Chapter 219

Feng Yi's move simply left some people baffled, while some thought Feng Yi was deliberately messing with Zhuo Bu Fan.

Simply because nobody believed that the fierce and mighty Tianshan Tonglao could be a seven- or eight-year-old mute child; for once they thought along those lines, wouldn't those who called themselves heroes and masters of caves and islands lose face utterly?

The one enslaving them would have to be incredibly formidable; otherwise, it would be beneath their status!

Duan Yu was greatly startled, shouting: "No, no! Mr. Wu said this girl is just a maidservant, while Mr. Zhuo is a Sword God—how could we take revenge using her?" He then executed the Lotus Wave Microstep, gliding over.

Zhuo Bu Fan's face flushed alternating between green and red, the anger in his chest burning hotter and hotter, his long sword trembling and humming; he coldly said, "Surname Feng, draw your sword—I'll make you die utterly convinced!"

Zhuo Bu Fan also didn't believe that the Tianshan Tonglao was the girl in Feng Yi's hand; this was simply ignoring him, making fun of him.

Feng Yi knew Zhuo Bu Fan was arrogant and conceited; the girl's life or death meant nothing to him—this time stepping forward was merely to show kindness to everyone, and of course, establishing prestige would be even better.

His reaction was as expected; he shrugged, pouted, and said, "What a pity—good intentions go unrewarded!", then shook his head and said, "Zhuo Jianshen, you're full of hot air—more than a plastic bag could hold; I both admire and pity you."

Zhuo Bu Fan heard him mention the plastic bag, didn't understand at all, but hearing the last sentence, he asked, "What pity?"

Feng Yi said sternly, "It's a pity you harbor a grudge to exterminate your clan—something that should evoke sympathy—but you are so arrogant and conceited that offending me is no big deal; yet you leave no room for compromise, and if you can't defeat me, let alone avenge your clan, how could you ever stand in this jianghu?"

Zhuo Bu Fan laughed loudly to the sky, his voice clear and bright; when he lowered his head again, his face had turned fierce and vicious, and he gave a sinister laugh, saying, "Back then my entire clan was killed by the Tian Shan Tong Lao—hehe, I, Zhuo Bu Fan, was lucky enough to escape calamity, but I have painstakingly trained for twenty years, all to send this old demoness to her doom!"

I, Zhuo, merely see that your inner strength is truly impressive; you are promising material. As long as we two join forces, we can summon wind and rain—what is the Tian Shan Tong Lao after all?

Yet you fail to appreciate the gesture, ruining the grand plans of the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands—if I, Zhuo, do not single you out, how could I repay the esteem of all the heroes and warriors?

These last words were clearly meant for the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands to hear; his eyes flashed with sharp light, a look of greed—he wanted to kill the Tian Shan Tong Lao, then obtain the "Life-and-death Talisman" to control this bunch and throw his weight around.

Feng Yi smiled and nodded, saying, "All right, I, Feng, have long laid down my weapons; if you wish to instruct me, please go ahead."

Seeing his demeanor, Zhuo Bu Fan thought, "What swordsmanship I have—how dare someone look down on me like this?" He shouted, "Don't blame me if you die!", flicked his wrist, sent out his long sword, and executed the move "Heaven Like a Dome", followed by "White Mist Vast".

The two moves blend into one—sword blossoms bloom at the tip, feints and reals intertwined like a live snake wagging its head and tail; the tip clearly points at Feng Yi's shoulder, but in reality it is elusive and groundless, a feint east, strike west, the blade trembling, yet it heads toward the girls' circle.

He calls himself Jian Shen; no one has witnessed his swordsmanship, but just now, as he chopped a tree, he revealed every subtlety of his technique—seeing the Divine Sword in action, it is indeed extraordinary.

