Chapter 71. Shattered Belief

I laughed as I watched Li Longnong, engulfed in flames. Now that no one was around, I could laugh freely.

I laughed, mocking Li Longnong's death, and laughed with a sense of derision towards his life. In my excitement, I drew out Heimiao and scattered incense everywhere, laughing all the while.

"Burn..."

This fire is a gift to the martial world from a humble waiter.

Ever since the fire at Zhahe Pavilion, I had unknowingly become entangled in the martial world. I merely dealt the same punishment to Li Longnong that I had received for dragging an ordinary waiter into the martial world.

I burned all the faint memories of ordinary life in the mountain lodge. As I slashed with my blade, set the place on fire, and burst into laughter, I heard the voices of my subordinates from outside.

"Senior Brother!"

Did I have disciples?

"Lord Fangzhu!"

Was I Lord Fangzhu?

I suddenly pondered the words "Senior Brother" and "Lord Fangzhu" amidst the burning flames.

Was I too excited?

I slowly recited the path I had walked.

"Waiter at Yilang County, gravekeeper, scythe expert, loser in martial arts gambling, third-rate martial artist, possessed by inner demons, fish of Zhejiang..."

Had some mechanism melted somewhere?

With a loud creak, the building was buried in a pit. A familiar voice came from closer this time.

"Lord Fangzhu! It's Junping!"

"Junping of the Three Hundred Jia?"

Then, with a loud explosion, the vine that had been engulfed in flames shattered, and Junping and the disciples appeared, their faces blackened by the fire.

Only then did I say to Junping,

"Why did you come in when I told you to wait?"

Junping shouted,

"There's a fire, so I came in! What are you doing? Come over here!"

Only then did I look down and see a black pit between me and my subordinates.

It was a small pit, but for some reason, it looked to me like the San Tu River, the boundary between this world and the next.

Junping also looked at the pit and said to me,

"Lord Fangzhu, there's nothing in the pit. Come over here."

"Ah, I see."

I lightly leaped over the pit and landed where my subordinates were. Their faces were as dirty as if they had been covered in charcoal.

Bai Ren asked me,

"Senior Brother, did you set the fire?"

"Yep."

"Let's go."

Following Bai Ren's words, I chuckled and ran forward.

"Let's go."

Junping was still angry with me.

"Why are you laughing!"

I laughed and replied,

"Would I cry after setting someone's house on fire?"

Junping let out a strange, forced laugh and added,

"Looks like I'm going to be possessed by inner demons. I understand this feeling now."

"Be careful, Junping. There's nothing more terrifying than being possessed by inner demons."

We moved together, occasionally slashing with our blades to break through the flames. Sometimes the palm strikes of the disciples cleared the way, and we safely escaped from Li Longnong's residence.

As soon as we stepped outside, I looked at the mountain lodge.

With a loud explosion, something burst, and the flames rose even higher.

Junping, with a stunned expression, said,

"There must have been gunpowder somewhere. It's not just the sound of burning."

I also agreed, watching the lodge burn fiercely.

"Indeed."

Bai Ren, as if checking thoroughly, asked me,

"Senior Brother, what about Li Longnong?"

"He burned to death before the lodge did."

Bai Ren let out a rare sigh of relief.

"Good. Very good."

"Good."

I looked at the blackened faces of my subordinates, and they looked at me, and we all burst into laughter.

I looked at the gathered Yunwu Society troops and asked,

"What about the scouts who went in first?"

Some of them raised their hands from the back.

"We're here."

Junping explained,

"We escaped through the back door with the lodge's servants. The servants said a big fight was about to break out, so they told us to leave."

"Fortunately. Good thing the excellent scouts didn't die."

"Yes."

I didn't bother to ask about the servants' whereabouts. If they had learned martial arts, they would have already been killed by my subordinates.

Suddenly, I turned my head and saw that the entire lodge had sunk into a pit, as if it had been dug in many places. It didn't seem to be spreading much to the surroundings. This place was an independent mountain, not part of a mountain range. Perhaps it was not bad to be completely burned by the fire and start over slowly.

