Chapter 87. The Wind Never Ceases (5)

"Did such a thing happen?"

"Yes."

The middle-aged man looked out the window.

He wasn't particularly tall, and his build was ordinary.

However, his demeanor was completely different from his plain appearance. It was a presence that felt both vast like clouds and strangely resolute.

It was more the aura of a scholar or a man of letters, someone who hones wisdom through accumulated knowledge and pursues righteousness with that wisdom.

He was none other than Zhuge Wenhu, the head of the Zhuge family.

Zhuge Yan asked calmly,

"Father, please go. Even if I am your daughter, I must not overstep my bounds."

"......"

"But this time, I want to ask."

"......"

"What do you think of this marriage, Father?"

Zhuge Wenhu turned to look at Zhuge Yan.

A hint of bitterness clouded his profound gaze.

"Which parent in the world would wish for their child to spend their life with someone they don't want?"

"......"

"Just a few pillars of the family have rotted. Even though I noticed the signs, I let them slide, using busyness as an excuse. I still regret not dealing with it properly at the time."

"......It's already in the past."

"Yes, it's in the past. However......"

Zhuge Wenhu closed his eyes.

A sign of self-reproach was visible on his gentle face.

"Perhaps my ambition was too great."

"......"

"Something that has fallen can be rebuilt. But the time it takes to rebuild is the problem. The martial world may seem peaceful now, but beneath it, the law of cause and effect in the Jianghu, which demands blood and death, is always ready to spring forth."

"Law of cause and effect......"

"I didn't want to see the family fall during my generation. But it seems that was just an excuse. Seeing the affairs of the Ming family, I realized once again that excessive ambition inevitably leads to destruction."

Zhuge Yan asked,

"Do you have ambitions, Father?"

Zhuge Wenhu nodded as if it were obvious.

"Of course."

"......I see."

"I don't think it's wrong to have ambitions. It's just...... I think it's wrong not to honestly acknowledge those ambitions."

Zhuge Wenhu's gaze changed.

"I was foolish. My ambition almost made my daughter unhappy."

"No, Father."

"Longtou Bang's words are right. I plan to reject the marriage proposal from the Nangong family."

Zhuge Yan's eyes wavered.

"For the time being, the Nangong family won't be able to oppose us. With such a big incident, they have no choice but to lie low."

"......"

"Focus on your studies and don't worry about anything."

Zhuge Yan smiled and stood up.

"Father."

"Speak."

"Don't try to bear all the burdens alone."

Zhuge Wenhu laughed.

"It's too early for you to say such things. Keep striving and striving."

"Yes!"

"Ah! By the way......"

A genuine curiosity appeared on Zhuge Wenhu's face.

"Did you give the Small Heaven Qi Pill to that young man, Lian Huozheng?"

Zhuge Yan's face contorted involuntarily.

"Yes. Just thinking about it makes my teeth grind."

"What happened?"

Zhuge Yan recounted Lian Huozheng's reaction without missing a word.

"There's no such thing as a more outrageous act. I really wanted to give him a good beating."

Zhuge Wenhu's eyes formed a crescent.

"Aiyan."

"Yes?"

"Do you, by any chance, have feelings for the eldest son of the Lian family?"

It was a sudden and unexpected question.

Zhuge Yan shook her head vigorously.

"No! No! Who would have feelings for such an uncultured person!"

"You're not exactly the most cultured yourself, are you?"

"Father!"

Zhuge Wenhu chuckled.

"I was just asking out of curiosity. Your reaction whenever I mention him is quite unusual."

"What's so unusual about my reaction? What's so unusual!"

"Your mother was similar to you now. She probably still curses me."

"Not at all?!"

"Then what is Lian Huozheng to you?"

Zhuge Yan's eyes opened wide.

"Umm...... A hateful person who gives nothing...... and an old man who stimulates my curiosity......? Just a friend."

Zhuge Wenhu's expression turned dubious.

"An interesting evaluation."

"It's hard to define in one word. He's such a unique person. Well, I do think of him from time to time when I don't see him. I wonder what kind of trouble he's causing?"

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"I see."

"Why are you smiling?"

"Just a smile."

"......It's so meaningful! Don't have any strange thoughts!"

Zhuge Wenhu looked out the window.

The passing clouds seemed very peaceful.

'Aiyan has grown up.'

Zhuge Yan protested.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but it's absolutely not true!"

* * *

After leaving the medical room, Lian Huozheng and his group took the mountain path.

While a convenient main road would be better for travel, the problem was Lian Huozheng's fame.

Rumors spread quickly and widely, and while they cooled down just as fast, the immediate issue was that many people in Henan wanted to approach him and talk to him due to his hot reputation.

In the end, they chose the mountain path. It took more time but avoided troublesome encounters.

Of course, it wasn't just for that reason.

Pususu.

A faint mist rose from Lian Huozheng's body, which was in a lotus position.

'Finally, it's working.'

The Xuanwu Qi surged, removing all the turbid qi from the damaged meridians. The mountain air he inhaled through his nose instantly cleared his head, making him feel mentally sharp.

The Baihu Qi naturally opened, restoring the shock left in his bones and muscles. The Zhuque Qi, burning like fire, circulated clean blood throughout his body.

