If it weren't for Murong Bo's schemes, Xiao Yuanshan might have been able to give the Yang family members some pointers on their martial arts if he had successfully reached the Yang family.
Unfortunately, the protagonist of the novel "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" was not surnamed Yang, and he never even made a formal appearance with a name.
Xiao Yuanshan walked dejectedly to his wife's body, picked her up, and then walked step by step toward the cliff. Xuan Ci and Wang Jiantong could see that Xiao Yuanshan intended to die, but in the end, they did not say anything to persuade him. They watched helplessly as Xiao Yuanshan roared and jumped off the cliff with his wife and children in his arms.
Seeing this, Xiang Yu was on high alert. If things didn't go as described in the novel, and Xiao Feng accidentally fell to his death, that would be quite embarrassing.
Fortunately, everything went exactly as expected. The moment Xiao Yuanshan jumped off the cliff, he regretted it. With a skillful curveball, he threw Xiao Feng, that brat, back up, and he landed accurately in Wang Jiantong's arms.
Apart from the monk Zhiguang, Wang Jiantong was actually the least injured among them; he was only acupunctured.
Xiao Yuanshan treated Wang Jiantong so well because Wang Jiantong had saved his child twice. He also believed that Wang Jiantong would treat Xiao Feng well, so he entrusted Xiao Feng to Wang Jiantong.
However, Xiao Yuanshan did not expect that he would not die. After crashing into the cliff, he was hanging from a big tree. Having survived by chance, Xiao Yuanshan did not want to die. He wanted to secretly see how those people would treat Xiao Feng.
If they truly repent, they should treat Xiao Feng well, raise him to adulthood, and teach him unparalleled martial arts, and then let the matter rest.
Otherwise, Xiao Yuanshan has no intention of letting any of those who participated in the ambush today go, especially the leader!
However, Xiao Yuanshan was too badly injured and needed to survive first. Moreover, his wife's body was missing. She must have fallen to the bottom of the cliff. Even if she wasn't smashed to pieces, she would probably have been eaten by wild animals.
The thought of his wife's body being gone brought tears to Xiao Yuanshan's eyes again, and at the same time, his desire for revenge was rekindled. Let them live a little longer!
In the alternate dimension, Li Canghai helped Yang Xinwan up, fed her a sip of water, and she gradually regained consciousness.
"Where is this? Wasn't I dead? Feng'er! Feng'er!" Yang Xinwan looked around, but all she saw was green.
Li Canghai's nose tingled with emotion. "Sister, don't worry, your Feng'er is fine."
Yang Xinwan steadied herself, touched her chest; the bloodstains were still there, but the wound was gone!
"Where am I, and who are you?"
"This is another dimension, another world. This is the Overlord, this is the black horse, this is my master Xiaoyaozi, and I am Li Canghai. I am a few years older than you, so I will call you sister. Oh, right, that is the crane."
Xiaoyaozi's lips twitched violently. He never expected that he would be ranked behind a horse. This was outrageous! He would definitely talk to Bawang when he had the chance. At least the ranking should be based on strength. He wanted to have a one-on-one duel with Wuzhui!
The crane drooped its head, but it immediately straightened up again because a new person had arrived! When someone else joins next time, it can be second to last in line!
The woman looked weak, but unfortunately, the crane didn't dare to attack anyone in the circle, nor could it possibly win. This newcomer was someone it could defeat, but it still didn't dare fight her. After all, it was a kind crane; how could it bully the weak and fear the strong?
If you're going to fight, you have to choose the strongest opponent; otherwise, don't fight anyone at all!
What the crane didn't know was that there was someone even more depressed than it.
It's not Hao Jiu, of course. Yang Xinwan isn't qualified to meet Hao Jiu yet. As a deity with ideals and an idol image to maintain, she should keep some mystery.
That guy, whose status is even lower than that of a crane, isn't human; he's a ghost, a thousand-year-old ghost.
Shou Jun has now returned to the Emperor's Sword space. He had just worked himself to the bone, trying to satisfy Hao Jiu's requirement of not affecting the development trajectory while also saving Xiao Feng's mother.
Fortunately, Xiao Yuanshan also had a shadow system within him, and taking the mind-control pill made things much easier.
As for the others, they didn't even examine Yang Xinwan's body. Everyone saw that Master Heyun's sword had pierced through her body, and even a god couldn't save her, so they didn't suspect that Yang Xinwan was still alive.
Of course, the saying "even a god couldn't save him" is an exaggeration. Dionysus could have saved him with a single healing potion; it was a piece of cake.
“Another world? I really did die. It’s good that Feng’er is alright. But what about my husband? How is he?” Yang Xinwan finally remembered Xiao Yuanshan.
"She won't die; she'll avenge you in the future."
Chapter 430 Guilt
"She won't die; she'll avenge you in the future."
Li Canghai originally did not agree with Hao Jiu's decision to stand by and watch. He clearly knew that the mastermind was Murong Bo, so why let so many people die in vain?
