“Pheromone tide? What’s that?” Tang De asked anxiously.

Lan Ze explained: “When an Alpha’s life is in danger, he will instinctively release all of his pheromones at once, increasing their physical limit for a short period of time. Given that Alpha pheromones are aggressive, doing so may intimidate the opponent and greatly increase one’s chance of survival.”

“But Omegas are the exact opposite. Releasing a large amount of pheromones will only bring disaster upon oneself, so genetically speaking, Omegas do not have the ability to release a pheromone tide.”

Lan Ze glanced at the medical college building: “If my analysis is correct, an Omega just created a pheromone tide inside the building.”

Tang De frowned: “I don’t understand what you’re saying. One second you say an Omega can’t release a pheromone tide, and the next you say that one has. Could it be that—”

A terrible thought popped into his mind. There was no worse hypothesis than this. “…..Ling Yi?”

The loud noise of shattering glass interrupted their conversation. A black form flew dozens of meters through the air and fell to the ground, rolling several times before remaining motionless.

The doctors were horrified. Tang De ran over quickly. The fallen person was unrecognizable, with twisted limbs and bloodied flesh all over the back of his neck. There were barely any signs of life.

“That’s Night Crow, the Prime Minister’s top assassin.” Lan Ze recognized him at a glance.

Tang De had been confident that the security arrangements at the medical college were foolproof, but the fact that an assassin sent by Lu Hulun was still able to infiltrate it made him break out in a cold sweat.

Lan Ze continued: “Night Crow is not only an adept assassin – he is also loyal to the Prime Minister. He was seen by someone while on a mission when he shouldn’t have, and when the Prime Minister ordered him to disfigure himself, he did so without hesitation by corroding his face with a strong acid solution.”

Tang De was pained by this description: “How do you know so much?”

“If you were called in the middle of the night to deal with a mutilated head, you’d remember it vividly too.”

“I forgot you used to work for the Prime Minister. It turns out you’re former colleagues.”

“I rendered a service. He is a loyalist. We are fundamentally different.”

Lan Ze crouched down to inspect Night Crow’s injuries as a doctor should.

“A violent blow resulted in gland damage and bleeding from all seven orifices. He must have been subjected to a powerful mental attack. The only Alpha capable of crushing Night Crow with his mental power is probably His Highness Oser.”

Tang De looked up anxiously. There had been no movement at the broken window after Night Crow flew out of it, and there was no telling what was going on inside.

. . . . . . .

The pheromone tide had sent all of the Alphas into rut, and these Alphas also released a large amount of pheromones in an attempt to drag Ling Yi into the same abyss.

Ling Yi had held on until now, relying on his last thread of reason to sustain him. The moment canine teeth pierced the back of his neck, a fire that had been long suppressed was ignited.

His pheromones had originally been created for Oser, and it now seemed as if they had found their home, actively intertwining, accommodating, and entangling with one another.

Pheromones were continuously injected into his body along the dental canals, passing through a gland that had not yet been properly integrated. They traveled through his body, occupying every place they passed through.

The remaining foreign Alpha pheromones he had inhaled were expelled from Ling Yi’s body bit by bit, until his entire being belonged to Oser alone, with no trace of anyone else.

Oser completed the mark. When his teeth pulled away from skin, he licked it with satisfaction, causing the person in his arms to tremble.

Only then did he have time to carefully observe his Omega.

Ling Yi’s current appearance could only be described as miserable. Whether it was falling out of the repair chamber in a mess or fleeing in a panic, everything had left its mark on him.

His usually eye-catching silver hair was smooth and neat after being soaked in the repair fluid, and he had lost his sight for some reason, rendering him helpless and confused.

There were dozens of small holes cut into his hospital gown. Farther down were his bare feet. Stepping on broken glass and running into corners had left glaring cuts and bruises, and his toes were curled up from the excessive stress.

He looked like a mermaid fished out of the water, having traded his precious eyes for human feet, but had not yet learned to walk.

The many aggressive features that had existed previously – the upturned corners of his sharp eyes, the attack-ready posture……they were all concealed. At this moment, he looked like a harmless, gentle Omega, the complete opposite of the Alpha who had been high-spirited and vigorous despite being imprisoned.

Having lost his sight, Ling Yi had no idea that he was being ogled unscrupulously by Oser. He just felt waves of heat rising from his lower abdomen.

He took the initiative to loop his arms around Oser’s neck, licking his canine teeth eagerly from one to the other with the tip of his tongue. He no longer had an Alpha’s gland, but he still retained an Alpha’s hunting response.

Unable to mark Oser, he nipped at his hairline and ear in a disorderly manner.

Oser couldn’t withstand such teasing. He lifted the man into the air with all his strength, stepped over the Alphas who were ruining his view, and found a nearby ward, where he kicked the door shut.

The wards here were exclusively for the royal family, and were as luxurious as those in a high-end hotel.

For medical purposes, they were also equipped with various medical instruments.

He waved his hand, sweeping the bottles and jars on the table to the ground with a clatter. Then he placed Ling Yi on the table.

The indigo uniform jacket that represented his royal status was ruthlessly flung to the ground, just covering the pile of broken objects.

The temperature in the room rose gradually, and the atmosphere filled with rapidly rising breathing and heartbeats.

Just as the atmosphere was reaching its climax, Oser abruptly stopped.

Due to the force of his restraint, beads of sweat oozed from his forehead as his veins bulged.

Compared to Ling Yi, he still retained 0.01% of his sanity.

“No, at least not now…..”

“You can even have restraint at a time like this. Have you given up?”

“You just had surgery, and you’re injured.”

Oser used everything he had to try to pull away, but Ling Yi yanked him back with even greater force.

He had long known that Ling Yi had a strong waist, but didn’t expect that with the combined strength of Ling Yi’s waist and legs, he would be unable to break free.

Ling Yi panted as he asked: “You talk too much…..Fengdi Oser, are you actually impotent?”

The last 0.01% of his sanity vanished.

“Mark your words. I hope you don’t regret this.”

. . . . . 

Before he reached the door of the ward, the unique scent of Omega pheromones hit his nose and Tang De couldn’t help but suck in a deep breath.

It was a law of nature that Omega pheromones were attractive to Alphas. If an Alpha met an Omega with a high matching rate, it was easy to “fall in love at first smell.”

Just as Tang De was intoxicated, his expression suddenly froze.

Beneath the Omega pheromones were those of an Alpha that could not be ignored. Tang De was very familiar with these pheromones. He spent time with their owner almost every day.

It felt as if His Highness Oser had appeared out of thin air, looking down on him condescendingly as he warned him not to act rashly against the Omega he had marked.

Tang De sagged against the wall and covered his mouth. He couldn’t swallow, nor could he spit out the taste, and it took him a long time to suppress the familiar feeling of nausea.

Who would have thought that he would be so intoxicated by the pheromones of Oser’s Omega? He wished he could banish the memory of the last few minutes from his mind.

Tang De became more cautious than ever before. He adjusted his breathing to the minimum required to survive, and entered the ward with his head lowered and chest hunched.

His Highness Oser was well known by the public for his appearance. This person, who dressed meticulously even in the hot summer, was currently wearing just a casual white shirt. Not a single button was fastened properly, and the tight contours of his muscles were exposed to the air in an eye-catching manner.

He sat leisurely on a sofa, with a strangely coexisting sense of satisfaction and murderous intent, much like a well-fed lion planning to kill any invaders that broke into its territory.

The indigo royal jacket lay carelessly on the floor, covered in completely unrecognizable pieces of broken glass.

And there was also a pure white hospital gown, shockingly stained with blood. It was difficult to imagine what its owner must have gone through.

The person asleep on the hospital bed was motionless, with a blanket covering him head to toe. Only a small patch of silver hair was sticking out.

Tang De didn’t dare look in that direction any longer, and his eyes fell on Oser’s feet.

“Your Highness Oser, everyone in the medical college has been accounted for. The situation was chaotic at the time, and most people just heard the alarm and evacuated, with no idea of what was happening. A small number of people briefly lost their minds and have no memory of these events. Several people were injured by Your Highness’s mental power and have yet to regain consciousness. I have warned everyone not to spread this matter around.”

“What happened to the disfigured man?”

Tang De hung his head even lower: “It was this subordinate’s poor performance that allowed the Prime Minister’s assassin to sneak into the medical college in disguise. The person who was supposed to pick him up has been identified and taken into custody, awaiting Your Highness’s judgment. This subordinate failed to perform his duties and requests punishment.”

Oser scoffed: “You indeed deserve punishment, but the one most deserving of punishment isn’t here. Where is Pat?”

“He…..” Tang De hesitated. “He was nearby when the pheromone tide occurred. He was attacked and seriously injured by other Alphas who considered him a competitor.”

“I don’t care how badly he’s injured. As long as he can still move, he should crawl over to see me.”

“Understood.” Tang De suggested: “Your Highness, there are too many people here. Shouldn’t we move Ling Yi back underground right away? The nurse who was caring for Ling Yi is currently seriously injured and unconscious. I found a new, capable one who is an Omega.”

A rare burly Omega man was called in. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, broad shoulders, and a stout waist.

As soon as he entered the room, he immediately turned his head away and covered his face shyly.

“Your Highness, it’s different between Alphas and Omegas than it is between Alphas and Betas. Could you please button your clothes first?”

“……”

Oser gave Tang De a look of mocking understanding, as if telling him – the person you found is indeed capable.

Tang De smiled bitterly. He had asked the medical college to recommend another careful, discreet nurse, and even asked for an Omega. He never expected that the nurse they sent would be so out of the ordinary.

Oser stood up and slowly buttoned his shirt, sending a disdainful glance at his wrinkled jacket on the floor.

Tang De noticed his meaningful look and immediately said: “I’ll send someone over right away.”

Oser: “You can turn around now.”

The nurse lowered his hand, and this newest glimpse of his face was still shocking.

“Name?”

“Answering Your Highness, my name is Luo Li. I’m very strong.”^[1]

“I can see that.”

Luo Li was shy: “Nursing often requires moving patients, so being strong is an advantage.”

Oser: “This person doesn’t need to be moved. Find him a new set of clean clothes.”

When the clothes were brought, Oser refused to let anyone else dress Ling Yi, and even drove Tang De and Luo Li out.

Tang De, alone with an Omega man who was a head taller than him, felt very distressed.

Not to mention that this Omega would flirt with him from time to time.

“Hey…..hey!” Someone called to Tang De in a low voice.

Tang De looked toward the direction of the sound and saw Pat peeking furtively around the corner.

Luo Li: “Doctor Pat, so you’re here too, ah.”

Not only was he tall and strong, but he also spoke in a booming voice. Pat was so frightened that he gestured frantically: “Shh, shh!”

Luo Li covered his mouth. He sent Pat a knowing look, and Pat received yet another blow.

When the pheromone tide broke out, he was one of the closest Alphas and was indeed attacked by others of his kind.

However, he was knocked unconscious very quickly, and was fortunate to only suffer minor injuries. Tang De had exaggerated the extent of his injuries in order to protect him.

Pat leaned into the hallway and asked Tang De: “What’s going on in there? What did His Highness Oser say?”

“Well…..my family’s prince just completed the most important event in an Alpha’s life, and has ended over thirty years of bachelorhood. He’s naturally in a good mood at the moment.”

Pat was pleasantly surprised: “Really?”

“So if you go and apologize to him now, he might leave your corpse intact.”

Pat: “……”

The door to the ward opened, and Oser appeared holding a human figure.

As for why it was called a ‘human figure,’ Oser had wrapped the person tightly in a bed sheet, and only the outline of their body could be seen.

“Who are you speaking to?” asked Oser.

Tang De glanced back to find that Pat had disappeared without a trace.

“Uh, um…..Luo Li! I was chatting with nurse Luo Li. We hit it off right away, and have a lot in common,” said Tang De, looking for a way out of this predicament.

Oser sent Luo Li a doubtful look, not finding his subordinate’s tastes worthy of praise.

“Lead the way.”

“No, Your Highness, we can put Ling…..put him on the bed and push him downstairs.”

This was a hospital, and pushing a bed was more reasonable than carrying a mummy.

Oser turned a deaf ear and repeated: “Lead the way.”

Ling Yi woke up slightly when Oser was dressing him, but he had just come out of a highly stressed and fearful mental state. And after another round of taxing physical activity, he didn’t want to move a finger, so he just closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, allowing himself to be moved around.

Being held in Oser’s arms and breathing in his pheromones put him at ease, and the natural rocking motion caused a surge of sleepiness to come over him again. Before he went under, he faintly heard Tang De speaking.

The Alphas in the building were expelled under the pretense of taking a holiday, leaving behind a small number of Beta staff to clean up the mess.

When they saw His Highness Oser approaching from afar, everyone bowed respectfully in greeting, not daring to look up the entire time.

Only after Oser had passed far away did they stand on tiptoe and look around, whispering: “Did you see it? That was the biological weapon Doctor Pat created for His Highness.”

“I’m really curious what a biological weapon capable of wiping out the entire medical college looks like.”

“If you’re curious, why not ask His Highness Oser to take a look in person?” A voice sounded from behind.

The two betas were just about to ask who would dare speak such outrageous words, when they turned around and saw Lan Ze – the only person in the courtyard who didn’t look surprised.

“Please excuse us, we were just talking nonsense. We wouldn’t actually dare go and look.”

“By the way, didn’t they say the entire hospital is on holiday? Why are you still here, Doctor Lan Ze?”

Lan Ze: “I still have something to take care of. You two, come here and help me carry someone.”

When the two staff members saw the person they would be carrying, they exchanged looks of shock.

Setting aside the fact that his limbs were twisted oddly due to falling from a high altitude, the gland at the back of his neck was a bloody mess. Anyone with a bit of medical knowledge could tell that he had no hope of survival.

“Doctor Lan Ze, would you like us to send the body to the morgue or to the autopsy room?”

The other person suddenly realized: “You want to do an anatomy experiment, right? This person is of unknown origin, and there shouldn’t be any family members to claim the body.”

Lan Ze: “No. Send him to my operating room.”

The employee was astonished: “Ah? You can’t mean that you’re going to treat this person? His gland is so damaged that even if he’s saved, he won’t live long.”

“Doctor Lan Ze told us to move him, so we’ll move him.”

His companion gave him a meaningful look. It was, after all, Lan Ze who had made this request. Even if he used this person for some sort of dark experiment, no one would dare stop him.

Night Crow was placed face down on an operating table. Lu Hulun’s number one assassin was now a “dead man” who could be slaughtered at will.

Lan Ze ran his gaze along the edge of his scalpel, satisfied with its sharpness.

“Whether or not the operation will be a success depends on my skills.”

“And whether or not you survive depends on your luck.”

---

[1] The ‘Li’ in Luo Li uses the 力 character for force/strength. ⮐

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Chapter 15 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 17

Chapter 28 – Lingxiao

“A hundred years ago…..” Administrator Zheng’s voice was somewhat hesitant. He didn’t know if he should tell the three people before him. Although it wasn’t a secret, everyone who knew about it had tacitly agreed not to talk about that incident or that person.

“Administrator Zheng, what happened a hundred years ago, ah?” Fang Yang asked. Hao Chen’s question had reminded him that their sect’s supremacy was a thing of the past.

Administrator Zheng saw that Fang Yang was looking at him expectantly – so expectantly that it was difficult for him to refuse.

Never mind. Even if he didn’t tell them, they would inevitably find out from somewhere else.

With this in mind, Administrator Zheng suddenly walked to the door of the armory, closed it, and fastened the bolt. After ensuring that there were no outsiders listening in, he went back to the group of three.

He stroked his goatee. His eyes went far away as he began to recall: “The start of it all can be traced back to a little earlier than a hundred years ago. About one hundred fifty years ago, Lingxiao Sword Sect recruited a batch of disciples as usual.”

“However, this batch of new disciples was destined to be extraordinary. Among them were two well-known figures. You should all be familiar with one of them.”

Administrator Zheng kept them in suspense for a moment before continuing: “It was none other than the leader of my Lingxiao Sword Sect – Ji Chengyue.”

“Sect Leader Ji was about your age when he joined the sect, around fifteen or sixteen.” Administrator Zheng gestured toward Fang Yang: “However, Sect Leader Ji has dual gold and earth spiritual roots, and their purity is considered rare among dual roots. Therefore, he was directly accepted as the disciple of the former sect leader, Xuanxu Zhenren.”

“As for the other one…..if Sect Leader Ji was considered a rare talent, his talent should be considered unique throughout the world. He was just like this generation’s Cao Zirui, a rare single root that only appears once per century.”

“But Cao Zirui only possesses a single water element spiritual root, one among the five spiritual roots of gold, wood, fire, water, and earth. He was a variant wind-type spiritual root. Compared to the five elemental roots, his was more powerful. Such talent is rare to come by in a hundred years, or even a thousand.”

“Such a person joined my Lingxiao Sword Sect. Naturally, like Sect Leader Ji, he was directly accepted as a disciple by Xuanxu Zhenren.”

“He was Sect Leader Ji’s shixiong, as well as the former sect leader of Lingxiao Sword Sect…..” The mystery was just about to be solved, but Administrator Zheng suddenly stopped.

He glanced at the door he had purposely shut, still feeling ill-at-ease. He appeared anxious, as if worried that someone would overhear him saying that name.

Who would hear it? Hao Chen watched Administrator Zheng grinding ink, and thought, He doesn’t seem ready to say it himself. He was going to show them the name in writing.

But there were only four people in the room right now. Who was powerful enough to hear their conversation from outside?

No, perhaps this wasn’t about someone with incredible hearing listening in. Hao Chen suddenly thought, Rather…..who is Administrator Zheng so afraid of that he doesn’t dare speak that name even in private?

There was no way a human could have such deterrent power, so it could only be…..Hao Chen couldn’t help but look upward, harboring a hypothesis.

“Ling.” While Hao Chen was distracted, Administrator Zheng had already written the first character. Fang Yang beside him quietly read it out.

However, just as the character was written, Administrator Zheng paused before writing the second one. He raised his head to give Fang Yang a severe look and made a silencing gesture.

Fang Yang immediately covered his mouth with both hands and gave an obedient nod.

And Feng Ye…..different from Fang Yang, who stuck close to Administrator Zheng in order to see the name as soon as possible, he stood not too far but not too close, almost a little indifferent.

Both Fang Yang and Hao Chen were very curious about the event from a hundred years ago, but he was entirely uninterested.

As expected, he knows, Hao Chen thought.

The rustle of a brush sliding across paper sounded once more, and Hao Chen no longer focused on Feng Ye. He turned his gaze to the continuously moving tip of the brush.

As the brush stroke moved horizontally and made a hook, the second character was slowly revealed.

Yun, Hao Chen whispered in his mind.

Administrator Zheng stopped writing after these two characters.

He gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar name on the paper and let out an imperceptible sigh. The name felt familiar to him because it had once been a household name. Who in the country hadn’t known about this extraordinary genius? 

