Chapter 190 Strange Encounter in the Cherry Blossom Garden

When Yuan Qi and the group of martial artists who had finished their recuperation stealthily made their way into the cherry blossom garden, they immediately saw such a scene…

They saw a “freak” who looked three parts human and seven parts corpse chasing after a woman riding a tiger.

And that tiger was also quite bizarre… It had two super long, protruding tusks, and its size and fur color were unlike anything they had ever seen.

Of course, compared to the “giant eagle” and “stone bird monster” that this woman had ridden in Broken Soul Gorge, this tiger was considered quite normal… These martial arts experts had seen countless strange things today that subverted their common sense and worldview, and at this moment, there was basically no setting they couldn’t accept…

“Alliance Leader! Look!” Soon, someone discovered the other two figures in the garden.

Those two people… were naturally Feng Bujue and Cao Qin.

“Alliance Leader, should we…” Just as one of the sect leaders was about to ask Yuan Qi whether they should go up and help.

Before Alliance Leader Yuan could finish his sentence, he waved his hand and said, “No…”

His response, although somewhat ruthless, was understood by everyone… After all, the difference in skill was too great. Even if they went up, they would likely be sending themselves to their deaths in vain, or even become a burden to Feng Bujue.

Who knew that Yuan Qi’s words had a second half: “…I will go over alone. You all stay here.”

As soon as these words came out, everyone couldn’t help but look at him with admiration.

Immediately afterwards, there was a clamor in the crowd, and people began to say lines such as “The Alliance Leader is righteous and chivalrous,” “The Alliance Leader is truly a hero of this generation,” “I, so-and-so, have never admired anyone in my life, but today I am convinced…”

Yuan Qi didn’t pay too much attention to it. He just waited a few seconds and then continued, “Everyone… Cao Qin’s martial arts are so high that they are difficult to fathom. Although we haven’t seen him make a move, judging from the skills of his disciple ‘Yan Wang’ (King of Hell)… he has undoubtedly surpassed the realm of mortals.” He paused, “As for the martial arts of that Feng tea house owner… well… everyone has seen his wife’s swordsmanship… It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the work of gods.”

Speaking to this point, he paused, leaving some time for everyone to think.

“The martial arts of these two people are beyond our reach. Even Yuan… doesn’t have the confidence to interfere with their victory or defeat,” Yuan Qi continued. “But… if I don’t wade into this muddy water today… If the Feng tea house owner loses in the end, then Cao Qin will inevitably come to deal with us next. At that time… we will still be facing certain death.” He became more solemn as he spoke. “Alas… in short, whether we can leave Burial Heart Valley alive today… I’m afraid it will still depend on the will of Heaven.”

After speaking, he stopped and looked ahead, remaining silent for a moment.

Then, he seemed to have made a major decision, his eyes changed… and he rushed out.

…………

On the other hand, fifteen minutes ago…

“Eunuch Cao, sorry to keep you waiting!” When Feng Bujue returned to Cao Qin, he greeted him first.

“It’s nothing, I watched a good show.” Cao Qin replied, turning his head to look at the Blood Corpse God and Blood Rose in the distance. “Speaking of which… that girl and her companions seem to have various strange techniques like your Broken Sword Tea House.” His eyes changed slightly. “Who… exactly are you people?”

“If I tell you that we all come from ‘beyond the heavens,’ or… are ‘projections from another world,'” Feng Bujue tentatively replied, “would you not fight me?”

“Oh?” Cao Qin narrowed his eyes upon hearing this and began to ponder.

From the perspective of an NPC, his level was undoubtedly very high. His strength definitely belonged to unique data, and the planet he was on was also in the main universe.

However, from the perspective of the character’s world background, he was just an ancient person living in a Confucian world.

Due to the limited level of natural science and knowledge in the world he lived in, it was difficult for Cao Qin to understand concepts similar to “dimensions.”

In worlds with a technological leaning, even some NPCs with little education could learn about this information; while in those with a mythological or magical leaning, there were “high-level gods” who were almost omniscient.

As for the world Cao Qin was in, it was rather unfortunate… If the NPCs here wanted to perceive the existence of “dimensions” on their own, they could only rely on methods such as “entering the Dao” or “becoming a Buddha.”

However, this world was not the kind of place where cultivation was very convenient… There were no cultivation sects here, and things like cultivation techniques, elixirs, and magical treasures with old grandpas attached… were all non-existent.

