Chapter 226

Night fell, a bright moon hung, its clear light like water, immersing the lofty peak in moonlight.

The mountain was still, the scenery beautiful.

A Zi walked to a stream on Lofty Peak, snow waves spraying, mist rising, she went to a hollow, sat on a stone, and immersed her jade‑white feet in the clear flowing water.

This mountain stream was formed from melted snow on Lofty Peak; although it was midsummer, it still gave A Zi a feeling of coolness, she felt utterly refreshed, yet she sighed.

A Zi's martial arts and inner strength had both improved greatly; formerly she would have leapt for joy, but now she felt no happiness, her brows furrowed deeply, as if burdened with endless worry.

Suddenly a long sigh was heard: "You've changed a lot compared to before."

Feng Yi had spent the past ten or so days either practicing martial arts or removing the death sigils; A Zi too had been seized by Tong Lao to train in martial arts, leaving no time for them to meet; now that the major matter was settled, it was necessary to have a deep talk with her.

Having learned A Zi's whereabouts from a Lingjiu Palace maiden, he came over; in the moonlight he saw her from afar, her long hair and purple robes fluttering in the night wind, elbows on knees, hands supporting her chin, brows slightly furrowed, gazing at the clear stream, unaware where her thoughts had wandered, and Feng Yi indeed felt a twinge of guilt.

A Zi turned her face to Feng Yi and smiled: "Granny kept me by her side just so you would grow fond of those four maids over time; why bother coming to find me?"

Feng Yi heard this, his face flushed, and he didn't know what to say.

Actually, with Feng Yi's intelligence, it was not hard to guess that Tong Lao wanted to wait until his affection for Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju matured, then see whether he would agree to kill Li Qiu Shui; that was the true test of whether he was passionate or indifferent.

Seeing his embarrassed expression, A Zi also gave a bitter smile: "During this time, Granny told me many things about her senior and junior disciples, and I also told her what you said to Master Wu Ya Zi that day, that you would not favor one over the other."

After hearing this, Granny remained silent for a long time before saying: "Back then, if Master Wu Ya Zi truly intended to let two women serve one husband, I wouldn't know what choice I would make."

With a weary look she said: "Life is a sojourn, death is a shedding; her Eternal Spring Unaging Skill is like a cicada shedding its shell—what difference does age make, young or old?"

Feng Yi heard this and nodded: "Granny's understanding of this is truly far above that of ordinary people like us."

"As the saying goes, it's rare to be young again; who wouldn't wish to be a little younger?"

But he faintly sensed that Tong Lao's words bore a weariness of the world, a desire not to live.

A Zi fixed her deep gaze on Feng Yi and said: "I now face a great dilemma in my heart."

Feng Yi sighed: "Is it about me and Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju?"

Seeing his helpless expression, A Zi gave a puffed laugh, shook her head: "You've guessed wrong this time. According to my nature, if someone vies for my beloved, I would naturally try every means to kill that rival."

But Granny said she had once subdued Li Qiu Shui, slashing her face, and refrained from killing her only for fear that Master Wu Ya Zi would find out and bear a grudge against her.

She said you like them; if I truly harmed those four maids, you would surely hate me.

Therefore, as long as I haven't decided to part with you, I still care about your opinion—how could I then be troubled by this?

She spoke in an utterly flat tone, yet Feng Yi's heart churned; he chuckled: "Then how fortunate I, Feng Yi, am."

A Zi glanced at him, her eyes seeming to hold flowing starlight, she lay back on the grass, the corners of her mouth smiling softly, and said: "When I was a child I had no worries, always happy; but since coming to the Central Plains, I feel everything has changed."

"First I inexplicably gained parents, then I gained you, and you all despise that I once joined the Star‑Xia Sect."

Feng Yi also lay down, gazing at the round moon overhead, and said: "It's not disdain, but we all wish you to be safe and smooth."

"The reason we restrict your behavior is simply that we fear you'll get into trouble and lose your life."

Tong Lao said there is nothing under heaven that cannot be defeated and no one to bully, yet there is also a saying: 'Strength invites disaster.'

