Chapter 186

Following that, several people struck tinder and lit the torches.

In an instant, the place was brightly lit.

Feng Yi glanced around and saw that there were two groups: one consisted of more than ten burly men wielding sabers, led by a tall, mighty old man with a gray‑white beard reaching his chest, his expression dejected.

The other group wore white robes, each with white cloth wrapped around their heads, their faces blank, showing neither joy nor anger, truly like zombies, indistinguishable from Feng Yi's face behind a human‑skin mask.

Their leader was an ugly man with a pockmarked face, each holding a strange weapon: in his left hand an iron awl six or seven cun long, its tip bent twice, and in his right hand a small eight‑sided hammer, the handle barely a chi long, the head smaller than a normal fist.

They looked tall and strong, yet the two weapons in their hands were small and delicate, like children's toys; moreover, each was disheveled and bedraggled, making it clear they were on guard against a major enemy invasion.

At that moment, Huang Wan'er and Huang Shang also walked in.

Everyone's gaze fell on the three of them; Feng Yi's face was expressionless, his flesh unmoving, but his eyes shone with a shifting light that, wherever it landed, chilled to the bone and made hair stand on end.

Although Huang Shang's temples showed a hint of white, his complexion was ruddy and his spirit vibrant.

Huang Wan'er had willow‑leaf eyebrows and almond eyes, her skin fair and tender, like a beauty from a painting, yet dressed in male attire, everyone took her for a young lad.

Huang Wan'er's face was full of childlike innocence; she opened her bright, large eyes, looking this way and that, full of curiosity.

The burly, mighty old man, after a moment's thought, bowed to Feng Yi with his saber and clasped fists, saying: 'I have been rather rude just now; here I apologize and make amends.'

Feng Yi returned the salute: 'No need for ceremony; in the treacherous jianghu, to guard against mishaps each must use his abilities—how could that be considered an offense?'

The old man laughed: 'Just from those words I can see you are broad‑minded and unrestrained; Yao Bocong, I admire you greatly!'

All the saber‑wielding men thought: 'Have you heard our chief's name? Do you know how formidable he is?'

Feng Yi heard the name 'Yao Bocong' and his heart stirred; he wondered: 'Could they, together with that Sichuan group, be from the Qingcheng Sect and the Qin Family Stronghold, seeking revenge on the Murong household?'

While he pondered, the ugly man clasped fists and said: 'I am Zhu Bao Kun of the Qingcheng Sect; may I ask your esteemed names?'

Feng Yi returned the salute: 'We are merely travelers on the road, here only to escape the rain—what need is there for names?' Saying this, he led Huang Shang and the others toward the western corner.

Seeing he would not speak, and awed by his martial skill, they dared not ask further.

Huang Shang's estate servant covered the mule cart with oilcloth, broke apart some broken tables and chairs, lit a fire, so everyone could dry their clothes.

The black clouds above grew thicker and thicker, the rain fell harder; under the eaves the water poured down like a waterfall, and whenever the wind gusted, the rain intensified.

Huang Shang's family spread oil paper on the ground for Huang Shang, his wife, and Feng Yi to sit, then took out dry rations, steamed buns, and wine and meat from the bundles and distributed them to everyone.

Feng Yi sat with Huang Shang and his wife, while Huang Wan'er sat beside him and asked: 'Big brother, are they jianghu people? Just now they took us for enemies, didn't they?'

Feng Yi caught a faint fragrance from her, felt pleased, and said: 'Mm! The jianghu and the imperial court are actually the same—constant strife, never a moment of peace.'

Whether it is the emperor whose power reaches the heavens or the world's foremost expert, no one can guarantee his family will never suffer harm; that is why people say that in the jianghu one is not master of one's own fate.

Huang Shang and his wife, together with Huang Wan'er, heard this and silently nodded.

