Chapter 109 Blood Feud is Hard to Eliminate
Zuo Fengjiang is a legendary figure in the Western Dynasty.
A eunuch, yet possessing unparalleled martial arts prowess, he rose through the ranks to command the Red Guards. His rescue earned him the Emperor's trust. Everyone considered him the Western Dynasty's foremost martial artist. Zuo Fengjiang never admitted this, but he also didn't deny it, making him even more mysterious and unpredictable.
Yet, such a figure suddenly vanished one uneventful evening after a palace banquet, leaving behind a mess and an unconscious young eunuch. It wasn't until the next day, at noon, that the Red Guards discovered the situation and awoke those who had been knocked unconscious, only to discover that their foremost expert had been abducted by an unknown, exceptionally skilled female swordsman, his fate unknown.
The first thing people who heard this thought was absurd, absurd to the extreme. It had always been decent women who were knocked unconscious and taken away while walking at night. When would a woman hold a knife and kidnap an old eunuch with superb martial arts skills?
Perhaps because the news was so alarming, Xue Shen, upon discovering his master's disappearance, hurriedly reported it to the emperor. Within half a day, the news of the abduction of the Western Dynasty's foremost expert had spread throughout the court and the streets of Xingqing. Through the inventive folk, word spread that the female swordswoman had become a demonic spirit, transformed from a peerless sword, seeking revenge for the murder of her master by Zuo Fengjiang.
In a house in the market town, several spies from the Supervisory Office came out of the cellar with a bloody smell on their bodies, and just in time they saw the "Sword Demon" who stirred up the situation in Xingqing walking towards them with a big bag of hot meat buns.
Wen Yao patted everyone on the shoulder and stuffed buns into their hands: "Thank you for your hard work. Did you find out anything?"
A spy was chewing on a hot bun, chuffing and shaking his head, "The old eunuch is being stubborn and refuses to say a word." Not only did he refuse to say anything, he also kept asking what sect Wen Yao belonged to, and he didn't care about his life or death at all.
The most recognized strongest swordsman in the world is the deceased Feng Hai. When Zuo Fengjiang was tied back with a knife around his neck, he had even begun to suspect that Wen Yao was Feng Hai's disciple or daughter. He asked around, but he never thought about Xingyi Sword.
It's not surprising. Who would have thought that Xingyi Jian, who had already "returned", would come to the capital of Xichao with a knife and wait for him.
"Really?" Wen Yao sighed, then carefully warned: "Zuo Fengjiang is not young anymore, there is no need to kill him, as for the rest, just hurry up and learn the skills."
After saying that, she turned her head and looked in the direction of Hao Chunhe's house, only to see that the doors and windows were closed and there was no one in the house.
Hao Chunhe went out again.
After arriving in Xingqing, Hao Chunhe became noticeably quieter. He would run out before dawn and not come back until the dead of night, fiddling with something unknown.
Zhao Xuanxu emerged from the kitchen, holding a bowl of hot soup. Seeing this, Wen Yao spontaneously walked over to the table inside, sat down, placed the meat buns on the table, and began to eat breakfast.
Zhao Xuanxu had a keen grasp of Wen Yao's thoughts. He rolled up his sleeves to serve the soup and said calmly, "If you're worried, send someone to look for him."
Wen Yao bit into a bun and shook his head: "No need, actually I know what he is doing. Chun Yanzi doesn't want to say, so let's not ask."
This time, she and Zhao Xuanxu came to Xingqing to obtain the Burning Heart Fragments from Zuo Fengjiang, and they were already nearly successful. Hao Chunhe hadn't left Bianliang in years, but this time he took the initiative to ask to come along, and Wen Yao immediately knew what he was up to.
When Hao Chunhe was trying to assassinate the emperor of the Western Dynasty, Zuo Fengjiang showed up and caused his plan to fail. He barely escaped.
In the blink of an eye, almost ten years have passed, and it is time to settle the debt.
Wen Yao said this, but anyone with a discerning eye could see her worry.
They passed each other several times during the day. Hao Chunhe, exhausted, saw Wen Yao's expression as if he was about to speak but hesitant. After two or three times, he took the initiative to explain what he was doing: "I've been to the palace a few times in the past few days to familiarize myself with the environment. Now that Zuo Fengjiang has been captured by you, the emperor has become much more vigilant. The Red Guards have been transferred to his side, and there are guards at night."
Wen Yao nodded, and the frown that had been on his face for several days finally relaxed. He asked him, "When are you going to start?"
