. Today, I can finally settle that score."

Qingfeng Taoist... He forced himself to sit up straight, coughed up blood, and said, "Thirty years ago, you committed countless evils, indiscriminately killing innocent people for money. It is the greatest regret of my life that Master Xuan and I failed to rid the martial arts world of this scourge."

Ding Rang chuckled evilly and said, "Still being stubborn even when death is imminent!" Just as he was about to step forward to finish off the two men, Young Master Wang reached out and stopped him, saying, "Master Ding, we came here mainly for the Emperor's great cause. Let's put aside our personal grudges for now."

Upon hearing this, Ding Rang was reluctant, but still had no choice but to take a step back.

Young Master Wang clasped his hands in a fist salute to the assembled heroes, saying, "My lord has always admired the martial arts masters of the world and is eager to recruit talented individuals. If you heroes submit to my lord, you will enjoy endless wealth and glory in the future!"

I laughed and asked, "What if we don't submit?"

Young Master Wang waved his fan and smiled, "Those who understand the times are wise. I think you are all intelligent people and won't make things difficult for me, will you?"

Hong Jiugong, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, finally straightened up, leaning on his green bamboo pole, and said, "Our Beggars' Sect is nothing but a bunch of beggars. I suppose we have nothing to do with this. Farewell! Men, we have nothing to do with you anymore, let's go."

Upon hearing their leader's words, the Beggars' Sect disciples all got up and were about to leave. Young

Master Wang's expression changed, and he said, "Do you think you can leave?" With a wave of his left hand, the hundred or so martial arts experts behind him quickly moved, surrounding the thousands of heroes in the arena in an instant. Judging from their movements, each of them possessed over fifty years of martial arts experience, and all were quite old. It was truly astonishing where they had gathered such a group of experts.

In contrast, the assembled heroes were all injured, unable to even stand, let alone fight.

Although the assembled heroes had the numerical advantage, in a real battle, few would likely survive.

Young Master Wang said, "Since everyone is unwilling, don't blame me for being ruthless. Feed the heroes the Three Corpse Brain God Pill!"

"A divine medicine of the Sun Moon Cult!"

many in the crowd exclaimed. I looked at Qin Chunfeng, the leader of the Tianshan Sect, with suspicion. He explained, "The Three Corpse Brain God Pill is a poison used by the Sun Moon Cult, which dominated the martial world two hundred years ago, to control its followers. Those poisoned must take an antidote every three months, or they will die from festering sores all over their bodies."

Many in the crowd who knew this couldn't help but shudder.

A hundred or so soldiers pulled out pills from their pockets, about to force-feed them to the group, when I stepped forward and shouted, "Wait!" The men froze.

Young Master Wang asked, "What can I do for you, Brother Xu?"

"These heroes are all friends who came to support me. Young Master Wang, it seems you haven't even asked for my permission to treat them like this."

"Brother Xu, you can barely protect yourself, yet you want to stand up for others? Besides, these people are calling a deer a horse, accusing you of being a lecherous monster. Why should you help these unreasonable people?"

"Everyone in the world can be unkind to me, but I cannot betray the principles of the world," I said firmly.

"Ding Rang, Hu Fang, seize this man!" Young Master Wang, his gentle demeanor gone, was now enraged. Two men sprang out beside him: one was the old man Ding Rang, and the other, an old man with a flushed face, presumably Hu Fang.

The two immediately attacked from the side, one using the Ice Soul Palm, the other a palm strike imbued with fire—they practiced the ultimate Yang palm technique.

Judging by their power, my hundred years of cultivation were insufficient to withstand their combined might. I no longer cared about revealing my identity and unleashed the Soaring Dragon Palm Technique, executing the "Dragon Enters the Sea" move, striking with both palms to meet their combined force head-on.

Boom! A deafening roar echoed as Ding Rang and Hu Fang were forced back several steps, both spitting out blood before regaining their footing.

I stepped back, unharmed, but my left palm was icy cold while my right was fiery hot, indicating that their different icy and fiery true energies had still seeped into my palms.

"Ah, the Soaring Dragon Palm Technique!" Qin Chunfeng, startled, voiced his thoughts.

What? The Soaring Dragon Palm Technique? Wasn't that the signature palm technique of Xu Batian, the "One Sword Soaring Dragon"? Could this nine-foot-tall lecherous demon Xu Zhengqi truly be related to Xu Batian?

The crowd was shocked, their eyes wide, unable to believe that the lecherous demon before them had suddenly become connected to Xu Batian.

Young Master Wang laughed heartily, saying, "I was saying that Brother Xu's martial arts are astonishing. Who in the world could have taught a disciple like you? It turns out you are Xu Batian, the great hero Xu!"

I knew I could no longer hide it from everyone, so it was better to speak out than to keep it to myself.

"That's right, my father is Xu Batian."

The crowd was shocked, and the faces of the various sect leaders changed drastically. Qin Chunfeng of the Tianshan Sect and Wen Bajiang, the leader of the Yangtze River Dragon Sea Gang, were especially excited.

The two were the fathers of Twelfth Sister Qin Wanfeng and Sixth Sister Wen Huiyun, respectively. Wen Bajiang was the first to be unable to contain his excitement. He hadn't seen his daughter for more than ten years since she married Xu Batian.

He walked tremblingly to me and said, "Child, how is my Huiyun now?"

"Are you talking about Sixth Sister? They got separated after we went out into the martial world to find our father, and their whereabouts are now unknown," I answered truthfully.

Qin Chunfeng asked anxiously, "Has my Wanfeng also gotten lost?"

I nodded and said, "That's right, Twelfth Sister has also gotten lost. But Grandfathers, don't worry, Mothers are highly skilled in martial arts and have rich experience in the martial world, so naturally nothing will happen to them."

Qin Chunfeng and Wen Bajiang were slightly relieved upon hearing this, but then they thought, this grandson is only thirteen years old at most this year, how come he's grown so tall and even made a name for himself in the martial world as the "Nine-Foot Pervert"? What's going on? But the current situation is not the time to talk about these things, so the two of them immediately protected me. Young

Master Wang smiled and said, "Ah, what a deep bond between blood relatives. I never thought that the infamous Nine-Foot Pervert Xu Zhengqi would actually be the son of the great hero Xu Batian. It's truly laughable, the son of a great hero is actually a lecherous thief. If the great hero knew, I wonder if he would take up his sword to eliminate evil?"

"You surnamed Wang, don't be so smug. With me, Xu Zhengqi, here, don't even think about kidnapping anyone!"

"Heh heh, Brother Xu, you're barely holding on yourself, yet you're spouting nonsense. Men, seize this scoundrel!" With a wave of his hand, Ding Rang and Hu Fang retreated to recuperate, while four or five more elderly men, all over fifty, pounced. It seemed there was no escaping this time. My

two grandfathers were seriously injured, so I leaped forward first, conjuring a Dragon Force Blade in my right hand and slashing at the enemies. Each of these old men carried a weapon: one wielded a Soul-Hooking Claw, another a Judge's Pen, one a Deadly Hook, and one a Ghost Fork.

My Dragon Force Blade showed no mercy, slashing down at the one with the Ghost Fork at the front. Golden shadows blurred, countless golden blade energies enveloped them. The Ghost Fork elder was equally determined, having already seen through my facade of strength; although my inner strength was profound, it was only my pre-battle power. Now, after a brief struggle, I was exhausted! With a desperate effort, he parried my blade with his three-pronged fork!

Clang! A metallic clang rang out, startling everyone. They hadn't expected the Nine-Foot Demon to possess such profound true energy; even after a fierce battle, the energy blade he condensed remained incredibly hard.

In truth, I was already nearly exhausted, but the Dragon Force was peculiar; even a small amount was enough to make the Dragon Force Blade exceptionally sturdy. The two men shuddered and took a step back.

The old man with the Ghost Fork shouted, "You're out of strength! Let's all attack together!"

The other three rallied, their Soul-Hooking Claws, Judge's Pens, and Deadly Hooks all aimed at me. The attack was treacherous; Qin Chunfeng and Wen Bajiang were frantic, but their injuries were too severe, and they could only watch. Undeterred

, I swung my blade horizontally, and the Dragon Force Blade instantly transformed, its tip becoming sharper and its blade narrower. Everyone saw a blur before their eyes, and a large, golden blade had transformed into a golden sword.

I roared, "The First Form of the Soaring Dragon Sword Technique, Sword Moves Like a Soaring Dragon!" and thrust the sword horizontally. The assembled heroes were astonished, never expecting to witness the once-renowned Youlong Sword Technique.

But to the average person, the Youlong Sword Technique seemed unremarkable; any ordinary sword strike could be executed by anyone in the martial world. The power and speed were, at best, only average. This was the general consensus

, but the four old ghosts beneath the sword's force thought differently. To them, the thrust felt like a thousand swords piercing their hearts, a barrage of sword shadows overhead, like a volley of arrows aimed at their entire bodies.

The four were shocked, retracting their attacks, their four ghostly weapons flying wildly in a tight, impenetrable formation as they retreated to defend.

A series of crisp clangs rang out. The four were astonished; they hadn't expected my sword speed to be so fast. Ordinary swordsmanship produced many afterimages and few solid strikes, but my sword technique produced many solid strikes and few afterimages. I unleashed hundreds of strikes in one breath, so fast that to an average person, only one thrust was visible.

Young Master Wang, watching from the sidelines, grew impatient, even wondering if his men were getting old and weak. Taking advantage of my first move's exhaustion, he leaped forward, unfurling his folding fan. With a whoosh, the fan flew from his hand, heading straight for my face. It moved like a shooting star, as swift as lightning. Just as

I was about to unleash my second attack, a folding fan suddenly appeared, spinning towards me. I was terrified, thinking, "I'm doomed!" It turned out that I had used all my strength in that sword strike; now, with my strength depleted and no new energy generated, I had no strength left to block this flying fan. "

Ah—!" The crowd trembled with fear. They had initially thought this nine-foot-tall lecherous demon was a wicked villain, but in an instant, he had transformed into the son of the great hero Xu Batian. Now, for their safety, he had stepped forward to fight against the government's experts. Seeing the white-robed young master launch a sneak attack, none of them could help, and they all cried out in alarm.

Some of the female warriors couldn't bear to witness my gruesome death, so they closed their eyes and silently prayed to heaven that Xu Zhengqi wouldn't perish so soon.

*Clang!* Another sound of metal clashing rang out. The female warriors opened their eyes and saw that Xu Zhengqi was still standing there, unharmed, his flying fan having been sent flying far away by a sword. A graceful figure swiftly caught the sword, and only after landing did everyone realize it was a middle-aged nun! The

middle-aged nun said, "I must personally kill this nine-foot-tall lecherous demon! No one else can kill my Emei Sect's greatest enemy!"

As she spoke, a group of nuns followed her. It turned out to be Abbess Mietian of the Emei Sect; it was unexpected that the Emei Sect had reappeared in the martial world.

I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled slightly at Mietian, saying, "Thank you!"

Mietian snorted, not even glancing at me. A girl in a black shawl, about fourteen years old, standing beside her pouted and said angrily, "My master saved you so you wouldn't die at someone else's hands!"

"No matter what, today the Emei Sect saved me, Xu Zhengqi. I will never forget this kindness." I bowed to Mie Tian.

Mie Tian didn't even look at me, coldly saying, "We'll discuss our tents after we've driven away these soldiers."

Young Master Wang, seeing a Cheng Yaojin suddenly appear out of nowhere, only realizing after a while that it was someone from the Emei Sect, laughed and said, "I never expected Abbess Mie Tian to save her old lover. No wonder the Emei Sect is making a comeback." Mie

Tian, enraged, was naturally hot-tempered, and snapped, "Watch your mouth! We martial artists never deal with the government. You're taking advantage of our vulnerability to blackmail the major sects—what kind of logic is that?" Young

Master Wang replied, "The strong prey on the weak; that's the law of the world. Now that I'm strong and you're weak, if I don't eat you, wouldn't I be betraying Heaven?" Mie Tian roared

, "Fine! Fine, the strong prey on the weak! Zhi Ruo, I order you to use the Nine Yin White Bone Claw to challenge me!"

The beautiful nun Zhi Ruo obeyed and leaped out, charging straight at Young Master Wang. In an instant, white claws filled the sky, accompanied by gusts of cold wind. The assembled heroes paled at the sound of the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, a martial art from the Nine Yin Manual possessed by the legendary Guo Jing. They were astonished to discover that the Emei Sect possessed such an evil technique.

Young Master Wang's folding fan had long since vanished. He retreated swiftly, shouting, "Guards, protect me!"

His old subordinates rushed forward, barely managing to catch the young nun Zhi Ruo's Nine Yin White Bone Claw. A fierce battle ensued, and black mist inexplicably filled the arena, its stench causing nausea. The situation within the arena gradually became unclear. Young Master Wang felt a chill and shouted, "Retreat immediately!"

Before he could finish, several figures tumbled out of the black mist—who else could they be but his men?

Enraged, Young Master Wang roared, "Everyone, attack together! Wipe out the Emei Sect first!" With a wave of his hand, nearly a hundred skilled fighters abandoned the assembled heroes, brandishing swords, spears, and clubs, and charged towards the Emei Sect disciples.

Mie Tian drew his sword and swung it at the approaching soldiers. A sword aura shot out, striking several of them and cleaving them in two!

The Heaven-Reliant Sword!

Two hundred years ago, there was a famous saying in the martial world: "The precious sword, the butcher's knife, commands the world, none dare disobey; without the Heaven-Reliant Sword, who can contend?"

It was said that it had been broken by the great hero Zhang Wuji with the Dragon-Slaying Saber. Unexpectedly, two hundred years later, the sword's power was once again witnessed; truly a weapon of unparalleled power! Legend had it that the Heaven-Reliant Sword could unleash sword aura without any internal energy, and this was indeed true!

Mie Tian swung the Heaven-Reliant Sword repeatedly, each swing leaving someone wounded. Meanwhile, the young nun Zhi Ruo, wielding the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, relied on her ruthless claw technique, specifically targeting the heads of the government officials. Although nine out of ten strikes missed, those struck instantly turned into skeletons. The corpse poison on those claws was indeed the most potent poison in the world, leaving the living without flesh and blood, making it even more terrifying.

The remaining Emei disciples were not so lucky; several swords were needed to defeat one old man. If it weren't for the timely intervention of Mie Tian and Zhi Ruo, many would have perished. Quite a few disciples were still wounded, their robes stained with blood!

After resting for a while, I resumed my sword fight with the old men. With the addition of my fresh force, the pressure on the Emei sect immediately eased. I was like a tiger among sheep, relying on the incredibly profound Youlong Sword Technique, leaving no one unscathed, though I lacked the strength to kill them.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, the heroes all gathered around. Those officials who were alone or wounded were dealt with by groups of ten or more, mercilessly beating them while they were down! They didn't seek merit, but only to share some of the burden with us.

As time passed, the most skilled among the heroes recovered much of their inner strength, and the situation became increasingly unfavorable for the government. When the leaders of the fourteen sects began their exorcism, Young Master Wang finally realized the tide had turned. He stamped his foot angrily and shouted, "Withdraw and return to the capital!" He

then turned to me in the distance and said, "You surnamed Xu, I'll spare you today! But one day I'll reward you with a thousand pieces!" The government's experts, upon hearing their master's order, happily retreated, slinking away and quickly descending the mountain.

I said to Young Master Wang's retreating figure, "I, Xu Zhengqi, am always ready to serve you. Young Master Wang, I'll treat you to dinner next time!"

The heroes roared with laughter; the crisis was over, and everyone was overjoyed!

"You surnamed Xu, we haven't settled our score yet!" Mie Tian, wielding the gleaming Yitian Sword, walked towards me…

Truly, one wave subsided only for another to rise! To find out what becomes of Xu Zhengqi, please read the next chapter!

Chapter 113 Mother

and Son Reunion The Emei Sect's Abbess Mietian, carrying the Heaven-Slaying Sword, approached Xu Zhengqi. Judging from her imposing manner, she clearly intended to avenge her loss of virginity.

My face remained calm, but I was greatly alarmed. I was already at my limit, unable to muster any dragon power; how could I possibly withstand Mietian's sword?

"Abbess, what business do you have with me?" I decided to stall for time.

Mietian's eyebrows furrowed, her anger reaching its peak. She abruptly raised the Heaven-Slaying Sword, pointing it at me, and said, "Do I need to remind you of what you've done?"

Qin Chunfeng and Wen Bajiang, standing nearby, were alarmed and quickly stepped forward to speak on my behalf.

"Sect Leader Mie Tian, let's talk this out."

"That's right, let's clear up any misunderstandings first."

