Chapter 74

As soon as the old man's words fell, without seeing his arms draw back then swing forward, merely his palm emitting force outward, Hong Lingbo flew toward Feng Yi like a wisp of yellow smoke.

Seeing such exquisite use of force, Li Mochou couldn't help but frown slightly; knowing it was an enemy, she also couldn't help but admire.

Feng Yi directly shouted: "Good kung fu!"

He saw Hong Lingbo being thrown over, the wind sound faint, he realized the opponent was using an object to transmit energy, testing his technique.

If he reached out to catch, his leg not healed, his stance weak, last night he had also severely depleted his vital energy, fearing he could not be as relaxed as the opponent throwing a person, he would surely suffer a setback and lose face.

If he dodged and didn't catch, besides losing face, Hong Lingbo would either die or be injured. Fortunately, compared to his dignity, Hong Lingbo's life was not a hard choice.

Feng Yi immediately extended his left palm, seized Hong Lingbo's arm, and felt an extremely strong internal energy strike his palm; the Divine Illumination Skill instantly neutralized the incoming force.

However, the stranger's throw was extraordinarily wondrous; he had stored recoil within the push, so Feng Yi, gripping Hong Lingbo's body, involuntarily leaned forward—fortunately his Divine Illumination Skill had reached perfection, the energy shifted and steadied his body.

Unexpectedly, the old man burst into loud laughter, then with incredible speed lunged forward, striking out with both palms to attack him and Hong Lingbo; this strike came suddenly, its palm force extremely vicious.

Feng Yi's foot slipped slightly, instantly escaping the opponent's palm wind, and at the same time he flung Hong Lingbo toward Li Mochou.

Li Mochou was about to dodge, but fearing Hong Lingbo might fall and get hurt, after all he was her disciple she had raised for years, she had no choice but to reach out and catch him.

Although Feng Yi had dissipated Hong Lingbo's incoming force, he still carried some residual energy from both; Li Mochou, now weak, stumbled upon taking hold, was pulled down, and the two rolled together on the ground once before stopping.

Hong Lingbo was seized by the stranger, his whole body sore and weak, unable to resist; already frightened, he became the object of their contest, and he nearly had his heart and gallbladder split.

At this moment he felt no injury on his body, only then realizing Feng Yi had used superb martial skill to send him out of danger, and he let out a long breath.

This, however, left Li Mochou both startled and angry; in her years wandering the jianghu, the two most embarrassing things were:

First, being chased by this weirdo back to the ancient tomb, begging her master to save her life; at that time her internal energy was deep, yet this old man, though muddled, could still think of a way to escape, but now she is utterly weak, while he actually remembers "Li Mochou this little girl," which is terribly bad.

Second, being humiliated by Feng Yi; these two are damned bastards. She climbed to her feet, shouting: "Feng Yi, don't let him off!" Thinking: "You two fight it out; whoever dies is fine!"

On this side, after Feng Yi threw Hong Lingbo out, he suddenly flipped his elbow, the crutch under his armpit thrusting obliquely toward the old man's waist.

This thrust is a high-level move from the Linked City Sword Technique, covering seven or eight of the opponent's acu-points, seeming real yet feigned, coming with extraordinary speed.

Feng Yi knew the opponent's martial arts were formidable; relying on a single wooden crutch might not withstand both their forces; at the same time he launched a left-handed punch, silent in motion but containing internal energy, its technique fierce, swift, and marvelous beyond words.

No sooner said than done! The stranger had just exchanged a palm with Feng Yi, sensing his internal energy vast and surging; who would have thought his martial arts were also so superb, he dared not be careless, retreated two steps, then suddenly shouted loudly, somersaulting into midair, where he kicked Feng Yi's upper body with both feet and attacked his lower body with both hands.

In midair, head down, feet up, he simultaneously attacked Feng Yi's vital points; his moves were utterly bizarre.

