Although it was still five days before Liu Zhengfeng retired from the martial arts world, the streets of Hengshan City were already full of martial arts heroes coming and going.

Outside the city gate, Nie Yun looked at the plaque on the city tower and smiled, “We’ve finally arrived.”

As Yilin watched Nie Yun’s retreating figure, a sudden wave of reluctance washed over her. “I’m about to see Master again, and I’ll be parting ways with Brother Nie…”

Suddenly, Nie Yun turned around and said, “Junior Sister, remember what I said. No matter what, don’t wrong yourself for others. As long as it’s not immoral or immoral, do what you want to do, even if others keep telling you not to. Do you understand?”

Looking into Nie Yun’s clear eyes, Yi Lin remained silent.

Nie Yun didn’t seem to want to know the answer either, and after speaking, he walked towards the city.

Yilin watched Nie Yun’s retreating figure and whispered, “I’ll remember that.”

Nie Yun stopped and turned to look at the girl, whose face was flushed but whose expression was resolute.

The bustling crowd around them seemed to vanish in an instant, and the world seemed to fall silent… The handsome young man and the beautiful young woman stood facing each other, their eyes fixed on each other.

Nie Yun suddenly understood why Linghu Chong didn’t reciprocate Yilin’s feelings at all—because he didn’t dare.

Once this girl has made up her mind, she never looks back.

She wouldn’t be bewitched by Lin Pingzhi like Yue Lingshan, nor would she be burdened with worries like Ren Yingying. She was too earnest and too kind…

However, at this point, Yilin would never have the chance to meet the man she had loved for a lifetime, a man who would also leave her lonely for the rest of her life; her eyes were only on Nie Yun.

“Yilin!” A surprised yet angry voice interrupted their tender moment, “Where have you been? Your master was worried sick!”

Upon hearing this, Yilin was overjoyed and quickly called out, “Master!”

A group of nuns rushed over from the city. The leader, a nun in her sixties, was quite tall with high eyebrows and an angry expression, but her eyes showed undisguised concern and anxiety. She was none other than Abbess Dingyi of the Hengshan Sect, the abbess of Baiyun Nunnery, and Yilin’s master.

Throughout the book, all the major sects are scheming against each other, but only the Hengshan Sect maintains its integrity and indifference to fame and fortune from beginning to end, which earns Nie Yun’s deep respect.

Nie Yun bowed to Abbess Dingyi and said with a carefree smile, “Greetings, Abbess. I am Nie Yun from Mount Hua.”

“oh?”

Master Dingyi was surprised to find that the handsome young man in front of her was the new leader of the Huashan Sect. She paused for a moment, then returned the greeting, saying, “So you are Leader Nie. You are indeed a young talent.”

“You flatter me, Master.”

Nie Yun smiled and said, “I have long admired the three Ding sisters of Hengshan. They are upright, courageous, and heroic women whose character and martial arts are no less than those of men. Abbess Dingyi is even more righteous and a role model for us martial arts practitioners. It is truly an honor to meet them today!”

Although Dingyi had been practicing Buddhism since childhood, he was also a person of the martial arts world. After hearing these words, he was immediately delighted and found the young man in front of him to be pleasing to the eye no matter what!

“Hehe, Sect Leader Nie is too kind.” Ding Yi’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed immediately, and a smile appeared on his face.

“Master, your disciple… your disciple almost didn’t get to see you again.” Yi Lin was raised by Ding Yi since she was a child. Now that they were reunited after such a disaster, she couldn’t help but kneel down on the ground, her eyes brimming with tears.

Dingyi was initially delighted by Nie Yun’s flattery, but now, seeing his beloved disciple crying uncontrollably, he was no longer angry. He quickly helped Yilin up and gently comforted her in his arms.

While crying, Yilin glanced at Nie Yun out of the corner of her eye, only to see the young man raise an eyebrow, revealing a smug look, and mouthing “It’s alright now.”

Yilin knew that he was only saying nice things to his master to avoid being scolded, and her heart warmed.

“Master, now that Junior Sister Yilin has been delivered, I shall take my leave. We shall meet again at Uncle Liu’s residence in three days.” Nie Yun knew that the master and disciple must have a lot to say, so he took the opportunity to say goodbye.

Although Ding Yi was full of doubts, he knew this was not the place to explain, so he nodded and smiled, “Sect Leader Nie, please.”

