Chapter 18

Feng Yi laughed lightly in the saddle, saying, "Old Master Wan truly possesses divine foresight and marvelous calculation; the events that occurred at Prefect Ling's residence are not only as clear as reading lines on one's palm, but he can also await us here—impressive!"

He raised his brows slightly and said, "However, Zhou Qi was killed by me, unrelated to Sir Ding; do you seek revenge?"

He gave a faint, cold smile, but Bu Yuan felt a chill in his heart.

Zhou Qi was his senior martial brother, superior in skill, yet he was slain; in an instant, Bu Yuan's visage shifted repeatedly.

After a long while, Bu Yuan finally spat out harshly, "If you are indeed so capable, why not call at Wan Manor for a chat?"

Feng Yi saw his blustering but cowardly demeanor, felt contempt, his expression changed, and he said in a low voice, "Since you lack the courage to avenge Zhou Qi, get lost—don't waste our time!"

Bu Yuan sneered, "Feng Yi, just because your martial arts have improved, do you have to become this hateful? Defecting from Prefect Ling's service is one thing, but you publicly declared in the government office, before everyone, that you are the closed-door disciple of my Grandmaster—likely half of Jing Province heard it."

Yet you laid lethal hands on my senior brother—showing not a trace of fraternal feeling; if not for my master's order to summon several individuals to inquire about the Grandmaster's affairs, this young master wouldn't have bothered to come."

Feng Yi and Ding Dian exchanged a glance; Ding Dian laughed heartily, Feng Yi tapped his stirrups, spurred his horse forward, and shouted, "The Five Cloud Hand is famed for its hand techniques—let me see if your skill lives up to your boast!"

Seeing this, Bu Yuan's anger surged; he let go of the gauze lamp with his left hand, drew his right arm, unsheathed his long sword—like a flash of cold light—and lunged straight at Feng Yi's left leg.

Actually, considering Zhou Qi earlier and Bu Yuan now, their martial arts among the younger generation are somewhat seasoned; it's a pity they encountered Feng Yi, who does not follow convention.

Feng Yi gave a cold smile, immediately leaned forward, his right hand shot out like lightning, and firmly grasped Bu Yuan's wrist.

Then, borrowing the horse's strength, he flicked his wrist lightly; the long sword shot straight up into the sky, Bu Yuan already like a severed kite, flew seven or eight zhang, with a "pah" sound, fell to the ground.

With a "ding", the long sword, spent of force, flew down and lodged in the street.

Feng Yi and Ding Dian galloped past on horseback; Feng Yi laughed loudly, saying, "Anyway, I belong to your uncle's generation; upon our first meeting, I won't kill you. Tell Wan Zhenshan, if you are dissatisfied, when I someday visit his door, we can settle everything together! Haha……"

Amidst his long laughter, they vanished into the vast night.

Bu Yuan, tossed about in disarray, slowly climbed to his feet, his brows full of hatred, he stared fixedly at the direction Feng Yi and his companions had gone, and cursed, "You wait for me; someday I will make you wish for life yet unable to die, and beg for death yet unable to obtain it!" Before he finished speaking, a trace of blood trickled from his lip.

Suddenly, a sonorous, resonant voice came from behind: "Defeated by the Divine Illumination Skill—no disgrace!"

Bu Yuan turned and saw, behind him at some point, a burly old man; his eyes instantly welled with grievance, and he trembled, "Master!"

The comer was none other than the renowned "Five Cloud Hand" Wan Zhenshan of the martial world.

Wan Zhenshan was stalwart in build, nearing fifty, yet had a pale face, long beard, thick brows, bright eyes, appearing quite youthful; a broad, "field"-shaped face, his eyes opening and closing revealed piercing brilliance, plus an aura that captivated the soul.

Feng Yi and Ding Dian caused a great uproar at the government office, drawing considerable attention; Wan Zhenshan had long received the news, knew his disciple Zhou Qi had been slain, and thus beforehand sent his disciples to the four gates of Jing Province, intending to summon anyone who saw Ding Dian and company leave the city to his manor.

Unexpectedly, Feng Yi and company indeed exited the office, yet refused to go to his residence—this was somewhat surprising.

As for Wan Zhenshan, he knew Ding Dian had erected a memorial tablet for Mei Niansheng, and the martial world widely rumored that he had received his master's true transmission; yet he did not know whether Ding Dian was aware that he and his two martial brothers had murdered their master by the Yangtze River.

