The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 559 Yang Kang's Choice
Wanyan Honglie was furious but also extremely guilty, and his words trembled as he spoke.

"You should be dead, why are you still alive? Why do you have to live? Why don't you just die? Why come back and bother us?"

"Xi Ruo, Xi Ruo, the days we've spent together as husband and wife far exceed those with this farmer from the State of Song. For eighteen years, hasn't my sincere heart been enough? Don't you truly cherish any of that time, and insist on staying with him?"

Bao Xiruo slowly raised her head. Her temperament was still as gentle as ever, but the determination in her eyes was unprecedented. Her resolve and her desire to part ways were evident in her words.

"Your Highness, I know you are very good to me, but the calamity in Niujia Village eighteen years ago was also caused by you. Xiruo was just an ignorant woman who had no choice but to accept her fate. But now that I think about it, I still hate you more."

Wealth and glory are not what I desire. The happiest days of my life were when I married my husband, fed chickens, cleaned the house, did some knitting in Niujia Village, watched my husband practice martial arts, and served him wine.

Now that Tie Xin is back, I, Bao Xiruo, will never be separated from him again, regardless of life or death. Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will be with Tie Xin.

Wanyan Honglie was so angry that he trembled all over. He had been married to Bao Xiruo for more than ten years, and he had given her the best of everything, including fine clothes, delicacies, jewelry and jade. For many years, he had been determined to marry a Han woman as a concubine, even though he knew that he would lose the opportunity to inherit the throne.

Although they later divorced, he still loved Bao Xiruo. Who would have thought that after giving so much, he was still not as good as a rough man who had only been married to Bao Xiruo for a few years and only knew how to farm and hunt? For a time, he was at a loss because his feelings for her had been misplaced.

Wanyan Honglie slowly turned his gaze to Yang Kang, his eyes red and pleading: "Kang'er, what about you? Are you going to leave me too?"

Wu Chengyu only restricted Yang Kang's movements, but did not prevent him from speaking: "Father, Kang'er only has eyes for Father. How can this vulgar old man be qualified to be my father? Kang'er will never fail Father's kindness in raising him."

Wanyan Honglie nodded slightly, finally revealing a smile that was more like a grimace: "Kang'er, I haven't wasted my time in these eighteen years. Good, good son, I will save you now."

His eyes finally returned to Wu Chengyu, his back gradually straightened, and he regained some of the aura of a Jin king.

"Your Excellency has done a terrible thing. I don't know where you found Yang Tiexin. My family has been torn apart because of you. However, I promise that as long as you release my son Wanyan Kang, I will let you leave this place."

Wu Chengyu reached out and grabbed Yang Kang by the back of the neck, lifting him up effortlessly. This immediately terrified Wanyan Honglie, who realized that his adoptive father still truly regarded Yang Kang as his own son.

"What are you saying, Prince Zhao? They were never family with you to begin with, so why make such a fuss? It's just that this little beast has been bewitched."

You call him Wanyan Kang, I'll call him Yang Kang. Yang Kang, I'm giving you one last chance. In front of your adoptive father and your own parents, tell me who you really are.

Yang Kang struggled to lift his head. Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo stepped forward to stand in front of him, while Wanyan Honglie, facing him, stepped forward and stretched out his trembling hands.

Yang Tiexin's eyes were filled with complex emotions, a mixture of longing and disappointment. Bao Xiruo's eyes were filled with sorrow, tears streaming down her face as she silently shook her head, hoping Yang Kang would change his mind.

And then there was Wanyan Honglie's silent plea. Three pairs of eyes were all fixed on Yang Kang. For a moment, Yang Kang dared not look at anyone and closed his eyes tightly. Finally, he struggled to open them and looked at Wanyan Honglie. This kid had been cunning since childhood, but now he was unusually stubborn.

"My name is Wanyan Kang, son of Wanyan Honglie, the Prince of Zhao of the Great Jin Kingdom. If you have the guts, kill me now. My father will surely turn you to dust. Also, don't think you're so great. My mentor is Tian Boguang, the Lone Ranger. He is the real master."

When my mentor returns and learns of the humiliation you have inflicted upon me today, he will surely seek justice for me.