But the name was also unfamiliar, because after that incident a hundred years ago…..no one dared to mention it again…..

“Only those two characters?” Fang Yang belatedly realized that Administrator Zheng was finished writing.

Administrator Zheng nodded.

“Why didn’t you just say it? And why have I never heard anyone mention the previous sect leader?” Fang Yang was somewhat doubtful.

He had never heard of such a person in the history of Lingxiao Sword Sect, nor had he known that Sect Leader Ji had a shixiong.

“Because…..this is a name that cannot be spoken…..” Administrator Zheng couldn’t help but lower his voice when he said this.

Without waiting for Fang Yang to ask further questions, he continued: “My sect is named Lingxiao Sword Sect, but he insisted on…..”

He glanced over at the words “Ling Yun” and said: “The accident was so coincidental that it seemed like fate. When Xuanxu Zhenren discovered him, he called him a ‘man of destiny.’ He was the one who would lead our Lingxiao Sword Sect to the top.”

“Therefore, Xuanxu Zhenren spared almost no cost to cultivate him. All of the resources you can imagine, whether magic weapons or elixirs, were presented to him free of charge.”

“He was extremely gifted. In terms of cultivation and swordsmanship, not one of his peers in the world could compare to him.”

“With both of these blessings, he created one miracle after another. He began to cultivate at five years old, reached Foundation Establishment at sixteen, Golden Core at twenty-four, Nascent Soul at forty, and at fifty-six, he reached…..Hedao.”

“Hedao?” Fang Yang interrupted Administrator Zheng in shock. He had thought that Nascent Soul was the highest level of cultivation, never expecting that there was a realm called Hedao above it.

Administrator Zheng heard the surprise in his tone and explained with a smile: “You’re so surprised? At that time, the world of cultivation was just as surprised as you. It’s no exaggeration to say that jaws dropped.”

“He was the first and only cultivator in the world to reach the stage of Hedao.” Having said this, Administrator Zheng suddenly took a jade slip from the desk drawer.

Holding it in his hand, he injected it with a bit of spiritual power. A bright light rose from the jade slip and flew into the air, forming a translucent image.

Before Fang Yang could marvel over a jade slip being used this way, he was drawn to the person in the image.

It was a man. A tall, handsome man with heroic features.

The place where the man was standing seemed vaguely familiar, and Fang Yang suddenly recalled that this was the thousand-step staircase he had just climbed.

The man stood at the bottom, with a person standing every ten steps on either side of the stairs. Judging from the black and white daoist robes, they were undoubtedly disciples of Lingxiao Sword Sect.

The man was looking up at the endless stone steps. Unlike his fellow disciples on the staircase who wore solemn, battle-ready expressions, there was a faint smile at the corners of his mouth that revealed a sense of carefreeness. 

Suddenly, he took a step forward and began to ascend the thousand-step stone staircase.

On the first step, the disciple standing there promptly attacked. He unsheathed his sword and aimed straight for the man’s head.

The man didn’t even draw his sword. He blocked the attack with his scabbard and turned his wrist in an instant, taking advantage of his opponent’s attack to ram the scabbard into the other’s stomach.

After the clash, the fellow disciple on the first step crouched down and held his stomach, having lost the ability to fight.

The man continued to ascend, and after ten steps, he met the second fellow disciple. Similarly, the second disciple drew his sword the moment the man reached his step.

The man still didn’t draw his sword, and the second disciple didn’t fare much better than the first. He was defeated after just two moves.

“What’s going on?” Fang Yang couldn’t help but ask. Didn’t Lingxiao Sword Sect prohibit infighting among disciples?

Gazing at the man in the image, Administrator Zheng replied: “This is the sect leader inheritance ceremony. Anyone who becomes the sect leader of Lingxiao Sword Sect must pass the test of a thousand stone steps and a hundred checkpoints.”

Fang Yang immediately nodded. He stopped talking, watching in silence as the man in the image moved onward.

After walking several dozen more steps, the man had passed over a dozen checkpoints with ease, his sword still in its sheath. Those disciples guarding the steps could hardly delay him, much less stop him.

The man maintained his relaxed expression until he reached the 500th step. He had already walked most of the way before someone forced him to draw his sword.

But this still failed to stop the man’s forward momentum. When the man drew his sword, his presence became even more imposing than before, and rather than slowing down, his forward progress sped up even more.

He was unstoppable. Each and every disciple who stood in his way was defeated within ten moves. The defeated fellow disciples bowed to him, swords in hand, and the man simply nodded to them before continuing his ascent.

At last, he reached the final step. And the one hundredth checkpoint.

When the man standing at the top of the mountain saw him approaching, he didn’t draw his sword immediately like the other disciples had. Instead, he held his sword out and called: “Shixiong.”

“Shidi,” the man responded to the young Ji Chengyue. The careless smile on his face finally took on a hint of seriousness.

Before he reached the peak of the mountain and the thousandth step, Ling Yun saluted Ji Chengyue.

Ji Chengyue returned the same salute. This was extremely formal etiquette. 

Ling Yun took a step forward, and the instant his toes touched that final step, Ji Chengyue’s sword met his.

Their swords collided with a clang.

Ji Chengyue immediately changed tactics. He went to stab at the opponent’s throat, but at the moment their swords met, the tip of his sword slipped over Ling Yun’s.

Accompanied by the sharp sound of metal on metal and intermittent sparks, when the tip of Ji Chengyue’s sword slid to the tail of Ling Yun’s, Ji Chengyue suddenly turned his wrist and the sword stabbed outward along Ling Yun’s blade.

“Good!” Ling Yun shouted as the blade stabbed toward him at an extremely tricky angle. Most people wouldn’t have time to react when faced with this unexpected move.

But the person Ji Chengyue was fighting was Ling Yun. Thus….there was another clang. Ling Yun didn’t take any defensive measures, because he knew it was already too late. Ji Chengyue’s blade had slid to the tail of his sword before stabbing out, and Ling Yun had no time to retract his sword or defend himself.

But blocking a sword didn’t necessarily require defense. He used offense instead!

Ling Yun also turned his wrist, and when Ji Chengyue’s blade was a mere hair’s breadth away from his chest, his own sword approached Ji Chengyue’s sword-bearing wrist.

He turned the sword around in his hand to form a circle. Ji Chengyue’s sword-bearing wrist was just on the trajectory of this circle, and if he didn’t withdraw his sword, his hand would be cut off.

The blade stabbing forward would also fly off to the side along with the owner’s hand, and Ling Yun wouldn’t be injured at all.

Ji Chengyue realized this in an instant, and promptly withdrew his sword.

With this retraction, his first-strike advantage was also lost. Ling Yun took charge of the fight. Not giving him the chance to catch his breath, he pressed on step by step.

Ji Chengyue continuously retreated, struggling to hold on.

Finally, after a hundred moves, Ling Yun knocked the sword out of his hand.

Ji Chengyue glanced at his empty hand, then at the smiling shixiong in front of him, saying helplessly: “Shixiong, you didn’t even go easy on me.”

Ling Yun put his sword behind his back and raised an eyebrow: “Didn’t go easy on you? Shidi, if I wasn’t going easy on you, you would have been defeated by the twentieth move.”

Ji Chengyue could only sigh: “As always, I’m inferior to Shixiong.” 

Inferior in every way, whether in cultivation or swordsmanship.

Ling Yun was already the youngest Nascent Soul master in history, shocking the whole country. And Ji Chengyue was only at the Golden Core stage.

With Ling Yun’s strength, in the entire sect, only their sect leader and Elder Zhou were capable of fighting him.

Therefore, Ling Yun hadn’t used any spiritual power when walking up the thousand stone steps and passing one hundred checkpoints. Otherwise, if he utilized his Nascent Soul spiritual power, who among this group of disciples would be qualified to fight him?

He was entirely worthy of being…..the next sect leader.

“Haha, Ling Yun, you really lived up to this teacher’s expectations.” An old man with white hair and youthful vigor appeared in the image, and next to him was another person – Elder Zhou.

Then this person should be….the former sect leader, Xuanxu Zhenren, Fang Yang thought.

Sure enough, after hearing Ji Chengyue’s lament, Ling Yun immediately abandoned what he was going to say the instant he saw the old man.

The two martial brothers turned to salute the old man, calling out respectfully: “Shifu.”

Xuanxu Zhenren looked upon his two disciples with satisfaction, especially Ling Yun, who his gaze lingered on for a long time. His Lingxiao Sword Sect…..had a successor.

No, not only a successor. His disciple would definitely be able to carry Lingxiao Sword Sect forward as a sect that would truly “climb to the heavens.”

“Ling Yun!” Xuanxu Zhenren’s tone took on an abrupt seriousness.

“This disciple is here!” Ling Yun replied with the same gravity.

With both hands, Xuanxu Zhenren picked up the sword he had brought with him. The body of the sword was not ornate, and the hilt and scabbard were a plain black devoid of complicated and gorgeous patterns.

But Xuanxu Zhenren used both hands to stroke the sword with great care and attachment: “This sword is called Mountain Breaker. It has the power to break mountains and split the sea, and is the token of each successive leader of our Lingxiao Sword Sect.”

Having said this, he immediately handed Mountain Breaker to Ling Yun and solemnly instructed him: “From today on, you are the new leader of my Lingxiao Sword Sect!”

Ling Yun’s face revealed a bit of surprise. It wasn’t only Ling Yun – Elder Zhou and Ji Chengyue beside him, as well as the hundreds of disciples standing on the stone steps, had identical looks of surprise on their faces.

They all knew that today’s ceremony was for the purpose of selecting a new sect leader, but unexpectedly, Xuanxu Zhenren actually passed the sect leader position directly to Ling Yun. 

“Shifu…..” Ling Yun’s tone was uncharacteristically hesitant. He didn’t understand why his shifu wanted to pass the position of sect leader to him right away. His shifu was clearly still living, and Ling Yun was just the designated successor. Why was his appointment so sudden?

Due to his doubts, he didn’t reach out and take the sword.

“Ling Yun! Take the sword!” Xuanxu Zhenren didn’t explain his sudden decision, and just gave him a stern rebuke.

Ling Yun stopped hesitating. He raised his head and looked at Xuanxu Zhenren for a moment, only to find determination and expectation in his master’s eyes.

His master had made his decision.

Ling Yun recognized this, and as a disciple, he respected his master’s decision.

He solemnly stretched out his hands and accepted Mountain Breaker from Xuanxu Zhenren.

Xuanxu Zhenren’s stern face softened once more. He looked intently at Ling Yun, saying with an air of relief: “Lingxiao Sword Sect…..I leave it to you…..”

“Yes!” Raising the sword with both hands, Ling Yun gave a firm vow.

The image froze here. The recording on the jade slip had come to its end.

Not waiting for Fang Yang to ask, Administrator Zheng explained: “Xuanxu Zhenren suddenly passed on the position of sect leader…..because he knew that his time was coming. One month after he took over as sect leader, Xuanxu Zhenren passed away.”

Administrator Zheng looked at the frozen image and said with an expression of resolve: “He really lived up to Xuanxu Zhenren’s trust. At the age of fifty-six, he became a Hedao master, shocking the entire country.”

“Although Lingxiao Sword Sect was quite powerful when Xuanxu Zhenren was in charge, it was only in the top three. There were two other major sects tied with it, and it was difficult to tell which was superior.”

“But when he reached Hedao…..Lingxiao Sword Sect truly became the greatest sect in the world.”

“Even now, the glory of that time still makes my blood boil. The previous sect leader truly lived up to the words “soaring to the heavens.”

“Everyone was satisfied with our achievements back then. We were the greatest sect in the world, standing above the clouds, and other sects could only look up to us.”

“But there was still one person who wasn’t satisfied.” Administrator Zheng took out another jade slip, and an image appeared again.

Ling Yun stood at the peak of the mountain with his hands behind his back. Clouds drifted under his feet as he gazed at the scenery beneath him.

Someone came over – his shidi, Ji Chengyue.

Ji Chengyue called out: “Shixiong, what are you standing there thinking about?”

Ling Yun didn’t look back, his eyes still looking down the mountain. He asked with a hint of puzzlement: “Tell me, Shidi, what is the true Lingxiao?”

Ji Chengyue stared blankly upon hearing this, and replied after careful consideration: “The number one sect in the world – that is Lingxiao.”

Ling Yun smiled: “Shidi, I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, ‘there are men above men, and a sky beyond the sky.’”

Ling Yun abruptly raised his head to gaze up at the vast sky. He repeated: “A sky beyond the sky…..”

Before Ji Chengyue could figure out what he meant, Ling Yun suddenly took a step forward. He was standing at the edge of a cliff, with another soaring cliff in front of him, but he didn’t fall when he stepped into empty air.

Standing in midair, he took from his sleeve the sword that had been passed down by successive sect leaders – Mountain Breaker.

Drawing the sword from its sheath, he slashed at the mountain wall. With every strike of his sword, cracks several meters deep appeared in the mountain wall and combined together into the shape of words.

There were four huge characters.

“Lingxiao Sword Sect,” Ling Yun recited softly. Then, he turned with a haughty, arrogant smile on his lips and gave Ji Chengyue a solemn oath: “Shidi, I will show you what the real Lingxiao is.”

---

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Chapter 27 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 29

Chapter 27 – An Old Dream

“Shixiong, this mountain is so high, ah!I”

On the thousand-step staircase that led to the peak of the mountain, Fang Yang was walking in the front, and had to stop from time to time to wait for the people who were walking slowly behind him.

As he walked, he looked around and marveled at the towering mountain.

It was Fang Yang’s first time walking up this stone staircase. It was also his first opportunity to cross the natural mountain barrier and enter Lingxiao Sword Sect’s inner gates.

He was extremely excited the entire way there, hopping about like a rabbit.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen were actually climbing the mountain at a normal speed, but Fang Yang was hopping around so fast that it made them seem slow.

After his exclamation, he didn’t wait for the two people behind him and trotted forward more than ten meters.

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, your shidi is…..truly energetic,” Hao Chen commented, watching Fang Yang’s back as he hurried off. 

He had been in tears due to his enormous loss in cultivation not very long ago, but now he seemed like he was on stimulants.

“Young people, ah.” Hao Chen could only lament with a smile at the thought of this. Only a teenager of fifteen or sixteen could contain such vitality.

Feng Ye suddenly asked: “Is Fellow Daoist Hao Chen…..very old?”

Hao Chen’s smile froze. Old…..he was indeed very old. As a heavenly deity at the level of a living fossil, there were not many people older than him.

But he didn’t want to admit such a thing, especially in front of Feng Ye.

It would make him look like an old cow eating young grass.

Although the relationship between him and Feng Ye was purer than tofu or green onions, Hao Chen still hadn’t figured out why his heartbeat had quickened when he saw Feng Ye standing in the ring. Was it his fighting spirit igniting or the blossoming of desire?

If it was the latter, the issue of age must be taken seriously. It was fine to say he was older, but not to say he was old.

Older men could be said to have a mature charm. Old men were a generation older. He and Feng Ye were here to be companions in life, not to recognize grandchildren.

However…..speaking of age…..how much older was he than Feng Ye?

Thinking of this, Hao Chen responded a bit probingly: “Compared to Fang Yang, you and I are indeed rather old.”

Feng Ye recognized this as a leading question, but didn’t deny it. After all, he wasn’t as thick-skinned as Hao Chen, who could shamelessly pretend to be young.

When it came to the fifteen or sixteen year-old Fang Yang, both he and Hao Chen were many times older than him.

Feng Ye didn’t continue the topic of conversation, but instead quickened his pace up the mountain. Fang Yang had run so fast that even his shadow could barely be seen.

When Feng Ye stopped talking, Hao Chen didn’t ask further questions. Anyway, there was ample time. As long as he revealed Feng Ye’s true identity, all of his doubts would be solved.

The two of them quickened their pace in silence, walking for a while until they spotted Fang Yang far ahead. 

Fang Yang was standing on the steps, but not for the purpose of waiting for them. He was staring at the mountain wall not far from the staircase, where the four huge characters “Lingxiao Sword Sect” were inscribed.

These four characters were engraved so deeply that even so many years of wind, rain, and sun hadn’t worn away the edges.

On the characters occupying the entire mountain wall, each stroke ended where it should without being drawn out, each of them extremely fierce.

These four characters were incredibly eye-catching, and were the first thing a person saw upon arrival at the foot of Lingxiao Sword Sect. It was exactly the same for Hao Chen when he arrived.

And he had exhibited some disdain for the word “Lingxiao” – Rising to Heaven.

Mortals still dreamed of rising to the heavens?

It was a foolish dream.

Different from the unintentional sneer on Hao Chen’s lips, Feng Ye stared at the words in a daze.

“Shixiong, you’re finally here!” Fang Yang noticed the two behind him. He withdrew his attention from the four characters and sent them a toothy smile as he greeted them.

The sound of his voice interrupted Feng Ye’s thoughts. He approached Fang Yang and asked: “Why did you stop here?”

These four words could be seen every day. Only those who came to Lingxiao Sword Sect for the first time would stop and take a look, but people like he and Fang Yang had already gotten used to it.

Fang Yang scratched his head and said uncertainly: “When I walked here just now, I seemed to feel…..um…..”

He was somewhat at a loss for words, and used what little literary talent he had to describe it: “It was a very sharp, powerful feeling…..right, a bit like your last strike in the competition this afternoon, the kind of intense feeling that makes people want to take a step back.”

Feng Ye raised an eyebrow at this. He looked from the mountain wall to Fang Yang. This kid had actually sensed the original sword intent on the mountain wall, which was a bit beyond his expectations.

Standing next to him, Hao Chen was also surprised that Fang Yang, this naive, slow-witted person, had actually noticed the sword intent.

That’s right, sword intent.

These four characters that occupied the entire mountain wall had been carved using a sword.

Therefore, the master’s sword intent was left behind, along with the intense sensation of the tip of a sword pressed against one’s throat.

But due to time, the sword intent in that handwriting had mostly dissipated. Hao Chen and Feng Ye had discovered the miniscule remnants of sword intent when they first came to Lingxiao Sword Sect.

But Fang Yang discovering it truly surprised them.

If they thought about it carefully, it wasn’t that surprising. After all, he had already cultivated sword qi. Even though Feng Ye had taught him how to use it and Fang Yang wasn’t yet able to completely control it on his own, he had cultivated it in the end.

Sword qi and sword intent were of the same origin, so it was unsurprising that Fang Yang would be sensitive to it.

Fang Yang looked at the gradually darkening sky and exclaimed: “Ah, it’s getting dark. Let’s go.” The intense sensation had only lasted for a moment, and he almost thought it was all in his head.

But whether it was or not, there were more important matters to attend to at the moment.

An earth-grade magic weapon! Stars twinkled in Fang Yang’s eyes. He had never seen an earth-grade magic weapon before. No, let alone an earth-grade magic weapon, he had never seen a magic weapon before, period.