"Let's go."

On the way back with my subordinates, the disciples and officers were very curious about the fight inside, so I gave a rough explanation.

"There were many mechanisms inside."

"..."

Junping, with a tone of disbelief, replied,

"Lord Fangzhu, is that it?"

"Yep."

I looked at Bai Ren and added,

"It wasn't particularly outstanding compared to Dachana Temple."

Bai Ren looked at me and nodded with a calm expression.

"Yes."

I paused and looked at the disciples.

"Dachana Temple, Shu Xian, and Li Longnong are all dead. Among them, Dachana Temple was the most manly."

Bai Ren replied,

"Indeed. Then it's settled."

Qing Jin and Bai Yu also nodded, looking somewhat relieved.

I said to my subordinates,

"The Yunwu Society is now gone. Those who want to leave, go. I won't stop you. Those who stay will now belong to the Haomen. The Heimiao Sect, the Heixian Sect, and the Yunwu Society are all part of the Haomen."

A member of the Yunwu Society asked me,

"What exactly is the Haomen?"

I nodded and replied,

"A place full of idiots like you. A mediocre sect that spreads throughout the martial world while killing people like Shu Xian."

Someone who still didn't know my identity asked,

"Who is the sect leader?"

"It's me."

"Weren't you the leader of the Heimiao Sect?"

"That's also me."

I turned back to the Yunwu Society and said to Junping,

"Did Dugu Sheng cause any trouble?"

Junping shook his head.

"With Hongxin Xinjiang, there shouldn't be any problems."

I instructed the officers,

"Our power has suddenly grown, but it doesn't mean much. The detailed organization should be discussed and settled by the officers and disciples. I don't have the talent to run an organization meticulously."

"Yes."

"Do what you're best at. I plan to keep getting stronger. Ultimately, getting stronger will be the sect leader's most important role."

To be honest, even if a genius in administration appeared, they wouldn't be able to perfectly control this chaotic organization.

At the fork in the road, I sent Junping and the disciples back to the Yunwu Society.

"I need to go to the Heimiao Sect to see the prisoners, so you clean up and come back."

"Yes."

* * *

I glared at You Shiqing and headed to the main seat.

"Are you well?"

"Yes."

"Did Chacheng Tai harass you?"

"No."

I sat in the main seat and looked at You Shiqing on my left and Chacheng Tai on my right.

Chacheng Tai asked,

"How did your trip go?"

"What trip?"

"You went to kill Shu Xian."

"Oh, Shu Xian was killed by a blade, and Li Longnong burned to death. I sent an adversary and a friend to Dachana Temple, so he won't be bored in the afterlife. By the way, it was because of You Shiqing."

I looked at You Shiqing.

"You have done a great deed."

"Yes."

Chacheng Tai, thinking he had found something out, asked,

"Where is this guy from?"

"He is from the Hu Yan Sword Family."

I asked You Shiqing,

"Are you also surnamed Hu Yan?"

Hu Yan is not a common surname. You Shiqing revealed his real name.

"My real name is Hu Yan Qing."

"Where is your base?"

"Originally in Dongbao, but now in Hongtian."

"Dongbao is a place with many righteous martial artists. Did you lose out?"

"Yes."

I pointed to the Longmo Paji on the table and said to Chacheng Tai,

"Bring it here."

Chacheng Tai brought the Longmo Paji of the Guangming Zuo and placed it in front of me. I pushed it towards Hu Yan Qing.

"He is someone I am hunting. Can you find him?"

Hu Yan Qing replied,

"I will do my best to find him."

"You don't know him."

Hu Yan Qing, with a troubled expression, replied,

"Lord Fangzhu, please spare me. I will do my best to find him. If you have any poison, please give me one. I will come to receive the antidote."

I nodded.

"I've already killed many people today. My ordinary day shouldn't start and end with killing."

Hu Yan Qing let out a sigh of relief and replied,

"Thank you."

"Good. Relationships like this are necessary. Not everything can be solved by force."