Mie Tian was furious and showed no respect to the two leaders of Tianshan and Changjiang Longhai Gang, saying, "This lecherous demon has deeply insulted my Emei Sect. If he doesn't give my sect an explanation today, don't blame me for being merciless with my sword."

It seems Mie Tian has swallowed a pound of ink—he's made up his mind!

Seeing my opportunity, I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Today, before all the heroes of the martial arts world, is the time to clear my name, Xu Zhengqi, of all injustice! I will recount the truth one by one!"

"That day, Chen Daozhi, a former disciple of Wudang, plotted against the nuns of the Emei Sect. I saw him furtively following them, so I followed him to see what he would do.

Unexpectedly, Chen Daozhi disappeared into a grove of trees. When I found him, I discovered that all the nuns had been poisoned by the most potent aphrodisiac in the world—Ambergris. At that time, my martial arts were not as good as they are now, so I could only hide in the shadows, waiting for my chance.

Thankfully, I took advantage of Chen Daozhi's distraction and struck him, severely injuring him and fleeing. Unfortunately, the Ambergris that the nuns had already been poisoned with had already taken effect. I think all of you heroes know that this most potent aphrodisiac in the world is incurable unless one engages in sexual intercourse. Therefore…"

"Shut up!" Mie Tian interrupted me before I could finish, cutting me off at the crucial point.

Someone shouted, "Hey, what happened next? Tell us!"

Mie Tian glared at me, and I coughed, saying, "Later... what happened next, I think there's no need to spell it out, all of you heroes are intelligent. So, I was misunderstood by Abbess Mie Tian."

A busybody said, "If you tell us what happened, you were a hero saving a damsel in distress, doing a great deed! How come Abbess Mie Tian accused you of being a lecher?"

I said, "Perhaps Abbess Mie Tian was deeply poisoned at the time and misunderstood me as a lecher."

Although the heroes came to exorcise demons, most of them had no grudge against me, and in the critical moment just now, I stepped forward to save them from danger, so everyone was grateful to me. After I explained the whole story again, most of them had forgiven me.

Master Xuanbei, a man of high moral standing, spoke up, "Master, is this truly the case?"

Although Mie Tian was hot-tempered, he wasn't particularly cunning, and he couldn't very well lie in front of all the heroes of the land. But this was like a disaster, weighing heavily on the Emei Sect, making them unable to hold their heads high in the martial world. They were caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to speak or remain silent.

Seeing Mie Tian's expression, Master Xuanbei completely believed what he had said and said, "Master, why don't I act as a mediator and help you two reconcile? Martial arts practitioners don't stand on ceremony; in times of crisis, expediency is necessary. Besides, today the Emei Sect saved the lives of thousands of our fellow martial artists from peril; we will forever remember this kindness. On behalf of Shaolin, I hereby declare that we are now allied with Emei. This is the Shaolin Great Rejuvenating Pill; consider it our token of gratitude."

With that, Master Xuanbei took out a jade bottle from his sleeve, on which were affixed the three small characters "Great Rejuvenating Pill."

The Shaolin Great Rejuvenation Pill can revive the dead and regenerate bones; a martial artist who takes it can retain fifty years of internal energy. This Shaolin treasure has fewer than ten remaining in the temple. It takes thirty years to refine this elixir, and each batch yields only ten pills. The fact that the Shaolin Temple is willing to offer such a rare and precious ingredient demonstrates their sincerity.

Mie Tian was overjoyed, but still declined, saying, "This, this is too much to ask!"

After some back and forth, Mie Tian couldn't refuse their earnestness and finally accepted it. In an instant, many sects, to express their gratitude to the Emei Sect for saving their lives, stepped forward to form alliances with them. The Emei Sect suddenly transformed from a sect ridiculed by everyone into the most renowned sect in the martial arts world.

But the Five Mountains Sword Sect remained unconvinced. Zhang Zhen, the leader of the Mount Tai Sect, stepped forward and said, "Wait a minute, everyone. I haven't settled the score with this lecherous fiend for harassing my wife and daughter yet."

I smiled slightly and said, "That's simple. Please, Madam Zhang, come out and speak with us face to face."

"You lecherous scoundrel, what else do you have to deny?" A woman wearing a white veil stepped out from behind Zhang Zhen. Judging from their attire, they were clearly a mother and daughter. The one who spoke and cursed me was the young woman.

"Are you two perhaps ashamed to be seen in public? Otherwise, why would you be wearing veils?"

Hmph, Zhang Tingting ripped off her veil, revealing her stunning beauty. She had long, flowing black hair, bright eyes, a delicate, fair nose, small, adorable white ears, and full, alluring red lips. Paired with her fair, oval face, she was absolutely the epitome of beauty.

Her figure was undeniably devilish, especially her towering, full, and rounded breasts; her slender waist, exquisitely sculpted; and her rounded, plump buttocks, almost bursting out of her clothes. Such beauty was truly the epitome of exquisite beauty, a truly alluring and seductive woman. However, the slight anger on her slightly spoiled face detracted from her beauty, but that angry expression only added to her charm.

Zhang Tingting's mother, Yi Qing, also removed her veil. The two women looked remarkably alike; from a distance, they could be mistaken for twins. Although her blue dress was large, it couldn't conceal her devilish figure. A slender waist, high breasts, and a high, rounded bottom—perhaps because she had given birth to a daughter, she was a full size larger than Zhang Tingting.

Now the two women were closer to me; one youthful and energetic, the other still possessing a certain allure. If I could put this mother and daughter in bed, it would be paradise on earth.

My eyes lit up, but only for a fleeting moment. This was a critical juncture; I couldn't afford to appear lecherous, or I'd be in trouble.

While my innocent act might fool everyone else, it couldn't hide the watchful eye of the nun, Mie Tian. Perhaps because we had consummated our marriage, she paid close attention to my every move. Then, the sudden appearance of Yin Qing and her daughter stirred up a woman's innate jealousy. Undeniably, compared to the stunning beauty of Yin Qing and her daughter, Mie Tian was at best above average. Within the Emei Sect, perhaps only when the young nun Zhi Ruo grew up could she rival Zhang Tingting in looks.

A strange pang of jealousy arose within Mie Tian, and she muttered, "Men are all the same."

The assembled men, all thinking that Mie Tian was referring to them, quickly averted their gazes from the alluring curves of Yin Qing and her daughter. Many even feigned coughs, causing a chorus of coughs in the room.

To save the men from this awkward situation, I quickly spoke up, breaking the silence. All the men in the room understood without saying a word, but many were secretly grateful to me. The reason was simple: many had brought their girlfriends along, and they were spared a "gentle pinch"—how could they not be grateful?

Even the old monk Xuanxuan Bei was stunned by the beauty of Yin Qing and her daughter, let alone the others!

"Oh, so it's you!"

"You filthy lecher, you spanked me last time, see how I deal with you today!" Zhang Tingting spoke without restraint, uttering such bold words.

"Hmm?" The men were enraged, thinking, how dare they insult our perfect goddess? The atmosphere in the room suddenly became strange, and a faint murderous aura enveloped me. Seeing the situation was turning sour, I quickly explained, "Gentlemen, please listen to me. Actually, despite my nine-foot height, I'm only thirteen years old. I was just starting out in the martial world then, still a child at heart, and didn't know any better. At home, if I made a mistake, my mother would spank me. So, due to some small misunderstanding, I was disrespectful to Miss Zhang. I absolutely didn't have the kind of thoughts you all have."

My explanation was quite reasonable at first, except for the last sentence, which was the worst.

Song Wanjiang, the leader of the Chongshan Sword Sect, said, "In front of all these heroes, tell us what thoughts we had in our hearts?"

I immediately realized my mistake and said, "No, nothing like that! Sorry, the more I talk, the more confused I get. In short, I, Xu Zhengqi, am not a lecher!"

Zhang Tingting still wanted to tell the truth of what happened that day, to mention that I had bumped into her in front of everyone. But afterwards, she had asked Yin Qing and knew about matters between men and women. How could an unmarried young woman like her say anything more?

Yin Qing, a gentle man by nature, seeing that I had admitted my mistake and saved the lives of the heroes today, said, "If Young Master Xu is truly only thirteen years old, then this matter can be overlooked. But who can prove that you are only thirteen?"

"Well..."

Indeed, I had already used my Soaring Dragon Sword Technique, which was used by the great hero Xu Batian, but no one could prove that I was Xu Batian's son. Besides, perhaps I was Xu Batian's junior brother.

For a moment, I was speechless, at my wit's end.

"I can prove it!"

A crisp female voice suddenly came from outside the arena.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a stunningly beautiful young woman of about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, slender and petite, less than 1.6 meters tall, with two dark eyes that darted around, clearly a formidable opponent.

"Twelfth Sister!" I was overjoyed and rushed over to hug her tightly. My twelfth sister, Qin Wanfeng.

"Alright, alright, little Zheng, put Mommy down." Qin Wanfeng gently pinched my ribs, causing me to involuntarily release my grip. She landed lightly, a smug smile on her face. Truly worthy of the title "Little Fairy of a Hundred Transformations," after so long, even tears were useless, much to my disappointment.

"My dear daughter, is...is it you?" Qin Chunfeng, the leader of the Tianshan Sect, stepped forward from the crowd, staring blankly at Qin Wanfeng.

"Father—" Qin Wanfeng suddenly rushed into Qin Chunfeng's arms, bursting into tears. My heart ached, a pang of jealousy rising within me.

These father and daughter hadn't seen each other for over a decade; naturally, they were far more excited than we had been apart for only a few months.

The two of them acted as if no one else was there, crying their hearts out. I never imagined that Qin Chunfeng, a man of such stature, would cry like a woman. After a while

, they finally stopped crying. Needless to say, my identity now had the best witness, and I was accepted.

After a brief discussion, everyone decided to return to the inn in Jinling to rest first, and then discuss how to deal with the government's surrender offer after the heroes had recovered from their injuries.

Pingdingshan was only thirty li away from Jinling City, but now that the heroes were injured and no one could use their lightness skills, under the escort of the Emei Sect, several thousand people slowly walked back to Jinling along the main road. Many of those who came on horseback still followed the main group as a precaution.

Along the way, I silently walked and regulated my breathing. In another hour, my strength would be half recovered. Behind me were the Taishan Sect and the Emei Sect. Mie Tian followed behind me, staring at me intently as if afraid I would escape. The nuns Xiaofu and Zhiruo followed closely behind their master, their gazes mostly fixed on my tall figure.

When Zhang Tingting saw me again this time, she found that my martial arts were many times better than before. Even the fourteen sect leaders combined their sect's ultimate technique, the Big Dipper Double Seven Star Formation, couldn't defeat me. Filled with curiosity, she kept stealing glances at me along the way.

Yin Qing noticed and whispered to her daughter, "You brat, aren't you ashamed?"

Zhang Tingting turned back and whispered to her mother, "Mother isn't ashamed! You're always looking at him too, aren't you? Otherwise, how would you know I was looking at him?"

Yin Qing was startled, wondering, "What's wrong with me?"

Zhang Tingting smiled at her mother's surprised expression, then turned away thoughtfully.

Qin Wanfeng finally finished catching up with her father and came to my side, saying, "Zheng'er, you've suffered these past few days."

I looked Qin Wanfeng over carefully for a while and said, "Twelfth Sister, you've lost weight too. Why are you alone? Where are Grandmother and the other mothers?"

Just as Qin Wanfeng was about to answer, someone suddenly said, "Everyone, look! It looks like there's a fire in the city!"

I looked up and saw thick smoke billowing from within the city, and a raging fire crackling and burning. Wasn't that the location of the inn where I was staying?

"Not good!" I hurriedly used my lightness skill to leap forward. "Sister Lan, wait for me, I'm coming to save you!"

Qin Wanfeng, seeing me suddenly rush off, cried out, "Xiao Zheng, what's wrong?" She also used her lightness skill to follow behind me.

Seeing me suddenly leave without saying goodbye, Mie Tian thought I was going to run away, so he immediately grabbed his Yitian Sword and called his disciples to give chase.

The heroes, suddenly losing their protector, panicked a bit, but they were already close to the city and weren't afraid of being ambushed by the fake government experts. They were just a little confused, but there was nothing they could do, so they had to let us go.

...

"Sister Lan—, Xiangling—, Sister Wu—" I called out the women's names, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan! I was almost frantic; if Qin Wanfeng hadn't held me back, I would have rushed into the fire to save them.

"Young man, don't be stupid and die!" an old man by the roadside advised. "Do you have relatives inside?"

"Old man, do you know what happened?" Qin Wanfeng asked.

The old man was clearly an insider, saying, "Half an hour ago, a young man in white led a large group of soldiers and surrounded this inn. Then, for some reason, they set it on fire. It was terrifying; a huge fire burned this century-old inn to the ground. A woman dressed in a yellow robe led a group of people out from inside, riding a luxurious carriage. They fled north of the city."

I felt relieved. With Wu Zetian's skills, she should have easily dealt with the Wang gang. Could something have gone wrong, and they were fleeing in disarray?

"Old man, where did those soldiers go?"

"They went after them!"

"Come on, Twelfth Sister, let's hurry and catch up." I pulled Qin Wanfeng to leave, but in a flash, the old nun Mietian blocked our way.

"You lecherous thief, where do you think you're going!" Mie Tian shouted, as a group of Emei disciples, led by Xiao Fuzhiruo, rushed over from afar.

"Mietian, I don't have time to play with you right now, get out of my way!" I was frantic, and my tone was no longer tactful.

Qin Wanfeng pulled me back and turned to Mietian, saying, "Master, I'm sorry, my son was in a fit of anger and spoke recklessly. I hope you will be magnanimous and not blame him."

"Madam Qin, it's not that I want to make things difficult for him, but he has committed a heinous crime against Emei, which cannot be easily forgiven!" Mietian's

face showed pain. Qin Wanfeng had been traveling the martial world for many years, and she knew all about the grudges between me and Emei. She couldn't just treat me like an ordinary woman and ask me to marry him to settle things, so she was at a loss!

“But, Master, it’s not right for you to keep following Xiao Zheng like this!”

“What can I do? If I don’t follow him, my Emei sect will inevitably be pointed at and gossiped about wherever I go. It’s better to stay with him; it saves me the trouble.”

I said irritably, “You can follow me or not, nobody’s stopping you, but you can’t control where I go.”

“How can you talk to my master like that?” Little nun Zhiruo stepped forward and said fiercely to me.

I didn’t argue with her and said to Mie Tian, “Master, I’m begging you, my wife is in trouble right now. Please have mercy and let me go save her.”

Mie Tian was shocked and thought to himself, what? He already has a wife. Then, what should we do? Mie Tian’s absent-minded voice actually mistook his group of people for Xu Zhengqi’s women.

Some people might be surprised that Mie Tian, who is over forty years old, still has such a childish idea.

In ancient times, women valued their chastity extremely highly. Even as a nun, if someone was found to have committed adultery, according to local customs, they would be drowned in a pig cage.

As a member of the martial world, Mie Tian was naturally unafraid of those customs and traditions, but gossip was still a powerful force. In their eyes, I was their first man, and it was inevitable that they would have some feelings for their first love.

Upon hearing this, Mie Tian assumed that I had a wife and was still treating them this way, and he became even angrier, saying, "You have a wife, so why did you save us?

It would be better if we died than be defiled." "At the time, I was eager to save them, and I was also lustful, so I was blinded by greed and did something stupid!"

Mie Dao laughed angrily, saying, "Haha, you finally told me what you really think."

"Master, even if I was wrong, after I rescue my wives, I will hand them over to you for punishment, okay?"

"No, Xiao Zheng, your grandmaster and all the mothers are in imminent danger, and they need you to save them." Qin Wanfeng suddenly interjected.

"What? What happened to them?" I grabbed Qin Wanfeng's hand anxiously. Qin Wanfeng frowned slightly and said, "Xiao Zheng, you're hurting me."

I hurriedly let go and said, "I'm sorry, Twelfth Sister. What happened to them?"

"This is a long story. Why don't we talk about it as we chase after them?" Qin Wanfeng said, then looked at Mie Tian, as if seeking her opinion.

Mie Tian pondered for a moment and then stepped aside.

Everyone followed me towards the North Gate...

To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter!

Chapter 114 The Old Tree's Roots

It turns out that back then, Grandmaster Zhao Yueru led Bai Lingling, Bai Suyi, Wen Huiyun, Sima Qiong, Hong Jiumei, Miao Meiling, Cai Weiwei, Qin Wanfeng, and Zhao Yunfei north to gather information.

The largest city in the north was none other than the capital, Pingjing City. So, they headed towards Pingjing City while gathering information. Along the way, they encountered several groups of lecherous thieves who, coveting their beauty, came to their door seeking death, but all were dealt with by their grandmaster. After all, as the wife of Li Xiaoyao, the greatest martial arts master in the world back then, how could her martial arts skills not be high?

