Chapter 37

The next day, Yun Pianpian woke up and cast a dissatisfied, longing look at Xiao Changyuan.
Xiao Changyuan turned his handsome face away, pretending not to see.
Yun Pianpian gritted her teeth in frustration.
She decided to bury the truth about the demonic arts deep underground, never to tell him in this lifetime!
Early in the morning, Chen Fashan opened his eyes and rose weakly from his sickbed, listless and weary.
Before he could even step down, he saw Zhou Ren approaching with a stern expression, holding a slip of paper in his hand.
“Your Majesty, this is a note I discovered early this morning. I request Your Majesty’s attention.”
“What note?”
Chen Fashan reached out and took the slip of paper from Zhou Qiren.
His expression shifted slightly, growing solemn.
“This is...”
On the note, stark black characters stood out against the white background:
“Take Yun, Kill Xiao!”
“Yun” referred to Yun Pianpian.
“Xiao” referred to Xiao Changyuan.
The meaning of these four words was clear: he was to take Yun Pianpian hostage to force the killing of Xiao Changyuan.
After arriving in Jiangjia Village, Xiao Changyuan had adopted the alias “Shitou.”
Thus, aside from those who had known him before, no one in Jiangjia Village was aware that his surname was “Xiao.”
Chen Fashan pressed his thin, bloodless lips together and frowned as he looked at Zhou Qiren.
“Where did you find this note?”
Zhou Qiren lowered his head and replied, “This morning, as I was preparing to open the door, I found this note slipped under the crack. It seems someone must have pushed it through during the night, leaving us with no way to trace its origin.”
Chen Fashan furrowed his brow as he examined the paper, then bent his head to sniff the ink. Slowly, he said, “This is ordinary rice paper, and the ink smells foul, it’s the low, grade kind bought by impoverished households. Judging by how dry the ink is, the note was likely written yesterday. The handwriting is unsteady, with uneven pressure, but it’s too obvious, almost as if someone intentionally wrote it with their left hand.”
Zhou Qiren was slightly taken aback, never expecting that Chen Fashan could uncover so many clues from a single note.
Chen Fashan lifted his gaze to Zhou Qiren, his pale, sickly face devoid of emotion. “He deliberately misled me, wanting me to believe he’s an uneducated brute from a poor family. That means he must, in fact, be someone from a wealthy background, well, versed in writing, and someone we know. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to conceal his handwriting. He bears a grudge against Xiao Changyuan and knows we do as well, which is why he’s offering this plan, hoping to use our hands to eliminate Xiao Changyuan. Zhou Qiren, who do you think this person might be?”
Zhou Qiren lowered his head. “Forgive my ignorance.”
He truly couldn’t figure out who it might be.
A faint, cold smile tugged at Chen Fashan’s pale lips. “To think that in this small Jiangjia Village, there hides someone so audacious. He knows full well that I am the emperor of Chen and Xiao Changyuan is the emperor of Mo, yet he dares to try and use me to assassinate Xiao Changyuan. If Xiao Changyuan hadn’t appeared, perhaps this person would have remained hidden in the shadows forever, never coming to light.”
Zhou Qiren looked up at Chen Fashan. “Your Majesty, should we proceed with his plan?”
Chen Fashan let out a cold laugh, a sinister smile spreading across his pale, frail face.
“He wants to use me as his blade, his scheme is well, calculated.”
Zhou Qiren was puzzled. “Your Majesty means…”
Chen Fashan slowly crumpled the note in his hand, his eyes dark and menacing. “Though the plan is clever, it doesn’t allow for a clean escape. It’s a desperate move. If anything goes wrong along the way, we’ll end up dead under Xiao Changyuan’s blade. So, this plan is unacceptable.”
Zhou Qiren quickly agreed, “Your Majesty is absolutely right.”
Xiao Changyuan had once saved Zhou Qiren’s life.
Zhou Qiren had no desire to kill Xiao Changyuan, nor did he dare to confront him directly.
Chen Fashan pulled a pearl hairpin from under his pillow, the very one Yun Pianpian had dropped that day. He gently stroked the hairpin and murmured, “I do have a clever plan, but it lacks an east wind.”
Zhou Qiren looked up and asked, “What east wind?”
Chen Fashan narrowed his sinister eyes, his pale, sickly face devoid of any emotion.
“The east wind that borrows a blade to kill.”
A few days later, Chen Fashan finally waited for that east wind.
A distinguished guest arrived at Jiang Cuicui’s home.
The guest was named Wan Shanke. His hair was graying, and he appeared to be in his sixties or seventies. A wine gourd hung at his waist, which he would frequently take out to drink from. He was amiable and spirited, with an aura of chivalrous righteousness flowing between his brows.
