Chapter 179

Feng Yi left the inn, looked up, the crescent moon hung like a hook, all was silent, the main street deserted, only far off came the occasional chirp of cicadas, like a hermit's sigh.

Feng Yi's eyes showed deep regret, he murmured: "Could it be that every meeting and parting is just fate?"

Actually, while he seemed to be comforting Qiao Feng and Ah Zhu, he was also giving himself solace, or perhaps thinking of the several women in his heart and mind.

This is his greatest ability at present.

However, when Murong Shan appeared, it certainly shattered his beautiful wishes, also plunged Qiao Feng and Ah Zhu into painful entanglement, and he himself seemed to see the likeness of Li Mochou and other women, so he did not want to watch such a scene any longer and left on an empty stomach.

It seemed that human strength could ultimately not withstand destiny.

No matter what, they must undergo this calamity.

Ah Zhu instinctively said, why not let them go find Duan Zhengchun, making the best of a bad situation.

Of course, Duan Zhengchun is her biological father, a secret unknown to anyone.

She did not know, Qiao Feng did not know, Murong Shan also did not know, nor did Murong Bo who adopted her, nor Murong Fu and Ah Bi who grew up with her.

But even though Feng Yi had done this much, he still could not change fate; in an instant he felt disheartened and lazy, unwilling to do anything.

With a flick of his sleeve, he silently departed along the roof, intending to attend to his own affairs.

Feng Yi had run only a little over a li when a subtle, sharp gust of wind darted toward the vital point on his back.

Feng Yi's senses were extremely keen; upon sensing something amiss, without thinking he flicked his sleeve, meeting that sharp wind, which actually produced a faint metallic clang.

Feng Yi shook his sleeve, a tiny silver shuttle fell at his feet; as he turned with the sleeve, he saw a black shadow flash, a person appearing like a ghost, silently standing just behind him at a distance of several zhang.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, clad in black with a masked face; beneath the mask his eyes shone brightly, flickering in the night breeze.

The visitor was an acquaintance.

Feng Yi furrowed his brows and asked, "What's the matter?"

He now only wanted to find a place to translate scriptures, not wishing to stir up trouble, so he did not lose his temper over the ambush.

The black-clad man said in a low voice, "Come with me!!"

Feng Yi replied lightly, "On what basis?"

Their exchange was extremely brief.

Yet these few words, expressed through their demeanor and tone, surpassed thousands of words.

Because one represented commanding with a gesture.

The other was saying, "You're nothing."

The black-clad man possessed superb martial arts, along with experience holding high rank and dazzling battle achievements, so he felt entitled.

While Feng Yi's martial arts were not weak, he lacked notable achievements and was so young, yet his arrogant bearing actually surpassed the man's own.

The black-clad man's eyes, like cold lightning, flickered, already revealing killing intent, also seeming hesitant; he pointed and said, "You merely killed a little Yunzhonghe, and dare to look down on the heroes of the world?"

Feng Yi chuckled, "There are those in the world who make me not dare to look down on them, but a sneak attacker, a masked scoundrel, hum, is not worth my glance."

As he spoke, the black-clad man extended and flexed his hands, his ten fingers snapping loudly, as if enraged; his words had barely fallen when he shot forward like an arrow from a bow, in one leap reaching Feng Yi and thrusting his hands downward to seize him.

This grasp was powerful; as soon as it was launched it enveloped Feng Yi's form within its ten fingers, and if it landed true, it would endanger his life.

Feng Yi praised, "What a fine Dragon Claw Hand!" His joints cracked all over; his left hand's five fingers shot toward the opponent's throat, while his right hand emerged from beneath the elbow to grab the wrist, not only incredibly fast but his arm seeming to have lengthened several inches.

In expert combat, the difference is a hair's breadth; the black-clad man's heart trembled, he exclaimed, "Excellent skill!" His body drifted and flashed; Feng Yi's grasp missed, and he had already moved behind Feng Yi, pressing a palm to his back.

The two leapt and fell like rabbits and hawks, their movements shifting as swiftly as lightning.