"Your brother‑in‑law Qiao Feng, endowed with extraordinary talent, became the most famous martial artist in the world at a young age, leading the number‑one gang under heaven; why, at the slightest change, does the whole world seek to put him to death?"

"This is certainly due to some people upholding justice, but also others who dislike him; imagine when Qiao Feng was at the height of his power, invincible, no one dared provoke him—yet once his situation changed, countless people wished him dead, for masters are the most envied and hated in the world."

"Moreover, many masters, even with no grudge against him, want to use his head to make a name in the martial world and win people's hearts."

"Furthermore, to deal with him, using the beggar gang's Wang Jian Tong's dying words, one can resort to any means; poisoning and sneak attacks are not only blameless, they are considered meritorious."

"Thus, for over a year his name has not been heard in the martial world; he must have taken your sister to some unknown secret place to live in seclusion."

"And Qiao Feng's situation is actually no different from yours and mine."

"I have made a little name for myself in the martial world; who knows how many hate me, but my martial skill is not weak, and my origins are unknown, so the mystery naturally inspires awe."

"But your background is known to all; before seventeen you could stand toe‑to‑toe with Nan Murong, such a shocking feat—when we are sailing smoothly, outsiders who wish to scheme must weigh whether they can bear the cost."

"But if one day I were gone and only you remained, you would become an object that stirs others' greed."

"If you act more viciously and ruthlessly, someone will rally a cry, and you will easily become the public enemy of the martial world."

"There are invincible masters in the world, but that status is built on open, aboveboard, one‑on‑one combat."

"You have personally seen the people of the Thirty‑Six Caves and Seventy‑Two Islands betray the Lingjiu Palace."

"Never think that everyone fears cruelty and death; brute tyranny can only intimidate for a time, and will eventually backfire—a cost you cannot afford."

A Zi pondered for a while, then softly said: "My dilemma is that Granny wants me to help her kill Li Qiu Shui, yet you said that in life one must at least know gratitude; Master Wu Ya Zi passed on my inner strength, Granny taught me martial arts—according to your words, both have shown me kindness, so whom should I obey?"

Feng Yi couldn't help laughing: "Ah, that's why you're troubled—good, good; I was overthinking."

A Zi's cheeks flushed slightly, like stained rouge, and she muttered softly: "Do you think I'm bothered because of those maids? If I'm provoked, I'll just kill them—what's there to agonize over?"

Feng Yi smiled, rose slowly, looked up at the sky; the full moon shone round, its light flooding the heavens, his demeanor very leisurely, yet A Zi knew he was pondering some problem.

After a long while, Feng Yi said: "Perhaps Tong Lao wants to kill Li Qiu Shui, maybe even she herself doesn't know whether it's for herself or for Master Wu Ya Zi."

He paused, then added: "Such matters are hard to settle; now that the crisis in Lingjiu Palace is over, if we can't stay, we might as well leave!"

A Zi stared, pursed her lips, and said: "Can you bear to leave those four maids?"

Feng Yi laughed heartily: "As a proper man, treating a few women as bargaining chips is already unbecoming; if I were to ignore your and their wishes merely to satisfy my own desire, that would be utterly base."

"\"Well then, is leaving without notice the mark of a gentleman? \" a cold voice sounded; the two turned their heads, and Tong Lao appeared like a ghost from the darkness, silently gazing at them."

"Her strength has now recovered to that of a woman in her forties, and her lightness skill is truly extraordinary."

Feng Yi smiled: "Tong Lao, to be frank, I really have no interest left in staying here."

Tong Lao's eyes flashed with anger, and she said in a deep voice: "Feng Yi, you insist on having your own way—are you truly not afraid of regret?"

As her words fell, Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju also leapt out from among the trees,

Mei said: "Granny says she wants to drive us out of Lingjiu Palace and marry us off to other men."

Feng Yi chuckled: "Well then, I might as well learn to be a scoundrel—let's kill their husbands and take their wives, just to see how good or satisfying it would be!"

Although Tong Lao is domineering, she had never seen Feng Yi so shameless; instantly anger flared, and she cried: "Then I'll kill them—let's see if you can snatch them back from King Yan!"

Feng Yi showed no fear, gave a faint smile: "Save that talk for fooling others. In this world, if anyone were willing to harm those four, you and I certainly wouldn't be among them. A Zi, put on your shoes."