The current emperor, Zhou Houzhao, was lazy and lustful, and had remained childless for over a decade. The Empress Dowager, eager for a grandson, ordered a selection of concubines. This selection was different from previous ones, which had all chosen young women under twenty.

This time, initiated by the Empress Dowager, and mindful of the lessons learned from past selections where none of the women had borne children, she decided that this time the palace maids must be between twenty and forty years old. Marital status was not a restriction; as long as they were beautiful, they could enter the palace.

The Empress Dowager believed that this was the optimal age for women to bear children, and in order to have a grandson, she no longer cared about anything else.

When Zhao Yueru and the other women, including Qin Wanfeng, entered the capital, although they wore white veils, their ethereal beauty and graceful figures left no doubt that they were beauties. Furthermore, their hairstyles, in the traditional Chinese women's style, perfectly suited the requirements of a beauty pageant.

Eager for advancement, the capital's governor, Hai Dagui, immediately sent men to contact the women, who were politely sent back. However, the innkeeper at their lodging informed Hai Dagui, recounting his brief glimpse of their stunning beauty.

Hai Dagui's resolve strengthened; if he could send these beauties to the palace and win the Empress Dowager's favor, promotion and wealth would be a matter of time. He immediately dispatched troops to forcibly arrest them. However, Zhao Yueru and her companions possessed extraordinary skills, making it impossible for the soldiers to get close.

Enraged, Hai Dagui deployed the most mysterious unit of the Great Zhou Dynasty—the Firearms Battalion. The Firearms Battalion used muskets as weapons, capable of killing from a hundred paces away; those hit were invariably wounded or killed. Even the most skilled martial artist couldn't withstand the impact of a single small bullet.

Legend had it that only an indestructible body could withstand such a tiny bullet. After Hai Dagui blasted a large hole in a tree with a short musket and even launched a cannon, Zhao Yueru and the others had no choice but to surrender.

Qin Wanfeng had just gone out to gather intelligence and returned to find Hai Dagui, the capital's governor, leading his troops to surround the inn. Hidden in the shadows, she watched helplessly as Zhao Yueru and the others were captured.

She considered entering the Forbidden City to rescue them, but the palace was filled with experts and guarded by the Firearms Battalion. Qin Wanfeng's martial arts skills were not high; disguise was her forte, so she dared not rashly enter the palace to rescue them. Just then, rumors spread that I was in Jinling City, so she rushed there and was able to help me on Pingding Mountain.

"What should we do?" I thought to myself, truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly.

"That old emperor is really wicked, how can he force people to do things like this?" Little nun Zhiruo said indignantly.

"Zhiruo, stop talking!" Mietian glared at her, and Zhiruo stuck out her little tongue helplessly.

"Let's go save our ancestral master and the others first!" I said firmly, after all, my mothers who raised me for over ten years held a more important place in my heart. At this moment, I could only make the painful decision to go to the capital to save them first.

Qin Wanfeng asked, "What about your sister Lan and the others?" I had already told Qin Wanfeng about Wu Zetian and the others on the way, so Mietian and the others had naturally heard everything.

"Wu Zetian has lived for nearly a thousand years, her martial arts are unparalleled, she is cunning and shrewd, no one can capture them so easily." I comforted her.

"But she also has several people who don't know martial arts with her, what if something happens to them..."

"Twelfth Sister, don't say anymore, saving our ancestral master is the most important thing!" I said firmly, but anyone could see the pain in my heart. Life is full of disappointments, and right now we can only rely on God's blessing.

"Master, are you still coming with us? The palace is fraught with danger. As the head of the Emei Sect, you wouldn't risk the sect's safety by opposing the court, would you?" Martial arts practitioners have always been extremely wary of getting involved with the government.

The nine disciples that Mie Tian brought with him this time were, coincidentally, the nuns who had been poisoned by the ambergris and had intercourse with me. One of them, a woman of young age but unusually voluptuous, I clearly remember her name was Miao Hui.

Ambergris, as the most potent aphrodisiac in the world, has its special properties. Even after the antidote is administered, the residual ambergris in a woman's body will alter her constitution in the future.

Strictly speaking, there is no cure for being poisoned by ambergris. The altered constitution becomes increasingly sensitive, and the desire for sex intensifies.

Younger disciples like Xiaofu, Zhiruo, and Miaohui are relatively unaffected; at most, they'll have more erotic dreams. But Mie Tian is different. She's forty years old. Before being poisoned, as a nun, she had to endure celibacy, suppressing her natural desires deep within. But after merging with me, and with the ambergris subtly altering her constitution

, it's like a dormant volcano suddenly erupting!

Every night, she sleeps naked, wrapped tightly in the blanket, her arms hanging outside. She dares not put her hands under the covers, afraid of touching her hypersensitive skin. She pondered, she meditated, and ultimately, she blamed all her suffering on me. That's why, upon seeing me, she couldn't help but cling to my back.

Subconsciously, only seeing me could put her at ease. Why would she feel at ease, and what was she afraid of that made her uneasy? She didn't know!

So when I proposed going to the capital to rescue people, she unhesitatingly asked to come along. And her request seemed to be the hope of her nine disciples as well. More helpers naturally meant more hope of success, so I wasn't foolish enough to refuse.

Night fell, and our group arrived at the edge of a small grove, far from any village or inn. After eating some dry rations, we built a fire in the grove and slept around it.

To recover my strength more quickly, I meditated while keeping watch.

In the darkness, a voluptuous female body was slowly climbing the tree. To be more vigilant, I sat in a tree meditating while keeping watch.

As soon as the person moved, I woke up and saw that it was a nun named Miaohui climbing the tree. Perhaps afraid of being discovered by Mie Tian and the others, she didn't use her lightness skill, but climbed up step by step.

I pretended not to notice and continued meditating. Miao Hui slowly approached me, seemingly hesitant, and after a long while, she spoke, "Master Xu...Master Xu."

I opened my eyes and said softly, "What brings you here, little master?"

Miao Hui cautiously approached me, her pretty face flushing red from the masculine scent even before we were close. Her full body trembled slightly, and she slipped, almost falling. I quickly reached out and grabbed Miao Hui's arm tightly.

Miao Hui gasped in surprise, but thankfully, she was unharmed. Knowing that I had caught her, she leaned over and threw herself into my arms, clinging to me tightly.

The tree was quite large, and the trunk I was meditating on was at a fork, so it was relatively stable. Miao Hui's embrace felt like a small boat entering a safe harbor; she trembled with excitement.

"Miao Hui, what's wrong?"

"Master...Master, do you still remember my name?" Miao Hui was very excited because her beloved remembered her name even though they had only met once.

"Miaohui, you're so voluptuous, the most so among your fellow disciples. How could I forget? I think you're the most voluptuous in the Emei Sect besides your master." I stretched out my palms and pinched Miaohui's plump, tender buttocks hard. Sure enough, they were incredibly elastic, seemingly even more so than a few months ago.

Miaohui pressed her buttocks tightly against my palms, as if she wanted me to ravage her to death. "Young master, I, I want it!"

"Aren't you afraid of your master?"

"I don't care anymore. Ever since you gave me my first time, I haven't been able to sleep at night. All I think about is being favored by you again."

Hearing Miaohui's soft murmurs, she became restless, wriggling in my arms. My inner fire had long been ignited. The dragon power within me was also quite excited upon contact with my genitals. My dragon power is quite strange; after each sexual encounter with a woman, my power is more effective than if I spent a whole day meditating.

The goddess is willing; how could I be indifferent? The tree bark was quite rough, and removing Miaohui's clothes would inevitably damage her skin. How could such a thing happen to me?

Miaohui was even more impatient than I was, going straight for the heart of the matter. Her jade hand immediately grasped my vital spot, her jade buttocks pressed tightly against my thigh, and her two pink legs tightly clamped around my waist.

I untied Miaohui's monk's robe. Fortunately, the robe was loose, and I pulled her outer trousers down to her knees, clearly visible in the pale moonlight.

"Young master, love me quickly. This humble nun has suffered for months, waiting for this day." Miaohui suddenly blushed, just like when she was intoxicated by the ambergris. Her delicate body twisted incessantly in my arms, like a beautiful snake, challenging my endurance.

I didn't care that Mie Tian and the others were still under the tree. I found the treasure land that made men ecstatic with extreme familiarity and thrust my endless fire deep inside...

"Mmm!"

Miaohui bit her upper garment tightly, enduring the unbearable stimulation, but still managed to moan.

In the quiet grove, a tree directly above a small fire began to sway inexplicably. Many birds had made their home in this ancient, towering tree, hoping for a peaceful night's sleep. Startled by the rhythmic tremors, they fluttered away. With a rustling sound

, the birds flew to a nearby tree, staring in astonishment at the old tree. For so many years, its stillness had been the strongest in the forest. Even in the face of a storm, the old tree provided them with a safe haven.

Now, however, two humans, a man and a woman, were on the tree, embracing tightly, seemingly engaged in the noble task of procreation. The birds didn't understand. Why not go home to reproduce? When did humans start living in trees?

The ancient tree trembled, its dense leaves rustling softly. When people are excited, they often become oblivious to external changes. At that moment, Miaohui and I were completely immersed in a state of extreme pleasure.

The rustling sound had already awakened everyone, but Mie Tian, Qin Wanfeng, and the others dared not move, for they had heard Miao Hui's cries, a mixture of weeping and joy. Although Miao Hui wanted to shut up, the powerful waves of impact always shattered her plans.

"This child, really..." Qin Wanfeng lay on her side under the tree, the tree's vibrations causing the soil beneath to tremble. Qin Wanfeng considered herself inexperienced in matters of love, but even so, her pretty face was flushed, inwardly blaming Xu Zhengqi and plotting how to punish him the next day.

Mie Tian was secretly furious, "I'll definitely teach Miao Hui a lesson tomorrow. I noticed something was off about her eyes when she looked at that Xu guy. I didn't expect something to happen on the very first night."

"Ah—" Miao Hui finally reached her climax, her scream echoing through the forest again, startling birds into flight. She clung tightly to my body, letting me ride her.

Another rhythmic "rustling" sound followed.

"Young Master, I...I can't take it, please spare me." Miao Hui couldn't withstand my relentless onslaught, and within half an hour she was completely exhausted, repeatedly begging for mercy.

"You've had your fun, but the fire I've ignited in you won't subside so easily."

Seeing that I wouldn't listen, Miao Hui turned to cry for help: "Miao Chan, Miao Chan. Help me!"

Miao Chan was also pretending to be asleep. Hearing her friend Miao Hui's cry for help, she wanted to help, but everyone else was awake, and they were too embarrassed to break the strange silence.

"You, Miao Chan, I've always treated you well. Now that I'm in trouble, you pretend to be asleep. Do you think I don't know you like Young Master Xu?" Miao Hui was now rambling incoherently.

Afraid that she would reveal more of her private affairs, Miao Chan stood up and said softly, "Senior Sister, please stop, it's so embarrassing."

"So, will you help me or not?"

"I..."

"Come on up, what are you dawdling for?"

"Alright!"

...

The following scene was like a replay of the detoxification incident. Except for Qin Wanfeng, Mietian, Xiaofu, and Zhiruo, all the other Emei disciples were dragged into the mess. Meanwhile, Miaohui, the instigator, lay peacefully asleep under a tree!

For Qin Wanfeng and the other three women, it was truly a sleepless night. The one man and seven women worked until dawn before finally stopping.

Their legs were completely numb; imagine, after a whole night of this, how could they not be? What made it even more embarrassing was that their skirts were soaked with sweat. Fortunately, their clothes remained warm, so they didn't have to worry about catching a cold.

Chapter 115 Corpses in the Forest

The next day, Mietian and the other three women were clearly exhausted, and Miaohui, Miaochan, and the others were also walking unsteadily.

Of the group, I was the most energetic and radiant. Qin Wanfeng, walking beside me, was the one who disapproved the most, but was too embarrassed to scold me. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, she secretly pinched my ribs hard.

Little did she know, everyone had seen it. My smug look was displeasing to everyone.

"Ouch!" I deliberately cried out, drawing everyone's attention. Qin Wanfeng blushed crimson, lowering her head like a timid wife, looking utterly pitiful.

"In broad daylight, I can't believe a female mosquito is targeting me!" I complained, rubbing my ribs.

Zhi Ruo, the little nun, chuckled and said, "Pah! How do you know that mosquito that's stalking you is female?"

I straightened my clothes, tossed my hair, and said, "This young master is handsome and dashing, naturally attracting some women. Mosquitoes usually don't operate during the day; it must be because of my exceptional good looks that female mosquitoes couldn't resist flying out."

"Pah! Nonsense, just like you, never serious!" Zhi Ruo made a face, tilted her head, and laughed out loud. With

eleven women and one man, I felt as if I were in a fragrant paradise, exceptionally comfortable. Although the journey was bumpy, as the saying goes, men and women working together makes the work easier. The laughter and chatter along the way reduced much of the trouble and fatigue.

Autumn and winter had arrived, and the weather was getting colder and colder. Since we were heading north, it naturally got colder day by day. However, fortunately, my powers had fully recovered, and with a little effort, the temperature around me rose, so I wasn't afraid of the cold. So, along the way, the women seemed to have gotten used to walking close to me.

Although it was a bit unseemly, fortunately, the roads we traveled were mostly deserted, so there was no fear of gossip.

On this day, the north wind howled, and the weather changed rapidly. The wind blew for half a day, making it impossible for ordinary people to travel, but I was anxious to save lives, and the women followed me without complaint, except for the little nun Zhiruo who would occasionally grumble.

"Ah—, everyone, look, what's that!" Zhiruo pointed to the edge of the woods in the distance.

A person was lying on the ground!

Women are always a bit timid, and even martial artists are no exception. I walked over, and the person was wearing blue clothes, lying face down on the ground, and was quite tall.

"Hey, hey, what happened to you?" I nudged the person, but he didn't move. I turned him over to look at him, "Ah!" I couldn't help but gasp. His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were white, as if he had been dead for a long time.

"What's wrong?" Mie Tian and the others had all gathered around, and upon seeing the corpse, they couldn't help but gasp. The man's death was too gruesome. Fortunately, it was daytime; if it were night, they would have been quite alarmed.

The corpse appeared to be in his forties, dressed in a blue robe made of fine silk, with a jade snuff bottle hanging from his waist. His hands were empty, and his right palm was calloused, suggesting he was a swordsman. Fortunately, his face hadn't changed much, and he was still recognizable.

"Hmm? Isn't this Master Zhao Wuxi of Cuihuan Manor?" Mie Tian exclaimed in surprise, clearly recognizing the deceased.

"Zhao Wuxi? Who is he? How did he die here?" Compared to Mie Tian, I was still a novice in the ways of the martial world.

"This man is a famous hero of the righteous path in the Wuxi area of Jiangsu and Zhejiang! Known as the Invisible Sword, Zhao Wuxi!" Mie Tian said as he crouched down and began to examine the body.

"Master, this isn't clean enough, let me do it!" I couldn't bear to watch; how could I let a woman do this? It was an insult to my pride as a man.

Mie Tian ignored me, examining Zhao Wuxi's eyelids and mouth.

"This man has no blood on him; he likely died from an internal martial arts palm strike." Qin Wanfeng, having roamed the martial world in her youth, had some experience.

"That's right, look!" Mie Tian unbuttoned Zhao Wuxi's robe, pointing to his chest. A purplish-red palm print was clearly imprinted on his central acupoint.

"Master, this looks like the Red Sand Palm!" Xiao Fu exclaimed.

"Indeed, there's another relatively large sect in the Wuxi area, the Red Sand Sect. Although the Red Sand Sect has about two hundred disciples, very few are a match for Zhao Wuxi. Zhao Wuxi is known as the Invisible Sword; I've seen him wield his sword, and it's indeed incredibly fast. Those with low skill can't even see the sword's shape." Mie Tian paused, then added, "Besides the sect leader and deputy sect leader, I'm afraid no one in the Red Sand Sect can rival him!"

"So, the one who killed Zhao Wuxi must have been one of the sect leader or deputy sect leader?" Qin Wanfeng asked.

"There's another possibility!" Although I lack experience, I'm still quite clever, and I could think of this.

"What possibility?"

"The sect leader and deputy sect leader of the Red Sand Sect joined forces to kill Zhao Wuxi!"

"That's right!" Mie Tian confirmed my statement for the first time.

"But, Master, is there any grudge between Cuihuan Manor and the Red Sand Sect? I haven't heard any rumors about a feud between the two sects in the martial world!" Xiao Fu had been traveling the martial world with Mie Tian for four or five years, hence this question.