It wasn’t very far to the Armory Pavilion. He was as happy as a mouse that had fallen into a rice jar. There were countless magic tools and weapons in there!

Fang Yang completely forgot about the sword intent and turned into a rabbit again, hopping away.

Feng Ye watched him go with amusement, but lifted his feet to catch up, Hao Chen following closely behind.

The three of them were all at Qi Refining stage – at least on the surface – so they could only walk up the mountain, unlike those fellow Foundation Establishment disciples who flew past their heads, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

After walking for nearly an hour, they finally arrived at the Armory Pavilion.

Different from that at the foot of the mountain, personnel management was extremely strict at the Armory Pavilion, and outsiders weren’t even allowed to get close.

But there was only one person standing guard, an elderly administrator in the sect. Like Administrator Zhang, he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He didn’t feel that he had any hope of advancing, so he accepted such an idle position to live out his life.

Before Feng Ye and the other two ascended the mountain, Administrator Zhang had told them that the person guarding the pavilion was surnamed Zheng, and was an old friend of his. As long as Hao Chen showed him the token he’d been given, he would be able to pass through unobstructed.

Administrator Zhang, who seemed unreliable no matter which angle you looked at him from, was actually very reliable in matters where he shouldn’t be. When Administrator Zheng saw Hao Chen dressed like a foreign disciple, he immediately shouted for him to stop, but Hao Chen took out the token and explained everything to him.

Administrator Zheng stroked his beard and thought for a moment. Then he turned and opened the door of the armory, saying to the three people: “Come inside.”

Feng Ye: “……”

Wasn’t this a bit too casual?

But he knew that this ordinary-looking building was anything but ordinary. A powerful defensive array was engraved in a conspicuous location on the wall, and even a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator would be unable to break through it in the short term.

But he still didn’t understand why Administrator Zheng believed Hao Chen’s words so readily and let him inside.

He kept feeling like the people in this sect were a little too enthusiastic toward Hao Chen, but he couldn’t tell what the issue was.

Never mind, forget it for now. Quickly pick out a weapon and leave.

Although this magic weapon was of no use to him, he wouldn’t say no to a free thing.

With this in mind, Feng Ye followed Administrator Zheng and entered the armory.

“So this is what’s inside…..” Fang Yang said in a disappointed tone. He thought he would see magical instruments strewn across the floor as soon as he entered, not expecting that there would be piles of jade slips inside.

The jade slips were neatly placed on the shelves like books. Fang Yang was just about to reach out and take one to see what was written on it, when he heard a stern scolding. 

“Don’t touch!”

Administrator Zheng glared at Fang Yang’s outstretched hand, and the youth retracted it awkwardly.

The administrator glanced over them again, his gaze ultimately falling on Feng Ye. He asked: “You’re here for an earth-grade magic weapon?”

Feng Ye took a step forward and affirmed: “I am.”

Administrator Zheng turned and approached a table near the door. He took out a thick list and said as he paged through it: “I must verify your identity. What is your name?”

“Feng Ye,” Feng Ye replied honestly.

“Feng Ye…..” Administrator Zhang continuously repeated the name, flipping through the pages in his hands until he stopped at a certain one.

He compared the portrait on the list to Feng Ye’s facial features. After confirming that he was the right person, he was about to give Feng Ye the instructions for picking out a magic weapon when he inadvertently caught sight of a small line of words on Feng Ye’s profile.

“Five spiritual roots?” Administrator Zheng’s tone was somewhat incredulous.

Feng Ye and the others were a bit mystified. What about five spiritual roots? Administrator Zheng was as shocked as if he’d discovered that Feng Ye was an imposter.

The three of them stared at him in confusion for a long time before Administrator Zheng returned from his shock-induced trance. He realized his gaffe and explained: “Don’t overthink it. I’m not mocking you for your poor talent and low cultivation.”

Feng Ye: “……”

I wouldn’t have thought so until you brought it up.

“Ai…..” Administrator Zhang suddenly sighed. “It seems that my Lingxiao Sword Sect has truly declined. We’ve even recruited…..this.” He glanced at Feng Ye as he spoke.

Feng Ye: “……”

This was simply mocking his poor talent and low cultivation.

Seeing that the more he spoke, the more wrong it seemed, Administrator Zheng quickly made amends: “I’m really not mocking you, it’s just…..”

At this point, he couldn’t help but lament again: “When I first joined Lingxiao Sword Sect, someone with five spiritual roots certainly wouldn’t have had the chance to join one of the most powerful sects in the world.”

“Aren’t we one of the most powerful sects right now?” Fang Yang cut in.

“Right now?” Administrator Zheng looked at Fang Yang and shook his head with a smile: “You just don’t know what it was like a hundred years ago, when we were truly unrivaled in the world. There was no need to bring anything with us when we went out. Just by wearing the robes of Lingxiao Sword Sect, people would treat us like guests of honor no matter where we went.”

“Wow, our sect is so powerful?” Fang Yang’s eyes lit up again. It turned out that the sect he’d joined was so impressive.

However, he had overlooked the key words – a hundred years ago.

All of that glory and fame was just an old, hundred-year dream.

A long lost dream…..to reach the heavens.

“What happened a hundred years ago?” Hao Chen interrupted, having been listening silently. Unlike Fang Yang, who was immersed in the joy of the sect’s power, he keenly identified the key point.

Although he had only been in the mortal world for a short while, he had spent a month wandering around, and knew that the current Lingxiao Sword Sect just barely secured a place among the top ten sects. They were at the tail end, and could be squeezed out by newcomers at any time.

What had caused this powerful sect, which should have been the best in the world, to fall to this point?

Somehow, Hao Chen had a feeling that the answer pertained to why Feng Ye had appeared here, as well as his own reason for coming to this place.

When he asked this question, he sent a covert glance toward Feng Ye. But Feng Ye, who should have been just as curious about the past, seemed a little absent-minded. His gaze drifted aimlessly, without really focusing on anything.

This was the look of someone lost in memories.

He knew about the incident that had led to the decline of Lingxiao Sword Sect. Hao Chen came to this realization at once. Even further…..Feng Ye had been an eyewitness to that event that took place a hundred years ago.

---

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Chapter 26 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 28

Ling Yi floated vertically in a cylindrical repair chamber two meters high. His entire body was enveloped in a transparent, unblemished liquid, as if he had returned to his original state in life.

Time lost its meaning here. Vision, hearing, smell…..they were all blocked. The oxygen mask he breathed through was his only connection to the outside world.

Under the effect of the expensive repair fluid that was priced in milliliters, the wounds on Ling Yi’s body were healing at a rapid pace.

Whether the old injuries caused by the guards in the detention center or the new wounds he collected in his fight with Oser, they all vanished without a trace, and the skin on the back of his neck returned to its original smoothness.

Pat and Lan Ze were on their way for a routine checkup.

Pat said confidently to his junior: “I bet you that His Highness Oser is outside the ward right now, gazing lovingly at his Omega. Ten bucks.”

When they turned the corner, they found Oser leaning against the corridor window, casually looking into the ward.

No matter which angle he was viewed at, he appeared as if he had just found somewhere to loiter in boredom, but his viewpoint happened to cover the entirety of the repair chamber.

Oser heard their footsteps, and his nonchalant gaze shifted over. He saw Pat at the end of the hallway with his hand proudly extended toward Lan Ze, after which Lan Ze expressionlessly slapped a ten dollar bill into his hand.

Having won the prize, Pat came straight over to greet Oser, who didn’t forget to mock his little trick.

“You shouldn’t extort your colleagues.”

“This is him buying me coffee.” Pat stopped beside Oser with a smile, watching with him through the glass as Lan Ze performed a routine inspection on Ling Yi.

“Your Highness, you really don’t need to stay here all day. Ling Yi’s health indicators are very stable now. He’s much healthier than me, a medical animal who stays up late every night.”

“Who told you I’ve been here all day? I just happened to have some free time and came over to take a look.”

“Yes, yes. With your busy schedule, you certainly wouldn’t stay at the medical college from morning~ till~ night~ would you?”

Pat was confident that after the successful operation, Oser would be much more tolerant of him. Even when he made sarcastic jokes like this one, Oser wouldn’t scold him.

Sure enough, Oser just glared at him and said: “I heard that your vice president is retiring at the end of the year.”

Pat immediately took on a servile appearance: “Don’t worry, Your Highness. Once Junior Brother Lan Ze finishes his inspection and confirms that there aren’t any problems, we can arrange for Ling Yi to leave the healing chamber today. I’ll inform you in advance when it’s time, and the first Alpha he sees when he wakes up will be you.”

“What if I’m not?”

“If you’re not…..it isn’t a big deal. He’s an Omega custom-made for you. Even if he’s one centimeter away from me, I wouldn’t be able to smell his pheromones.”

“Your olfactory system had better agree with you, or it will need to be artificially disabled.”

“I swear on my life that there’s no way that could happen.”

Pat had asked over a dozen Alpha colleagues to test the cultivated pheromones, so he had absolute confidence in this regard.

“He will be the only Omega in the world who matches you, and you will be his unique Alpha.”

Pat was so moved that he made the shape of a halo over his head.

“Ah, is this a romantic miracle created by medicine?”

Lan Ze finished his examination and exited the ward wearing his usual cold expression, the devilish counterpart to Pat’s angel.

“The subject’s physical indicators have reached discharge criteria. He can be transferred to a general ward.”

Pat gave him a meaningful look: “What test subject? That’s the future consort!”

He turned his head and toadied up to Oser: “Haha, my junior brother isn’t good with words. Shall we get down to business without further delay?”

Oser: “I have a meeting soon.”

Lan Ze: “I have an operation coming up.”

Pat smacked his fist into his palm: “Isn’t that a coincidence? I also have an online lecture I have to attend.”

Oser urged: “Be sure to wait until I come back.”

Pat patted his chest and guaranteed: “If you’re not here, nobody else will open the storeroom door.”

Oser and Lan Ze went about their business while Pat hummed a little tune and looked around the repair storeroom.

Nan Ting was recording the final data record before Ling Yi was discharged.

“Doctor Pat, don’t you have an online lecture to attend?”

Pat said with a wave of his hand: “What could be more important than ensuring the safety of the future consort? This matter concerns the vice president of the hospital’s return…..no, it concerns His Highness Oser’s lifelong happiness. No mistakes can be made!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud noise caught the attention of both of them.

“What was that?” Pat looked vigilantly toward the source. “I’ll go take a look. You stay here. Don’t go anywhere.”

Pat walked out of the ward cautiously and took a few steps in the direction of the sound. He found a rarely-used medical tool that had fallen from a high location.

He was a little relieved, but still harbored some suspicion: “There’s no wind down here. How did it fall?”

He crouched down to check the instrument for damage, and put the scattered parts back in place. It took him two or three minutes to finish it, and he suddenly realized that something wasn’t right.

Oser had deployed many guards throughout the hospital, and there were naturally people guarding the underground area. But even though there was such a big commotion just now, nobody had come to investigate.

He had just stood to look around for the guards when an indescribable smell suddenly rushed into his nose.

Pat’s nostrils twitched reflexively in an attempt to more clearly identify the scent.

Nan Ting followed Pat’s advice and stayed to look after Ling Yi. As soon as Pat left, an uninvited guest entered the ward.

Even though he was wearing the medical college doctor’s uniform and a mask, Nan Ting could tell at a glance that he had bad intentions.

Ever since Ling Yi was scheduled for surgery, His Highness Oser had blocked off access to this level. Apart from Nan Ting and several nurses, only Pat and Lan Ze were allowed to enter and exit freely.

“Who are you?” Nan Ting stood in front of the repair cylinder.

The man continued to walk straight toward them.

“Stay away!”

The person in front of her just swung his hand, and the violent force knocked Nan Ting to the floor unconscious.

Night Crow removed his mask, revealing a face that was corroded beyond recognition.

Nan Ting would have been frightened had she seen his appearance.

He first looked up at Ling Yi in the repair chamber, then took a syringe out of his sleeve.

The sharp needle pierced the soft plastic barrier, and a colorless, odorless poison gas was injected into the oxygen tube.

This dose of poison was enough to kill an adult elephant. The person in the repair chamber would die completely unaware.

Once Night Crow finished, he sent a report to Lu Hulun:

[Mission accomplished]

When Oser returned after his meeting, all that would be waiting for him was a corpse.

With his mission complete, Night Crow turned to leave.

Bang.

A sound caught his attention.

Bang.

He realized that the sound was coming from behind him.

Bang!

Night Crow turned around and was surprised to find that the oxygen mask had been removed. And that Ling Yi, with his eyes closed, was punching the glass of the repair chamber with his fist.

Countless tiny bubbles gushed upward from his mouth and nose, and with each heavy blow, the liquid in the tank shook violently.

The glass couldn’t withstand the heavy impacts. Cracks appeared, spreading outward from the point of impact like a spider’s web amongst the constant sound of splintering glass.

Night Crow had taken countless lives, but he had never seen something like this.

“Such a strong desire to survive.”

He had been ordered to come and deal with Ling Yi. No matter how eager the other party was to survive, in his opinion, Ling Yi was only struggling in vain.

Night Crow was a professional assassin who didn’t like to waste time. When the poison gas didn’t work, he took out a silenced pistol and prepared to end Ling Yi’s life with a bullet.

Ling Yi exerted all of his strength, and the glass wall shattered. He fell heavily to the ground along with countless fragments of glass.

The spurting repair fluid soaked Night Crow, but he paid no attention to it, swinging his gun to aim at Ling Yi on the ground.

A strange scent hit him, causing him to pull the trigger a second slower.

Bang—

Nan Ting had just regained consciousness, and upon seeing Night Crow aiming a gun at Ling Yi, she rushed forward without thinking. Her tackle caused the trajectory of the bullet to change at the last second, and an instrument panel in the distance shattered.

Without a care for her own safety, Nan Ting shouted to Ling Yi: “Run!”

Ling Yi struggled to get up from the ground. Although he had removed the oxygen mask, the poison gas had irritated his eyes.

He couldn’t open them at all now, and could only determine the direction of the exit by instinct.

Nan Ting risked her life by holding onto Night Crow, buying time for him to escape.

Night Crow’s behavior was a little abnormal. His breathing had become heavier than usual, as if his nerves were being stimulated by some sort of substance.

It even took him a while to shake off Nan Ting, a small, unarmed nurse. And when he turned around, his target was nowhere to be seen.

A strong smell assaulted him from all directions. It was everywhere in the air, especially noticeable on his repair fluid-soaked clothing.

The look in Night Crow’s eyes changed little by little, making his hideous face look even more terrifying.

. . . . . .

Oser arrived at the medical college at an unprecedented speed.

Outside the main gate, bewildered Alphas gathered in groups of two or three.

The usually neat and orderly doctors now had mussed hair and uniforms that were pulled to pieces.

A certain unlucky guy closest to the main gate had his collar grabbed by Oser.

“What’s happening in there?”

The unlucky guy was so frightened that he babbled incoherently: “Did Your Highness ask Doctor Pat to conduct biochemical experiments underground?”

A strange look flashed through Oser’s eyes. He shoved the man away and rushed into the building without looking back.

Tang De rushed in as well, but Lan Ze grabbed his collar from behind.

“I advise you not to go inside.”

“What’s going on? Wasn’t everything fine this morning?” Tang De asked anxiously.

Lan Ze’s gaze drifted toward the main gate as he spoke two words: “Pheromone tide.”

As Oser entered the main hall of the medical college, a scent hit his nose.

It was said that no Omega had ever smelled Oser’s pheromones, so how could he have smelled the pheromones of an Omega?

But he was more certain than ever that this was the scent of an Omega’s pheromones.

Patients, medical staff, and even his guards were lying on the floor all over the place.

Without hesitation, Oser followed the direction of the smell and rushed to the third floor.

The closer he got to the target, the richer the scent became.

Each time he inhaled, countless gas molecules rushed into his nasal cavity.

It was the best thing he had ever smelled in his life.

Roses in the dog days of summer. Wintersweet on the coldest days of winter. Century-old wine, thousand-year-old sandalwood, none of these were capable of emitting a fragrance comparable to this one.

Pat had lied to him. The pheromones he had given him were nothing compared to this.

Ling Yi had been forced into a corner, with no way to escape.

He forced his eyes open, but could only see a thick fog. Like a headless fly, he had stumbled his way here as he fled.

There was originally only the assassin behind him, but for some reason, the number of people kept growing.

Ling Yi initially thought they were all assassins sent by Lu Hulun, but later discovered that he was the target they were competing for.

These people seemed to have lost their minds, pursuing and cornering Ling Yi as they fought amongst each other.

Those currently surrounding Ling Yi were the “victors” of the struggle.

They were all Alphas at their mental and physical peaks, emitting pheromones unscrupulously as they eyed their struggling prey.

Ling Yi clutched a piece of glass in his hand. It was the sole weapon he picked up for self defense after smashing the glass chamber.

The Alphas encroached gradually, narrowing the encirclement little by little. Their pheromones mixed together, and the pressure this caused made him nauseous.

Suddenly, a familiar, overbearing pheromone scent tore a hole in the surrounding atmosphere, forcefully covering up the scents of the others.

Here, Oser witnessed the most infuriating scene of his life.

Alphas in rut surrounded the Omega that should have belonged to him. Broken glass had left cuts of various sizes on his body, and his snow-white clothing was stained with blood.

His eyes were unfocused, staring at the floor as if he couldn’t see anything as blood flowed down the shard of glass in his hand.

The pheromones of a top-level Alpha detonated like a nuclear explosion.

“Get away!”

The Alphas fell to the floor under the heavy mental pressure. Only Night Crow managed to remain standing. He was still thinking about taking action when a devastating punch from Oser sent him flying.

Glass shattered on impact, and a living person flew out the window like a ragdoll.

Ling Yi heard a voice that seemed far away, yet very close.

“Ling Yi, do you know who I am?”

Even though he couldn’t see and his mind was unclear, this person’s voice, pheromones, and tone were all familiar to Ling Yi.

His tense body relaxed, and the glass shard fell to the floor with a clang.

“Your Highness.”

“No, your Alpha.”

Oser pulled the man tightly into his arms, sharp teeth piercing deeply into the skin on the back of his neck.

---

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Chapter 14 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 16

Pat gingerly took a sealed test tube from the cabinet and pulled out the cork, handing it to Oser.

“These are the Omega pheromones that were specially cultivated using Your Highness’s pheromones. Please smell them.”

Oser placed the test tube under his nose and inhaled gently. A faint, almost imperceptible fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose.

Pat asked nervously: “How do they smell?”

“It’s a very faint fragrance.”

“You can actually smell it?”

Oser nodded.

Pat’s confidence increased: “Then I’m relieved. I can’t smell these pheromones at all, and I’ve given them to other Alphas in the hospital, but they couldn’t smell anything either.”

“Is this what Ling Yi will smell like from now on?”

“Yes, if nothing goes wrong. Are you satisfied with the scent?”

