A smile can topple a city

Chapter 61

“Young Master Xiao, I felt you looked very familiar the first time I saw you. Recently, there have been rumors in the martial arts world that you are the son of Alliance Leader Li Zhong… I wonder if the rumors are true?” This time it was finally an acquaintance, Guo Qiwu.

Xiao Xun lowered his head: "Yes. Li Zhong is my father, and I just found out."

The "Oh!" sounds grew louder. Finally, someone suggested that Young Master Xiao, whom everyone had been so kind to, should become the new leader of the alliance. The suggestion received enthusiastic support from the vast majority of people.

Xiao Xun lowered his eyes: "The long-standing conflict between the Martial Alliance and Youming City is actually closely related to my father's personal grudges from back then. Therefore, it is my duty to resolve the grudges and feuds between the two factions and quell the killings and conflicts in the martial arts world. In fact, the Martial Alliance has expanded excessively in recent years and has been the source of many conflicts in the Central Plains martial arts world. If it can be dissolved, then it should be dissolved. If not, then I certainly cannot be the leader of this alliance. I ask everyone to find someone more capable..."

Xiao Xun led everyone out of the deep mountains and onto the road back to the Central Plains martial arts world before parting ways. It was only then that everyone realized the Huang father and son were missing. However, they weren't overly concerned. After this life-or-death experience, they would never respect the father and son again. Moreover, by the time they returned to the Central Plains, even more shocking news had already spread throughout the martial arts world: their revered Alliance Leader Huang was actually a spy from the Netherworld City! All the conflicts and conspiracies of the past and present were instigated by him!

Whether the news is true or false is unknown, but in fact it doesn't matter anymore. The martial arts alliance has finally collapsed, which is also the wish that many small sects dare not speak of. At this moment, everyone is more willing to believe that this news is an undeniable fact.

However, Huang Chongshan was unaware of all this; he was still incredibly excited! The treasure he had been searching for for years was right before his eyes! After leaving the secret passage and having eaten and drunk his fill, he quietly slipped away with his son. Several days later, the two of them brought explosives and blew open the cave entrance. The treasure filled more than a dozen trucks.

He was overjoyed at the sight of the long convoy, only to discover that someone else was even more delighted. A large group of people, who had appeared out of nowhere, quickly took over his convoy. The middle-aged man at the head of the group looked vaguely familiar.

"Who...who are you?" Huang Chongshan was truly unwilling to accept that his years of hard work had been destroyed in an instant.

The man sneered: "A mere Long Aotian. I've heard... you and your son have been very kind to my daughter? My Golden Armor Guards died at your hands too?"

As Luo Qingcheng stepped into the flower hall, he sensed a strong killing intent. He dodged the gust of wind in a split second, flicking his finger in the direction it came from, causing the opponent to grunt. A slight sense of smugness crossed his face, but then he felt a numbness in his Huantiao acupoint and staggered. Familiar martial arts! He immediately called out the opponent's name: "Medicine Doctor!"

The herbalist sneered. The herbalist wasn't mute; Luo Qingcheng already knew that. However… when he turned around, he didn't see the herbalist's face, but rather a middle-aged man with vivid features who looked very much like someone else.

"You're not a traditional Chinese medicine doctor!" Luo Qingcheng exclaimed in surprise, then said something foolish.

The middle-aged man sneered: "Of course I'm not a doctor, that boy is the doctor! He's the son of the Miraculous Healer Yama, and he's inherited his father's skills."

The truth was about to be revealed. Luo Qingcheng slowly turned his head. In the hall, Ye Xiao, who was kneeling on the ground, opened his mouth and said the most terrifying thing he had ever heard in his life: "Qingcheng, this is my father."

"..." Although Luo Qingcheng was already mentally prepared, he still thought about digging a hole and burying himself.

Lord Long Aotian of Lonely Cloud Fortress rubbed his shoulder, which had been pinched by Luo Qingcheng, without even glancing at him. He walked straight over, took out a stick, and said to Ye Xiao, who was kneeling on the ground, "Xiaoxiao! You caused such a big mess outside this time, almost losing your life. Tell me, how should I punish you?"