"Silly girl, you're still too green!" Mie Tian chuckled, saying, "Actually, if we're talking about grudges, these two factions do have some. Zhao Wuxi's father was originally a well-known wealthy man in the Wuxi area, and the Hongsha Sect was also a prominent martial arts sect in Wuxi. As a child, Zhao Wuxi preferred martial arts to literature, and once learned an invisible sword technique from an unknown man in the mountains. After venturing into the martial world, he met the daughter of Yang Ding, the leader of the Hongsha Sect, and the two later married.

It should have been a joyous occasion, but less than half a year into their marriage, Yang Ding's daughter suddenly died overnight. When the news reached Yang Ding's ears, he was naturally furious and went to Cuihuan Manor to confront them. Although it was later confirmed that his daughter died of a strange illness, the two families never had any contact again. Although the two factions frequently crossed paths in Wuxi, nothing serious ever came of it!"

“That’s strange,” I said. “Both factions are based in the Jiangnan region, so why would they come all the way to the north? The two factions don’t seem to have any deep-seated hatred, so why would Yang Ding chase after Zhao Wuxi for thousands of miles and then kill him? There must be something fishy going on!”

Zhi Ruo was still young and had the simplest mind. “Master, Young Master Xu, we should hurry on our way. It’s so cold today. If we don’t reach the town fifty miles ahead soon, we might starve.”

I was about to respond when Mie Tian suddenly spoke up: “Shut up. Master Zhao has always been kind and generous. Although he hasn’t accomplished much in his life, he is highly regarded by the righteous martial arts community in the Jiangnan region. We, as members of the martial arts world, should naturally take care of its affairs. How can we sit idly by?”

Zhi Ruo felt wronged after being scolded by Mie Tian for no reason. Her nose tingled, and tears were about to fall. She was no longer thinking of a female demon who possessed such a peerless Yin-Yang White Bone Claw.

Xiaofu and Qin Wanfeng went over to comfort her. Along the way, Qin Wanfeng had come to regard this lovely girl as a second Li Ling'er and treated her with great affection.

Mie Tian looked around and suddenly walked into the woods. The vegetation there was withered, but there were still traces of footsteps, indicating that Zhao Wuxi had fled from the woods.

With Mie Tian gone, our group naturally followed her.

After walking for a short while in the woods, we discovered another corpse. The deceased wore a crimson robe, a long steel sword piercing his throat, pinning him to a large tree. The death was extremely gruesome; his tongue was stretched out, hanging from his mouth, blood flowing from his mouth and throat, staining most of the crimson robe a purplish-black. This person was fair-skinned,

but his face was covered in wrinkles, with a white beard under his chin, making him appear to be over sixty.

His left hand was also fair-skinned, while his right hand was purplish-red, rough and bony, seemingly more than twice the size of his left palm!

"Iron Palm—Yang Ding!" Mie Tian suddenly exclaimed.

"What? He's Yang Ding?" Everyone was stunned, never expecting that the person they had suspected of killing Zhao Wuxi was already dead.

"That's right, I met Yang Ding once. He was a senior in the martial arts world. Although he had no connection with Emei, I saw him at the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament nearly twenty years ago."

The World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament is held every twenty years. It's open to all, regardless of their background; anyone in the martial arts world who practices martial arts can participate. The tournament's purpose is to select the world's greatest master, making it the grandest event in the martial arts world for practitioners.

Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, although the common people have been explicitly forbidden from practicing martial arts, people are strange; if you tell them to practice, they won't, and if you tell them not to, they'll insist. The imperial court's ban has ironically fueled a surge in martial arts practice.

Finally, on the 20th anniversary of the founding of the dynasty, the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament, initiated by Peng Wuzu, the then-number one martial arts master, has been passed down to this day. Counting the days, the ninth World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament will be held next year on the Double Ninth Festival in early September.

At that time, the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament atop Mount Hua will undoubtedly attract a host of top martial arts masters. Although these top masters don't care about fame or fortune, they are all martial arts fanatics. Given such a golden opportunity to compete with the world's best and improve themselves, how many martial arts fanatics would let it pass?

Twenty years ago, the title of World's Number One Martial Arts Master was held by my grandmaster, Li Xiaoyao. In those twenty years, neither the righteous nor the wicked had produced any top-tier masters in the martial arts world, so the Martial Arts Demon-Slaying Tournament initiated by Mount Tai posed no real threat to me. The reason is simple: if they hadn't relied on the mysterious Big Dipper Double Seven Star Formation, which could draw upon the power of the stars, they would have been no match for me.

As a martial artist, I yearn for the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament. I wonder if there's anyone in the world who can challenge me; I'm so looking forward to it!

My absent-mindedness naturally attracted the attention of the women.

"Xiao Zheng, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Qin Wanfeng asked with concern.

Although the seven women, Miao Hui and I, share passionate encounters every night, they dare not openly discuss this with me in public. After all, the issue of the Destruction of Heaven still stands between us.

"It's nothing, I just lost my focus because I have to fight those reclusive masters on the Double Ninth Festival next year."

The women all spat in unison, calling me a martial arts fanatic, and then returned to the topic of the corpse.

"Master, could it be that Zhao and Yang fought, and Zhao Wuxi killed Yang Ding with a sword, but was then struck by Yang Ding's dying palm, severing his heart meridian, and only collapsed and died after running out of the forest?"

Mie Tian shook his head and said, "Iron Palm Yang Ding has few rivals in the Wuxi area. His palm skills are extremely high, and his internal energy has reached over sixty years, gradually forming the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top. As for Zhao Wuxi, he abandoned his studies for martial arts in his youth. Although his swordsmanship is good, his internal energy has only been cultivated for about twenty years. How could he possibly be a match for Yang Ding?" As he spoke, he pointed to the sword again and said, "Do you see anything strange about this sword?"

I glanced at it and immediately noticed its unusual nature, saying, "Ordinary swords have a blade width of two fingers, but this sword is at most only one finger wide!"

“The little lecher is right. I’ve seen Zhao Wuxi’s sword before. Although it’s incredibly sharp, its appearance isn’t much different from an ordinary sword. So the murderer who killed Yang Ding must be someone else.” Ever since Mie Tian started traveling with me, he’s called me the little lecher. It’s really unfortunate of me to be called that to my face and I’ve actually gotten used to it. I’m such a masochist!

Although Qin Wanfeng’s swordsmanship isn’t high, the Tianshan Sect is also a sect that uses swords. Her knowledge of the sword sects in the world is not much worse than that of Abbess Mie Tian of the Emei Sect.

“Abbess, in the world, only the Tianshan and South Sea Sword Sects use such narrow swords.”

Oh, right, no wonder this sword looks so familiar. It turns out that the shape of the sword is very similar to Qin Wanfeng’s sword.

“Grandpa and the others were seriously injured recently, so the murderer who killed Yang Ding must be someone from the Hainan Sword Sect.” I said with certainty.

Mie Tian frowned and said, “That’s strange.”

“Strange?” Everyone was puzzled.

Mie Tian explained, "The South Sea Sword Sect and the Red Sand Sect not only have no enmity, but also have quite a history. A few years ago, Wu Xunzi, a famous fast swordsman from the South Sea Sword Sect, was besieged by Japanese pirates while saving civilians. Hero Yang happened to be there and helped Wu Xunzi, repelling the pirates! Since then, the two sects have maintained a friendly relationship, not only without enmity, but also with a debt of gratitude. How could the South Sea Sect kill Yang Ding?" The

South Sea Sword Sect does not belong to any of the martial arts sects in the Central Plains; they reside overseas, and it is said that their swordsmanship was passed down by immortals overseas, making it fast and unpredictable. A second-rate master like Yang Ding is naturally no match for Wu Xunzi of the South Sea Sword Sect.

"Zhao Wuxi died at Yang Ding's hands, and Yang Ding died at Wu Xunzi's hands. This seems a bit strange no matter how you look at it. Could there be some secret hidden in this?" I frowned. Right now, getting to the capital to save people is the priority; I don't want to delay my journey because of this. If my grandmaster's grandmother really became the emperor's concubine, I would be utterly betraying my immortal master. Similarly, I don't want my mothers to become the emperor's women.

Deep down, because of that inexplicable and scandalous wedding incident, I've long considered them my wives. How could anyone else lay a finger on my women, not even the emperor? I'd kill gods and Buddhas alike, I'd even dare to kill the emperor!

But as the leader of the Emei sect, Mie Tian naturally had to intervene. I wasn't worried about how much time she'd take; I'd just treat it as a rest.

I added, "This matter seems to have far-reaching implications. We have important matters to attend to; it's best to mind our own business."

Mie Tian said, "The one who could turn these people into enemies must possess a treasure or be involved in a crucial secret."

Everyone nodded. Mie Tian was right. Think about it, for two people who were on good terms to suddenly become enemies, the one who would kill them must have something of great importance.

That's how people are; once they hear of a great secret or an extraordinary treasure, their interest skyrockets. Even my eagerness to get on my way calmed down after hearing what Mie Tian said.

"Something's not right," Qin Wanfeng suddenly said. "As far as I know, the South Sea Sword Sect always operates on the principle of 'the sword is the person, the person dies with the sword.' Now the sword is out of hand... could it be...?"

Mie Tian was startled, looked around again, and suddenly used her lightness skill to leap deeper into the forest.

We were afraid she might get hurt, so we hurriedly followed behind. Before leaving, I took the precious sword that was stuck in Yang Ding's throat. Such a good sword—why not take it?

More corpses!

Today isn't the Ghost Festival (July 7th of the lunar calendar), so why do we keep encountering corpses?

There were two corpses, but they looked like three. One of them had been cleaved in two, his intestines spilling out everywhere. Fortunately, the weather was cold, and the contents had frozen into ice, making it less gruesome, though many of the women still vomited.

The other was better off; at least his clothes were intact, and he was clearly an old man, dressed in plain clothes, holding a broken sword to the side above his head. Unfortunately, half his head was gone, leaving only an eye and half a nostril, but thankfully, he still had a complete mouth. He also had a white beard, indicating he was quite old.

"It seems the one cleaved in two is Wu Xunzi. I never imagined that after killing Yang Ding, he would lose his sword and die, only to be cleaved in two himself, dying even more tragically than Yang Ding," Qin Wanfeng sighed.

Mie Tian, however, focused more on the corpse with half its head severed. "Look at this man," I said, "he must be a disciple of the South Sea Sword Sect. Judging by his age, he's probably older than Wu Xunzi, and his skill must be superior. Although the South Sea Sword Sect rarely ventures into the martial world, their swordsmanship is known for its unpredictable speed and unpredictability. Judging from this, the killer must have struck with his sword, leaving the victim with no way to dodge, forcing him to parry with his own.

But the killer not only broke the victim's sword, but the remaining force also cleaved the victim's head in half. Legend has it that the South Sea is rich in cold iron, and their sect's treasured swords are all forged from this iron through countless hammerings. While not considered peerless swords, they are still coveted by swordsmen in the martial world. Such profound skill, such a sharp sword, such a heavy sword!"

I asked, "How do you know the killer used a sword? Couldn't it have been a knife?

" Chapter 116 The Beauty Outside the Forest

Mie Tian said, "The swordsmanship of the South Sea Sword Sect is renowned throughout the world for its speed. How many people in the martial arts world today can force a master of the South Sea Sword Sect, whose swordsmanship is so superb, to block with their own sword? You must know that if a swordsmanship is known for its speed, its techniques will certainly not include any blocking moves. If the killer's swordsmanship is so superb that it is faster than the deceased, then naturally the deceased is forced to block with their sword."

I disagreed and said, "I think what you said is an exaggeration. My swordsmanship is many times faster than his. I don't believe that there are no famous swordsmen in the world."

Mie Tian was stunned for a moment, speechless with anger, thinking to himself, "How many freaks like you are there in the world? I don't know how you trained your martial arts. You're so young, supposedly only thirteen years old, yet you've reached the level of an Earth Immortal!"

Qin Wanfeng also said, "I think Xiaozheng is right about this. The deceased only had sixty or seventy years of internal energy at most. If someone had a hundred years of internal energy, even if they were using a knife, they would definitely be faster than the deceased using a sword."

Upon hearing this, Mie Tian suddenly seemed to have thought of something and lowered his head in deep thought.

Xiaofu asked, "Master, what's wrong?"

"Oh, I just remembered something!" Mie Tian slowly said, "Two hundred years ago, two divine weapons appeared in the martial arts world. One of them is this Yitian Sword that I possess." Mie Tian gently stroked the Yitian Sword in his hand. Along the way, whether eating or sleeping, he never let go of the Yitian Sword. I once tried to look at him, but Mie Tian ignored me completely. He's such a stingy person.

Thinking of this, I joked, "Oh, right, this divine sword of yours is so much sharper than any of those cold iron swords from the South China Sea, and it can easily unleash sword energy. Could it be..." Before

Mie Tian could react, the little nun Zhi Ruo suddenly stepped forward and said, "What do you mean by that? My master is a good person. If you dare to slander my master, watch out for my claws!" She stretched out her pale hand, pulled down the finger cot, revealing sharp nails, about an inch long, with a faint blue light emanating from the tips. I heard from Miao Hui that there was no cure for the corpse poison on the fingers. Although I am immune to all poisons, I dared not try it lightly.

I pretended to be scared and said, "Grandma, have mercy! I'm so scared."

The little nun Zhi Ruo was quite satisfied with my performance and triumphantly put the rhinoceros hide finger cot back on her finger.

Upon seeing this, Mie Tian smiled, giving me a meaningful glance. Seeing that I didn't interrupt, he continued the previous topic, saying, "Back then, there was another treasured sword in the martial world, even more famous than the Heaven-Slaying Sword."

Qin Wanfeng said, "Could it be the Dragon-Slaying Saber?"

"That's right. Although I've never met this deceased person, with my skill, if I were to use the Heaven-Slaying Sword, I could at most only break his sword, but I wouldn't have the strength to cut off his head."

"Master, are you saying the murderer used the Dragon-Slaying Saber?"

"Yes, the Dragon-Slaying Saber is a divine weapon on par with the Heaven-Reliant Sword. It was forged by the legendary swordsmiths Guo Jing and his wife, using parts of the Xuan Tie Sword once wielded by Yang Guo, the Condor Hero. Legend has it that this Xuan Tie Sword was the weapon of the greatest martial arts master in the world, Dugu Qiubai, in his middle age, three hundred years ago. Weighing eighty jin (approximately 40 kg), it's comparable to Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

Back then, Master Guo split the Xuan Tie Sword in two, using twenty jin (approximately 30 kg) for the Heaven-Reliant Sword and the other sixty jin (approximately 30 kg) to forge the heavy Dragon-Slaying Saber. Although the two divine weapons are roughly equal in sharpness, the Dragon-Slaying Saber is over forty jin (approximately 30 kg) heavier than the Heaven-Reliant Sword. If the Dragon-Slaying Saber..." The blade struck the sword; anyone with over seventy years of internal energy could kill him. "

Extinction Heaven paused, then continued, "But this Dragon-Slaying Saber was taken by the Nine Yang Hero Zhang Wuji long ago. Zhang Wuji later disappeared without a trace, and the saber's whereabouts also vanished. Unexpectedly, this Dragon-Slaying Saber has reappeared in the martial world two hundred years later. There are very few people in the martial world with over seventy years of internal energy. The leaders of all the major sects were seriously injured half a month ago. Besides those reclusive masters and old villains who no longer roam the martial world, I can't think of anyone else with such high levels of internal energy." A

thought flashed through my mind, and I said, "There's one more sect."

"Which sect?"

"The Savior of the World—Leng Yue Nunnery."

"Oh right, how could I forget?" Mie Tian clapped his hands and said, "Leng Yue Nunnery has always claimed to be the savior of the world. Whenever the court is in trouble, or there are mutinies, rebellions, or treason, they send out their envoys and disciples back into the martial world. They are known in the martial world as the savior of the world.

The envoys and disciples they send are all stunningly beautiful women who are only twenty years old, and their martial arts are unfathomable, especially their swordsmanship. Legend has it that more than ten years ago, when the world was in chaos, Leng Yue Nunnery's envoy, Yue Chunxin, once competed with the century-old demon Ren Woxing in internal strength, and actually made Ren Woxing vomit blood and flee far away, never daring to leave the martial world again. She herself was not even out of breath. The martial arts of Leng Yue Nunnery's disciples are truly unfathomable. If someone from Leng Yue Nunnery were to use a treasured sword, they could indeed kill him easily."

"If that's really the case, then why would Leng Yue Nunnery, which always claims to be the savior of the world and a messenger of justice, resort to such underhanded tactics to kill the disciples of the South Sea Sword Sect?" Qin Wanfeng pointed out the key to the problem.