If you wanted to cultivate here, you either had to practice martial arts or cultivate Chan (Zen)…

The former required you to reach the transcendental realm before you could touch the threshold of cultivation; while the latter was even more difficult than the former… I just said that there were no special cultivation techniques or elixirs here, so… cultivators had no way to increase their lifespan before entering the most basic Foundation Establishment stage. Unless you were the kind of person with amazing comprehension and a natural Buddha-like existence… otherwise, relying on meditation to gain Buddhist power… you definitely wouldn’t be able to do it without a hundred or eighty years of life.

In summary, although Eunuch Cao was very strong, Feng Bujue’s “theory of extraterrestrial projection” was still a new thing for him, and a new thing that was difficult to believe…

“Hehe… Hahahaha…” After thinking for about a minute, Cao Qin laughed loudly. “This statement… is indeed difficult to believe, but… if what you say is true, then all the doubts that have troubled me until now… will have a reasonable explanation.”

“As expected of Eunuch Cao, with this vision alone, you are much stronger than most people in the world.” Feng Bujue himself used to be someone who didn’t believe in ghosts and gods, and he could understand Cao Qin’s mood at this time – it was probably similar to when he first met Woody.

“Whether it was Cangling Town or the Summit of the Forbidden City…” Cao Qin did not respond to Brother Jue’s praise, but continued, “…or today… you people always appear suddenly and disappear in a flash of light; after many years, your appearance remains unchanged… In addition, the techniques, spells, and strange hidden weapons you use… are all unlike anything in this world.” He spoke faster and faster, a sign that his thoughts were clear. “…Hmph, good Broken Sword Tea House, I finally understand your secret… Hahahaha…”

Cao Qin, finally felt relieved…

As I said before, someone like him could accept others being stronger than him. What he feared… was only the unknown.

“It seems… I should have told you earlier,” Feng Bujue replied when he saw the other party’s reaction. “In that case…” He turned his head and looked at Lin Yan’s corpse in the distance, “…things might not have come to this point.”

“You seem very troubled by Lin Yan’s death?” Cao Qin gave Brother Jue a deep look and continued.

“To be honest, I didn’t want to kill her,” Feng Bujue replied. “She was a pitiful person, she didn’t do anything wrong.” His eyes sharpened. “The one who is wrong… is you.”

“Hmm…” Cao Qin nodded. “You’re right, I’m not her benefactor, but her enemy… the enemy who ruined her forty years of life.”

“But, in order to complete your ‘ideal’… you wouldn’t care about this level of sacrifice,” Feng Bujue said in a deep voice.

“Ha!” Cao Qin laughed again, this time… a bitter laugh. “How do you know I don’t care?”

“Could it be that you do care?” Feng Bujue’s expression changed slightly, and he asked doubtfully.

“I originally didn’t care,” Cao Qin replied. “At least when I designed to kill her mother, I didn’t have any hesitation.”

“Later… did your thoughts change?” Feng Bujue asked again.

“Yes,” Cao Qin said.

“Why?” Feng Bujue asked.

“Naturally, it’s because of emotion,” Cao Qin said.

“Someone like you… can still have emotions?” Feng Bujue asked.

“I am also a person,” Cao Qin said. “Human hearts are made of flesh. No matter how detached a person is, they will have emotions.”

“Heh… I thought you had already lost your heart,” Feng Bujue sneered.

“Hmm…” Cao Qin sighed in disappointment. “Indeed, I have killed many people, some good, some bad, and more… innocent people, the so-called sacrifices; I, Cao, have been in the imperial court for more than sixty years, and the number and severity of the evil deeds I have committed… have already exceeded anyone’s imagination. In my position… If I didn’t throw my conscience to the back of my mind, I would probably have gone crazy or committed suicide long ago.”

Speaking to this point, he changed the subject: “At first, I also thought… that I had already lost my emotions and heart. But Lin Yan changed my view.” He paused for a second and continued, “Lin Yan was raised by me… She was well-behaved, sensible, and intelligent since she was a child, and she sincerely regarded me as her father; she had no idea… that I was her greatest enemy, and her family’s misfortune… was directly related to me, and even caused by me.”

“So you gradually developed guilt.” Feng Bujue looked directly into the other’s eyes. He could feel… that Cao Qin was not acting, and there was no need to act in this kind of scene.

“That’s right, I am the one who should feel guilty, not you…” Cao Qin shook his head. “Until she was killed by you, Lin Yan never blamed me. In her heart, I will always be the benefactor and adoptive father who raised her.” He clenched his fists. “Even if I don’t have affection for her, at least I have guilt.”

