Chapter 283

The heroes fell silent, their gazes following the point of Zuo Lengchan's sword.

Ren Yingying merely stood by the window, gazing into the night, unknown what she thought.

"Auntie!" Luzhu Weng shouted, "Let's go!"

Among those present, only he understood Ren Yingying's thoughts, his eyes showing pity, and he hated Feng Yi all the more for being inhumane.

He spoke so nicely, causing all this trouble, then after having his fun, he just patted his butt and left?

Ren Yingying felt an empty chill in her chest, a vague soreness rising, yet no matter what, she could not show weakness.

She was the daughter of the former leader of the Sun Moon Divine Sect, the Holy Maiden who stood above thousands and below one; all she could do was inspire awe, not be looked down upon.

Ren Yingying coldly swept her gaze over the crowd, Zuo Lengchan's eyes like lightning, shining on her face.

Ren Yingying also instantly locked eyes with him, her heart stirring, vaguely understanding what Zuo Lengchan wanted.

Their eyes met, as if the air grew a few degrees colder.

After a long stare, Zuo Lengchan's lips twitched into a smile: "Miss, you must be the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, right?"

Ren Yingying said lightly: "Holy Maiden of the Sun Moon Divine Sect!"

Her voice was clear and tender, making her appear about seventeen or eighteen.

Even though the heroes had already guessed her identity, they couldn't help but think: "Feng Yi isn't one to lust after beauty, is he?"

"They said he and the demonic sect temptress were a perfect match; how could he just leave? Could it be he finds this temptress not beautiful enough?"

Though Ren Yingying's face was veiled in light gauze, from her brows and eyes one could tell she was unsurpassingly beautiful; Feng Yi's sudden departure left them baffled again.

What on earth is this person thinking?

Feng Yi's wild, unfettered thoughts are hard to grasp even for himself; for others to try to know them is nothing short of a joke.

Don't believe it? Just look at Fei Bin, Ren Yingying.

"What a Sun Moon Divine Sect!" Zuo Lengchan nodded and smiled lightly, saying: "You are Ren Woxing's daughter?"

Ren Yingying bit her lip, stubbornly staring at Zuo Lengchan, about to speak, when Luzhu Weng interjected: "Zuo Lengchan, you are also a sect master, once contended with the Sect Leader Ren; today, unable to do anything against Feng Yi, you're full of anger, yet you come to bully a junior—do you truly not fear shame?"

Zuo Lengchan glanced at him, sneering: "Avoiding the strong and striking the weak is the supreme principle of military strategy, and also the proper way of martial arts; you don't even understand this? The so-called Sun Moon Divine Sect turns out to be nothing more than that!"

Ren Yingying gave a cold laugh, lightly saying: "To bully the soft and fear the hard, spoken by the Alliance Master Zuo with such refreshing originality, the righteous bearing of the Five Peaks Sword Sect—truly an eye-opener!"

Upon hearing this, members of the Five Peaks Sword Sect also had unsightly faces; Zuo Lengchan's action was indeed somewhat improper.

Zuo Lengchan knew full well this was improper, but for a great undertaking he does not fuss over details, nor does he care, saying: "Between myself and Feng Yi, we are all martial artists; if skill is lacking, what more is there to say?"

"However, your Demonic Sect has committed countless evils, too many to record; setting aside others' grudges,"

"two years ago on the Zhengzhou highway you severed my junior brother Sun's hands and feet, gouged out his eyes, employed such vicious means, and then left the remains at my Songshan Sect's gate—is this not a threat?"

"Heh, if I, Zuo, let you, the Demonic Sect's leader, go today, what face would I have to lead the Songshan Sect?"

Ding Mian, thinking of his junior brother Sun's eyes turned into bloody holes, the anger from Feng Yi not yet quelled, the old grudge against the Demonic Sect reignited, he drew his sword and declared loudly: "Senior Brother, let me take down this temptress and avenge Junior Brother Sun!"

"Good!" Zuo Lengchan nodded: "Don't harm her life; we will take her back to Songshan so Junior Brother Sun may know, to comfort his spirit in heaven."

Zuo Lengchan, a hero of the age, deeply knew Ren Yingying was a rare asset, an excellent bargaining chip against the Demonic Sect; moreover, Feng Yi had burst onto the scene, making Songshan's future uncertain. Though he had departed, if Ren Yingying were well utilized, she would surely produce remarkable results.

Because Ren Yingying is peerlessly beautiful and once aided Feng Yi in the jianghu, could he truly turn a blind eye and deaf ear? Zuo Lengchan does not believe so.

Because he had today seen Feng Yi and already gained some understanding.

