26 Memories (1/2)
All of a sudden, there was a powerful malevolent aura that seemingly came from another direction.
Yi Ping, Gongsun Jing, Qiu Wufeng, Xiao Youxue, Ding Yunzi and Lie Qing looked towards that direction and saw a man with a sword walking silently towards them!
Yi Ping had recognized him to be Zuo Tianyi!
Zuo Tianyi said coldly, ”Whoever tries to lay a hand on Maiden Ding, I will kill him.”
Ding Yunzi gasped, ”Tianyi…”
Qiu Wufeng spit out, ”So it is young master Zuo Tianyi. Are you here to take our lives too? I have great respect for the old sword saint but you are just a lackey of the Honor Manor!”
Zuo Tianyi said coldly, ”I don't care what the Honor Manor wants but since you have the intention of killing Maiden Ding, then don't blame me.”
He looked at Yi Ping and said, ”We seem to have an unfinished duel.”
Yi Ping said, ”Indeed! But unfortunately I have no wish to fight you and I don't have a sword.”
Zuo Tianyi looked at Yi Ping coldly, ”You can always borrow one. With or without a sword, I will not hesitate to kill you.”
Lie Qing stole a glance at Ding Yunzi before saying to Zuo Tianyi, ”I am afraid if you really want to kill Yi Ping, Maiden Ding will never forgive you.”
Zuo Tianyi asked, ”What do you mean?”
Lie Qing smiled, ”That is because Yi Ping is our protégé master now. If you want to kill Yi Ping, then you have to fight the three of us too.”
Zuo Tianyi was taken aback, ”He is your protégé master now?” He looked at Ding Yunzi for answers. He had always thought that Ding Yunzi was from the Virtuous Palace and that Xiao Shuai was her protege master.
Ding Yunzi said coolly, ”That is so.”
Qiu Wufeng immediately knew by now that these three maidens were not his enemies. So he was relieved as he said quickly to the three maidens as he bowed respectfully, ”Even though my martial skills are weak, I will gladly fight on your side!”
Lie Qing looked at Qiu Wufeng as she said, ”At least you have some courage and willingly to stand by Yi Ping or else I would have killed you instantly earlier.”
Qiu Wufeng smiled bitterly at this mesmerizing maiden who was rebuking him fiercely. But he immediately thought, ”If I were to be killed by her, it may not be a bad feeling after all. After all, I have lost everything now…”
Gongsun Jing was stunned as he said, ”You are all on the same side!?”
Zuo Tianyi stared at Gongsun Jing, ”Then I have to kill only you instead.”
Gongsun Jing looked at Yi Ping and said, ”Brother Yi Ping, you got to help me!”
Yi Ping rubbed his nose as he looked at everyone before he said to Gongsun Jing, ”I don't wish to help you because what you want to do is not an entire chivalrous act. Everyone knows that Gongsun Bai had been oppressing the orthodox fraternity for many years…”
Gongsun Jing shifted uneasily.
Yi Ping said, ”Even though you have the nick of Gongsun Jing the Benevolent and is different from your father. But that is not what everyone thinks.”
Gongsun Jing looked down in guilt. It was true. He had known of his father lofty ambitions for a long time and had even tried to persuade him to take a more benevolent path but his father had scorned at his advice.
Yi Ping looked at Zuo Tianyi as he continued, ”Moreover, I don't want to make enemies of Zuo Tianyi. The Zuo and the Yi Clan had been acquaintances for many generations. We are not enemies in the first place and why should it turned into a feud?”
Zuo Tianyi nodded slightly. He knew that was the truth. It was because the Infinity Sword Clan had adjusted its swordplay three generations ago to counteract the Horizon Swordplay. And when they had dueled, he had found Yi Ping to be very familiar as though they had dueled before. The reason that they had fought to a standstill was that both of them knew how to counter one another's swordplay as though they had fought before on numerous times!
