Chapter 322: Past (2)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Zhang Wenyuan looked at the bronze hornless dragon on the saber’s pommel ring and then at Ye Jingtang’s face. He wanted to say something but hesitated. Ye Jingtang remembered the kid from Baywater Town was decent at the saber. Seeing this, he asked, “Do you use a saber too?”

Zhang Wenyuan said respectfully, “When I was young, I studied it at Jun Mountain Terrace for a few years. 1 was fortunate enough to meet the Three Heroes of Cloud Lake and even sparred with them. Sir, this saber seems to have an extraordinary background…”

Ye Jingtang was rather surprised. He had already revealed his identity to Xuanyuan Hongzhi, so there was no need to hide it. He directly said, “This saber was left behind by my father. Have you seen it before?”

When Zhang Wenyuan heard this, he was clearly stunned. He carefully looked at Ye Jingtang’s face and said doubtfully, “May 1 ask if your father is Zheng Feng, one of the Three Heroes of Cloud Lake?”

Ye Jingtang raised his hand slightly and asked the weak Zhang Wenyuan to sit down. “My father’s name is Pei Yuanfeng. Zheng Feng should be his alias in Jianghu, but he didn’t tell me what happened back then. 1 don’t know the details.”

Zhang Wenyuan sat on the ground and thought for a moment. “Sir, you should be Hero Zheng’s foster son, right?”

“Huh?” Ye Jingtang was puzzled. “How do you know? We don’t look alike?”

“It’s not about looks. I fought in the arena with Hero Zheng back then. Although Hero Zheng’s saber skills were slightly inferior to the other two, his looks were the most outstanding among the Three Heroes of Cloud Lake. If not for this, Senior Sister wouldn’t have…”

At this point, Zhang Wenyuan felt that this topic might be unpleasant, so he changed his words. “Unfortunately, Hero Zheng was plotted against later. Back then, 1 went to ask the doctor who treated Hero Zheng after the incident. His meridians were all broken, and his kidneys were damaged. Not to mention practicing martial arts, even having children was an extravagant hope. Logically speaking, it’s impossible for him to have a son.”

Ye Jingtang frowned. Although he had heard about his foster father from Qiu Tianhe, he didn’t know the details. “I only know that my father was provoked to go on stage to fight. What exactly happened back then?”

Zhang Wenyuan sighed and recalled the past. “Back then, I was only in my early twenties. Although my talent in martial arts was relatively poor, I could still play with the sabermen of my generation.

“Back then, the young sabermen all liked to go to South Lake City. Eldest Senior Brother Xuanyuan Tiangang, Senior Sister Xuanyuan Shuye, Xuanyuan Hongzhi, Yao Wenzhong, and the others were all regular visitors there. I often went there with my senior brothers to join in the fun.

“Once, Eldest Senior Brother and the others were sparring in the city. As soon as Qiu Tianhe and Zheng Feng arrived in South Lake City, they came to join in the fun. Zheng Feng’s first appearance happened to be against Xuanyuan Hongzhi. Because Zheng Feng used the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade, Xuanyuan Hongzhi didn’t even raise his saber before Zheng Feng grabbed his neck and embarrassed him.

“It is common for young people to compete with each other. Victory and defeat are regular events. At the time, many people jeered, but no one took it to heart. Eldest Senior Brother helped take revenge and beat Zheng Feng to the ground. Senior Sister even gave him a bottle of medicine.

“I originally thought that this was just an ordinary sparring session and that it was over. Afterward, I even went to drink with Zheng Feng and Qiu Tianhe. But Xuanyuan Hongzhi is a petty person and has deep schemes. When he discovered that Senior Sister and Zheng Feng were close, he immediately told Xuanyuan Chao about this.

“At the time, the Imperial Court was in the midst of selecting concubines. The Xuanyuan family had already built a good relationship with the capital and wanted their eldest daughter to enter the palace to be a noble consort. When Xuanyuan Chao found out about Zheng Feng, he was furious and ordered Senior Sister not to leave the house.

“Then Xuanyuan Hongzhi turned around and got someone to look for Zheng Feng to tell him about the concubine selection.

“Zheng Feng was impatient and afraid that the selection would be confirmed, so he ran to Jun Mountain Terrace to propose marriage in public. At the time, many people present made a fuss. Eldest Senior Brother Xuanyuan Tiangang knew Senior Sister’s intentions, so he went with the flow and helped put in a good word for them.

“But Xuanyuan Chao had already discussed with the capital the matter of his daughter entering the palace. How could he cancel the emperor’s engagement and be put in the spot…”

Ye Jingtang frowned and asked, “Then Xuanyuan Chao asked my father to speak with his saber?”

