Chapter 380 Father’s love is like a mountain
April 24th, Teng people in western Hunan, by the Baicui Lake.

Teng Sanshi stood by the lake, his old face full of sadness, his bright tiger eyes looked out at the calm lake, and he sighed from time to time.

Baicui Lake was Teng Rou's favorite place. The grass was lush and green, and the fragrance of pink peaches and green willows filled the air. The lake was quiet, like a piece of natural amber, pure and smooth. Occasionally, a breeze would blow the lake water, rippling it, creating a unique scene.

When Teng Rou first came to Baicui Lake, she was still a young child. At that time, Teng Sanshi was young and vigorous. Teng Rou's mother was gentle and virtuous and was still alive. Since then, their family often came here to play and frolic, go boating on the lake, and enjoy the family happiness.

Baicui Lake witnessed Teng Rou's growth, from a little girl with pigtails, babbling and toddling, to a graceful and beautiful lady. It also witnessed Teng Sanshi's transformation, from a hot-blooded and impulsive boy to a respected and strong leader of the Teng clan.

Therefore, the Baicui Lake, which is full of memories, is of great significance to Teng Sanshi. He still clearly remembers that he and his wife and daughter chased and played by the lake, playing swords and singing. Those were the happiest days and the happiest time in his life.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Since Luo Tianjin came to Xiangxi more than 20 years ago and accidentally formed an indissoluble bond with Teng Rou, Teng Sanshi's happy days came to an abrupt end and never returned. First, his daughter was hurt by love and committed suicide by jumping off a cliff. Then his wife Xiao became ill due to missing her daughter and died suddenly.

In just one year, Teng Sanshi lost two of his beloved ones. The fatal blow almost broke him down and he almost committed suicide. If he had not been the lifeblood of the Teng clan and shouldered the heavy responsibility of the clan leader, Teng Sanshi would have died with his wife and daughter, and his death would have relieved his sorrow.

Since then, Teng Sanshi would come to Baicui Lake every now and then to express his emotions through the scenery, to remind himself of people, and to relieve the deep depression and sadness in his heart.

Today, there are two tombs built by the Baicui Lake, one is the burial tomb of Teng Sanshi’s wife, Xiao, and the other is the cenotaph of Teng Rou.

In Teng Sanshi's heart, the magnificent palaces and luxurious mansions were just his temporary residence. Only here was his real home.

"Madam, Luo Tianjin caused my wife and children to be separated, and my family was destroyed. I should have done nothing for the rest of my life and focused on seeking revenge on him." Teng Sanshi looked at his wife's tombstone and sighed, "But I promised our daughter that I would not abandon the life and death of the Teng family because of this, and I would not let myself fall into the quagmire of hatred because of this. Luo Tianjin has the Xianwang Mansion as a backer, and Shaolin and Wudang as a backing. For the sake of the overall situation, I can only swallow my anger and bury what happened in the past in my heart, keeping it secret. I watched Luo Tianjin, this hypocrite, gaining ground and becoming more and more popular, but I could not do anything or say anything. The bad fate of the past caused you and Rou'er to leave me one after another. I have been alone and lonely these years. I wanted to go down to accompany you and your daughter earlier, but the younger generation of the Teng clan has not yet formed a climate, and I have not found a suitable candidate to inherit the clan's cause. How can I just leave? Madam, if you know about this, you must understand my difficulties..."

"Clan leader!"

Suddenly, a clear voice came from behind Teng Sanshi. Then, Teng Qiner, who was worried, came closer and bowed to Teng Sanshi, saying, "Chief, I have been looking for you for a long time..."

"What? Are you still unwilling to give up?" Teng Sanshi interrupted without replying, "To this day, you still firmly believe that the Lord of Jueqing Valley is my daughter?"

Hearing this, Teng Qin'er couldn't help but hesitate. After a moment's hesitation, she straightened her eyes and said stubbornly, "Yes."

Teng Sanshi's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly turned around and asked, "Why? Is it because Luo Tianjin came forward to protect Jueqing Valley? Is it because of the rumors that spread in the martial arts world? You insist that 'Xiao Zhirou' is 'Teng Rou'?"

