Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 17

Shen Zhongyin moved too fast; the man had no time to prepare. The traveling horse team was still in shock, not knowing who this newcomer was or what grievance he had with their brothers. Before they could speak, they heard Shen Zhongyin say, “I wanted to kill, so I killed.”

The traveling companions were instantly filled with rage, their blood rushing to their heads. Their eyes widened as they shouted, “You villain! You killed our brother for no reason; how can we let you have a peaceful death!”

One man on the front left spurred his horse forward, pulling the reins to make the stallion rear its hooves, intending to trample Shen Zhongyin to death. Shen Zhongyin’s figure was eerie, drifting like a swift wind; in a flash, he shifted to the side of the stallion and raised his hand for a palm strike. This palm possessed the power to shake the heavens; lightly raised and heavily dropped, it killed the stallion with a single strike.

The rider fell from the horse, rolling over to avoid being crushed by the dead beast.

The others looked at each other, drew their sabers and swords, and charged forward together. Shen Zhongyin closed his eyes and condensed his breath, the qi within his “sea of energy” circulating throughout his body. He suddenly snapped his eyes open, his gaze revealing a chilling killing intent.

The first man swung a goose-feather saber down toward his head. Shen Zhongyin’s figure flickered, his foot shifting an inch, and he struck the flat of the blade with a side-finger. The true qi was so powerful that it shattered the saber instantly. The force traveled through the blade into the man’s grip; not only could the man not hold the weapon, but the webbing of his thumb was torn open, leaving his hand drenched in blood.

Shen Zhongyin’s movements were too fast, dazzling the eyes and making them hard to track. Lou Jing’s cultivation was originally insufficient to distinguish the moves, but because Shen Zhongyin had used this technique against her in the derelict garden that night, she was able to understand it.

Shen Zhongyin’s palm strikes carried the sound of wind and thunder; every exchange felt as if Mount Tai were pressing down. Initially, one man—unaware of the danger—tried to take a palm strike head-on. As the bone-eating scorching qi pressed down, his internal energy was insufficient to suppress it. The true qi invaded his arm like a knife, grinding the veins and flesh of his limb to powder. The qi raced toward his heart, forcing the man to sever his own arm to save himself.

Only then did they realize the terror of the situation. Drenched in cold sweat, the man retreated from the circle and struck his own acupoints to stop the bleeding.

Shen Zhongyin stepped with ghostly footwork and wielded his heaven-shaking palms. In the blink of an eye, only one of the seven or eight men in the horse team remained alive—the man who had severed his own arm.

Drenched in cold sweat, the man saw the clue from the bright red corpse of his companion. When he looked up at Shen Zhongyin, his gaze was terrified, his body shaking like a leaf. His pale lips trembled, stuttering out only, “Shen… Shen…”

He had recognized this “Bifang Bird”—a sign of great fire who killed people as if mowing grass.

The man was terrified out of his wits. He scrambled up and stumbled away into the distance to escape.

Shen Zhongyin took a step forward, seemingly intending to finish him off, but a long sword still inside its scabbard was pressed against his chest, stopping his footsteps.

Lou Jing said, “That’s enough.”

Lou Jing knew she was no match for Shen Zhongyin, but with her personality, she truly couldn’t pretend not to see. These people were pitiable; they had simply passed by Shen Zhongyin and somehow offended him, inviting this senseless disaster and fatal misfortune.

Lou Jing couldn’t bear it and intervened.

With Lou Jing blocking him, the escaping man caught a stray horse, flipped onto its back, and galloped away into the distance.

Shen Zhongyin gave a cold, indifferent glance in that direction, then turned his head back to gaze at Lou Jing.

Lou Jing’s heart jumped, and her figure leaped backward. As expected, Shen Zhongyin struck with a palm; because Lou Jing had a premonition, she dodged in time.

Shen Zhongyin’s palm missed. He withdrew his momentum, gathered his qi, and exerted force again, his palm strikes becoming a continuous flow, one attack following another. Lou Jing’s power was far inferior to his, but having watched him practice these past few days and hearing him mutter the internal methods, she had gained a three-tenths understanding of his palm style. This prevented her from falling in the very first exchange.

Shen Zhongyin seemed to have had his mood interrupted; not having fought enough, he turned his spearhead to use her as a punching bag.

