Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

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Chapter 88

Huo Fenghua felt like he was watching an opera. One person finished their turn and another immediately took the stage, not giving him a single moment to catch his breath. He couldn’t be bothered to run anymore, so he simply stood where he was and waited for Wen Heyi to come over, calling out weakly, “Martial Uncle…”

Wen Heyi walked up to him. His expression showed clearly in the candlelight. He let out a cold laugh. “You think calling me ‘Martial Uncle’ nicely means everything you did before is wiped clean?”

Huo Fenghua looked at the slight curve of Wen Heyi’s mouth. He found himself oddly missing the obedient little “Yi’er,” but he forced himself to focus. “So, Martial Uncle, you remember what happened when you weren’t in your right mind?”

“You were probably hoping I wouldn’t remember a thing, weren’t you?”

Huo Fenghua said, “How could you say that, Martial Uncle? Since you remember, then you should also remember being locked in a cage by that Bald Scholar. If your Disciple hadn’t kindly saved you, you’d probably have been turned into his medicine puppet by now.”

Wen Heyi gave a soft chuckle. “You’re right. I remembered that too. But if it weren’t for me, you would’ve had your throat crushed by that bald scholar back then. Would you still be living so freely today?”

Huo Fenghua clapped his hands. “Ah! Then we’re even!” He turned to leave.

Wen Heyi, of course, had no intention of letting him go. He struck fast, a palm aimed at Huo Fenghua’s chest. Huo Fenghua arched his upper body back and whipped his right leg up high, kicking at Wen Heyi’s wrist.

Wen Heyi’s palm sliced down at once, landing on the top of Huo Fenghua’s foot. Then he spun, his right leg sweeping in to hook Huo Fenghua’s left.

It was a move of the Xianyuan Sect. Huo Fenghua knew it well. Back when he’d gone to Zhuyue City for the marriage competition, Wen Heyi had sparred with him almost every day.

By reflex, Huo Fenghua snapped his right foot back and kicked at Wen Heyi’s leg. The moment he moved, he silently cursed himself. Sure enough, Wen Heyi didn’t retract his leg. He dropped low and slid in close to Huo Fenghua’s legs, tapping two points on his leg meridians with both hands.

Huo Fenghua’s legs instantly went numb. Before he could change moves, Wen Heyi tapped two more points on his upper body. Huo Fenghua froze in place, unable to move.

Wen Heyi straightened up. “Sure enough, a dog can’t stop eating shit*.”

*Idiom referring to one’s nature is hard to change and bad habits are hard to break. In this line, you can think of him saying, “You never learn.”

Huo Fenghua looked displeased. “You can say I’m incorrigible, but you can’t call me a dog.”

Whenever Wen Heyi used this move in the past, Huo Fenghua had gotten used to responding the same way. Wen Heyi had ambushed him with it countless times, he still never fixed the habit. Most of Huo Fenghua’s fighting style had been taught by Wen Heyi. This Martial Uncle probably understood him even better than his own Master, Gu Guangji.

Wen Heyi looked at him. “I know your inner energy isn’t what it used to be, but you still lose out because you never learned refined techniques in a systematic way.”

Only Huo Fenghua’s mouth and eyes could move now, but he still shot back immediately. “And whose fault is that? You hid all your skills and wouldn’t teach me. You also knew I couldn’t bring myself to hit you hard, so you took advantage of me.”

Wen Heyi clasped his hands behind his back. “I take advantage of you? Or do you take advantage of me? You made me call you ‘Dad’ for so long. Haven’t you gotten enough out of that yet?”

Huo Fenghua blinked. “So that’s what you’ve been holding onto. Fine. I’ll pay you back double. Just release my points first. Commander Shao is coming over any minute.”

“Shao Feijie?” Wen Heyi looked slightly surprised. “You saw him?”

Huo Fenghua said, “Yeah. I told him I was with you, and he immediately said he’d come find us. Martial Uncle, tell me honestly, is he your lover?”

Wen Heyi didn’t answer. He only asked about what Huo Fenghua had said earlier. “How are you going to pay me back double?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t even think. “Grandpa! I’ll call you Grandpa every time I see you from now on, okay? Isn’t that paying you back double?”

Wen Heyi snorted with laughter. “You really know when to bend.”

Huo Fenghua said, “A real man doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Grandpa, hurry up and let me go.”

Wen Heyi seemed to be in a slightly better mood. He slowly circled Huo Fenghua by half a step, then hooked a finger under his chin. “What else did you do to me?”

Huo Fenghua put on a serious, thoughtful face. “Probably nothing else. You kept fussing about wanting candy. I was worried you’d ruin your teeth, so I wouldn’t let you eat it.”

