Chapter 120

On the small boat, Nie Yun and Bai Zizai sat facing each other, one with a wry smile and the other glaring with anger.

“Ahem…” Nie Yun coughed lightly and said, “Well… Grandpa, this really isn’t my fault! Ah Xiu and I have never been alone together, and every time we meet, we’ve always been very proper!”

Bai Zizai spat and said angrily, “Your fox tail has been exposed all of a sudden! Ah Xiu? Who told you to call me that so intimately!”

Nie Yun shrugged and remained silent.

Bai Zizai grew angrier the more he looked at her, and he cursed loudly, “You look so fair and clean, but you’re actually a wicked fellow who dares to seduce my granddaughter!”

“No, I didn’t, don’t talk nonsense!” Nie Yun immediately launched into a triple denial. “My third brother couldn’t take his eyes off Ah… um… girl the moment he saw her, how could I be the one who seduced her!”

“Hmph!” Bai Zizai knew that what Nie Yun said was true, but he was still furious that his beloved granddaughter, whom he had cherished for more than ten years, had her heart stolen by someone else.

Nie Yun chuckled mischievously and continued, “Grandpa, although I, Nie Yun, dare not claim to be the best in the world, I am certainly among the top in the martial arts world in terms of martial arts skills, appearance, and status. Since Miss Bai has already… hehe… why don’t you consider it?”

“Get lost! You think you can fool my Ah Xiu with just a few words? No way!”

Looking at Nie Yun’s smiling face, Bai Zizai wanted nothing more than to take off his shoe and slap him across the face a few times. However, there was already a hint of relenting in his words—if a few words weren’t enough, what about adding something else?

Nie Yun touched his nose, deciding to quit while he was ahead.

The small boat sailed at sea for three days. On the fourth day at noon, the man in yellow pointed to a black line ahead and said, “That is Xia Ke Island.”

The two who had been resting with their eyes closed stood up and looked around. Bai Zizai’s face showed tension, while Nie Yun remained calm and composed.

Upon arrival on the island, people naturally came to greet us.

The two trekked through mountains and forests, entered a waterfall, and arrived at the guesthouse.

The man in yellow who came to greet them bowed and said, “Sect Leader Nie, your room is the first one on the left. Sect Leader Bai, your room is a little further away. Please follow me.”

Bai Zizai calmed down considerably after arriving on the island. He didn’t ask any more questions and simply followed him. After a few steps, he turned back and said, “You brat, be careful. We’re not done with A-Xiu yet!”

Nie Yun naturally understood his meaning and immediately smiled and said, “The same goes for the old man. We’ll be toasting you then!”

Bai Zizai never expected Nie Yun to be so shameless. He pointed at him for a long time but couldn’t say a word. Finally, he angrily flicked his sleeve and turned away.

Nie Yun turned and entered the stone cave that had been arranged for him. Inside, there were tables and chairs, and the fire was bright. A young boy served him tea and four kinds of snacks.

Nie Yun didn’t stand on ceremony. He grabbed the food with his hands and ate it all in a flash, leaving nothing behind. He also drank most of the pot of tea.

After sitting in the cave for more than an hour, they suddenly heard the sounds of bells, drums, and stringed instruments. The man who had led the way walked to the cave entrance, bowed, and said, “The island lord invites Sect Leader Nie to a banquet.”

Nie Yun stood up and followed him out.

After passing through several stone caves, the two heard the sounds of bells, drums, and stringed instruments growing louder. Suddenly, their vision brightened, and they saw a large cave filled with tallow candles. There were about a hundred tables inside, and guests were coming in one after another.

Hundreds of men in yellow robes moved about, guiding guests to their seats.

Each guest occupied a separate seat, without any of the hosts accompanying them.

Once the guests were seated, the music stopped. Nie Yun looked around and immediately spotted Bai Zizai, who stood out from the crowd due to his tall stature.

Suddenly, a man from the corner of the hall walked up to Bai Zizai and said, “Hey Bai, what brings you here?”

The man had white hair and beard; he was an old man with a gleaming gold belt around his waist.

Bai Zizai flipped through his clothes and said irritably, “If you can come, why can’t I?”

