Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 180 Two Words That Cannot Be Escaped

"Is Azi Duan Zhengchun's daughter?"

Ding Chunqiu frowned, his earlier elation gradually subsiding. He asked doubtfully, "Disciple, are you sure you haven't made a mistake? How did they recognize you?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, "Master, this is a long story. My senior sister and I left the Xingxiu Sect and found a stone mountain full of centipedes. My senior sister originally wanted me to catch some centipedes to practice my skills, but unexpectedly, there was a flying centipede king there..."

Ding Chunqiu blinked and exclaimed, "You're quite lucky, kid. But how can the two of you deal with such a vicious insect?"

Jiang Mingzhe said with a wry smile, "Master is truly brilliant; we almost got eaten by it..."

Then she recounted how the two of them dealt with the Centipede King and how they accidentally jumped onto its back: "The giant centipede jumped into the water, and my senior sister said that we could follow this water to Wuliang Mountain to catch the poisonous monkey. But then we encountered the Four Evils on Wuliang Mountain. They originally came to deal with the Duan family, but one of them, Yun Zhonghe, was extremely lecherous..."

He cut and edited his real-life experiences, omitting anything like the Six Meridians, Lingbo, Chuiyun, or the Seven Childhoods: "...We managed to poison Yun Zhonghe. The ringleader wanted revenge and captured my senior sister. The gold lock around her neck fell off, and Duan Zhengchun recognized her at a glance. He managed to rescue her with great difficulty. Later, she went to Dali with the Prince of Zhennan. I was in a hurry to see my master, so I came straight to Jiangnan."

Ding Chunqiu frowned even more deeply, muttering to himself, "So, Azi is currently staying with the Duan family in Dali? This is rather troublesome!"

Jiang Mingzhe was about to say that Azi had come to Jiangnan, but seeing Ding Chunqiu's extremely strange expression, he was startled and swallowed his words. He subconsciously glanced at Murong Fu, who remained calm, as if he knew nothing.

With a firm resolve, knowing that Murong Fu relied on her at the moment and would definitely help her conceal the truth, she asked with a smile, "Master, there's no trouble at all. With Senior Sister's personality, she probably can't stand the rules of the Prince's Mansion. She'll naturally go back after she's had her fill of playing."

Ding Chunqiu simply shook his head and remained silent, but Li Qingluo suddenly exclaimed, "Father, seeing how troubled you are, could this Azi be the one you told me about last time...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Ding Chunqiu suddenly shouted, "Shut up!"

His shout was stern and fierce, which startled Li Qingluo. She forced a smile and said, "Daughter is just concerned about Father."

Ding Chunqiu snorted and ignored him, then looked at Jiang Mingzhe and slowly said, "Disciple, your scheme with Murong is exactly what I wanted. Now I have a question for you, and you must answer honestly: Were you and Azi the two who ambushed the Western Xia Kingdom's wedding procession earlier?"

A hint of struggle flashed across Jiang Mingzhe's face, then he smiled bitterly and said, "I knew I couldn't hide it from my mentor!"

Ding Chunqiu said, "You're a beginner in martial arts, and you're not the type to cause trouble. It was Azi who brought this up, wasn't it?"

Jiang Mingzhe honestly replied, "That's right. Azi wanted to see what the Tibetan princess looked like, so she got into a fight with the escorting lama and poisoned him. We didn't harm the princess, and we let her go back on her own."

After saying that, he looked at Murong Fu and said, "If I hadn't done this, I wouldn't have thought of advising you to become the prince consort. That princess is incredibly beautiful and would be a perfect match for my brother."

Murong Fu laughed and said, "That would be perfect. Although I am not fond of women, I would not want to marry an ugly woman."

Ding Chunqiu said, "Not long after you left, a group of experts from Qingtang Tubo came to our sect to demand an explanation. They were taught a lesson by their master and left in a sorry state. After examining the traces, their master guessed that you had gone downstream. So, their master sent ten disciples, including Zhaixingzi, to Dali to search for you. However, since Azi has become a member of the Duan family, even if Zhaixingzi and the others find Azi, they will probably have a hard time bringing her back."

Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself, "My senior brothers and a group of Tibetan masters are now all like used batteries locked up in jail. Not only can I not take Azi back, but I'm afraid I won't be able to go back either."

He feigned surprise and shook his head, saying, "No way, if Azi knew Master was looking for her, why wouldn't she come back?"

Ding Chunqiu smiled and said, "She is still young and a bit unruly. If she were as sensible as you, why would I have to worry? Very well, if Zhaixingzi doesn't bring her back, you can bring her back yourself. In short, nothing should go wrong."

