Chapter 316: The Great War Just Begins
After meeting the old cook who had hidden his name, Crown Prince Wei Yan and his monkey-like master, along with Fan Wan'er of the Mirror Heart Studio, left together. The short, thin old man who had previously seen the old cook among the ten and hadn't dared to fart, now started chattering again, saying that the old cook had wasted his profound martial skills and had a weak character, that he had even crippled his own martial arts just for a comfortable life.
Wei Yan was helpless against this, neither agreeing nor refuting, letting his master ramble. The old man, with his hands behind his back, shook his head and urged the crown prince to take this as a warning, to not be like the unambitious old cook, or he would remain a good-for-nothing his whole life no matter how high his martial arts.
After enjoying his venting, the monkey-like old man noticed that the pair of golden boy and jade girl beside him had been silent, not playing along at all. He left in a huff, tossing out a remark, "Won't disturb you two lovebirds."
Wei Yan and Fan Wan'er exchanged a smile, then at almost the same time, both looked up at the southern sky. The crown prince said, "Follow me," and first leaped onto the roof of a green glazed ridge ornament. Fan Wan'er followed, landing on the highest building of the crown prince's estate. They stood side by side, faintly seeing the sword strike that had split heaven and earth from the distant boat, magnificent and breathtaking.
Wei Yan was deeply shaken. "No wonder he is the Sword Immortal of Bird's Eye Peak. This sword strike probably doesn't lose to that Sui Youbian from history. I wonder who could make Lu Fang treat them so seriously. Could it be that he's facing the old demon Ding?"
Fan Wan'er shook her head. "Not likely."
Wei Yan apologized, "Fairy Fan, I should have accompanied you to watch the battle up close, but my position doesn't allow me to be willful."
Fan Wan'er nodded. "The crown prince is a precious body, and will one day inherit the Wei lineage..."
Before she could finish, the monkey-like old man drifted over and warned Wei Yan, "Don't go over there looking for death. Since Lu Fang has drawn his sword, few can make him sheathe it. This kind of godly fight is naturally taboo for outsiders to spy on. Besides, old demon Ding likes nothing more than to kill watchers."
Wei Yan laughed. "Master, you just said the old cook was a coward, which goes against the principle of martial arts being about bravery and progress."
The old man laughed in anger. "How old is that fellow, and how old are you, you little brat? The old cook is up in years, has enjoyed almost all the blessings he can, and has a full set of skills. So he should find a powerful opponent and die a magnificent death, at least leaving a reputation that lasts for ages like the failed ascender Sui Youbian! You, Wei Yan, are still young and your martial arts are not refined. It's still too early for you to go looking for death."
Wei Yan had a very good relationship with the old man. He was both a strict master and a kind-hearted elderly relative, as well as a friend. So he teased, "Right, right, right. Master, you're absolutely right. All the truths in the world are decided by you."
The old man made a sound of surprise. "Something's off. How is it so much thunder and so little rain over there? That's not like the style of Sword Immortal Lu of Bird's Eye Peak."
Curiosity getting the better of him, the old man said, "It itches. I have to go take a look."
The monkey-like old man stamped on the roof's finial a few times, and in an instant was hundreds of feet away, eventually becoming a black dot.
Crown Prince Wei Yan sat on the ridge of the roof. Fan Wan'er did not sit down but continued to look into the distance, refusing to take her gaze away for a long time.
Wei Yan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Fairy Fan, I hope you don't mind my asking, but is Immortal Scholar Tong already in the capital?"
Fan Wan'er showed a hint of weariness and absent-mindedness, shaking her head. "You might not believe me, but I have never met my master."
Wei Yan was incredulous.
The background of Fan Wan'er had always been shrouded in mystery. Even Wei Yan, whom she and the Mirror Heart Studio were supporting, was in the dark. He only knew that Fan Wan'er was the outstanding figure of this generation in Mirror Heart Studio, traveling the martial world alone these years. But Mirror Heart Studio was a behemoth, beyond doubt. Not only were there pieces of Mirror Heart Studio in the officialdom of Nanyuan Kingdom, but across the world's four kingdoms, both in court and among the people, there were women of Mirror Heart Studio, appearing faint and elusive.
Forget about the barbarian lands of the grasslands beyond the passes. Nanyuan Kingdom was considered the domain of National Teacher Zhong Qiu, Songsong Kingdom was overseen by the immortal Yu Zhenyi, and Northern Jin had both Lu Fang of Bird's Eye Peak and Tong Qingqing of Mirror Heart Studio. But Tong Qingqing almost never showed her face, seeming even more detached from the world than Lu Fang. There were so many legends about Tong Qingqing in the martial world that they filled countless baskets. Some said that when she was young, she was a confidante of Ding Ying, but love turned to hate, and they went their separate ways. Some swore that Tong Qingqing was actually a direct disciple of the madman Zhu Lian and had once been a princess of Northern Jin. Others said Tong Qingqing had originally been a man as beautiful as a celestial maiden, who practiced immortal techniques and became neither male nor female, but then returned to simplicity, preserving her youthful beauty.