The man was so anxious he was jumping up and down, saying repeatedly, “If you come, what will happen to Xiao Cui?” It turned out that he was Ding Busi, who had been in love with Shi Xiao Cui for many years.

Bai Zizai and his wife had been enjoying a blissful time together, having already recounted their past. He naturally knew that Ding Busi’s feelings were unrequited, but hearing him call out his wife’s given name still enraged him. He immediately cursed, “Ding the old devil, shut your mouth! How dare you call her by her name! She was single-mindedly devoted to marrying me, and we’ve been a loving couple for decades. Now our granddaughter is old enough to get married, and you still won’t give up. You’re shameless!”

Ding Busi’s greatest regret in life was that Shi Xiaocui abandoned him for Bai Zizai. Now that his wounds have been reopened, he is furious and ready to take action.

Suddenly, a hoarse female voice sneered from the western corner: “Hmph! Ding Busi, you really have no shame! You’re all sincere to Shi Xiaocui, but behind her back you had a daughter with my sister!”

In an instant, Ding Busi’s face turned bright red, and he looked extremely embarrassed. He turned around and asked, “You…you…who are you? How did you know?”

“She’s my own sister, how come I didn’t know? What about that girl, is she dead or alive?”

The woman stood up as she spoke. She was short and her face was covered by a thick black veil, making it impossible to see her features clearly.

Ding Busi was covered in cold sweat and remained silent, dejected.

The woman demanded sharply, “Where is the girl? Is she dead or alive? Tell me now.”

Ding Busi murmured, “How…how would I know?”

The woman said, “When my sister was dying, she ordered me to find you and find out where that girl was, and to take care of her. You…you heartless scoundrel, you ruined my sister’s life, yet you’re still thinking about someone else’s wife.”

Ding Busi’s face turned ashen, and he was speechless.

The woman demanded sharply, “Is that girl dead or alive?”

Ding Busi said, “She was alive twenty years ago, but we don’t know what happened to her after that.”

The woman said, “Why don’t you go find her?”

Ding Busi had no answer, only saying, “This…this…it’s not easy to find. Some people say she went to Xia Ke Island, but I don’t know if that’s true.”

Having read the original story, Nie Yun naturally knew that this woman was Mei Fanggu’s biological mother—Mei Wenxin. He chuckled coldly, treating it like a monkey show.

Suddenly, the sound of bells and drums rang out, and a man in yellow robes announced in a loud voice: “Lords of Xia Ke Island, Lord Long and Lord Mu, pay their respects to our distinguished guests.”

Everyone was startled and turned to look.

The central gate opened, and two rows of men and women of varying heights emerged. Those on the right were dressed in yellow, and those on the left in blue. The master of ceremonies announced, “Disciples of Island Master Long and Island Master Mu pay their respects to our distinguished guests.”

The disciples stood in two rows, one on the left and one on the right, and bowed respectfully to the assembled heroes. The crowd quickly returned the bow.

Amidst the soft music, two elderly men walked out side by side, one dressed in yellow and the other in blue. The master of ceremonies announced, “The island lord welcomes all distinguished guests to grace us with his presence.”

The Dragon Island Master and the Wood Island Master bowed deeply to the ground, and the assembled heroes returned the bow.

The old man in the yellow robe laughed and said, “My brother Mu and I live on a remote island. We are honored to meet you all today. However, things on this island are simple and our hospitality is inadequate. Please forgive us.”

The island lord, dressed in a green robe, said, “Please be seated, everyone.”

Only then could everyone distinguish the two. The Dragon Island Master had completely white eyebrows and beard, and a ruddy complexion, like a child; while the Wood Island Master had a sparse beard, mostly black with little white, but his face was full of wrinkles.

After all the heroes were seated, the two island lords, Long and Mu, sat down at a table on the west side, at the head of the table. The disciples, however, had no seats and stood with their hands at their sides.

As soon as everyone was seated, the island’s stewards came up to pour wine, followed by serving dishes. Each person had four plates and four bowls on the table, with eight different kinds of dishes: chicken, meat, fish, and shrimp, all cooked to a fragrant aroma, and there seemed to be nothing unusual about them.

The two island lords, Long and Mu, raised their wine cups and said, “Please!” They drank them down in one gulp.

