After that, Lin Yuhuang and Jieyu stayed in Moonlit Valley. Lin Yuhuang simply liked the environment and, in her early thirties, began to consider retirement. Jieyu, on the other hand, discovered for the first time that the meaning of life wasn't just about taking care of her husband and having children. She became enthusiastic about handling sect affairs, managing internal affairs, and recruiting disciples, eventually becoming a Valley Master even more powerful than Shangguan Tou. Because the two often spent time together, were of similar age, and were both single, many disciples in the sect often teased them, secretly calling them Master and Mistress.
It wasn't until the year before that Lin Yuhuang remembered that Jieyu was already over thirty, and if she didn't find someone to marry soon, she would truly waste her life. So he discussed this matter with her, suggesting that she consider marrying someone from the martial arts world, so that they would have more in common and the other person could protect her. Jieyu, however, said that if she married, she absolutely had to leave Moonrise Valley. Shangguan Tou was still young and only knew how to play outside all day long; if she left, there really wouldn't be anyone to take care of Moonrise Valley, so she refused to leave no matter what. Yuhuang had no choice but to pat his chest and say, "Second Master will marry you." Jieyu laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid of going against your conscience?"
Lin Yuhuang sighed, wiped his sweat, and finally said something he would never say to a woman: "Actually, all I can do is take care of you. Because I'm a true homosexual. I'd rather touch my own hand than a woman's."
Jieyu was quite surprised after hearing this, but she quickly couldn't help but laugh and clapped her hands, saying, "Great! This way, people won't keep saying I'm an unwanted old woman."
Thus, a family consisting of a homosexual and an abandoned woman was formed by Lin Yuhuang and Chong Jieyu.
In the end, Jieyu couldn't help but lower her head and laugh: "You might find this a bit strange, but there are many couples in this world who don't love each other, but come together purely because they are compatible with each other. It's really rare to find couples like your two fathers who loved each other, were compatible, and were happy for so many years despite all the hardships. Although your eldest father passed away early, Yuhuang often said that it was enough. If he had really spent his whole life with your eldest father, then he would have to pay the debt in the next life. He would never dare to be reincarnated after he died."
Xuezhi frowned: "Why does Huang'er always say such unlucky things?"
Jieyu patted the back of her hand: "Zhi'er, if you think your second father has forgotten the past so quickly, then I can only say that you don't trust him enough, and you don't trust your eldest father even more."
"What does this have to do with Uncle?"
"To be honest, whoever your second uncle is with, people will probably compare him to him. Do you think he'll still be interested in anyone after all that comparison?"
Xuezhi wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Jieyu's expression was incredibly familiar when she smiled with her head down. So familiar that just one glance from her made Xuezhi want to cry.
Seeing that expression... wouldn't Second Uncle think of someone?
The two chatted for a while longer before Jieyu left with a smile. Xuezhi had been traveling the martial world for so many years and had never seen such a gentle woman. Especially after meeting Yuan Shuangshuang, she was almost convinced that women over a certain age were all crazy, but this Jieyu... truly worthy of being her great-father's sister.
Xuezhi lay in bed, thinking about how she had given Lin Yuhuang the jade pendant, and how he was sure he wouldn't be in a good mood for days. Feeling a surge of satisfaction, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Xuezhi couldn't wait to check on Lin Yuhuang to see if he hadn't slept well, so she ran to ask a maid where he was. The maid said he was near Wenhua Spring on Taibai Island, but told Xuezhi not to rush over.
Xuezhi didn't care about anything else and went straight to Taibai Island by boat. After asking for directions, she finally found a pavilion with a sign that read "Wenhua Spring." Xuezhi passed through the pavilion, and ahead was a row of fences, behind which was a pebble path. As she walked along the path, the air grew warmer, and mist swirled around her. There was also a pile of clothes on the lawn that were obviously carelessly thrown around.
It turned out there was a hot spring ahead.
