Chapter 46

Yue Fangxing saw Linghu Chong and Yilin off, worried that someone from the Songshan Sect might come looking. He and Qu Feiyan paid their respects at the graves of Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang, then left the place. By nightfall, the two quietly returned to Hengshan City and sneaked into the Liu residence. Qu Feiyan, familiar with the way, knocked a few times, and soon Liu Jing poked her head out, letting the two in.

Qu Feiyan and Liu Jing talked for a while, often hugging and crying, presumably discussing Liu Zhengfeng's death. Yue Fangxing, fearing they would attract attention, lightly coughed to remind them to be careful.

Liu Jing bowed and thanked him, "I haven't yet thanked you, Young Hero Yue, for your righteous assistance. Your great kindness is beyond repayment!"

Yue Fangxing sighed, "It's a pity we couldn't save Uncle Liu!"

Seeing Liu Jing's eyes well up, he knew the topic was too heavy and changed it, "By the way, Miss Liu, this is your father's legacy." He then handed the sheet music of the "Smiling, Proud Wanderer" to Liu Jing.

Liu Jing, already aware of this from Qu Feiyan, did not take it, saying, "Since Father left the sheet music to you, Young Hero Yue, there must be a reason. Please keep it! If you need help, I have some other musical scores that Father often looked at, which you can also review."

Seeing her response, Yue Fangxing could only take it back. Hearing that Liu Zhengfeng had some scores, he was slightly moved. He was not very knowledgeable about music, and such books were rare in the Huashan Sect. Now that he had a way to access them, he naturally wanted to look at them, hoping it might help him understand the "Smiling, Proud Wanderer" sheet music.

Liu Jing and Qu Feiyan continued their conversation, while Yue Fangxing reviewed the scores. They talked all night, and only after Yue Fangxing finished reviewing the scores and reminded them several times did they reluctantly part ways.

Leaving Hengshan City, seeing Qu Feiyan's low spirits, Yue Fangxing asked, "What did you talk about with Miss Liu?"

Qu Feiyan replied, "I told Sister Liu that the Songshan Sect killed Grandfather and Old Liu, and asked her to join me in avenging them. She refused, saying that Father's last wish was for them to leave the martial world and move overseas. Some of Old Liu's disciples will also follow."

Hearing this, Yue Fangxing sighed. Although it was a passive choice, it was not a bad one. Otherwise, if the righteous and the demonic sects ever clashed again, someone might take out their anger on them. Without Liu Zhengfeng's protection, the Liu family and their disciples might not be able to withstand it. Thinking back to the night when Liu Jing and Qu Feiyan were strong and carefree, and now, just two days later, Qu Feiyan was determined to seek revenge while Liu Jing was following her father's last wish to move overseas, he sighed deeply.

As they walked, seeing they were far from Hengshan City, Yue Fangxing said to Qu Feiyan, "Miss Qu, your grandfather asked me to take you to Luoyang. Let's set off!"

Qu Feiyan, hearing about her grandfather, was saddened again. Seeing Yue Fangxing wanted to take her to Luoyang, she said unhappily, "I don't want to go to Luoyang."

Yue Fangxing thought she was grieving over her grandfather's death and wanted to stay, so he consoled her, "Miss Qu, the dead cannot be brought back to life. You are young and can't stay here forever. Besides, if the Songshan Sect realizes Fei Bin hasn't returned, they will surely come to investigate, which would be dangerous."

Qu Feiyan said, "I just don't want to go to Luoyang. My grandfather and that person weren't close, and I don't like her."

Yue Fangxing now understood what she meant and asked, "Oh, who is this 'her'? Could it be your grandfather's old friend?"

Qu Feiyan pouted and said, "Not really. We played well together when we were young, but after her father died, Grandfather told me not to be close to her. She became more and more pretentious, so I stopped playing with her."

Yue Fangxing now understood. The "her" Qu Feiyan referred to was Ren Yingying. As the daughter of a high-ranking member of the demonic sect, it was not strange that they played together when they were young. However, after Ren Yingying's father was imprisoned by Dongfang Bubai, Qu Yang naturally had to avoid suspicion and stopped her from playing with Ren Yingying. Ren Yingying, being revered as the Holy Maiden of the demonic sect at a young age, had to act more seriously to gain respect, becoming more and more proper. Given Qu Feiyan's mischievous nature, she naturally didn't want to play with her.

