Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 100: Balance

“Do you know whose family I flayed back then?”

With these words, the atmosphere around Yan Zheng suddenly changed. He no longer exuded the deathly aura from earlier; instead, his killing intent was so intense it felt like it was about to explode, going out of control.

Despite dragging along a body full of wounds, he somehow found strength. Before Yan Qing could even react, Yan Zheng stepped on the edge of the giant sword, leaped into the air, and swung his Death Whip in the air, creating a sonic boom.

Yan Zheng concentrated his wild killing intent on one place and, like a hawk, pounced on the Corpse Retrieval Team who were supposed to protect him, seemingly desperate to break through. Unfortunately, his whip hadn’t even finished its arc when Chai Xin’s Dragonfly Wings cut through the air and disrupted his whole whip.

The members of the Corpse Retrieval Team, who resembled corpses themselves, still silently stood guard around them, not moving an inch.

“Oh, you still care about it? Back then, you were crying to me, saying that you were willing to do anything as long as you could get revenge. And now, for the sake of the Shirou, you’re going to betray our Divine Sect?”

Chai Xin still didn’t take Yan Zheng seriously. His Dragonfly Wings flashed, and the blades swept over the whip adorned with barbs, making a piercing noise that gave people goosebumps.

“Shut up.”

Chai Xin acted like he hadn’t heard. “You’re turning your elbow out*, but you have to choose the right person, even if it’s that cut sleeve Kong. I heard that the Kushan Sect killed the real Elder Huo in order to infiltrate us… This kind of partner who despises our Divine Sect—you better change it.”

*Idiom referring to a person who helps outsiders instead of their own.

After a full-force strike didn’t work, Yan Zheng dragged his wounded body, spun around, and returned behind the Sword of Compassion with a somewhat distorted expression. The Death Whip sensed his murderous intent, and the pitch-black whip body trembled slightly.

They couldn’t kill Chai Xin, as the gap in experience and power was a chasm that couldn’t be bridged by courage alone. However, as long as the summoning formation was activated, Chai Xin and his confidants were still on the mountain…

Yan Zheng’s eyes were locked on Chai Xin as he slowly straightened his back.

“If the Divine Sect is ruined by outsiders, who will help you avenge Taiheng? Who will help you investigate your enemies?” Chai Xin, oblivious to the approaching death formation, continued to speak “heartfelt” words.

Yan Zheng: “He who kills shall always be killed. I pay my price, and you will pay yours.”

“Alright, stop messing around.” Chai Xin chuckled. “Your price? I haven’t seen you pay any price. Instead, I’ve given you a place to live and taught you martial arts—you’ve taken all the advantages… Think more about how your parents died. You haven’t even avenged your blood feud, so don’t try to fight for power and wealth.”

Upon hearing these words, Yan Zheng’s murderous aura suddenly solidified.

His bloodshot eyes stared at Chai Xin, and the ferocity and anger from earlier all retracted into an ugly smile. The relationship between master and disciple in the demonic sect wasn’t as amiable as in the orthodox sects, and they weren’t very polite in their speech. But the tone Yan Zheng used now, rather than facing a “master”, seemed more like facing a “sworn enemy”.

“Blood feud not avenged?”

Yan Zheng’s voice was hoarse, and a hint of despair seeped out from his laughter.

“The ‘blood feud’ you speak of, I finished avenging it six years ago—in the end, you nearly listed every high-ranking member of Taiheng as my enemies. Over these years, under the guise of avenging the ‘descendants of the Yan family’, how many demons and monsters have you summoned, and how many innocent people have you slaughtered?”

“Is the knife of the ‘disciple’ handy?”

By the end of his question, his voice was almost drenched of blood.

However, Chai Xin was just slightly stunned, then smirked. “What was I thinking? So it was just about this. It was merely killing a few people under your name… How splendid was the Hierarch back in the day, indiscriminately killing the young, the old, the sick, the disabled, and anyone he didn’t like. Where is there room for such nitpicking like you?!”

