A Record of Pleasure

Chapter 19

Tan Huan said, "That's all in the past. I can't use any martial arts skills now."

Yuan Gu laughed loudly, "Your martial arts were crippled by Baili Liushang?"

What's so funny? Tan Huan mumbled a "hmm" in response.

“I’ve met Baili Liushang twice, and he attacked you both times. Why did he spare your life? Did he have a change of heart? That doesn’t seem like him.” Yuan Gu, shameless as ever, chuckled. “Could it be that he’s taken a liking to you?”

Tan Huan glanced at him sideways, "He took a liking to me and then crippled my martial arts? He's really different when it comes to the people he loves."

"Hehe, there's a lot of resentment in your words..." Yuan Gu took another sip of wine, his nose turning red. "Baili Liushang is a decent guy. He used to pay me when he asked me to forge weapons for him. But if it were one of the other leaders of Zhengyang Palace, hmph, you wouldn't get a single copper coin."

So you judge a person's character by whether they give you money or not? Tan Huan looked annoyed. "I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to wait for Pei Jin."

Tan Huan lived in Youming Valley, and Pei Jin would visit at least once a month. On one occasion, he even brought Wu Qingfeng and Wu Qingqiu with him. The three siblings were extremely awkward when they met, unable to even utter a word. Wu Qingfeng seemed to have gained a reputation as the "Jade-Faced Gentleman" in the martial arts world, and Tan Huan congratulated him half-heartedly.

Unable to find common ground, Wu Qingfeng and Wu Qingqiu left that very day. As they left Youming Valley, Wu Qingqiu took Tan Huan's hand and asked, "Tan Huan, when are you coming back?"

After a moment of silence, Tan Huan said, "Actually, it would be better if I didn't go back. That way, Dad and Mom would be happier."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Wu Qingfeng said irritably. "If you don't want to come back, then don't come back. Don't talk like you're so noble!"

Tan Huan looked at him and said, "Putting aside my parents, you don't want me to go back, do you? You've never liked me since I was a child."

"How could I not like you? I clearly..." Wu Qingfeng suddenly blushed and glared at her resentfully, "It's your usual behavior that's so annoying. If you were half as sensible and obedient as Qingqiu, how could your parents not like you?"

Tan Huan chuckled, "Wu Qingfeng, how come you haven't grown up all these years?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Qingfeng immediately grabbed Wu Qingqiu's hand and started to walk out. If they stayed any longer, they would end up arguing with this brat again. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly stopped. "Actually, it's not a big deal if you don't have martial arts skills."

Wu Qingqiu nodded, "Tan Huan, I don't have any martial arts skills either, but I still live a good life, don't I?"

She smiled wistfully, ultimately pleased to hear their words of comfort. Although she disliked that home and didn't get along well with her family, she always cared about their opinions. She pretended not to care, but deep down she couldn't let go. Family—such a strange thing. "Don't worry, I'll go back. That's my home, and I'll always remember it."

Although she could only see Pei Jin once or twice a month, each meeting was the thing Tan Huan looked forward to most. The thought of Shu Yunyao being with Pei Jin every day made Tan Huan incredibly sad. Therefore, every time she saw Pei Jin, she would bring up marriage. In less than two years, once she turned fourteen, she was determined to marry Pei Jin. Pei Jin would always find it both funny and exasperating, reaching out to pat her head, "Don't worry, I'll wait for you."

During his time in the Netherworld Valley, Tan Huan would often go to watch Ba Ying practice his swordsmanship. Normally, watching others practice martial arts was a taboo, but Tan Huan and Ba Ying were good friends, and since Tan Huan couldn't practice martial arts himself, these taboos were lessened.

Tan Huan watched with great pain. Many of the moves looked good to her, and although she had memorized them, she just couldn't use them. Later, she really got itchy to practice, so she tried to perform the moves without using her internal energy. Although they weren't very lethal, it would be good to improve her agility.