That was also why Yi Ping's father, Yi Tianxing knew the Infinity Swordplay so well that he was able to forewarn Yi Ping that the Horizon Swordplay could be broken by the Infinity-First Swordplay.
Finally Yi Ping said to Gongsun Jing as he smiled bitterly, ”Your father had courted his own death and refusing to let Xiao Shuai go. It was a fair duel. Even without Maiden Ding interfering, do you think your father would able to win against Xiao Shuai?”
Gongsun Jing said solemnly, ”If Maiden Ding had not interfered, the outcome would still be uncertain!”
Zuo Tianyi said coldly, ”That was not what I have seen.”
Gongsun Jing asked, ”What do you mean?”
Zuo Tianyi said coldly, ”Even before Maiden Ding had struck your father, Xiao Shuai had already penetrated through his Invincible Divine Force!”
Gongsun Jing said, ”That is impossible. There were so many eyes in that hall that day. Xiao Shuai attacks cannot possible penetrates through my father's Invincible Divine Force!”
Yi Ping said, ”That is because your eyes are not sharp enough. If Gongsun Bai could even deflect Xiao Shuai's flying sword with his bare hands, do you think that Maiden Ding's flying sword could even cut through his arms at all? That was because at that very instant, his Invincible Divine Force had already been breached!”
Gongsun Jing was stunned. Why he had not thought of that?
He finally said, ”You guys have already thought of that?”
Xiao Youxue interrupted as she said, ”They didn't and didn't have to. They just witnessed it. Why did you think that Gu Tianle and the rest of the protégé masters of the various major orthodox clans did not bulge at all when Gongsun Bai was killed? It was because their eyes were quick enough to see it themselves.”
She knew because she was there too but remained hidden from view! That was why she knew that Yi Ping may be courting his own death and took a gambit to lure Xiao Shuai into the Honor Manor!
She added, ”The one that really killed your father is Xiao Shuai. I have heard that even Gu Tianle and Jue Yuan is hunting you. You can't even avenge against Xiao Shuai, Gu Tianle and Jue Yuan yet you are looking to avenge against Maiden Ding? You are really courting your own death!”
Yi Ping said, ”Moreover, even if the two of us added up together, do you think we can win against the sword in her hands?”
Yi Ping still shivered when he recalled the battle with her. He had only accidentally won when she had sprained her ankle at the wrong timing!
He did not dare to look into Maiden Ding's eyes directly as he said that. It was because he very well knew that she was toying with him even though he had already used up all the strokes of the Horizon Swordplay! He was now worried that he may hurt her feelings if he was too close to her. The same went for Maiden Xiao Youxue and Maiden Lie Qing too…
Yi Ping said coolly, ”You have to decide if you want to avenge against her now or want me as your sworn brother.”
Gongsun Jing looked at everyone slowly. It was the hardest decision that he had ever made in his life.
Actually when he first seen Maiden Ding, he had already been attracted by her quiet demeanor and air. When she had stormed into the Honor Manor with Xiao Shuai, he was in fact worried what would happen to her fate. What he had not expected was that Xiao Shuai actually did the impossible and killed his father. And because afterwards, he was persecuted by Gu Tianle, he was filled with a burning hatred for everyone that was involved in the demise of his clan.
When he looked at Maiden Ding's quiet demeanor again, he really could not bring the heart to even lay a finger on her even though he still held her partly responsible.
Gongsun Jing said slowly, ”I will still want to be Brother Yi Ping's sworn brother. My real enemies are Xiao Shuai and Gu Tianle.”
Yi Ping said, ”Then I'll be able to help you. I still have a score to settle with Gu Tianle and Jue Yuan for conspiring with your father to injure my father years ago.”
Gongsun Jing said, ”You won't hold against me? My father was the one that…”
Yi Ping interrupted, ”What your father did is his own business. That has nothing to do with you. Moreover, he is dead now. I hope you can forgive Maiden Ding too. Or else I won't agree to be your sworn brother at all if I bear a grudge against you.”
