Chapter 177

"Helmsman Qiao, Young Master Duan, we meet again."

Having just parted only to meet again, Jiang Sishui felt slightly surprised.

Qiao Feng laughed, "I, Qiao, am heading to Yuzhou on official business; it just so happens this is the route I must take. It seems fate has brought us together."

"Oh? Helmsman Qiao is also going to Yuzhou?"

"Also? Could it be that Sect Leader Jiang is as well?"

Jiang Sishui smiled and nodded.

Qiao Feng laughed heartily, "That is truly a coincidence!"

"Indeed, it is a coincidence."

Jiang Sishui looked again at the masked corpse at their feet and said, "Thank you both for your righteous assistance; otherwise, this person might truly have escaped."

Qiao Feng shook his head, however, and said, "To be honest, although this person dressed furtively and his Wu Gong radiated a sinister and eerie quality, unlike the righteous path, without knowing the cause and effect, I, Qiao, would not have meddled in others' affairs."

"Oh?" Seeing Qiao Feng speak so openly, Jiang Sishui could not help but be surprised, "Then Helmsman Qiao is..."

Qiao Feng explained, "I stopped this person because it concerns the former Helmsman of the Eastern Green Dragon Branch of my sect, who was also my benefactor."

"Helmsman Wang? Is it Wang Wang Jiantong?"

"Correct. Two years ago, my late master met with a sudden tragedy. After our sect investigated, we learned of certain Wu Gong characteristics of the murderer. Just now, seeing that this masked person's Wu Gong style was quite suspicious, I intended to stop him and ask, but when he saw escape was hopeless, he simply took poison and ended his own life."

"I see."

And through this incident, both sides came to know each other, and they immediately exchanged pleasantries.

At the moment of parting, Qiao Feng originally wanted to invite Jiang Sishui to travel together.

However, considering that Jiang Sishui had ladies in his company, it would be extremely inconvenient, and since they had just met, speaking rashly might easily cause misunderstanding, so he abandoned the thought.

After Qiao Feng and Duan Yu left, Jiang Sishui looked at the cold and aloof Flower Fairy and smiled, "I thought you would take the opportunity to escape; it seems you are still unwilling to part with me."

Flower Fairy: "..."

????????? Begging for flowers??????????

She was too lazy to argue with this shameless fellow, gave him a withering look, and let him figure it out himself.

In fact, the Flower Fairy had indeed thought of escaping, but ultimately gave it up.

She knew of the existence of the "Object-Seeking Luo Pan"; using the information gap, she could indeed, without any effort, temporarily get rid of Jiang Sishui.

But what then?

Jiang Sishui would inevitably mention this matter in his diary afterward; at that time, the Fairy Green Mother, upon learning of this, would be very willing to help him catch her again.

With the power of the Immortal Water Palace, unless the Flower Fairy hid from the world forever, it would be very difficult to escape the search.

Obviously, the Flower Fairy did not want to live a life of hiding and skulking.

And once caught and taken back, not only would she lose face, but even if Jiang Sishui did not blame her, his trust in her would drop significantly.

This would be very disadvantageous.

So after weighing the options, the Flower Fairy chose to stay.

However, what she did not realize was that deep in her heart, she actually preferred this current way of life.

In her subconscious, she also wanted to stay.

Unknowingly, the Bingshan had begun to melt.

As for the masked person pursued by the Flower Fairy, he naturally could not escape his fate.

Thus, the group of assassins brought by Xuan Ci was completely wiped out.

Returning to Mantuo Shanzhuang, the women, upon learning of this matter, were somewhat indignant.

That Xuan Ci came from the Fomen, hanging "compassion for all beings" on his lips day and night, yet his actions were shielding evil; thinking of it, it was truly an indescribable irony.

As for Jiang Sishui being ambushed and assassinated?

They were not worried at all.

After dinner, Jiang Sishui, as usual, began to write his diary.

