Chapter 126

Normally, upon encountering such a thing, Feng Yi would without hesitation lend a hand.

But just now Xiao Longnv's approach was: you must obey me, or I'll kill you.

This made Feng Yi involuntarily recall how she had treated Hao Datuo initially.

You still won't kill yourself?

Then let's do it! Leave no room for mercy!

Feng Yi also treated Zhen Zhibing, preserving her purity, and got this result—how could he bear no grudge?

Human nature contains both kindness and cruelty, with a boundary between them, yet that limit is so subtle that many people fall somewhere in between.

Feng Yi is not a benevolent sort; he has personally destroyed countless lives, thousands upon thousands, yet he is not utterly wicked—if he can avoid killing, he does.

Someone like Xiao Longnv was not raised in the mundane world; her thinking is inherently simple, and for Yang Guo's sake she could take Guo Xiang, a newborn infant, and have Yang Guo exchange it for the antidote.

Because the Song people opposed her union with Yang Guo, Kublai Khan, upon saying a word that she and Yang Guo were a talented man and a beautiful woman, considered the Mongols superior to the Song.

For those whose understanding of someone like Xiao Longnv is incomplete. Although Feng Yi says he preserved her purity, how could Xiao Longnv know, to call her ungrateful is not justified!

As for the ancient tomb's affairs, Feng Yi's aim was the martial arts manuals; between them there was originally no gratitude or obligation; some of it was actually him giving them some silver and gold, but money means nothing to Xiao Longnv, so how could she regard it as a favor?

Feng Yi precisely understands these, thus he feels conflicted about the predicament Xiao Longnv is about to face.

Just mind her—it seems lowly.

No matter, but that scholar's eyes already gleamed with a thief's light.

After all, although Xiao Longnv's eyes are tightly shut, her appearance is beautiful and lovely, truly beyond what anyone could imagine.

Just as the scholar approached, bending to embrace her, suddenly a voice rang out: 'Daoist Hao and Daoist Sun of the Quanzhen Sect have arrived.'

Feng Yi glanced and saw Hao Datuo, Sun Bu'er, Zhao Zhijing, and Zhen Zhibing all coming together; after a moment's thought he knew they must have been shamed by Yang Guo's rebuke and dared not stay at the Heroes' Assembly, and he sighed: 'Let's just see her fate.'

The scholar heard the shout, only stunned for a moment, not minding anything else, as his hands were about to embrace Xiao Longnv, he suddenly felt his body sink.

Everyone suddenly felt a strong wind blast their faces, and their vision went dark.

Feng Yi leapt out, lifted Xiao Longnv onto his back, rose into the air, but heard rustling, continuous muffled sounds; everyone's torches were extinguished, and the yellow leaves and dry twigs on the trees fluttered down.

Everyone hastily waved their sleeves to shield themselves; when they relit the torches, that person had already vanished without a trace.

Although no one present could clearly see that person's face, his coming and going like a dragon and the miraculous feat of extinguishing fire with his palm left everyone stunned.

Suddenly Hao Datuo laughed: 'I never expected to encounter such a master; this trip was certainly not in vain!'

They had already approached, and then one person asked: 'Daoist Hao, in the martial world, if one speaks of broad experience and rich knowledge, naturally the Quanzhen Sect takes the lead; I wonder if you have any guess about this person?'

Everyone knew Hao Datuo's martial arts were profound; those who could surpass him in the jianghu were few, and the legends of the martial world were well known, so everyone was very curious.

Then they saw Hao Datuo stroke his beard and ponder: 'To be able, from several zhang away, to extinguish seven torches simultaneously with palm wind—looking across the martial world, only the Eastern Heretic, Western Poison, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar Guo the Great Hero and his ilk possess such unfathomable skill.'

Speaking boldly, my martial uncle also possesses such ability, but he, old as he is, wanders the world and would certainly not act in this way.

That Hero Feng is also an extraordinary person, but I have no chance to witness his martial arts, and I don't know if it's him!