"I don't believe there is such a coincidence in the world." Teng Qin'er said stubbornly, "In Jiangzhou, Luo Tianjin personally came forward to protect Jueqing Valley. This happened in front of everyone. It is absolutely true. How can it be false?"

"Even so, it only proves that Luo Tianjin has some secret connection with Jueqing Valley. It cannot prove that he has a private relationship with the Lord of Jueqing Valley, let alone prove that the Lord of Jueqing Valley is my daughter." Teng Sanshi said angrily, "Rou'er is dead, how can you slander her wantonly? Do you want her to have no peace in the underworld?"

"Calm down, clan leader. I have no intention of insulting the young lady!"

Teng Qin'er's face changed, and she quickly knelt on the ground and asked Teng Sanshi, "Does the clan leader not want the eldest lady to be alive?"

"I..." Teng Sanshi's eyes froze, and the muscles on his face couldn't help but tremble slightly. He turned around and looked at Teng Rou's tombstone, and said weakly, "How could I not hope that Rou'er was alive? However, based on the rumor between Luo Tianjin and the Lord of Jueqing Valley, I concluded that Xiao Zhirou was Rou'er. I really can't believe it. Luo Tianjin is hypocritical and selfish, greedy for power and lustful. Back then, he was a married man, but he still used sweet words to deceive Rou'er. Who knows how many women he has deceived over the years? Perhaps, the Lord of Jueqing Valley is just one of them."

"I understand what the clan leader means, but..." Teng Qin'er still refused to give up and said stubbornly, "This is about the life and death of the young lady. Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, we must not give up, right?"

A trace of pity flashed across Teng Sanshi's old eyes, and he whispered, "Girl, do you know what it means to investigate this matter?"

"what?"

"If I investigate this matter, it means that I will have to make public a forgotten story from more than 20 years ago." Teng Sanshi said sadly, "This is not only related to Rou'er's reputation, but also to the status of the entire Teng clan in the martial arts world, and even their future life and death. As the clan leader, I must not put the entire Teng clan in danger for my own selfishness. As a father, I don't want Rou'er to be pointed at, slandered and ridiculed in the underworld. If we recognize the wrong person, not only will the family scandal be exposed and our reputation will be ruined, but the Teng clan will also be accused of secretly communicating with the pagans in the martial arts world. By then, we will not only tear our faces with Luo Tianjin, but also have a gap with Jinjianwu and the other three major families. After all, they adhere to the name of righteousness and will never allow us to have anything to do with Jueqing Valley. Once attacked from all sides, the Xiangxi Teng clan will no longer have a place in the martial arts world. What's more..."

At this point, a meaningful gleam suddenly flashed in Teng Sanshi's eyes, and he added: "Moreover, I would rather die than believe that my daughter, Teng Sanshi, would become a heretic demon. The four major heretics have always been unruly, not only killing people without mercy, but also not sparing the elderly, the weak, women and children. It is common for the strong to bully the weak and the majority to bully the minority. How could such a notorious person be my daughter, Teng Sanshi?"

“Although there are some extremely evil people in the pagan religion, there are also some people who clearly distinguish between gratitude and resentment.” Teng Qiner defended, “For example, the Jueqing Valley has only targeted the Xianwang Mansion in recent years and has not had too many conflicts with other sects…”

"What a joke!" Teng Sanshi sneered, "Aren't there enough despicable things that the disciples of Jueqing Valley do to buy lives for money? The Merciless Swordsman has always been cold-blooded and cruel, killing people without blinking an eye. Everyone in the martial arts world is terrified when they hear about him. Can it be said that he is also clear about gratitude and resentment?"

"This..." Teng Qin'er was speechless for a while, hesitating, "Maybe they have their own difficulties..." "Girl!" Teng Sanshi's face darkened and he said sternly, "The Xiangxi Teng tribe is the righteous martial arts, and it is incompatible with all the evil ways. As an elder of the Teng tribe, you must not have sympathy for the pagans, otherwise there will be endless troubles."