Jiang Cuicui’s home was right next door to Yun Pianpian’s.
So Yun Pianpian quickly noticed this loud, laughing elderly man.
According to Jiang Cuicui, this old man was Wan Shanke, a martial arts hero whom Grandpa Jiang had saved over a decade ago. He was one of the Four Great Masters. At that time, Jiang Cuicui had just been born, so Wan Shanke took her as his honorary granddaughter, even her name was given by him.
Every festive season, Wan Shanke would bring fine wine to visit them.
This was Yun Pianpian’s first time seeing the legendary, highly skilled elder, and she couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances in the courtyard.
Xiao Changyuan was displeased. He reached out with his pale, slender, and well, defined hand, pinched Yun Pianpian’s chin, and forcibly turned her face toward him.
Pressing his thin lips together, Xiao Changyuan said, “My wife’s eyes are not allowed to look at others, only at me.”
Yun Pianpian: “...” This brat always speaks so domineeringly. If only you were this assertive with my body!
Remembering that night that should have been filled with passion, Yun Pianpian couldn’t help but feel angry.
She shot Xiao Changyuan a resentful glare, completely unwilling to speak to him, and stomped into the house in a huff.
Xiao Changyuan was baffled, unsure of what he had done to upset his wife.
His wife seemed to get angry very easily lately.
Chen Fashan recognized Wan Shanke by the wine gourd and revealed a cold smile.
“Zhou Qiren, tell me, who is more skilled in martial arts, Wan Shanke or Xiao Changyuan?”
Zhou Qiren thought for a moment and said, “Wan Shanke has been famous for over fifty years. Back then, the martial world was teeming with talent and masters. Although the realm was ruled by the Alliance Leader, his skills were far inferior to the Four Great Masters. Wan Shanke is one of them. Unfortunately, after the famine in the Mo Kingdom and the collapse of the martial world, the Four Great Masters vanished without a trace. Xiao Changyuan is of a later generation, by the time he was born, the Four Great Masters had long disappeared. It’s hard to say who is truly more powerful.”
Chen Fashan curled his thin lips and said, “Qian Qiuxue, Wan Shanke, Jiandi Yue, and Ji Wuliang, these four are known as the top four martial arts masters in the realm. However, their martial skills are actually ranked one above the other.”
“I once heard a rumor that the leader of the death warriors who taught Xiao Changyuan martial arts was none other than Qian Qiuxue, who has since vanished without a trace. Later, Qian Qiuxue resigned from his position as the death warrior leader for some reason and retreated into seclusion in the mountains.”
“Wan Shanke's martial prowess surpasses even Qian Qiuxue's. How could a disciple taught by Qian Qiuxue possibly kill Wan Shanke? Therefore, Xiao Changyuan's skills must be far inferior to Wan Shanke's.”
Zhou Qiren looked up and asked, “Your Majesty means.”
Chen Fashan's gaze turned gloomy as he said, “I want to use Wan Shanke's hand to kill Xiao Changyuan.”
Zhou Qiren hesitated, “But these four masters have long withdrawn from the martial world and no longer involve themselves in the conflicts of the court or the jianghu.”
Chen Fashan curled the corner of his lips and said, “But what if his granddaughter, Jiang Cuicui, were to die at the hands of Yun Pianpian?”
Zhou Qiren shuddered, looking at Chen Fashan in disbelief.
“Your Majesty intends to kill Jiang Cuicui?”
Chen Fashan's eyes turned sinister as he said, “I will kill Jiang Cuicui and frame Yun Pianpian for it.”
By then, Wan Shanke would surely seek revenge for Jiang Cuicui.
And Xiao Changyuan, in order to save Yun Pianpian, would inevitably clash with Wan Shanke.
Chen Fashan rubbed the pearl hairpin in his palm, a sinister smile spreading across his pale, sickly face.
“Three days from now will be Xiao Changyuan's death day.”
Xiao Changyuan was chopping firewood in the courtyard.
Jiang Cuicui's home was next door, their fenced yards adjoining.
As Wan Shanke drank from his gourd, he noticed the young man in black robes from next door. The ease with which he swung the axe to split the wood was as effortless as brushing off a fallen leaf. Intrigued, Wan Shanke watched him for a while, and the more he observed, the more astonished he became.
It had been many years since he last saw someone with such extraordinary innate talent.
“Young master, your inner strength is quite profound. May I ask who your master is?”
Wan Shanke set down his wine gourd and stood by the fence, smiling as he struck up a conversation with Xiao Changyuan.