Wen Heyi’s fingers slid down along his jaw. The back of his hand brushed Huo Fenghua’s neck and Adam’s apple before stopping at his collar. “And what else? Today, why don’t we settle it double, together?”

Huo Fenghua’s breath caught. He remembered that night, touching Wen Heyi’s chest and lower abdomen. He hadn’t expected Wen Heyi to still remember, and to chase him down over it.

Huo Fenghua looked at him and asked, “How do we settle it, Martial Uncle?” Wen Heyi shot him a glare, and Huo Fenghua immediately corrected himself. “Grandpa.”

Wen Heyi hooked a finger in Huo Fenghua’s collar and yanked it open, baring his pale chest and stomach. “Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang both like you so much. Why don’t I taste you too?”

Hearing that, Huo Fenghua wasn’t scared anymore. He didn’t know whether Wen Heyi liked men, but he did know Wen Heyi didn’t like him and had no interest in him. This kind of intimidation wouldn’t work. He only said, “That won’t do. You’re my grandpa. This is incest.”

Wen Heyi smiled. “Your grandpa doesn’t mind.” His palm pressed to Huo Fenghua’s chest and slid downward, cold and without warmth.

Huo Fenghua shut his eyes. “If Grandpa doesn’t mind, then I’ve got nothing to say. Go ahead.” Let’s see who disgusts who.

Right then, in the dim corridor, a flash of cold light cut through the darkness. A white figure burst in from around the corner, sword qi riding on a razor-sharp blade as it stabbed straight toward Wen Heyi’s back.

Wen Heyi slipped aside and caught the incoming strike.

Huo Fenghua opened his eyes and shouted in delight, “Senior Brother!”

Su Zeyang grabbed Huo Fenghua’s arm and shoved him behind himself. Right behind Su Zeyang came Feng Tianzong. He caught Huo Fenghua in his arms, pulled him close, and reached up to draw his collar closed again.

Meanwhile, Su Zeyang was still trading blows with Wen Heyi in the narrow passage, sword light flickering without pause.

Held in Feng Tianzong’s arms, Huo Fenghua hurriedly said, “General, release my acupoint seal!”

Feng Tianzong wasn’t in a hurry at all. He said, “We heard what you just said.”

Huo Fenghua froze and looked up at Su Zeyang. Su Zeyang’s swordplay looked unusually fierce, and Wen Heyi was close to being overwhelmed.

“I was just provoking him. He wouldn’t actually do it,” Huo Fenghua argued quickly.

While exchanging moves with Su Zeyang, Wen Heyi said, “Who says I wouldn’t? You invited me so warmly. Why shouldn’t I?”

Huo Fenghua blurted, “Your lover’s about to show up, and you still want to do something to me? Even if you strip me naked, you might not have the ability!”

Feng Tianzong asked, “His lover?”

Before the words had even settled, there was a sharp twang, and an arrow shot toward Feng Tianzong’s back.

Huo Fenghua’s face changed instantly. “General!”

Feng Tianzong drew his long whip from his waist and snapped it out, knocking the arrow away. Then he slapped a hand against Huo Fenghua’s body, releasing his sealed points, and pushed him behind himself.

A tall man appeared from the far end of the corridor, gripping a longbow. The arrow was trained on Feng Tianzong, ready to fly at any moment. His steps were steady as he advanced slowly. “Feng Tianzong.”

Feng Tianzong’s voice was low. “Shao Feijie.”

They faced off. Shao Feijie stopped, arrow steady on the bowstring. “Send Wen Heyi and Second Prince over here.”

Wen Heyi glanced at Shao Feijie. The moment of distraction let Su Zeyang’s sword slide up to Wen Heyi’s throat. Wen Heyi looked back at Su Zeyang and stopped moving.

Su Zeyang said coldly, “If you don’t care whether Wen Heyi lives, then go ahead and make your move.”

Shao Feijie’s expression darkened. The veins on the hand gripping the arrowhead bulged.

Now that his points were released, Huo Fenghua could finally move. He rubbed his stiff shoulder, poked his head out from behind Feng Tianzong, and said, “Commander Shao, calm down. We’re all on the same side. How about we put our weapons down and talk.”

In the narrow corridor, everyone except Huo Fenghua spoke at the same time. “Who’s on the same side?”

Huo Fenghua fell silent for a moment, then said awkwardly, “Can’t you all count as my people? Commander Shao, what do you say?”

Shao Feijie looked at Su Zeyang. “Let him go.” Then he slowly lowered his bow.

Su Zeyang lowered the sword from Wen Heyi’s neck as well. “Martial Uncle, forgive me.”

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