Chapter 15

Qingxuan stood there, stunned, and replied, "Master once mentioned it."

However, he muttered to himself, "It's not just Master who told me; I experienced it firsthand. Although the face of my enemy was covered by a black cloth, I still clearly remember the figure of the man who stabbed me. It's hard to forget."

Lingxu Zhenren sighed, "Yes, great vengeance must be taken, especially when you bear the blood feud of your clan's extermination. But—do you know that your blood feud is closely related to your master—?" After saying this, the old Taoist seemed to be relieved and took a deep breath.

"Ah—?" Upon hearing this, Qingxuan was truly shocked and instinctively asked, "How could it be related to Master?"

"Ah... Disciple, take a look."

After saying this, Lingxu Zhenren gently opened his Taoist robe, revealing his chest.

Qingxuan, who did not understand his master's intention, had to force himself to look at an old man's chest.

"Ah! This is—?"

To his surprise, what he saw shocked Qingxuan.

It turned out that on his master's chest, right over the heart, there was a thin scar, more than an inch long, smooth and shiny like a silk thread, exactly the same as the scar on his own chest.

"Disciple, listen carefully." The old Taoist straightened his robe.

"Have you heard of the 'Kunwu' sect?"

"Is it the 'Purple Scarf Bandits' who are currently wreaking havoc in Yunzhou?" Qingxuan recalled the "Wulin Zashi Lu" (Miscellaneous Records of the Martial World) he had read before and softly replied. He just didn't understand why his master would mention this bandit force, could it be related to his clan's extermination?

Lingxu Zhenren stroked his beard and sneered, "The Purple Scarf Bandits are just a bunch of usurpers, how can they be compared to the Kunwu sect?"

"Oh—" Qingxuan nodded and silently organized his thoughts. Then a flash of memory came to him, and he remembered an article he had read in the "Wulin Zashi Lu" about one of the top ten unsolved mysteries in the martial world over the past five hundred years, which seemed to mention the "Kunwu sect" his master spoke of.

"Could it be the sect that was wiped out in a single night a hundred years ago?"

Lingxu Zhenren was taken aback, not expecting his disciple to have heard of this sect.

"Exactly, that's the one." The old Taoist, thinking of this, became melancholic again, "In fact, I am a direct disciple of the Kunwu sect, which disappeared a hundred years ago."

A direct disciple of a major sect? A clan's great vengeance?

The plot might be cliché, but the moment he thought of the scenarios he had only encountered in martial arts novels and games, Qingxuan felt as if a huge halo labeled "main character" had descended from the sky and landed on his head, making him incredibly excited.

As for the blood feud and great hatred... let them come more fiercely, the little Taoist was almost bored to death!

The old Taoist gently stroked his long beard, his gaze scattered, and began to recount a long-forgotten story...

"A hundred and twenty years ago, I was just over twenty years old..."

"Wow, Master, how old are you now?"

"Uh? I am one hundred and forty-three years old... Tsk, disobedient disciple, don't interrupt, you've ruined the mood..."

"Oh, disciple knows his mistake."

The old Taoist scolded his disciple and then continued his story.

"In those days, our Kunwu sect had been established for over five hundred years, with a solid foundation. Due to our unique cultivation methods and profound sword techniques, under the leadership of our sect leader Dao Tong Zhenren, we had countless disciples, divided into several levels: outer disciples, inner disciples, elite disciples, direct disciples, and core disciples. There were ten thousand inner disciples alone, and within the sect, there were five great swordsmen who had reached the innate realm. In terms of strength, we truly dominated the world and intimidated the martial world.

Our sect's strength grew day by day, and although we were considered a second-tier sect, we had the potential to challenge the 'Top Ten Sects.' Disciple, you must know that the number of first-tier sects in the world is limited to ten, and this has not changed for thousands of years. Just before the grand ceremony 'Jiudao Jiudao' (Dance of the Nine Continents) to determine the ranking of martial sects every ten years, the sect leader led most of the sect's experts to Lu Capital to participate in the competition. However, in one night, the sect's stronghold, which had been weakened, was attacked by countless mysterious experts. All the disciples were killed or injured, and the sect's foundation was reduced to ashes in a great fire.