Oser feigned calmness: “It’s not bad.”

Seeing that Oser actually liked it but was pretending to be indifferent, Pat was so angry that he could vomit blood.

But the other party was His Highness Oser, so he could only hold it in.

“These tailor-made pheromones are 100% compatible with you. For you, there should be no better scent than this. Since they aren’t natural pheromones, the scent may be a little weaker…..but this is the best I can do.”

Oser sniffed it again, as if savoring it slowly. This was the first time in his life he had smelled Omega pheromones.

So this was what Omega pheromones smelled like.

“Your Highness, after a successful operation, you can hold him and smell him to your heart’s content. There’s no need to be so reluctant to part with it.”

He reached out to grab the vial, but Oser showed no signs of relinquishing it, so he retracted his hand and pretended to scratch the back of his head.

“Then Your Highness can keep it as a souvenir. Anyway, you won’t need it in the future.”

Oser put the vial in his breast pocket and warned again: “If you mess this up…..”

“I’ll be the next one to undergo transformation, right?” Pat had already made mental preparations. “Don’t worry, you’ve even kidnapped Junior Lan Ze. With two chief surgeons from the Royal Medical College in charge, we’ll definitely give you a fragrant, lively Omega.”

When he turned around, Nan Ting had been standing behind him for an unknown period of time.

“Doctor Pat, Ling Yi’s physical examination has been completed. All indicators meet the surgical criteria. You can start prepping for the operation.”

The two walked side by side to the operating room. Pat kept taking deep breaths and slapping his face to keep himself clear-headed.

This may be the most difficult operation he had ever performed in his life, and also an operation that concerned his own life.

Nan Ting asked quietly: “Doctor Pat, I only know Doctor Lan Ze as the chief surgeon of our hospital. When did we get another one?”

“……Nan Ting, you’ve really turned bad. Not only have you learned to eavesdrop, you’ve also learned to ridicule people.”

“But seriously, when I saw Doctor Lan Ze in the preparation room this morning, it was like taking a reassurance pill.”

It was rare for Nan Ting to be so enamored of someone.

“Doctor Lan Ze is so handsome and amazing. I wish all the doctors in the medical college could be like him.”

Pat muttered jealously: “You won’t think that way once you see him cut up a living person with your own eyes. That guy only thinks about medicine. To him, human beings are no different from frogs. You’re at most a frog who can start an IV drip.”

“So what kind of frog are you, Doctor Pat?”

“How rude! I’m his senior, would he dare to treat me as a frog?”

Ling Yi had a rare restful sleep, and looked well. He even had the energy to greet the doctor who was about to cut open his gland. 

“I want to see His Highness Oser once more before I go in.”

“I’m here.” Oser came from the other direction with Tang De.

Ling Yi stared at him for at least half a minute.

Pat asked curiously: “What are you looking at?”

It didn’t seem like he was entrusting his funeral affairs to him, but this couldn’t just be eye contact, right?

“I want to remember this face. That way, if anything happens to me, I’ll know who to come back and settle the score with in my next life.”

Oser said with a grave expression: “That’s inauspicious. Spit.”

Ling Yi thought Oser was joking, but unexpectedly, Tang De mouthed the same words to him from behind Oser.

Ling Yi: “I thought people only said that when teasing children.”

Tang De kindly advised: “Just spit. His Highness believes in this kind of thing.”

Ling Yi had no choice but to pei, pei, pei three times. “Will that do? You’re a royal aristocrat, how can you believe in such folk superstitions?”

Oser maintained a straight face: “Don’t speak nonsense next time.”

Cold anesthetic was injected into his body, and the second to last words Ling Yi heard before he lost consciousness came from Lan Ze.

“The back of your neck is very beautiful.”

“You said the same thing last time,” Ling Yi said in a daze.

Lan Ze revealed a rare smile under his mask.

“You never expected that it would be me again.”

Those were the last words Ling Yi heard before he passed out.

. . . . . .

Xi Lei was allowed to stay with Xi En for half an hour inside the intensive care unit.

He sat on the edge of the hospital bed with his head in his hands. The electrocardiograph beeped at a steady pace, each sound torturing his conscience.

After sitting like this for a long time, he suddenly slapped his head in pain.

“Dad, I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect Xi Lan or Ling Yi. When you wake up, you’ll definitely want to beat me to death. I’m so useless. I can’t face you……”

In the meantime, Oser remained outside the operating room. Although he appeared as calm and composed as ever, Tang De swore that this was definitely the least calm he had ever seen His Highness.

When Ling Yi gave birth to a child one day, His Highness Oser wouldn’t even be this uneasy outside the delivery room.

He didn’t dare share the same space as the extremely emotionally unstable Oser, for fear that the other party would suddenly release pheromones.

“Your Highness, I’ll go check the security around the perimeter and make every effort to ensure the smooth progress of the operation. I won’t allow any suspicious individuals to get close!”

After Tang De found an excuse to slip away, Oser’s mask of calmness dropped by half.

He paced back and forth outside the operation room, and even lit a cigarette to calm himself down.

Nan Ting hurried out, and just as Oser was about to question her, she spotted the half-smoked cigarette in his hand.

“Your Highness! This is a hospital! How can you smoke in the hallway? This is outrageous!”

Nan Ting snatched Oser’s cigarette and put it out, then rushed off without waiting for Oser to speak.

Oser didn’t receive any answers, and was even scolded by a nurse.

He swallowed his frustration and waited for Nan Ting to jog back. When he saw the blood bags in her arms, he got a bad feeling.

He tried to follow Nan Ting through the door of the operation room, but she pushed him out roughly.

“Your Highness Oser, you can’t enter the operating room. Please wait outside!”

Oser was extremely anxious. At the critical moment, he remembered the pheromones Pat had given him and took them out, putting them under his nose to sniff carefully. Little by little, he calmed down.

Every minute felt like an eternity outside the operating room, and those inside it weren’t much better off.

Nan Ting changed the blood bag while keeping a close eye on the numbers on the instruments.

“Abnormal heart rate…..abnormal blood pressure……”

Lan Ze’s voice was as tranquil as ice water.

“Scalpel.”

Another nurse promptly handed him a scalpel.

“Wipe.”

The nurse who wiped his sweat was also sweating profusely due to nerves.

Lan Ze stared at the display screen, moving his hands mechanically.

Bright red blood quickly filled the wound, blurring the screen.

“Suction.”

As old blood was drawn out, new blood flowed in. How much blood could one person stand to lose?

Nan Ting suddenly raised her voice: “Heart rate is too low…… heart rate has stopped!”

The instruments sounded frantic alarms.

“Point five milliliters of epinephrine.”

“It’s not working!”

“One milliliter of epinephrine.”

“Heart rate is recovering…..thirty, thirty-five, forty…..”

“The last step requires your cooperation. Are you ready, Doctor Pat?”

When he didn’t receive a reply, Lan Ze looked up to see Doctor Pat holding his hands up motionlessly, as if in shock from the sudden incident just now.

Nan Ting also noticed that something was wrong: “Doctor Pat. Doctor Pat?”

Pat seemed to be in a different space, unable to see, hear, or move.

His mind was blank, and he didn’t know where or who he was.

Fear gripped his mind. If anything happened to this innocent young man, it would be his fault.

He would have survived being under Lu Hulun’s hands, only to die under Pat’s own.

He would be a sinner to the nation. Even if Oser didn’t come after him, the fury of the common people would be enough to burn him to ashes.

“Pat!”

Pat awoke from his daze and looked into Lan Ze’s eyes, which were as sharp as a scalpel.

Lan Ze stared straight at him: “Calm down. I need your help.”

Pat suddenly snapped back into focus, as if splashed with ice water. He put all of his thoughts behind him and gave a solemn nod.

“Got it.”

“I’ll count down to one, and we’ll lift together. Three, two, one…..”

. . . . . .

The door to the operating room was finally pushed open before Oser could burn two holes into it.

“The operation was successful,” Lan Ze said lightly, the first one to walk out of the room.

Oser heaved a sigh of relief.

“‘Successful’ only means that vital signs were stable at the conclusion of the operation. He will need to remain in the recovery chamber for a full seven days, and will be observed for a month after leaving it to ensure that his hormone levels are normal and there is no rejection reaction. Only then will the procedure be considered complete.”

He finished the explanation expressionlessly. He’d thought that Oser would be impatient after the long wait, but all he got from him was a “thank you for your hard work.”

“It wasn’t hard. I don’t get many opportunities to perform this kind of surgery. The process was very challenging, but I enjoyed it very much.”

Lan Ze was only focused on himself, and was completely unaware of Oser’s increasingly ugly expression.

“If Your Highness wants another Alpha to undergo secondary gender reassignment, I would be happy to help. Next time, I’ll be more experienced and more wuwuwuwu—-”

Pat rushed up behind him and covered his mouth.

“Apologies, Your Highness. Junior Brother Lan Ze is an excellent doctor, but he’s not well-versed in dealing with people.”

Fortunately, Oser only sent him a glare before his attention was immediately diverted to Ling Yi.

Lan Ze pulled Pat’s hand away in disgust: “Doctor Pat didn’t wash his hands after leaving the operating room.”

“I was too busy saving you to wash my hands.”

Pat excitedly threw an arm around Lan Ze’s shoulders, as if they were close friends who had known each other for many years.

“You saved me once in the operating room, and I saved you once now, so we’re even.”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with what I just said. This operation was highly uncertain. His Highness Oser should select several more Alpha specimens suitable for transformation in order to ensure survival rates.”

“Trust me, if you want to ensure survival rates, spend more time in surgery and use your mouth less. That way, you can live a long life.”

The more Pat thought about it, the more frightened he was. He became nervous due to fear, and nagged more due to his nerves.

“When his heart stopped beating, I completely froze up. In that moment, I even decided where my burial site should be. If it wasn’t for you, I would have been finished today.”

“Me dying wouldn’t be a problem, but I would have harmed Ling Yi, a good man. I really regret researching this for His Highness…..”

Lan Ze took exception to this.

“It is precisely because of these so-called moral constraints that medicine is unable to develop rapidly.”

Pat said sincerely: “I also want to apologize for misunderstanding you in the past. I always thought that in your eyes, there is no difference between humans and frogs, but when you snapped me out of it today, I clearly felt that you needed me as a human being. You awakened not only my sanity, but also my dignity!”

Lan Ze looked at him from head to toe, and then did it again.

Pat’s hair stood up under his gaze: “What? Am I wrong?”

Lan Ze turned his head and said: “That’s not necessarily the case. Perhaps you’re a frog who can hold a scalpel.”

“…..Please act like a human being!”

. . . . . . . 

“You’re saying that the murderer who killed Dawa is now in the basement of the Royal Medical College?”

At the Prime Minister’s office, Lu Hulun received a secret report from the medical college.

“Yes, Prime Minister. His Highness Oser has sent people to guard every entrance and exit. It is very likely that the person’s family has also been placed inside.”

Lu Hulun scoffed coldly: “My grandson truly lacks patience. This is not surprising at all.”

He coughed uncontrollably several times.

“Send Night Crow. Don’t leave any of them alive, whether it’s Ling Yi or his family!”

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Chapter 13 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 15

The happy news came so suddenly that Huo Fenglie was completely unable to understand or believe it. It wasn’t until his surroundings came alive with discussions and vague congratulations that he abruptly stood and looked at his brother and sister-in-law. The two of them just offered him bright smiles.

Huo Fenglie seemed to come to a realization. He felt as if he was floating outside his body. When he immediately rushed out to the gates, he met Liu Zhenqing, who had returned amidst the wind and sand.

Liu Zhenqing brushed the sand off his body as he walked. He looked up to see Huo Fenglie rushing out, and laughed when he saw the Imperial edict in his hand and the slack expression on his face.

“I wanted to rush back and receive it with you. Why did the director of the Dongchang give it to you in advance?”

How could these words be misunderstood? But Huo Fenglie just…..just couldn’t believe it. He stepped forward with the Imperial edict and held it in front of Liu Zhenqing.

“It….it says that a marriage has been granted to…..me and Qing-ge…..is it true?” Huo Fenglie’s voice had become hoarse. He watched Liu Zhenqing closely with tears in his eyes, observing every change of expression on his face. He feared that it was all an illusion, and dreaded seeing Liu Zhenqing’s confused, shocked, and angry expression.

The group following behind looked on with caution. After all, most of them didn’t know why the Imperial edict was different than expected.

But Liu Zhenqing just stepped forward and took Huo Fenglie’s hand, the veins of which stood out due to nervousness. With a smile as beautiful as a flower, he said: “Of course. Could the Imperial decree I asked for be false?”

All expression on Huo Fenglie’s face disappeared almost instantaneously, and before Liu Zhenqing could finish what he was saying, Huo Fenglie had hugged him tightly: “Qing-ge, Qing-ge, are you telling the truth? You asked for an Imperial edict of marriage. It was you who…..you want me? You want me?”

There was initially a smile on Liu Zhenqing’s face, but when he heard these humble words and felt a chill on his neck, he realized Er-gou was crying. Liu Zhenqing suddenly felt upset, thinking that he had been too late in his reciprocation.

He couldn’t be blamed – he had indeed been a little confused and uncertain before. It had taken him a long time to get over the obstacles in his heart.

But Li Jinshu’s appearance had given him a wake-up call. When he had proposed that Huo Fenglie marry the princess, Liu Zhenqing’s expression didn’t change, but at that moment, he wanted to kill both Li Jinshu and that princess.

How dare she covet his Er-gou? What a joke!

The almost terrifying possessiveness he felt at that moment caused Liu Zhenqing to come to the realization that he could no longer make excuses for himself.

He liked Huo Fenglie, and because of that affection, he indulged him in his repeated frivolous behavior. Because of his love for him, he had waited two years for him to grow up and make his decision.

By the time he realized what was happening, his already deep feelings had changed, and everything seemed natural.

He wanted Er-gou and wouldn’t give him to anyone else, even the Kingdom of Xiheng.

Liu Zhenqing was a free and easy person by nature. After turning this corner, he would give Er-gou only the best.

However, this puppy was a bit disobedient. He had been running around all over the place these past few days, which worried Liu Zhenqing.

But that just gave him time to take care of everything. He was older than Er-gou, so it was naturally his responsibility to make the arrangements.

Liu Zhenqing patted Huo Fenglie’s shoulder and said: “I have something for you.”

Huo Fenglie buried his head and rubbed it against Liu Zhenqing’s collar. When he raised his head, his eyes were still red.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and took a small box out of his pocket. When he opened it, a pair of wedding rings lay inside.

When Huo Fenglie was a child, he had heard Liu Zhenqing mention the significance of wedding rings. His brother and sister-in-law also wore a pair due to Liu Zhenqing’s words. 

So when Liu Zhenqing took them out, the look in Huo Fenglie’s eyes transformed.

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “Are you willing to marry me?”

That night, this person had declared that he wouldn’t marry, but when it was Liu Zhenqing asking the question, Huo Fenglie shouted out before the last word was out of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth: “I’m willing, I’m willing.”

Liu Zhenqing chuckled and raised his hands to show Huo Fenglie how to exchange wedding rings.

Everyone around was in shock.

Li Xingruo snuggled into Huo Feihan’s arms and said: “Your didi is really eager to get married, and he agreed in such a hurry. I won’t be able to tease my shixiong again in this life.”

“This is called a good ending after persevering through hard times. He’s afraid that if he doesn’t say yes in a hurry, Zhenqing will change his mind,” Huo Feihan said with a happy smile.

“Of course he wouldn’t do that. Once my shixiong accepts someone, he accepts them for life.”

“But Fenglie doesn’t dare take the risk, hahaha.”

“Shixiong will prove himself…..”

After receiving the second Imperial edict, Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie disappeared. The two naturally returned to the courtyard to finish what they hadn’t completed that night.

When Liu Zhenqing saw Huo Fenglie smiling foolishly with the Imperial edict in hand, he loosened his belt. He raised a hand to lift Huo Fenglie’s chin, and the thin clothing slipped off. Liu Zhenqing leaned forward and pushed him down on the bed, asking: “Do you want to hold the Imperial edict, or do you want to hold me?”

When it came to flirting, Liu Zhenqing was countless levels higher than Huo Fenglie. He had just been passive before. Huo Fenglie had witnessed Liu Zhenqing flirting with others, but he had never been flirted with by Liu Zhenqing when they were both of equal status. This sudden move froze Huo Fenglie’s prior roguish behavior in its tracks.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Liu Zhenqing took out a bottle of ointment and tossed it onto the bed. He had prepared it during the past few days, and had naturally read some books as well. Although he was volunteering to be on the bottom, as the elder between them, he couldn’t suffer a loss.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to do it that night, I just wasn’t ready. But since I upset you, Qing-ge will make it up to you, starting from…..here.”

These words, along with the way Liu Zhenqing slowly lowered his head, completely drained Huo Fenglie of rationality.

Huo Fenglie was disoriented by such a happy event, and the first half of the night was under Liu Zhenqing’s control. If he hadn’t run out of strength in the latter part, Huo Fenglie wouldn’t have had a chance to turn the tables. But from the time the sun set to when it rose again the next day, Liu Zhenqing felt a little regretful – regretful that he had been so domineering before and turned the man into a fool, giving him the opportunity to accumulate his strength for later use.

Liu Zhenqing was actually forced to tears several times, but just as he was about to get angry, Huo Fenglie said: “Is it true? Qing-ge is really going to marry me? Am I dreaming?”

Subsequently, Liu Zhenqing stayed lying down.

If someone hadn’t come to remind them that peace talks were scheduled for the next day and that the envoys were waiting to talk, Huo Fenglie likely wouldn’t have stopped.

Liu Zhenqing was so exhausted that he no longer cared about face, and just let Huo Fenglie carry him to the meeting. The others had moved on from their initial shock to acceptance.

When they went to negotiate the next day, Huo Fenglie once more carried a sleepy Liu Zhenqing to the carriage.

Inside, Huo Fenglie held him in his arms, only letting go when they reached the peace talks tent at the border.

He was still anxious, and actually didn’t want Li Jinshu to appear in front of Liu Zhenqing again.

Liu Zhenqing smiled slightly when he saw Huo Fenglie’s appearance. He got off the carriage and glanced toward the peace talks tent, saying: “Perhaps it will be just as you hope.”

Huo Fenglie was puzzled, but upon walking into the tent, he didn’t see Li Jinshu.

The peace talks gradually returned to normal, but there was no longer a marriage element to the negotiations. It was as if that day had been an illusion.

Huo Fenglie was still a little confused when they departed: “What’s going on?”

Liu Zhenqing nestled into Huo Fenglie’s arms. Looking out the window at the vast, lonely desert, he said with a smile: “It’s very simple, ah. He must have heard about the Imperial decree of marriage. There’s no point in him pestering me any further.”

“Will he give up so easily?” Huo Fenglie was skeptical.