Yilin then raised her head and said to Nie Yun, “I will always remember Senior Brother Nie’s life-saving grace.”

Nie Yun smiled, waved his hand, and turned to leave gracefully.

Yilin glanced longingly at his retreating figure before Dingyi pulled her away.

********************

“I planted a seed, and it has finally grown into fruit. Today is a great day!” Nie Yun hummed a little tune as he arrived at the famous Huiyan Tower in the city.

As soon as you enter the gate, the waiter comes forward and greets you with a smile: “Please come in, sir.”

Nie Yun casually tossed out a piece of silver and said, “Alright, give me a private seat, bring out your signature dishes, and a pot of good wine. Be quick, I’m starving.”

The waiter took the silver, his smile widening, and quickly led Nie Yun to a private room on the second floor.

Just as Nie Yun was about to sit down, he suddenly looked up at the table to his left.

There sat a man and a woman at the table; both were in their early thirties and in their prime.

The man was handsome with refined features and an extraordinary air. He was dressed in black, wearing a black soft hat, and a long sword was sheathed at his waist.

The woman had exquisitely beautiful features, rosy cheeks, and cherry lips. She wore a white dress and a simple skirt, with a red flower adorning her hair, exuding the gentle and virtuous air of a married woman. A scarlet ribbon hung at her waist, from which hung a long sword in a white sheath.

“Hehe, God really won’t let my chicken rest!”

Nie Yu recognized the two at a glance; they were Shi Qing and Min Rou, the couple from the novel “The Knight Errant”.

No couple would dress up like the Black and White Impermanence (the ghosts of death) except for the two of them.

He licked his lips, secretly plotting in his mind: “These ‘Black and White Swords’ couple are loving and highly skilled in martial arts. They are inseparable, so it’s not advisable to attack them directly.”

Nie Yun couldn’t think of a solution for a moment, but that didn’t stop him from giving Shi Qing a great gift—the Mind-Clearing Mantra, which cleared away distracting thoughts, effectively and silently castrated the spirit.

Shi Qing was discussing Liu Zhengfeng’s retirement from the criminal world with his wife when he suddenly felt a chill and then looked at Min Rou’s charming and beautiful face with a sense of boredom.

“Strange, I usually feel so sweet when I see my junior sister, but today I feel so incredibly bored…” Shi Qing thought to himself, and his body moved to the side as if to be honest.

“Senior brother, what’s wrong?” Min Rou noticed her husband’s unusual behavior and quickly asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing, it’s nothing. I’m just a little tired.” Shi Qing suppressed her feelings and replied simply, but her voice lacked its usual gentleness and consideration, and contained a hint of impatience.

Min Rou had no suspicions and stopped asking questions. Soon the two finished their meal and left the restaurant.

Nie Yun squinted at Min Rou’s back. Although this famous loving mother in Jin Yong’s novels was over thirty years old, her figure had hardly changed, probably because of years of martial arts training. Her slender waist was almost no different from that of a young girl, and her full hips after childbirth were full of alluring mature woman charm.

Seemingly sensing Nie Yun’s gaze, Min Rou, who was walking behind, suddenly turned around, her beautiful eyes flashing, and looked at Nie Yun, who had already turned his head to look out the window.

At this moment, he was sipping wine by the window, a smile on his face. With his handsome and extraordinary features, he exuded a carefree and natural air, which even made the loyal Min Rou momentarily lose her composure.

“This young man is so handsome! I thought my senior brother was already one of the most handsome men in the world, but I never expected…”

Min Rou secretly compared her husband with Nie Yun and found that, putting everything else aside, the young man in front of her was far superior to Shi Qing in terms of appearance and demeanor.

At this moment, Nie Yun turned his head and his gaze met Min Rou’s. He was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened instantly, revealing an expression of amazement, and he murmured, “So beautiful!”

Min Rou, possessing considerable internal strength, naturally heard Nie Yun’s words.

“Hehe, what an interesting young man!” Although Min Rou was already married and had children, seeing a handsome man captivated by her looks still made her very happy, a woman’s innate vanity.

She smiled sweetly, turned and went downstairs, but left a shadow in her heart.

Seeing Min Rou leave, Nie Yun’s infatuated expression vanished. He raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

Over the next few days, Nie Yun “cleverly” bumped into Shi Qing and his wife several times, each time appearing stunned by Min Rou’s beauty, all while remaining out of Shi Qing’s sight.