Zhang Wenyuan shook his head. “Xuanyuan Chao is the Saber Chief and the overlord of Jianghu in Ze Province. No matter what, he has to pay attention to seniority in Jianghu. He only rejected this matter. But Xuanyuan Hongzhi jumped out and asked Zheng Feng to use his saber to prove his strength. Seeing that Xuanyuan Chao didn’t agree to the marriage, Zheng Feng agreed to this method and challenged Xuanyuan Chao in public, wanting to receive his saber.

“It was impossible for Xuanyuan Chao to marry his daughter to Zheng Feng, so he agreed to the challenge. Fighting in the arena isn’t child’s play. It’s the rule to be responsible for your own life and death. Xuanyuan Hongzhi fanned the flames before the battle and asked Xuanyuan Chao to kill him. After all, if he didn’t agree to the marriage, he would become a mortal enemy of Zheng Feng. If he kept him alive, he would definitely become a huge problem in the future.

“Xuanyuan Chao isn’t a good person. He indeed wanted to kill Zheng Feng with one strike to avoid leaving behind a source of trouble. But it wouldn’t be good if word got out that he was too vicious.

“I saw that the situation wasn’t right, so I ran to look for Qiu Tianhe with my fellow disciples. I wanted Qiu Tianhe to help Zheng Feng smooth things over, but by the time Qiu Tianhe rushed over, Zheng Feng had already been beaten into a cripple.

“You should know what happened next. Because of this matter, Eldest Senior Brother abandoned the saber, withdrew from Jianghu, and severed ties with the Xuanyuan family. Zheng Feng could no longer have children. After he woke up from his serious injuries, he disappeared and never appeared again. In order to help Zheng Feng, Qiu Tianhe single-handedly killed his way into the marriage envoy team and kidnapped Senior Sister. He lived a wandering life for decades. Many disciples of Jun Mountain Terrace, including me, also left Jun Mountain Terrace because they couldn’t stand this matter.

“Xuanyuan Chao didn’t become the father-in-law of the emperor, and his heir turned against him. Even his title of Divine Marquis of Jun Mountain became ‘Old Man Xuanyuan.’ From then on, he rarely walked around Jianghu. It can be said that after this storm, no one won…”

Ye Jingtang frowned. After a moment of silence, he sighed softly and said, “1 see.”

Zhang Wenyuan glanced at Ye Jingtang and said softly, “Sir, please don’t mind me telling the truth. Zheng Feng was a good person, but his personality was really a little rash. If it were Qiu Tianhe, he would have eloped, kidnapped the bride, or slept with her. Regardless of what he did, Xuanyuan Chao would have had to pinch his nose and acknowledge this son-in-law. But Zheng Feng chose the path he shouldn’t have taken the most. Even so, the chief culprit is still Xuanyuan Hongzhi.

“Ever since then, Xuanyuan Hongzhi has been afraid that Zheng Feng would come back for revenge, so he has been thinking of ways to track down Zheng Feng’s whereabouts. I originally thought that after so many years, it was impossible for Zheng Feng to return, but I didn’t expect to meet you ail of a sudden… Sigh, it’s good that Zheng Feng has a son. If Jun Mountain Terrace is really allowed to forget about this matter, then Jianghu will be meaningless…” Ye Jingtang sighed silently and put aside these old debts for now. He looked at Zhang Wenyuan. “Senior Zhang, you are chivalrous and know right from wrong. You deserve to be called a hero. But the education of your son really isn’t very good. He’s young and rash. If he hadn’t met me, he would have been killed by the local tyrant of Baywater Town. You have to discipline him well in the future.”

Zhang Wenyuan’s expression changed slightly. “My son is usually fine. Perhaps he’s worried about my safety… Is he alright?”

Ye Jingtang wanted to say that he was fine, but he had only made a show of force on the street and asked the kid to wait in town. He really didn’t know what the situation was now, so he said, “I’ve already spoken to him. He should be fine. The Prince of Wu has been captured, and there’s nothing much to do in the mountains. Senior Zhang, I’ll bring your son over, and you can rest well in the army.”

After surviving a calamity, Zhang Wenyuan naturally wanted to reunite with his family the most. But after he was locked in an iron cage for a month, it was difficult for him to even stand up. There were no horses in the mountains, and he couldn’t let Ye Jingtang carry him out. He could only cup his hands and thank him. “Then, I’ll have to trouble you, sir.”

Hearing this, Ye Jingtang didn’t delay. He turned around and returned to the camp at the foot of Yellow Stone Ridge.. After explaining to Dumdum, he sped off out of the mountains…