Jiang Mingzhe harbored many doubts, but outwardly agreed calmly.

Ding Chunqiu's smile vanished suddenly, and he demanded, "I'll ask you one more question: Is there any romantic relationship between you and Azi?"

Jiang Mingzhe channeled his inner energy, his face flushing red. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Of course not. She's my senior sister now, and she's always trying to find ways to tease me. If she became my wife, how could I possibly have a peaceful life?" Seeing his resolute expression, Ding Chunqiu's gloomy look faded, and he laughed heartily, "Since that's the case, that's perfect. If you want to be Murong's advisor, you might as well marry my Yu Yan. It would be a double blessing for you brothers, a truly beautiful story."

Li Qingluo's face was still pale from being scolded by Ding Chunqiu, but as soon as Chunqiu finished speaking, she mustered her courage and said, "Father, this is really inappropriate. Brother Mingzhe is your disciple and of the same generation as me. Yuyan calls him uncle. How can an uncle marry his niece? If this gets out, the Wang family will become a laughing stock. Please forgive me for not agreeing."

When Ding Chunqiu brought up the matter again, she knew that Ding Chunqiu had made up his mind. Not daring to refuse him directly, she simply brought up her dead husband as a pretext.

Ding Chunqiu shouted, "What uncle and niece? They're not blood relatives, so what's wrong with that? According to your logic, should I ask you to remarry that boy Jiang?"

Li Qingluo was extremely embarrassed. She stood up, stamped her foot, and scolded, "Father! Don't you even listen to what you're saying!"

He turned around and quickly walked out of the small building.

However, her sudden twisting of her waist and the flush on her face revealed that she was not simply angry.

Who was Ding Chunqiu, and what vision did he possess?

He stared at his adopted daughter's back for a long time before turning his gaze away and staring at Jiang Mingzhe strangely. After looking him up and down for a while, he finally blurted out a curse: "Damn it, you little bastard, you do have some of my old man's charm! Well, with your looks and your intelligence, which woman wouldn't be tempted?"

Jiang Mingzhe stared blankly at him, then said in a panic, "Master, what do you mean by that... Master! Your disciple would never have meant that!"

Ding Chunqiu, however, was not angry. He said casually, "You don't need to make a fuss. There are advantages to an older woman, which are incomparable to those of a young girl. Hmm, if you really want to be my son-in-law, it's not impossible..."

Of course you can do it, you're a calf used to eating mature grass, but I'm not you!

"No, no!" Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself as he shook his head vigorously, pulling Murong Fu's hand and saying, "I am on equal footing with Brother Murong. If I become Master's son-in-law, wouldn't I become his uncle? That is absolutely unacceptable."

Murong Fu was eager to get involved with Jiang Mingzhe, so he didn't stand on ceremony and said with a smile, "Brother, it's not really a problem for me to call you uncle."

Jiang Mingzhe was furious, thinking that this guy was indeed ungrateful. He quickly said, "You don't care, but what will Old Madam Murong think? My sister Qingluo is upholding the Wang family's honor. If she marries, the old lady will definitely be heartbroken."

Upon hearing this, Murong Fu frowned and nodded, saying, "That's true..."

Ding Chunqiu waved his hand and said, "Those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles. In short, I value you as my beloved disciple. Whether you become my grandson-in-law or my son-in-law directly, you can't escape the title of son-in-law, hahaha! But this matter isn't urgent. Well, you should first go with Murong to Shaolin Temple to handle important matters, and then go to Dali to bring Azi back to Xingxiu Sea. When Murong raises his army, we can assist him!"

Having said that, he stood up and said, "Young Murong, I won't keep you any longer. My disciple will come to your manor to meet you in a day."

He stood up, grabbed Jiang Mingzhe, and pulled him outside, saying, "This trip to Shaolin is no small matter. I promised to teach you a few skills. Although you didn't capture the poisonous monkey, I'll teach you some first because of your diligence."

Jiang Mingzhe's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "Master, speaking of kung fu, I have something important to report to you!"

As he spoke, he turned around and winked at Murong Fu. Murong Fu smiled and said, "Farewell, senior. Goodbye, brother. See you tomorrow!"

A thought flashed through his mind: My virtuous brother and his master are not on the same page. Old Monster Ding seems to harbor some ill intentions towards Azi. Hmm, in that case, my Azhu must not be seen by him either...

He hurriedly got up and left the small building, heading towards the dock. He could faintly hear Jiang Mingzhe's voice behind him: "Master, I had several fortuitous encounters on this trip. First, my internal strength greatly increased. Second, I met a senior from the Murong family who taught me a fist technique. Third, Miss Yuyan gave me several secret manuals..."

(End of this chapter)