Hao Jiu could only respond to Li Canghai's thoughts with a sincere yet polite smile. Kind people are always meddlesome; why bother with those irrelevant people?
However, isn't there a saying in modern times, "I advise you to be kind"? Kindness is truly a rare and precious quality; the kinder you are, the rarer you are, and the more easily you get hurt.
After being hurt, kind people probably dare not be kind anymore, and the end result is that the world is cold and indifferent, and kindness is ridiculed.
Hao Jiu also wanted to be kind and save these decent people, but wouldn't that mean the story of the later characters would be cut short?
The key point is that what Xiao Yuanshan did wasn't excessive. Even if Xiao Yuanshan sentenced those people to death, it was only with a 30-year reprieve, which is quite lenient for these people who are already in their thirties or forties.
Does manslaughter absolve one of responsibility? That's utterly absurd!
Even if it's an ambush resulting in accidental death, or even excessive self-defense leading to death, one must be held accountable.
I once heard a story about a thief who stole something and ran away. The person chasing him pushed him, and the thief fell and hit a rock, dying. As a result, the person chasing him was convicted of manslaughter, even though that person probably didn't see the rock in front of him and had no idea that the thief was so unlucky.
There is also a saying, "I did not kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me." It refers to an official named Wang Dao in the Eastern Jin Dynasty who made a mistake and asked his colleague Zhou Yi to help him plead for leniency. However, Zhou Yi neither agreed nor disagreed, as if he had not heard the question.
Wang Dao harbored resentment, but in reality, Zhou Yi had already taken care of the matter for Wang Dao, and did it without asking for anything in return, the kind of good deed done anonymously.
Later, Wang Dun, a relative of Wang Dao, took control of the government. He thought Zhou Yi was talented and wanted to give him an important position. So he asked Wang Dao what he thought of Zhou Yi and what kind of official position Zhou Yi was suitable for. As a result, no matter who asked him, Wang Dao remained silent.
Wang Dun thought that Zhou Yi must be talented but morally corrupt, so he said, "If Zhou Yi is not fit to be an official, then kill him." Wang Dao still didn't say anything.
After Zhou Yi's death, Wang Dao discovered the memorial Zhou Yi had submitted on his behalf and was filled with remorse and a strong sense of guilt.
Because Zhou Yi's courtesy name was Boren, Wang Dao said to his family, "Though I did not kill Boren, Boren died because of me. In the netherworld, I have failed this good friend!"
A person's actions may not constitute a crime, but someone may be indirectly killed by them.
The law cannot judge this situation, but there is still the judgment of conscience, if that person has one.
However, in this martial arts world, as long as you are strong enough, you can settle scores and live a life of pleasure without having to care about laws or conscience.
Yang Xinwan knew what kind of person Xiao Yuanshan was, and that revenge was reasonable. But now that she was on a different path from the living, she couldn't care less whether Xiao Yuanshan sought revenge or not.
All we can do is hope that Xiao Yuanshan and Feng'er are safe.
"May I go see them?" Yang Xinwan looked at Xiang Yu, the Overlord, with some timidity.
"Alright." Xiang Yu agreed and flew upwards. "From now on, you should follow Canghai and cultivate diligently. One day, your family of three will be reunited."
"Thank you, Overlord." Yang Xinwan sighed inwardly, unsure whether she should hope that day would come soon or never. How could she wish for her loved ones to die early in order to reunite with her family?
Soon, Yang Xinwan saw the person she wanted to see, but no matter how she called out, the other person could neither hear her nor see her.
Xiao Yuanshan was still meditating and regulating his breathing on that tree, seemingly out of danger, while little Xiao Feng was still in Wang Jiantong's arms, perhaps exhausted from crying, and had already fallen asleep.
Wang Jiantong looked unwell, his clothes were soaked with sweat, and he had to hold the baby very carefully, afraid to move for fear of waking the child, since he had no milk...
Xuanci and Zhiguang then rescued the survivors, and everyone worked together to heal their wounds. The corpses lay neatly beside them; no one could have imagined that this ambush would end like this.
Everyone had their doubts. Perhaps Murong Bo's information was wrong, and the so-called story of going to Shaolin to steal the secret manual was just a fabrication. If Liao had such a master, why would they need the Seventy-Two Arts of Shaolin?
Xuan Ci had a vague guess, but he wasn't entirely sure. The truth would only be revealed after he met Murong Bo.
However, Master Heyun's behavior was also suspicious. He was the first to discover Xiao Yuanshan's group, and he was also the one who killed Xiao Yuanshan's wife with a sword, leaving no room for reconciliation in this misunderstanding.
But since Master Heyun's body was in such a terrible state, there was no point in blaming him anymore.
After everyone regained their strength, they buried the bodies that needed to be buried and returned them to their respective families, agreeing to keep the truth of the matter a secret.
After all, this matter cannot be made public, and the fewer people who know about it, the better. If it becomes known to the whole world, it will be a disgrace to the entire martial arts world of the Central Plains.
