Sometimes, I really don't know if Ling is free and unrestrained or just irresponsible. He leaves as he pleases, without a word more than necessary.

Ling was right.

I'm just a small-time warlock making a living in the martial world. Liangjie Tang (Two Realms Hall) can't even be considered a true martial arts organization. The emergence of Tanlang (Greedy Wolf Star) and the struggle for dominance in the martial world have nothing to do with me.

The great calamity of the occult world? If the tribulation doesn't fall on my head, why should I worry about the occult world?

Isn't it better to earn money steadily and drink a little wine? When I've earned enough, I'll retire from the martial world. Isn't that the righteous path?

If I have any attachment to the martial world, it's finding news about my father. However, these things can't be rushed; it all depends on fate.

Since Ling has already cleaned up the mess for me, there's no need for me to worry about these things.

It's more important to care about Ye Yang and Feng Ruoxing, those two "disabled" guys.

Ye Yang has been living a very comfortable life these past two days. With his hands out of commission, he's relying entirely on Nie Xiaochun to take care of him.

That girl Nie Xiaochun is serving Ye Yang like a little maid, almost bathing him and helping him to the toilet.

Can I let him live so comfortably?

It makes me uncomfortable just watching him!

When I snuck into Ye Yang's room, he was gone. Wasn't he supposed to be stuck in bed? How did he suddenly disappear?

When I found Ye Yang in the back garden, I saw him digging a hole in the ground and solemnly placing his broken sword in it. He stood by the pit, seemingly lost in thought.

Ye Yang was covered in dirt, but Nie Xiaochun beside him was spotless. It seemed Ye Yang hadn't asked Nie Xiaochun for help and had dug the hole himself with one hand.

I quietly walked up behind Ye Yang, and he said, "I've been waiting for you. Help me fill it in!"

Ye Yang was burying his sword, burying it as if he were burying a person.

According to our local burial customs, close relatives shouldn't be the ones to fill the grave or erect a tombstone. That's the job of friends and family.

I took the shovel from Ye Yang and filled the hole, scoop by scoop. "Want me to build a mound?"

"No need!" Ye Yang sighed and walked back with his hands behind his back. There was a hint of loneliness in his figure, like a martial world traveler who had just bid farewell to an old friend, knowing that separation and death are common in the martial world but still unable to help feeling sad for his friend.

After I sent Ye Yang back, I kept circling around him. Ye Yang finally couldn't take it anymore. "What do you want to say?"

"Nothing!" I was thinking, how could Ye Yang, this cold dog who ignores everyone and bares his fangs at the slightest disagreement, be so sentimental about a sword?

However, I could only think about it in my heart and couldn't ask him directly.

Ye Yang rolled his eyes. "You're definitely not holding back anything good. Just say it! I won't get angry."

Like hell he wouldn't get angry.

Ye Yang may dress in white, but his heart is black. He'll probably hold a grudge in his heart. Plus, there's Feng Ruoxing. "Where did Feng Ruoxing go?"

"What do you want from me?" Feng Ruoxing walked in from outside. "I went with Old Liu to collect debts. Aoxue Zong (Proud Snow Sect) is gone, but Shen Qingbai didn't deny the debt. She sent someone over with a check to pay off half of what she owed us."

"She said that Aoxue Zong is not what it used to be, and she will repay the rest of the money as soon as possible. She also owes us a favor. If Liangjie Tang encounters trouble, she will definitely come to help. This is the token she left behind."

I took a short sword with the name "Shen Qingbai" engraved on it from Feng Ruoxing.

If I'm not mistaken, this kind of short sword should be something the sect issues to its disciples to be used for the sect's sake in critical moments. Each disciple only has one. It not only represents the glory of the sect but also the life of the sword holder.

Shen Qingbai gave me her short sword to tell me that if Liangjie Tang is in trouble, she will definitely risk her life to come.

Shen Qingbai still doesn't know that the entire martial world schemed against Aoxue Zong.

It's better if she doesn't know. Sometimes, those who understand are more miserable than those who don't.

I casually put the short sword in the drawer. "I probably won't need it in the future."

Feng Ruoxing said, "When I came back, I noticed that Liangjie Tang's luck has changed. Liangjie Tang now possesses luck comparable to that of an occult sect. Are we...?"

"Don't even think about it!" I quickly waved my hand. "It's enough for us to just have a hall. Forming a gang is just asking to be taken care of by the authorities."

It's often said in the martial world: gang, association, hall, sect, school—few people know how these should be classified.

Strictly speaking, a hall should be the smallest unit, with the hall itself being the place of business. A hall is a place for doing business and doesn't have many people.

Gangs and associations definitely don't do business at their headquarters. The business is left to the halls below. Unless it's a big deal that requires the leader to come forward, no one speaks about business at the headquarters. The same goes for associations.

Another characteristic of gangs and associations is that they're mixed. All kinds of people can join. Although the higher-ups in the gang can take on disciples, there's no unified inheritance. So there are masters and disciples who pass on their skills, and there are gang members who don't. Although there's also talk of seniority, at the core it's still a relationship of superiors and subordinates.

Schools only have master-disciple relationships. Seniority is more important than hierarchy, and there's a clear inheritance. Just by watching someone fight, you can tell which school they come from.

A sect is just a school above a school. When disciples from a school complete their training and establish their own branches, the original school can become a sect. It takes on the meaning of being from the same origin.