The sky over the rivers and lakes is very clear

Chapter 63

The young woman who had helped Granny Chen step forward and said angrily, "You stole Granny Chen's chicken, do you want to hit her now?"

"I only took one of her chickens, and I even helped her fix her house, why don't you mention that!"

"You helped your mother-in-law repair her house, so you can take her chickens? Do you know that your mother-in-law relies on these chickens to lay eggs to exchange for oil and salt? Now that you've stolen and eaten them, what will she do in the future?"

Hearing this, Zhu Huihui felt a little guilty, but still retorted, "Your rooster can lay eggs? Go ahead and lay one so I can see!"

Zhu Huihui was busy arguing with the young woman when, without realizing it, she was hit on the buttocks by the cane. Although the old woman was old, she was quite strong, and the blow made her buttocks burn with pain. She angrily cursed, "You old hag, you're so ruthless! Do you want to beat me to death? If you hit me again, I'll really fight back!"

"Go ahead and hit me! If you've got the guts, then kill me! Anyway, you've already killed my chickens, so I don't want to live anymore!" Granny Chen charged at her head.

Zhu Huihui was knocked over and was furious: "You think I really wouldn't dare hit you?!" This old hag is a complete scoundrel, just as bad as me! Don't think I'm too embarrassed to beat her up just because she's old; I still have my trump card up my sleeve!

She sat on the ground, rolled up her sleeves, and as the old woman swung her cane at her again, she suddenly unleashed her ultimate move: "The third move of the perverted technique for harassing women—the Demon Claw grabs the breasts!"

When his fingers touched two soft, squishy things, he grabbed them hard, then looked closely and immediately screamed "Ahhh!"

Ever since the old woman brandished her cane and started fighting Zhu Huihui, Qi Yun and Wu Hun had stopped arguing and squatted in a row, watching the show.

At this moment, upon seeing clearly what Zhu Huihui was holding, the five loud voices immediately shouted in unison, "Two steamed buns!"

Suddenly, a needle-like glint shot from Granny Chen's old eyes, stinging Zhu Huihui's skin. She continued to strike Zhu Huihui with her cane.

Zhu Huihui didn't have time to think. She threw the steamed bun down and rolled to the side.

Feng Xuese suddenly drew her sword and thrust it at Granny Chen.

Granny Chen raised her cane to block, but the bright sword light wrapped around the cane and snaked upwards toward her arm. She was forced to let go of the cane and suddenly retreated with surprising agility.

Feng Xuese felt a sharp gust of wind rushing towards the back of her head. She didn't get up, but simply blocked with her sword. With a "clang", she deflected the soft sword in the young woman's hand.

Zhu Huihui crawled a few steps on the ground, then crawled to Feng Xuese's side, and said with a mournful face, "Great hero, this old woman is a man!"

In a fit of anger, he casually grabbed two steamed buns from the woman's chest and threw them away, not noticing that the two buns were heading straight for the woman and dog from before.

Suddenly, the half-dog leaped into the air, its half-tail lashing out and knocking away one steamed bun, while it pounced on the other. After landing, it lost its balance on its two half legs, rolled twice, and then shakily lay down at the woman's feet.

Zhu Huihui's eyes widened. Tsk tsk, look at that dog! Even though it's only half there, it can still fly!

The young woman and the old man glanced at the half-dog, then suddenly remembered someone. They looked at each other, their expressions changed, and they bowed slightly to the woman.

The woman didn't even glance at them, but simply nodded slightly, her gaze falling outside the hall, looking at the dark sky, her dark eyes as clear as the night.

Behind the night lies a hidden sorrow.

Zhu Huihui noticed these subtle movements and panicked. They were in cahoots!

Feng Xuese said in a deep voice, "Are the people who come here the 'colluding' couple?"

The old woman chuckled and said, "My name is Chen Yilang. We heard that Young Master Feng's eyesight is not very good, so my husband and I came over to take a look!"

Feng Xuese said calmly, "Since you know that I have poor eyesight, isn't it unnecessary for you two to go to such lengths?"

Chen Yilang was utterly shameless, saying, "Since we're just killing time anyway, let's put on a show for Young Master Feng. Even though Young Master Feng can't see it, we, as husband and wife, will still collect interest!"

The young woman, Song Xiaobei, said, "Young Master Feng, I'm afraid I'll offend you!"

This couple, known as "the cunning duo," were notorious in the martial arts world. They had initially planned an ambush on Green Plum Ridge, intending to take advantage of the Nine Nether Ten Ghosts. However, as the Nine Nether Ten Ghosts were killed one by one, they sensed danger and refused to come out. They clearly heard the dying screams of the Nine Nether Big-Headed Ghost, but fearing it was a ploy to drag him down with him, they dared not approach.

