Chapter 209: with translation of chapter title

Feng Yi (Feng Yi). The grey-clothed person is not a name. "Fu'er" might be a nickname; it appears in the line "It's no wonder Fu'er was quickly defeated by him", possibly meaning "Fuer". Whether it's a proper name is uncertain, but since it's used as a name, we should treat it as the nickname Fuer.

He stayed calm, shifting his feet and stepping with his left foot, trying to dispel Feng Yi's thunder-like palm strike.

"Bang," as their palm forces first made contact, a flash of pain crossed the gray-clad man's eyes; his martial arts were superb, especially his skill at neutralizing opponents' inner strength, which was his specialty, but unexpectedly Feng Yi's inner strength was quite peculiar—not only thick and dense, but also imbued with a strange cold poison.

The gray-clad man never dreamed he would encounter such a freak as Feng Yi; at this moment his internal energy combined the Nine Yin True Classic and the Divine Foot Classic, and he had also dabbled in the Divine Light Classic and the Muscle/Tendon Change Classic, like a hidden dragon in the abyss, concealed yet natural, moreover containing the essence of the ice silkworm; once he met an enemy, it was as if a boulder rolled down from a high mountain—his force was immensely solid and condensed, surpassing ordinary imagination; he immediately circulated his divine skill, striving to neutralize it.

Xuan Nan (Xuan Nan) and Ding Chunqiu (Ding Chunqiu).

The Hangu Eight Friends.

It turned out that Ding Chunqiu, though appearing heroic and possessing an immortal's aura, was in fact a thoroughly despicable villain.

Normally he would have an easy time against Su Xinghe, but Feng Yi had previously struck him in a vital point, causing internal injury, and then repeatedly sealed his acupoints over several days, finally injecting him with ice silkworm chill; after sitting and circulating his qi for a while, he felt he could not exert even fifty percent of his strength, and to contend with Su Xinghe would be suicidal, so he kept thinking about how to escape.

Seeing Feng Yi make a move against the gray-clad man, everyone's attention was on the two of them, and he immediately rose and fled.

He had been building up his momentum for a long time, with speed and direction carefully calculated; in an instant he broke free from the encirclement of Xuannan, Xuantong, the Eight Friends of Hangu, and others, and Su Xinghe leapt after him in pursuit.

Ding Chunqiu, Su Xinghe, and a disciple of the Xingxiu Sect (the sect's name being Xingxiu).

no new names.

Divine Doctor Xue.

Su Xinghe had no choice but to leap aside to avoid him; with a bang, this person crashed into the pine tree, already having been strangled to death by Ding Chunqiu.

The Eight Friends of Hangu were both angry and anxious, leaping forward and hurling concealed weapons; Ding Chunqiu didn't even turn his head, flicked his sleeve, and with a series of tinkling sounds the weapons reversed direction and flew back at them.

Kumarazhi, Murong Fu, Xuannan, Xuantong, and the others could not help but admire: "Ding Chunqiu's character is despicable, but his martial arts are first-rate. If we few joined forces to surround him, even though he is formidable, he could not withstand the combined strength of several masters and would surely be captured."

The term "deaf-mute old person" is merely a descriptor, not a name. "Xingxiu Old Monster" might be a nickname for someone, possibly Ding Chunqiu, but it's also just a descriptor and not a proper name, so we will not include it.

In the blink of an eye, Ding Chunqiu was already several zhang away; once he left the valley, no one in the mountains and forests could catch up to him.

Ding Chunqiu's plans were going smoothly when he heard Feng Yi shout sharply, "Where do you think you're going!" The cry was clear and penetrating, like a phoenix's call.

Ding Chunqiu cursed silently; he had thought that Feng Yi's fight with the gray-clad man could not be resolved quickly, but to his surprise Feng Yi arrived immediately.

He felt a flash before his eyes, a layered white illusion flickering in and out of existence, as if thousands of threads were sweeping toward his face.

