Bat Prince, roaming the heavens

After looking at Lin Shiyin with pity for a moment, Li Xunhuan said loudly, "Everyone, whether today's events were a misunderstanding or a setup, I will not pursue the matter. Please do as you please."

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuan Suiyun sighed; Li Xunhuan was ultimately too kind and righteous.

However, since the host had spoken, Yuan Suiyun didn't say anything more. He immediately cupped his hands in farewell and took his leave.

Li Xunhuan was in a state of turmoil at the moment, so he simply returned Yuan Suiyun's greeting without saying a word.

Before leaving the courtyard, Yuan Suiyun turned around and said, "If any of Lin Xian'er's close friends or confidants wish to avenge her, they may come to me, Yuan."

The crowd, who had been itching to act, fell silent once more.

Only after Yuan Suiyun's figure disappeared into the darkness did the various "heroes" leave the stage one by one.

After everyone left, the Cold Fragrance Abode returned to its deathly silence.

Li Xunhuan stared intently at the corpses of Long Xiaoyun and Lin Xian'er, and at Lin Shiyin, who was holding her son and weeping uncontrollably.

He felt a sharp pain in his heart and reached out his hand with trembling hands, wanting to comfort Lin Shiyin, but his hand froze in mid-air and could no longer be extended.

In a daze, he suddenly remembered the words Yuan Suiyun had advised him that day.

It seems he really shouldn't have come back...

On the other hand, after ordering Ding Baiyun to hand Bai Xiaosheng over to Shaolin, Yuan Suiyun led the group back to Ding Family Tea House.

Under the deep darkness of night, a stick of calming incense burned in the quiet room of Ding's Tea House in Baoding Prefecture.

This quiet room was originally a key place used by the Ding family to store their finest private teas and accounts. It was surrounded by thick blue bricks, providing excellent sound insulation; you could hear a pin drop.

In the quiet room, Yuan Suiyun sat in the main seat, while Ding Feng stood respectfully with his head bowed.

"Thank you for your hard work tonight." Yuan Suiyun broke the silence in the room.

Ding Feng shuddered, bowing even lower as he said in a panic, "It is my duty to share Master's burdens, and I would never dare to complain about the hardship."

"Tell me in detail what happened after 'I' fell into the sea," Yuan Suiyun said.

"Yes, Master."

When Ding Feng recalled this past event, a hint of regret and admiration flashed in his eyes.

"After Jin Lingzhi and you both fell into the sea that day, Xiang Shuai and the others did not make things difficult for me. They even took into consideration the reputation of Wuzheng Manor. On the return ship, Xiang Shuai took the initiative to suggest that since the dead were gone, the matter of Bat Island and your identity should not be spread."

"Handsome Chui... truly worthy of the title." Yuan Suiyun exclaimed sincerely.

Even if he were in Chu Liuxiang's shoes, Yuan Suiyun knew he couldn't possibly have such an amazing magnanimity and spirit.

It was a gentleness and tolerance that transcended the grudges of the martial world, almost divine, which made it impossible not to admire even as an opponent.

"Where is he now?" Yuan Suiyun turned his head slightly and asked casually.

Ding Feng shook his head with a wry smile: "After the Bat Island incident, Xiang Shuai seemed to be disheartened and soon disappeared from the martial world. I heard that he later got involved in a feud with the Ma Yi Holy Sect, encountered a romance, and then completely retired from the world, never to concern himself with worldly affairs again. Some say he took his beauty overseas, while others say he lived in seclusion in the mountains, never to care about worldly affairs again."

"He went to sea too?" Yuan Suiyun shook his head and chuckled. He knew that the love affair that Ding Feng mentioned about Chu Liuxiang must be the love affair with Zhang Jiejie in the Legend of Peach Blossom.

"It's just a legend, there's no concrete evidence," Ding Feng said. "However, in recent years, Xiang Shuai has indeed not been seen in the martial arts world."