Liu Zhenqing smiled faintly, but there was a hint of ridicule in his tone: “Even if he doesn’t want to give up, he has no choice.”

The Crown Prince had said before that he would never agree to sacrificing Liu Zhenqing. Therefore, plans had been made from the beginning. Li Jinshu only dared to do such a thing because the old emperor was on his deathbed. He wanted to embarrass Great Zhou, and also to test their strength and bottom line. So they just needed to make Li Jinshu understand that he could not control the fate of Great Zhou, and that Great Zhou could throw the Kingdom of Xiheng into disorder at any time.

The Crown Prince had made many arrangements in Xiheng over the years. This time, Liu Zhenqing had called on Huo Feihan’s shadow guards to contact those people, then had the Huo Family Army re-deploy troops as a deterrent. As regent, Li Jinshu had to manage things even if he had no desire to, and once he did, it would be evident that it was the work of Great Zhou. This was a warning.

If it really came to using force, Li Jinshu’s methods may not measure up to Liu Zhenqing’s, and there was still the Crown Prince controlling things from afar. The death of the old emperor would not have any impact on Great Zhou. When Li Jinshu recognized this face, he had no choice but to accept his fate. He couldn’t touch Liu Zhenqing, and he couldn’t afford to offend Huo Fenglie.

A marriage was granted, and all of Li Jinshu’s proposals were summarily rejected. It was also a sign of a great power’s prestige to not seek peace through marriage. Mutually beneficial arrangements were the only way to secure eternal cooperation. This was the answer given to Li Jinshu by the increasingly powerful Great Zhou.

Huo Fenglie listened slowly as he watched the setting sun shine onto Liu Zhenqing’s face, adding a new level of charm to his appearance. The person in his arms turned to smile at him, saying: “Do you understand?”

Huo Fenglie nodded: “I understand. But there’s just one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Qing-ge, when you first came here, were you willing to marry me at any time?”

Liu Zhenqing was startled, and an unnatural look stole over his face.

Huo Fenglie hugged Liu Zhenqing and kissed his face, saying: “Qing-ge, before we left this morning, I asked my brother and sister-in-law to make preparations, and also asked He Lan and Qin Yu to go south and spread the news. There’s an auspicious day next month – let’s get married then, okay? I don’t want to wait any longer.”

Before he knew it, Liu Zhenqing was already being pressed down in the carriage, greeted intermittently by Huo Fenglie’s loving pecks.

His “okay” was immediately blocked by a kiss. Liu Zhenqing had only one thought in his muddled brain, which was that the ointment was so effective that he stood no chance of getting hurt, which allowed Huo Fenglie to go wild.

But he really couldn’t resist this person’s deep affection, so he could only cover his mouth, feeling shy and embarrassed, and attempt to stay quiet.

The carriage gradually began to shake as it returned to the city, but nobody dared to look back or prick up their ears. All they knew was that the desert sunset today was exceptionally brilliant and colorful, foreshadowing stability in the west and the prosperity of Great Zhou for many years to come.

And…..that everyone got their happy ending.

The End

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T/N: Phew, it’s finally done! All those extras just about killed me. Thanks for reading, everyone! Please support the author if you’re able to!

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(Alt Universe) Extra 28 << Table of Contents

When they arrived, there were two people in the carriage – including one who wouldn’t stop making advances on the other – but when they left, there was only one person inside.

Liu Zhenqing lifted the curtain and looked at the back of the person riding on horseback next to him, finding it a little amusing. Was he angry with him?

Liu Zhenqing was in no hurry to placate him. Who made this kid cross so many lines lately? He had been overwhelmed by him many times, and he would use this opportunity to take back the initiative.

He lowered the curtain and looked down to play with his Rubik’s Cube, pondering Li Jinshu’s request.

Huo Fenglie was naturally aware that Liu Zhenqing had just peeked at him. He’d thought that Qing-ge would give him an explanation, but there was nothing. Could it be that Qing-ge was actually considering those two proposals?

No matter how he thought about it, Huo Fenglie felt that Liu Zhenqing would be unwilling to marry, so he would definitely be forced to marry the princess.

Even he knew that this was a choice that merited no hesitation. There would be a hundred benefits to Great Zhou, and no losses. Soon, everyone would know about the conditions proposed by Xiheng, and would come to pressure him. What if the Crown Prince issued an edict? Had Qing-ge never considered this?

In Qing-ge’s heart, were his own feelings so unimportant?

The more Huo Fenglie dwelled on it, the colder his heart became. When he saw that they had arrived at the General’s Manor, he confirmed Liu Zhenqing’s safety and suppressed his surging emotions. Then he raised his whip and rode away. When passing by the carriage, he just said coldly: “If you choose the first option, I will kill Li Jinshu. If you choose the second option, I will…..I will never marry anyone other than you. Never.”

Without waiting on the person inside to answer, he rushed away on horseback.

He now felt an impulse to tie Liu Zhenqing up and take him away. There had been no chance before, so he could bear the suffering Liu Zhenqing inadvertently inflicted on him. But now that they were so close, he was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would be stimulated to recklessness after hearing Liu Zhenqing’s considerations.

The person who’d always stuck to Liu Zhenqing in the past now fled without another word, confusing Huo Feihan when he came out to greet them. He figured there was some kind of urgent military intelligence.

Liu Zhenqing heard the hoofbeats of Huo Fenglie’s horse, but when he exited the carriage, he was nowhere to be seen.

“What’s going on?” Huo Feihan asked.

Liu Zhenqing smiled helplessly, saying: “Let’s go inside and talk. I must write an urgent memorial to the Crown Prince.”

When they heard the contents of the peace talks, Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo were in shock.

“We all know you’re the one he covets, so why is Fenglie involved now, ah? Is Xiheng’s princess so important?” Li Xingruo asked in astonishment.

“Although she has a close relationship with Li Jinshu, that shouldn’t be enough for Xiheng to make such an exchange.”

“Li Jinshu was just playing around, he wanted to target me in the beginning to see my reaction. He doesn’t care about sacrificing Xiheng’s interests,” Liu Zhenqing said lightly.

The two of them were puzzled. They felt that this peace deal held a lot of advantages for their side, but…..

“Did Fenglie run off in a temper just now because of this?” Huo Feihan asked.

Li Xingruo said in bewilderment: “Do you intend to sacrifice Fenglie’s happiness?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled as he wrote the memorial, asking: “Is one’s happiness more important than the stability of Great Zhou?” 

Huo Feihan hesitated, uncertain how to reply.

Li Xingruo said: “Anyone with a discerning eye knows which choice is the right one. But Fenglie is stubborn, ah. If you dare tell him to marry the princess, he will disobey your order. He seems to have the country and the emperor in his heart, but in truth, all of his principles revolve around you. Don’t you know this?”

Liu Zhenqing set down his brush and said with a smile: “I know, ah.”

Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo both stared at him. This was the first time Liu Zhenqing hadn’t evaded the topic.

“You…..” Li Xingruo started cautiously.

Liu Zhenqing blew on the words he’d written and smiled: “Fenglie’s happiness is important, and the stability of Great Zhou is equally important. Besides, the Kingdom of Xiheng has long ceased to be a threat to our Great Zhou. Li Jinshu…..is underestimating me. I have His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at my back.”

When he was done speaking, Liu Zhenqing paused to read over the memorial he’d just written. His gaze gradually grew firm, and he placed the memorial in front of Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo.

The two looked down in puzzlement. After a while, shock appeared on their faces, slowly transforming into pleasant surprise.

“You…..you came around! You didn’t reciprocate yesterday…..why now?” Li Xingruo was smiling so hard that her eyebrows curved, and she reached out excitedly to grab Liu Zhenqing.

Huo Feihan couldn’t stop patting Liu Zhenqing’s shoulder. Upon closer inspection, his eyes seemed to be red: “You’ll take him by surprise with this move. Only you can do this, Zhenqing.”

Liu Zhenqing took a deep breath and bowed to the two of them: “Then do you two agree?”

“We agree, we agree!” Li Xingruo hugged Huo Feihan’s arm, jumping in excitement. Huo Feihan nodded over and over in response.

Liu Zhenqing smiled, sealed the memorial, and then sent someone to deliver it urgently on an over 800-li journey.

A few days later, the Crown Prince received the memorial while attending to the old emperor. He smiled helplessly after reading it, and with a flick of his red-dipped brush, sent two Imperial edicts to the west.

Liu Zhenqing had been very busy these days, and sometimes didn’t even have time to sleep at night. He was so busy that even though he knew Huo Fenglie was avoiding him, he didn’t have time to seek him out. 

His brother had also arranged for Huo Fenglie to deploy the troops and arrange battle formations, so he spent most of his time in the military camp. Every time Huo Fenglie saw his brother hesitate to speak, he felt uneasy, fearing that the next thing he said would be on behalf of Liu Zhenqing. He could only flee, but would still return to the General’s Manor every night to sneak a peek to relieve his lovesickness.

Tonight, Liu Zhenqing was nowhere to be seen. Just as he was growing anxious, he saw that there was a light on in his room.

Huo Fenglie’s heart moved. He didn’t even bother to go through the door, and just climbed in through the window to find someone sitting in his bedroom under the light of a candle. He was wearing clothes that looked like he was going to bed, looking down at a book on the desk.

That person was resting his chin on his hand, which covered half his mouth. His cheeks were unusually red under the light, and his eyes were full of unease. Such an expression momentarily took him aback. When he approached quietly and saw what Liu Zhenqing was looking at, his mind went blank and he accidentally made a sound.

Liu Zhenqing turned around and felt a gust of wind blow. The candle went out, and he was thrown down on the desk. A hot kiss descended on him, catching Liu Zhenqing off guard. But when he felt that familiar aura, Liu Zhenqing didn’t bother to resist. He adjusted himself into a comfortable posture and let the little wolfdog do as he pleased. When the desk was overturned due to the amount of force used, the two of them stopped, panting. 

“Qing-ge…..” Huo Fenglie’s voice was hoarse.

“You finally came?” Liu Zhenqing asked with a smile in his voice. He actually knew about Huo Fenglie’s covert visits, but since he never showed his face, he was never able to say anything to him.

“How…..how did you find this?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Can the little mechanisms in your room stump me? I thought it was some kind of yellow book, but I never expected…..how long did it take you to write this?”

Liu Zhenqing’s voice softened as he spoke. He hadn’t foreseen that after not seeing Huo Fenglie for a few days, he would unconsciously walk into his room and find his journal.

It recorded the boy’s thoughts, from the first blossoming of love, to his jealousy, and then to their recent reunion. He had recorded all of his adoration. Liu Zhenqing had blushed even more when he saw the erotic sketches, extremely embarrassed.

Although he knew that Huo Fenglie’s feelings for him must go way back, he didn’t have an intuitive understanding of them. But now, he understood the young man’s true heart.

“The first day I arrived here, I missed you so much that I started to write,” Huo Fenglie said in a rough voice, holding Liu Zhenqing tightly in his arms. “Qing-ge…..since you’ve seen this, you know how I feel. I will not marry.”

Liu Zhenqing stared at him, then asked with a lazy smile: “You won’t marry?”

Huo Fenglie’s heart ached, and when Liu Zhenqing was about to open his mouth, he kissed him.

Tonight, he didn’t pester him or sound him out carefully, but forcefully kissed him until he nearly fainted. Huo Fenglie picked him up, and when the bed curtain fell, Huo Fenglie’s fast pace rendered Liu Zhenqing unable to spare a moment’s consciousness to tell him to stop. But then Liu Zhenqing snapped to his senses fearfully. His mental preparations crumbled, and he forcefully pushed Huo Fenglie away.

“Don’t! I said don’t!”

Liu Zhenqing’s refusal stimulated Huo Fenglie, who was already in a state of fear and unease. He naturally wouldn’t go against Liu Zhenqing’s wishes, so he gathered his clothes and left without a word. Even when Liu Zhenqing called to him from behind, he didn’t turn back.

Liu Zhenqing was still weak all over, hot and furious. He thought to himself, no preparation or anything, you just try to go straight in. Do you want me to die? He had refused not because he was unwilling, but because he wanted Huo Fenglie to get some ointment and do some preparatory work, ah! This unexpected incident infuriated him so much that he didn’t care whether or not Huo Fenglie showed up in the next few days.

The ten-day deadline was approaching, and even Huo Fenglie’s deputy generals began to discuss privately whether their major general was going to marry.

Huo Fenglie was increasingly unable to hold on. As the sun set that day, people from the capital finally arrived at the city gate. He and his brother set aside their military duties and went to the gate to meet them. The visitors happened to be acquaintances – the Director of the Dongchang, his adopted son Qin Yu, and He Lan, who had come along to join the fun.

The Imperial edicts were sealed, their contents unknown. They had just come to see if their good brother was actually going to be forced to marry, and had no idea about the contents. Based on their understanding of Huo Fenglie, they felt that something wasn’t right, and came here for the secret purpose of supporting him.

The Director of the Dongchang announced that he would read out the Imperial edicts, and Huo Fenglie shot a fierce glare at the box containing them. Holding back a smile, Huo Feihan knocked Huo Fenglie on the head and took the initiative to welcome the guests into the General’s Manor.

Unfortunately, Liu Zhenqing had not returned from meeting with officials from three nearby countries, leaving the other envoys here. Although someone had been sent to invite him over, the wind was kicking up sand today, and it was unknown if he would make it back by nightfall. 

This Imperial edict was for Liu Zhenqing, so it couldn’t be read if he wasn’t here. Huo Fenglie said in a rough voice: “I’ll go get him.”

Qin Yu and He Lan exchanged glances and began to follow him. He Lan put an arm around his shoulder and whispered: “There are rumors in the capital that you’ll be marrying a princess. I found out that there are two Imperial edicts, one of which is a marriage arrangement.”

Huo Fenglie’s entire body went tense, and his expression was unsightly.

He Lan urged: “Why not just elope? We’ll help.”

Qin Yu didn’t say anything, but he nodded in agreement. Both of them were still young and impulsive, and had no qualms about committing a crime. Little did they know that their wiles had been seen through by the Director of the Dongchang on the way here.

Shocked by the news he’d received, Huo Fenglie was about to step out the door when he heard the Director of the Dongchang say: “Wait a moment, Major General.”

The director saw that the other Huo family members had gathered and said: “There is an Imperial edict addressed to the Major General, so it can be read first. It doesn’t matter if Liu Zhenqing isn’t here.”

Huo Fenglie froze, unwilling to face him, and his face darkened completely. 

If he didn’t accept the edict now, it would be tantamount to defying an Imperial order.

Before Huo Fenglie could do anything, Huo Feihan called out: “What are you standing there for? Come and kneel down.”

Huo Feihan helped Li Xingruo kneel down with them in preparation to receive the edict. Huo Fenglie could only kneel down in the end, resistance written all over him.

It wasn’t until the director unhurriedly read out the Imperial edict granting a marriage that everyone was stunned – with the exception of Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo, whose faces were full of joy.

And what had they heard? It was a marriage degree for the major general, but the marriage partner seemed to be wrong?

Huo Fenglie’s body had begun to tremble. He gazed up at the director as if beholding a hallucination, and forgot to thank him.

It wasn’t until He Lan and Qin Yu regained their senses and reminded him to give thanks that Huo Fenglie snapped out of it. But he was still unable to utter a word, and just stared blankly at the bright yellow Imperial edict. In the end, Huo Feihan pressed his head down to make him express his gratitude.

The Director of the Dongchang smiled and stepped forward to hand over the edict, saying: “Congratulations to the Major General and Liu Zhenqing on their marriage.”

Major General and Liu Zhenqing……

Huo Fenglie seemed to be struck by lightning. He practically snatched the edict, opening it carefully so that he could meticulously comb through every word. 

There was no princess, no Li Jinshu. Just Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing. 

Just those two names.

How was it possible that they had been granted a marriage? Didn’t Li Jinshu request otherwise? How could such an Imperial edict exist?

Did Qing-ge know? Had he sent a letter to the Crown Prince to discuss this? And the result of that discussion was that they were granted a marriage.

This was the Imperial edict he had dreamed of, but…..but was this just a dream?

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(Alt Universe) Extra 27 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 29

Chapter 26 – Consensus

“Administrator Zhang, what was I poisoned with?” Fang Yang asked.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen stood at his side, looking at the familiar administrator before them with some suspicion. 

Administrator Zhang was in charge of dormitory management at the foot of the mountain. He also served as a supervisor for miscellaneous affairs and had a hidden profession as a gossip porter.

In addition to these three identities, Feng Ye and the others had discovered that he had one more.

He turned out to be a doctor.

A barefoot one.^[1]

Soon after the end of the competition, the crowd gradually dispersed and the three of them went to the sect doctor who was responsible for treating the disciples’ illnesses and injuries.

Although the poison had destroyed most of Fang Yang’s cultivation, since it was a poison, there might be a cure.

Even if a cure didn’t exist, it was good to see a doctor to confirm what kind of poison it was, as well as if it would have any other impact aside from destroying his cultivation.

However, the three of them arrived at an inopportune time. The doctor had gone into seclusion to cultivate and would not be coming out in the near future.

And although there was a market town near Lingxiao Sword Sect, the only doctors there were ordinary ones who treated mortals. They were likely clueless about this type of poison that could dissipate one’s spiritual power.

Just as the three were standing at the door of the clinic at a loss, Administrator Zhang appeared.

Administrator Zhang had an interest in Feng Ye and Hao Chen that went beyond the norm. Each time he passed by the two, he would stop and look to see if there was any new gossip to share.

This time was no exception. He saw their conundrum.

The three of them were either squatting or standing at the clinic entrance with frowns on their faces, and seemed to be in a predicament.

What problem could a dual cultivation couple encounter?

Naturally, it would be an emotional one.

Thus, Administrator Zhang turned around and walked straight up to the three of them. He felt that he was a senior with a wealth of experience, and was ready to help the young couple solve their little emotional difficulties.

However, before this caring big brother could pass on his experience, he received an unexpected answer from Fang Yang, who was squatting on the ground.

“Poison?” Administrator Zhang repeated in disbelief.

Fang Yang on the ground and Feng Ye and Hao Chen standing on either side of him nodded in unison.

Fang Yang also informed him that they had come to see the doctor but couldn’t find him.

Upon hearing this, Administrator Zhang promptly patted his chest and recommended himself: “Why look for him? You might as well come to me instead.”

As he spoke, he pointed a contemptuous finger at the door of the clinic. Then, he explained under the disbelieving gazes of the three: “Have you forgotten the identity of our sect? We are a sword cultivation sect to the core, ah! How could there be a serious doctor here? This one only has some knowledge of herbs and can handle simple external injuries, but as for everything else, he’s no different from a half-baked quack.”

Feng Ye, Hao Chen, and Fang Yang: “……”

Although what he said made sense, it didn’t seem very…..reliable.

However, there was currently no other option.

They must try their best in a hopeless situation!

So Fang Yang made the final decision, and they followed Administrator Zhang to his residence.

This was the scene before their eyes.

