On the riverbank, countless henchmen gathered, and some idlers collected the assassin's body, placed it on a raft, and floated it down the Cang River, presumably to show it to the Rotten Crotch.
Hongyu quickly arrived at the back of the inn, scanned the riverbank, and after confirming that no one was around, she resumed the demeanor of the female sect leader at the mountain peak. She took out the red jade pendant from her waist, held it in her hand, and gently gathered her qi.
Hongyu was hit by the Essence-Dispersing Needle, losing all her internal energy and becoming weak and frail. Her recovery was very slow, but the man prepared delicious meals for her every day to nourish her body, and her strength had recovered to some extent.
The " Flower and Moon Pendant " is Hongyu's natal magic weapon, capable of illusion, manifestation, voice alteration, and so on. It is a highly deceptive weapon and was formerly part of her master Cloud and Rain Tower's possessions.
Cloud and Rain Tower also possesses a genuine semi-divine weapon—the Thousand-Thread Exquisite Pendant.
Its miraculous effect, the [ Spirit Silk Binding Artifacts ], is almost unique. Its function is to use the soul as a guide to bind other divine weapons and famous weapons, forming an interconnected net.
In this way, even if the famous soldier is in the hands of others, it can still transmit sound over a thousand miles, and even use the effects of the Flower and Moon Pendant and the Filth-Severing Whip to achieve the effect of using a thousand threads as a guide and manifesting divine power from afar.
If they are of the same gender, they can even control the body remotely.
At this moment, Hongyu slightly gathered her energy and waited for a moment. The jade pendant in her hand did not change, but a faint outline appeared in the rain outside the eaves, which looked like the afterimage of Dust-Returning Robe when he moved stealthily.
But soon the outline gradually solidified, transforming into the figure of a woman dressed in a snow-white dress.
The woman was tall and slender, dressed in simple, unadorned clothing. Yet, standing before the stunningly Great Beauty, her graceful figure held its own, even possessing an ethereal lightness that made her appear like a female swordswoman with a ethereal aura.
Unfortunately, the woman wore a thin veiled hat, so to avoid seeing ghosts at the harbor, her shadow wasn't completely solid; it was hazy and not very clear. Upon seeing the shadow, Hongyu quickly bowed and clasped her hands in greeting.
"Disciple greets Master."
Cloud and Rain Tower, as the patriarch of the Mountains and Rivers Association, had not shown his face in the martial world for several years. Now, with one hand behind his back, he first looked at the chaotic Shangjin Ferry, "What happened?"
Although both had mature female voices, Cloud and Rain Tower, as First Rank old demon, possessed a much more solid and composed demeanor than her disciple. Hongyu was already the eighth-ranked leader of the Mountains and Rivers Association in the Second Rank, and normally wouldn't have drawn an ancestor, but the situation just now was truly puzzling. She responded at this moment:
"A few days ago, after meeting Ye Xingge, I helped him obtain the Heaven-Obscuring Arm and the Fate-Robbing Saber..."
Gibberish...
I gave a brief overview of what had happened over the past few days.
Upon hearing about the progress, Cloud and Rain Tower nodded slightly, showing great satisfaction with Ye Xingge and Great Yu'er.
"Not bad, you haven't disappointed your teacher."
Hongyu was certainly happy to receive praise from her master, but she still asked with doubt:
"Just now, Ye Xingge showed signs of a ' Divine Dragon Covering the Back.' This young man has never left Qingxi, and his background is impeccable..."
Cloud and Rain Tower was able to give Ye Xingge the Filth-Severing Whip because they had already investigated him, but since "the matter was done in secrecy," they hadn't told their disciple or Ye Xingge. They didn't explain further at this moment, simply saying calmly:
" The Fate-Robbing Saber grows according to your innate talent, hence the appearance of the Divine Dragon Covering the Back. You don't need to worry about its origin; simply use the ' Heavenly Silk Meridian Lock ' to seal the key meridians, and it will dissipate on its own..."
"..."
Hongyu looked slightly embarrassed upon hearing this.
"My disciple has lost all his power; I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to seal his meridians."
"Um?"
Cloud and Rain Tower, who had been overlooking the mountains and rivers, paused noticeably, and turned his veil around:
"Didn't I tell you to pretend you've lost all your power to protect this boy?"
"Well..."
Hongyu originally planned to pretend to have lost all her skills, so as not to let Ye Xingge rely on her abilities and fail to develop his true skills.
That's why she went to Shangjin Ferry, deliberately luring the slut there, and cleverly creating a lose-lose situation.
But this vixen wasn't a pushover either. She let slip a flaw, and ended up letting too much water in, causing a tiny blunder in what was supposed to be a meticulously planned scheme, preventing it from working properly...
Seeing his eldest disciple's expression, Cloud and Rain Tower remained silent for a moment, his robes slightly billowing, and his voice rising a few decibels:
"You've truly lost all your power, yet you dared to bring this brat into the Forgetful River Mouth and even come here to kill so many Third Rank?!"
Hongyu bowed slightly. "Everything went smoothly; this boy is exceptionally capable..."
"Is this something that requires extraordinary ability?!"
Cloud and Rain Tower's words carried a hint of disbelief.
