Chapter 349: Entering the City

Chapter 349: Into the City

The sudden turn of events inside the hall caught everyone off guard.

Hua Qianyu panicked by concern and gasped, moving to step forward.

But Wu Daoyou beside her pulled her back.

"He's about to pass his internal energy to the young miss."

Hua Qianyu paused in shock. Looking again at Wei Ziyi, she noticed that although the girl’s brows were knitted tightly, there was no trace of internal harm—her tension eased slightly.

Still, she remained uneasy, fearing Wei Qixiong might try something underhanded during this moment.

Seeing her anxiety, Wu Daoyou nodded toward Su Mo.

Only then did she notice that Su Mo had one hand subtly raised, an iron pellet hidden at his fingertips.

Clearly, if anything went amiss, that pellet would be flicked straight into Wei Qixiong’s body to end his life.

Witnessing this, Hua Qianyu finally relaxed—but not without muttering a sigh:

"Daughters always side with outsiders..."

Yet as soon as those words left her mouth, she smirked to herself:

"Just like her mother."

Her background was far from simple.

She was a scion of the South Sea's Qi family.

She came to the Eastern Wasteland for cultivation training and met the brothers Wei Qifeng and Wei Qixiong.

Wei Qixiong possessed an unpredictable and eccentric nature, often displaying contempt for the world, which did not please her.

But Wei Qifeng was steadfast, mature-minded, and kind-hearted.

He eventually took root in her heart,

and gradually, tenderness took bloom within her.

Yet at first, their feelings were governed by propriety.

They never expected that fate's capricious turn would lead them to share a night of passion.

At that time, Wei Qixiong had already departed for the Ten-Thousand-Mile Glacier, remaining silent for a long while.

Their journey had originally been intended to search for Wei Qixiong at the Ten-Thousand-Mile Glacier, but instead of finding him, she'd conceived his child.

However, it wasn't until several months later that they became aware of this.

At the time, Hua Qianyu was still weighing how to account for the situation.

She had come to the Eastern Wasteland for training, only to become entangled in an illicit entanglement—this was something she could not ignore and must return to the Qi family to explain.

She had intended to inform Wei Qifeng before departing, yet before she could, word came of his demise.

Hua Qianyu had always acted with decisiveness; she immediately resolved to track down what became of Wei Qifeng.

It was only then that she realized this matter was veiled in deep secrecy, not easily uncovered.

She resolved never to return to the Southern Sea.

After giving birth to Wei Ziyi, she changed her appearance and became Hua Qianyu, joining the Fallen Phoenix Alliance, where she has stayed ever since.

She herself was someone who would throw everything away for love—how could she blame Wei Ziyi for listening to Su Mo instead of her?

Wei Ruhan watched quietly, his gaze distant, as though seeing the past.

After a long while, he heaved a long sigh.

In the arena, Wei Qixiong and Wei Ziyi had initially been standing, but soon they each sat cross-legged.

Gradually, their bodies began levitating three inches above ground, slowly rotating.

Eventually forming a rotating yin-yang pattern.

About as long as an incense stick burns passed, and Wei Qixiong’s face grew increasingly pale.

His once jet-black hair began showing streaks of white.

Transmitting internal energy is no simple matter.

It requires not only formidable martial skill from the transmitter, but also the unblocking of key acupoints within the recipient during the process,

to ensure the method of energy circulation is memorized.

Otherwise, the transmitted energy would dissipate like rootless waterweed.

Only by imprinting the method upon the recipient can the energy flow endlessly.

Moreover, most crucially:

some forms of internal energy can be transmitted, others cannot.

In truth, among the countless techniques in the world, very few are transmissible.

The Heaven-Earth Great YinYang Grinding Disc happens to be one such technique.

Lastly…

transmitting energy does not normally cause hair to turn white.

Unless the person is elderly, maintaining youthful vigor through cultivated energy—once that energy dissipates, their true age would show.

Otherwise, such sudden aging should not occur.

Wei Qixiong appeared this way because he was completely spent.