【The classic plot of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" has appeared, though the location is a bit off.】

【Two of the three male protagonists—Qiao Feng and Duan Yu—met just as in the story, and similarly became sworn brothers.】

【If the Flower Fairy were not following me today, given Qiao Feng's straightforwardness, he might have pulled me over for a drink, and then we would have sworn brotherhood together.】

【Then I truly would not know how to open my mouth to refuse.】

【Although Qiao Feng is one of the few great heroes in Wu Xia Works that I truly admire, I do not want to gain a big brother for no reason.】

196 Qiao Feng: The agreed-upon suffering of all beings, with only me shouldering it all.

【"Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" tells the story of "all who have love suffer calamity, none who are not wronged."】

【As the protagonist, one must naturally carry out the theme of "all beings suffer."】

【However, in the eyes of many, Duan Yu and Hearing Xu Zhu can hardly be said to be "suffering," because they are both true winners in life.】

【One fell from a cliff but did not die, instead picking up a divine art.】

【He disliked the divine art for being poisonous and refused to learn it, so the troublemakers came, and then voluntarily gave their internal energy to him.】

【Bitten by a poisonous creature, two even more poisonous ones came, and then, due to various coincidences, he became immune to all poisons.】

【The beautiful women he liked—Zhong Ling, Mu Mu Wanqing, Wang Yuyan—after winding around, were still taken into his harem.】

【The other was even more straightforward; power, martial arts, women, authority, influence... he wanted none of them, yet people insisted on shoving them at him, and he could not even refuse.】

【The only suffering the two endured, the "Three-Five-Seven" calamities, was watching their parents die before their eyes.】

【No wonder "Parents sacrificed to heaven, magical power boundless" has become the motto of protagonists across all worlds.】

"Parents sacrificed to heaven, magical power boundless?"

The women could not help but recall that since obtaining the diary, among the major Wu Xia Works exposed, there seemed to be very few protagonists whose parents were still alive.

Zhang Wuji, Chu Chu Liuxiang, Shen Lang, Li Xunhuan, Li Buyi...

Ho, so it seems being the parents of the protagonist is truly the most dangerous profession in all of history.

In Xiangzhou, inside an inn.

Zhong Ling rubbed her arms together, shivered, looked at Mu Wanqing beside her, and said cautiously, "Sister Mu, it's just a story, no need to take it so seriously."

Mu Wanqing shot her a glare and scolded, "What does a little rascal like you know? Do you think I'm angry about this?"

"Isn't that it?" Zhong Ling looked utterly confused.

Mu Wanqing said coldly, "Do you know what identity Duan Yu holds?"

"One of the story's protagonists."

"And what else?"

"Is there more?"

"... For someone born in Dali, you should know: the current Emperor of Dali has no children; the entire royal family has only one male heir, named Duan Yu. And this Duan Yu is the son of Prince Zhenan, Duan Zhengchun."

Zhong Ling blinked, looking at Mu Wanqing with clear, confused eyes, waiting for her to continue.

"..."

Mu Wanqing took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and asked, "What is your relationship with Duan Zhengchun?"

"Ah? Me? I and him are... are..."

"You are Duan Zhengchun's daughter, Duan Yu married you, and the Duan Yu in the story is likely, just like in reality, Duan Zhengchun's son..."

Zhong Ling let out a cry of realization, "Ah, I understand!"

Mu Wanqing rolled her eyes.

But immediately after, Zhong Ling scratched her head, "But that doesn't sound right; maybe the Duan Yu in the story isn't Duan Zhengchun's son."

"That is possible, but the likelihood is not high."

"Why?"

"Why? Of the twenty-one beauties in 'Heavenly Dragons', more than half are connected to Duan Zhengchun. If he weren't the protagonist's father, why would the author spend so much ink on him? Besides, this Duan Yu flirts with this one and that one, just like Duan Zhengchun; it's called 'like father, like son'!"

Hearing such a "sufficient" reason, Zhong Ling pouted and mumbled, "That really is true. But doesn't that mean everything is completely messed up?"

Mu Wanqing did not answer.

It was precisely because she noticed this point that she felt uncomfortable in her heart.

For even though she was reluctant to admit it in a hundred ways, she knew very clearly in her heart that she was most likely also Duan Zhengchun's daughter.

Then she would be the same as Zhong Ling.

This book... is truly chaotic!