Now that Huang Shang has cultivated his divine skill, each practice leaves him feeling completely refreshed; this unprecedented satisfaction is something he never imagined. Moreover, being a pragmatic person, he relies on neither the new‑law nor the old‑school faction.

After the Grand Empress Dowager's death, court intrigues made deciding what to do truly troublesome; furthermore, his zeal for martial arts grew daily, while this fighting spirit waned, and now he only wishes to return to his hometown to devote himself to martial study, achieving the martial‑arts master name Feng Yi spoke of.

Madam Huang followed her husband's lead, naturally saying nothing.

Huang Wan'er merely wanted to follow Feng Yi; she cared nothing for court or jianghu.

Yao Bocong suddenly asked: 'Are you also friends from the jianghu?'

Feng Yi replied: 'No!'

Yao Bocong and Zhu Bao Kun saw that this group wore silk robes, cloth robes, included elders, youths, and women, and did not resemble any gang's members or a dart‑caravan's escorts; for a moment they could not fathom their background.

Yet Feng Yi's martial skill was extraordinarily high, almost matching the Bao Tong they had seen at the Murong residence; this was truly shocking.

Feng Yi's skill is so high that ordinary people cannot even grasp his level; figures like Bao Tong, the Nine‑Bag Elder of the Beggars' Sect, the South Sea Crocodile God, and the Cloud‑Dwelling Crane are already exceedingly rare in the world, and they could never attain such a realm in a lifetime, so they consider Feng Yi comparable to Bao Tong—the utmost they can imagine.

Yao Bocong heard this, immediately nodded, narrowed his eyes, and asked: 'Are you coming from the west?'

Feng Yi replied: 'Exactly.'

Yao Bocong asked: 'On the road, have you seen a group of brown‑clothed people?'

Upon hearing this, Feng Yi's expression remained unchanged, but Huang Shang's servant guard felt a jolt—those Star‑Xiu Sect bandits, weren't they all dressed in brown? Their expressions were plainly visible to Yao Bocong and the others.

All that was heard was Feng Yi saying: 'Isn't it common to see people in brown clothing when traveling?'

Yao Bocong laughed heartily: 'Before a true person I speak no lies—just now this gang extorted twenty thousand taels of silver from us, and even seized the Qingcheng Sect's leader, demanding twenty thousand taels for his release; seeing you come from the same direction and at such a close time, we thought you must be their accomplices, which is why we moved against you.'

Huang Shang and the others thought: 'It turns out the Star‑Xiu Sect didn't take anything from us, but robbed this group instead. They are indeed extremely formidable!'

Feng Yi thought: 'They say this, but I don't know their motive—perhaps they want our help?' He then said: 'You're talking about that gang; we also encountered them and were robbed of twenty thousand taels of silver, otherwise we'd have nearly become roast pig!'

Yao Bocong heard this, gave two hums, closed his eyes and said nothing.

The Huang family members instantly looked at each other, eyes wide, silently amused.

Indeed we had almost become roast pig, but it was the Star‑Xiu Sect people; Huang Wan'er lightly jabbed her elbow into Feng Yi's waist.

It turned out Yao Bocong was the chief of the Qin Family Stronghold in Yunzhou, and his followers were all disciples of the Five Tigers Breaking Gate Sword; they had come to avenge their junior brother Qin Bo by seeking revenge on the Murong household of Gusu.

Coincidentally they met the Qingcheng Sect, also there to avenge; unexpectedly, instead of succeeding, they were defeated by Bao Tong, and with Ah Zhu mediating, the two groups accepted the 'Yan' banner, becoming subordinates of the Murong household of Gusu, active near Henan, and just then ran into the Star‑Xiu Sect members whom Feng Yi had repelled.

The Star‑Xiu Sect avoids the strong and attacks the weak; suffering a great loss at Feng Yi's hands, they immediately turned on the Qingcheng Sect and Qin Family Stronghold. Though their true martial skills could have matched, the Sect's members all use poison, so the two groups were instantly overpowered.

