Chapter 391: Being Human, Being Happy is What Matters Most (A 4,000-Character Chapter)

Huishan.

The dark green Guniu Dagang.

Two figures stood leaning against the railing.

One was a young woman with a slender build, wearing a narrow-sleeved purple robe and a white rhinoceros belt; paired with that heroic yet stunningly beautiful face, she looked exactly like a wealthy, extravagant youth who spent their days training hawks and walking hounds.

In reality, almost every woman of the Xuanyuan family was breathtakingly beautiful, and with their varying figures, each had her own merits; she was even more outstanding among them. If she were to change into women's clothing and dress up, she might well be ranked on the Rouge List.

The young girl's name also matched her attire—Xuanyuan Qingfeng.

When she was a child and performed the "grabbing" ceremony, she grabbed a small green jade sword, and thus she received this name.

The old man beside her, with an ancient sword hanging at his waist, a majestic build, and strands of sharp Sword Qi radiating from him, was the person in charge of the Xuanyuan family, Xuanyuan Guoqi, who was also Xuanyuan Qingfeng's grandfather.

Years ago, after the ancestor Xuanyuan Dapan was defeated time and again and went into seclusion to cultivate, it was Xuanyuan Guoqi who single-handedly held up the main beam of the family.

He was unknown in his youth and only rose to fame in the last twenty years; his first battle after descending the mountain was to challenge the toughest Wu Family Sword Tomb as a whetstone, forcing the Wu family's Suwang Sword to be unsheathed. Though he lost, it was an honorable defeat, and he was called a late bloomer.

"Grandfather, many people have come today."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng looked down; the crowd was surging, mostly martial artists carrying sabers and swords, and there were even quite a few government officials.

"What is there to look at? It is like this every year. When the ancestor's hundredth birthday arrives, that will be truly lively, with the entire Jianzhou celebrating for it." The frost-haired Xuanyuan Guoqi smiled, then suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, let me remind you: that Yuan Tingshan you are cultivating has the heart of a wolf; be careful not to fail at raising a dog only to be bitten by it."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng's body trembled slightly; she lowered her head, her voice sinking: "Qingfeng cannot find a more suitable candidate. His talent is good, and he is ruthless and experienced. As long as he can withstand ten moves from the ancestor, Qingfeng... Qingfeng will not have to go to Guniujiang."

Xuanyuan Guoqi shook his head and sighed: "This is fate."

"Fate..." The mountain wind gusted; Xuanyuan Qingfeng pulled her collar together, suddenly feeling a bone-chilling cold arise.

"Qingfeng, the wind on the mountaintop is strong; add a layer of clothing."

A middle-aged Confucian scholar who looked seventy percent like Xuanyuan Guoqi walked over, coughing. His hair was tied with a Carefree headscarf; one hand held the Moral Prohibition Thunder Curse, and the other held a green outer garment.

"Grandfather, Qingfeng has matters to attend to, I am leaving." Xuanyuan Qingfeng's pretty face darkened as she turned and left, completely ignoring the concerned and pained gaze of her father behind her.

Xuanyuan Guoqi also frowned and said with slight anger: "Jingcheng, since your health is poor, stop wandering around."

This sickly scholar was Xuanyuan Qingfeng's father, Xuanyuan Guoqi's eldest legitimate son, the once highly anticipated Xuanyuan Jingcheng.

Xuanyuan Jingcheng watched Xuanyuan Qingfeng's departing back and said bitterly: "Life and death are fated; it is enough to accept one's fate."

Xuanyuan Guoqi mourned his misfortune and was angry at his lack of ambition, scolding: "You certainly accept your fate, never fighting or competing. Every day, it is nothing but reading, reading, and more reading. No wonder Qingfeng doesn't even want to acknowledge you as her father now. After reading books for so many years, what have you actually read out of them?"

Xuanyuan Jingcheng walked toward the railing, his voice without a ripple: "Reading books, I read the Spring and Autumn to understand great righteousness, read the Daoist Canon to reach Carefree non-action, and read the Buddhist Scripture to see compassion."

Xuanyuan Guoqi was so angry he laughed: "Fine, fine, fine. You go ahead and read your books, watch the other two branches climb onto your neck to defecate, and watch Qingfeng go serve the ancestor with that woman." After speaking, he flicked his sleeves and left.

Xuanyuan Jingcheng was of the eldest legitimate branch, the main line of the Xuanyuan family, but he was useless, knowing only how to be timid and submissive, nodding and saying yes, his heart set only on reading.

Yet in such a martial arts family, what could thousands of volumes of books compare to someone else's pair of fists that could shatter mountains and shake peaks?

Xuanyuan Jingcheng clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging into his flesh. Although he had long ago made a decision that would leave everyone dumbfounded, every time he heard that news, his calm heart would always be stirred by boundless waves.

With a faint sigh, just as he was about to continue reading, he suddenly frowned and looked up at the firmament, his eyes flickering with a deep and obscure color.

He saw a surge of baleful energy and murderous intent gathering into an overwhelming killing aura, forming a blood-red sky that seemed substantial, shrouding the entire Huishan, as if turning this scenic Huishan into a place of slaughter and blood.

