The entire sequence unfolded in the blink of an eye. By the time Wanyan Chongjie realized what had happened, the whole situation had completely reversed.
Song Qingshu had reacted faster than she had, but unless he was willing to expose his identity and martial arts, there was no way to break the deadlock. He hesitated, torn.
Seeing his men surround Wanyan Chongjie, Jia Sidao sneered. “Capture her alive! I want this little wretch to know the meaning of wishing she were dead.”
As the military’s foremost figure in the court, with immense power and status, being made to look foolish by such a young girl naturally filled him with rage. Add to that the incident in the palace earlier—clearly someone was deliberately targeting the Jia family—and Jia Sidao was already seething with pent-up fury. This assassin falling into his hands would serve as a warning to others.
Watching the guards charge toward Wanyan Chongjie, Song Qingshu remembered that her broken ribs meant she could use less than thirty percent of her martial arts. But even uninjured, she wouldn’t have been able to escape the combined attack of so many expert guards.
His original thought had been to rescue her after she was captured, which would greatly reduce the risk of exposing his identity. But Wanyan Chongjie happened to look his way—her desolate, helpless gaze made his heart burn. He decided to hell with the risks, he would charge out and save her first.
Song Qingshu knew full well the severe consequences of exposing himself now. But he also knew that a young woman’s heart was precious. If he calculated and weighed every decision too carefully and ended up breaking that heart, the damage might never be repaired.
Better to betray the world than disappoint a beauty! With the cautionary tale of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils fresh in mind, Song Qingshu had no desire to become the second Murong Fu.
He was about to make his move when suddenly, the guards charging at Wanyan Chongjie began screaming.
“Snakes!”
No one knew who shouted, but the guards were suddenly covered in snakes of all kinds. Terrified out of their wits, they fled in panic, soiling themselves.
“A bunch of useless trash!”
Chen Jian cursed and charged forward. A flash of blade light, and a large number of snakes were cleaved in two. “What coward hides in the shadows with such tricks!”
“Hmph!”
A cold snort came from the darkness. Chen Jian recoiled as if struck by lightning, clutching his chest and spitting out a mouthful of blood. But he had no time to wipe the blood from his lips—his eyes were locked on the figure emerging from the darkness.
The newcomer wore a gold-embroidered white robe. He was tall, with a high nose and deep-set eyes, and his bristly hair had a faint golden sheen. Who else could it be but Ouyang Feng!
Seeing him appear, Song Qingshu breathed a long sigh of relief. Ouyang Feng is here. Wanyan Chongjie is saved. At the same time, he marveled inwardly. Ouyang Feng truly is a martial arts prodigy. To have such a qualitative leap in his skills at this age—if the Eastern Heretic, Western Venom, Southern Emperor, and Northern Beggar gathered for another contest, he would likely be the undisputed first, second only to the supposedly deceased Wang Chongyang.
The fundamental reason for Ouyang Feng’s further advancement was his exposure to so many supreme experts in the past two years—especially Song Qingshu and Wang Chongyang.
Back on Divine Dragon Island, Ouyang Feng had still thought he could slightly surpass Song Qingshu. But every time they met again, he was astonished to find that Song Qingshu’s martial arts had advanced by a huge margin. Eventually, he found himself looking up to the other man’s back.
Though Ouyang Feng never said anything, he had always been proud. He wasn’t one to give up so easily. He had secretly been delving deeper into martial arts. During his time in Jin, living alongside Song Qingshu, Qiu Qianren, and the others, their daily discussions on martial arts had benefited him greatly. He had felt the signs of a breakthrough approaching, but the catalyst had been missing.
Until recently, when he witnessed the earth-shaking battle between Song Qingshu and Wang Chongyang at the Chongyang Palace. That had finally given him enlightenment. He had gone into seclusion immediately after returning, and when he emerged, his cultivation had reached an entirely new level.
“Grandpa Ouyang~” Seeing Ouyang Feng appear, Wanyan Chongjie’s face blossomed into a radiant smile. But deep down, what made her happiest was noticing that Song Qingshu had been about to risk everything to save her.
“Hmph. Since when did your mouth get so sweet, little girl? Only remembering me when you’re in danger.” Ouyang Feng put on a stern face, but couldn’t hide the doting affection in his eyes.
Ouyang Feng had lived a hard, lonely life. He had two sons in his lifetime. His biological son, Ouyang Ke, had died young. His adopted son, Yang Guo, was clever and filial—everything one could want. But whenever he thought of Yang Guo being Yang Kang’s son, the image of Ouyang Ke’s brutal death would resurface. There was always a knot in his heart, and he had never been as close to Yang Guo as he had been during his mad period.
Originally, Ouyang Feng had felt a special affection for Song Qingshu. But as Song Qingshu’s martial arts and status grew ever higher, it became difficult for Ouyang Feng to see him as a junior. Wanyan Chongjie, on the other hand, was clever and lively. The more he looked at her, the more he liked her, gradually coming to cherish her like a granddaughter.
“I’m sweet all the time!” Wanyan Chongjie protested. “Remember last time when you were craving that bottle of Shidongchun wine in the palace? I stole it and brought it to you as a tribute…”
“Ahem…” Being called out in front of so many people nearly made Ouyang Feng choke. He quickly cut her off. “Fine, fine, fine. I know you’re the most filial little girl.”
“So it’s the legendary Western Venom, Ouyang Feng, one of the Five Ultimates of old,” Jia Sidao said, having recognized him by now. “I’m deeply honored by your visit, sir. Forgive my lack of welcome.”