“It takes more than a day or two for the Ling Sect to kill innocent people, haven’t you heard? Expecting a great demonic sect to work for you without gaining anything in return? Where in the world can you find such a good deal?”

Then, as if he had thought of something, the old man laughed sharply. “If you really don’t want to be used by our Divine Sect, you can finish avenging your blood feud and find a place to end yourself. Good disciple, why don’t you die?”

He spoke these words with unparalleled arrogance, as if he was certain that he had grasped Yan Zheng’s weakness. Not far away, the dark red Grand Pavilion loomed in the fog. Although it was just a faint shadow, from Yan Zheng’s point of view, it was like a thorn deeply embedded in a wound.

“Six years ago, I indeed had such thoughts and took such actions.”

Yan Zheng didn’t react as Chai Xin had anticipated, bursting into shameful rage from being exposed as a coward. He simply fluttered his eyelids, his expression a bit strangely empty. Blood trickled down from his torn red clothes, pooling on the stone slabs, emitting a faint fishy smell.

“Perhaps heaven thought the burial gifts I gave were too modest and didn’t agree, so it didn’t let me die. Over these six years, I have been gathering my own burial gifts… As for the matter of the blood feud, I have something to say.”

Yan Zheng looked at Chai Xin a few steps away, his voice growing softer.

Compared to eight years ago, Chai Xin’s appearance had hardly changed. For an old man, eight years was but a fleeting moment. But for Yan Zheng, it was a long time that had transformed him from a youth to a young man.

When he first met Chai Xin, he was soaked in the blood of others. Now, he was soaked in his own blood—it was as if things had come full circle. Memories of the past resurfaced like daytime nightmares, wrapping around him once more.

He wasn’t originally named Yan Zheng. His ancestors changed their surname to “Yu” to escape from being hunted down.

His father, Yu Chunhui, was born with a pair of ghost eyes. To protect his parents, wife, and children, he blinded himself early on and became a blind doctor. With Yu Chunhui’s excellent medical skills, the family was able to purchase a property near Yidu and live comfortably.

His father concocted potions, while his mother diligently and meticulously crafted them. They even made “demon skin soft lenses” to conceal the color of their pupils, allowing their son to play in the sun like any other child. His father was gentle, his mother was intelligent, and their family was in the business of healing the sick and saving lives. Yan Zheng once thought that there could not be a more peaceful life in this world.

That was until eight years ago, when his father’s old friend fell ill.

The old friend was a jade craftsman surnamed Wu, who was originally well-off. But when sickness struck, it became a bottomless pit that devoured money. With elderly and young in his family, the jade craftsman was their sole provider. Seeing the pillar of their family about to collapse, the Wu family quickly sold their home and property, even considering selling their children.

[…He’s a jade craftsman. Why don’t we give him our family’s jade pendant? He can cut it and sell some of it. The jade is of excellent quality, made into a ring. It can sell for two to three hundred taels, enough for him to afford his treatment.]

At that time, his parents deliberately avoided him and went to the backyard to discuss. Yan Zheng quietly followed and heard everything clearly. His father’s words were as gentle as ever, and he remembered every word distinctly.

His mother hesitated. [Husband, is there really no problem with that jade? Wasn’t it said that it could be Yan… Ah, you said before that it should be hidden and only taken out in an emergency.]

Yu Chunhui: [Demonic Lord Yan has been dead for a hundred years. Not to mention that ordinary people don’t know about these kinds of objects. This time, let Lao Wu divide and modify it. Then it’ll be safer to keep at home in the future. We’ve been friends for over a decade, and Lao Wu has watched A’Zheng grow up. We can’t just watch his family be ruined.]

His mother was silent for a moment, then sighed.

[Alright. His children are so chubby and adorable. We’ve always loved them; it would be pitiful if they were sold off…]

His parents had always been soft-hearted, to the point of almost being foolish. Yan Zheng had thought countless times, if his father had been a little harder, a little more cautious, even if he had inherited just one thousandth of Yan Budu’s selfishness, would his parents still be alive?

