Qingshan Wild Man Valley

Chapter 56

The savage nodded. "Not bad."

"That--"

"Qingshan," the wild man suddenly interrupted me, asking, "is your fear of heights any better?"

"What—ah—!" I screamed. It happened again. Before I could even react, the savage grabbed me by the waist and launched me into the air.

The savage was so cocky that he even asked me to add sound effects for him, fearing that his aerial flight wasn't flashy enough.

I put my arm around his neck and watched as those whose heads he had unexpectedly tapped with his toe jerked their heads back in astonishment.

Logically, the savage's target was the arena, but he chose to land right in front of everyone below the arena, with his feet firmly on the ground, and I was released.

"Stand here and wait," the savage instructed me.

I didn't need him to remind me; I knew that taking just one step away was already the biggest concession the savage had made. He certainly didn't want to appear in public with me in such an inexplicable way, or at least, he certainly didn't want to put me in front of others.

But he never thought of abandoning me, which is a big step forward overall.

The savage glanced at me one last time, then turned and went onto the arena.

Behind me, a crowd gathered, with exclamations and whispers: "Shao Yanhe!! It's Shao Yanhe—!!" Then there was an uproar, followed by everyone holding their breath, because the current leader and the (possibly) next leader were facing each other on the arena, locked in a standoff.

However, this group of martial arts practitioners had terrible eyesight—I thought to myself, the savage had been holding me and sitting openly all afternoon, yet not a single person came forward to identify me—Shao Yanhe, you are Shao Yanhe, weren't you missing? How come you're here again?!

"Alliance Leader Shao." A rather abrupt address came from the arena. Li Gaobai, a handsome young man with waist-length hair, stepped forward, his long sword slung over his back, and greeted the savage in a gentle voice.

The savage did not return the greeting. He was taller than the other man and wore a long robe with a gray-brown base and a white outer garment. At his waist was a jade pendant shaped like a token with bright red tassels. It was said to be another great token of the martial arts alliance leader besides the sword of the martial arts alliance leader—a jade talisman.

Therefore, in the eyes of outsiders, the savage's actions only proved one thing: he was there to cause trouble.

The title of martial arts alliance leader originally belonged to him, so why did he hand it over to someone else? Even though he is already infamous, those are just one person's opinions without any real evidence, and he can simply deny it to the death.

Moreover, the former leader still commands respect. Just by looking at people with the air of a savage, you can tell he's used to being a leader; his eyes are disdainful and indifferent.

"Alliance Leader Shao has suddenly appeared here—" Li Gaobai had barely opened his mouth when the savage interrupted him with a look.

“We can talk about this later,” the savage said. “If you want to be the leader of the alliance, you must first defeat me.”

"I dare not." Li Gaobai said these two words lightly, but there was no hint of humility or concession in them.

“Then let’s begin.” The savage walked forward.

The other party asked, "What weapon does Alliance Leader Shao use?"

"Use your sword." The savage continued walking forward, but suddenly his figure swayed, at a speed that my eyes couldn't keep up with—the two of them stood still again, but their positions had been switched. The savage even snatched the long sword from Gao Bai's hand, the tip of the sword pointing to the ground, looking at the other man with no self-satisfaction.

"My goodness..." Public opinion beat me to it, erupting in astonishment. It seems this martial arts leader, riddled with negative news, went into seclusion in a remote mountain valley for advanced training. That explains why his first move upon returning—seizing someone's weapon—was so masterful and exquisite... a complete teleportation...

Chapter 72

Two figures on the stage, one white with gray undertones and the other yellow with brown undertones, were so entangled that I stared at them until my head started to spin.

A slight breeze stirred under the slanting sunlight, but instead of bringing coolness, it only amplified the oppressive atmosphere.

Suddenly, one of them stopped, leaving the area wide open, and stood there stunned.

"Savage!" I exclaimed inwardly, "What are you doing?!"

However, while I possess the ability to transcend time and space, I lack the ability to transmit brainwaves on the spot. The savage was completely unaware of how tense I was. He was fighting normally, but then suddenly stopped, standing blankly in the middle of the arena, looking down at the audience as if he had lost his soul. In that instant, his opponent seized the opportunity, slashing down with his sword towards his heart.

"Wake up—!" I screamed, finally letting out a sound.

The savage regained his senses and, somewhat sluggishly, swung his sword to deflect the fatal blow. But in a battle between experts, a single second can mean the difference between heaven and earth. Moreover, the savage wasn't distracted; he was completely stunned and frozen in place. The Palace Master of Chen Gang wasn't stupid; how could he let him escape unscathed?

So he struck again with a palm strike, and the savage retreated five steps, his sword tip bracing against the ground as he knelt down.

"Ah—!" I saw a mouthful of blood spurt from my dear savage's mouth, and my heart clenched violently. I almost fainted.

