Chapter 271: Blood-Spattered Xiang River

Feng Yi's move instantly stirred the crowd.

Dozens of gazes turned to Feng Yi, each thinking, "His kung fu is incredibly fierce!"

Feng Yi gained fame after the battle at Mount Heng, but as martial artists know, rumors sometimes get distorted.

The higher one's martial arts, the more people doubt it.

Among those who doubt, their martial arts are actually lower.

Because in their view, how could one's martial arts be so high?

This is utterly absurd!

Everyone thinks highly of themselves, feeling they can't do it, so how could you?

Just like today's internet keyboard warriors, such doubts appear, as they do for heroes who can endure torture and for those who pledge love unto death.

Feng Yi was once among them, disbelieving in love.

It's simply because he never encountered such love, so he didn't believe.

But now he gradually believes it, because he personally witnessed those who, for love, could never forget and would sacrifice their lives.

Therefore, these martial artists, having never seen Feng Yi display his skills, naturally doubt his prowess, instead thinking those people lost and deliberately fabricated stories to save face.

Because the stronger the one who defeats you, the less it shows your own inadequacy, right?

This is also why, despite Feng Yi's ability to shock the masters of the Five Peaks Sword Sect, some still dare to provoke him.

But seeing the experts who tried to forcibly detain Feng Yi and his companions on the two speedboats all meet their doom, a sense of unease inevitably arose.

At that moment, Feng Yi only heard faint hoofbeats in the distance, approaching this way.

Suddenly a thunderous drum sounded, and a strong, powerful voice came from the opposite boat: "They say palm and sword are deadly, martial arts reaching the profound and holy; today I see, indeed the reputation is not undeserved!"

The small boats blocking the river parted to left and right, and a luxurious, sturdy barge came forward.

The barge's deck was spacious; a masked black-clad person sat on a tiger-skin chair, with dozens of axe and sword men lined on either side, all in tight uniforms, chests out, bellies protruding.

Feng Yi said, "You dare to rob me—why hide your faces?"

That person said, "Hero Feng, your great name shakes the martial world; we admire you greatly. How dare we block your way? We only ask that you hand over Liu Zhengfeng and his family; you may then come and go as you please…"

Before his words finished, suddenly horse hooves sounded near the shore, dust rose several zhang, and in the smoke the riders vanished—no one knew how many had come.

Amid the hoofbeats, an old man laughed: "You Xiangxi Sect just engage in hypocrisy!"

Upon hearing that, Qu Yang's face changed instantly, for he recognized the speaker as a member of the Sun Moon Divine Sect.

Feng Yi saw these people dismount, their weapons varied, none wearing black masks—clearly they felt unafraid, saw no need to hide their identities; he frowned slightly, looked at Liu Zhengfeng, and asked, "What is the Xiangxi Sect?"

This wasn't him deliberately looking down on them; he simply had never heard of this sect.

Qu Yang and Qu Feiyan exchanged a glance, utterly bewildered.

Feng Yi, who knew the martial world's legends like the Sunflower Treasure Canon and the Ward-off Evil Sword Manual inside out, how could he not know the Xiangxi Sect?

Feng Yi relied not on martial world experience but on foresight; in his past life he had watched The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, yet he hadn't paid attention to it.

He could responsibly say that nine out of ten people don't know it; it's certainly not just him.

Suddenly Liu Zhengfeng shouted loudly: "Heroes of the Xiangxi Sect, though I am not accepted by the orthodox martial world, I have no grudge against you—why has it come to this?"

He was a veteran of the martial world, knowing the news of his departure from Hengyang dock had leaked, so there was no need to conceal it.

The people on shore laughed wildly: "Liu Zhengfeng, you're really a fool, talking about the Five Peaks Sword Sect, sharing the same breath. Over the years, hasn't the Sect received enough anger from your Hengshan Sect?"

Today, using you this disgraceful traitor to vent anger—isn't that justified?

Those on the boat shouted loudly: "Elder Shi, could it be that you've come here by order of the Eastern Sect Leader?"

Elder Shi said: "Feng Yi, Liu Zhengfeng, listen: the Eastern Sect Leader orders you to surrender the Ward-off Evil Sword Manual and submit to our sect; then everything will be forgotten, otherwise this bank of the Xiang River will be your burial ground!"

Actually, this is by no means an order from Dongfang Bubai; Black Wood Cliff is far away in Hebei, Feng Yi has only been famous for a few days, and Dongfang Bubai is busy embroidering and toying with Yang Lian Ting—how would he know who Feng Yi is?

