Chapter 221: The Story of Jiang Yuhan

The cage was a cold-iron spirit beast cage; the woman inside looked about twenty years old, delicate and lovely, with a handsome appearance, but at this moment both her hands were bound with iron chains, and her collarbones on both sides were pierced through by cold-iron chains, fixing her to the cage, her blood staining her clothes red.

Heng Xian, however, was looking at her clothing.

White cloud patterns, with an imperial palace emblem on the chest, had faded from washing and were patched.

The robe of a true disciple of the East Imperial Palace!

Upon seeing this woman, Heng Xian froze for a moment, his thoughts racing——

Holy shit! Sun Botian and his gang captured a true disciple of the East Imperial Palace and brought her here?

Have I been exposed?

Should we kill her right away?

Then, upon further thought, this woman's clothes are too tattered; maybe she picked them up somewhere?

The woman was also looking at him, her phoenix eyes almost spitting fire, silver teeth biting her red lips, she snarled: "Get lost! Lowly, vulgar, thieves!"

"Bullshit!"

"You scum, you're courting death!"

"You slut!"

Wang Dalin, Sun Botian and their gang were furious, about to cast a spell.

Heng Xian waved his hand: "No need!"

The group then glared and stepped aside.

The woman in the cage furrowed her brows slightly, then sneered: "Are you the leader's son? You grew up in a den of thieves at such a young age—how pitiful!"

Heng Xian squatted down: "Actually… I think you're even more pitiful—fallen into a den of thieves, worse than death, you're the meat on the chopping block while they're the butchers!"

The woman laughed: "Death is just death; in life, death is inevitable—what's there to fear? You little bandit surely don't think you can achieve immortality, do you?"

Heng Xian clapped: "Well said, well said! You've got guts—after you die, your corpse will be stark naked, hung at the gate for a year as a public display."

"Your subordinates and sisterhood will be handed over to my brothers to humiliate—what a magnificent sight! What do you think?"

The woman's breathing grew rough: "You little bandit, your thoughts are vicious; sooner or later you'll reap karmic retribution!"

Behind her, Wang Dalin couldn't take it anymore: "You scum, stop calling me a little bandit—this is my master, the chief of the Bandit Alliance!"

The woman widened her eyes in astonishment, staring at Heng Xian: "You……"

Heng Xian smiled, pointing at her clothes: "Tell me, where did you pick up your clothes?"

The woman lowered her head to glance at it, then looked at Heng Xian: "You…… you know this garment?"

Heng Xian fell silent, gazing into her eyes, and tried to ask: "The bright sovereign governs the seven emotions, the hegemonic praise rests on morality; a single thought, a single law, a single art knows no bounds in heaven and earth!"

This is the saying of the founding ancestor of the East Imperial Palace, permeating the teachings of the East Imperial Palace for thousands and tens of thousands of years; no disciple of the East Imperial Palace is unaware of it.

Just like the saying of the ancestor of Tianyuan Sect: "I cultivate just to be wild, pretentious, cool, arrogant, and unstoppable, roaming the world with no one daring to control me, damn my grandmother!"

The ancestors of Tianyuan Sect throughout the ages despised this saying as vulgar and embarrassing to utter, yet since it was set by the sect's founding ancestor, they could do nothing about it!

Upon hearing this, the woman's pupils contracted instantly, and she instinctively stepped back.

She really is a disciple of the East Imperial Palace!

Heng Xian's killing intent surged; he extended his right hand, and the "Awesome Sword" flashed forth.

That woman also saw Heng Xian's killing intent, shrank back a little more, then suddenly roared: "My master really wasn't killed by me; I am no longer a disciple of the East Imperial Palace—what must you do to let me go?"

This woman seemed terrified to the extreme, shouting hoarsely.

"Uh…" Sun Botian and his group stared at each other.

Heng Xian also hesitated a moment; hearing this, he wondered: "Was this woman formerly a disciple of the East Imperial Palace? And now she isn't?"

After thinking, he sheathed his sword, turned and left: "Prepare a room for me and send this woman to my quarters!"

Behind him, a few people winked and grinned: "Haha, got it!"

……

"Bandit Alliance" has just conquered two major forces, capturing about five hundred personnel, a large portion of whom are women.

The reorganization was entrusted to the Master, Bao Zhu, Bao Yu, Sun Botian, and Su Lan—five people.

In the process, some problems arose—for example, some of the Bandit Alliance's chief leaders, Wang Dalin and his gang, gave free rein to their bestial nature, refusing discipline; one of them snatched a beautiful woman from Clearwater Village to play with.

