Zhang Qingyuan led the ten little ones onward, as though something were chasing them.
Only after they had walked more than five li did he order them to find a cave to rest in.
As they gathered firewood and lit another fire, Zhang Xiaohua asked in confusion, "Headmaster, why did we have to leave?"
Besides him, Lin Pingzhi also looked over, his face full of puzzlement.
Before Zhang Qingyuan could speak, Liu Sidao said, "The headmaster was afraid that staying in that ruined temple would bring danger upon us."
"What danger?" Murong Xue asked.
Ma Shou replied, "Big Sister, didn't you see how miserable that swordsman was? He was damn near dead."
"Well..." Murong Xue felt somewhat awkward.
As a fellow woman, she wanted to say something in Han Yumo's defense, but looking at her classmates, that was clearly the wrong thing to do.
Looking at Murong Xue, Zhang Qingyuan summed it up. "Do you actually think Han Yumo is a bad person?"
The children shook their heads.
"Exactly. She isn't bad, but she's very stupid. In fact, all she has to do is leave that swordsman, and there won't be any danger.
"She can keep being her wandering heroine, and naturally, someone from the Brocade Guard will protect her in secret.
"That swordsman can also stay far away from the troubles of the Brocade Guard and go about his own business."
Liu Sidao and the others nodded together. They had finally seen the sort of heroine depicted only in storybooks.
Going by the plots of illustrated storybooks, it was a love story between a spoiled, willful young lady and the swordsman protagonist. The two would face all sorts of hardships at first, then finally get together and live happily.
When reading illustrated storybooks, they looked forward to seeing the male and female leads bicker and tussle.
But seeing that sort of thing actually happen before their eyes today felt inexplicably terrifying.
They no longer wanted some foolish girl next door. A normal person was better, even if she was a little ugly.
"But I think she likes that swordsman," Murong Xue murmured quietly.
"Does liking someone make you absolutely right?" Liu Sidao countered.
That question left Murong Xue speechless.
Boys and girls thought differently.
Boys dreamed of becoming kings and ministers, roaming the martial world with proud laughter.
Girls thought life was precious, but love was worth even more.
It was like the difference between male-oriented and female-oriented fiction.
In male-oriented fiction, if you transmigrated to the Qing dynasty and didn't rebel, you deserved a power drill up your chrysanthemum.
In female-oriented fiction, only when the mountains lost their peaks and heaven and earth joined would she dare part from her beloved.
One line from female-oriented fiction put it especially well: "All you lost were your legs. What he lost was love!"
Tch!
Seeing that Murong Xue still could not get past it, Zhang Qingyuan understood very well what went on in the heart of a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl experiencing her first stirrings of love.
He smiled and said, "Xue'er, you like Xiao Yan, don't you?"
Murong Xue and Xiao Yan both froze, then turned their heads away at the same time, not daring to look at anyone else, much less each other.
Xiao Yan also knew Murong Xue liked him. He was no fool.
But because of what had happened with his first girlfriend, all he wanted now was to prove himself to his ex and slap her hard in the face.
So as far as Murong Xue's feelings went, he had always treated her as a younger sister.
Murong Xue did indeed like Xiao Yan. Their families were old friends, and she had never concealed those feelings.
Their classmates also knew what was going on between them. No one present was an outsider.
"Sister Xue, the headmaster asked you a question." Ma Shou walked over to Murong Xue and reminded her with a cheeky air.
Blushing, Murong Xue looked at Zhang Qingyuan, nodded, and softly murmured, "Mm."
Her voice was quieter than a mosquito. Had everyone present not been in the eighth-grade realm, they would not have heard her make a sound.
Zhang Qingyuan asked again, "Then suppose Xiao Yan encounters danger one day, but the way to save him is to separate from him temporarily.
"Would you choose to leave him, or die with him for love?"
"I..." Murong Xue paused. "Of course I'd choose to leave him. His life matters most."
Moved, Xiao Yan turned to look at Murong Xue.
At that moment, Murong Xue had her head lowered and was vigorously rubbing the corner of her clothes.
