By the time Rong Yi and Fu Chengfeng arrived at Moon Manor, it was already midday, and a spectacle was unfolding there. Rong Yi called it a 'catfight'. Fu Chengfeng thought the term was too vulgar and corrected it to a 'mass brawl', where one group of people fought another group. Among the numerous people present, three individuals did not participate in the mass brawl: Yun Hendong, the second was Yun Nitian, and the third was Qin Muzhi.
Yun Hendong had a confused look, while Yun Nitian and Qin Muzhi had the expressions of villains who had realised their ambitions.
Needless to say, one could easily guess that Yun Nitian and Qin Muzhi were behind the mass brawl, while Yun Hendong reluctantly provided the venue. After all, his house was spacious; how could they have a brawl without ample space to show off their fighting skills?
"What kind of grudge do you think exists between those who are beaten and those who do the beating?" Rong Yi asked.
"There have been rumours circulating in the jianghu1 recently. The Qingcheng Sect disciples have been provoking members of the Huashan Sect, disciples of the Huashan Sect got drunk and ruined the chastity of several young nuns from the Emei Sect, the Emei Sect Master mistakenly killed disciples of the Tang Sect in revenge, the Tang Sect members were enraged and poisoned anyone they saw, and those who were poisoned panicked and killed anyone they encountered... I honestly can't keep track of the grudges between them." Fu Chengfeng replied with a headache.🦊
Rong Yi was speechless. While the grudges had followed a specific pattern up until the Tang Sect, things had gone completely haywire after that. No wonder Fu Huang3 had wiped out the Tang Sect in a fit of rage. It seemed there were other reasons besides his mental instability. The Tang Sect was more volatile and easily provoked than even the Mojiao, so its annihilation was a service to the jianghu1. Fu Huang3 honestly had foresight. Unfortunately, although the roots had been completely eradicated, the wind has brought them back to life. Twenty years later, in Later Tang, the Tang Sect rose again. It seemed that leaving behind one woman from the Tang Sect was enough to revive the entire sect.
"It's understandable for the Tang Sect to be deranged, and the erratic behaviour of the Qingcheng Sect can be somewhat excusable. But when even someone as extremely paranoid as Mie Tian, the senior nun, starts taking revenge on the wrong targets, it can no longer be called a mere coincidence. There must be hidden motives behind it," Rong Yi said.
Fu Chengfeng raised an eyebrow. "Let's not be prejudiced against the Tang Sect just because they have enmity with the Mojiao."
"What kind of grudge does the Mojiao have against the Tang Sect? I haven't heard anything about it." Rong Yi asked.
"...... I forgot that you were not yet born when your father destroyed the Tang Clan."
"Oh, you're referring to my father's act of eliminating threats in the martial world. Yes, I'm aware of that."
"You know, and yet you act as if you don't?"
"I'm not pretending. The Mojiao had no feud with the Tang Sect."
“……”
"We, the Mojiao, never hold grudges against others. If someone believes he has a grudge against the Mojiao, it's surely because he's grown tired of living."
".….." This was probably a case of the upper beam not being straight, causing the lower beam to be crooked4. Fu Chengfeng suddenly felt very sorry for his yet-to-be-born son, who would have not only a crooked grandfather or senior uncle5 but also a crooked mother.
While Fu Chengfeng was still mourning for his unborn son, Rong Yi had already jumped into the crowd and joined the mass brawl. As for who she was going to help, she hadn't decided yet.
As Rong Yi attacked everyone she saw, the brawling groups quickly split to either side of her. They were all left with bruised noses, swollen faces, and bleeding heads, creating a gruesome scene. Miraculously, Rong Yi was unscathed.
That's what happens when you have the strength. Rong Yi proudly raised her chin at Fu Chengfeng, dusted off her hands and asked, "From now on, I'll ask the questions. Whoever I ask, that person should step forward and answer. Do you all hear me?"
They all bowed their heads in silence. There was a mixture of embarrassment and fear on their faces.
After a long silence, a few faint 'yes' could be heard, followed by scattered responses from the rest, all in agreement.
"Very good," Rong Yi said with a satisfied smirk. "Who was it that provoked the Huashan Sect?"
Before the words could fully leave her mouth, several disciples from the Qingcheng Sect stepped forward.
Rong Yi: "Why did you provoke the Huashan Sect?"
The Qingcheng Sect Leader: "The Huashan Sect has insulted our Qingcheng Sect."
