Chapter 22: Fated

"Someone's coming!" Lin Xue said alertly.

Zhang Jun hoisted Liu Quan onto his back: "We have to leave here!"

The three were about to leave when a figure blocked the exit.

"You want to leave? Not that easy!"

The figure blocking the exit was none other than Zhao Wushuang of the Xuan Tian Ge.

"You went to all that trouble, and I didn't expect you to deliver yourselves to my door." Zhao Wushuang said with a cold smile.

Zhang Jun shielded Liu Quan behind him while Lin Xue stood at his side; both simultaneously circulated their arts, yin and yang qi merging to form an invisible barrier.

Zhao Wushuang sensed the fluctuation of their arts, a flicker of surprise crossing his face: "So the rumors are true—you really are a yin-yang dual body."

Zhang Jun said nothing and struck out. He drove the Xuan Yin Zhen Gong to its limit, thrusting a palm forward; the icy qi, wrapped in powerful inner force, surged toward Zhao Wushuang.

"Trivial tricks!" Zhao Wushuang scoffed, easily dodging and striking back with a palm aimed at Zhang Jun's chest.

Zhang Jun had no time to dodge; he took the blow full force, flying several zhang before slamming into the wall.

Seeing this, Lin Xue immediately activated the Han Bing Xin Jing; ice needles shot out like raindrops toward Zhao Wushuang. His figure flickered, dodging most of them, but a few still tore his sleeves.

"Not bad." Zhao Wushuang's eyes flashed with killing intent: "But today none of you will get away."

Liu Quan struggled to his feet: "Zhao Wushuang, we have no grudge—why must you exterminate us?"

Zhao Wushuang snorted: "Because you know too much. The secrets of the Jiu Yang Zhen Jing are not for petty figures like you to meddle with."

Zhang Jun wiped blood from his mouth and rose: "If that's the case, then don't blame us for being impolite."

He and Lin Xue exchanged a glance, then both circulated their arts. This time, Zhang Jun also incorporated the Yang Gang Zheng Qi Jue taught by Mo Lao. The three forces merged, stirring the air in the basement and kicking up dust.

Zhao Wushuang sensed something amiss, his expression shifting: "What kind of art is this?"

Before he could react, Zhang Jun and Lin Xue struck simultaneously. Their powers resonated, forming a huge yin-yang taiji diagram that trapped Zhao Wushuang at its center.

"Impossible!" Zhao Wushuang paled, straining with all his might to break free, only to find himself bound fast by an invisible force.

Seizing the chance, Zhang Jun and Lin Xue rushed out of the basement with Liu Quan, fleeing the Black Tiger Hall.

Outside Jiangbei City, deep in a dense forest, lay a concealed cave. Zhang Jun carried Liu Quan on his back while Lin Xue led the way, finally reaching this temporary refuge.

"Elder Liu, rest first." Zhang Jun gently laid Liu Quan on the dry grass, took out his medicine pouch, and began to treat his wounds.

Liu Quan weakly waved a hand: "Never mind me—quickly look at the jade ring."

Only then did Zhang Jun recall the jade ring Liu Quan had given him. In the moonlight the ring glowed with a faint green light; it looked ordinary yet exuded an ancient simplicity.

Upon close inspection, tiny characters were engraved on the inner side of the ring: "Seventeenth-generation successor of the Zhang Men."

"Zhang Men?" Zhang Jun frowned, puzzled.

Liu Quan caught his breath and said haltingly: "Your father, on his deathbed, once told me that this ring hides the secret of your birth. He asked me to keep it until you were grown and strong enough, then give it to you."

Zhang Jun turned the ring and suddenly noticed a minuscule recess on its base. He pressed it, hearing a soft 'click,' and the ring split open, revealing a neatly folded micro‑parchment.

He carefully unfolded the parchment, which was covered in dense, arcane script and diagrams. By firelight Zhang Jun could barely make out a few words: "Zhang Men… Jiu Yang… Zhen Jing…"

"This is…" Zhang Jun's heart pounded.