When Jade Craftsman Wu got the jade pendant, he thanked them profusely, even to the point of almost kneeling down to Yu Chunhui with his sick body. Unfortunately, Yu Chunhui didn’t know that this old friend had a distant relative who was a servant of Taiheng and had long been familiar with the lost relics of the Yan family.

Especially the jade pieces.

At that time, Yan Zheng didn’t think too much about it. How could his all-capable parents make a mistake? Besides, Uncle Wu had always been kind and affectionate, always giving him honey candies when they met and never scold him.

This was a move of righteousness; there was nothing to fault.

However, in the end, all Yan Zheng got was a lament of “Run, don’t look back.”

Even without looking back, he still saw the flash of Taiheng’s sword and remembered the dull thud of his parents’ bodies hitting the ground.

Without his father’s medicinal soup, Yan Zheng’s demon skin lenses quickly dried and wrinkled, failing to cover his ghost eyes. Yan Zheng had to cover his eyes with a torn cloth while stumbling and roaming the streets. Jade Craftsman Wu prospered from this. The whole family moved away from the poor streets and alleys to a spacious and clean courtyard, and their children wore silk clothes and were even plumper than before.

The neighbors called Jade Craftsman Wu a “righteous citizen” who didn’t fear demons.

What righteous citizen?

Yan Zheng stole a knife and sneaked into the Wu house on a windy night. Upon seeing his eyes, the previously kind face of “Uncle Wu” was filled with fear.

[A’Zheng, Uncle deserves to die. Uncle was just confused for a moment, just a moment!]

Jade Craftsman Wu stammered while the point of Yan Zheng’s blade traced a line of blood on his neck, and he almost wet his pants.

[But-but you have to understand. The finger rings are worth just two to three hundred taels of silver, but the clues to a Yan family’s descendants are-are worth three thousand taels. I had no choice. I was doing this for my family… You-You first put away your knife. I will kneel and apologize to you; is that okay?]

[A’Zheng, your brothers and sisters are still, ah, still waiting for me to come home!]

The jade craftsman, looking at those burning ghost eyes, was terrified to the point of weeping. Hearing this man mention his two children, Yan Zheng’s hand shook. As a result, Jade Craftsman Wu seized the opportunity to grab his wrist, about to scream for help.

A surge of cold sweat and hot tears almost simultaneously broke out on Yan Zheng’s back. He used all his strength to thrust the blade into Jade Craftsman Wu’s neck. The next moment, hot blood sprayed all over his face, Jade Craftsman Wu’s eyes bulged wide, and he quickly fell silent.

The knowledge of acupoints and medical practice taught by his father in the past became the most suitable method of murder. A person’s neck was harder than he thought, the blood was more than he imagined, and the dying breath was more hoarse and unpleasant.

Just for the life of Jade Craftsman Wu, his parents had been brought to their demise. And in less than half an hour, he easily took it away.

Endless absurdity and emptiness swept over him. Yan Zheng almost dropped his knife. ‘There’s one left,’ Yan Zheng thought dazedly. He had to survive to find the Taiheng disciple who killed his parents that day…

[Your killing aura isn’t bad. There’s some talent, but it’s too naive. With those eyes of yours, it’s really a waste.]

A coarse and unpleasant voice sounded. Yan Zheng raised his head and saw an old man with one eye like a dried radish on the eaves of the Wu’s house. His hands were still stained with fishy, sticky blood. Yan Zheng’s spirit was in chaos, having no time to pay attention to such an old man.

[How old are you?] The old man jumped down and stood in front of him.

[Thirteen.] Actually, not quite, but thinking of the birthdays celebrated together in the past at home, Yan Zheng felt a surge of nausea.

[A little old, but it’s okay. Come with me. I promise you won’t worry about food or clothing, and I’ll help you get revenge.]

Yan Zheng turned his head and walked away. The old man, Chai Xin, chuckled and grabbed him like a chicken. [You little brat, you don’t recognize a good thing when you see it. If it weren’t for me stepping in, with all the noise you made, you would have been heard by his family! You killed him, and next, your life will be gone too. How can your parents rest in peace if you let an enemy roam free?]