"Let's search again and see if we find anything else." Undeterred, Mie Tian ventured deeper into the forest once more.

As expected, her efforts paid off; soon, she found another corpse nearby.

It was clearly a woman's body, dressed in a snow-white gauze robe. Although her body was cold, her shapely figure was still evident—perfectly proportioned. Her face was fair; if it weren't for the wound around her left eye that marred her beauty, she would have been an absolute beauty.

This must be a disciple of Leng Yue Nunnery.

Who was this heartless bastard who dared to murder such a beautiful woman? It was a terrible waste! If it were me, I could never bring myself to do such a thing.

"Isn't Leng Yue Nunnery usually very inactive in the martial world? How come their people have been killed this time?" Qin Wanfeng was the first to express disbelief, raising her question.

Mie Tiandao said, "Don't forget, the Prince of Ning has rebelled, and the world is in chaos. The court is teetering on the brink of collapse. As the savior of the world, Leng Yue Nunnery will naturally send its disciples to help the court overcome this crisis."

Qin Wanfeng was still somewhat skeptical, saying, "Isn't it said that every disciple sent by Leng Yue Nunnery is a top-tier expert? How could they lose their lives so easily?"

Mie Tian sighed, "Life is unpredictable. Sometimes a three-year-old can kill an adult. How do you explain that?" Qin Wanfeng was speechless. Indeed, there were many things in this matter that were easier said than done.

Mie Tian carefully examined the corpse. After comparing the wounds with the marks on the sword, the cause of death was indeed left by the broken sword.

"It seems that the people from the South Sea Sect blinded this girl's left eye beforehand. Enraged by the disfigurement, the girl cleaved one of the South Sea Sect members in two with a single blow. In the end, she died because the wound was too deep and damaged her brain."

Mie Tian's words were correct, but I raised a question: "Zhao Wuxi was killed by Yang Ding, and Yang Ding was killed by Wu Xunzi of the South Sea Sword Sect. Wu Xunzi and the other man were killed by this woman, and before they died, they stabbed her with this fatal sword. But why did they turn against each other and end up dying far from home? That's the key point. And another point, have you noticed? If this woman is indeed a disciple of the Lengyue Nunnery, then she..." "Where's her weapon? Where did her treasured sword go?"

Mie Tian was taken aback by what I said, and Qin Wanfeng also seemed thoughtful. Only the little nun Zhi Ruo was unconvinced, saying, "What's so strange about that? These people are definitely fighting over some treasure. You kill me, I kill you, and in the end, they're all dead.

Besides, think about it, it's so cold outside. Who knows how many days and nights they've been dead? This forest is right by the roadside. Maybe some skilled person picked up the girl's treasured sword and that other treasure together."

I smiled lightly. She could make such an obvious logical fallacy. No wonder she's a little nun.

I said, "Let me ask you, why didn't the person who picked up the treasure also take the intact South Sea Sword? You know, the South Sea Sword is very famous in the martial arts world. People often say, 'A thousand pieces of gold are easy to obtain, but a sword is hard to find.' That's what the swords produced by the South Sea Sect are all about."

As I spoke, I touched the long sword I had pulled from Yang Ding's corpse.

Upon hearing this, Zhiruo, though finding my words reasonable, still retorted unreasonably, "Hey, when did this sword end up in your hands? Shameless, even wanting things from the dead?"

"The sword's owner is dead, so it naturally became ownerless. Now that I have it, it's mine. How can you still call it something from the dead?"

"Pah, shameless." Unable to argue with me, Zhiruo could only make a face at me.

Xiaofu said, "Young Master Xu, perhaps that person thought the sword was dirty, so they didn't take it."

"You mean the treasure hunter was also a woman, and like you, disliked the sword?"

"That's right. Also, perhaps the treasure hunter felt that compared to the Dragon-Slaying Saber and the nameless treasure they already possessed, which were priceless treasures, they looked down on this sword that could be cut by the Dragon-Slaying Saber. Who knows?"

Mietian then said, "Xiaofu, you're too kind. You don't understand the insatiable greed of human nature. If someone as kind as you had obtained a priceless treasure, they might have looked down on this sword. But others are different. Humans are greedy creatures. Many people, even after finding a priceless treasure, would still be interested in a mere tael of silver at their feet and would pick it up."

"Like me," I said, even pretending to cough twice.

Zhiruo, the little nun, cursed, "Country bumpkin."

My seemingly accepting attitude only fueled her anger, and she rushed forward to twist my ear. How could I dare let her "white bone claws" catch me? I immediately hid behind Mie Tian and gave her a dirty look.

Zhi Ruo feared nothing and no one, but she was most afraid of her master, Mie Tian. Seeing me hiding behind him, she didn't dare to chase after me, only her little face turning red with anger, clearly very annoyed.

Mie Tian saw this and smiled slightly, saying, "Zhi Ruo, don't bother with this lecherous scoundrel. His skin is thicker than a city wall. Arguing with him is just asking for trouble."

"Hey, Master, who are you talking about? Alright, alright, I'm magnanimous and won't hold a grudge, but we've already wasted quite a bit of time here, and it's getting late. We should go." I urged.

Before Mie Tian could speak, a warm and enthusiastic voice came: "Hehe, you think you can just leave after killing someone?"

A slender figure in red, accompanied by a fragrant breeze, passed by like a gentle wind, and in the blink of an eye, she was standing gracefully in front of us.

Beautiful!

Incomparably beautiful!

The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old. She wore a form-fitting red outfit that accentuated her flawless figure, curvaceous and shapely. Her ponytail swung behind her head, adding to her youthful vitality. Her bright, large eyes, if they were still watery, would make her a truly perfect goddess. Unfortunately, her eyes now held a murderous glint, staring at me unblinkingly, as if I were a vicious wolf, ready to pounce and bite my neck at any moment.

But these minor flaws only made her beauty more striking. Of all the beauties I had ever seen, perhaps only Ming Yu'er, a living person, could rival her. The four beauties lying in the ice coffin were obviously not included. The young girl before me was like a summer fire, scorching my heart, making me boil, making me excited. It was an impulse; everyone who saw her, whether man or woman, would feel a surge of youthful passion, a youthful fervor that burned brightly simply from seeing this woman once.

If there is a woman's face in this world that can make a man stop breathing, then it is this young girl's face; if there is a woman's eyes in this world that can make one feel ecstatic, then it is this woman. At this moment, this fiery beauty is burning in my heart.

"Girl, you should know that in broad daylight, a young girl who hasn't even left her maiden home standing in front of a young man is quite arousing!" Although I felt a sense of amazement, who am I? I've seen even more beautiful women like Xi Shi, so naturally I wouldn't be as dumbfounded as Mie Tian and the others.

As soon as I spoke, Mie Tian and the others were awakened, all astonished by the girl's unparalleled beauty. Qin Wanfeng was alright, after all, she had been with Ming Yu'er for more than ten years, and had some resistance to this kind of beauty. But unlike Ming Yu'er's noble and dignified beauty, the woman in front of her was full of youthful vitality and boundless passion, a beauty completely opposite to Ming Yu'er's serene beauty. For a moment, Qin Wanfeng was also stunned!

"Hmph, anyway, after today, you'll have no way to deal with it. What you think is none of my business," said the girl in red.

"I have no grudge against you, young lady. What makes you say that?"

"Are you the Nine-Foot Lecher Xu Zhengqi?" the girl in red asked instead of answering.

I explained, "I'm innocent! Young lady, I, Xu Zhengqi, cleared my name half a month ago. How could I be a Nine-Foot Lecher?"

"I don't care about you. Anyway, you're called Xu Zhengqi. Alright, give me back the Dragon-Slaying Saber." The girl in red reached out, as if asking me for the saber.

"The Dragon-Slaying Saber? I don't have one!"

"You don't?" The girl in red pointed to the mangled corpses in the distance. "What divine weapon in the world could inflict such horrific wounds?"

"And what makes you say these two wounds were inflicted by the Dragon-Slaying Saber?"

"The Dragon-Slaying Saber, like this nun's Heaven-Reliant Sword, is made of Xuan Iron. Ask this nun if it's true or not."

I naturally wouldn't ask about the Heaven-Slaying Saber; I just wanted to ascertain the truth of what this woman said, whether she had ever used the Dragon-Slaying Saber.

"Miss, may I ask your name and teacher?"

The girl in red was quite straightforward, answering, "My name is Yue Xiaxin, and I am the current envoy of the Cold Moon Nunnery."

What? She's the current envoy sent by the Cold Moon Nunnery to save the court? Everyone was astonished.

I said solemnly, "Whether Miss Yue believes it or not, I, Xu Zhengqi, have indeed never seen any Dragon-Slaying Saber." As I spoke, I conjured a golden, gleaming dragon-force true qi saber in my right hand. After she exclaimed in surprise, "Golden Dragon Saber Qi," I said, "I, Xu, can conjure swords and sabers with my own true qi, and their sharpness is no less than that of the Heaven-Reliant Sword. What would I need that damned Dragon-Slaying Saber for?"

The red-clad girl, Yue Xiaxin, had a drastic change in expression, turning red and white in turns, as if she had seen some terrifying monster. She murmured, "The rumors in the martial world are indeed true."

"Miss, this Dragon-Slaying Saber has not appeared in the martial world for two hundred years. Has it truly always belonged to your Lengyue Nunnery?"

"That's right. As far back as I can remember, this Dragon-Slaying Saber has always been enshrined in the main hall of the nunnery. It is the treasure of our sect."

"Wait, that's not right. It's said that the Dragon-Slaying Saber, which belonged to Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King

and the adoptive father of the Nine Yang Hero Zhang Wuji, ended up in your hands?" Yue Xiaxin thought. "What I can tell you is that Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King, has some connection with our sect, but as for the reason, I'll not tell you."

Qin Wanfeng stepped forward and said, "This young lady Yue, my Zheng'er has indeed never seen any Dragon-Slaying Saber, let alone taken it. We can testify to that."

The little nun Zhiruo was quite excited when she saw the exceptionally beautiful Yue Xiaxin. She jumped in front of Yue Xiaxin and said, "Sister, sister, you're so beautiful. I can testify for the little lecher. We were just passing by and didn't kill anyone or see the Dragon-Slaying Saber. Someone else must have picked it up first."

Yue Xiaxin hesitated when she saw so many people speaking up for her, all of them looking completely honest and not like they were lying.

"Come, young lady, let me introduce you to someone." Without saying a word, I took Yue Xiaxin's hand and walked to the only female victim.

"This is someone from your Lengyue Nunnery, do you recognize her?"

"Oh, who's so heartless as to kill such a beautiful sister?" Yue Xiaxin said with a hint of regret, but without any sorrow.

"You don't recognize her?"

I chuckled lightly. She made such an obvious logical fallacy; no wonder she's a little nun.

I said, "Let me ask you, why didn't the treasure hunter also take the intact South Sea Sword? You know, the South Sea Sword is extremely famous in the martial arts world. People often say, 'Gold is easy to obtain, but a sword is hard to find.' That's what they mean by the swords produced by the South Sea Sect."

As I spoke, I touched the long sword I had pulled from Yang Ding's corpse.

Upon hearing this, Zhiruo, though finding my words reasonable, still retorted unreasonably, "Hey, when did this sword end up in your hands? Shameless, even wanting things from the dead?"

"The sword's owner is dead, so it naturally became ownerless. Now that I have it, it's mine. How can you still call it something from the dead?"

"Pah, shameless." Unable to argue with me, Zhiruo could only make a face at me.

Xiaofu said, "Young Master Xu, perhaps that person thought the sword was dirty, so they didn't take it."

"You mean the treasure hunter was also a woman, and like you, disliked the sword?"

"That's right. Also, perhaps the treasure hunter felt that compared to the Dragon-Slaying Saber and the nameless treasure they already possessed, which were priceless treasures, they looked down on this sword that could be cut by the Dragon-Slaying Saber. Who knows?"

Mietian then said, "Xiaofu, you're too kind. You don't understand the insatiable greed of human nature. If someone as kind as you had obtained a priceless treasure, they might have looked down on this sword. But others are different. Humans are greedy creatures. Many people, even after finding a priceless treasure, would still be interested in a mere tael of silver at their feet and would pick it up."

"Like me," I said, even pretending to cough twice.

Zhiruo, the little nun, cursed, "Country bumpkin."

My seemingly accepting attitude only fueled her anger, and she rushed forward to twist my ear. How could I dare let her "white bone claws" catch me? I immediately hid behind Mie Tian and gave her a dirty look.

Zhi Ruo feared nothing and no one, but she was most afraid of her master, Mie Tian. Seeing me hiding behind him, she didn't dare to chase after me, only her little face turning red with anger, clearly very annoyed.

Mie Tian saw this and smiled slightly, saying, "Zhi Ruo, don't bother with this lecherous scoundrel. His skin is thicker than a city wall. Arguing with him is just asking for trouble."

"Hey, Master, who are you talking about? Alright, alright, I'm magnanimous and won't hold a grudge, but we've already wasted quite a bit of time here, and it's getting late. We should go." I urged.

Before Mie Tian could speak, a warm and enthusiastic voice came: "Hehe, you think you can just leave after killing someone?"

A slender figure in red, accompanied by a fragrant breeze, passed by like a gentle wind, and in the blink of an eye, she was standing gracefully in front of us.

Beautiful!

Incomparably beautiful!

The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old. She wore a form-fitting red outfit that accentuated her flawless figure, curvaceous and shapely. Her ponytail swung behind her head, adding to her youthful vitality. Her bright, large eyes, if they were still watery, would make her a truly perfect goddess. Unfortunately, her eyes now held a murderous glint, staring at me unblinkingly, as if I were a vicious wolf, ready to pounce and bite my neck at any moment.

But these minor flaws only made her beauty more striking. Of all the beauties I had ever seen, perhaps only Ming Yu'er, a living person, could rival her. The four beauties lying in the ice coffin were obviously not included. The young girl before me was like a summer fire, scorching my heart, making me boil, making me excited. It was an impulse; everyone who saw her, whether man or woman, would feel a surge of youthful passion, a youthful fervor that burned brightly simply from seeing this woman once.

If there is a woman's face in this world that can make a man stop breathing, then it is this young girl's face; if there is a woman's eyes in this world that can make one feel ecstatic, then it is this woman. At this moment, this fiery beauty is burning in my heart.

"Girl, you should know that in broad daylight, a young girl who hasn't even left her maiden home standing in front of a young man is quite arousing!" Although I felt a sense of amazement, who am I? I've seen even more beautiful women like Xi Shi, so naturally I wouldn't be as dumbfounded as Mie Tian and the others.

As soon as I spoke, Mie Tian and the others were awakened, all astonished by the girl's unparalleled beauty. Qin Wanfeng was alright, after all, she had been with Ming Yu'er for more than ten years, and had some resistance to this kind of beauty. But unlike Ming Yu'er's noble and dignified beauty, the woman in front of her was full of youthful vitality and boundless passion, a beauty completely opposite to Ming Yu'er's serene beauty. For a moment, Qin Wanfeng was also stunned!

"Hmph, anyway, after today, you'll have no way to deal with it. What you think is none of my business," said the girl in red.

"I have no grudge against you, young lady. What makes you say that?"

"Are you the Nine-Foot Lecher Xu Zhengqi?" the girl in red countered.

I explained, "I'm innocent! Young lady, I, Xu Zhengqi, cleared my name half a month ago. How could I be a Nine-Foot Lecher?"

"I don't care about you. Anyway, you're Xu Zhengqi. Alright, give me back the Dragon-Slaying Saber." The girl in red reached out, as if asking for the saber.

"The Dragon-Slaying Saber? I don't have one."

"Don't have one?" The girl in red pointed to the mangled corpses in the distance. "What divine weapon in the world could inflict such terrible wounds?"

"And what makes you say that the wounds on these two people were inflicted by the Dragon-Slaying Saber?"

"The Dragon-Slaying Saber, like this nun's Heaven-Reliant Sword, is made of Xuan Iron. Ask this nun if it's true or not."

I naturally wouldn't ask about the Heaven-Slaying Blade; I only wanted to ascertain the truth of what this woman said, whether she had ever used the Dragon-Slaying Saber.

"Miss, may I ask your name and teacher?"

The girl in red readily replied, "My name is Yue Xiaxin, and I am the current envoy of the Cold Moon Nunnery."

What? She's the current envoy sent by the Cold Moon Nunnery to save the court? Everyone was astonished.

I said solemnly, "Whether Miss Yue believes it or not, I, Xu Zhengqi, have indeed never seen any Dragon-Slaying Saber." As I spoke, I conjured a golden, gleaming dragon-force true qi saber in my right hand. After she exclaimed in surprise, "Golden Dragon Saber Qi," I said, "I, Xu, can conjure swords and sabers with my own true qi, and their sharpness is no less than that of the Heaven-Reliant Sword. What would I need that damned Dragon-Slaying Saber for?"