Upon hearing this, everyone ruled out the Eastern Heretic, Western Poison, etc., and felt it must be Feng Yi; his martial arts truly have reached an inconceivable level.

The scholar sneered: 'This Mr. Feng has a private affair with Li Mochou; meeting beauties under the moonlight isn't enough—how could he come here?'

He failed to embrace Xiao Longnv; his jealousy had no outlet, so he just caused a scene.

Someone said: 'Daoist Hao, in this world, is there such an extraordinary person who can revive the dead?'

Everyone felt his question was bizarre, but recalling that someone had just seen the white-clad woman and confirmed she had no breath or pulse; that person took her away—surely not just to bury her?

Hao Datuo now understood: there was a dead white-clad woman here, taken away by that person just now; after a moment's reflection he said slowly: 'Surveying the martial world, perhaps only the Southern Emperor's One Lamp Master has the power to raise the dead, but he has long renounced worldly ties and does not mingle with the vulgar. Besides him, my knowledge is limited; I truly cannot think of any other expert possessing such divine ability.'

Even Hao Datuo couldn't figure it out; others would find it even harder to discern.

Everyone had no more spectacle to watch; after exchanging a few pleasantries, they dispersed.

Zhen Zhibing's mind was elsewhere; Zhao Zhijing grabbed him and said: 'Junior Brother, what are you thinking? Today Yang Guo has left our Quanzhen Sect utterly battered; you must consider carefully—one misstep leads to another.'

Originally, after Guo Jing met Yang Guo, Yang Guo's matter was a disgrace to the Quanzhen sect; Yang Guo also did not wish to recount it before people, and so he went along with the crowd to Lujiazhuang.

At this time it was not the proper day of the Heroes' Assembly; they merely ate and drank, exchanged pleasantries, and Guo Jing inquired about Yang Guo's days in the Quanzhen Sect.

This time Zhao Zhijing came to the Heroes' Banquet precisely to inform Guo Jing of this matter; he feared Guo Jing would hear only Yang Guo's one-sided account and form a bias, so he proactively apologized to Guo Jing.

Guo Jing and his party arrived at the study and began to discuss the details.

Yang Guo then said Zhao Zhijing was not his master; Zhao Zhijing did not pass on his martial arts, had others beat him, and loudly cursed Hao Datuo, saying he had beaten to death a sixty- or seventy-year-old woman with bare hands; he demanded to go to the main hall and ask the heroes of the world to judge! Hao Datuo is a senior scholar of the Quanzhen Sect; his Daoist learning and martial arts have both reached a very high level, his understanding of the Yi Jing is exquisite, and in the Quanzhen Sect he is unmatched—only because he accidentally killed Sun Po Po with a slip of the hand, he has been depressed for years, regarding it as a lifelong regret.

The Seven Masters of Quanzhen have killed many in their lifetimes, but those they killed were invariably wicked evildoers, never harming the innocent. Being publicly denounced by Yang Guo, they could not help but turn ashen-faced.

Hao Datuo then drew his long sword and told Yang Guo to kill him to avenge Sun Po Po! Yang Guo knew that in front of Guo Jing and Huang Rong, it would be hard to exact revenge, so he deliberately said Hao Datuo was pretending to be magnanimous, and said, 'You shameless Daoist thief, rather than kill me, you should kill yourself; otherwise I will surely take revenge,' etc.

Hao Datuo, a senior of the martial world, was left speechless by a few cutting words and drew his broken sword and left.

Yang Guo further blamed his expulsion from the Quanzhen Sect on Guo Jing, saying they targeted him because they had suffered his beatings, making his days dark and gloomy.

Guo Jing naturally believed it, his sympathy swelling; seeing Guo Jing believe everything, Zhao Zhijing grew angry and fought Yang Guo, but was easily subdued by Yang Guo's ancient tomb martial arts, suffering a dumb loss.

The few Quanzhen disciples could no longer bear to stay at the Heroes' Assembly; they immediately left, and on their way back they encountered this scene. However, Hao Datuo and the others did not know that the beautiful woman was Xiao Longnv.