The One-Character Wisdom Sword School's entire faculty and disciples were slaughtered to the last by the Tian Shan Tong Lao; at that time Zhuo Bu Fan was not in Fujian, thus he escaped disaster, and thereafter he never dared return, fleeing to the remote, bitterly cold wilds of the Changbai Mountains where he painstakingly studied swordsmanship, and by chance obtained a sword manual left by a senior master. He trained diligently for twenty years, finally mastering his sword art, confident he was invincible under heaven; this time descending the mountain, he killed several renowned fighters in Hebei in one go, becoming even more arrogant and overbearing, whereupon he styled himself Jian Shen, believing his long sword had no equal in the world, that his word was law, and who would dare defy him?

Feng Yi, however, dared not look down on himself; Zhuo Bu Fan, though renowned and strong, is actually more suitable for him to use to establish prestige before the crowd.

Although he is arrogant and conceited, he also has deep scheming; he knows well that Feng Yi is not an easy opponent, and it is truly unnecessary to risk life and death over a girl.

If they could capture the girl alive from his hands, letting him lose face and be unable to step down, then even if they won this battle, they could both bestow kindness upon the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands and gain a deterrent effect—killing two birds with one stone; therefore, when executing his moves, he blended feint and real, already exerting his full strength.

Wang Yuyan, seeing his move, thought, "'Heaven Like a Dome' and 'White Mist Vast' are both nine false, one true. All you need is to advance straight to the center, strike his vital point, and you'll force him to withdraw his move."

Murong Fu also saw through the essence of Zhuo Bu Fan's two moves, thinking, "What mischief is this old man surnamed Zhuo up to? With just this, he thinks he can match Feng Yi?"

But Duan Yu also didn't understand the feints and reals of the sword moves; he only saw the opponent's swift technique, the girl in peril, and hurriedly called out, "Feng brother, hurry up and strike!" Standing to the side, he tapped his fingers.

Feng Yi secretly shook his head; the internal-energy method he had taught Duan Yu was utterly useless.

When it comes to internal cultivation, one must restrain one's emotions; Duan Yu constantly thinks of Wang Yuyan, so he naturally cannot make progress—this is beyond human effort.

Actually Feng Yi's purpose was merely to have the Tian Shan Tong Lao strike at the moment of life and death; hearing Zhuo Bu Fan's fierce, urgent wind-like sound, he already knew the true energy condensed at the sword tip was no small matter, thinking, "This person's inner strength is profound; he's not entirely without merit!"

In a flash of thought, he swept his hand, his sleeve surface like parting clouds rising from a ravine, already resting on the blade.

Seeing Zhuo Bu Fan block the sword with his sleeve, he first startled, then mustered strength to change his move, thrusting his long sword straight at Feng Yi's chest—but before the tip could even touch, Feng Yi's internal energy had already traveled along the blade to reach him.

Zhuo Bu Fan suddenly felt a wave of numbness surge from his arm throughout his body, his three souls and six spirits seeming to leave his body, his mind in a muddled haze; he could neither thrust out nor hold onto his long sword, which slipped directly from his grasp.

At this moment, if Feng Yi wished to kill, whether by striking an acupoint with his sleeve tip, raising his arm to block the elbow, or lifting a leg to pierce the heart, he could instantly think of dozens of ways to take the life of this Jian Shen.

But he had no intention to kill; he merely brushed his sleeve lightly against the fallen long sword, gave Zhuo Bu Fan no more glance, reached out to take A Zi, leapt up, and climbed onto a large tree.

But with a soft 'ding', Zhuo Bu Fan's long sword returned to its sheath, the sound lingering and endless, echoing far from the valley.

Before anyone could react, Feng Yi was already treading the treetops, like a streak of light shooting into the depths of the night, vanishing in an instant.

In the crowd someone shouted angrily, "You damned wretch, just who won and who lost?"

"Just running off like that—what kind of thing is this?"

"If the news leaks, how can we proceed?"

In the woods an uproar arose, and hundreds rushed out, brandishing knives and spears, shouting as they gave chase.

