"No rush," Xuezhi waved her hand. "Let's see first."
However, before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea is up, the Huashan Sect's "Taigu Longsword" and the Chonghuo Palace's "Golden Wind and Sun Hand" were defeated by the former.
"You flatter me." Fengcheng's sword was pointed squarely at Haitang's chin, but Haitang smiled politely as if she had no spirit, and then stepped off the stage.
The midday sun became quite dazzling, and many people in the audience were sweating profusely, while some left the venue.
In that blink of an eye, a red figure flashed across the arena that stood as high as a mountain within the Shaolin Temple compound.
Before many people could react, Xuezhi gripped the longsword with its golden hilt and smiled slightly at Feng Cheng: "Sect Leader Feng, please enlighten me."
"Fengcheng of Huashan Sect versus Chongxuezhi of Chonghuo Palace," Shi Yan announced loudly from below the stage.
The last three words immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Under the bright spring sun, a long, fiery red dress and silky black hair fluttered in the wind. The woman's beautiful figure was faintly visible through the thin, soft red silk.
The gong was struck once, then twice.
Feng Cheng never expected that he would face her on this day. Normally, when his opponent was a woman, he would give her three moves. But the moment the third gong rang out, he seemed to lose control, carefully taking a step back before launching a fierce attack.
Instead, Xuezhi became the one who yielded the attack. She retreated repeatedly, dodging left and right, her blade as smooth as autumn water, but the tip trembled violently as she parried.
Her smile and composure made Fengcheng uneasy.
Feng Cheng was initially fighting rather hastily, but it wasn't until she nimbly circled behind him and pulled him close that he realized his fear was not unfounded—
"I don't want to simply kill you. But I have too many things to do."
She transformed into a demon and came to claim his life.
Thump, thump, thump! Three deep, resounding thuds echoed as Fengcheng's longsword repeatedly pierced Xuezhi, its sharp edge embedding itself deeply into the wooden pillars of the arena like iron nails. Completely devoid of swordsmanship, he had already thrown himself into disarray.
Conversely, Xuezhi's "Samadhi Flaming Phoenix Blade" was performed with breathtaking skill. Thrusts, slashes, retractions, and counter-slashes were all executed with precision and precision, providing a feast for the eyes of the audience. However, not a single move struck a vital point; it was like a cat playing with a mouse.
Everyone could see that something was off about the atmosphere in the ring, but no one knew exactly what had happened.
"Does the Palace Master intend to poison her?" Zhu Sha looked at Liu Li. "But she has fought with Feng Cheng before. If an investigation is launched later, people will definitely suspect her."
“I’m used to the Palace Master’s inconsiderate actions,” Liuli said helplessly. “Even if she were to behead Fengcheng right now on the stage, I wouldn’t be surprised—uh, is it raining?”
He touched his head; liquid had dripped onto it. He saw the astonished expressions on Zhu Sha's and the others' faces, then looked at his palm—thick, fresh blood was sliding down his hand.
Turning back again.
On the arena, Xuezhi held her knife high above her head. Her wide red sleeves slid down to her shoulders, revealing a section of her snow-white arm. The knife above her head gleamed silver, untouched by blood.
However, the blood from the headless man's neck opposite her splattered everywhere like sparks, falling like raindrops onto the arena.
174
"Ah. My hand slipped, and..." Xuezhi feigned surprise as she sheathed her sword and took a step back. "Where is Sect Leader Feng's head? Has anyone seen Sect Leader Feng's head? Quickly put it back."
Before long, the crowd began to surge, and a woman's scream rang out from the middle. Fengcheng's head was tossed around like a ball. His face remained terrified.
On the arena, Feng Cheng's body crashed to the ground.
On this day, many people learned that Xuezhi was capable of murder. This included Liu Hua, Shi Yan, Lin Yuhuang, Lin Xuanfeng, Feng Zi, and some disciples of Chonghuo Palace.
However, no one knew that Fengcheng died in such a way.
"No—!! Kill her, kill her, kill her, kill Chong Xuezhi! She's a whore who sleeps with anyone, she's a heinous female demon—" Bai Manman's heart-wrenching screams came from the crowd.
Xuezhi stood on the high arena and saw Bai Manman, dressed in gorgeous clothes, kneeling on the ground and roaring, her gold hairpins and jewels scattered all over the ground in a disheveled state. Beside Bai Manman, her wet nurse was holding Fengcheng's one-month-old son.