His physical condition was improving day by day. The wound on his chest from Ming Tian's sword was almost fully healed.

It was an astonishing recovery rate.

He had been impatient with the slower-than-expected recovery, but in just a few days, he rapidly returned to normal.

'Why is this happening?'

While recovery was a good thing, he couldn't understand the reason.

'I clearly recognize the difference between my old body and my current one. Even considering that, the recovery was slow. But once my body started to improve, the recovery speed increased rapidly.'

A sense of unease clouded Lian Huozheng's face.

'This isn't good.'

Whether it was a good or bad phenomenon, he needed to understand the reason to take appropriate measures.

'Is it because I don't have the Qinglong Qi?'

In a short moment, he invoked three of the Four Deity Qi. This was much faster than he had vaguely planned. As a result, his combat abilities and martial power rapidly increased.

This also made him unstable. While he had refined each qi, he hadn't yet harmonized them. Without the Qinglong Qi, achieving complete harmony of the Four Deity Qi was impossible.

However, the phenomenon was so inexplicable that he even considered the Qinglong.

"Huh."

Lian Huozheng sighed and stood up.

"Let's keep refining. Maybe I'll find the answer someday."

He knew intuitively that this wasn't something he could solve immediately.

Despite the unease, he had to shake it off and focus on more productive tasks. It was time to refine his martial arts.

'I need to refine my martial arts.'

Lian Huozheng recalled himself facing the Ming family's experts.

'I could overwhelm them with my current level. Even before invoking the Zhuque Qi, I could withstand dozens of exchanges with Ming Tian.'

The Ming family's martial arts were a forced twist of the Four Deity Qi. While they were powerful, they had serious flaws.

'They had many weaknesses.'

When facing them, Lian Huozheng thoroughly dismantled the fake Four Deity Qi.

In reality, the Four Deity Qi was not something that could be easily dismantled. While there is no absolute in the world, the Four Deity Qi was almost invincible in terms of technique.

However, since he almost mastered the Four Deity Qi, except for the Huanglong Qi, he could exploit the minor weaknesses and completely dismantle them.

The transformation of his inner energy played a significant role. In front of the true successor of the Four Deity Qi, the fake qi was helplessly dismantled or destroyed.

In other words, the reason Lian Huozheng could overwhelm the Ming family's many experts was due to the martial arts he had mastered.

'I've become stronger, but I'm still far from perfect.'

He needed to become even stronger and grow more.

At the very least, he needed to regain the level of power he had during the Black Shadow era.

Lian Huozheng, who had unfolded his lotus position, picked up his axe.

"Yang Xian."

"Yes, Young Master!"

"Where is Chief Xin?"

"Ah, Chief Xin went down to the town for a while."

"To the town? Why?"

"We don't know exactly......"

At that moment,

Chief Xin walked up from the mountain below.

"Chief Xin."

"Ah, have you finished your cultivation?"

"Yes."

"How is your body?"

"Perfect. I'm fully recovered."

"That's a relief."

"That's not the important thing right now. How about it? The weather has cooled down a bit, shall we have a match?"

Chief Xin's face showed confusion.

"Um, Young Master."

"Huh?"

"First, I'd like to discuss the matter we talked about before."

"Discuss? What matter?"

"About serving you, Young Master."

Lian Huozheng shook his head.

"As I said before, I'm just going out to experience the world. I no longer need the Changying Army's help."

"Even if you know, Young Master, the Jianghu is dangerous. We don't know what dangers might arise."

"If you're afraid of blood, you can't be a warrior."

"Still......"

"Besides, you are part of the main family's martial organization. You can protect me as the Young Master, but once your mission is complete, you should return and do your duty."

"......"

"I don't know the details, but the main family's situation isn't good. You'll be very busy. So go and help Father. That's your duty."

Chief Xin sighed.

"Then at least two squads......"

"Unacceptable. Stop worrying about me and focus on what you need to do."

Protecting the Young Master of the family was indeed their duty.

However, Lian Huozheng firmly refused.

He was confident that he could survive in any environment, and he didn't want the family to suffer because of his actions.

After some contemplation, Chief Xin made a decision.

"I understand. We will return to the family."

"Good. I'll send a separate letter to Father."

Lian Huozheng tapped his axe blade.

"Is that settled? Then how about a match?"

"However, please allow me to follow you until this matter is resolved."

"This matter?"

Chief Xin took out a letter from his robe.

Lian Huozheng looked at the letter curiously.

"A message came from the Kai Bang."

"Let me see it."

Lian Huozheng's eyes widened as he read the letter.

Chief Xin's face showed tension.

"Given who the opponent is, something will likely happen. There must be a reason for them to try to stop you now, just as you're about to leave. It doesn't feel like they have good intentions."

"......Moyong Family Head."

That's right. The sender of the letter was none other than Moyong Jun.

Lian Huozheng's face turned indifferent as he folded the letter.

'Well, it wasn't a clean finish.'

He had to meet him eventually. It was better that he made contact first, which put his mind at ease.

'If I wait, he'll come to me.'

Lian Huozheng hung his axe on the tree.

"Let's prepare to go down the mountain."