Yan Zheng stopped struggling; he blankly stared with wide eyes and saw the dark red blood on the old man’s hands. He shifted his gaze and saw a row of porcelain dishes deep in the courtyard, almost vomiting on the spot.

Jade Craftsman Wu’s two children were indeed dead. The heads of the two round-faced children were placed in the middle of a large porcelain plate, with thinly sliced bodies underneath with their eyes still wide open in fear. Behind them were the elderly and women of the Wu family, each corpse meticulously arranged on a plate with the smell of blood heavy in the air.

Yan Zheng was momentarily soul-stricken, unsure whether killing Jade Craftsman Wu at the gate was cruel or some kind of mercy in a sense.

[Killing one isn’t enough. This is the revenge of a Ling Sect member. Yu Zheng, I know everything about you—a beggar-like kid; you’re dreaming if you think you can deal with Taiheng. Come, return to my Divine Sect with me. I’ll be your master, and I’ll take good care of you.]

Chai Xin said with a smile, holding out a carrot after wielding a stick.

[After all, you can’t escape today’s matter. The Wu family is in such a state, so both the officials and Taiheng will be after you, the ‘evil spawn’. What will you do? Or should I break your legs and let you try to escape?]

Using both threats and promises, the young Yan Zheng gave in, fueled by a burning hatred.

Back then, he was young and thought that every road in the world could be a way back.

[The ‘Zheng*’ we named you isn’t about fighting; it’s about living up to expectations. A’Zheng, you have to live up to it. Be the best doctor in Yidu.]

*Clarity: (争) Means to contend, fight, struggle for. However, they don’t mean to fight in regard to battle but more so to strive (for oneself).

…But what about his fate?

He was no longer the son of Yu Chunhui, Yu Zheng, but the descendant of Yan Budu, Yan Zheng.

Chai Xin used his ghost eyes to recruit dangerous people into the Ling Sect, taking quite a lot of territory from Chigou and Taiheng. Yan Zheng closed his eyes and ears, devoted to martial arts training, tirelessly seeking the person who killed his parents.

Anyway, without him, the Ling Sect would still be killing people everywhere. Hatred was the best anesthetic, so Yan Zheng balanced his conscience with hatred, just maintaining equilibrium.

His revenge was justified; he had no other choice.

Chai Xin did what he said and had “helped” him quite a bit. The old man set him one goal after another, and every time one of them died, Chai Xin would always casually say, [Master has interrogated in person. It’s not this person. It’s okay, let’s continue.]

This life continued for two years. At the age of fifteen, Yan Zheng was quietly sought out by a person from Taiheng Sect.

The man looked emaciated and appeared to be in considerable pain. Yan Zheng initially thought that the man intended to defect to the Ling Sect. However, when he spoke, his words nearly froze Yan Zheng.

[I killed your parents.]

The man from the Taiheng Sect kneeled in front of Yan Zheng, his forehead smashing heavily into the stone slab, leaving a faint trace of blood.

[After killing those two that day, many people approached Taiheng to reason. They said the couple of the Yu family were kind-hearted and philanthropic, certainly not great villains… The present evil results in the martial world were entirely caused by me. I’m sorry.]

What was he talking about? Yan Zheng thought somewhat blankly. What did this mean?

[Back then, when Jade Craftsman Wu raised the Yan’s jade pendant to Taiheng, the returning spies also stirred up trouble, claiming that the Yu family had committed many evils, which coincidentally coincided with the Wu family’s claims. I was eager to make achievements, so without further investigation…]

Was this a confession? A member of a righteous and well-known sect was apologizing to him, the Patriarch of a demonic sect? This must be a scheme. The one who killed his parents must be someone insidious and evil.

[Those of the Yan family, kill on sight.] Yan Zheng wrapped his whip around the man’s neck and whispered. [The rules of Taiheng Sect don’t mention good and evil, so you don’t have to be so pretentious.]

Did this man think that by saying a few soft words, he would spare his life?

