Chapter 141: Love and Slaughter

"Lao Wan Tong!" Feng Yi flicked his sleeve, spat out a mouthful of turbid qi, and laughed, "When did you arrive?"

The person in the tree was no one else but Zhou Botong, whom I had just seen.

Feng Yi recalled that the old man's palm power seemed present yet absent, real yet illusory, as if it could be released and withdrawn at any moment; had his internal energy not already reached the pinnacle, he would have almost suffered a loss.

Second, this person was like a ghost or a phantom; I had no idea when he hid in the treetop, and I failed to notice, which secretly alarmed me.

Zhou Botong also broke into a grin, laughing, "Little brother, you're young yet your internal energy is remarkably strong; it seems you've defeated my sworn brother, which is no mere martial world rumor."

Although Zhou Botong loves to cause trouble, he is no fool; Lu Wushuang had just deliberately said that the world's top expert was present here, and he immediately understood.

After all, Feng Yi's fame had long spread across the world, and the news of his battle with Guo Jing traveled without legs, reaching his ears.

Although Zhou Botong is not very proper, when it concerns Guo Jing he never overlooks it; earlier he had merely seen another strange affair, which is why he left.

Li Mochou saw his beard and hair all white, recalled his deeds—he was not ninety, but eighty; in terms of age he could be Feng Yi's grandfather with plenty to spare, yet she called him "little brother."

Feng Yi found it nothing strange, but Li Mochou could not help laughing, covering her mouth as she laughed; the shame and anger from having overheard their talk faded a bit.

Her laugh was clear and refreshing, stirring the heart; Zhou Botong's eyes swept over Li Mochou once, and he chuckled, "You lass, you're fierce, but you say what's on your mind; especially since you dare to scheme against Lin Chaoying, I like you. Not like those women who say one thing and mean another, claiming they want to learn martial arts, yet…"

Saying this, he suddenly leaned back, sat on the ground, flailing his hands at his beard, kicking his legs, and muttering indistinctly.

Originally, Yinggu came to him to learn martial arts, but ended up in bed with him, forming a karmic bond that made him feel he had let down his senior brother and his friends, violating righteousness.

Thus Zhou Botong likes to deal with straightforward women, such as Huang Rong and Xiao Longnv; they say what they mean without pretense. Seeing Li Mochou today and hearing her words, without mentioning sect origins, he felt she was also a person of genuine feeling.

Li Mochou saw Zhou Botong's innocent, endearing expression and smiled, "Have you seen my ancestral grandmother?"

Zhou Botong shook his head: "I haven't seen her, but I heard my senior brother speak of her." He and Wang Zhongyang were close friends; besides telling him, no one else was qualified to hear such matters.

Li Mochou's face changed, and she sneered, "Wang Zhongyang is a fake Daoist, yet he has the nerve to mention my ancestral grandmother in front of you."

Zhou Botong's body trembled slightly, and he let out an uncertain grunt.

He revered Wang Zhongyang above all, refusing to allow anyone to show him disrespect; merely recalling that his senior brother had said Lin Chaoying died young in the ancient tomb due to his fault, he saw no need to argue.

Feng Yi said, "Old Urchin, you weren't just following those people a moment ago? How did you end up here?"

He did not know how to enter Jueqing Gu, but recalling that in the original story this old man had caused a great disturbance to prevent Xiao Longnv from marrying Gongsun Zhi, drawing Yang Guo and others here, his sudden, mysterious appearance now perhaps meant he knew the way into Jueqing Gu.

Feng Yi is not one to act without profit, yet he is quite pragmatic. He casually mentioned Xiao Longnv's matter to Yang Guo, which was kind-hearted.

If he were to prevent Xiao Longnv from marrying Gongsun Zhi, he would have to search the boundless mountain range for Jueqing Gu without any clue.