With the old immortal Yu Zhenyi emerging from seclusion this time, appearing with a bizarre childlike countenance, those in the know began to speculate whether Tong Qingqing had regained her youth, and whether there was no longer a matchless beauty in the world.
Wei Yan didn't believe any of this.
Fan Wan'er turned around and explained with a smile, "I was a poor girl from Songsong Kingdom. A senior sister from our school who was wandering the martial arts world took a liking to my potential. She acted on behalf of my master and took me to Mirror Heart Studio. I was only six years old and didn't understand anything. In that pavilion, I bowed three times to my master's portrait, and that completed the apprenticeship ceremony. The school holds many secret manuals and precious texts left behind by banished immortals. The White Ape Backsword Art is one of them. It's not part of Mirror Heart Studio's martial arts."
Fan Wan'er smiled bitterly. "Probably, I am the one in this martial world who most wants to meet 'Tong Qingqing'."
Having said this, Fan Wan'er laughed, pressed her palms together, bowed her head and apologized, "Calling my master by her name, don't blame me, don't blame me."
Wei Yan was amused by Fairy Fan's rare childlike innocence, and naturally thought of the night she walked on the bridge and patted the lion's head.
Compared to the Fairy Fan of Mirror Heart Studio, Wei Yan preferred this Fan Wan'er.
At this moment, a spy from the crown prince's estate appeared on the steps below. Wei Yan drifted down, and after a moment returned to the roof with a serious expression. "The Admiration Tower is stirring up trouble again. The newly released list is already spreading wildly outside. By now, the entire capital has probably heard the latest Ten Under Heaven."
Having said this, Wei Yan's expression was strange as he listed the ten one by one. "Ding Ying, Supreme Elder of the Demon Sect; Yu Zhenyi, Sect Leader of Lake Mountain Sect; Zhou Fei of Spring Tide Palace; Chen Ping'an; Zhong Qiu, National Teacher of Nanyuan Kingdom; Liu Zong, the Knife Grinder; Cheng Yuanshan, the Arm Saint; Monk Yunni of Vajra Zen Temple; Tang Tieyi, Dragon Valor General of Northern Jin; and the Wanderer Feng Qingbai."
The last three, plus that Chen Ping'an, had never been on the list before; they were all new faces.
Fan Wan'er asked blankly, "What about my master? What about Lu Fang?"
Wei Yan was speechless.
How would he know the answer?
---
After Zhong Qiu rose from the ruins, he shook his blue robe, shaking off all the dust.
At the same time, at the base of the wall, the Flower Hat Zhou Shi and the Demon Sect's Crow Girl felt a refreshing breeze on their faces, and then the light dimmed. When they focused their eyes, Zhou Shi was relieved, while Crow Girl had mixed feelings. She was afraid that this uninvited guest would take a fancy to her, bewitch her, and make her one of the singing beauties of Spring Tide Palace, but she was also relieved that she was at least safe for the moment.
After Zhou Fei appeared, the beauties of Spring Tide Palace, each with the strength of a second-rate martial artist in the martial world, also landed nearby like scattered flowers.
Zhou Fei looked at his miserable son and shook his head. "With this little ambition, even if I take you home, what can you use to contend with Jiang Beihai? You, you'd better stay here obediently for another sixty years. If you go out, you'll die. Either Jiang Beihai will play you to death, or I'll beat you to death in anger. After sixty years, if you can rank among the top three of this Lotus Paradise, I'll come to take you away. If you can't even do that, you might as well die old here."
Zhou Shi was full of shock, but not too disappointed. He mumbled, speechless.
Zhou Fei glanced sideways at the Crow Girl beside his son and sneered, "Thinking that not going out isn't so bad, that you can elope with the woman you love?"
Zhou Shi blushed slightly, his thoughts seen through.
Zhou Fei reached out and grabbed the void. The Crow Girl was immediately pulled up by an invisible hand. Zhou Fei flicked his sleeve, and a blue dress appeared beside him, automatically dressing itself on the Crow Girl. After this strange dress attached itself, the Crow Girl's wounds healed at a visible speed. Blood flowed back into her body, and her entire qi mechanism changed from a burst dam to a calm river.
Zhou Fei bent down and said to Zhou Shi, "You stay, but the woman you love must leave. I'll wait for you for sixty years. If you fulfill the agreement and are qualified to follow me to the Guizhu Sect in Tongye Continent, you can marry this young lady on that day. If you fail, when you meet again in Spring Tide Palace, you'll watch her put on a wedding dress and then call her 'mother'."