With the life of his enemy in his hand, Yan Zheng’s blood almost entirely rushed to his head, and his breathing became rapid. As death approached, this man should reveal his ugly side. He had to strike at the moment of the man’s greatest fear, to repay him with his own medicine, and let his enemy taste the flavor of losing everything.

[Rules are dead, people are alive*.] The man didn’t struggle. He only raised his eyes, which were devoid of any spark. [Pushing all the evil deeds to ‘the sect is like this’, can deceive others, but not oneself.]

*Idiom referring to rules are usually rigid and inflexible (dead set) while humans are alive and should have flexibility to interpret them based on the situation at hand. He’s basically saying, humans shouldn’t follow the rules blindly and should consider the situation before acting.

Yan Zheng’s heart suddenly contracted, causing a sharp pain.

He composed himself, and with a forced, cold laugh, he said, [Everyone can preach great truths. Even if you are truly remorseful, I will not spare you.]

[I have done wrong*, and I cannot ask for forgiveness.]

*Every injustice has a head, and every debt has a master (冤有头债有主) Idiom referring to there’s someone who is responsible and should be held accountable (AKA Every debt has its debtor).

Yan Zheng’s hand trembled. He gritted his teeth, averted his gaze, and suddenly tightened the whip in his hand.

There was a crisp sound. The man’s neck was broken, and his body limply fell to the ground. A simple life was taken, even cleaner than when he killed Jade Craftsman Wu. But Yan Zheng had no sense of satisfaction; instead, he felt suffocated.

Compared to revenge, he felt more like he had fulfilled the man’s wish.

His enemy didn’t lie. The accumulated pain and guilt weren’t feigned. Yan Zheng was very familiar with it. Every time he heard the elders boasting about their torture methods and comparing the number of lives they had taken; he would look into the bronze mirror and see the same emotions in his own eyes.

He had thought that he would get used to it, but who knew that his sense of guilt was growing day by day. Now, with his hatred suddenly having no place to land, the balance in his chest was swaying unstably. The pain that had been suppressed for two years burst forth, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Was everything he had done for revenge up to now meaningless?

Yan Zheng was cautious. He quietly disposed of the body and mixed the man’s name into the investigation list, saying that he wanted to investigate personally. But Chai Xin just glanced at him. After a few days, the old man pretended to say, [Master has thoroughly investigated. Those people have nothing to do with your parents.]

[Good disciple, why don’t you look at this dog elder. When your family died, he happened to be near Yidu. At that time, Taiheng only gave a reward of one thousand taels for finding the descendants of the Yan family. An extra two thousand taels were personally added, an amount that ordinary people can’t afford. It must have been this old coot who added it…]

Yan Zheng’s heart skipped a beat.

Near Yidu… When he planned to kill Jade Craftsman Wu, Chai Xin was also near Yidu. Yidu was far from Zongwu Mountain, and Chai Xin was the Patriarch. How could he just be wandering around Yidu, and even be prepared in advance to wait for him? He had hidden very well after his parents were killed that even Taiheng couldn’t find him, but it was the Ling Sect who found out about his revenge plan?

Something wasn’t right.

The “Taiheng spy” that the enemy mentioned… Was he really from Taiheng? Behind his deep-seated hatred, there seemed to be others fanning the flames. In this way, the one who benefited the most from killing his upright parents and snatching away the vengeful orphan…

That night, Yan Zheng quietly turned over the account books of the Grand Pavilion without telling anyone.

From that day on, the balance in Yan Zheng’s chest was completely overturned and shattered on the ground.

Looking at the smug Chai Xin in front of him now, Yan Zheng only felt unspeakably nauseous. “You really played a good game back then—adding a bounty for the jade craftsman on one hand and confusing Taiheng on the other. When my parents died, you got a puppet who hated Taiheng.”

“All for only two thousand taels. What a bargain. Luckily, I checked the account books when I was fifteen. You should have destroyed the record of those two thousand taels.”