It's merely that these followers happened to be loitering nearby, heard the martial world rumors, and thus wanted to show off.

After all, Feng Yi's disrespect toward Dongfang Bubai will surely become known to all followers of the Sun Moon Divine Sect; whether we don't bother to deal with him or just scold him, it will still be a great achievement.

Feng Yi sneered: "A bunch of rats, oblivious to death!"

At this moment he saw the boat was only ten or so zhang from shore; once landed, not a single one would survive, whatever demonic cult.

Today let him know who truly is the demon!

Elder Shi raised his face and shouted sharply: "Release the arrows!"

Then came a swish-swish-swish of arrows, a rain that enveloped the Liu boat near the shore.

These were all martial arts experts; their arrows never missed beyond a hundred paces. Feng Yi neither dodged nor blocked—he flicked his sleeves, and the incoming bolts were all deflected, not a single one striking the boat.

As the boat drew nearer to the riverbank, the Sect members shouted: "Feng Yi, surrender the Ward-off Evil Sword Manual and we'll let you go; otherwise we'll fire the cannon!"

Suddenly a boom sounded, the great ship shook several times, as if struck by a huge wave.

Liu Zhengfeng cried out in alarm: "Oh no, they have cannons!"

Although the Sect's cannons were crude, they spewed fire and thick smoke together, with iron shrapnel and lead pellets flying—still extremely terrifying.

The Liu family's relatives and sailors instantly fell into chaos and shouted.

Feng Yi's brows knit tightly.

That's exactly what he feared.

Actually, the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer is far more dangerous than any of Jin Yong's other worlds.

Because they not only play with poison, they also fuck around with explosives.

Even the esteemed Wudang sect leader is skilled in this.

If I can't beat you, I'll blow you up!

The martial world is no longer a state where one can dominate solely by martial prowess.

Otherwise he would wait until this is over, then slaughter his way from Mount Hua, Mount Song, Mount Tai, to Mount Qingcheng, killing everyone without exception.

Then those who framed him would have nowhere to run.

Unfortunately, this idea is not very realistic.

The mountains are really too big; those people can't beat me and can still run away—I can't possibly chase them all over the mountains, who knows what traps there are, so this idea can only be fantasized about.

But seeing the Raft Sect fire the cannon, Feng Yi saw the boat was about to reach shore, still over ten zhang away; he could use the planks to cross the water, but the Liu family's relatives were either killed by the cannon fire or drowned with the sinking ship.

In the blink of an eye, he drew his long sword from Liu Zhengfeng's waist, stomped his feet, leapt into the air, and shouted, "Give me a lift!"

Liu Zhengfeng was also a martial arts expert; he thrust out his palms, Feng Yi's feet landed on his hands, Liu Zhengfeng gave a loud shout, heaved upward, Feng Yi's own lightness skill combined with his palm thrust sent him flying swift as a bird, skimming over more than ten zhang of the river surface, soaring toward the Raft Sect's great ship.

Everyone stared, dumbfounded.

"Fire the arrows quickly!"

With the sound, a hail of arrows came flying; Feng Yi waved his long sword in the air, and when the arrows met the sword light, they all turned their heads and shot back at the nearby small boats.

The Raft Sect disciples on the ship couldn't dodge in time, were hit by arrows and fell into the water; Feng Yi performed a somersault and already landed toward the bow.

Everyone was startled, and they threw out their hidden weapons with all their might, but unexpectedly, Feng Yi flicked his robe sleeves, and all the hidden weapons struck their own people instead.

This martial art surpasses human strength, approaching that of immortals and demons; even though the Raft Sect disciples were ferociously brave, the remaining ones on the deck were frightened into panic and haste.

But Feng Yi had already boarded the ship; they had no choice but to brace themselves, raise their weapons, and rush forward.

The ten or more small boats alongside the great ship also hurried over to the big ship to lend support!

At the very moment Feng Yi landed, three people either swung a big staff, slashed with a single blade, or thrust with a long sword; Feng Yi waved his left hand, and the invisible qi sword swept all before it.

The three let out a grunt and then collapsed onto the deck.

As soon as Feng Yi's foot touched the ground, he flashed, a blade of light flashed, and he actually split one person from head to toe in half; the viscera spilled all over the ground before a anguished cry could even be uttered.

Although they were all martial artists making a living in the jianghu, seeing his such divine power, truly unstoppable, they all hesitated to advance; each stared blankly, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Feng Yi slowly turned around, his face full of killing intent, drops of blood falling from his sword blade, and he coldly said, "You want the Sword Manual to Ward off Evil? Here it comes!"