How could Ding Chunqiu not know this was his sect's treasure, the Soft Silk Rope? He blocked with a sleeve flick while retreating, shouting, "Feng Yi, you lack faith!" In the process of retreating, he tapped the ground with his foot, soared like a great bird, and lunged toward A Zi nearby.

A Zi.

With no way out, Ding Chunqiu gave up all restraint; if the situation improved he would seize A Zi to make Feng Yi hesitate, then seek escape, and with another tap he would kill A Zi, burying himself with her and also causing Feng Yi grief.

He had just seen clearly that Feng Yi was still six or seven zhang away; by the time he arrived, A Zi would surely be within his grasp.

Seeing his plot succeed, he did not expect a sudden hiss from the side—a sword-like gust of immense, matchless force shooting straight at him.

Ding Chunqiu felt a secret alarm, lashed out with a palm, glanced to the right, and saw a young man looking rather tense—it was Duan Yu.

The two forces clashed turbulently, but all that could be heard was a hissing sound.

Ding Chunqiu had not wanted to bother with him, but suddenly sensing danger he lowered his body, pushed hard with both feet, and shot backward like an arrow; he felt a sharp wind graze his ear, causing a burning pain.

As the two forces met, the Six Meridian Divine Sword was like a sharp blade slicing paper, splitting Ding Chunqiu's palm force in two; its keen energy remained undiminished and wounded him.

Murong Fu stared blankly, then exclaimed in shock, "This is the Six Meridian Divine Sword!"

Wang Yuyan.

Murong Fu's face turned ashen, and he lamented, "The world is vast, indeed talents abound; this Brother Duan's inner strength is simply astonishing beyond convention!"

Earlier his mind had been affected by Kumarazhi, and when Duan Yu knocked his longsword away he had not seen its power; now he only saw Ding Chunqiu's palm force shattered by an invisible sword qi—had he not dodged quickly, he would have nearly been struck in the head; truly its power was peerless.

Duan Yu, the Bei Ming Divine Art, the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, the Seven Disciples of the Boundless Sword, Duan Yanqing, the Huangmei Monk, Ye Erniang, the Nanhai Crocodile God, Yunzhong He, Zhong Wanqiu, and Cui Baiquan.

The Dali Tianlong Temple, the Baoding Emperor, Ben Guan, Ben Xiang, Ben Yin, Ben Shen, and the Duan clan (though the clan may not be needed).

Jiumozhi, Qiao Feng (who appears in line 37 as a top expert alongside Jiumozhi), and Duan Yu.

By chance he also learned the Six Meridian Divine Sword, this most profound martial art; but having never practiced martial arts and not knowing how to exert his strength, it worked only intermittently. Yet he was inherently kind, and upon hearing A Zi call him "big brother," fraternal feelings stirred; in his anxiety his heart and qi connected, and he naturally unleashed the Six Meridian Divine Sword.

Others, when facing an opponent, restrain their haste and agitation to fully unleash their inner strength, but Duan Yu is the opposite: the more anxious and tense he becomes, the more adept he is at wielding the Six Meridian Divine Sword against foes.

Before the words were finished, the moment had passed; Ding Chunqiu's lightness was exquisite, dodging Duan Yu's Six Meridian Divine Sword, he had already leapt more than a zhang away, his feet not yet touching the ground, when Feng Yi closed in, his "Soft Silk Rope" unfurling across the sky to envelop Ding Chunqiu, then suddenly contracting, the silk condensing into a cocoon-sized mass.

The snow-silk is tougher than ox sinew and as hard as refined steel; one who is enveloped cannot escape without knowing how to break free. Although Ding Chunqiu knew the method, he had no chance left; his heart turned gray, he crashed to the ground with a bang, and furiously shouted, "Feng Yi, you faithless villain!"

Feng Yi said coldly, "Who let you ruin my plans, breaking your death-match agreement with Su Xinghe!"