This left Wu Chengyu somewhat speechless with anger, and even more unusually, he felt a little guilty. Among everyone present, only he knew that he was Wanli Duxing, and he had intended to change his appearance now so that Yang Kang would feel like he had swallowed a dead fly and give up completely.

However, the fact that he taught Yang Kang Wang Chongyang's version of the Innate Skill had already been discovered by the Quanzhen Sect. These Taoists were searching all over the world for Tian Boguang to find out how the Innate Skill had been leaked.

If these Taoist priests were to find out that Wu Chengyu was actually Tian Boguang, it would be difficult to explain how he obtained the Innate Skill. Moreover, it wouldn't sound good if Wu Chengyu casually passed on the highest martial art of a sect.

Wu Chengyu has a deep connection with the Quanzhen Sect and a very good relationship with the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. If this matter is exposed, there will inevitably be a rift between the two sides. Wu Chengyu has already made up his mind to make Tian Boguang's identity disappear completely and never appear again.

His final question to Yang Kang was to make Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo give up completely and settle down in Jiangnan to live out their old age. If they didn't give up on this idea, the old couple would inevitably suffer in the future.

Sure enough, upon hearing Yang Kang's resolute words, Bao Xiruo's vision went black and she fainted completely. Yang Tiexin held his wife in his arms, glanced at Yang Kang one last time, sighed deeply, picked up Bao Xiruo, and retreated back to the mountain god temple.

His attitude was also very clear: he would no longer concern himself with Yang Kang's affairs. Although he was heartbroken, he had never spent any time with Yang Kang and had no feelings for him beyond blood ties. Therefore, he could accept this outcome.

Encouraged by this, Wanyan Honglie cherished Yang Kang even more: "Why don't you tell me your plan? How can you let my son go? I'll say it again: if you release my son now, I will withdraw my army and give you a way out."

Wu Chengyu sneered: "What kind of trust do you barbarians have? I'm afraid that when Yang Kang returns to your side, the bowstrings drawn by those hundreds of archers behind you will be released immediately, and hundreds of arrows will fly over at once."

However, I have an idea. I am a martial artist and I love to duel with masters. The man beside you is none other than Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison. How about we have a duel?
"As long as I have a good time and enjoy the game, win or lose, I'll return Yang Kang to you, how about it?"

Upon hearing this, Wanyan Honglie was overjoyed. Ouyang Feng had joined the Jin Kingdom a few years earlier than in the original story. Over the years, Wanyan Honglie had come to admire Ouyang Feng's martial arts skills to the point of complete admiration, as he had never been matched by anyone within the Jin Kingdom.

Wu Chengyu is so handsome, thin, and young; he doesn't look like a real master at all. Yet he dares to challenge the Western Poison, one of the Five Great Masters of the World. He is truly ignorant of his own limitations.

“Mr. Ouyang, then I’ll leave it to you. With your martial arts skills, you’ll surely be able to capture it easily.”

At this point, Wanyan Honglie lowered his voice and said, "It would be best to capture this person alive so that I can exchange him with my son. After that, I will order the army to attack and kill all these traitors, and bring my princess back as well."

However, the usually arrogant Ouyang Feng had a solemn expression at this moment. He simply nodded slightly and did not utter any arrogant words. He just stepped out and slowly walked into the arena.

Wu Chengyu then handed Yang Kang to Guo Jing and casually pressed Yang Kang's pressure points, because what was about to be said was not suitable for the boy to shout out again.

"There is another purpose for coming to Jin Kingdom this time. Ouyang Feng is a top expert. Now he has become a henchman of Jin Kingdom and is cooperating with Jin Kingdom spies to try to assassinate the high-ranking members of the rebel army."

Some time ago, he somehow found out the whereabouts of your master's wife, Hong Niangzi, and went to assassinate her alone. Fortunately, Li Geda discovered it in time and gathered the Beiwei Army to resist with all their might, which forced the guy to retreat.

However, after this battle, Li Geda was seriously injured, and four of the hundred Beiwei soldiers by your master's wife's side died in battle. I had spent a lot of effort training more than five hundred Beiwei soldiers in Qianlong Cave back then, and this is the first time in many years that we have suffered casualties.