Wait, that's not right! Qu Yang asked me to take Qu Feiyan to Luoyang, indicating a close relationship with Ren Yingying. In the original story, he even gave "Guangling San" to Xiang Wentian, suggesting he was likely aligned with Xiang Wentian and Ren Yingying. However, even if that's the case, Qu Feiyan wouldn't know, and Qu Yang would want to avoid suspicion by not letting her play with Ren Yingying, to prevent others from noticing. That must have been his intention.

Yue Fangxing's mind raced with these thoughts, and he was now in a dilemma. The little girl didn't know the inside story, felt unfamiliar with the person, and didn't get along, so she didn't want to go. He couldn't force her, and with her mischievous nature, even if he did, he couldn't control her, which would cause him trouble later.

At this moment, Qu Feiyan said, "Big Brother, can I go to Huashan with you?"

Without hesitation, Yue Fangxing refused, "That's impossible. Your grandfather was an elder of the demonic sect. If you come to Huashan with me, our Huashan Sect might be accused of colluding with the demonic sect. Isn't Uncle Liu a cautionary tale?" He was thinking and spoke without much thought, but then realized his tone was too harsh and added, "Now, Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect is trying to merge the Five Great Sword Sects and is suppressing the other four sects outside Songshan. Uncle Liu's incident was a result of Zuo Lengchan's suppression of the Hengshan Sect. Our Huashan Sect is weak and can't withstand it."

This explanation was rather dry, and the two fell silent, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

After a while, Qu Feiyan said, "Big Brother, can you teach me the stone-throwing technique? I want to learn it to avenge my grandfather!"

Yue Fangxing replied, "You mean the Finger Flicking Technique? It's my own creation and I can teach it to you. However, its power relies entirely on internal strength, and the technique itself is not very sophisticated. Your grandfather's technique for firing the Black Blood Needles was much better. Didn't he teach you?"

Qu Feiyan said, "He did, but I haven't learned it well. Can Big Brother also teach me internal strength?" Though clever, she was still young and didn't know the taboos of the martial world, asking Yue Fangxing to teach her internal strength.

Yue Fangxing said, "That's not possible. My internal strength is unique to Huashan and cannot be taught to outsiders. Moreover, this technique is too forceful and not suitable for girls. How about I still take you to Luoyang? There, you have your grandfather's old friends, who are likely as skilled as your grandfather. They can teach you advanced techniques."

Qu Feiyan's eyes welled up, and she cried, "You see me without a grandfather and want to abandon me. Grandfather entrusted you to take care of me before he died."

Yue Fangxing thought, "Your grandfather only asked me to take you to Luoyang, not to take care of you. Otherwise, why would I have agreed?" However, seeing the little girl's state, he couldn't bear it and gently comforted her, "Alright, alright, I'll teach you!" He thought the Finger Flicking Technique wasn't a big deal and could teach it to her to appease her, but he was still thinking about how to settle her.

Qu Feiyan immediately stopped crying and said, "Alright, Big Brother, teach me quickly."

Seeing Qu Feiyan's reaction, Yue Fangxing smiled bitterly, unsure if she was really crying or faking it. However, he couldn't press the issue, as it might cause more trouble. He picked up a stone and demonstrated, "The Finger Flicking Technique has three key points: speed, accuracy, and force. You need to flick the stone with great speed and power. Watch carefully!"

He pointed to a distant tree with his left hand and flicked the stone with his right. The stone whizzed through the air and snapped a branch with a crisp sound.

Qu Feiyan clapped and exclaimed, "Great! That's it. I'll use one stone to take out the entire Songshan Sect."

Hearing this, Yue Fangxing thought, "This girl really doesn't know her limits. Even with my strength, I can only use stones to take out some second-rate opponents. First-rate experts might be caught off guard but can mostly handle it. Fei Bin is a good example. These people have been through countless battles and have seen all kinds of weapons."

However, he didn't point this out and found a secluded spot to teach her, guiding her step by step.

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