A person like Feng Yi—why has he remained unknown in the jianghu?

This shows he is a lone wanderer.

Moreover, from his words just now in Hengshan City and today's speech, it is clear he has experienced the ugliness of human nature and seen through worldly affairs.

Such a person will not make friends, nor fawn over anyone, unless he deems you worthy in his heart.

Yet such people usually have few friends, for ordinary folks are hardly worthy of his notice.

However, a woman like Ren Yingying is the sort who can catch anyone's eye.

Because she too looks down on all, possesses a wolf's wildness in her bones, and will not feign affection for anyone unless you can enter her gaze.

Essentially, she and Feng Yi are of the same kind.

Thus their entanglement already explains everything.

Others thought Zuo Lengchan incapable of facing Feng Yi, using Ren Yingying as a pretext; but who could know that, upon seeing her laugh upstairs, he had already decided to seize her.

Otherwise why would he have Feng Yi promise not to interfere in the Five Peaks affairs? Zuo Lengchan, having calculated thus, felt quite pleased.

"Is that so?" Ren Yingying raised her elegant brows, flicked her cloud sleeves; in an instant, a gentle breeze stirred, and a clump of green mist drifted down from the building.

The heroes stared, stunned— they had not expected this temptress's lightness skill to be so superb.

Zuo Lengchan was also startled; after sizing up Ren Yingying, he nodded: "They say after Ren Woxing's death, Dongfang Bubai appointed you Holy Maiden; I thought he did it out of respect for your father, merely looking after you, but I did not expect you to be so capable—truly a tiger father has no dog daughter!"

Feng Yi had wounded Fei Bin; Ding Mian was already furious, and seeing Ren Yingying, a young woman, dare act so arrogantly, he brandished his sword and shouted: "Temptress, let me see what you're capable of..."

Before he finished speaking, Ren Yingying's body swayed slightly; a cold-glinting short sword appeared in her left hand, thrusting swiftly toward Ding Mian's chest.

Ding Mian's martial arts were high, yet he never expected such a delicate, pretty girl to say she would strike and then strike, with no prior sign, her attack as fast as lightning, thrusting her sword forward,

Fortunately Ding Mian had his long sword in hand, hastily waving it to block, while turning his body slightly; but he did not expect this move of Ren Yingying's to be a feint—her right hand flashed, and another long sword's tip trembled, in an instant she thrust five swords at Ding Mian.

The crowd immediately cheered; the Holy Maiden was indeed extraordinary.

As the saying goes: sabre like a fierce tiger, sword like a soaring phoenix; the Songshan Sect's sword style is broad and open, its momentum stern, so their longswords are wider than ordinary; yet Ding Mian appeared like a tiger descending the mountain, his sword swift and fierce.

Zuo Lengchan focused on the two; he saw Ren Yingying's movements elusive, her swords gathering and scattering chaotically, appearing as if one thrust could pierce, yet Ding Mian often, before completing a move, hastily retracted his longsword to wave and block.

He had already seen that Ren Yingying's body was light and agile, her sword techniques mixing false and true; moreover, of her five moves, four were feints, the remaining one crafty and deceitful, truly hard to defend against—if Ding Mian were not the sect's top expert, he would already have several holes.

In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged over ten moves,

Ren Yingying's form became even more light and nimble, appearing and disappearing suddenly, her attacks uncanny, long and short swords either false or real, like a phoenix soaring heavenward, utmost in elusiveness; though a solid person stood before them, everyone felt her drifting like mist, like smoke—this woman was truly remarkable; Ning Zhong considered herself a heroine among women, yet she knew she had no chance against Ren Yingying, though she was decades older, her heart filled with admiration.

As Ding Mian waved his longsword, wind howled, sword pressure surged, yet he could not touch Ren Yingying's long or short blades; her voice drifted faintly: "It seems the Songshan sword art is nothing more than this."

Ding Mian instantly felt shame and rage, his breathing grew heavy, he almost wanted to howl, thinking: "How unreasonable! That I and several junior brothers can't beat Feng Yi is one thing, but to lose to a girl in her teens—if this got out, wouldn't the jianghu laugh itself to death?"

His attacks grew more disordered; suddenly he felt a cold chill at his neck, a bright, gleaming longsword had already been placed upon it.

Ding Mian felt blood rush to his face, a buzzing in his head; he never imagined he could not even defeat a girl in her early teens.

Zuo Lengchan's eyesight is keen; he knows his junior fellow has fallen into this predicament, certainly because Ren Yingying's martial arts are too extraordinary, also due to underestimating the enemy.

