Fei Feng Mountain Peak.
Night descended, and all was quiet.
The elders Yan Chou and Lin Ruofu, having just seen off their relatives and friends, finally found a moment of peace to secretly light up a cigarette.
Looking down from the mountaintop, the myriad lights of Rongcheng city were spread out before their eyes.
Today was also the first day Yan Chou was out of prison. For over a decade, he had not had the chance to appreciate such a beautiful scene.
“Brother-in-law, Zi Tong will be in your care from now on,” Lin Ruofu said with a smile.
Yan Chou patted his chest. “Rest assured.”
Unexpectedly, Lin Ruofu sighed. “I am relieved, and I trust you all. However, there are some matters concerning Zi Tong that I must clarify with you.”
Yan Chou took a drag from his cigarette, holding the smoke in his lungs for a long time before exhaling:
“You mean, the matter of Zi Tong’s fated mortal peril?”
Lin Ruofu was taken aback. “You know of this matter?”
“Zi Tong is destined for the Zi Wei star. Even the Daoists on Kunlun Mountain dare not casually scry her fate. But I, a descendant of Lu Ban, have encountered many strange occurrences while traveling the jianghu, and thus have ways to deal with all manner of things. I have already foreseen Zi Tong’s fate and found a way to break it.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Ruofu was overjoyed.
His daughter’s mortal peril had troubled him for many years. Even the Sect Leader of Lü Mountain Sect, Lü Jingsheng, had no solution.
Today, to hear Yan Chou speak of a way to resolve it was undoubtedly like a ray of dawn to Lin Ruofu.
“What method do you have, brother-in-law?” Lin Ruofu asked urgently.
A hint of determination appeared on Yan Chou’s face:
“My method will likely cause the young couple some hardship, but there is no other way. Even if they endure great suffering, as long as Zi Tong can survive, there is still hope for everything.”
“You are right,” Lin Ruofu said, seemingly sensing Yan Chou’s helplessness. He could only nod. “They have just gotten married, but present hardship is for future sweetness. Brother-in-law, please tell me, what do you need me to do?”
Yan Chou did not conceal anything, slowly recounting what he knew.
As Lin Ruofu listened, his emotions shifted from shock to acceptance. A myriad of conflicts flickered in his eyes, but in the end, he chose to compromise.
After Yan Chou finished speaking, Lin Ruofu took a deep breath. “Understood. I will cooperate.”
“This is all for their own good.”
Yan Chou finished speaking, flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, and crushed it with his foot.
“I have some matters to attend to. Brother-in-law, please rest early. I’ll be going now.”
Lin Ruofu nodded. “You go ahead. I’ll stay here for a moment to quiet my thoughts.”
“Yes.”
After their conversation, both men felt a sense of heaviness. Yan Chou walked away with a ponderous gait, while Lin Ruofu sat down on a stone stump, feeling as if a mountain of ten thousand tons had settled upon his shoulders.
Descending from Fei Feng Mountain Peak, Yan Chou found a secluded corner.
He clasped his hands together, blew into his palms, and emitted a call resembling that of a cuckoo.
Soon, three men emerged from the surrounding woods.
If Yan Shouyi were present, he would have recognized them as members of the Thirteen Taibao of Xuan Shan.
However, during their introductions, Yan Chou had not even mentioned their full names, only referring to them as “A Xiao,” “San Long,” and “La Li Tou.”
The three men were no longer as upright as before. They had changed into night-stalking attire, and walked with an unconscious tiptoe and stooped posture, making no sound.
“Big Brother.”
A Xiao cupped his fists. “Today is Shou Yi’s grand wedding day. Why are you not celebrating with everyone, but instead making us come here in the dead of night to see you?”
Yan Chou smiled, took out his cigarette case, and distributed cigarettes to the three men as he spoke:
“I called you here because I have something to ask of you.”
The three men took the cigarettes and replied without hesitation, “Big Brother, just command us.”
Yan Chou took out his lighter, cupped his hand to shield the wind, and lit the cigarette in his mouth, then said:
“I’ll be direct. Although Tong Jingcheng bullied my son quite a bit, many of his ideas align with mine. Moreover, he is a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Lü Mountain Sect. It would be a pity for him to die just like that.”
The three men pondered. “Big Brother, you wish to recruit Tong Jingcheng?”
“Precisely.”
“But Tong Jingcheng is already dead…”
“His soul has not dispersed. Reviving him is quite easy,” Yan Chou flicked away some ash. “If the Lü Mountain Sect handles him, the outcome will likely not be good. Therefore, tonight, I hope you can go to the Lü Mountain Sect’s ancestral hall and bring back Tong Jingcheng’s soul, which is being suppressed there, to me.”
The three men understood Yan Chou’s intentions and asked no further questions. They simply cupped their fists towards Yan Shouyi and turned to depart.
“Wait.”
Yan Chou suddenly called out to them. “Lü Mountain Sect’s Lü Jingsheng is not someone to be trifled with. Do not underestimate him. When you go to Lü Mountain Sect, try to avoid direct contact with Lü Jingsheng. If necessary… you know what to do.”
“We understand.”
…
Deep into the night.
In the sect’s ancestral hall within Lü Mountain Sect’s three districts and seven alleys.
The Second Elder, Tong Jiuhua, bid farewell to Lü Jingsheng and sent everyone else away from the hall.
