Chapter 52. Punishment is received in hell.

Feng Yan Chao looked at him with a bewildered expression and asked,

"What do you mean by it being difficult to recover? Surely you don't mean he won't be able to get up from this?"

Xia Xian Wu waved his hand.

"Oh! You misunderstood me. He will be able to get up. I was talking about his martial arts. He should avoid vigorous movements from now on."

"Even swordplay?"

"Of course."

"Damn it. This is going to be a sight when he wakes up. He's already a grumpy old man."

Despite his words, Feng Yan Chao's expression looked bitter.

He knew that Sim Yang Jue had gone wrong while learning martial arts from Lian Ji He.

In a certain sense, Sim Yang Jue was an old disciple.

Although they had never properly spoken before.

"Um, what do you plan to do now? Will you take him back alive, or leave him here...?"

In response to Xia Xian Wu's question, Feng Yan Chao replied,

"This old man won't stay here. I'll take him back alive."

"If that's the case, I'll prepare some medicine that will help with his internal injuries. When he's finished, please contact me."

"Alright."

Feng Yan Chao picked up Sim Yang Jue and stood up.

Sim Yang Jue's body was unexpectedly light, so he didn't feel the strain.

"Wow! I've never treated my father like this. I'm doing filial piety that I was never destined to do."

Feng Yan Chao's joke made Lian Ji He chuckle.

"Is it okay to go all the way back to the hideout?"

"No problem. The poison seems to have drained out, making him lighter. Want to see?"

As he spoke, Feng Yan Chao began to shake Sim Yang Jue's body as if he were a baby.

Seeing this, Xia Xian Wu quickly stopped him.

"T-That's really not good. You should try to avoid shaking him as much as possible..."

"Don't worry. Do you think this old man is an ordinary person? This is nothing to me."

"Um, let me reiterate, he is in a worse condition than an ordinary person now."

"Oh, that bad?"

Only then did Feng Yan Chao calm down.

Unless he intended to torment Sim Yang Jue, there was no reason to do something harmful to his body.

***

Spring.

Eastern Luoyang, Yanshi.

Walong Hall.

Early in the morning, two people were arguing in the main hall. The hostess of Walong Hall, Bai Mijiu, and her son, Lian Wubai, were the main characters.

"Mother, what do you mean by sending bodyguards to Bai Clan? Do you know what that means?"

"I've been the one leading Walong Hall all this time. Do you think I wouldn't know such things?"

"Why would Li Shichang of Bai Clan request bodyguards? Isn't it because he expects conflicts with other clans? Other clans also have connections with Luoyang's martial halls. There might be big or small fights between Walong Hall and Luoyang's martial halls."

"You can't become a martial family without spilling blood. Your father didn't have the courage to do so, but I am different."

"This isn't about courage. We've only had external disciples for a year. They don't even consider themselves part of Walong Hall yet. Are you going to send them to the battlefield?"

"Unity can be strengthened through bloodshed. You might not know, but even the Bai Clan went through such a period. There's no perfect preparation for a fight. Time will resolve any shortcomings."

"Mother!"

Frustrated, Lian Wubai shouted.

"Don't raise your voice. It's just bodyguards. You only need to protect the hall master and the deputy. There's no need to make a fuss as if a fight is about to break out."

"A fuss? We might have to draw our swords for the hall master and the deputy one day. I also hope Walong Hall becomes a martial family, but not like this."

"Leave the management of Walong Hall to me and focus on your own duties."

"My own duties? Not training people to fight for you?"

Bai Mijiu frowned.

"Why do you always look at things with such a skewed perspective? Is this for my benefit? I'm a Bai, but I work tirelessly for the Lian family day and night. Of course, you might say otherwise."

"..."

Lian Wubai clenched his teeth and tried to calm his boiling heart.

Conversations with his mother always went this way.

As he silently suffered, Bai Mijiu's voice reached his ears.

"By the way, the Yang family will visit in a few days."

Lian Wubai looked at Bai Mijiu with a puzzled expression.

The Yang family was a prestigious martial family in Zhengzhou, but they had never interacted before.

"Why are they coming to our hall?"

"Why, to discuss the marriage between the Yang family's daughter and you. Haven't you reached the age to marry?"

"Out of the blue..."

"Do you know how old you are? You're already twenty-six. If you keep teaching disciples, you'll be thirty before you know it. The Yang family of Zhengzhou would be a perfect match for you."

Since Bai Mijiu's words were true, Lian Wubai didn't argue further.

"I hope there's no hidden agenda in my marriage."

"Yang Xiaojie is known as a beauty of Zhengzhou. She will surely win your heart."

Lian Wubai shook his head as if conceding.

Since his answer was irrelevant, it seemed this marriage was part of his mother's grand plan. However, since his marriage prospects were indeed good, he couldn't refuse.

Four days later.

The guests from the Yang family visited Walong Hall.

Bai Mijiu led the guests to the main hall and called her two sons.

"Introduce yourselves. This is Yang Zhenxiong, the chief of the Yang family, and his son, Yang Yixian."

Lian Wubai and Lian Shengbai bowed in turn.

"I am Lian Wubai."

"My name is Lian Shengbai."

While the older Lian Wubai was somewhat tense, the younger Lian Shengbai had a smile on his face, knowing the purpose of the Yang family's visit.

"Nice to meet you. I am Yang Zhenxiong."

"I am Yang Yixian."