"Why?" Zhang Qingyuan asked again. "Isn't love precious?"
Murong Xue said, "But Headmaster, you said we'd only be apart temporarily. That would keep him safe, and we'd still have a chance to see each other again."
"Don't you understand perfectly well, then?"
"I..." Murong Xue was speechless.
"Exactly," Liu Sidao added. "If Han Yumo just stopped following him, they'd both be safe. Even if she likes him now, she can wait until everything's fine and take her time getting together with him."
"Brother Dao's right. Does it have to be right this instant? Now they've both ended up being hunted." Goudanr was straightforward and understood with a single hint.
He could not understand what those people were thinking when the logic was so simple.
Zhang Qingyuan concluded, "Saving people in the martial world was your first field-study lesson.
"Then learning about love in the martial world, romantic attachments, and how to handle relationships is your second lesson!
"Don't fixate on the moment. Remember, if love endures, what need is there to be together every morning and evening?
"Don't act foolishly. Once someone acts foolishly, they can plunge both people into danger. Understood?"
"Understood, Headmaster!"
The ten little ones answered in unison.
Zhang Qingyuan felt deeply gratified. If they understood even one principle, this field trip had not been in vain.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out outside the cave.
"Who are you calling foolish?"
It was a man's voice, pleasant to the ear but furious in tone.
Everyone turned to look outside and saw a wealthy young master in fine robes enter the cave with seven or eight martial artists.
The young master looked noble; the martial artists looked contemptuous.
From the look of things, none of them was below the fourth-rank realm.
Liu Sidao and Ma Shou rose at the same time, shielding their classmates behind them.
Zhang Qingyuan also stood and cupped his fists. "I am Zhang Qingyuan. May I ask who you are?"
"Lin Li, third young master of the Lin Clan of Lin'an City!"
With a swish, his fan snapped shut, and he stared at Zhang Qingyuan and the others with sinister eyes.
"So it's Young Master Lin. I've long heard of you."
"Hmph. I heard you calling Miss Yumo foolish, didn't I?"
Lin Li glared at them as though looking at a group of corpses.
"And stupid?"
"Uh..."
Zhang Qingyuan seemed to understand what he was here for. He explained, "Not at all. I was merely explaining to my students how to handle such a situation sensibly and safely.
"Please don't misunderstand, Young Master Lin. One look tells me you and Miss Han share a close relationship, a match made in heaven."
Rather than calming down at Zhang Qingyuan's explanation, the sinister look on Lin Li's face deepened.
He snapped his folding fan open again, then slammed it shut and pointed it at Zhang Qingyuan, saying sharply:
"Honeyed words and a flattering face!
"I heard you perfectly clearly! You were talking about Miss Yumo behind her back, speaking flippantly and slandering her kindness and innocence!
"She is simplehearted and yearns for the martial world. What is wrong with that?
"The fault lies with this filthy world and the people who don't understand her!
"What trash are you to think you're worthy of judging her here?"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, as though Zhang Qingyuan and the others had defiled the holiest sanctuary in his heart.
Zhang Qingyuan cursed inwardly. Is this fucking pure-love warrior missing part of his brain?
He doesn't dare let out a fart in front of his goddess, so he's come here to make himself feel important?
But he remained restrained on the surface and cupped his hands. "Young Master Lin, this is entirely a misunderstanding. We had absolutely no intention of slandering Miss Han. We were merely discussing the matter itself, teaching the students that the martial world is dangerous and they must act cautiously. If anything we said offended you, I apologize here and now. Haha."
"Apologize?"
Lin Li sneered, his gaze sweeping across Murong Xue and the other female students sheltered behind Liu Sidao and Ma Shou. His tone grew even more cutting.
He said, "You think some casual apology is enough?
"What do vulgar brutes like you know about true affection? About devoted love? I think this so-called academy of yours teaches nothing but grubby scheming, weighing gains against losses! Miss Yumo is genuine and lovely. How could the likes of you understand her?"
Holy shit, isn't this guy too much of a simp?
Even the ten little ones were stunned, thinking, Is this guy sick in the head?