Xuezhi felt a chill run down her spine, realizing she shouldn't have come, but then she heard Lin Yuhuang and Zhong Tao's voices coming from the water's edge:
"I am Lin Er Ye, the number one eccentric hero of the martial world! Demons ahead, state your names!"
"You are the demons! Prepare to die!"
"You are clearly a wolf spirit, yet you dare to boast in front of me! Behold my Chaotic Moon Sword! Ha!"
"You have the Chaotic Moon Sword, I have the Divine Sparrow Sunset Palm! Hah!"
"Hahaha!"
"Drink! Drink! Drink!"
Two naked men were fighting and splashing water in the hot spring. Another man, leaning against a rock with Xuezhi on his back, suddenly said, "Wolf spirit, you've stepped on my foot!"
Zhong Tao said, "You pipa spirit, don't think that just because you've become Zhaojun, I'll really treat you as a beauty. I'm a tough guy who won't bend over for a beauty! Behold my Flood Divine Power!"
Just as the "flood" was about to be poured over, Lin Yuhuang lunged forward to block it: "Hey, hey, I told you Shangguan Xiaotou isn't fully recovered yet, so we won't bully him. We'll force him to reveal his true form once he's better."
Zhong Tao, however, stared straight at the shore.
Their clothes were all hung on the treetops. Xuezhi stood with one hand on her hip, looking at them expressionlessly.
60
Shangguan Tou suddenly stood up, splashing hot spring water everywhere. He twisted his long, loose hair into a knot, wrapped it around his neck, spun around a few times, then crossed his arms and said, "Dare to underestimate me? Young Master Shangguan is full of vigor and vitality!"
Zhong Tao shrank back down, then looked up at Shangguan Tou, and shrank back down again.
"Scared now?" Shangguan Tou fanned himself, stretched, and then dived back into the water, swimming backward as he said, "Where were we? Oh, right, Uncle Lin, you have a particular fondness for Wei Yin'ang's things. His goods are indeed quite good, but I noticed that the swords and knives you bought later are not as good as your Heavenly Ghost Divine Blade."
Lin Yuhuang said, "The Heavenly Ghost Divine Blade is good, but I don't use it much. I plan to sell it. How many gold ingots will that get me?"
Shangguan Tou said, "Don't sell it, don't sell it. There's plenty of silver in the world, and new silver comes every day. But there's only one Heavenly Demon Blade in the entire world. Once it's sold, it's gone."
"Anyway, I tricked my mother out of it."
"No matter how we got them, we should keep the good weapons for ourselves." Shangguan Tou had already retreated to the shore. "This hot spring is too hot. I'm going to go up and rest for a bit."
Zhong Tao glanced at Xue Zhi behind him and quickly said, "No, no."
"It's alright, I'm in good health." Shangguan Tou turned his back to the shore, pushed himself up with his hands, and jumped onto a rock. "I had a high fever yesterday and don't remember what I said. To be honest, Uncle Lin, please don't hit me, but I always feel like Zhi'er is taking care of me."
Lin Yuhuang washed her arms and patted them twice: "My daughter will take care of you? Dream on."
"Really? But I can smell her scent." She sniffed and chuckled, "Maybe she really cares about me?"
"You want to get close to Zhi'er? No problem. But you have to wait until after she gets married. It's too dangerous to keep her by your side now."
"Wait, Uncle Lin, Zhi'er is still too young to talk about marriage. I'm afraid she'll marry the wrong person and be bullied."
"With her temper?" Lin Yuhuang scoffed. "She's the bully! But Shangguan Xiaotou, you're already twenty-two and still not planning to get married? When I was your age, Zhi'er was already hitting people."
“I haven’t done what you said, Uncle, about charming all the women in the world. How am I supposed to get married? Besides, women aren’t that interesting anyway. Secret manuals and wine are much more appealing.” Shangguan Tou snapped his fingers. “These past few days I’ve been eyeing the Shaolin Temple’s ‘Great Manjushri Staff Technique.’ I heard it’s a specialty of the Bodhi Academy. Mastering it would be really awesome.” He then made a staff-wielding gesture. “I’m planning to ask my aunt for a copy to play with.”
