Chapter 1 Xie Wuhua's Choice

Xie Wuhua had been standing outside the door for quite a while.

He wasn't in a hurry.

Even if he had to stand there for a whole day and night, he wouldn't lose his patience.

Fortunately, the person inside didn't make him wait that long.

After that "quite a while," the faint sound of footsteps came from inside the room, and then, the door was opened.

The one who opened the door was a man.

He was tall and handsome, with a stern gaze and an imposing aura.

His signature was a snow-white robe and a long sword at his waist.

An icy temperament and a taciturn personality were the only impressions people had of him.

"Hmph… so you're finally willing to come out and see me?" Although the door was open, Xie Wuhua still stood three steps away from the threshold, not daring to venture forward.

Leng Yuqiu heard this but didn't reply, just silently gazing at the young man with a square face before him.

"What? Don't tell me… you didn't even notice someone standing outside your room?" Xie Wuhua probed, seeing that the other party wasn't answering.

"I noticed." After two seconds, Leng Yuqiu finally spoke, his tone cold and his words accompanied by some slightly awkward, fragmented pauses, "I noticed as soon as you arrived."

"Heh…" Xie Wuhua chuckled, "So that means… during the time I was standing outside the door, you were in the room hesitating whether or not to open it?"

"I wasn't," Leng Yuqiu replied.

"Oh?" Xie Wuhua didn't understand his meaning, so he used a filler word to signal him to continue.

"I didn't want to open the door, and I didn't want to deal with you," Leng Yuqiu added after a moment.

"Ha!" Xie Wuhua laughed again… a cold laugh, "Then why did you open the door now?"

"I need to use the latrine." Leng Yuqiu's answer was concise and to the point, and most importantly… impossible to question.

Having said these five words, he took a step forward, walked out of the room, and casually closed the door behind him.

He walked past Xie Wuhua with such composure, completely ignoring the latter, and strode toward the first floor of the inn.

By the time his figure disappeared, Xie Wuhua was still standing there.

He naturally wouldn't chase after Leng Yuqiu to argue, because only rascals and fools would stop someone who needed to use the latrine and engage in some kind of debate.

Xie Wuhua was neither a rascal nor a fool.

At that moment, Young Master Xie only felt insulted, an insult called "indifference."

Leng Yuqiu's reaction showed… that he regarded Xie Wuhua as an insignificant person, which made the latter's waiting meaningless.

Xie Wuhua wanted to get angry, but he couldn't.

Because in the process of thinking about how to explode, he suddenly realized that, apart from the title of "descendant of a famous family," he really had no other reason not to be ignored.

Although Xie Wuhua had been traveling the martial world for more than half a year, he had not left any trace of his deeds.

How could such a person possibly gain Leng Yuqiu's attention?

Of course, the Xie family's young master's "lack of accomplishment" was not due to his lack of ability… in fact, Xie Wuhua could be said to be both cultured and martial.

In terms of "culture," even if he wasn't as good at literary pedantry as a scholar, he could still bear the title of "knowledgeable and reasonable," which alone was enough to stand out in the martial world full of roughnecks.

As for the "martial" aspect, as the eldest grandson of the Xie family, he had naturally inherited the true teachings of his ancestors, and it would be difficult to find someone of his generation in the entire martial world who could match him.

However… having ability doesn't necessarily mean having accomplishment.

The martial world is a very ridiculous place…

Here, the word "trouble" can almost be equated with "opportunity."

It may bring you all kinds of losses, such as property, reputation, family, friends, life, etc., all of which may disappear with the appearance of this word.

But it can also bring you equal benefits…

In the martial world, a person who has never been troubled or sought trouble for himself is definitely a failure…

And Xie Wuhua's awkward situation was that, due to the Xie family's reputation, many troublesome "people" and "things" would actively avoid him. And because he always had Liu Bo, an old martial arts veteran, by his side, many troublesome people and things that didn't avoid him… were also blocked by Liu Bo.

This created the Xie family's young master who "had been in the martial world for more than half a year but still had no accomplishments."

"Young Master." Before long, Liu Bo's familiar voice interrupted Xie Wuhua's thoughts.

Liu Xilai's loyalty and affection for the Xie family were extremely deep. He had no descendants due to a crippling injury suffered in a crushing defeat, and he also had no relatives left in the world. Therefore, having watched the Xie family's young master grow up, he had long regarded him as his own grandson. This was also why… when Xie Wuhua proposed to his grandfather that he wanted to "train" in the martial world, the old family head arranged for Liu Bo to accompany the young master.

