Chapter 191: Gratitude and Grudges, Love and Hatred

Black Stone City, the Huyan Family.

Huyan Bo knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold green bricks. Cold sweat soaked through his back, and he dared not even breathe.

Huyan Muyuan stood before the window, hands clasped behind his back. After a long silence, he finally broke the deathly stillness. "You’re saying... Yin Zhao still hasn’t returned, and not even a body has been found? And that Su Yu has returned to the Su Mansion, safe and sound?"

"Y-Yes... Patriarch." Huyan Bo’s voice trembled.

"A fine Su Yu indeed! He’s remarkably hard to kill!"

Huyan Muyuan turned around, a hint of ice in his eyes. "Anything unusual from the White Ape Martial Arts Hall?"

"Patriarch, we have been unable to track Qin Fangqiong’s movements. But... there’s been an incident at the Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall. The master, Zhou Sinan, has been missing for several days. The Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall is leaderless, and its members are in disarray."

"So that’s how it is."

Understanding dawned on Huyan Muyuan in an instant. He sneered. "It seems he fell for that old fox Qin Fangqiong’s trap. He used Su Yu as bait to lure Zhou Sinan."

"This isn’t your fault. Yin Zhao was just unlucky to have stumbled into it."

Huyan Muyuan sat back down in his Grandmaster’s Chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop. "However, with Yin Zhao dead, Qin Fangqiong has surely noticed something amiss with our Huyan Family."

"You don’t need to worry about this anymore," Huyan Muyuan instructed. "Go send an invitation to Qin Fangqiong. Ask him to come here. I will speak with him personally."

"Patriarch, what about Su Yu... should we still keep people watching him?"

"Not for now. Let me first sound out that old devil Qin’s bottom line. As long as that Yang Zhen is still in Black Stone City, he won’t escape the Huyan Family’s grasp."

...

Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall.

A pungent stench of medicine and rot filled the gloomy room.

Ever since Chen Fan had crippled his Dantian and limbs at the Martial Examination, the once high-spirited Zhou Heng had been hiding here like a walking corpse, never seeing the light of day.

First Senior Brother Zhou Hai and Second Senior Brother Zhou Jing pushed the door open and entered.

Looking at his junior brother on the cot—eyes lifeless, face gaunt—Zhou Hai felt an indescribable sorrow well up inside him.

Although he was the First Senior Brother, he was stuck at the mid-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm and was simply not strong enough to uphold the hall’s reputation.

It wasn’t until their master took in Junior Brother Zhou Heng that everyone became filled with hope for the future. Master had poured all his heart and soul into Zhou Heng, hoping he would carry on his legacy, but who could have known it would end like this.

He sighed and pulled a letter from his robes. "Junior Brother, look at this. I’m afraid something has happened to Master..."

"That old bastard is in trouble?"

The vacant look in Zhou Heng’s eyes suddenly focused. He whipped his head around like a caged beast and let out a crazed, hoarse laugh.

"HAHAHAHA! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! He’s a master at the Perfection stage of the Muscle Forging Realm! Who in Black Stone City could kill him? The only ones who get hurt are his disciples! Just like me! HAHAHAHA!"

Zhou Hai watched him quietly, his hand holding out the letter trembling slightly, but he kept it raised.

After a long while, Zhou Heng’s laughter faded into a hoarse rasp. As if realizing something, he tremblingly reached out with his deformed hands and took the letter.

"My disciples, your master has gone to avenge Heng’er. If I do not return in three days, I fear I have met with misfortune."

"When you see this letter, disband the hall immediately and flee for your lives. Remember, do not act under the name of the Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall ever again..."

"Your master is useless; I failed to protect Heng’er... Dahai, take care of your junior brother for me!"

"I have left a small fortune at the Tongli Bank in Jian’an Prefecture. You can withdraw it with the token. Go there, take the money, and live well... Don’t ever come back to Black Stone City!"

"DRIP... DRIP..."

Murky tears dripped onto the letter, soaking the paper.

"No... impossible! That old bastard is in the Muscle Forging Realm! There’s no way those scumbags from the White Ape Martial Arts Hall could have killed him! If he wanted to escape, no one could have stopped him!"

Zhou Heng’s eyes were bloodshot. He snapped his head up to look at his two senior brothers and roared, "You’re lying to me! This letter is a fake! You must have conspired to trick me!"

Zhou Jing’s eyes were red-rimmed. He silently took a step forward and gently patted his junior brother’s back.