So he dared not think about anything else, and without even bothering to roll up his sleeves, he charged forward recklessly, determined to climb that meter-high fighting arena.

"Come back!!" Suddenly, a hand grabbed me from behind. I didn't even need to turn around to know it was Xu Yi.

This time, I didn't struggle. Looking up at the battle, I saw that both fighters had slowed down. The savage was injured and kneeling on the ground, but his eyes were always fixed on the audience below—what was below?! It was only now that I came to my senses to think about it—I turned around abruptly and saw a woman in bright pink clothes, but with a face as plain as a chrysanthemum, standing in the middle of the crowd.

Actually, I was the slowest to react. Before me, everyone, both on and off stage, had already turned their attention to this new woman. Even the Palace Master Chen Gang, who had just slapped the savage and was clearly in the upper hand, paused for a moment to look at the woman.

"Shi Shenghuan...?" An indistinct voice cried out, followed by another shout—"Wasn't she dead?! It's a ghost!!"

Shi Shenghuan?! My eyelids twitched as soon as I heard that name. I quickly turned around to look at the savage. I should have looked, because the savage was being held at swordpoint and his life was hanging by a thread!

At that moment, my mind was completely blank, yet not entirely empty; only one thought remained—I had to fly up and save the savage—I had to save the savage!! I had to save the savage!!!

Just as my whole body was tense, it was as if the heavens heard my call. Suddenly, a sinister force attacked from behind. When a person's slender hand completely touched my back, I suddenly felt full of energy and as light as a swallow. With just a light lift of my foot, I followed this force and, with the powerful will to "fly onto the stage," I "ah ah ah" and leaped off the ground, flying towards the center of the arena.

The savage was struggling to fight back, but my series of "Ahhh" distracted him. I really wanted to slap myself—but he was too busy fighting back to even bother. Wherever I fell, he would leap over me, his hand suddenly reaching out, his longsword already dropped, and pulling me into his arms.

I was trembling all over as the savage spun me around, and my vision went black again. Suddenly, I heard a whisper, barely audible, instruction in my ear. It was the savage's voice: "Don't think about anything—strike with your palm!!"

I swear to God, I really didn't think about anything. I didn't even have time to think. After spinning around in mid-air, the Chen Gang Palace Master's middle-aged, handsome face was already in front of me. Of course, I'd believe whatever this savage said. I suddenly widened my eyes, let out a roar, and pushed forward with both palms—

In a flash, just like when someone used some sinister force to send me onto the stage not long ago, that tingling sensation once again surged from my spine throughout my entire body. I felt my blood vessels and even my nerve endings swell with this even more powerful force, swelling with excruciating pain. Instinctively, I straightened my five fingers and screamed, "Ah!!"

However, this shout was not from me. It was from someone who had never seen a big scene before, or someone who was naturally timid, who shouted after I, the Palace Master of Chen Gang, was knocked off the stage by my palm and fell into the crowd.

The Palace Master landed off the stage with remarkable ease, showing no sign of disarray. He stood firmly with his hand on his chest, and from a distance, a trace of crimson appeared on his lips, suggesting he had also vomited blood… As I peered down from the stage, I had just clearly seen the Palace Master and the crowd under the dappled sunlight when the scene suddenly spun around me, becoming a kaleidoscope of colors. My legs went weak, and I nearly collapsed…

The savage reached out from behind and caught me just in time.

The temple master bowed to me from below the stage, saying, "Impressive internal strength, but my skills are inferior. I humbly admit defeat."

"What?!" I was stunned.

But I'm sure he was speaking to me, not like a savage.

The audience below the stage was ignited by these words, like beans thrown into a pot of oil, slowly being heated and fried, jumping and restless one by one.

"What exactly happened?" I turned around to ask the savage why even Shi Shenghuan from the man's philtrum was gone, but it was too late. The savage suddenly stepped forward, moving from behind me to in front of me—"Thank you for saving me, Qingshan. I am truly grateful for your kindness." The savage lowered his head and deliberately raised his voice, so the end of his voice was slightly hoarse.

"What?!" I exclaimed, and the people in the audience echoed me.

"Savage...?" I frowned deeply, because he looked up and I could see clearly the expression on his face that he avoided everyone else's gaze. It was a faint smile, a smile of complete confidence.

"You—" had this planned all along?!

The second half of his sentence was swallowed back by a single look from the savage.

The savage stepped back, then turned to ask Palace Master Chen Gang, "Have you submitted?"

The temple master nodded slowly with great composure, glanced at me, and uttered a single word: "I admire you."

The savage looked elsewhere and asked loudly and slowly, "Are there any more challengers?"

The crowd erupted in an instant. The leaders of the eight sects, the four sword sects, and the masters of the five mountains were all agitated and suspicious. However, when the Hall Master of Chen Gang Palace turned around in front of everyone with a calm expression, he said slowly and deliberately, "If anyone thinks he can beat me, he may as well come up on stage and give it a try."