Ye Xiao hung her head pitifully, and Luo Qingcheng felt very sorry for her. He couldn't help but say, "Lord Long... it was all because of me. I'm willing to take the punishment for Xiao Xiao..."

Long Aotian gave an "oh," and a strange look suddenly appeared in his eyes: "You're really willing?"

Luo Qingcheng slowly walked over, knelt down next to Ye Xiao, and closed his eyes.

Long Aotian nodded, then struck his leg without mercy with his stick: "The first blow was at Langjing Manor's Jianghu Xiaotan Pavilion! How could you be so clueless, allowing Yuan Peixin to repeatedly provoke you! If I hadn't secretly switched the wine in the flask, Xiaoxiao's reputation would have been ruined long ago! Tell me, did you deserve this?"

"..." Luo Qingcheng remained silent, gritting his teeth and enduring it.

Another blow came: "The second blow was enough to make Xiaoxiao suffer from the 'Fengsao' poison! Luckily, you're still a man, and you risked your life to prevent Xiaoxiao from suffering!"

"The third dose! It was for lovesickness! You can't tell right from wrong! I went to great lengths to get you the antidote, and you gave me lovesickness! It kept me from leaving the house for ten days, and I couldn't laugh with you anymore, which caused many things to get out of my control!"

Luo Qingcheng could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground. He imagined the tragic state of the Dragon Lord, who was driven mad by lovesickness, and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"Fourth strike, fifth strike! Sixth strike..." Long Aotian seemed to see his smirk, and just kept hitting him with the blows without saying a word. Luo Qingcheng remained silent, and Ye Xiao screamed and rushed over to protect him, crying loudly: "Father... Father, this is your son-in-law... Are you beating him to death so that I will be a widow?"

Long Aotian abruptly withdrew his hand and sneered, "Xiaoxiao, although you've been mischievous since childhood, and I've been very strict with you because of that, I've never been able to lay a finger on you... Now it's good. After all these years, I've finally used family discipline. From now on, if you make any more mistakes, let this man suffer for you."

"..." Luo Qingcheng felt he had been completely fooled. He angrily tried to get up and argue with the tyrannical Dragon Fortress Lord, but the pain aggravated his wounds, and he finally fainted from the pain...

More than ten days later, under Ye Xiao's meticulous care, Luo Qingcheng was finally able to limp around the garden. As fate would have it, he encountered his greatest nightmare, Long Aotian, right there in the garden.

"Lord of Dragon Castle".

"City Lord Luo."

The two exchanged greetings in a cold but polite manner.

"I heard from Xiaoxiao that you want to marry her?"

"She is now my wife."

“She’s from Lonely Cloud Fortress; she doesn’t count without my permission.”

"Didn't you and your daughter have an agreement that as long as there's enough ransom, Xiaoxiao will be free?"

"Do you think you have enough money to buy your freedom?"

“I have as much as I want.” Luo Qingcheng thought of the treasure of the Maha in the secret passage. He originally wanted to have people transport the things out, but who knew that he would be crippled as soon as he returned to Guyun Fort.

"Oh?" Long Aotian sneered, then suddenly pointed to a certain spot.

There, a dozen or so horse-drawn carriages were lined up, carrying iron boxes. Luo Qingcheng recognized these boxes; they were the treasures of the Shimoha passed down from their ancestors.

"You! Shameless! This is mine!" Luo Qingcheng roared in anger.

"The strong prey on the weak. That's the way of heaven!" Long Aotian laughed with utter contempt. "If you want to marry my daughter, I'll set the rules. If you want to marry Xiaoxiao, you have to sever all ties with Youming City, and I'll give you the Shimohe Treasure and dismiss your subordinates. If you want to be the lord of Youming City, then you can leave alone, and take the Shimohe Treasure with you. Guyun Fort doesn't care!"

"you!"

The two men glared at each other fiercely, each wanting to devour the other.

"Dad, Qingcheng, dinner's ready!" Ye Xiao's voice came from afar.

Xiaoxiao cooked again! The two men were shocked and looked at each other in dismay.

