Chapter Fourteen: The Eve

Nie Feng was about to say something when Bu Jingyun interrupted him first:

“What if we say no?”

As he spoke, the Void Cloud Energy within him surged more urgently, ready to respond to any possible situation.

Qin Shuang paid no mind to Bu Jingyun’s suspicion. Although in this world, Feng and Yun were the protagonists, they had not yet grown enough to pose a threat to her.

“Since I’m speaking frankly, think about it! If I wanted to kill you, I could have done so after Xiong Ba killed you both. Why bother now?”

Qin Shuang was utterly unconcerned by Bu Jingyun’s caution:

“From beginning to end, we have always stood on the same side.”

“No matter what you choose, I respect your decision, but afterward…”

“Senior Brother, I want to leave the Tianxia Assembly!”

Seeing the sudden silence, Nie Feng spoke up, and Bu Jingyun relaxed his guard.

“I know you’re kind-hearted, Junior Brother Feng. You don’t want to see us fighting and killing each other, master and disciple tearing one another apart—I understand. But I hope that once the final result is out, you’ll come back to help me!”

Qin Shuang was secretly plotting how to gather the seven Dragon-Slaying Martial Arts, or perhaps not even kill but severely injure and then seize the body.

Nie Feng smiled and shook his head:

“Perhaps we will meet again in the martial world.”

“Junior Brother Feng, wait!”

Qin Shuang tossed over the Tian Shuang Fist manual.

“This is the Tian Shuang Fist for my brother to practice, with my own annotations. You can take a look and decide whether to cultivate it or not. The martial world is full of perils—stay safe!”

Afterward, Qin Shuang threw the manual across. The essence of the Tian Shuang Fist had long since been integrated into the Ice Jade Nine Heavens technique. After years of cultivation, Ice Jade Nine Heavens had reached the seventh level and was advancing toward the eighth.

Its foundation was far sturdier than the original version, though Qin Shuang deliberately suppressed its progress, intending later to fuse the Return to Heaven Ice Art, the Sacred Heart Technique, and the Ice Heart Technique into Ice Jade Nine Heavens.

Most importantly, he wished to incorporate the Sword Saint’s Sword Twenty-Three—the technique that condensed time and space—into his Ice Jade Nine Heavens. That was what Qin Shuang truly desired.

Therefore, Qin Shuang had been lying low, waiting patiently.

Nie Feng looked at Qin Shuang with a complex expression, pocketed the Tian Shuang Fist manual, activated the Wind Catching Shadow technique, and vanished from the Tianxia Assembly in moments.

Bu Jingyun’s face was also complicated; he had never expected Qin Shuang to hand over his martial arts manual to Nie Feng.

Ignoring Bu Jingyun’s troubled look, Qin Shuang took out another Tian Shuang Fist manual and handed it to Bu Jingyun.

“Since you’re also a junior brother, I wouldn’t show favoritism. The fist and palm techniques have similarities. I wish you great progress, Junior Brother Bu!”

Bu Jingyun silently accepted the Tian Shuang Fist manual, but inwardly decided that he must repay this kindness from Senior Brother in the future.

The Tian Shuang Fist counters the Cloud Dispelling Palm, and since the two share common ground, Bu Jingyun would naturally benefit more than Nie Feng.

Moreover, having the countering Tian Shuang Fist would make completing the Cloud Dispelling Palm even smoother.

Bu Jingyun had long noticed that the Cloud Dispelling Palm was incomplete and had been contemplating how to perfect it; otherwise, how could he confront Xiong Ba in the future?

This was the fundamental reason Bu Jingyun accepted the Tian Shuang Fist manual.

Clutching the manual tightly, Bu Jingyun asked,

“Senior Brother, aren’t you worried I’ll take Kong Ci away?”

Nie Feng could leave easily, but Bu Jingyun could not. Now the entire martial world knew Kong Ci was Xiong Ba’s adopted daughter, soon to marry Qin Shuang, and to take Kong Ci away meant crossing Qin Shuang.

“If you had to choose between Xiong Ba and Kong Ci, who would you choose?”

Qin Shuang sighed softly. For him and Nie Feng, Kong Ci was more than affection—it was decades of companionship, like family.

For Bu Jingyun, Kong Ci was everything. The lonelier a man, the less he easily gives his heart, but once given, it was to the death.

So Bu Jingyun’s answer was clear: he would give up everything for Kong Ci. Qin Shuang pondered—if Bu Jingyun sacrificed everything for Kong Ci and then she left him, what would happen?

Only a man who has experienced the deepest love can understand the true meaning of affection…

Bu Jingyun did not quite grasp Qin Shuang’s meaning. Qin Shuang’s fingers moved slightly, and a crystal-clear ice flower appeared in his hand.

“How much do you really know about Kong Ci? She is now Xiong Ba’s adopted daughter. Would you kill her foster father?”

The ice flower shattered petal by petal, then regrew piece by piece.

“What if Kong Ci threatened you with her own death, demanding you give up killing Xiong Ba?”

Bu Jingyun’s eyes fixed on the changing flower in Qin Shuang’s hand, but a chill filled his heart.

“Kong Ci… won’t do that. She wouldn’t… how could she?”

Bu Jingyun shook his head in disbelief, stunned. He knew all too well what this choice implied.

“Do you think anything in the Tianxia Assembly can escape Xiong Ba’s control? As the one who watches over Xiong Ba’s three disciples, I’m his man. Isn’t it natural I monitor their every move?”

“Do you think your little schemes can hide from Xiong Ba? He just believes fate needs your Feng and Yun’s power!”

“Stop… just stop…”

Bu Jingyun, who regarded Kong Ci as everything—even willing to forsake revenge for her—felt his faith collapse in that moment.

The person caring for those close to him was sent by the man who killed his entire family. He had treated that person as one of his own and even loved him.

“How could it be? How could it be?”

Staggering out of the Tian Shuang Hall, Bu Jingyun wobbled back to his Feiyun Hall, not even responding to Wen Chouchou’s greeting along the way.

…

Since Xiong Ba took up the Sword Saint’s challenge, the entire martial world had fallen into a strange calm.

Everyone awaited the outcome of this battle to determine the future direction of the martial world.

…

Since Xiong Ba began his seclusion, the skies above the Tianxia Assembly occasionally roiled with winds and clouds, mist swirling as though a tremendous force stirred the world, causing the celestial phenomena to shift dramatically.

At the same time, the First Pavilion of the World occasionally emitted tri-colored lights, a majestic aura filling the surroundings, leaving Bu Jingyun, who had been quietly observing the First Pavilion, deeply alarmed.

During this time, Qin Shuang had delved deeply into the Three Absolutes technique, confident in his profound understanding of this martial art.

The Three Absolutes were created by the renowned Tang Dynasty general Li Jing. In his youth, Li Jing traveled the martial world, fighting for justice with reckless arrogance and melancholy. He crafted the Cloud Dispelling Palm, heavy with emotion, and the Wind God Kick, wild with intent.

Either technique alone wielded great power and momentum, utterly unrestrained.

Later, Li Jing created the Tian Shuang Fist, embodying the resilience of ice and frost to suppress the ever-changing winds and clouds, returning to simplicity and truth, combining the Three Absolutes into one.

Though Xiong Ba had not obtained the secret to the Three Absolutes’ unity—he developed his own Three-Part Return to Origin Qi—his path converged with the true Three Absolutes. If he perfected the Three-Part Return to Origin Qi, it would yield a serene return to simplicity rather than the overwhelming momentum seen now.