Chapter 178

Mu Wanqing continued looking down, wondering if Jiang Sishui would offer an explanation for this.

Unfortunately, Jiang Sishui shifted his pen and stopped writing about Duan Yu, making Mu Wanqing's teeth itch with anger.

【Only Helmsman Qiao Feng, from his first appearance to the end, suffered misfortune without pause】

【Helmsman Qiao Feng spent half his life hating the Khitans, yet he himself was a Khitan】

【He regarded Gai Gang disciples as his own brothers, yet was betrayed and abandoned by them】

【He lived his entire life for the people of Great Song, yet the Song people would not tolerate him an inch】

【The person he loved most in life died by his own hand】

【The great evil he had spent his life searching for turned out to be his own biological father】

【In the end, to prevent war between the Song and Liao nations and the slaughter of countless lives, Helmsman Qiao Feng forced the Liao Emperor, his own kin, to retreat, swore never to invade Song again in his lifetime, and then took his own life】

【He was a good man, yet could not attain loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, or love】

【He was a towering hero, a paragon of valor, with peerless Wu Gong, yet in all the vast world, there was no place for him to belong】

【No matter what he did, he was wrong on all sides, his life not his own, and in the end, only death could set him free】

【His life embodied the word "suffering" in its fullest measure】

Could not attain loyalty, could not attain filial piety, could not attain benevolence, could not attain righteousness, could not attain love…

No matter what he did, it was wrong—he was wrong on all sides…

Seeing the summary of Helmsman Qiao Feng's life, the women, though unaware of the details, could still sense the deep despair and helplessness in every line.

Is this really the protagonist?

Aren't protagonists supposed to be blessed by fate, like Chu Chu Liuxiang and Shen Lang?

I've never heard of a protagonist so tragic.

Especially when compared to Duan Yu and Hearing Xu Zhu from the same book, the contrast is even more glaring.

Yet undeniably, the tragic hero Helmsman Qiao Feng delivered a profound emotional shock.

"A towering hero, a paragon of valor…"

Accustomed to Jiang Sishui exposing the false faces of hypocrites, the women had never before seen him praise a man so positively.

【Now the world's setting is different—the Song and Liao nations don't even share a border; perhaps Helmsman Qiao Feng won't be so tragic anymore】

【But that seems difficult】

【Helmsman Qiao Feng's master, Wang Jiantong, was apparently killed by assassins sent by "Leader Brother" Xuan Ci—there's clearly a story here】

【Ah, forget it, too much trouble to think about】

【If I ever run into him, I'll help him if I can】

"Forget it? How can you forget it?!"

The women had just been stirred by that sentence packed with 3.7 units of information, only to be abruptly silenced—they were furious.

Unfortunately, Jiang Sishui couldn't hear their thoughts, and continued writing—

【Compared to Helmsman Qiao Feng, Duan Yu has changed considerably, just like Hearing Xu Zhu】

【But Hearing Xu Zhu's change was in fortune; Duan Yu changed not only in fortune but also in character】

【In the book, he had a touch of foolishness, often doing silly things and making a fool of himself】

【But the Duan Yu I've seen today remains refined, yet has gained shrewdness and competence absent from the story】

【And according to Hua Xianzi, who later told me, this fellow fights fiercely—he fires sword qi like a machine gun, targeting every masked assailant】

【It was his sword qi that sealed off the masked man's escape routes; otherwise, Helmsman Qiao Feng could never have caught the masked man, whose movement was as swift as a ghost】

197 Injury first harms yourself; cut yourself and you grow stronger

"Masked man? Who is that?"

Clearly, Jiang Sishui encountered many things today.