Heng Xian learned of it, feeling speechless; he could only tell himself, "This is a band of bandits, not an army that loves the people as its own children—let him be."

Night fell.

Heng Xian walked toward a lit room in the corner of a mountain hollow, followed by two female disciples of the Bandit Alliance, carrying platters full of wine, meat, and dishes.

"Creak—"

He pushed open the door; the room was quite clean, and the East Imperial Palace female disciple had two cold-iron chains threaded through her collarbones, locking her to the windowsill.

Heng Xian entered the room, gestured for the female disciple to place the food and drink on the table, then left.

After the two female disciples closed the door, he then surveyed the East Imperial Palace female disciple.

She had been changed into fresh clothes, washed and groomed; her skin was like smooth jade, with phoenix eyes, a jade-like nose, cherry lips—she was quite beautiful.

The East Imperial Palace female disciple was also looking at him; now much calmer, she said coldly: "Which hall's disciple are you?"

Heng Xian sat at the table: "Can't I be a disciple of another sect?"

The East Imperial Palace female disciple stared for a moment, then shook her head: "The Ten-Thousand‑Li Han Mountain is so barren; unless compelled, no disciple of another sect would come here!"

"Nothing in the world is that absolute," Heng Xian poured himself a drink, "just like you, being a disciple of the East Imperial Palace, you've ended up here as well."

The East Imperial Palace female disciple shook her head: "I'm different; I had no choice—I am no longer a disciple of the East Imperial Palace."

Heng Xian lifted his cup and drained it in one gulp: "The food and drink are ready; may I hear your story?"

The East Imperial Palace female disciple lifted her head to look at him: "You really aren't sent by the East Imperial Palace to hunt me down?"

Heng Xian chuckled lightly: "If I were, I'd just kill you outright—why all this talk?"

The East Imperial Palace female disciple slumped to the ground, hugging her knees, trembling slightly.

Heng Xian shook his head, rose, drew his spirit sword, and cut the cold iron chain on her body: "Please sit!"

The East Emperor Palace female disciple said: "You're not afraid I'll kill you and then leave here?"

Heng Xian smiled, sat back down, kicked a stool toward the woman, and said: "You can't kill me, and now you probably just want to find someone to talk to!"

The East Emperor Palace woman sighed, picked up the stool and sat opposite: "Jiang Yuhan, former disciple of the East Emperor Palace's Tusita Hall, may I ask your surname?"

Heng Xian casually said: "Linghu Yingjun, former disciple of the Spirit Sword Sect!"

"Former... Spirit Sword Sect?" Jiang Yuhan exclaimed in surprise.

Heng Xian smiled: "Just like you, I'm no longer a Spirit Sword Sect disciple, I'm being hunted, and having no choice I ran to this damned place!"

Jiang Yuhan stared for a moment, then poured a cup of wine and drank it all in one gulp: "As fellow wanderers fallen into hardship, what did you do to end up like this?"

Heng Xian sighed: "The story isn't long, nor hard to tell; it stems from a moment of weakness, and I finally left in disgrace!"

"Hehe." Jiang Yuhan smiled, glanced at the crescent moon on the treetop outside the window, and after a while said: "I entered the East Emperor Palace at nine, becoming a disciple of the Pure Void True Person who had just formed his Golden Core,"

My master was young, handsome, and erudite; I admired and looked up to him, feeling he was a great tree while I was merely a bird circling around it,

He was my sole reliance during that time, yet I was not his only disciple.

I also had two senior sisters and a senior brother; they were smarter, more sensible, and more talented than I.

To draw my master's attention, I deliberately acted mischievous, made mistakes, and caused trouble; each time he punished me severely, but in the end he merely patted my head lightly, urging me to cultivate diligently.

That year, rumors spread that my master and Junior Uncle Qingying of the War God Hall were to become dao companions; I don't know why, but I felt panicked, fearful, helpless, and my heart filled with hatred.

I left the East Emperor Palace, not knowing where to go, heading south all the way… and then… I was seized by the Blackcrow Old Devil.

He wanted to bully me, to kill me; I thought I was surely going to die…

My master arrived!

He still wore those white robes, that same gentle smile, making one feel like basking in a spring breeze,

But who would have known… that was a trap, a trap set by the Blackcrow Old Devil and his seven men to ambush my master…

My master died, perishing together with the Blackcrow Old Devil and his seven men; before his death he embraced me, patted my head, and said, "Little fool, my master will protect you; from now on you must not go out recklessly…"

Having said this, Jiang Yuhan burst into tears.

(End of chapter)