Feng Yi saw the Quanzhen Daoists, knew several people had come, recognized Xiao Longnv, and knew that acknowledging her would inevitably cause unnecessary trouble. After all, Zhao Zhijing is narrow-minded, venomously hateful toward Yang Guo and Xiao Longnv; Sun Bu'er is likewise; Zhen Zhibing is infatuated with Xiao Longnv, and although he lacks male function, he might still act indecently.

Xiao Longnv must absolutely not fall into the hands of those few; moreover, whether she is truly dead or still has breath must first be checked before we speak.

Merely to avoid others seeing his silhouette, he simply extinguished the torches, carrying Xiao Longnv as he fled at full speed.

At that moment the night was deep and dark, yet in Feng Yi's heart there was a clear silhouette mocking him silently. Because the beauty lay upon his back, a faint fragrance drifted into his nose, making his heart and spirit flutter; he could not help thinking, 'Feng Yi, Feng Yi, if she were an ugly hag, would you still care for her?'

Feng Yi's mind was in turmoil; after running a short distance he saw ahead on a hillside a thatched cottage looming, and he immediately pushed the door open.

The house had long been abandoned, uninhabited. Feng Yi laid Xiao Longnv flat, gazed at her, and saw only her face pallid, as if empty; he exhaled, and indeed her breath stopped; he felt her pulse, and it too was gone.

He placed the back of his hand over her heart; after a moment he could feel a faint heartbeat, and Feng Yi reflected and understood.

After Xiao Longnv's injuries repeatedly flared, her body was weak, yet her inner strength was profound; she had entered a state of turtle-like breathing, appearing dead. In fact she still had a breath, but if neglected, she would linger until dawn, her oil and lamp exhausted, and her life flame would extinguish on its own.

Feng Yi helped Xiao Longnv up, after a slight circulation of breath a warm qi rose from his dantian, following the meridians; he placed his palms on her abdomen and back, and the divine illumination true qi flowed forth continuously.

After a while, Xiao Longnv suddenly opened her eyes, stared at Feng Yi, and her eyes seemed filled with great hatred.

Seeing her terrifying expression, Feng Yi did not hesitate; Xiao Longnv raised her right hand, about to strike his left cheek.

The marvel of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra lies entirely in the word 'fast'; not to mention Feng Yi is sending her true qi, even in a genuine confrontation, at such close range it is hard to guard against.

Feng Yi cursed angrily in his heart, thinking: 'If you slap me, you'll die!!'

Who would have expected Xiao Longnv's hand to reach his cheek, then suddenly stop; he saw her lips trembling, her eyes gradually growing hazy, her right hand dropping as two streams of tears burst forth, and she murmured, 'I'm not dead yet…… why are you saving me?'

As soon as Xiao Longnv awoke, she felt Feng Yi's hand pressed against her lower abdomen and back; they had known each other for a long time, and Feng Yi had always been humble and courteous—even when he stared at her, his gaze held appreciation but no malice. Who would have thought that, while she was unconscious, he would take advantage? In her fury she was about to strike out, but instantly she felt two streams of hot qi entering her body from his palms, stimulating her blood and qi, making her feel very comfortable.

She then understood that Feng Yi was saving her, not taking liberties, and so she stopped her attack.

Feng Yi said lightly, 'Don't be happy—this doesn't even count as saving you!'

Xiao Longnv stared, saying, 'I, I…' Suddenly she felt a pang of breathlessness; realizing she had overexerted herself in her panic, she had reopened her internal injury, leaving her feeling utterly empty.

Feng Yi said, 'I've long told you to tell me the Ancient Tomb Sect's internal energy so I can study its flaws, but you didn't believe me.'

In fact, he was still very interested in the wondrous youth‑preserving application of the Ancient Tomb Sect's internal energy—after all, who likes to grow old?

Xiao Longnv stared at him, then suddenly bit her red lips and said, 'Actually, what you just said makes some sense.'