A Zi gave an oh, put on her socks and shoes, Feng Yi took hold of A Zi, and they floated several zhang away.

"You stop!" Tong Lao flushed with rage: "You little thief brat, Granny won't force you anymore."

Feng Yi halted, saying: "Granny, actually you are not forcing me, but you are forcing yourself."

It's just that Mr. Wu Ya Zi has died, you feel life has nothing to love, so you must kill Li Qiu Shui!

Tong Lao bit her lips tightly, her face alternating red and white, she closed her mouth and said nothing. As you know, Wu Ya Zi's change of affection was Tong Lao's utmost pain; now that Wu Ya Zi is dead, Tong Lao actually has no will to live left in her heart, she lives solely on her hatred for Li Qiu Shui.

Otherwise how could she say to A Zi, "Life is like a sojourn, death is like shedding, her Everlasting Spring No-Age Skill is like a cicada shedding its shell; actually, whether old or young, what does it matter?" because this contradicts the principles of the Everlasting Spring Skill.

A Zi saw Tong Lao's painful expression, felt unwilling to see her suffer, and said: "Granny, I'll help you deal with Li Qiu Shui."

Tong Lao looked at her, tears glimmering in her eyes, she suddenly shouted loudly: "I don't want your pity..." As she said this, tears uncontrollably streamed down; she didn't want Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum to see her, and she ran away as if flying.

Feng Yi gazed at her back and sighed: "I never expected the Tong Lao of Tian Shan to be so deeply devoted!"

"Are you really leaving?" Mei Jian said coldly: "Granny's divine power hasn't recovered yet; if that Li Qiu Shui climbs up to Ethereal Peak again, how can we defend against it?"

Feng Yi pondered: "That makes sense. Although my palm shook Li Qiu Shui's five viscera and six bowels, she won't recover in two or three months, but her inner strength is profound, her divine skill extraordinary; if her recovery time isn't that long, sneaking up to ambush Tong Lao is still possible." Then he said: "Alright, I'll wait for Tong Lao to recover before leaving."

Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum hearing this felt a great weight lifted.

A Zi spat and said: "You speak nicely, but you just can't bear to part with your sisters, right?"

Feng Yi laughed heartily and said: "A Zi, my only weakness in this life is liking to look at beautiful women."

"You and Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum are all as beautiful as jade, with smiles surpassing flowers—top-notch women; how could I bear to part with either of them?"

"Your father has a wife, yet he could die for your mother just the same; still, he loves every woman he meets—this is his innate nature."

"As long as he lives, he cannot change!"

"All I can do is keep you informed, not act behind your back; but to make me go against my heart and say I don't like the four Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum sisters would indeed be difficult for me!"

Saying this, he flicked his large sleeve, drifting and turning like a piece of floating cloud, and vanished with a whoosh.

A Zi, having been lifted by him to mention her father, felt her ears flush red, like a ripe apple; she actually already knew Feng Yi's intentions, unable to stop him, her heart was both annoyed and worried, but hearing Feng Yi say he would keep her informed, she felt somewhat relieved, yet she let out a soft snort from the tip of her nose and followed him away.

Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking this girl was not easy to get along with, yet they felt that as four sisters, what did they have to fear from one person?

In the blink of an eye, over a month passed; Feng Yi, on one hand studied martial arts, and on the other transmitted the "Yi Jin Forging Bones" chapter from the Nine Yin True Scripture to Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum; A Zi also set aside her mental burden and followed Tong Lao in training.

That day, just after finishing lunch, Tong Lao found Feng Yi and said: "Tomorrow at noon, my divine skill will be completed."

"When I finish my training, there will be myriad thoughts, extremely dangerous; today I need to calm my mind and reflect deeply. You and A Zi, guard my practice; that wretched person will almost certainly come to disturb my concentration." A Zi answered "yes," and Feng Yi thought: "It turns out three months have already passed."

That night, Tong Lao sat in the stone cave, closed her eyes and cultivated; Feng Yi and A Zi guarded both sides; A Zi suddenly leapt up, Feng Yi frowned and asked: "What's wrong?"

A Zi said in surprise: "You didn't hear it?"

