Chapter 223: Bailian Peak

The rooftop of Baixiang Pavilion.

Li Muxian glanced downward and saw the silver-haired elder’s men ride off; he nodded slightly and murmured to himself:

“With two sons killed in succession, if the Peak Lord of Bailian Peak doesn’t personally seek revenge, it would be hard to justify.”

Originally, Li Muxian had no interest in the martial experts below at the City Lord’s mansion, but upon hearing these words, the silver-haired elder suddenly twitched his ears, then sharply lifted his head toward the pavilion roof.

The silver-haired elder, upon first seeing Li Muxian seated atop the ridge, froze in shock, then his aura surged violently as he barked:

“Who are you?”

At this, Li Muxian sighed.

…

Not long after, the silver-haired elder and over a dozen martial experts from the City Lord’s mansion all perished…

…

Bailian Peak.

Its pitch-black body rose abruptly, jagged rocks jutting wildly, terrifying and majestic under the night.

One face was a thousand-zhang sheer cliff, wrapped in thick ropes; on its smooth green surface, the four golden ancient seal characters “Bailian Cheng Feng” glowed brightly in the dark.

On the opposite slope of the cliff, pavilions and towers stood in orderly rows, countless exquisite houses and courtyards packed tightly together, radiating prosperity and vigor.

At this moment, Bailian Peak was lit up with lanterns everywhere, all its corners aglow, as bright as day.

At this time, a woman drenched in sweat rode a swift horse galloping up, stopping abruptly before the towering mountain gate archway.

Without pausing for formalities, she tumbled off the horse in disarray and cried out urgently:

“Young Master Zheng is in trouble!”

The Bailian Peak disciples guarding the gate, seeing the woman’s lack of decorum, had been about to whip her in punishment.

But upon hearing “Young Master Zheng,” they instantly halted, frowned, and demanded:

“What happened?”

“Young Master Zheng… has been killed!”

The courtesan of Baixiang Pavilion gasped out; upon hearing this, the gate guards’ faces turned ashen.

After urgently questioning the courtesan for details, they swiftly departed.

The matter was then reported up the chain, finally reaching the First Lady of Bailian Peak.

Upon hearing her own son had been murdered, the First Lady was overwhelmed with grief and rage; she ordered word sent to Zheng Yunfeng, then immediately summoned the peak’s elders to accompany her on an immediate journey to Bailian City.

“At the very time of the Peak Lord’s birthday, he should not leave the mountain. Whoever killed my son—I will crush his bones and scatter his ashes myself!”

The First Lady, elegant and noble, her hair entirely white, now had red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked wrinkles on her face.

Zheng Zi was her son born in middle age, whom she had adored since childhood; now, an elder burying her own child—how could she not be consumed by grief and fury?

Soon, the First Lady of Bailian Peak boarded a carriage, accompanied by two elders from the Peak’s Enforcement Hall and a group of elite disciples, descending the mountain under the cold night to head straight for Bailian City.

Meanwhile, atop the thousand-zhang cliff of Bailian Peak, a small courtyard of iron-stone stood atop the mist-shrouded summit.

The courtyard’s iron gate was tightly shut, no lanterns lit, no signs of life, and not a single plant or flower around it.

Soon, a shadowy figure glided silently into view, revealing a hunched old man in black robes.

But the old man merely stopped on the gray stone steps before the courtyard, bowed his body, stood motionless without uttering a sound, and did not advance.

After a while, a strong, resonant voice came from within the courtyard:

“Wu Lao, what brings you here at this hour?”

The black-robed old man immediately bowed respectfully toward the courtyard and replied succinctly:

“Zheng Zi was murdered at Baixiang Pavilion. The killer specifically demanded that the Peak Lord himself come for revenge. However, the First Lady has already departed for Bailian City.”

Upon hearing this, silence fell within the courtyard.

The clouds swirling around the thousand-zhang cliff visibly began to spin, as if a wind were rising across the entire Bailian Peak.

Then, Zheng Yunfeng’s voice came again, devoid of any discernible emotion:

“Luo Shen Peak is currently in turmoil. I wonder where the Great Li court found the audacity to decide on an invasion of our sect within a single month?”

“Zi’s death at this moment is surely tied to the Great Li court.”

At this, the black-robed old man lifted his gaze to the courtyard and said:

“Your words are correct, Peak Lord. The young master died unjustly; this crime must be laid at the Great Li court’s door.”

The voice within the courtyard sighed suddenly, and above the cliff’s summit, the low-hanging clouds rumbled faintly with thunder.

“My birthday was meant to be a joyous occasion, but now, with the loss of my son, I have no spirit left.”

Zheng Yunfeng’s voice sounded utterly cold; the black-robed old man on the stone steps immediately bowed his head low:

“Shall I go myself, capture the killer alive, and bring him back for you to deal with personally?”

At this, Zheng Yunfeng replied coolly:

“No need. Let the Lady handle it.”

“My meaning is this: you, Wu Lao, must go yourself. Every person in Bailian City connected to the Great Li court—kill them all, leave none alive.”

The black-robed old man’s body twitched slightly; he lifted his eyes gently and immediately replied:

“I accept the order. I shall avenge the young master with the blood of the court’s hounds.”

Saying this, he did not linger on the steps, stepped back three paces with a bow, then vanished from the cliff summit.

After the black-robed old man departed, a woman’s voice suddenly echoed from within the previously silent courtyard:

“Brother Zheng, please accept your loss.”

Yet only the voice was heard—no one was seen.

Hearing this, Zheng Yunfeng, seated on a stone cushion within the courtyard, closed his eyes and said nothing; golden qi curled around him, obscuring his face, yet he spoke:

“Sister, why have you left Yulan Peak to come here?”

Their voices were confined within the iron-gated courtyard; outside, silence reigned.

“The Great Li’s Tianjin Guard has launched a four-pronged assault on the four peaks of Luo Shen Peak. My own Yulan Peak is one of them.”

The woman’s voice floated softly:

“According to my sources, the Tianjin Guard Commander Fu Qiwén has persuaded the former commander of the Great Li Tianjin Guard to lead the assault on Yulan Peak.”

Hearing this, Zheng Yunfeng, surrounded by golden qi, seemed to open his eyes and stare directly at empty air within the courtyard:

“Are you worried you cannot defeat him? Are you asking me for help?”

The empty air remained invisible, yet subtle heavenly qi gathered there, and the woman’s voice drifted out:

“I am not afraid of him. He has little time left. His agreement to aid Fu Qiwén is surely born of a death wish.”

“He intends to die alongside me. I have no desire to waste my strength in a pointless duel with him.”

(End of Chapter)