Yuan Suiyun nodded slightly: "Go on."

"Later, Xiang Shuai personally went to Taiyuan and told the old master of everything that happened on Bat Island." Ding Feng seemed to recall the scene at Wuzheng Manor that day, his face showing sadness.

"It's a pain for my father to bury his son." Yuan Suiyun sighed, imagining the heart-wrenching grief Yuan Dongyuan must have felt at such an advanced age when he received the news of his only son's death.

"In addition, Jin Lingzhi... is not dead. The old lady of the Jin family personally took her to apologize to the old master of the manor. The old master of the manor did not say a word, but he did not pursue the matter any further," Ding Feng said anxiously.

Although Jin Lingzhi intended to "die together" with Yuan Suiyun that day, she herself did not die. She was later rescued by Hu Tiehua and others, and even appeared in "The Legend of Peach Blossom".

Ding Feng was afraid that Yuan Suiyun would hear this news and immediately lead him to the Jin family's Wanfu Wanshou Garden.

"That makes sense." To Ding Feng's surprise, Yuan Suiyun simply expressed her understanding.

The Jin family of "Wanfu Wanshou Garden" wielded immense power, almost unmatched in the martial arts world.

Madam Jin had a total of ten sons, nine daughters, eight sons-in-law, thirty-nine grandchildren, and twenty-eight grandsons-in-law.

Her sons and sons-in-law were all top-notch martial arts masters, including镖头 (bodyguards), 长捕头 (chief constables), 帮帮主 (gang leaders), and 门主 (masters).

She had nine daughters, but only eight sons-in-law, because one of her daughters shaved her head and became a nun, joining the Emei sect and inheriting the mantle of "Master Ruoyin" of Emei.

Besides the martial arts world, the Jin family's influence in the imperial court should not be underestimated.

Madam Jin had a son who abandoned martial arts for literature and became a high-ranking official.

There was also a general who came from the military and was the most decorated general of the dynasty.

This behemoth, with connections to both the legitimate and criminal worlds, and influence in both the military and the martial arts world, possesses such immense power that even including its grandchildren who have yet to make a name for themselves in the martial arts world, its overall strength is already so vast that it inspires despair.

No matter how powerful Wuzheng Manor was, after the death of its heir, everything became like a rootless duckweed, making it difficult to compare with the Jin family.

Yuan Dongyuan could go his own way and mobilize all his forces to fight the Jin family to the death.

But in that case, the secret of Bat Island would probably be exposed, not only betraying Xiang Shuai's good intentions but also ruining the reputation and honor of Wuzheng Manor.

As the head of the family, Yuan Dongyuan would never have made such a decision.

Having guessed Yuan Dongyuan's good intentions, Yuan Suiyun had no intention of seeking revenge for the "Bat Prince" of this world.

He quickly skipped over this part and asked casually, "Where is that old man now?"

When the whereabouts of the former Dongyuan were mentioned, the unease in Ding Feng's eyes quietly faded, replaced by a deep sense of sorrow and vicissitude: "Shortly after the old master's funeral, he did something that shocked the world. He dismissed everyone in the manor and left the land to me to manage. Then, despite his advanced age, he prepared a small boat and sailed out to sea alone."

"Go to sea?" Yuan Suiyun's finger paused slightly.

"The old master didn't reveal his purpose, but he must have gone... to find his master." Ding Feng sighed softly, tears welling in his eyes.

Inside the quiet room, the candlelight crackled, and the wisps of incense smoke swirled in the air before slowly dissipating.

Yuan Suiyun felt a sudden, inexplicable pain in his chest, as if he could sense a tremor and emotion emanating from the depths of the soul within this body.

After a long while, Yuan Suiyun smiled faintly: "The past cannot be changed. Your health doesn't sound good to begin with, and you've come all this way for me today. Your blood and qi are probably a bit stagnant. Let me take your pulse."

"Thank you, Master." Ding Feng bowed down, his voice slightly choked.