After several visits, Min Rou naturally remembered this handsome young man.

Although she had a good impression of Nie Yun (whose Hidden Dragon Heart-Hunting Technique was a piece of cake for her) and enjoyed being admired, she was, after all, a married woman, so she couldn’t help feeling a little awkward.

She wanted to appear more intimate with her husband so that Nie Yun would back down.

Unexpectedly, Shi Qing seemed to have become a different person these past few days. His usual gentleness and sweetness were completely gone. He was always polite and reserved towards her, and even kept his distance from her when they slept at night.

Min Rou was gentle and obedient, always following her husband’s lead. So, although she felt wronged, she dared not say anything. However, she couldn’t help but compare the two in her mind—Shi Qing was not only ugly, but also labeled as blind by his wife.

After spending a few days building up his favorability, Nie Yun stopped trying to bump into him and instead started exploring the city.

That day, he went to a jewelry store—it wouldn’t be right to go out without bringing back a gift.

He glanced at them a few times, took a fancy to a gold hairpin, and asked the shopkeeper to bring it out.

The hairpin was exquisitely crafted and uniquely designed. He looked at it and was quite satisfied. Just as he was about to pay, he heard a girl’s silvery voice behind him: “Grandpa, I really like this hairpin. Can you buy it for Feifei?”

Nie Yun turned around and saw two people standing behind him: an old man with a white beard and a beautiful young girl.

The girl was about fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in emerald green, with snow-white skin, delicate features, and bright, lively eyes.

At this moment, she was pointing at the gold hairpin in her hand with a fair finger, and coaxing the old man.

“Feifei, don’t be silly. This hairpin is what this young man wants to buy. How about Grandpa helps you look at another one?” The old man smiled apologetically at Nie Yun first, and then said to the girl.

“Oh…” The girl responded like a wilted eggplant, pouting as she turned to look at Nie Yun, only to see Nie Yun grinning at her, his row of white teeth dazzling.

“Hmph!” The girl was angry and glared at Nie Yun, saying, “What are you laughing at? You lecher!” But because she was young and had a pretty face, her expression was not fierce at all, but rather quite cute.

Nie Yun shrugged and made a face, which made the girl stomp her feet in anger.

The old man smiled slightly and led the girl away from the jewelry store.

The young woman was naturally displeased that someone else had gotten what she wanted first. Although the old man tried to comfort her, she remained sullen and downcast.

She was pouting when she suddenly felt something gently brush against her head, and at the same time, a pleasant voice said, “This is for you.”

Before she could react, the old man pulled her behind him.

The girl looked closely and saw the man who had just bought the hairpin standing not far away, smiling at her. Her heart skipped a beat, and a strange thought popped into her mind: He… has such a handsome smile.

Nie Yun smiled and pointed to his head. The girl subconsciously raised her hand to touch it, but touched something hard. When she took it off, she saw that it was the gold hairpin she had her eye on.

The old man looked at Nie Yun, secretly on guard. Nie Yun’s action of inserting the hairpin into the girl’s hair was so swift and decisive that even he hadn’t had time to react.

“His lightness skill is truly remarkable. If he harbors ill intentions and catches me off guard, I’m afraid I’ll also be seriously injured,” the old man thought to himself.

“Hehe, a gentleman doesn’t take what others like. Since you like it, I’ll give it to you!” Nie Yun said with a smile.

The young woman was overjoyed and was about to agree when the old man spoke first, saying, “Young brother, you’re too kind. We’re complete strangers, how can I accept such a generous gift? Feifei, hurry up and return it to the owner.”

Upon hearing this, the girl pouted again, but dared not disobey, and could only slowly hand the hairpin to Nie Yun.

Nie Yun waved his hand and said, “A gold hairpin is nothing. Since I’ve already given it away, there’s no reason for me to take it back. However, I do have a few words I’d like to discuss with you, sir. I wonder if it would be convenient for you?”

The old man was puzzled, but seeing that Nie Yun seemed to have no ill intentions, he nodded and said, “Young brother, please speak freely.”

Nie Yun looked around and said, “It’s too tiring to talk standing up. Let’s find a place to sit down and talk slowly.”

The three found a restaurant and sat down by the window. The old man said, “Young man, we are complete strangers. What brings you here?”