Not only had he endured multiple fierce battles today and suffered grave injuries, but during the transmission, he had to help Wei Ziyi unblock her meridians while continuously withstanding damage caused by Su Mo’s Purple Sun Divine Palm, which carried pure yang energy.

All of these factors were what truly consumed his vitality.

As the two figures in the arena spun faster and rose higher,

At last, Wei Qixiong opened his eyes and shoved Wei Ziyi away.

Wei Ziyi twisted through the air in a series of flips before landing gracefully.

Her stance was unshakable as she felt an overwhelming surge of qi boiling within her. A surge of qi rose from her dantian, coursing through her meridians, and she instinctively tilted her head back and let out a piercing cry!

The cry reverberated for leagues.

It lasted the span of half a teacup before finally subsiding.

She felt her qi flowing unimpeded, effortless and natural, as if it were an extension of her own body.

In contrast, Wei Qixiong was nowhere near as steady.

After pushing Wei Ziyi away, he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.

Yet despite his suffering, the ghost of a smile touched his lips as he watched Wei Ziyi’s transformation.

As her cry faded, Wei Qixiong turned his gaze to Su Mo:

"Chief Escort Su..."

His voice came out thin, barely above a whisper.

He mustered a defiant tone, unwilling to show weakness:

"Today’s battle... your skill in martial arts is unmatched, Chief Escort Su.

"However, I remain unconvinced.

"My Cosmic YinYang Mill Disc is an unrivaled divine art. My defeat today was not due to any flaw in the art itself, but rather...

"Rather, it was my own inadequacy.

"First, I was gravely wounded. Second, my heart was weighed down by grudges, my mind tangled in unrest.

"Decades of training brought no breakthroughs.

"In the end, it boils down to the warrior’s spirit.

"Now, my heir has mastered my divine art. One day, we’ll see if she can surpass you...

"You, the First of Donghuang..."

As he spoke, his brow unconsciously furrowed.

Blood trickled anew from his lips.

He wiped it away with his hand, then turned his gaze back to Wei Ziyi, exhaling wearily:

"Remember... the principle of Yin-Yang rotation must never slip your mind, not even once."

"..."

Wei Ziyi scowled. "Even if you’ve passed on all your martial arts to me, I won’t thank you for this—not one bit."

"It’s unnecessary..."

Wei Qixiong gave a faint, weary shake of his head.

Today, from Ren Xiongfei’s words, he had learned the truth.

Only then did Wei Qixiong realize that the hatred he had harbored all his life was just a cruel joke.

What a shame—he understood it too late.

He’d been too stubborn in his beliefs.

Otherwise, had he doubted just once and come back to ask Wei Ruhan, everything would have been clear.

Even if he had bothered to look into what Huang Yuan had been doing during that time, he’d have uncovered the truth.

But his suspicious nature, coupled with the bitter grudge he held against Wei Ruhan and the others, kept him from ever questioning whether someone had played him for a fool.

Thus, one misstep led to another.

Now there was no undoing it.

He admitted his sins were unforgivable.

Yet he wouldn’t just disappear without a word—he had to do something at least.

He wanted no thanks from Wei Ziyi, or anyone else.

Instead, he turned around, knelt on the ground, and dragged himself forward on his knees.

Seeing this, even though Wei Ruhan knew he deserved death, his heart twisted with pain. He wanted to step forward but held himself back.

Finally, Wei Qixiong reached Wei Ruhan’s feet.

He knelt and bowed his head three times, each thud echoing heavily.

“Father…”

He choked out.

Wei Ruhan closed his eyes, crouched down, and pulled him close, murmuring:

“I’ve got you… I’m here, son…”

“Father…”

Wei Qixiong murmured.

“Pa… my mouth’s so bitter…”

“I want to eat those sugar cakes you’d get me.”

As a boy, whenever he was sick, feverish in bed, Wei Ruhan would coax him to drink his medicine.

He’d whine about the taste and refuse.

Every time, Wei Ruhan would make him drink the bitter medicine before handing him honey cakes to eat.

Afterward, he only remembered the sweetness of the treats,

but forgot the bitterness of the potion.

Over the years, these old memories had long since faded away.

