Chapter 68: Revisiting the Sword Worship Manor

It was already mid-morning the next day by the time the great Gang Leader Duan woke up.

Duan Fengyun sat up on the bed with a splitting headache, recalling the events of last night.

He had not expected his wedding night to be wasted just like that.

He muttered to himself:

"It seems that the two great joys in life—the wedding night and passing the imperial examinations—are things I likely won't have a chance at."

"So, are you saying you want to get married and spend a wedding night a few more times?"

A woman's indignant voice rang in Duan Fengyun's ears.

Then, his ear and the roll of flesh at his waist were both pinched by a pair of slender, jade-like hands.

"Ouch, I was just joking, how could I dare? My Lady Youruo."

Duan Fengyun grimaced and begged for mercy.

"If you ever have such thoughts, just watch how I deal with you."

Youruo said domineeringly.

The great Gang Leader Duan had successfully brought the common trait of 21st-century male compatriots—being henpecked—to this world, and had become the number one henpecked man.

Youruo let go of her hands and told Duan Fengyun to hurry up and eat.

Having been hungover for a night and already famished, Duan Fengyun devoured the food on the table like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds.

The couple washed their faces and tidied their clothes, then walked out of the room, glowing with radiance.

At this time, the Under Heaven Society was no longer as tranquil as it had been yesterday; many martial artists had left after finishing their meals.

Duan Fengyun and Youruo arrived at the Lianwu Tang, where only Qin Shuang, Nie Feng, Bu Jingyun and his wife, and Duan Lang were present.

"Brother, Sister-in-law, I am leaving. There are still many things at the school for me to handle; you two just need to come visit me often."

Duan Lang said his farewells to the two.

"Alright, brother, watch your safety on the road. We will come to see you in a few days."

Duan Fengyun and Youruo, who had originally wanted to ask Duan Lang to stay a few more days, did not press him further upon seeing this.

Thus, Duan Fengyun had Wen Chou Chou arrange for people to escort Duan Lang away from the Under Heaven Society.

"Junior Brother Duan, we are leaving too."

Bu Jingyun and the others also bid farewell to Duan Fengyun.

"Very well, then Brother Yun, you all watch your safety on the road too. In a few days, I will step down from the position of Gang Leader and go to Huo Family Manor to find you."

After hugging the three senior brothers one by one, Duan Fengyun watched the four of them depart.

In the few days after Bu Jingyun and the others left, Duan Fengyun diligently practiced in the Lianwu Tang during the day, and spent his time affectionately with Youruo at night.

After their honeymoon period lasted for fifteen days, Duan Fengyun could no longer stay in the Under Heaven Society.

Even though he had applied the method of flat corporate management to manage the Under Heaven Society, there was still a mountain of matters requiring his attention every day.

After discussing it with Youruo, he called for Wen Chou Chou and said to him.

"Chouchou, pass down the order for everyone to gather at the Practice Field; I have a major announcement to make."

Hearing that Duan Fengyun had a major announcement, Wen Chou Chou replied with a "good," then hurriedly ran off to spread the word.

"The Gang Leader is tall, the Gang Leader is rich, the Gang Leader is handsome; the Gang Leader is simply a tall, rich, and handsome man."

Amidst the loud cheers of the Under Heaven Society members, Duan Fengyun walked out slowly, holding Youruo's hand.

Duan Fengyun looked at the crowd below the platform, formed a fist with one hand, and waved it to signal for silence.

In an instant, it was deathly silent, and everyone waited for Duan Fengyun to speak.

Duan Fengyun recited the lines he had long prepared in his heart:

"Everyone, before Gang Leader Xiong left, he passed the position of Gang Leader to me; I am very honored.

I am also very grateful for everyone's support during this time, but everyone has their own aspirations. I have grown accustomed to being a free spirit and truly cannot get used to being the leader of a gang.

I admit I am not the person to be a good gang leader, so I announce that from today on, I am no longer the Gang Leader of the Under Heaven Society. The position of Gang Leader will be succeeded by Tianshuang Hall Master Wang Long.

I hope everyone will support Gang Leader Wang just as you supported me, and I also hope Gang Leader Wang can manage the Under Heaven Society in an orderly fashion. I wish for the Under Heaven Society to become better and better under the leadership of Gang Leader Wang.

I hope we all strive in our own ways, and then meet at the peak. We shall meet again in the Jianghu."

After Duan Fengyun finished his words, the crowd below was in an uproar.

Wang Long had not expected that in the blink of an eye, he would become the new Gang Leader; such a windfall had actually fallen upon his head.

"Gang Leader Duan, don't go, we are reluctant to see you leave."

Although Duan Fengyun's tenure as Gang Leader had only been a short month or so, his care and consideration for the members of the Under Heaven Society had long made them deeply devoted to this young leader.

"There is no banquet in the world that does not come to an end. Take care, everyone, we shall meet again in the Jianghu."

Having said that, Duan Fengyun took Youruo and left.

The news of Duan Fengyun abandoning the position of Gang Leader and leaving the Under Heaven Society quickly swept through the Jianghu, stirring up a monstrous wave.

They could not believe that this young Gang Leader Duan could actually resist the temptation of power and abandon the position of Gang Leader that commanded the world.

Following Duan Fengyun's departure, many sects began to slowly harbor covetous hearts toward the Under Heaven Society.

Without Duan Fengyun's influence, the Under Heaven Society was gradually challenged by Jianghu sects, and for a time, disputes in the Jianghu arose once again.

However, all of this had nothing to do with Duan Fengyun anymore; after he and Youruo left, they traveled and enjoyed the scenery along the way.

The ten years Youruo had spent trapped in the Huxin Xiaozhu were all made up for during this time.

Having played to their hearts' content, the two of them arrived at the entrance of Huo Family Manor carrying large and small bags.