Zhou Hai remained silent, watching him quietly.

"Fake... it’s all fake..."

Zhou Heng’s voice grew softer and softer, finally turning into the despairing whimper of a dying animal that echoed long in the gloomy room.

...

Several days later, in the backyard of the White Ape Martial Arts Hall.

Wisps of blue smoke drifted upwards.

Qin Fangqiong lit three sticks of incense and placed them steadily in the censer. He gazed at Qi Linfeng’s memorial tablet, his voice hoarse as he spoke:

"Linfeng, your master has avenged you. Now that you are on your way to the Yellow Springs, all debts are settled. You... may you rest in peace."

Behind him, Su Yu, Qin Yu, Xu Feng, Lin Wanzhu, Jiang Liuchuan, and Chen Fan all bowed deeply in unison.

Although their great vengeance had been achieved, the atmosphere remained heavy.

Perhaps this was the way of the martial world; who could ever truly make sense of its tangled web of gratitude, grievances, love, and hate?

Chen Fan’s head was bowed, his expression shifting. Steeling himself, he suddenly spoke up. "Master! The Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall is now without a leader. We should strike while the iron is hot and eradicate them completely..."

Hearing this, Qin Yu immediately chimed in. "Yes, Father! Didn’t you always teach me to pull out weeds by the roots? We can spare the ordinary apprentices, but Zhou Sinan’s three Direct Disciples must die! Otherwise, they could become a hidden danger in the future!"

Qin Fangqiong glanced calmly at his daughter and Chen Fan, then shook his head. "When I give my word, it is as good as gold. Since I made a promise to Zhou Sinan at the Black Water Riverbank, this grudge ends with him."

Chen Fan didn’t dare say another word, but as he lowered his head, a flash of intense, venomous resentment and indignation showed in his eyes.

’Old bastard! You’re just playing the good guy! I’m the one who personally crippled Zhou Heng. If they come for revenge, I’ll be their first target! You’re not afraid because of your high cultivation, but have you ever spared a thought for whether I live or die?’

Chen Fan’s attitude toward Qin Fangqiong had changed drastically. All respect was gone, replaced by a festering hatred.

Because just yesterday, Qin Fangqiong had suddenly summoned him and told him that he had taken it upon himself to cancel the engagement with the Huyan Family’s third miss!

When Chen Fan heard this news, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning!

He demanded a reason, but Qin Fangqiong only said, "The Huyan Family’s ambitions are not small. They aren’t interested in your talent, and I fear it could be dangerous," without offering any specific details.

In Chen Fan’s eyes, this was a ridiculous excuse! Especially since he had heard from his senior sister that there was now friction between the Huyan Family and Su Yu!

He strongly suspected that Su Yu was the one who had sabotaged it!

’He had been fantasizing about marrying Huyan Tong, soaring to the heavens with the backing of that towering tree! With his Top-Grade Root Bone and the Huyan Family’s vast resources, reaching the Muscle Forging Realm would have been a certainty. He might have even had a great hope of reaching the Profound Bone Realm!’

’Then, he would have been able to completely crush that mud-legged peasant Su Yu under his foot!’

’But now... it was all ruined!’

’That old dog Qin! You’re obviously biased!’

’You gave the rare Purple Jade Bone-Washing Flower, a treasure that can reform one’s Root Bone, to Su Yu with his Lower-Grade Root Bone, but not to me with my Top-Grade one! Now you’ve ruined my future! What kind of master are you?!’

Especially after hearing from his senior sister that Su Yu had already broken through to the Flesh Refining Realm, the jealousy, fear, and indignation in Chen Fan’s heart had twisted into a hatred as venomous as a viper.

’Su Yu... Qin Fangqiong... Just you wait! No one will stop me from getting stronger!’

Meanwhile, Qin Yu watched her father’s slightly aged face, her elegant brows furrowed. She couldn’t understand her father’s thinking at all. This approach of not pulling out the weeds by the roots was completely unlike his usual decisive, thunder-like methods.

"Father, are you really going to let Zhou Sinan’s Direct Disciples go?"

"Let them go."

Qin Fangqiong gazed at the smoke curling up from the censer and said faintly, "One is a cripple, and the other two are mediocrities. They can’t make any big waves. If they truly have the skill to seek revenge... then I will be sitting right here, waiting for them!"

Seeing that her father had made his final decision, Qin Yu, though unwilling, could only swallow her objections.