Nie Yun smiled, dipped his finger in the wine in his cup, wrote the two characters “Sun and Moon” on the table, and said, “Elder Qu came for Liu Zhengfeng, right?”

“What?!” Qu Yang almost jumped up. He was already surprised that his identity had been exposed, but he didn’t expect that this person would even know about his relationship with Liu Zhengfeng.

“Don’t worry, I mean no harm. But if you don’t want to listen to what I’m about to say, in a few days you can expect to be collecting the corpses of your good brother’s family,” Nie Yun said without looking up.

Qu Yang slowly sat down, his eyes filled with shock and vigilance. Qu Feiyan next to him also stared wide-eyed at Nie Yun.

Qu Yang took a deep breath and said, “Since you know my identity, young brother, you might as well speak frankly.”

Nie Yun laughed and said, “Your affair with Liu Zhengfeng has long been thoroughly investigated by Zuo Lengchan of Songshan. Now he has sent Fei Bin, Ding Mian, and Lu Bai with a large number of disciples here. Tomorrow he plans to use this opportunity to launch an attack and kill Liu Zhengfeng and his family on the spot.”

Qu Yang was shocked and hurriedly asked, “Zuo Lengchan is the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect Alliance, how could he…” Before he could finish speaking, he noticed that Nie Yun was looking at him like he was an idiot.

“I’m telling you, you’re a seasoned veteran, how come you’re still as naive as a greenhorn!”

Nie Yu shook his head. “Zuo Lengchan is ambitious and wants to unify the Five Mountains Sword Sects. He finally found this handle, so of course he has to make an example of him. In that case, he will weaken the Hengshan Sect, intimidate the other three sects, and use the excuse of the Demonic Sect’s cunning to unite them against a common enemy. Do you think Zuo Lengchan can’t do something like this?”

Qu Yang was in turmoil upon hearing this and was speechless for a moment.

“Liu Zhengfeng and you both prioritize loyalty. He won’t kill you to protect himself, nor will he deny your friendship. At that time, even if others want to help him, they won’t have an excuse. Hehe, the label of colluding with the demonic sect is something no one wants to be associated with.”

Nie Yun continued, “You’ll definitely come to his rescue then, which will only confirm his guilt. You two good brothers will go to the underworld together, but I’m afraid your beautiful little granddaughter…”

Nie Yun shook his head and clicked his tongue twice, but Qu Yang was already sweating profusely and his face turned pale.

Qu Feiyan was raised by her grandfather from a young age, so she naturally knew his character. If Liu Zhengfeng were really attacked by the Songshan Sect, her grandfather would definitely risk his life to save him. At that time…

Thinking of this, she suddenly grabbed Nie Yun’s hand and said anxiously, “Big brother, you…you must have a way, right?”

The icy, trembling sensation made Nie Yun sigh inwardly. He turned his hand over and tightly grasped the girl’s fair and delicate hand, saying in a deep voice, “Don’t worry, I’ve got everything covered.”

Although it was just a short promise, it gave Qu Feiyan, who was about to cry, a strong sense of confidence. Her heart gradually calmed down, but she found that her small hand was still being held tightly by Nie Yun. The warm heat penetrated her skin and slowly spread upwards along her arm.

The girl blushed and tried to pull her hand away, but Nie Yun held it tightly and gently tickled the back of her hand a few times.

“Big brother is so naughty!” Qu Feiyan forcefully pulled her hand back, lowered her head and thought to herself, but a beautiful smile appeared on her lips.

“Since you are so frank with me, young brother, you must already have a good plan. Please do not hesitate to teach me. I would be extremely grateful,” Qu Yang said sincerely to Nie Yun, having also come to his senses.

Nie Yun stroked his chin, beckoned Qu Yang to come closer, and whispered, “Tonight, go to the Liu residence. After you see Liu Zhengfeng, tell him…”

Qu Yang’s expression shifted repeatedly as he nodded. After listening, he raised his glass to Nie Yunjing and said, “I will never forget your great kindness. I toast you.”

Nie Yun smiled, raised his glass, and the two clinked glasses lightly before drinking it all in one gulp.

“May I ask your honorable name, young brother?” Qu Yang then realized that he had been chatting with Nie Yun for so long, yet he still didn’t know his name.

Qu Feiyan also raised her head, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Nie Yun.

Nie Yun smiled faintly, “Nie Yun of Mount Hua.”