hen rolled that old paper in both of his hands and ripped it into a thousand pieces. He then hurled both of his hands open and the pieces of paper were blown all over the place by the wind. Yingying let out a sigh and said, “It’s best to destroy such a harmful thing!”

Linghu Chong laughingly said, “You’re afraid that I’m going to learn it?”

Yingying’s whole face blushed a deep red and she pursed her lips. She then said, “You’re speaking improperly.” Yingying then took out a medicine and applied it to her father’s and Shangguan Yun’s eye injuries.

Everyone’s face was also full of uncountable needle holes. Yingying looked into the mirror and saw a trace of blood on her left cheek. Even though it was really thin, it would still leave a scar when it heals and she didn’t feel happy about it.

Linghu Chong said, “You already have all the luck in this world so the ghosts and gods would envy you. So this little scar on your face would definitely bring untold amount of good fortune.”

“What lucky thing do I have?”

“You’re beautiful and smart, your martial art is high, your father is the divine sect’s Chief, and you yourself is admired by many heroes in this world. Furthermore, you’re a woman that even Dongfang Bubai was jealous of.” Yingying gave him a smile and forgot all about the injury to her face.

Ren Woxing and the four of them went out of Dongfang Bubai’s little house, went through the garden, tunnel, and went back to the hall. Ren Woxing passed down a command ordering all the Halls’ elders and the Fragrant Masters to come see him. He sat at the Chief’s seat and laughingly said, “That servant Dongfang Bubai had many wicked schemes. He sat highly on the cliff and put a big distance between his subordinates and himself so all of them were awed by him. What’s this hall called?”

Shangguan Yun replied, “Reporting to Chief. This hall is called ‘Hall of Refined Kindness’. This name came from the praise to Chief which says ‘Refined scholar, kind-hearted warrior’.”

Ren Woxing laughed. “Refined scholar, kind-hearted warrior! Skilled with both pen and sword; that’s not easy to do!” He then beckoned to Linghu Chong. “Chong’er, come here.” Linghu Chong went in front of him.

“Chong’er, that day in Hangzhou, I invited you to join our sect. At that time, I had just escaped from my imprisonment and was all by myself, so you probably didn’t believe all my promises to you. This time, I’ve already regained the leadership of the sect. The first matter I’d like to bring up is that old matter again…” Ren Woxing said till here when his right hand patted the chair next to him. “Sooner or later, this position will be yours. Haha, haha!”

Linghu Chong said, “Chief, Yingying’s kindness towards me is high like the mountain. If you wanted me to do anything, I would never decline it. But I’ve already given my promise to other people to do another matter. So this matter of joining the divine sect, please forgive junior for not being able to promise you this.”

Both of Ren Woxing’s eyebrows were gradually raised, and he gloomily said, “You know what’s going to happen for not listening to my order!”

Yingying went up and pulled Linghu Chong’s arm. “Daddy, today is your big day. Why must you be worried about this kind of small matter? We can slowly talk about him joining the sect later.”

Ren Woxing turned his head slightly to the right and glanced sideways with his left eye towards the two of them. “Hng, Yingying, you only want your husband and don’t want your father anymore, don’t you?”

Xiang Wentian laughed at the side. “Chief, Brother Linghu is only a young hero so he’s still very stubborn. Let subordinate speak about it slowly with him…” As he said till here, there were tens of people outside the hall calling out, “Martial Hall elders, Hall Masters and Vice Hall Masters, five branches of Fragrant Masters and Vice Fragrant Masters have come to see the refined scholar, kind-hearted warrior, the just and wise Chief. Chief flourishes the sacred sect and benefits the common people. Long live the Chief, unifies the Jianghu.”

Ren Woxing shouted, “Enter!”

More than ten men entered the hall and knelt in front of Ren Woxing. When he was the chief of the Divine Sun Moon Sect, he only cupped his fists in saluting the brothers in the sect. So when he saw them kneeling down, he immediately stood up and waved his arm. “There’s no need…” Suddenly he thought, “It’s not sufficient to receive these people without power. In the past, my leadership of the sect was usurped by traitors because I treated them too leniently. Since Dongfang Bubai already introduced this kneeling as propriety then I don’t need to change it.” He immediately cupped his fist back at them and didn’t say anything as he sat back down.

Not long after that, another group of people entered the hall. When they knelt before him, Ren Woxing did not stand up anymore and just nodded his head. At this time, Linghu Chong had already retreated to the entrance of the hall and was far away from the Chief’s seat. Under the dim light of the hall, Ren Woxing’s face looked blur from where he was. He thought, “There’s no difference whether Ren Woxing or Dongfang Bubai is sitting in that seat.” He then heard the praises of all the hall leaders and Fragrant Masters getting louder and louder as they went, and they all sounded like they were afraid of Ren Woxing. For the past ten years, they had been working their best for Dongfang Bubai so it was unavoidable that they were feeling guilty towards Chief Ren. They didn’t know how Chief Ren would punish them if he brought up the past events. Furthermore, some of them had never known of Ren Woxing before. Some of these people only knew how to work hard for Dongfang Bubai and Yang Lianting to avoid being punished. So when there was this sudden change of leadership in the sect, all they could do was to sing their praises to the new Chief.

