Chapter 143

Gongsun Zhi's ancestors moved here to avoid the An-Shi Rebellion; though their family martial arts were exquisite, they had many flaws. After Qiu Qianchi married Gongsun Zhi, she not only imparted all her martial arts, but also painstakingly filled in the gaps of his family's martial arts.

When powerful enemies attacked, it was Qiu Qianchi who risked her life to repel them, thereby making her the current master of Jueqing Gu.

But when Gongsun Zhi severed Qiu Qianchi's hand and foot tendons and pushed her into the crocodile pool, they lost all affection. Thus Feng Yi said Qiu Qianchi's death was good, and Gongsun Zhi heartily agreed, thinking: 'That hag has long been a pile of bones; still she could cause me trouble—she truly deserves to die!'

But this could not be spoken aloud; moreover, in front of his disciples he always posed as a moralist advocating benevolence and righteousness, and even before Xiao Longnv, his beloved, he had to put on an appearance of righteous indignation to show his deep feelings for his deceased wife.

Everyone saw only that the valley master's face was gloomy, as if dark clouds held no rain; his eyes gleamed with shifting light, making his sallow skin look even more sinister.

Gongsun Zhi clapped his palms together, producing a clear, metallic ring, as if striking steel, and said in a grim tone: 'The dead are gone; you dare slander my late wife—I will make you know my Iron Palm…'

"Your Iron Palm?" Feng Yi chuckled: "Any educated person knows that the Iron Palm is the famed skill of Qiu Qianren, who could glide on water with his Iron Palm. You merely learned this trick by selling your looks to someone's sister, and here you boast shamelessly."

Qiu Qianren's name resounded throughout the martial world; although during the second Hua Shan sword discussion he became a disciple of Yideng Master and kept a low profile, his great Iron Palm Gang likewise faded away for twenty years. Yet his prestige remains.

Although the disciples of Jueqing Gu were unaware, Gongsun Zhi's heart pounded, for Qiu Qianren had once sent him a letter seeking to refute and deny this matter; moreover, he felt Xiao Longnv was an outsider, and if she had heard of the Iron Palm and seen it, his refusal to acknowledge it would make him a petty person.

He wanted to speak but held back, feeling stifled with anger.

Feng Yi sighed deeply and said softly: "This is also normal; you know the lady has a beloved, yet you use favors to coerce her into marrying you—such despicable conduct you would carry out, and to speak such ungrateful, heaven-defying words is no surprise."

The valley master smiled faintly: "You seek revenge for your deceased wife—that's fine, but Liu Mei married me sincerely; I have never forced her! The beloved you mention—could it be you?" His tone was full of contempt.

After he rescued Xiao Longnv, he realized she was troubled by love; from the moment Feng Yi appeared, he furtively watched Xiao Longnv's expression. Wanting to judge their relationship, he saw that Xiao Longnv remained cold toward Feng Yi from start to finish, so he knew they had no romantic involvement, and his mind was set at ease.

As for Feng Yi's thoughts, in his view they were of little importance—at most, like him, merely lusting after her beauty.

Such things are unavoidable, after all, in his eyes Xiao Longnv's beauty is unmatched under heaven!

Hearing this, Feng Yi fell silent, thinking: 'How can this old man have such profound self-control?'

He was quite puzzled; he remembered that Gongsun Zhi was easily broken through when facing Yang Guo, so why was he not so with me?

Since he decided to seize Jueqing Gu, it certainly wasn't just a matter of defeating and killing Gongsun Zhi; he must create a contrast, so as to ruin Gongsun Zhi's reputation and status, while on one hand making it easy for him to take over, and on the other seeking a different kind of stimulation.

Directly beating evil people to death, to him, holds no pleasure at all!

He intends to later force Gongsun Zhi to admit verbally that he killed Qiu Qianchi; as for Qiu Qianchi still trapped in the crocodile pool, he has no interest in rescuing her—let that old woman amuse herself with date pits there, that's fine.

Thus Gongsun Zhi's current performance naturally surprises him. He knows well that if Gongsun Zhi does not break his defenses, even if subdued, he would not admit to killing his wife; if killed outright, it would surely bring many troubles.

After all, he did not kill the Jueqing Gu disciples together with Gongsun Lüè; outright slaughter is absolutely unacceptable!