“Hehe…” Hearing this, Feng Bujue smiled. “Eunuch Cao, it seems that you… are just so-so.”

“What did you say?” Cao Qin’s expression changed upon hearing this; a feeling of unease… rose rapidly in his heart.

“Could it be that you really thought… that Lin Yan didn’t know that her mother’s death was related to you?” Feng Bujue immediately replied.

In that instant, the expression on Cao Qin’s face changed drastically.

“You understand, right?” Feng Bujue also knew that the other party was a smart person, and he understood it with a single point. “You said that she was ‘intelligent,’ how could she not have noticed the truth of that year after more than forty years?”

“Then… why did she…” Cao Qin’s speech became stuttering.

“Because… she also has emotions,” Feng Bujue interrupted. “She made a choice between hatred and kindness, so… she chose to hate me, to hate someone she had never met and might never meet. She transferred all her hatred to me, so she could live easier, so she could… continue to regard you as her benefactor and father.” His tone was not passionate, but every word he said hit Cao Qin’s soul directly. “In fact, she was living in pain, more pain than you can imagine… until today…”

“Today…” Cao Qin’s eyes widened, and his body began to tremble.

“Whether you, as her master, have noticed it or not, I have noticed it…” Feng Bujue said, “When I fought with her earlier, although Lin Yan seemed very excited, she actually didn’t use her full strength. Whether this was out of subconsciousness or deliberate, what I could feel was—that she would rather be killed by me than kill me.”

“Lin Yan… she…” At this moment, Cao Qin also turned to look at Lin Yan’s corpse. “She…”

“Alas… If I die, who else can she hate?” Feng Bujue sighed.

Cao Qin choked up, lowered his head, and murmured, “What a foolish child…”

He finally couldn’t restrain his emotions, and his eyes were wet.

For decades, Cao Qin’s face had always been indifferent or smiling. He had long forgotten the feeling of sourness in his heart churning outwards and being unable to control it.

Even at the moment when Lin Yan died, he only showed a brief shock and anger; he almost immediately suppressed the outbreak of emotions and put on his usual look.

But at this moment, Cao Qin was almost out of control.

“Tea house owner Feng… I’m sorry, I lost my composure…” After another moment of silence, Cao Qin wiped his face, adjusted his expression, and continued.

“It’s okay, it’s human nature,” Feng Bujue said.

“Do you still remember… my twelve supreme skills?” In the next second, Cao Qin suddenly changed the topic.

“What?” Feng Bujue said, “Does Eunuch Cao still want to give me some pointers?”

“No… I don’t mean that…” Cao Qin’s tone was much gentler, becoming more like an old man, an elder, and his eyes also revealed a hint of exhaustion. “I just want to… talk to you about a deal.”

…………

Returning to the present, Yuan Qi used his qinggong (light body skill) to the extreme, passing through the forest, and in the blink of an eye, he had rushed to Cao Qin and Feng Bujue’s side.

And those two… seemed to have just agreed on something and were waiting for something.

“Tea house owner Feng! I, Yuan, am here to help you!” Yuan Qi approached them from five or six meters away, shouting and drawing the cloth-wrapped sword from his waist.

Who knew…

“Alliance Leader Yuan, you’ve come at the right time,” Feng Bujue turned his head and said. “We were waiting for you.”

“Wh… what?” Yuan Qi was stunned upon hearing this, and his figure also stopped.

Alliance Leader Yuan immediately thought to himself—"Could it be? Could it be that these two fiends have formed an alliance? Are they going to destroy the world?"

Immediately afterwards, Feng Bujue threw out a question: “Alliance Leader Yuan, are you interested… in becoming the supreme leader of the martial world?”

The tone he used to ask this question was similar to saying, “Are you interested in going for a walk with me?”

“Huh?” Yuan Qi was obviously unable to react.

“If you are, let’s discuss it…” Feng Bujue didn’t wait for the other party to give an answer and continued, “As long as you follow my arrangements, after today, you can still be your martial arts alliance leader, and… you can also learn several martial arts that are no less powerful than the Fate Chen Profound Skill. As for the group of martial arts bosses you brought, I will teach you how to explain it to them… I guarantee that you will be able to fool them perfectly without any future troubles.”

“This…” Yuan Qi was already tempted when he heard this.

“Of course, if you don’t want to listen to my arrangements… you can also choose otherwise.” After a breath, Feng Bujue instantly replaced his lazy face with an evil smile and continued, “Then Cao gonggong (eunuch) and I will join hands… and play with you intensely.”