Lou Jing knew the trouble had been shifted to her. Shen Zhongyin was unpredictable; she didn’t know if he would kill her just as he had killed those martial artists. The message likely hadn’t reached the sect yet, the elders couldn’t arrive in time, and there was no one to help her. She could only avoid a head-on clash and wait for an opportunity to escape.

However, after about ten moves, Shen Zhongyin withdrew his hand and retreated a few steps away.

Lou Jing couldn’t figure this man out. Shen Zhongyin’s temperament was truly bizarre. Lou Jing didn’t dare relax; her body remained tense, stayed in a defensive posture.

Shen Zhongyin tucked his hands into his wide sleeves, shook his head at Lou Jing, and said, “I have seen Lyu Keji’s Qian Yuan Sword Technique. Jing’er, your sword moves are too restrained; they aren’t sharp enough, not lethal enough. You lack the majestic spirit of a sword that can block a million soldiers, let alone the awe-inspiring killing intent that repels three thousand enemies without even drawing the blade.”

Lou Jing saw him tuck away his hands, clearly intending to stop. She secretly sighed in relief, but hearing him discuss her sword technique, she couldn’t help but frown.

Lyu Keji was her founding master. The martial world honored him as the “Sword Saint.” Though she had never met him, she had heard people in the sect mention him. Her founding master’s martial achievements were the greatest since the sect’s inception. His understanding of the Way of the Sword was something few in the entire martial world could match.

Naturally, it was also far beyond her reach.

Lou Jing felt stifled in her heart. Having witnessed someone so stunning, she felt deeply the insignificance of her own abilities, and a sense of defeat arose. “My father said that to cultivate the sword, one must first cultivate the heart. One must harbor benevolence, and must not kill ruthlessly. Strength should not be used to its limit, and the sword should not be extended to its end; always leave a three-tenths margin for recovery.”

She was a person of fierce character and, being young, prioritized winning; her sharpness was fully exposed. But she had listened to some of her father’s words and compromised—she fought for two-tenths and left only a one-tenth margin.

At the mention of Lou Xuanzhi, Shen Zhongyin’s face changed again. He first let out a cold laugh toward the sky, then moved like a ghost, suddenly closing the distance to stand before Lou Jing. Because Shen Zhongyin showed no intention of attacking, Lou Jing was caught off guard, and her shoulders were grabbed by him.

“The ‘Way of the Sword’ you practice should be a killing skill, like a fierce tiger descending from the forest, or a coiled venomous snake biding its time. Once you strike, go straight for the vitals. What you should harbor is not a benevolent heart, but the determination to capture prey in one strike. Showing mercy to an enemy is for fools. Your father? Your father is a weak, incompetent, ignorant, and useless man! How much good can come from doing what he says?”

Lou Jing’s face immediately fell. “Don’t speak ill of my father.”

Shen Zhongyin sneered. “Not allowed? Your father is a man of little justice and less shame, who disregards affection for the sake of power. He is truly a first-rate piece of trash in this world. What, am I not allowed to say it?”

A spark of rage in Lou Jing’s chest instantly spread through her whole body. In her fury, she didn’t care if she could beat him, whether she would be killed by his palm, or that she had an un-cleared injustice to resolve. She simply could not tolerate this man slandering her father. She drew her sword; that spark of cold light was fast as a shooting star, with a chilling killing intent that made one’s whole body go cold. “My father is a man of insight and clarity, who values affection and justice! Over ten years ago, he rallied the sects, and they drove your Feihua Alliance back three thousand miles, making you turtle up in the Jiangnan and Jiangbei areas for over ten years, not daring to come out! He eradicates evil and is respected by the world—he is a hero! You aren’t fit to speak of him!”

This sword strike actually grazed Shen Zhongyin’s face. Shen Zhongyin, like a swift swallow, leaped aside. His finger wiped away a small drop of blood from the sting. His eye twitched twice. “Oh, a hero. He is a hero. Heh heh, treading the Feihua Alliance under his feet, quite majestic. So majestic, yet he couldn’t even protect his own wife and daughter! Values affection and justice? He is a cold-blooded betrayer. For the sake of the Sect Leader position, he didn’t even care for his own wife’s life. And you call that valuing affection and justice!”

Lou Jing gritted her teeth. “What nonsense are you talking about!”

Shen Zhongyin laughed maniacally and uncontrollably. “Good, Jing’er. It turns out you still don’t know.”

Lou Jing’s brow furrowed tightly. “Don’t know what!”

