Chapter 10: Things are getting better and succession to the clan throne
In the Valley of Flowers
Liang Sheng's training is showing initial success, with Qiqi not only increasing her internal strength but also making significant progress in her swordsmanship. Since receiving the sword manual, Qiqi has diligently reviewed Liang Sheng's teachings and her own understanding daily, constantly revisiting them, mastering them, and moving on to the next level of practice. With her natural talent and diligence, Qiqi has risen from a complete novice in martial arts to the second level of the Traceless Sword Manual.
Although reaching the ninth level seems to be a long way off, Qiqi is full of confidence.
"Your aptitude is truly remarkable. In less than four months, you've not only acquired considerable internal strength but also mastered the Traceless Sword Manual. If every tribe had someone as gifted and intelligent as you, the struggle for supremacy and dominance would have already driven the people to despair."
"I didn't learn martial arts to compete for the best, nor do I want to steal other people's things." Qiqi sat on the stone floor, looking at the lazy Yue Chi with a firm gaze. Yue Chi looked at Qiqi with admiration, his heart full of envy.
"Yue Chi, how is my master doing recently?" Qiqi lowered her head and stroked the hilt of the sword.
"It should be okay. I've been with you all day, and I haven't even visited in all this time. I don't know if you ask me." Qiqi looked over with a look of surprise, then her eyes darkened again. Wen Ranqi was true to his word. He had been in the valley for almost four months, and he hadn't written a single letter to her. Aside from the Fengyin Sword and Wuhen Sword Manual that Yue Chi had handed over, Wen Ranqi hadn't conveyed a single word, not even a short one.
Did he really not miss me at all? Even if I needed him to take care of me or do some work for me, just a little bit would be fine.
Seeing Qiqi was depressed, Yue Chi patted Qiqi's head and comforted her like a child, "Little friend, don't be so sad. Big brother will buy you some candy. What gift do you want?"
"A gift?" Qiqi stood up and said seriously, "I'm not a child anymore. I'm already eighteen years old. If you want to coax someone, Master Yuechi, go coax your wife first. There's no need to bother with me."
"Hey, you're just like your master. You both know how to use my wife to pressure me, right? Humph, I think you must feel bad inside even though you're being so tough every day. If I want to see someone, I'll just leave the valley, run to him, and tell him what's in my heart. No matter what he says, I'll tell him first and come back later. What can he do to you?"
Qiqi glared, pursed her lips in anger, took a long breath to suppress the frustration in her heart, and calmly replied to Yue Chi, "I have to practice swordsmanship, so I won't accompany Master Yue Chi anymore."
Sword in hand, internal energy intensified, Qiqi held her breath and leaped onto the rooftop, her movements aggressive, her breath impetuous, the sound of her sword lingering in the wind. Liang Sheng dropped the teapot and rushed to the courtyard, Yanyan following behind. They saw Qiqi practicing swordplay on the rooftop, her mind restless and as if to vent her anger. Liang Sheng's face was furious. "You little bastard, are you trying to piss me off to death? Who told you to practice swordplay like this? Have you forgotten what I told you?"
Qiqi stopped his sword moves, panting, and stood on the rooftop with his hands behind his back, looking at the furious Liang Sheng. Yanyan looked at Qiqi distressedly, "Dad, Qiqi is just in a bad mood, don't scold him."
"Then you think I'm in a good mood. Don't practice today. Go clean the pond for me. Then take a bath after you're done."
"Got it, Uncle Liang." Qiqi's last pond cleaning was after she'd angered Liang Sheng, and her bathing days began after that. The hot broth, steeped in various medicinal herbs, was a true pleasure for Qiqi. The water was specially prepared by Yue Chi for Qiqi, a potion designed to enhance his internal energy and meridians based on his physical condition. While Qiqi certainly didn't feel comfortable, afterward, he found swordplay much easier and more comfortable.
Qiqi calmed down, changed her clothes, and obediently took a shovel and went to the lotus pond not far from the yard. The lotus pond was too shallow, and Liangsheng wanted to expand and deepen it a little. There were only five of them in the valley, and the only one who could do this and had the physical strength was Qiqi, and he could also punish her at the same time.
Yue Chi and Liang Sheng sat under the eaves, watching the show with tea and fruit. Only Qiqi was shoveling mud with sweat on her forehead.
"You're clearly training him. Looking at the way he's been swinging his sword lately, it's a blend of strength and flexibility, and he seems to be quite comfortable with it. I'm sure the mud-digging has been quite effective."
"If I don't let him exhaust himself to the extreme, how can he concentrate on his thoughts? He is indeed smart, but he is already too fast. I am afraid that he will be too strong and easily break."
"Wen Ranqi isn't worried, so why should you and I be worried? One hasn't seen his own heart clearly yet, while the other has already filled his heart. One of them has to suffer first. It's fine if we just do nothing."
