On the way to Chengyu Lane, Ding Songyan prioritized explaining the predicament he had been in, Yan Changqing’s deception, the abnormalities of the Ding family members, and the true identity of Ding Qingyan. Su Qingli listened, completely stunned.
"Wait, your sister is the 'Nine-Evil Demoness' Ji Hanyi?" The young girl was incredibly shocked. "Every night when I urged you to write *The Legend of the White Snake* and we chatted, she was sleeping in the inner room behind the screen, within earshot? No wonder I kept forgetting those important matters without realizing it; I thought it was just because of the ambush on the road!"
Regarding this, Ding Songyan still felt as if he were in a dream.
He echoed her sentiments and recounted the events of the day, likewise omitting the fact that he had obtained a small piece of the Remains of Chaos and the special nature of the points Ji Hanyi had touched upon.
"Wow!" Su Qingli exclaimed in amazement. "So you really were the one who killed Yan Yong? A commoner killed the most promising Grandmaster of the Absolute Saint Path to enter the Spirit Platform Realm in the last hundred years! If this were to spread, it would absolutely be a top-tier legend of the martial world, the kind that lasts for a century without fading!"
That was a lovely compliment... Reflecting on it afterward, Ding Songyan felt he had indeed gone through quite a lot, so he calmly accepted the emotional support provided by Miss Xiaoqing and curled the corners of his lips.
He gazed at the azure sky and bright sunlight, so different from North Water Street, and thought sincerely:
What is all this fighting and killing, this struggle for survival, this mystery of Kunlun or the Heavenly Emperor’s palace compared to the comfort of chatting and bragging with friends?
…………
Inside the Listening-to-Water Pavilion, two massive pillars had snapped, leaving the place in shambles.
Every punch and kick from Zhen Qianfan carried the power of surging water, like a behemoth from the depths of the sea. However, Su Chongxiao refused to engage him head-on. Combining the virtual and the real, with truth and illusion coexisting, he used the Heavenly Maiden’s Invisible Whip to counterattack from time to time, causing his opponent’s strikes to fall into empty space. Unable to lock onto his target, Zhen Qianfan felt incredibly frustrated.
In this "deep sea" environment that was becoming suffocating, Dai Shen of the Boat-Capsizing Sect was already searching for an opportunity to escape.
His plan today with Ma Hanjiang of the Small Boat Gang had been to take advantage of the gathering of experts from the True Spirit Sect, the Heavenly Maiden Sect, and the Zhen family to fully utilize the unique properties of the "Great Method of Thousand Changes and Myriad Transformations to Charm the World." They intended to make the enemies slaughter each other, strike during the chaos to eliminate important figures like Zhen Qianfan, and finally withdraw from North Water Street before the authorities could react.
Who would have thought that Lin Hansheng, the Prefect of Dingjiang Prefecture, would arrive so quickly, as if he had been prepared all along? Furthermore, Ma Hanjiang of the Small Boat Gang was mentally unstable and lost control, pursuing Ren Youyang, a disciple of the True Spirit Sect. This caused Ren Youyang, a newly minted orchid who practiced the "Useless Divine Skill," to leap into the ranks of Grandmasters and join the fray in turn.
Caught in a pincer attack between Lin Hansheng and Ren Youyang, Dai Shen dared not be reckless and began to harbor thoughts of retreat.
As for the fact that the failure of the operation would expose the collusion between the Small Boat Gang and the Boat-Capsizing Sect, leading to a grim fate, he did not care. Similar subordinates could be quietly cultivated again after some time.
Radiance lit up the void around Dai Shen once more, outlining that black-spotted, white-headed, red-beaked giant eagle whose murderous intent was as tangible as reality.
This devil of the Boat-Capsizing Sect channeled the "Great Method of Thousand Changes and Myriad Transformations to Charm the World" with all his might, intending to make Lin Hansheng’s hostility grow even more intense so that he would turn to attack Ren Youyang of the True Spirit Sect. That way, he would find a chance to escape.
As for Ren Youyang, he was now covered in golden armor, his expression solemn. He was barely affected by the "Great Method of Thousand Changes and Myriad Transformations to Charm the World," his eyes filled with a detached clarity.
The moment the phantom of the white-headed, red-beaked eagle appeared, a dim, warm sword light shot in from outside the Listening-to-Water Pavilion. It illuminated this dark place covered in illusory water waves and lit up the human hearts obscured by hostility.
The bloodlust in Zhen Qianfan’s eyes receded rapidly, and the true fire and hostility Su Chongxiao had unleashed due to the continuous attacks were extinguished.
Lin Hansheng regained his reason in time. His right fist shot out from his waist, moving from bottom to top like a dragon emerging from the water, stirring up waves of "giant surges."
The fifth transformation of the *Dragon Transformation Scripture*, "River-Overturning Transformation"!