Feng Yi, assuming she was speaking of internal energy, replied, 'Of course—when it comes to the profundity of martial arts, who under heaven could rival me? I wouldn't spout nonsense, would I?'

Feeling wronged, Xiao Longnv blurted out, 'What I meant…… is that I don't know Guo'er's feelings, not internal energy, not internal energy!'

For days, this complicated problem had echoed in her heart a thousand times; she didn't know why, but she ended up pouring out her feelings to Feng Yi, and after a single cry, tears streamed down again.

Watching her sorrowful expression, Feng Yi's heart jolted, and he thought privately, 'Look at her state—her love for Yang Guo has already surpassed her hatred for her master; what a lovesick girl!' He then said, 'What I said back then was a makeshift measure for self‑preservation; don't take it to heart. As for wanting to know Yang Guo's feelings toward you, just listen to my plan—investigate thoroughly, and it couldn't be simpler.'

'Simple?' Xiao Longnv's cheeks streaked with tears, her eyes still stubborn, she demanded, 'What method? Tell me quickly!'

Seeing her still acting almost unreasonably, Feng Yi couldn't help but laugh and said, 'Be my wife, and I'll tell you!'

Xiao Longnv looked at him, both angry and anxious, 'You, you scoundrel—how can you be so vile? You and my senior sister—how could I become your wife…'

Feng Yi laughed, 'A man can take many wives!'

'You're talking nonsense.' Xiao Longnv snapped, 'A person can have only one wife!'

Feng Yi burst out laughing, 'No more joking—let's just say you want me to help kill someone, viewing it from your and Yang Guo's perspective. You think this would benefit you both, but what about me? In this world, everyone seeks profit. I've devoted my mind and strength, taken enormous risks; surely no one in the world would dare claim he could kill Ouyang Feng and still get what reward? From my standpoint, have you considered that?'

'If I say you becoming my wife is the reward I want—do you agree?'

Actually, whether you agree or not, it's obvious whether your love or your master's grudge matters more. Furthermore, if you became my wife and Yang Guo found out, would he desperately chase after you or simply let you go and seek another woman—wouldn't that be clear as day? So, do you still have no clear idea in your heart of his attitude toward you?

Such a simple question, yet it has you so torn up that your injury could flare up again—and you even come here to threaten me?

Feng Yi had wanted to say these words before, but back then he couldn't move, and he dared not speak them for fear of angering her and being killed. Now, naturally, he has no reservations.

Yet these words struck Xiao Longnv like a heavenly nectar poured over her head.

She was naturally intelligent and instantly grasped the key point, thinking without realizing, 'How can he be so clever? Every matter has a solution…'

For days she had agonized over whether her love for Yang Guo or her master's vengeance was more important, going back and forth in her mind with no answer, which exhausted her mentally and caused her old injury to relapse.

Now, hearing Feng Yi's consolation, a faint smile slowly appeared at the corners of her mouth; moreover, Feng Yi's Divine Illumination Skill made her feel greatly at ease, wiping away the anguish of recent days, and she slowly closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Feng Yi withdrew his hands, lowered his head to gaze at Xiao Longnv lying sideways on the ground, seeing her display a pure, innocent smile like a child's, a subtle feeling arose in his heart; he let out a soft sigh, feeling rather bewildered.

He had merely transmitted true qi to Xiao Longnv to wake her up; her injuries remained, so that's why he said it didn't count as saving her.

In other words, should Xiao Longnv receive any stimulation, she still faces the possibility of fading away like fragrance and jade. Because after her previous deviation, Yang Guo plucked her heartstrings, damaging the Jade Maiden's art of tranquil serenity and few desires she had cultivated since childhood, impairing her mind and spirit. Added to her master's grudge and her love for Yang Guo, her heart knows no moment of peace.

The only way to truly save her is for myself or the Southern Emperor One Lamp Grand Master to expend our vital energy, unleash divine skill, use true qi to pierce the meridians and circulate her blood and qi, promote smooth flow, and with the Divine Illumination Skill eradicate the chronic ailments in her five viscera and six bowels, repairing her heartstrings.