Linghu Chong stood at the entrance of the hall with the sun shining down on his back. Outside the hall was clear and bright while there were close to a hundred people prostrating themselves on the floor inside the hall singing their disgusting praises. He couldn’t say his loathing out loud so he thought, “Yingying treats me very well, so if she really wants me to join the Divine Sun Moon Sect, I can’t reject her idea. But it has to wait till I go to Songshan and stop Zuo Lengchan from becoming the Headmaster of the Five Mountains School since this was my agreement with Great Master Fangzheng and Priest Chongxu. Also, I have to find a female disciple from Heng-Shan and pass down to her the leadership of the school. After all these are done, then I’ll be free to join the divine sect. But if you want me to be like these people, isn’t that just too disgusting? Later when Yingying becomes my wife, then Chief Ren would be my father in law, and it would only be proper if I kowtow to him. But all these ‘flourishes the sacred sect and benefits the common people’, ‘refined scholar, kind-hearted warrior, the just and wise’, they’re just too shameful for a real man to utter. They really tarnish the pureness of a real man! I originally thought that this nonsense was done by Dongfang Bubai and Yang Lianting to punish someone. But looking at the situation now, Chief Ren is actually flattered to hear these words and he’s not disgusted at all by these.” He again thought, “That day in the Cliff of Contemplation on Huashan, I saw the martial arts of the ten elders from Devil Sect and they actually had many heroes among their seniors. If not so, how could Sun Moon Sect fight against the orthodox parties for the last hundred years and still be their equal? From the warriors they have like Brother Xiang, Shangguan Yun, Jia Bu, Tong Baixiong, the Four Playfellows of Jiangnan, which one isn’t an outstanding gentleman? These groups of heroes are all forced to kneel to other people every day and read aloud those dictions while they’re actually cursing in their hearts. Saying disgusting things and receiving such rudeness. Actually, accepting to say those shameless things is even more disgusting. All these wronged heroes, how could they still be called heroes?”

He then heard Ren Woxing, being pleased with himself, said loudly, “You were all under Dongfang Bubai before and has done many things for him. I’ve secretly found out what every single one of you has done. But I’m a very open-minded person, so I won’t blame anyone. From today, everyone must be loyal to me then I would treat you well and share all the glory and honour.” In a blink of an eye, the hall was drowned in praises. Everyone was saying chief was just and wise, his heart was open like the ocean, and that a big man doesn’t do what a small man does. They also said they would obey chief’s order completely, be loyal to him, go through fire and water, would not balk at a thousand deaths, and be resolved to do chief’s biddings.

Ren Woxing waited for them to say their praises until they gradually became quiet. Ren Woxing continued, “But if anyone dared to revolt and not listen to my order then I will punish him severely. Whoever commits this sin, then his entire family would be executed.” All of them answered together, “Subordinate would never dare.”

Linghu Chong quivered when he heard these words and was really afraid. He inwardly thought, “Chief Ren is just the same as Dongfang Bubai. He’s using fear to control the sect. Everyone is very deferential towards him even though they’re actually angry and full of rejection in their hearts. How can they be said to be ‘loyal’ to him?”

Some people then started to reveal Dongfang Bubai’s faults to Ren Woxing. They told him that Dongfang Bubai was offended by honesty, how he only listened to Yang Lianting, how he killed many innocent people, how he was selfish in giving gifts and punishments, how he loved to hear praises, and how he ruined the sect. There were also some people who said that he ruined the sect’s customs by giving out the Dark Command Wood to anyone and that he forced people to take the divine three corpse brain pill. Another people said that he drank and ate extravagantly, that every time he ate, he slaughtered three cows, five pigs, and ten sheep.

Linghu Chong thought, “How can one person eat that much? How can he eat three cows, five pigs, and ten sheep? He must’ve eaten together with his friends and subordinates. How can slaughtering cows and sheep be considered a big sin when Dongfang Bubai was chief?”

But he then heard everyone kept on bringing up Dongfang Bubai’s other faults more and more, and each fault was getting even more trivial. Some people scolded him for being very moody; some people scolded him for loving to wear flowery gown and not coming out to meet them. There were also people who said that he was very thin skinned and silly; Another person said that his martial art was lowly, always frightened during battles, and he in fact had no real abilities at all.

Linghu Chong pondered, “You’re all scolding Dongfang Bubai for all sorts of things. Even though I don’t know whether what you’re saying is true or not, I know that when the five of us fought him, we barely escaped alive with our lives and almost lost our lives under his needle. If Dongfang Bubai’s martial art were low, then there’s no one in this world who has a high martial art. You’re really just spouting nonsense.” He again heard another person said that Dongfang Bubai was very lewd and just forcefully grabbed any girls he wanted. He had also offended many married women in the sect and had also had many babies from these affairs.