Feng Yi secretly marveled; even the Blood Saber Classic's techniques were quite strange, yet this old fellow's moves were utterly unpredictable, but in terms of fierceness and ingenuity, they actually surpassed the Blood Saber Classic.

After all, he had a lame leg, while the opponent was muddled, kicking wildly; if they compared techniques, he would be at a great disadvantage, making defense difficult! He therefore shouted lowly, braced the crutch under his armpit, extended both hands together, one fist high, one low, the upper blocking the leg, the lower warding off the incoming palm.

The two engaged with extremely rapid changes; only silhouettes flying, gusts swirling, both sides' moves as fast as lightning, leaving Li Mochou and Hong Lingbo dazzled.

At that very instant, before their hands and feet even met, continuous cracking sounds were heard, like tearing silk,

but it was the air between their hands and feet being violently compressed by fierce force, producing that sound, showing how astonishing their true power was.

Boom! The tremendous forces collided, dust flew up, with a crack, Feng Yi's crutch under his armpit snapped directly into dozens of pieces about an inch long.

Feng Yi also used that recoil to drift backward over ten feet, instantly feeling his chest and abdomen constricted, his stance unsteady, swaying.

Feng Yi's internal force was deep, certainly not inferior to the opponent's, but having lost a leg, while power originates from the ground, against ordinary folks his skill would hardly be affected; yet against such a master, missing a leg makes the impact enormous.

Li Mochou and Hong Lingbo felt their bodies turn icy, their cherry lips slightly open, wanting to shout, but the breath caught in their throats, unable to utter a sound.

Li Mochou suddenly realized that Feng Yi seemed unable to defeat this old man, and she would surely meet a bad end.

If she tried to flee again, with her current ability it was utterly impossible!

At the same time, the old man felt a strange force surge from his hands and feet, causing pain; looking down, he saw deep palm prints appear on the ground.

This was a blue-stone floor; the palm prints were about an inch deep, something an ordinary person could not leave.

However, only someone who steps backward would leave such a mark.

The old man instantly realized the palm print was from his own retreat, and this also made him both startled and angry.

Only see him roar loudly, turn his body, stand straight, knees slightly bent; with a "gu" sound, the dust within three feet around him scattered outward, and instantly a perfect circle about three feet wide appeared under his feet.

Feng Yi saw his solemn aura, knowing this must be the Toad Skill; once unleashed it would surely shake heaven and earth; in his present condition, to meet it head‑on or dodge would be suicide, so he immediately sat down on the ground, his hand resting on the hilt of his Blood Saber at his waist.

Li Mochou and Hong Lingbo, seeing the old man's formidable presence, also felt astonished, thinking: "This madman is so fierce; who in the world could possibly contend with him?"

She knew that even masters like Feng Yi had their crutches shattered by him; if the two of them went up, they would only be courting death.

The old man was about to unleash a palm, but suddenly saw Feng Yi sitting on the ground, his palms about to push out, then abruptly stop, his expression extremely odd, as if his acu-points had just been sealed, a faint killing intent flickering in his eyes, yet his gaze wavered, undecided.

Feng Yi's eyes darted, and he quickly clapped and laughed: "Senior's internal energy is truly profound, as vast as the sea, freely released and retracted; worthy of being number one under heaven, I admire you greatly!"

Upon hearing this, the old man was delighted, immediately straightened up, hands on hips, laughing heartily: "Kid, your martial arts and internal energy are not bad, but compared to me you're far behind. Li Mochou, you little girl, have miscalculated!"

Hong Lingbo, eager to check on her lover, overcame her fear of the strange man, could not help but rush forward, seize Feng Yi's hand, and anxiously ask: "Are you alright?"

Feng Yi felt pleased, shook his head: "I'm fine; you breathe in and out three times, see if anything feels odd."

Hong Lingbo, seeing his concern, did likewise and also said she was fine.

Li Mochou, however, sneered: "Today you merely defeated a crippled youth; what do you have to be proud of? Formerly you were captured by my master, only surviving by begging for mercy on your knees; now you strut about here, isn't that ridiculous?"