Lin Xue leaned in: "Can you read it?"

Zhang Jun shook his head, then examined the parchment more closely and found on the back a clearly written passage: "My son is gifted and bears a heavenly mandate. I am the sixteenth‑generation successor of the Zhang Men, inheriting from the Founding Ancestor Zhang Sanfeng. The Jiu Yang Zhen Jing is no secret manual; its heart‑method is scattered among the three jades. The Xuan Yin Zhen Gong you cultivate is the prerequisite of this heart‑method; it must be paired with the Han Bing Xin Jing to unlock the true scripture's profundities."

Having read it, Zhang Jun felt as if struck by lightning.

"No wonder our arts can resonate." Lin Xue suddenly understood.

Zhang Jun continued reading: "The Xuan Yin Zhen Gong is overly yin‑cold; training it too deeply can harm the body. If one obtains the Yang Gang Zheng Qi Jue, it can neutralize the yin cold, and the two united constitute the proper path of the Great Dao."

These were exactly the words of Mo Lao!

Liu Quan said weakly: "Your father, Zhang Tian Gang, was the last successor of the Zhang Men; he was killed while protecting the secret of the Jiu Yang Zhen Jing. The Long Family and the Xuan Tian Ge joined forces to hunt him down, seeking only the secret of the three jade pieces."

Zhang Jun clenched his fists: "So my parents… were both killed by the Long Family?"

Liu Quan nodded: "Your father entrusted you to me on his deathbed; I have concealed your origins all along, fearing the Long Family would come after you."

Zhang Jun pondered for a moment, then decided to try the method recorded on the parchment. He sat cross‑legged and simultaneously circulated the Xuan Yin Zhen Gong and the Yang Gang Zheng Qi Jue.

A strange change occurred. The two arts merged within him; the originally icy Xuan Yin Zhen Gong gradually grew gentle, while the Yang Gang Zheng Qi Jue became more inwardly restrained.

At that very moment, Lin Xue suddenly felt heat in her chest. Her Han Bing Xin Jing began to circulate on its own, resonating with Zhang Jun's arts.

"What's going on?" Lin Xue exclaimed in surprise.

Zhang Jun opened his eyes, feeling the same strange link: "Our arts are sensing each other."

Just as the two were preparing to further explore this marvel, hurried footsteps sounded outside the cave.

"Found them!" a sharp voice cried out—it was Long Aotian. He had evidently seen through Zhang Jun's scheme and, furious, rushed back to Jiangbei to kill.

"Don't act rashly," another cold voice said. "That brat and the girl have special arts in their bodies; we can't just force our way in."

Zhao Wushuang led the elite of the Xuan Tian Ge to surround the cave.

"What do we do?" Lin Xue urged anxiously.

Zhang Jun calmly assessed the situation: "We're attacked from front and rear; a head‑on clash won't work."

In the critical moment, Zhang Jun suddenly recalled the words on the parchment. He closed his eyes and poured all his strength into his inner arts. The Xuan Yin Zhen Gong and Yang Gang Zheng Qi Jue fused completely; yin and yang qi within him intertwined, forming a golden halo.

Lin Xue sensed this change; her Han Bing Xin Jing began to circulate automatically, resonating with Zhang Jun's arts.

When Zhao Wushuang and his men burst into the cave, they saw a shocking sight: Zhang Jun's eyes had changed—one black, one gold—and his whole body emanated a terrifying aura.

Zhao Wushuang's face drained of color as he stepped back several paces: "This aura… is exactly the same as that person from years ago! Could you be…"

Before he could finish, a black shadow descended from the sky and blocked Zhang Jun's path.

The newcomer was tall and burly, his face indistinct, yet his presence filled everyone with dread.

"You scum of the Xuan Tian Ge, dare to come and harm my Zhang family's descendants?"