At this moment, the main hall door opened, and a subordinate reported,

"Lord Fangzhu, a guest has arrived."

"Who?"

"Jin Chelong, the leader of the Tieyong Sect."

"Please welcome him."

Jin Chelong and Guo Yongkai entered the main hall. Jin Chelong smiled and said,

"Leader, it's hard to see you."

I stood up and replied,

"Why did you come so suddenly?"

"People keep coming, but I couldn't see the leader, so I came to check."

"Have you finally arrived?"

Guo Yongkai placed a black box with a string on the table and opened the lid.

Inside the box was the Kuangren blade made by Jin Chelong.

The handle and scabbard were both ash-colored.

At the end of the handle, a dragon was engraved as a mark of Jin Chelong's craftsmanship. However, it was a short straight sword, shorter than expected.

I thought,

He couldn't get all the iron he wanted.

But it was a gift I hadn't received in a long time.

I accepted Jin Chelong's heart as a gift, not the blade's quality.

"Thank you."

Jin Chelong extended his hand.

"Try it out."

I lifted the Kuangren, which was heavier than I expected, and separated the scabbard. The silver blade slowly revealed itself.

I admired the blade and said,

"I will use it well."

"Do you like it?"

My indifferent attitude seemed to make him uneasy.

"I like it very much."

When a blade maker or a martial artist gets a new weapon, they naturally want to cut something.

Jin Chelong asked,

"Is there anything to cut?"

I unconsciously looked at Hu Yan Qing. Suddenly, Hu Yan Qing knelt down in shock.

"Please spare me."

This unexpected scene surprised Jin Chelong and Guo Yongkai, who looked at Hu Yan Qing.

I also looked at Hu Yan Qing, holding the Kuangren.

"Why would I kill you?"

I grinned and drew Heimiao from my waist with my left hand. With Heimiao in my left hand and Kuangren in my right, I asked Jin Chelong,

"Uncle Jin, are you ready?"

Jin Chelong, realizing I was about to clash the two blades, nodded.

"I'm ready."

I also confirmed with Guo Yongkai, who had participated the most in the overall process of obtaining the iron.

"Deputy Leader?"

Guo Yongkai nodded.

"I'm confident."

I infused equal amounts of my inner energy into both hands and clashed the blades of Kuangren and Heimiao in the air.

The sound of the clash, mixed with the sound of metal and my inner energy, was dull and the blade flew off.

Jin Chelong, Guo Yongkai, and Chacheng Tai's expressions were filled with shock.

Hu Yan Qing, who had been kneeling and watching, also blinked in surprise.

I looked at the broken half of the Kuangren blade.

"A shattered belief. Heimiao won."

Jin Chelong scratched his head with an awkward expression.

"Well, this is... Where did you get this treasure sword?"

"It's the sword used by the leader of the Heimiao Sect."

Guo Yongkai let out a sigh with a pale face.

"Big Brother, we fell short."

Jin Chelong also nodded.

"Indeed."

Guo Yongkai quickly picked up the broken blade, snatched the Kuangren from me, and put it back in the box. He slung the box over his shoulder and said to Jin Chelong,

"Big Brother, let's go."

It sounded like he wanted to escape quickly.

Jin Chelong looked at me.

"Leader, I will come again."

I nodded with a serious expression.

"Uncle Jin, don't rush. I will use Heimiao in the meantime."

Jin Chelong turned with a heavy heart.

"Let's go."

Suddenly, Jin Chelong stumbled, and Guo Yongkai, standing next to him, quickly supported him. They leaned on each other as they left the main hall.

"..."

I cleared my throat a few times and sat back down. Chacheng Tai, who had been watching, was trying to hold back his laughter.

I looked at him and said,

"Don't laugh. This guy."

"Yes."

"Everyone can fail. I did. Cheng Tai, you haven't really failed at anything. You need to try to fail."

As far as I know, in the entire martial world, there are very few weapons that don't break. The one I used was not even in the Central Plains yet.

Until then, I had to rely on Heimiao.