"Amitabha." Shi Yan stepped forward, closed his eyes, and said, "Palace Master Xue, you should know the consequences of your recent massacre of Sect Leader Feng at Shaolin..."
"Chong, Chong Xuezhi—have you gone mad?" Master Ciren stammered incoherently.
Lin Xuanfeng said, "Xuezhi, no matter what grudge you have with Sect Leader Feng, you shouldn't—commit such a sin."
Xuezhi, with her back to the people from Chonghuo Palace, clapped three times. Haitang then walked up carrying a box.
"As you all should know, Feng Cheng ascended to the position of sect leader because his elder brother, Feng Ye, died suddenly. And the one who killed Feng Ye, forced his sister-in-law to her death, severed his nephew's tendons, and then brutally murdered him after he came of age, was also Feng Cheng." Xue Zhi placed the box in the center of the arena. "These are all pieces of evidence found by Chong Huo Palace. Over the years, Feng Cheng has colluded with evil cults and betrayed Mount Hua. He even secretly learned evil martial arts and has a large amount of gold and silver treasures stored in the underground passages of Mount Hua, intending to elope with his concubine if his crimes are exposed. If any of you martial arts heroes are still dissatisfied with what I have done today, then please come to Chong Huo Palace to demand an explanation. Chong Xue Zhi will be waiting for your arrival."
In truth, Chong Xuezhi didn't care at all what evil deeds Feng Cheng had committed, or what the world and the martial arts world would become. If she wanted, with Shi Yan's tacit approval, she could make Feng Cheng die without anyone knowing.
Her reason for investigating these matters was simply to ruin Feng Cheng's reputation and make him even more miserable.
In mid-spring, April, the flowers are in full bloom, their reds and greens vibrant.
The fragrance of flowers had long since masked the stench of blood. All the major sects had dispatched people to investigate Fengcheng's background, and the Weapon Ranking Tournament continued, concluding successfully.
The Great Yellow Martial Arts Ranking was stained with blood. It was quickly torn down by Shaolin disciples and replaced with a new one. The first place still belonged to the Canghai Snow Lotus Sword of Chonghuo Palace, followed closely by Mu Yuan's name.
Bai Manman followed the nanny to Xuezhi, ignoring the stares of others, and said in a weak voice:
“I don’t care why you killed Fengcheng. I don’t care what he did or what he did wrong. He was my husband. He had just recovered from the pain of losing his son, and we had just had a child. And you made me lose my husband and my child lose his father. Chong Xuezhi, if you don’t kill me and my son today, we will pay any price to take your life. Any price.”
She spoke the last few words through gritted teeth.
Xuezhi rested her chin on her hand, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Looking forward to good news."
Upon seeing the beautiful palace lord, the child stared wide-eyed for a long time, then a sweet smile appeared on his face. So adorable, so innocent, it was as if the severed body had just been a tree, or a toy.
In this venue, apart from this child who knows nothing, no one would look at her like that.
Looking around at the silent crowd that had dispersed, and at the pairs of somewhat fearful, furtive glances, Xuezhi suddenly remembered something Mu Yuan had once said. Then, she smiled softly:
"Brother Mu Yuan, you really kept your promise to me."
"What's up?"
Xuezhi shook her head, lifted the hem of her red skirt, and got up to leave her seat.
On the bright red and yellow list of weapons, the characters remained unchanged, the ink was still fresh, and there was no trace of blood. It was as pristine as a festive paper-cut window decoration pasted up for the New Year.
She still remembered what Mu Yuan had said.
That seems like a very, very long time ago.
Back then, she didn't know Shangguan Tou, or even Xiao She. Xia Qingmei was still a gentle and affectionate young man, and Yuan Shuangshuang was still a somewhat picky middle-aged beauty. As for her, she was just a somewhat cynical young girl, yet full of longing for her sect. At that time, she disliked Feng Zi so much, yet she couldn't help but look at her again and again, secretly envying her.
At that time, there were so many things she didn't know. In her eyes, the world was vast and wonderful, full of sunshine.
At that time, Shangguan Tou appeared at the Heroes' Gathering, his elegant white robes and dashing figure deeply imprinted in her girlish memory.
At that time, Chonghuo Palace suffered many losses at the Heroes' Gathering. But Mu Yuan's words cheered her up:
Give me ten years, and I'll return to you the Chonghuo Palace of yesteryear.