Chapter 33: The Western Venom Escapes

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Qiu Zhiqing greeted each of his senior martial uncles in turn, then turned toward the old man in coarse hemp robes, his eyes filled with confusion. The man’s figure seemed strangely familiar.

Perhaps Ma Yu noticed his bewilderment. His expression solemn, he said, “Zhiqing, this is Chief Qiu Qianren of the Iron Palm Gang! Hurry and pay your respects to this senior of the martial world. If Chief Qiu had not informed us out of loyalty, we would never have known that our martial granduncle had fallen victim to the treachery of Old Heretic Huang!”

With that, he clenched his right hand into a fist and struck it heavily against his left palm.

Qiu Zhiqing stepped forward as instructed and saluted. “Greetings, Chief Qiu. You look rather familiar. Have we met before?”

Chief Qiu Qianren showed no reaction. Instead, he asked, “I spend most of my days secluded on Iron Palm Peak, cultivating in isolation. Surely you have mistaken me for someone else?”

Though he said this, his heart was somewhat uneasy. He was impersonating his younger brother, yet he had no idea whether that brother had ever met this person...

That was right. The man before them was not Qiu Qianren at all, but his elder brother, Qiu Qianzhang, in disguise. Qiu Zhiqing, however, knew nothing of this. There were simply too many details from the original story that he could no longer remember clearly. He only recalled the Junshan gathering, the secret-chamber healing, and the western campaign with the army.

Who could possibly know the exact timeline? The world was enormous. Even encountering the Seven True Ones of Quanzhen in Ox Village had required the guidance of the Azure Void True Person. How could one simply wander about and expect to keep running into the protagonists?

At that moment, Qiu Chuji could endure no longer. He cut Qiu Zhiqing off and snapped furiously, “Enough, Xiaoqing! Your martial granduncle has been harmed by Old Heretic Huang, and you still have the leisure to fuss over such trivial details?”

Qiu Chuji’s words pulled Qiu Zhiqing out of his thoughts. He had originally been wondering whether there might be some sort of secret chamber to search, but his interest vanished at once.

Zhou Botong was dead? That could not be right.

After reprimanding Qiu Zhiqing, Qiu Chuji launched into another tirade, most of it directed at Huang Yaoshi. The contents were so crude that even writing them down might have failed an editorial review.

Qiu Zhiqing broke into a cold sweat on his behalf.

“Martial Uncle, you have cultivated the Dao for so many years. Could you not accumulate a little virtue in your speech? Whether Martial Granduncle is here or not does not seem to have much effect on the Quanzhen Sect anyway, does it? After all, I have never even seen him in all these years...”

Clearly, someone else shared Qiu Zhiqing’s thoughts and also felt that Qiu Chuji’s insults behind Huang Yaoshi’s back were inappropriate—not because he thought Qiu Chuji lacked virtue, but because Huang Yaoshi’s disciple had overheard him.

“A bunch of old, filthy-haired bastards from the Quanzhen Sect! If you have the nerve, try provoking my master to his face! What kind of ability is it to gossip behind his back?”

Old, filthy-haired bastards?

In that case, there was no problem. Qiu Zhiqing considered himself young and certainly could not bear the title of “old, filthy-haired bastard.”

His master and martial uncles, of course, did not see it that way. Qiu Chuji, who had the most experience among them, uttered two words:

“Mei Chaofeng!”

Then he dashed out of the tavern. The other six followed close behind. Out of filial devotion to his master and martial uncles, Qiu Zhiqing hurried after them as well.

Outside the tavern, the Seven True Ones of Quanzhen had already formed the Big Dipper Formation and were surrounding Mei Chaofeng. Seeing this, Qiu Zhiqing could only stand quietly to one side.

He could not help grumbling inwardly.

“My martial uncle’s sword is always faster than his tongue. Could he not explain things clearly first? Why must everything begin with fighting and killing? Is Zhou Botong really so easy to kill? And when one thinks of Qiao Feng and A’Zhu, was that not also caused by poor communication? All those vows beneath Mount Sai, wasted on empty promises...”