Feng Yi, the grey-clothed person, and Murong Bo (as shown in line 43, where Feng Yi's attack on the grey-clothed person confirms the latter is Murong Bo).

This is also why he refrained from striking a killing blow against Murong Fu just now, for if Murong Bo were not dead, Murong Fu could not be killed.

A father who has lost his son possesses a vengeful capacity that absolutely cannot be underestimated.

Besides, Murong Bo had not revealed his identity, and Kumarazhi and Murong Fu are people who care about their standing, so they would not besiege me; taking this opportunity, I will cut the Gordian knot with a swift blow, then flip back and lift Murong Bo's veil, justly slaying the son who seeks to avenge his father—everything will be settled neatly.

Who would have thought that the instant his palm met the gray-clad man's, he would sense Ding Chunqiu rising and flying away; at that moment the gray-clad man's palm force collapsed like a mountain, and Feng Yi sensed that his inner strength was not only immense but also erratic, wandering to the side, actually having a tendency to rebound against himself.

Feng Yi, Ding Chunqiu, and the Murong father and son (though the latter may not need to be listed as a name).

The Murong father and son harbor great ambitions, so they value reputation; they will not do anything despicable unless absolutely necessary. They have left for today, but there will be another chance later.

But this Ding Chunqiu is vile and shameless, best at sneak attacks and covert schemes; having escaped today, he will lurk in the shadows, and when he takes revenge it will be impossible to guard against—he must not be allowed to live!

In the blink of a thought, Feng Yi made a decision, immediately following the gray-clad man's palm force, his body shooting backward like an arrow released from a bow.

The grey-clothed person (identified as Murong Bo), Feng Yi, Murong Fu, and Fanlou (translated as "Fan Tower" because it carries meaning).

Appearing was also a reluctant choice; first, because Murong Fu had been defeated too quickly, and here were representatives of Dali, Shaolin, Su Xinghe, the Xingxiu sect, and others—he needed to restore the Murong family's prestige, lest people say the Gusu Murongs were merely hollow reputations.

Yan Longyuan (the alias he used), the Gusu Murong clan, and the Yan banner of the Gusu Murong family.

If prestige were gone, who at the time of uprising would still risk the danger of having their homes confiscated and clans exterminated to follow a martial-world charlatan with no real talent in rebellion?

Then, if he hid his name and feigned death to escape, after years of secretly gathering power, his efforts would be wasted, and he would ultimately earn only a reputation as a laughingstock—something he could absolutely not accept.

Secondly, his comings and goings were sudden; his aim was not to contend with Feng Yi for superiority, but merely to let Feng Yi know that the Murong family still had such an expert, making him wary and unwilling to deliver a killing blow to Murong Fu.

He had not expected Feng Yi to strike him directly; upon seeing Feng Yi borrow force to free himself, it was naturally welcome, so their palm forces met and then immediately separated.

All that was heard was the gray-clad man laughing, "Hero Feng, your martial arts are unsurpassed, your virtue noble—I admire you, I admire you." As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve; his body moved like drifting clouds, already floating to the treetop of the pine, and in the process a chill white qi rose from his palm, leaving only a faint trace that vanished at the mountain pass.

Feng Yi retreated, and saw Ding Chunqiu six or seven zhang away, his palm strike unable to reach; he flicked his sleeve, bursting forth a puff of white light—exactly one of the Three Treasures of the Star Constellation he had obtained from Ding Chunqiu, made from snow silkworm silk, the soft silk rope intertwining in midair to form a peerless giant net that enveloped Ding Chunqiu.

However, Ding Chunqiu was not an easy opponent; one strike missed, but Ding Chunqiu was blocked by Duan Yu using the Six Meridians Divine Sword, Feng Yi took advantage of the opening and was about to envelop Ding Chunqiu with a silkworm net.

Landing lightly, he protected the still dazed A Zi behind him.