“Um… there’s a hotel in Lonely Cloud Fortress called ‘No Heart to Leave or Go,’ where the food is delicious and the wine is lively. Would Lord Luo be willing to go and have a taste?” Long Aotian asked.

"Unwilling to stay or leave?" Luo Qingcheng was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

Ye Xiao turned around, looking around suspiciously. She had clearly seen Luo Qingcheng talking to her father here just now, but how could he have disappeared in the blink of an eye? She had specially invited the master chef Qu Liu Wuxin to cook a whole feast today, wouldn't it all go to waste?

Years later. The Martial Alliance and the Netherworld City were both gone, leaving only the legend of "a smile that could topple a city" circulating in the martial arts world. The smile naturally referred to Ye Xiao, and the city, some said, referred to the Netherworld City. Legend had it that Ye Xiao was a beauty of unparalleled allure, and the Netherworld City ultimately fell because of her beauty. Others said that the city actually referred only to Luo Qingcheng, and that Ye Xiao had only ever been captivated by Luo Qingcheng. Opinions varied, and no consensus was reached.

The Lantern Festival is approaching at Luoye Mountain Villa, and the villa is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, making it exceptionally lively.

The moonlight was cold and frosty. Ye Xiao had finished cooking the glutinous rice balls and finally found Luo Qingcheng, who looked dejected, among the winter plum blossoms. She went over and gently hugged him: "What's wrong?"

Luo Qingcheng turned his head to look at the cold moon: "I miss my father. I'm so incompetent. I went to great lengths to lure the Martial Alliance into a trap and wipe them out, but he still let me go because of the third brother. I couldn't avenge him..."

Ye Xiao hugged him tighter: "I gave him the key to the secret passage. In Qingcheng, so many lives have been lost, and many people are unaware of the truth, either deceived by the Huang family or intimidated by their power. I don't want you to have so much blood on your hands, to be hated and cursed, and to never have peace in your life."

"But the Huang father and son also escaped. I'm really not willing to accept this..."

“They have long been disgraced and their martial arts have been crippled by Father. Now they live in constant fear, wishing they were dead. Qingcheng, I want you to be happy, and I want to give you happiness. So I want you to let go of all the past grudges and entanglements.”

Luo Qingcheng hummed in agreement, closed his eyes, and after a long pause said, "Xiaoxiao, there's something I've always wanted to ask. When you defeated the Seven Masters of Heavenly Crafts, you should have received seven items: 'National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance's Stinky Bomb, 'Miraculous Hands of Yama's Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill, 'Heart-chilling Arrow's Sky-Piercing Rope, 'Ghostly Axe Flying to the Sky's Ten Thousand Mile Wind-Riding Wings, and 'Skillful Jade Granny's Jewelry Box. What's the last one? What did Xiaoxiao get from 'Thunderclap'?"

Ye Xiao chuckled softly and took his hand: "I'll show you something like this later. Let's eat some glutinous rice balls first."

A bowl was filled with glutinous rice balls of various fillings. Luo Qingcheng took a bite and nodded, "Xiaoxiao's cooking skills have improved a lot."

"Qingcheng! Qingcheng, look!" Ye Xiao suddenly shouted, dragging Luo Qingcheng over and pointing to the sky not far away.

With a series of booming sounds, colorful fireworks burst open in the inky night sky, dazzling and crystal clear, like flowers blooming in heaven. The cool moonlit night seemed to be scorched in that instant, suddenly becoming warm and radiant.

Luo Qingcheng was slightly surprised: "Fireworks. Xiaoxiao got fireworks from Thunderclap?"

Ye Xiao smiled gently: "It's fireworks. I like the fleeting brilliance and liveliness, and I also like the eternal tranquility, as long as I'm with you. Qingcheng, no matter what the future holds, I will be with you, never to be separated."

Luo Qingcheng's heart warmed, and he finally smiled. No matter how tragic life may be, to be able to watch such fireworks with the one he loved—what more could he ask for? He slowly embraced her tighter and closed his eyes. In this life, he had finally found his home; there would be no more hesitation, no more loneliness…