Thus, the person channeling the skill will certainly expend a great deal of vital energy.

As for Feng Yi, if something unpredictable occurs at the Heroes' Assembly, the impact would not be trivial. Moreover, it would be inevitable to touch her entire body then, and she is different from Li Mochou.

She has a beloved man, and I am roughly her age—this matter must not be touched.

As for the lower abdomen and back, they are not like the chest, so Feng Yi naturally has few scruples, allowing him only to go this far. This too is why, before acting, he secretly sighed at her fate.

If she isn't dead, expending a little true qi to wake her up is merely a trivial effort for the youths of the jianghu.

If she were dead, requiring resurrection, Feng Yi would have to weigh it carefully, after all Xiao Longnv is not his woman.

That would be troublesome! Saving a life wouldn't be a simple matter either! Fortunately, Xiao Longnv's fate is not yet sealed. Feng Yi thought of closing the cottage's wooden door; the hut fell into utter darkness. He shut his eyes, regulated his breath, and gradually entered the state of forgetting self and object.

When Feng Yi finished his cultivation and awoke, the sky was already bright. Opening his eyes, he saw Xiao Longnv sitting opposite, legs drawn up, face full of worry; upon seeing him awake, she hurriedly said, 'Ah, let's hurry to the Heroes' Assembly—I agree to be your wife.'

Her voice was clear and crisp, yet to Feng Yi's ears it sounded like a thunderbolt bursting from a clear sky.

Feng Yi stared blankly and said, 'What did you say?'

Xiao Longnv looked at Feng Yi and said, 'I've thought it over; what you said makes sense. If you say I should become your wife to avenge my master, then should I agree, it would naturally mean my master's grudge outweighs my love for Guo'er.'

Feng Yi nodded: 'It's rare that you can understand!'

Xiao Longnv gave a cold, bleak smile and said, 'But I can't do that—I'd feel ashamed saying it. I don't know whether it's because of your relation with my senior sister or something else; anyway, I cannot become your wife for this reason.'

Feng Yi's head ached a little; he hastily waved his hands and said, 'Miss, what are you talking about? One moment you say you'll be my wife, the next you won't—I really don't understand.'

Xiao Longnv let out a soft sigh and said, 'Since you can't figure it out, I'll have to speak frankly to you!'

'My injury—you must have seen it already, right?'

Feng Yi replied, 'Quite right.'

Xiao Longnv pondered and said, 'I might die at any moment; I still don't know whether Guo'er wants me to be his wife. So I thought of pretending to be your wife to see how he'd react! If he doesn't want me to be his wife, then he…'

Feng Yi hastily waved his hand and said, 'Miss, thanks for your high opinion, but I neither have the time nor the inclination to be your love‑lubricant.'

'Around here heroes gather in droves; you can find someone else. Besides, you don't need to test Guo'er's feelings for you—he'll surely be heartbroken and fight me to the death!' Having said that, he rose and walked away.

Xiao Longnv shouted coquettishly, 'Stop right there!'

Feng Yi said nothing, merely walking on.

Xiao Longnv followed him out of the cottage and said, 'If you help me, I'll tell you the Ancient Tomb Sect's internal energy—just don't tell a third party.'

Feng Yi's footsteps halted; he turned his face to see Xiao Longnv lightly knitting her brows, her countenance suffused with a hitherto unseen wistful hue—her radiant beauty, which naturally makes one unable to stare directly, her clear eyes brimming with a pleading look.

At that moment, Feng Yi couldn't help but sigh inwardly, 'Love—such a thing can actually reduce a person to this state?'

Feng Yi suddenly recalled many famous love stories. He turned his head and whispered, 'The Ancient Tomb Sect's internal energy isn't really important; it's just that if your senior sister grows jealous, you must explain things to me and not spout nonsense!'

Having said that, he continued on his way.

Only then did Xiao Longnv relax, saying, 'I won't.' She hurried to catch up with Feng Yi.

But as they walked, they saw Feng Yi constantly sizing himself, and she strangely asked, "What are you looking at?"