Only now did A Zi completely cast aside the gratitude for Ding Chunqiu's upbringing, and she spat hatefully: "Ding Chunqiu, how dare you still call yourself the Immortal of the Constellation? You are nothing but a treacherous, lecherous, shameless wretch—you truly deserve to die!"

Ding Chunqiu coldly snorted: "You want to say I touched your face, touched your little..."

A Zi was so angry she nearly fainted, and Feng Yi coldly said: "Master Su, are you really this pedantic? If not now to clean up the sect, when then?"

Saying this, he flicked his sleeve, and Ding Chunqiu was bound with silkworm thread into a sticky rice dumpling; the silkworm net infused with his internal energy tightened, and he instantly felt his vision darken, the world spin, and he flew toward Su Xinghe.

Su Xinghe loudly said: "Master, this unworthy disciple today, with others' help, has cleaned up the sect for you!"

He lightly flicked out a palm, with a puff, squarely striking Ding Chunqiu's forehead.

With a crackling sound, Feng Yi's palm contracted, the heavenly silkworm silk swiftly retracted back into his sleeve. Ding Chunqiu flew several zhang, heavily striking a stone, blood spurting from his mouth, eyes wide, he pointed at Feng Yi and said: "You have no..." before he could utter the word "shame", his body twitched a few times, his head tilted, and he died.

"Amita Buddha!" The monks Xuánnán, Xuántòng, and others put their palms together and sighed, performing the liberation rite for him.

The scene fell silent for a moment; they all realized that as long as Feng Yi wanted to kill, no so-called expert in this world could survive.

Murong Fu had just been lucky; Feng Yi didn't strike, and Jiū mó zhì clearly understood that if he had run slower that day, he too would have followed in Ding Chunqiu's footsteps.

And that grey-clothed person, hearing it, boasted that the divine martial arts of Ancient Suzhou Murong were unknown in number.

Although not defeated by Feng Yi, he was also blown away by a single palm from Feng Yi, vanishing without a trace and fleeing in panic.

At this moment, everyone reached a consensus: Feng Yi's martial prowess surpassed imagination, fundamentally unbeatable by a single person.

Jiū mó zhì secretly pondered, wanting to wash away his humiliation; even if he integrated the Minor Formless Skill and the Young Forest Temple's Seventy-Two Supreme Skills, his chances would still be slim, the only hope resting on Duan Yu, for Duan Yu's earlier display of the Six Meridians Divine Sword had again stirred his longing.

Murong Fu gazed at Ding Chunqiu's corpse; although he knew this man had committed myriad evils and was despicable, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow at the death of a fellow creature, and recalling the grey-clothed person's technique just now, he pondered briefly, then looked at Feng Yi and said: "Hero Feng, why did you just strike that grey-clothed senior?"

Feng Yi lightly replied: "I merely didn't expect your Murong family to still have such an expert; as a martial practitioner, I feel joy at seeing a worthy quarry, you should understand!"

Everyone was startled, some feeling utterly confused.

Murong Fu raised his brows, asking: "That senior, how could he be a member of my Murong family?"

=9+_book right?

In an instant, everyone turned their gaze to Feng Yi.

Indeed, besides Murong Fu, the Murong family had no one else, and no one had heard that Murong Bo even had any brothers!

Feng Yi sank his face and said: "When striking, the floating catkins flutter, yet I can transfer my palm power, exchanging flowers for wood, swapping breath in midair—such a peerless borrowing-force technique, what could it be?"

Murong Fu's heart and spirit shook violently, and Wang Yuyan cried out in alarm: "Turning the Dipper, Shifting the Stars?"

Feng Yi's eyes turned, and he smiled fully: "Miss Wang, since you are a living encyclopedia of all martial arts under heaven, your words should not be far off!"

Wang Yuyan's cheeks flushed red, and she shyly said: "What living encyclopedia!" She turned her gaze, saw Murong Fu suddenly looking around, knowing he must have figured it out as well, yet she dared not ask.