Seeing the opponent's exquisite footwork, Feng Yi had no time to turn; he felt the incoming palm fierce and its internal force mighty, so he hastily swept his robe sleeve, slanting his right palm to block the incoming strike.

With a "bang," true qi burst forth, both were shaken; the black-clad man bounced back several zhang, astonished, "You actually know the Dragon Subduing Twenty-Eight Palms!"

Feng Yi's palm was precisely the "God Dragon Swings Tail" of the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms.

This move comes from the "Lu" hexagram of the Book of Changes; in the Dragon Subduing Twenty-Eight Palms it was originally named "Stepping on the Tiger's Tail," akin to attacking a tiger's back, stepping on its tail, provoking it to bite back, naturally fierce and vicious; later practitioners slightly altered the technique, making the strike more fierce, renaming it "God Dragon Swings Tail."

Of course, Qiao Feng has not yet, together with Xu Zhu, changed the Dragon Subduing Twenty-Eight Palms into the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms.

However, the black-clad man had once exchanged moves with Wang Jian Tong, and had even witnessed Qiao Feng's palm technique; he never expected Feng Yi's palm to be even more powerful than Qiao Feng's.

Feng Yi struck back with a palm, shaking him off, and having no wish to entangle further, he said, "You're old, ill, and have already fought Qiao Feng; you're no match for me now." Having said that, he turned and left.

The black-clad man gave a cold snort, again blocked the path, saying, "No wonder you dare be so arrogant; it turns out you've cultivated the Dragon Subduing Palm. But with just that, wanting to meddle is insufficient; do as you please!" Saying that, he flashed his body and ran toward the city outskirts.

Feng Yi felt angry, sneered, "I'll give you a little color, you still want to open a dye shop? Let me see what you're capable of!" Having spoken, he leapt into the air with the vigor of a heavenly horse galloping through the sky, pursuing him.

In the distance the night watchman's clapper sounded, all around fell silent again, as if nothing had happened.

The two displayed their lightness skill, one ahead the other behind, racing toward the city outskirts.

The black-clad man lightly pushed off from rooftops and treetops, his body flashing like swift thunder and lightning across the air.

Feng Yi's Ancient Tomb Sect lightness skill, when deployed, was truly like a swallow skimming water, a meteor streaking across the sky; wind stirred at his ears, yet his feet made no sound, staying just three zhang behind, unable to close the gap.

The black-clad man glanced back, praised, "Excellent lightness skill!" His steps suddenly quickened, his robes billowing like a wind-filled sailboat racing downstream; yet he could not increase his lead over Feng Yi by even a fraction.

Although Tongbai City also had a wall, it was not comparable to a major city, standing only about four zhang high, yet no one could leap over it in a single bound.

The black-clad man did not wait to reach the wall; from afar he flicked his sleeve, a black rope shot from his sleeve, coiled around the wall, and his body rose straight up.

Feng Yi had long seen his rope technique, which was indeed superb; seeing him first ascend the wall, to guard against a sneak attack he did not follow, but after seeing him leap down, he then employed the "Heavenly Ladder" lightness skill, stepping on the wall to fly upward.

After seeing him exit the city and head north, he immediately leapt down and followed; it was then midnight, the moonlight like water.

The two ran like nocturnal phantoms, rising and falling like night owls soaring heavenward, resembling a black and a green bolt of lightning; such lightness skill was truly rare and unheard of.

Soon they entered a mountain defile; the road was littered with jagged rocks, under the moonlight appearing demonic and monstrous, a gloomy chill pressing in; Feng Yi, highly skilled and bold, felt no fear.

Upon reaching an open plain, the black-clad man flicked his sleeve; the black rope again shot from his sleeve, extending about ten zhang, wrapping around a large tree beside the cliff, and his body swung up directly from the ground, laughing loudly, "Good kid, take another palm of mine!"

Leveraging the swing's momentum, he soared straight up seven or eight zhang, his feet tapping the cliff like a meteor streaking earthward, carrying a tremendous force as he lunged at Feng Yi.

The black-clad man's inner strength was profound, combined with the force of his descending charge, he seemed to arrive at the sound of his own approach, facing the rustling wind, like a deity descending to the mortal realm.