Administrator Zhang had taken his pulse and flipped through books for a long time, but he couldn’t even come up with a name.

Faced with Fang Yang’s question, he hesitated: “It’s just…..I feel….this poison of yours…..how should I put it…..”

In short, he couldn’t give them an answer.

Feng Ye could only sigh. They couldn’t expect a barefoot doctor like Administrator Zhang to be reliable. They would have to figure it out themselves.

When Hao Chen heard him sigh, he immediately spread out his fan close to Feng Ye’s ear. Using the fan as a cover, he began to whisper in Feng Ye’s ear while Administrator Zhang was busy taking Fang Yang’s pulse and didn’t have the attention to spare for them.

“Is Fellow Daoist Feng Ye in a dilemma?” Hao Chen spoke with a slight smile on his face; he was in a good mood today.

Feng Ye had given him so many surprises, and his excitement was only just beginning to subside.

But Feng Ye and Fang Yang were worried about the poison, and he pretended to share their worries in order to not seem too out of place.

Only Feng Ye was able to see him behind the fan, so Hao Chen had no need to pretend anymore. After all, they had a deep understanding of one another.

Hao Chen leaned in too close as he whispered, and his deliberately lowered voice floated into Feng Ye’s ear along with his breath.

Feng Ye immediately leaned back to distance himself from him.

Only then was he able to ponder Hao Chen’s words.

He’s asking what he already knows, thought Feng Ye. Hao Chen was clearly aware of his worries, but still asked such a question – it seemed he had something else he wanted to say.

Feng Ye simply looked at Hao Chen without giving an answer, waiting for him to continue.

Hao Chen had set up the stage, but Feng Ye failed to come up and sing with him. He could only sing a one-man show. But he wasn’t lonely, and continued to speak on his own: “If Fellow Daoist Feng Ye is in a dilemma, why not come to me?”

“Go to you?” Feng Ye raised an eyebrow and teased, “Why? Has Fellow Daoist Hao Chen studied medicine?”

Hao Chen shook his head, saying with a smile: “No, but…..if Fellow Daoist Feng Ye asks me for assistance, perhaps I can help?”

He had so many subordinates in the North Sea, and could always find one who studied medicine. Wouldn’t it be easy to help find a cure for Fang Yang? The only question was whether he wanted to help.

Hao Chen naturally didn’t want to. Although he was bored, he was not a zealous fish. But if Feng Ye was willing to bow his head and ask him for help, he might consider it.

“Ask you?” Feng Ye asked in a joking tone, laughing as he spoke. Then he turned his head and ignored Hao Chen.

Hao Chen wasn’t amused, but he wasn’t embarrassed either. One reason was his thick skin, and the other was that he’d guessed Feng Ye would say that.

How could such a proud person bow his head to others?

Hao Chen had just posed the question with a hint of deviant enjoyment. It would be a surprise to see Feng Ye bow his head, but not seeing it wasn’t a bad thing.

“I’ve got it!” Administrator Zhang shouted abruptly.

“You found a cure?” Fang Yang asked in surprise.

Alerted by his shout, Feng Ye and Hao Chen looked toward Administrator Zhang.

But Administrator Zhang shook his head and said: “I have an idea.”

Feng Ye and the others: “……”

Seeing their speechless expressions, Administrator Zhang immediately defended himself: “I’m not a professional, so it’s already good that I could come up with an idea so quickly. Anyway, come back later. I’ll look through my books and definitely come up with a solution for you.”

Although the three of them didn’t truly believe his statement, they had already wasted so much time that there was no harm in waiting a little longer.

And this was also a good time for…..

“Let’s go to the Armory Pavilion to pick out an earth-grade magic weapon,” Feng Ye said to Fang Yang.

After Feng Ye kicked Lu Chengye off the stage, he had chatted for a while with a group of curious junior disciples who had questions for him.

No one knew what Sect Leader Ji and Elder Zhou on the viewing platform were discussing during this period, but they also announced that in addition to the tournament champion Lu Chengye, Feng Ye would also receive an earth-grade magic weapon as a reward for his outstanding performance.

This was beyond everyone’s expectations. When Feng Ye heard Sect Leader Ji’s announcement, he was stunned for a rare moment. He looked up at Sect Leader Ji atop the platform, and they briefly stared at each other across the distance.

Although they were far away from each other, Feng Ye could still clearly make out the expression on his face.

The sect leader seemed to be considering him with a complicated look. There was so much mixed into that look – nostalgia, resentment, and…..sorrow.

Along with many more indistinguishable emotions that Feng Ye couldn’t recognize.

Feng Ye stood there motionlessly. It wasn’t until Fang Yang silently tugged on the corner of his robes that he remembered to salute.

Sect Leader Ji gave Feng Ye a nod, then turned and departed with Elder Zhou.

Rather than going to retrieve an earth-grade weapon he had no use for, Feng Ye had taken Fang Yang to see the doctor after the fight. He just hadn’t expected to find someone as unreliable as Administrator Zhang.

Since they had to wait anyway, they might as well go and get the earth-grade magic weapon first. It wouldn’t waste any time.

Fang Yang nodded vigorously upon hearing this. He was rather excited. Even though the earth-grade magic weapon wasn’t his, he was just as happy that his Useless Shixiong won it. And he could even follow Feng Ye to the Armory Pavilion to broaden his horizons. He had heard that there were many powerful magic weapons hidden inside.

“I’m going too.” Feng Ye had no intention of taking Hao Chen along, but the man shamelessly insisted.

I just knew he would say that! Feng Ye thought. This sticky candy was indeed sticky. However, Hao Chen really couldn’t accompany them this time.

Feng Ye revealed a gloating expression: “Fellow Daoist Hao Chen…..I’m afraid it’s not very convenient.”

Feigning regret, he tugged at his black daoist robes, then glanced at Hao Chen’s white daoist robes with golden edging and called attention to his false identity: “Even though I have a close relationship with Fellow Daoist Hao Chen, he is not a member of my Lingxiao Sword Sect and his unable to enter such a high-profile place.”

Hao Chen’s smile froze. He had almost forgotten that he was from Tiangong Pavilion. Compared to Tiangong Pavilion, he had been staying in Lingxiao Sword Sect for several days and was much more familiar with it.

Administrator Zhang suddenly spoke up: “What inconvenience? Anyway, you’re both…..family.” As he spoke, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a token, handing it to Hao Chen. “Take this and nobody will stop you.”

After saying this, he sent a covert wink toward Feng Ye, as if saying that there was no need to thank him.

Feng Ye: “…..”

Who would thank you, ah?! Feng Ye was dumbstruck.

Wasn’t Administrator Zhang too enthusiastic?! And why did this scene seem so familiar? This seemed to be the same scenario as when he went to the main square for the meeting!

Administrator Zhang failed to notice Feng Ye’s devastated expression. He turned his head to look at Hao Chen and said amiably: “You’re from Tiangong Pavilion, so I’m sure you must have a good eye for choosing magic tools. This is a good opportunity for you to help them make a selection.”

Hao Chen was a little surprised, but when he thought about the rumors, he understood Administrator Zhang’s attitude.

He couldn’t help but smile as he accepted the token handed to him by Administrator Zhang. He thanked him politely, then glanced at Feng Ye and vowed duplicitously: “Leave it to me.”

Administrator Zhang smiled like an old father who had finally entrusted his daughter to someone else, giving a nod of satisfaction.

Feng Ye: “……”

He felt like they had reached some kind of consensus behind his back.

Feng Ye hadn’t a clue, and glanced toward Fang Yang for help, hoping he would be able to think of something.

But Fang Yang didn’t get the hint at all. Instead, he said happily to Hao Chen: “Great, Hao-dage can go with us too!”

Feng Ye: “……”

No, it’s not great at all.

In the entire room, everyone other than Feng Ye had a smile on their face.

Feng Ye wore a blank expression as they forcibly reached a consensus.

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[1] A barefoot doctor is someone with medical knowledge, but who is not a full time or fully trained doctor. They often work in very rural areas. ⮐

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Chapter 25 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 27

Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Feihan a cold glare, and he stood aside with a dry cough.

Li Xingruo said unhappily from her bed: “Why are you glaring at him? Did Feihan see wrong?”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t bear Huo Fenglie’s excessive behavior, and seeing as Huo Feihan hadn’t come as he’d promised, he had sought refuge there alone. As a result, upon entering, he heard Huo Feihan discussing with Li Xingruo whether to hold the wedding here or return to the capital. Liu Zhenqing’s hair stood on end when he heard this, and he was so angry that he kicked open the door and rushed inside.

“If you saw us, why didn’t you stop it?” Liu Zhenqing said angrily.

“Stop it? How could he know what was going on between you two? What if you were enjoying it?” Li Xingruo still hadn’t gained any femininity after giving birth, and confronted him with zeal.

“Who was enjoying it, ah? Do you know what he did?”

Liu Zhenqing was about to complain, but words suddenly failed him. Which of the things Huo Fenglie had done to him could be spoken out loud?

Huo Feihan carefully observed Liu Zhenqing’s expression and said: “What did he do? Besides k…..kissing you.”

Li Xingruo smiled and said: “If he did something more excessive, shouldn’t he take more responsibility?”

Liu Zhenqing was short of breath for a long moment, and could only say: “Don’t talk nonsense!”

Huo Feihen sent a silent glance toward the pendant at Liu Zhenqing’s waist and didn’t speak.

Li Xingruo narrowed her eyes at him and opened her mouth to argue. Liu Zhenqing still had Liu Qiao by his side, and as long as he was unwilling, he could order Liu Qiao to not allow Huo Fenglie to get close. Huo Fenglie hadn’t stopped since he went to pick Liu Zhenqing up, which proved that Liu Zhenqing had never given such an order. Was it that Liu Zhenqing had been taken by surprise, or was it something else…..

After some thought, Li Xinruo decided to give up, lest she push the other person too hard and cause him to react in a troublesome manner. It was rather interesting to see such an intelligent person stuck and confused. Her shixiong hadn’t even reacted yet. If it were someone else treating him like this, he would have blown the roof off the house rather than struggle in such a way. He had always been the one to make the others struggle and suffer when it came to matters of love. Apart from Huo Fenglie, who else could leave a mark on his heart?

This little didi of his had always been different. It could only be said that bystanders were able to see more than the participants could, ah.

Liu Zhenqing had originally come to ask for an explanation, but he felt guilty in the end and could only take out the two golden neckbands he’d prepared for the little babies as a change of subject.

After putting them on the children, Huo Feihan brought up official business: “I didn’t expect His Highness the Crown Prince to send you over here.”

“I volunteered myself,” Liu Zhenqing said. “His Highness doesn’t need to worry about such trivial matters. With the old emperor’s health and the Crown Prince about to succeed the throne, he’s too busy to take care of everything.”

“His Highness is already in charge of government affairs, so only the formalities are left. Great Zhou is currently at peace, and I don’t think Li Jinshu will be able to make too big of a splash,” Li Xingruo said. “It’s just disgusting that he has his eye on you, so find an opportunity to poison him to death.”

“Poisoning might not be the best thing for our Great Zhou. Don’t worry, I have a good grasp of the situation. During this period…..Huo-dage, mobilize all of your shadow guards.”

“Okay, I’ll order them to come see you later.”

After a while, Huo Fenglie came running over. He had been urged by Liu Zhenqing to get his medicine and bandages changed, and didn’t see him after returning to the courtyard, so he hurried over here. “Qing-ge, I’m going on patrol later. Do you want to come with me and take a look around?”

Although his tone was low and steady, as if this was a business handover, he couldn’t hide the heart of a young man who wanted to know where his sweetheart was. But Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to give him any chance to get close to him.

“I still have official business to take care of,” Liu Zhenqing said directly.

Huo Fenglie wasn’t discouraged by his rejection. He had just received a gift, after all. He took a step forward and, before anyone could react, kissed Liu Zhenqing on the cheek. Afterward, he turned around to leave: “I’ll be back soon.”

Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo turned to look at Liu Zhenqing, only to see that his face was livid. His hand was stretched out halfway, and he ended up just rubbing hard at his cheek.

The two of them wanted to laugh, but didn’t dare to. When Liu Zhenqing suddenly opened his mouth, they thought he was going to gripe angrily about Huo Fenglie’s behavior.

Liu Zhenqing hesitated before saying: “His wound hasn’t healed yet. How big is the area he has to patrol?”

The two exchanged glances, then Huo Feihan stood up and said: “Alright, I’ll go with him. It’s a good opportunity to discuss the matter of Xiheng bringing their troops here.”

When Huo Feihan left, Li Xingruo watched Liu Zhenqing play with the two children and said: “Just before you arrived, Feihan and I were discussing naming you as their godfather.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Shouldn’t that be announced at their one month celebration?”

Li Xingruo replied: “But we decided not to do it for now.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback, then saw Li Xingruo smile gently as she teased the two children. “Do you want a godfather or a second aunt?”

When Liu Zhenqing heard this, he almost choked on his saliva. He saw Li Xingruo look over with a raised eyebrow, and was about to refute when he heard her say: “The children say they hope to have a second aunt.”

Liu Zhenqing looked at Li Xingruo with a mix of laughter and tears: “You…..are all of you planning to bully me?”

“It can’t be helped. I married into the Huo family, so now I can only aid my husband’s family.” Li Xingruo suddenly became a bit sentimental and said: “In fact, when we separated, Feihan and I were unsure how long the kid would be stuck on you. There have been many people attracted to Fenglie in the past two years, whether gentle, beautiful, or fierce, male or female. Many of them pursued him right to the gates of the General’s Manor. But he just ignored them one after another, not giving them a chance at all, and the excuse he gave was that he had a lover in the capital. Even when someone sent their daughter to be his concubine without status, Fenglie didn’t agree. He has given you his whole heart, and worked hard to grow into someone worthy of you.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flickered slightly.

Li Xingruo continued: “Actually, after we found out I was pregnant with twins, Feihan stopped taking care of military camp affairs. Fenglie has been the only one in charge of the Huo Family Army these days. His growth is astonishing, and Feihan even says he’s exceeded him. That day, Feihan asked him if he wanted to lead the troops out alone, but he declined.”

Liu Zhenqing looked over, and Li Xingruo sneered: “That man of mine is a good-for-nothing.”

Liu Zhenqing’s heart trembled, and he didn’t know what to say. If Huo Fenglie led the army alone, it would mean he’d have to guard the borders and never retreat until death, and he would no longer have the opportunity to freely choose to be Liu Zhenqing’s bodyguard. As long as he remained under his brother’s command, he could leave and go back to see him at any time.

When Liu Zhenqing finally went to the government inn to seek out the envoys, he asked Liu Qiao to take him on a detour in order to watch Huo Fenglie patrolling.

The coordinated footsteps and shouted slogans of the soldiers shook the sky. Even though he was injured, Huo Fenglie still sat on horseback with an upright posture, with the newly-acquired Chunjun sword hanging at his waist. He possessed a dignified demeanor, and people submitted to him wherever he went. Every pair of eyes directed toward Huo Fenglie were filled with admiration and yearning.

He was so handsome that even Liu Qiao beside him couldn’t help but sigh: “He’s even more impressive than General Huo when on patrol.”

Yes, ah, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen Huo Feihan do the same before. That scene had just filled him with brotherly pride, but Huo Fenglie was so eye-catchingly handsome at this moment that although Liu Zhenqing wanted to watch, he was too embarrassed to look any longer.

Was this the same person who’d acted so rudely toward him a few hours ago?

Liu Zhenqing shelved his messy thoughts and went to discuss the subsequent peace talks with the envoys, then met with the commander of the shadow guards and began to issue orders.

When he was done, the hour was already late. They had agreed to have dinner together, so Liu Zhenqing hurried back. Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo were already playing with the well-fed Yunci and Yunqian, while Huo Fenglie was picking out fish bones. Fish were rare in the northwest, and Liu Zhenqing had rarely eaten it on the road. He didn’t know how Huo Fenglie did it, but three dishes at the table were made with fresh fish.

As soon as Liu Zhenqing appeared under the light, Huo Fenglie turned as if he had sensed him. The moment he laid eyes on him, a charming smile appeared on his stoic face. Liu Zhenqing felt an inexplicable warmth in his heart. Yes, he hadn’t witnessed such a sight in a long time.

But this warmth was soon washed away by anger. Liu Zhenqing had kicked Huo Fenglie out when he’d crawled into his bed at night. This was a safe location, so there was no need for Liu Qiao to keep watch, and Huo Fenglie had come in unimpeded.

The person who had been kicked out of bed was still aggrieved: “I miss you so much that I can’t sleep. I feel uneasy if I can’t see you. Didn’t we always sleep together before?”

Liu Zhenqing was furious, but also understood that he had gradually lowered his bottom line and indulged him. However, it couldn’t be done. With everyone living here, it wasn’t appropriate for them to sleep together like this.

Although Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t allow it, Huo Fenglie didn’t lose control. He naturally wouldn’t disobey. If he wasn’t allowed to sleep on the bed, he would just lie down beside it.

Liu Zhenqing ignored him, and they actually ended up spending the night this way. When Liu Zhenqing woke up and saw him lying beside the bed, he was speechless. Seeing that he was still injured and didn’t seem to have slept well, Liu Zhenqing felt more helpless than angry.

On the second night, this person couldn’t be driven away and finally managed to climb into bed.

On the third night, he could finally fall asleep holding his sweetheart. On occasion, he would kiss him forcefully before bed. The gradual lowering of his bottom line proved that Liu Zhenqing had become numb to such things.

During the day, Huo Fenglie would take Liu Zhenqing around to play whenever he had time, hoping to share all of his memories here with him. By the time Liu Zhenqing came to his senses, it was like they were on a date.

Even though Huo Fenglie never did anything to embarrass Liu Zhenqing in front of outsiders when they were out and about, anyone with functioning eyes could see that their brave, wise young general admired this person from the capital, just as the rumors said. Thus, everyone at the border knew about Huo Fenglie’s undisguised love within three days.

At first, admirers of Huo Fenglie came to take a look at Liu Zhenqing, but faced with his beauty, both the men and women felt inferior. And when they saw that Huo Fenglie treated this person differently than everyone else, what more could they not understand? Intelligent people knew when to give up.

The relationship between the two seemed to progress naturally, and even Huo Fenglie felt as if Qing-ge was gradually accepting their relationship. Qing-ge’s feelings toward him were able to be transformed and cultivated, but they were not yet clear. After all, each time he impulsively kissed Qing-ge, he would struggle at first and then just glare at him with a red face, responding unconsciously. And every small response from Qing-ge was just an excuse for Huo Fenglie to act crazier.

He was able to seize the opportunity to taste Qing-ge several times in recent days, but Qing-ge would just kick him off the bed in shame and anger, then not allow him to get close again that night. Just last night, when he took Qing-ge’s hand with the intention of helping him in wicked ways, Qing-ge just buried his head in the quilt, refusing to look at him.

