In mid-April, Feng Lingjun hurried back to his sect, weary from his travels. The guarding disciples of Yunhua Sect saw him and helped him with his horse, whispering in his ear a detailed report of recent events.
In fact, Feng Lingjun had already heard some news on his way back.
Two years ago, the Wulin Alliance stormed the headquarters of the demonic cult, successfully dismantling its stronghold. Unfortunately, peace in the martial world did not last long, as remnants of the demonic cult returned, establishing a new base and appointing a new cult leader.
It is worth mentioning that the new leader is none other than a traitor who once defected from the Yunhua Sect, Feng Lingjun’s martial uncle, Qin Qing.
In Feng Lingjun’s memory, martial uncle Qin Qing was a person with immense ambition, who was obsessed with martial arts in his early years. He was willing to go to any lengths to master an unparalleled skill, including colluding with the demonic sect, betraying his own school, and merged Yunhua Sect’s secret internal cultivation technique with the demonic cult’s evil arts, creating an extremely sinister and malevolent branch of martial arts. Before he could fully master it, he was discovered and subsequently betrayed his master and fled.
That year, Feng Lingjun was not yet fourteen, but his master’s earth-shattering fury left a deep impression on him. Later, his master personally went after Qin Qing, crippling his martial arts. Out of consideration for past ties, he spared Qin Qing’s life, and from then on, Qin Qing disappeared without a trace.
Until the battle between the Wulin Alliance and the Demonic Cult two years ago, there were rumours that the long-missing Qin Qing had been seen. It was said that he had used some secret technique to not only restore his martial arts but also to advance his power to a new level.
This is merely a rumour, and its truth is hard to ascertain.
Then, less than half a year later, Qin Qing made a high-profile appearance, declaring his intention to take down each and every righteous sect and eradicate the Wulin Alliance, aiming to unify the Jianghu.
Qin Qing is a man of his word. In the year and a half since, he has committed numerous heinous acts. Yet, he moves in secrecy, often committing crimes overnight and disappearing without a trace before dawn, making it seem as if there isn’t even a single member of the cult in the world, let alone finding their stronghold.
The leader of the Wulin Alliance was quite troubled by this matter. After several inquiries, he finally found some information and began to prepare for another crackdown on the Demonic Cult. When Feng Lingjun and Wang Zizhao rushed to Wangchun Mountain, their plan had not yet been executed, and Feng Lingjun had been lost in a drunken stupor in the mountains for several days. By the time he descended, the situation had already escalated.
“Qin Qing has issued a challenge to the Wulin Alliance, calling for a martial arts competition. If no one can defeat him, he will take the position of the alliance leader… Alliance Leader Zhao’s old injuries have not healed from the battle two years ago, so he naturally cannot fight. I heard from Senior Brother Wang that the Wulin Alliance has discussed this several times but couldn’t reach a conclusion. Here they are, blocking the way for three days already, demanding to go up to Buxu Peak, calling for the sect master to come out of seclusion and personally ‘clean house1Asking the sect master to clean up their sect’s household matters, because Qin Qing used to be from Yunhua Sect.’. Senior Brother Feng, what should we do?”
Feng Lingjun listened silently, his expression remained unchanged as he walked forward, passing through several doors, and unexpectedly ran into Wang Zizhao, who was coming to meet him.
“Senior Brother! You’re finally back!” Wang Zizhao looked pale, and upon seeing Feng Lingjun, it was as if he had found a saviour. He waved away the guarding disciples and pulled Feng Lingjun into a small path, acting furtively, lowered his voice and said, “Don’t go over there yet, it’s crowded with people…”
“……” Feng Lingjun frowned, “What’s going on?”
Wang Zizhao snorted dismissively and said, “What else could it be? I heard that not long ago, that old scoundrel Qin Qing has mastered his dark arts. No one wants to go up against him and get beaten, but the Wulin Alliance can’t just hide like cowards. They have to send someone to face him, so what can they do? They turn to us. If you ask me, all this talk of “cleaning house” is nonsense. Qin Qing was expelled from the sect ages ago. Master had even crippled his martial arts. Whatever evil techniques he’s practising now has nothing to do with Yunhua Sect. Isn’t that right, Senior Brother?”