"You're spewing blood from your mouth6!" The disciples of the Huashan Sect erupted in anger.
Rong Yi swept her gaze across the Huashan Sect disciples and asked coldly, "Did I ask you people?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then bowed their heads in silence.
After a short pause, Rong Yi asked again, "Who from the Huashan Sect insulted the Qingcheng Sect?"
No one came forward.
Sure enough, someone was trying to sow discord. Rong Yi glanced at Yun Nitian, seemingly unintentionally, and continued to ask: "Who is the person who ruined the innocence of the Emei Sect disciples?"
There was a stir on both sides. After a long moment, a man in a Huashan Sect uniform stepped forward.
Before Rong Yi could even ask a question, a furious roar resounded: "Wicked disciple! From now on, you are no longer a disciple of the Huashan Sect!"
"Master, this disciple knows that he has done wrong. This disciple did not do it on purpose. Even though I admire Miss Hua Mei7, this disciple would never dare to have any evil intentions. This disciple was tricked by a villain, that's why this disciple did that to Miss Hua Mei... to Miss Hua Mei... Master, this disciple has been at Huashan Sect for ten years and has never done anything to betray the sect. Please, for the sake of our past relationship, don't expel this disciple."
The Huashan Sect Leader kicked the man away with a look of disgust.
Rong Yi scowled. No matter how grave the man's mistake was, he was still a member of the Huashan Sect, and their ten-year master-disciple relationship should not be treated as a joke.
For this reason, she had never deigned to associate herself with the so-called 'righteous' sects.
She sneered inwardly and asked, "Where is Miss Hua Mei?"
"She took her own life." As the Emei Sect Leader uttered these words, her gaze nearly pierced the Huashan Sect Leader to death.
With the victim's death, the situation had become more complicated. Rong Yi frowned with regret and looked at the Huashan Sect Leader, saying, "Huashan Sect Leader...'"
"Xiao," the Huashan Sect leader reminded Rong Yi that she could address him as 'Sect Leader Xiao'.
Rong Yi: "Huashan Sect Leader Xiao... or should I just stick with Huashan Sect Leader? It rolls off the tongue more easily. Huashan Sect Leader, it's really a shame to expel such a talented and handsome disciple from your sect. Why not reconsider your decision?"
"He has violated the rules of our Huashan Sect!" The Huashan Sect Leader declared righteously.
Rong Yi: "Which sect rules?"
"This..." The Huashan Sect Leader was at a loss for words. Indeed, there was no specific rule in their sect forbidding the defilement of women, but that was because he had never imagined that his disciple would commit such a heinous act.
"Since no such rule exists, it cannot be considered breaking it. And even if it were, there is always room for leniency. Don't you agree?" Rong Yi asked with a smile.
The Huashan Sect Leader's face suddenly turned black and white.
Rong Yi then turned to the Emei Sect Leader, saying, "That young hero comes from a prestigious sect and deeply admires your disciple. Why not let them tie the knot like a good marriage between the states of Qin and Jin8?"
The Emei Sect Leader was shocked. "But my disciple has already..."
Before she could finish, Rong Yi interjected, "A ghost marriage is still a marriage."
The Emei Sect Leader suddenly realised and nodded satisfactorily, "That would be best." In this way, the reputation of the Emei Sect and Huamei's chastity could be preserved while also allowing her to vent her anger. This incident would make the Huashan Sect unable to raise their heads in front of the Emei Sect forever.
The Emei Sect Leader gained a few more points of admiration for Rong Yi.
The Huashan Sect Leader deeply regretted it. If he had proposed marriage instead of chasing away his disciples after learning the truth, the outcome would have been completely different. He had not expected that this young girl was not only incredibly skilled in martial arts but also extremely intelligent. The younger generations will surely surpass them in time!
After settling the grievances between the Emei and Huashan Sect, Rong Yi asked again, "Who killed the Tang Sect disciples?"
The Emei Sect Leader remained expressionless.
Very good, Elder Buddhist Nun. You have not lost your composure. It seems that someone else has killed the Tang Sect disciples. Rong Yi stared coldly at the crowd, and just as her patience was about to run out, a person whose face was covered in black blood and whose gender was hard to tell stepped forward.
"It was me."
From his clothing, Rong Yi could easily recognise him as a member of the Tang Sect.