Feng Yi, experienced in many battles, had already taken note when the opponent swung the rope, planting his feet firmly.

At this moment seeing his palm strike down from midair, its force overwhelming and unmatched, with endless follow-ups, he had no choice but to meet it head-on.

At this moment, seeing him strike down with this palm from the air, its momentum and manner were ferocious beyond compare, and moreover the following moves were endless; at once it had to be met head-on.

He tapped the ground with his foot, lunged forward, shot out like electricity, and immediately followed through with both palms striking out.

This was the move "Butting Goat Against the Fence" from the Dragon Subduing Palm, a full-force fierce attack, intending to combine palm force internal energy with his whole body's weight, using rapid steps to leave the enemy nowhere to evade,

Feng Yi did not dare to underestimate Xiao Yuanshan's martial arts; moreover, since he used such a move, it was clearly a hard attack, so Feng Yi could only respond in kind.

The two palm forces clashed with a loud boom, erupting gusts, surging vigor; tree branches and leaves several zhang away fluttered down. Feng Yi planted his feet, staggered back three or four steps, leaving a line of footprints, his qi and blood boiling, barely managing to steady his stance.

The black-clad man flipped several somersaults in midair, lightly landing upside-down, his heart filled with shock: "This kid is formidable; I've misjudged him!"

He was a renowned martial arts master; the shock in his heart was even more terrifying than the disadvantage Feng Yi appeared to show.

Although it seemed he had gained the advantage, he knew he was merely borrowing the momentum of his descent from the air—not only his own falling weight but also his fierce palm power—thus delivering such an astonishing strike.

Not mentioning martial arts inner strength, strategically he already held a great advantage. Yet at the instant their palms met, Feng Yi's palm force ebbed and flowed unpredictably; in the blink of an eye, using an internal energy he had never seen before—either releasing or withdrawing—he absorbed all his layered palm force, emerging completely unscathed.

His martial prowess and inner strength were simply unprecedented.

Although Feng Yi had safely blocked the palm, he retreated a few steps before dissipating the attacker's force, his true qi quietly circulating to ease the wrist pain, and said: "I have heard that Xiao Yuanshan, even when besieged by more than ten martial arts masters, still slew them leaving not a piece of armor; today I see him, and indeed he lives up to being the foremost master of Great Liao!"

"Hahaha..." the black-clad man first gave four long laughs, shaking the trees and grasses, echoing through the valley, then suddenly removed his face cloth and said: "Good kid, you really know everything! Not bad, I am Xiao Yuanshan."

Feng Yi saw he had a broad face and big ears, indeed resembling Qiao Feng exactly, his eyes flashing with strange light, he laughed loudly: "In the vast skies of Great Liao, there are always extraordinary heroes; today it's rare to meet one. Take this palm of mine!" He shifted his body, darted over three zhang, and charged at Xiao Yuanshan.

Xiao Yuanshan prided himself on his swift, elusive footwork, unmatched in the world, but unexpectedly Feng Yi was like a ghost, closing in instantly, his palm force even more fierce; in his urgency, his left palm floated up, gently shielding his chest, he retreated several zhang, raised his right hand, and shouted: "Hold!"

Feng Yi suddenly planted his feet, right hand guarding his chest, left hand pointing straight at Xiao Yuanshan, and said coldly: "Afraid?"

=9+ book eh

Qiao Feng was stalwart and valiant; like father, like son, Xiao Yuanshan likewise, yet compared to Xiao Feng he possessed a greater streak of ruthless brutality, even more ferocious; but seeing Feng Yi charge at him, he sensed an unstoppable momentum, outwardly appearing unperturbed while secretly gathering qi, his hands brimming with true energy, ready to strike out and block at any moment.

Unexpectedly, Feng Yi's ability to halt abruptly while moving at high speed was already commendable, and his posture left no opening, clearly guarding against being taken advantage of.

This kind of sudden release and retrieval of power, together with his adaptability in combat, directly made Xiao Yuanshan greatly wary, and also left him unable to fathom it.

For this is not inner strength or martial arts attainable through some fluke encounter; it is experience that can only be accumulated through countless bloody battles.