But in the blink of an eye, this killing aura dissipated completely, ceasing to exist, as if it were just another hallucination after he had exhausted his heart and blood reading.

……

Ascending Guniu Dagang, there was a three-hundred-step Yushi Yongdao, and across the road stood a memorial archway, which was the ceremonial gate of the Huishan Xuanyuan family, inscribed with the four characters: "Reaching the Peak."

At this time, the flow of people was like a shuttle, bustling and noisy; most were martial artists carrying sabers and swords. Although it was clamorous and lively, everyone was orderly and dared not act recklessly.

This was the Xuanyuan family, after all; no matter who arrived here, they had to behave properly.

At the entrance, direct descendants of the Xuanyuan family were already guarding, welcoming famous figures, and the calling of names was continuous.

"Qinghe Gang, Gang Leader Wang has arrived."

"Wu Jiang Cheng Family, Family Head Cheng has arrived."

"……"

Yu Liancheng walked toward the ceremonial gate. With his beauty that was almost demonic, he should have been the focus of countless people, but at this moment, he was utterly plain; no matter who saw him, they would not take note.

The Xuanyuan direct disciple saw Yu Liancheng, his mind blurred for a moment, and he blurted out: "Guest, please enter. Hero Yu has arrived."

After Yu Liancheng entered the ceremonial gate, a direct disciple beside him asked: "Third Brother, who was that just now? He looks very unfamiliar."

"Ah, I... I am not sure either."

Not far from the ceremonial gate was a large plaza filled with banquet tables; the crowd was boiling, as if a noisy lake of fire were flowing.

For the Xuanyuan Ancestor's birthday, they were holding a three-day flowing banquet, never stopping day or night.

Yu Liancheng sniffed, his appetite whetted. In these past three days, he had spent most of his time immersed in the Evil Emperor Relic, preparing for today.

Although his physique was becoming increasingly powerful and his Qi was full, his spirit... was also very vigorous, even exceptionally spirited.

But he was not Brother Crow; before starting a fight, he decided it was better to fill his stomach first.

Besides, Yu Liancheng had always respected the old and loved the young; today was Xuanyuan Dapan's birthday, so he should let the other party be happy for a while longer.

Finding a table to sit at, Yu Liancheng gorged himself. Too lazy to use a wine cup, he picked up the jar and gulped it down, unable to help but recall the time he had roamed the Edo with his sword, acting with unrestrained vengeance.

The few people sitting at this table glanced at Yu Liancheng and did not care. Most of those who arrived today were Edo heroes who did not stand on ceremony.

If they had been more observant, they would have discovered that they forgot the appearance of this mad guest in an instant, or rather, it had been a blur all along.

"I heard the Ancestor is going to bring that pair of Murong twins up the mountain to enjoy."

It was at this moment that a slightly lewd voice rang out.

The voice came from a table next to Yu Liancheng. The speaker was a middle-aged man with a frivolous appearance and a pale complexion, as if his body had been hollowed out by wine and lust.

"The Ancestor has good fortune. I have also heard of these two. Such peerless twin lotuses are once-in-a-century; as long as one is a man, there is no one who wouldn't be tempted." Beside the frivolous man was a handsome middle-aged man with Peach Blossom eyes and an evil aura.

He waved a Folding Fan; the front and back of the fan were painted with over a dozen beautiful women, with their names and families written on them, describing their romance in ten or twenty words, all filled with lewd and filthy language.

"Brother Long, what is there to envy? Back in the day, Brother Long roamed the Edo and enjoyed countless beauties; you must have dozens of beauty fans alone. That is what truly makes others envious," another man said with no lack of envy.

"Haha, you are too kind, you are too kind; those are all things of the past."

The man with Peach Blossom eyes smiled triumphantly. This person was called Long Xuanyu, a flower-plucking thief who boasted of being "peerless in both passion and painting." Back then, he roamed through the flowers wantonly and unscrupulously; all the beauties who fell victim to his poison were painted on his fans, and he kept dozens of beauty fans at home.

If not for poisoning the daughter of a commandery governor and angering the authorities, he would not have come to this Huishan to live by reading others' expressions.

Those sitting with Long Xuanyu were all Guest Ministers who had sought refuge with the Xuanyuan family due to secret manuals or having committed crimes; they were birds of a feather, colluding together.

And when a group of men sit together, women are often an unavoidable topic of conversation; coupled with the conduct of that old ancestor on Huishan, there was much fodder for gossip after tea and meals.

Thus, the topic at this table gradually turned to the Murong pair; although they intentionally lowered their voices, one could hear them from time to time, and most of it was filled with filth.

"It is said that Murong Wuzhu is already a beauty who could topple a kingdom, and that Murong Tonghuang is even more like a Heavenly Human reborn; reflecting each other's brilliance, no one can resist the charm of this pair of twin lotuses."

"Fortunately, I am not fond of the male wind, otherwise, looking at this dish but being unable to eat it, wouldn't I be half-dead with craving?"

"Hehe, you don't understand; beauties like this who are indistinguishable as male or female are truly celestial items."