The void’s water waves rippled, and the giant waves surged to the heavens, pulling Dai Shen’s figure until he swayed left and right, nearly losing his footing.
This forced Dai Shen to concentrate all his focus, striking out with a palm toward Lin Hansheng’s fist with all his might, his sharp claws shimmering with cold light.
On the other side, Ren Youyang, whose golden sword had been deflected, took a step and suddenly vanished from the Listening-to-Water Pavilion.
In the blink of an eye, he flew out from the darkness, appearing behind Dai Shen, and thrust his sword toward the enemy’s back.
Dai Shen was thrown into a panic, forced to unleash his ultimate techniques just to barely avoid being severely wounded.
Because of this, his momentum was spent, and a brilliant, dazzling sword light filled with cold, murderous intent suddenly lit up before his eyes.
The sword light flashed past and landed behind Dai Shen, revealing the figure of Tao Wenshu, who wore an iron crown.
Dai Shen stood frozen in place; his throat had been completely pierced, and his head was being ravaged by sword intent.
Amidst a spray of blood, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Northern Dipper Killing Sword"!
Tao Wenshu turned his gaze toward Zhen Qianfan, who had stopped fighting, and said in a deep voice:
"Zhen Qianfan, your collusion with the Absolute Saint Path has been discovered. Do you have anything to say?"
This was inferred from the fragments of Ji Hanyi’s words and Zhen Qianfan’s imprisonment of Yan Yong. Tao Wenshu wanted to hear how Zhen Qianfan would defend himself.
Zhen Qianfan’s face turned ashen in an instant. His body swayed, and he raised his right hand, smiling bitterly:
"I have nothing to say. This old man is willing to accept the consequences of losing."
He had not expected that after all his long-term planning, he would lose at the very first step, being influenced in his mind and ending up fighting the "helpers" he had specifically invited, failing even to track Yan Changqing’s escape.
This made him suddenly recall the words Yan Changqing had often said to him ten or twenty years ago: "The heart and the spirit must not be neglected, or you will surely be defeated by them," and "Your foundation is unstable, not just because of incomplete techniques, but because your state of mind is insufficient."
Seeing that Zhen Qianfan was about to commit suicide on the spot, Tao Wenshu spoke:
"Wait.
"I have some questions for you. If you can answer them honestly, I can promise you that your descendants who were not involved in the Absolute Saint Path affairs will be allowed to return home with some of your wealth to live as farmers."
Lin Hansheng felt slightly surprised, as logically and reasonably, these words should have come from him.
However, a person’s reputation is like a tree’s shadow; he knew very well what kind of person Tao Wenshu was. The fact that the other party had overstepped his bounds must have a deep meaning, and it was not convenient to ask too many questions now, so he decided to cooperate first.
After the Prefect of Dingjiang Prefecture confirmed this, Zhen Qianfan’s expression shifted several times before he laughed at himself:
"If someone else had promised this, I wouldn't believe it, but since you, Sect Master Tao, have said so, I believe you.
"What do you want to ask?"
Tao Wenshu did not ask immediately, instead turning his gaze toward Su Chongxiao:
"Mr. Chongxiao, shall we return to the Tianyang Guild Hall first?"
Su Chongxiao looked around, his gaze falling on the wooden box that had been knocked over in the depths of the Listening-to-Water Pavilion, and asked in a deep voice:
"Who gets the Huai Fruit?"
Ren Youyang, who had already "shed" his golden armor, said in a low voice:
"Miss Qingli helped me repeatedly just now, so this Huai Fruit should naturally go to her.
"As for me, it is useless anyway."
"I appreciate your generosity." Su Chongxiao cupped his hands in thanks, and without standing on ceremony, he used his movement technique to go over, pick up the wooden box, and open it to take a look.
After he left the Listening-to-Water Pavilion, Tao Wenshu looked back at Zhen Qianfan:
"How did you know that Yan Yong found the missing Kunlun, entered the Heavenly Emperor’s palace, and gained something from it?"
"The missing Kunlun?" Ren Youyang’s slightly larger canine ears twitched.
What exactly have I gotten myself involved in?
Having become a god after death, his body seemed to have changed as well; brown animal fur was visible in many places, and two small, illusory green snakes were darting in and out near his ears, forming earrings.
Hearing Tao Wenshu’s words, Lin Hansheng’s expression became solemn.
Is this confirmation that Yan Yong had been to Kunlun?
Zhen Qianfan smiled bitterly:
"That day, I received a letter stating that Yan Changqing had found Kunlun, entered the Heavenly Emperor’s palace, and obtained the Remains of Chaos and other items. I was skeptical, but based on the clues in the letter, I probed Yan Changqing, who had come to seek refuge with me, and finally confirmed the matter, which stirred my greed.