After all, the people of Jueqing Gu only occasionally leave the valley to procure daily supplies; had it not been for Gongsun Zhi wanting to give Xiao Longnv a grand wedding, he likely would not have even encountered these disciples buying cloth, and if so, when would he ever find it?

The effort versus reward was not proportional; he felt it was not worth it.

If someone showed him the way, it would be much easier—a simple task at hand—and he would not begrudge playing the role of a chivalrous hero.

Zhou Botong heard this, hehehed with a smile, and said, "You've seen them too; that group is really interesting, wearing flashy multicolored clothes—I don't know what era they're from, but they look nice."

Saying that, he sprang up with a swish, tugging his beard, and said with an endearing smile, "I heard them say that the valley chief wants to take a new wife…"

Suddenly lowering his voice, his eyes darting left and right, he said, "Let me tell you, those so-called island masters and valley chiefs are all old fogeys; taking a new wife—that's truly the epitome of an old lecher."

Feng Yi heard this, his childlike heart stirred, and he laughed, "Yeah, you and I see eye to eye; I also heard about this and was preparing to give him a troublemaking welcome, but…"

Zhou Botong, by nature mischievous, upon hearing he wanted to cause trouble, opened his eyes wide like copper bells, clapped and laughed loudly, "You want to cause trouble, but you don't know the way—that's why you're worried, right?"

Feng Yi nodded with a smile and asked, "Do you know which way they went?"

Zhou Botong replied, "Of course I know; I just went with them to…"

Saying that, his figure flickered and he lunged to grab Feng Yi's right shoulder.

Feng Yi saw his hand come at him with extraordinary speed yet without any gust of wind, and couldn't help praising, "Old Urchin truly lives up to his reputation."

His thoughts were like lightning; the opponent's claw arrived instantly, within half a foot of him; his shoulders twitched slightly, and with a swish he shot away like an arrow from a bow, retreating more than ten feet in an instant.

Zhou Botong couldn't help but stare; his grab was not only swift beyond compare but also concealed dozens of variations and dozens of killing techniques, meant to leave him nowhere to dodge or escape—yet he never expected that a mere shrug of the opponent's shoulders would silently neutralize the force of his claw.

Such speed in movement was unprecedented; he stared and asked, "Is this Lin Chaoying's lightness skill?"

Li Mochou heard it, gave a faint smile, and said, "How about that—does it beat your Quanzhen Sect's lightness skill?"

Feng Yi cleared his throat and said, "Old Urchin, if you want to spar with me, there will be plenty of chances later; we're running late, afraid we won't make it in time—the valley chief's martial arts are also quite novel, I guarantee you've never seen anything like it!"

The Old Urchin, obsessed with martial arts, could not help but rejoice and said, "All right, it's settled—if we fight, you're not allowed to steal my moves!"

Feng Yi replied, "That's only natural; this time I'm going to snatch the bride, I don't want to fight."

These words made no sense; Li Mochou's face showed astonishment, and Zhou Botong was even more startled, jumping about like a child and shouting, "Good, good, snatch the bride, hurry hurry!" His body swayed, swifter than wind and lightning, as he darted into the woods.

Feng Yi and Li Mochou held hands, their steps light and graceful, following behind at a distance that was neither close nor far; upon leaving the forest, they saw rolling hills, towering cliffs on both sides, and strangely shaped rocks.

Suddenly they heard a booming water sound; drawing near, they found it was a deep gorge where two mountain cliffs flanked a rushing torrent, the mountains high, the water swift, roaring like thunder.

Zhou Botong stopped his steps and said, "Those people went in from here; I was thinking of finding a place to sleep, then sneaking in after dark."

It turned out he had been resting in the treetop just before; Feng Yi and Li Mochou entered, and he hadn't noticed.

Li Mochou gazed into the distance at the mountains, seeing nothing but verdant blue embracing clouds and mist, which instantly made one feel refreshed and delighted; she said, "This place is truly beautiful."