The red-clad girl, Yue Xiaxin, had a drastic change in expression, turning red and white in turns, as if she had seen some terrifying monster. She murmured, "The rumors in the martial world are indeed true."

"Miss, this Dragon-Slaying Saber has not appeared in the martial world for two hundred years. Has it truly always belonged to your Lengyue Nunnery?"

"That's right. As far back as I can remember, this Dragon-Slaying Saber has always been enshrined in the main hall of the nunnery. It is the treasure of our sect."

"Wait, that's not right. It's said that the Dragon-Slaying Saber, which belonged to Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King

and the adoptive father of the Nine Yang Hero Zhang Wuji, ended up in your hands?" Yue Xiaxin thought. "What I can tell you is that Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King, has some connection with our sect, but as for the reason, I'll not tell you."

Qin Wanfeng stepped forward and said, "This young lady Yue, my Zheng'er has indeed never seen any Dragon-Slaying Saber, let alone taken it. We can testify to that."

The little nun Zhiruo was quite excited when she saw the exceptionally beautiful Yue Xiaxin. She jumped in front of Yue Xiaxin and said, "Sister, sister, you're so beautiful. I can testify for the little lecher. We were just passing by and didn't kill anyone or see the Dragon-Slaying Saber. Someone else must have picked it up first."

Yue Xiaxin hesitated when she saw so many people speaking up for her, all of them looking completely honest and not like they were lying.

"Come, young lady, let me introduce you to someone." Without saying a word, I took Yue Xiaxin's hand and walked to the only female victim.

"This is someone from your Lengyue Nunnery, do you know her?"

"Eh, who's so heartless as to kill such a beautiful sister?" Yue Xiaxin said with a hint of regret, but without any sorrow.

"You don't know her?"

"No, why should I know her?" Yue Xiaxin tilted her head, as if she were seeing a gorilla.

Mie Tian was also puzzled and said, "This woman isn't a disciple of Lengyue Nunnery? Then what makes you think you are?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Xiaxin became angry and abruptly pulled her sleeve up to her arm, exposing her delicate, fair skin to the biting north wind, yet she showed no sign of coldness. Above her elbow and below her forearm, right in the center, a pink crescent-shaped mark was vividly imprinted on her snow-white skin. It was neither a birthmark nor a virginity mark.

Chapter 117 The Nun Buys Rouge

"Everyone in my Cold Moon Nunnery has this crescent moon mark. It was imprinted on the arms of generations of disciples by our sect leader with unparalleled skill. No one can imitate it," Yue Xiaxin said proudly. Now you should believe me, right?

Qin Wanfeng held her arm and examined it carefully for a while. This mark seemed to grow with the girl's skin, unlike the virginity mark or ordinary tattoos. It seemed almost alive, even emitting a faint pink moonlight when not in use. It was truly an exquisite object, perhaps indeed the unique mark of the Cold Moon Nunnery.

At first glance, I could tell that Yue Xiaxin was a passionate person, intolerant of any imperfections, straightforward and honest, incapable of lying. But in this way, wouldn't this murder case return to square one?

"This woman isn't a disciple of Lengyue Nunnery, yet she's dressed like this. Clearly, the real murderer wants people to believe this tragic case is a result of their own infighting, ending in mutual destruction."

Yue Xiaxin was bewildered by my explanation. Qin Wanfeng explained, and after she understood, she angrily exclaimed, "That scoundrel dares to frame our Lengyue Nunnery!"

Mie Tian said, "The murderer wanted to pin everything on this woman, but man proposes, God disposes."

I smiled slightly, "It's truly a coincidence. If Miss Yue hadn't arrived in time, we would have really thought that Lengyue Nunnery had turned against the martial arts world."

Yue Xiaxin was overjoyed and asked, "Then do you know who the murderer is?"

"I don't know."

Yue Xiaxin shook off my hand, displeased, and said, "How dare you say that?" "

There always has to be a process of deduction. On the surface, the clues seem to have gone cold, but there's still a little more," I said confidently.

"What is it? Tell me quickly!" Yue Xiaxin suddenly looked at me eagerly, as if there was something on my face that interested her.

The crowd's emotions fluctuated after hearing our conversation, rising and falling with each passing moment, eager to know what other clues were available.

"Think about it," I said, "this murder case involves the Dragon-Slaying Saber, which was originally kept by the Lengyue Nunnery. So, who stole the Dragon-Slaying Saber from the Lengyue Nunnery? I think the thief must be connected to this bloodshed." The crowd nodded, and I continued, "Miss Yue, how did you find out that I, Xu Zhengqi, am here?"

Yue Xiaxin exclaimed, "Ah!" and said, "I found out from a coachman in the town ahead."

"That coachman is definitely suspicious," I said.

Yue Xiaxin grabbed my hand and said, "Come on, let's hurry and chase after them."

Qin Wanfeng came over and lovingly held Yue Xiaxin's small hand, saying, "Silly girl, if they would have led you here, they would have run far away long ago. How could you possibly catch them?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Xiaxin's enthusiasm vanished instantly, like a wilted reed, and she said listlessly, "What can we do? Our sect leader sent me down the mountain to retrieve the Dragon-Slaying Saber."

I found it somewhat amusing. Jiang Rushui had said that the disciples sent by Lengyue Nunnery were always exceptionally intelligent, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and adept at scheming. For example, Yue Chunxin, who was said to have been mature and composed at only sixteen years old, capable of manipulating all the major powers in the world.

Why was this time Lengyue Nunnery sending a big-breasted, brainless silly girl? Could it be that Lengyue Nunnery's attitude towards the world had changed?

But I couldn't bear to see Yue Xiaxin's pitiful look, so I said to her, "Don't despair, there are still clues. Let me ask you, do you know if the person who stole the precious sword was a man or a woman?"

Yue Xiaxin replied, "My Lengyue Nunnery is entirely female. Men are never allowed to enter the nunnery or the mountains. I've only seen a real man since I left the mountains."

"A real man?" Had she seen a eunuch

before? "Yes, I've only seen them in portraits in the main hall."

I chuckled.

Mie Tian chimed in, "So, the person who stole the sword is a woman?"

"And she should be from your Lengyue Nunnery." I added.

"What? Impossible! We're all like family in Lengyue Nunnery, how could there be a traitor?" Yue Xiaxin looked incredulous.

I comforted her, "I think your sect leader suspected there was a traitor within the sect, so he sent someone as outspoken as you to search for the sword, afraid you'd be too heartbroken and didn't want you to know."

Yue Xiaxin froze, then turned to leave. Qin Wanfeng grabbed her and asked, "Miss Yue, where are you going?"

"I want to go back to the mountain!"

"Oh, listen to your elder sister, little sister. Your sect leader loves you so much. She was afraid you'd be heartbroken, so she sent you away to find the sword. How can you waste her good intentions?"

Yue Xiaxin's eyebrows furrowed, and she said angrily, "Hmph, I want to see who the traitor is." It seems that this traitor is most likely very close to Yue Xiaxin, which is why the head of Lengyue Nunnery sent her away.

"Your sect leader sent you down the mountain to find the treasure sword. You didn't complete the task. Do you think she'll let you go back to the mountain?"

Yue Xiaxin ignored our advice and insisted on returning to Lengyue Nunnery. Zhi Ruo, quick-witted and clever, changed the subject, saying, "Sister, you were just so angry at that little lecher, why didn't you resist when he grabbed your hand?"

Yue Xiaxin replied matter-of-factly, "It's nothing, all the senior and junior sisters in the nunnery hold my hand like that!"

"But that lecher is a man, not one of your senior or junior sisters."

"I don't know myself. But he's the first man to hold my hand, I don't even look at other men."

"Is it because that lecher is tall and handsome?"

"No, I've seen plenty of men more handsome than him."

"Then why?"

"After hearing what the coachman said, I was so angry I wanted to kill that little lecher with a knife." She'd caught Zhi Ruo's urges and started calling him "little lecher" all the time. "Later, when I first saw him, I felt like I'd seen him somewhere before, and I wasn't so angry anymore. When he held my hand, it felt perfectly normal. It was like my master holding my hand, so warm!"

Hearing their conversation, everyone felt a surge of affection for Yue Xiaxin; such a pure and innocent girl was truly rare.

"Hey, when did I become your master?" I protested.

"So stingy, it was just an analogy!" Yue Xiaxin seemed to have forgotten about returning to Lengyue Nunnery. Just as we were secretly celebrating our successful persuasion, Yue Xiaxin suddenly yelled, "Oh dear, how could I forget about that? You little rascal, ladies, I have to go take care of something urgent. You're going to the capital, right? See you there!"

With that, she hastily used Lengyue Nunnery's unique lightness skill, flying away like a happy little swallow in the north wind.

Just as I was about to reach out and grab her, Qin Wanfeng stopped me, saying, "Let her go. Although the girl is naive, she can still distinguish right from wrong. She has a naturally endearing quality, and no one can harbor any evil thoughts in front of her."

Indeed, before, whenever I saw a beautiful woman, I mostly thought of taking her to bed. But today, seeing Yue Xiaxin, I didn't feel the slightest lust. Instead, the dragon energy within me felt exceptionally comfortable, like soaking in a hot spring, my whole body warm and cozy.

"Perhaps that's why her master felt at ease letting her venture into the world alone." These past few days, Mie Tian has been with me, and his previously fiery temper seems to have changed quite a bit. It's really strange.

"Those destined to meet will meet even if they are a thousand miles apart, while those not destined will not be able to hold hands even if they are face to face. Let's hurry on our way, or we'll really be starving tonight." Pulling everyone back to reality from their reluctant feelings, Yue Xiaxin's personal charm was truly remarkable. In less than half an hour of contact, she had already won everyone's hearts. It felt like she was leaving as if she were an old friend who had known each other for many years, leaving everyone feeling reluctant to part.

"Hurry up!" I urged impatiently.

Zhiruo retorted angrily, "Just now you were holding hands with someone so affectionately, and the moment you turned around you were far away."

"I have important matters to attend to right now, and I can't be in two places at once. How can I care about so many Jianghu grudges? Besides, I have no interest in any of these treasures, treasures, secrets, or anything like that."

"Pah, heartless! Men really aren't all the same." I was

speechless. What was she talking about?!

As dusk fell, we arrived at the town without incident. After a hearty meal, it was time for some fun. Although Mie Tian's seven female disciples weren't particularly beautiful, they all had excellent figures, perhaps due to years of martial arts training, making them exceptionally well-developed. Every night along the way, someone would warm her bed, which made Zhiruo, the little nun, grit her teeth in annoyance.

This was because her senior sisters used to dote on her and often warmed her bed. The whole group often slept on one kang (heated brick bed), which was extremely warm. Now, however, she could only stay with her master and senior sister Xiaofu. The noise at night was constant, forcing her to fall asleep only before the rooster crowed, and being dragged out of bed before the sun was high in the sky to continue her journey. The little nun's complaints were inevitable.

After another month of travel, they arrived in the capital—Pingjing City—just before the beginning of December.

Even before entering Pingjing City, it was clear that this capital was extraordinary.

The city walls were twice as high as those of Jinling City, a full twenty zhang above the ground. The moat outside the city was wide, about five zhang, making walking on the drawbridge feel like crossing the Yangtze River. Looking up, banners were everywhere on the city walls, and the soldiers stood ramrod straight, like javelins, unmoved by the howling north wind.

Entering the city gate, which was twenty zhang deep, I was secretly astonished to see another gate not far ahead, with a space about thirty zhang wide between the inner and outer gates. This demonstrates the formidable defenses of the capital city; even if the outer city fell, the inner city could still hold out for a while.

I heard that the inner city was where ordinary people lived, and further inside lay the Forbidden City, whose walls were said to be even thicker than these two layers, making it the foremost city wall in the world.

Everyone says emperors are afraid of death, so why build their capital like a thick, heavy tortoise shell?

Upon entering the inner city, a breathtakingly bright and prosperous scene unfolded before my eyes.

With the year-end approaching, numerous stalls lined the wide streets—selling Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures, honey cakes, daffodils, and much more. Cries of vendors rose and fell, echoing from one end of the street to the other. In the alleyways, children chased each other, running and shouting with their toys; the cruelty of war had had absolutely no effect on the capital.

Street performers, acrobats, clay figurines vendors, and kite sellers were surrounded by crowds clapping and cheering. You couldn't see a single beggar; you'd wonder if you'd just stepped from hell into heaven.

Squads of soldiers patrolled the streets, heads held high, steps synchronized, exuding an unprecedented sense of security. It was clear the capital's security was the best in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Of

our group, everyone except Mie Tian was visiting the capital for the first time, like country bumpkins in the big city, overwhelmed by the sights. Oh, right, that analogy was given to me by Wang Xifeng in bed. Thinking about how I left without saying goodbye, I truly felt bad for them. Once things in the capital are settled, I must bring them to my side to ease my longing.

Mie Tian had initially suggested checking into an inn early, but after Zhi Ruo's persistent nagging, she reluctantly joined our group of young people for a stroll through the streets.

"Rouge for sale! Face powder for sale!"

"Shopkeeper, how much is this face powder?" Qin Wanfeng loved beauty, and the north wind, sharp as a knife, had made her face flushed. I felt sorry for her, so I went straight to the rouge shop as soon as I arrived in the capital.

Qin Wanfeng scolded, "What kind of son buys rouge for his old mother?"

"My mother is still young, why can't she use it?"

I didn't have any silver in my pocket, but I had plenty of silver notes. I bought some top-grade rouge, and although it was expensive, the shopkeeper couldn't break the thousand-tael notes.

"How about this, I'll take all the rouge and face powder above the highest grade you have here. Wrap them up for me, is it worth the price?"

The shopkeeper said, "Sir, that's enough, that's more than enough. A thousand taels wouldn't be enough even if I sold the whole shop." This man was quite honest. I said, "You can keep the rest as a reward." The shopkeeper thanked me profusely, but Qin Wanfeng said, "Who are you buying so much for?"

I pointed at Mie Tian and the others, saying, "Look at them, all of them, accompanying us to the capital, their lips are practically cracked from all that talking." (Actually, they were cracked from screaming in bed.)

Xiao Fu, the nun, spat and said, "We're nuns, we don't need that!"

Although she said that, Zhi Ruo, Miao Hui, and the others were already envious; everyone loves beauty.

I said, "What's wrong with nuns? Nuns are people too. If they're sick, they see a doctor; if their lips are cracked, they wear rouge."

I retorted sharply, leaving Xiao Fu speechless. Mie Tian actually chimed in, "He's right. Buddha has no form; as long as you have Buddha in your heart, why care so much?"

Actually, I was quite unconvinced. Buddhism forbids killing, but martial arts sects like Shaolin and Emei kill without hesitation. Shaving one's head is just for show; humans are creatures that live for desire, yet they're supposed to abstain from desire—it's self-deception.

Zhiruo, being the most straightforward, snatched a box of rouge from my hand. If Miaohui hadn't held her hand, she might have applied it to her face in front of everyone.

Miaohui and the other seven women were all beaming with joy. Their beloved man had actually bought them rouge in this male-dominated world—such a man was rare indeed.

After the rouge incident, we strolled to the gate of a magnificent mansion. Unlike other mansions, its gate wasn't flanked by stone lions, but by two ferocious-looking dragons, draped in gold. The plaque above the gate read: "Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion," four powerful characters.

Duke of Zhenguo?

"I've heard that the current emperor is not only lustful but also incompetent and foolish. He actually proclaimed himself Duke of Zhenguo, making himself his subject. I've never seen such a unique emperor before," I teased.

"With treacherous officials in power, the people suffer. It's because of emperors like him that the people suffer!" Mietian said bitterly.

"Halt!" A squad of personal guards ran up. The squad leader glared at me and shouted, "Who are you, daring to criticize the Emperor to his face?"

I stepped in front of him, saying, "Let's not beat around the bush. Everyone has a say in the affairs of the world. That incompetent, dog-like emperor is a useless coward. If he weren't incompetent, how could so many people be displaced?"

The squad leader was intimidated by my imposing presence and took a step back. He looked at us, each carrying a sword, like martial arts practitioners. Somewhat frightened, he still forced himself to say, "How...how dare you! The world is at peace now. Where are these displaced people? Guards, quickly seize this alarmist!"

A group of fierce soldiers, spears and swords in hand, were about to charge forward when I shouted, "Anyone who dares to step forward will have this brick!" With a slight stomp of my foot, the brick broke. I lifted my foot again, and a half-foot-deep footprint appeared in the ground.

The soldiers were all stunned, never having seen such superhuman strength before, and were completely at a loss. The onlookers shouted in unison, "Good!"