To ensure everything went perfectly, she specifically arranged for her eldest disciple, the eighth-ranked disciple in the Second Rank, to personally escort her!
Having just heard a bunch of battle reports, Cloud and Rain Tower was thinking that his eldest disciple had graduated, his plans were flawless, and he had turned every unexpected danger into safety without ever having to rely on his protectors.
So all that effort just resulted in the guardians being unable to intervene and essentially left to their own devices?!
Alone and isolated, armed only with a Ravine-Leaping Tiger, he charged into the territory of his mortal enemy Chu Hannu, to wreak havoc...
Having just entered the Third Rank, I became the target of everyone in the martial arts world, so I came here alone and wiped out five of the Third Rank...
How incredibly resilient must this kid be to dare to take such a gamble?
Moreover, Ye Xingge has the " Reversing Life and Disrupting Death " as a safety net; if things really go wrong, he can start over.
Great Yu'er was truly risking her life; if anything went wrong at the Forgetful River Mouth, she wouldn't be able to come out alive.
After realizing what had happened in the past few days, Cloud and Rain Tower, though it was Flowers in a Mirror, Moon in Water, still felt a slight tremor in his clothes. After a moment of silence, he said, "You come back right now and replace your junior sister!"
"Ah?"
Hongyu's face turned pale, and she quickly said:
"Master, please wait. Your disciple will recover his strength as quickly as possible and ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Cloud and Rain Tower's voice was solemn:
"This boy is quite capable. Even without you by his side, he's confident he can protect himself. He might grow slower, but if something goes wrong, he'll still have a chance." But right now, you're being protected by him, and he can't even seal your meridians. How can you guarantee you won't make a mistake?
Hongyu knew that she had lost all her power and was in a far more dangerous situation than Ye Xingge, but she still responded seriously:
"Master once said that without going through great tribulations, one cannot achieve great things. None of those who are First Rank in the world have risen to their positions by relying on the protection of others."
" Lü Chuan was once expelled from his home and then fought his way back to Martial Emperor Mountain; Heaven-Observing Decree once traveled three thousand miles south alone; Wu Chenglie experienced the pain of losing his country and his son and being forced to wander in a foreign land; Chu Hannu was just an abandoned baby at birth; Long Zaiye and Yuchi Jingnan were both rescued from mountains of corpses and seas of blood..."
"Even Cao Xiong, back then, helped the Emperor of Yan ascend the throne and guarded outside the palace for ten years. He dared not close his eyes for a single night before the situation stabilized..." When these people were in dire straits, no one helped them, but in the end, they were the only ones to become First Rank.
"And those promising Miaozi who were once nurtured by experts, almost none of them were able to leave their names after the chaos of war."
"I was ranked Second Rank in the second class, and I once thought I was close to the top. But these days I've realized that skill is skill, and ability is ability. If I can't survive in the martial world without my master's protection and without my own skill, then I'm not qualified to reach the First Rank. My master can protect me for one lifetime, but not forever."
At this point, Hongyu paused for a moment, then lowered her head and said:
"Moreover, Ye Xingge is a very good person, impeccable. I have already thought about the blind date Master arranged for me, and I hope Master can give me a chance. If anything happens to him, I will definitely get there before him."
Cloud and Rain Tower invited Great Yu'er to a blind date, Yu'er took a liking to it at first sight, which must be a good thing.
Her master was naturally pleased that Great Yu'er understood what "cultivation" meant.
But without great trials, one cannot achieve great things; it's not that one can endure hardship without facing it!
She's lost her skills and is still wandering around aimlessly. Did she just come here to be a wife?
Calling the second son over now would be like two women fighting over a husband; who knows, it might end up with the sisters killing each other and the mother and daughter turning against each other.
But if they don't call him over, Ye Xingge will have to suffer even more.
Not only do I have to strive for the First Rank in the league every six months, but I also have to help Great Yu'er with sewing and mending...
Never mind how the great calamity came about; just tell me whether or not someone achieved great things...
well...
Cloud and Rain Tower was clearly also silenced by this situation. He stood with one hand behind his back for a long time before gently tapping his veil:
"You know which way to go, that's good. I established the Mountains and Rivers Association for the sake of peace in the world. If I can't do it, this responsibility can only be passed on to you. But your safety and Ye Xingge's safety are both important. I won't give you a second chance. If anything goes wrong, your junior sister will have to take over completely. Don't blame me for being heartless then."
Hongyu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly made a pledge:
"Master, rest assured, your disciple guarantees that there will be no mistakes."
Cloud and Rain Tower nodded slightly, lifted his veil, and looked towards the inn:
"With the Divine Dragon Covering the Back, I will first lend you my body and use silver needles to seal his meridians. However, the silver needles cannot last long, and I don't have much energy to stay by his side, so you should recover your strength as soon as possible."
Hongyu has been frantically groaning for energy these past few days, but unfortunately, her strength is too high, and her recovery is a bit slow.
"Disciple understands."
Yunyu Lou nodded slightly, said nothing more, and disappeared into the rain.
Hongyu closed her eyes upon seeing this.
But just a moment later, her peach blossom eyes opened again!
Although his appearance remained unchanged, his overall aura was completely transformed.
It looked as if a white dragon, carrying clouds and rain, had descended upon the small Shangjin Ferry in celestial form...