Feng Yi said, "Your white clothes are dirty."

Xiao Longnv then discovered her snow-white dress was covered in dust; usually her inner energy kept her spotless, but after Feng Yi set her down on the ground, she inevitably got a lot of dirt on her. Being fond of cleanliness, she said, "What should we do?"

Feng Yi said, "Let's go to town and buy you a set of clothes."

Xiao Longnv followed closely, step for step.

The two arrived at the market town and entered a clothing shop.

The shopkeeper saw the two, one in front of the other, one ugly, the other excessively beautiful, their behavior more like neither siblings nor a married couple, which struck him as very strange.

Feng Yi flung out a silver ingot: "Buy this lady several sets of fine clothing—good fabric, and make sure they fit well; the rest is a tip!"

The shopkeeper's eyes gleamed with greed, and he hurriedly picked out several outfits for Xiao Longnv.

Only then did Xiao Longnv understand the use of money.

"And now she knows the god of money!" Feng Yi said, "Go to the changing room and put them on."

Xiao Longnv went into the room and quickly changed into a set of clothes.

When she came out, everyone's eyes lit up; Xiao Longnv was already as beautiful as a celestial maiden, and in her new white dress she became even more alluring, causing the shopkeeper and his assistants to stare dumbfounded.

Feng Yi's throat also felt dry as he thought, "This girl's beauty is simply beyond reason; no wonder her fate is tumultuous. Perhaps she, like those youthful geniuses Huo Qubing and Wang Bo, is destined to be envied by heaven."

He averted his gaze from her, went out, and bought Xiao Longnv a bamboo hat.

There was no help for it; she was simply too eye-catching.

Wherever she went, everyone's gaze followed; so they put a bamboo hat on her, and Feng Yi also removed his human-skin mask.

This way they finally stopped drawing attention, and Feng Yi felt much more relaxed.

The two passed the market town and walked another seven or eight li, seeing ahead hundreds of ancient locust trees surrounding a large manor, with many heroes along the way also heading toward the manor.

Inside the manor, houses were joined to houses in layers, appearing more than capable of accommodating thousands of guests.

The manor walls were uniformly built of blue bricks, coated with red lacquer; before the gate stood a pair of auspicious lions, erect and gazing in all directions.

Before they reached the gate, a servant came forward, bowed, and said, "I don't know which sect you, sir and miss, belong to; do you have a hero's invitation? My welcome has been late; I hope you'll forgive me."

Feng Yi was stunned at once—he truly had no hero's invitation.

Xiao Longnv was the same; although both were famous figures, they likewise lacked one.

Feng Yi smiled and said, "I am Feng Yi, and I have come with my younger sister to pay a visit; please announce us."

As soon as he spoke, the servant's face changed, the nearby heroes fell silent, and the servant hurriedly ran inside to report.

Someone exclaimed in surprise, "Feng Yi? Is that the Feng Yi who single-handedly charged into the Mongolian camp?"

But Xiao Longnv was utterly bewildered and said, "Why do you say I'm your sister?"

Feng Yi whispered, "Have you ever seen a couple walking one after the other?"

Xiao Longnv retorted, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Feng Yi thought, "If I told you, you'd still think I was deliberately taking advantage of you!"

He never cared much about pretending to be lovers; he simply didn't want to hurt this girl.

Moreover, trying to act as lovers with someone like Xiao Longnv would be pointless even if a movie emperor came; after all, who could teach Xiao Longnv to act? He naturally wouldn't say it.

Suddenly came three loud blasts of the signal horn, and the drummers began to play. The attendants and guards formed two rows, and the heroes, knowing this was the ceremony to welcome distinguished guests, stepped aside to both sides.

From the main gate stepped out a man and a woman side by side, both around forty years old; the man wore a brocade robe, had faint whiskers, and bore an imposing, dignified presence; the woman had fair skin and a genteel manner, seeming like a noble lady.

Feng Yi laughed and said, "Look, this is what a proper couple looks like."