Feng Yi said, "The scenery may be beautiful, but the master is the ugliest person in the world."

Zhou Botong's eyes widened at this, and he asked, "Is that really true?"

Feng Yi smiled without speaking, thinking, "The master here will alter his own martial arts to make it the spouse of supreme skill, having his tendons severed and being shoved into a crocodile pool—surely that's hideous enough!"

Li Mochou said, "Let's just go in directly; why wait here?"

She whose fame shakes the world, accompanied by Feng Yi and the Old Urchin, would find even a dragon's pool and tiger's den no obstacle.

Zhou Botong said, "At a glance I can tell you've never been a thief; we're going to cause trouble, so we must sneak in—what's the point of marching in boldly?"

Feng Yi chuckled and said, "That's true; in this regard we're no match for you, old Daoist."

These words struck Zhou Botong deep inside; his face flushed and he said, "All right, then let's go in now!"

Saying that, he led the way forward, urging the two to keep up; here the woods were deep and secluded, strange rocks hung in midair; as they rushed to the valley mouth, what they met was towering trees within, and as the few of them entered, light and shadow shifted, opening up into a bright expanse.

They saw the hills bright bluish-green, a small stream threading through, mountain flowers already sprouting red, wild grasses embroidered in deep green; the spring breeze rippled, the clear current like brocade; tall bamboo and supple willows vied for verdure along the banks.

Here, surrounded on all sides by mountains, the north wind does not reach, so the earth's qi is warm and moist, flowers bloom in all seasons, embroidering the stream banks like a brocade rug.

From time to time the group could see a couple of cranes, herds of white deer, squirrels and rabbits, birds chirping; whether beasts or birds, they showed no alarm at people, a scene of perfect tranquility.

Nobody expected that this deep mountain secluded valley would have such scenery, especially Feng Yi and Li Mochou, who have endured incessant slaughter, misfortune and scheming, lovers' ups and downs, etc., in the mortal world; this kind of paradisiacal secluded spot is truly hard to come by in dreams.

Li Mochou chuckled twice and said leisurely, 'If we could stay here long, it wouldn't be in vain!'

Feng Yi laughed and said, 'Good, then we'll seize this valley and let you be the valley lord's lady!'

Li Mochou replied delightedly, 'Really?'

Feng Yi said carefree, 'That's only natural!'

Li Mochou's eyes reddened, and she said hoarsely, 'Feng Yi, don't ruin your reputation for me!'

Feng Yi actually has done everything from burning, killing, looting to cheating and deceit, but it varies depending on the person.

Therefore he dislikes confronting good people directly and prefers facing bad and evil people, because that way he can act without scruple and feel at ease.

As for seizing Gongsun Zhi's Jueqing Valley, he has no psychological burden whatsoever; however Li Mochou thinks he is doing it for her.

Feng Yi laughed and said, 'Ah, Mochou, don't think too highly of me; I feel embarrassed taking from good people, but I never tire of taking from bad ones!'

Li Mochou glanced at him, her gaze suddenly cold as frost: 'Well then, did you originally seize me because I am a bad person?'

Feng Yi's expression dimmed, and he sighed, 'Is that really the case?'

'You really won't praise yourself!' Li Mochou spat, 'Can't you speak more pleasantly? After all, you are Hero Feng!'

'Heroes are supposed to sacrifice themselves for others, but I have no interest in that!' Feng Yi said, 'Moreover, in this life, why hide and conceal? Just do what you think.'

Li Mochou laughed and said, 'Then abducting a bride is also your idea, right?'

Feng Yi's face flushed red as he said, 'Taking people's things needs a pretext, right? Your junior sister promised to marry me; if someone tries to take my wife, I'll take his estate— isn't that just and proper? Otherwise who would be convinced? We can't possibly kill everyone in this valley.'

Li Mochou pondered and said, 'What if my junior sister is rescued?'

