“Is the second young master of the Tang Clan’s fate still uncertain?” Qi Zhengyan’s first reaction was to confirm the news.
The waiter nodded vigorously. “Yes. It is said that after being wounded, the second young master of the Tang Clan voluntarily jumped into the water, and the assassin jumped down as well. Neither of them has reappeared since.”
Qi Zhengyan’s expressionless face turned grave. He instructed the waiter, “Hurry out of the city and report this matter to Master Lin.”
After listening impassively, Meng Qi waited until the waiter was far away and they had returned to the backyard before asking, “Is the second young master of the Tang Clan that important?”
Qi Zhengyan slightly nodded. “He is the eldest grandson of the eldest branch. If Master Tang passes away, according to propriety, he should inherit the position of head of the family.”
“What about his father?” Meng Qi asked, puzzled.
Qi Zhengyan explained briefly, “The branch led by Master Tang is the eldest branch and has always held the position of family head. Master Tang himself has three sons and four daughters. The daughters either married into other aristocratic families or were married off to rising powers or sects. One son died of illness, another perished while traveling the world, and the remaining eldest son, Tang Da Ye, died when Tang Er Gong was still a child, having gone mad during martial arts practice. Only Tang Er Gong and the ninth young lady, Tang Jiu, remain.”
“I see,” Meng Qi finally understood the young master’s position within the Tang family. He deliberately asked, “Since he is the future head of the family, why didn’t the Tang family assign a Nine Orifices expert to protect him personally?”
Qi Zhengyan replied expressionlessly, “As the only grandson of the eldest branch, the second young master of the Tang Clan was doted on by Master Tang since childhood, becoming arrogant and domineering, indulging in luxury and excess. He never managed to master the family’s ‘River-Splitting Saber Technique,’ merely opening his eye orifice with the help of pills. Later, due to pride, he had a conflict with Ye San Gong, another young nobleman, and they agreed to a martial contest.”
“Ye San Gong stole the family’s Heaven-Viewing and Earth-Listening Pills and, prior to the duel, opened his ear orifice, humiliating Tang Er Gong with absolute superiority. It is said that he beat him to the ground where he couldn’t rise. After this incident, the prideful Tang Er Gong felt too ashamed to show his face and secretly left Yi City when the elders weren’t looking, wandering the world without a trace. Master Tang was so furious that anyone who mentioned Tang Er Gong or Tang Jing in his presence would receive a cane beating.”
Meng Qi nodded slightly. “If news of this tragedy reaches Master Tang, who is already gravely ill, he probably won’t last much longer. With the family head position vacant, internal conflicts are inevitable. Do you know which candidate the Huanhua Sect supports?”
Qi Zhengyan clasped his hands behind his back and took a few steps. “Among the other branches, only the second, fifth, and seventh masters have the capability to compete for the family head position. The fifth master has always been friendly with our sect, and Master Lin favors him.”
“Actually, I coincidentally traveled to Huanzhou on the same boat as Wan Da Gongzi and Tang Er Gong, witnessing their assassination. After learning the general situation, Meng Qi told Qi Zhengyan about his own experiences, including the final discovery of Tang Er Gong’s body and the face-covering mask, as well as his speculation that Tang Er Gong, Tang Jing, had been avoiding calamity and returning home.”
Qi Zhengyan fell into deep thought. After a long while, he said, “Cousin, your speculation should be correct. Now that you mention it, I just remember that there was a stranger inquiring about Tang Er Gong in Yi City recently, but he has disappeared these past few days.”
After successfully assassinating their target, the assassin naturally no longer needed to gather information.
“Don’t spread the news of Tang Er Gong’s death. Let the Tang family have hope to prevent sudden changes,” Meng Qi deliberated. “You’d better spread a rumor that Ye San Gong, unwilling to let his enemy return home, hired an assassin to kill Tang Er Gong and also killed Wan Da Gongzi to eliminate any witnesses.”
This kind of rumor doesn’t need to be fully believed by everyone; it only needs to plant seeds of doubt, causing potential allies to develop cracks in their relationship. After all, Ye San Gong is ruthless and has a grudge against Tang Er Gong. If Tang Er Gong returned home to inherit the family head position while Master Tang was gravely ill, he could mobilize many resources, including precious weapons. In that case, Ye San Gong would be in danger, although it might not cost him his life, but he would certainly suffer humiliation.
Qi Zhengyan nodded slightly. “Alright.”
After thinking for a moment, he advised, “You’d better not go out for a while. The current situation is very delicate; although no one dares to make the first move against me and provoke the Huanhua Sword Sect’s wrath, your identity is relatively complex. Moreover, the Ye family can’t afford to lose face either.”
If they can’t protect their guests and allow them to be openly killed within their residence, how can they expect future guests to fight for the Ye family?