Murong Fu's mind was in a muddle; Feng Yi's words were correct, he also felt that Senior Yan Longyuan's displayed technique was indeed Turning the Dipper, Shifting the Stars, merely far more exquisite than his own. This martial art, his father had once said clearly, was known only to him and his son; moreover, recalling when his father taught him martial arts, his heart gradually overlapped with a shadow.

He hastily shook his head, his father having been dead for over ten years, yet he still seemed to hear Feng Yi's laughter: "A divine art named Turning the Dipper, Shifting the Stars, from its literal meaning expects to shift stars and exchange the dipper—this is the power of immortals. I am merely an ordinary man; I do not know whether Young Master Murong can transfer that palm of mine just now to somewhere else."

In an instant, Murong Fu only felt his heart pound like thunder, he opened his mouth but could not utter a sound.

His lack of confidence was plain to see on everyone's faces, and they all had the answer.

The Ancient Suzhou Murong family's signature supreme skill is a borrowing-force technique called Turning the Dipper, Shifting the Stars.

Outsiders unaware of the details only see the Murongs' "using the opponent's way and still applying it to their body" as almost supernatural skill; when they aim to take a life, they always add the opponent's famed supreme skill onto them, as if every sect's supreme skill, the Ancient Suzhou Murongs know none they cannot master, none they cannot excel at.

In fact, the martial world contains myriad supreme skills; no matter how intelligent and erudite a person is, it is difficult to master every one of them, let alone that supreme skills are not something that can be acquired overnight.

The Murongs possess this marvelously clever Turning the Dipper, Shifting the Stars technique; no matter what martial art the opponent employs, they can transfer its force and rebound it onto the opponent themselves. Those adept at the Throat-Sealing Sword, who thrust their sword to stab Murong Fu's throat, after receiving a turn of Turning the Dipper, Shifting the Stars, that sword will pierce their own throat; and the weapons, energy, and methods used are entirely from their own school's secret transmissions.

Those skilled with the saber, who swing and chop, yet end up cutting themselves—the weapon is this saber, the move is this move.

Unless one personally witnesses the Murongs employing Turning the Dipper, Shifting the Stars, no one would guess why these people died; in fact, it is all due to "suicide".

Murong Fu received his father's personal transmission; father and son secretly trained hard in breaking moves in the underground cellar of Participation Manor, unknown to outsiders; the Ancient Suzhou Murong name shook the martial world, yet the true location of their skill remained unknown to all.

Simply by redirecting the opponent's weapons and fists/feet, causing them to harm themselves; the principle lies entirely in the two words "rebound".

For example, when someone punches a stone wall, the heavier the strike, the greater the force rebounding onto the fist. While redirecting tangible weapons and fists/feet is relatively easy, trying to redirect intangible, formless internal energy and qi is extremely difficult.

Although Murong Fu has trained for years in this art, limited by his age he has not reached the pinnacle of perfection; when facing a first-rate expert, he cannot use Turning the Dipper, Shifting the Stars to rebound and harm the opponent.

For example, Ding Chunqiu, and the Young Forest Temple's Mysterious generation's Master Xuánbēi.

In the past, Wang Yuyan said to Duan Yu's face that Xuánbēi was not killed by Murong Fu, but rather because Xuánbēi's internal energy was profound, his martial arts strong and mighty, the Great Vajra Club being rigid and domineering; in Wang Yuyan's heart, Murong Fu lacked such ability.

When Murong Fu employs Turning the Dipper, Shifting the Stars, those who can withstand the blow are merely useless mediocres, such as disciples of the Constellation Sect; when he just faced Feng Yi, he didn't dare to employ this supreme skill at all.

Although Murong Bo's internal power was profound, after exchanging a palm with Feng Yi, the transfer and shift occurred, yet he could not transfer it onto Feng Yi himself.

"Really unexpected. The Murong family still has such an expert!" Jiū mó zhì drew a deep breath, also lowered his gaze to his own pair of hands, and sighed: "Just now he and I exchanged a blow head-on; this is not his forte, yet even I cannot defeat him—this jianghu truly hides experts, its depths unfathomable!"