Feng Yi laughed and said, 'She has legs and feet— who would care?'

Li Mochou gave him a sideways glance: 'I hope your heart and words are consistent!'

Suddenly Feng Yi asked, 'Where is Zhou Botong?'

Li Mochou looked around; Zhou Botong had long since disappeared somewhere unknown!

Feng Yi pondered and said, 'Zhou Botong must have sneaked into the valley; we should also sneak in.'

Inside there is a poisonous flower called the love flower; we must be extremely careful not to get pricked by it!

Li Mochou smiled and said, 'Thank you for your concern, husband; I understand.'

As a veteran of the jianghu, how could she not know that when the situation is unclear, one must take extra precautions?

But any woman hopes her man will care for her and even more, shield her from wind and rain.

Feng Yi took Li Mochou's hand and they rushed into the valley. After two turns, they saw flowers blooming profusely by the path, smelled fragrant breezes, and saw white rabbits and small deer darting about, utterly adorable, filling them with indescribable refreshment and delight. Li Mochou couldn't help thinking, 'If he could always be willing to walk beside me, I would truly wish to stay here forever and never leave the valley.'

Thinking to look at the flower trees, they saw the branches and leaves covered with tiny thorns, yet the petals were extraordinarily beautiful— like a rose but more fragrant, like a camellia but more gorgeous— and she said, 'This flower is so lovely; I've never seen anything like it.'

Feng Yi laughed and said, 'This must be the love flower; it looks beautiful but is actually quite harmful.'

Li Mochou nodded and said, 'You are indeed well learned.'

Feng Yi's expression suddenly changed and he said, 'Come out!'

As his words fell, a shadow flashed; four green-clad figures darted out from beside the path— three men and one woman— their movements extremely agile, quite impressive.

The girl bowed deeply to the two and said, 'Our place is remote and rarely visited by outsiders; today honored guests have arrived— how fortunate. May I ask what brings you here?'

The two saw she was about seventeen or eighteen, with tender skin, crystalline snow-white complexion, clear eyes, a tiny black mole at the corner of her mouth, and very beautiful features.

Li Mochou then said, 'My junior sister has gone missing nearby; I heard the valley lord wishes to take a wife, so I came to have a look.'

The girl thought a moment, then understood and sighed, 'My father intends to marry his stepmother, but you must not say that to him, or if he learns the disciples are speaking of it outside, he will fly into a rage!'

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Feng Yi thought to himself, 'With such a kind heart, this must be Gongsun Lü E!'

He then said, 'All right, we won't mention it; may we trouble you to take us to see your father and his newly wed wife?'

The girl hesitated and did not answer.

Li Mochou laughed and said, 'Whether your stepmother is indeed my junior sister is still unknown; may I ask her surname and name, if it's convenient to reveal?'

Seeing her beautiful and amiable appearance, the girl said, 'Without my father's permission, I dare not take you there, nor dare I reveal the stepmother's surname; let me first report to you.'

Li Mochou, hearing her repeatedly say 'stepmother,' felt displeased; Feng Yi gave a slight nod and said, 'Then we'll trouble you.'

The girl said, 'Follow me, both of you.'

Saying this, she led the two to a stone house.

Feng Yi knew Gongsun Lü E was a kind woman, while Li Mochou remained on guard; upon entering the stone house, they found it empty save for a few tables and chairs.

The four green-clad men and women followed them inside, and the girl said, 'You have come from afar and must be hungry; allow us to serve you a meal.'

Four people went to the kitchen to fetch dishes; soon a spread was laid out: four large bowls of vegetables— green ones were greens, white ones were tofu and radish, yellow ones were bean sprouts, black ones were shiitake mushrooms— not a single dish contained meat or fish.

Li Mochou, having grown up accustomed to ancient tombs and later entered the Daoist path, didn't mind it at all; Feng Yi, having lived two lives, however, cannot do without meat and had no appetite.