Feng Yi's martial prowess is high, and everyone harbors fear, but this matter is of great importance—this girl he rescued; if we don't kill them to silence them, the crowd's plans will immediately leak, and unforeseen calamities will follow, so we have no choice but to do it.

But Feng Yi's voice came from afar: "Everyone, hear me true—I, Feng, will not leak what happens here; if anyone still insists on making things difficult for me, I will not hold back again, so don't blame me for not warning you beforehand."

Duan Yu clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "As the saying goes, a gentleman's word is hard to chase after even with four horses—Feng brother, you are of such stature that you surely keep your word and would never go back on it for profit."

Everyone also knew Feng Yi wholeheartedly wished to protect this girl; pursuing them would only be asking for trouble, so everyone instantly stopped, stood still, yet all gazed at Zhuo Bu Fan, some thinking perhaps the outcome between the two had already been decided.

Feng Yi acted so fast that in the flick of his sleeve he had already completed the deed of taking and returning the sword; Zhuo Bu Fan's whole body went cold, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his face, his heart half filled with anger, half with confusion—his swordsmanship and internal energy were both top-notch, he had thought there was no equal under heaven, yet with a single move he found his long sword taken away, his mind shocked as if caught in a nightmare, unable to believe such a thing could happen.

Everyone present except Murong Fu, who saw clearly, and Zhuo Bu Fan himself, who understood, failed to see Feng Yi's move clearly; they thought Zhuo Bu Fan, on one hand wary of Feng Yi, on the hand mindful of his status, had not moved against the girl, merely brandished a sword and then sheathed it himself.

Zhuo Bu Fan was originally shocked and angry, but seeing the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd upon him, he had a change of thought, thinking, "I fortuitously obtained a sword manual left by a senior in the Changbai Mountains, painstakingly trained for twenty years—how could there still be a rival in the present age?"

That's right; I suppose this brat merely has deep internal energy, a fluke, a one-in-a-hundred chance that just happened to occur.

If he truly intended to seize my weapon, after taking it, how could he possibly return it to me?

Well, look at his young age—nothing more than deep internal energy; in a genuine clash, how could he possibly take the long sword from my, Zhuo's hand?

Zhuo Bu Fan, thinking this over, felt his heroic spirit rise again, and he said, "Heroes, this Feng Yi truly possesses deep internal energy, not inferior to my, Zhuo's; considering his youth and the difficulty of his achievements, ought we not show leniency? After all, he merely rescued this girl and swore an oath, which does not affect the larger situation."

Please give this old man some face, stop quarreling, and let us discuss attacking the Ethereal Peak—that is the proper course.

Everyone hearing this shouted in unison, "Your words are quite right, Jian Shen!"

"Jian Shen is truly magnanimous!"

Bao Bu Tong even more so shouted, stretching his neck.

Murong Fu gave a snort; he fully knew the ins and outs, understood that Feng Yi was giving Zhuo Bu Fan, just like himself, some face, not wanting to drive the matter to an absolute end.

Who would have thought Zhuo Bu Fan could still put on such an act; though he found it amusing, he also didn't want to expose it, feeling that having such a clown could also relieve boredom, he clasped his hands and laughed: "Mr. Zhuo, your swordsmanship reaches the divine, the breeze is clear and the moon bright, Murong Fu admires, admires."

Zhuo Bu Fan waved his hand and said: "You don't need to flatter me with insincere praise, but you are different from Feng Yi; you gave your word beforehand, promising to assist all the island and cave masters. If you are insincere, contributing nothing, Zhuo will certainly not stand by idly—don't delude yourself!"

Bao Bu Tong, Feng Bo E, and the others glared with angry brows, yet hearing Murong Fu say: "Good, good. I will naturally be at the disposal of all the island and cave masters!"

He did not want to quarrel with such clueless lot; when the situation is settled, this "Sword God" could indeed become a stepping stone for the Gusu Murong, perfectly suited to win over the hearts of these cave and island masters for his own use.

