Chapter 14: Broken Tendons and Rotting Bones Pill

Feng Yi looks three steps ahead when doing things, and considers everything when acting.

Knowing full well that after today, his and Ding Dian's huge disturbance in Jingzhou Prefecture, plus the news that he possesses the Divine Illumination Technique and the Shadowless Divine Fist, will spread without legs; whether it's Ding Dian or himself, they cannot deny it, so he simply lays everything out on the table.

First, it lets Ding Dian pass on more of his martial arts to him, and he doesn't have to worry about gaining an extra "living father" on his head.

After all, in this world, anyone who wants to learn martial arts must take a master.

The matter of Di Yun and Ding Dian is a special case.

That was verified with his own life, and it cannot be replicated.

As for self-taught talent, he knew from the start of practicing the Divine Illumination Technique that he did not possess it.

Moreover, he didn't want to take Ding Dian as his teacher, which would lower his seniority, but Mei Niansheng was famous and imposing, and moreover she was dead, so in the future wandering the jianghu, he would be the greatest! Second, today he dealt with Ling Tui Si; no matter how you say it, it's an act of overthrowing a superior, so he necessarily needs a plausible justification, even if the actual significance is small, he must try to restore his reputation.

After all, in the jianghu, righteousness comes first!

Furthermore, to gain achievement points, he also wants to execute those "wall-building experts" and the other traitors who murdered their masters one by one; having this title makes it a house-cleaning, all the more justified! This way he can create income for himself and repay Ding Dian's kindness in teaching him martial arts—a threefold gain! After all, in the world of the Legend of the Twin Condors, evil and wicked people are many, but besides the Blood Knife Ancestor whose evil is out in the open, others dare not display their wickedness openly; they disguise themselves very well.

This is the trend of the environment, because everyone likes and promotes truth, goodness, and beauty.

For example, Ling Tui Si stuffed his own daughter to death in a coffin, yet claimed the illness was unclear and her melancholy could not be dispelled.

Besides Di Yun, who, when finally burying Ding Dian together with her, discovered scratch marks, everyone thought Ling Shuanghua died of longing for Ding Dian, depressed and melancholy, including Ding Dian himself, who thought the same.

He also felt deeply guilty; therefore he did not want to harm Ling Tui Si, and even if he himself were poisoned to death, he dared not think that Ling Tui Si had killed his daughter merely to get rid of him.

As for the three brothers who murdered their masters—Wan Zhenshan, Yan Daping, and Qi Changfa—they all kept the same story: Mei Niansheng died because she had lost a martial arts manual, searched everywhere for it in vain, grew despondent, and thus passed away.

Thus, in the jianghu, besides Ding Dian, no one knows the three brothers' wicked deeds; Di Yun knows, but he has continually avoided them.

Therefore, these few people, even until they died, remained respectable disciples who honored their teacher and valued the Way, simply because their master was the great hero Mei Niansheng of the Two Lakes.

Feng Yi wants to kill these people, but he lacks a solid identity and justification; if he's not careful, he'll end up like the Blood Knife Ancestor and become a thief despised by everyone.

This is something Feng Yi is unwilling to accept! "Impossible!"

Ling Tui Si, however, stared wide-eyed and shouted hysterically: "Ding Dian treasures it like a jewel; how could he willingly tell you? You must have tricked it out of him!"

Ding Dian laughed loudly: "Why couldn't I willingly tell my junior brother?"

"Ding Dian!"

Ling Tui Si's eyes practically blazed with fury as he shouted: "As a proud inheritor of the Divine Illumination Technique, you actually have the nerve to launch a sneak attack—shameless to the extreme! Even more disgraceful is that you consort with people like Feng Yi; you're not afraid of tarnishing the reputation of 'Iron Bones and Ink Plum' Mei, the great hero!"

Feng Yi sneered: "You also have the face to say these? Why don't you say how you used Ding Senior Brother's affection for Miss Ling, drugged him with Golden Wave Ten-Day Flower, and severed his hamstring? Is this the deed of the mighty chief of the Longsha Gang and the Jingzhou Prefect of the Imperial Court? Don't you find it shameful?"