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Realizing that his thoughts had wandered off course, Qiu Zhiqing hurriedly shook his head, casting away the jumble of nonsense. He focused on the battle before him.

Within the Big Dipper Formation, the internal energy of the Seven True Ones flowed between them as one.

Qiu Chuji possessed the deepest cultivation. He stood at the position of Tianquan, the Star of Literary Brilliance, regulating the formation from the center and bearing the brunt of the attacks. Wang Chuyi occupied the position of Yaoguang, the Army-Breaking Star, while Ma Yu stood at Tianshu, the Greedy Wolf Star. The two guarded the front and rear, launching attacks from the flanks, while the remaining members held their respective positions.

Within the formation, Mei Chaofeng’s White Python Whip moved with majestic force and extraordinary agility. Yet in terms of internal energy, she was far inferior to Qiu Chuji, whose power was amplified by the formation.

After barely twenty exchanges, she had been completely hemmed in. Attacked simultaneously from seven directions by the Seven True Ones, Mei Chaofeng was on the verge of defeat...

Then a conversation suddenly rang out, causing both sides to halt and grow vigilant.

“Brother Yao, the old bastards of Quanzhen are relying on their numbers to bully your disciple. Will you deal with them yourself, or shall I help teach them a lesson?”

The speaker was a sinister-looking man carrying a serpent-headed staff. If nothing unexpected had happened, this had to be Western Venom, Ouyang Feng, Qiu Zhiqing thought to himself.

Before the Seven True Ones could reposition themselves and reform the formation, a cold voice rang out.

“They dare bully someone from Peach Blossom Island? Naturally, I must personally teach them a lesson on behalf of their master.”

As soon as the words fell, a figure flashed forward and plunged into the Big Dipper Formation, which was still in the midst of changing positions. Caught off guard by the sudden charge, the Seven True Ones saw their unfinished formation shattered in an instant.

Although Huang Yaoshi’s words had been severe, Qiu Zhiqing saw that he had no intention of killing anyone. He therefore remained at the side, taking the opportunity to observe and learn.

They said that when the master was occupied, the disciple should bear the burden. Yet from the look of Qiu Zhiqing, he possessed a little filial devotion—but not very much.

The Seven True Ones were not flustered by the disruption. While continuing their fierce battle, they began reorganizing the formation. Before long, the Big Dipper Formation was restored, and Huang Yaoshi found himself locked in a stalemate with them.

Sword energy burst from Huang Yaoshi’s palms, striking away and dispersing the swords and sword energies attacking him from multiple directions. Whenever he found an opening to land a palm strike, the Seven True Ones shared the impact through their linked internal energy. For a time, the battle was evenly matched.

Qiu Zhiqing watched, utterly absorbed.

He had never learned the Big Dipper Formation before, but by comparing its operating principles with the Circulatory Energy Technique, he managed to comprehend most of its structure. All that remained was to practice and refine it later.

While Qiu Zhiqing watched with great interest, and while the Seven True Ones and Huang Yaoshi fought back and forth, Ouyang Feng could no longer bear to stand by.

“Brother Yao, I shall assist you!”

The shout jolted Qiu Zhiqing back to reality. Ouyang Feng had already seized his second martial uncle and was about to take the old man’s life with a single palm strike.

Qiu Zhiqing shouted, “You treacherous brute, dare you!”

A flash of sword light appeared. Ouyang Feng felt the hairs on the right side of his body rise sharply. He released a burst of force through the hand gripping Tan Chuduan, sending Tan Chuduan flying even as he retreated two steps and avoided Qiu Zhiqing’s sword.

Seeing Ouyang Feng withdraw, Qiu Zhiqing did not dare pursue him. Instead, he hurried over to examine Tan Chuduan’s injuries while secretly guarding against another sneak attack.

