jdhmnovel Chapter 102 Senior Brother
Chapter 102 Senior Brother
The night was cool and still, and Fei Xi tossed and turned in bed. Listening to the even breathing beside her, she sat up and couldn't help but look up and touch the top of her head.
As she touched him, she couldn't help but giggle foolishly. Her smile, like a summer bubble, swayed and soared higher and higher until it was almost out of sight. Then, with a "pop," she sighed in frustration, realizing something, and quietly got out of bed.
She pushed open the window, and the silvery full moon gently brushed across the windowsill and landed on her hand. She looked forlornly at the moonlight on her hand, lost in thought.
Just as Fei Xi was about to close the window and go back to bed to rest, the sound of the zither, like a mountain stream flowing through a layer of mist, appeared faintly in the night.
The little girl's round eyes widened instantly at the sound of the familiar piano music. Fei Xi glanced back at the bed and saw that she had turned over and was sleeping even more soundly.
Her tiptoes moved as lightly as a deer in the night, the rustling of her clothes blending into the sound of the wind.
After leaping over a set of steps, the viewing pavilion on Luoxia Slope comes into view under the starlight and moonlight.
Along with the pavilion, what also came into Fei Xi's view, besides the starlight, was a white figure playing the zither.
After calming her rapid breathing, Fei Xi tiptoed into the pavilion.
Whether Senior Bian was too engrossed in playing the zither or already knew it was her, he didn't even lift his eyelids once.
Seeing that Senior Bian ignored her, Fei Xi nervously touched her nose, but did not interrupt the music as she had done before.
Perhaps she was afraid that if she spoke up, Senior Bian would send her back to rest, and then she wouldn't know what excuse to use to stay.
One played the zither, while the other listened quietly; their interaction felt as if they were back in their room at Shuohan Peak, recovering from illness.
The only difference was that before, she couldn't see Senior Bian playing the zither because of the screen.
At this moment, her gaze traveled down the other person's face, finally landing on the fingers that were playing the zither.
Her long, strong fingers shone as if they were carved from jade by the goddess Nuwa herself.
It's hard to believe that Senior Bian used the same hands when he killed with his sword. With such beautiful fingers gripping the hilt, he could easily take another's life if he wanted to.
Even though his hands weren't holding a sword, Fei Xi felt as if her life was already in his hands, being manipulated and played with at will.
"Your master had two disciples before you."
The music stopped sometime ago, and the swordsman's fingers remained pressed on the strings, no longer plucking. The air around him seemed to grow colder with the night.
Fei Xi was stunned for a while before she realized what Senior Bian was talking about.
"I have a senior brother?" She had never heard her master mention it before.
"The Heavenly Gang of Qingcheng moves, and the Eight Dragons enter the Jianghu. Before you, there were eight third-generation disciples of the Qingcheng Sect, known in the Jianghu as the Eight Heavenly Dragons. Your two senior brothers are Zhenlong Zhai Fu and Lilong Lu Yun Chu."
During the Great War of Wei, her grandmaster fell into a coma and was sent to the rear. Apart from her master Wei Jiucheng and her sect leader Uncle Mu Shize, all the other members of the Qingcheng Sect died on the battlefield.
This past event was too tragic. Fei Xi wasn't uninterested, but every time she saw her master's sorrowful and painful expression when it was mentioned, she couldn't bear to ask any further questions.
"Was the annihilation of my Qingcheng Sect related to my two senior brothers?"
Senior Bian wouldn't bring up the past of the Qingcheng Sect to her for no reason. Fei Xi thought for a moment and guessed that Senior Bian was talking to her about this because of what she had said in the carriage.
"During the Battle of Ninghai City, all the major sects in the martial arts world were trapped in Ninghai City. The Qingcheng Sect fought against the army of undead from the northern barbarians with their own flesh and blood, and fought their way out, giving all the sects in the martial arts world a chance to survive."
"In this battle, apart from your master Wei Jiucheng and your senior uncle Mu Shize, all the other members of the Qingcheng Sect perished."
"Last year, Agula, the chief of the Sand Mountain tribe, which was the most powerful tribe in the northern border, attacked the surrounding tribes, gathered his people, unified the tribes in the northern desert, and declared himself Khan."
"Two months ago, someone saw Lu Yun Chu, who should have been dead, appear in the Khan Agula's tent and become the vanguard general in the attack on Ninghai City."
There was no emotional fluctuation in Senior Bian's voice as he spoke, but Fei Xi understood that given Senior Bian's upright character, he would never have spoken of it so easily if it hadn't already been confirmed.
Former comrades-in-arms have become enemy generals...