"I knew that you, Tang Sect, were unreasonable. You even have to drag the entire jianghu1 down with you for your internal strife." Rong Yi shook her head helplessly and continued, "That's why my Dad wanted to destroy the Tang Sect back then. It was truly for the benefit of the jianghu1! The reason why such a disaster didn't happen twenty years ago was because my Dad nipped the root of the disaster in the bud."
Fu Chengfeng rolled his eyes at the side. Such a catastrophe didn't happen twenty years ago because an even bigger catastrophe had happened. In the face of the calamity caused by the Mojiao, this kind of minor internal conflict wouldn't even register. But he had to admit that the years when Chu Changge roamed in the jianghu1 were indeed one of the most unified periods among the major sects.
The rest of the people present were all shocked at the amount of information contained in the sentence, 'My Dad wanted to destroy the Tang Sect back then'.
Twenty years ago, the destruction of the Tang Sect, dad......
Yun Hendong was the first to react.
"You're Chu Changge's daughter!"
Rong Yi smiled slightly and asked, "Don't you feel honoured to send people to hunt down Chu Changge's daughter?"
Yun Hendong's legs grew weak. If Chu Changge's daughter's martial arts skills were already this impressive, then what kind of level must her father have reached?
As Yun Hendong's legs weakened, so did the others involved in the mass brawl. They were now dishevelled and confused. However, at that moment, all the animosity between them dissipated. Rong Yi's presence had miraculously caused them to exchange their weapons of war for gifts of jade and silk9 as they stood together on the same side before moving to Yun Hendong's side. On the other hand, the expressions of Yun Nitian and Qin Muzhi were contrary to those of others. They seemed very excited, especially Yun Nitian, whose face showed a mad smile.
A noob translator, きつね, translated this noob translation. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.site. If you read this in another location other than the site stated, it has been taken without the translator's permission. Please don't support this kind of act.
"Hahahaha." Fu Chengfeng laughed out loud and teased, "Oh, Yi-er, your existence is a blessing to the jianghu1. As soon as you reveal your identity, they immediately become friends, which is much more effective than your previous ghost marriage trick."
Rong Yi also laughed and said, "Yes. If I had known that, I wouldn't have wasted my words just now." Her expression showed her helplessness.
"Why are you here at Moon Manor?" Yun Hendong asked.
Rong Yi replied, "You wanted to seek revenge on Fu Chengfeng. Since he wanted to come here, I just followed him."
Yun Hendong: "What is your relationship with Fu Chengfeng?"
"What do you think?" Rong Yi smiled extremely ambiguously.
Yun Hendong immediately understood Yuxi's implication, and his expression turned extremely grim. However, he quickly regained his composure and thought: so what if she is Chu Changge's daughter? Even with her exceptional skills, she won't be able to withstand the combined force of four fists. She is bound to lose. If Chu Changge seeks revenge in the future, we will take care of him as well. With the support of the major sects, what is there to fear?
After some deliberation, Yun Hendong decided to stop being polite to Rong Yi. She and Fu Chengfeng were both responsible for Ni-er's death. Now that Fu Chengfeng had been infected by Rong Yi, he had not yet fallen into the evil path, and his potential had not been stimulated, so he was not Yun Hendong's opponent.
Rong Yi saw the murderous intent in Yun Hendong's eyes and curled her lips in contempt. She looked at Fu Chengfeng and asked, "Shall we go together?"
Fu Chengfeng laughed arrogantly and said, "No need. I alone am enough to deal with them."
"Are you sure?" Rong Yi frowned. She alone could hardly handle that many people, and as far as she knew, his martial arts skills were inferior to hers.
Rong Yi soon realised she was wrong.
Fu Chengfeng's strength was not only not inferior to hers but was far beyond her reach.
No wonder he was her father's junior while she was only her father's daughter. There was a clear generation gap between them.
But what was going on with his sword, though?
Yun Hendong also realised that he was wrong. Fu Chengfeng had indeed been infected by Rong Yi and had not fallen into the evil path, but that did not mean that his potential had not been stimulated.
Fu Chengfeng had not fallen into the path of evil but into the path of the sword.
He had reached the realm of unity between man and sword.
Indeed, in the state of unity between man and sword, if one fell into the demonic path, the sword controlled the man, making him a slave to killing—an enslaved servant of the sword. But in the path of the sword, the person controlled it, making it a servant of the wielder—a loyal servant protecting its master.
Within ten rounds, Yun Hendong was defeated, barely protecting his heart with a breath of his true energy.