Saying this, a white light flashed, and in an instant he thrust seven swords.

"Pu Pu Pu," the seven arrows missed none; seven people spurted blood from their throats and collapsed with a thud.

These people were a rabble; seeing this, their hearts and guts shattered, they could bear it no longer, and shouted loudly, "The wind is tight, pull the call!"

Amid the shouting, they all turned and fled.

Feng Yi coldly snorted, "Too late!"

The long sword swept down, actually slicing one person's bulky body into fragments in an instant, flesh and blood turning to mush, flying through the air.

This was directly a massacre!

Feng Yi struck the earth cannon away with his right sword and left palm, bang bang, and several more people had their tendons broken and bones fractured,

The sword light in Feng Yi's hand flickered bright and dark, bright like a rainbow, dark like autumn water; blades and spears fell around him, and for a moment, severed limbs flailed, broken arms flew aloft, as if a bloody rain of stench fell from the sky.

Without the earth cannon's aid, facing a master like Feng Yi, the outcome was easy to imagine; some Raft Sect disciples saw their companions spurt blood, tendons and bones break, and no matter how brave they were, they were terrified to the core, plunging into the river with thuds.

However, in the blink of an eye, only Feng Yi remained on the great ship.

Liu Zhengfeng, his family, Qu Yang, and Qu Feiyan all stared dumbfounded.

They had thought Feng Yi was just odd-tempered, but usually he appeared carefree and at ease, reciting and enjoying the wind and moon, also bearing the air of a cultured gentleman; who would have known he was so brutal?

Qu Yang and Qu Feiyan suddenly felt that the members of the Demonic Sect, compared to Feng Yi, seemed much more merciful.

No one knew that Feng Yi was truly a killer who slaughtered people like hemp, indeed the number-one killing star under heaven.

He has experienced several worlds, and the number of martial world figures and soldiers he personally killed is not less than eight thousand, even if not ten thousand.

As for those who died because of him, that is even more beyond counting.

It was merely a Liancheng world; lured by his single word to seek treasure, countless people were poisoned to death, tens of thousands in total.

In the Divine Eagle World, in Mongolia using corpse-dissolving powder poison, the numbers are even more incalculable; just the experts of the Beggar Sect died by the hundreds, and how many Mongols died need not be said.

In the Heavenly Dragon World, he was much more merciful.

But now, having arrived in the Laughing at the World, whatever Dongfang Bubai, Old Devil Ren, Zuo Lengchan, and Yue Buqun—bound together for decades—have produced in killing karma, compared to Feng Yi, are just younger brothers.

That so-called person who claimed to be able to read faces and know people actually did not misjudge Feng Yi, this killer who slaughtered people like hemp, the demonic fiend who brings calamity to the martial world.

But normally, Feng Yi possesses divine skill, which can restrain his own desires.

But when he came to the Laughing at the World, his mood was already somewhat not good, and these people still came rushing up.

After all, the Five Peaks Sword School, with such prestige, dared not confront him openly, so they could only resort to sneaky tricks behind the scenes.

This so-called Western Hunan Raft Sect—he had never even heard of it—dared to block his path and even fired earth cannons.

Now him, that killing streak was stirred up again.

After all, Feng Yi has principles: I can rob others, but if others rob me, they're just asking for death!

That's just double standards.

Of course, if someone is stronger than him, then it's a person dying hung upside down.

Anyway, his days not under his own control, as time goes on, also become rather boring.

The people on those small boats, seeing such slaughter, could no longer bother to besiege the great ship to attack Feng Yi; they just wanted to escape.

Feng Yi laughed, "The Sword Technique to Ward off Evil has seventy-two forms; I haven't even used them all yet—what's there to flee?"

He showed no mercy, lifting his sword to fling several planks flying, then leapt with his body, as if riding the wind, straight out five zhang; the landing spot happened to be a plank lying on the river surface.

Feng Yi tapped the plank with one foot, borrowed force to change breath and soared, swift as an arrow across the river surface, leapt onto another small boat, and the Raft Sect disciples shouted and lunged up.

Feng Yi swung his sword, and several people toppled into the river; as his foot stepped on the boat, with a crack, the plank was already broken, and river water surged upward.

Feng Yi, however, borrowed force to leap up, landed again on a boat and laughed, "Bloodbath on the Xiang River, superb, superb!" Then he stepped again on the boat, shattering it.