One of the green-clad persons said, 'Our valley abstains from meat and fish; please excuse us, honored guests. Please enjoy your meal.'

Saying this, they produced a large porcelain bottle and filled the two guests' bowls with clear, limpid white water.

Li Mochou lifted her bowl and took a small sip; finding it bland and tasteless, yet it was plain water, she frowned slightly and asked, 'Is this water?'

A green-clad person said, 'In our valley the use of alcohol is forbidden; this has been the ancestral teaching for hundreds of years; please excuse us, honored guests.'

The woman said, 'We have only seen the two characters for "fine wine" in books; we have never actually seen what fine wine looks like. The books say wine can disrupt one's nature, so it probably isn't anything good.'

Having said that, the four withdrew and did not return.

Li Mochou said, 'What kind of place is this, given how familiar you seem with it? Have you been here before?'

Feng Yi was taken aback and didn't know how to answer.

Li Mochou lowered her voice in a reproachful tone: 'You ask me whether Yang Guo is a match for my junior sister; objectively speaking, he is handsome, his martial arts are high, and he is not utterly heartless or unrighteous; knowing my junior sister is to marry you, that lost‑soul look of his truly tugs at the heart.'

Feng Yi said sourly, 'My fairy thinks so highly of him?'

Li Mochou sighed: 'It's a pity that their master‑disciple relationship is too great an obstacle!'

The two fell into a brief silence, then hastily ate a little meal.

Feng Yi suddenly said, "Let's go check it out."

Li Mochou's mind raced, and she said, "This place is very mysterious; we'll see the valley master tomorrow and then see if it's my junior sister before saying more."

Feng Yi said, "That woman has left; we can just follow her."

As he spoke, he walked out of the stone house, only to hear someone shout, "Gui—"

Before a single word could be spoken, Feng Yi had already sealed the two's acupoints.

Feng Yi pulled Li Mochou along as they moved stealthily.

This Jueqing Gu has always been hidden, never had any trouble; moreover, the place is full of love flowers, leading to lax defenses. What's more, Feng Yi and Li Mochou both possess top-tier lightness skill, treading without touching dust, as if riding the wind, making no sound, so the two ahead noticed nothing.

Several people arrived at a vast, dense bamboo grove; a fresh fragrance welled up, and the two were stunned—before them stood an estate mainly built on stilts, with endless expanses of daffodils before their eyes.

Actually, beneath lay a shallow pond, no deeper than a foot, filled with daffodils; this flower is a southern thing, appearing on the mountaintops between Guanzhong and Luoyang, brimming with natural harmony.

Only then did Gongsun Lü E say, "I'll go report to my father; you go to the alchemy room."

"Yes!"

Feng Yi saw the two part ways and thought, "With so many buildings, where should I go to find Xiao Longnv's quarters?"

As he was pondering, a fragrant breeze blew, and from the opposite walkway came two maiden-like attendants, swaying gently.

One of them said, "Elder sister, the new lady's mood is terrible today—you'd better be careful."

The other replied gratefully, "Younger sister, I will. Alas, the valley master treats her this way, yet she remains unhappy..."

Feng Yi and Li Mochou exchanged a glance, then hurriedly followed the two maidservants. After several turns, the maids entered a separate garden, passed through an archway, where a row of bamboo stood; they wound through the bamboo grove, went past the stone pavilion, and arrived before the residence of a luxurious villa.

Feng Yi and Li Mochou, light as feathers, landed soundlessly on the eaves of the building.

The two then heard a man inside give a long laugh, and the two maidservants hastily halted.

The man said, "Liu sister, worldly love and hatred are largely the same. Yet fate is predetermined; for you to meet me is indeed my fortune, Gongsun Zhi's, and also your luck.

For all things born under heaven possess mysteries; as for love, not to mention you could not handle it—no one in the world can! Thus, as the master of Jueqing Gu encountering Liu sister...