The eight attendants behind Lin Li locked their presence onto Zhang Qingyuan and the ten little ones. Killing intent spread, and the atmosphere in the cave instantly dropped below freezing.
The old man leading them had cloudy eyes, yet exerted a heart-pounding pressure. He was clearly an expert at the peak fourth rank.
The ten little ones had never faced anything like this. Struck by the killing intent of several martial artists of the middle three ranks, every one of them turned pale and breathed rapidly, but they still gritted their teeth and stood their ground without retreating.
Brother Dao and Ma Shou stood on either side, protecting their classmates behind them.
Liu Che gritted his teeth and also stepped forward, unwilling to back down.
Sun Xiaohu held his saber, while Xiao Yan carried his heavy sword.
Zhang Qingyuan knew this would be difficult to settle peacefully. This pure-love warrior had backed himself into a dead-end obsession and was redirecting all his impotent rage at reality onto them.
He secretly circulated the Yin-Yang Limitless Skill, True Qi surging through him like mighty rivers, while shielding his students even more closely behind him. He said gravely, "Young Master Lin, show mercy where you can. There's no enmity between us. Why ruin our harmony over a few words?
"If we alert the nearby Brocade Guard, it won't benefit anyone."
He tried to use the Brocade Guard to give the other party pause.
Who knew that hearing the words "Brocade Guard" would make Lin Li react like a cat whose tail had been stepped on? "The Brocade Guard? Hmph! If they hadn't abused their power, how would Miss Yumo have ended up like this? You're no different from those lackeys!"
Zhang Qingyuan was speechless. You're fucking calling your future father-in-law's men lackeys. No wonder you can't win her over.
Lin Li continued, "Today, on Miss Yumo's behalf, I'll teach you petty villains who gossip behind her back a proper lesson!
"Attack! Kill them all!"
Fuck!
Zhang Qingyuan cursed inwardly. This simp actually wanted to kill them over a few remarks, revealing just how obsessive and vicious he was.
"Rest assured, Young Master."
The old man at the peak fourth rank spoke hoarsely and stepped forward, his withered palm shooting straight for Zhang Qingyuan's face. The wind from his palm was fierce, carrying a cold, sinister Qi. The other seven fourth- and fifth-rank attendants lunged forward at the same time, aiming directly for Liu Sidao and the other students, clearly intending to clear out the small fry first.
"Get back!"
Zhang Qingyuan barked. Facing the old man's incoming palm, he neither dodged nor evaded. The Yin-Yang Limitless Skill within him erupted instantly!
His left hand traced an arc, supreme Yin True Qi drawing and dispersing force like a whirlpool, diverting the old man's cold palm force. His right fingers formed a sword, supreme Yang True Qi gathering at their tips as they struck like lightning toward a vital point on the old man's wrist!
The change came with incredible speed, the shift between yin and yang smooth and effortless. The old man clearly had not expected Zhang Qingyuan's cultivation to be so refined or his reactions so fast. With a muffled grunt, he was forced to withdraw his palm to defend himself.
And in that lightning-flash instant, Zhang Qingyuan truly grew furious.
Since the enemy refused all reason and intended to murder his young students, there was no longer any room to hold back!
Flying Immortal from Beyond Heaven!
He recited it silently, his figure seeming to split in two in an instant. An afterimage remained to draw the old man's attention, while his true body had already slipped like a ghost among the seven attendants charging at his students.
His movements were graceful as an immortal's, yet carried deadly killing intent.
Fingertips, palm edges, elbow strikes, knee blows...
Every part of his body became the sharpest of weapons. Yin and Yang True Qi moved at his will, either incomparably fierce, instantly shattering the heart meridians, or softly penetrating, directly destroying the internal organs.
"Pfft!"
"Crack!"
"Aah!"
Screams rang out one after another.
These fourth- and fifth-rank attendants would have been considered skilled fighters in the martial world, but before Zhang Qingyuan, who was virtually invincible within his realm and attacking in fury, they could not withstand a single blow.