Upon hearing this, the initial shock subsided instantly.

Even I know that the Hall Master of Chen Gang is not just impressed by the martial arts of the people on the stage, but is clearly protecting them—if you want to go on stage, you have to get past him first!! Such a simple and easy-to-understand implication is obvious to everyone in the martial arts world.

But now only the savage and I were left on the stage. The savage smiled at me and silently uttered a word in sign language. I strained to decipher it—"Do you want to be the leader of the martial arts world?" He actually asked me that kind of question?!

Suddenly, she took a step closer and knelt down on one knee in front of me. I couldn't even block her. The summer sun above my head flashed, and I felt dizzy and my ears rang—what was she doing? This pose was clearly a public marriage proposal to me!

Chapter 73

So that's how the martial arts tournament started...

Because the savage had finally taken control of Liangfeng Manor, he began to shift his focus. The purpose of choosing the leader of the martial arts alliance was to lure out a person, namely Rao Zhenmu, the chief disciple of Fang Ning Daoist of the Zhuling Sect, who had clearly come down the mountain but returned at the most critical moment due to some reason.

More than twenty years ago, Rao Zhenmu was just a teenager, not even twenty years old, when he joined his accomplices in murder and arson. He was involved in a murder case at the Wild Man's residence. The Wild Man didn't go all out and wipe out the entire Hengshan lineage because Fang Ning Daoist's martial arts skills were undeniably the best in the world. The Wild Man couldn't beat Fang Ning Daoist, and he couldn't beat Rao Zhenmu either. What's most baffling is that these two stayed on Hengshan's Zigai Peak year after year, studying the classics by lamplight, never leaving the mountain, and never alone. Who would be so reckless as to attack Hengshan and kill them? The Wild Man wasn't that reckless.

Therefore, the leader of the martial arts alliance must be re-elected. Only in this way will Fang Ning Daoist, who was once granted an imperial title, send his disciple down the mountain to intervene in the affairs of the martial arts world. However, Fang Ning Daoist himself will not come down the mountain. To show that it is important, his eldest disciple Rao Zhenmu must be the best candidate to attend the martial arts conference. All of this was planned by the Wild Man in advance.

Rao Zhenmu is to die at Liangfeng Manor, but his death cannot be mysterious or inexplicable, otherwise so many martial arts practitioners will definitely cause trouble for the manor. Therefore, the best way is to let him die on the arena, leaving his life and death to fate. The Wild Man has even arranged the candidates to appear. Those candidates with bad reputations but high martial arts skills will surely force the Zhuling Sect to take action. Then, the Wild Man will definitely meet Rao Zhenmu on the arena.

As it turned out, things didn't go as planned. Rao Zhenmu was absent at the last minute, and even though Yeren Yijian defeated Li Gaobai, he couldn't lure out the missing senior brother. It seems he really did return to Hengshan.

On the other hand, the Wild Man was not confident that he could kill the chief disciple of the Zhu Ling Sect in one battle. Therefore, another key figure in this martial arts tournament was the Hall Master of the Chen Gang Hall, the Wild Man's former master and now his enemy.

However, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. As the leader of the righteous path, the Lord of the Chen Gang Palace was happy to cooperate with the savages to eliminate a major threat. Moreover, the savages used the Yan family's treasure map as a condition for the deal. In fact, before the Lord of the Chen Gang Palace even arrived at Liangfeng Manor in person, the two had already reached an agreement. He would pass on his inner cultivation method to the savages and speak on their behalf, while the savages would hand over the treasure map with both hands.

However, rumors had already spread the day before that Rao Zhenmu had left before the arena even started. In fact, the Wild Man had never intended to give up the position of Alliance Leader to anyone, but my appearance made him calculate one more thing. He and the Palace Master of Chen Gang put on a show to make me the Alliance Leader. The person who pushed me onto the stage at the beginning was the Right Protector Xia Ran, and the person who pretended to be distracted and unable to concentrate was the Left Protector Yao Ting. The palm strike that the Wild Man gave me with internal energy was completely devoid of power. The Palace Master of Chen Gang pretended to lose and then bit his tongue, spitting out some blood.

Therefore, everything was planned by the savage. He deliberately pushed me to the position of leader to make me overjoyed, and then presented me with the map of the Yan family's treasure at a crucial moment. Firstly, he forced me to agree to go to the Savage Valley in public, and secondly, he directly broke the contract with Lord Chen Gang. This was the second time the savage had betrayed me after using me. It was really hard for Lord Chen Gang to play along with him for so long, with so many people making an appearance and creating momentum, only for the sake of the savage's obsession with me and my wife. Lord Chen Gang's efforts were all for nothing, and he still did not get the treasure map.