Sometimes, Ba Ying would spar with Tan Huan without using her internal energy, but Tan Huan always won. As a result, Ba Ying would unconsciously use her internal energy to counterattack. Tan Huan was stubborn by nature and did not want to be weak, so she began to learn how to avoid her opponent's attacks without using her internal energy.

Ba Ying showed no mercy, and at first, Tan Huan was often beaten so badly that she couldn't get out of bed for days. Several times, her bones were even broken, and she had to recover for more than a month. Despite repeated defeats, she persevered and fought relentlessly until she was finally able to dodge dozens of moves from Ba Ying. With a few clever tricks, she could even escape from him.

More than a year has passed.

In two months, Tan Huan will turn fourteen, a milestone she has been eagerly anticipating.

Fourteen years old, a time when she could get married.

Chapter Ten: Reencounter with Baili Liushang

What kind of place is Zhengyang Palace?

They are the most wicked of the wicked, the most villainous of villains, committing arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of atrocities. In the eyes of the righteous sects of the martial arts world, all evil deeds are their doing, while good deeds are never their responsibility. In short, they are wicked beyond redemption, utterly lawless.

Tan Huan only believed what she saw. Hmm, if that's the case, Baili Liushang really wasn't a good person. He didn't show any mercy to the little girl, even smiling as he struck her. Tan Huan, a blade of grass dangling from her lips, squinted at the blinding sunlight. However, in her heart, Baili Liushang wasn't really a bad person, at most not a good one. It was just that she didn't like him; she disliked anyone who hurt her.

There weren't many people Tan Huan truly cherished. If you counted on your fingers, Pei Jin was one, and by a wide margin, number one. As for the others, she lowered her eyes and sighed softly. The Wu family was another one; she didn't like the Wu family, but deep down she cherished that family… What did that mean? Tan Huan herself couldn't explain it.

From the moment she settled in the Valley of the Netherworld, from the moment she decided to wait patiently for Baili Liushang, Tan Huan subconsciously began gathering information about the Zhengyang Palace and that demon. For example, she'd hear that Baili Liushang had killed so-and-so, and then plundered and burned down so-and-so's house. Or, she'd hear that a leader of the Zhengyang Palace had brutally murdered a righteous martial artist, and Baili Liushang would enthusiastically summon an artist to depict the scene, even personally delivering the painting to the victim's home. Or, she'd hear that Baili Liushang had wreaked havoc somewhere today, and then go off to commit further massacres and arson tomorrow…

He secretly inquired about these things, initially just to find out the guy's whereabouts, but it gradually became a habit. Every time he heard words like "Baili Liushang" or "Great Demon," Tan Huan would unconsciously prick up his ears.

The sun was warm and inviting, making one want to sleep. Tan Huan strolled along lazily when she suddenly noticed Ba Ying acting suspiciously ahead. She walked in that direction... Hmm, that direction seemed to be the area of the undead formation. What was Ba Ying doing there?

Ba Ying, with his keen senses, immediately spotted Tan Huan's whereabouts. In truth, Tan Huan had no intention of hiding at all. Ba Ying immobilized Tan Huan's body with one hand and covered his mouth with the other, shushing him, "Don't speak, it seems like a powerful expert has intruded."

"Hey, hey, men and women shouldn't touch each other." Tan Huan couldn't speak, only glaring at him. Even Pei Jin hadn't covered her mouth, and this kid had taken advantage of her—she'd really lost out.

"I'll go take a look. You stay here and don't move."

"This kid is really stupid. The Corpse Array is over there, and no one can get in. What's the point of going over there to take a look?" Tan Huan looked at him with disdain and was about to speak when a shrill voice suddenly came from afar, "Oh, there are people in the Netherworld Valley who don't know martial arts? Tsk tsk, and she's quite a beauty."

Tan Huan's alertness immediately kicked in; she could tell at a glance that Tan Huan didn't know martial arts—quite a sharp eye. She and Ba Ying walked forward, and a few hundred meters away stood a middle-aged man, thin and tall, with a scar on his right cheek extending to his lip. The man's eyes lit up when he saw Tan Huan, and his smile became even more terrifying. "Two little lovers having a secret rendezvous?"