The old man shifted his gaze, sized up Feng Yi for a moment, seeing his heroic spirit flourishing; although his right leg was weak and the crutch under his armpit had been shattered by him, now seated on the ground he was as still as a mountain, truly not ordinary.

Then he glanced at Li Mochou, eyes flashing cold, let out a wild laugh: "Girl, I remember you; your master schemed against me years ago, I beat him to death. You also wounded my son with your Ice Soul Silver Needles..."

Before his words finished, Li Mochou suddenly giggled: "What a lunatic, claiming he killed my master and I injured his son—pure nonsense!"

Unexpectedly, Feng Yi calmly said: "What he said is correct; your master was struck by him, suffered grave injuries and died; his son also fell victim to your Ice Soul Silver Needle poison."

Upon hearing this, Li Mochou's whole body felt as if struck by lightning, she trembled: "You... you what are you saying?"

The old man roared with laughter: "Your master used traps to ambush me, even poison needles to sneak attack; I beat him to death—don't you know?"

This strange man is none other than the Western Poison, Ouyang Feng.

Since he went mad after the "Second Hua Mountain Sword Discussion," Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong both thought his days were numbered.

For practitioners of internal energy, extreme joy or sorrow is most taboo; the mild suffer a decline in internal force, the severe have their true qi go berserk, leading to cultivation deviation.

Ouyang Feng's internal energy is deep; once it goes awry, its outbreak becomes even more ferocious, and with his muddled mind he cannot look after himself, thus he is certain to die without a burial place.

Yet he had cultivated the Nine Yin True Classic in reverse; by the time of the Hua Mountain Sword Discussion he had already achieved minor success, allowing many meridians to flow backward.

Over the years he has further trained to the point where his reverse practice gradually turns into normal. This is the principle that extremes lead to reversal, also the supreme truth of the Book of Changes: old yin reaching its extreme turns into young yang, old yang reaching its peak turns into young yin.

Therefore Ouyang Feng not only suffered no loss of internal energy, but actually made great progress; his mind became much clearer. Although he was still mad, many past events gradually came back to him, yet he could never recall who he really was.

For over ten years he has wandered to the ends of the earth, constantly pondering: 'Who am I really?' Whenever he encountered a place that seemed vaguely familiar, he would linger there, hoping only to find himself.

A few years ago, in Jiaxing, he fought Guo Jing, Huang Rong, and Ke Zhen'e, and it was then that he took Yang Guo as his adopted son.

But he and Guo Jing were both wounded in their mutual defeat; Guo Jing had Huang Rong and Ke Zhen'e protecting him, so he could only flee on his own, collapsing by the roadside, entirely relying on Yang Guo to help him into the Wang Tieqiang Temple to hide.

But later Ke Zhen'e caught up with him and beat him with an iron staff until his skin split and flesh tore; if Yang Guo had not rescued him with a great bell, this venerable grandmaster would have died an unremarkable death.

Ouyang Feng was placed by Yang Guo under the great bell, where he secretly exercised his divine art to heal his internal injuries; after seven days and nights his internal energy recovered, but the external wounds inflicted by Ke Zhen'e's iron staff were still serious and not quickly healed.

He lifted the great bell, went to an inn, and nursed his wounds for another twenty-odd days, after which he was fully healed inside and out, then set out to find Yang Guo—but after missing him by a month, the vast world made it seem impossible to locate his trace.

Yet he recalled that Guo Jing and Huang Rong must have thought: 'This boy is most likely on Peach Blossom Island.'

He immediately procured a small boat and sailed to Peach Blossom Island, a place he had visited before; he dared not approach the island by day, only landing at night on the rear mountain.

He knew he was no match for Guo Jing and Huang Rong together, and not knowing that Huang Yaoshi was absent from the island, he realized he could not possibly defeat those few; thus he hid by day in an extremely remote cave, patrolling silently each night. The island's layout was intricate, and he dared not wander about at will. After more than a year of this, thanks to his extreme caution—never stepping out of the cave by day—his whereabouts remained undiscovered until one evening, when he overheard the brothers Wudunru speaking, and learned that Guo Jing had sent Yang Guo to study at the Quanzhen Sect.