Clap clap clap, a series of single claps rang out, followed by a deep voice saying, "Good lad, what impressive skill!" The soldiers automatically parted to make way for a tall man, eight feet in height, wearing light armor, striding forward.

His face was as black as charcoal, and despite the dead of winter, he wore only short sleeves, revealing two hairy, reddish arms. On his back was a large, gleaming sword, its blade gleaming coldly in the wind. The sword was exceptionally long; though the blade itself was not visible, judging from the exposed hilt and tip, it was about six feet long, more than twice the length of an ordinary sword.

The burly man's temples bulged high; he looked to be no more than thirty, but his inner strength was clearly profound. His steps, though large, were steady and powerful, moving as if he were riding a horse—clearly a fierce general on the battlefield.

"Boy, do you dare to fight me?" The burly man walked up to me, not even asking my name or background, and directly demanded a duel. It seemed I'd encountered a martial arts fanatic.

"Since someone has challenged me, I, Xu, will gladly oblige. Make your move!"

"Good, straightforward! I, Jiang Meng, haven't met such a straightforward person in a long time! Take this!" With that, he unleashed a fierce attack, aiming straight for my heart…

Chapter 118: No Fight

, No Friendship "Everyone, get out of the way!" I roared. Punches and kicks have no eyes; naturally, the women and ordinary people had to dodge.

I raised one palm, blocking the punch aimed at my chest. With this man's skill, I didn't even need to use my inner energy; my physical strength alone was enough to handle it.

With a soft thud, Jiang Meng's right fist jerked. He thought to himself, "What immense strength! He didn't use a single bit of internal force in that punch. Could he, like me, also possess superhuman strength?

" "Take another punch!" Jiang Meng raised his fist, as big as a vinegar jar, and unleashed a "Double Dragons Subduing Tigers" strike at my head and abdomen.

"Good!" I shouted, pulling my fists back to my waist and taking a lunge step, meeting Jiang Meng's fists with my own "Double Dragons Subduing Tigers." *Thud!*

Everyone in the arena felt a muffled tremor, as if the ground shook. That punch was incredibly heavy!

My physical strength had reached over three thousand jin, and these two punches carried a full fifteen hundred jin of force. Even with Jiang Meng's superhuman strength, I was forced back a large step by the force of my punches.

The contest of strength was clear; he had lost.

"Brother, what great strength!" Jiang Meng suddenly drew his long sword from his back, gripping it with both hands. The sword, shaped like a long, slanted crescent moon, gleamed with a dazzling white light. "I, Old Jiang, am no match for your strength, let's compare our weapons!"

"Brother Mengjiang, you have a straightforward nature, I, Xu, will gladly oblige." With a whoosh, I drew the South Sea Cold Iron Sword, which I had obtained from a dead man. This sword was about three feet long and only one finger wide. Judging from its style, it resembled a Western longsword. Such a small sword, held in my hand like a toy, looked utterly incongruous.

Jiang Meng's eyes widened. He had assumed my weapon was also large. "Brother Xu , you're going to use this sword to fight my longsword?"

"Nonsense, Brother Mengjiang, why are you being so hesitant now? You're acting like a woman."

"Ah, hehe, yes, Brother Xu is right." Jiang Meng chuckled twice, then suddenly roared, "Take this!"

His longsword came crashing down with immense force, the wind whistling and whipping through my clothes. If I didn't use my inner energy to protect my sword, and instead parried, it would surely break. In martial arts, the sword is light and agile, while the saber is powerful and fierce. A heavy saber against a light sword—the sword should naturally dodge.

I sidestepped, standing on one leg, and the tip of my sword accurately struck the blade. With a crisp "clang," the longsword narrowly missed my left shoulder.

"Ah—!" Miao Hui and the others, watching from the side, paled, repeatedly shouting "Be careful!" Qin Wanfeng explained kindly, "Don't worry, Xiao Zheng's skills are excellent. He's just teasing him."

The women breathed a sigh of relief, still keeping their eyes glued to the scene. Their man was fighting me; swords and blades have no eyes—how could they not be nervous?

I exchanged a few more blows with Jiang Meng, each move a counterattack and evasion. Jiang Meng, repeatedly missing his targets, flew into a rage, roaring, "You brat, if you've got the guts, fight me!" His hair and

beard bristled, and he roared, "Whirlwind Slash!"

Suddenly, he spun like a top, using his feet as a pivot and his longsword as a radius, violently drawing a circle. The surrounding air hissed from the force of the spin, and a sudden gust of wind swept through the previously still street.

The wind grew stronger, its chill stinging the faces of the onlookers, causing the crowd to disperse further away from us.

Clearly, Jiang Meng's technique would be a massive area-of-effect attack on the battlefield, but in a martial arts duel like this, who would wait for him to slowly build up his power?

But luckily, he encountered me. I was just about to test the strength of my own body. I watched with amusement as he spun like a madman, his heavy longsword spinning in circles, each rotation increasing its power.

The wind grew stronger, like a tornado rising from the ground. Suddenly, the wind blew towards me—Jiang Meng had made his move!

Before the blade arrived, the wind followed, a multitude of blade shadows, an overwhelming barrage like a giant demon with a snow-white mask, hurtling towards me.

Such speed was unprecedented since I entered the martial world. Although many in the martial arts world possessed higher internal strength than Jiang Meng, no one could have imagined that he would use such a frenzied spinning technique to increase his speed.

Though fast, it was faster than my eyes could see. Of the thousands of blade shadows, only one was real!

"Hah!" I exhaled, my sword flashing like a faint light in the darkness. Though weak, its light was strikingly clear in the darkness.

Clang! A metallic clang rang out, followed by sparks of fire.

Silence!

The storm had ceased; the tornado had vanished without a trace!

The audience stared in disbelief. Yes, I had caught it! A slender longsword had actually blocked a long, heavy saber.

I lunged forward, sword raised, executing a move called "Immortal Points the Way," the sharp tip of my sword resting precisely on the long blade, supporting it at an angle, the two weapons forming a perfect triangle!

Jiang Meng's saber weighed a full three thousand jin, yet I had blocked it with a slender sword—a classic example of the small defeating the large, the weak overcoming the strong.

The wind stopped, the sword's shadow disappeared, and the audience, captivated by the spectacular battle, forgot to applaud.

Silence. Utter silence.

"Oh, my precious saber!" Jiang Meng suddenly jumped up, clutching the saber like a child, gently stroking the blade. It was hard to imagine that such a powerful and imposing man could be so tender.

He saw it clearly; the longsword's blade was still intact.

"Phew—thank goodness, thank goodness!" Jiang Meng wiped the sweat from his brow, his tense expression suggesting his beloved woman was in danger.

The audience chuckled, and the soldiers couldn't help but stifle their laughter.

"Laugh, laugh! What's so funny? My precious sword is my woman!" Jiang Meng shouted.

The laughter intensified, and I couldn't help but smile as well.

"Well done, Brother Xu, your kung fu is truly impressive! Why not join the army? With my recommendation, you can become a captain right away," Jiang Meng enthusiastically suggested.

I teased him, "Brother Fierce General, what's your rank?"

Jiang Meng was displeased and said, "Oh, my dear brother, why do you keep calling me 'Brother Fierce General'? I'm just a lieutenant!"

"If you read your name backwards, it becomes 'Fierce General,' right?"

Jiang Meng slapped his thigh. "Oh, my dear brother, how clever you are! Look at my blockhead."

"Brother Jiang, I'm used to being free and don't like working in officialdom."

Jiang Meng said, "That's true. If it weren't for a few good friends in the army holding me back, I would have left long ago."

"Let's not talk about that. My brother and I get along very well. How about I treat you to a meal at a restaurant?"

Jiang Meng patted my shoulder and laughed heartily. "Brother Xu, you're just my type! I, Jiang Meng, don't have many hobbies, but this is my favorite!"

With that, he gave a few instructions to the soldiers, pulled me towards the restaurant, and said to Qin Wanfeng before leaving, "Sister-in-law, come with these nuns!"

Jiang Meng was a rough man and didn't think much of it. Seeing that Qin Wanfeng was the only one among the nuns with long hair, and looked quite young and beautiful, he naturally assumed she was my wife.

Qin Wanfeng blushed instantly and stammered, "I...I...no!"

Jiang Meng panicked when he heard this. "What's wrong, sister-in-law? It's almost noon anyway, let's go eat together."

The nuns covered their mouths and chuckled. I smiled and didn't explain. Qin Wanfeng was shy and couldn't possibly argue with this naive and rude man.

Seeing her lower her head, Jiang Meng took it as a tacit agreement and pulled me away. Qin Wanfeng whispered from behind, "Xiao Zheng, you'll be sorry tonight."

I smiled and glanced at her, which made her pretty face flush with anger. The tigress was about to unleash her fury. I hurried after Jiang Meng, ignoring her.

All the way, the girls kept teasing Qin Wanfeng, and even when we arrived at the restaurant, her face was still flushed.

On the second floor, we ordered a private room, but Qin Wanfeng absolutely refused to sit at the same table as Jiang Meng, so we had to order the waiter to open another private room for the women.

"Come on, we brothers became friends through a fight! I, Jiang Meng, will toast you three cups first, I'll drink mine first!" Jiang Meng picked up a large bowl and poured three bowls in a row.

After a few bowls of wine, Jiang Meng's face flushed, and he became more talkative. I seized the opportunity to ask, "I was disrespectful to the Emperor earlier, brother, you won't blame me, will you?"

I stood up and refilled Jiang Meng's glass. He sighed and said, "Alas, Brother Xu, you're right. To be honest, this Emperor is a complete playboy. He's over forty, a few years older than me, and still so immature."

"I heard the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was bestowed by the Emperor himself?"

"That's right. Hey, how can someone bestow a title upon themselves? Actually, don't be fooled by the Duke of Zhenguo's imposing presence; the Emperor doesn't sleep there nine days out of ten!"

"Then where does he sleep?"

"In the Eight Great Hutongs!"

"The Eight Great Hutongs? I'm new here, completely unfamiliar with the place."

"Ah, look at my memory, I forgot that this is my first time in the capital. Actually, these Eight Great Hutongs are just eight streets, but all eight streets are brothels."

I said, "Really? All eight streets are brothels?" Even a big city like Nanjing only has one street with brothels. I didn't expect that the number of brothels in the capital is eight times that of Nanjing.

"Men, a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a prostitute! Even the emperor is fond of that."

"In this grand palace, the Forbidden City, there are three thousand beauties, and the emperor is still not satisfied? Every year he holds a selection of beauties, every year he sends beauties from all over the country as tribute, and he still has to go to brothels to spend money for fun?"

Jiang Meng said, "Who says otherwise?" He suddenly leaned over and whispered to me, "Sometimes, I also think that the emperor is really damn shameless!"

I laughed and said, "Well said, well said. Come, let me toast you, brother!"

After a bowl of wine, Jiang Meng asked about me, "Brother Xu, your martial arts are so high, even the leaders of the fourteen sects are no match for you, why don't you roam the martial arts world and fight for justice, why did you come to the capital?"

I had just talked to him about some things about myself.

“To be honest, brother! When I was a kid, my family arranged marriages for me with over a dozen girls. A few days ago, they said they'd never been to the capital before and wanted to come and have some fun. But unexpectedly, they ran into the Empress Dowager presenting her daughters to the Emperor. The Capital Garrison Commander, Hai Dagui, saw how beautiful they were and, wanting to claim credit and rewards, disregarded their marriage contracts and took them into the palace as imperial concubines!”

*Bang!* Jiang Meng slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and roared, “Damn it! They dare to bully my brother ! Anyway, my job as a captain is pretty boring anyway, why don't we storm the palace and rescue my sister-in-law!”

I quickly stood up and pressed Jiang Meng down, saying, “Brother, listen to me. Let's discuss this further.”

Jiang Meng was a rough man, not very bright, and said, “Discuss what? What's there to discuss? A knife is the best way to talk.”

I got angry and shouted, "Brother, do you want the whole country to issue arrest warrants for us?"

"What's there to be afraid of? With my skills, who would dare bully me?"

"But think about it," I said, "if we break into the palace, I'm confident I can get my wife back. Why bother asking you for help? Besides, if word gets out, we'll be rats in the street, living a life everyone hates. There are so many fun places in the world; I don't want to be followed by a bunch of soldiers while I'm traveling with my wife."

Jiang Meng paused for a moment, then chuckled foolishly, "Hehe, that's true. That would be so awkward! Ah, you're so thoughtful, brother. What's your plan? I'll follow your instructions!"

"As the art of war says, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.' For now, we need to find out the details of this selection process before we can formulate a strategy!"

"Good!" Jiang Meng slammed his hand on the table again, the sound carrying across two streets.

"Hey, brother, this matter needs to be kept secret, why are you..."

"Hey, hehe, look at me, I was so happy I forgot."

"Never mind, brother, you're someone close to the Emperor, can you come and go as you please in the Forbidden City?"

"Of course, otherwise what would I be doing here? With my skills, I could easily become a general leading troops outside. If my old superior wasn't a favorite of the Emperor, I wouldn't have followed him all the way from the border to this peaceful, godforsaken place in the capital. No fighting, I'm so bored."

I asked, "Brother, who is your superior?"

"My superior, isn't that Jiang Bin? I used to follow him on his campaigns across the frontier, suppressing the rebellions of Liu Liu and Liu Qi, how heroic we were! Alas, it didn't last long. He was appreciated by the Emperor and made his adopted son. A few days ago, the Emperor was watching the tigers in the Leopard House. Those tigers are usually very docile. But that day, I don't know if they were on drugs, they bit the Emperor when they saw him. Luckily, my superior intervened in time.

Otherwise, the Emperor would have died young. As a result, my superior became a favorite of the Emperor, and just the other day, I was also made his adopted son."

I looked at Jiang Mengxi's bitter face and asked, puzzled, "Brother, being made the Emperor's adopted son is a great honor for the family. Why do you look unhappy?"

"What's there to be happy about? The Emperor just adopts anyone he finds pleasing to the eye as his son. To this day, there are at least a hundred adopted sons in the capital alone!"

I exclaimed, my mouth agape. "That Emperor is truly absurd."

"Yes! People who don't know better would think I, Old Jiang, have gotten a great deal, but those who do know won't even glance at me. It's so boring." Jiang Meng picked up a bowl of wine and downed it in one gulp. "

Brother, don't worry. Even if the Empress Dowager selects beauties, the Emperor might not even give them a second glance."

"That's not necessarily true. My wives are beautiful."

"Are they as beautiful as Sister-in-law Qin?"

"Yes, and there are quite a few women even more beautiful than her!"

"Goodness, what kind of beauty is that? I think Sister-in-law Qin is already an absolute beauty, even more beautiful than my sister!"

"Brother has a sister?" With his burly frame, how beautiful could his sister be?

Seeing my disbelief, Jiang Meng said, "To tell you the truth, my sister is very beautiful, just as beautiful as my wife."

"Then you must take me to meet my sister-in-law and sister another day, brother."

"Definitely, definitely. Brother, don't rush. I know best about the palace's selection process; it won't be successful for at least a year or two. I'll go and gather some information for you." Jiang Meng staggered, trying to stand up.

"Another day, brother," I said, supporting him, afraid he would fall.

"You...you're looking down on me! I'm not drunk!" he said, grabbing a long knife, trying to stab it behind his back, but unable to. "Help me, help me!"

I helped him stab the knife, saying, "Let's forget about it today, brother. Go back and get some sleep; you can go gather information tomorrow."

In his drunken state, how could he possibly accomplish anything? What if someone, under the influence of alcohol, blurted out the truth? Wouldn't that backfire?

"Well, how about this then? Brother, you didn't find an inn, did you?"

"No, I just arrived in the capital and I've already gotten into a fight

with you, brother." "Alright, my home is my home, come on, let's go home together. It's much more comfortable at home than in the inns outside." Jiang Meng, dragging me along, pulled me along.

The women heard our commotion and came over. Jiang Meng saw Qin Wanfeng and called out, "Qin, Sister-in-law Qin, come on, let's go home and meet your sister-in-law."

Just what I feared most had happened. Qin Wanfeng had already been thoroughly mocked by the nuns in the private room, and now she was being humiliated again. When she got to my side, she turned her back to Jiang Meng and gave me a slap, making me wince in pain. I pretended to be drunk and said, "Ouch, wife, be gentle!"

Everyone laughed, and in the end, Qin Wanfeng felt embarrassed.

Jiang Meng was really heavy; he was not only clinging to me but also swaying from side to side, clearly very drunk. How could he not be drunk? He'd downed most of the two jars of 50-proof liquor.