Ling Tui Si's face was initially ferocious, but upon hearing this he immediately broke into a grin and said: "Heh, Ding Dian, don't forget that if it weren't for my daughter pleading with me, I could not have kept you alive to this day."

Ding Dian shouted angrily: "Shut up! Do you still have the nerve to mention Shuanghua?"

The corner of Ling Tui Si's mouth kept its smile as he said: "All this time, I've exhausted every method, yet you haven't uttered a single word!"

"If you had spoken up early, we would have become father-in-law and son-in-law—that would have been wonderful; you're rather foolish not to have done so."

He then turned to Feng Yi and said with a smile: "You're quite clever and obedient; Uncle has prepared the wedding garments for you. Fortunately, this outcome is not bad either—you asked me for Miss Shuanghua's hand, and I, the old man, agreed in front of everyone. From now on…"

In an instant, Ding Dian's eyes flashed with murderous light as he took a step forward.

With a sharp "crack—", it both stopped Ding Dian's footstep and prevented Ling Tui Si from uttering another word.

It turned out that when Feng Yi heard this, his heart sank and he silently cursed: "Not good! This old scoundrel is sowing discord; Ding Dian might fall for it!" He swung his hand and gave Ling Tui Si a slap.

This slap, naturally not using the Divine Illumination Technique, nevertheless made Ling Tui Si see stars and left several red marks on his face.

Ling Tui Si was so angry he nearly fainted; he, who always acted important in public, had never been slapped before, suffered such humiliation, and tears streamed down uncontrollably as he shouted: "You, you! What gall you have, daring to strike me!"

Feng Yi coldly replied: "My courage has grown big enough for a whole night; do I need you to tell me that?"

Everyone thought: "That's not wrong; the only reason his boldness knows no bounds is that he's holding a court official hostage!"

Feng Yi snorted: "Your schemes run deep, your tricks are countless; back then you had me become your adoptive father to put my mind at ease, so I would willingly work for you and extract the secret of the great hero Ding Dian."

"If I had not then expressed my wish to marry Miss Ling to you, I would either have had to acknowledge you, this profit‑seeking, oath‑forgetting lot, as my adoptive father—bringing lifelong shame—or else you would have killed me to silence me! And yet you still stir up discord here, unaware how solid my bond with Elder Brother Ding is; you can never change your petty, self‑serving mindset!"

As soon as he said that, Ling Tui Si's heart jolted, as if he understood something; he gave a grim smile and said: "Good, good, Feng Yi, you've done well." While speaking, fresh blood kept trickling from the corner of his mouth, dropping drop by drop onto the ground.

Ling Tui Si is sinister and vicious, yet his comprehension is extremely high; otherwise he could not have become the Dragon Head and a Hanlin scholar.

He suddenly realized his biggest mistake: he should have forced Ding Dian to comply by using his daughter! Feng Yi, indifferent to whether he had thought it through, said lightly: "If you know your place, all will be well; but if you dare to offend my dignity today, don't even talk about hitting you—I'll kill you without blinking!"

Ling Tui Si gave a faint smile and said: "You nephew, you greatly underestimate your Uncle Ling! Back then I, your father, Master Xia, and a group of elders founded the Dragon Slaying Gang, and that too was a life of licking blood off the blade's edge!

Today killing me is easy, you want me to bow my head, heh heh, impossible! Moreover, your father died thirteen years ago; ask yourself honestly—without me, how could you have gotten to where you are today?

You call yourself 'old man' in my presence—do you truly not fear that your father in the netherworld will not rest in peace?

Ling Tui Si, long accustomed to high office, always solemn in demeanor, compassionate toward the people and sorrowful for heaven, even more unyielding than a dead tiger, his final words were stern in both tone and expression.

The content of these remarks was even more formidable: it not only accused Feng Yi of such behavior, smacking of ingratitude and forgetting righteousness, but also displayed his own fearless spirit in the face of life and death.