He then rose like a flying bird, and afterwards his feet struck like heavenly thunder, the ships suffering disaster.

Feng Yi just kept stepping on the planks, on the river surface, and crushed more than ten boats.

When the boats broke, the disciples also fell into the water, rolling about in the river, wailing continuously.

Feng Yi laughed heartily.

He swung his sword, a burst of invisible qi sword shot out, striking the great ship and leaving a crack; water poured in, and the ship sank in an instant. Not to mention Liu Zhengfeng and the others, even the Demonic Sect members on the shore stared dumbfounded.

They never regarded the orthodox martial world in the first place; when Feng Yi said he wanted to compare himself with Dongfang Bubai, they naturally thought he was boasting. Seeing the Raft Sect's forces about to be destroyed, they also felt fear and immediately wanted to mount their horses and flee.

Who would have thought Feng Yi burst out laughing: "What Dongfang Bubai? I think it's Dongfang who will surely lose!"

Speaking, he again picked up several planks, leapt ashore, and today he will utterly exterminate anyone who dares to covet him!

This time, if I don't heal them, I will never have peace!

Those Demonic Sect followers originally wanted to flee, but when Feng Yi scolded Dongfang Bubai, they immediately dared not leave.

Because someone had insulted the Sect Leader, they would not fight to the death; if word got back to the Sect Leader's ears, it wouldn't just be death—it would be unbearably horrible, the kind where your whole family dies.

So before Feng Yi even reached shore, there were a few swooshing sounds; several arrows shot again. Feng Yi blocked with his long sword, feeling their inner strength was not bad, and he laughed loudly: "Not bad, don't go!"

Only heard one person sneer: "Heh heh, surnamed Feng, even if your martial arts are superb, my Sun Moon Divine Sect..."

Before he finished speaking, Feng Yi had already landed on the shore and violently threw his sword in hand.

With a swish, it pierced him through and through, and he collapsed to the ground.

A man said: "Old Three Shi, be careful!"

That man, upon hearing, looked up; Feng Yi descended from the sky and struck his palm onto his head.

But his head did not shatter; instead, it was slapped into his chest cavity, and even the horse he was sitting on simultaneously collapsed, curling up into a ball.

Feng Yi kicked out, and the horse spun away. All that could be heard were the horse's neighs, thudding repeatedly.

Moreover, several more horses and riders fell together, person and horse hitting the ground; someone had his leg broken by the horse, gritting his teeth in pain.

One of them shouted fiercely: "We'll fight him to the death!"

Wielding a pair of iron plates, he swung them swiftly toward Feng Yi's head.

Feng Yi saw his fierce approach and called out: "Good."

He struck out with a palm, and with a loud bang.

That man's martial arts were quite formidable; the iron plates did not leave his hand, but he felt a surge of force, and with a crack, his shoulder blades screamed in pain, his whole arm shattered from the shock, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and he flew out tumbling.

He had already been killed by Feng Yi's palm shock.

The Demonic Sect followers knew the elder's martial arts were superb, not inferior to ordinary elders, yet he was slapped to death by Feng Yi's palm.

And Feng Yi's divine might was awe-inspiring; they had already been terrified, and seeing the elder die, they hesitated no more, turned and fled, some not even bothering to mount their horses.

It was truly each fleeing in all directions, panicked like fish escaping a net, busy like a bereaved dog, only wishing their parents had given them two fewer legs; until now, each displayed their true abilities, all thinking: "I never expected his lightness skill to be so high; before, they were just letting me win!"

Feng Yi sneered: "Want to run? Not that easy." He grabbed a handful of stones, his body fluttering, and pursued westward.

Swish swish swish, like lead pellets shooting out.

The might of his Finger Flick Divine Ability was such that by the time these people sensed the fierce wind attacking their bodies, it was already too late; he struck each of them down one by one.

Feng Yi extended his body and pursued eastward as well; after all, he had no intention of letting anyone live.

Suddenly Qu Feiyan shouted: "Feng Elder Brother, enough!"

Feng Yi glanced over and saw the large boat docked; Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng had already disembarked, looking at dozens of corpses, all stunned.

They had wandered the martial world their whole lives and had never seen such a slaughter scene; everyone's faces changed dramatically.

Qu Feiyan's little face turned deathly pale, as if she couldn't believe that someone who appeared kind and lovable before her...

... whether he was actually human?

He is a "god", an "immortal", or a "demon".

Feng Yi looked at Qu Yang: "Are these people all under the Demonic Sect?"