Unfortunately, just as Yan Zheng expected, Chai Xin’s conscience had long since rotted away. After listening to all that, Chai Xin didn’t show the slightest guilt. Seeing Yan Zheng’s angry reaction, he even laughed out loud. “Ah, my disciple is even more promising than I thought. If you had said so earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered to act. Acting is quite tiring.”

“You knew all along, but you still couldn’t let go of this Patriarch’s chair. I’ve let you sit for six years; are you comfortable, Patriarch Yan? If you dump all the shit on me, will you be completely clean and not considered a villain?”

Having said that, Chai Xin turned to Yan Qing with great interest. “Boy, you heard it too. This is a bad debt. All the people killed by the Ling Sect over the years still have to be accounted for by my beloved disciple—”

Yan Qing unconsciously shook his head.

The Dharma words inscribed by Venerable Kongshi on the Sword of Compassion were extremely heavy. Yan Qing had lost too much blood. His limbs were intermittently cold and numb, and merely gripping the stone sword required all his strength. The voice of Chai Xin seemed as if it were behind a thick layer of water, making his words indistinct to Yan Qing. However, the reaction of Yan Zheng by his side was clearly visible. Yan Zheng’s originally pale face turned a shade paler, and the resentment on his face deepened.

But to Yan Qing, Chai Xin’s constant chatter was simply annoying. He hadn’t fallen yet, so this battle wasn’t over… He hadn’t lost yet.

Whether Yan Zheng was a villain under the concept of righteousness, did it matter? Yan Qing had witnessed his cooperation earlier with Yu Zikuan. At this moment, Yan Zheng wanted to eradicate the Ling Sect, and all he had to do was assist him.

“Elder Chai,” Yan Qing said politely.

“Our Divine Sect always acts like this. If you are deceived, it’s your own fault for being naive. Survival of the fittest has been the rule for hundreds of years…”

“Elder Chai,” Yan Qing interrupted him politely again.

“Hmm? Speak.”

Yan Qing took a deep breath, not looking at Yan Zheng beside him. He moved his numb wrist while his face adorned a particularly sincere smile, and his voice was full of curiosity—

“No offense, but it’s said that out of ten sentences spoken by people of the demonic sect, nine are lies and the rest are only half-truths. Elder, you keep saying ‘deserved to be deceived’ …Do you expect me to believe you, or hope that I don’t believe you?”

He wasn’t strong enough—at least not strong enough to be distracted by these gibberish or to think about irrelevant things during a fierce battle. Whether it was due to his dull mind or his temperament, once his worries were dispersed, Yan Qing felt an inexplicable surge of confidence.

Chai Xin’s mouth moved up and down, but all Yan Qing saw was a soundless babble. Just now, Chai Xin spoke for a long time with a sarcastic smile, but Yan Qing didn’t take in a word.

Elder Chai was subtly choked by his words and had to act as if he didn’t hear. “Just now, you heard what my disciple said. This man is undoubtedly from the Ling Sect. If you don’t want to aid in tyranny, you’d better give up…”

“I didn’t hear,” Yan Qing said calmly.

Chai Xin: “…?”

Yan Qing: “He’s also a member from a demonic sect. Why should I be in a hurry to believe him? We’re fighting for our lives, not disputing in court.”

They had been in a bitter feud for a long time, yet this person from the Kushan Sect had been daydreaming and hadn’t taken in a word.

Even Yan Zheng turned his head; a trace of doubt crossed his face—he had originally thought this person was honest and straightforward, but now, he was still part of the Yan Clan’s descendants after all. Yan Qing’s eerie eyes were half-open, calmly looking at Chai Xin a few steps away. His movements were as steady as ever, but there was an unfamiliar arrogance in his demeanor.

That arrogance, mixed with his gentle demeanor, was particularly annoying. Compared to him, the straightforward Yan Zheng seemed far more likable.

“That bald donkey Kongshi’s sword is nothing more than that—recognizing only petty men and unable to distinguish the hypocrites. Since you didn’t hear, I will—”

“Elder, forgive this Junior’s stupidity. Even if I agree that Yan Zheng is a villain, so what? …Will you let me go easily, Elder? Or is it that Elder thinks he is so evil that it makes you approachable, and that would make this Junior yearn for you?”

