Nie Yun knew that Ning Zhongze was strong-willed and couldn’t be won over with just one or two intimate encounters, so he secretly followed her to her bedroom door. Seeing that she was about to commit suicide, he quickly threw stones to save her.

When Ning Zhongze saw Nie Yun, she was both surprised and furious, and asked, “What are you doing here again, you beast? Didn’t you just succeed?”

Nie Yun said softly, “For the past ten years or so, my master’s wife has always been very loving and caring towards me, I…”

“Shut up!” Ning Zhongze’s eyebrows shot up, her pretty face flushed. “How dare you say that! Your master and I raised you as our own child, and even taught you all the secret techniques of our sect. And yet you… you actually…”

Ning Zhongze choked up and couldn’t speak, two lines of tears slowly flowing down her cheeks.

Nie Yun stepped forward and knelt beside Ning Zhongze’s legs, saying in a deep voice, “Master’s wife! Your disciple’s heart is sincere to you, as heaven and earth can bear witness. Now, blinded by lust, I have committed a grave mistake, and I know that heaven and earth will not forgive me. I am willing to die to protect your reputation.”

He picked up the sword from the ground and handed it to Ning Zhongze.

Ning Zhongze felt a pang of sorrow, but still gritted her teeth and took the long sword. “You’re putting on such a hypocritical act, do you think I’m reluctant to kill you? You’ve committed such a grave mistake, tarnishing my reputation, I’ll kill you right now!”

As he spoke, he raised his sword and placed it against Nie Yun’s neck.

Nie Yun showed no fear or hesitation, looking directly at Ning Zhongze and saying, “Today, I am able to share this earthly bliss with my master’s wife, and I will never regret it. I only regret that I was born a few decades earlier so that I could marry my master’s wife with dignity. Now that I am dying under my master’s wife’s sword, I have no regrets.”

Upon hearing the words “paradise on earth,” Ning Zhongze recalled the ecstatic pleasure she had never experienced before, and her face flushed slightly. Seeing Nie Yun’s heartfelt confession, her heart softened a little, but she still said coldly, “You’re about to embark on your journey. Is there anything else you want to say?”

Nie Yun looked at Ning Zhongze and saw that her face was full of murderous intent and her eyes were fierce. He felt a little uneasy, but when he thought of the wonders of the Hidden Dragon Heart-Hunting Technique, he steeled himself and just stared at her without saying a word.

Ning Zhongze felt uncomfortable under his gaze and coughed lightly, saying, “Are you scared? Weren’t you very brave today?”

Nie Yun said, “To be able to share the joys of love with such a beautiful woman as my master’s wife before I die, I have no regrets even if I die. I only regret… that I can no longer see my master’s wife and take care of her.”

As he spoke, his expression darkened, and tears welled in his eyes.

Ning Zhongze became even more soft-hearted, but thinking of her lifelong innocence, now ruined in an instant, she gritted her teeth and said ruthlessly, “There’s no point in saying more. What else do you have to say?”

Nie Yun said, “There’s nothing left unfinished, it’s just that I’ve let down my junior sister’s deep affection.”

Hearing Nie Yun mention his daughter, Ning Zhongze was even more unable to bring herself to do it. Her face flushed red and then turned pale as she slowly removed the long sword from Nie Yun’s neck.

Nie Yun was both surprised and delighted, “Master’s wife, you’re not going to kill me?”

Ning Zhongze said quietly, “The mistake has already been made. What’s the use of killing you? Go down. From now on, you must treat Shan’er well and not let her down.”

Fearing that she might have another death wish, Nie Yun said, “Don’t worry, Master’s wife, I will take good care of my junior sister. But if anything happens to you, Master’s wife, I would rather die than live alone and follow you to the afterlife.”

“You…you…” Ning Zhongze was both angry and amused. Of course, she knew that Nie Yun was saying this on purpose because he was afraid that she would commit suicide, but hearing that Nie Yun was willing to die for her still made her feel a little sweet.

She turned around and sighed, “Now that you have saved me, I will not have any more thoughts of suicide. You should hurry back to the Cliff of Repentance. Be careful on the way and don’t let anyone find you.”

Nie Yun smiled slightly, turned and left, but turned back before leaving and said, “Master’s wife, your disciple really loves you.”