Feng Yi's martial arts were peerless; with this move, everyone immediately discussed how to attack Mount Piaomiao, yet nobody dared to chase him. Still, Feng Yi and A Zi rushed out, treading the treetops. A Zi heard the pine waves like the sea at her ears; walking on the treetops, she actually felt as if she were treading waves on water.

She increasingly felt that using Northern Dark True Qi to execute the Star Palace Sect's lightness skill became more and more adept; in one breath she ran several dozen li, when suddenly she saw below a few bamboo-fenced thatched huts, built very crudely, and Feng Yi immediately leapt down from the tree.

A Zi then asked: 'Elder brother, why didn't you kill that surnamed Zhuo?'

'Why kill?' Feng Yi let out a sigh: 'His whole family, old and young, are all dead; only a lone offspring remains—this is heaven giving him a chance at life. After great difficulty he has cultivated an extraordinary sword technique, yet he is merely a bit arrogant. Actually, anyone who gains great power, when oblivious to the heights of heaven and depths of earth, cannot avoid such arrogance. You are like this, and so am I; why, then, because of a moment's spirit, should I ruin him at my hand?'

A Zi thought it over, indeed she nodded, then said: 'But those demons and monsters simply don't know good from bad, and they are preparing to rely on numbers to kill us and silence us; I think we should kill this rabble, heehee—once they're dead they won't fear that death talisman, that would also be doing a good deed!'

'You're talking nonsense again?' Feng Yi glared at her: 'All you know is fighting and killing.'

A Zi resentfully said: 'But we just ran away like this; if someone says you were scared off by others, that would be too unpleasant.'

Feng Yi shook his head: 'Do you know why these people betrayed the Heavenly Mountain Elder?'

A Zi frowned: 'Isn't it just that they couldn't bear the so-called death talisman, like a cornered dog jumping over a wall?'

Feng Yi said: 'You only see the surface, not the essence.'

'Essence?' A Zi said with a giggle: 'As you know, I don't understand many things.'

Feng Yi said solemnly: 'The Heavenly Mountain Elder's martial arts are high, and she has many disciples; in terms of deterrent power, she is actually far above us.'

But she only knows how to show force, not how to bestow kindness; therefore, when she encounters misfortune, everyone risks their lives to betray her.

Once I start killing, these people will die either way—wouldn't they fight to the death? With hundreds surrounding us at night, I might be unharmed, but you might not, let alone with a burden.

Feng Yi deeply knew the jianghu is indeed a place that rewards ruthlessness, yet A Zi's nature has already been skewed by the Star Palace Sect; if I casually take up killing, she will surely imitate me, so her future outcome will certainly be bad. For some matters, it's not a question of high or low martial arts.

'What do you understand?' Suddenly a voice sounded beside the two: 'People fear power but not virtue; wasting your martial arts that look down on the world, you are actually inferior to a little girl's insight.'

A Zi heard the voice, neither male nor female, only feeling it very aged; yet it came from beside her, she gathered her energy, sensed the surroundings—no trace of a person—but where did this voice come from?

Feng Yi glanced at the cloth bag in his hand, lightly said: 'People fearing power but not virtue is certainly not wrong. But to show force with weapons, to make them fear, not to pacify, but to comfort their hearts—ultimately it harms others and oneself.'

Because excess cannot last, just like the way of using troops, it lies in one's heart; adapting to circumstances is the true way.

What is called: fight when one should fight, pacify when one should pacify, decided according to circumstances—how can it be governed by a fixed rule?

The same holds true in martial arts: as the saying goes, 'Great accomplishment seeming lacking, its use is not harmful; great excess seeming flooding, its use is not exhausted.'

That voice cursed: 'Damn the nonsense of great accomplishment seeming lacking, great excess seeming flooding—I just want to be supreme alone!'

Feng Yi coldly said: 'Then have you achieved being supreme alone? The martial arts of Daoism are not based on Laozi's teachings—how could there be any accomplishment?'

