Chapter 48: The Wuliang Matter Ends—And We Depart!
Zhong Ling felt a strong closeness to the man before her.
Perhaps it was the life-saving moment on the beam earlier that left her with a deep fondness for this older “big brother.”
Fang Han smiled faintly. He wasn’t surprised at the girl’s identity.
There was no need to be surprised over something he had already guessed.
He gave a slight nod but didn’t follow her words and call her Ling’er. Instead, he addressed her as “Miss Zhong.”
First, it wasn’t proper to call a young lady by her personal or childhood name so directly.
Second—his own wife was right beside him. Calling another girl “Ling’er” so intimately—what would that look like?
Then he turned to Cheng Lingsu and said, “Now that everything is settled here, let’s leave.”
The purpose of joining this chaotic spectacle was to settle the hatred in his heart. Now that Zuo Zimu, Yu Guangbiao, and Gong Guangjie were all dead—there was no reason to stay.
Moreover, he had absorbed the inner strength of more than ten people. The internal energy now stored in his body was even more abundant than his own Beiming True Qi (北冥真气).
He needed to find a place to properly refine it.
Even though refining wasn’t strictly necessary—he would be fine without it.
The energy stored within him already belonged to him completely.
But once refined, all of that power would convert into Beiming True Qi, seamlessly merging with his own and becoming effortlessly controlled.
This would be extremely beneficial for advancing his martial cultivation.
Cheng Lingsu gave a slight nod. She naturally followed Fang Han’s lead.
She turned to Zhong Ling and asked, “Miss Zhong, my husband and I are leaving. Would you like to come along?”
Zhong Ling, noticing they didn’t call her “Ling’er,” felt slightly disappointed.
Do they not really like me…?
But hearing Cheng Lingsu’s words, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she quickly agreed.
Truthfully, she had wanted to stay behind and watch more of the drama.
But in the end, she chose to follow the big brother and sister in front of her.
Partly because she genuinely wanted to get closer to them.
And partly because the situation here was chaotic—it would be unsafe for her to remain alone.
If the Wuliang Sword Sect couldn’t take down that big brother, they might vent their anger on her—and that would be bad.
She wasn’t without tricks of her own, but against such overwhelming numbers—how could she possibly endure that? Better to follow this big brother and slip away openly and safely.
“Alright, let’s head down the mountain together.”
Fang Han nodded. He and Cheng Lingsu began to walk away, and Zhong Ling hurried after them.
Her eyes darted playfully. With a grin, she said, “So big brother and sister are husband and wife~ What a perfect match~”
She had clearly heard Cheng Lingsu address Fang Han as “husband” earlier.
Her face wore a smile, but deep down, she felt something strange—a feeling she couldn’t quite name.
Fang Han chuckled and nodded earnestly. “Indeed a perfect match. I think so too.”
Cheng Lingsu’s cheeks flushed slightly. She gave Fang Han a light push, motioning for him to stop saying such embarrassing things.
But the corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly—clearly, she was in a very good mood.
Then she turned to Zhong Ling and, seeing the girl’s clever and adorable demeanor, found herself growing fond of her.
Zhong Ling giggled a few times.
She thought this big brother was quite amusing.
Glancing at Cheng Lingsu, she reached into a small pouch at her waist and pulled out some sunflower seeds. “Sister, want some seeds? They’re delicious~”
Cheng Lingsu wrinkled her elegant nose and gave them a light sniff. She remarked in surprise, “Fried with snake gall? That’s good stuff.”
Sunflower seeds fried with snake gall had many benefits—clearing the liver, improving vision, and even enhancing internal energy cultivation.
Cheng Lingsu studied Zhong Ling for a moment and thought, This little girl carries quite a few rare items. I wonder which sect she comes from…
She didn’t realize Zhong Ling was just as surprised.
“Sister, how did you know?” she asked, eyes wide in amazement.
These seeds had been specially prepared by her mother using snake gall. She ate them often and knew they worked just as Cheng Lingsu said.