And a master of Feng Yi's caliber, if he were to engage in a great war, would certainly not remain unknown in the jianghu.

Since Xiao Yuanshan was certain that Feng Yi was not inferior to him in any respect, even if they fought at his peak, he would have no advantage, let alone the fact that he had just battled his son earlier that day; should they truly clash, defeat would be more likely than victory.

Moreover, Feng Yi was so mysterious and unfathomable; compared to his inner strength, that ferocity had to be restrained. He immediately said: "We have no grudge or enmity; I invited you not for anything else, merely wishing to ask how you learned I was still alive, and hoping you would not interfere in my affairs with my son and others."

Feng Yi was magnanimous by nature, not prone to holding grudges; his anger rose slowly and faded quickly. Though he appeared to charge with full force, he actually held back strength, so saying stop meant stop, effortlessly, while still being able to guard against a sneak attack. Seeing him yield, he gave a faint smile: "You had been gathering power for that palm a long time, aiming to kill me with a single strike. Now that you cannot kill me, what do you mean by no grudge?"

As for your not being dead, do you think it's a secret? Your every move for decades has been under others' observation; heh, I know you're laughable, yet I never expected Xiao Yuanshan to also have this sort of arrogant-then-obsequious petty person's demeanor!

Upon learning that someone else knew he was still alive, Xiao Yuanshan's expression shifted slightly; hearing the last sentence, he shouted sternly: "Who are you cursing?"

"Of course I'm cursing you!" Feng Yi replied calmly: "Don't you understand?"

Xiao Yuanshan snapped: "Kid, don't think that because your martial arts are high you have the right to speak rudely to your elder!"

Feng Yi sneered: "Precisely because my martial arts are high, I can speak rudely to you. Heh, if it were someone else, they'd be like the unskilled Qiao Sanhuai couple, having their tendons and bones shattered by a single palm of your heroic self, Elder Xiao!"

Xiao Yuanshan stared for a moment, then sneered: "Your wife wasn't killed, your son wasn't abducted; you're the only one saying that."

Feng Yi said: "My wife naturally wasn't killed, my son wasn't abducted. If they were, I would exterminate the murderer's entire family, leaving not a chicken or dog."

But I would not, for revenge, hesitate to kill the farming couple who had raised my own biological son, nor would I kill the master who had taught him, in order to frame my own biological son, making him hate everyone and take pride in it.

To call such a person a petty villain is too kind; he is worse than a beast. Old Hero Xiao, what do you think?

Xiao Yuanshan's heart sank as he listened, shocked and angry, he exclaimed: "You, you how..."

Feng Yi knew he was still alive, which was shocking enough, but he never expected Feng Yi to casually reveal what he had done and his intentions, as if he understood him completely. This was even more astonishing than Feng Yi's martial arts background.

Feng Yi said solemnly: "The former Xiao Yuanshan devoted himself to peace between Song and Liao, saving countless lives; he could be called a living Buddha for myriad families."

In the battle at Yumen Pass, although he was besieged without distinction, he could still remember his teacher's teachings and his oath not to kill Han people; this is great righteousness.

Seeing his wife and son dead, he broke free of his bonds and slaughtered the enemy to the last man; this is passion.

Later, even amidst the turmoil of the seven emotions, he could recall his oath and spare lives; this is wisdom.

Alone, he slew more than ten martial arts masters; this is courage!

He seized his wife and child and leapt forward without regard for his own life, embodying the true spirit of a man who treats life as life and death as death; this was expressed to the fullest. Upon first hearing of this, one feels a surge of heroic sorrow.

Feng Yi's words came from the heart.

When they first learned of Xiao Yuanshan's ordeal, everyone admired him and felt pity for him, and Feng Yi was no exception.

Xiao Yuanshan saw his solemn expression, his words clearly coming from the heart, a cold, proud light flashing in his eyes as he indulged in memories of the past, but the more he thought, the worse his complexion became.

Xiao Yuanshan studied martial arts under a Han teacher from childhood, his skills reaching miraculous levels; relying on his martial prowess, he became the chief instructor of the personal army of the Xiao Empress's consort, the Great Tent of the Liao state, and gained great favor and trust from the Empress Dowager Xiao.