Could it be that I am ignorant and uninformed, that with swords at my throat I am powerless, my life hanging by a thread, and yet this is also the way of being supreme alone? After saying this, there was a long silence.

A Zi strangely said: 'Elder brother, could that person be in this house?'

Feng Yi entered the house and saw: there was a bamboo bed, but it was filthy beyond measure, and on the floor lay a bundle of dry grass.

A Zi saw that there was nowhere to hide a person all around; Feng Yi put down the bag in his hand, and only then did A Zi remember there was still such a doll.

But then heard that person say again: 'A human life spans a hundred years, ultimately there is death; the so-called victory is gladly accepted, defeat leaves no regrets—what is there to fear?'

Feng Yi laughed: 'You take Daoist learning as your basis, yet you are entangled in the net of the mundane world, fallen into self-inflicted suffering, yet your mouth is stubborn as death.'

One may ask, if you are truly so carefree, why do you cry? Why pretend to be mute? Why speak now?

Isn't it just because you want to live!

A Zi's eyes shifted, she immediately opened the bag's mouth, only to see a person jump out—she was small in stature, that eight- or nine-year-old girl, but her eyes were like lightning, bright and spirited; when she looked at A Zi, there naturally arose an awe-inspiring dignity.

A Zi smiled: 'Little sister, was it you who just spoke?'

'No manners!' the girl said: 'Who is your little sister? Seeing elders, you don't even perform rites!'

She then glanced at Feng Yi: 'Kid, you're in the right, no wonder you're so accomplished at such a young age—what is your relation to the Lofty Mist Peak, and why did you save me?'

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Her voice was hoarse with age, and her demeanor was even more aged and pompous.

Now A Zi saw clearly that the voice came from this little girl; she was startled, grabbed Feng Yi's hand, and said: 'Elder brother, her accent is so old—could she be a female ghost possessing a corpse?'

Feng Yi thought: 'She is certainly not a female ghost. It seems this Everlasting Youth skill can keep one's appearance young, but cannot change the voice—a pity!' He then asked: 'May I have your name, miss?'

He chatted and laughed freely, but the girl felt each word pierce her heart; their eyes met, and they remained silent.

After a long while, the girl said: 'Actually, there's no need for all this; if you didn't know my identity, you probably wouldn't behave like this.'

Feng Yi burst into loud laughter, and the girl also put her hands on her hips and laughed loudly.

A Zi, however, didn't know why the two were laughing; her eyes shifted, and she said: 'Identity? What identity!'

Feng Yi's laughter subsided, and he said: 'Everyone speaks of the Heavenly Mountain Elder, but they don't realize that this 'Elder' refers to one whose stature forever remains like a girl's!'

'Ah?' A Zi startled, her dark eyes sizing up the girl: 'Are you that Heavenly Mountain Elder whom everyone fears like a tiger?'

The Elder snorted: 'Little girl, you should call me Granny!'

'Tch!' A Zi pursed her lips: 'You wail nonstop, have been flooded by water, burned by fire, starved, and yet you want me to call you Granny—what a beautiful idea!'

The Elder, recalling her recent state, seen fully by them, immediately blushed ear to ear, overcome with shame, glanced at A Zi, and said loudly: 'Who taught you your internal energy? How, at such a young age, is your internal foundation so deep?'

She praised A Zi, then looked at Feng Yi and said: 'How do you know my identity? No outsider under heaven has ever seen me.'

Feng Yi said: 'Although you can pretend to be mute, you cannot hide the sharpness of your gaze; although you cried when you appeared, you glanced several times, and I sensed it all.'

The girl froze, thinking: 'My glance—one because of the Star Palace Sect's name, two because that young man, as he moved, used our sect's Lightning-Step—but only an instant, did he really notice? Could his martial arts be that strong?'

The girl's expression shifted, as if pondering something; after a while, she slowly said: 'But this is still not enough to prove my identity!'