The other six members of the Quanzhen Sect saw this and were consumed by fury. Their eyes nearly split with rage as they threw themselves at Huang Yaoshi with all their strength.

Qiu Zhiqing could not help complaining inwardly that, at a moment like this, his elders were still more interested in arranging a duel than saving the injured. Even so, he pressed one hand against his second martial uncle’s back and began treating him.

As for Huang Yaoshi, seeing Ouyang Feng launch a sneak attack, he immediately cursed, “Who asked for your help? Attacking from behind is the behavior of a petty villain!”

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When Ouyang Feng heard this, his temper flared.

So Huang Yaoshi considered himself noble and above reproach? Did that old heretic truly have no idea what sort of person he was? And he still had the nerve to call Ouyang Feng a petty villain?

Very well. Then he would show him exactly how petty a villain could be.

Rage welled up from the depths of his heart, and wickedness stirred within his courage. With a loud shout, he declared, “Since you do not want my help, then I shall help them instead!”

Before Huang Yaoshi could react, Ouyang Feng unleashed a full-powered Toad Skill strike at his back.

Huang Yaoshi was trapped between the desperate attacks of the six Quanzhen elders in front and Ouyang Feng’s sneak attack behind him. With no other choice, he circulated his true energy and prepared to endure the blow head-on.

Yet no one expected Mei Chaofeng, who had been meditating to recover, to suddenly flash behind Huang Yaoshi and block the attack for him.

She took Ouyang Feng’s Toad Skill strike squarely and was sent flying into Huang Yaoshi’s back. Realizing that the threat behind him had vanished, Huang Yaoshi immediately released a surge of power that sent the six Quanzhen elders flying. He then turned and caught Mei Chaofeng in his arms, glaring viciously at Ouyang Feng.

The murderous intent in his eyes needed no concealment.

Even Qiu Zhiqing, who was wholly focused on healing Tan Chuduan, saw it clearly.

Ouyang Feng was a pure villain who had survived to the present day. Naturally, he understood the meaning behind Huang Yaoshi’s gaze perfectly.

He had now offended not only the Seven True Ones of Quanzhen, but Huang Yaoshi as well.

Having never cultivated a single good deed in his life and loving nothing more than murder and arson, Ouyang Feng had nevertheless survived until now because he understood one simple truth:

Of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat was the best.

“Brother Yao, I helped you break the Big Dipper Formation, and I also helped you eliminate the traitor of Peach Blossom Island, Mei Chaofeng. You can deal with the remaining rabble yourself. I have other matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first...”

By the time the final word reached them, his figure had already vanished into the darkness of night.

At last, the six Quanzhen elders stopped fighting Huang Yaoshi to the death. They rushed over and surrounded Qiu Zhiqing and Tan Chuduan, bombarding them with questions about what had happened.

Sweat appeared on Qiu Zhiqing’s forehead. He released a burst of force, and Tan Chuduan coughed up a mouthful of stagnant blood. His faint, unstable breathing gradually steadied.

Only then did Qiu Zhiqing slowly let out a sigh of relief.

“Master, Martial Uncles, Second Martial Uncle is no longer in serious danger. He only needs half a month of quiet recuperation.”

Hearing this, the six elders all relaxed.

That had been far too close. If Qiu Zhiqing had not intervened just now, the Seven True Ones of Quanzhen might have been reduced to six.

Neither they nor Qiu Zhiqing knew that, in the original timeline, Tan Chuduan had died beneath Ouyang Feng’s hand on this very day.

Ouyang Feng had feared the combined might of the Seven True Ones’ Big Dipper Formation and Huang Yaoshi, so he had intended to take advantage of the chaos and eliminate them all at once. Unfortunately, his sneak attack on Tan Chuduan had been interrupted by Qiu Zhiqing before it could succeed, while his attack on Huang Yaoshi had been blocked by Mei Ruohua.

He had failed to gain the prize and instead covered himself in trouble, offending both Huang Yaoshi and the Quanzhen Sect.

All he could do was flee in disgrace.