Fortunately, the Star‑Xiu Sect sought wealth and fame; the Qin Family Stronghold paid twenty thousand taels to buy peace, while the Qingcheng Sect lacked such funds, so the Sect seized its leader, Simu Lin, demanding twenty thousand taels for his ransom.

Yao Bocong, Zhu Bao Kun, and the others saw Feng Yi's group and the Star‑Xiu Sect arriving one after another—either allies or enemies. Upon hearing they were not allies, they discarded dignity and mentioned the Star‑Xiu Sect, intending to frighten Feng Yi's party into joining them against the Sect; they never imagined Feng Yi's group had also come by paying money, and immediately lost interest.

The fact that Feng Yi alone defeated the Star‑Xiu Sect's members is unimaginable unless witnessed.

As they talked, the sky had grown completely dark; suddenly Huang Wan'er said: 'Uncle Yao, I have something to ask you.'

Everyone suddenly heard the youth's voice, clear and melodious like a warbler's song, indescribably pleasant; given their rich jianghu experience, they instantly realized this handsome youth was a woman in male attire.

Yao Bocong had originally looked down on Feng Yi's group, but hearing Huang Wan'er call him 'uncle' softened his tone, and he said: 'What is it?'

Huang Wan'er asked: 'On the jianghu there is a hero named Feng Yi, Feng the Great Hero—have you heard of him, sir?'

Feng Yi hadn't expected her to ask that; he quickly shot her a glance, and Huang Wan'er hastily stuck out her pink tongue.

Feng Yi saw that they were neither smiling nor frowning, neither angry nor pleased; in the firelight they were endlessly charming, and he could not put on airs, so he just let them be.

Yao Bocong opened his eyes and said: 'Mm, you mean the Feng Yi who slew the wicked and vicious at the Gathering Virtue Manor?'

Huang Wan'er pouted and asked: 'And who is the Cloud‑Dwelling Crane?'

Yun Zhonghe's martial arts were about on par with an Elder of the Beggars' Sect; in the jianghu he was quite remarkable, but in Feng Yi's eyes he wasn't worth a hair—killing him didn't even feel like a moment of glory, and the Huang father and daughter had never heard Feng Yi say that.

Yao Bendang snorted and said, "Yun Zhonghe commits rape, pillage, and all kinds of evil; even the Green Forest outlaws are deeply ashamed of him—how could I know him!" He considered himself a great northern hero, believing thieves also have principles, and they deeply despised Yun Zhonghe's character.

Huang Wan'er exclaimed in surprise, "If that Wind Hero killed him, that would be a great thing—why have I heard people cursing him? What's the logic?"

Seeing her innocence and cheerfulness, Yao Bendang laughed, "Haha, Feng Yi killing Yun Zhonghe is naturally a good thing for you."

This person is at least thirty, though he's only recently debuted, having appeared once at Gathered Virtue Manor; aside from those who attended the gathering, no one in the jianghu has seen him, and even I, old as I am, have never met him.

I've only heard that his martial arts are strong, he's both brave and resourceful, having settled the dispute at Gathered Virtue Manor, yet he also aided Qiao Feng, that Khitan barbarian—truly indiscriminate between right and wrong, a scoundrel, so he naturally deserves to be cursed.

Although she understood the distinction between Hu and Han, Huang Wan'er wondered aloud, "How can Feng Yi be at least thirty? He looks only twenty-four or twenty-five." She asked loudly, "How do you know the Wind Hero is over thirty?"

Yao Bendang said, "I've heard from jianghu friends that Feng Yi is oily-haired and powdered-faced, not bad-looking, but he personally told Qiao Feng that he's older—Qiao Feng is thirty-one, which everyone knows, so surely this guy doesn't need to lie about his age? You're so young and beautiful, you'd better not be curious about him!" He said this, grinning, and burst out laughing.