"Enough, no more talk—you should rest; the grand wedding is the day after tomorrow!"

No sooner had the words fallen than a man in blue robes stepped out; the person following him caused Li Mochou's heart to jolt, her mind dazed, almost making her fall.

It turned out to be her own junior sister, Xiao Longnv; she was still astonished that Feng Yi could have guessed this, finding it utterly unbelievable.

Xiao Longnv's face was full of worry and bewilderment, her expression dazed; after not seeing her for days, she had grown much thinner.

Anyone seeing her appearance would want to soothe her heartache and give her comfort; Feng Yi was no exception, unable to help thinking, "This woman too has been driven mad by love and reality, yet that old coot Gongsun Zhi actually would PUA Xiao Longnv!"

But then again, Xiao Longnv, inexperienced as she is in worldly affairs, would not truly agree to marry just anyone; could she be after this old man because he's older than Yang Guo?

"Liu sister, get some rest—I'm leaving!"

The valley master walked to the door, turned, and bowed.

Xiao Longnv said with worry, "Mr. Gongsun, don't let them come again—I don't need servants."

The valley master gave a slight smile: "Good!" He flicked his sleeve and turned away.

The two maidservants then followed him out.

Li Mochou saw that he was handsome and suave, with a faint beard on his upper lip and chin; just that bow and stride gave him an air of lofty dignity, yet his face, though delicate, was sallow, slightly ill‑looking, and he appeared to be about forty‑five or forty‑six—how could he be a match for my junior sister?

Xiao Longnv watched the valley master depart, then returned to her room. Feng Yi hung upside down by a golden hook and peered inside, seeing the chamber lavishly adorned, with white jade walls inlaid with gleaming night pearls that shone brightly.

Xiao Longnv sat on the bed, propping her chin, brows tightly knit, lost in thought, letting out a soft sigh.

Li Mochou, heedless of all else, flew through the window and blurted, "Junior sister!"

Xiao Longnv suddenly turned, her dark brows lifting, and said, "Senior sister, how did you end up here?"

Before Li Mochou could answer, she suddenly heard someone laugh, "This is the wonderful mystery of fate!"

Before the person arrived, the laughter was heard first. Xiao Longnv's face turned ashen gray, and she stammered, "You, you too have come?"

Li Mochou glanced at her and gave a wry smile, "Junior sister, why put yourself through this?"

A flash of blush crossed Xiao Longnv's face; she slightly opened her mouth, involuntarily trembling, a wave of dizziness before her eyes, she struggled to sit up and hoarsely said, "Senior sister, I..."

Seeing Xiao Longnv tremble like a leaf in autumn wind, Li Mochou sighed, stepped forward, took her hand, and said, "Is it that valley master forcing you? I'll kill him for you!"

Xiao Longnv tightly gripped Li Mochou's hand, saying, "Senior sister, senior sister, I feel awful—I finally understand the pain you once felt..." Her eyes heated, and tears began to flow.

"You two," Feng Yi said with a faint smile, "mouthing off about killing each other, yet at the crucial moment you show deep sisterly affection..."

Li Mochou gave him a fierce stare and snapped, "If you don't kill that valley master who deceived my junior sister, see if I'll ever pay you any heed again!"

Feng Yi couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Speaking of the feelings between Li Mochou and Xiao Longnv, they are quite subtle.

In the original plot, when Li Mochou was at her wit's end, her final plea was for Xiao Longnv to kill her, because she said that as an Ancient Tomb sect disciple, she could not die at others' hands.

But Xiao Longnv was reluctant; upon learning that Li Mochou had been poisoned by the love flower, she also wished to save her. When Li Mochou finally stepped into the sea of fire, Xiao Longnv broke her usual coldness, calling out for her senior sister, and even stared blankly as tears streamed down.

Clearly, that bond of sister‑disciples cannot be erased merely by having them fight each other.

(End of chapter)