Zhou Shi stood up hastily and said resolutely, "Agreed!"
Zhou Fei's smile was bright. He touched Zhou Shi's head. "Good son."
The woman whose fate was decided in a snap of fingers felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Feng Qingbai stood far away, not daring to provoke this Zhou Fei at all.
Every time Zhou Fei finished a sentence, Feng Qingbai silently moved further away.
The banished immortals' "light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains." The greater the scheme of a cultivator, the more they abandon, and the later they awaken and become clear. For example, Lu Fang, because he was already a Nascent Soul Earth Immortal in Tongye Continent, and also a sword cultivator, therefore definitely came to break his inner demon and knock on the heart's barrier.
Even so, Lu Fang, from a naive child, took a second-rate master, comprehended sword arts on his own, and within the bound rules of Lotus Paradise and the great cage of thin spiritual energy, still became one of the Four Grandmasters, the Sword Immortal of Bird's Eye Peak. This is Lu Fang's strength.
Feng Qingbai was ashamed of his own inferiority, far inferior. His status as a banished immortal was a shortcut. Although his soul was incomplete, like Lu Fang, he had left his physical body behind in Tongye Continent, but he had retained most of his memories. He was merely borrowing another's skin in Lotus Paradise, treating it as a temporary inn. In the end, Lu Fang was pointing directly to his own heart, seeking the Way, proving the Way. Feng Qingbai was settling for the second best, seeking the Way through techniques.
As for Zhou Fei of Spring Tide Palace, whose true identity in Tongye Continent was unknown, he was probably the same kind of banished immortal as Feng Qingbai, and had taken even more shortcuts. Obviously, he didn't come here for the Great Way, but was simply on a sightseeing trip. Yet, to come to Lotus Paradise for pleasure, staying for nearly fifty years, who exactly is Zhou Fei, to have such boldness and such wealth?
Tongye Sect? Guizhu Sect? Taiping Mountain? Fuji Sect?
Feng Qingbai sighed in his heart. Coupled with the suddenly appearing white-robed young man, his luck was truly terrible.
In the past, the opportunities in Lotus Paradise had never been this hard to win.
Ding Ying, Zhou Fei, Yu Zhenyi, Zhong Qiu, Lu Fang, plus that young man. Any one of them, placed in any of the previous sixty-year cycles, would have been a candidate for the number one under heaven. Especially the three who had not yet shown themselves—Ding Ying, Zhou Fei, and Yu Zhenyi. Even against the peak periods of Nanyuan Kingdom's founding emperor Wei Xian, Demon Sect's founder Lu Baixiang, female sword immortal Sui Youbian, or the martial madman Zhu Lian, they could have matched them!
On this street, there were three banished immortals: Zhou Fei, who was "chatting" with his son; Chen Ping'an, still in a standoff with Zhong Qiu; and Feng Qingbai.
Two people walked side by side, blocking Feng Qingbai's retreat.
Liu Zong the Knife Grinder, who ran a silk shop in the capital, and Cheng Yuanshan the Arm Saint, who ruled the grasslands beyond the passes.
Cheng Yuanshan held an iron spear, his eyes locked on the Wanderer.
Liu Zong the Knife Grinder, however, looked at Zhou Fei, then glanced at Chen Ping'an further away, as if choosing his opponent.
Feng Qingbai sighed, tightened his grip on his longsword, and was extremely troubled. If his big backer didn't come soon, he would really die here. Even if the backer didn't come, that good brother coming would be enough.
Feng Qingbai's eyes lit up, and he smiled knowingly.
From afar, a man in black robes with a scholarly air walked over, a long knife hanging from his waist.
Feng Qingbai waved and greeted with a smile, "Old Brother Tang, you've come?"
The middle-aged man nodded slightly.
Cheng Yuanshan's heart tightened. This was troublesome.
The newcomer was the pillar of Northern Jin, Dragon Valor General Tang Tieyi. As the foremost famous general of the age, he rarely fought on the front lines. The world only knew that this martial man from a powerful family had a fondness for the knife, but his mastery and skill level were unknown. Besides his brilliant military tactics, Tang Tieyi was mostly mentioned in anecdotes about the inner chambers. It was rumored that he had an eyebrow fetish, liking to have his wives and concubines paint various long eyebrows. Once these came out, the noble ladies of Northern Jin's capital imitated them.
Cheng Yuanshan said quietly, "Old man Liu, don't let your guard down. This Tang Tieyi uses the knife with extreme dominance. He specializes in deciding victory with one slash and life or death with two."
Liu Zong said absent-mindedly, "A knife user? I'm not interested in him."
He pointed at Chen Ping'an in the distance. "That kid is mine."
Liu Zong ignored Cheng Yuanshan and walked straight ahead, not even paying attention to Feng Qingbai. He continued forward, combing his white hair with one hand, and the other hidden in his sleeve.