【It seems Duan Yu in this composite martial world has matured greatly, his mind not ruined by Buddhist sutras】

【Of course—as a crown prince, education should begin from childhood】

【In the Heavenly Dragon era, Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun were negligent; today's Dali Kingdom is immeasurably stronger—someone must have taken this seriously】

【Just like Hearing Xu Zhu, even without the opportunity at Leigud Mountain, he still met his "patron"】

【But seeing Duan Yu use the Six Meridians Divine Sword, I thought of the Northern Nether Divine Art】

【I wonder if he, like in the original, stumbled upon the Liangang Mountains and found those two secret manuals】

【If he did, I must reclaim them!】

【The leakage of martial arts is secondary; the main issue is that the scroll's illustration for the Northern Nether Divine Art was drawn using Li Qiushui's own nude body as the model】

【And Li Qiushui looks exactly like Wang Yuyan】

【Just thinking about it is nauseating】

"So that's how it is…"

Hua Xianzi understood, then smiled with her eyes.

This man was trying to manipulate her curiosity.

And sure enough—he didn't wait for her to ask; he told her himself.

…

"My grandmother's nude drawings—how could she do such a thing? This isn't… isn't…"

Wang Yuyan had never known her grandmother Li Qiushui, but after the matter with Wu Wu Ya Zi, Li Qingluo told her everything.

Thus, Wang Yuyan not only knew the truth, but also knew they looked exactly alike.

Now, if Li Qiushui's self-drawn nude scroll, hidden in the cave, were found by some man…

As Jiang Sishui said, just thinking about it is nauseating.

"No, that scroll shouldn't be at Wuliang Mountain anymore."

After calming down, Wang Yuyan thought it over carefully.

Either the scroll was obtained by Duan Yu, and then taken back by Jiang Sishui.

Or after the diary was exposed back then, it was found by other holders of diary copies.

Or perhaps, due to a change in the plot, there simply was no scroll at Wuliang Mountain to begin with.

Of course, there's also the possibility it was stumbled upon by some third party, but that probability is the smallest.

Thinking of this, Wang Yuyan felt a little more at ease.

……

Only the seven women who had gone to Wuliang Mountain for several days back then knew that there was absolutely nothing there.

Oh, there was a statue, but it was smashed to pieces by Seeing Yao Yue with a single palm strike.

【After testing him, I've basically confirmed that Duan Yu did not obtain the Divine Art or the scroll】

【That can hardly be better】

【But Duan Yu hasn't learned the "Northern Nether Divine Art," yet at such a young age he can already wield the "Six Meridian Divine Sword"—it seems his Wu Xue talent is even stronger than I imagined】

【After all, the "Six Meridian Divine Sword," an absolute art suspected to be a Holy Scripture, requires extremely profound internal energy to wield with ease】

【When Duan Siping created it, he was certainly not young anymore, so it is hardly surprising that he could fully unleash its power; for Duan Yu at such an age, even if he has only thirty percent mastery, it is already very remarkable】

【His Wu Xue talent may even surpass Duan Siping's!】

【Everyone knows the Wang Yuyan in Dragon-Tian is a great master of Wu Xue, yet most people overlook that the dim-witted, simple-minded Duan Yu, when learning Wu Gong, basically never needs to look at it a second time】

【Including the "Six Meridian Divine Sword," which after Duan Siping no one for nearly a hundred years managed to master—Duan Yu only needed to glance over it once before he could remember it and barely wield it】

【His talent ceiling is simply impossible to see】

【It's just that this boy has his heart set on chasing girls, so the halo of a Wu Xue prodigy has been obscured】

"A Holy Scripture, and he can remember and wield it after just one quick read?"

Wang Yuyan lowered her eyes and pondered, feeling that she herself could probably remember it, but learning and using it on the spot would be difficult.

It wasn't just her—everyone else was making the same self-comparison.

The result was, apart from a handful of people, all the rest sighed at their own inferiority.

"The Dali Kingdom has produced an extraordinary genius!"

If it truly was as Jiang Sishui said, then as long as this prince of Dali didn't die young, becoming a Heavenly Being was basically a foregone conclusion.

If his opportunities were sufficient, he might even catch a glimpse of the Demigod realm!

Once he ascended to Demigod, the Central Domain might gain another great imperial dynasty!