"Yes!" Qu Yang nodded: "The leader of this group is named Lu Lao Da, and he currently works for Yang Lian Ting."

Feng Yi gave a cold snort: "Good, very good. And the Raft Sect? Who do they take orders from?"

Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng exchanged a glance, both knowing he hadn't finished yet.

Liu Zhengfeng said: "The Raft Sect has a long history, originating from the raft workers who set afloat rafts on the river.

The sect has no Sect Leader; instead, everything is managed by the Raft Head, so the rules have fallen into disarray, and the gang is a mix of good and bad.

Thus the raft workers developed a ferocious, fighting nature and an almost blind faith in the Raft Head; as to whom they now take orders from, that is unknown.

Qu Yang sighed, wanting to speak but stopping.

Feng Yi was about to speak when suddenly a zither's sound came from afar, stirring and pleasing; amidst the music, a large boat sailed down from upstream.

Feng Yi slowly walked toward the shore; at this moment, the morning sun's splendor spread over the hull, and at the bow a woman stood faintly visible, her figure graceful, her whole body seeming to emit a faint light, her skirt fluttering in the wind, delicate as if about to fly, her long hair also dancing uncertainly with the river breeze.

Although the woman was enveloped in radiance, Feng Yi could not see her features clearly, but he felt she must be a great beauty.

Qu Yang and Qu Feiyan, however, were stunned, mouths agape.

Suddenly a flicker of movement, the woman at the bow vanished, and the large boat stopped in the middle of the river.

Suddenly a clear woman's voice rang out at the right moment: "Everyone, how have you been?"

At this time she was at least twenty zhang from shore, yet each word was transmitted clearly to everyone's ears, as if conversing face to face.

Liu Zhengfeng and the others secretly admired, thinking: "The Holy Maiden is truly extraordinary."

Feng Yi also admired this lass.

After all, Ren Yingying's martial arts, among all the female leads of the Metal lineage, are not the strongest, but if we talk about her debut, she ranks among the top two.

But when Feng Yi saw her dodge back into the cabin, as if he were a man-eating demon, his facial muscles twitched involuntarily, he narrowed his eyes, and said: "Could it be that the Raft Sect is your underlings, Miss?"

His tone was flat, just like usual speech; those nearby heard nothing unusual, but the Holy Maiden felt as if someone were speaking right beside her ear, shaking her ears with a buzz, secretly marveling at the purity of Feng Yi's inner strength—indeed, his reputation is not undeserved.

The Holy Maiden said: "They're not exactly my subordinates, but I have shown them many kindnesses, so they can give me a bit of face."

"A bit of face?" Feng Yi snorted coldly: "So you sent them to cause trouble for me?"

"Cause trouble?" The Holy Maiden also snorted coldly: "I've heard that Feng Yi not only has peerless martial arts but is also intelligent; who would have thought he is so superficial."

Feng Yi smiled narrowly: "No way, the Miss is so beautiful that I can't help but be superficial!"

The Holy Maiden remained silent for a moment, then said: "I know some people are arrogantly beyond compare; I came specially to tell you that the Raft Sect's actions have nothing to do with me!"

Feng Yi laughed: "May I ask the Miss's honored name?"

Holy Maiden fell silent for a moment, then said, "How dare you be so rude!"

"Rude?" Feng Yi said, "Asking for your name is rude?"

You say this has nothing to do with you, but at the very least I need to know your surname and given name, your identity, and how credible your words are.

The Holy Maiden snorted coldly, "Elder Qu, didn't you tell him my identity?"

Feng Yi laughed, "He's a member of the Demonic Cult, and he speaks evasively—would you believe him?"

Qu Feiyan was about to speak, but Qu Yang stopped him.

The Holy Maiden said, "It seems you're just like those ordinary mortals.

Whether you believe it or not, I simply don't want to have an unnecessary conflict with you—do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

Feng Yi gave a slight smile, "Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult, indeed you have extraordinary bearing!"

The Holy Maiden said, "Just now you said you didn't know who I was—how do you know I'm the Holy Maiden? Clearly your words are not entirely truthful; you're not a good person!"

Feng Yi laughed, "What good person would dare to speak with the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everything fell silent except for the sound of the river flowing.

The Holy Maiden suddenly said, "Do you think the martial artists are attacking you just for that damned Sword Manual of Warding Off Evil?"

Feng Yi smiled, "Please, Maiden, enlighten me!"

The Holy Maiden said, "People in the martial world are mostly desperadoes, but not all of them are brainless braves.