Chai Xin was left speechless.

Yan Qing didn’t speak forcefully, but his tone was neither humble nor arrogant, earnest with a particularly strong touch of ridicule. Summed up this way, Chai Xin looked like a fool who couldn’t string his sentences together.

What was this kid made of? Why did he turn sarcastic all of a sudden?

Seeing Chai Xin not responding, Yan Qing coughed up some blood and laughed. “Since Senior has no other instructions, then I will continue to judge only by actions, not intentions.”

Yan Zheng whipped his Death Whip and couldn’t help laughing.

“Good, very good. Worthy of being my brother connected by blood.” He propped up his shaky body. “Yan Qing, he dares not take our lives, why not fight back?”

If he could have such a fight before he died, he could rest in peace.

Having been caught off guard, Chai Xin’s face turned purple. He gave up on slowly grinding away with the Jade Chime Sword Technique, deciding to end the fight quickly. “Everyone, go! It’s okay to be a bit rough; just leave them some breath!”

“…So we continue to fight.”

Yan Qing breathed out a sigh, his tone calm.

“But before we fight, allow me to express my gratitude. If it weren’t for both of you creating such a mess in front of me, I might still be thinking about unnecessary things.”

Such as right and wrong, cause and effect, weighing pros and cons, and the gap in strength. Facing the intricate reality ahead and the abyss behind, Yan Qing suddenly felt enlightened.

Yan Zheng, who was taught by Chai Xin, was always at a disadvantage. They had managed to hold on until now with the first two techniques of the Jade Chime Sword Technique. The third technique, with the greatest power, Yan Qing had never succeeded in using.

In his current state of mind, he suddenly wanted to give it a try.

The third move was called “Opening Gold and Stone”. It could only be activated through utmost sincerity. He, however, remained as cautious and careful as ever, his heart filled with a myriad of complicated emotions. How could he talk about sincerity? The extreme of sincerity was nothing more than sacrificing oneself to save others. In a blink of an eye, would any martyr really think so much?

It was just seeing what was in front of you and giving your best. The matters behind could be dealt with later.

The Sword of Compassion in his hand seemed to lighten considerably, and Yan Qing closed his eyes. He didn’t think about his significant gap in strength with the master and disciple of the Kushan Sect, nor about the impact and consequences of this battle. He just emptied his mind, leaving only the demonstration of Yin Ci that day.

The third move of the Jade Chime Sword Technique, Opening Gold and Stone.

The strategy against the crowd was to hurt the enemy a thousand times while hurting oneself eight hundred times. It could only be used when there was no other way. Now, when it was time, he found that he was using it more smoothly and quite relaxed.

His sword path was righteous, bringing up gusts of wind. The incoming Corpse Retrieval Team barely touched the sword wind before being struck flying by the thick sword move. Despite his sword techniques being rough, his sword intent was even more pure and gentle than Yin Ci’s demonstration. Seeing the unfavorable situation, Chai Xin tried to stop the great sword with his Dragonfly Wings. Unfortunately, the Death Whip was light and agile, while the Sword of Compassion was incredibly heavy. The thin daggers were almost broken.

This sword path surprisingly revealed the power of the Jianchen Temple, perfectly restraining Chai Xin’s martial arts. The shortcomings were all made up by Yan Zheng. The two complemented each other’s skills and didn’t let a single Ling Sect member get close.

Even Chai Xin was caught by the Death Whip, unable to escape, and his forearm was broken by a strike of the Sword of Compassion.

The Elder Chai retracted his Dragonfly Wings with one hand and said angrily, “Pretentious! This sword move consumes a lot. It doesn’t have a trace of killing intent. I don’t believe you can keep going. Once you stop, I’ll tear off your arm…”

He was interrupted mid-sentence, his eyes widening in shock.

A bright knife tip protruded from his chest, with a thin layer of fresh blood on it. Chai Xin spat out a mouthful of blood, almost gasping in horror and making a rattling noise in his throat.