"Brother Yun, Sister-in-law Chuchu, Brother Shuang, Brother Feng, come and give me a hand, I'm about to be exhausted to death."

Duan Fengyun wailed at the main gate.

Nie Feng, who was sweeping the courtyard, heard the wailing, opened the gate, and saw Duan Fengyun covered in large and small bags, with Youruo standing to the side with her hands on her hips.

"Junior Brother Duan, have you moved everything from the Under Heaven Society over here?"

Nie Feng saw Duan Fengyun's many bags and asked in confusion.

"Feng, stop with the sarcastic remarks and come give me a hand."

Duan Fengyun continued to wail and howl.

This sound startled both Bu Jingyun and Qin Shuang in the main hall, and the two of them hurriedly ran out.

Seeing Duan Fengyun with his many bags, the two of them also raised the same question as Nie Feng.

Under Duan Fengyun's bitter pleading, the three of them smiled and stepped in to help him carry a large pile.

Meanwhile, Youruo had already walked through the door with a cheeky grin to go chat with Chuchu.

The four of them arrived at the courtyard, where Chuchu and Youruo were already chatting away.

Duan Fengyun recounted to them the life of a blissful couple he and Youruo had lived since leaving the World Sect, and Qin Shuang and the others listened with great yearning.

Then, Youruo opened the large bags and distributed them to everyone.

"Chuchu, this is some rouge and powder I brought for you; it's very good to use."

"Shuang, Yun, Feng, this is some Huadiao Wine I brought for you all. Even a drunkard like Duan Fengyun says this wine is delicious, so I brought some for you."

"Duan Fengyun, hurry and take these bags of food to the kitchen to prepare. I'm already hungry; today I'll let the brothers taste some local specialties."

Youruo issued orders, directing Duan Fengyun here and there, and Duan Fengyun didn't even dare to let out a breath; he truly was the best spokesperson for a good man and a henpecked husband.

Duan Fengyun carried the bags and trotted off to the kitchen, and soon the sound of a spatula dancing in a wok rang out.

At the dining table, Bu Jingyun and the others were already seated, their wine cups filled, waiting for Chef Duan to serve the dishes.

"The food is here! Make some space to set the dishes down."

After the dishes were all served, Youruo introduced them to everyone one by one:

"This is Dongpo pork knuckle, spicy chicken, white-cut chicken, air-dried beef, and green rice balls.

These are all local specialties we discovered while traveling with Duan Fengyun. We thought they tasted great, so we brought them back to share with everyone."

The group, whose appetites had already been whetted by the aroma of the food and wine, had no heart left to listen to Youruo's introduction and directly picked up their chopsticks to eat.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Qin Shuang and the others asked about Duan Fengyun's plans.

Duan Fengyun also stated his thoughts.

"The Wushuang Swords are mutually dependent. After Yun broke one of them, the Wushuang Sword in my hand lost much of its power.

When I was at Sword Casting Villa, Aotian told me that a divine weapon was buried in the ancestral grave of Sword Casting Villa. I feel that a new enemy is about to appear, and this enemy might be even harder to deal with than Xiongba, so I plan to go to Sword Casting Villa to search for this sword."

"Junior Brother Duan, do you need us to go with you?"

Nie Feng asked Duan Fengyun after hearing this.

Duan Fengyun shook his head and replied.

"No need, Youruo and I can go on this trip alone. If too many people go, it's easy to arouse suspicion from others."

Seeing this, Qin Shuang and the others had no choice but to drop the matter. Nowadays, Duan Fengyun certainly had no problem protecting himself when encountering enemies; they still had quite a bit of faith in Duan Fengyun's means of escaping.

The next morning, Duan Fengyun quietly left Huo Family Manor with Youruo.

The two of them whipped their horses and hurried toward Sword Casting Villa.

When the two arrived at Sword Casting Villa, they couldn't help but be stunned by the ruins before their eyes.

After Duan Fengyun killed Aotian and Jian Mo that day, it left the Sword Casting Villa without a leader, and it was looted by surrounding forces.

Duan Fengyun looked at the masterpiece he had single-handedly caused and rubbed his head in embarrassment.

The two did not linger; after entering the main gate, they hurried toward the location of the Sword Casting Villa's ancestral grave.

But in the end, the two were a step too late; the ancestral grave of Sword Casting Villa had also been dug up by someone with ulterior motives.

But Duan Fengyun did not believe that the ancestors of the Ao Family would hide the Jue Sword so simply; the Jue Sword must still be here.

Suddenly, he saw an acquaintance, and the acquaintance also saw him.

He and Youruo walked up to greet him:

"Master Zhong, long time no see."

This person was none other than Zhong Mei, the former swordsmith of Sword Casting Villa. He had left Sword Casting Villa the day the Peerless Sword was forged, and he didn't expect to run into Duan Fengyun and the others today.

"Young Hero Duan, long time no see!"

Duan Fengyun thought to himself that since Zhong Mei had stayed at Sword Casting Villa for so many years, he might just know the whereabouts of the Jue Sword.

So he asked:

"Master Zhong, this junior has a question I would like to ask of you."

Zhong Mei stroked his beard and replied:

"The young hero wants to ask about the Ao Family's ancestral divine sword—the Jue Sword, right?"

Duan Fengyun nodded and replied:

"I won't hide it from you, senior; I have indeed come for the Jue Sword."

Zhong Mei shook his head and said:

"This sword is too eerie; it is not a sword of the Righteous Path. If it appears in the world, it will be a disaster for the martial arts world. I advise the young hero to give up this thought."

Duan Fengyun was unwilling to believe what Zhong Mei said; he firmly believed that there were only evil people, not evil swords. As long as he used it properly, the Jue Sword would also be a peerless divine weapon.