Fortunately, the ambush site was outside Yanmen Pass, and the location of Xiao Yuanshan's final words was extremely remote, so it was unlikely that ordinary people would see them.
Some people suggested destroying those words, but Wang Jiantong disagreed. Xuan Ci also felt that it was inappropriate to do so. If the Liao Kingdom found out that Xiao Yuanshan had come to the Song Dynasty, they could easily claim that he was killed in the Song Dynasty after his disappearance.
With this suicide note here, not only can it be proven that the incident occurred outside Yanmen Pass, but it can also be proven that Xiao Yuanshan committed suicide. He lost his wife, and more than a dozen experts from the Central Plains also died, so the two sides can be considered even.
Of course, it would be better if no one found Xiao Yuanshan's last words, so someone, feeling guilty, covered them up with some mud, and Xuan Ci and Wang Jiantong could only pretend not to see it.
Regardless, this operation killed a Liao expert, eliminating a potential crisis for the Song Dynasty.
As for the words written on the cliff, who cares whether they are true or false? Everyone is already dead; the only survivor is this child who should be called Xiao Feng.
After this incident, the monk Zhiguang had a great awakening and finally made up his mind to become a monk and never kill again. He often wondered if those so-called evil people he had killed in the past were really so heinous.
Xuan Ci and Wang Jiantong returned to Luoyang together. How could two grown men know how to take care of a child? Even if they spent money to hire a wet nurse, it wouldn't be a long-term solution. Finally, Xuan Ci came up with an idea: there was a couple surnamed Qiao at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain who would be suitable to be the child's adoptive parents.
After the child grows up a bit, he can go to Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts. Whether he joins the Beggars' Sect or stays in Shaolin after he comes of age is up to him. Since the child's birth mother is from the Central Plains, then the child can stay in the Song Dynasty. From now on, there will be no more Xiao Feng, only Qiao Feng.
After learning about the couple's situation, Wang Jiantong agreed and even considered taking them on as disciples. Like father, like son; the father was highly skilled in martial arts, so the child's talent for martial arts must also be exceptional.
And so, Xuanci returned to Luoyang and sent the young Xiao Feng to be raised by Qiao Sanhuai and his wife, a farmer at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain.
Xuan Ci himself reflected a lot along the way. The scene of the woman's tragic death, the child's cries, and the image of Xiao Yuanshan jumping off the cliff to commit suicide made his heart unable to calm down for a long time. As the leader, he was responsible for such a tragedy.
And those heroes of the Central Plains who died tragically in this battle, how am I supposed to face their families after this!
Chapter 431 Fate
If this battle truly concerned the safety of the martial arts world in the Central Plains and the Song Dynasty, it would be one thing for a true man to die on the battlefield for his country. But unfortunately, this matter turned out to be a misunderstanding.
Although not many people know that Xuan Ci is the leader, secrets never stay hidden forever. If this matter is exposed, he may face disgrace and ruin. His first battle as the leader of the heroes has ended in such an ugly defeat. How can he still want to be the leader of the martial arts alliance?
He's not even qualified to be the leader of the martial arts world, let alone the abbot of Shaolin Temple!
This was precisely what troubled Xuanci. Therefore, on his way back to Shaolin Temple from Qiao Sanhuai's house, he was constantly distracted, and the closer he got to Shaolin Temple, the more distraught he became. His Buddhist heart was in turmoil.
Suddenly, a woman's crying came from nearby. Xuan Ci looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl of about eighteen or nineteen years old crying with tears streaming down her face, looking pitiful.
"Amitabha, why are you crying, young lady?" Xuan Ci put his hands together and bowed his head.
To be honest, Xuanci thought this woman was the second most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but he was a monk and could not have worldly desires, so no matter how beautiful she was, it was irrelevant to him.
The woman was startled by the sudden sound, but when she saw that it was a kind-looking monk in front of her, she immediately felt relieved.
This is right at the foot of Shaolin Temple. No criminals have dared to commit crimes here for a long time, let alone impersonate a Shaolin disciple. If the Shaolin Temple finds out, they will pursue them to the ends of the earth and bring them to justice.
"Please, Master, save my father! Please, Master, have mercy and save my father!" The woman hurriedly knelt down, as if she had seen a savior.
"Uh, young lady, please get up quickly. What happened to your father?" Xuan Ci hurriedly helped her up, but withdrew his hand before touching the woman.
“My father is seriously ill, I’m afraid he will… Waaah…” The woman started crying again at this point.
Xuanci couldn't bear it, so he said, "Why don't you take this humble monk to see it?"
The woman stopped crying. "Thank you, Master."
The two soon arrived at a farmhouse. It was clearly not a wealthy family's home, but the courtyard was very tidy, without even a small pebble.
Xuan Ci entered the room and saw an old man who was so thin he was practically skin and bones, or perhaps he wasn't very old, but just looked old.