Luckily, he wasn't completely drunk and still remembered the way home. Beijing's alleyways were damn numerous; after twisting and turning, he finally stopped in front of a modest house. The door read: Jiang Mansion!

Looks like this is it.

The house was only about 50% new, and there were only two soldiers guarding the gate—a far cry from the imposing presence of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Before we even entered, the two soldiers came over to help Jiang Meng.

"Wife, wife, come out quickly! I met a brother today and brought him to meet you!" Jiang Meng had been rambling on and on, but this sentence came out perfectly, indicating it wasn't the first time he'd said it.

Chapter 119 Yang Kexin's Background

Entering the house and passing through the small courtyard, before even reaching the main hall, a fierce woman's voice rang out: "You rascal, which of your cronies did you bring today? You're completely drunk! How many times have I told you? You just won't listen..."

A beautiful woman in her thirties emerged from the hall, cursing and swearing. Upon seeing that among the newcomers were not only women but also a group of nuns, she

stammered, unable to finish her sentence. "Hey, wife, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and have someone pour tea! Is this how you treat guests? Also, call my younger sister out too. Tell her I want her to meet my newly adopted brother!" Jiang Meng, upon arriving home, launched into a tirade against his wife. It was surprising to see that he was such a gossip.

"Oh, oh!" The beautiful woman snapped out of her daze and went to the back room to instruct the maid.

"Sister-in-law, no need for that. We just finished eating," I said politely.

"How can this be? Hey, hurry up!" A maidservant helped Jiang Meng untie the long sword and placed it on the altar in the hall, then he plopped down in a chair.

Once everyone was seated, the maidservant brought tea. A moment later, footsteps came from the inner room; presumably, the two sisters-in-law were coming out to greet the guests.

Jiang Meng called out, "Sister, hurry up! Don't imitate your sister-in-law, taking those tiny steps. Your brother is waiting to introduce you."

"Brother, who is this important person this time? You always bring those shady characters!" A young woman's voice came from the inner room, but the voice sounded familiar, as if she'd heard it somewhere before.

"It's you!"

"It's you!"

"Yang Kexin!"

"You little lecher!"

Unexpectedly, the girl my sister-in-law brought out was none other than Yang Kexin, the young master of the Chongshan Sect, whom I had humiliated in a tavern after escaping the Misty Forest—"Spicy Phoenix"!

I still vividly remember the furious look on their faces when I wrote "The Chongshan Sect is a Fool's Den" on the backs of Yang Kexin and the other six!

"Brother, the one who bullied me last time was this lecherous scoundrel!" Yang Kexin pointed at me and said to Jiang Meng.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Meng's anger flared. Ignoring his dizziness, he slammed his hand on the tea table and roared, "Brother, if you don't explain yourself clearly, I'm not playing with you today!"

Qin Wanfeng and the other nuns, seeing Jiang Meng's sister suddenly appear and inexplicably call Xu Zhengqi a lecherous scoundrel, immediately changed the atmosphere. The two who had been calling each other brothers were now on the verge of turning against each other. Everyone turned their attention to me.

I quickly recounted what had happened that day, and Qin Wanfeng said, "No matter how indiscriminate Miss Yang may be, you can't humiliate her like that. Especially in front of all the martial arts world people! How can a young lady face anyone after this?"

"Yes, yes, Madam is right. I acted impulsively that day, and I apologize to Miss Yang today." He then bowed to Yang Kexin.

"Hahaha, so that's how it is, a tiny misunderstanding. I knew it! How could I, Old Jiang, misjudge someone?" Jiang Meng's doubts were dispelled, and he felt greatly relieved.

Yang Kexin protested, "Brother, he bullied him! You're my brother, why are you siding with an outsider?"

"Sister, if you hadn't overheard rumors and mistakenly called Brother Xu a lecher, and then kept pestering him, and besides, he already apologized to you, what more do you want?"

"Waaah, I don't care! He made him lose face! I don't care...waaah..."

Yang Kexin burst into tears. Jiang Meng felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing this, but retorted angrily, "You were in the wrong first, and you're still being unreasonable? I've told you so many times, but you just won't change."

Madam Jiang advised, "Alright, alright, Kexin has been raised without parents since she was little, haven't you been the one to take care of her? How dare you say that!"

"That's precisely why I spoiled her so much before. Look at her, she's almost getting married, and she still has this temper!"

"Who wants to get married? I won't!" Yang Kexin cried as she ran out of the living room.

Madam Jiang hurriedly chased after her.

“Brother Xu, look, it’s all my fault for spoiling her.”

“Hey, brother, it all started because of me. If anyone’s to blame, blame me.” I urged Jiang Meng to sit down and offered him a cup of tea.

Jiang Meng took it and drank it, his anger subsiding considerably. He said, “Sigh—”

“Why are you sighing, brother?”

After this commotion, Jiang Meng was mostly sober.

“Actually, you must be wondering why my surname is Jiang, while my sister’s surname is Yang, right?” Jiang Meng leaned forward and raised his head.

Everyone nodded.

At this moment, Jiang Meng seemed to have suddenly transformed, shedding his rough and forthright nature and becoming like a gentle woman, softly saying, "When I was eighteen, I had only been in the army for less than a year. At that time, the Mongols frequently harassed the border people. Once, the troops passed through a small mountain village, and the village was burned to the ground by the Tartars. Men, women, and children were driven to the open space in the village. The men were beheaded, and the women were gang-raped to death. Even the elderly women in their seventies and eighties were not spared. There wasn't a single survivor in the entire village!" As

Jiang Meng spoke, his veins bulged, his face flushed, and his thick eyebrows stood on end, making him look like a fierce warrior!

I was about to say a few words of comfort to him when Jiang Meng raised his hand to stop me and continued, "Don't comfort me. I always feel this way when I talk about this. It's been more than ten years, and I still can't change it!"

Later, when I became friends with Jiang Meng through thick and thin, I learned that he was actually a hunter from the mountains. He already had a wife and son when he was sixteen, but they were killed by the Tartars. That's why he joined the army to fight the enemy, and his hatred for the Mongols was as deep as the sea.

"That very night, I found a two-year-old girl by the grove outside the village. It was as if heaven had saved her; she hadn't cried once despite being hungry all day. From the gold lock on her swaddling clothes, I learned her name was Yang Kexin, and she was the only survivor in the entire village!"

Jiang Meng's eyes reddened. Even a grown man like him could shed tears?

A man doesn't easily shed tears, except when deeply grieved.

"I adopted her, but I only acknowledge her as my sister. Brother, you know, all my martial arts skills were learned in the army, some of them are self-created, and completely unsuitable for women to practice. That's why I had to send her to the Chongshan Sword Sect to learn martial arts, hoping that she could fight alongside me against the Tartars after she grew up and mastered her skills.

Unexpectedly, when my little sister returned after her training, her martial arts skills were indeed quite good, but her temper had changed. When she was little, she would do whatever I asked her to do. But after growing up, she became prone to tantrums, acting like a spoiled young lady. She's earned the nickname 'Spicy Phoenix' among the younger generation in the martial arts world. Listen to that, what kind of nickname is that?" "

As far as I know, the Chongshan Sword Sect is considered a first-rate sect in the martial arts world, and they have always valued martial arts more than morality among their disciples," I explained.

"This is incredible! I regret it now. If I had known where you were learning martial arts back then, I would have asked your master for help."

"I don't have a master!"

"Impossible! Although you fought me to a draw, I know you didn't use any internal energy. You have superhuman strength and unparalleled martial arts skills. If you didn't have a master, who did you learn those moves from?"

"Grandmaster! My grandmaster's name is Li Xiaoyao!"

"Uh!" Jiang Meng's eyes widened, as if he had swallowed an egg, and he said incredulously, "The number one martial arts master in the world fifty years ago, the chivalrous hero Li Xiaoyao?"

"That's right, he is my grandmaster!"

Jiang Meng suddenly stood up, knelt down in front of me, and bowed, saying, "Master, please accept my bow."

This joke was too much. I was stunned and completely lost my reaction. After receiving his bow, I came to my senses, floated to the side, and said, "Big brother, what are you doing?"

The women were also confused, only Mie Tian's lips curled up slightly.

Jiang Meng laughed and stood up, saying, "Brother, oh no, Master—since you've accepted my bow, shouldn't you teach me martial arts? You don't need to teach me everything, just a move or two will be enough for me, Old Jiang, for the rest of my life."

Unexpectedly, the seemingly simple-minded Jiang Meng was so cunning.

"This, how can this be?"

"Master, are you looking up to me?"

"No, no. I'm more than ten years younger than my elder brother, how can I be your master?"

"Why not? Didn't an old man say something here? Hmm, what, hmm, when three people walk together, one of them will be my teacher?"

Everyone was stunned. Qin Wanfeng covered her mouth and laughed, "Yes, Confucius said: 'When three people walk together, one of them will be my teacher.'" Everyone chuckled. Jiang Meng blushed and said, "Whatever that old Confucius's nonsense, anyway, brother, your martial arts are better than mine, so you can be my master."

I was in a dilemma. Although my grandmaster hadn't mentioned any rules about passing on skills only to men or only to family members. But after all, you can't judge a book by its cover. No matter how well we get along, it's always been a rule among us martial arts practitioners not to easily pass on our skills.

"Alright, brother, I can teach you martial arts, but you can't call me master. Also, my sect has a probationary period for new disciples. Only after passing the probationary period can you officially become a disciple and learn martial arts."

"Okay, as long as I can learn your martial arts, I'll agree to any conditions." As he spoke, Jiang Meng stretched out one palm, and I also stretched out my palm. We clapped our hands together, making a vow.

Once Jiang Meng was in a good mood, he started clamoring for wine and food from the maids. It took a lot of persuasion from us before he finally stopped. Everyone was then settled and went back to their rooms to rest.

Whether Jiang Meng was genuinely unaware or pretending, he somehow assigned Qin Wanfeng and me to the same room. Qin Wanfeng couldn't explain, and amidst the laughter of the other nuns, she reluctantly followed me into the room.

"It's all your fault!" Qin Wanfeng reached out to pinch me again.

I dodged and said, "Twelfth Sister, I'm not afraid of you, am I? I didn't start this. If you want to blame someone, blame Jiang Meng."

"It's not your fault! Jiang Meng is a boorish man, is he reasonable? The more you explain, the worse it gets!" Qin Wanfeng plopped down on the bed, sulking.

"Alright, alright, Miss, getting angry ages you quickly!" I sat down beside her, comforting her.

"Hmph, there's something else. Tell me, how many girls have you ruined while we weren't around to keep an eye on you?"

"Your Majesty, I..."

"Pah! What are you saying? Who's Your Majesty?" Qin Wanfeng punched me, acting like a young girl.

"Yes, no, Your Majesty! I am the Empress!"

"Hmph, you dare say that? Are you used to calling me Wu Zetian?"

"No way! But why does that sound a bit like jealousy?" I rested my chin on my hand, pretending to be deep in thought.

Qin Wanfeng blushed slightly, kicked me off the bed, and said, "You reek of alcohol, you stink! I want to sleep. Go stand guard at the door."

I rubbed my sore bottom and said, "Sigh, my husbandly authority is weak, my husbandly authority is weak."

Qin Wanfeng pretended to hit me, threatening, "I'm talking to you, get out of here!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" I laughed and rushed out the door like a gust of wind, leaving Qin Wanfeng's shouts behind me.

Now we had a chance to properly observe the Jiang residence. It wasn't large, and had been built many years ago. Although the pillars and walls had been repainted, it didn't look like the residence of the current emperor's adopted son at all.

The main hall, main room, study, bedroom, guest rooms, servants' quarters, and kitchen, among other things, felt somewhat cramped due to our arrival. Because there weren't enough guest rooms, Mie Tian, Zhi Ruo, and Xiao Fu had to share a room.

Surprisingly, despite Mie Tian's fiery temper, he wasn't pretentious.

Xu Zhengqi was like a recent graduate—daring to do anything, yet incapable of doing anything; his future was uncertain, like a headless fly, everything about the future too distant, leaving him bewildered and lost.

The night passed quickly. Yang Kexin still hadn't come out for dinner, clearly still angry.

Early the next morning, I disguised myself as a personal guard and accompanied Jiang Meng to the east gate of the Forbidden City. Because I had a token, Jiang Meng easily led me into the city.

The Forbidden City's defenses are probably the most formidable in the world, with guards every three steps and sentries every five, and patrolling soldiers constantly coming and going. Each time he encountered a group, although they all recognized Jiang Meng, he still had to show his token. It's said that within the Forbidden City, except for imperial relatives and nobles, it's all about the token, not the person. Without a pass, you can't move an inch!

"Brother, where are we going now?"

"We're going to find Deputy Chief Eunuch Zhang of the Imperial Household Department; he's in charge of the imperial concubine selection!"

"Hey, you know, the Empress Dowager is too..."

"Shh—, brother, there are many hidden sentries here; be careful, walls have ears!" Jiang Meng suddenly whispered. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard's spies are everywhere in the Forbidden City!"

I strained my ears, and sure enough, there were many breathing sounds from the shadowy depths of the flower bushes and artificial hills. Judging from the breathing, these were clearly people with considerable internal strength, far superior to the patrolling soldiers' martial arts skills.

Arriving at the Imperial Household Department, the only people inside, besides palace maids, were androgynous eunuchs. Aside from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, few men frequented the Imperial Household Department. The sudden arrival of two burly men in full armor this morning drew everyone's attention.

The palace was indeed extraordinary; the palace maids were all beautiful, each a local beauty in any ordinary place. Unfortunately, in the palace, a place overflowing with beauties, there was nothing lacking except for women. And in the harem, there was nothing lacking except for men. It was said that the harem was overflowing with beauties, and besides the eunuchs, only the emperor was allowed free access.

A eunuch approached and blocked our way, calling out in his hoarse voice, "Show your token!"

After Jiang Meng presented his token, the young eunuch said, "So it's Captain Jiang. What brings you to our Imperial Household Department?" Jiang

Meng replied in a rough voice, "Is your Deputy Chief Eunuch Zhang here?"

"You're looking for Chief Eunuch Zhang? Oh dear, what a coincidence! Our Chief Eunuch Zhang is currently out of the palace."

"Is Steward Li here?"

"Steward Li is here, but..." The young eunuch kept glancing at our waist pouches, making Jiang Meng furious. He knew perfectly well what the eunuch was up to.

Jiang Meng was about to explode in anger. Logically, for a mere eunuch to dare solicit a bribe from the Emperor's adopted son to his face, how could Jiang Meng not be enraged! I quickly grabbed his fist, pulled a ten-tael silver ingot from my pocket with my left hand, and swiftly stuffed it into the eunuch's hand, saying, "You're a busy man, sir. This is just a small token to ask you to have a drink."

The eunuch was immediately overjoyed, his face beaming, and said, "Not at all, not at all. Don't bother you two. Come on, I'll take you to see Steward Li right away."

The eunuch led the way like a lapdog. Actually, it wasn't that I looked down on them; for oddballs like them, perhaps only money could attract their attention in this matter.

The young eunuch led us to a hall, gave a few instructions to a twelve or thirteen-year-old eunuch, and then said to us, "Please sit down, both of you. Eunuch Li will be here shortly. I have official business to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer."

After a few polite words, the young eunuch scurried away. Once outside, he remembered how much silver the nine-foot-tall man had given him. He took out a silver ingot from his pocket to weigh it, but was dumbfounded. On the ten-tael silver ingot, there was exactly ten finger marks, deeply dividing the silver into five parts!

...

Inside the hall.

"Brother, why did you stop me just now? I wanted to punch that damned freak to death!" Jiang Meng roared.

"Brother, a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan!" I patted Jiang Meng's thigh.

“Alright, that’s right, I’ll listen to you, brother. But once we’re out of the palace, you have to drink with me to my heart’s content. Whenever I’m in a bad mood, I absolutely have to drink!”

“Okay, let’s drink two huge jars of Daughter’s Red wine.”

“Only two jars?”

“Then drink as much as you want, brother!”

“That’s more like it!”

When it came to drinking, Jiang Meng was like an extremely greedy child; he would drink as much as he could, and he would never miss an opportunity to drink!

After waiting for a while, the eunuch surnamed Li finally arrived. Looking at his swaying hips and graceful movements, at first glance, one might mistake him for a woman.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry to have kept Captain Jiang waiting.”

Jiang Meng said bluntly, “Eunuch Li, I’ve come to ask you something today.”

Eunuch Li frowned upon seeing Jiang Meng’s ugly appearance, but when he saw me, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"What is our relationship with the captain? It's like ironclad. If you need anything, just say the word. If it's something we can do, we'll definitely do it. What's your surname, young man?" Eunuch Li said as he approached me. When he said "ah," his two soft, pale hands had already taken one of my hands and started to stroke it.

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