He did not know that Gongsun Zhi's mind was deep, his cultivation high, his self-control far beyond ordinary; facing the original plot's Yang Guo losing face, it was because Xiao Longnv had feelings for him, and he could not obtain the beauty, thus he was greatly enraged, his jealousy surging, and he also felt they were indeed a pair, so this caused his defenses to break; otherwise he would disdain to fight Yang Guo.

Moreover, the internal cultivation of Jueqing Gu originally teaches one to discard love and sever desire, no different from the Ancient Tomb Sect.

But where there is life, there is feeling; Buddhism calls sentient beings 'having feeling'—not only men, women, old and young, but also cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, fish, birds, snakes, insects, etc., all possess feeling; if living beings truly lacked feeling, they would face extinction and could not reproduce.

Therefore, suppressing desires with internal energy greatly violates human and natural nature; it is acting against heaven, far from the proper path.

Thus, Xiao Longnv, Yang Guo, Li Mochou, Gongsun Zhi, and Lü E, once their emotions are stirred, are like a bursting flood—unstoppable—and will act in ways beyond ordinary imagination, seeming utterly bizarre.

Thus, Gongsun Zhi regards Feng Yi merely as an enemy, also feeling he is not easy to provoke; as the valley master, before his disciples and beloved, he fears losing face if defeated, not jealousy, and would not let a few words disturb his mind.

Xiao Longnv suddenly shook her head and sighed, 'Mr. Gongsun, since your late wife has passed, you might as well spare Feng Yi—you cannot defeat him.'

Hearing this, Gongsun Zhi was slightly startled, but a surge of pride rose in his chest; he thought his martial arts were unrivaled under heaven, save for Qiu Qianren, whom should he fear? To be afraid of this petty boy would be laughable.

In an instant, his eyes flashed, locking firmly on Feng Yi, and he spoke softly: 'Junior Sister Liu, though my Jueqing Gu is not a remarkable place, it is not somewhere just anyone can come and shout their name—just watch!'

He intended to embarrass Feng Yi in front of his beloved, and with a strike of both palms he unleashed his full strength.

The fierce, unmatched gust resembled a shore‑splitting surge, blowing Feng Yi's clothes and hair; Li Mochou and Xiao Longnv, several zhang behind him, felt a hot wave hit their faces, the force astonishing to hear.

Both felt a slight tremor in their hearts, then saw Gongsun Zhi turn his palms upward, black qi seeping from his palms, looking even more terrifying under the dim moonlight.

Feng Yi gave a cold snort: 'Your claws are hard, and so is your mouth!' He waved both palms and stepped forward to meet him.

He knew the Iron Palm technique was fiercer than the Eighteen Dragon‑Subduing Palms, lest he capsize in a gutter; he increased his strength to eighty percent. He had only used seventy percent of his internal energy just now, and Gongsun Zhi already appeared inferior.

Gongsun Zhi, still confident his divine skill was invincible, saw that Feng Yi's internal energy was deep but his palm strength fell short of his own; after Xiao Longnv's remark, he was filled with fighting spirit.

Their palm forces clashed, making a thudding sound; a fierce wind howled, hot waves surged upward, the power like seawater overflowing in all directions.

Xiao Longnv and Li Mochou stared intently and saw that Gongsun Zhi possessed deep internal energy, though his palm technique was not particularly unusual.

Xiao Longnv inexplicably felt it familiar; she suddenly recalled that Wanyan Ping had used it in her battle against Yelu Qi, but Gongsun Zhi's palm technique far surpassed hers by an unknown degree.

His moves were tight and complete, each palm strike sharp and ruthless. Feng Yi's mysterious skill penetrated the divine; with casual sweeps of his hands he neutralized the opponent's torrent‑like attacks, meanwhile pondering the opponent's palm path to feel the power of the Iron Palm technique.

Gongsun Zhi grew more astonished the longer they fought; he had cultivated a unique, peculiar martial art that could seal his own meridians—though he dared not claim bronze skin and iron bones, impervious to blades and spears, his striking force was immense, and ordinary martial arts landing on him felt like scratching an itch through a boot.

Yet upon exchanging palm force with Feng Yi, he felt his arms sore and numb, his qi and blood churning; he could not help thinking secretly, 'How can this boy be so formidable? It seems Junior Sister Liu's words were not false. If I were to lose to him today…… if I were to lose to him……'

Suddenly a long laugh rang out: 'Haha, Iron Palm!' Though his voice was not loud, it could not be drowned out by the two men's whooshing palm winds.

The valley master's heart jolted; he withdrew his palms and stepped back, shouting, 'Who is it!'