Fei Xi frowned; she was still confused and puzzled.
“Even if my master’s disciple did not die and even defected to the enemy, the people of my Qingcheng Sect are all loyal and righteous. How can the Spirit Hall agree to let other sects destroy my entire Qingcheng Sect because of one person’s mistake?”
Her tone carried a hint of resentment and anger. The swordsman released the strings, stood up, and walked to her.
"Emperor Hua also knows about this matter. Three months ago, Yujia Pass fell. General Li Meng, who was in charge of guarding Yujia Pass, impeached that someone in the martial arts world colluded with foreign tribes and stole the city's defense map, which led to the fall of Yujia Pass. At that time, another official brought up an old matter, saying that during the Great War of Wei, there were countless martial arts masters, and Cui Chou alone could have wiped out the entire Kunke tribe. However, the martial arts world fought so hard during the Great War of Wei because someone in the martial arts world colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. Emperor Hua was furious when he heard this and sent people to question the Martial Soul Hall, ordering the Martial Soul Hall to thoroughly investigate the matter."
"So the Qingcheng Faction, which actually had traitors who defected to the enemy, became the scapegoat to appease Emperor Hua's anger?"
The anger in his upturned eyes intensified, and the swordsman lowered his gaze, staring intently into those eyes that seemed to see right through him.
“Your master never believed that your senior brother had defected to the enemy.”
"Master..."
Fei Xi stood there, stunned, muttering to herself. She understood.
She didn't know what kind of person this senior brother she had never met was, but her master was unwilling to give up on his disciple who had been brought back from the dead, and he was unwilling for the Spirit Hall to accuse his disciple of treason. He wanted to seek the truth and, more importantly, he wanted to seek justice for his disciple...
The "stubborn" Qingcheng Sect refused to distance themselves from the traitor, refused to beg for forgiveness, and instead, instead turned their backs on the entire martial arts world to investigate the "truth."
If something harms the interests of those who have the power to make decisions, no powerful person will be willing to sacrifice their own interests to listen to the voice of the weak.
Who the traitors were didn't matter; the big shots just wanted to get rid of the trouble as quickly as possible, and that was the real reason why the Qingcheng Sect was wiped out.
“Little girl, things in your Qingcheng Sect are not as simple as they seem. Tie Guxing is dead.”
A figure suddenly jumped into the pavilion from outside, interrupting the staring contest between the two. As soon as the person entered, he threw something into Bian Yuan's arms.
"how?"
"It doesn't matter."
Fei Xi watched the two engaging in a cryptic conversation speechlessly. She glanced curiously at the cliff outside the pavilion, wondering how this person hadn't fallen to their death.
"This little hill is no different from flat ground to me." Noticing Fei Xi's little movements, the newcomer opened the seal on the wine jar while glancing at her with a half-smile.
"Senior Cui's martial arts are unparalleled, and his reputation for slaughtering across the nine provinces is known to everyone in the martial arts world. How could I possibly have any doubts? May I ask what you meant by what you just said?"
“It means exactly what it says.” Cui Chou gave a wicked, malicious smile, refusing to reveal a single word.
The little girl in front of him was such a smooth-talking little liar. She said she would come to treat his injuries the next day, but after she tricked him, she disappeared.
Fei Xi was completely oblivious to the other party's perverted smile. She took the wine pot from Senior Bian's hand, took out a jade cup from the hidden compartment of the zither case, carefully wiped it clean with a handkerchief, poured wine from the pot, and handed it to Senior Bian.
After doing all this, she looked up at Cui Chou and asked seriously:
"Senior Cui, how did the Iron Fortress Lord die?"
Cui Chou, completely disregarding his image, tilted his head back and drank the wine in large gulps, not caring that the wine spilled down his lips and onto his clothes. Turning around, he saw his friend take the wine cup and drink it all in one go, while the little girl stood obediently to the side, pouring another cup for her friend.
With no one to serve him, Cui Chou suddenly felt that the wine in his mouth was only spicy and burning in his throat, and not so fragrant anymore.
"Where's your new maid?" He ignored the maid's question, addressing Bian Yuan while his eyes remained fixed on the maid opposite him. He watched with amusement as the maid's expression changed at his words.
"How did Tie Guxing die amidst all this trouble?"
He gave Cui Chou a cold, warning look. Initially, Cui Chou found the rumor absurd, but suddenly felt there might be some truth to it.
He was stabbed to death in his bedroom with the "Silent Falling Snow" sword. Rumors in the martial arts world say that you fell in love with a beauty from the Qingcheng Sect, and in order to win her smile, you sent people from Tianshan to kill Tie Guxing, just to avenge her.