Ba Ying stared intently at the thin man for a long time, then said slowly and deliberately, "Zeng Lun." No one who wielded a sword could possibly be unfamiliar with Zeng Lun. If he claimed to be the second best swordsman in the world, no one would dare claim to be number one. Of course, someone as arrogant as Zeng Lun would never claim to be second. Ba Ying had always looked up to him since childhood; however, by the time Ba Ying learned of this man's existence, Zeng Lun was already one of the leaders of the Zhengyang Palace.

Ba Ying walked forward step by step, his strides already stepping onto the array of corpses, his eyes burning brightly. Tan Huan frowned and grabbed him, "Are you crazy? What are you doing going out there?"

“Senior Zeng.” Ba Ying always respected masters. “I would like to learn from you.” This had always been his wish.

Tan Huan touched her forehead. Good heavens, she really had gone mad. Tan Huan loved practicing martial arts because she wanted to become stronger to protect herself. Naturally suspicious, she didn't want to rely on others, so she could only rely on her own strength. But Ba Ying was different; Tan Huan always felt that he would one day die because of his martial arts.

When Zeng Lun laughed, the scar on his face crawled like a snake. "Kid, as long as you come out, I'll compete with you. I guarantee you'll have a good time. Seeing that you're quite ambitious, I'll leave you with a whole corpse."

Ba Ying's eyes still gleamed after hearing these words, looking eager to try. Tan Huan felt like fainting at the sight, and slapped him on the back of the head, saying, "I'm not going to collect your corpse!"

Zeng Lun chuckled strangely, "Oh, is your little sweetheart worried?"

"What a load of rubbish about a little lover!" Tan Huan couldn't help but swear, turning around and giving Ba Ying a flick on the head. "I don't know who Zeng Lun is, but this guy looks like a top-notch expert. Don't even mention one Ba Ying, even three Ba Ying wouldn't be able to do anything to him. Do you want to live too long?"

"What does it matter whether I live or die?" Ba Ying said, "Being able to have my wish fulfilled before I die..."

"That dog shit got what it wanted!" Tan Huan breathed heavily, then thought for a moment and changed his tune, "Ba Ying, people in Youming Valley charge money for killing others. You sacrificed your life for nothing and didn't get any money. You're doing this kind of losing business?"

Ba Ying hesitated and stopped. Thinking about it this way, it was indeed a bit of a loss.

Zeng Lun chuckled strangely, "Not competing again?"

Tan Huan crossed his arms and smiled slightly, "If you're so capable, then let's have a contest if you can get through the Corpse Array."

"Heh, trying to outsmart me." Zeng Lun plopped down on the ground. "I'm not interested in the Corpse Array. The Palace Master is the one who's interested. I wouldn't dare steal something the Palace Master is interested in. It's better to wait for the Palace Master to break this."

Tan Huan's pupils constricted sharply. The Palace Master? "Baili Liushang?"

Zeng Lun glanced at her again. Was there really someone who didn't know he was from Zhengyang Palace? His gaze darted around, finally settling on her Lonely Dust Sword. Zeng Lun grinned, "This sword seems to be something the Palace Master also coveted. Hmm, two years ago, the Palace Master clamored for the Lonely Dust Sword for a long time, even personally making a purchase, but returned empty-handed..." His gaze lingered suggestively on Tan Huan's face. Was the Palace Master showing mercy because she was beautiful? Impossible...

Tan Huan suppressed his excitement and feigned calmness, "Is Baili Liushang here to break the Corpse Formation?"

Zeng Lun said in a lewd tone, "Do you want to see him? Could it be that you've taken a fancy to our Palace Master? Beauty, putting aside your face, the sword you're carrying alone is enough to attract his attention."

Asking the same question repeatedly would reveal her anxiety, but Tan Huan couldn't help but ask, "Is Baili Liushang coming here?" She had been waiting for this day for nearly two years.

Fortunately, Zeng Lun didn't dwell on the matter and readily replied, "The Palace Master will be here shortly." Baili Liushang had intended to come alone, without anyone by his side. However, Zeng Lun was determined to witness the Palace Master break the world's number one formation, so he secretly followed along. Anyway, there was nothing much to do in the palace, and if anything did happen, the other Commanders would handle it.

