Chapter 89

Standing outside Jiangling City, Li Wuching watched the carriage gradually disappear into the distance, his heart filled with blessings and a sense of relief.

Due to his parents' affairs, Li Wuching once prided himself on being devoid of emotion and righteousness, even changing his name to Li Wuching. However, deep down, he had a passionate heart and the spirit of a knight, unable to truly be devoid of emotion and righteousness.

Priding himself on being devoid of emotion and righteousness, in reality, he was a man of great emotion and righteousness. During his previous entries into the worlds of "Book and Sword, Gratitude and Revenge" and "Iron Blood and Proud," he acted with restraint, refraining from indiscriminate killing, mainly due to his ability to discern right from wrong.

However, good people must be protected, and evil deeds cannot be tolerated. Even though it was just a fictional world, Li Wuching did not want to wrongfully kill anyone.

The world of "Duel of the Deaf" was vastly different. Apart from a few good people, everyone else could be killed, which is why he was willing to unleash a massacre.

The few good people in "Duel of the Deaf" were on that departing carriage: Ding Dian, Ling Shuanghua, Di Yun, Qi Fang, and Kongxincai. Being good people, they must be protected.

In this world, good people do not receive good rewards, and justice is not evident, which made Li Wuching indignant. Since he had entered this world and could intervene, he decided to stop evil with violence, to create a clear and just world.

Ding Dian and Ling Shuanghua originally had a tragic fate, both dying and being buried together, a truly sorrowful end.

Now, the two could go into seclusion together, no longer involving themselves in the affairs of the江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry). Although there were still some obstacles between them, their true feelings were genuine.

The main obstacle between them was a vow Ling Shuanghua had once made. Li Wuching, who did not believe in such vows, used his eloquence to persuade Ding Dian. As long as they kept working on it, one day Ling Shuanghua would forget the vow.

As for Di Yun, he was too naive to survive in the jianghu. If he continued to be involved, he would surely suffer. Therefore, Li Wuching advised him to follow Ding Dian into seclusion.

With the Wan family dead, Qi Fang and Kongxincai were left without support. Di Yun sought them out, and naturally, they came together again. Although Qi Fang was not good at discerning people and distinguishing right from wrong, her feelings for Di Yun were genuine, and Di Yun deeply loved her. Li Wuching had no reason to separate them.

There was also a barrier between Di Yun and Qi Fang, caused by Wan Gui's betrayal. However, by finding Taohong and verifying the truth, the two were able to come together.

By giving these four a relatively perfect ending and sending them into seclusion, Li Wuching fulfilled a wish and a regret. He also gained much, not only obtaining the *Shenzhao Jing* but also the *Liancheng Jue*.

The *Liancheng Jue* was of no use to Li Wuching, and he did not value it. However, Ding Dian insisted on telling him.

Li Wuching guessed Ding Dian's intentions: to shift the attention of those who coveted the *Liancheng Jue* onto him. This suited Li Wuching's plans, as having the *Liancheng Jue* gave him an idea. In the future, killing Yan Daping and Qi Changfa might depend on the *Liancheng Jue*.

...

In the Hunan region, across the river from Jianli County in Hubei, at a place called Tashi Kou, Li Wuching stayed for nearly a month, waiting for the "Bell and Sword Twin Heroes" Wang Xiaofeng and Shui Sheng.

After sending off Ding Dian and the other four, Li Wuching's next target was to kill the Blood Knife Old Ancestor. However, finding the Blood Knife Old Ancestor was a problem.

Fortunately, Li Wuching remembered that the Blood Knife Old Ancestor would soon appear in a small town in the Hunan region and kidnap Shui Sheng. Thus, he came up with a simple but effective plan: to wait for the Blood Knife Old Ancestor.

One day, he heard a commotion and a crowd of people arguing. Then, there were sounds of fighting. Li Wuching's heart stirred, and he quickly moved closer to see what was happening.

In the crowd, he saw seven or eight large men beating an old man. The old man was dressed in a green robe and a silk hat, typical of a servant. The seven or eight men were barefoot and dressed in short clothes, with fish baskets and scales beside them, clearly fish vendors.

Seeing this, Li Wuching was initially stunned. After a moment of thought, he felt a surge of joy, knowing that Wang Xiaofeng and Shui Sheng must have arrived.

The old man, skilled in martial arts, fought off the fish vendors with ease, quickly defeating four of them.

Then, three more men arrived, led by a man in his forties with a sallow complexion and a pair of rat-like mustaches, looking proud and important. He was the leader of the fish vendors.

After a few words, an argument broke out. The old man leaped and reached for a fish basket, moving swiftly.

The fish vendor leader sneered, "Is it that easy?" and struck a palm at the old man's back.

The old man deflected the blow, using the force to his advantage, and floated several yards away, carrying the fish basket and running quickly.

Seeing he could not catch up, the fish vendor leader threw a hidden weapon, which whizzed through the air toward the old man's back.

Knowing the old man was a servant of Wang Xiaofeng and might be useful, Li Wuching could not let him be harmed. He picked up a fish basket from the ground and threw it at the steel dart from the side.

The fish basket hit the steel dart, and with a "thud," both the basket and the dart fell to the ground.

The fish vendor leader pointed at Li Wuching and shouted, "Little thief, where do you come from, to meddle in the affairs of the Yangtze Iron Net Gang?"

Hearing this, Li Wuching's eyebrows raised, and his figure blurred. The fish vendor leader saw a flash, and with a "slap," he received a heavy slap.

The slap sent the fish vendor leader tumbling to the ground, landing in a heap. When he got up, a clear handprint was visible on his face.

"You..."

Pointing at Li Wuching, the fish vendor leader wanted to curse again, but seeing the cold light in Li Wuching's eyes, he shivered and swallowed his words.

At that moment, the sound of bells, "ding dang, ding ling, ding dang, ding ling," could be heard. Two horsemen rode from west to east along the river.

The old man's face lit up, and he said, "My master has come personally. You can talk to them."

The fish vendor leader's face changed, and he asked, "Are they the 'Bell and Sword Twin Heroes'?"

He glanced at Li Wuching, seeing no reaction, and his face turned proud again. "So what if they are the 'Bell and Sword Twin Heroes'? They don't have the right to show off by the Yangtze River."

Before he finished speaking, a yellow and a white horse had already arrived, both magnificent and well-equipped.

On the yellow horse sat a young man in his mid-twenties, dressed in a yellow robe, tall and slender. On the white horse sat a young woman, about twenty years old, with a white robe and a large red silk flower on her left shoulder. Her face was fair and delicate, and she was very beautiful.

Both had long swords at their waists and held horsewhips in their hands. The horses were tall and well-built, with the yellow horse entirely yellow and the white horse entirely white, without a single mixed hair.

A string of golden bells hung from the neck of the yellow horse, and silver bells from the white horse. As the horses moved their heads, the golden bells made a "ding dang, ding dang" sound, while the silver bells made a "ding ling, ding ling" sound, clear and pleasant, truly a sight of fine people and fine horses.