"You've already fooled your aunt about your martial arts skills, and now you're eyeing Shaolin? Why don't you just ask Shi Yan for a copy of 'The Eight Methods of Bodhidharma's Divine Zen Staff Technique'?"
"Uncle Lin, you're teasing me again. I'm going upstairs now."
Shangguan Tou stood up with a smile, tossed his hair, and turned to take a few steps.
Xuezhi had been completely numb, but she hadn't expected Shangguan Tou to suddenly turn around and face her so closely. If he took another step forward, he would be right next to her. She immediately covered her mouth and screamed in surprise.
Shangguan Tou reacted very quickly, jumping into the hot spring to dive without saying a word.
Lin Yuhuang looked up and was stunned.
Only Zhong Tao remained huddled in a small corner, his hands covering his face, but his fingers were spread wide apart, revealing his eyes.
Not long after, Lin Yuhuang pulled Shangguan Tou out, wiped the water off his face, tossed him forward, and followed Zhong Tao to hide behind a large rock. Shangguan Tou cautiously swam over, but was kicked out by them. He could only whisper from behind, "Didn't you say you wouldn't bully me since I'm not well?"
Lin Yuhuang secretly peeked out and uttered a sinister sentence: "Young Master Shangguan, you should handle this. We all believe in your vigor and vitality."
"Huang'er!" Xuezhi's cheeks flushed slightly as she grabbed one of Lin Yuhuang's clothes and threw it down. "How old are you?"
"Three...thirty-five."
Zhong Tao added in a low voice, "You said you were thirty-seven yesterday."
"Huang'er, come up here!"
Lin Yuhuang adjusted her blindfold and tidied her hair. Without a word, she swam to the shore, covered her private parts, and got ashore. She turned her back and silently put on her clothes. Then she silently walked to Xuezhi's side and lowered her head, saying, "Zhizhi, I was wrong."
Lin Yuhuang was taken away by Xuezhi. Shangguan Tou and Zhong Tao looked at each other, as if they had just woken from a nightmare.
That evening, Qiu Hongxiu visited, and she and Jieyu cooked a meal. But even after all the dishes were prepared, Shangguan Tou still hadn't appeared. Only after everyone had almost finished eating did a servant come and say that the Valley Master was feeling unwell and wished to dine in his room. He then took the food and left.
Qiu Hongxiu murmured, "This morning he said he was full of vigor, how come he can't do it now?"
Author's Note: Drink! Ha!
61 62 63
61
Xuezhi settled down temporarily in Moonrise Valley. Although Moonrise Valley was geographically isolated, it was very well-informed about the outside world. Before long, the latest news from the martial arts world spread throughout Moonrise Valley: Chonghuo Palace was showing signs of rising, and the leader was the highly skilled Grand Protector Mu Yuan. Almost overnight, Mu Yuan's fame soared.
The mere mention of Chonghuo Palace triggered Xuezhi's suicidal thoughts again. Around the same time, Lin Yuhuang summoned her and Shangguan Tou together, and they sat down for a long talk that lasted all night.
It turns out that Lin Yuhuang's departure from Chonghuo Palace was Chonglian's idea. Chonglian saw that Lin Yuhuang doted on his daughter, and Xuezhi was quite dependent on him, which would hinder her growth. Therefore, she let him leave for a few years until Xuezhi turned seventeen. Xuezhi's early entry into Yue Shang Valley was another matter. Before this, Lin Yuhuang had practiced an internal skill called "Azure Lotus Eyes," which was extremely similar in nature to the "Nine Forms of the Lotus God." His power increased dramatically, making him unmatched except by Chonglian. However, Chonglian feared that this martial art would have a negative effect on Yuhuang, so she advised him to abandon it. Yuhuang naturally complied. Over the years, Yuhuang had learned many techniques and mental cultivation methods at Chonghuo Palace, so even without "Azure Lotus Eyes," he was still a formidable master in the martial arts world, though no longer as invincible as before.