Ning Zhongze’s face turned bright red, and she stamped her foot, saying, “Stop talking nonsense, get out of here!”

Nie Yun chuckled and went back to Siguo Cliff.

Ning Zhongze looked at the Nine Phoenix Hairpin on the table and recalled the scene of her moaning and groaning under Nie Yun today, and her body seemed to heat up again.

She went to the window, looked at the sky, and murmured, “A cursed fate…a cursed destiny…”

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

From then on, Ning Zhongze never brought food to Nie Yun again, nor did she allow Yue Lingshan to bring food to her.

Yue Lingshan threw a tantrum, and Ning Zhongze said that Nie Yun’s cultivation had reached a bottleneck and he needed to go into seclusion, so it was inconvenient to disturb him.

She also mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, that Yue Lingshan always took too long to deliver meals before. Yue Lingshan knew her own situation and stopped making a fuss.

Seeing her daughter’s helpless expression, Ning Zhongze sighed, “A daughter is like a tree that cannot be kept at home once she grows up,” but at the same time, she felt a little smug, as if she had defeated a rival in love…

Nie Yun didn’t mind at all. Instead, he took the opportunity to learn all the Five Mountains Sword Techniques and their counter-moves in the secret cave of the Cliff of Contemplation. Then he focused on practicing martial arts and constantly improved his proficiency.

After Nie Yun finished his period of seclusion, life returned to normal. However, Ning Zhongze often avoided seeing Nie Yun, which made Nie Yun a little depressed.

Sometimes when he tried to curry favor with Nie Yun, he was instead coldly reprimanded for not doing his job properly, which made Nie Yun very embarrassed.

Yue Lingshan was confused and thought that Nie Yun had made some mistake that angered her mother, so she tried her best to mediate between the two.

Looking at her daughter’s infatuated yet bewildered expression, and seeing Nie Yun’s attitude of letting her be beaten and scolded, Ning Zhongze couldn’t help but sigh. She stopped speaking harshly to Nie Yun, but refused to be alone with him.

A few days later, Yue Buqun also returned to Mount Hua.

When Ning Zhongze saw her husband, she felt ashamed thinking about her affair with Nie Yun. Coupled with the fact that they had been separated for a long time, she carefully dressed up and wanted to spend some tender time with her husband.

Unfortunately, Yue Buqun was no longer a man in this regard, so even though Ning Zhongze had shyly extended an invitation, he refused without hesitation and even told his wife to focus on her cultivation and not to be distracted.

The Mind-Cleansing Mantra is really that powerful.

Ning Zhongze felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water; the coldness seeped into her bones.

After Yue Buqun fell asleep, she sat up and looked at her husband, her sorrow turning into resentment.

Having tasted such a lavish meal as Nie Yun, she had become addicted and could no longer endure this life of living like a widow.

Nie Yun meticulously planned and schemed, finally creating a deep rift between this loving couple.

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

A gentle breeze caresses the willows, the fragrance of flowers is intoxicating; the spring scenery of the South is breathtaking.

Fuzhou was the capital of Fujian Province, a city with many high-ranking officials and nobles, and a constant stream of merchants from all walks of life.

In such a bustling place, no one would care about such a trivial matter as a tavern outside the city changing owners last month.

“Senior brother, what do you think is noteworthy about the Fuwei Escort Agency? It’s been almost a month, and there’s been no movement at all. The weather here is so hot, and wearing this mask all day is so uncomfortable!”

A young girl in a blue dress complained as she fanned herself. She had a dark complexion, a slender figure, and her hair was tied in two buns. Although she wasn’t particularly beautiful, her voice was clear and melodious.

“I don’t know, but since Master has given the instructions, we can just wait patiently,” said a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion standing nearby.

The two were Nie Yun and Yue Lingshan, who were disguised and sent by Yue Buqun to monitor the Fuwei Escort Agency.

Nie Yun originally thought that since he and Yue Lingshan were in love, Yue Buqun would not use the honey trap again. However, he did not expect that Yue Buqun would still send Yue Lingshan out.

Before leaving, he said a lot of things like Lin Pingzhi being a young prodigy and that if there was a chance, Yue Lingshan should get closer to him.