Seeing the dark green color of the wine in their cups, and despite its strong aroma, everyone secretly wondered, “I wonder what kind of potent poison has been added to this wine.”

Most people raised their glasses to their lips but didn’t drink. Only a few thought, “If they want to harm me, it’s just a matter of lifting a finger. Whether the wine is poisoned or not, I’m going to die anyway, so I might as well be generous.”

They immediately raised their glasses and drank them dry, and the servants serving them then refilled everyone’s glasses.

After the two island masters, Long and Mu, offered three cups of wine, Long Island Master raised his left hand. A group of servants filed out from the inner hall, each carrying a large bowl of hot porridge on a lacquered tray, and placed it in front of the guests.

Everyone thought, “This must be the infamous Laba porridge that’s feared throughout the martial arts world.”

Steam rose from the hot porridge, and bubbles began to rise from the bottom, turning the bowl a deep green color, which looked inexplicably eerie.

Island Master Long said, “Gentlemen, you have traveled a long way to visit us. Our island has nothing to offer in return…”

Before he could finish speaking, he heard a noise from the side.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and were all astonished.

Nie Yunduan picked up the porridge bowl and slurped it down with great relish.

In the blink of an eye, Nie Yun finished the bowl and handed it to the servant beside him, saying, “It tasted good. Is there any more?”

The servant had never seen anyone so bold before, and was momentarily stunned.

Nie Yun curled his lip and shook his head, saying, “How stingy!”

“Hahaha… What a young hero!” A hearty laugh came from the head of the table; it was none other than Island Master Long.

Island Master Namu stroked his beard and smiled, nodding repeatedly.

Nie Yun stood up, patted his belly, and said, “We’ve had our porridge. Now, let’s go see that song, ‘The Knight-Errant’!”

Upon hearing this, everyone from Xia Ke Island changed their expressions drastically, and the two island lords exclaimed in surprise, “How did you know?”

“There aren’t many things I don’t know about this martial arts world. For example…” Nie Yun shook his head, then turned to look at the masked woman who had just questioned Ding Busi, “Mei Wenxin, at your age, still acting like a ghost, how boring!”

As he spoke, a flash of lightning appeared beneath his feet, and he vanished instantly.

Mei Wenxin was surprised and suspicious when he revealed her identity. Suddenly, she felt a coolness on her face, and the black veil covering her face was removed. She looked closely and saw Nie Yun standing in front of her with a grin, holding a piece of black veil in his hand.

“A ghost!”

Mei Wenxin screamed and retreated several steps backward.

Everyone was shocked when they realized what had happened. The speed that Nie Yun had just displayed was like lightning, and no one could believe that a human could do it.

Ding Busi said, “Wenxin, Wenxin, it really is you! You… how could you lie to me and say that you were dead?” As he spoke, he walked to Mei Wenxin’s side and reached out to support her.

At this moment, Mei Wenxin was no longer the imposing figure she had been when questioning Ding Busi. Her face was pale, her teeth were chattering, and she stared straight at Nie Yun, repeatedly shouting, “Ghost! There’s a ghost!”

Nie Yun tossed the veil to the ground, and with another flash of silver light beneath his feet, he was instantly back in his original spot. He sat down in a chair, picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and exclaimed, “Fine wine!”

Although the two island lords, Long and Mu, were also shocked by his lightness skill, they were more concerned about how Nie Yun knew about ‘Xia Ke Xing’.

The two men quickly approached Nie Yun, their eyes shining as they looked at him. Island Master Long asked first, “May I ask your esteemed name? And how do you know about the ‘Heroic Journey’?”

Nie Yun drank another cup of wine and laughed, “If you know, you know. Why ask so many questions? Just explain things to them and then take me there.”

The two nodded excitedly and immediately revealed the secrets of Xia Ke Island in a few words. The crowd looked at each other, half believing and half doubting, with very strange expressions on their faces.

After a long while, Ding Busi said loudly, “So, you invited people to drink Laba porridge with good intentions.”

Island Master Long said, “It’s not necessarily all well-intentioned. Brother Mu and I have our own selfish desires. We only hope that martial arts masters from all over the world will gather on this island to help us solve our doubts and promote the martial arts to a higher level. But if you think we intend to harm you, you’ve overthought it.”