Although harming relatives of the sect’s disciples would also provoke the Huanhua Sword Sect’s anger, after all, if a sect can’t protect its own disciples’ relatives, it will inevitably have issues with cohesion and unity. That’s why Li Sui didn’t kill Qi Zhengyan’s cousin when he first acted, only severing his hand and foot tendons, leaving him the possibility of living a normal life outside of martial arts. However, there are exceptions, such as when the relative was the one who provoked trouble first and was retaliated against. In such cases, the Huanhua Sword Sect might not be willing to get involved, otherwise it would be easy for someone with ill intentions to exploit this point.
“Alright, I originally came here for a peaceful life and dedicated myself to martial arts training,” Meng Qi said without any objection. Then, smiling, he looked at Qi Zhengyan, “Master Qi, it seems we haven’t sparred yet. Why don’t we do it today?”
He was eager to test the power of the “Primordial Unity Mirror.”
Qi Zhengyan’s “Primordial Unity Mirror” cultivation method was temporarily unclear, so he had been cultivating it alone. Only during the cycle tasks could he temper it a bit. With the death task approaching, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy, worrying about insufficient practical combat experience. Therefore, Meng Qi’s suggestion was exactly what he wanted, and he readily agreed, “Go to the training room.”
He had connected a row of side rooms in the backyard, turning them into a spacious training room to avoid being spied on while practicing martial arts in the yard.
The training room was paved with blue stones, on which some iron ore and other materials were scattered. Meng Qi immediately knew what they were for; they were used in conjunction with the “Earth Kunlun” cultivation method.
He didn’t say anything, took off his pack, pulled out Xie Jie, then put it aside, drew Bing Que, and held a sword in his left hand and a knife in his right, showing no sign of underestimating his opponent.
In previous battles, apart from An Guo Xie and You Huan Duo, although Meng Qi’s enemies had high cultivation levels, their martial arts skills were not up to par. Compared to most of the top ten experts on the Human List, who were based on famous martial arts techniques, their overall strength was far from sufficient. The “Primordial Unity Mirror” was listed in the Six Dao Reincarnation Master’s list of supreme martial arts techniques, comparable to the “Taishang Sword Sutra” and the “Wusheng Laomu Descent Sutra.” Meng Qi himself had just begun to learn the Eight-Nine Mystical Technique’s orifice-opening chapter. Therefore, even though Qi Zhengyan had one fewer orifice opened than him, he dared not show the slightest bit of contempt.
Qi Zhengyan drew his Dragon Pattern Red Gold Sword. Clouds and mist surrounded the sword blade, as if about to drip, with a majestic aura like waves, impacting Meng Qi.
Meng Qi knew about the “Primordial Unity Mirror” and the uniqueness of the Dragon Pattern Red Gold Sword. He operated the A-nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique’s heart method, guarding his mind internally and releasing his spirit externally. He combined the Body Seal of the Deathless Seal Method, and all the surrounding phenomena were reflected in his mind, much clearer than before. Even the flow of Qi around Qi Zhengyan and the energy movement on the Dragon Pattern Red Gold Sword could be roughly grasped.
This was the Deathless Seal Method combining spirit and Qi to detect and understand the enemy. If Meng Qi didn’t have the foundation of the Great Transformation Method at its peak, he wouldn’t have entered this realm so quickly.
Qi Zhengyan emitted rays of colorful light around him, red and fierce like fire, bright as lotus flowers, resembling a deity.
“Receive my sword!” Qi Zhengyan shouted loudly. The colorful light trembled, making his voice seem to fall from the ninth heaven, grand and lofty, directly affecting the heart and mind.
As a comprehensive supreme martial art, the “Primordial Unity Mirror” was not lacking in soul-stabilizing sounds.
Meng Qi’s head felt dizzy for a moment, but he quickly recovered. If he hadn’t cultivated the Great Transformation Method and the Deathless Seal Method, that shout alone could have made him stunned for a moment.
Puffs of white smoke rose, covering the surroundings, blocking the view, making it impossible for Meng Qi to see the Dragon Pattern Red Gold Sword or Qi Zhengyan.
However, with the help of his spirit and Qi, he could see a red streak reflected in his mind, vaguely feeling the strength and weakness of the Qi distribution.
His left hand extended with the Ice Sparrow, appearing to point aimlessly, yet suddenly emitted a crisp “ding,” striking the back of the Dragon-Patterned Crimson Gold Sword that was sweeping toward him.
At the same time, Meng Qi’s right hand slashed with Xie Jie. The blade light danced like sunlight on waves, flickering and changing endlessly, radiant and colorful.
This slash was restrained in power, elusive and indescribable. Its transformations seemed to arise from telepathic resonance, evoking a sense of being both irresistible and instinctively disinclined to parry.
