Chapter 92

From his appearance, this minor villain from *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer* who is rather annoying doesn't seem to have anything particularly special, and could even be described as quite ordinary:

— Da Songyang Hand Fei Bin appears to be around forty years old, of medium build, and extremely thin, looking more like a sickly person than a skilled martial artist. However, his thin face paired with two thin mustaches adds a touch of sinister coldness, making him look even more ruthless and cruel.

— Just looking at him, one would think he’s a scoundrel, no wonder in the original story he didn’t hesitate to kill Qu Feiyan with a single sword strike.

— However, this time it seems different. Under Alpha’s flawless lies and the Oscar-worthy acting of the others, Fei Bin has no intention of harming Qu Feiyan.

— In fact, not only does he have no intention of harming her, he is even afraid she might fall, so Fei Bin has to support her in a rather awkward position.

— Alpha can’t help but find it amusing, is this really the Fei Bin who killed Qu Feiyan with a single sword strike in the original story?

— Without a doubt, the desire for the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* forces Fei Bin to protect Qu Feiyan, otherwise, Qu Yang would rather die than reveal the whereabouts of the ultimate sword technique.

— It must be said that this old demon of the demonic sect is truly resilient, he didn’t even flinch when his fingers were cut off...

— “Isn’t it better to deceive than for Senior Brother Fei to take the lives of both me and Brother Qu?”

— Clearly, Liu Zhengfeng is not buying Fei Bin’s bold “exposure” of Alpha’s behavior. The second-in-command of the Hengshan Sect replied with his usual smile, though his tone was as gentle as ever, his words were not at all lenient.

— Having already been captured by Liu Zhengfeng once, which was somewhat embarrassing, and now being subtly mocked again, Fei Bin’s face turns red.

— Fortunately, it’s dark under the moonlight, and no one can see clearly. Da Songyang Hand suppresses his anger and secretly thinks that once he obtains the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual*, he will slice these two old men into pieces, Liu Zhengfeng, you despicable lackey of the imperial court!!!

— Although he thinks this, he can’t say it out loud. Fei Bin pretends to be respectful and bows:

— “The Five Mountains Sword Sects are united, how could Fei Bin dare to harm Brother Liu? What happened at your residence was out of necessity. Brother Liu and Elder Qu’s deep bond moved me, but I cannot disobey Senior Brother Zuo’s orders. I hope Brother Liu and Elder Qu do not hold it against me.

— I have volunteered to track you two to assist you.”

— “Hey, he really has the nerve to say that,”

— Alpha thinks to himself, Fei Bin, you are really shameless, you have the nerve to say you’re here to help, have you forgotten who it was that broke the heart meridians of Liu and Qu with one slap? When Lu Bai and Di Xiu were killing Liu’s wife and daughter at Liu’s house, why didn’t you come to help your Brother Liu?

— It seems that these people in the martial world have no principles, they can be driven to such lengths by the mere rumor of the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual*...

— Thinking about it, it’s actually normal. Forget about lying with a straight face, there are those who would even give up their manhood for the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Technique*. If the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* didn’t have such allure, my lies wouldn’t have succeeded.

— Thinking of this, Alpha can’t help but recall his impersonation of the “Grand Eunuch” Lin Pingzhi, and a chill runs down his spine...

— Fei Bin talks nonsense, and Qu Yang follows along:

— “Brother, what Senior Hero Fei said makes sense. If he wanted to harm us, we would have been dead by now. Since that’s the case, we thank Brother Fei.”

— As he speaks, Qu Yang turns to Alpha:

— “Young brother, whether you are a Lin family orphan or not, don’t make things difficult for us today. When the truth comes to light, Feiyan will present the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* to you with both hands.”

— “Elder Qu, do you mean it?”

— Alpha’s eyes dart around, looking as if he’s trying to figure out how to trick Qu Yang into handing over the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual*, but in reality, he’s calculating the time.

— The time Linghu Chong and Fei Bin spent sparring, plus the delay caused by Yilin and Qu Feiyan, is about right. Master Mo should be coming out soon.

— Qu Yang doesn’t know what Alpha is thinking, but he can tell that he’s stalling for time, and continues:

— “Of course, I have already sworn on my severed fingers. As long as you don’t harm Feiyan today, when the truth comes to light, Feiyan will present the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* to you with both hands. But if anything happens to Feiyan, I will ensure that the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* never sees the light of day!!!

— Never sees the light of day!!!”

— Qu Yang emphasizes “never sees the light of day,” clearly speaking to Fei Bin.

— Da Songyang Hand’s brows furrow, he dares not speak, only holding Qu Feiyan’s body, pondering how to trick the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* from her, or simply kidnap her.

— Alpha sees through Fei Bin’s thoughts:

— “Alright, I agree, but this Senior Uncle from the Songshan Sect might not have the same intention—Hey, Senior Uncle Fei Bin, aren’t you going to release Miss Feiyan? Her grandfather is here.”