"Exactly, exactly; you only need to treat Murong Tonghuang as a woman, and when the lamps are dimmed at night, can you recognize who is Murong Tonghuang and who is Wuzhu, can you tell who is female and who is male?"

Just as the group was talking with great gusto, a young man in black at the next table stood up, turned, and walked over. He slammed a palm onto the table with a 'Bang!' and grinned, saying: "It seems you all are very interested in the Murong siblings. Do you want to see what Murong Tonghuang looks like?"

The table of Guest Ministers with Long Xuanyu froze, then immediately erupted into boisterous noise.

"Want to, of course I want to; only a grandson wouldn't want to."

"Haha, it's a pity that once sent into Huishan, they are the old ancestor's exclusive property; I'm afraid we won't even get to see them."

Yu Liancheng smiled and said: "You can see them right now."

After speaking, he withdrew the mental power lingering around his body, revealing his true appearance.

The group of Guest Ministers suddenly felt that the plain-looking man before them had suddenly transformed into a beautiful youth, handsome as a demon and filled with evil, strange charm.

They looked at the black-clad youth in a daze, forgetting their surroundings.

Such a skin, even on a man, could turn the world upside down.

"Good, your last wish is fulfilled, now you can go to your deaths in peace."

Following Yu Liancheng's cold words, a murderous aura surged up.

It shocked the minds of all the Guest Ministers back to the real world; their faces turned deathly pale, clearly smelling the scent of death.

Before they could react further, Yu Liancheng flicked his finger.

Clang!

This flick of his landed on the wine cup before him.

The wine cup was clearly made of porcelain, yet under this casual flick, it emitted a sound of clashing gold and iron, like armored horses and weapons, filled with murderous intent.

The wine cup shot out like a meteor breaking through the air, flew into mid-air, and suddenly shattered into a dozen pieces, turning into streaks of light that struck the heads of the Guest Ministers one by one, exploding like watermelons; red and white splashed all over the ground.

"Bullshit 'demeanor of an expert'; whoever dares to make me unhappy, even if it's shit, I'll step on it."

Yu Liancheng's words were vulgar, but spoken by such a handsome face, combined with that clear and pleasant voice, it did not give one the slightest feeling of vulgarity.

In reality, before striking, Yu Liancheng had a battle between Heavenly Human and man.

After perceiving the influence of the Evil Emperor Relic on him, he had originally intended to cultivate his character. Entering Huishan this time, he only planned to finish off Xuanyuan Dapan and be done with it; there was no need to wash Guniu Dagang in blood.

Even if this group of Guest Ministers was disrespectful to him in speech, he told himself at the first moment that they were merely the whispers of ants, incapable of causing him any harm, and it was not worth taking lives for this.

Following the lewd words of this group of Guest Ministers, Yu Liancheng's mind churned incessantly, and his thoughts shifted rapidly in the end.

"In this world where strength is respected, when does the strong need to take abuse from the weak? Whoever makes me uncomfortable, I will make them ten times more uncomfortable."

Even if he were to suffer Qi deviation in the future, at least for now, he was expressing his heart directly, feeling refreshed and unconstrained.

And so, this scene before us came to be.

"Spare... spare my life..." Long Xuanyu's hands and feet were cold, his hair standing on end, and he could not even speak smoothly.

Those sitting at the table with him just now were all Guest Ministers of the Xuanyuan family, each with impressive strength, and there was even an expert who had just entered the Third Grade; placed elsewhere, they could even form a sect with no weak strength.

Yet a mere wine cup had turned the fine heads of everyone except him into exploding watermelons, and they hadn't even had time to react.

Such shocking martial arts attainments were something he hadn't even dreamed of.

"Oh, I forgot there was still you." Yu Liancheng revealed an expression of sudden realization, then pointed his finger backhand, striking out a burst of Sword Qi: "Terribly sorry, I'll make up for it immediately."

Before this Sword Qi, the table instantly shattered, the wine and food fell to the ground, and the air seemed to turn into flowing water, rippling out in circles.

"My life is over."

Long Xuanyu closed his eyes, unable to make any other reaction at all.

With a 'pfft' sound, there was no blood splashing or the tragic sight of broken bones on the scene.

Long Xuanyu only felt his body turn cold; the pain he imagined did not arrive, and he could not help but open his eyes, only to find that everyone's eyes around him were fixed on him, and some women even hurriedly covered their eyes.

Only then did he discover that his clothes had been turned into powder by the Sword Qi, and he was completely naked.

Yu Liancheng stroked his chin and looked down: "I thought the flower-picking thief was naturally gifted, so it's just this... tsk tsk."

Long Xuanyu's originally pale face suddenly flushed red; the thing he was most proud of had been ruthlessly trampled upon.

Before he could cover himself, Yu Liancheng snapped his fingers, and the Sword Qi that had previously shot into Long Xuanyu's body instantly exploded; his entire person was blasted into a puddle of meat paste, as if he had been sliced by a thousand knives in an instant.

"Being a person, the most important thing is to be happy." Yu Liancheng shrugged, his face wearing a brilliant smile. Having slaughtered the people who made him unhappy, his mood was suddenly much happier.