"Why did you seduce Ni-er and abandon her in the end?" Yun Hendong asked.
Hearing these words, Rong Yi's heart suddenly ached. This might be the last question Yun Hendong would ask in his life, and he chose to ask it on behalf of his daughter. Regardless of victory or defeat, he had sought justice for Yun Ni.
Unfortunately, this might not be the justice she, or 'he', wanted.
"He did not abandon Yun Ni," a voice spoke behind Yun Hendong.
Yun Hendong was intimately familiar with this voice. It was none other than his daughter, Yun Ni.
Yun Hendong turned around, but all he saw was Yun Nitian.
"Tian-er, where is your younger sister?" Yun Hendong asked as he looked at Yun Nitian with hollow eyes.
"She has long been dead!" Yun Nitian's eyes gleamed with madness. He slowly approached Yun Hendong, step by step, and continued, "Just because I didn't have exceptional talent and couldn't inherit your martial arts, which would have tarnished your reputation, you abandoned me in the mountains. If Yun Ni hadn't suddenly come to the mountains when she was ten, I might have been trapped there for the rest of my life."
Yun Hendong suddenly seemed to remember something and exclaimed in surprise, muttering: When Ni-er was ten years old, she fell off a cliff. She survived but lost her memory and underwent a tremendous transformation...
"You are right. She didn't survive at all. She was buried at the bottom of the cliff long ago. That person is me. I've been 'Yun Ni' for eight years! I hate you. I hate you to the core! Everything I've done, framing Fu Chengfeng, making him fall into the path of evil, using his hand to kill you, it's all for today, for you to fall before me. From today onwards, the master of Moon Manor will no longer be you but me, Yun Nitian!"
Upon hearing the truth, Yun Hendong seemed to age ten years instantly. The martial arts leader's radiance faded from his face, and he looked at Fu Chengfeng with a complex expression. He said, "If Ni-er is not Ni-er, then you..." He found it difficult to continue his words.
Fu Chengfeng raised an eyebrow. "I've said it before, I never laid a hand on Yun Ni." Then, he added, "I have no such inclinations." As he thought about it, Fu Chengfeng suddenly recalled his senior brother, Yu Tianli. It seemed... as if... it was possible... that he was the one who had defiled 'Yun Ni'?
That person wouldn't be so depraved as to indulge in such behaviour, would he?
Fu Chengfeng's face turned extremely ugly.
Yun Hendong thought Fu Chengfeng's pale and conflicted expression was due to being falsely accused, causing Yun Hendong to cough up a few mouthfuls of blood in shame. He said, "Young Warrior Fu, it is this old man who is blind and has falsely accused you."
Fu Chengfeng regained his composure and quickly replied, "Humans are not saints; how can they be free of mistakes? Leader Yun, please don't blame yourself."
Rong Yi also nodded, hooked her arm around Fu Chengfeng's, and said, "Now that everything's settled, let's leave."
"Where to?"
"To your home."
"What are we going to do at my home?"
"Take an inventory of your property and then come to my home to propose marriage."
"...... you even thought of that for me. You really are my better half."
"Of course!" Rong Yi beamed with pride.
Fu Chengfeng's face was filled with black lines. This girl really was quite eccentric.
After walking a few steps, Fu Chengfeng suddenly stopped. "Wait, there's something I forgot to do."
Rong Yi turned to look at him in confusion, only to see him walk over to Yun Hendong and strike him in the back with his left palm, followed by a heavy blow to Yun Nitian with his right hand. Then he said with satisfaction, "Now that you two are equal, you may begin your duel."
After healing Yun Hendong's wounds, he then injured Yun Nitian. Rong Yi smiled speechlessly and said, "I find you're strange too."
"Birds of a feather flock together. How else would you have gotten my attention?" Fu Chengfeng didn't refute her statement in the slightest.
Rong Yi glared at him with feigned anger, then smiled and said, "You seem to have forgotten to do one more thing."
Fu Chengfeng: "What is it?'"
"Yun Nitian has another accomplice."
"Oh, that's already been taken care of."
"Really?" Rong Yi looked at Qin Muzhi in confusion, only to see him standing motionless with a face full of shock as if he had been severely traumatised. He didn't even have the strength to fall to the ground. "When did you do it?" Why didn't she notice?
"The move I used to hurt Yun Nitian was called 'Punching the Cow Over the Mountain'." Fu Chengfeng explained.