So it became the Arm Saint Cheng Yuanshan facing two masters alone.
Cheng Yuanshan made an unexpected move. He lifted his spear and walked to the side of the street, making way for Tang Tieyi, signaling that he could go ahead and join Feng Qingbai, that he would not stop him.
When Tang Tieyi passed by Cheng Yuanshan, he even turned his head and asked with a smile, "Won't you take my two slashes? Just two slashes. It's fast."
Cheng Yuanshan simply closed his eyes to rest his mind.
Feng Qingbai admired the Arm Saint's skill in cultivating his mind.
Tang Tieyi walked towards Feng Qingbai, somewhat reproachful. "When we met last time, you agreed you'd only come here to fish in troubled waters. How come you're now taking the lead?"
Feng Qingbai laughed. "Fortune favors the bold!"
The two had met two years ago in a border town in Northern Jin. At the time, Tang Tieyi had just led his army to repel the grassland barbarians. By chance, they became fast friends. Feng Qingbai had even served under Tang Tieyi for over half a year, participating in a major battle as a scout. If Feng Qingbai hadn't insisted on continuing his travels, Tang Tieyi would have asked the emperor of Northern Jin to grant him a general's position.
Feng Qingbai looked at the familiar face and asked curiously, "Why are you here?"
Tang Tieyi glanced back at the unmoving Arm Saint Cheng Yuanshan, then glared at Feng Qingbai. "Immortal Yu has put out word that he wants your life. Even I've heard of it. Don't you know? How many people want your life now, and you think it's just Cheng Yuanshan?!"
Feng Qingbai pursed his lips to suppress a smile.
Of course, there was a great mystery behind this. This story was enough for the two brothers, reunited in a foreign land, to share a few fine pots of wine.
Although Tang Tieyi was a native of Lotus Paradise, even in Tongye Continent, Feng Qingbai had never met such a kindred spirit. He was bold and unconstrained, brilliant, and peerless. Any words of praise could be laid on this martial man full of strategy.
Writing was a trivial matter; the martial world was just like this.
One must know that great writing is strategy, and great martial arts is the art of war.
That was Tang Tieyi's view.
Probably, in all of Lotus Paradise, only Tang Tieyi held such a view.
Feng Qingbai intended to keep it a secret and said with a smile, "As long as Old Brother Tang doesn't covet my head..."
Before Feng Qingbai could finish,
His vision was blocked by an overwhelming white blade aura.
At the last moment of his life, Feng Qingbai was only bewildered.
Banished immortal Feng Qingbai was split in two on the spot, half of the corpse crashing against the walls on both sides of the street.
Tang Tieyi slowly sheathed his blade.
It was the legendary demon blade "Lian Shi" that had been lost for many years.
One of the Four Great Fortunes, along with Ding Ying's silver lotus crown, the blue dress in Nanyuan Kingdom's capital, and the Arhat's golden body at White River Temple.
Tang Tieyi's expression was neither sad nor happy. He murmured to himself, "Just now on the way here, I heard you had made it onto the latest Ten Under Heaven, coming in last, at number ten. And I was also on the list, at number nine. Feng Qingbai, you probably thought that because you had a frank conversation with Yu Zhenyi in private, you would survive to the end. Originally, that was true. I rushed here precisely to save you. But the one thing you shouldn't have done is to be number ten while I'm number nine, with both brothers on the list at the same time."
Tang Tieyi sighed slightly. "Banished immortals can die too."
He picked up the sword on the ground and hung it at his waist. Intentionally or not, Tang Tieyi showed a flaw.
Because in the world, almost no top expert had ever seen his blade technique. Those who had were all dead by Tang Tieyi's blade.
Twenty years ago, after the emperor of Northern Jin was nearly assassinated by a martial artist, the court became insane, secretly capturing dozens of first- and second-rate experts, all used as practice for this Dragon Valor General's blade practice. This left the martial world of Northern Jin dim and lacking a new generation. Lu Fang on Bird's Eye Peak was aloof from worldly affairs, while the deep-rooted Mirror Heart Studio focused on infiltrating the courts of other countries, clearly aiming for the world, not the martial world. They never interfered in the killings and grudges within Northern Jin.
Tang Tieyi in Northern Jin commanded over a hundred thousand of the finest border troops, and in his spare time, he painted eyebrows for beauties. His life was not too leisurely.
As Cheng Yuanshan had said, his martial arts consisted of only two slashes: one unstoppable, and one that struck later to gain the advantage.
Therefore, any first-rate master weaker than Tang Tieyi was doomed to die. Even a grandmaster not too much stronger than Tang Tieyi was in danger.
Unfortunately, the Arm Saint Cheng Yuanshan did not greedily advance on Tang Tieyi's flaw. The old man silently retreated.
