The Song of the Smiling, Proud Wanderer

Seeing Madam Liu about to die, Hao Shuai used his telekinesis to knock the longsword aside with a chopstick, saving her.

Hao Shuai didn't care much whether Liu Zhengfeng lived or died. Once you entered the martial world, you had to be ready to be killed at any moment.

Besides, as one of the Hengshan Sect's most powerful figures, he had made enemies over music, single-mindedly sought to retire and live in harmony with his beloved, and disregarded the Hengshan Sect. That was irresponsible.

Worse, he had failed to cover his tracks, leaving himself vulnerable to blackmail. He was also so hidebound that he admitted to colluding with the enemy, bringing suffering upon his family and disciples.

Hao Shuai had no stake in whether a man like that lived or died. If he were in a bad mood, he wouldn't even mind sending Liu Zhengfeng on his way. But he greatly admired Mi Weiyi's loyalty and the courage his family had shown.

Most importantly, Hao Shuai couldn't stand Fei Bin and Ding Mian. They were the sort who took a tiny bit of authority and threw their weight around like big shots. Hao Shuai wanted to find an excuse to kill them the moment he saw them, so he was going to get involved in this matter one way or another.

"Heh. The Songshan School sure has a fearsome reputation! You even dare to wipe out an entire family in broad daylight," Hao Shuai said with a hint of mockery.

Following the sound of his voice, everyone present spotted Hao Shuai standing in a corner by the entrance.

"Who exactly are you, to meddle in the affairs of the Five Great Sword Sects? Do you know that Liu Zhengfeng colluded with the Devil Cult? If you help him, you'll be making an enemy of the righteous people of the world. Are you sure you want to do that?" Ding Mian sized Hao Shuai up. Though he didn't recognize him, he could tell from the way Hao Shuai had used his hidden weapon that he was a master. He immediately slapped a huge accusation on him.

"When did the Songshan School come to represent the righteous path? And when did Zuo Lengchan become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader? Besides, what does it matter if I make an enemy of the righteous? To me, killing you is no harder than killing a chicken," Hao Shuai said leisurely.

"How arrogant! You want to kill us? Then I'll kill you first!" Seeing how brazenly Hao Shuai spoke, Ding Mian erupted in anger. He leaped into the air and thrust both palms toward Hao Shuai.

Hao Shuai looked at Ding Mian suspended in midair, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes. He simply flicked a chopstick at him.

Whoosh!

The bamboo chopstick cut through the air. Controlled by telekinesis, it shot toward Le Hou's head like an arrow loosed from a bow.

While still in midair, Ding Mian watched the chopstick fly toward him and smirked. As he saw it, even his senior brother Zuo Lengchan hadn't cultivated his inner power to the point where flowers and leaves could be deadly, let alone some inexperienced brat. Hao Shuai had probably knocked the sword aside earlier with a clever hidden-weapon trick. With his own deep inner power, he could easily bat away a chopstick. He swung his right palm, sending out a torrent of true energy, intending to knock the chopstick down.

But when his palm met the chopstick, Ding Mian realized that the force it carried was far beyond what he could withstand. A flash of terror rose in his eyes. Then everything went black, and Ding Mian lost consciousness.

Thwack! Thwack! Thud—

Blood sprayed as Ding Mian hit the ground, lifeless. The crowd saw that the chopstick had pierced his right hand and was embedded in the center of his forehead, between his brows. Only a third of it remained visible, and blood trickled from the wound in a gruesome sight.

"Senior Brother Ding Mian..." The Songshan School disciples cried out when they saw him dead. They rushed to his side, glaring at Hao Shuai in anger and shock.

"What, you're unhappy? Want revenge? Then go join him!" Hao Shuai couldn't be bothered to argue with the Songshan School. He tossed out several more chopsticks and directed them toward Fei Bin.

That was one of the ways Hao Shuai had learned to use telekinesis in the Assassin's Alliance: he could control several objects at once.

Seeing the chopsticks flying toward him, Fei Bin quickly drew his sword to knock them aside. To his surprise, they abruptly curved around the blade and shot straight into the center of his forehead.

Fei Bin hit the ground!

The other members of the Songshan School soon met the same fate.

In just a few minutes, only one of the Songshan School members who had come there was left alive. The entire Liu Mansion fell silent. Everyone stared at Hao Shuai in terror; they had never seen such an unbelievable way of killing before.

If Hao Shuai had known what they were thinking, he would have scorned their ignorance. They hadn't even looked into the fact that the Devil Cult's leader, Dongfang Bubai, liked to stab people with needles.

Hao Shuai looked at the sole surviving Songshan School underling and said, "Get back to the Songshan School. And tell Zuo Lengchan I'll come find him for tea."

The underling heard that he wouldn't have to die and was overwhelmed with relief. He turned and fled from the Liu Mansion.

Hao Shuai turned to the righteous figures watching from the hall. He spread his telekinesis, slowly pressing it down on them, and asked, "I've killed members of the Songshan School. Aren't you upright, respectable sects going to step forward and vanquish evil?"

Only Yue Buqun, Abbess Dingyi, and a few other sect leaders with deep inner power could barely withstand the force pressing down on them. The other disciples had already been pinned to the floor, unable to move.

A herd of mud horses stampeded through the minds of everyone in the hall. Vanquish evil? Who's vanquishing whom?

At that moment, Liu Zhengfeng stepped forward, bowed slightly to Hao Shuai, and said, "Thank you for coming to our aid, young hero. But the Songshan School is tyrannical and domineering. Please be careful from now on, lest they take revenge on you."

"The Songshan School? I'll make sure they don't get the chance to think about me."

Hao Shuai's disdainful voice rang out as he withdrew his telekinesis. "And as for coming to your aid, don't flatter yourself. I just couldn't stand how arrogant they were."

