Chapter 233: Dad, You

The prison cell was low, topped with an iron mesh, and patrolled constantly by soldiers.

Within this cage, Murong Fu suddenly heard a faint sound, as soft as a mosquito's hum, calling out, "Murong Fu, Murong Fu." Murong Fu focused slightly and recognized it as Gu Qing; he glanced around, and not a single guard showed any sign of noticing.

"Gu Qing?"

Murong Fu whispered.

The mosquito-like voice paused, then returned, clearer now: "I've used internal energy to mimic the Murong family's inner cultivation method and activated the Transmission of Soul-Seeking Sound. Only those of the Murong bloodline can hear my voice."

The Transmission of Soul-Seeking Sound was the legendary technique Li Qiushui used to locate the Child of Mount Tian, like a radio—so long as the internal energy frequencies matched, communication was possible within a certain range.

"What do you want with me?"

Murong Fu asked angrily.

Murong Fu's current ruin was entirely Gu Qing's doing.

"Because I'm here to save you."

Before the words were fully spoken, Murong Fu heard a series of strange noises—"crack, crack"—the sound of chains snapping, growing louder, then closer. The prison grew slightly noisy, and then he saw Gu Qing standing before the cell.

Their eyes met briefly, neither speaking. Gu Qing reached out, grabbed the iron chains on the cell door, and with a sharp "crack," they shattered. He was already beside Murong Fu, seizing him by the waist and lifting him up. In an instant, Murong Fu felt the world spin wildly, senses lost, wind roaring past his ears. When he regained clarity, the moon hung bright above, tree shadows swayed, the Bian River wound ahead, and countless lanterns glowed behind him.

Just moments ago, Murong Fu had been locked in a prison cell in Bianjing, guarded by experts. Now, he had escaped, standing outside the city.

Murong Fu stared at Gu Qing, his gaze filled with fear.

Gu Qing had knocked him down with a single blow—and he'd surely held back.

"Sigh. Still not enough."

Gu Qing shook his head.

Nie Feng had surpassed the speed of sound by fifteen or sixteen. Gu Qing, even at full speed, had not.

"Gu Brother's martial arts agility is truly admirable."

Qiao Feng stepped forward and bowed to Gu Qing.

"Without you drawing away the experts, it wouldn't have been so easy."

Gu Qing smiled. This prison break had required Qiao Feng's help—he lured away several of the guards outside, then launched a sudden strike to rescue Murong Fu inside.

"Even without me, you could have rescued him."

Qiao Feng said sincerely. He'd drunk some wine earlier that day and planned to duel the experts properly, but instead, they'd simply competed in agility, rescuing the prisoner without harming anyone—a pleasant surprise for Qiao Feng.

Gu Qing smiled and casually tapped a finger.

Murong Fu felt warm energy surge through multiple points on his body, restoring his mobility. Gu Qing hadn't even deliberately targeted his meridians—the incoming internal energy had already shattered them open.

"What do you two mean?"

Murong Fu stood up, coldly asking.

These two men—Gu Qing had given Qiao Feng the reason to destroy the Murong family, and Qiao Feng had done it. Both were his greatest enemies, yet now they'd rescued him.

"We're not evil people."

Gu Qing said: "For the sake of Azhu and Abi, we couldn't let you die."

Murong Fu snorted.

"Here's the deal!"

Gu Qing clapped his hands and said: "If you abandon your delusional dream of restoring your kingdom, change the 'Fu' in your name to the character for wealth—'Fu'—or simply rename yourself Murong Fugui, to show you've given up on restoration, I'll go back into Bianjing and rescue Deng Baichuan and the others."

Gu Qing meant it.

The Murong family now had no wealth—all their accumulated resources vanished overnight. With only Murong Fu left, restoring the kingdom was impossible. Yet even so, hearing he must abandon his dream enraged him.

"Impossible!"

Murong Fu said sharply.

Then there was nothing more to say.

Gu Qing fell silent, mentally noting: Murong Fu's attitude was poor.

"Young Master Murong."

Qiao Feng bowed and said: "We rescued you to ask about Yan Longyuan's whereabouts. He ground your father's bones to dust, seemingly assassinated my master, and plotted to kill my adoptive father. I intend to find him."

Hearing Gu Qing and Qiao Feng sought Yan Longyuan, Murong Fu's expression shifted slightly.

Murong Fu now had nothing—but he knew Yan Longyuan had gathered many followers in the Two Huai regions and was raising the Yan banner. If he captured Yan Longyuan, Murong Fu could raise the Yan banner himself.

"If you mean to confront Yan Longyuan, I can help you."

Murong Fu said after a moment's thought.

"With Young Master Murong's aid, we're like tigers gaining wings!"