'Of course!' Feng Yi laughed: 'But to possess such a gaze—how could a child have it? Moreover, Wuya Zi once told me about her senior sister; if I still couldn't recognize you as the Heavenly Mountain Elder, that would be underestimating people.'

'Wuya Zi?' the Elder said, already grabbing Feng Yi's arm, hurriedly: 'What did he say? Tell me quickly!'

In an instant, Feng Yi could feel that the Elder's heart, which she had thought dead, suddenly revived.

A Zi, however, harbored doubts: Wuya Zi indeed mentioned his senior sister, but never said who she was; yet seeing the Elder like this, she held her tongue.

Feng Yi sighed: 'Brother Wuya Zi has already passed westward!'

'What?' the Elder felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart, and exclaimed: 'You're deceiving me—Wuya Zi has such martial arts, how could he die?' A pair of clear eyes already brimmed with tears.

Feng Yi leisurely said: 'Just because one has martial arts, does that mean they won't die? Doesn't your master die? In the martial arts legend, did Bodhidharma of Shaolin die or not? Or do you think humans can truly be immortal?'

The Elder grabbed Feng Yi's arm, suddenly noticing the gemstone ring on his finger; she seized his wrist, trembling, her eyes gradually reddening; she tried to hold back, but two streams of tears still spilled, falling onto Feng Yi's hand.

A Zi watched her tears, couldn't help but ponder: Wuya Zi said he owed his senior sister an apology, not knowing how he had failed her; feeling curious, she said: 'Are you truly Wuya Zi's grandfather's senior sister?'

Tong Lao did not answer. After a while, she finally released Feng Yi's hand and asked, "You... you, where did you get this thing?"

Feng Yi said, "This is naturally given to me by Wu Ya Zi."

"You're talking nonsense!" Tong Lao shouted, "Your martial arts come from a heterodox sect; how could Wu Ya Zi give you this ring?"

If you don't tell the truth, I will pull out your tendons, strip your skin, and make you endure all kinds of suffering.

Feng Yi burst into laughter, and A Zi laughed, saying, "I could kill you with a lift of my hand; what gives you the right to spout such nonsense?"

Tong Lao glanced sideways at A Zi.

A Zi saw her eyes flashing with light, fierce to the point of deadly, and again said, "All right, my elder brother wasn't lying. Grandmaster Wu Ya Zi's lifespan is nearing its end, his life hanging by a thread, so he passed the leadership of the Xiao Yao Sect to my elder brother, and also transmitted all his inner power to me."

Tong Lao's body trembled, she retreated three steps, and in a trembling voice she said, "Then... what does he look like, and where did you see Wu Ya Zi?"

A Zi said, "We saw him at Thunder Drum Mountain; he had phoenix eyes and long eyebrows, his face was as white as jade, and his long beard was like ink." Then she sighed, saying, "But after transmitting his inner power, he became feeble and decrepit, and died shortly after."

Tong Lao murmured, "He indeed died from the dissipation of his inner power; he truly is dead..."

Feng Yi sighed, saying, "He set up the Pearl Dragon Chessboard at Thunder Drum Mountain, always seeking a successor, but fate did not grant him enough years; I broke the chessboard, let me become the sect leader, and transmitted his inner power to A Zi."

Tong Lao knew that inner power is connected to blood and qi; when inner power dissipates, the person dies, and she said, "How did you break the Pearl Dragon Chessboard?"

Feng Yi briefly explained it once; Tong Lao bit her lip, listened silently, then suddenly clenched her fist, made a motion to strike, but pulled back, grinding her teeth she said, "This Pearl Dragon Chessboard was laid out by Wu Ya Zi with great effort; for decades it has stumped countless talents across the world, yet you destroyed it with brute force—Wu Ya Zi, Wu Ya Zi truly died in vain..." At this, her eyes reddened, and she hastily turned her head away.

A Zi laughed, saying, "Don't be angry, my elder brother once told me that Grandmaster Wu Ya Zi actually chose to repay us because he had received a favor from my elder brother."