Huo Fenglie lived a delightful, carefree life each day, and even felt that these were the happiest days of his life in the past ten years.

Until he met Li Jinshu again during negotiations. Li Jinshu was a little different from how he remembered him – more mature and charming – but the look in his eyes when he fixed them on Liu Zhenqing was exactly the same.

“I would like to have a word with you alone.” Li Jinshu made this request right at the start. And Huo Fenglie, who had already heard about this man’s particular intentions, immediately stepped forward to stand in front of Liu Zhenqing. His eyes were filled with killing intent, and their surroundings immediately became tense.

Li Jinshu thought of the news he had recently investigated, and turned to glance at the red mark on Liu Zhenqing’s neck, which was inadvertently revealed when he tilted his head. His eyes grew darker, yet they held a smile.

“In this case, it’s fine if the Major General stays.”

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t worried about what Li Jinshu would do during the peace talks, so he dismissed everyone with a complete lack of concern and sat down. Huo Fenglie, however, didn’t take a seat. He stood directly behind Liu Zhenqing like a personal bodyguard, protecting him at all times.

This was actually supposed to be Liu Qiao’s job, but he had received an urgent letter from the south not long ago, saying that his uncle was experiencing internal turmoil and his grandfather was uneasy. Liu Zhenqing naturally had no worries about his own safety in the Huo Family Army’s territory, so he sent Liu Qiao to protect his grandfather, aunt, and little cousin. This being the case, Huo Fenglie had even more reason to guard Liu Zhenqing closely.

Li Jinshu had no scruples about mixing personal feelings into his reminiscences in front of Huo Fenglie. Every word and sentence declared to Liu Zhenqing that he coveted him.

Liu Zhenqing could even feel a chill coming off Huo Fenglie behind him. He’d helped him with his hand last night…..hoping to comfort him in advance and make him behave, but it was useless. He hadn’t expected this dog to be so jealous. Liu Zhenqing had no choice but to interrupt Li Jinshu in order to prevent Huo Fenglie from turning into a mad dog.

“Prince Li, we are here to negotiate, not to reminisce. To be honest, I don’t remember much of the past you mentioned. After all…..I have so many suitors in the capital.” As he spoke, Liu Zhenqing played with the jade Rubik’s Cube at his waist, and Huo Fenglie’s expression improved somewhat.

Liu Zhenqing had gradually discovered how fun it was to tease Er-gou, and after adjusting his mindset, Er-gou was very easy to coax and manage. There was no reason to always be pinned down by Er-gou.

“Let’s discuss peace talks. This is what Great Zhou has in mind…..” Having said this, Liu Zhenqing handed over the negotiation list.

This was like a haggling transaction. They initially offered a price the other party would not accept, and would then slowly negotiate the price down.

But Liu Zhenqing didn’t expect that Li Jinshu would just glance at him and say: “I cannot agree with these terms.”

Liu Zhenqing’s brow furrowed unhappily. These conditions were the most beneficial to Great Zhou. But although they weren’t harmful to Xiheng and contained some benefits, considering the strengths of the two countries, Li Jinshu would be at a disadvantage if he agreed. Liu Zhenqing naturally had his doubts.

As expected, Li Jinshu said at once: “But there is a precondition…..how about a marriage alliance?”

Liu Zhenqing sneered, thinking that he intended to bring up the matter between them. Huo Fenglie behind him was in an even worse mood.

Li Jinshu leaned back and said: “You know how I feel. I want to marry you. If you agree, I’ll add ten more concessions to these ten.”

Without waiting for Liu Zhenqing’s refusal, he continued: “But your Great Zhou is currently strong, and you are a favorite of its ruler, so you probably won’t agree to my request easily. Therefore, I’ll give you another marriage option.”

“What do you mean?” Liu Zhenqing asked in puzzlement.

Li Jinshu raised a hand and pointed at Huo Fenglie, saying: “A marriage between Princess Yangxue and Major General Huo. If our family’s princess marries into Great Zhou, I will agree to the ten points above. How about it? It’s a good deal, right? I don’t think the people in power in Great Zhou will refuse such a good thing.”

Gaining a princess brought ten sets of benefits, and there was no loss to Great Zhou in terms of reputation. Yes, ah, no envoy would refuse such a request.

“Either you marry over, or she does. You choose,” Li Jinshu said with a malicious smile. “Otherwise, negotiations will fail, and I will accept none of the conditions. You know that if peace talks fail, our Xiheng will have to fight to take back our benefits.”

Either marriage or war. 

Huo Fenglie drew his sword and pointed it directly at Li Jinshu: “It may be more beneficial for you to die here.”

Li Jinshu raised his eyebrows with a smile: “If it was more beneficial, the person beside you would have let you do it long ago. What do you think? Will you consider it, Xiting?”

Huo Fenglie gritted his teeth. He was about to say that there was no need to consider it, but then he heard Liu Zhenqing say with a smile: “Okay, I’ll consider it. We must consult the capital about this matter, so let’s discuss it again in ten days.”

Li Jinshu smiled, but Huo Fenglie tensed up at Liu Zhenqing’s words and looked over with an ashen face.

---

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(Alt Universe) Extra 26 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 28

Chapter 25 – Seven Strike Takedown

“Since the challenge has been accepted and Elder Zhou and I are already here today, we will serve as witnesses for you,” Sect Leader Ji informed them. He looked at Feng Ye in the audience: “If you lose the battle, leave through the mountain gate on your own. There is no turning back.”

“This disciple understands.” Feng Ye bowed again.

Then he turned around and walked toward the ring in the middle of the arena, following a one-person-wide path as everyone made way for him.

He didn’t walk fast, but each step was steady and firm. He seemed to be completely oblivious to the ridiculousness of his challenge.

He was clearly just a junior disciple at the third level of Qi Refining, and it was unknown where he got the confidence to challenge Lu Chengye, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Everyone thought this way. They looked at Feng Ye with bewilderment, contempt, and even mockery as if beholding a madman.

Amid all the looks of disdain, Hao Chen, Feng Ye’s perpetual tag-along, was an outlier.

There was only happiness in his eyes. He had been testing Feng Ye for so long, but not only had Feng Ye not revealed his fox tail, he hadn’t even lost a single fox hair.

But as the saying went, even a carefully bedded flower may not blossom, but a casually planted willow tree may bloom into a forest. Whenever he designed to lure Feng Ye into taking action, it was cleverly resolved by the other party. Yet when he did nothing, Feng Ye took the initiative.

If everyone thought Feng Ye would lose, then Hao Chen was the only one who firmly believed that he would win.

Even if it was as Feng Ye said, and he didn’t use spiritual power in this competition, Hao Chen was still convinced that Feng Ye would emerge victorious.

“Shixiong!”

Just as Feng Ye was about to step onto the platform, a breathless shout came from behind.

Fang Yang had remained in his room alone for a while after Feng Ye and Hao Chen left, and the more he thought, the more worried he became. In the end, he couldn’t help but run out after them. But when he rushed over breathlessly, he saw his Useless Shixiong about to climb up onto the platform.

And the other person in the ring was Lu Chengye, who had a look of ridicule on his face.

Although he didn’t know what was going on, Fang Yang realized that something wasn’t right and shouted out anxiously, wanting Feng Ye to stop.

With his level of cultivation, Useless Shixiong would definitely be beaten badly! This was Fang Yang’s belief, but even though he was somewhat in shock, he knew he couldn’t say it so bluntly. Therefore, he just called out “Shixiong” and swallowed the rest of the words back into his stomach.

He had already run to the front of the ring, only a few meters away from Feng Ye. When Feng Ye heard the word “Shixiong,” he paused for a moment.

Fang Yang was relieved when he saw this, and immediately tried to run a few steps forward and physically stop him.

But unexpectedly, an arm suddenly blocked his way.

Hao Chen stopped Fang Yang with one hand, holding his fan in the other. He placed the edge of his fan against his slightly raised lips, giving Fang Yang a soft, “Hush.”

Fang Yang didn’t understand. He subconsciously wanted to ask, but when he opened his mouth, he found that no sound would leave his throat.

Fang Yang touched his neck in a panic. He had lost his voice!

Hao Chen was no longer looking at Fang Yang. He just used his left hand to hold him firmly, focusing all of his attention on Feng Ye standing beneath the ring.

Fang Yang’s call had only made him pause for a moment.

He paid no attention to what was happening behind him, not even looking back. In the next moment, he grasped the hilt of his sword in his right hand.

The loose daoist robe clinging to his body revealed the outlines of his muscles. Exerting force with his right arm, he drew the sword out of its sheath with the sharp sound of sliding metal.

Then, he stepped forward into the ring.

He held the sword in his right hand and casually swung his left hand backwards, tossing the scabbard away.

He clearly wasn’t looking back, but the scabbard was thrown straight to Fang Yang.

Fang Yang had no voice and couldn’t move forward. Just as he was getting anxious, he saw the scabbard flying through the air and automatically reached out to catch it.

But if there was a first time, there would be a second time, and the arm that was holding him back stopped him again.

Hao Chen intercepted the scabbard halfway and caught it before Fang Yang could.

After snatching it, he held the scabbard and directed a proud smile at Fang Yang.

Fang Yang: “……”

This wasn’t a flower thrown by a bride. What was there to snatch, ah?

Fang Yang’s inner complaints nearly overflowed. But he was unable to make a sound, so he could only use his eyes to accuse Hao Chen of behaving childishly.

Unfortunately, his gaze was not enough to penetrate Hao Chen’s thick skin, which had been honed in the extreme cold.

Fang Yang’s abrupt entrance did not interrupt the competition. Although Sect Leader Ji and Elder Zhou on the viewing platform had noticed him, seeing as he hadn’t spoken since being stopped by Hao Chen, they thought he’d been persuaded and paid no more attention to him. 

They failed to notice that Fang Yang hadn’t shut up on his own volition, but had been intentionally silenced.

But it didn’t matter. There were more important things to pay attention to at present.

The challenger and the challenged both stood onstage. When the referee gave the command, the competition officially began.

Although the fight had commenced, neither of them were in a hurry to brandish their swords.

Lu Chengye looked Feng Ye up and down as if beholding a fish on a chopping board. He was thinking about where to start – should he cut off an arm or a leg?

Feng Ye, on the other hand, seemed a little careless. His sword-holding hand was placed at his side, leaving many openings.

He’s indeed a waste who can’t even hold a sword, Lu Chengye thought.

This was perfect. He could use this waste to highlight his valiance and make himself the center of attention.

With this in mind, Lu Chengye sneered at Feng Ye: “Haha, I didn’t expect you to dare provoke me.”

Feng Ye smiled back: “Wrong.”

Lu Chengye was taken aback, and subconsciously asked: “What’s wrong?”

In an instant, Feng Ye’s voice turned cold and his smile vanished. The tip of his sword was pointed slightly upwards, and his eyebrows lowered as he said in a dark, cold tone: “You’re wrong. It should be…..”

Feng Ye raised his head slightly, his face filled with arrogance: “How dare you provoke me?”

In the audience, Hao Chen suddenly covered his chest. Feng Ye wasn’t smiling, but Hao Chen was, his eyes fixed on Feng Ye with an almost fanatical look.

He really couldn’t resist Feng Ye when he looked like this. That arrogant, disdainful look was like a fire, igniting his blood that had been frozen for thousands of years during his long, boring slumber in the North Sea. He didn’t know whether it was fighting spirit or elation beating wildly in his chest, but it was making him restless. In a trance, Hao Chen suddenly had the illusion that he was deeply attracted to this plain-looking fellow.

Contrary to Hao Chen’s complicated mood, Lu Chengye had only one reaction – fury. Absolute fury.

How dare such a waste provoke him like this!

He didn’t know what was good for him!

He immediately drew out his sword, the tip sliding out of its scabbard. The formidable spiritual power of someone at the seventh level of Qi Refining simultaneously poured into the body of the sword, making it the pinnacle of this competition in terms of speed and power.

His first move would be a killing move that decided victory or defeat. He would defeat the enemy in one blow.

Sect Leader Ji and Elder Zhou on the viewing platform watched intently. This sword…..was pretty good. No, among those at the seventh level of Qi Refining, it was quite good.

It seemed that Lu Chengye had not used his full strength in the final round, but due to Feng Ye’s provocation, he was now giving it his all.

The five senses of a Nascent Soul cultivator were superior to those of ordinary people, so they naturally heard the words spoken in the ring.

There was nothing wrong with young people being a little crazy. It was just a question of if they had the capital to back them up.

The two simultaneously turned their attention to Feng Ye. They wanted to see if this Feng Ye fellow was just an ignorant fool…..or if he had the ability to live up to his hubris.

Feng Ye’s casual posture changed slightly. He raised his left foot a bit, shifted his body weight to the right, and took a step back and to the side as Lu Chengye’s sword stabbed at his chest.

He dodged the attack in a dexterous, clever manner.

The tip of Lu Chengye’s sword passed by his side. Feng Ye turned his wrist, and the hilt of his sword flexibly followed it, stabbing backhand at Lu Chengye as he went past. 

Lu Chengye retracted his sword in time. With his left foot as the center point, he turned his body in half a circle and blocked Feng Ye’s strike.

With a clang, their swords collided.

On the road of cultivation, every stage was a watershed.

The difference between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment was not whether one could fly on a sword, but also whether one could use magic spells.

Only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage could use a wide variety of spells of varying strength. And at the Qi Refining stage, one could only apply spiritual energy to one’s sword to enhance its strength and speed.

Therefore, Lu Chengye was only superior to Feng Ye in strength and speed, although this was an advantage that was almost impossible to overcome.

Lu Chengye was just about to exert his strength. With his great spiritual power, Feng Ye was far weaker than him, and would certainly lose when they clashed.

However, Feng Ye knew this as well. The tip of his sword only connected with Lu Chengye’s for a moment and, like a slippery fish, separated at a touch.

Lu Chengye raised his sword and slashed again, and Feng Ye adopted the same approach of not firmly blocking the opponent’s attack. He used the same method he’d taught Fang Yang when fighting the White-Nosed Demon Bear, exerting force in the wrist. The resulting crisp force acted on the body of the sword, allowing it to dissipate the impact of the collision through vibration.

Therefore, even though Lu Chengye’s strength was far greater than his, Feng Ye was not at a disadvantage for the time being.

“Tsk!” Lu Chengye surreptitiously gritted his teeth, finding no place to exert his strength. Feng Ye wasn’t even bothering to compete with him in power!

But what did it matter? In terms of speed, he, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, couldn’t lose!

Lu Chengye abruptly increased the speed of his sword and attacked Feng Ye like a violent storm.

Feng Ye was forced to retreat again and again. Although he was on the back foot in terms of strength and speed, he still managed to block every attack aimed at him.

Elder Zhou stroked his beard, watching the way Feng Ye drew his sword with some surprise. Feng Ye drew a circle with his blade, and the seemingly solid sword undulated as if it had transformed into a long, malleable snake. He used the toughness of the metal to forcibly entangle the opponent’s sword, thereby slowing down the opponent’s attack.

Because the majority of disciples were male, the swordsmanship of Lingxiao Sword Sect had always been vigorous and fierce. But this somewhat feminine sword technique was usually employed by female sword cultivators.

Yet Feng Ye was using it at the opportune time. After all, considering his all-round disadvantages, using softness to overcome hardness was the right choice.

This Feng Ye fellow is quite clever, Elder Zhou thought with some admiration.

“Elder Zhou…..” Sect Leader Ji called softly.

“En?” Elder Zhou looked over questioningly.

Sect Leader Ji stared at Feng Ye as Lu Chengye forced him to retreat, saying with a hint of uncertainty: “Is he even using spiritual power?”

“Huh?!” Upon hearing this, Elder Zhou looked back at Feng Ye and let out a sound of surprise and uncertainty.

Feng Ye really wasn’t using spiritual power. There was a gap in strength between the third and seventh levels of Qi Refining, and he didn’t dare to confront the opponent head-on. From beginning to end, each time their swords collided, it was only for an instant.

It turned out that Feng Ye wasn’t just being cautious – he was fully aware that he couldn’t square off with the other person directly.

He was basically challenging Lu Chengye, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, as an ordinary person with no spiritual power! 

This fact was so shocking that Sect Leader Ji didn’t dare believe it, and instead asked Elder Zhou, whose tone made everything clear to him. 

This challenge was indeed like striking a rock with an egg, yet Feng Ye actually took the initiative to make it more difficult for himself. He wasn’t just striking a rock with an egg – he was using a cracked egg to strike a hard, jagged rock.

Had he been kicked in the head by a donkey?

How was this different from suicide?

If they had known before the match that Feng Ye wasn’t going to use spiritual power, they would have had these thoughts. But though the match had begun and Feng Ye still hadn’t used any spiritual power, although he was losing ground, he hadn’t lost yet.

The two stopped conversing and simply focused their attention on the fight. They wanted to see if Feng Ye could…..make the impossible possible.

Some traces of spiritual power would inevitably leak out when it was being used, and at the same time Sect Leader Ji and Elder Zhou noticed he wasn’t using any, others noticed as well.

They were all equally flabbergasted, so much so that they didn’t have words to describe such behavior.

In the end, they could only settle on one descriptor – crazy.

“Shixiong…..” Fang Yang murmured. He was a little slow, but he discovered Feng Ye’s lack of spiritual power use because of the words his shixiong had said to him before leaving: “Even without using spiritual power, I will win.”

And just as he’d said, he wasn’t using a lick of spiritual power. 

Fang Yang pursed his lips tightly, unaware that he had the ability to speak once more. His attention was focused on Feng Ye.

Although Useless Shixiong’s cultivation was very much useless, he was trying to show Fang Yang through his actions that cultivation wasn’t everything.

Regardless of the final result, Fang Yang immediately felt somewhat ashamed of his cowardice. He should have been the one to compete.

Even though by the time he explained everything to Feng Ye at noon, it was half an incense stick past the time he should have participated in the competition.

Feng Ye hadn’t actually wanted Fang Yang to participate. He had just wanted him to pick up the sword, to show some resolve.

Unfortunately, Fang Yang had been unable to do so, and Useless Shixiong was forced to resort to such extreme methods.

The tears that had just stopped now showed signs of falling again. Fang Yang quickly rubbed his eyes.

Hao Chen sent Fang Yang a glance, then turned his gaze back toward Feng Ye in the ring.

Feng Ye was at a disadvantage. He fought with Lu Chengye for nearly a hundred rounds, and other than the first time he drew his sword, he was on the defensive the rest of the time.

It was a passive defense.

Lu Chengye’s rapid attacks afforded him no room to breathe, and he was only able to defend himself.

He was forced to the edge of the ring.

There were two criteria for judging victory or defeat: One was to voluntarily admit defeat or be incapable of continuing, and the other was to fall off the stage.

When Lu Chengye saw that Feng Ye had followed the calculated route and was in danger of falling, a victorious smile appeared at the corners of his lips.