"Uh..."

Liu Zhengfeng looked a little embarrassed and managed a strained smile.

Hao Shuai couldn't be bothered with the people in the hall as they struggled back to their feet. He turned toward the hall entrance and called, "Qu Yang, you've been watching long enough. If you don't come in, I'll kill Liu Zhengfeng."

As soon as he finished speaking, a black figure abruptly leaped down from the roof. A handsome, middle-aged man landed in front of Liu Zhengfeng and the others.

"Brother Qu!" Seeing the newcomer, Liu Zhengfeng rushed forward and excitedly grabbed Qu Yang by the arm.

"Brother Liu!" Qu Yang warmly clasped Liu Zhengfeng's arm and said, "It's all because of me that your disciples, wife, and children nearly suffered a terrible calamity. I'm sorry, Brother Liu!"

"Brother Qu, having found a soulmate like you in this life is enough for me. Don't blame yourself!" Liu Zhengfeng grasped Qu Yang's hand and comforted him with heartfelt sincerity.

"My good brother!" Qu Yang looked at Liu Zhengfeng with deep emotion.

Hao Shuai couldn't bear to watch the pair ignore everyone in the hall as they gazed into each other's eyes. They were one flower-picking trip away from making Brokeback Mountain their home. He interrupted them, saying, "Enough. I didn't call you out so you could put on this reunion between two bros."

Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang didn't understand what "bros" meant in that sense, but they could tell Hao Shuai was unhappy, so they stopped reminiscing.

Qu Yang clasped his hands toward Hao Shuai. "Thank you, young hero, for saving Brother Liu and his family. I'm deeply grateful!"

"Who needs your gratitude? What good is it to me?" Hao Shuai retorted.

"Uh..."

Qu Yang finally understood how Liu Zhengfeng had felt earlier. He grumbled to himself, Brother, at this rate you'll make your path through the martial world awfully narrow. You'll have no friends left!

"Enough nonsense! I heard the two of you composed a piece together called the 'Song of the Smiling, Proud Wanderer'?" Hao Shuai asked.

"That's right. Brother Liu and I are devoted to music. After several years of work, we composed a piece called the 'Song of the Smiling, Proud Wanderer.' We believe there has never been anything quite like it..." As he spoke about the music he was best at, Qu Yang's entire expression changed.

"Stop. Play the 'Song of the Smiling, Proud Wanderer' for me now," Hao Shuai said.

"To repay you for saving our lives, Brother Qu and I should play a piece together in thanks, young hero," Liu Zhengfeng said, clasping his hands. He went into the inner room and brought out a Seven-stringed Zither and a Bamboo Flute, handing the zither to Qu Yang.

Qu Yang took the zither and sat on the floor. He and Liu Zhengfeng exchanged a look full of affection. Then Qu Yang raised his hands and plucked a few notes. The zither music was calm, balanced, and elegant.

Liu Zhengfeng closed his eyes and played the flute. Its mellow notes gradually melded with the zither's melody.

Before long, the zither and flute blended seamlessly. The balanced zither notes paired with the flute's clear, captivating sound, as if asking and answering one another. Like a stream flowing down from a high mountain, the music drew listeners into its world.

Suddenly, the zither's notes grew increasingly spirited, while the flute's became low and deep. Together, they drifted like silken threads on the wind, unending, stirring the soul.

As the pair infused their inner power into the music, the zither and flute grew ever more pleasing to the ear, never once creating a jarring note. Then the zither's tune shifted, ringing out with a clangor that seemed to carry the intent of battle, while the flute remained gentle and lyrical. The zither soon softened again, its notes rising and falling.

After a while, the melody shifted once more. It was as if seven or eight zithers had begun playing at once, while the flute changed along with it. The music grew intricate, with endless variations.

After reaching an extreme pitch, the zither fell back to accompanying the flute, whose notes climbed ever higher, as if it stood alone in a world apart. The zither and flute seemed to reach the very summit of the world, accompanied only by the bright moon, a cool breeze, and a hint of chill.

The music shifted again, returning to a gentle, graceful melody, as if new life had emerged from a desperate situation. It grew passionate and vibrant.

At last, the zither and flute fell silent. The two men slowly opened their eyes.

Everyone present had been utterly entranced by the music. As for Hao Shuai, if asked what he thought of it, he'd only say it sounded nice.

Forgive Hao Shuai, who couldn't carry a tune to save his life! It seemed he needed to learn music, or his womanizing ambitions would suffer.

"All right, I've heard the piece. In return, here's some advice: go overseas. Only by leaving the martial world behind and settling abroad can you truly escape it," Hao Shuai said to Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang.

With that, Hao Shuai started to leave. After taking just a couple of steps, he turned back and said to the two men, "You have the score for the 'Song of the Smiling, Proud Wanderer,' don't you? Give it to me."

"Indeed. Since we're about to live overseas, the two of us have no more need for the score. Please pass it on in the future, young hero, and don't let the piece fall silent again." Qu Yang took the score from his robes and handed it to Hao Shuai.

"No problem." Hao Shuai smiled as he accepted the score, then turned and left the Liu Mansion.

Hao Shuai had suddenly asked for the score of the "Song of the Smiling, Proud Wanderer" because he remembered that many beauties enjoyed mastering music. Though he couldn't play himself, he could still use it to woo women!

Seeing Hao Shuai leave, the righteous figures in the hall all breathed a sigh of relief. They began saying their goodbyes to Liu Zhengfeng, conveniently forgetting the Devil Cult elder standing nearby.

Before long, only Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng's family remained in the Liu Mansion.

"Brother Liu, hurry and pack. We'll leave tomorrow and head overseas," Qu Yang said to his good friend.

"I'll do as you say, Brother Qu."