Facing this Dragon Valor General of Northern Jin, he was not without a chance to fight. On the contrary, he believed his odds of victory were greater. But after taking Tang Tieyi's two slashes head-on, he would inevitably be heavily injured, and then it would be someone else's turn to claim his head.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it, and the slingshot below.
Tang Tieyi suddenly looked down and saw that the carvings on the sheath of "Lian Shi" in his hand were flowing like liquid mercury, emitting a faint, multicolored light. Then, along the hilt and his palm, it spread up to Tang Tieyi's shoulder and neck. Tang Tieyi never released the hilt. When the light completely merged into his skin and bones, Tang Tieyi felt that this Lian Shi, which he had recently acquired by chance, had finally become one with him.
In the distance, Zhou Fei clicked his tongue. "What luck. Kill a banished immortal, get a sentient magic treasure, like adding wings to a tiger. His ranking will definitely move up a notch."
Zhou Fei turned and smiled to his son Zhou Shi and the Crow Girl. "See? This is how you should do it. Don't strike until the last moment, and win big. That's why the sooner you jump around, the worse you die. Look at Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi, those two old turtles. Have they shown their heads? No. And there's that old witch Tong Qingqing from Mirror Heart Studio. She's hidden the deepest. No one can find her. I just can't understand it. Why would a banished immortal come to this place to mess around, as if born just to run away? Even Ding Ying hasn't been able to find her all these years. Her skill at seeking good fortune and avoiding disaster is number one in the world."
Zhou Shi smiled bitterly.
With a father like this, with such a strange temperament, it was already a great feat that he, Zhou Shi, hadn't become a madman himself.
To help that Uncle Lu break his inner demon, he had done so many dirty things. But Zhou Shi could see that his father had never had any regard for beauty or power.
When he was still a child, he had witnessed Uncle Lu charging into Spring Tide Palace. His father stood still, letting the sword pierce his heart.
And between them at the time, there was a woman who had resolutely died to protect his father.
She was Uncle Lu's most respected master's wife.
Father Zhou Fei seemed completely unharmed. He casually pushed away the infatuated woman and walked forward step by step, letting the sword inch by inch exit through his back. His eyes were only on Lu Fang. He almost stopped face-to-face with Lu Fang before asking with a smile, "Lu Fang, are you awake yet?"
Zhou Shi sighed.
This was the cultivation of immortals in his father's homeland. Too unfathomable.
The Crow Girl, now wearing the blue dress, was even more silent.
Her master, the Demon Sect's leader, Ding Ying's only disciple, had been severely injured last year. After returning to the sect, healing was useless. He could only watch his body decay and life force rapidly drain away. But this hero in the Crow Girl's eyes had a very strange dying message: "A Realized One walks in the world, enters fire without being burned, sinks into water without drowning. What about an immortal? I have also seen one."
As a member of the Demon Sect, the Crow Girl had no great prejudice or hatred against the mysterious banished immortals. She didn't even yearn for the legendary ascension. She was attached to this mortal world, this homeland. She only wanted to compete with Fan Wan'er, who was no less than herself in looks, talent, and ambition, to support the second prince's ascension, and then strive for the unification of the four kingdoms. Whether she became the empress of Nanyuan Kingdom, mother of the world, or, following Teacher's Grandfather Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi, became the new leader of the martial world, she would be satisfied.
But this time, the Admiration Tower and that "Heavenly Old Man" had chosen Gu Niu Mountain in Nanyuan Kingdom as the place of ascension. And she, by a twist of fate, had been found by that Teacher's Grandfather and reduced to his pawn.
Her heart was full of bitterness, and she couldn't help but look up in the direction of that alley where the residence was located.
My Teacher's Grandfather, why haven't you emerged from seclusion yet?
Tang Tieyi had already left. He had no confidence in facing Zhou Fei. Even with a complete Lian Shi, his intuition told him that going against Zhou Fei would mean certain death.
Just like those pitiful grandmasters who had served as his whetstones in the past, when they had faced him.
So he went to make trouble for the Arm Saint Cheng Yuanshan.
But to Tang Tieyi's chagrin, the guy had slipped away, concealing his aura and vanishing like a fish into the capital's waters.
Tang Tieyi cursed in his heart. If this were Northern Jin's capital, Cheng Yuanshan would be as good as dead.
He could mobilize the entire city's forbidden army to hunt down any isolated grandmaster.
Of course, he didn't have even the slightest thought of killing Ding Ying or Yu Zhenyi, nor did he dare to.
This time, he had secretly left Northern Jin for Nanyuan Kingdom. Almost every step had been calculated by that Immortal Yu. Possibly even earlier, starting from the moment he obtained this demon blade Lian Shi.
Tang Tieyi had no desire for ascension or a home of immortals. This world was already enough for him to display his talents!