If the Lin family truly possessed such a miraculous martial arts secret, how could they have ended up with the whole clan slaughtered?

The reason this person spread such rumors is that they counted on the fact that, whether one seeks to establish a foothold in the treacherous martial world or wishes to gain a position and fame, one must possess formidable martial arts.

Many martial artists are limited by age and aptitude, achieving little; but your appearance has left everyone despairing.

You burst onto the scene at Mount Heng, gaining great renown, and who knows how many people see you as a thorn in their eye, a splinter in their flesh,

wishing they could chop you into minced meat.

Yet you are so young and yet possess such skill that, while it arouses envy, it also inspires hope."

Feng Yi said leisurely, "Go on."

"The rumor in the martial world is that you obtained the Sword Manual of Warding Off Evil—little do they know this is merely an excuse.

Because they think that as long as they obtain your martial arts, it doesn't matter whether it's the Sword Manual of Warding Off Evil, the Sunflower Treasure Canon, or the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic.

However, the Sun Moon Divine Sect and the Shaolin Temple are each the largest sect and school under heaven, while you are alone.

Under the pretext of the Sword Manual of Warding Off Evil, everyone moves against you—who wouldn't hope they might be that lucky one?

In the face of such tremendous temptation, who still cares how high your martial arts are?"

Feng Yi pondered, then said, "You've thought of this point, but I haven't."

In the original plot, Ren Yingying's heterodox subordinates betrayed her for the Sword Manual of Warding Off Evil; it's no wonder, since she already knew them well, that her subordinates were sharp-eyed and adept at serving on the One Dragon assignment.

Because she also knew these people were allied with her only for profit; once the profit was gone, they would scatter, and they were hardly her loyal followers.

"What do you mean by that?" the Holy Maiden said coldly, "Do you think you're the only smart one in the world?"

Feng Yi chuckled, "You were just outside a moment ago—why have you now hidden in the cabin? You won't give your name, and you won't show yourself—why is that?"

The Holy Maiden fell silent for a while, then said, "Because you are a man."

Feng Yi pondered briefly, then said, "I understand. Men in the world are often faithless and fickle, always causing women heartache. It's only natural you'd avoid seeing men."

He suddenly realized that Ren Yingying had grown up on Black Wood Cliff, yet after Dongfang Bubai mastered the Sunflower Treasure Canon, he killed his own wives and concubines—something Ren Yingying must have surely heard about.

Perhaps deep down she harbors a fear of men!

In the original plot, she could fall in love with Linghu Chong.

It is precisely his affection and deep feeling for Yue Lingshan that broke through her defenses.

Feng Yi thought of this, and couldn't help but think of Yue Buqun seeing Ning Zhongze die before him without a flicker of emotion, and Lin Pingzhi claiming Yue Lingshan was different from his father, yet killing her without hesitation. Evidently this is not merely a matter of personal character; perhaps it also relates to the demonic nature of the Sunflower Treasure Canon.

As he pondered, the Holy Maiden also seemed to fall into thought, and after a long while said, "You are also a man, yet you can say such things—rather strange."

Feng Yi gave a wry smile, "Some men are devoted to love, willing to sacrifice their lives for the one they love; whenever I think of that, I feel ashamed—what's so strange about that?"

The Holy Maiden laughed, "For saying that, I take back what I just said!"

"What words?"

"Your words are not entirely truthful—you're not a good person!"

Feng Yi laughed heartily, "Then thank you. Could you trouble the Holy Maiden with one matter?"

"What matter?"

Feng Yi said, "Tell your underlings of all sorts that for the next three months they should not cause me trouble!"

The Holy Maiden remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Are you afraid?"

Feng Yi laughed, "Although I'm not a fearless hero, I do distinguish gratitude from grudges, knowing what it means to honor a trust and be loyal to a task. Therefore this time I wish to avoid trouble."

The Holy Maiden retorted, "But how could Master Feng, a great hero, be one who fears trouble? Right?"

Feng Yi smiled and said nothing.

The Holy Maiden added, "But you've caused such a commotion—how can I possibly restrain my subordinates?"

Feng Yi said, "Whoever doesn't obey, I'll withhold this year's antidote to the Three Corpses Brain Divine Pill—who would dare not comply?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Qu Yang and the others were deeply moved, and the Holy Maiden blurted out, "You know this too?"

Feng Yi said, "I know many important matters, but regarding trifles like the Pai Sect, I don't know—just a sentence.

"Do you agree or not?"

(End of chapter)