Feng Yi knew the Old Urchin had arrived, and wishing to win people's hearts, he did not pursue.

Then a figure leapt in with a hollow somersault, swift as flowing light; upon landing, he spun like a top beside Feng Yi, shouting, 'I'm dying of heat, I'm dying of heat!'

Feng Yi felt the Old Urchin had stuffed things into his cloth sack and his bosom, but he did not refuse and had no time to examine them.

The Old Urchin stopped moving; everyone focused their gaze and saw an old man, his face red as fire, white vapor steaming from his whole body, as if he had just emerged from a steamer, continually calling out that he was hot.

Feng Yi and Li Mochou exchanged a bewildered smile; seeing her senior sister laugh, Xiao Longnv furrowed her brows slightly and asked, 'You know him—who is he?'

Li Mochou replied, 'His name is Zhou Botong, the junior martial brother of Wang Zhongyang, the uncle-master of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, known as the Old Urchin!'

Xiao Longnv gave an 'oh'.

Zhou Botong rubbed his hands all over his body and hurriedly said, 'Little brother, weren't you said to have snatched a bride and fought—so you wouldn't compete with me over that?'

As soon as these words were spoken, the disciples of Jueqing Gu were all shocked and angry; Feng Yi had just said he came to seek revenge on Qiu Qianren, yet his companions now claimed they were here to abduct a bride.

Who is the bride here?

Isn't it just the new mistress? Utterly lustful and brazen; the disciples felt deeply humiliated, and if not for the valley's strict rules, they would have already cursed loudly.

Lü E felt a secret delight; setting aside Xiao Longnv's unmatched beauty, she did not wish her father to take a new wife.

Feng Yi smiled and said in a graceful tone, 'You appear and disappear mysteriously; I have no choice but to seek instruction from the valley master.'

Gongsun Zhi's face turned pallid, and he said darkly, 'Are you truly here to avenge my deceased wife? I fear you are merely a lust‑driven shameless scoundrel.'

Feng Yi thought, 'This old fellow is golden on the outside but rotten within—yet he is quite crafty.'

He smiled faintly and said, 'Even though one's status when out in the world is self‑made, what does my revenge have to do with snatching a bride? If you're unhappy, you could also claim that my wife killed your master and come to me for vengeance—that would be acceptable too.'

none.

A real man doesn't always speak his mind, does he?

Gongsun Zhi, confident in his status, was left speechless by his own words, and could only look toward Xiao Longnv, saying, 'Liu Mei…'

Li Mochou was very displeased, cutting off the conversation, she said: "Old Urchin, you're not here for a fight, but you come quickly for mischief!"

Zhou Botong, while waving his hand to fan himself, hehe laughed and said: "What wrong have I done? Today I have rendered great service; later you won't even have time to thank me!"

Gongsun Zhi also didn't know whether today he had offended the Tai Sui or what; his thought not yet finished, he saw several green-clad disciples running over, paying respects to the valley master, one said: "Valley Master, an old man set fire, and caused a ruckus in the Scripture, Sword, Elixir, and Ganoderma rooms, burning books, stealing swords, kicking the furnace, breaking the ganoderma..."

Another green-clad disciple pointed at Zhou Botong, angrily said: "It's him!"

Zhou Botong burst out laughing, hands on hips, his eyes turning to Gongsun Zhi, he said: "Call out Qiu Qianren so I can fight him!" Actually, Feng Yi and Li Mochou had thought Zhou Botong entered the valley before them, but he was in fact hiding behind the rocks; only after seeing Feng Yi and Li Mochou really sneak into the valley did he follow them.

After all, Li Mochou had the reputation of a demonic master; if Feng Yi were colluding with others to scheme against him, he would have to flee.

He is also very shrewd.

Zhou Botong's lightness skill is superb, coming and going without a trace; Feng Yi and Li Mochou were only concerned with enjoying the mountains and waters, later also following Lü E, yet they never noticed.

When Zhou Botong saw Xiao Longnv speaking with Feng Yi and Li Mochou, indeed it was the dainty maiden who wanted to marry the old man; this let him know Feng Yi and Li Mochou were not plotting against him, and he also became quite angry.

He then set a fire, taking advantage of others putting it out, he ran to the elixir room, spouting nonsense nonstop, saying he wanted to tell a story, and also wanted to bet on somersaults; suddenly he kicked over a furnace of elixir with a flying kick.

Then he ran to the ganoderma room and broke a ganoderma over four hundred years old into two pieces.