Their moves seemed checked at every turn. Often, just as they attacked, Zhang Qingyuan would strike afterward yet arrive first, hitting a vital point.
Like a tiger among sheep, sweeping through them like rotten wood!
Almost in the blink of an eye, all seven attendants lay on the ground, dead or crippled, no longer able to fight. The thick smell of blood spread through the cave.
Everything happened too quickly. By the time the peak-fourth-rank old man reacted and lunged again with a furious roar, Zhang Qingyuan had already dealt with every enemy threatening the students. He turned and met the old man head-on.
Shocked and furious, the old man unleashed everything he had learned in his life. Palm shadows flew and force spilled in every direction as he brought his peak-fourth-rank strength fully to bear.
But Zhang Qingyuan's Yin-Yang Limitless Skill excelled precisely at overcoming hardness with softness and breaking strength with finesse.
The old man's fierce palm force was repeatedly diverted and neutralized by his exquisite techniques, while his elusive counterattacks, containing the two extremes of Yin and Yang True Qi, proved impossible to guard against, wounding the old man again and again.
Blood seeped from the corner of the old man's mouth, his face filled with disbelief.
Zhang Qingyuan's gaze was icy, and his hands showed no mercy.
He seized an opening when the old man's previous force was spent and fresh force had yet to arise. Spinning like a top, he evaded the old man's desperate strike and delivered a knife-hand blow filled with supreme yang power. Like a startled swan descending from beyond heaven, it struck the old man's neck with perfect accuracy.
"Urgh!"
The old man's eyes bulged abruptly. The sound of his throat bones shattering was clearly audible, and his body slumped to the ground, dead.
In the blink of an eye, eight fourth- and fifth-rank attendants, including one peak-fourth-rank expert, had been wiped out!
His white robes whiter than snow, Zhang Qingyuan stood amid the blood, his breathing steady, as though the vicious slaughter just now had nothing to do with him. His cold gaze turned toward Lin Li, who had long since been frightened witless and collapsed on the ground.
Lin Li's folding fan fell to the ground. His face was pale as paper, his crotch was soaked, and his whole body shook like chaff in a sieve.
"Y-you... don't come any closer! My father is the city lord of Lin'an! My family won't let you get away with this!"
Zhang Qingyuan approached step by step and looked down at him, not a trace of warmth in his eyes. "I never wanted trouble. You forced my hand.
"A pure-love warrior?
"Heh. Your love doesn't even give you the courage to speak before your own goddess. All you dare do is vent on innocent people. Useless trash.
"Fucking moron!"
Lin Li's face drained of color at those words. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he begged incessantly for mercy.
Zhang Qingyuan wasted no words. His sword fingers flashed, a streak of Sword Qi shot past, and a wound appeared on Lin Li's neck.
Lin Li was dead, and the ten little ones were scared witless.
This was the first time they had seen the headmaster make a move. They had never expected him to be this formidable!
Zhang Qingyuan turned around and looked at the students, who were still shaken. His tone softened. "Did you all see that?
"The jianghu holds more than wind, flowers, snow, and moonlight, or wandering heroes upholding justice. It also holds malice without reason, and life and death decided in an instant.
"Protect yourselves and be cautious in word and deed. But if there is no avoiding a fight, strike like thunder. Never harbor pity and give your enemy a chance to turn on you. This is your third lesson!"
"Yes, Headmaster!"
The ten little ones answered in unison, their voices trembling yet firmer than ever before. This lesson was etched into their bones and hearts more deeply than any verbal teaching could have been.
Zhang Qingyuan pointed at the dead Lin Li and continued, "Remember, when cutting weeds, you must also pull out the roots.
"You should know that his father is the city lord of Lin'an City.
"Strike a snake without killing it, and you will suffer its bite.
"Wildfire cannot burn the grass away; the spring breeze blows, and it grows again.
"This is your fourth lesson!"
"Understood!"
"Also, don't be a simp!!!"
"Huh?" The ten little ones did not understand what a simp was.
Zhang Qingyuan pointed at Lin Li. "That's what he was!"
He sighed. "This is your fifth lesson!"