— “Elder Qu, don’t trust this boy. If I return Miss Qu, this boy will surely take advantage of your weakened state to attack and blackmail you.”

— Fei Bin ignores Alpha and continues,

— Clearly, Fei Bin is unwilling to simply return Qu Feiyan and wait for Liu and Qu to negotiate. Liu and Qu see this clearly, and Alpha understands it even more. All three have the same thought:

— You just want to kidnap Qu Feiyan, right? As long as you don’t kill her, go ahead and kidnap her.

— “What does Senior Hero Fei want to do then?”

— Qu Yang asks, and Fei Bin thinks for a moment:

— “Why don’t you hand over the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* to me? I will guarantee to deliver it to the true Lin family heir. With the manual in my hands, this boy won’t dare to make a move rashly, and it will ensure everyone’s safety.”

— Fei Bin has the nerve to say this, and Alpha almost bursts out laughing.

— Qu Yang would have to be a fool to hand over the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* to you, Fei Bin. Once someone is driven by greed, their intelligence drops to zero, and Fei Bin is no exception...

— “Shameless, you just want the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual*!!! Let go of Miss Qu!!!”

— The time is about right, Master Mo should be here any minute. Alpha pretends to be angry and shouts, raising his hand to shoot a sleeve arrow—of course, the so-called sleeve arrow is just a branch he just broke off.

— Such a level of hidden weapon skill is not even worth Fei Bin’s attention.

— “Hmph, a mere trifle!!!”

— Da Songyang Hand sneers, about to raise his sword to deflect it, but realizes the arrow is aimed perfectly, not at him at all. In fact,

— Alpha’s sleeve arrow is flying towards Qu Feiyan!!!

— ——A dark dividing line——

— “Are you sure there are no problems?”

— The small room is pitch black, and unlike the last time, no candle is lit in the same room.

— This environment makes the one-eyed old Joel, who usually squats in the cargo station’s stone house, feel uncomfortable. Although his supposedly “blind” eye, protected by the eye patch, doesn’t receive much light, the complete darkness still makes old Joel feel extremely oppressed.

— “Yes, this time he has started to acquire those things, clearly preparing for the Tower of Oblivion—I think you should at least light a candle.”

— “Darkness makes people calm—quite efficient, I hear he has also discovered the secret of the *Herald of Malthus*?”

— Accompanied by the sound of tapping on the armrest, the voice in the darkness answers calmly.

— “I was also surprised. Although this boy is a useless mage, the stubborn old men in the Mage Tower are not lacking in their ability to delve into details—he actually spent a whole day at the Defias Outpost archives, uncovering the blacksmith’s past from the history of the Halifchek family.”

— Old Joel hunches in the rocking chair, gently swaying, his voice still as hoarse as before.

— “Not bad, indeed like those stubborn old men—so the question is...”

— The voice in the darkness pauses slightly, as if thinking about something, then continues:

— “Is it the *Herald of Malthus* or the Tower of Oblivion? This is an interesting sequence, what do you think?”

— “Whether to give up halfway or persist, this sequence is not difficult.”

— Old Joel answers seemingly nonchalantly, while squinting his eyes, hoping to find more light in the room.

— “I remember last time you thought he was moving too fast, diverting his attention to the *Herald of Malthus* would slow his rise. But why do you now want him to continue with the Tower of Oblivion?”

— “I think this time it’s not a matter of sequence or speed, but of opportunity.”

— Old Joel straightens his back:

— “You can’t guarantee that there won’t be more valuable opportunities in the future than the Tower of Oblivion.

— —After all, the most valuable thing at this stage is the Tower of Oblivion. The charm of the Tower of Oblivion is irreplaceable. If you guide him to focus all his energy on the *Herald of Malthus*, the Tower of Oblivion might gradually lose its appeal over time. Are you willing to bear such a loss?”

— “This reason doesn’t convince me. I need to know your more genuine thoughts.”

— The voice in the darkness pauses, speaking word by word:

— “Why—don’t choose—the *Herald of Malthus*.”

— Two points of light seem to flash in the darkness. Old Joel knows these are the gleams in someone’s eyes. The voice in the darkness is now scrutinizing him, analyzing him, as if trying to see through all his thoughts.

— “More genuine thoughts? The God’s Hammer? Don’t you know?”

— Old Joel shakes his head, stands up, and slowly walks to the door, pulling it open. Moonlight pours in, the silver glow instantly brightening the small room. At the other end of the room, a tall figure with silver hair stands, the silver light shining on his long hair.

— Walking out of the small room, old Joel closes the door, and the room falls back into darkness.

— “God’s Hammer... If we use a different name, like the *Herald of Malthus*, wouldn’t that be better? You stubborn old men.”

— The silver-haired man shakes his head, and the small room falls into a dead silence...

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