His remarks were quite crude, the last sentence a casual tease; the people of Qin Family Stronghold and Qingcheng Sect understood the meaning—"the little lady is pretty, don't be fooled"—and they all burst into laughter.

Even the Huang family couldn't escape—how could they not know the young lady's thoughts?

Only Huang Wan'er didn't find it funny; like a child caught in the act, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "How do you know I am…"

Suddenly feeling Feng Yi pinch her hand, she hastily broke off her words and nervously looked around.

Feng Yi only heard the sound of hooves as a woman came galloping from the east, saying, "Mother, there's a temple here where we can take shelter from the rain."

Another woman replied, "There's firelight inside the temple—how can we go in?" She sounded older.

The girl said, "What's with that? This blind heaven—if it says it'll rain, it rains; if people are blind too, I'll gouge out their eyes!" Her words were harsh, her tone showing great impatience.

"All right!" But hearing the hooves, the two women dismounted and walked toward the main hall.

Wind and rain lashed their faces; two women dressed in black, wearing bamboo hats, soaked through, with knives at their waists, appeared in the hall—even their shoes were black.

At that moment their clothes clung to their bodies, revealing their figures, truly graceful and charming, causing all those men to stare.

Seeing so many people in the hall, the two women were also startled and immediately wanted to retreat.

Their clothes were soaked, their figures revealed; with so many men present, even if they were bold and skilled, they dared not linger.

After all, sometimes people do evil because they have motives.

Now they were likely to become a motive for men to do evil; retreating was the correct decision to avoid danger.

Just as the two women were about to turn and leave the hall, Huang Wan'er, warm-hearted, said, "There's a fire here—come, sisters, and dry your clothes."

The two women hesitated, but then heard Yao Bendang say, "Lady heroes, we're not exactly good people, nor are we bad—feel free to relax!"

Both women were strong-willed; if they left after hearing that, people would look down on them. The older woman, experienced, realized she was female and immediately went to an empty corner, intending to start a fire herself to dry her clothes.

However, the usable firewood had been taken some by the Qin Family Stronghold and Qingcheng Sect people, and the rest was picked up by the Huang family servants.

=9+book ba

A woman in black walked over and said, "We need to warm ourselves, let's use some firewood." She was that girl, her voice cold, her tone even more rude.

But seeing her tall, slender figure, her black hair styled like a maiden's, Huang Shang didn't bother with her, and nobody else spoke.

Feng Yi and Huang Wan'er, seeing beneath the bamboo hat her pointed chin, her skin smooth and lustrous, not a single freckle, a small cherry mouth delicate and proper, lips very thin, two rows of fine teeth like shattered jade—just half a face made Huang Wan'er feel that this woman was an absolute beauty.

Huang Wan'er had grown up in the Eastern Capital, had seen many beautiful women, herself being a top-tier beauty, yet she never imagined the jianghu could hold such a stunning beauty, and she stared, transfixed.

The girl in black picked up firewood and walked away; Huang Wan'er couldn't help calling out, "Wait."

The girl in black gave a start, two cold glints sweeping toward Huang Wan'er, making her heart jump as well.

Only seeing Huang Wan'er's clear, exquisite beauty, unblinking stare, her eyes blazing, her face flushing, she cried, "What are you doing?"

Having said that, a pair of cold eyes fixed on Huang Wan'er, never glancing at Feng Yi and Huang Shang as if they didn't exist.

Huang Shang stared at the girl in black with piercing, bright eyes.

I couldn't fathom how a girl could have such icy eyes.

Huang Wan'er, as if she hadn't heard, asked, "May I know your esteemed name, miss?"

The girl in black felt a surge, anger flaring, she shouted, "You're so oblivious to danger, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Her words were murderous, yet her voice was clear and pleasant.

As her words finished, she threw the firewood with both hands toward her mother, raised her left hand, and with a 'swish' shot a hidden arrow straight at Huang Wan'er's left shoulder.