He looked at the memorial tablet suppressed by chains and Daoist talismans, his heart heavy.
He wished to spend some time alone with his master.
Tong Jingcheng was a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Lü Mountain Sect. Lü Jingsheng’s current position as Sect Leader should have belonged to Tong Jingcheng.
To Tong Jiuhua, Tong Jingcheng was not only his master but also his father.
The deeper his feelings for Tong Jingcheng, the more pain he felt now.
“Master, since childhood, you have taught me to serve the world and care for all living beings. Yet, you intend to sacrifice the lives of the people of Rongcheng for personal affection… You have lost your way!”
Tong Jiuhua poured out his heart to Tong Jingcheng’s memorial tablet.
He blamed Tong Jingcheng for violating the very principles he had taught him.
This shook Tong Jiuhua’s beliefs over the years.
Tong Jiuhua had not attended Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong’s wedding tonight, as he felt he had no face to show Lin Zitong.
“Foolish! So foolish!…”
To relieve his distress, Tong Jiuhua took out a pot of wine. He poured a cup for Tong Jingcheng and then drank the rest himself with gulps.
Before long, Tong Jiuhua, completely drunk, collapsed onto a futon. Though unconscious, he muttered incessantly.
The candlelight before the memorial tablet flickered for a moment, then returned to its calm state.
Behind Tong Jiuhua, three figures appeared.
They were A Xiao, San Long, and La Li Tou.
Seeing that Tong Jiuhua was drunk, they let down their guard. Upon seeing Tong Jingcheng’s memorial tablet before them, they rejoiced.
“I thought coming to Lü Mountain Sect would be like entering a dragon’s den and a tiger’s lair, but it turned out to be so effortless!”
“Enough nonsense. Quickly take the memorial tablet and leave here. Did you forget what Big Brother said?”
“Oh, I know, stop chirping!”
La Li Tou rushed forward, grabbed the memorial tablet with one hand, and was about to tuck it into his embrace when he suddenly felt a chill behind him.
“How dare you trespass into the Lü Mountain Sect’s ancestral hall! What do you intend to do with my master’s soul!”
Tong Jiuhua, who had seemed completely drunk, had surprisingly sobered up. He picked up a whisk and appeared behind La Li Tou!
La Li Tou realized he was in trouble and grabbed a token, throwing it to A Xiao.
San Long said, “A Xiao, you go first. La Li Tou and I will deal with this fellow!”
A Xiao, remembering his mission, did not linger for his brothers. Holding the memorial tablet, he rushed out of the hall and, in the blink of an eye, was gone from the three districts and seven alleys.
Tong Jiuhua still had alcohol in his system and could barely stand steady. He was powerless to pursue them.
He watched helplessly as his master’s soul was stolen, his rage erupting. He could only vent his anger on San Long and La Li Tou!
Unexpectedly, San Long and La Li Tou had no intention of fleeing.
Although their faces were masked, Tong Jiuhua could sense them looking at him with sinister smiles.
…
This night.
Tong Jiuhua, the Second Elder of the Lü Mountain Sect, died in the ancestral hall.
Tong Jingcheng’s soul vanished without a trace.
When Lü Jingsheng and Lü Jing arrived at the scene, they found only a messily ransacked ancestral hall and the cold corpse of Tong Jiuhua.
“Who did this?!” Lü Jing asked the patrolling disciples in extreme anger, demanding answers.
But the disciples all stated that they had not seen any outsiders enter the sect.
Lü Jingsheng gazed at Tong Jiuhua’s body, speechless for a long time.
Lü Jing could not help but exclaim, “Senior Brother, will you not say anything or do anything!”
Finally, after a long silence, Lü Jingsheng merely sighed, his gaze lowered, as if he had aged decades in an instant:
“The heavens decree it. We are but ants.”
“What do you mean by that?!”
Lü Jingsheng hesitated for a moment before saying to Lü Jing, “Junior Brother, you have always desired my position as Sect Leader. Today, I shall pass the position of Sect Leader to you.”
“Wha-what?!” Lü Jing was completely bewildered as to why Lü Jingsheng would do this.
He had harbored suspicions about Lü Jingsheng before, but now that the truth was revealed, Lü Jing had decided to follow Lü Jingsheng diligently in managing the sect.
But now, Lü Jingsheng was suddenly stepping down. What was going on?
Lü Jingsheng continued, “From this day forward, I am no longer a member of the Lü Mountain Sect. Everything I do will be unrelated to the Lü Mountain Sect. You manage the Lü Mountain Sect well and do not fail the expectations of our ancestors.”
“Senior Brother, I don’t understand…”
“It’s better that you don’t understand! Don’t understand!”
Lü Jingsheng’s mind was made up. He dropped the Sect Leader’s token, took off his long robes, removed the Daoist cap from his head, and, dressed in plain clothes, strode out of the Lü Mountain Sect.
All the disciples stared blankly at this scene, none daring to intervene.
In a single night, the Second Elder died, and the Sect Leader abandoned the sect.
Even Lü Jing himself could not fully accept it, let alone the disciples.
Although everyone did not understand what had happened or why Lü Jingsheng had left the Lü Mountain Sect, in their daze, they all felt a sense of impending doom, as if a great event concerning the world was about to unfold.