Chapter 22

Chen Ang stood by a tall and fine horse, looking with a bitter smile at the young girl who had grabbed his reins. Qu Feiyan looked up at him with a sullen expression, her brows furrowed with a hint of resentment. She held onto Chen Ang’s horse, her mouth slightly open as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Ah!" Chen Ang looked at the girl with a helpless expression.

"Are you not planning to take me with you?" Qu Feiyan said gloomily, turning her head to hide the tears in her eyes.

Her voice was slightly choked, tinged with stubbornness. Chen Ang knew that if he didn’t explain clearly, she would likely chase after him. He forced a smile and tried to persuade her.

"Am I not coming back? In this world, no feast lasts forever. This is just a temporary parting, not a permanent separation. Come, let me wipe your tears!" Chen Ang handed her a corner of a silk handkerchief.

Qu Feiyan suddenly snatched it, turned her head, and released the reins. She clutched the handkerchief tightly, suppressing her emotions, and tried to appear calm. "Then go! Remember to come find me!"

Chen Ang paused for a moment, then laughed bitterly and said, "The medical book I gave you, keep it safe. When you reach a large town, find a bookstore to publish it. If any troublemakers come looking for you, don’t worry; someone will take care of them!"

Seeing the girl still sullen, Chen Ang continued, "The ransom letters from the various sects, you can collect on my behalf. Use the silver I left to build a large library. Don’t forbid people from borrowing books. When your library is complete, I will definitely come back to read!"

Qu Feiyan loosened her grip on the handkerchief, turned her head, and resumed her mischievous expression. She stuck out her tongue at Chen Ang and made a face. "Got it, you big oaf. Go quickly! I was just joking with you!"

Chen Ang smiled bitterly, shook his head, and pulled the horse, riding away into the fading light of the setting sun.

Watching his figure gradually disappear, the sound of hooves growing fainter, Qu Feiyan’s smiling face suddenly welled up with tears. Lan Fenghuang silently came over and held her in her arms, and a suppressed sob gradually spread.

The sun gradually set, leaving only a faint afterglow on the horizon.

On the official road outside Jiangling City, in an old, dilapidated pavilion where travelers could rest, dozens of people with torches sat in a circle. A strangely ancient-looking elder suddenly slapped the ground and said angrily, "Those dogs of the Shaolin Sect can’t even handle a small task? Go and ask, did Chen Ang really leave the city at dusk?"

Beside him, a tall, robust elder with an iron-like beard looked at him with flashing eyes and said in a deep voice, "Elder Bao, don’t worry. That person is likely already on the road. We have set up a web of traps around the area. No matter which way he goes, he won’t escape our grasp!"

Another middle-aged woman with a sinister expression said, "That person is very skilled, subduing both the righteous and the evil. Even within our sect, many skilled hands have fallen to his tricks. Not to mention the Biesu Qingfeng, which is not easy to deal with. We must be cautious!"

Elder Bao waved his hand dismissively. "Third Lady, you worry too much. The Sect Leader specially sent Doctor Ping to assist us. This trouble is nothing to worry about. With so many of us here, do we fear a mere youth?"

He sneered and continued, "It’s only because the Five Mountains Sword Sect is weak that this young man has become famous. Once we capture him, Doctor Ping will extract the formula for Biesu Qingfeng and San Shi Naoshen Pill, and that will be a great achievement!"

Third Lady raised her head and looked at him with a piercing gaze. "Elder Bao, be careful what you say!"

Elder Bao realized he had misspoken and quickly shut up, no longer mentioning the San Shi Naoshen Pill. After Dongfang Bubai ascended to the position of Sect Leader, he neglected his duties and secluded himself on Blackwood Cliff, which made his subordinates restless and disrespectful. If not for Dongfang Bubai’s unparalleled martial arts and the loyalty of people like Tong Bai Xiong, Elder Bao would have long attempted a coup.

The sound of hooves grew closer, and everyone in the pavilion stood up alertly, looking towards the road. Elder Bao’s eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice, "Our people haven’t sent any messages. Everyone, be on guard!"

On the road, a fine horse trotted slowly forward, and a leisurely young man with a long sword slung across his saddle looked at them with a half-smile.