Ding Busi sneered, “Isn’t that just blatant bullying? If you were just inviting people to come and study martial arts together, why did you kill their entire family just because they didn’t come? What kind of cruel and domineering way is this to invite people to meals?”

The Dragon Island Master nodded, clapped his hands, and said, “Bring me the Book of Rewards for Good and Punishments for Evil!”

Then eight disciples went into the inner hall, each carrying out a stack of books, each stack about two feet high.

The Dragon Island Master said, “Distribute them to all the guests for viewing.”

The disciples took the books and presented them to the guests.

Each booklet has a yellow note indicating the school, faction, or organization.

Ding Busi took it and saw the words “Liuhe Ding Clan” written on the note. He was startled: “My brother is from Liuhe. Few people in the world know this. Xia Ke Island is isolated overseas, but its news is very reliable.”

Turning the pages, one sees notes indicating on a certain date and time, what Ding Busan did and where; and on a certain date and time, what Ding Busi did and where.

Although not all of them are complete, all of my major and significant deeds over the past twenty years are recorded in the book.

Sweat poured down Ding Busi’s forehead, and when he glanced at the people around him, most of them looked embarrassed and ashamed.

After a meal’s time, Island Master Long said, “Take away the Book of Rewards and Punishments.”

Just as the disciples were about to collect the registers, Ding Busi suddenly shouted, “Wait a minute! Why isn’t this kid included?”

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing and found that there was nothing in front of Nie Yun.

Island Master Long sighed, “So it was Sect Leader Nie! I should have guessed it sooner!”

The island master said, “Master Nie appeared out of nowhere and killed Dongfang Bubai and Abbot Fangzheng of Shaolin when he was just over twenty years old. In the end, he even forced Shaolin to close its mountain for a hundred years. However, my Xia Ke Island tried many methods but could not find out where his martial arts came from. He is truly like a dragon whose head is seen but whose tail is not seen!”

Upon hearing this, Ding Busi realized that the person in front of him was Nie Yun, who had recently made a name for himself at the Songshan Conference.

As the saying goes, a person’s reputation is reflected in their actions. Although Nie Yun is young, everything he does is astonishing, and his martial arts skills can be described as invincible.

He used to think it was just hearsay, but now that he has witnessed Nie Yun’s ghostly lightness skill, he knows that it is well-deserved.

Nie Yun smiled without saying a word, merely toying with the wine glass in his hand, making him seem even more mysterious.

Ding Busi remained silent for a long time before saying, “Since Xia Ke Island is so well-informed, I would like to inquire about someone from Island Master Long. There is a woman named… named Fang Gu. I heard that she came to Xia Ke Island twenty years ago. Is she still alive?”

Island Master Long asked, “What is this heroine’s surname? How old is she? Which sect or gang are you the leader of?”

Ding Busi said, “What’s my surname… I don’t know, it should be Ding…”

Mei Wenxin also came to her senses at this moment and said in a shrill voice, “It’s his illegitimate daughter. This girl doesn’t take her father’s surname; she takes her mother’s surname and is called Mei Fanggu.”

“I have already killed Mei Fanggu!” Nie Yun suddenly said.

Ding Busi and Mei Wenxin were both shocked to hear this. Mei Wenxin cursed loudly, “You little rascal, what nonsense are you talking about? Mei Fanggu disappeared twenty years ago. You weren’t even born then, yet you’re spouting such lies!”

Nie Yun chuckled and said to Island Master Long, “Mei Fanggu is thirty-nine years old this year. She is the illegitimate daughter of Ding Busi and Mei Wenxin. She has mastered the martial arts of both the Ding and Mei families and became the head of the Plum Blossom Fist at a young age. She is beautiful and talented. Due to setbacks in love, she went into seclusion at the Kucaoling Ridge of Xiong’er Mountain in Lushi County, western Henan Province after the age of eighteen. Island Master Long, please have your disciple investigate and see if I am right?”

Island Master Long said to the yellow-robed disciple standing first on the right, “Go and investigate quickly.”

The disciple replied, “Yes.” He turned and went inside, bringing out several books. After flipping through a few pages, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

He glanced at Nie Yun and said, “What Sect Leader Nie said is exactly the same as the records of my Xia Ke Island, even the place of seclusion is exactly the same.”