Whether it's the members of the Longsha Gang, these black‑road figures, or the government constables, they most admire heroes and good fellows.

Upon hearing this, the crowd instantly flared with indignation, shouting in unison: "Chief Dragon Head, mighty!"

"Not bad, a bowl‑sized scar on the head after losing it!" "Eighteen years later, still a fine fellow!"

"Using death to scare people? What a foolish idea!"

"You little thief, dare you threaten Lord Ling and plot rebellion? 'This is a capital crime of exterminating nine clans!'"

"Feng Yi, you are ungrateful and treacherous..."

In a moment everyone clamored noisily, but Feng Yi suddenly burst into a loud, booming laugh that drowned out all the clamor, and everyone's faces changed.

Ding Dian stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes half‑open, half‑closed, appearing oblivious to the present situation.

Feng Yi knew Ling Tui Si was exceedingly shrewd; this was a certainty that he did not dare to kill him, instead holding him hostage with the pretext of righteousness.

Having reached this point, he simply spoke frankly and loudly: "Don't think that, because the great hero Ding Dian, out of consideration for Miss Ling, dares not harm you, you can therefore act with impunity!

But now that we've come to this point, a true man dares to act and to achieve! My methods in dealing with you this time are indeed not very glorious, and although I have grown up thanks also to your support, this was procured by my father with his own life!

As the Dragon Head, this is your responsibility; moreover, this so‑called favor is not solely Feng Yi's doing. Therefore it is not your great benevolence, Ling Tui Si, in raising me that gave me nurturing kindness! Moreover, since I was sixteen I have worked diligently in the Longsha Gang, so when you had me go extract the secret of the great hero Ding Dian, between us there was already no gratitude nor obligation.

At that moment, you and I were already severed of gratitude and obligation, so today, Feng Mou, no matter how I treat you, my heart bears not a shred of guilt; you had best not test my limits!

Feng Yi was quite composed, for his original self had already used his life to sever everything; thus his words rang out resonant, each syllable like a needle.

It only made Ling Tui Si, in his desolation, breed great resentment; he gritted his teeth and said, "Heh! Just a case of the victor being king and the loser bandit—do you really think you're a true man?"

Feng Yi gave a cold smile and said, "What kind of person am I, Feng Yi? No need for me to say it, nor for you to say it! The reason I say these things is to tell all my brothers: it's not that I, Feng Yi, am ungrateful and treacherous; for them to risk their lives for scum like you is hardly worthwhile! Killing you is even more carrying out Heaven's will!"

Ha ha…

Ling Tui Si burst into wild laughter; he laughed for a moment, his face gradually darkened, and he said in a sinister tone, "I gave you food, let you live, yet in the end you actually turned against me!"

You dare to put on airs in front of me, spouting about carrying out Heaven's will! Fine, if you have the guts, kill me, old man, and let me see just how capable you are as a successor of the Divine Illumination!

Speaking, he shouted loudly, "Captain Wang, pass my order to Infantry Commander Yan Shun: muster a thousand elite soldiers and three hundred archers, surround the prefecture; no one may leave, then tightly close the gates of Jingzhou; no one may exit the city; violators will be killed without pardon!"

Yes, I will see to it at once!

One person took the order and left.

Feng Yi chuckled and said, "Prefect, you're still quite a talent at using troops, huh?"

Ling Tui Si laughed heartily, very pleased.

Feng Yi also laughed heartily and said, "Good, since you regard death as homecoming, if I don't fulfill your wish, then the fault is mine!"

Saying this, he reached into his bosom, quickly kneading a pellet the size of a soybean, dark and shiny, and shoved it into Ling Tui Si's mouth.

Ling Tui Si didn't know what it was, only smelling a foul odor, feeling uneasy, but unable to resist, he could only keep his mouth shut.

Feng Yi gave a cold smile, pried open his mouth, shoved the pellet in, then tapped his throat; with a gurgling sound, Ling Tui Si swallowed it.

Ling Tui Si was both startled and angry, desperately circulating his inner energy to rise, but his acupressure points were sealed, his dantian energy could not be summoned; with a thud, he went limp and collapsed to the ground.

