Chapter 63. It's Because You're Inadequate

Yumingjiao is a public figure in the martial world, regardless of his political stance.

After a moment's hesitation, Yi Yuanho decided there was no need to hide this fact.

"The leaders of the sects have gone to Yuzhou to find Yumingjiao."

"Yumingjiao?"

Yan Jieh, puzzled by what this meant, tilted his head.

The bandits of Wufeng Mountain were preoccupied with their survival and had little interest in the affairs of the world.

Unless it was about a new business venture or suspicious movements of the government troops, Yumingjiao was of no concern to them.

In the end, Yi Yuanho had to explain Yumingjiao to help his counterpart understand.

After Yi Yuanho's long explanation, Yan Jieh muttered with a flat expression.

"So, it's a cult."

"Not just any cult, but a terrifying and fearsome one that slaughters people as easily as eating a meal."

Yi Yuanho, feeling a bit more familiar, subtly lowered his voice.

"Alright, let's say that. Why haven't you gone yet? Don't you want to go?"

"Are you kidding? I have to go. Of course."

Yi Yuanho quickly snatched the rope from the hands of the Rogue Swordsman Huang Yaoming.

A moment later, Yi Yuanho's group and the Five Heroes of Luoyang crossed the courtyard at a quick pace.

Yan Jieh watched the departing Lian Shengbai and Lian Shuzhu with a bitter expression.

Xiaosu Bai approached and spoke.

"Why? Big Brother. Do you feel wronged just letting them go? Should we catch them again?"

"No."

"But why do you look at them like that?"

"What's wrong with my face?"

"You look like you're still angry. Like a child whose toy was taken away."

"I'm not a child. Stop talking nonsense and focus on your martial arts. We don't know when we'll have to leave the mountain."

"Can't Big Brother just protect me?"

"If the old man from Yitian Sect comes, it'll be a headache. It's better to avoid him. I can escape, but others can't escape his hands."

"Eh? Is Yitian Jianzun that strong? Stronger than Big Brother?"

To Xiaosu Bai, who was new to the martial world, Yan Jieh was the greatest expert. She had no idea how powerful the Ten Great Experts of the world were.

"I once met the leader of the Green Forest Conference, Fatian Majun, and he was truly terrifying. I felt like I would lose if I fought him. Yitian Jianzun is one of the Ten Great Experts, just like Fatian Majun. You understand now why I want to clear out the mountain."

"Ah! The Ten Great Experts are scary people."

Xiaosu Bai finally understood, her mouth agape.

To her, Yan Jieh was already beyond human.

But there were at least ten people stronger than him?

She felt like a frog in a well.

"Still, one day Big Brother will defeat them. Right?"

Her tone was as if she was seeking a promise.

Yan Jieh chuckled.

At that moment, Feng Yanchao approached.

"From today, we need to use the ruffians of Xiajia Village. We don't know when the martial artists of Luoyang will attack."

"Big Brother, tell the leaders of Luoyang that whoever informs us first about the arrival of the martial artists in Xiajia Village will get a hundred taels. They'll come running."

"Good idea! A hundred taels will make them stay awake all night."

"Of course. It's enough to live off for ten years."

After a brief chat with Xiaosu Bai, Feng Yanchao turned to Yan Jieh.

"By the way, Brother Lian. With two thousand two hundred taels, what should we do?"

Feng Yanchao intended to use the money as Yan Jieh wished.

But Yan Jieh showed no interest.

He even shrugged and walked away.

"Huh? Why is that? Did something upset him?"

"He seems a bit off. He's been like that since a while ago."

"We just cleaned out Wulong Hall, so why is he like this? Did you do something wrong?"

"Feng Big Brother saw it too. Brother Lian just walked away without a word."

"So why?"

"I don't know. He was in a bad mood after the people from Wulong Hall left. He seemed better for a while, but when Feng Big Brother mentioned the money, he got like this again."

"Those Wulong Hall people are the problem. We need to ruin them completely. It can't be helped."

"They'll be ruined soon. Bai Shangfang will cut off their business."

The two blamed Wulong Hall for Yan Jieh's bad mood and focused on how to take revenge.

Yan Jieh, having climbed to the peak of Wufeng Mountain, sat on a rock where he usually practiced.

He stared blankly at the mist flowing over the opposite mountain.

Seeing Lian Shengbai rush to save his brother and Lian Shuzhu's joy at meeting him made Yan Jieh feel strange.

It wasn't that he was still angry, as Xiaosu Bai suggested.

To be precise, it was a mix of longing, anger, jealousy, and indescribable emotions.

When he saw Lian Shuzhu in pain, he felt both satisfied and bitter.

This feeling didn't subside even after Lian Shengbai and Lian Shuzhu left.

Wulong Hall.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated and annoyed he became.

"Ha! What should I do?"

While Yan Jieh was sighing in frustration, he heard someone approaching from behind.

There were only a few people who could climb to the peak of Wufeng Mountain.

Feeling too bothered to turn around, Yan Jieh ignored it.

"Master, everyone is worried about you."

It was Shim Yangjue, the Master of Concealed Sword.

Until recently, Shim Yangjue called Yan Jieh "Brother Lian," but recently changed to "Master." This suited the title "Old Man Shim," and Yan Jieh naturally accepted it.

"Are they worried about the Yitian Sect coming?"

"More like they're worried about your mood... It doesn't look good."

"Me? I have nothing to be upset about."

"Hehe, then why are you alone here? Today is a good day to rest."