Of course, he told these things to his daughter in private, but Lao Yue had no idea that Yue Lingshan was now completely devoted to Nie Yun and obedient to him in every way. So, as soon as Yue Lingshan came down the mountain, she told Nie Yun about it.

A girl who is deeply in love is just so adorable.

In that instant, Nie Yun was completely disappointed in Yue Buqun.

He originally thought that Yue Buqun had endured and sacrificed for the sake of Mount Hua, and that even if he turned evil, it was because he was forced to do so by various crises in the original story.

But now it seems that Yue Buqun is, at heart, someone who would sacrifice everything for his goal.

If Nie Yun hadn’t wanted to get his hands on the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual and hadn’t deliberately given Lao Denuo a laxative, he probably would still be in the dark.

Nie Yun now felt that it was incredibly wise of him not to tell Yue Buqun about the secret cave on the Cliff of Contemplation and Feng Qingyang’s Dugu Nine Swords.

He secretly made up his mind that he would find a way to get rid of that cunning old bastard Yue Buqun when he got back this time.

“After you die, I will take care of your wife and children, so don’t worry about it.” Nie Yun thought of Prime Minister Cao’s famous words and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

“Honestly, it’s rare for us to get out of here, I thought we’d have a good time!”

“Alright, stop pouting! The way you look now, making that expression is just plain ugly and pretentious, I can’t even bear to look at you. Unless you’re like you were in bed last night… um…”

“Ah! Senior brother, you’re so annoying! I’ll teach you to talk nonsense again!” Yue Lingshan quickly covered Nie Yun’s mouth with her hand, saying shyly.

Given the opportunity to go out alone with Yue Lingshan, Nie Yun naturally wouldn’t miss it.

During this period, the two shared a bed every day. Although they didn’t actually experience ecstasy, they still engaged in various forms of flirting, such as verbal and physical contact.

It wasn’t that Nie Yun didn’t want to, but Yue Lingshan insisted that the two of them get married and that he would only give himself to her on their wedding night. Although he was lustful, he was still very gentle with the woman who loved him.

Just thinking about Ning Zhongze’s brainwashing-style teaching of Yue Lingshan, Nie Yun decided that he would go back and have a good talk with his master’s wife in her bed.

“Hehe, okay, I misspoke. My Shan’er is as beautiful as an angel, with unparalleled beauty, gentle and virtuous, and incredibly intelligent…” Nie Yun chuckled and showered her with compliments.

When Yue Lingshan heard Nie Yun say “my Shan’er,” her heart fluttered with sweetness, but she spat out, “Pah! Who’s your Shan’er?”

“Hehe, I’ve already marked you as a culprit, you can’t escape now.” Nie Yun teased, then asked, “Shan’er, how’s your swordsmanship coming along with the sword techniques I taught you a few days ago?”

“Hmm, the sword technique itself isn’t complicated, but the method of channeling energy is very peculiar. It’s as fast as lightning when executed, and the attacks are unpredictable, making it impossible to defend against. Senior brother, what kind of sword technique is that?”

“That’s a sword technique that my senior brother obtained by chance, but it can only be practiced by women. This sword technique is very powerful, and it’s a secret between you and me. You must never tell anyone else.”

Of course, Nie Yun wouldn’t tell Yue Lingshan that he obtained the “Evil-Repelling Sword Technique” from the Buddhist hall of the Lin family’s old residence.

The first sentence I saw upon receiving the cassock was: “To become the supreme master of the martial world, one must castrate oneself with a sword.”

Nie Yun felt a chill in his groin. Although he had known the secret of this skill for a long time, as a man, seeing these words still gave him a headache.

“Damn it, Yue Buqun and Lin Pingzhi are really ruthless. They can even abandon such delicate beauties as their master’s wife and junior sister.”

Nie Yun sighed a few times, then had the sword technique recorded on the jade disc. He then took out another old cassock and copied the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual onto it.

Of course, Nie Yun made some minor but fatal modifications while copying. After finishing the copying, Nie Yun put it back in its original place, and the original old cassock was completely burned to ashes.

After the sword technique was improved by the jade tablet, it became more powerful and easier to cultivate, but the requirement of self-castration could not be eliminated.

Come to think of it, the sword techniques created by eunuchs were fundamentally not meant for normal men to practice.