"Greedy Joy, Ba Ying, the Valley Master needs to speak with you!" The voice of the Third Valley Master, Ba Xiehuai, came from afar. As soon as he finished speaking, Ba Xiehuai appeared before them. He immediately spotted the uninvited guest, sized up Zeng Lun, and asked, "What are you doing here? Does Zhengyang Palace want to do business with Youming Valley?"

Zeng Lun, sitting idly, said nonchalantly, "It's all because the Corpse Array of the Netherworld Valley is too famous, with claims that no one can break it... Therefore, the Palace Master is very interested in it and said he wanted to come and test it himself." He grinned, having complete confidence in his Palace Master, "After today, the legend of the Corpse Array's invincibility will come to an end."

So Baili Liushang was coming today. Tan Huan's heart pounded with excitement as he thought about it, though his expression didn't change much.

Ba Xiehuai said irritably, "If you can break it, then break it; if you can't, then forget it. But I'll warn you beforehand, the Netherworld Valley isn't a place you can come and go as you please. Don't complain if you die here."

Ba Xiehuai frowned unhappily when he saw Ba Ying and Tan Huan still standing there. "What are you still standing there for? Didn't you hear the Valley Master calling for you?" He waved the two children away and turned back to laugh. "Zeng Lun, if you're so capable, try breaking the formation yourself. Standing outside and not daring to come in while spouting nonsense, Zhengyang Palace truly is 'full of talent'." He was extremely confident in his own formation.

Zeng Lun shrugged it off, "Your attempts to provoke me are futile. If I'm the first to activate the formation the Palace Master wants to break, I'll definitely be in deep trouble. Get lost, get lost! Once the Palace Master breaks the formation, let's see what you can say then!"

The Valley Master of Youming Valley was a woman nearing fifty, with delicate features, but unfortunately, she was blind in one eye. Tan Huan had lived in the valley for over a year and had only met the Valley Master, Ba Li, twice, exchanging no more than five sentences with her. This was the third time she had seen her. This was the first time Ba Li had summoned Tan Huan. In the past, Tan Huan would have been curious about why she wanted to see her, but on this particular day, her mind was filled with thoughts of Baili Liushang. She only wanted to end this situation as soon as possible so she could properly plan how to help Baili Liushang regain his martial arts skills.

"Greedy Pleasure, I won't waste my breath on you. I know you're staying in the Netherworld Valley for some other reason. But since we've kindly taken you in, shouldn't you offer something in return?"

Tan Huan raised her eyes. Didn't these people realize how much Pei Jin had facilitated the Netherworld Valley over the past year and secretly bribed them? They actually wanted to make a quick buck? "Is there anything I can do for the Valley Master?"

"You're waiting for Baili Liushang, aren't you?" Bali asked.

Tan Huan nodded honestly, "That's right."

“You don’t have internal energy right now, but even so, you can still spar with Ba Ying, right?” Ba Li added, “I can let bygones be bygones about you stealing the Netherworld Valley’s kung fu, but you have to give something in return for learning kung fu. If you can do something for the Netherworld Valley, then we’ll be even.”

Tan Huan's face darkened. The entire Netherworld Valley knew about her and Ba Ying's shared martial arts training. If they wanted to stop it, someone should have done so long ago, but they hadn't heard a word. Why did this suddenly happen today? "What does the Valley Master want me to do?" She needed to finish speaking quickly so she could leave as soon as possible.

"Can you kill Baili Liushang?"

Tan Huan blinked, stunned for a long while. She turned her head to the left, then to the right, and finally pointed her finger at her own nose. "The Valley Master wants me to kill him?"

Bali nodded.

Tan Huan seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. "Me? Don't even mention that I don't have internal energy now, even if I did, I wouldn't be a match for Baili Liushang! Besides, when did Youming Valley start meddling in such things?"