Rong Yi suddenly understood. No wonder Yun Nitian's weak little body could withstand Fu Chengfeng's fatal blow. It turned out that he was just collateral damage; Qin Muzhi was the real target.
"Speaking of which, you're the one who forgot to do something," Fu Chengfeng added.
"Me?" She was here for no particular reason, so how could she have forgotten anything?
"You forgot to ask these esteemed heroes if they would like to join forces to remove the disaster from the jianghu1," he clarified.
"To remove the disaster from the jianghu1...... Are you saying I'm a disaster?!"
"Rosy cheeks ― water of disaster10, I'm complimenting you on your beauty."
"..." Rong Yi rolled her eyes at him, but her heart was secretly happy. She turned to the various sect leaders and said, "This girl's heart is in a good mood and doesn't want to fight today. How about you guys? Are your hearts in a good mood?"
The crowd was quick to respond: "Very good, extremely good."
"Hmm. That's good." Rong Yi smiled with satisfaction and jumped onto Fu Chengfeng's shoulder, exclaiming, "Carry me!"
Fu Chengfeng instinctively put his hands behind his back and grabbed her, exasperatedly asking, "Do you think I'm a horse?!"
"You were already *my horse to begin with!" Rong Yi chuckled and whispered softly in his ear, "Fuma11."[*]
Fu Chengfeng laughed along with her, wondering if he should address Chu Changge as 'Senior Brother' or 'Uncle' when they met.
"Tell me, why do you think Qin Muzhi wanted to help Yun Yitian?"
"Didn't you see the shock on his face?" Fu Chengfeng countered.
Rong Yi was stunned momentarily, then exclaimed, "You mean Qin Muzhi was tricked by 'Yun Ni'?"
Liu Yidao, Qin Muzhi, and that clueless Yu Tianli... Oh my God, how many men have that man seduced?
I wonder if Fu Chengfeng was ever seduced by him.
As if aware of Rong Yi's thoughts, Fu Chengfeng said: "My orientation is normal; you personally tested it."
Rong Yi blushed and said, "I forgot!"
"Oh. I'll test you again tonight, then."
"......" This fellow starts being shameless again.
After Rong Yi and Fu Chengfeng left, Yun Nitian and Yun Hendong were locked in a life-or-death battle. However, none of the martial artists present were watching the fight. They were all staring at the backs of Rong Yi and Fu Chengfeng as they walked away, a thought forming in their minds in unison: It would be best for such a divine couple to retire from the jianghu1 and live a peaceful life. Please, don't ever come back.
The end.
Footnotes Full List
- lit. rivers and lakes—people who wander from place to place and live by their wits, e.g. fortune tellers, quack doctors, itinerant entertainers, etc., who are regarded as a social group
- An interesting fact about the 3 sects, Qingcheng, Huashan and Emei, is that they are named after mountains: Mount Qingcheng, Mount Huashan and Mount Emei. They probably originated from these areas.
- fu=father, huang=emperor
- Chinese idiom: When those above behave unworthily, those below will do the same or bad superiors produce bad subordinates.
- (martial arts) senior fellow student of one's teacher in a martial arts school (including women)
- Chinese idiom: speaking maliciously or making hurtful remarks about others
- lit. to draw on the eyebrows/(bird species of China) Chinese hwamei (Garrulax canorus).
The Chinese hwamei or melodious laughingthrush is a passerine bird of eastern Asia in the laughingthrush family Leiothrichidae. The name "hwamei" comes from its Chinese name 畫眉, which means "painted eyebrow", referring to the distinctive marking around the bird's eyes. - Wikipedia
- figuratively to refer to a happy and successful marriage. It can also be used to describe any kind of close and harmonious relationship, such as a business partnership or a friendship.
- Chinese idiom: turning enmity into friendship
- (fig) charming beauty that makes men fall and leads to disasters; dangerous woman; femme fatale
- husband of the Emperor's daughter; Emperor's son-in-law
- Fuma is written as 驸马. 驸 (fù) also means additional horse other than the 'Prince Consort', while 马 (mǎ) literally means horse. That's why Rong Yi called Fu Chengfeng her horse.
きつね's Musing
We have finally reached the final chapter of the side story. The last chapter of the novel will be the extra story for the main story, which is supposed to be published before the side story, but my raw source doesn't have the chapter, and I found it on another site. We'll be meeting the old characters again. 🥰
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