Huang Wan'er couldn't have imagined that, dressed as a man, staring blankly at a maiden, appearing frivolous and rude, and then opening her mouth to ask for a name—meeting this woman was violating her greatest taboo.

But Huang Wan'er, having been instructed for over a month by Feng Yi, a martial arts master of that caliber—gaining what others would need ten or twenty years to achieve, grasping a martial way others dare not imagine, and being herself clever, never wasting time—though greatly startled, she still lifted the long sword at her side with her hand.

With a 'clang', a sleeve arrow flew back and was snatched up by that woman with ease.

Seeing the two women's swift techniques, the people of Qin Family Stronghold and Qingcheng Sect all exclaimed in approval.

Huang Wan'er never expected that a single remark would summon hidden weapons; anger rising, she couldn't help but sternly rebuke, "Hmph, a girl who does flower arranging—how can you just lash out like that? What do you want?!"

Before her words were done, she heard the girl in black give a sharp, coquettish shout, "You frivolous, rude brat, dare to lecture me—watch out, or I'll gouge out your eyes and cut off your tongue!"

She was clearly furious, her voice shrill like rapid-fire cannon shots; Huang Wan'er was greatly astonished, yet everyone else burst into laughter.

But the onlookers understood: this woman had taken Huang Wan'er for a man.

And Huang Wan'er's earlier behavior, while naturally admired among women, when directed at a man could only be described as a shameless, lustful rascal.

Had this been normal times, Huang Shang would have laughed heartily, but the atmosphere was wrong; he hurriedly shouted, "Waner, don't be rude—quickly apologize to your sister!"

Huang Wan'er hastily held her tongue and stuck out her tongue at the girl in black.

The girl in black, hearing 'Waner', was stunned; seeing her make another grimace, she thought, "This isn't just blatant teasing?"

Furious, her almond eyes widened; with a 'clang', she drew her knife from her waist and lunged at Huang Wan'er.

Feng Yi saw that her knife technique was proficient, but her application was off, her footwork unsteady; although her posture was flashy, in actual combat she couldn't manage a thing.

Huang Wan'er laughed, "Good, come on!"

She had studied martial arts with Feng Yi but had never sparred; feeling an itch, seeing this woman knew martial arts, she was especially excited, immediately drew her sword to meet her, and their blades clashed squarely.

Sparks flying, each retreated three steps.

Everyone watched the two women fight, having focused their attention; regardless of skill level, seeing beautiful women brawl is always a delight, so the hall fell silent, only hearing the crackle of burning firewood and the sound of heavy rain.

The woman in black said coldly, "I see your martial arts are not weak—how can you act so shamelessly?"

In the past, whenever other jianghu people saw her face, they all showed either a fawning, ingratiating look or pretended to be mysterious and profound lovers, but none escaped death at her hands—except her brother. She never thought this handsome youth's internal strength and martial arts were not weak, that she might not be able to win, so she asked another question.

Huang Wan'er was stopped by her father calling her name, and she also realized the other party had misunderstood. Seeing the woman in black's beauty and martial skill, she wanted to tease her, so she forced an argument: "How shameless! As a young master, I was born to love beautiful women; you were born beautiful, I just want to get to know you—what's wrong with that? If you have the ability, don't go out!"

The woman in black's expression hardened; she suddenly leapt up, flipped her wrist, and slashed again with her willow-leaf saber, her speed not slow.

Who would have thought Huang Wan'er's movement was even faster; she flashed her feet, moved to the woman's right, narrowly dodging that lightning-fast strike, and her long sword suddenly thrust out from an unimaginable place.

The woman in black did not expect the opponent's swordsmanship to be so swift and elusive, leaving her no chance to dodge or block; she only heard a 'hiss' like tearing silk, her bamboo hat flew off, revealing her completely pale face.