---
Ding Ying and that boy named Cao Qinglang—one sat on a bench soaking up the sun, the other stood at the kitchen door, tremblingly holding a woodcutter's knife.
After learning that Tong Qingqing was not among the ten, Ding Ying sighed, turned to the child, and said with a smile, "It's none of your business now. That woman is really..."
Having said this, even Ding Ying, such a great demon, was somewhat amused and exasperated, not knowing how to accurately evaluate Tong Qingqing.
Ding Ying understood Tong Qingqing of Mirror Heart Studio better than anyone in the world.
First, they were the same age, of the same generation, and had known each other for a long time. Ding Ying was another martial prodigy of the Demon Sect after Lu Baixiang. He had become one of the latter Ten Under Heaven at a young age, so he began wandering the martial world early. Tong Qingqing at that time had a position similar to Fan Wan'er of Mirror Heart Studio now. But compared to Fan Wan'er, who operated step by step, playing countless heroes for fools, her master, Tong Qingqing, was an out-and-out coward. When forced to become the next designated leader of Mirror Heart Studio, she shamelessly stayed inside the sect, unwilling to go out and help the sect scheme for the world. Ding Ying was bold enough to sneak into Mirror Heart Studio once, go to the forbidden heart-of-the-lake pavilion to enjoy the cool breeze and moonlight, and ended up encountering Tong Qingqing, who was sobbing in the pavilion. She was curled up against the pavilion pillar, talking to herself, not noticing Ding Ying. She was busy complaining that her master was too cruel to drive her out of the sect, complaining that her senior and junior sisters were too stupid. They studied martial arts so diligently, yet still couldn't beat her, who slacked off every day. Then she counted on her fingers the experts in the martial world, how powerful they were, how ferocious, even including the second-rate ones, listing them all as if each was a grandmaster unseen in a century...
Ding Ying felt he had seen a ghost. How could there be such a cowardly woman in the world?
Tong Qingqing, after all, was a first-rate master close to the top twenty of the world. She finally noticed Ding Ying, and then she too acted as if she had seen a ghost.
Her first words, in a sobbing voice, were to tell Ding Ying that as long as he didn't kill her, she would pretend she hadn't seen anything.
Tong Qingqing was, of course, a beauty. More captivating than her disciple Fan Wan'er and Nanyuan Kingdom's Empress Zhou Shuzhen.
But even after all these years, what Ding Ying remembered most clearly was Tong Qingqing's expression at that time. Tears shimmering, pouting lips, begging, timid and weak, like a young elk in the deep forest encountering an axe-wielding woodcutter.
Ding Ying had been obsessed with martial arts his whole life, never had any romantic feelings, and had no romantic ripples for Tong Qingqing. But Tong Qingqing's character, and that expression she wore in the Mirror Heart Pavilion that year, were truly hard for Ding Ying to forget.
That encounter caused no trouble. Ding Ying stole a secret manual from Mirror Heart Studio's scriptural library and silently fled far away.
After Ding Ying left, Tong Qingqing was so scared that she ran back to her own courtyard without even reporting the incident.
Later, Ding Ying became more and more famous, especially sixty years ago during the chaotic wars in Nanyuan Kingdom, when Ding Ying seized that silver lotus crown and became the number one under heaven. Afterwards, he killed over a dozen banished immortals and learned one secret after another. During that time, Ding Ying happened to meet Tong Qingqing again. By then, she probably couldn't stand hiding in Mirror Heart Studio any longer and had finally started traveling the martial world. But everything went wrong for her, and she was so breathtakingly beautiful that she was captured by the sect leader of the Talisman Gate, one of the three gates of the Demon Sect. If Ding Ying hadn't happened to pass by Talisman Gate and rescued Tong Qingqing, this fairy would probably have become that fat pig's private plaything. Ding Ying didn't save her for nothing. Without needing any torture, he obtained many of Mirror Heart Studio's secrets and all the over a dozen superior secret techniques she had memorized. Among them, most were all about preserving life and escaping, or incredible methods of disguise. As for those with great killing power, she had memorized them effortlessly but hadn't learned a single one...
If Ding Ying hadn't wanted more, she would have been willing to go back to Mirror Heart Studio and steal a few more immortal techniques for him, and she would have tearfully guaranteed to make him invincible under heaven, with divine skills, and to unify the martial world...
She had probably forgotten that Ding Ying was already the number one under heaven at the time.
Many years later, after Tong Qingqing returned to Mirror Heart Studio to inherit the leadership, Ding Ying went to find her again. But he couldn't find her, and he knew that this coward had probably cultivated that unspoken secret of Mirror Heart Studio—a technique that could return a woman to youth, and her skill would increase accordingly. The younger she became, the deeper her skill, provided, of course, that she would lose her breathtaking beauty. But to Tong Qingqing, this price probably meant nothing. As Ding Ying had expected, Tong Qingqing eventually entered the Ten Under Heaven.
