Chapter 391: Hard to Fulfill Both Loyalty and Filial Piety (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 391: Loyalty and Filial Piety, a Bitter Dilemma

The newcomer was none other than Song Jinjian, who had just returned from beyond Mengshui Pass.

Clad in a green robe stained with flecks of blood, he held the Uncontested Sword and gazed at Chen Yi with a tranquil countenance, his eyes sweeping over the fallen Pei Yonglin:

"Does Your Excellency 'Longhu' not only maintain ties with the Xiao family, but also share a deep bond with the remnants of the Mountain Clan?"

Chen Yi furrowed his brows slightly upon hearing this, naturally discerning the underlying implication in Song Jinjian's words, yet...

Yet even now, when Song Jinjian moved to slay Pei Yonglin, he still sought to absolve himself of any connection.

Just as Chen Yi was about to speak, a figure flew out from the mountain forests not far away—Shui Hetong.

He advanced toward Song Jinjian, saying, "Brother Song, I traveled here alongside 'Longhu'. Am I too to be considered a friend to the Mountain Clan remnants?"

Song Jinjian glanced at him, his tone remaining impassive, "I certainly did not expect the master of the Wind and Rain Pavilion to be entangled with the Mountain Clan remnants as well."

"I merely wonder why you murdered the 'Little Daoist Master' Hua Huiyang, as well as Ma Shuhan, the education commissioner of Shu Province, among others?"

Shui Hetong's handsome face instantly darkened, and his fist intent erupted as he hurled a punch directly toward him:

"Stop your vile slander!"

"Song Jinjian, do not think I am unaware that all of these deeds were perpetrated by you and Pei Yonglin!"

"Rather, what exactly do you and the Cui family of Qinghe intend to achieve?!"

Song Jinjian watched the approaching figure calmly, lifting the Uncontested Sword in his hand without haste to trace a circle in the air.

A ring of sword intent rippled outward like an aurora, illuminating the murky night sky.

Clang!

Shui Hetong did not dodge, his fist intent bursting forth to shatter that ring of sword intent directly as he engaged Song Jinjian in close combat.

Though he fought only with bare fists, protected by his true astral qi and with his fist intent channeling the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, he did not fall into a disadvantage in the slightest.

The ringing of clashing strikes echoed continuously without pause.

Chen Yi watched for a moment before turning back to examine Pei Yonglin's injuries.

Under his qi-gazing technique, he saw that Pei Yonglin, whose meridians and organs had already been severed by him, now had a gaping hole blasted through his chest.

His heart was entirely missing, and a large portion of his lungs and liver had vanished.

Had it not been for Pei Yonglin's body being tempered by true yuan, providing a resilient foundation,

And the fact that Song Jinjian's sword intent, while sharp and overbearing, had not detonated after slicing through the organs to shatter Pei Yonglin's body entirely,

Pei Yonglin would have been thoroughly dead by now.

"What a precise strike..."

Chen Yi flicked his wrist to retrieve the silver needles from Pei Yonglin's body, then reinserted them into several vital acupoints around his chest.

As his true yuan circulated, he channeled the spiritual essence of heaven and earth into the silver needles.

With his medical arts reaching grand mastery, he could naturally bring the dead back to life and grow flesh upon bare bones.

Yet while salvation was possible, it would not be so easy for Pei Yonglin, whose Shanzhong acupoint and sea of qi were ruptured and whose organs were severely damaged, to recover his cultivation.

Fortunately, Chen Yi did not care about that aspect.

After all, the meridian-severing technique he had deployed earlier was intended precisely to seal Pei Yonglin's vital acupoints and sea of qi.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

In a mere span of ten breaths, within Pei Yonglin's ruptured chest, the lungs, liver, and other organs began to regrow one by one.

Only the missing heart would require a bit more time to reform.

At this moment, Song Jinjian, who was locked in combat with Shui Hetong, noticed his actions and frowned slightly:

"'Longhu', do you still claim you are not in league with Pei Yonglin?"

"If you are not, why would you expend effort to save him?"