"In two days." Hao Chunhe was silent for a moment, then said, "In two days it will be the anniversary of Wanniang and the child's death. I'll take action after I see them."
His appearance and spirit now were vastly different from his earlier days in Bianliang. His hair was tied tightly, his beard, untouched for a thousand years, cleanly shaved. His whole person exuded a vibrant and sharp spirit. He looked nothing like the Chunyanzi who scrambled through the black market, cooking and chopping vegetables for others. He looked more and more like Fei Yeke, a chivalrous hero who treaded snow without a trace, robbing the unkind and giving aid to the poor, a righteous and righteous hero.
Two more days passed. Thanks to the diligent efforts of the spies from the Supervisory Office, and the threat of Wen Yao personally stepping in to threaten Xue Shen and Zuo Fengjiang after seeing their good relationship, Zuo Fengjiang finally spoke up and revealed the whereabouts of the Burning Heart Fragments.
He received the fragments of the Burning Heart Scroll, knowing only that it was a Dali Kingdom secret technique. Little did he know it was the incomplete second volume, a perfect counterpoint to the first, possessing a profoundly cold and yin quality. His eunuch status saved his life; if he weren't a eunuch, he would have died from a reversal of his Qi after practicing for very long.
"It's in the secret compartment behind the mural in my study." Zuo Fengjiang was covered in blood, but fortunately, he was in good spirits. He was initially reluctant to speak, but only softened when he heard Xue Shen's name.
Zuo Fengjiang was hanging on a rack. From his side, he could vaguely see a man and a woman sitting behind the curtain in front of him. He had never seen the man before, but judging by the woman's figure, she was the one who defeated him that day.
He looked at the two men sitting close together and their folded hands, his brows twitching as he spoke slowly, "Young friend, why do you want my martial arts? This martial art is sinister. Practicing it will only turn you into a half-human, half-ghost like me. Furthermore, this is an internal martial arts technique, and you're clearly a swordsman. To be pursuing this so diligently—could it be that you're from Dali?"
Good guess, keep guessing.
When Wen Yao heard the whereabouts of the fragment, he pulled Zhao Xuanxu, who hadn't taken the initiative in this matter, to his feet and said, "Don't worry, old friend, I'll let you go after I get the things, and of course I won't touch your precious disciple."
The spies nearby glanced at Zhao Xuanxu, seeming to hesitate as they hesitated to release Zuo Fengjiang. In reality, they felt it was unnecessary. Even with the Western Dynasty and Tianshui forming an alliance, Zuo Fengjiang was still a master from another nation and a threat. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; it would be best to kill him outright.
"Let's put it this way." He had no idea that Wen Yao's eyes would immediately turn back to him as soon as he looked over. His eyes were black and white, and it looked scary. "This time, he must be sent back alive. If you want to kill him, go ahead and catch him. Otherwise, he will go to Hades to complain. I won't take responsibility for this."
The spy, speechless, stared at Zhao Xuanxu. His master, however, didn't even glance at him, his head lowered as he stared at Commander Wen's hand, clasped tightly together, his mind lost. True to the rumors in Bianliang, his once brutal and ruthless master had fallen head over heels for the Xingyi Sword Master.
Wen Yao and Zhao Xuanxu emerged from the dungeon and, turning around, ran into Hao Chunhe sitting on the steps outside. It was rare that Hao Chunhe hadn't gone out today. He sat on the steps, squinting in the sun, two jars of wine wrapped in a paper bag at his feet. Seeing Wen Yao and Zhao Xuanxu, he patted his butt and stood up, saying, "Come on, it's been so long. Let's take you two to meet Wanniang and Xier."
Wanniang's surname was Shao, her given name Huihua (Wanniang was her maiden name), and she was the first wife of the leaf-flying trader Hao Chunhe. Nearly ten years had passed, and she and her daughter slept together in the wild mountains outside Xingqing City, oblivious to the passage of time.
The small grave, neglected for years, lay buried in the weeds. The moment Hao Chunhe saw it, he stopped and slapped himself hard. The blow was so hard that the purple marks of his fingers remained distinctly on his face. Then, without a word, tears welling in his eyes, he drew his dagger and began to weed.
He pulled away from the ground quickly and fiercely, not even noticing the sharp edges of the weeds cutting his palm. The blood soon covered the wound with sand and dirt, creating a hideous sight.
"Look, look, after following me, you've become what you are now." Hao Chunhe grumbled, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have fought with your senior brother for you. That guy is now the owner of Lotus Treasure Manor. If you had married him, you would be the manor owner's wife now, and you wouldn't have been homeless with me and died here."