Tong Lao opened her eyes slightly and said calmly: "It's not strange; that wretched person is using the 'Sound Transmission Soul Searching Great Method'. Although I have thousands of disciples on Ethereal Peak, they lack the inner strength of the Carefree Sect, so none can hear even a hint of sound. Though Feng Yi's inner strength is deep, it is not from the same source as ours, so naturally he couldn't hear it either."

Actually, Tong Lao and A Zi had just heard Li Qiu Shui's mosquito-like whisper drilling into their ears: "Senior sister, senior sister, where are you hiding? My junior sister has come to your home; why won't you come out to meet her? Isn't this inhospitable?"

Upon hearing the "Sound Transmission Soul Searching Great Method," Feng Yi thought it remarkable that it only targets people of the Carefree Sect—could this be the principle of a signal receiver?

Yet he refused to believe it; he immediately gathered his Divine Illumination Skill to both ears, focused intently, and heard Li Qiu Shui say again: "Good senior sister, do you remember Senior Brother Wu Ya Zi? He has come together with my junior sister, waiting for you to come out, and has a few important words to tell you."

Although the Sound Transmission Soul Searching Great Method only works on those possessing Carefree Sect inner strength, Feng Yi's inner force had reached the peak; via different paths reaching the same goal, by intentionally listening he still heard the sound.

A Zi couldn't help but say: "She really is a lingering evil spirit, actually able to come here and spout nonsense!"

She then added: "Granny, her way of speaking is a bit strange, charming and moving to the heart and soul; even with my internal energy cultivation method, I still find it hard to restrain my wandering mind."

Feng Yi said: "This sound transmission technique indeed has its tricks; she knows the day when Tong Lao's profound skill will be fully restored, and deliberately says these words to agitate Tong Lao during her training, so that if she deviates into madness, her purpose is achieved."

Tong Lao gave a bitter smile: "Do you only realize this now? I and that wretched person will not rest until one of us dies; she has calculated the timing, knowing that once my divine skill is complete, she will no longer be my match, so she spares no effort to disturb me. I must take her life; you must not interfere!"

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Feng Yi nodded and said: "Tong Lao, I won't help you kill her; you kill her, I will naturally not stop you."

"Just cultivate in peace."

"On this Ethereal Peak, she wouldn't dare show herself; she would only hide in the dark and emit sound. I'll go guard the garden entrance." With that, he immediately walked out.

Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum were guarding outside the cave when they suddenly heard Feng Yi say: "The great enemy has arrived; stay here and do not come out."

Feng Yi walked straight through the tunnel; along the way he heard Li Qiu Shui speaking nonstop, recounting the past when she studied with her fellow disciples in the same school, and how Wu Ya Zi deeply loved her.

Feng Yi emerged from the tunnel, arrived at the garden, and heard her voice drifting faintly, now from the east, now from the west, saying far yet not far, near yet not near, as if several people were speaking simultaneously from different places.

Although Feng Yi possessed peerless martial arts, his inner strength was not from the same source as the Carefree Sect, and for a moment he could not determine her position; he spoke loudly: "You, born of jealousy, have harmed Tong Lao before; now you conceal your form, secretly scheme, utterly lacking sisterly affection—if you do not cease, don't blame me, Feng, for cleansing the Carefree Sect's gates!"

He circulated his qi from the dantian; his voice rang like an ancient temple's morning bell, seeming to burst forth from the mountains, shaking peaks and valleys.

In an instant, Li Qiu Shui's voice was no longer heard.

Yu Po, Fu Minyi, and others, hearing Feng Yi speak, all drew their weapons and gathered around; someone led a crowd to begin searching within the Lingjiu Palace.

Suddenly Li Qiu Shui said again: "Feng Yi, you also said I must not seek my senior sister within three months; now her divine skill is about to be completed, I must settle things with her once and for all—I have come prepared to spill blood on Ethereal Peak."

Li Qiu Shui immediately launched a tirade, calling Tong Lao the world's most lewd, vicious, shameless, and brazen woman, saying those were the words Wu Ya Zi had spoken behind her back.

Only her voice could be heard, winding around the ears, endless like a thread, as if the entire Lingjiu Palace echoed, making it hard to judge direction.