"Rest when money comes in, rest when it rains, rest when it snows, rest when the weather is nice, rest when it's gloomy, rest when I'm tired. When will I practice then?"

Shim Yangjue laughed slyly at Yan Jieh's twisted logic.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because you're human, Master."

"Am I not human? Am I a monster?"

"In terms of martial arts, you're more than a monster."

"Stop the nonsense. How's your breathing practice going?"

"I'm still fluctuating between qi and breath. I think I'll be able to practice neigong soon."

Breath is the stage where you can't tell if you're breathing or not, meaning he was close to entering meditation.

If he could enter meditation, building inner strength with the Nine Heavens and One Day Scripture would be easy.

"Don't be too greedy about building inner strength. The Nine Heavens and One Day Scripture is a practice of humility."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind."

Yan Jieh stared at the old-looking Shim Yangjue and said,

"Old Man Shim, I... no..."

Shaking his head, Yan Jieh made Shim Yangjue laugh slyly again.

"Stop laughing like that. It's really annoying to see."

"Just finish what you were going to say."

"It's nothing. I just feel uneasy after tormenting the people from Wulong Hall. I was wondering why."

"Maybe it's because you're still inadequate."

As a great demon, Shim Yangjue thought quite violently.

"Inadequate?"

"Yes, if you press them until they beg for mercy, you'll feel better."

"Are you sure?"

"From my experience, that's how it works."

Hearing this from someone with experience, Yan Jieh was intrigued.

"Is even ruining Wulong Hall inadequate?"

"Of course. They locked you up to kill you. You need to press them until they can't breathe. Then you'll feel better."

"Really?"

"I guarantee it. A little decline isn't enough. If they beg for mercy while crying, you'll feel much better."

Yan Jieh nodded.

It seemed right.

Moreover, no one had ever pinpointed the cause and solution so clearly.

Shim Yangjue's advice, though he knew nothing about human psychology, struck a chord with Yan Jieh.

Early morning.

Yan Jieh, sitting on a bench, called out to the Rogue Swordsman Huang Yaoming, who was crossing the courtyard.

"Yes, Brother."

"I need you to run an errand. Deliver this to the surrounding mountain strongholds."

He handed over a bundle of letters.

"Which ones, Brother?"

"Which mountain strongholds are around Luoyang?"

"North, there's Shuolong Stronghold in the Yellow River basin. West, there's Yingshan Stronghold. East, there's Jiulong Stronghold. South, there's San'e Mountain Stronghold and Chifeng Stronghold, and our Wufeng Mountain Stronghold."

Huang Yaoming, having been in the Green Forest for a long time, knew the strongholds in Henan Province well.

"Deliver these letters to Shuolong, Yingshan, Jiulong, San'e Mountain, and Chifeng Strongholds."

"Should I deliver them to the leaders and come back?"

"Yeah, they'll know what to do."

"Brother, the leader of San'e Mountain Stronghold is quite temperamental. I'm not sure if it's a good idea."

Huang Yaoming was worried that he might get into trouble if he delivered the letters. They seemed to be about Wulong Hall, and it was uncertain if the leaders would comply.

"Don't worry. No one will touch you."

"Really?"

"Yes, no one will dare to after reading these. Unless they want to die."

As the chief inspector, he must have some power.

"Understood!"

Huang Yaoming believed Yan Jieh without hesitation.

He thought a high-level expert like him wouldn't lie.

***

The martial world of Luoyang was in turmoil.

Of the people from the Righteous Alliance and the five martial halls who went to Yuzhou, only two returned alive: the leader of Yitian Sect, Junzi Jian Li Lianyi, and Wulong Swordsman Lian Wubai.

The elders mockingly referred to the Five Heroes of Luoyang as the "Five Leaves of Luoyang."

But that didn't last long.

The tragedy in Yuzhou overshadowed the Five Heroes' affairs. The loss of disciples and the leader's arm made Yitian Sect like a house of mourning.

Ten disciples from the Righteous Alliance and ten more from Yitian Sect, a total of twenty, lost their lives. This was nearly half of the disciples in Yitian Sect.

The loss of these elite disciples made Yitian Sect feel even more devastated.

Li Lianyi, who survived, only started handling sect affairs three days later.

That evening, while sitting in his office, Li Lianyi visited his son, Li Xiaomin.

Li Xiaomin, seeing his father with one arm missing, bowed his head deeply.

"I'm sorry, Father."

"No, I came to ask you something. You must have heard about what happened in Yuzhou."

"Yes."

"The leader of Yinhajang was one of the Three Respected Ones of the Green Forest, known as Hunsijianma. I was always a step above him. But when I met him again at Yinhajang, he was almost as strong as your grandfather."

Li Xiaomin, not understanding why his father was telling him this, listened silently.

"It wasn't that his martial arts were superior, but that he couldn't handle his inner strength. It was truly at the level of the Celestial Realm... This was due to the superpowers of Yumingjiao."

"Superpowers?"

"Yes, Yumingjiao, like forbidden dark arts, sacrifices the practitioner's body to gain superpowers."

"Is it like inner strength?"

"Yes. From my experience, it was a transcendent inner strength. Reaching your grandfather's level is not easy. It's a realm only the chosen can achieve. But this person, who was a step below me, reached that level through superpowers."

"Ah!"

"Today, while thinking about the young bandit from Wufeng Mountain, I had a thought. Could he, like Hunsijianma, have gained superpowers? I'm not sure if it's because they're all from the Green Forest, but that's what I thought."