"Qin'er will remember the clan leader's teachings!" Teng Qin'er agreed, then raised her eyebrows slightly and said hesitantly, "But if Xiao Zhirou is really the eldest daughter... Does the clan leader also want to be irreconcilable with her?"

"This……"

When talking about his daughter, Teng Sanshi couldn't help feeling abrupt and his eyes were filled with confusion.

"Clan leader, judging from all the rumors, the Lord of Jueqing Valley really looks like the eldest lady. Even her name... contains the word 'rou'." Teng Qin'er saw that Teng Sanshi was wavering and immediately persuaded him, "More importantly, the lady's last name is 'Xiao', and the Lord of Jueqing Valley also has the last name Xiao. Don't you think this is too coincidental? The coincidence is a little... unbelievable."

"But……"

"Chief, there are only clothes but no body in the eldest lady's tomb. How can you say that she is really dead?" Teng Qin'er struck while the iron was hot and spoke rapidly, "Back then, the eldest lady was trapped in love and jumped into the abyss. No one saw her alive or dead. Maybe the eldest lady was not destined to die. Good people have good luck. After falling off the cliff, she not only did not die, but experienced some kind of adventure, practiced peerless martial arts, and created the Valley of Unfeeling. Unfeeling, unfeeling means 'to cut off love and affection', which coincides with the eldest lady's knot of being trapped in love."

"If the Lord of Jueqing Valley is really Rou'er..." Teng Sanshi's tone was much softer and more complicated than before, "Why has she refused to come back to see me after so many years?"

Teng Qin'er pondered and said, "The eldest lady was deceived by Luo Tianjin, and the whole clan was implicated. I think she may be too ashamed to face the clan leader and the clan members again, so she changed her name and started a new life. Clan leader, all the mistakes are Luo Tianjin's fault, and have nothing to do with the eldest lady. Over the years, she must have suffered a lot and been wronged..."

"Rou'er..."

As if moved by Teng Qin'er's sincerity, Teng Sanshi's determined and stubborn eyes finally showed a hint of tears. When he looked at Teng Rou's tombstone again, the past scenes between father and daughter surged into his mind like a tide.

Over the years, through countless days and nights, Teng Sanshi never really let go.

"Clan leader..."

"Girl, there's no need to say more." Before Teng Qin'er could speak, Teng Sanshi suddenly waved his hand and said, "I have made up my mind. The matter of tracking down the Lord of Jueqing Valley must not be made public, and it must not bring harm to the Teng clan."

Hearing this, Teng Qin'er was stunned at first, then her face showed ecstasy, and she asked: "The clan leader means... I can investigate this matter secretly?"

"Yes." Teng Sanshi nodded with a complicated expression, "Girl, I will leave this matter to you. You lead people to Jiangzhou secretly and secretly find out all the information about the Lord of Jueqing Valley. Remember, no matter what happens, you must not reveal your identity, let alone your intentions. Even if you find out that the Lord of Jueqing Valley is really Rou'er, you must not make it public, just come back and report to me immediately."

"no problem……"

"Don't be happy too soon." Teng Sanshi's eyes turned and he said in a deep voice, "If you reveal your whereabouts, I will never admit that I know about it, and the Teng clan will not support you, so all the consequences... will be borne by you. You have to think this through clearly."

Teng Qin'er understood what Teng Sanshi meant. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded resolutely and said, "Don't worry, Patriarch. I know what to do. To get my young lady back, Qin'er will die for her!"

"No matter what, we must not alert the enemy before the martial arts conference."

"take note of it!"

"Go back!" Teng Sanshi was very pleased and warned, "Be careful on your way to Jiangzhou!" After that, Teng Sanshi straightened his eyes, the gloom on his face gradually dissipated, and he turned his gaze to the vast expanse of blue waves, muttering to himself in a mysterious way, "It's time for me to pack up and get ready to go."

"Where is the Patriarch going?"

"Jingjiang Mansion, Jinjianwu."

"Why?"

"Master Jinwu sent an invitation, inviting all the heroes to gather in Jingjiang Prefecture on the Dragon Boat Festival in May, and invite us to watch a great show. I am very interested in this and am looking forward to it."

……

(End of this chapter)