Her figure darted swiftly, extremely elusive, appearing and disappearing, preventing Ding Mian from contacting his short swords; with so many Five Peaks masters watching, Ding Mian's inability to subdue a girl inevitably made him restless and agitated.

And Ren Yingying further provoked with words; Ding Mian, angry, lost his form again, putting his life in her hands.

This shows that whenever Ren Yingying acts, every move is carefully calculated, enabling her to subdue the Songshan Grand Protector.

But Zuo Lengchan saw everything, and anger welled up from his heart: "What kind of person dares to say the Songshan School is finished!"

As soon as Ren Yingying finished speaking, Zuo Lengchan flashed forward, his sword lifting with a clang, striking her sword directly.

In any martial exchange, one does not fear lack of ferocity in attack, but fears exposing a flaw when striking the enemy, allowing the enemy to take advantage; this is what is meant by "stale techniques."

Although Ren Yingying's body technique is agile and her moves exquisite, rare in the martial world, Zuo Lengchan, lying in wait, seized her flaw as soon as he acted; his sword sank then lifted, her sword flew from her hand, swooping into the air.

Zuo Lengchan suddenly struck; everyone was startled. Ren Yingying was about to shout when she shuddered, feeling a cold current flow from her arm through her body, involuntarily letting out a muffled groan, her legs giving way as she was about to collapse.

The cold light pierced her eyes; Zuo Lengchan's sword arrived, and Ren Yingying's mind went blank.

At this moment Zuo Lengchan needed to establish authority; as soon as he acted, he infused his sword with icy true qi, and in a blink he would subdue Ren Yingying, lest people look down on the Songshan School's martial arts.

Seeing the Holy Maiden in peril, the Green Bamboo Elder and the Demonic Cult elders all moved to rescue her, but the Songshan Grand Protector and the Mount Tai Sect's Heavenly Gate Daoists blocked them, and the two sides became entangled in combat.

Saying it is slow, doing it is fast!

Zuo Lengchan suddenly felt a strong gust of wind from above; if his sword were to strike Ren Yingying again, she would surely die on the spot.

He hastily raised his left palm, then lifted his gaze upward; the sword aimed at Ren Yingying did not retract, but its force correspondingly diminished.

One saw a person wave a hand, snatching Ren Yingying's sword from the air; that palm power was issued and withdrawn instantly, not touching Zuo Lengchan's palm power, merely riding his palm wind to float down, one hand helping Ren Yingying up, the other pinching the sword with two fingers and placing the hilt into her palm.

Ren Yingying, feeling panicked, suddenly felt a warm current flow through her body; the sword hilt returned to her hand, she instinctively gripped it and blocked Zuo Lengchan's incoming sword.

Suddenly a loud buzzing, deafening, sparks flew; Zuo Lengchan's arm instantly heated, his face flushing from white to red to purple, his sword nearly slipping from his grasp. Zuo Lengchan stared wide-eyed, thinking: "Where in the world do all these masters come from?"

At this moment everyone saw an uninvited guest catching and returning swords, moving like a ghost; all present were astonished.

One saw him clad in a black cloak, short in stature, as he turned his body a faint outline of a face appeared; though only a fleeting glimpse, everyone felt a chill, this person had no expression, like a zombie.

Zuo Lengchan's stunned pause lasted only an instant; he then grunted, twisted his wrist swiftly, and thrust his sword at that person.

After all, he had just struck with his palm, his sword lacking strength; but this sword contained Zuo Lengchan's full chest of vigor and hatred, swift as a meteor, its force extremely fierce; before the grim sword light could even flash, the tip had already reached the spot Zuo Lengchan intended.

He was confident; this sword blended false and true, with endless follow‑up moves; even if it failed to wound the newcomer, he still had a way to wound Ren Yingying.

Who would have thought that person caught Ren Yingying, floated back several zhang, causing Zuo Lengchan's sword to thrust at empty air; compared to that, it was even more nonchalantly carefree.

Ren Yingying was seized by the person's arm, unable to resist; having never been this close to a man, she was terrified, crying out, "Let go of me!"

Everyone exclaimed again; it seemed the two did not know each other.

The newcomer said nothing, seized Ren Yingying, leapt up, his robes billowing like a great bird; Zuo Lengchan could not help shouting, "Please stay!" His body like a soaring eagle, he rose into the air.

No mistake, no missing character, no omitted stroke, no absent detail—look closely!

He too is a top‑tier master of the present age; with a swish, his sword thrust toward the newcomer's back.

Zuo Lengchan's face showed no expression; his sharp sword flashed with blinding cold light, bearing unmatched aura—who would have thought that this time Ren Yingying would backhand flick, sending out several black shadows that hissed as they tore through the air.