So this time, entering Nanyuan Kingdom's capital, Ding Ying had been watching for all young children with internal spiritual energy.
He found six or seven, but none was Tong Qingqing.
The interesting thing was that these children might not become first-rate masters in martial arts, but if they practiced the banished immortals' techniques, they would advance a thousand li a day.
Of course, Ding Ying had no interest in cultivating them into the next Yu Zhenyi or Zhou Fei.
In the end, Ding Ying found Cao Qinglang right under his nose. Because he had a sudden thought: even though he was a boy, Ding Ying suspected that with Tong Qingqing's character—using any means to preserve her life—and with Mirror Heart Studio's strange manuals, especially several techniques concerning soul transfer, it was very possible that she was hiding inside Cao Qinglang's body, while her true physical body was hidden somewhere else. In this vast world, a living person might still leave traces, but a "dead" person would be hard to find.
But everything was overturned by that list. Tong Qingqing was not among the ten.
This meant that Tong Qingqing was definitely not in a child's body at the moment!
Obviously, the extremely cowardly Tong Qingqing, believing that Ding Ying, who knew her weaknesses, would come looking for her, had very likely, after making the list ten last time, immediately reversed the deduction of that immortal technique to increase her age, thereby causing her cultivation to drop. Ding Ying could be certain that the previous list of ten before today had been tampered with by the current Admiration Tower's lord, Zhou Shuzhen, because this empress of Nanyuan Kingdom was originally a disciple of Mirror Heart Studio.
But Zhou Shuzhen had no way to determine the final ranking of the list, because the ten people who had just come out were decided by some "Heavenly Old Man." This had caused Tong Qingqing to reveal her flaw.
Now, sitting in the courtyard, Ding Ying laughed loudly.
He was very curious. What kind of cultivator would such an unheard-of banished immortal be back home?
As for what "identity" Tong Qingqing was now, and where she had sneaked off to hide, Ding Ying was no longer curious. It was already amusing enough.
Even if he was wrong about the truth and Tong Qingqing managed to defeat him this time, Ding Ying didn't care.
What Ding Ying pursued was to occupy at least eighty percent of the world's martial luck, to ascend with a pure physical body, to accomplish a feat unprecedented and unrepeatable, to go further and higher than Zhu Lian and Sui Youbian!
He wanted to win against the Heavenly Old Man of this realm.
At the very least, he wanted to force the other party to break his own rules, to personally intervene and kill him. If so, Ding Ying would die without regret.
Ding Ying turned his head and looked at the window. He said with a smile, "Don't be in a hurry. I will let you out, but by then, it will be the moment your master's body and soul perish. I hope you will still be able to find his reincarnation in the future and accompany him to fight for the opportunity sixty years from now. That is all."
Ding Ying stood up.
---
Chen Ping'an stood at the edge of the chasm, his two sleeves shaking without wind.
Liu Zong the Knife Grinder walked towards Chen Ping'an, completely unconcerned about the commotion between the Arm Saint Cheng Yuanshan, Tang Tieyi, and Feng Qingbai.
In terms of focus, Liu Zong was recognized as one of the top three in the world. Yu Zhenyi had long confirmed this. For this reason, Yu Zhenyi had even left Lake Mountain Sect to find Liu Zong and persuade him to abandon the knife in his hand, claiming that the path of martial arts ahead would only be wider.
But Liu Zong refused. He said that knife was his wife, and couldn't be abandoned. It was called "the wife of humble origins should not be divorced."
Yu Zhenyi, who was normally stern, laughed heartily. He broke his habit and drank with Liu Zong, then left.
This was not some fabricated rumor from the martial world; it was spoken by a direct disciple of Yu Zhenyi.
Liu Zong the Knife Grinder was neither righteous nor evil, with a middling reputation. He never killed indiscriminately, but all who died by his hands often met a miserable end. The more skilled the expert, the more horrifying the death, enough to make people vomit bile.
Zhong Qiu had already returned to the street.
He, Chen Ping'an, and Liu Zong formed a triangular standoff.
Zhong Qiu said with a smile, "My fight with him isn't over yet, Liu Zong. You can wait until we decide the outcome before drawing your knife. Whether you'll then cross blows with me or with him, we can't say for sure."
Liu Zong's eyes blazed. Before drawing his knife to kill, he habitually ground his teeth like sharpening a blade, which was very eerie.
The old man thought for a moment. "Alright. As long as you don't mind me taking advantage of your weakened state, and have the confidence to be the last one standing. If not..."
He pointed at Chen Ping'an. "National Teacher Zhong, you can leave now. Leave him to me. Old Liu here has never gutted a banished immortal before."