I usually stay in the Song Kingdom, so I can't protect your master's wife for long periods of time. And this Western Poison always acts without regard for status, and is extremely ruthless.

There's no such thing as guarding against thieves a thousand days a year. Now that I'm here, I'll kill this Western Poison here, thus eliminating a threat to your master's wife."

Yang Kang's eyes widened at these words. He knew that the person in front of him was related to the rebel army and was also Hong Niangzi's husband. Unfortunately, he was unable to speak at the moment.

Guo Jing first took Yang Kang and then sealed several of Yang Kang's acupoints. He always had unwavering faith in Wu Chengyu. "Disciple is fortunate to witness Master's great power today. The East Wind prevails over the West Wind, and the Eastern Heretic defeats the Western Poison. May Master achieve victory in this battle."

After Wu Chengyu finished giving his instructions, he winked at Aku, who smiled in response. Aku then walked out of the mountain god temple and came to Ouyang Feng. The two stood facing each other, about ten feet apart.

Ouyang Feng looked Wu Chengyu up and down again, his expression grim: "You looked familiar just now. After all, we only met once back then, and I didn't know your name. I didn't expect to see you here again."

When we first clashed, I lost by half a move. But these past two years, I've practiced diligently and feel I've made considerable progress. Today, in this rematch, I will surely avenge my defeat.

The reason why Wanyan Honglie was no longer arrogant when he asked Ouyang Feng for help was that he had already recognized Wu Chengyu.

When he plotted against Hong Qigong in Hubei, Wu Chengyu suddenly appeared and disrupted his plans. Later, the two seemed to have only exchanged one move, but after a contest of strength, Ouyang Feng actually retreated a few steps more than Wu Chengyu and was not injured. In reality, they were evenly matched.

But Ouyang Feng knew he had lost. His Toad Stance required accumulating power, and the longer the power was accumulated, the greater its power. During the Mount Hua Sword Tournament, apart from Wang Chongyang, the other three dared not give Ouyang Feng the opportunity to fully accumulate power.

He would often be interrupted by his opponent when he was only halfway through charging up his power. He would often ponder on his own, thinking that if he had the chance to charge up to the maximum, he would surely be able to defeat the other three masters.

Wu Chengyu was the first to give him the opportunity to fully charge up his power and suddenly unleash Ouyang Feng's strongest power. Even so, after that move, it was still Ouyang Feng who was knocked back.

From that moment on, Ouyang Feng regarded Wu Chengyu as his greatest rival, even above the Eastern Heretic, the Northern Beggar, and the Southern Emperor.

However, Wu Chengyu was truly elusive, appearing only briefly and never returning. Apart from being the brother of Mo Ku, the young leader of the Beggars' Sect, no one knew his origins or whereabouts. Therefore, over the years, Ouyang Feng had been unable to find Wu Chengyu to avenge the palm strike he had suffered.

Who would have thought that tonight, while helping Wanyan Honglie catch his wife cheating, he would also learn about Wanyan Honglie's messy family affairs, and at the same time, bump into Wu Chengyu at this mountain god temple.

Although they had only met once, Ouyang Feng had a very deep impression of Wu Chengyu, so how could he not recognize his greatest threat?

In recent years, Ouyang Feng has obtained many secret manuals from the Jin Kingdom, and his martial arts skills have greatly improved. At this time, he also intends to settle things with Wu Chengyu again.

His idea was the same as Wu Chengyu's; they both wanted to keep the other person here permanently. The old man's strength was no longer important. The other person was at most thirty years old. Ouyang Feng didn't even dare to think about how much difference there would be in their martial arts skills in a few years when he was even older and the other person was in his prime.

"I didn't have a chance to exchange pleasantries last time. Ouyang Feng of White Camel Mountain, I haven't yet had the pleasure of learning your esteemed name."

"Alright, alright. Since the Western Poison is here, I must also show some courtesy, Eastern Heretic Wu Chengyu."

Ouyang Feng raised an eyebrow, his expression strange: "Rumor has it that Huang Yaoshi lost his title of Eastern Heretic after being approached by a young man. I thought it was nonsense, but now it seems that if it were you, Huang Yaoshi would indeed lose."