Suddenly Tong Lao cursed: "You wretched brat, the junior brother never truly liked you; with your shameless seduction of him, you have no shame!"

She also spoke via sound transmission: "You shameless wretch, if he truly cared for you, why would he, before his death, have Feng Yi rush to Ethereal Peak to protect me?"

"Let me tell you, he even painted a portrait of me at eighteen and gave it to me, saying..."

Tong Lao continued to chatter on; Feng Yi listened, stunned—he had never told Tong Lao about the portrait, but a thought crossed his mind: perhaps it was A Zi who said it.

In a flash of thought, only Li Qiu Shui's hoarse voice was heard: "You're lying, you're lying. Senior brother... he... he only loves me alone. He would never paint your portrait, you shorty—how could he love you? You're just spouting nonsense, specializing in deceit."

Upon hearing this, Feng Yi realized Li Qiu Shui had also been provoked to the point of extreme agitation; suddenly he saw Tong Lao burst out of the tunnel, leaping toward the east,

she also practiced the "Lightning Wave Microstep" lightness skill, vanishing like drifting clouds and fluff.

A Zi also came out, saying: "Granny can't take the stimulation!"

Feng Yi knew Tong Lao's profound skill had not yet recovered, and closely followed; he heard Tong Lao burst into loud laughter, shouting: "You wretched brat, do you think the junior brother loves only you?"

"Do you really want to pass out?"

"I am short, that's true, far inferior to your graceful beauty, but the junior brother has long understood everything."

"All your life you've only liked to flirt with handsome, suave youths; even his disciple Ding Chunqiu, such a petty scoundrel, you have flirted with."

My junior martial brother said, I remain a virgin to this day, my feelings for him never change. You, think about it yourself—how many lovers have you had? You went and married the King of Western Xia as his consort, yet my junior brother still bothers with you?

"Hehe..." Li Qiu Shui suddenly let out a strange laugh, like a crane crying in the nine springs, like a ghost wailing in a desolate night, mingling with the sound of Tong Lao's speech, rising and falling.

Tong Lao kept rushing out of the Spirit Vulture Palace, on a hilltop, suddenly stopped, her starry eyes scanning all around, silently surveying the surroundings, when suddenly a white mass swooped down from a cliff.

Feng Yi was greatly startled, unable to shout in time, and saw Tong Lao spin up and thrust out a palm; this move, combined with the spinning motion, exerted her full internal force, its speed and ferocity unmatched, a peerless technique among the Six Yang Palms of Heavenly Mountain.

Though Tong Lao's profound skill had not yet recovered, her strike still carried formidable force, a gust of wind following her palm.

With a bang, the surrounding fierce winds surged; the white-clad person tumbled in a somersault to the ground, and Tong Lao also drifted down.

The one who struck was Li Qiu Shui.

She sneaked into the Lofty Peak in the dark night, still dressed in white, truly a person of high skill and great boldness.

Tong Lao let out a loud shout and lunged again; a red and a white shadow flickered back and forth, her moves graceful yet fierce, the sound of palm strikes like popping beans.

In an instant, the white shadow leapt back; Li Qiu Shui smiled faintly and said, "Senior Sister, it seems your power has not yet recovered; why not let your disciples and grandchildren come up together?"

Saying this, she flicked her sleeves, very composed.

But though she said that, she was actually terrified, for not only Feng Yi, but also A Zi had followed after.

Tong Lao coldly said, "Vile wretch, having ascended Lofty Peak today, you shall not leave alive!" She shouted loudly and lunged again.

Li Qiu Shui twisted and dodged, rising and falling; her footwork was not extremely fast, but the rhythm was exquisite, just right.

Tong Lao's palms were like knives and axes, the palm wind howling; Li Qiu Shui's clothes and hair fluttered, yet each palm missed by a hair's breadth, brushing past her.

In the midst of their fierce battle, all the people of the Spirit Vulture Palace also rushed up.

One saw the two swirling gracefully, their postures lovely, seemingly dancing opposite each other, truly devoid of killing intent, yet the fierce wind struck like blades; the women of the Spirit Vulture Palace wanted to help, but where could they insert themselves?