Gongsun Jing was deeply touched as he looked at Yi Ping who seemed to be a giant, surrounded by a strong sense of benevolent and righteousness.
He stammered out, ”I don't blame Maiden Ding at all…”
Zuo Tianyi said, ”Pity. I have come here for nothing.”
Everyone looked at Zuo Tianyi startled. They had almost forgotten that Zuo Tianyi was not on their side yet.
Lie Qing blinked at Zuo Tianyi as she said, ”Great Hero, I can tell immediately that you are a master swordsman. What do you mean? Are you here on the behalf of the Honor Manor?” as she took a step forward.
Zuo Tianyi took a step backward as he smiled, ”Hold it. Don't come close to me. I have just seen how Qiao Feng and Ye Lu were killed by you.”
Lie Qing was offended as she said, ”Am I so terrible to behold or too fierce for your taste, Great Hero?”
Zuo Tianyi smiled, ”I am not interested in you for sure.” He took a quick glance at Ding Yunzi who looked shyly away.
Yi Ping, Qiu Wufeng and Gongsun Jing were clearly amused. It was because even a blind man could tell how mesmerizing Lie Qing was and Zuo Tianyi was telling her how unattractive she was to him!
Lie Qing replied coldly, ”So what do you want?”
Zuo Tianyi laughed, ”I just want to be a sworn brother to Yi Ping as well and then we find a place to drink or else it will be hard for me to go off just like that.”
Yi Ping was surprised too as he quickly said, ”It is my honor too! Brother Tianyi!”
Zuo Tianyi said, ”Brother Yi Ping!”
Ding Yunzi interrupted softly, ”You better go. The further away, the better it is! What we are going to do next will put you in a very difficult position.”
Zuo Tianyi said, ”Yunzi, why are you so cold towards me? What did I do wrong…”
It was only now that it was apparent that Zuo Tianyi and Ding Yunzi had known of one another! No wonder, when Gongsun Jing had wanted to avenge against Maiden Ding, they could sense a strong killing malevolent intent from him!
Lie Qing muttered with displeasure, ”No wonder you are not interested in talking to me. So you already have a sweetheart. You are afraid that she may get jealous…”
Qiu Wufeng quickly said, ”If Maiden did not mind, you can always talk to me…”
Lie Qing hummed coldly, ”You should practice more on your martial skills first before talking to me.”
Qiu Wufeng immediately flushed red with embarrassment.
Ding Yunzi said, ”You did nothing wrong. I just don't want to see you.”
Zuo Tianyi said, ”I know that you are from the Virtuous Palace and that Xiao Shuai may not approve of our marriage in the past. But I am now the protégé master of the Infinity Sword Clan now, surely Xiao Shuai would take that into consideration and…”
Ding Yunzi interrupted coldly, ”You think too much. Just go.”
Yi Ping said to Zuo Tianyi, ”We know that the Honor Manor is raising an expedition to attack the headquarters of the Holy Hex Sect. We are going there to help a friend of mine. If you join us, it is akin to making enemies of all the orthodox clans in the fraternity. I am sure Maiden Ding meant well.”
Zuo Tianyi said quickly to Ding Yunzi, ”Even if I were to make enemies of the orthodox clans, I will still join you! I don't even care if the Virtuous Palace is now the enemy of the orthodox fraternity. I will still ask for your hands in marriage. ”
Ding Yunzi said coldly, ”I am no longer in the Virtuous Palace.”
Zuo Tianyi was taken aback as he asked, ”You are not?”
Ding Yunzi said, ”I have betrayed the Virtuous Palace and now, I am being hunted by the Virtuous Palace. In fact, we are all being hunted by the Virtuous Palace or the Honor Manor. Even if you have ten lives, you may not live to survive it. You are so foolish. The Infinity Sword Clan has painstaking took more than three centuries to establish its position in the fraternity. As your cousin, I feel ashamed that you can choose to throw away the repute of the Infinity Sword Clan just like that. How could you face your Zuo Clan ancestors?”