“Someone paid Youming Valley to kill Baili Liushang. That’s an astronomical sum, and I really want to earn it,” Bali said. “Moreover, what I value is your lack of internal energy. Only in this way will Baili Liushang be unprepared.”

Tan Huan shook her head, refusing outright. "I don't want to. I don't want to risk my life." She shrugged. "Even if I don't agree, what can you do to me?"

Bali sighed, "There's really nothing I can do to you." She paused, "However, if I lock you up now, you won't be able to achieve your goal of staying in the Netherworld Valley for so long, right? Then you won't be able to get Baili Liushang to help you restore your martial arts, will you?"

"No way? So shameless?" Tan Huan was on the verge of tears. "When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head," he said. "Valley Master, I can do my best..." Before he could finish, a commotion erupted outside the door, "Baili Liushang is here! Baili Liushang is here!"

Overwhelmed with excitement, Tan Huan turned around and tried to run away.

In an instant, Bali blocked her way, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Finish what you have to say."

"I will do my best," Tan Huan said urgently. "Bai Li Liu Shang has come to challenge the Corpse Array. This scene is a once-in-a-lifetime sight. Valley Master, aren't you going out to take a look?"

Bali snorted, "You won't get paid for looking, so what's there to look at?" She patted Tan Huan on the shoulder, "It's a deal. Baili Liushang definitely won't be able to get through the Corpse Array, but he can still manage to escape unscathed. When the time comes, don't forget to chase after him."

Can Baili Liushang not break the Corpse Formation?

Baili Liushang was a proud man, but definitely not arrogant. He had been interested in the Corpse Array for a long time, and had also studied this number one array in the world for a long time.

As a result, he had a lot of fun, he really had a great time.

The corpses were fearless, so Baili Liushang treated them as countless fragments. He trampled them piece by piece, his swordplay growing ever faster. Rotting flesh and mud mingled together, forming dark, indistinguishable clumps on the ground. Bones were crushed; his sword strikes moved faster than the corpses could regenerate, leaving everyone in awe.

Baili Liushang wielded his sword like a whip, leaving no opening. Whether alive or dead, anyone entering his attack range was doomed. A meter around him was an absolute death zone.

There weren't many people living in the Netherworld Valley, but they were all experts. Quite a few people came to watch Baili Liushang break through the formation, yet not a single one dared to approach him. Someone muttered "madman" under their breath. Everyone here knew they weren't good people, but even they trembled at the sight of this demon.

Zeng Lun, who was hiding in an extremely secluded place, watched with his eyes shining. As expected of the Palace Master, his skills were indeed unparalleled.

Time flowed slowly, and the land of the undead array was covered with disgusting bits of flesh and ashes.

A strange smell filled the air.

Baili Liushang's injuries were also quite severe; his clothes were torn, and his hair was disheveled, yet his dishevelment possessed a certain charm. He surveyed the area with a sense of accomplishment, declaring, "From this day forward, there will be no more Corpse Arrays in this world." To be honest, his initial interest in this array stemmed from a desire to uncover its secrets and replicate it in the Zhengyang Palace. Unfortunately, he discovered during his research that success was impossible outside the Netherworld Valley, forcing him to abandon his plan. Unable to obtain it, he began to single-mindedly focus on destroying the array.

Tan Huan watched from afar, her eyes wide with awe. He was incredibly powerful, so powerful that she admired him. In truth, if it weren't for Pei Jin's existence, becoming his disciple would have been a very good choice.

Baili Liushang could barely stand. He let out a long, weary breath, sat down on the spot, dusted off his clothes, and revealed a smile as warm as melting snow. "The Corpse Array lives up to its name." It was worth the year he spent researching it. He had simulated the array's core and the optimal footwork several times at Zhengyang Palace. In the end, when the battle actually took place, he was still seriously injured.

Ba Xiehuai had been watching intently, only relaxing when he saw Baili Liushang sit down. Thank goodness, this guy wasn't made of iron. "Baili Liushang, what exactly are you here for?"

Baili Liushang smiled somewhat childlikely, "Break the formation."

"And then?" Bashehuai asked without the slightest hesitation.