In the past century, Chonglian was the first person in the history of the Central Plains martial arts world to master the "Nine Forms of the Lotus God". Therefore, he guessed that after his death, even if it was locked deep in the palace, many people would covet this secret manual. So he secretly wrote two manuals comparable to "Lotus Wings" and gave them to Yuhuang, so that Yuhuang could start practicing them after her daughter turned seventeen.
After communicating with Xuezhi, Lin Yuhuang discovered that the truth was indeed as Chonglian had predicted: the "Nine Forms of the Lotus God" had been stolen.
Lin Yuhuang said, "Since it has been stolen, soon someone will be manipulated by the secret manual and indiscriminately kill innocent people. If we don't speed things up, the world will probably be in chaos, and it will inevitably affect Chonghuo Palace as well."
Xuezhi said, "Should we start practicing the secret manual of the Great Father's Manual now?"
"Hmm." Lin Yuhuang thought for a moment, then took out a dark red leather booklet and placed it on the table. "This."
Xuezhi picked it up; on it were five slender, strong characters written with a brush: Samadhi Flame Phoenix Blade.
Xuezhi thought for a moment and said, "Second Father, I know this martial art is very suitable for you to practice. But I don't practice swordsmanship, you should know that, right?"
"I understand. That's why Lian also wrote a book called 'The Snow Lotus Sword of the Vast Sea'."
"Then I'm fine with it."
Lin Yuhuang remained silent for a long time.
Shangguan Tou tentatively asked, "Uncle Lin, is there something wrong with the secret manual?"
Xuezhi said, "It's probably been stolen."
"You guessed half right." Lin Yuhuang glanced at Xuezhi and swallowed lightly. "...It got robbed."
Xuezhi finally snapped, slamming her hand on the table: "You actually lost something so important?!"
"I didn't want to either," Lin Yuhuang said softly. "But as soon as I came out with my things, I was robbed. The other party was really good at martial arts. Not only did they steal my things, but they also cut me several times and sprayed me with a lot of poison. I couldn't run away even if I wanted to."
"If it was stolen, how come this one is still here!"
"Because I forgot to bring this book with me at the time, I had to go back to get it later."
"If that person used poison, how come you're completely unharmed?"
“Your grandmother refined two pills that made you immune to all poisons. Shangguan Xiaotou and I each took one, and we also had Yin Ci help us open up our meridians, so…”
"You...you don't tell me you didn't see what that person looked like."
"I didn't see him clearly. He was masked and moved very fast. I knew he was a man."
"Huang'er, you're going to die!"
"You can't just curse your father to die."
Xuezhi almost had the urge to murder her own father. After enduring it for a long time, she finally accepted reality and took the "Samadhi Flame Phoenix Blade" manual: "Fine, I'll accept it even if it's just a sword technique. I'll start practicing swordsmanship from tomorrow. In any case, I will definitely do what my great-father asked me to do. As for the other manual, I will find a way to get it back."
Lin Yuhuang suddenly patted Xuezhi's head again: "I know our Zhi'er is the smartest. The mysteries in this manual are waiting for Zhi'er to figure them out. Shangguan Xiaotou, you should also help her more."
Shangguan Tou smiled and said, "Yes."
Xuezhi didn't pay attention to what Lin Yuhuang said and went downstairs to look at the secret manual.
Years ago, Chonglian repeatedly instructed that the "Nine Forms of the Lotus God" was a secret treasure of Chonghuo Palace, a symbol of the palace, and must not be lost. However, from that day forward, no one was to be allowed to practice this evil art. To prevent the people of Chonghuo Palace from worrying too much and thus practicing it, and also to deal with Xuezhi's expulsion from Chonghuo Palace, Lin Yuhuang planned to return to Chonghuo Palace.
Lin Yuhuang acted with lightning speed, setting off the very next day after making his announcement, leaving Xuezhi in Moon Valley.