Shen Zhongyin’s voice was low and raspy, like a snake’s hiss. “Ha! Lou Xuanzhi doesn’t dare tell you. He doesn’t dare speak of it because he’s afraid you’ll find out!”

“What on earth are you talking about!”

“Jing’er.” Shen Zhongyin gazed at her, his look intimidating. “Your mother was driven to her death by the Qian Yuan Sect.”

“You’re lying.” Lou Jing’s beautiful face suddenly went ashen. “My mother died of illness.”

Shen Zhongyin scoffed. “Died of illness? Is that Lou Xuanzhi’s story? Because he doesn’t dare tell you that your mother was forced by a crowd of elders and fellow disciples to take a sword and commit suicide! And your ‘good father,’ your ‘hero father,’ was probably just standing to the side watching!”

“You’re lying!” Lou Jing shook her head and stepped back, her heart trembling with pain. “I don’t believe it. You are a member of the Feihua Alliance; how could a single true word come from your mouth? You’re just trying to drive a wedge between me and my father. No wonder you never dealt a killing blow to me and instead deliberately acted close—so this is what you were waiting for!”

“You don’t believe it? Then why are you panicking?” Shen Zhongyin gazed at her features, showing a look of attachment. “Jing’er, I am close to you only because you look like your mother. If you took after your father, you would have died under my palm long ago. Jing’er, if you don’t believe it, feel free to call your father here! We can confront each other face-to-face! Let’s see who exactly is hiding the truth!”

Lou Jing’s breathing was erratic. She was indeed panicking, only shaking her head. “No… you… it’s your plot. You… you want to use me to lure my father here. You… you’ve laid a net, wanting to invite him into a trap.”

Right at that moment, a fast horse arrived from the direction of Xinyang City, drawing closer. Lou Jing heard the rider shout, “Jing’er!”

Lou Jing looked up. For an instant, she mistook the newcomer for her father. Perhaps she inwardly hoped Lou Xuanzhi was here right now to personally shatter all of Shen Zhongyin’s lies. But the one who arrived was not Lou Xuanzhi, but Lou Yan.

Before even reaching her, Lou Yan impatiently used light-body techniques to leap from the horse. He landed beside Lou Jing and pulled her behind him with one hand, facing Shen Zhongyin in a defensive stance.

Lou Jing asked, “Second Uncle, why are you here? Did you receive my letter?”

The round trip from here to Tiger Roar Mountain takes seven or eight days; how could her Second Uncle have arrived so quickly?

“You truly are a handful!” Lou Yan turned and gave Lou Jing’s forehead a hard rap with his folding fan. “You snuck out of the mountain. Your Senior Sister was afraid your father would scold you, so she told me secretly. I sent them down the mountain to look for you, but they couldn’t find you for days, and your father eventually found out. Your father’s words are sharp but his heart is soft; he claimed he wouldn’t care, yet he still sent your Senior Sister and the others to Xuzhou to look for you and search for clues about Cao Ruxu’s death. He also sent me to Caoliu Mountain Manor, hoping to temporarily ease the tension between the two families. It was purely coincidental; I ran into Lang Ye’s elder brother on the road. He mistook me for your father and gave me your letter. Only after reading it did I realize you had encountered…”

Lou Yan gave Shen Zhongyin a sidelong glance and rapped Lou Jing again. “Only then did I realize you had run into him. I didn’t even have time to return to the sect and rushed over. I saw the marks you left on the road and followed them, then encountered an armless man who told me you were here.”

Lou Yan looked at Shen Zhongyin twice and saw him waiting comfortably for him to finish speaking.

Shen Zhongyin said, “Why don’t you ask your Second Uncle?”

Lou Yan asked warily, “Ask what?”

“Second Uncle.” Lou Jing’s hands were shaking; she still couldn’t withstand the internal unease and asked, “How did my mother die?”

Lou Yan’s face turned pale. He opened his mouth, but for a long time, he couldn’t say a word.

Seeing this reaction, Lou Jing’s heart went half-cold. “She committed suicide.”

Lou Yan hurriedly said, “Jing’er, who told you such nonsense? Your mother died of illness.”

“Quite the ‘died of illness,'” Shen Zhongyin said contemptuously. “You dare to do it, but not to admit it?”

“Second Uncle, tell me, I beg you, tell me!”

“Jing’er…” Lou Yan pursed his lips. After a long silence, he said, “In the sect… your mother had a fierce temperament. No one could stop her from doing what she decided for herself.”