The last light of dusk disappeared, and the sky suddenly darkened. A flickering lantern hung from the side of the horse. The majestic horse, sensing the murderous intent ahead, stopped and pawed the ground restlessly. Chen Ang pulled the reins and gently tugged to calm it down.

He smiled at the people in the pavilion. At this time, the official road outside Jiangling City should be filled with villagers returning home. In the twilight, farmers and travelers hurried along, creating a peaceful and warm scene.

But now, only a group of murderous-looking martial artists stood in the middle of the road.

Chen Ang was not a person who enjoyed killing, but when he saw the bodies of the returning villagers discarded by the road by the Cult of Devils, he couldn’t help but let his sword draw blood.

Although he was smiling, his eyes were cold and hard.

"Chen Ang, what have you done to our Cult of Devils disciples?" Elder Bao shouted, suddenly pouncing like a black leopard, agile and swift, his bulky body moving with surprising speed, creating a strong visual impact.

Chen Ang looked down at him from his high vantage point, his smile becoming increasingly enigmatic. He asked slowly, "Your ambush here, if it’s supposed to be secret, why are you standing in the middle of the road? If it’s supposed to be overt, why did you kill the passing travelers? This is something I find hard to understand."

Elder Bao, reaching him, suddenly laughed. "You mean those travelers? Yes, to prevent them from leaking information, I ordered our disciples to deal with them!"

"But they were just innocent civilians! If you wanted to hide, how could they have discovered you? Yet you sit in the middle of the road, completely exposed, and kill to maintain secrecy. This is truly hard to imagine!" Chen Ang’s eyes were clear, as if he didn’t understand.

Elder Bao snorted and didn’t answer, but instead, along with the others, surrounded Chen Ang. Chen Ang noticed his spotless clothes and neatly arranged accessories and couldn’t help but sigh.

"In my eyes, life is a wonderful thing, like the fragrance of earth in the morning breeze. Even an ordinary person, his voice should be like a flower by the roadside, blooming brilliantly and brightly in a place where no one knows."

Chen Ang ignored their small movements and looked into the distance. "I have a strange illness, making it hard for me to cry or laugh. Even in the face of great joy or sorrow, my heart remains calm. I feel that one day, I might become indifferent to all the true emotions and sufferings of the world, like a piece of grass or a stone, neither happy nor sad, neither alive nor dead."

Chen Ang’s face was calm as he suddenly turned to them. "Have you ever heard the sound of snowflakes landing on a roof? Can you feel the wonderful vitality of a flower bud slowly opening in the spring breeze? Do you know that the autumn wind often carries the fragrance of leaves from distant mountains?"

"This is a question posed by a friend I have known for a long time. I use it to remind myself to cherish life, even if my heart is cold, to maintain a sincere and kind heart. To avoid..."

Chen Ang lowered his head and laughed coldly. "To avoid becoming someone who kills innocents to keep their clothes clean!"

Before his words were finished, the sword light flashed.

Bao Dachu saw the most breathtaking sword light of his life. He had seen Ren Woxing’s overwhelming strike, fierce and unstoppable, and Dongfang Bubai’s bizarre sword technique, ghostly and sinister.

But none of these compared to Chen Ang’s sword.

It was a kind of living brilliance, carrying a fragile yet resilient quality, like the palest yet warmest emotion in the world. This was not a sword technique but a persistence and a touch of the heart, originating from the most humble yet greatest humanity.

Chen Ang’s pupils were a deep blue, different from the thousand-year-old ice blue of the past, losing that bone-chilling rationality and calm. They were warm like the vast sea, calm yet full of vitality, containing a faint but real emotion.

For the first time, when Chen Ang entered the overdrive state, he seemed more human than a deity high above.

Drops of blood fell from the tip of Chen Ang’s sword, landing on the ground. Bao Dachu and the others struggled to cover their throats, their eyes blank. Bao Dachu let out a hoarse whimper, blood seeping through the gaps in his left hand. His right hand weakly grasped the air a few times before falling limp.

Chen Ang walked past them, and as he did, the Cult of Devils members retreated, their eyes fixed on him. As he approached, they lost their grip on their weapons, which fell to the ground.

Only then did the bodies of Bao Dachu and the others collapse with a thud.