While using his true yuan to manipulate the silver needles and treat Pei Yonglin, Chen Yi looked back.

Seeing Song Jinjian and Shui Hetong locked in fierce combat, he observed them for a moment before asking thoughtfully:

"Song Jinjian, rushing here in such a state, I presume your grand plan did not go smoothly?"

"Let me guess, did you go to Mengshui Pass?"

There were few swordsmen in the entirety of Shu Province capable of wounding Song Jinjian, and considering the purpose of Song Jinjian's arrival in Shu Province, it was not difficult to deduce who had injured him.

Presumably, there was no candidate other than his wife, Xiao Jinghong.

Song Jinjian's figure paused, his gaze reflecting Chen Yi's silhouette, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry:

"You know the purpose of my coming?"

Before Chen Yi could speak, Shui Hetong snorted, "Song Jinjian, even at this stage, do you still wish to deceive us?"

"Pei Yonglin already confessed earlier that he acted alongside you to slay Hua Huiyang of the Wudang Mountains. How do you explain that?"

Song Jinjian glanced at him, forcing him back with a swift sword strike, then flashed backward by several zhang before saying:

"I have no idea what you are speaking of. I came here solely to witness the duel between your master, Old Immortal Bai, and the Snow Sword Sovereign, and to seek a breakthrough in my own path of the sword. I have never seen the 'Little Daoist Master'."

Seeing him flatly deny the charge, Shui Hetong pressed forward once more.

This time, he no longer held back.

With every step he took, the fist intent radiating from his body doubled in intensity.

After three steps, the grandeur of his fist intent had already suppressed Song Jinjian's sword intent, proving exceptionally dominant and overbearing.

Song Jinjian's eyelids twitched, and he unleashed only a single wave of sword intent to borrow its momentum and evade.

Although suppressed by Shui Hetong's fist intent, he possessed a grand mastery of movement techniques, keeping his footwork exceedingly swift.

Narrowly escaping Shui Hetong's punch, he allowed the booming explosion and rushing wind to roar behind him.

Shui Hetong revealed a look of astonishment, "Grand mastery of footwork?"

"When did you attain such proficiency in your movement techniques?"

Song Jinjian did not answer, casting a glance toward Chen Yi's position, his gaze landing upon the nearly healed Pei Yonglin.

After a brief deliberation, he gave an irrelevant answer:

"Shui Hetong, does your Wind and Rain Pavilion truly intend to align with heretical evils?"

Shui Hetong assumed a fierce expression, "The heretical evil you speak of is precisely yourself!"

"Song Jinjian, that master of yours must surely possess countless ties to the Jizhou Trading Company, otherwise..."

Before he could finish, Song Jinjian raised his hand to interrupt, "Without evidence, do not spout baseless fabrications!"

"My master is a celestial minister of the current dynasty. How could he be tainted by relations with the Jizhou Trading Company?"

Hearing this, Chen Yi spoke up at the opportune moment, "Whether there is a connection, why not wait until Pei Yonglin awakens to find out?"

He was equally surprised that Song Jinjian possessed a grand mastery of footwork, knowing that if Song Jinjian truly intended to flee, neither he nor Shui Hetong would be able to stop him.

He simply used Pei Yonglin as leverage to constrain Song Jinjian.

Chen Yi smiled without truly smiling, "Surely Brother Song wouldn't refuse, would he?"

Song Jinquin's eyes flickered with a flash of murderous intent. "I would never refuse."

But upon seeing the tiger-like glare of Water and Hong beside him, he restrained his killing intent and said, "Though the time is getting late, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave for now."

"If you truly have no connection with the mountain tribe's evils, I will certainly go to apologize."

With that, he turned and vanished into the night.

Water and Hong sneered, "How fast you ran!"

"Yet running monks can't run past temples. I'll definitely visit the Cui family in Qinghe—Water will surely make an appearance someday!"

He was different from Chen Yi.

Wind and Rain Tower wasn't Xiao's either.

With the White Immortal residing there, the world was his for the taking. Wherever in Wind and Rain Tower could be reached.

Even the first-class family of Qinghe Cui, how could they compare?