Yet today, for some reason, he suddenly recalled that childhood delicacy—

and remembered those days of old.

Cicadas buzzed outside the window.

Birds chirped from the treetops.

His elder brother—who was always practicing martial arts and once threatened to kill him over a dog—refused to leave his bedside.

All he wanted was for his younger brother to recover,

so they could take Hanzan* (*a nickname or character name) to the fields to catch crickets, under trees to catch cicadas, or down by the river to fish…

When had everything changed so completely?

As Wei Qixiong reflected, a deep exhaustion settled in his chest, and his eyes finally closed.

"My son..."

Wei Ruhan held his second son tightly, tears streaming down his face, his voice trembling with sobs.

No matter how unforgivable his crimes were, no matter how the entire world demanded his death—even Wei Ruhan himself could not spare his life.

But watching him die in his arms—what father wouldn’t be heartbroken?

The surrounding disciples of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance stood silently, their emotions in turmoil.

Wei Qixiong’s death was just punishment—no one could deny that. But what words could comfort Wei Ruhan now?

Hua Qianyu let out a long sigh and stepped forward.

"Grand Alliance Leader…"

At the sound, Wei Ruhan lifted his gaze to Hua Qianyu, then swept it across the gathered crowd.

He took a deep breath and spoke solemnly:

"At today’s alliance assembly, I name Hua Qianyu as the next Grand Alliance Leader.

Does anyone object?"

The disciples exchanged glances, then answered in unison:

"We obey the Grand Alliance Leader’s will!

Long live the Grand Alliance Leader!"

The first title belonged to Wei Ruhan; the second, naturally, to Hua Qianyu.

Hua Qianyu exhaled heavily.

So much had happened today, and the Alliance Chief position really should wait.

But she understood why Wei Ruhan was rushing this.

The Fallen Phoenix Alliance once had eight leaders.

Today, Wei Ruhan abdicated.

Zeng Youwang and Xu Junsang were dead.

Chi Lu survived, but he was washed up for the job.

Half their leadership was gone—especially in Jinyang City, which lost two alliance leaders in a single day.

Plenty still needed arranging, and there was no time to waste.

Yet although Wei Ruhan finally learned who'd done it all those years ago, he was also grieving his son's death.

Asking him to keep going was asking too much.

So he went ahead and named Hua Qianyu as the new Alliance Chief; whatever came next would be handled by her.

But that was none of Su Mo’s business anymore.

Once Wei Ruhan left, Su Mo made his exit.

As for Ren Xiongfei, he could stay put at the city lord’s mansion for now.

Once this man died, both the Wusheng Hall and the Fallen Phoenix Alliance would mark the end of the Night Monarch’s grip on the southwest.

This messy power struggle over the Alliance Chief title could finally come to an end.

……

……

Plenty more went down after this day.

With discussions ongoing in the Fallen Phoenix Alliance’s city hall, courier pigeons took flight in all directions.

Whether inside or outside the city walls, blood would spill today.

At the northern gate, the old man who’d finished off his corn had moved on to peanuts.

He shelled them methodically, tossing them back one by one.

His eyes scanned not only the northern gate, but also the courier pigeons scattering wildly across the sky.

His frown deepened, a growing sense of dread creeping in.

Just as he zoned out, two figures suddenly materialized beside him.

The old man glanced sideways, instinctively clutching his peanuts tighter as he barked:

“What do you want? After my peanuts?

“You listen—this is Sunset City, and the Fallen Phoenix Alliance runs this town. You won’t get away with causing trouble here!”

"Good point."

The two men beside him didn't say a word, pulling out their Fallen Phoenix Alliance badges:

"Then you're coming with us."

The old man squinted at them. "Ah, my eyes ain't what they used to be... What's this say?"

The one holding the badge moved it closer to the old man:

"Take a closer look."

"This… I just remembered, I can't read."

The old man chuckled. "Why don't you tell me who you are?"

"Cut the crap!"

The man shouted, shoving the badge toward the old man’s face. "The Fallen Phoenix Alliance is taking you in—don’t resist!"