Ding Busi and Mei Wenxin’s expressions changed drastically. Mei Wenxin said fiercely to Nie Yun, “How did you know she was living in seclusion in Xiong’er Mountain? Did you really kill my daughter? She had no grudge against you, why did you do such a cruel thing?”

Nie Yun sneered, “If you don’t want people to know, then don’t do it in the first place. She hated that my godfather didn’t want to marry her, so she took advantage of my godfather’s absence and my godmother’s weakened state to abduct my third brother, who was less than a month old, causing him to be separated from my godfather and godmother for more than ten years. After abducting him, she didn’t raise him properly, beating and cursing him every day, and even calling him a bastard. After my third brother was reunited with my parents, she still wouldn’t give up, and actually arranged for a master to ambush him, causing my second brother to die tragically and my third brother to lose all his martial arts skills. Shouldn’t such a person be killed? I wish I could tear her to pieces!”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Mei Wenxin didn’t believe Nie Yun’s words at all. “My daughter is gentle and virtuous, how could she do such a thing?”

“Gentle and virtuous? Hmph… Do you even know what kind of people my godfather and godmother are?”

Nie Yun’s tone was icy, his eyes revealing endless killing intent, “They are the ‘Black and White Twin Swords’ that your daughter hates to the bone—Shi Qing and Min Rou.”

“What?”

Mei Wenxin’s body trembled violently. Of course, she knew about her daughter’s past, and she also knew about Mei Fanggu’s stubbornness and extremism. So when she heard Nie Yun say this, she knew in her heart that what he said just now was probably true.

“You killed my daughter, I’ll make you pay with your life!” Mei Wenxin lunged at Nie Yun with a ferocious expression.

Ding Busi had always felt guilty towards the mother and daughter. When he heard that his daughter had died at Nie Yun’s hands, he was also filled with grief. He immediately swung his palms and attacked Nie Yun’s chest.

Nie Yun sneered, neither dodging nor avoiding, letting the two men’s attacks hit him.

With a loud bang, Ding Busi and Mei Wenxin staggered back several steps, both pale-faced and their hands trembling slightly. Mei Wenxin, being weaker, had her right hand hang limply, her wrist dislocated from the shock.

In contrast, Nie Yun stood motionless, completely unharmed.

Someone in the crowd exclaimed in surprise, “This…this is the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill of Shaolin Temple! He has actually mastered it to such a profound level!”

Nie Yun drew his longsword and said, “Let me fight you once, so you’ll know the difference in skill and die with peace of mind!”

Ding Busi knew something was wrong, so he quickly grabbed Mei Wenxin and threw her backward, shouting, “Run!”

At the same time, he used all his strength to pounce on Nie Yun.

His palms were like knives, swords, spears, and halberds. Wherever his palms passed, the onlookers felt breathless and their faces were as if they had been slashed by knives, causing great pain.

Mei Wenxin was thrown away by Ding Busi. She knew that Ding Busi had risked his life to help her escape danger, and she was filled with grief.

“Nie Yun, I, Mei Wenxin, must avenge the murder of my husband and daughter!” Tears blurred her vision as Mei Wenxin ran outside without looking back.

They hadn’t gone far when they suddenly heard a voice behind them: “Why are you running so fast? Wouldn’t it be better for the family to reunite underground?”

Upon recognizing Nie Yun, Mei Wenxin steeled her resolve and immediately drew her sword, thrusting it backward.

Nie Yun extended his right hand and pinched the tip of the sword between his index and middle fingers.

Mei Wenxin was quite decisive, immediately withdrawing her sword and delivering a groin kick. But as soon as she lifted her leg, she felt a sharp pain in her throat, followed by a complete loss of strength throughout her body.

Blood dripped down her neck; the longsword that Nie Yun had just held had pierced her neck.

Mei Wenxin gripped her neck with one hand and stretched out the other in vain, a malicious glint in her eyes, as if she wanted to curse Nie Yun.

Nie Yun gently blew a breath, and Mei Wenxin fell backward, her eyes still wide open.

Ding Busi lay not far behind Nie Yun, his eyes wide open in death as well.