It was an assassin—an incredibly skilled one. Otherwise, how could they break through the Corpse Retrieval Team and approach silently? But where did this assassin come from? This was clearly not the style of a righteous sect…

“Tear what?” The assassin’s voice was sweet and steady. “Tear who?”

Chai Xin turned his head in terror and only saw a pair of smiling willow-leaf eyes. A teardrop mole was on the corner of the person’s eye that was full of evil.

With that, the person drew the knife from his hand and retreated nimbly a few steps back. The members of the Corpse Retrieval Team had just been seriously injured by the sword technique and hadn’t yet reacted when their throats were sharply cut open. However, there were still a few who slipped through the net and tried to fight back. Before they could get close, they were shot through the heart by arrows.

In an instant, blood spattered everywhere.

The remaining Ling Sect members fell like wheat after a storm. In less than half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the two reinforcements cleared them all.

After dealing with each corpse, Su Si neatly retracted his butcher knife. Yu Zikuan also jumped down from a high place. He had a long bow on his back and quickly scanned Yan Zheng’s injuries.

“San Zi, I just went to deliver a message, and you’ve made yourself like this.” Su Si wrinkled his nose. “What a disaster. The Sect Master’s medicine box is going to be emptied by you again. Will you have any money left this month?”

Yan Qing turned pale, propping up his body with his sword and trembling. The momentum that had built up just now dissipated in an instant. “But-but I learned the third move of the Jade Chime Sword Technique…”

His voice got lower and lower, presumably thinking that Sect Master Shi wouldn’t care about this little progress considering his thick skin. Especially since he hadn’t followed the plan and had not yet gathered at the foot of the mountain.

The more Yan Qing thought about it, the more he felt hopeless. He had to change the subject. “Where’s Lord Bai?”

Su Si supported one of Yan Qing’s arms and helped him stabilize. “That silly goose was caught by the people from the Chigou Sect, but they’ll treat it well. It’s more urgent here than stealing a goose. After all, I know the habits of the Chigou Sect. If I can steal once, I can steal a second time.”

“Didn’t you say that you ran into Lord Bai by chance…”

“Don’t mind such trivial matters,” Su Si said seriously, instantly changing the topic. “Brother Yu, I’ll take my people down the mountain first. You hurry up on your side too—that Invitation to God Formation isn’t an ordinary formation. Shen Zhu might not be able to time it right.”

Yu Zikuan didn’t help Yan Zheng and just grunted in response. The relaxed expression on Yan Zheng’s face also disappeared. He shook his head at Yan Qing and made a goodbye gesture.

Yan Qing was dizzy and still had to carry the Sword of Compassion in one hand, which really didn’t allow him to think too much. He nodded at Yan Zheng and quickly turned to Su Si. “Did you deal with the people from the Chigou Sect? What was their reaction when they found out we got the key?”

The Chigou Sect wasn’t the Ling Sect. They were experts in searching for things and had stayed here for quite some time. It was hard to say whether the lie Shi Jingzhi made in haste would be seen through by people of insight.

“Oh, the message I sent wasn’t about that.” Su Si smiled very happily. “I made a more wonderful ‘secret letter’. They will retreat quickly and won’t cause trouble for us at the foot of the mountain.”

“What ‘secret letter’?”

Su Si sneered. “I told them that Matron Wuxue is dead, and they should hurry back for the funeral.”

Yan Qing: “……”

He felt that after the battle on Zongwu Mountain, they truly offended the Chigou Sect to death. He sincerely prayed that Sect Master Shi and Brother Yin wouldn’t kill Su Si.

---

The author has something to say:

Su Si (whispering like Panda Man*): Look at the secret letter. Your Matriarch is dead, teehee.

*It’s referring to something like this. Basically, a meme (I think).

Chigou Sect: Wuwuwu!!!

Si Gou, really not a good thing.

Sect Master Shi: Let’s get rid of him.

Demonic Yin: Yeah, let’s.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>