But he hadn’t expected that when his hand came down on the old man’s shoulder, the latter would slip the grip like a fish.

With a quick twist, the old man was already free, and in one motion, flung the peanuts and shells in his hand.

Every one packed a wallop.

The two Fallen Phoenix Alliance disciples got peppered good. Meanwhile, they heard the old man shouting:

"Thieves! Help! Robbers! In broad daylight, robbing an old man of his peanuts!"

Folks nearby, baffled, started to close in, pointing fingers at the two men, when suddenly the pair bellowed:

"Fallen Phoenix Alliance business! Keep back!"

At those words, the crowd didn’t dare come near.

They backed off quick. But in the commotion, the old man was almost at the city gates.

Just when it looked like he might get away, a young man suddenly appeared head-on and lashed out with a kick.

Now, if the old man had been chosen as a spy for Eternal Night Valley, his martial arts were certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Though the kick came out of nowhere, he sidestepped fast, ready to bolt—only to find something barring his way.

It was weirdly long, wrapped in white cloth, about seven feet in length.

The old man reached out to grab it, but instead took a hell of a jolt through his arm, forcing him back two steps. Then, before he could recover, the attacker wound up and swung hard.

Crossing his arms over his chest, the old man braced himself and took the blow.

His arms lit up with pain as he was sent flying backward.

As luck would have it, he landed right in front of the two Fallen Phoenix Alliance men.

Knowing the old man wasn’t some pushover, they weren’t about to take chances.

They grabbed him tight and one drove a sharp kick into the backs of his knees.

The old man went down hard.

In no time, the acupoints on the old man’s body had been struck more than a dozen times.

Two disciples of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance immobilized the old man and looked up, ready to thank the righteous hero who had come to their aid.

But when they glanced around, there was no sign of him.

They were taken aback, hesitated for a moment, then decided to return and report.

In this world of martial arts, there are many with great skills.

It made sense that a skilled practitioner might have seen what happened and offered help, so they did not give it much thought.

Holding the old man, they turned and headed back to the city lord’s residence.

Unbeknownst to them, a group of people on the rooftop of a building nearby watched them leave silently.

"Indeed, today’s assembly of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance has seen quite a few incidents."

A plain-looking woman, watching pigeons flying about in the sky, frowned slightly:

"But from what I can see now, everything should be back on track."

"Hmm."

An elderly man with a worried expression said softly:

"It’s fine that we ran into him just now, but don’t get involved in what happens next."

As he spoke, he glanced at the seven-foot-long white cloth bundle in the young man beside him, and said with a sigh:

"How about you just give this thing to Xiao Mo?"

"Carrying such a long weapon around in public makes it feel like you'll be recognized instantly."

"...Is my reputation already that big?"

The young man perked up. "Wonder how I stack up against the First of Donghuang?"

"Ahem... Cut the daydreaming."

The woman rolled her eyes.

Hearing this, the young man chuckled and said,

"Sis, when are you going to find me a brother-in-law?

"Look at this old man—his daughter and son-in-law aren't even married yet, and he's already trying to get favors for his would-be son-in-law every day.

"Now he's coming up with fancy excuses, but isn't it just to give this fine sword of mine to his future son-in-law?"

"Keep talking and someone might actually shut you up."

The old man and the woman shot back in unison.

Beside these three, there were three others.

Among them, a woman couldn't help but smile wryly, watching the scene while gazing at Luoxia City below, her eyes tinged with a faint sense of nostalgia, as if revisiting a place from her past.

A young man stood atop the roof, surveying the city, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day I'd return."

The others looked his way, and the elderly swordsman said,

"You know, you could stay."

The young man thought it over before shaking his head.

"After attending Chief Escort Su's wedding, I'll still be leaving with you all.

'Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles,' as they say. Dad never thought much of Tianmen Escort back then.

After traveling the jianghu, if I ever want to start an escort service, I'll just ask Chief Escort Su for guidance."

Seeing he'd made up his mind, the others didn't press further.

"This isn't the spot for chit-chat. Let's find a place to crash first, then hit up Ziyang Escort tonight."

...

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