According to the information from the jade disc, if the drawbacks of self-castration are eliminated through optimization, the power of the sword technique will also decrease significantly.

Now that Nie Yun has mastered the Dugu Nine Swords and the Five Mountains Sword Technique, he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique. So he taught it to Yue Lingshan. It would be quite a spectacle if his delicate junior sister used the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique to intimidate everyone.

The Evil-Repelling Sword Technique is characterized by its rapid mastery, so although Yue Lingshan has not practiced it for long, she has already mastered it quite well. The next step is to accumulate experience in actual combat.

“Clop clop clop…” The sound of horses’ hooves came from afar. Nie Yun’s heart stirred, and he gave Yue Lingshan a wink.

Yue Lingshan hurriedly went to the counter to arrange the goods, and Nie Yun also came to the table and picked up a rag to wipe them.

Five fine horses came galloping from afar. The lead horse was pure white, with bridles and stirrups made of gleaming silver. On the saddle sat a young man in brocade robes, about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a hunting falcon perched on his left shoulder, a sword hanging at his waist, and a longbow on his back.

Four riders followed behind him, all dressed in short blue cloth coats.

The horses had rabbits and pheasants hanging from their saddles, indicating they had just finished hunting.

Having read the original novel, Nie Yun naturally recognized these people as Lin Pingzhi and his four subordinates who went hunting in the mountains at the beginning of the novel.

The group arrived at the tavern, dismounted, and went inside. They sat down at two separate tables. Lin Pingzhi sat at the head of one table, and a man at the foot of the table called out, “Where’s Old Cai? Why isn’t he here?”

Nie Yun coughed and said, “Please have a seat, gentlemen. Would you like something to drink?”

The man who spoke earlier said, “Bring up three catties of bamboo leaf green tea first. Where did Old Cai go? What? Has this inn changed owners?”

“Qing’er, bring three catties of Zhuyeqing wine.” Nie Yun first turned to Yue Lingshan and ordered the wine to be served, then cupped his hands to the group and said, “Last month, the owner of this hotel didn’t want to keep it, so he sold it to me for thirty taels of silver.”

“Oh? Judging from your accent, you don’t sound like a local, do you?” Lin Pingzhi asked curiously.

“Hehe, young master is truly intelligent. I am from the north.” Nie Yu nodded with a smile.

Lin Pingzhi didn’t pay any attention. He was still a young master who hadn’t experienced much hardship, so naturally he wouldn’t be careful in every situation.

Just like in the original story, Nie Yun had just received the pheasant and rabbit and was about to cook for the five people when Yu Renyan, that short-lived bastard, arrived with Jia Renda.

Nie Yun already regarded Yue Lingshan as his own, so naturally he wouldn’t let her be taken advantage of by Yu Renyan like in the original story.

He rushed to the table before Yue Lingshan could and asked, “What would you two gentlemen like to drink?”

Yu Renyan didn’t flirt with Yue Lingshan, so he naturally didn’t have a conflict with Lin Pingzhi. He had only come over for a drink because he was thirsty, so he sat for a while and then went out to continue his journey.

Lin Pingzhi had no idea that he had escaped a physical ordeal. After finishing his drink, he took his men home.

Seeing Lin Pingzhi’s dashing appearance, Nie Yun smiled and turned to Yue Lingshan, saying, “Shan’er, I’m going to the city tonight to gather information. You stay at the hotel and wait for me to return.”

The next morning, news spread throughout the streets and alleys that Lin Pingzhi, the young master of the Fuwei Escort Agency, had killed a Sichuan man in a brothel due to jealousy.

Thanks to Nie Yun’s “efforts,” fate returned to its original course. The Fuwei Escort Agency was destroyed, and the Lin couple were kidnapped. However, Nie Yun did not let the young master Lin suffer the hardship of fleeing again, and directly killed him with a sword.

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

After the events in Fuzhou concluded, Nie Yun and Yue Lingshan returned to Mount Hua. Yue Buqun gave them a brief greeting and then led Nie Yun into a secret room to inquire in detail about their experiences.

Nie Yun recounted the whole story from beginning to end, though of course, it was embellished.

After listening, Yue Buqun’s desire for strength became even stronger.