Ouyang Feng snorted coldly. “If I’d come any later, this little girl might never have seen tomorrow’s sun.”
“So this young lady is a junior of yours, Master Ouyang. Then this must all be a misunderstanding.” Jia Sidao said dismissively. He had previously assumed Wanyan Chongjie was sent by Wan Qili or Han Dingxiao, in which case he would have crushed her with overwhelming force. But since she was Ouyang Feng’s junior, there was no need to make an enemy of such a powerful figure at this critical juncture—especially given that intelligence indicated Ouyang Feng represented the Jin dynasty’s interests.
“A misunderstanding?” Ouyang Feng chuckled softly. Then, in a flash, he appeared before Chen Jian.
Chen Jian felt as if a comet were hurtling toward him. The gust of wind it created made it hard to breathe. Greatly alarmed, he hastily drew his blade and swung.
A sharp crack rang out. Chen Jian’s precious blade shattered into several pieces. He himself flew backward like a broken sandbag, staggering back dozens of steps before finally regaining his balance—and vomiting a mouthful of blood.
“That’s for your insolent words earlier.” Ouyang Feng paused, a hint of surprise crossing his face. “To withstand a single strike of my Toad Skill and survive—you’re stronger than many sect leaders in the martial world.”
Chen Jian wiped the blood from his lips, clinched his fists, and forced out, “Thank you for the compliment, senior.”
Ouyang Feng snorted again, ignoring him. He turned to support Wanyan Chongjie. “Let’s go.” The snakes scattered around seemed to possess a sentience of their own, clustering around the two and escorting them slowly into the distance.
Song Qingshu watched with admiration. Back in the day, Ouyang Feng came and went as he pleased within the Mongolian Western Expedition army, treating thousands upon thousands of troops as if they were nothing. Tonight, alone, he broke into the Jia mansion and rescued Wanyan Chongjie with effortless ease. His charisma is truly undiminished.
As Ouyang Feng disappeared into the distance, Chen Jian, pushing through his injuries, came to Jia Sidao’s side. “Master, why didn’t we stop Ouyang Feng?”
“Stop him? With what?” Jia Sidao’s face was expressionless.
Chen Jian lowered his voice. “If you were to make a move, Master, combined with all our strength…”
“Silence!” Jia Sidao cut him off before he could finish. Chen Jian seemed to realize something and bowed his head.
Song Qingshu, watching from the side, was deep in thought. Jia Sidao is unfathomable. If he were truly determined to stop Ouyang Feng, with the advantage of fighting on home ground, Ouyang Feng would indeed be in some danger.
Of course, if that situation had arisen, Song Qingshu wouldn’t have stood by idly.
Meanwhile, a similar conversation was taking place between Wanyan Chongjie and Ouyang Feng. “Grandpa Ouyang, why didn’t you take advantage of their low morale and wipe them all out?”
Her ruthlessness appealed to Ouyang Feng. He chuckled and scolded, “Easier said than done, little girl. Jia Sidao is the Military Commissioner—how many experts do you think live in his mansion? Take that blade wielder, for instance—put him in the jianghu, and he’d be a match for many orthodox sect leaders. And that’s not even the main issue—the real problem is Jia Sidao himself… I can’t quite gauge his depth.”
“Jia Sidao knows martial arts too?” Wanyan Chongjie’s beautiful eyes widened in astonishment.
“Not only does he know it—he’s very skilled,” Ouyang Feng said with a frown.
“It seems I was lucky to get out alive today.” Wanyan Chongjie patted her small chest and stuck out her tongue, looking utterly charming. “Grandpa Ouyang, there was actually another supreme expert in that room just now—you didn’t notice him.”
“Another?” Ouyang Feng frowned, thinking back over everyone present. He humphed. “Don’t try to fool me, girl. There was no such expert.”
“It was Jia Baoyu,” Wanyan Chongjie said, grinning even more brightly.
“Jia Baoyu?” Unfortunately, Jia Baoyu was so famous in Lin’an that even Ouyang Feng had heard of him. “Impossible!”
“Of course he’s not the real one—he’s being impersonated by Brother Song!” Wanyan Chongjie had been frightened herself earlier, but now seeing Ouyang Feng’s surprised expression, she was especially delighted.
“Song Qingshu?” Ouyang Feng finally lost his composure.
“Of course! If he hadn’t been secretly protecting me, I could never have held out until you came to save me.” Remembering how Song Qingshu had almost recklessly rushed to save her, Wanyan Chongjie felt a warm glow inside.
“What exactly happened? Tell me everything.” Ouyang Feng asked urgently.
Wanyan Chongjie began recounting the entire affair, including the arrangements Song Qingshu had instructed her to make. “Here’s what happened…”
Back in the study, Jia Sidao’s face was dark. Chen Jian followed, pushing through his injuries. “This subordinate was incompetent, allowing an assassin to slip in and take the young master hostage.”
“The security here is tight. How did that girl get in?” Jia Sidao demanded angrily.
Chen Jian smiled bitterly. “This subordinate still has no idea.”
Song Qingshu’s heart jumped. Worried that if they continued comparing notes, the old fox Jia Sidao might detect something, he quickly spoke up. “Actually, it’s all my fault. I was bewitched by her beauty and secretly let her in. Who knew I was inviting a wolf into the house?”
Jia Sidao slammed the table with a heavy thud. “So quickly forgetting the pain after the wound heals? You just committed that crime in the palace, and now you’re back to your old ways?”
Song Qingshu gave an embarrassed laugh and lowered his head in silence.
“Never mind. I probably won’t have many more chances to scold you in the future.” Jia Sidao sighed.