But Xiao Changyuan clearly had no intention of engaging. Without a change in expression, he raised his axe and continued chopping wood.
Wan Shanke deliberately remarked, “I thought you were a promising talent, but it turns out you're deaf. What a pity, truly a pity.”
Xiao Changyuan didn't even lift an eyebrow, focusing entirely on his task.
His coldly handsome face showed no emotion, as if he hadn't heard Wan Shanke's words at all.
He paid him no mind.
Wan Shanke found this intriguing.
The more someone disregarded him, the more they captured his favor.
This young man in black was like a sharp, icy sword, precisely because his aura was so frigid, he could afford to be so arrogant and unruly.
Wan Shanke was seventy, eight years old this year.
At his age, when he encountered someone with such remarkable potential, he couldn't help but feel a desire to nurture talent. Intent on tempering this sharp, cold sword that was Xiao Changyuan, he deliberately opened his wine gourd and splashed the liquor toward him.
Xiao Changyuan sidestepped slightly, nimbly avoiding it.
The clear wine splashed onto the ground, leaving a wet stain.
Xiao Changyuan lifted his dark, profound eyes and cast a cold gaze at Wan Shanke.
“It seems you have a death wish.”
Wan Shanke said with a grin, “Finally speaking, huh? I thought you were mute.”
Xiao Changyuan's eyes blazed with murderous intent as he suddenly struck out at Wan Shanke. Instead of dodging, Wan Shanke met the attack head, on.
The two engaged in combat.
Jars and pots in the courtyard shattered under the force of their fierce palm strikes, crashing to the ground with piercing sounds.
Hearing the commotion, Yun Pianpian rushed out of the house. Seeing the two fighting and her shattered jars scattered across the ground, she nearly burst into tears. “Why are you smashing my jars.?”
These jars were filled with all kinds of pickled radishes and vegetables she had painstakingly prepared.
She had planned to rely on these preserved foods to get through the cold winter.
Hearing Yun Pianpian's voice, Xiao Changyuan's palm strikes grew even more ferocious, each move aimed to kill, as if determined to end Wan Shanke's life.
Wan Shanke hadn't expected the young man in black to increase his inner strength so drastically in such a short time, completely different from before. He quickly surrendered, saying, “Young friend, enough, enough! I admit defeat.”
But Xiao Changyuan seemed not to hear him, relentlessly striking at Wan Shanke with deadly force.
Wan Shanke gradually found it hard to hold his ground, finally realizing the meaning of regret.
Fortunately, the young woman in pink in the courtyard shouted loudly.
“Stop fighting!”
Only then did the frenzied young man in black withdraw his killing moves, giving Wan Shanke a cold glare before slowly walking over to the pink, clad girl.
Yun Pianpian asked, “Why were you fighting?”
Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly. “That old man splashed wine on me.”
Hearing this, Yun Pianpian stormed over to the fence to confront Wan Shanke.
“Why did you splash wine on my husband?”
Wan Shanke smiled and said, “It was just an accident, I lost my grip on the gourd and spilled it on him.”
“You're lying.”
Yun Pianpian mercilessly exposed his lie. “My husband was chopping wood three zhang away from the fence. Even if you were standing right by this corner, you couldn't have splashed him all the way at the far end of the yard. You were clearly bullying him on purpose!”
Wan Shanke hadn't expected the young woman to see through his deception.
He rubbed his nose and asked, “What do you want, then?”
Yun Pianpian declared, “Apologize to my husband!”
Wan Shanke had no choice but to admit his fault to Xiao Changyuan, saying, “My apologies, young friend. I was in the wrong.”
Jiang Cuicui heard the commotion and came out of the house. “Pianpian, what happened?”
Yun Pianpian recounted the earlier events to Jiang Cuicui.
Upon learning what had happened, Jiang Cuicui immediately apologized to Yun Pianpian and Xiao Changyuan, and even gave Yun Pianpian two jars of pickled vegetables as compensation.
Wan Shanke returned to the house and asked Jiang Cuicui, “Who were those two just now?”
Jiang Cuicui replied, “Pianpian and Shitou. They're my friends, Grandpa. Please don't bully them.”
Wan Shanke smiled kindly. “Grandpa was just teasing them. I would never bully your friends.”
That little girl named Pianpian had a bit of the demeanor of his late wife.
When he was young and his martial arts were weak, he was often taught lessons. Once, when his leg was broken, his late wife had similarly stood fearlessly in front of him, demanding justice for him.
It was a pity that in his youth, he didn't know how to cherish her, obsessed only with making a name for himself.
In the end, he caused his wife to die in the conflicts of the martial world.
After that, Wan Shanke retired from the martial world.