"If Young Master Wen hadn't been schemed against by that villain Wen Shi, they probably wouldn't be in this situation today. It's destined, Master Yue Chi. You are so lucky to have such a beautiful and virtuous wife."
"Elder Liang is so lucky to have a well-behaved daughter."
"Hahahaha, it's the same with you, hahaha."
Snow Night City
"I will carry on the legacy of our ancestors, uphold the will of the people, and pass on the wisdom of heaven and earth. Now, Wen Shi will take on the responsibility of being the great patriarch. From now on, I will serve the clan and the people and be forever grateful."
"The great patriarch receives Xinde, the great patriarch receives Xinde..."
"So this is what it feels like to be admired by the people." Wen Shi held the Patriarch's scepter high, his face gleaming with pride and confidence. Standing atop Snowy Night City's highest and largest altar, not only could one have a panoramic view of the city, but more importantly, it endowed one with immense desire and power.
Because the altar is a place where only the patriarch is qualified to stand.
Wen Shi's eyes were filled with vanity and greed. He looked at the tribesmen who were half-kneeling on the ground and shouting at him, and his smile became increasingly arrogant. In his high enthusiasm, he walked down the altar with an arrogant step, walked to the crowd, and returned to the chief's meeting hall amid the support of the crowd.
The patriarch's scepter shone with golden light, gleaming even brighter under the light. Wen Shibing dismissed the people around him, dropped his disguise, and finally released himself completely.
Laughter, bordering on mania, echoed through the hall. Wen Shi's eyes were filled with madness, his behavior unbridled. He cursed the heavens for their unfairness, the earth for its ruthlessness. He ordered Wan Ming to bring Wen Yuechu's spirit tablet, then crushed it with a single step, sneering, "Look, look, this is what happens. This is what happens when you go against me."
Wen Shi fell to the ground on the steps, clutching the broken wood of the spirit tablet. He said to himself, "You despise me for being stupid, but I still took the position of the chief. You wanted to stop me, but you died anyway. I forgot to tell you that your favorite Wen Ranqi is alive again, but I can kill him again. Wen Yuechu, I will destroy everything you care about, leaving nothing behind."
"Did Wanming find out where he is?"
"He seems to be going north."
"North? Isn't that where the Fire Lie Clan lives?" Wen Shi's eyes flickered, an idea already in mind. He summoned Wan Ming to his side and whispered in his ear, who nodded repeatedly. Then, with Wen Shi's instructions, Wan Ming withdrew. The Fire Lie Clan's Great Elder had already arrived within ten miles of Mandar City. The former Fire Lie Clan Young Master, who had accompanied him, was now in the Fengyue Clan's Snowy Night City, enjoying drinks with the women of Zuihonglou. He was no longer the Fire Lie Clan's Young Master. His original intention was to travel south for some serious fun; his condolences were merely a formality.
He had wanted to go south for a long time to see what kind of place the boy in his heart lived in, what kind of food he ate, and what kind of people he associated with to be able to live such a perfect life.
"Master, you are from the north, what is the north like?"
"It's so boring. There's nothing but grasslands, sheep, cattle and snow. It's nowhere near as colorful as your place."
"Sisters, you haven't seen it, but you'd like to see it."
"With your small bodies, you will be frozen when the snow on the grassland comes. I will feel bad." Murong Gelie buried his face in the woman's chest with an intoxicated look, smelling the strong scent of rouge.
When he was drunk and the women all came out of the house, Murong Gelie lay on his back, gazing at the rooftops in a daze. The joy and excitement from earlier had disappeared from his face, and a hint of melancholy appeared in his eyes.
Wan Ming pushed open the window and walked in. Murong Gelie instantly woke up. Holding the scimitar he had pulled out from under his pillow, he remained alert in the darkness. He asked tentatively, "Who? What do you want to do?"
"Just a friend, there's no need to panic, Master Murong."
"Since we are friends, why don't you light a candle and talk?" Murong Gelie touched the candlestick and tried to light it. Wan Ming pinched the chess piece between his fingers, flicked it and knocked away his tinderbox, saying, "Murong Gelie, if you want to hear what I have to say next, there is no need to light a candle."
"What do you want to say?"
"Wen Ranqi is still alive. He has gone north. I think you know who is in charge of the north."
"Wen Ranqi, still alive?" Murong Gelie was so shocked when he suddenly heard that Wen Ranqi was still alive that his scimitar fell to the ground. He didn't seem to care whether the news was true or not. He just kept looking forward to waiting for someone to tell him that Wen Ranqi was really still alive.
"Go back to the Fire Nation and find him. Then you will know who I am."
“You’re sure he’s in the North.
"Sure!"
Murong Gelie set out from Xueye City overnight. In the far north, there was the young man he loved.
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