Chen Yi, though a bit helpless, had no choice but to at least save Pei Yonglin.

Water and Hong landed beside him, scanning Pei Yonglin with renewed admiration. "The medical arts are truly profound... people can be so infuriating..."

Yet, he was more concerned with Song Jinquin's affairs. "Brother Chen, what do you think they came to Shu for?"

"And you said Song Jinquin went to Mengshui Pass?"

"What did he do there?" Chen Yi glanced toward Mengshui Pass, his brow furrowed with thought. "Either he went to spar with Jinghong, or it's related to the barbarian tribes."

There was also a worse possibility—Qinghe Cui had colluded with the Black Bear Tribe, leaking the news that Fu Wanjing wasn't dead to Xiao Jinghong.

If they used this as leverage to force Xiao Jinghong to take up arms, the outcome...

Chen Yi couldn't help but deduce.

Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have always been a dilemma. Xiao Jinghong could choose any path.

Yue Fei was loyal to the end, though he met a tragic death, yet he achieved glory that's passed down through the ages.

Wang Bian was filial to the core, enduring thirty-four years of restraint, even resorting to rebellion to avenge the bloodshed of the blood sea.

Regardless of right or wrong, loyalty and filial piety are where the heart lies.

Chen Yi hoped he was overthinking.

But given his understanding of Xiao Jinghong, and the Cui family's and barbarian tribes' means, this possibility was the most likely.

He mused silently: "If this were true, the Cui family's involvement in Shu's affairs must have begun far earlier than I imagined."

Five years ago, or ten, twenty...

Cui Mae's schemes are immense.

Frightening.

Water and Hong was unaware of these thoughts, his brow furrowed. "It shouldn't be the former."

"Earlier, when I saw him, he proposed a contest of strength. If he wished to break through the sword path's realm, he wouldn't refuse me."

"And the latter... Qinghe Cui colluding with the barbarian tribes?"

He looked at Chen Yi with earnest eyes. "What's the likelihood?"

Chen Yi shot him a glance, then turned to check on Pei Yonglin. Once he confirmed the wounds had healed, he said, "We can't reach a conclusion yet. Qinghe Cui is a formidable foe."

Noble families, though famed for wealth and power, aren't necessarily weak in strength.

Especially those with a thousand-year legacy.

There might be some high-level masters within their ranks, stronger than Song Jinquin.

Water and Hong nodded, his gaze following Chen Yi's movements. "In a few days, the family elder will arrive in Shu. I'll ask him myself."

"Alright..."

A short while later, when Liu Lang, Zhang Daobao, and "One Finger" arrived, Pei Yonglin slowly opened his eyes.

He sat up, glancing at his torn clothes, then checked his heartbeat. "Who saved me?"

"One Finger" punched him on the face. "Pei, you scoundrel, you've done a thorough job of mischief, thinking death was easy?"

Pei Yonglin blinked, scanning the faces, his eyes settling on Chen Yi. "It's you?"

Chen Yi put away the silver needle, his voice calm. "Did I save you by mistake?"

"You've done so much in Shu, you owe an explanation to everyone, including the mountain tribe. What do you say?"

Pei Yonglin wore a bitter smile. "That's only fair."

At that moment, he was powerless to resist, so he lay back down.

"I, Pei, act on my own. I'll face the consequences in Mount Wu and the court. I'll bear the burden alone, and won't involve the mountain tribe."

Chen Yi shook his head. "Whether or not to involve them, that's up to you."

Pei Yonglin sat up abruptly, frowning. "The people of Wumeng Mountain have nothing to do with this matter."

Chen Yi glanced at him. "Yet you're still here wading through the mud of Shu. Is there no other way in Jizhou's merchant guild?"

Pei Yonglin opened his mouth, his dark face etched with frustration. "Perhaps so."

Seeing he wouldn't explain further, Chen Yi didn't press the matter, turning to Water and Hong. "I won't trouble you both. Brother, please keep an eye on him for now."

"Once the mountain tribe and those from Mount Wu arrive, we'll decide then."

Water and Hong didn't refuse, instead asking, "Do you have anything else you want to ask him?"

