Chapter Thirteen: The Beginning of Everything (4)

Although Nie Feng voiced his disbelief, when everything was pieced together, it all aligned so perfectly with reality. Bu Jingyun glanced at the disheveled Nie Feng, then turned to Qin Shuang and asked, “You’ve investigated me and Junior Brother Feng so thoroughly, but what about you?”

If Bu Jingyun and Nie Feng had a deep-seated grudge against Xiongba, then what about their eldest senior brother, Qin Shuang?

Bu Jingyun’s words jolted Nie Feng awake, and he looked toward Qin Shuang.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. I have no blood feud with Xiongba!” Qin Shuang regarded the two with a teasing look.

“As for why we oppose Xiongba, I said I went missing for over a month to avoid all this—do you believe that?” Qin Shuang spoke without waiting for their answers.

“Originally, I didn’t want to get involved in the grudges between you and Xiongba, but his scheme is too cruel!”

“Junior Brother Feng must have already realized the connection between Kong Ci and Junior Brother Yun, right?” Qin Shuang looked at Nie Feng, his expression a strange mixture of laughter and tears, which made Nie Feng awkward enough to turn his gaze to Bu Jingyun.

Bu Jingyun cast Nie Feng a cold glare.

“Eldest Senior Brother, please speak plainly!”

“Do you think Xiongba married Kong Ci to me because he wanted me to take over the Tianxia Guild?” Qin Shuang suppressed his anger, chuckling darkly.

“Xiongba had long discovered the relationships among us! Junior Brother Bu fell for Kong Ci, Kong Ci loved Nie Feng, yet he deliberately married her to me. Have you ever wondered why?”

Qin Shuang glanced at Nie Feng a few more times—what a scoundrel, though he secretly envied him.

“How could Kong Ci love me?”

“How could Kong Ci love Junior Brother Feng?”

Nie Feng’s disbelief echoed Bu Jingyun’s unwillingness to accept the truth.

The two exchanged glances; Bu Jingyun’s was filled with resentment, while Nie Feng’s was a mix of apology and bitter smile.

“What is Xiongba’s purpose in all this?”

Suppressing his irritation and hostility toward Nie Feng, Bu Jingyun knew it wasn’t his fault.

No matter what, the two couldn’t fathom how their master, who had trained them for over a decade and believed in fate, took them as disciples only to later seek their demise.

“Why… why?” Qin Shuang looked at the two of them. “Why did he take you as disciples long ago, and why does he want to kill you now?”

“The cause of the past is the effect of today!”

On the surface, Qin Shuang said Xiongba took them in because he believed in fate, and now, for the same reason, he sought their end. In truth, by choosing Qin Shuang, one must inherit his fate and consequences.

But the bitterness in his heart was hard to shake.

“What cause, what effect?”

Bu Jingyun was far more focused than Nie Feng, always asking the questions that mattered.

“Did you see the two phrases inscribed on the pillar of the Tianxia First Tower?”

Qin Shuang glanced toward the Tianxia First Tower. Under fate’s hand, Xiongba and the two of them had always followed the path destiny laid out. But what about himself?

Would the Demon Child world be the same? If so, someone must fulfill that destiny in his stead.

From every angle, Ao Bing lacked both the strength and courage to defy the Primordial Celestial Master who set their fate.

“The golden-scaled carp is no pond fish; once it meets the wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon!”

Bu Jingyun recalled the fourteen characters he saw upon entering the Tianxia First Tower—full of imposing power, just like Xiongba himself.

“That was the prophecy the Clay Buddha gave Xiongba twenty years ago! The words ‘wind’ and ‘cloud’ refer to the two of you!”

“So that’s why Xiongba took us as disciples?” Bu Jingyun was incredulous at Qin Shuang’s words. The legendary warlord, leader of the Tianxia Guild, actually believed a fortune teller’s prophecy? How absurd!

“Indeed. Ever since Xiongba accepted you two as disciples, things went smoothly. Over the past decade, the Tianxia Guild has soared to unprecedented heights. But that was only the first half of Xiongba’s fate!”

Qin Shuang spoke casually, while the calm Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun listened quietly to the unfolding story.

“Xiongba ordered me and Junior Brother Yun to find the Clay Buddha because the time had come for the second half of the prophecy!”

“Xiongba was the one who took the Clay Buddha away that day. Senior Brother, did you know all along?”

Bu Jingyun confirmed his suspicion. Who else was so familiar with the Cloud-Splitting Palm and the Heavenly Frost Fist? Xiongba was the first to come to mind.

“Exactly, it was Xiongba,” Qin Shuang confirmed without hesitation.

“So, what was the Clay Buddha’s second prophecy for Xiongba?”

Nie Feng finally displayed the subtle sharpness of the God of Wind—this prophecy was the root of all their troubles.

“‘Dragon clouds in the ninth heaven bring earth-shattering change; when wind and clouds meet, shallow waters are stirred.’”

Qin Shuang recited the words he heard upon arriving in this realm.

“‘Dragon clouds in the ninth heaven bring earth-shattering change; when wind and clouds meet, shallow waters are stirred.’” They repeated it quietly, frowning in deep thought.

“If I were to interpret this prophecy, I wouldn’t make much sense of it either, but I understand Xiongba’s mindset!”

“‘When wind and clouds meet, shallow waters are stirred’—in Xiongba’s eyes, this meant the possibility of betrayal between ‘wind’ and ‘cloud.’ Given his personality, who would rather bear the blame himself than let others betray him? Xiongba would never allow you to strike first. That’s why he devised this scheme!”

“A plan to split the three of us, to kill you two. Junior Brother Feng, think about it—why did you happen to discover the matter between Bu Jingyun and Kong Ci? How do you think things will unfold after that?”

Qin Shuang spoke knowingly. Nie Feng remained silent, while Bu Jingyun said coldly:

“With Junior Brother Feng’s kind nature, he would definitely try to stop me, and I would never listen. In the end, I would inevitably clash with Junior Brother Feng!”

Bu Jingyun shook his head bitterly and continued:

“Originally, Junior Brother Feng’s martial arts were weaker than mine. Even if we fought on equal footing, the Cloud-Splitting Palm counters the God of Wind Leg. Plus, Junior Brother Feng’s gentle nature means he would hold back, while I wouldn’t show mercy. These factors combined meant Junior Brother Feng was destined to die by my hand!”

Closing his eyes, Bu Jingyun felt the terrifying depth of Xiongba’s cunning for the first time.

“After I killed Junior Brother Feng, his kindness would have left too many debts of favor with the Tianxia Guild and other factions. The entire martial world would seek revenge for him!”

“Then Xiongba sends out the eldest senior brother, whose Heavenly Frost Fist counters the Cloud-Splitting Palm...”

“What a ruthless plan, such profound strategy. Xiongba’s vision is precise, his influence vast, and his strength formidable. The Tianxia Guild’s rise to power is no accident!”

“Xiongba... Xiongba...”

The more Bu Jingyun thought about it, the more he feared Xiongba. Even Nie Feng was deeply shaken—such a venomous plot, such cold-heartedness. To abandon disciples he’d raised for over a decade so easily—truly the mark of a ruthless warlord.

“So, I intend to take command of the Tianxia Guild. You two have no objections, do you?”

Qin Shuang’s calm gaze swept over Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun, devoid of any expectation or pressure, leaving everything to their choice.