Towards the National Teacher of the same city, Liu Zong had genuine respect. He had previously confessed this to the Arm Saint Cheng Yuanshan in his own shop.
Zhong Qiu pointed at his own tattered blue robe and said with a smile, "Do I look like someone who is willing to stop?"
Liu Zong sighed. "Alright. I'll wait for you two to decide the outcome."
Zhong Qiu asked, "Zhou Fei is also a banished immortal. Why don't you kill him?"
Liu Zong shook his head. "I'm not stupid. This young man in front of me is cut from the same cloth as you. Carving him up will be satisfying, every slice hitting flesh. That Zhou Fei knows evil techniques. He might not even leave a corpse after death. I would work my old bones to the bone for nothing? I'm not doing it."
Zhong Qiu shook his head helplessly.
Chen Ping'an ignored the Knife Grinder Liu Zong. He extended one palm forward, indicating that Zhong Qiu could fight again.
Liu Zong was stunned for a moment, then stamped his foot. "Ouch! What a handsome posture! What a pity I'm not a young lady, or I'd be smitten too. No, no, if you go wandering the martial world like this, you'll surely ruin dozens or hundreds of beautiful girls! Deserving of death! Choosing you over Zhou Fei was definitely the right call."
Zhong Qiu and Chen Ping'an seemed to have already settled their minds and "entered the Way." They were oblivious, as calm as an ancient well.
Liu Zong abruptly stopped talking.
Because, strangely, being the closest to them, he seemed to hear a crisp sound of water dripping.
The next moment, a surge of overwhelming wind pressure hit his face. Although Liu Zong didn't move, his sleeves and hair were all thrown into chaos.
It turned out that Zhong Qiu and that young man had clashed fists. The fist wind scattered, raising dust all around them. The bluestone slabs on the street shattered, fragments flying in all directions.
Liu Zong raised his hand to bat away a stone that flew like a crossbow bolt, his eyes wide open, not wanting to miss a single detail.
What a pair! When these two fought, it was like mountains cracking and earth splitting.
In a blue robe, Zhong Qiu, and in a white robe, Chen Ping'an, had become so fast that their forms were like white mist and blue smoke.
Wherever they went, chaos reigned.
A fierce close-quarters fight. The two figures never opened a distance of more than three zhang. At most, they were within three arm spans of each other. Excluding a single arm, this meant that even if one was hit by a fist, they would only be knocked back an arm's length!
Others made do in a snail's shell; these two madmen were destroying cities and shaking mountains within a square inch. Were they really of flesh and blood?
Two ethereal figures nearly destroyed the entire street.
But, as if by agreement, the buildings and high walls on both sides remained unscathed.
Their mastery of fist intent was truly at the peak of subtlety.
After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense,
Zhou Fei suddenly slapped his forehead. "Zhong Qiu, you bastard, you're messing things up on purpose."
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving. I can't stand it anymore. Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi can clean up the mess."
Zhou Fei grabbed Zhou Shi and the Crow Girl by their shoulders, like carrying two chicks, and with a single leap, disappeared.
The beauties of Spring Tide Palace, though confused, still followed Zhou Fei into the air and drifted away.
At the far end of the street, dust blocked out the sky.
At the corner, Zhong Qiu walked away with a smile, leaving via another street. Although the National Teacher was covered in dust, he showed no sign of dejection. On the contrary, he seemed to have done something delightful.
Chen Ping'an remained on the original street, walking out of the thick dust alone. His fist intent and aura were completely absent.
He was just like the most ordinary young man. With a single step, he appeared in front of the Knife Grinder Liu Zong.
Liu Zong blinked and asked, "Can we not fight?"
Chen Ping'an countered, "What do you think?"
Liu Zong said with a deadpan face, "I think we can. We have no enmity. The road is wide enough. We each go our own way. No problem!"
Chen Ping'an shifted his gaze slightly, looking towards the residential area, then nodded. "Alright."
Liu Zong snickered. "Before I go, can I be nosy and ask one thing? What exactly is your relationship with National Teacher Zhong?"
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and gave the answer, "Fellow travelers."
Liu Zong was about to sigh over something.
Chen Ping'an said solemnly, "Leave quickly. Follow Zhong Qiu. If possible, help him deal with someone. If you trust me, don't think about running. Only by joining forces with Zhong Qiu will you have a chance to survive until the end."
Liu Zong nodded, not saying a word. He brushed past Chen Ping'an. Chen Ping'an also stepped forward, shifted sideways, and stood exactly on the line behind Liu Zong.
On that side, Zhong Qiu had stopped. A figure, looking like a young boy, stood on a floating sword in mid-air, blocking Zhong Qiu's path.
On Chen Ping'an's side, a silver lotus crown slowly emerged from the small alley—Ding Ying.
Between his two fingers, he held a flying sword that was constantly trembling.