Not only was the sect's mountain gate bloodbathed, but the sect leader and many direct disciples who went to participate in the competition were also ambushed. Including the sect leader Dao Tong Zhenren, one hundred and twenty sect experts were all killed... Even more brutally, many disciples and their families who returned home were also mercilessly hunted down, and tens of thousands of lives were lost in a single night. The mountains turned red, the rivers turned red, and this became a famous case in history, the cruelty of which I cannot describe.

At that time, I and your great-grandmaster Daoxuanzi were traveling outside. Upon hearing the news of the sect being attacked, we rushed back to the sect. Unfortunately, we were ambushed by more than ten experts on Yunxian Mountain.

The people who ambushed us and your great-grandmaster were extremely cunning, fully aware of our strength, and set up a deadly trap. However, your great-grandmaster had a breakthrough during this journey, greatly enhancing his cultivation, which gave the attackers a significant setback.

Faced with the ambush, your great-grandmaster could have easily escaped, but he stayed to save me, and was eventually surrounded again. He killed five experts of the same level before dying. I, like you, was stabbed in the chest by the enemy—a single, lightning-fast stab that severed my heart, leaving me facing certain death.

The pain of waiting for death is unimaginable.

The enemy knew I would die from the stab but did not check on me, instead hastily leaving the scene.

I guessed that in their original plan, they intended to finish quickly, but your great-grandmaster delayed them too long, so they left in a hurry without thoroughly searching me.

Heaven's justice, they did not expect that during this journey, I and your great-grandmaster discovered a rare treasure, which I had hidden in my waistband. This life-saving treasure was a 'Huan Yang Cao' (Life-Returning Grass)."

"Hisss—" Qingxuan couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

The Life-Returning Grass, which he had read about in books, was described as a heavenly treasure capable of changing fate and saving lives. As long as the injured person had a breath left, they could be saved. Moreover, this herb contained an immense amount of natural energy, and just one plant could grant sixty years of cultivation.

"Exactly, the Life-Returning Grass. Just half a plant saved my life, but unfortunately, your great-grandmaster Daoxuanzi was already beyond saving at that time.

Since then, I have been hiding and slowly recovering. During this time, I heard that the sect had been completely destroyed, so I dared not act rashly to avoid being killed by the enemies.

Over the next few decades, I changed my name and identity, practicing martial arts while secretly investigating the reasons and details of the blood feud. However, the more I investigated, the more shocked I became. The strength of the enemies was so great that it could not be challenged in a short time, nor could it be overcome by one person. To avoid exposing my identity, I had to stop investigating and return to Yunzhou to teach disciples, hoping that in the future, with my improved martial arts and a stronger sect, I could confront the shocking masterminds behind the blood feud.

I settled in Qingyang Town, not only to hide and cultivate power but also to protect a family. Your great-grandmaster Daoxuanzi had a son... Sigh, this son is the head of your Ye family, your grandfather. This is why I included the character 'Xuan' in your Taoist name."

Qingxuan was surprised to learn of this deep connection with his master and the meaning behind his Taoist name, which contained a sense of remembrance for his great-grandmaster Daoxuanzi.

Qingxuan felt a lot but did not dare to ask questions, continuing to listen to Lingxu Zhenren, "I have been secretly protecting your Ye family to prevent them from being killed by the blood feud assassins. For twenty years, everything was peaceful, and I thought the matter was over, and the enemies would no longer pursue it, so I became complacent. Who would have thought that this would lead to the catastrophic disaster of your Ye family, for which I am truly at fault."

At this point, the old Taoist's hands trembled, and he closed his eyes, sighing.