As the saying went, a man could be killed but not humiliated.
If an ordinary person had dared speak to Duan Yanqing like that, he would have killed them even if it cost him his life.
But faced with Xu Xiao's words, he only tightened his grip on his iron staff again and again, before finally letting out a long sigh.
"My skills fell short today. I will seek you out for another lesson someday."
He still had to say something to save face. At the very least, as the leader of the Four Great Evils, he could lose the fight without losing his bearing.
As for whether he would dare come looking for trouble with Xu Xiao again, the answer was certainly no.
Dodging Xu Xiao's iron slivers twice had already made Duan Yanqing understand the gap between them.
He could dodge the first and the second, but he might not be able to dodge the third, fourth, fifth and sixth.
A long defense was bound to fail, much less when he still had no idea whether Xu Xiao had even fought at full strength.
That bizarre hidden-weapon technique had left him no chance to strike.
If he kept fighting, even risking his life might not give him a chance of victory.
Besides, he had heard Xu Xiao say he would not kill him. Though Duan Yanqing did not know why Xu Xiao had struck so ruthlessly yet harbored no intent to kill him, he was still prepared to withdraw.
The martial world was not all fighting and killing; there were also the ways of human relations.
For some unknown reason, Xu Xiao had shown him consideration. If Duan Yanqing had been too dense to appreciate it, he would never have survived this long.
He cupped his hands and planted his iron staff, preparing to leave.
But Xu Xiao's voice came from behind him.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, Duan Yanqing. There's something I want to tell you."
"Outside Heavenly Dragon Temple, beneath the bodhi tree, a ragged beggar, Guanyin with long hair."
The moment Xu Xiao finished, Duan Yanqing, who had just turned to leave, spun around. The slender iron staff in his hand pierced straight through the bluestone paving.
"You... what did you say? Where did you learn that verse? Who are you?"
The ordinary doggerel left everyone else utterly bewildered.
Duan Yanqing, however, felt differently. More agitated than he had been when three of the Four Great Evils fell, he questioned Xu Xiao with a grave expression.
"Where did you learn that? Why do you know about it?"
His voice was agitated, his internal energy swelling throughout his body. Duan Yanqing had abandoned his earlier intention to slink away, and his imposing presence bore down on everyone.
"Don't get so worked up, Duan Yanqing. If you want to know what happened afterward, then why don't you help me find a trace of Ding Chunqiu?"
Xu Xiao spoke calmly, dropping a bombshell as he did.
"You see, after that Bodhisattva Guanyin favored the beggar back then, she even bore him a son."
"Tell me, where is that child now, and what is his name?"
Hearing Xu Xiao's words, Duan Yanqing no longer knew what to say. His emotions surged like a tide, and only one thought remained in his mind.
That Bodhisattva Guanyin bore the beggar a son!
"She bore him a son!" Duan Yanqing repeated. Then he shot Xu Xiao a fierce look, turned and left without another word.
"I'll find a trace of Ding Chunqiu for you, or even bring you his head."
"But if you dare deceive me, I, Duan Yanqing, swear to heaven that from this day forth, one of us will not rest until the other is dead."
Duan Yanqing's cold voice drifted back. Having turned away, he was clearly going to look for traces of Ding Chunqiu.
"Of course. I keep my word. I'll give you only thirty days."
"In a couple of days, I'm going to the martial world of the Central Plains. If you find a trace of Ding Chunqiu, you can come and tell me. When the time comes, I'll naturally tell you the rest of the beggar and Bodhisattva Guanyin's story."
With a move that drove the wolf to devour the tiger, Xu Xiao had directly made Duan Yanqing his subordinate and sent him to handle a troublesome task.
Ding Chunqiu, that old scoundrel of the Xingxiu Sect, was just as infamous in the martial world as the Four Great Evils.
The main problem was that he hid himself in the martial world and wandered from place to place. Finding him personally would take far too much time.
But having Duan Yanqing do it would save Xu Xiao a great deal of trouble. The old fellow could never stop thinking about the throne and Dao Baifeng from all those years ago.
Now that Xu Xiao was using his past to order him around, nothing could have worked better.
There was no need to drive him at all; he would risk his old life to get it done.
As for why he was looking for Ding Chunqiu, it was naturally because Xu Xiao had designs on Wuyazi.
Xu Xiao had long since laid claim to the old man's seventy-odd years of Xiaoyao internal energy.
But forcing the issue might be somewhat inappropriate, so it would be best to bring a gift.
And that gift would be Ding Chunqiu's head.
Hearing Xu Xiao's words, Duan Yanqing said nothing. Only the sound of his iron staff striking the ground remained, gradually fading into the distance.
Thus, the clash between the Valley of Ten Thousand Enmities and the Dali Duan Clan came to an end, and the Duan retainers went to hunt down the valley's remnants.
Zhong Wanchou, master of the Valley of Ten Thousand Enmities, saw that the tide had turned and greased his soles to slip away. Zhong Ling quietly followed him.
Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu also caught sight of this and had their retainers follow them, while the two of them walked toward Xu Xiao.
Accompanied by Duan Yu, Duan Zhengchun formally thanked Xu Xiao.
"Greetings, Mr. Xu. I must thank you profusely for lending a hand today. Only then was I able to escape disaster."
Having witnessed Xu Xiao's abilities, Duan Zhengchun put on none of a prince's airs. Facing Xu Xiao, he bowed deeply in salute.
Given the martial prowess Xu Xiao had displayed and the debt of gratitude for saving his life, Duan Zhengchun made this bow entirely of his own free will.
"There's no need to be so courteous, Prince Duan. Your son and I met by chance, and he is something of a teacher to me. It was only right that I stepped in."
Xu Xiao put on no airs either. As Duan Zhengchun bowed to him, he waved a hand and lifted the other man's body upright.
That move immediately drew more gasps of amazement from the people around them.
Although masters of internal energy in the martial world could unleash it to injure people or retrieve objects from more than a zhang away, they had to cultivate particular techniques to do so.
But someone like Xu Xiao, who could control objects and injure people through empty air, and even manipulate a person's body from several zhang away, was unheard of.
Feeling that invisible force once more, Duan Zhengchun did not insist on bowing. Instead, he extended an invitation to Xu Xiao.
"Mr. Xu, your divine skill truly is unrivaled. It seems even more exquisite than my Duan family's One Yang Finger, which can injure people from a distance. Why not come to Dali, so that we may properly fulfill our duties as hosts?"
"Yes, Brother Xu. This place is a complete mess now. Let's return to Dali first, so we can welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey."
Duan Yu extended an invitation as well.
After Xu Xiao saved Duan Zhengchun, Duan Yu had learned a little about how the whole affair had come about.
He had learned that Zhong Ling was his younger sister, but he also knew what mattered most and invited Xu Xiao to Dali first.
As for the matter between him and Zhong Ling, that could only wait until later.
"All right, then I'll rest my feet at your home. The roast fish and rabbit Zhong Ling made me these past few days were only good for filling my stomach. My mouth has gone so long without flavor that it's forgotten the taste."
Xu Xiao smiled and agreed.
Since he was here, he might as well make himself comfortable. This was also a good chance to enjoy the life of a prince in ancient times.
And judging by the timing, it should be within the next few days that another experience pack would arrive in Dali.