"Are you alright?" Liu Bo asked with concern when he saw that the young master didn't reply.

"Not really," Xie Wuhua knew that Liu Bo had been watching him in secret, so he wasn't surprised by the latter's sudden appearance.

"You shouldn't have been so 'polite'," Liu Bo also knew that the young master had been wronged, but he would never use a childish way to comfort him. He would directly point out the key to the matter.

"Yes…" Xie Wuhua sighed, "I don't seem to 'qualify' to be 'polite' to him yet."

"Indeed," Liu Bo said.

"You should have told me when I decided to come," Xie Wuhua said.

"If I had said it then, you probably wouldn't have understood what I meant," Liu Bo replied.

"Hmm…" Xie Wuhua pondered for half a second, "… you're right."

"But it's not too late to understand now," Liu Bo said.

"Hehe…" Xie Wuhua's smile returned, "Right, it's not too late!"

…………

When Leng Yuqiu returned to his room, he still had that cold demeanor.

He stepped through the door and casually closed it behind him.

He acted as if he didn't see anything, making no response or comment about the fact that his door had been left open and that there were two people sitting in the room.

At this time, Xie Wuhua and Liu Xilai were sitting in Leng Yuqiu's room, drinking tea.

The tea had just been brought up by the waiter, and the teapot and teacups were all new. These were all specially requested by Liu Bo, who didn't want to use the tea sets in other people's rooms, because they were likely to have been poisoned.

"We have something to ask you," Liu Bo spoke first this time.

Leng Yuqiu ignored him, simply returning to the bedside, sitting down, and assuming a meditative posture.

"You killed Ma Dahu, right?" Even if the other party didn't respond, Xie Wuhua continued Liu Bo's words and asked the question he wanted to ask.

Leng Yuqiu, who was meditating on the bed, simply closed his eyes at this point.

"There's no use pretending," Xie Wuhua pressed on, "Even if you can fool the world, you can't fool me…" He paused, "Based on your sitting posture, standing posture, walking posture, and even your breathing… I can tell that in addition to swordsmanship, you are proficient in at least two types of palm techniques and a set of leg techniques, and possess superior internal energy cultivation methods."

"So what?" At this point, Leng Yuqiu finally spoke, but his eyes were still closed, and his tone was nonchalant.

"Ma Dahu's fatal wound, which was also the only spot where he was struck, was half an inch below his ribs," Xie Wuhua continued, "In this town, there are no more than twenty people who can see that that spot is the weakness of the *Shuangxing Cuiming Zhang* (Double Star Life-Stealing Palm); there are no more than ten people who can hit that spot with one palm in actual combat; and you… are one of those ten."

"Of course, that alone is not enough to prove that you are the murderer," Liu Bo smoothly took over the conversation in the next second, "The real reason we are sure it's you is because… we are certain that the palm print on Ma Dahu's ribs was made by the hand of a swordsman." He paused slightly, "Perhaps you yourself don't notice it, but the hands of people who practice different weapons and different martial arts will have various slight differences, such as the tiger's mouth of a swordsman…"

"Liu Xilai." Suddenly, Leng Yuqiu interrupted Liu Bo, and this was the first time he had joined the conversation with the two of them in this way, "You don't need to tell me all the minor details of your deductions…" His tone was still calm, and his eyes were still closed, "I have never denied that 'I killed Ma Dahu.'"

As soon as these words came out, Liu Bo and Xie Wuhua were both stunned. After quickly exchanging a glance, Xie Wuhua said again, "Hmph… you seem quite frank now. In that case, why did you use a palm instead of a sword when you killed him… being so secretive?"

"Using a palm instead of a sword was not to cover anything up," Leng Yuqiu said.

"Oh? Then why?" Xie Wuhua asked again.

"Simply because he was not worthy of dying by my sword." That was Leng Yuqiu's answer.

This answer sounded like a sophism, but when these words came out of Leng Yuqiu's mouth, Young Master Xie and Liu Bo instantly became certain… that he was not lying.

"So… he deserved to die?" Liu Bo didn't ask about the specific motive for killing, knowing that such a question would be overstepping, so… he asked a question that sounded a bit like nonsense.

"He deserved to die." But Leng Yuqiu's firm and powerful reply made the question itself meaningful.

"Why did you do it at this time and in this place?" Liu Bo asked again.

"Where I do it, when I do it, and…" Leng Yuqiu paused here, "…whom I kill…" These five words were clearly spoken for the two people in the room to hear, "…are all my freedom."