Lotus Treasure Manor is the largest weapon forging complex in the Jianghu. They claim that with money and materials, they can forge anything. All weapons and hidden weapons produced from Lotus Treasure Manor bear the lotus mark. When Wen Yao first arrived in Bianliang, he witnessed the assassination attempt on Chu Yutang's teahouse. The assassin's hidden weapon bore the lotus mark. Seizing this clue, the Ghost Market Master managed to extract information about the assassin's accomplices from the tightly-guarded Lotus Treasure Manor, arresting and executing them.
Nowadays, few in the martial arts world remember that the previous owner of Lotus Treasure Manor had a young apprentice named Shao Huihua, one of the manor's most gifted disciples. With his peerless elegance and heroic bearing, he was the envy of countless people in the martial arts world.
There is a big age gap between Wanniang and Hao Chunhe. Although Feiyeke Hao Chunhe is very famous, he gave away all the ill-gotten gains he robbed to the elderly, the weak, women and children, and he is also very poor.
These two people met by chance during an event to punish evil and promote good, fell in love with each other, and finally got married and had children. This was a surprise at the time and was the subject of discussion throughout the world.
Hao Chunhe quickly grasped the lush weeds, letting the blood drip. He pulled out the weeds and the dirt along with them. He then carefully smoothed the soil with his blood-stained palms, carefully pressed down the stones, and said gently, "You haven't had a good life since you married me."
After marrying Hao Chunhe, Wanniang followed him around the world, becoming a fairy-like couple. Soon she became pregnant and gave birth to Xier. For the sake of his wife and daughter, Hao Chunhe retired from the business and returned to the legitimate business of the escort agency. Wanniang took Xier with him to Xingqing, the Western Dynasty, to temporarily live there.
Unexpectedly, disaster struck from the sky. One ordinary afternoon, she took her child to the street to play, and was noticed by the old emperor who was on a secret visit.
The Western Emperor, known for his excessive debauchery and brutality, immediately ordered the Red Guards to forcibly bring Wanniang and Xi'er into the palace. Unwilling to be humiliated, Wanniang, despite having her hands and feet severed, bit the Emperor and was subsequently executed by the Red Guards. Xi'er witnessed her mother's gruesome death, and even as she cried out, her own life was easily taken.
Two lives, one ungrateful woman, and the high-ranking nobles in the palace just spat in disgust and called her ungrateful. When Hao Chunhe heard the shocking news and hurried back, he saw the two bodies haphazardly wrapped in straw mats in the mass grave. He felt as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had cracked, and his soul had been shattered.
The love of his life died in a foreign country for such a ridiculous reason.
"Actually, I should have come to accompany you and the child that night." Hao Chunhe said softly, "You know, I've been slippery all my life. I'm only good at escaping, not fighting. I thought I'd buy a coffin and bury you and Xier, leaving my clothes and hair with you. Then I'd go to the palace and kill that bastard. Regardless of whether I succeed or not, regardless of where I die, I'll be with you in the underworld."
Wen Yao sighed and stood aside, closing her eyes. She had only heard Hao Chunhe say that the Western Emperor had killed his wife and daughter, but she had never imagined that this was the true story.
She had never met Wanniang, and her acquaintance with Hao Chunhe was brief. On a dark, windy night, she scaled the walls of the vast palace, searching for the treasure vault to retrieve the Liuli Island's prized Liuli Guanyin statue for Bu Guanlan. Unexpectedly, she ran headfirst into Fei Yeke, the assassin who was seeking to kill the Western Dynasty Emperor. By then, Hao Chunhe was no longer afraid of death; he had completely disregarded everything else, single-mindedly intent on killing the Western Dynasty Emperor.
The Xingyi Sword's fame grew, and Feiyeke became a frequent visitor to the world's treasured lands. Coincidentally, one couldn't find the place, and the other couldn't deal with the Red Guards. Each sought what he wanted, and so the shocking change in the capital occurred many years ago.
Unfortunately, they failed to kill the emperor and only cut off one of his ears.
Time has passed, and with the emergence of many talented people in the martial arts world, there has been no news of Fei Ye Ke and his wife. Nor do we know that the once dashing hero has entered his twilight years, fallen on hard times, his glory gone, and is now separated from his beloved wife and daughter.
Hao Chunhe's voice was hoarse, and he almost vomited blood from his throat: "I was confused, I was confused! I am a villain, I was afraid of death and left you two here! I am really a piece of shit, really a piece of shit!"
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