After all, Ding Dian had collected his master's corpse, but Mei Niansheng's prestige was immense—how could he admit to others that he was harmed by his own disciple? Thus, relying solely on Mei Niansheng's transmission of skill to him and his handling of the corpse cannot prove that Ding Dian certainly knew of their three brothers' wicked deeds.

Wan Zhenshan acted on this slim hope, thus sending someone to invite Ding Dian; once he arrived at the Wan residence, everything would have room for maneuver.

Who would have thought Ding Dian and company would not take the bait at all.

Yet at this moment, Wan Zhenshan felt no resentment, only excitement, for Feng Yi had said he would come to visit him; he also heard Ling Tui Si say that Feng Yi also practiced the Divine Illumination Skill.

Thus he felt himself a step closer to the Divine Illumination Skill.

Finally, Wan Zhenshan spoke again: "Your Grandmaster once swept the world invincible, relying on the Divine Illumination Skill and the Liancheng Sword Technique! He, alas, perished in depression after losing this martial arts manual; who would have thought it ended up in Ding Dian's hands, and now there is also Feng Yi. Our sect must retrieve it!"

The matter of Wan Zhenshan's three brothers murdering their master was kept strictly secret; no one dared let outsiders know, otherwise those three would have no foothold.

The disciples of the Wan sect also revered their master, naturally loyal and steadfast; if they learned of their master's evil deeds, his eight disciples would……

Wan Zhenshan's words caused Bu Yuan's heart to instantly swell with a pride and arrogance that looked down upon the world—after all, the Grandmaster had swept the world invincible!

Thus, he thought he could someday replicate that glory; the earlier fear and trepidation vanished, and he bowed, saying, "Please, Master, instruct me!"

Wan Zhenshan fell silent for a moment, then said, "Ding Dian and Feng Yi have offended Ling Tui Si; given his nature, he will not let it rest easily. However, Feng Yi is under threat of poison, so our Senior Prefect Ling must weigh the circumstances and consider the pros and cons."

However, since Feng Yi said he would come to see me, it should not be baseless; today let him ride the wind at full sail, and someday he will know my might!

Bu Yuan laughed, "Master, you are right."

He then suddenly asked, "Master, if you had made a move just now, could we have detained them?"

Wan Zhenshan glanced at him, seeing his sincere expression, not as he had imagined, and mused: "Cannot be held! Even adding all your martial brothers would not suffice."

The only possibility is to capture Ling Shuanghua!

Wan Zhenshan never underestimated himself, nor was he overconfident to the point of blindness. He had long judged that, with Ding Dian and Feng Yi's martial arts, even three of him could not stop them; otherwise he would not have needed to invite Ding Dian and Feng Yi to his manor for a talk—he could simply step forward, defeat them, and capture them, which would be far more straightforward.

Bu Yuan nodded and said, "However, threatening to capture Miss Ling is not the way of reputable jianghu sects."

Wan Zhenshan lightly sighed and said, "Yes, if we forcibly detain someone without using underhanded means, besides causing more casualties, what good would it do?"

Speaking, he also revealed a bitter smile: "Moreover, Feng Yi acts as he pleases; I have been quietly observing him in the government office, but I still can't figure out his character."

Therefore, once you clash with such a person, you must strike decisively; otherwise, you will never have peace. He is not like Ding Dian."

Having said that, he again asked: "Are you badly injured?"

Bu Yuan said: "Thank you for your concern, Master; I'm fine."

Wan Zhenshan slightly nodded and said: "Then prepare yourself; tomorrow go to western Hunan, find your Uncle Qi, and tell him I am celebrating my fiftieth birthday."

"Yes!"

Bu Yuan bowed, accepted the order, turned and left.

Having taken just a few steps, he heard Wan Zhenshan suddenly call out to him: "Bu Yuan, I've always trusted you in your work, but your Uncle Qi is quite scheming; if he refuses to come, tell him I have already mastered the Linked City Sword Technique and also know the whereabouts of the Divine Illumination Classic!"

Bu Yuan nodded, then bowed to Wan Zhenshan: "Yes, disciple will surely not disgrace the mission!" and turned to leave.

Wan Zhenshan murmured to himself: "If I obtain the Linked City Sword Technique and then the Divine Illumination Skill, would the martial world not have to revere me as supreme?"

(End of chapter)