He reached the edge of the cliff and looked down. He expanded his chest, and the biting wind on his face felt not cold, but rather damp and gentle, as if it had been steeped in the lake water below.

He approached Xia Wufeng from behind and clasped his hands. "Senior Brother Xia."

Xia Wufeng stood motionless, his back to him, like a carved statue.

Li Muzhan said no more, walking up to stand beside him at the precipice, facing the wind, gazing down at the lake and the forest beneath their feet.

After a long silence, Xia Wufeng slowly turned his head.

"Junior Brother Li," he nodded faintly, then turned back, resuming his distant gaze, perfectly still.

Li Muzhan discerned the melancholy and distraction in his eyes.

"Senior Brother Xia is thinking of his beloved, is he not?" Li Muzhan inquired.

Xia Wufeng suddenly spun around, his gaze sharp as a blade, as if intending to pierce Li Muzhan through and through with coldness.

Li Muzhan smiled. "Is Senior Brother Xia heartbroken by some hidden sorrow, or has his beloved passed beyond the veil?"

Xia Wufeng laughed, shaking his head. "You wouldn't understand."

Li Muzhan studied him and chuckled. "Then shall I venture a guess?"

"Oh?" Xia Wufeng smiled, nodding dismissively. "Very well, try your luck."

Li Muzhan scrutinized him for a few moments, pondering. "Senior Brother Xia's beloved has not turned her affections elsewhere, nor has she passed away. Rather, she is someone you long to see but cannot, facing insurmountable obstacles—perhaps the daughter of an enemy?"

Xia Wufeng startled, his complexion shifting almost imperceptibly. His eyes fixed upon Li Muzhan, twin arrows aimed straight into Li Muzhan's own eyes, piercing his very core.

Li Muzhan, untouched by the mental pressure, smiled faintly. "Senior Brother Xia, did I guess correctly?"

"Who told you this?!" Xia Wufeng grunted.

Li Muzhan shook his head. "If I said I'd never heard a word of it, Senior Brother Xia wouldn't believe me, would you?"

"...I would believe you." Xia Wufeng glanced at him, slowly withdrawing his gaze and nodding. "No one else knows this matter, so naturally, no one has spoken of it."

Li Muzhan grinned. "Senior Brother Xia, why not tell me? Who is this 'sister-in-law' who causes you such distress?"

Li Muzhan had mastered the art of quickly establishing intimacy with someone by treating them as an old friend; he projected no sense of being a stranger to Xia Wufeng at all.

Xia Wufeng gave a faint smile. "It's not beneficial to dwell on it."

Li Muzhan murmured thoughtfully, slowly cataloging possibilities. "Hmm... Someone from the Sanxiao Hall? From the Beijiang Sword Sect? Or perhaps from the Haitian Palace!?" He paused, eyes widening. "Wait, the Haitian Palace?!"

Xia Wufeng glared, snorting. "Too much curiosity is not a good trait in a junior brother!"

Li Muzhan laughed. "What does it matter? If your feelings for each other are truly deep, what does it matter if you are enemies? The key is how you two plan to handle it!"

Xia Wufeng shook his head. "Junior Brother, you understand nothing. We and the Haitian Palace..."

He shook his head repeatedly, letting out a long sigh as he gazed into the distance.

................................, Li Muzhan frowned. He hadn't expected it to truly be someone from the Haitian Palace.

He had heard of the deep-seated animosity between the Haitian Palace and the Xinghu Xiaozhu when he was with his three senior sisters—a feud of life and death. The disciples of Xinghu Xiaozhu and the Haitian Palace were born rivals; whenever they met, a contest of superiority was inevitable.

Killing the opponent was best, but even injuring or humiliating them counted as a victory. This generational hatred was impossible to dissolve.

"Senior Brother, what are you going to do...?" Li Muzhan trailed off, shaking his head. He realized that perhaps he hadn't understood the situation before, but now that he knew she was from the Haitian Palace, it was perhaps too late—he was already deeply ensnared by love.

Xia Wufeng managed a bitter smile and shook his head.

Li Muzhan paused in thought. "Could it be a honey trap?"

Xia Wufeng turned, frowning at him. "Junior Brother Li, why would you think such a thing?!"

Li Muzhan considered this. "It is not impossible, Senior Brother. You are a talent seen once in a century at our Xinghu Xiaozhu, destined to become a pillar among the Elders. The people of the Haitian Palace would certainly want you dead quickly."

"Hmph, kill me!" Xia Wufeng curled his lip in disdain.

Li Muzhan continued, "Senior Brother, your martial arts are supreme, so you do not fear a direct confrontation. But throughout history, heroes have often fallen prey to women. Entangling you with a beautiful woman would be the most profitable strategy for them!"

"Junior Brother, you truly are..." Xia Wufeng shook his head with a bitter smile, finding the thought grating. Junior Brother Li spoke of emotion with such cold calculation.

Li Muzhan ceased speaking. Men and women caught in the snare of love are all fools—this is what Buddhism calls dharma or delusion. Those in love are deaf and blind to everything else; their entire world revolves around the other, a single leaf obscuring a great mountain. No amount of talking would help.

It was the same for anyone, and Li Muzhan felt no need to mock; if he were caught in such a snare, he would be no different. He was instead considering the possibilities.

"Junior Brother, don't overthink it. Xiao Ye is not that kind of person!" Xia Wufeng stated.

Li Muzhan nodded, offering no rebuttal.

Whether she was that kind of person or not, he couldn't judge, but this was merely his speculation. Whether it was a honey trap or not would only be revealed through closer observation.

"Senior Brother, if you have the chance, introduce me to your beloved. I can take a look for you," Li Muzhan offered.