Chen Yi shook his head. "He won't speak now, but... once the mountain tribe arrives, he'll have to speak."

Earlier, after hearing "One Finger" recount Pei Yonglin's arrival in Jizhou's merchant guild, Chen Yi had already figured it out.

Moreover, in his view, Pei Yonglin within the merchant guild was merely a thug, his status far below Song Jinquin's.

It was pointless to ask him anything.

Chen Yi glanced at the time. "Let's go. It's time to return."

"Alright..."

At that moment, a streak of golden light flashed by:

[System Message: To the east of Shu Prefecture, you have disrupted the Jizhou merchant guild, Pei Yonglin's ambush and assassination of the distant marquis's stepson Chen Yi, etc. You have rescued Water and Hong, Liu Lang, Zhang Daobao, and "One Finger," and captured Pei Yonglin...]

[Reward: Meteor Butterfly Step, skill level increased to Celestial Stage, fate points +345.]

[Evaluation: Outstanding performance, reputation known throughout the land, scene widely witnessed, truly excellent.]

Chen Yi gave a quick glance and turned back toward the capital of Shu Zhou. He understood clearly that Song Jinji could never simply let matters rest, or rather, the schemes of the Cui family of Qinghe, lurking behind him, were already poised to strike. There would be consequences. Fortunately, he had now found the true culprit, unlike before when he could not quite discern the intentions of the person who had come. Good.

Chen Yi rode at speed, his thoughts occupied, "The most urgent matter now is to confirm the whereabouts of the lady." If she already knew of Fu Wanqing's affairs, then... After a few had gone away.

Song Jinji emerged from the shadows of a nearby tree, his expression composed, the entire figure shrouded in darkness. He looked at the backs of Chen Yi and the others, his eyes cold: "The 'Dragon and Tiger,' as well as Shu and... the people from the Fengyu Lou?" Beside him, Liu Zhao Sleuth nodded, "The poisonous insects sent by Pei Yonglin conveyed it this way." It had now been confirmed that "Dragon and Tiger" Liu Wu was indeed the head of the Bai Caotang, Chen Yu. He was also the one who had been friendly with the Xiao family and had previously disrupted all our schemes against the Liu family.

Liu Zhao Sleuth was no fool. She had long known that "Dragon and Tiger" Liu Wu had secretly sabotaged Liu Hong's plans. Now that his true identity had been uncovered, how could she fail to realize his connection to the deaths of Liu Wen and Liu Jing? Song Jinji took a deep breath, his expression easing, "Since that's the case, he must be eliminated." Liu Zhao Sleuth was taken aback, "My lord, what do you intend to do?" Song Jinji shook his head, "Pei Yonglin's words were accurate; the White Immortal is now in Shu Zhou. To act against the Fengyu Lou, he would spare no effort in seeking death." All would be decided after he and the "Snow Sword Master" have their duel. After all...

Song Jinji recalled Chen Yi's earlier words—"Your schemes have not gone smoothly"—and the image of Xiao Jinghong's ruthless face flashed in his mind, his complexion darkening. "This matter here requires the Supreme Ruler's decision." The Supreme Ruler... Liu Zhao Sleuth knew that the "Supreme Ruler" he referred to was the one from the Cui family of Qinghe, and felt a certain reverence. The Liu family of Jingzhou, with a century of legacy, and the Cui family of Qinghe, with a millennium's heritage, were not comparable. Even if the Liu family had once risen to prominence due to Liu Xiangzheng, a concubine's influence could only stir the air by the pillow, paling in comparison to Cui Mei's dominance over the realm. For if the concubine were inept, she couldn't even decipher the whispers by the pillow. Otherwise, how could the Liu family of Jingzhou have been extinguished entirely?

Unaware of her thoughts, Song Jinji reached out to embrace her waist and leaped into the air. "For the next two days, we'll leave Shu Zhou." "My lord, are you concerned about the Fengyu Lou?" "A gentleman doesn't stand beneath a dangerous wall; be cautious, lest you make a grave mistake..."

(End of Chapter)