Feng Xue was blind, and Zhu Huihui had an injured leg. The two rode together on an unfamiliar mountain path, so they traveled very slowly. The two, who were "colluding," followed them at a distance, all the way to Zhuma Village, where they saw the old woman repairing the roof of her house. They then followed them all the way to Sanjie Temple.

They knew the dark-skinned girl was a good-for-nothing, so they didn't take her seriously at all. Their initial target was Feng Xuese, so they pretended to argue with Zhu Huihui in an attempt to get close to Feng Xuese and assassinate her. Unexpectedly, the girl's dark hands pulled out the two steamed buns she was pretending to have as a woman from her arms, and she was immediately exposed.

Feng Xuese asked slowly, "That real old woman, isn't she dead?"

Neither the "colluding" couple answered, which was taken as tacit agreement.

The thought that yet another person had been implicated because of him filled Feng Xuese with rage. Without a word, he drew his sword and thrust it forward.

Is there any need to elaborate? This couple came to kill him, and because of him, they also killed an innocent old man!

The couple, who were "colluding in evil," were highly skilled in swordsmanship. They worked together, one defending and the other attacking, protecting each other. They were also cunning and took advantage of Feng Xue's blindness, deliberately making their moves without wind.

Since Fengxuese couldn't hear anything, she was indeed at a disadvantage.

He raised an eyebrow, suddenly ignoring the enemy's swords and blades, and launched a rapid, preemptive attack, forcing the couple to retreat in disarray. However, as they retreated further, Feng Xuese, being blind, was unable to pursue them, and the fight reached a stalemate.

Zhu Huihui crouched under the offering table, holding his head in his hands. He saw the couple exchanging glances and knew they were up to no good again. He was secretly worried. How could he help the hero?

Before Zhu Huihui could come up with a solution, Qi Yunwu, who had been squatting to the side watching the fight, suddenly became lively again.

"Is he the pretty boy who gave us the medicine last time?" Boss Ba said in a gruff voice.

"That's impossible, his face isn't pale at all."

"But that transvestite old woman who had a steamed bun in her arms just called him Young Master Feng!"

"That doesn't necessarily mean it's that pretty boy; he doesn't look like him at all!"

"I said it looks very similar, especially the white and shiny sword he was holding!"

"Fifth Brother is right! I think he has an upset stomach. Last time, the eldest brother had diarrhea for four days, and his face was yellow too, even more yellow than his!"

"What do you mean he got a stomachache! Didn't those two say he was blind?"

"Don't worry about all that, I'll just go and kill them!"

Ba Laosan, carrying a large pestle, strode over.

Zhu Huihui, hiding under the table, was pounding her heart out, gripping the kitchen knife tightly. She was determined that if this big oaf tried to harm the old man, she would run out and stomp on his feet, risking her life to prevent his massive weapon from hitting the old man's handsome head!

Although this old man was no match for his brain, he wasn't entirely without brains. Before making a move, he shouted, "Hey, I said, are you that pretty boy who's stuck in the tree and too scared to come down?"

Feng Xuese smiled bitterly: "Five sworn brothers, can the Ink Horned Qilin Slice and the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng King heal Master Huizhi's injuries?"

Ba Laosan said, "It's healed! My master's injury is healed! Oh dear, boss, come and help! He really is that pretty boy!"

"I knew it! But none of you would listen to the boss!"

"Boss is wrong. He's not a pretty boy anymore, he's a slovenly old man!"

"Little yellow face, did you have an upset stomach and your face turn yellow?"

"No, no! He's blind; he was angered by that transvestite!"

Feng Xuese relied entirely on his hearing to fight his enemies. The "collusion" was cunning and treacherous, and they deliberately made their moves very slowly, without creating any wind, making it quite troublesome for him to deal with. Now, he was also being made dizzy by the noise of the five scoundrels. He was so irritable that he was almost injured by the couple.

Ba Laosan was furious: "How dare you hurt our yellow-faced junior uncle!"

A pestle, swung with the wind, hurtled towards Chen Yilang. Chen Yilang, quick-witted, dodged it. Song Xiaobei, standing nearby, silently thrust out a sword, opening a gash in Ba Laosan's ribs. Fortunately, Ba Laosan was thick-skinned and tough; although he bled profusely, his bones and tendons were not damaged.

Upon seeing this, Boss Ba immediately became enraged. With a roar, he charged forward, wielding his large pestle and wildly smashing it at the "collaborators." Despite his seemingly simple-minded appearance, he possessed great strength, skillful techniques, and solid martial arts skills; the pestle he wielded made a whooshing sound.