And this ganoderma, having grown for over four hundred years, is extremely precious.

Gongsun Zhi had originally planned to take the medicine together with Xiao Longnv on their wedding day, but the Old Urchin took it away; not only that, he then rushed into the study, grabbed a book and began to read.

The Jueqing Gu disciples tried to stop him, but they couldn't; he then tore up several Daoist scriptures in one breath, and ran to the sword room.

He told the sword-room disciples, "There are too many weapons here, hung haphazardly, they almost stabbed me," then he started another fire, burning all the calligraphy and paintings on the sword-room walls to ashes.

=9+book_bar

Although the valley disciples were busy putting out the fire, the Old Urchin, having set fires repeatedly, was also scorched by the heat, so he came to look for Feng Yi.

Gongsun Zhi listened to the disciples' report, remaining silent, because he knew someone had set fire; after hearing his daughter's report, he hurried over to see Xiao Longnv.

At this moment, hearing that Zhou Botong and Feng Yi had come to spoil his plans, he felt that unless he tortured them to death, he could not vent his anger.

But after thinking it over, dealing with several people here would not be easy; he made up his mind and said to Zhou Botong: "As far as I know, your wife's elder brother Qiu Qianren has taken refuge in Buddhism, becoming a disciple of Master Yideng; you should not come to my valley to look for him!"

Zhou Botong laughed and said: "So he's the brother-in-law of the old Qiu!"

Gongsun Zhi said: "Old sir, your skills are extraordinary; I am deeply impressed. My ancestors moved here to seclude themselves during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and for hundreds of years we have never had so many distinguished guests; please come inside and be served tea."

Zhou Botong rolled his eyes and said: "Then did your ancestors ever see Yang Guifei?"

The valley master said: "My ancestor indeed served as an official during Emperor Xuanzong's reign; seeing Yang Guozhong corrupt the court, he angrily withdrew into seclusion."

Zhou Botong gave a gurgling laugh and said: "Then your ancestors must have drunk Yang Guifei's foot-washing water."

This remark suddenly made the atmosphere tense.

All the disciples of Jueqing Gu looked toward the valley master; as soon as he gave an order, they would immediately act.

Gongsun Zhi stared fixedly at Zhou Botong, smiling slightly, and said: "Old sir, you're quite old; in our place you speak without restraint and act in a topsy-turvy manner— isn't that laughable to others?"

"Out of consideration for Sister Liu, as long as you return what you stole, you may leave!"

Zhou Botong shouted: "You're so old, yet you still want to marry a beautiful young maiden as your wife— you old fool completely lack self-awareness, hehe, how ridiculous!"

Within a day, everyone said he was not worthy of Xiao Longnv; even though Gongsun Zhi had deep composure, he now felt as if a series of great iron hammers were striking his chest, and a flush rose over his sallow face.

Gongsun Zhi's eyes turned cold; he clapped his hands three times and shouted: "Seize this old man!"

The green-clad disciples behind him answered in unison; sixteen people took positions in the four directions, and with a sudden whoosh, each group of four held a fishing net about a zhang square, simultaneously unfurling them to encircle Zhou Botong.

Feng Yi had long known about Jueqing Gu's fishing-net formation; at this moment he wanted to take the opportunity to observe, so he not only remained silent but also stepped back beside Li Mochou and Xiao Longnv.

Gongsun Zhi did not know his intention, still thinking he was afraid, and thought to himself: "I must let you see the methods of Jueqing Gu." He then clapped his hands three times again.

The sixteen green-clad disciples crossed and changed positions, shrinking the encirclement by a few steps; the four fishing nets were arranged horizontally or vertically, flat or diagonal, constantly shifting.

The fishing net was made of twisted gold and steel threads; under the moonlight it glimmered. Zhou Botong's eyesight being what it is, he saw at once that the formation was indeed exquisite, that even a sharp blade could not cut it immediately, and moreover, a net-like object is the best counter to palm wind and fist force.

In the midst of his thoughts, Lü E gave a delicate shout, and the four nets responded instantly, moving like four walls pressing in.

Zhou Botong knew that once wrapped in these nets he would find it hard to escape; he immediately became like a civet cat, darting forward, while Lü E gave a sharp cry of "Rise!" and the four disciples swished a net to ensnare him.

However, the momentum slightly waned; Zhou Botong immediately performed a reverse Seven Stars step, retreating backward while suddenly leaping up and jumping to the left, calling out: "Oh dear, little brother, Old Urchin doesn't want to be a fish— you play by yourself!"