Ouyang Feng was overjoyed; he immediately stole a boat and left the island, rushing to Chongyang Palace. Little did he know that at that time Yang Guo had already fallen out with the Quanzhen Sect and entered the Tomb of the Living Dead.

In the Quanzhen Sect this was a tremendous disgrace; everyone up and down the sect refused to speak of it, and Ouyang Feng could find no trace of news. During those days he traversed hundreds of li around Mount Zhongnan, unaware that Yang Guo was actually hidden deep underground, so naturally he could not find him.

That day, by coincidence, as he walked the streets of Chang'an, he suddenly saw a yellow-robed Daoist nun whose movements were strangely familiar; Ouyang Feng at once stepped forward and, in his mad manner, asked: 'Hey, do you know where my son is?'

Hong Lingbo paid no attention to this madman; she lashed out, but was easily subdued. Ouyang Feng did not kill her; he simply insisted, dead or alive, on knowing where his son was.

Hong Lingbo could not free herself; thinking that Feng Yi's martial arts were superb and unprecedented, she believed he might be able to deal with him, so she lured him over.

This tactic was the same as when Li Mochou had provoked Ouyang Feng years ago and could not resist; she simply drew the person back to the ancient tomb.

Li Mochou's master, too, was no match for Ouyang Feng; driven to desperation, she almost resorted to the tomb's most lethal sealing measure, the 'Broken Dragon Stone,' to block him—but later, by exploiting the tomb's mechanisms, she succeeded in immobilizing him with both the Ice Soul Silver Needles and the Jade Edge Needles.

Seeing this, Li Mochou feared her master's reproach and fled immediately. Unbeknownst to her, Ouyang Feng's meridians had been reversed, and under the guise of poison, neither poison nor acupressure points had any effect on him.

When her master approached to examine him, Ouyang Feng suddenly struck out with a palm and wounded her; consequently the master died, and Li Mochou assumed it was simply death from old age.

All along she blamed her master for favoritism, for not passing his divine art to her, never imagining that her master had sacrificed his life for her sake!

Even today, upon seeing this person alive, she thought her master's kind nature had spared the madman's life! Only upon hearing Feng Yi say this did she, in panic, shout at Ouyang Feng: 'Who are you?'

Upon hearing those words, Ouyang Feng's face went blank; he cried, 'Ah, who am I? Who am I?' while reaching up to scratch his head, clearly distressed.

Then Feng Yi casually remarked, 'He is none other than the West Poison, Ouyang Feng!'

The old madman, upon hearing the three words 'West Poison Ouyang Feng,' had a faint realization, muttering, 'West Poison... Ouyang Feng...'

He felt these words were closely related to himself.

What?

He is the West Poison!

Li Mochou and Hong Lingbo, however, were startled.

Few martial artists are unaware of the epithets 'East Heretic, West Poison, South Emperor, North Beggar, Central Divine Adept'; even if one has never seen them, does not know them, or is unaware of their specifics, one has certainly heard this title.

This is just as poets surely know Li Bai, calligraphers surely have heard of Wang Xizhi, and painters surely know Wu Daozi.

Over the centuries, every trade and profession invariably produces a few outstanding figures whom the world remembers.

Even cooks, tailors, and architects will produce individuals renowned throughout the land, far and near—this is the principle that 'every trade yields its top scholar.'

And the epithets 'East Heretic, West Poison, South Emperor, North Beggar, Central Divine Adept' are today's martial champions, each possessing peerless skills, yet vastly different from one another.

Wang Chongyang, a grandmaster of the Daoist tradition, possessed heroic bearing and chivalrous bones, with martial arts surpassing all.

Huang Yaoshi was lofty and proud, coming and going alone, with heaven and earth following his solitary path.