"It seems… we're meddling," Liu Bo was, after all, experienced. He had sensed a change in the atmosphere and quickly looked for a way to defuse the situation and leave with the young master.

"Yes," Leng Yuqiu coldly replied, also aware of the other party's intentions.

"Since that's the case… we shouldn't say any more…" Liu Bo stood up and made a cupped fist salute, "We've disturbed Great Hero Leng. We apologize for any offense and hope you will forgive us."

As he spoke and acted, he winked at the young master Xie next to him.

Xie Wuhua was also sensible, immediately standing up and cupping his fist at Leng Yuqiu, saying, "We've offended you."

On the surface, they were polite, but in reality, their bodies and nerves were prepared for an attack.

"We won't disturb you any longer," Liu Bo then said, "We'll take our leave now…"

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave." Unexpectedly, at this moment… Leng Yuqiu actually spoke up, "I have something else to say."

These words, "I have something else to say," made Liu Bo and Young Master Xie break out in a cold sweat…

"Great Hero Leng… what other instructions do you have?" Liu Bo asked.

"Don't you want to know…" Leng Yuqiu continued, "Why Ma Dahu 'deserved to die'?"

Hearing these words, Liu Xilai's face turned pale, because his instinct had told him what Leng Yuqiu wanted to do.

"I don't want to!" Liu Bo almost shouted these two words.

"Because he disturbed my 'sword practice'," Leng Yuqiu continued calmly, as if he hadn't heard.

In that instant, Liu Xilai suddenly knelt down, his body trembling, his voice trembling, and his soul… undoubtedly already trembling as well, "Great Hero Leng! I can hear these words… this old man can hear them alone! Our young master is young and ignorant… he meant no offense. He has a great future ahead of him…"

"No." This was the second time Leng Yuqiu had interrupted Liu Bo, and also the last time, "I want him to hear it too."

Hearing that "no," Liu Bo despaired. When that despair was revealed on his face, he seemed to have aged decades in an instant… from a spirited martial arts veteran to an old man on the verge of death.

"Liu Bo! Why are you doing this?" Xie Wuhua didn't fully understand the situation yet. Although he vaguely felt something… he was still too young after all, and he hadn't yet experienced the truly cruel side of the martial world.

"People always think that if they make a mistake, as long as they discover it in time and admit it, they can still make amends… they can have a second chance," Leng Yuqiu said, opening his eyes, "But I don't like giving people a second chance, because I don't want people to think… they can 'make a mistake once' in front of me." His tone was icy, and his eyes were also icy, "I also don't know why, but the world has a consensus… as long as you kneel down, beg, and repent in a humble voice afterward… you can make up for the previous rudeness, offense, and harm…

"Because that's what most people agree with, so it becomes 'reason,' and then it may even become 'law'…

"But can things in the world really be so 'logical'?

"The world thinks that thieves don't deserve to die, so the victims can only accept it; the world thinks that rapists don't deserve to die, so the victims can only accept it; the world thinks that those who bully the good and dominate the market don't deserve to die, so those who are oppressed can only accept it…

"But how many of those who make the decisions, those 'majority,' those who are full of morality and righteousness… have ever experienced the taste of having something important or hard-earned stolen from them, how many have personally tasted the taste of being raped, and how many know the taste of enduring oppression for years and daring not to speak out…

"Humiliation, sadness, despair, grievances, indescribable pressure… is there really a set of 'laws' in this world that can accurately measure the suffering of the victims and give corresponding punishments?

"At least in my opinion, there isn't.

"But… I myself have thought of a relatively fair method, a very simple method – let the victims decide how to deal with those who have made mistakes.

"Of course, everyone's standards of judgment are different. Some people want to kill the whole family of someone who bumps into their shoulder on the street, while others are slapped in the face and say it doesn't matter, and even offer the other cheek.

"So I have to admit… my method is actually not as suitable as 'law.'

"It can only be applied to a small number of people…

"… such as people like me."

Before today, Xie Wuhua and Liu Xilai would never have dreamed that Leng Yuqiu would say such a long speech at once.

No one in the martial world had ever heard Leng Yuqiu say so much, because… those who had heard it were already dead.

In fact, Leng Yuqiu was not a man of few words.

He was just a person with a strange personality.

He was so extremely introverted that he would get nervous if he said a few more words in front of people.

Therefore, he rarely spoke and almost never made friends.

Only in one situation would he completely relax, open the floodgates of his words, and chat with the person in front of him in a logical manner for a while.

And that "situation" was… when he was preparing to kill the other person.