Facing this slash that had captured the essence of the blade path, Qi Zhengyan didn’t know how to respond. The Dragon Pattern Red Gold Sword couldn’t keep up with the changes or grasp the pulse.
However, the “Primordial Unity Mirror” was a powerful martial art. He remained calm, pressed his sword, and the surrounding iron ore exploded outward, whistling as it flew toward Meng Qi.
Meng Qi’s skin emitted a dark golden glow, and he ignored everything, continuing to slash with Xie Jie without being affected in the slightest.
Pieces of iron ore struck his body, causing layers of dark gold to ripple outward, most of them being rebounded, while a few that hit vital spots seemed to lose their force and floated to the ground.
Xie Jie suddenly accelerated, as if gaining an external force, and fiercely slashed onto the colorful light.
The red glow danced, dispersing most of the blade energy, but Meng Qi’s Xie Jie seemed to have a life of its own, continuously jumping and following the flow and dance of the colorful light, directly cutting through it!
Qi Zhengyan roared and struck out with his left palm, releasing a frost-like chill that hit the tip of the blade, deflecting Xie Jie, which had exhausted its momentum.
With a single slash of his Dragon Pattern Red Gold Sword, a crystalline, icy beam of light flew out, cold and chilling, striking Meng Qi.
Meng Qi’s body suddenly spun, most of the freezing light was deflected, and a small part dissipated. Using this momentum, he slashed downward with Xie Jie, fierce and unstoppable.
This was another essence of the blade path he had comprehended while cultivating the “Purple Stars River Technique,” integrating the principles of the Heaven Saber.
Qi Zhengyan raised his sword to defend but was struck by Xie Jie without any flourish on the blade. The fierce blade energy was like thunder, hiding needles of ice within, instantly deflecting the Dragon Pattern Red Gold Sword and causing Qi Zhengyan to shiver slightly.
Xie Jie followed the “Qi flow,” slicing through the red glow. Although its momentum had waned, Bing Que quietly and simply pierced through at the perfect moment.
Meng Qi withdrew his blade and sword, quickly circulating his Qi to dispel the cold. Qi Zhengyan’s Frosty Snow Qi was no ordinary Qi. Not only was it highly concentrated, but once it entered the body, it would freeze the blood vessels. Even with the Deathless Seal Method transforming death into life, it still significantly affected his meridians. If it weren’t for cultivating the Eight-Nine Mystical Technique and the Golden Bell Cover, he wouldn’t have had the ability to deliver the final blow.
“So cold,” Meng Qi sheathed his blade and sword, rubbing his hands. “Cousin, once you open your nasal orifice, if I don’t use my hidden techniques, I probably won’t be able to claim victory.”
Qi Zhengyan, who had cultivated the “Primordial Unity Mirror,” was almost equivalent to a weakened version of a half-step external scene expert.
Although Qi Zhengyan lost, his expression showed a hint of joy. In his heart, his junior brother Meng Qi could definitely rank in the top twenty of the Human List. Being able to fight to this extent with him meant he had the strength to enter the Human List. Compared to being an ordinary disciple with no hope of advancement before, this was truly a cause for celebration.
The two sparred two more times, each gaining much from the experience. By noon, a messenger came with a letter from Master Lin.
After reading the letter, Qi Zhengyan slightly frowned and exhaled.
“What did he say?” Meng Qi raised his eyebrows.
Qi Zhengyan said solemnly, “He accuses us of disregarding the bigger picture and provoking incidents on our own.”
“Cousin, how do you plan to respond?” Meng Qi asked with a slight smile.
Qi Zhengyan replied expressionlessly, “Say that the Ye family is slandering us. If they suspect us, they can write back to the mountain and invite the investigating elders from the disciplinary hall to look into it.”
“Good, that’s the attitude to take.” Meng Qi chuckled.
Qi Zhengyan looked at him, “Master Lin never believed that my cousin was harmed by Li Sui, thinking that I wanted to provoke an incident to gain credit. Cousin, why did you believe me after just hearing my side of the story?”
“You’re my cousin,” Meng Qi said with a half-smile, then turned serious, “We are life-and-death brothers. You could have handled this matter on your own without involving me. Hmph, if I can’t even trust the words of a life-and-death brother, should I go trust the Ye family? I’m not a Six Doors Bureau officer and won’t meddle in the ins and outs of this matter. I know that you and your cousin have been wronged, and that’s enough for me.”
While asking for directions, he also took the opportunity to verify whether this was true.
In the following days, everything was calm. Meng Qi stayed indoors, focusing on his cultivation until an invitation letter came from the fifth master of the Tang family, inviting Master Lin and Qi Zhengyan.
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