Zuo Lengchan smelled a fishy odor, startled, withdrew his sword to block; a tinkling sounded, and he landed—these were tiny silver needles, the very "Black Blood Divine Needles" he had just seen; seeing them again infuriated him.

At the same time, the righteous heroes were also enraged; in an instant everyone threw out their hidden weapons.

Whatever sleeve arrows, flying darts, flying knives, feathered arrows, iron pellets, flying awls and other hidden weapons, they vied to shoot up into the sky, a spectacular sight.

The person and Ren Yingying were in mid‑air, utterly unable to defend against the hidden weapons shooting from all directions; unexpectedly, that person snatched Ren Yingying's sword, drew an arc, and swirled like flowing clouds around both their bodies.

For a moment clangs and clatters rang out, sparks enveloping the two; Ren Yingying in her green robe seemed to emit a faint glow, like a celestial maiden descending to the mortal world; all who watched were astonished and admiring.

Zuo Lengchan, Master Dingxian, and the other experts watched the newcomer's sword; as it trembled, it seemed like an impenetrable great shield, and the various hidden weapons shooting from all sides were bounced back in reverse flight.

And that person with Ren Yingying, like a released kite, soared high and vanished far beyond the rooftops.

This person's profound inner strength, exquisite swordsmanship, and superb lightness skill were unprecedented; even the earlier Feng Yi fell short.

Because Feng Yi, since debuting, has never displayed sword technique—only his lightness, palm, and finger methods are unmatched; to claim he also possesses such exquisite swordsmanship, nobody would believe it.

After all, he is merely human, not a god—where would he find the time to master so many martial arts?

Zuo Lengchan's expression shifted to astonishment; he suddenly realized and cried out, "Taiji Sword!"

Everyone heard and turned pale with shock; just then, hidden weapons rained down like arrows from a bow; some blocked, some cried out and leapt, some desperately dodged.

When everything settled, people looked again; only a few remained who had been struck by hidden weapons and were screaming, reminding everyone that the earlier scene had indeed occurred.

The Green Bamboo Elder recalled the peril, still trembling with fear; cold sweat trickled out, soaking his back garments; if the aunt were captured by the Songshan School, what could be done?

Everyone stared at each other, uncertain and doubtful; that black shadow's profound power and swift movement had already surpassed everyone's imagination. Someone blurted, "This person is so skilled—could it not be Feng Yi feigning mystery?"

Someone said, "Even if Feng Yi's swordsmanship were truly divine, this person is at least a head shorter than Feng Yi, if not more!"

Everyone thought, also secretly marveling, unable to recall that such a figure existed in the martial world.

Zuo Lengchan also stared, still immersed in shock; he also wondered whether it might be Feng Yi returning after having left, but while increasing height is simple, to change tendons and marrow and then shrink one's size while still being able to freely display divine abilities would be difficult.

Therefore this point left everyone utterly perplexed.

Who exactly is this person?

If this person were a Wudang adept, given the deep enmity between the Demonic Cult and Wudang, why would he rescue a Demonic Cult enchantress?

Yue Buqun pondered and said, "Alliance Master Zuo, that person truly uses Taiji Sword; you haven't mistaken it, have you?"

Zuo Lengchan gave him a deep look, pressed his lips, his face grim, thinking: "I, the old man, am contending for supremacy with Shaolin and Wudang; how could I fail to recognize Wudang's Taiji Sword?"

"Alliance Master Zuo is correct!" Master Dingxian said, pressing her palms together: "All you heroes threw forth hidden weapons like a hurricane's fury, nowhere to hide; that person's sword turned leisurely, actually like a boat drifting with the current, wandering in all directions."

Because he acted too fast, the hidden weapons released by many people had staggered timing; though they were a beat slow in innate timing, he struck once to discharge their force and send them back; such a skill of borrowing force to strike force is probably unmatched in the present age aside from the Wudang Sect.

And while he was in mid‑air striking the hidden weapons, which should have made him fall, he instead used the impact to pivot and rise aloft; this lightness skill ought to be the Wudang 'Ladder Cloud Leap'.

Zuo Lengchan gave a slight nod: "Master Dingxian is well‑versed and knowledgeable; your words are not off the mark!"

"Amituofo!"

Following that aged Buddhist chant, an old monk slowly emerged from behind a room; he was very old, his face full of wrinkles.

Master Fang Sheng!

Zuo Lengchan immediately recognized the person who had come.

This Fang Sheng is the junior disciple of Abbot Fangzheng of Shaolin Temple, and is a senior monk of the first generation of Shaolin.

Yue Buqun and the others, seeing him there, also felt surprised.

