Chapter 45

When Linghu Chong heard that Qu Yang had something to ask, he thought it must be a very difficult and dangerous matter. He was even more worried that if Yue Fangxing agreed to handle it, he might violate the rules of the sect and offend the righteous people of the martial world. However, given the current situation, he could not stop him. To his surprise, Qu Yang only wanted him to find two people to learn the zither and the flute, which greatly relieved him, and he let out a sigh of relief.

Liu Zhengfeng saw his reaction and said, "Nephew Linghu, you don't need to worry. This melody is of no use to people in the martial world. It is the culmination of our lifelong efforts and is also related to an ancient person, which is why we value it so much. The middle part of the 'Xiaoa Jianghu' melody is adapted from the 'Guangling San' by the Jin Dynasty's Ji Kang."

Qu Yang was very proud of this and smiled, "It is said that after Ji Kang's death, the 'Guangling San' was never heard again. Can you guess where I got it from?"

Linghu Chong knew nothing about music and naturally had no idea. Although Yue Fangxing knew what the two were going to say, he did not want to disturb the conversation of a dying man and said, "Please enlighten us, Senior."

Qu Yang laughed, "Ji Kang was an interesting person. Historical records describe him as 'eloquent and fond of Laozi and Zhuangzi, valuing the unusual and chivalrous.' His character resonated with me. When Zhong Hui, a high official, visited him, Ji Kang continued to forge iron, ignoring him. Zhong Hui, feeling embarrassed, left. Ji Kang asked him, 'Why did you come, and why are you leaving?' Zhong Hui replied, 'I came because I heard, and I leave because I saw.' Zhong Hui was a smart and talented person, but unfortunately, he had a narrow mind. He was angry about this incident and spoke ill of Ji Kang to Sima Zhao, who then had Ji Kang executed. When Ji Kang was about to be executed, he played a piece on the zither, which was indeed very dignified. However, when he said, 'The 'Guangling San' will be lost forever,' he underestimated future generations. This piece was not composed by him. He lived in the Western Jin Dynasty. If it was lost after the Western Jin, did it not exist before the Western Jin?"

Linghu Chong was puzzled and asked, "Before the Western Jin?" He was quite confused, as he did not like reading and knew little about history.

Qu Yang said, "Yes! I was very dissatisfied with his statement, so I dug up the tombs of emperors and ministers from the Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties. After digging up twenty-nine tombs, I finally found the score of the 'Guangling San' in the tomb of Cai Yong." He laughed heartily, very pleased with himself.

Linghu Chong was astonished: "This senior dug up twenty-nine tombs just for a zither melody. The actions of the demonic sect are truly unpredictable."

Qu Yang continued, "The 'Guangling San' tells the story of Nie Zheng assassinating the King of Han. The entire piece is very long. Our 'Xiaoa Jianghu' only includes the most exquisite part of it. The flute part added by Brother Liu depicts the scene of Nie Zheng's sister burying his body. Nie Zheng, Jing Ke, and others were generous and righteous, our predecessors. I entrust this melody to you because I value your chivalrous heart, so it will not be lost."

Yue Fangxing bowed and said, "I am unworthy!"

Qu Yang's smile faded, and his expression turned somber. He turned to Liu Zhengfeng and said, "Brother, we can go now." Liu Zhengfeng replied, "Yes!" He extended his hand, and the two clasped hands, laughing loudly. They used their internal energy to sever their main meridians and closed their eyes, passing away.

Yue Fangxing, Linghu Chong, and Yilin were shocked. They reached out to check their breathing, but found none, and felt a deep sense of sorrow. Qu Feiyan could not help but burst into tears, as her grandfather was gone, leaving her alone.

Yilin exclaimed, "They... they are both dead?"

Linghu Chong nodded and said, "Master Yue, Sister Yilin, Miss Qu, let's quickly bury Senior Qu, Uncle Liu, and Uncle Fei. We must prevent anyone from finding them and causing more trouble. We must not leak a word about Fei Bin being killed by Mr. Mo Da." He lowered his voice and added, "If this leaks, Mr. Mo Da will know it was the four of us who spoke, and the consequences will be severe."

Yilin asked, "What if my master asks?"

Linghu Chong replied, "Don't tell anyone. If you do, Mr. Mo Da will challenge your master to a duel, which would be disastrous." Yilin, recalling Mr. Mo Da's sword skills, shuddered and said, "I won't say."

Yue Fangxing saw Linghu Chong scaring Yilin but did not point it out. Suddenly, he noticed Qu Feiyan stop crying and run to Fei Bin's body, repeatedly stabbing it with her short sword. Still unsatisfied, she picked up Fei Bin's long sword and chopped his body into pieces.