“I have a question,” I asked. “Aren’t you afraid that the Palace Master will be furious and expose you on the spot? Even if he settles the score later, with his martial arts skills, you will be in deep trouble.”

The savage shook his head. "He still has something on me, so he can't do anything to me."

I nodded. "I see." As for what the leverage was, I wasn't very interested in knowing, so I asked again, "What about the Divine Weeping Blade? Did you take it back from the Nangong family back then?"

The savage shook his head again. "The knife has always been kept by the divine constable Mi Dang. Now that he has come to Liangfeng Manor, I have no reason to waste my energy on a knife."

"That's right." I nodded again, then asked, "Anything else?"

The savage frowned, looked at me hesitantly for a while, and finally nodded without saying anything more.

“Okay,” I said, “I understand everything—now that you understand, you can get lost.”

He gritted his teeth, clearly having already guessed that I wasn't so easy to talk to, but this was the first time I had told him to get lost without any warning. It was truly the first time. His face turned pale, and he lowered his head and didn't make a sound.

He knew better than anyone that I was furious with him, so furious I felt like I was going to die. Even anyone would feel cold-hearted and terrified if they were played and schemed against like this by the person they trusted most. How could he do so much without making a sound, just to force me to go back, using the whole world to play along with his nonsense? "You're not leaving, are you?" I suddenly stood up. "If you're not leaving, I'm leaving!!"

This trick is so cliché, because the savage will definitely follow me closely, silently behind me, without a sound, without breathing, without footsteps, and even without any presence like a ghost. But every time I turn around, he will stop two steps behind me, raise his eyes and look at me pitifully, without saying a word, as if this is enough to be a punishment.

What's going on here? I grit my teeth—he insisted on doing something dangerous, and wouldn't let me stop him. I wanted to stay with him, but he'd rather put on an act to deceive me than keep me by his side—I did it willingly, but he doesn't care whether I want it or not, only doing what he thinks is for my own good—yes, he really is doing it for my own good, and I admit he's right, but I can't bear to lose him. How can he be so heartless as to make me leave him? There's still a chance, so why is he being so resolute, like the male lead in a romance drama about cancer? What is he struggling with?!

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became, and the more agitated I became, the more chaotic my mind became. I ran wildly along the winding paths of the mountain village, not caring where the path led. The wild man followed closely behind me. At first, he weakly reminded me to watch my step and not to go into desolate places where there wasn't even a lantern. But when he realized that the more he talked, the more I wanted to defy him, I simply stopped talking and let him go wherever he wanted. He obediently followed behind without saying a word.

I really admire myself. I climbed two hills after leaving the village and passed a mountain spring. Finally, I sat on a big rock halfway up the mountain, looked up at the moon, and the moonlight made the trees look like a hideous mess. My view was blocked by the trees, and there were swarms of mosquitoes. I raised my fist to swat the mosquitoes, and the wild man next to me used his sleeve to help me swat them. I glared at him fiercely, and I don't know if he was pretending not to see me or if he was too focused on swatting them and really didn't see me.

I got bitten by mosquitoes and it got all itchy. He squatted down at my feet and applied the juice of some wild plant to the bites. The juice smelled cool and slippery. I watched him carefully scratching my itch with his head down, completely focused. I couldn't help but say, "I really want to kick you!"

The savage paused abruptly as he gently massaged my calf. Without looking up, he replied, "...I'd rather you kicked me."

"Are you doing this on purpose?!" I snapped back to my anger, kicking him. "Let go of me! Don't touch me! I won't allow you to take advantage of me!! From now on, I am the leader of the martial arts alliance, and you are just my underling. You have to listen to me in everything, and even your life belongs to me—who gave you permission to take advantage of me?!"

The savage didn't say a word, but he really let go of her hand. He looked up, his eyes dark and unreadable. "...Everything I have is yours," he asked in a low voice, "Then why are you still angry?"

"I'm angry that you never learn!" I yelled at him. "I'm angry that all you think about is revenge!! Can't you be a little less pragmatic? Besides analyzing the pros and cons, can't you ever care about my feelings? How many times have you lied to me? Have I ever blamed you?!"

The savage seemed to have developed ringing in his ears from my shouting; he remained motionless and did not refute.

After a long pause, I was the first to feel aggrieved. I turned my head to the side and began to mutter to myself, "Since you don't want me anymore, I'm going to find a mountain and jump off right now. If I don't die, I can live like a wild man and see if any man time-travels to meet me a thousand years from now. I'll go home with him and shock you to death..." As I said this, I stood up, "I'm going to jump right now!!"

It's no wonder the savage couldn't be fooled by me, but he still hurriedly caught up and grabbed me, asking in a strange voice, "Where are you going...?"

"Go jump off a cliff," I said matter-of-factly. "Maybe you can even jump back."