Hong Qigong was chivalrous and righteous; after relinquishing the chief's post, he appeared and disappeared like a divine dragon.

The Southern Emperor, the sole ruler of the southern realms, abdicated to become a monk, hiding from the world.

Only Ouyang Feng was ruthless and cruel, obsessed his whole life with martial arts, seeking nothing less than supremacy under heaven.

To that end he could take advantage of Wang Chongyang's death to assault Chongyang Palace; he could also bully the weak, injuring a disciple of the One Lamp Master, draining his strength, thereby forcing his way into Heavenly Dragon Temple.

He could also repay Hong Qigong's kindness with betrayal, nearly costing him his life; he could also slay the Quanzhen Sect's Tan Chengdu, sneak-attack Huang Yaoshi, causing his beloved disciple Mei Chaofeng to die an unjust death.

These deeds had long been noised throughout the martial world; whenever anyone in the jianghu heard 'West Poison,' they could not help but suck in a cold breath.

He is the sort that anyone would dare provoke—who wouldn't fear him? The West Poison also likes to raise snakes; wherever he goes, those whose legs go weak from fear are still the bold few, while those who clutch their heads and scurry like rats are far from few; in short, he is feared by all.

In recent years Li Mochou has been judged to be as ruthless and vicious as the West Poison, causing everyone in the martial world to turn pale at her name.

She is also quite proud; little did she expect that, purely by chance, she would happen to encounter the very person herself. She does not know whether it is ill fortune or a blessing of three lifetimes.

Yet she never imagined that the West Poison, whose name shakes the world, is an old madman who does not even know who he is.

Hong Lingbo was initially startled by Ouyang Feng's martial prowess, but then overawed by his reputation; even with Feng Yi at her side, and despite it being broad daylight, she could not help feeling a chill, her hairs standing on end, her body shrinking as she hid behind Feng Yi.

Li Mochou, however, felt both shock and anger; seeing the old man's muddled mind, she thought it a perfect chance to kill him, and was about to unleash a volley of Ice Soul Silver Needles, when Feng Yi calmly said, 'He is the West Poison!'

Li Mochou's heart chilled: 'Indeed, back then my master used Ice Soul Silver Needles and Jade Edge Needles to strike his pressure points, yet could not prevail—what could I possibly do?'

Suddenly Ouyang Feng bellowed, 'I am not Ouyang Feng! I am not Ouyang Feng! Ouyang Feng is a bad man, Ouyang Feng is a bastard!' His voice low and trembling, he flailed his palms wildly; where his palm wind passed, dust and sand rose; where his palm force landed, gravel flew.

Feng Yi wore a solemn expression, his mind unceasingly pondering.

What Feng Yi fears most nowadays is precisely this madman who differs from ordinary people—and yet he has happened to encounter him.

He knows full well that the Ouyang Feng before him may look like a lunatic, but in truth his martial arts are superb, his reflexes extraordinarily quick, and fighting him is extremely perilous.

For if he is not faced with danger, his martial arts possess little lethal power, lacking the true strength of the Five Absolutes.

Otherwise, Li Mochou's notion of escaping from his grasp to the ancient tomb on Mount Zhongnan would be nothing but a dream!

Take Li Mochou's encounter with Huang Yaoshi: if she wished to kill him, it would be easy and satisfying. Ouyang Feng, however, has no qualms about bullying the weak or losing face.

Likewise, Ke Zhen'e could exchange blows with Ouyang Feng and hold out until Guo Jing and Huang Rong came out.

Huang Rong could also spar with him for a dozen moves without yielding; but as soon as a threatening expert appeared, she would instantly display formidable inner strength, her protective true qi extending a foot, enough to shake Ke Zhen'e's iron staff from his hands and send him crashing down.

When fighting Guo Jing, he could still seize Huang Rong's shoulder with a claw; without her soft-armor vest, her entire arm would be torn away, flesh and skin.