All that could be seen were her willow-leaf eyebrows and lovely eyes, her face like carved jade, her jade nose, cherry lips, and a head of black hair flowing down like a waterfall—truly a heavenly beauty, except that a layer of killing intent shrouded her brows, and she bore a trace of hatred.

Feng Yi thought to himself: "Perhaps it's Mu Wanqing—she really is beautiful enough!"

Although Huang Wan'er had only practiced martial arts for a little over a month, everything Feng Yi taught her was the highest martial arts in the world.

The lightness skill and sword technique from the Nine Yin True Classic were martial arts the woman in black could never have imagined; her sword cut through her bamboo hat, startling her, and she shouted, "Mom, help me kill him!"

Hearing her call "Mom," Huang Wan'er gave a "hee" laugh and said, "Sister, you really are beautiful—I won't fight you." Then she turned and left.

But the woman in black was furious to the extreme; how could she let her just leave? She raised her left hand repeatedly, and several sleeve arrows shot out, aiming at his neck, chest, and waist, as she rushed forward, her single-edged sword straight for his lower body.

Hearing the wind behind her, Huang Wan'er was about to block when she saw her father sway and step in front of her.

Nobody expected the old man's movement to be so swift; everyone was startled. Huang Shang flicked his sleeve upward, then swept downward, and in an instant knocked the three sleeve arrows almost simultaneously to the ground.

Seeing the woman in black attack again with her sword, he shifted his body, pressed lightly with his left palm on her shoulder, and shoved her straight back five or six steps, nearly making her stumble and fall to the ground.

Huang Shang was also stunned, as if he hadn't expected that a casual light push would send her flying like that; he hastily bowed and said, "My daughter is unruly by nature; I have offended the young lady, please don't hold it against me."

The woman in black had her bamboo hat knocked off; she was already furious, and then seeing her family's skill casually broken, she immediately burst into tears—but upon hearing his words, she suddenly froze, thinking, "My unrefined daughter?"

Although she was illiterate, she also knew this was a modest way to refer to one's own daughter, and she immediately realized this youth was a girl.

Huang Shang turned to Huang Wan'er and said, "Hurry up and apologize to this older sister."

Huang Wan'er gave a hee-hee laugh, casually pulled down her hat to reveal her hair, and said, "Sister, do you see me as male or female?"

In the firelight, the woman in black saw her true face; her anger and shame vanished instantly, but her lingering resentment remained—she bit her lip with her silver teeth, gave no reply, and thought, "She must be a year or two younger than me—how could her martial arts be so strong? It's not like she has a good father."

Her gaze turned to Huang Wan'er, she let out a cold snort from her nose, and thought, "If my father had taught me from childhood, how could I not be as good as you?"

Huang Shang said, "My daughter has only recently taken up martial arts; she has never sparred with anyone, and she doesn't know her own strength—that's why she gave offense."

The black-clad maiden's eyes flashed with killing intent as she stared at Huang Shang, her voice trembling, she said, "Not long? You old scoundrel…"

Huang Shang was not a martial artist; he didn't understand that remark and had already offended someone.

Hearing the maiden scold her father as an old scoundrel, Huang Wan'er flew into a rage and was about to step forward when she heard the older woman sigh softly: "Waner, don't be rude! Despite all your jianghu experience, you didn't even notice she's also a woman?"

As she spoke, the black-clad maiden's face gradually flushed; she took a deep breath and said, "But, she, she…" She stared at Huang Wan'er, her cheeks growing ever more crimson, radiantly beautiful.

The middle-aged woman swayed over to her daughter's side and said to Huang Shang, "Since you are so remarkable, having raised such a fine daughter, I would like to ask you for advice."

Feng Yi saw her pointed face, long eyebrows, very beautiful appearance, his eyes holding three parts stubbornness and three parts ferocity, and thought, "No wonder they're mother and daughter—ordinarily pretty, ordinarily fierce and arrogant."

(End of chapter)