Ling Tui Si's face turned deathly white, he stared at Feng Yi, his eyes almost bulging, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva and angrily said, "You… what did you make me eat?"

Seeing his frightened demeanor, Feng Yi gave a slight smile and said, "Have you heard of the Tian Shan Child Elder of the Spirit Vulture Palace during the Northern Song?"

Ling Tui Si gave a doubtful look and said, "What do you mean?"

Feng Yi gave a hehe laugh and said, "You look weak; I fed you a Bone‑Rotting, Tendon‑Severing Pill to strengthen your body!"

Everyone felt a chill run through their bodies, their hair standing on end. Although they didn't know what the Spirit Vulture Palace's Tian Shan Child Elder was, the five words 'Bone‑Rotting, Tendon‑Severing Pill' spoke for themselves; anyone who wasn't afraid would be lying.

Ling Tui Si's pupils contracted; he said, word by word, "Bone‑Rotting, Tendon‑Severing Pill? You're despicable!" After speaking, fear showed on his face.

Feng Yi laughed and said, "I'm just copying the gourd; still, it's a bargain for you. This is a secret poison of the Spirit Vulture Palace; I happened to obtain one just now by chance."

I specially went home today to fetch it and present it to the Chief as a token of respect.

As for the Tian Shan Child Elder's person and deeds, Chief, you are well‑versed in ancient and modern lore, so you must have heard of it; giving you this medicine is fitting for your exalted status as Chief Ling of Jingzhou Prefecture, and thus no one loses face.

Ling Tui Si trembled all over, uttering 'ah ah' a few times, then could speak no more.

For the secret of the Linked Cities Manual, he combed through various classics, thus spending great sums to seek the post of Jingzhou prefect, even not shunning reappointment, all because he guessed that Emperor Liang Yuan had hidden a great treasure in Jiangling, though he did not know the exact location.

Thus, having seen some records of the Spirit Vulture Palace from the Northern Song era, he knew the Tian Shan Child Elder was no good person! Most importantly, these anecdotes, separated by hundreds of years, could not have been fabricated by an inexperienced nobody like Feng Yi; he could not help but believe them!

Ding Dian had never seen Ling Tui Si show such a terrified expression, but he knew Feng Yi was deceiving Ling Tui Si, since he had been with Feng Yi all along and knew whether he possessed poison; he asked at the right moment, "Brother, is this Bone‑Rotting, Tendon‑Severing Pill a kind of poison?"

Feng Yi laughed and said, "Senior Brother guessed correctly! As the name implies, once it takes effect, it first severs all the body's soft tendons, so the mouth cannot open and the tongue cannot move; then the bones turn soft as cotton, breaking apart everywhere, the viscera rupture—heehee, the death is utterly horrible!"

The more he spoke, the more terrified Ling Tui Si became; in an instant, beads of sweat the size of soybeans appeared on his forehead.

Ding Dian stared at Ling Tui Si, showing pity, and said, "Prefect Ling, why put yourself through this again?"

Ling Tui Si's facial muscles twitched, then he hoarsely shouted, "You wretch, stop your fake sympathy like a cat crying over a mouse. If you had given me the Linked Cities Manual earlier, I wouldn't be like this!"

Thinking that he had taken the world's most yin‑damaging poison, as he shouted his face twisted, his expression already showing madness; he no longer bore the bearing of a prefect.

Feng Yi sneered, "Chief Ling, you just said you deserve retribution! Formerly you deceived the Eldest Miss, saying you agreed to her associating with my senior brother and wanted to meet him."

When Senior Brother Ding heard the Eldest Miss say that, he was overjoyed, longing to meet his future father‑in‑law, yet you refused to appear, instead you laid out the Golden Wave Ten‑Day Flower Poison to fell him, then severed his tendons, pierced his bones, and on the fifteenth of each month subjected him to cruel torture—is he not ten times more miserable than you? As you said, the victor is king and the loser bandit; what are you wailing about here?

(End of chapter)