Feng Lingjun did not give a clear answer, only asking, “What does the battle challenge say? Is there a deadline?”
“Six months, at most six months,” Wang Zizhao replied. “Master has been in seclusion at Buxu Peak for over two years now. If we calculate the time, six months should be about right. But what if he can’t exit smoothly..”
Wang Zizhao paused for a moment: “In any case, now is not the time, we can’t disturb him.”
Feng Lingjun naturally understood this. He was more aware than anyone of the seriousness of the situation. Before his master entered seclusion, he had talked with him all night, repeatedly instructing him to take good care of the sect. He knew that his master had gone into seclusion to gain insight into the “Pure Water Heart Sutra.” For half his life, his master had been trying to comprehend its final stage, but had never been able to break through. He even came dangerously close to suffering qi deviation, forcing him to retreat into seclusion. This was a closely guarded secret of the sect, known only to him and Wang Zizhao.
His master had said that the earliest he could come out of seclusion would be this year’s Chongyang Festival. If not, they would have to wait another year. During this time, no matter what happened, he was not to be disturbed. Feng Lingjun held his master’s orders firmly in mind, even during the Wulin Alliance’s campaign to annihilate the demonic sect two years ago, he hadn’t set foot on Buxu Peak.
“Alright, go and find Alliance Leader Zhao.” Feng Lingjun and Wang Zizhao walked around a fake rock formation and arrived at the rear courtyard residence. Feng Lingjun opened the door, then turned back to Wang Zizhao and said, “Tell him that Master will come out of seclusion around the Chongyang Festival. If not, I’ll go and face the challenge myself.”
“You?” Wang Zizhao was very shocked. “Senior Brother, that old scoundrel Qin is not easy to deal with! What if something happens to you? How am I supposed to explain that to master?!”
Feng Lingjun, displeased, replied, “How can you be so timid?”
“I—”
“Enough, stop talking. Go deal with the people outside first. I’ll rest for a while. If there’s anything else, we’ll discuss it tomorrow.”
“….”
Wang Zizhao was sent off, but he couldn’t help muttering to himself. He and Feng Lingjun had long grown accustomed to doing mischievous things together, but to his surprise, his senior brother was willing to do something so “honourable.” Senior Brother truly lived up to his status, his level of awareness was beyond that of ordinary people.
At this moment, Feng Lingjun returned to his room and suddenly thought of Chu Qian.
It had been five days since he rushed back to his sect from Wangchun Mountain. The journey was exhausting, and his mood was even more despondent. He had been in relationships before, but they never lasted long, they ended just as quickly as they began. No one had ever been like Chu Qian.
What was different? Feng Lingjun couldn’t say for sure, but he could feel that Chu Qian genuinely liked him—liked him, relied on him, and was utterly unwilling to let him go. Just the thought of Chu Qian possibly grieving over him made Feng Lingjun’s heart ache, and that feeling wasn’t easy to smooth over. It was as if a fine string had been tied to his chest, pulling him from a great distance, becoming an inescapable burden.
Feng Lingjun sighed softly and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep.
The next day, he resumed his duties. The trivial matters of the sect were manageable, but the most urgent concern remained the demonic cult. If his master didn’t emerge from seclusion in time, Feng Lingjun was willing to step forward for the Wulin Alliance and accept Qin Qing’s challenge, though things wouldn’t be that simple.
Killing Qin Qing would certainly settle the matter once and for all, but what if there was trickery involved? Or what if he lost? He had to prepare for every possible outcome.
For this reason, in the following days, Feng Lingjun worked closely with the Wulin Alliance to meticulously plan the “Vanquish Evil and Uphold the Dao” operation. He frequently travelled to monitor the movements of the demonic cult, while also diligently honing his swordsmanship, not wasting a single day.
Before he knew it, the Chongyang Festival was fast approaching. The “two or three months” he had promised to Chu Qian had long passed. On one occasion, he travelled south with Alliance Leader Zhao and others, passing through Wangchun Prefecture.
It was night, the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival hanging high in the sky. As he rode his horse, he gazed at the distant, towering mountain peak and felt a surge of tenderness in his heart.
Feng Lingjun thought, “I wonder when I’ll be able to return to that paradise. I wonder if I’ll even live to see him again.”
One can only hope.