Linghu Chong thought, “Dongfang Bubai had already learned this really strange ‘Sunflower Manual’ and castrated himself a long time ago. What nonsense of lewd affairs and making lots of babies are you talking about, haha, haha!” He thought till here when he actually laughed really loudly unable to restrain himself any further. This loud laughter was heard from afar. Everyone in the long hall turned their heads around to have a look and glared angrily at him. Yingying knew that he was causing trouble so she quickly rushed over and pulled on his arm. “Brother Chong, there’s nothing to hear here, they’re only talking about Dongfang Bubai’s stuff. Let’s go down the cliff and have a look around.” Linghu Chong poked his tongue out and laughingly said, “We don’t want to make your daddy angry.” The two of them walked out of the hall shoulder to shoulder, passed through that white jade decorated archway, and went down using the bamboo baskets.

The two of them leaned close to each other inside the bamboo basket as they went down. They saw the light mist around them and felt as if they were floating. It was as if they had gone to another world compared to the situation inside the hall. Linghu Chong looked up to the top of the Dark Wood Cliff and saw the golden reflection of sunlight from the writing on the white jade archway. He felt pleased. “I’ve finally left that place. The things happening last night were like a nightmare. From now on, I’d never set foot on Dark Wood Cliff ever again.”

“Brother Chong, what are you thinking?”

“Can you be together with me?”

Yingying’s face blushed red and she said, “We… We…”

“What?”

Yingying lowered her head and said, “We’re not married yet. How… how can I follow you?”

“Didn’t you go around Jianghu with me before?”

“That was because I had to. Also, that’s why a lot of rumours are flying around. Just then Daddy said I… said I want to be with you and don’t want him anymore. If I go with you then Daddy would definitely be unhappy. Daddy was also imprisoned for more than ten years so his temper isn’t good, so I want to accompany him. As long as your heart is faithful then in the future we can accompany each other.” The last few words that she said were really soft that they couldn’t be heard.

By coincidence, a white cloud floated by them wrapping around the bamboo basket and the two of them. Linghu Chong could only blurrily look at Yingying. Even though Yingying was leaning close besides him, he couldn’t see her appearance clearly and it was as if she had been carried out by the cloud and he couldn’t touch her. When the bamboo basket reached the bottom of the cliff, they stepped out of the basket. Yingying whispered, “You’re going to go now?”

“Zuo Lengchan has invited the five mountains sword schools to come to a meeting on the fifteenth of the third month to elect the headmaster of the Five Mountains School. He’s very ambitious and would bring disaster to all the heroes in this realm. I must go to this gathering on Songshan.”

Yingying nodded her head and said, “Brother Chong, Zuo Lengchan’s sword art isn’t your match but you must guard against his plotting.”

Linghu Chong replied, “Yes.”

“I should go with you but I’m only a witch from the Devil Sect. So if I were to go with you to Songshan then I’d just hinder you there.” She stopped for a moment, before she dispiritedly said, “When you become the headmaster of the Five Mountains School, your reputation would be well known in this world. Our two paths of orthodox and demonical are irreconcilable so… it’s… it’s… it’s going to be even more difficult for us.”

Linghu Chong held her hand in his and softly said, “You still don’t believe me?”

Yingying mournfully laughed. “I believe you.” After some time, she quietly said, “When someone practises his martial art, it would get higher and higher, and his reputation would also get bigger and bigger. I felt that often, that person would also start to change. He himself might not know it but his treatment of matters would be totally different than before. Uncle Dongfang was like that, and I’m worried that Daddy might be like that.”

Linghu Chong smiled. “Your father wouldn’t go and learn the martial art in that ‘Sunflower Manual’. That Manual had already been destroyed by him so even if he wanted to practise it now, he wouldn’t be able to.”

“I’m not talking about martial art, I’m talking about someone’s temperament. Even if Uncle Dongfang didn’t learn the ‘Sunflower Manual’, he would still kill and rob once he usurped the leadership of the Divine Sun Moon Sect. He would’ve naturally become conceited.”

“Yingying, there’s no harm in worrying about other people but there’s no need to worry about me. I’m born with this carefree attitude and would never be like that. Even if I were to become conceited, I would always always always be like this in front of you.”

Yingying let out a long sigh and said, “That’s good then.”

Suddenly Linghu Chong thought of something and said, “Everyone in the world already knows about the two of us. Those friends that you sent to the island in South Sea, can you let them come back now?”

Yingying smiled and replied, “I’ve already sent people to bring them back to the central plains.”

Linghu Chong pulled her close to him and lightly hugged her. “It’s goodbye for now. Once that matter in Songshan is settled then I’ll come here to look for you. Then we’ll never be apart again.”

Yingying’s eyes flashed happily and she lightly said, “If only all your matters go smoothly then we can meet earlier. I’ll… I’ll wait here and look out for you every night and day.”

“Alright!” Linghu Chong then gave her a kiss on her cheek. Yingying’s face turned red with bashfulness and pushed him away.

Linghu Chong laughed loudly and led his horse away as he went away from the Sun Moon Sect.