Feng Ye, this useless fellow at the third level of Qi Refining, was obviously inferior to him in all aspects, yet dared to challenge him?

That would have been fine, but this waste wasn’t even using spiritual power? 

As the one fighting Feng Ye head-on, Lu Chengye had been the first to discover this.

Such knowledge made him even angrier, and he wanted to slice Feng Ye to pieces. 

This was simply naked contempt. A waste at the third level of Qi Refining was looking down on him, a seventh level of Qi Refining cultivator. How dare he!

Lu Chengye pushed Feng Ye to the edge of the ring, but not for the purpose of making him fall off. Wouldn’t that be going too easy on this waste? 

He intended to make Feng Ye lose his balance, and the moment he stepped onto thin air, Lu Chengye would disable his right arm while pretending to disarm him, turning him into a genuine waste.

Although disciples should know when to stop in a fight, it was easy for accidents to happen, and no one could fault Lu Chengye. 

As the fight continued, the smile on Lu Chengye’s face continued to grow. Finally, Feng Ye stepped half a foot off the stage. He was about to fall.

The junior disciples watching in the audience held their breaths. Atop the viewing stand, Cao Zirui’s perpetually icy expression also changed slightly.

He was probably the most focused person in the entire audience. Whether it was Hao Chen or the two Nascent Soul masters Sect Leader Ji and Elder Zhou, they had all been distracted at some point – but not Cao Zirui.

Although he possessed great talent, without corresponding effort, he wouldn’t have been able to advance to Foundation Establishment in one year. Unlike Fang Yang’s hellish work-rest schedule, Cao Zirui paid more attention to efficiency. He devoted all of his energy to everything he did, and never got distracted.

He was fully focused when cultivating, and the same was true as he watched this battle.

Therefore, he discovered something that the others had not: This junior disciple named Feng Ye, he…..

Feng Ye’s body swayed slightly. Lu Chengye was overjoyed. He was about to achieve victory.

Pretending not to notice his opponent’s loss of balance, he proceeded to aim his sword directly at Feng Ye’s right arm.

While everyone was thinking that Feng Ye was going to lose, Hao Chen intermittently tapped the palm of his hand with his fan, paying close attention to this moment that would decide the outcome of the battle. Even though Feng Ye had fallen into an almost irreparable disadvantage, he still didn’t believe that Feng Ye would lose.

Atop the viewing platform, Elder Zhou let out a faint sigh. Although the courage of Feng Ye’s challenge had made an impression, it was ultimately difficult to change an established outcome.

Someone at the third level of Qi Refining could not defeat someone at the seventh level, let alone an ordinary person without spiritual power.

“Wrong!” Cao Zirui heard his sigh and abruptly spoke.

His precious, indifferent disciple had actually spoken of his own initiative, and Sect Leader Ji looked over in surprise along with Elder Zhou.

Sect Leader Ji was shocked to find that his precious little iceberg had not only spoken up – his expression had also changed. Cao Zirui frowned, his gaze still fixed on Feng Ye.

After repeated confirmation, he sucked in a breath and spoke this unbelievable fact: “Each time he strikes with his sword, he strikes the same place!”

Each strike hit the same place?

Sect Leader Ji and Elder Zhou both stared blankly.

What sort of notion was this? They were both Nascent Soul cultivators who specialized in the way of the sword, but even they were unable to control a sword so accurately.

It was already difficult to hit the same spot with every strike when practicing swordplay against a stationary wooden stake, let alone in actual combat, where the opponent’s moves were unpredictable and attacks could come from any angle at any time.

This was practically impossible!

No, it’s not impossible, Sect Leader Ji thought suddenly. He once knew someone who might have been able to do it…..

But that person was dead…..without even bones or ashes remaining…..

At this thought, Sect Leader Ji closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, beyond everyone’s expectations, the tables had turned in the ring.

Lu Chengye pretended not to notice Feng Ye’s swaying body and stabbed at his right arm regardless. But while he was pretending, Feng Ye was also pretending. 

Lu Chengye believed that everything was going as planned, unaware that this was also part of Feng Ye’s plan.

Feng Ye feigned stepping into thin air and swayed for a moment, but when Lu Chengye stabbed out, he ducked down and dodged the attack. At the same time, he slashed forward with his sword and struck the same spot again.

The lower middle body of the sword.

All in all, they had fought nearly a hundred rounds and he had hit this spot nearly a hundred times. The iron swords of Lingxiao Sword Sect were of high quality, but at last, under such blows, a tiny crack appeared on the body of the sword, which was unable to bear the pressure.

Hao Chen opened his fan with a swish, fanning himself to suppress his rising body temperature.

He was excited. Uncontrollably excited – because he had finally discovered Feng Ye’s plan. The tiny crack was inconspicuous, and even the sound of it splintering was drowned out by the crisp collision of the swords.

But Hao Chen still heard it where he was standing beneath the ring. He couldn’t help but laugh. Feng Ye…..really hadn’t disappointed him.

But Lu Chengye had yet to notice this, even with his sword in contact with Feng Ye’s. The crack was too small, and his sword was still solid.

He just felt a little regretful that his previous attack had failed, and intended to continue his offensive. But unexpectedly, Feng Ye suddenly changed his sword style.

The sword techniques he used previously were rather feminine and passively defensive. He didn’t take the initiative to attack, and the rhythm of the battle was completely controlled by Lu Chengye.

Now, he changed from the feminine sword style to one that was fierce and extremely oppressive.

He switched between two completely different sword styles without pause, thrusting the sword out in smooth movements.

He held the sword in his right hand, and the muscles on the exposed half of his arm were tense as he slashed across his body with the sword.

Lu Chengye was caught off guard by the sudden change, and subconsciously blocked Feng Ye’s strike.

“Seven,” Feng Ye said out of nowhere.

Lu Chengye didn’t understand why he suddenly said this.

But he had no time to think, because Feng Ye’s next attack came right after.

This time, the force was even greater. With a deafening clang, Lu Chengye was forced to take a step backward.

As Feng Ye brandished his sword, he said again: “Six.”

This guy was counting?! What was he counting at a time like this?! Lu Chengye was going crazy inside, unable to understand this person’s strange behavior.

“Five.”

Feng Ye spoke a word each time he swung his sword, and Lu Chengye took a corresponding step back. 

He was originally the one to force Feng Ye to the edge of the ring, but now, the situation was completely reversed. Step by step, he was being forced toward the edge of the ring by Feng Ye.

He wanted to interrupt his opponent’s offensive and re-establish his rhythm. However, each of Feng Ye’s attacks was stronger and faster than the previous one. He barely had time to defend himself, much less gather the strength to counterattack. 

“Four.”

With that spoken “four,” Lu Chengye realized that something was wrong. He caught sight of the inconspicuous crack in his sword.

The crack was already a cun long, like an ugly scar crawling up his sword.

“Three.”

What in the world was this counting?! 

Lu Chengye was anxious and angry. Whether it was the numbers coming from Feng Ye’s mouth that sounded like a countdown to his death, or the crack in his sword, it all had him utterly bewildered.

Feng Ye pressed forward step by step, and Lu Chengye drew closer to the edge of the ring.

But in the midst of his panic, Lu Chengye also kept one thing in mind – Feng Ye’s swift offensive couldn’t last long. Each of his strikes must be faster and stronger than the previous one, otherwise Lu Chengye would be able to accumulate strength and counterattack.

However, Feng Ye’s strength and speed had an upper limit, and his sword had already reached it. He would be unable to swing any faster or stronger than that.

Just as Lu Chengye was thinking this, he once again heard that cold, emotionless voice.

“Two.”

After striking, Feng Ye suddenly spun around. Using the acceleration created by the rotation, he swung out with a penultimate strike that exceeded his own limitations.

Like a spiderweb, the crack in the sword spread in all directions.

And Lu Chengye was forced to retreat to the edge of the ring. He realized that the boundary was behind him. He had no way to retreat.

“One.”

Feng Ye uttered the last word coldly.

This was the final strike!

Lu Chengye realized this fact. As long as…..as long as he could block it…..he still had a chance!

He took his sword with both hands and held it vertically in front of him, trying to use the broad blade to intercept the last strike heading toward his throat.

However, Feng Ye’s control over the sword’s movement and the sword itself had reached a terrifying level of precision. Just as Cao Zirui had said, each of his strikes hit the same spot.

He calculated the force and angle of each sword strike, and the last one was equally accurate…..

Seven Strike Takedown!

He didn’t use any spiritual power, but his last strike carried an icy killing intent that made the people nearby shudder.

This killing intent was practically corporeal. Those nearby were clearly not up against Feng Ye, but they couldn’t help taking a step back when they sensed it.

That fear didn’t need any sort of medium. Just those not-so-loud words and a biting cold ray of light had already pierced into everyone’s hearts.

Even Fang Yang, who had always been close to his Useless Shixiong, took an involuntary step back when Feng Ye launched his final strike.

Was this murderous…..terrifying person in front of him…..really Useless Shixiong?

On the viewing platform, Sect Leader Ji and Elder Zhou couldn’t help but stand to their feet. This was only a competition, and there was no need to fight to the death. But Feng Ye’s sword had already struck, and they…..were powerless to stop him.

The unstoppable momentum of this strike called to mind Pangu, the legendary creator of the world who could even split heaven and earth!

What’s more, the iron in front of him was already full of cracks.

Unsurprisingly, although Lu Chengye made one final effort…..it was a decisive move that left the opponent with no openings.

When the tip of Feng Ye’s sword hit the cracked body of the other, there was no pause at all as the blade continued to move forward, and the enormous force sent broken pieces of iron scattering all around.

Hao Chen lightly waved his fan to block the iron pieces flying toward him.

He was the only one not horrified by such killing intent. He only felt exhilaration, an exhilaration he had never felt before!

Feng Ye…..this person…..had really surprised him……

Hao Chen smiled behind his fan, waiting for Feng Ye to pierce Lu Chengye’s throat.

He had no doubt that even Feng Ye would be unable to rein in such strong killing intent.

But just as he thought, Feng Ye…..always surprised him…..

When the sword was only a hair’s breadth away from Lu Chengye’s throat, it came to an abrupt stop.

The killing intent that made people break out into a cold sweat vanished in an instant, as if everyone had imagined it.

But a small, bloody wound still appeared on Lu Chengye’s throat. Although the tip of the sword hadn’t touched his skin, the strong wind created by the blade stabbing forward was sharp enough to cut flesh.

The fear on Lu Chengye’s face had yet to completely subside. At that moment, he truly thought he was dead.

The tip of Feng Ye’s sword was still hovering at his throat. Not to mention moving, he didn’t even dare to breathe. Only the jut of his throat bobbed up and down, revealing the deep fear and anxiety within him.

Feng Ye maintained his posture, motionless. In the midst of the stalemate, neither Lu Chengye nor the people in the audience dared to move, fearing that if they did so, this familiar yet unfamiliar fellow disciple would twitch and slit Lu Chengye’s throat.

Even though Feng Ye had completely retracted his killing intent, he hadn’t exactly returned to his normal state. His eyes were still cold, without a trace of human warmth, pity, or empathy. All of these things that should be included in human nature were absent from his gaze.

This tense, torturous atmosphere stretched out until Feng Ye at last withdrew his sword. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

Lu Chengye also took a breath, but it wasn’t an even one.

Feng Ye, with his sword behind his back, suddenly lifted his foot and kicked Lu Chengye in the abdomen, launching him out of the ring in an extremely embarrassing posture.

There was complete silence.

Within that silence, Feng Ye leaped down from the stage. He returned to his normal friendly self, as if he wasn’t the one who had just frightened everyone to the bone.

Fang Yang stood there dumbly as Feng Ye walked toward him to return his sword.

Still in a daze, Fang Yang didn’t take it. Hao Chen solicitously came forward and used the scabbard he had snatched to catch the sword in Feng Ye’s hand. The two became one, and their hands also came together.

Most people would separate immediately when their skin touched, but Hao Chen intended to do no such thing. Instead, he kept his hand close to Feng Ye’s and gave him an ambiguous smile.

Feng Ye: “……”

He retracted his hand as if he’d received an electric shock.

He hadn’t flinched at all when faced with a seemingly impossible challenge, but he seemed to be at a loss when it came to Hao Chen.

Feng Ye sent Hao Chen a doubtful look. He’d needed his full concentration during the match, so he hadn’t been paying attention to what Hao Chen was doing off stage. It felt like after this competition, the way Hao Chen looked at him was…..a little bit wrong…..

“Shixiong!” A shout from Fang Yang interrupted Feng Ye’s musing.

Fang Yang had been in a trance for a long time before coming to his senses. He looked his so-called Useless Shixiong up and down with an incredulous expression.

He had only discovered today that his Useless Shixiong was only useless when it came to his cultivation. In the way of the sword, perhaps among all the junior disciples of their generation, there was nobody a fraction as good as him.

Feng Ye gave Fang Yang his usual smile – harmless, easy-going, and easy to push around.

But it was likely that nobody, including Lu Chengye, had the courage to squeeze this persimmon.

This persimmon was only soft on the surface, but there was a durian hidden inside, ah!

“Shixiong, why didn’t you tell me you’re so capable?” Although Fang Yang had been frightened by Feng Ye’s killing intent, he had already recovered. Useless Shixiong was still his Useless Shixiong.

Feng Ye touched his head and said with his gaze averted: “Shixiong isn’t that great. He’s just an ordinary junior disciple. Being able to win this time…..it’s just a coincidence, haha…..it’s all a coincidence!”

Nobody would believe that! Thought all of the junior disciples watching the match, including Fang Yang.

“It really is a coincidence. Lu Chengye’s sword was just too fragile,” Feng Ye shamelessly lied.

The naive boy thought about this seriously and actually believed it.

In addition to Fang Yang, the onlookers also donned looks of sudden realization. Feng Ye’s words actually made sense. Why was that last strike able to shatter Lu Chengye’s sword?

Feng Ye was just using the iron sword possessed by every member of the sect, not some magical weapon that could cut through iron like mud. How could one of two identical iron swords cut through the other?

They didn’t have Cao Zirui’s eyesight, and naturally hadn’t noticed that it was because Feng Ye hit the same place every time.

They had seen Lu Chengye’s sword crack inexplicably, which gave Feng Ye the opportunity to win. This could indeed be called a coincidence.

Thinking about it this way, Feng Ye wasn’t very impressive, just lucky.

Numerous people breathed sighs of relief. This outcome put them more at ease.

“This kid’s swordsmanship is first-rate, and his ability to lie…..is also first-rate.” Feng Ye’s words had deceived the group of young and inexperienced junior disciples in the audience, but the two Nascent Soul masters atop the viewing platform were not fooled.

Although the competition was over, Elder Zhou continued to observe Feng Ye below the stage. When he heard the excuse Feng Ye made up, he couldn’t help but heckle him good-naturedly.

However, he didn’t expose Feng Ye. He was impudent when he should be impudent, and low-key when he should be low-key. Elder Zhou really admired him more and more.

It was just a pity…..

“Level three of Qi Refining…..why does he have to only be at level three…..” Elder Zhou patted his thigh with regret. “If his talent was a little better, I would accept him as my disciple whether he had single or double spiritual roots, or even triple.”

Although cultivation wasn’t everything, it was the most important factor when it came to things like power and status.

What if Feng Ye had challenged a Foundation Establishment cultivator today? No matter what the opponent threw at him, Feng Ye would have been unable to fight back.

One person’s strength could defeat the skills of ten others. This saying applied everywhere.

The more Elder Zhou thought, the more regretful he became. This was as regrettable as losing a hundred years of his life savings. He lamented for a long while before discovering that the people beside him weren’t commiserating.

Never mind Cao Zirui. Sect Leader Ji’s young disciple was always like this. He wouldn’t speak if he didn’t have to, as if each word cost him money.

But although Cao Zirui didn’t speak, his eyes were fixed on Feng Ye, who was chatting and laughing with everyone in the audience.

No matter how good a person thought they were, there was always someone better. 

This statement had never been true for Cao Zirui, because he was already the best in all aspects. To him, there was nobody better.

But today, he realized that he still had a long way to go before he could be considered a person who stood above all others. He was unable to do what Feng Ye had done today with his near-limitless control over his swordsmanship.

Feng Ye had not only taught Fang Yang a lesson, but Cao Zirui as well.

Elder Zhou glanced at Sect Leader Ji beside him. It was normal for Cao Zirui to remain silent, but it was out of the ordinary for Sect Leader Ji to do the same.

Sect Leader Ji had always been a person who valued talent. How could he not harbor regrets that such a promising disciple had been born at such a disadvantage?

When he turned his head, he saw that the sect leader looked out-of-sorts, his head in the clouds.

“Sect Leader Ji?” Elder Zhou called out. There was no response.

“Sect Leader Ji!” Elder Zhou called out again, but there was still no response.

“Ji Chengyue!” Elder Zhou projected his voice by focusing energy into his dantian, and called out the sect leader’s full name.

This thunderous shout finally brought Sect Leader Ji back to his senses.

Taking in Elder Zhou’s quizzical gaze, he stared blankly for a moment before realizing he’d been distracted for too long. He promptly asked: “What were you saying?”

Elder Zhou stroked his beard and didn’t answer. Instead, he asked: “What were you thinking about? You looked distracted.”

“Nothing…..” Sect Leader Ji’s denial only made him more conspicuous.

Elder Zhou didn’t believe him. He leveled a stare at the sect leader, vowing to get to the bottom of this.

After the brief standoff, Sect Leader Ji looked around to find that there was nobody else beside him except Cao Zirui.

He needed an outlet for his turbulent thoughts, and Elder Zhou was the most suitable candidate.

Thinking of this, Sect Leader Ji stammeringly explained the whole story: “It’s really nothing…..”

Without waiting for another look of disbelief from Elder Zhou, he continued: “I just…..just…..think he’s a bit like that person…..”

His words didn’t make sense. Who was ‘he’? And who was that person?

Before Elder Zhou could figure it out, Sect Leader Ji turned his attention toward Feng Ye below the stage. Despite looking at Feng Ye, his eyes were somewhat vacant, as if he was looking through his figure at an old friend deep in his memories: “They’re not really the same. The way they draw and wield a sword is different. But…..”

Sect Leader Ji recalled the extraordinary swordsmanship Feng Ye had exhibited during the fight and his final seven-strike takedown. Such indomitable, overwhelming momentum…..

It overlapped faintly with the figure in his memory.

Although Elder Zhou had figured out who ‘he’ was, he still didn’t know which other person Sect Leader Ji was referring to.

There was a sudden hint of sorrow in Sect Leader Ji’s eyes.

He didn’t say anything, but his reaction said it all.

“It’s…..” Elder Zhou’s expression turned apprehensive. He’d finally realized who Sect Leader Ji was talking about.

Just when the name was about to escape his mouth, he stopped as if skidding to the edge of a cliff.

Because that name could not be spoken.

That person couldn’t even be mentioned…..

That person…..

Was condemned by history.

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Chapter 24 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 26