Yang Zhenxiong, in his late fifties, and Yang Yixian, in his thirties, subtly observed Lian Wubai's face.

There were many descriptions of the Walong Swordsman, Lian Wubai.

A man who studied for ten years at the Nan Gong Clan and returned.

A sword genius who reached the Sword Qi stage at the age of twenty-six.

The sword instructor of Walong Hall's warriors.

A young expert who turned the unknown Walong Hall into one of the top martial families in Luoyang.

As rumored, his temples were prominent, and his eyes sparkled with a clear and transparent light. His face was also of the Hunan type, which didn't evoke dislike.

After the first meeting, Yang Zhenxiong and Yang Yixian exchanged meaningful glances. Lian Wubai seemed to have won their favor with his gentle demeanor.

A few moments later, the five of them sat around a table and engaged in light conversation.

As the conversation progressed, the guests' smiles grew wider.

Lian Wubai's insights, gained from his studies at the Nan Gong Clan, were far superior to those of his peers. For the martial family, the Yang family, there could be no better match.

Yang Zhenxiong and Yang Yixian, known as the Thunderbolt Spear and the Jade Kirin, respectively, left Walong Hall in the late afternoon.

Once they were far enough from Walong Hall, Yang Zhenxiong asked,

"Yixian, what do you think?"

"About the Walong Swordsman?"

"Of course, not about the second son."

"Haha, I like him. But there are some concerns about Walong Hall. Is it okay?"

Recently, Walong Hall's name had been frequently mentioned among martial families, mainly for being too aggressively expanding its influence.

"From what I saw today, if he becomes the hall master, the noise will subside."

"The key is when Mrs. Bai steps down."

"Marriage will expedite that. She won't continue to act as the hostess with a daughter-in-law around."

"I hope Yihua doesn't suffer unnecessarily."

The age difference between the young master, Yang Yixian, and his younger sister, Yang Yihua, was ten years. Yang Yixian treated Yang Yihua more like a parent than a brother, hoping for no issues with her marriage.

"Still, the Walong Swordsman is a man worth taking risks for."

Yang Zhenxiong seemed to be quite impressed with Lian Wubai.

Despite the tensions between martial families, he was determined to push for this marriage.

"Uncle."

"What is it?"

"Perhaps Mrs. Bai... No, never mind."

Yang Yixian shook his head, as if he had a silly thought.

"Tsk tsk! If a man draws his spear, he should use it. Why put it back?"

"Well, I'm wondering if Mrs. Bai is pushing for this marriage to seek our Yang family's help."

In other words, he was wondering if she was trying to 'use' them.

"Of course, that's possible, but why not consider the opposite?"

"The opposite?"

"If something happens to our Yang family, Walong Hall won't ignore it. It's a tough world to live alone like a lone wolf. If Walong Hall and the Yang family join hands, they can weather most storms."

Yang Yixian nodded silently.

Indeed, the combined strength of the Yang family and Walong Hall would rival the Seven Great Clans. He knew this intellectually, yet he couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.

***

Bofeng County.

Wufeng Mountain.

At the peak of Wufeng Mountain, two men were sitting, watching the clouds drift by.

Xin Yang Jue and Lian Ji He.

A few months ago, Xin Yang Jue had collapsed due to demonic possession and was now just an ordinary old man.

If Wufeng Mountain Hideout were a regular bandit hideout, he would have been kicked out long ago. However, Wufeng Mountain Hideout was different from other bandit hideouts.

Many people didn't go on raids, yet the hideout's income steadily increased. They said that generosity from the granary made the bandits indifferent to Xin Yang Jue's condition as a cripple.

Lian Ji He casually asked,

"Old Xin, how's your body?"

Since he became a cripple, the hideout people called him Old Xin. Strangely, the title suited him, and he had become known as Old Xin.

"It's a bit better now."

Until recently, Xin Yang Jue couldn't walk for long.

He would often collapse from shortness of breath after a little walking.

"Can you practice breathing techniques?"

"The inhalation and exhalation are still choppy... I can't even attempt the breathing exercises."

"Ah!"

Lian Ji He inwardly sighed. In this state, he couldn't enter meditation. Even if he knew the three-hundred-character formula, it would be useless.

"Think of it as receiving punishment?"

Lian Ji He's sudden question left Xin Yang Jue speechless for a moment.

In fact, the bandits of Wufeng Mountain Hideout had been saying such things behind his back. The solitary wanderer Huang Yaoming, who was confined to a room, often spewed curses without reason.

Hearing nothing but bad things, Xin Yang Jue began to believe it was true.

After all, if this wasn't punishment, what was it?

The Wufeng Ten Experts were becoming experts with the hundred-character formula, while he, despite memorizing three hundred characters, had become a cripple.

"…Yes, it seems so."

"Old Xin, a six-year-old was locked in a warehouse for ten years. Was that the child's punishment?"

"No, the person who locked him up was bad."

"If you were Old Xin, you wouldn't have bothered locking him up; you would have just killed him, right?"

"…"

Xin Yang Jue felt strange.

He had said the person who locked the child up was bad, but if he were in Lian Ji He's shoes, he would have killed the child. It was like a thief criticizing a pickpocket.

"Punishment is received in hell. Just think of this as bad luck this time."

Lian Ji He found it amusing that Xin Yang Jue considered his demonic possession as punishment. After a lifetime of killing, his sins couldn't be so light!