Feng Yi and A Zi watched, admiring; Feng Yi further realized: "Their advances and retreats are all in my mind; if they launched a sneak attack, how could they block even one of my strikes? Could this also be the reason the sweeping monk can kill Xiao Yuan Shan and Murong Bo with a single blow?"

As he pondered, Mei Jian urgently said, "You really aren't going to help Tong Lao?"

A Zi was about to step forward, but then looked at Feng Yi.

Feng Yi spoke loudly: "You two are senior sisters of the same sect, one is ninety-six, the other eighty-eight, with a hatred as great as heaven, and only a few years left to live—must you really fight to the death?"

Tong Lao shouted: "If the vile wretch does not die, how can we cease?"

Li Qiu Shui said: "The hatred runs deep as the sea; no rest until death."

Feng Yi said: "Could you not give this master of the Free and Easy Sect a little respect?"

Li Qiu Shui also said: "Feng Yi, since you are the master of my Free and Easy Sect, you should treat everyone equally."

Tong Lao said: "If you don't help me, you also cannot stop me."

Feng Yi sighed: "It seems no one takes this master of the Free and Easy Sect seriously!"

Having said that, he thrust out his left palm flat, his body flying to the right.

This strike was extraordinarily fierce, like a thousand‑zhang furious tide surging from an endless sea, sand and stones flying, snow filling the sky, enveloping both of them.

Tong Lao and Li Qiu Shui, no longer able to continue their duel, each leapt back; yet Li Qiu Shui felt a sharp wind assail her body, as if falling into an ice cave.

In the midst of her fierce battle with Tong Lao, Feng Yi suddenly struck out; she had to dodge his palm while also guarding against Tong Lao, and although this brief retreat almost exhausted her lifelong strength, her true qi was unbalanced, Feng Yi's finger force already assailed her body, and she hastily swept her palm down to block.

Feng Yi's left hand rose suddenly, his fingertips real and illusory, covering several vital points on her chest.

At that moment Li Qiu Shui's feet touched the ground, she drew a deep breath, her body rose and fell like clouds, instantly shifting to several positions; yet despite her exquisite Lotus Micro‑step, Feng Yi's finger still struck squarely at her chest.

Li Qiu Shui's body shuddered, she stepped back three paces, pointed at Feng Yi, then with a thud fell to the ground, motionless.

Tong Lao lunged over to look, seeing Li Qiu Shui's mouth and eyes shut, no breath from her nostrils; she hurriedly felt her heart, finding the whole body cold, the heartbeat also stopped.

Tong Lao was both shocked and fearful—shocked that Feng Yi had said he would not kill Li Qiu Shui yet did so; fearful that as soon as he struck, Li Qiu Shui had no power to retaliate.

Over the past few months, Feng Yi had studied the martial arts carved on the stone wall day and night; Li Qiu Shui and Tong Lao's knowledge was all in his chest, and when he struck, having stored his force, he naturally hit the mark.

But Tong Lao hated Li Qiu Shui to the core; at this moment she had no breath to speak of Feng Yi, laughing ha ha ha: "Good, good, good! The little wretch is dead, ha ha, my great vengeance is fulfilled, the traitorous wretch finally died before me, ha ha ha..." Suddenly her breath failed, and she coughed incessantly.

"Lord, Granny!"

Mei Lan Zhu Ju and A Zi immediately rushed forward.

Feng Yi pressed his hand on Tong Lao's back, sending true qi to help her regulate her breath.

Tong Lao's divine skill had not yet recovered, and having been provoked by Li Qiu Shui to dredge her deepest sorrow, in the midst of their fierce battle her breath was unsteady; seeing her lifelong enemy die before her eyes was truly overwhelming—had Feng Yi not been present, using his profound inner strength to suppress her internal breath, she would truly have spat blood and perished.

Feng Yi calmly said: "Tong Lao, as the saying goes, when a person dies the debt is cleared; she is now dead—has the resentment in your heart eased at all?"

Have you ever recalled the affection you once shared as fellow disciples learning the arts, or that your master is still alive, seeing three disciples entangled for the sake of so‑called love, bound together a lifetime, unwilling to forgive, would the old master feel heartache?

(End of chapter)