But she hadn’t explained any of that—yet Cheng Lingsu had identified them instantly.
Zhong Ling was deeply impressed.
Cheng Lingsu saw the girl’s round, curious eyes and couldn’t help but giggle. “What’s so hard to know? The scent of snake gall is unmistakable—just a whiff, and you can tell.”
She can tell just by smelling? That’s no ordinary skill… Zhong Ling thought. *This sister must be highly skilled in qihuang medicine.*¹
Just then, Fang Han turned back to glance at them. Zhong Ling blinked playfully and smiled like a blooming flower. She reached out her hand as if offering a gift and said, “Big brother, you try some too~”
As they chatted, the three of them had already walked a fair distance away.
Naturally, the disciples of the Wuliang Sword Sect noticed their departure.
But no one dared step forward to stop them.
In fact, they secretly wished they’d leave faster, go far away—and never show up again!
Even Xin Shuangqing from the West Branch breathed a deep sigh of relief.
He’s finally gone… Seems he really did just come to settle old scores.
But then she remembered the matter with the Shennong Gang—and the trouble it would bring.
Her thoughts grew tangled.
The Shennong Gang wasn’t known for top-tier martial skills. The disciples of Wuliang Sword Sect, from both East and West branches, had all trained in swordplay.
Though not all were experts, when they worked together—they didn’t fear the Shennong Gang.
In fact, they might even overpower them!
But the real problem was that the Shennong Gang specialized in poison.
Just look at what happened to Junior Brother Rong.
His martial skills were second only to Senior Brother Zuo—and even she couldn’t easily defeat him.
Yet he fell to the Shennong Gang’s poison.
It was utterly unavoidable and impossible to defend against.
No matter how she pondered it, she found no solution.
All she could do was order the disciples to be on high alert and prepare for conflict with the Shennong Gang.
The martial artists who had come to witness the ceremony all saw what had happened—and realized that a life-and-death battle between the Wuliang Sword Sect and the Shennong Gang was inevitable.
None of them wanted to get involved in such murky waters.
One after another, they bade Xin Shuangqing farewell and left.
Ma Wude walked up to Duan Yu, who was still sitting with his eyes closed, chanting Buddhist scriptures.
His expression was helpless.
He didn’t really know Duan Yu well.
It was just that Duan Yu had wandered into his teahouse and, hearing that Ma was going to the Wuliang Mountain to witness a grand ceremony, asked to come along.
It hadn’t seemed like a big deal at the time, so Ma Wude agreed.
He never expected… so many things would happen.
He said to Duan Yu, “Young Master Duan, I’m sure you heard what just happened. In a little while, trouble will stir again. This is no place to linger. You’d best leave soon.”
Duan Yu opened his eyes upon hearing Ma Wude’s words and gave a nod.
He offered a brief farewell and then walked off slowly.
But in his heart, he thought: The Shennong Gang? Alas, how pitiful! Why must there always be bloodshed and killing? I must go visit the Shennong Gang, try to persuade them. Heaven cherishes all life—if I succeed, perhaps we can avoid disaster.
The disciples of the Wuliang Sword Sect saw him leave—but didn’t stop him.
In theory, if they couldn’t take down that demon, they could at least handle this powerless fool, right?
But Duan Yu had earlier spoken up for the Wuliang Sect—that was truly returning kindness for enmity.
They couldn’t bring themselves to harm him now.
Otherwise, wouldn’t they be a laughingstock among the martial world?
And so—people left, one after another.
Thus, the Wuliang Sword Sect’s grand event, held once every five years, came to an abrupt and quiet end.
🍃🍃🍃
📌 Footnotes:
- 岐黄之道 (qí huáng zhī dào)
Literal: “The Way of Qi and Huang.”
Explanation: Refers to the study of traditional Chinese medicine. Qi Bo and Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor) are legendary figures in TCM. The phrase symbolizes deep knowledge in healing arts, herbal medicine, and acupuncture.
- 岐黄之道 (qí huáng zhī dào)