Seeing the couple step out side by side, Xiao Longnv finally realized how unlike them she and Feng Yi were, and her face flushed involuntarily.

The guests whispered among themselves, "Only someone like Feng Yi is worth the manor lord and lady personally coming out to greet."

"What about the Great Hero Guo and his wife?"

"They set out early with the Beggar Sect elder; otherwise they'd surely have come to greet in person."

Then they saw the manor lord smiling broadly, clasping his hands toward Feng Yi in greeting: "I've long heard of your great name, Hero Feng; sorry for the distant welcome—please, please come in."

Feng Yi returned the salute: "Manor lord, you flatter me; in my view, the only true hero of the present age is Guo the Great Hero—I dare not accept such praise. Having come uninvited, I trouble your manor; I hope you'll excuse me."

The manor lord and his lady exchanged a glance, seeing his great fame yet his humility, they felt even more delighted and said, "It's nothing, it's nothing; we are all fellow martial artists—your visit to our manor is truly our fortune."

He hastily took Feng Yi's hand to lead him in, while the lady supported Xiao Longnv and exchanged pleasantries—but Xiao Longnv had no idea what was going on.

Feng Yi hurriedly smoothed things over: "My younger sister is young and has never seen such a scene; she's a bit shy." Everyone entered laughing.

The manor lord's double name is Guan Ying; his father, Lu Chengfeng, is a disciple of Huang Yaoshi, the father of Huang Rong—making him a generation junior to Guo Jing and Huang Rong.

Lady Cheng Yao Jia, wife of Lu Guan Ying, is a disciple of Sun Bu'er. The couple originally lived at the Lake Tai Returning Cloud Manor, but after the manor was burned to ashes by Ouyang Feng's fire, Lu Chengfeng, in anger, told his son not to remain the mastermind of the Lake Tai bandits, and he moved the family north to settle at Dasheng Pass.

Lu Chengfeng died young in middle age. When Cheng Yao Jia was still unmarried, she once faced danger and was rescued by Guo Jing, Huang Rong, and members of the Beggar Sect; therefore she has always felt grateful to the Beggar Sect.

At this time the Beggar Sect widely sent out hero invitations to gather heroes from all over; the Lu Guan Ying couple, wealthy as they were, undertook the expense themselves and set up the hero banquet at Lu Manor.

The manor lord and lady led Feng Yi and Xiao Longnv to the main hall, where they saw a banquet of a hundred tables set up, meat piled like mountains, wine flowing like streams, heads thronging, and indeed not a few heroes from all corners of the world had arrived.

Lu Guan Ying, who had amassed great wealth while commanding the bandits of Lake Tai, was naturally bold and unrestrained; at this hero assembly, who knows how many pigs and sheep were slaughtered or how many jars of fine wine were drained at Lu Manor.

As soon as the two entered, everyone involuntarily turned their gazes toward them.

One could see Feng Yi was handsome and suave; although Xiao Longnv wore a bamboo hat, her all-white attire made her seem enveloped in a light mist of gauze, real yet illusory, hardly a person of this world—without looking at her face, one could tell she was extraordinarily beautiful.

Some people couldn't help muttering, "Last night a beautiful woman in white died, and yet she was rescued—could it be…"

But nobody dared stare too long, lest they offend Feng Yi and become the butt of ridicule.

Lu Guan Ying led Feng Yi to the seat of honor; shortly after the drinks arrived, the manor lord accompanied him in two cups when suddenly someone shouted, "The disciple of Grand Master Yi Deng has arrived!"

The manor lord hurriedly went to meet them, just hearing a few gunshots.

The manor lord and lady led the two in slowly; one was a middle-aged scholar, the other a muscular, brawny man.

The brawny man stood at the hall entrance, his sharp eyes slowly scanning each person's face as if searching for someone; suddenly his gaze locked, and he began walking toward the seats of Feng Yi and Xiao Longnv.

Feng Yi furrowed his brow slightly, thinking, "I have no connection whatsoever with the Southern Emperor's school—why would he seek me out the moment I entered? (End of chapter)