Only seeing Fang Sheng press his palms together and say: "Master Dingxian said this person's sword technique is Wudang Taiji Sword, indeed without the slightest difference, yet his lightness skill of borrowing force in midair is not the Ladder Cloud Leap!"

Dingxian pressed his palms together and said: "Please, Master, give us your guidance!"

"How dare I!" Fang Sheng Dashi pressed his palms together and said: "This humble one once heard Daoist Chongxu and my school's senior brothers discussing martial arts, and they mentioned the Ladder Cloud Leap."

"This person's lightness skill indeed has a marvel akin to the Ladder Cloud Leap; according to this humble one's estimation, this lightness skill should be the Golden Goose Technique of the Quanzhen Sect from back then!"

"Ah?" The crowd gasped again.

Although the Quanzhen Sect has declined, it was once the number one sect under heaven, proclaimed the orthodox of martial arts under heaven; those with long-standing transmission have heard of it.

Yue Buqun stroked his beard and sighed: "Nowadays morals decline and virtue is lost; in my view, whether it is the Quanzhen Sect or the Wudang School, their aim has always been to encourage good and punish evil; this senior's intervention this time may indeed be a small boon to the world and people's hearts!"

Zuo Lengchan felt annoyed in his heart, secretly thinking: "You appear to be a modest gentleman, but you hide a knife in your smile, honeyed words with a treacherous heart; this is not saying I am shamelessly bullying the weak, and on top of that praising Quanzhen and Wudang, doing them a favor! However, you treat me with falsehood; I have long repaid falsehood with falsehood—let's see who ends up laughing last."

Then he laughed and said: "Although the Quanzhen Sect is like yesterday's yellow flower, old-timers' rumors say that the Quanzhen Sect and Shaolin Temple were once the orthodox of martial arts."

"Yet only Shaolin Temple has, for a thousand years, been the pinnacle of martial arts; the Wudang School, though originating from Shaolin, now stands alongside it as one soft, one hard—the twin pillars of martial arts. Regardless of which school this senior belongs to, his divine skill is rare in the world, which is also a fortune for the martial arts community!"

"Amitabha!" Fang Sheng Dashi said: "What the Alliance Leader Zuo and Mister Yue said is not wrong; perhaps it is indeed some reclusive master who cannot bear to see Miss Ren Yingying controlled by Alliance Leader Zuo, lest it cause a catastrophe in the jianghu, and thus came to her rescue!"

Zuo Lengchan sighed, flicked his sleeve, and cupped his hands toward Fang Sheng Dashi, the Taoist of Tianmen, Yue Buqun and the others: "It's rare to come to Jinling City; let's all go share a cup of plain wine and discuss the state of the martial world."

Seeing that Ren Yingying was gone and Fang Sheng Dashi had arrived, he no longer wanted to fight to the death with the Demonic Sect, because the Demonic Sect also had masters like clouds, and fighting would injure the enemy a thousand while damaging oneself eight hundred; moreover, it was obvious why this old monk Fang Sheng had come here.

Fang Sheng Dashi, the Taoist of Tianmen, Yue Buqun and the others also agreed.

The Green Bamboo Elder laughed and said: "You aren't afraid of being slaughtered and divided for food by my Sun Moon Divine Sect, or you had better scram while you can!" He turned away with a grin and left on his own.

The followers of the Demonic Sect turned and followed, also disappearing into the dark night.

Fang Sheng and the others of the Five Peaks Sword School also each turned and left.

The crowd of heroes who had plotted to seize Feng Yi's divine skill now had grim faces, wondering what exactly they had come to do.

It seemed as if they were merely serving as a stepping stone for Feng Yi to establish his might and achieve ten thousand.

Today, with such a scene and formation, they could not subdue Feng Yi; do they still have the guts next time? They felt they really had none left.

Don't you see that the Five Peaks Sword School has all admitted defeat?

Thinking of this, they all broke into smiles again.

With the Five Peaks Sword School as a backing, who could laugh at them for overreaching themselves?

This is the thinking of most jianghu people; they know that life is picked up from the edge of blades and spears, and death is nothing to fear.

What they fear is risking their lives and still not obtaining what they want, thereby becoming the topic of after-dinner chatter and a laughingstock for others.

At this moment they felt the Five Peaks Sword School had lost even more face; immediately, in groups of three or two, they all went their separate ways.

Some of the corpses left behind, those of the Sun Moon Divine Sect were poisonous and could not be disposed of; those with companions or friends did not forget to take them along, while certain lone bandits were left unattended.

And all of this could only be left for the government to handle.

As for these poisons, whether they would harm ordinary commoners, in fact hardly anyone cared.

(End of chapter)