Yue Fangxing wanted to stop her but decided against it. Yilin, feeling sorry for her, said, "Little sister, he is already dead. Why do you still hate him so much and desecrate his body?"

Linghu Chong said, "Let her vent her anger. Besides, Mr. Mo Da's sword is narrow and thin, and experts will recognize the wounds as his work." He told Qu Feiyan, "Little sister, stab his body a few more times to cover up the clues."

Qu Feiyan, filled with hatred, ignored him and continued to slash wildly. Linghu Chong sighed and said no more.

Yue Fangxing, seeing Qu Feiyan's actions, frowned. Worried that she would be consumed by hatred at such a young age, he said, "Little sister, let's bury your grandfather first. We should also inform Uncle Liu's family to bury him."

Qu Feiyan stopped, suppressing her grief, and said, "Grandfather and Uncle Liu shared a love for music and a spirit of camaraderie. Let's bury them together with their instruments. I will inform Sister Liu later. As for Fei Bin..." She paused, speaking slowly, "I will burn him and scatter his ashes!" Her words were chilling, and it was hard to imagine they came from a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl.

The three, seeing her determination, knew they could not stop her. They dug a grave and buried Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang. Qu Feiyan found some firewood and burned Fei Bin's body. Still unsatisfied, she scattered his ashes over the waterfall, watching them drift away, never to be reunited. She then cried bitterly at her grandfather's grave.

Yue Fangxing and the others felt deep sympathy for the young girl, wondering how she would survive in the martial world after such a tragedy.

When asked about the day's events, Yue Fangxing recounted what had happened at Liu's residence. Linghu Chong and Yilin were both shocked and sighed, never expecting so much to happen in one day. Qu Feiyan's hatred for the Shaolin Sect only grew stronger.

The four worked through the night, all exhausted. As dawn approached, Yilin and Qu Feiyan fell into a deep sleep.

Yue Fangxing asked Linghu Chong, "How is your injury, Senior Brother?"

Linghu Chong replied, "The Heavenly Fragrance Continuation Ointment from the Hengshan Sect is indeed remarkable. I can now walk without difficulty."

Yue Fangxing said, "Senior Qu entrusted me to take this young Miss Qu to Luoyang. I thought about it, and although the journey is convenient, it would be inconvenient to travel with the Huashan Sect. Tomorrow, you and Sister Yilin return to Hengyang City to meet Master and the other disciples. I will take Miss Qu on my own."

Linghu Chong thought for a moment. Since Qu Feiyan's grandfather was from the demonic sect, it would indeed cause trouble if it was known she was with the Huashan Sect. He nodded in agreement.

The two then discussed recent events in the martial world, including the tragic deaths of three top experts and the 'Piyu Sword Manual.' They knew the martial world would soon be in turmoil.

Under the moonlight, they looked at the 'Xiaoa Jianghu' score, which was full of strange and unusual characters. Linghu Chong could not recognize a single one, and Yue Fangxing could only recognize a few. The zither score was already full of strange symbols, and Yue Fangxing, not skilled in music, put it aside.

After a while, the sky brightened, and Yilin and Qu Feiyan woke up. The four tidied up, paid their respects to Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang, and went their separate ways.

Linghu Chong and Yilin returned to Hengyang City and went straight to the Huashan Sect's resting place. Yue Buqun and the Huashan disciples had been searching for Linghu Chong all day and were worried about Yue Fangxing's absence. They were delighted to see Linghu Chong and Yilin but puzzled by Yue Fangxing's absence.

Linghu Chong informed Yue Buqun of the previous night's events and their plan. Hearing this, Yue Buqun sighed. After a while, someone from the Hengshan Sect came looking for Yilin, as someone in the city had seen her in black robes and informed the Hengshan Sect.

Yilin, seeing her sect members, left some medicine for Linghu Chong and bid him farewell, leaving with the others.

With Linghu Chong's return, the Huashan Sect was complete except for Yue Fangxing. Yue Buqun mentioned that Yue Fangxing would be assigned other tasks and would return to the mountain on his own. The others did not ask further. They packed their belongings, hired two large carts, and let Lin Zhenan and his wife, as well as Linghu Chong, rest on the carts as they traveled north.

After about ten days, Linghu Chong's injuries gradually healed. However, Lin Zhenan and his wife's injuries worsened, and Yue Buqun used the Purple霞神功 to sustain their lives. Upon reaching Luoyang, Yue Buqun, concerned about the sword sect, hurried back to the mountain, promising to visit the Golden Saber Wang in Luoyang later. They parted ways.

Although Lin Pingzhi wanted to learn martial arts from the Huashan Sect, his parents were seriously ill and needed his care, so he had to postpone his plans.

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