When the other three brothers saw that the third brother was injured and the eldest brother was chasing after him but couldn't catch up, they immediately started beating him up without thinking twice.

In an instant, weapons flew wildly in the hall, the wind howled, and dust billowed, creating quite a scene of chaos. The "colluding" couple, under the relentless blows of the five burly men, were like a small boat tossed about in a storm, in constant danger of capsizing, their situation appearing perilous.

Zhu Huihui, crouching under the table, watched with great interest. She loved these kinds of fights where the many ganged up on the few. With those five silly boys helping out, she figured the hero and she wouldn't suffer any losses.

Looking back at the campfire, Feng Xuese sat by it, sword across his lap, his face calm and serene. Even with the strong winds raging in the hall, the flames of the campfire in front of him did not even flicker.

Opposite him stood the woman dressed in coarse cloth, yet possessing a cold and aloof demeanor.

The woman continued to gaze quietly at the night sky outside, seemingly oblivious to the fierce fighting inside the palace.

Zhu Huihui's heart skipped a beat. The great hero remained motionless, perhaps because the real formidable enemy was this woman!

The five big, dumb men fought with increasing vigor, their five giant pestles pounding away with rage. Although they couldn't hit anyone, they made the walls and pillars thud and tremble.

Seeing the soil falling straight down from the roof, Zhu Huihui felt that hiding under the table wasn't safe either. What if some silly boy didn't see it clearly and slammed it onto the table, and she would be caught in the crossfire! Seizing the opportunity, she quickly climbed out and moved to Feng Xuese's side.

"Hero, let's go quickly!" She reached out to pull him.

"No rush, let's wait a little longer."

Zhu Huihui said urgently, "We can't wait any longer! If they keep fighting like this, this palace will definitely collapse!"

Feng Xuese gently stroked her hair and said softly, "Don't worry! Sit next to me, don't be afraid!"

"I—" It would be a ghost if I wasn't afraid! Zhu Huihui was so anxious that she jumped up and down, but the old man didn't even raise an eyebrow. She was too embarrassed to just leave him alone and run away in front of him, so she had no choice but to sit down, cursing the old man for pretending to be innocent in her heart.

Seeing that Ba Laosi's stick had bent a pillar and caused the roof beam to collapse, covering her head in dust, she was terrified. Just as she was about to speak, the fire in front of her suddenly went out inexplicably.

The hall went dark, and the sounds of fighting suddenly stopped. After a moment, Ba Shi Wu Hun roared repeatedly, seemingly having suffered a great loss in the darkness. Then, the wind picked up again, and a new round of chasing and fighting began.

Zhu Huihui was surrounded by darkness. She held her breath anxiously, afraid that if she breathed too heavily, some indiscriminate vajra or sword would strike her.

It took her eyes a long time to adjust to the darkness, and she could make out some shadowy human figures moving around, but it was too dark to tell who was who. Despite her extreme caution, she still felt something rushing towards her. She raised her cleaver and slashed desperately, when suddenly she felt a tightness on her shoulder. Feng Xuese had pulled her head into her arms, and a fragrant yet cool scent filled her nostrils. A strange surge of emotion welled up inside her, and the continuous clanging of weapons suddenly disappeared into the distance…

After a long while, Feng Xuese gently released her. Zhu Huihui suddenly woke up from her dream, rubbing her eyes in a daze, and found that the hero had moved her outside from the main hall without her noticing.

It had started raining sometime earlier, not a downpour, but a continuous, fine drizzle, like an endless stream of sorrow.

Not far behind, the grand hall where everyone had sheltered from the rain was collapsing with a roar, and even the fine rain could not extinguish the dust flying everywhere.

The five troublemakers who had smashed the main hall were chasing after the "colluding" couple, fighting and shouting as they ran into the distance.

Zhu Huihui withdrew his gaze and noticed dozens of torches stuck in the muddy ground around him and the hero. He didn't know what they were made of, but the flames didn't go out in the heavy rain. They flickered and shone on a group of masked men in black who had appeared around them at some unknown time.

They stood eerily in the rain, each armed with a weapon, like ghosts, silent and still.

Not far away, beneath a section of broken wall, a woman in coarse clothes leaned against the wall, silently watching the rain. Although she was not clearly visible in the night rain, one could clearly sense her gentleness and cold beauty.

Zhu Huihui no longer cared about the woman; she was terrified when she saw the group of men in black.

All the bad luck in her life was caused by seeing a group of men in black.