"You?" Xia Wufeng regarded him.

Li Muzhan smiled. "In terms of martial arts, Senior Brother, your mastery of simplifying the complex, reducing brilliance to simplicity, is unfathomable. But when it comes to reading people and seeing through their hearts, I possess a few unique insights that might slightly surpass yours."

"Quite a bold claim!" Xia Wufeng smiled, shaking his head.

Li Muzhan countered, "Hearing both sides brings clarity; hearing only one leads to darkness. If Sister-in-law is truly faultless, I will help you devise a plan to marry her. How about that?"

Xia Wufeng chuckled deeply and shook his head. "Best to forget it."

............................................

Li Muzhan smiled faintly and shook his head. "Is Senior Brother afraid?"

"Afraid of what!" Xia Wufeng laughed, turning his gaze back to the distance.

Li Muzhan pressed on. "Senior Brother is afraid that my words might prove true—that it is indeed a honey trap, isn't it?"

Xia Wufeng shook his head and smiled, saying nothing.

Li Muzhan insisted, "If that's the case, why not get to the bottom of it? Otherwise, this thorn will remain lodged inside, causing constant discomfort, wouldn't you agree?"

"Junior Brother need not say more. I trust Xiao Ye will not deceive me," Xia Wufeng waved him off.

Li Muzhan smiled. "If that is so, consider my words unsaid. I wish Senior Brother success, and that lovers may finally be united!"

Xia Wufeng snorted. "You are quite long-winded, fellow. I saw your sparring matches; you are very clever, knowing how to play to your strengths and hide your weaknesses!"

Li Muzhan bowed his head. "Senior Brother flatters me!"

Xia Wufeng warned, "I just worry that your cleverness might backfire, that you rely too much on trickery instead of diligent practice."

Li Muzhan smiled. "With Senior Brothers and Sisters like you leading the way, how dare I slacken!"

"What martial arts did the Lake Master impart to you?" Xia Wufeng asked.

Perhaps feeling he had shared a secret, Xia Wufeng found Li Muzhan suddenly dear, like an old friend with whom he shared no strangeness.

Li Muzhan replied, "The Ancient Qi Cultivation Technique."

Xia Wufeng frowned. "The Ancient Qi Cultivation Technique?"

Li Muzhan nodded. "Why? Is there an issue?"

Xia Wufeng shook his head, sizing Li Muzhan up. "I hadn't expected Junior Brother to possess such aptitude as to be taught the Ancient Qi Cultivation Technique!"

"Does Master also know of the Ancient Qi Cultivation Technique?" Li Muzhan asked.

Xia Wufeng nodded. "This is a miraculous art capable of extending life. Alas, my own aptitude was insufficient; I could not cultivate it."

"I was merely fortunate," Li Muzhan said with a hint of embarrassment. "I lived alone in the mountains, and at night I used to be frightened. Gradually, it became a habit: I would chant Buddhist scriptures to sleep... Chanting the Diamond Sutra kept the fear away, and I had no nightmares."

Xia Wufeng sighed. "You have had a hard life, too."

He had heard of Li Muzhan's background—orphaned at a young age, living utterly alone in the mountains, struggling just to survive; it was truly remarkable that he had grown up at all.

Li Muzhan smiled. "Unexpectedly, misfortune turned into a blessing. By reciting scriptures, I stabilized my mind and focused my spirit, achieving something akin to true cultivation, which allowed me to practice the Ancient Qi Cultivation Technique."

Xia Wufeng urged, "You must cherish it. Such a wondrous art is likely unheard of in the world now."

Li Muzhan nodded and smiled. "Naturally. I wish to know, Senior Brother, how did you elevate your martial arts to that level?"

Xia Wufeng chuckled. "You have quite the nerve; you are the only one who has ever asked me that."

............................................, Li Muzhan laughed. "Perhaps everyone else feels too awkward to ask."

Xia Wufeng smiled and shook his head. "To tell the truth, I don't fully understand how I reached that level. It was as if, overnight, everything suddenly changed. All the martial arts moves became simple and clear, visible at a single glance."

Li Muzhan considered this. It was similar to the Buddhist concept of sudden enlightenment (dunwu), truly difficult to articulate.

He smiled. "Senior Brother must have experienced some immense stimulus for this change to occur, correct?"

Xia Wufeng laughed. "You really seem to know everything!"

Li Muzhan concluded, "To be tormented by love, to feel the world turned upside down—that intensity led to this sudden enlightenment. Senior Brother's fortune is truly strange."

Xia Wufeng mused, "It was like suddenly having one's mind opened. All the martial arts I'd learned before became simplistic, like children fighting, and frankly, rather dull."

Li Muzhan smiled. "Then Senior Brother should create your own martial art."

Xia Wufeng paused, then slowly nodded. "That is actually a good idea. Since these techniques are dull, I should create techniques that are interesting. A splendid idea!"

Li Muzhan asked, "When did Senior Brother advance to the Ninth Rank?"

Xia Wufeng replied, "About three years ago."

Li Muzhan sighed. "I am still only First Rank now. I don't know when I'll reach the Ninth Rank. Reaching the Ninth Rank seems as difficult as scaling the heavens, and I'm not even sure if I can achieve it."

Xia Wufeng reassured him. "Your practice of the Ancient Qi Cultivation Technique is slow at the start, but it speeds up later. You will be a late bloomer; you mustn't rush."

Li Muzhan nodded. He had heard a senior sister say the same thing previously. Hearing it again confirmed that the Ancient Qi Cultivation Technique truly involved slow initial progress; becoming a master might take another decade.

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