Xiao Yuanshan devoted himself to fostering friendly relations between Song and Liao, repeatedly urging the Liao Daoist sect to forbid the use of weapons, and thus earned the deep affection of the people of both nations.

He and his wife had been childhood sweethearts, mutually affectionate; shortly after marriage they gave birth to a remarkable son, and he was open-hearted and full of vigor.

Unexpectedly, while he was bringing his wife and son back to Yumen Pass to visit his relatives, he was ambushed and surrounded by twenty-one people from the Central Plains.

Xiao Yuanshan single-handedly defeated the Shaolin monk Xuanci and the martial arts masters under his command, and killed the "Wansheng Blade" Wang Yiyi, the "Di Jue Sword" Huangshan He Yun Daoist, the Shanxi Datongfu "Iron Pagoda" Fang Daxiong, and the Jiangxi "Du Shi Sanxiong" — seventeen martial arts masters in total.

Only the Shaolin monk Xuanci and the Beggar's Gang's Wang Jian Tong remained alive; the monk Zhiguang was not killed, and Zhao Qian Sun feigned death to escape.

Because his wife and son were killed, Xiao Yuanshan, unable to bear living, broke his oath not to kill Han people and thus jumped off a cliff to kill himself.

As a result, midway down the cliff, he discovered that his son Xiao Feng was still alive; he threw him upward, and he landed on Wang Jian Tong's body.

When he fell into the valley, trees obstructed his fall, so he did not die from the drop.

Having survived, he became a completely different person; in his eyes, fame, rank, wealth, and treasures were as dust. Day and night he thought only of how to slay his enemies with his own hands to vent his great hatred.

He was originally a bold and sincere hero of the frontier, but once his heart filled with hatred, he became increasingly perverse. After living in seclusion near the Shaolin Temple for decades, hiding by day and moving at night, diligently practicing martial arts, he hardly spoke a sentence to others in a year, and his temperament changed drastically.

Although he had long discovered that Xuanci was the ringleader, he was unwilling to kill him secretly and resolved to openly avenge this blood feud with ruthless means. Later he learned that Xuanci had an affair with Lady Ye Erniang and had a son, so he took the son from Lady Ye Erniang's hands, causing both to suffer the pain of losing a child. He constantly thought of waiting for a suitable opportunity to expose their scandal before the heroes of the world, so as to ruin Xuanci's reputation and cause the Shaolin Temple to lose face.

(In the original plot, he indeed did so. Before the heroes of the world, he exposed the affair between Abbot Xuanci and Lady Ye Erniang, causing Xuanci to commit suicide, just as he himself had done by jumping off the cliff that day!)

Suddenly, Xiao Yuanshan burst into laughter: "Hearing you say this, my hatred for you Central Plains Han people has also faded considerably."

Feng Yi sneered: "Those who least deserved to die have all been killed by you; whether your hatred is faint or not, what can it change?"

Fortunately, you suffer pain each day and have not much time left to live; perhaps this is just retribution!

"Retribution?" Xiao Yuanshan suddenly leapt back and shouted angrily: "You're talking nonsense; even if retribution truly exists, it should not fall on me!"

Feng Yi said coldly: "That Khitan hero who is immensely benevolent and righteous, immensely wise and brave, full of affection and righteousness, having suffered this tragic ordeal, not only causing countless people to feel anguish and be unable to let go for a long time."

Who knows how many Han people have abandoned the deep-rooted Han-Hu distinction, feeling that the leaders, those big brothers, deserve to die.

Even more, countless people have poured their pity and affection onto that infant he threw off the cliff, and they continue to worry about his future fate.

Upon learning he had become a world-renowned great hero, who wouldn't be happy? Who wouldn't be delighted!

Who wouldn't say, 'My hero son is a fine man!'

But what happened later?

But someone wants to destroy him with their own hands!

And among them, even his own biological father!

Old Hero Xiao, you say, does such a person also deserve to be a father?

If he were dead, would he have the face to go see that child's mother?

(End of chapter)