"It is finally all over. Once the grandmasters and great grandmasters sent as reinforcements from the major sects arrive, my mission—Twelve Yuan Chen Destroys Four Seas—should be considered complete!"
Qian Chen felt neither joy nor sorrow as he raised his gourd to offer a toast toward the morning sun.
The gourd still held no fine wine suited to the occasion. Even though, with a single word, he could now have tens of thousands of jars of Four Seas Hall's finest liquor at his disposal, and even though he longed to experience the swagger and bold spirit of wandering the jianghu while gulping great draughts of wine... Throughout this single day, he had seen through the most treacherous, ruthless, and cunning conspiracies, slain several of the most terrifying villains in the martial world, and displayed peerless grandeur before countless heroes as his sword qi crisscrossed the sky.
He had earned the admiration of the most promising young talents.
He had astounded the most serene Buddhist masters!
He had watched a peerless beauty perish under his sword...
He had risen from an unknown nobody to duel formidable foes before countless revered elders of the jianghu, revealing divine prowess for all to see and earning renown as an unmatched great grandmaster.
The day before, Qian Chen had been completely obscure; by tomorrow, his name was destined to shake the realm.
Was such exhilaration truly not worth a cup of wine?
Alas, Qian Chen sighed quietly to himself. *It isn't worth it... Every experience in this world is ultimately a fleeting illusion, fading away like flowers in a mirror or the moon on water. Only the Supreme Dao of the Central Lands shines eternal like the bright moon, and only such eternal existence is worthy of my pursuit.*
*A cup of cloudy wine would only set my cultivation attainment back by two days... yet I still refuse it.*
*Brother Huang, I have disappointed you. In the end, I am not a man of the jianghu who lives for the sweet thrill of vengeance and gratitude... I am merely a cultivator pursuing eternal freedom, wandering unfettered through the world. I am but a passerby in this realm.*
*The righteous path of this mortal world must ultimately be borne by righteous, noble souls like you.*
Qian Chen slipped through the window of the attic quarters Four Seas Hall had prepared for him. Stepping lightly upon the window frame, he sprang up onto the roof. Imitating the gallant poses of legendary swordsmen he had seen on television in his past life, he chose a relatively flat spot and reclined against the roof ridge, gazing eastward at the rising sun. A gentle breeze brushed over his face, instantly filling him with a sense of pleasant, breezy intoxication.
He lay there for a long while, waiting for the moment of his return to the Reincarnation Lands.
Presently, someone leaned a ladder beneath the eaves, and a youth climbed up, panting heavily. It was the kitchen boy Qian Chen had seen the day before burning paper money. Qian Chen raised his head and asked, "What did you climb up here for? Don't block my sunlight!"
The boy carefully steadied his footing upon the tiles and bowed deeply to Qian Chen. "I have come to thank you, sir, for saving my life and avenging my deep grievance."
"I was a guest of Four Seas Hall. Lending a hand to my hosts was simply my duty," Qian Chen replied indifferently.
The youth stubbornly remained in his deep bow. "I must thank you, sir, for avenging Uncle Wang, Auntie Hua... Chef Fan... and Uncle Yuhan, as well as my family."
*Those names—Uncle Wang, Auntie Hua, Chef Fan—must refer to the innocent kitchen servants slaughtered by Gladiatorial God-Lord. Huang Yuhan was murdered by Sun-Chasing Lord. Both culprits fell by my sword, so I have indeed avenged them. But what of this boy's family? Could he have been so unfortunate that his entire family worked at Four Seas Hall and perished in this catastrophe?*
The boy lowered his voice. "Uncle Yuhan said that you are a reliable man, sir. He told me that if I had anything to say, I could tell you, but never breathe a word to anyone else."
Qian Chen's expression gradually grew solemn. For Huang Yuhan to have left such specific instructions yesterday, the matter was surely not simple.
In a low, heavy voice, the boy said, "The Twelve Yuan Chen once butchered my entire family... To this day, I remember how my mother, my younger sister, my elder brother, as well as Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Second Aunt, and Aunt Qing... they drew the Twelve Yuan Chen's attention away so that I could escape... They..." The youth choked up, unable to continue.
Only after calming his emotions did he speak again to the quietly listening Qian Chen. "Sir, I have a small, selfish wish I hope to share with you.
"Now that most of the Twelve Yuan Chen are dead, my vengeance is largely fulfilled. There is only one person I still cannot let go of. I dare not trouble you, sir, so I only wish to share what I know. If you ever encounter that person in the future, you will know to be on guard—and if you can slay him, that would naturally be best of all.
"That person is the Dragon Head of the Twelve Yuan Chen!"
"You have seen the Twelve Yuan Chen's Dragon Head?" Qian Chen asked in surprise.
The boy shook his head. "I have never seen his face! But he was my father's close friend. Every year, he would come to our home to drink wine and discuss martial arts with my father. My father regarded him as his closest confidant in life. Because of his special identity, my father kept his true background strictly concealed; not even we children were ever told.
"Once, I heard his voice. It was bold, hearty, and resonant. He is a man!
"And his martial arts are extraordinarily profound..." The boy babbled on with various details, most of which were hearsay and impossible to verify. While it might narrow down the suspects for Dragon Head, relying on such tidbits to identify him was little more than a pipe dream.
As he spoke, tears began to stream down the boy's face. "By chance, my father obtained an extraterrestrial stone from Sky-Touching Divine Peak on the Arctic Cold Plains. Within it was contained the Supreme Martial Dao. Because it was merely the true intent of the Martial Dao rather than a martial arts manual forbidden from outside eyes, my father kindly invited him over to study and comprehend it together. Who could have foreseen that after several days of study... he would abruptly take his leave?