"A favor?" Tong Lao looked doubtful, turning to Feng Yi, and asked, "What favor did he receive from you?"

Feng Yi sighed, saying, "Ding Chunqiu is as good as dead by my hand!"

Tong Lao shuddered in response, saying, "Ah, that explains it!"

She spread the cloth sack on the dry grass, sat with her chin resting on her hand, pondering, and softly said, "In that case, Wu Ya Zi indeed passed the leadership of the Xiao Yao Sect to you."

Tong Lao also knew about Wu Ya Zi's chessboard matter; no wonder Feng Yi broke it with brute force, and Wu Ya Zi would accept responsibility; it turns out he killed Ding Chunqiu, so everything is clear,

Feng Yi nodded and said, "I originally had no intention of becoming the leader of the Xiao Yao Sect."

Tong Lao snapped, "What did you say?"

Feng Yi said indifferently, "I said I don't value the position of Xiao Yao Sect leader."

Tong Lao sneered, "That's only natural; with your martial arts, how could you care for the position of Xiao Yao Sect leader? Just give me the ring!"

Feng Yi glanced at her and said, "Originally giving it to you wouldn't matter much, but Old Master Wu Ya Zi, knowing he owed you, asked me to look after you."

If it weren't for this ring, if Li Qiu Shui were to come, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to intervene in your grudge.

Upon hearing Li Qiu Shui's name, Tong Lao's anger flared; hearing that Wu Ya Zi had asked Feng Yi to look after her, she felt pleased, her face flushed, and she asked, "Then what did Wu Ya Zi say?"

Seeing her like this, Feng Yi realized she obviously hadn't forgotten Wu Ya Zi after all these decades, and thought, "Love is a thing that exhausts people to this extent."

A Zi thought, Wu Ya Zi said he felt sorry for his senior sister; then thinking that he had a daughter with Li Qiu Shui, she thought, "Hmph, he probably hasn't shifted his affection elsewhere, right? If so, that old brat is better off dead! When a person dies, their thoughts fade, leaving no future trouble."

Then Tong Lao said, "Are you perhaps deceiving me? Why the delay in speaking?"

Feng Yi shook his head and said, "Respected Master Tong, you're overthinking. I'm just considering how to phrase it appropriately. Because in Wu Ya Zi's final moments, he wasn't thinking of you alone."

Tong Lao's expression wavered, seeming both happy and sad; after a moment she said, "Ding Chunqiu is dead, and that lowly person must also die, but is he still thinking of letting her off?"

Feng Yi nodded and said, "Mr. Wu Ya Zi knows he owes you both; in his final moments, he simply hoped that you, senior and junior sisters, would set aside your thoughts of revenge, thereafter live in peace and ease, but fearing it might not happen, knowing the day your inner power dissipates, he had me come to look after you."

After hearing this, Tong Lao remained silent for a moment, then collapsed onto the dry grass and soon fell asleep.

Feng Yi knew that Tong Lao and Li Qiu Shui's grudge ran deep and could not be dispelled overnight; he was merely using this as an excuse to gain residence in the Spirit Vulture Palace.

Seeing her asleep, he took two padded jackets from his pack, laid one on the dry grass for A Zi to sleep on, and used the other to cover her, saying, "Let you follow me and endure hardship; first get a good rest. Tomorrow we'll leave the mountain, with me standing guard, nothing will happen."

A Zi laughed, saying, "I've been chased all the way from the Star Sea; this is nothing compared to that, I'm already used to it. With you standing guard, I don't even have to worry about enemies—I don't know how happy that makes me."

Feng Yi gave a slight smile, sat cross-legged, and entered meditation.

Unbeknownst to him, the sky began to lighten; suddenly he heard A Zi shout loudly, Feng Yi jumped up instantly, thinking the enemy had attacked, he turned and rushed out, but upon taking a closer look,

He saw A Zi's face filled with shock and fear, staring at several dead bamboo chickens on the ground.

,

(End of chapter)