Qiao Feng smiled.

"What do you know about Yan Longyuan?"

Murong Fu probed Gu Qing and Qiao Feng first.

"If I must say something, it's his disguise ability."

Gu Qing said indifferently: "Before he died, Master Xuan Ku still believed Qiao Feng had killed him—so he died with eyes wide open. Truly hateful."

"Bang!"

Qiao Feng slammed his palm into a tree in rage.

Murong Fu had been harshly treated in prison and now looked ragged. Gu Qing and Qiao Feng gave him time to clean up, brought him fresh clothes. While Qiao Feng watched over Murong Fu, Gu Qing slipped back into Bianjing to reassure Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing, letting them rest in peace.

Gu Qing felt certain Murong Bo would be in Bianjing to protect Murong Fu—he needed to draw him out.

"How is the Young Master?"

Abi asked anxiously.

"He's matured a lot."

Gu Qing said: "This time, he didn't kill himself."

Whenever Murong Fu suffered a blow and lost emotional control, he tended toward extremes—like in the original story, where he tried to kill himself after losing the Zhenzong chess game to Duan Yu, then again after failing to marry the Western Xia princess, then again after failing to cling to the Duan family, until he went mad.

"Can't you say something nice?"

Abi was annoyed.

Gu Qing smiled. He noticed experts had begun patrolling Bianjing. Using his superior agility, he moved swiftly through the city, returning near the prison, once again using the Minor Void Skill to mimic the Murong family's inner method and contact Gongye Gan and Bao Budong.

"Your Young Master has been rescued—I've left him bathing in the Bian River in the eastern part of the city…"

Gu Qing gave the exact location, hoping to shock Murong Bo into revealing himself, then added: "If your Young Master abandons his dream of restoration, I'll rescue you all…"

After shouting this, Gu Qing turned back.

By now, Murong Fu had bathed, changed clothes. His hair was damp, his garments half-drenched, and he carried an air of brokenness.

"I've already reported safety," Gu Qing said, handing Murong Fu a sword and some hot food: "Eat, then we head to the Two Huai to deal with Yan Longyuan."

Murong Fu sat on the ground, devouring food to regain strength, while secretly circulating internal energy to dry his clothes.

"Hahahaha…"

A loud laugh echoed along the Bian River. Gu Qing, Qiao Feng, and Murong Fu turned to see a figure approaching—cloaked, face aged and dark, his agility extraordinary. In an instant, he stood before them.

Qiao Feng compared this man's movement to the shadow from the night he stormed Shaolin—similar, yet different.

Yan Longyuan had been trained by Xiao Yuanshan.

"Yan Longyuan!"

Murong Fu dropped the pork chop, drew his sword, and rose. Seeing the man, he was filled with hatred: "What grudge did my father have with you that you threw his coffin into Taihu Lake, leaving his bones lost to the waters?" Days of imprisonment had built a storm of rage within Murong Fu. Now free, he faced his mortal enemy—and without a word, he lunged with his sword!

A flash of blue light.

Murong Fu's sword moved like a coiling dragon, rising from below, curving upward in a brilliant arc, glowing white under the moonlight.

"Young Master Murong's swordplay is truly formidable!"

!

Qiao Feng immediately praised it.

Gu Qing glanced over, thinking Qiao Feng had gotten the habit of complimenting.

"Hahahahaha…"

Yan Longyuan dodged Murong Fu's strikes, laughing loudly, then swept his hand across his face—his appearance changed completely. "Now look again—who am I?"

Murong Fu stared. The man had become Murong Bo!

"Father?"

Murong Fu hesitated, then flew into rage. Gu Qing had warned him: Yan Longyuan could disguise himself—Master Xuan Ku had died because of it.

Murong Fu's cry of "Father" now felt like being tricked.

"Don't just stand there!"

Murong Fu shouted angrily.

"Are you Murong Bo?"

Qiao Feng stepped forward, stacking his palm energy.

Qiao Feng had once planned to confront Xuan Ci at Shaolin, but the events involving Xuan Ku and Azhu had delayed him. Now, as he pursued the killer, the prime suspect Yan Longyuan had transformed into Murong Bo—double joy for Qiao Feng.

"Yes, I am Murong Bo."

Murong Bo, dodging, said calmly: "Chief Qiao, I'm glad you rescued my son. I know you're a Khitan…"

Murong Bo sought to manipulate with words, hoping to gain Qiao Feng's aid.

"Shut up!"

Qiao Feng, hearing Murong Bo's confession, stacked his palms, thick and solid, forming a wave of qi that slammed toward Murong Bo's face!