"A few days later, my father secretly arranged for us to flee across the sea.
"Yet on the road, we were ambushed and hunted down by the Twelve Yuan Chen. Those people relentlessly interrogated us about a secret, and then I heard the laughter of my father's friend... By then, he wore the dragon-head mask. He demanded that my mother reveal the whereabouts of that extraterrestrial divine stone... and slaughtered my entire household... Aunt Qing hid me in a cesspool, and my uncles used their lives to cover for me!"
By this point, Qian Chen already knew who the boy's father was!
"After narrowly escaping with my life, I wanted to avenge my family, so after many hardships, I made my way to Four Seas Hall, hoping to rely on the power of Hall Master Hong—that great hero and titan—to exterminate the Twelve Yuan Chen. Alas, I possessed neither scholarly talent nor martial aptitude. Uncle Yuhan caught me secretly trying to learn the hall's martial arts by chance. He did not blame me; instead, he personally taught me.
"Yet after studying for so long, I remain thoroughly mediocre. Perhaps I will never be able to avenge them with my own hands in this lifetime!
"Even so, your intervention this time, sir, slaying so many of the Twelve Yuan Chen... is enough to bring comfort in the netherworld to my mother, my brother, and my uncles who died for me!"
"Perform the martial arts Brother Huang taught you and let me see!" Qian Chen said to the youth.
The boy's dejection gave way to rising excitement. His footsteps clattered against the roof tiles as he executed a set of fist techniques and recited several formulas of internal mental cultivation. Qian Chen, however, shook his head. "The martial arts he taught you are flawed! If you keep practicing like this, you will never become an expert in your lifetime."
At first, the youth puffed his cheeks in displeasure, seemingly upset that Qian Chen was disparaging Huang Yuhan.
Yet after pondering for a long while, he gave a bitter smile. "Uncle Yuhan never seemed to claim this was any peerless martial art... He only said it could be practiced to strengthen the body and maintain health."
Qian Chen said to him, "Have you ever considered that there is a blood feud between you and Four Seas Hall over your father's death? Huang Yuhan was the grand steward of Four Seas Hall. There was no way he would nurture the child of an enemy."
"Nonsense!" The boy grew stubborn. "Uncle Yuhan was my last remaining kin. If he wanted to harm me, I would have died long ago!"
"Now you've finally shown a bit of wit," Qian Chen sighed. "You shouldn't have said so much to me in the first place. If anyone else learned of your identity, even ten of you would easily end up dead!
"Your aptitude is poor. Even if a peerless martial art were placed before you, the highest achievement you could ever reach in this lifetime is that of a grandmaster. Compared to your enemies, you would still be like an ant. Thus, the higher your martial arts become, the more likely you are to die a senseless death. It is better to remain a harmless insect that everyone overlooks...
"Considering how prominent your family's background was, yet they left you no profound martial arts, and Huang Yuhan never attempted to teach you any higher martial secrets, they must have both shared this exact consideration!
"Have you ever stopped to think that the people in your life who cared about you most only wanted you to live in peace and safety? To marry, have children... and not spend your entire life tormented by an elusive, unreachable vengeance!"
Tears spilled from the boy's eyes. "I have thought of giving up on revenge, but I truly cannot do it. Even if sharing the little I know with you proves to be of the slightest use when you face that villain, sir, I would be overjoyed and cast all thought of life and death aside!"
Qian Chen hauled him up by the collar. "The Twelve Yuan Chen are for experts like us to worry about! A boy with mediocre parlor tricks like you shouldn't try to play the hero!
"What you told me is indeed of some use for eliminating Dragon Head.
"However, you hold a grudge against Four Seas Hall. Without Huang Yuhan to protect you, who knows when Four Seas Hall might discover you and snuff you out? Go quit this job at once, return to the countryside, marry a wife, and live an honest, peaceful life!"
"By the way," Qian Chen asked, "how did you manage to come see me? Four Seas Hall has strict rules. Ordinary people cannot simply disturb an honored guest."
"I have an emergency token Uncle Huang left me... Everyone along the way deferred to it."
Qian Chen was aghast. "Do you have a death wish or something? Hurry up, pack your belongings, and run, boy! This old man will take the trouble to escort you a ways."
The boy hung his head dejectedly. "Matters of the jianghu are settled in the jianghu. My father killed many people too; that he was slain in revenge was merely the wheel of karma. I never intended to seek revenge against the hall! Besides, Uncle Huang told me long ago that once he died, I had to leave... I have already quit my job. I only planned to thank you, take my leave, and conceal my name from the world."
Qian Chen smiled. "What is your name?"
"In Four Seas Hall, they call me Xiao Luo, but my real name is Luo Shengyi! Mister Qian... thank you for avenging me!" Luo Shengyi tried to bow again, but Qian Chen kicked him straight down from the roof, calling after him, "Hurry up and scram!"
Watching the boy's retreating figure, Qian Chen shadowed him from a distance to protect him along the way.
Only after watching him leave Linhai with his own eyes, confirming that no one was pursuing him, did Qian Chen slowly turn back. He was about to return to the Reincarnation Lands; there was no time left!
Along the road, Qian Chen let out a deep sigh. *I suppose I have done right by Brother Huang! Who would have thought that after all these years in Four Seas Hall, Brother Huang would still protect the child of an enemy like this? I may already know who Dragon Head is, but I have no evidence... At a time like this, speaking without proof would serve no purpose other than alerting the enemy.*
*The affairs of this world are best left to the people of this world to resolve!*
*At most, before I leave, I'll pass my suspicion to that old monk Kongming and let Shaolin worry about it!*
Chapter 30