Feng Yi glanced at Jiū mó zhì, suspicious: "Ming Wang, you don't recognize him?"

Jiū mó zhì smiled faintly.

Feng Yi also smiled without speaking.

A Zi saw the two men's smiles, like foxes, and spat: "Playing mysterious!"

Only then did Su Xinghe slowly say: "Hero Feng, since Young Master Murong and Ming Wang cannot break the situation, I ask you to give it a try!"

A Zi said: "You've already cleared the sect, what more chess are you playing?"

Duan Yu laughed: "A Zi, Master Su wishes to fulfill his master's last wish; you must not interject!"

A Zi glanced at him and said: "Alright, considering you just saved me with your move, I'll grudgingly acknowledge you as my brother."

Everyone laughed and cried at once—could there be more to acknowledging a brother?

Duan Yu smiled: "A Zi sister acknowledging me as brother gives me full face."

A Zi snorted: "Flattery and smooth talk, you'd better use that energy to become Brother Wang Yuyan instead!"

Duan Yu felt bitter inside, thinking: "If I were to become his brother, I might as well be dead!"

Suddenly, Feng Yi walked to the edge of the chessboard, sat opposite Su Xinghe, and everyone else turned their eyes to him, wanting to see how he would break this precious jade chess game.

After all, Feng Yi had just said he already possessed a sure method to break it.

Feng Yi stared at the chessboard for a moment; he and Huang Shang, in their leisure from martial practice, would drink tea and play chess, so he could naturally see that the black stones had formed a situation of mutual attack and capture, while the white stones were in the predicament of a dragon trapped in shallow water—how to escape indeed required great effort.

Bu Bu Tong saw him lost in thought, hesitating to place a piece, and laughed triumphantly: 'Hero Feng, though your martial arts are high, I fear you cannot break this game; we're even, we're even.'

A Zi snorted coldly: 'Anyway, my elder brother today defeated the Gusu Murong; even if we lose this chess match, it's still a great gain!!'

Murong Fu, hearing these cold remarks, could not help but his face flush alternately pale and red.

Bu Bu Tong was about to speak, but seeing Deng Bai Chuan give him a sideways glance, he could only resentfully shut his mouth.

Feng Yi looked at the chessboard and couldn't help thinking: 'A Zi and Bu Bu Tong are both perverse people; I am close to one, while the other is close to Murong Fu, our positions and starting points differ, so my feelings toward them differ.'

Actually, just like this black-and-white chessboard, what we observe is merely the variability of human hearts.

Furthermore, as in the original plot, there were the Four Villains and Xu Zhu breaking the chess game, but now they are gone, and instead a Murong Bo has appeared.

This indeed proves the saying that worldly affairs are fickle, all closely tied to gains and losses in victory and defeat!

A Zi is young and her nature not yet formed; if I were willing to devote myself, even without speaking of abandoning evil for good to become a model of righteousness, she could still discern right from wrong and the stakes involved, so that no matter how things develop later, my association with her would not be in vain.

Thinking thus, he smiled faintly, one hand holding a piece ready to play, the other hand pressing on the stone carved into a chessboard,

Everyone saw that his piece was actually hovering over a dead point, not yet fallen; once placed, in the way of chess it would be tantamount to suicide.

Jiumu Zhi, Murong Fu, Duan Yu, and the others, seeing this, could not help but show strange expressions, all thinking: 'Could he not know how to play chess?'

Just then, Feng Yi loosened his grip, and with a clang the white stone fell onto the dead point.

This sight made everyone burst out laughing; even Xuan Nan and Xuan Tong couldn't help but shake their heads and smile, while Fan Bai Ling could not help but say: 'This isn't……'

Before his words finished, a sudden boom rang out; the stone bearing the chessboard split apart directly into five fragments, and the pieces scattered all over the ground.

Everyone was startled again.

(End of chapter)