When Hong Qiugong later taught Guo Jing the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, he stressed the importance of control and release, emphasizing that the essence of "Kang Long You Hui" lay in the word "Hui"—the regret Qiao Feng felt after killing Azhu. But Qiao Feng's current Twenty-Eight Subduing Dragon Palms were utterly fierce, unmatched.

Murong Fu changed his sword technique and lunged fiercely at Murong Bo!

To Gu Qing, the alliance of Northern Qiao Feng and Southern Murong Fu against Murong Bo was immensely satisfying, so he did not intervene, merely watching the three battle, occasionally shifting his steps to block Murong Bo's escape routes and pressuring him further.

Murong Bo darted east and west, his techniques refined and precise; his mastery of martial arts truly lived up to his name "Bo." Yet when facing Qiao Feng, his confidence wavered—his moves lost several degrees of power. Against Murong Fu, this was tolerable; against Qiao Feng, every move was constrained.

"Don't run!"

Qiao Feng unleashed the Twenty-Eight Dragon Subduing Palms, relentlessly pursuing Murong Bo.

Now, Qiao Feng's appearance matched that of Xiao Yuan Shan of old, and his fist and foot techniques were even stronger. Facing the man who had murdered his parents—and possibly his master Xuan Ku—Qiao Feng showed no mercy. His punches, kicks, elbow strikes, and knee thrusts each carried immense power.

Yet Xiao Yuan Shan had once terrified Murong Bo; now, seeing Qiao Feng's ferocity and Murong Fu pressing forward, Murong Bo's eyes darted left and right in the midst of battle, searching desperately for an escape.

"Sssss…"

A soft whip emerged from the darkness, spinning swiftly toward Murong Bo.

At that moment, Gu Qing suddenly shifted his body, flicked a finger through the air, and tapped the whip. It went limp as if struck by a pressure point, collapsing to the ground. His gaze snapped to another black-clad figure who had leapt out, eyes gleaming as he watched the battle.

The black-clad man, seeing Gu Qing blocking his path, darted forward and delivered a punch—exactly a Shaolin supreme technique.

Gu Qing studied the man's fist path, then reached out, employing the Tianshan Folding Plum Blossom Hand to seize him in rapid succession.

Gu Qing had long carried many supreme arts—fists, palms, swords, knives, finger techniques—all mastered and seamlessly integrated. Thus, when he wielded the Tianshan Folding Plum Blossom Hand, a technique capable of infinite transformation, he moved with absolute freedom. To Xiao Yuan Shan, beneath the moonlight, Gu Qing seemed like a thousand-armed Guanyin, encompassing every motion. As one technique arose, another responded instantly. Xiao Yuan Shan, as he delivered his strikes, could no longer distinguish real from illusory—only a flurry of blows struck him, one after another.

In a daze, Xiao Yuan Shan saw his deceased wife.

"Smack!"

Xiao Yuan Shan rolled repeatedly and collapsed to the ground, his face mask torn away. He spat blood, unable to rise.

"Huh?"

Only now did Gu Qing seem to notice his face.

Xiao Yuan Shan lay on his back. After leaving Shaolin, Qiao Feng had roamed the Jianghu and followed Gu Qing to investigate Yan Longyuan. Xiao Yuan Shan had watched silently, seeing his own protégé "Yan Longyuan" still unchallenged by Shaolin—only to suddenly be defeated by Qiao Feng. He had intervened to save him.

He never expected to fall himself.

"Boom!"

Qiao Feng gathered his palm power. Murong Bo, in combat, used the Dipper-Steering Star-Shift technique to deflect the blow—but the force redirected and slammed into a tree. Then came a sharp "shhh"—a blade pierced through his chest. Murong Fu stood behind Murong Bo, sword in hand, his face pale with shock and horror as he recalled the earlier "Dipper-Steering Star-Shift."

"Qiao Feng, come look!"

At that moment, Gu Qing waved urgently, signaling Qiao Feng to come see Xiao Yuan Shan.

Qiao Feng stepped forward, saw the man's face—nearly identical to his own, only older—and gasped: "Are you my father?"

As he spoke, Qiao Feng tore at Xiao Yuan Shan's face—no disguise was present.

"Are you truly my father?"

Murong Fu was also tearing at Murong Bo's face. When he confirmed no disguise, his eyes went vacant.

"You're still alive?"

Qiao Feng was bewildered. In every account, Xiao Yuan Shan had fallen off a cliff.

"Come back to life, Father…"

Murong Fu wept loudly beside him—he had stabbed through Murong Bo's heart. Murong Bo was dead on the spot.

"I didn't die back then…"

Xiao Yuan Shan pushed himself up, feeling Gu Qing's strike had been brutal—but thankfully not fatal.

"So you didn't die back then…"

Murong Fu wept uncontrollably beside him.

(End of Chapter)