But when he later faced Yang Guo and Xiao Longnv, it took him a long while to overcome Xiao Longnv; with Yang Guo joining the fray, he barely escaped injury, whereas Xiao Longnv at that moment was merely flicked aside by Guo Jing with a casual toss—thus Ouyang Feng's power varied enormously.

But Feng Yi estimates that, even if his present cultivation is not at its fullest, his strength compared to Ouyang Feng amounts to at most a half-chip difference; yet having lost a leg, and with Li Mochou and Hong Lingbo now aiding from the side, he cannot be free of danger.

Even if a few people exceeded their normal performance, causing Ouyang Feng, a master who had weathered a hundred battles, to sense mortal danger and instantly regain the quick reflexes he had when his mind was clear, he might end up dying at the hands of a lunatic.

Who let me become a cripple now?

Therefore, this person cannot be overcome by force; we must outwit him! But outwitting him is no easy task either.

He said to bring him to find his son!

Are we supposed to not nurse our injuries and just let him search for nothing?

Don't take the advantage, or you'll be at a loss! But if you do want the advantage, this old coot feels he's being extorted, playing a deadly game with me—what can we do? Either way, Feng Yi feels this transaction is a bit of a loss.

I couldn't help but think to myself, perhaps this is Heaven's punishment for my inability to keep my pants on! Li Mochou and Hong Lingbo saw Ouyang Feng's terrifying palm power and were greatly frightened. Seeing Feng Yi's expression, he seemed equally at a loss. In an instant, a chill pierced their hearts. Hong Lingbo could still hide behind Feng Yi, but Li Mochou couldn't bring herself to do so; she stood upright, staring coldly at the old man as he went mad.

Ouyang Feng fought for a while, then glanced at Li Mochou, who wore a haughty expression as she looked at him—something no one had ever dared to show him before, and he took great dislike to it.

Suddenly he raised his thick brows, and two gazes like arrows shot toward Li Mochou. In a deep voice he said: "I remember you—you used the Ice Soul Silver Needles to kill my son. Give me your life!"

Before his words even landed, he slightly bent his knees, gave a sharp cry, flipped his palms, and pushed them toward Li Mochou.

This push wasn't particularly swift, yet it gave Li Mochou the illusion that time itself slowed with his push; the courtyard seemed swept by a hurricane, the tiles above him rattling loudly, while the leaves behind him rustled down.

Hong Lingbo had never seen such formidable palm power; the old madman had never been this strong before. She turned pale with fear and tightly grabbed Feng Yi's clothes.

Feng Yi also realized in his heart that this old man's martial strength fluctuated between high and low; if he had attacked just now in that manner, Feng Yi's current condition would suffer greatly if he tried to block it head-on.

Other than fleeing, there was no other way! As for Li Mochou, who faced him directly, her internal energy was greatly depleted, no longer what it once was; the mere palm wind felt like blades cutting her skin, and her heart felt as if a huge boulder pressed upon it, making it hard to breathe. She wanted to escape, but felt her whole body enveloped by the palm wind—aside from meeting force with force, there was nothing else she could do.

Nevertheless, such a powerful, heavy-handed strike—even at his peak it couldn't be blocked; now it's practically instant death. Li Mochou, well versed in martial lore, knew this was Ouyang Feng's famed secret art, the 'Toad Technique'; after meeting Huang Yaoshi she realized the gap between her strength and that of the Five Absolutes was enormous—not just a little—so it was only natural she couldn't withstand it. Yet she still doesn't know who Ouyang Feng's son is, how she came to be poisoned by his own Ice Soul Silver Needles, or what life he demands she repay—this is utterly unjust! Li Mochou had no idea that years ago, after she discarded her poison needles in Jiaxing, a curious little urchin touched one and was poisoned.

And that urchin was the most important person in Ouyang Feng's heart, someone he had been searching for years without success.

But this incident also made Li Mochou suddenly feel that karmic retribution truly exists in this world.

She has caused countless deaths beneath her hands, not knowing how many died without understanding why; now she too experiences that feeling—a mix of grief and indignation, helplessness and resignation! (End of chapter)