This advance, retreat, and leap were as fast as lightning; before he finished speaking, he had already landed outside the net.

But as soon as his foot touched the ground, a piercing whistle rang out, his vision darkened, and Fan Yiweng had already leapt into the air to press down.

He was the second-ranked expert in the valley, defeated by Feng Yi, his expression dull, he had remained silent; seeing this old man also act so recklessly, he immediately moved to block him.

Zhou Botong turned around and saw that, as Fan Yiweng thrust out his palms, a huge beard also swept toward him.

Zhou Botong had never seen such a strange thing; his interest immediately spiked, and he laughed: "So a big beard actually has this use?"

He blocked the palm force with both hands, imitating him, and also flung his own long chin whiskers forward.

But his beard was much shorter than Fan Yiweng's, and he had never trained it, so this flick was utterly useless.

With a swish, however, the opponent's beard struck his cheek, instantly raising a fine red line, burning hot and painful; if not for his deep inner strength, he would have fainted on the spot.

The Old Urchin suffered a blow, but instead of getting angry he felt great admiration, saying: "Long-bearded one, my beard cannot match yours; I concede, no need to compete now. When I have trained my beard skill, I'll challenge you again."

Saying this, he rushed out, only to see four green-clad individuals spreading a fishing net; their net‑handling technique was extraordinarily swift and clever, crossing steps as they cast it heaven‑covering and earth‑covering, so even experts would find it hard to cope.

Zhou Botong secretly felt alarmed; Fan Yiweng's move had succeeded, and then he attacked again with both palms and beard together.

Zhou Botong dared not use his beard to counterattack; he flicked his right sleeve to deflect the palm force, and with his left hand executed the "Empty Bright Fist" — a light, floating punch — pushing Fan Yiweng's beard to the right; just then Jueqing Gu disciples lunged forward, forcing the opponent to retreat.

Zhou Botong's scheme succeeded; he laughed heartily, leapt up several zhang, spun in midair, and suddenly executed the "Golden Goose Skill," truly like a cloud‑borne goose, moving sideways several zhang, landing lightly, and instantly vanishing into the darkness.

Zhou Botong's comings and goings were abrupt; Gongsun Zhi's face darkened, and all the disciples were filled with resentment.

They did not know the Old Urchin's abilities nor his reputation in the martial world; they only knew he was a mad, eccentric old man, whom they could not capture, leaving them feeling ashamed.

A disciple of Jueqing Gu glared at Feng Yi and said angrily: "Valley Master, it's all this little devil's mischief that caused trouble, ruined our valley's treasures; please issue an order to avenge our valley's treasures."

Valley Master looked at Xiao Longnv and said, "Liu sister, this person is the culprit; no wonder I (am like this)!"

Xiao Longnv did not answer.

Feng Yi however said, "Stop putting on airs here!"

He looked around and said, "Since I dare come, whatever methods you have, I, Feng Yi, will take them all!"

Gongsun Valley Master chuckled, "Arrogant!" He clapped his hands four times, and sixteen disciples suddenly stepped back quickly.

He ultimately did not dare to fight Feng Yi again, and thought to win by numbers, but in a glance he saw his daughter Lü E slightly shaking her head toward Feng Yi, signalling him to go out quickly. He thought: "Girls are outgoing. This fishnet formation requires everyone to give their all; if anyone does not exert full effort, there will be a loophole."

He shouted: "Lü'er, step back and rest! Shi'er, you replace Senior Sister Lü E!" A boy about fourteen or fifteen stepped forward, glared hatefully at Feng Yi, and followed his fellow disciples away.

Not long after, a light tinkling sound was heard, and the sixteen disciples came out, still holding the fishing net.

Li Mochou and Xiao Longnv, upon seeing the fishing net, both turned pale and felt a chill down their spines.

It turned out that these four fishing nets had been replaced; the nets were covered with inverted hook daggers, flashing cold light, showing they were extremely sharp; whoever got caught in the net would be stabbed all over, with no hope of survival.

Feng Yi, however, lightly flicked his index finger at his waist, actually producing a tinkling sound.

Feng Yi smiled and said: "Valley Master, did you hear that?"

Gongsun Zhi furrowed his brows and said: "What?"

Feng Yi's eyes flashed with cold intent, and he sneered: "It's thirsty!"

Gongsun Zhi raised his eyebrow: "How to quench its thirst?"

(End of chapter)