"Then, were the Remains of Chaos found?"
He still could not forget the divine object that could encompass what he had learned, make up for his foundation, and help him reach the perfection of the Dharma Realm in one go.
"It was taken by Ji Hanyi," Tao Wenshu said concisely.
Zhen Qianfan looked dazed:
"It was just taken like that? Was it hidden nearby?"
Tao Wenshu did not answer his question, instead asking:
"What about that letter?"
Zhen Qianfan gave a "heh" laugh:
"If I said that one day it suddenly disappeared, would you believe me?"
"I believe you," Tao Wenshu nodded gently.
If Yan Changqing’s remnant soul could be silenced, a letter was of no consequence.
Zhen Qianfan said sternly:
"I feel that the person who wrote that letter must also have designs on the Heavenly Emperor’s palace. I had originally hoped that this 'letting the tiger return to the mountains' would entice him, or them, to participate and become a variable in my favor. Who would have thought that from beginning to end, no suspicious person would appear."
Tao Wenshu asked about other matters, and finally said to Zhen Qianfan:
"I will certainly fulfill what I promised you."
"I believe you." Zhen Qianfan raised his right palm.
He looked around the ruined Listening-to-Water Pavilion, as if savoring the hustle and bustle of the past, the scenes where a single word could decide a person’s life or death, and the simple days of children playing at his knees.
"Sigh..."
Zhen Qianfan let out a long sigh and slammed his palm onto the top of his own head.
His skull shattered with a crack, and blood and brains splattered out together.
…………
"Second Young Master Ding, tell me, that Demoness Ji doesn't really think of you as her brother, does she? She’s clearly older than you!" Su Qingli looked at the well at the entrance of Chengyu Lane and said with great interest.
My actual age is over thirty... Ding Songyan smiled bitterly and shook his head:
"Who knows? In any case, she let me go."
"Being in contact every day, it’s inevitable that there would be some affection, and you weren't getting in her way." Su Qingli pointed toward Chengyu Lane. "I should go meet up with my second uncle. I’ll come back to say goodbye to you in the evening."
Without waiting for Ding Songyan to respond, she said with a beaming smile:
"I never expected that this journey through the martial world to broaden my horizons would lead me to encounter such exciting and far-reaching events—more incredible than all the experiences my eldest brother has had in his many years of wandering!
"Second Young Master Ding, let’s travel the martial world together in the future and keep up the good work!"
"It would be better not to encounter such dangerous things," Ding Songyan replied with a smile, watching as Miss Xiaoqing, accompanied by her maid Yunyao, hopped and skipped her way back toward North Water Street.
Feeling the small lump of the Remains of Chaos tightly gripped in his palm, he cast his gaze toward the alley entrance in the afternoon.
There were no neighbors gathered there at the moment; they were either busy working outside or doing chores at home.
Ding Songyan walked through the empty alley, where only the sound of cicadas remained, and stepped toward the Ding family courtyard.
Along the way, he saw the yellow dog Ah Hua, saw Uncle Ren tidying up firewood in the courtyard, and saw several elderly neighbors, exchanging simple greetings with them.
Returning to the gate of the Ding family courtyard, he gave it a gentle push and found that the door was not latched, opening with a creak.
In the courtyard, the elm tree, the woodpile, and the coal pile were all the same as before. There were far fewer mosquitoes and moths, and in the open main room, the tables, chairs, and wooden chests were all neatly packed, but there was no one left.
This cold silence formed a sharp contrast with the previous chaos, bloodshed, and conspiracy.
Ding Songyan was suddenly overcome by a sense of dejection—having been busy for so long, crossing mountains and ridges, only to end up all alone.
The scenery remained, but the people were gone.
He sighed softly and laughed at himself in his heart:
Everyone was acting before, and now it has ended in a performance where the curtain falls and the audience disperses.
Just then, a shout came from behind Ding Songyan:
"Second Brother Ding! Second Brother Ding!"
Ding Songyan hurriedly turned back to look and saw the shifty-eyed Xu Chang'an stepping into the courtyard gate.
This fellow asked with a face full of smiles:
"I saw that you came back early, so I don't need to go to the magistrate's office to report it, right?"
Ding Songyan paused for a moment, then laughed in a low voice:
"No need."
As soon as he finished speaking, another person walked to the courtyard gate—Zheng Zhuxi, wearing black tight-fitting clothes and carrying a long sword.
Zheng Zhuxi said with a clear and warm smile:
"I saw you leave North Water Street from the watchtower, and thinking you must be heading home, I came to take a look.
"It’s good that you’re safe, it’s good that you’re safe."
Seeing Zheng Zhuxi’s smile and seeing Xu Chang'an looking back and forth between this young girl and himself in shock, Ding Songyan suddenly closed his eyes and opened them again.
The sky seemed to have brightened a little.
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