"Very well, since you are the new Eastern Heretic, your defeat today is equivalent to Huang Yaoshi also losing to me. Isn't that delightful? Let's begin!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ouyang Feng struck first, wielding his iron staff with the force of a thousand pounds and the speed of a thunderbolt, aiming straight for Wu Chengyu's head.

Wu Chengyu then entered a state of profound awareness, taking two steps back and slightly turning his body to the side. He not only avoided the force brought by the iron staff, but also kept his body an inch away from the iron staff, thus avoiding the fierce blow of the iron staff.

Ouyang Feng's eyes showed a hint of smugness. His move was powerful and might be called "Splitting Mount Hua," but the move was simple and not particularly sophisticated.

Even if one is not a top expert, this move would not be able to hurt many people, but Ouyang Feng played a trick at this moment.

In his view, Wu Chengyu, who had become a top master at such a young age, must be arrogant and proud. Moreover, the contest between top masters is often a battle of subtlety.

Given Wu Chengyu's youthful temperament, he would inevitably test his skills against him from the start, seeing who could anticipate the opponent's moves and counter them.

When Ouyang Feng swung his staff at Wu Chengyu, Wu Chengyu merely shifted his body slightly to evade the attack, displaying composure and ease, clearly maintaining the demeanor of a master.

However, Ouyang Feng was the least refined of the Five Greats, and he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He was betting on Wu Chengyu's arrogance.

Wu Chengyu dodged the iron staff, but its true name was the Snake Staff, with two live snakes coiled at its tip.

These two snakes were painstakingly cultivated by Ouyang Feng. They usually coiled on the snake staff, motionless, and at first glance looked like inanimate objects. In addition, the black metallic luster of these two strange snakes made them look more like decorations on the iron staff.

However, the venom of these two snakes was Ouyang Feng's proudest achievement. An ordinary person would die instantly from a bite, and even a top expert with profound internal strength would lose most of his fighting ability if bitten and not die in a short time.

Before his last encounter with Wu Chengyu, Ouyang Feng disguised himself and hid in the crowd in order to ambush Hong Qigong. He did not take out his signature iron staff. He also used his fist and foot skills when he fought Wu Chengyu.

Ouyang Feng was certain that Wu Chengyu was unaware of the trickery on the snake staff. Now, Wu Chengyu, emphasizing the demeanor of a master, merely retreated to a distance just enough to avoid the staff when faced with its attack, which gave Ouyang Feng the perfect opportunity to strike.

He channeled his inner energy to the other end of the snake staff, stimulating the two strange snakes. As expected, the two snakes would suddenly attack Wu Chengyu like venomous dragons emerging from their lair.

The strange snake attacked with incredible speed, and its body was two feet long. It was only an inch away from Wu Chengyu. Ouyang Feng knew that if he had been completely unaware of the attack, he would not have been able to avoid it.

But the next moment his expression changed drastically. The two strange snakes were usually under his command, and while they were not exactly like his own arms, they were quite adept at handling him. However, after being stimulated by his internal energy, the snakes, which had just flicked out their tongues, seemed to have seen their natural enemy and immediately retracted their heads.

Although Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, was skilled in poisons, his main focus was on martial arts. There were countless rare poisons in the world, including those from wild beasts, plants, and minerals, but he was truly proficient only in snake venom.

Unexpectedly, Wu Chengyu was the supreme being among snakes in human form. Although these two strange snakes were also considered exotic beasts, they dared not resist Wu Chengyu at all.

The difference between masters is often the slightest. Especially between two masters of subtlety, Ouyang Feng wanted to use the strange snake to scheme against Wu Chengyu, but his scheme failed, and he was inevitably distracted.

For a master like Ouyang Feng, who has experienced countless battles, such a moment of distraction is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Wu Chengyu would never let such a good chance pass.

Before Ouyang Feng could retract his iron staff, Wu Chengyu took a step forward, shortening the distance between himself and Ouyang Feng, and also limiting the space for him to swing his iron staff.

Instead of parrying or blocking, the Heaven-Turning Seal struck not Ouyang Feng, but the iron staff in his hand.

(End of this chapter)