Chapter 460: Speaking from the Heart

At night, in the villa of Prince Xian's mansion, Luo Tianjin walked through the houses and courtyards and went straight to the room where Wu Shuang was "under house arrest".

"After several rounds of competition today, the Palace Master and Jin Fuyu advanced one after another. Tomorrow morning, Yun Zhuiyue and Ren Wuya will compete. It will surely be another good show." Jiang Yiwei walked quickly, following closely behind Luo Tianjin, and asked curiously, "Who do you think will be better, Longxiang Mountain or Yulong Palace?"

"Among the four major heretical religions, Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace is the most famous and has the most disciples. It has always been named the 'first of the heretical religions', so its strength should not be underestimated." Luo Tianjin said without looking back, "Longxiang Mountain is no pushover either. Although its number of disciples is far less than that of Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace, its disciples are top-notch fighters, and the four Dharma protectors also climbed up through bloody battles, stepping on piles of dead bodies. In a one-on-one fight, Jade Dragon Palace may not be able to gain an advantage."

"According to the Palace Master's opinion, how does Ren Wuya compare to Yun Zhuiyue?"

"Ren Wuya practices the 'Vajra Secret Vehicle' in the Tibetan magic 'Prajna Sutra'. It is the 'middle chapter' of the three chapters, the upper, middle and lower. Its essence lies in 'defense', which is quite similar to the Shaolin unique martial arts 'Golden Bell Cover'. But after decades of research and modification, Ren Wuya has gradually deviated from the right martial arts and even fallen into the devil's way. Now it has become a unique and strange magic skill in the world." Luo Tianjin pondered, "As for Yun Zhuiyue... If I guessed correctly, he should be practicing the unique martial arts 'Dragon Elephant Treasure Book' created by Yun Hongyi, the founder of Longxiang Mountain. This skill is extremely secretive. Even in Longxiang Mountain, only the Holy Lord is qualified to practice it, and outsiders know very little. Therefore, I am not sure who is stronger between the two."

Jiang Yiwei smiled and said, "It would be best if the two of them fight to the point where both are injured. That way, no matter who advances, they will not pose a threat to the Palace Master."

"The key to victory is of course Ren Wuya and Yun Zhuiyue, but the experts they selected to help us cannot be ignored either." Having said this, Luo Tianjin seemed to recall today's battles. He couldn't help but sigh and said, "How are Murong Bai, Deng Quan, and Xie Xuan's injuries?"

"Murong Bai is fine, Deng Quan is seriously injured, but his life is safe." Jiang Yiwei reported, "As for Brother Xie, the pain from the broken finger may seem insignificant, but it actually has a great impact on him. It may take another three or two months for the broken bones to heal."

"Ugh!"

While they were talking, the two arrived at Wu Shuang's door. Liu Xunyi and the doctor had been waiting for a long time at the steps.

"How is Wu Shuang's injury?"

"Reporting to the Palace Master, Young Master Wu has only exhausted his internal energy and lost his vitality, his injuries are not serious." The doctor replied respectfully, "According to the instructions of Hei Zhishan, in order to prevent Young Master Wu from getting 'excited', I fed him a bowl of tranquilizing powder, which made him sleep until now."

"When can you wake up?"

"The effect of the medicine has worn off, and he can wake up at any time." The doctor seemed to see a hint of displeasure in Luo Tianjin's eyes, and hurriedly replied, "The Lord of the Palace only needs to tap his forehead lightly, and Young Master Wu will wake up."

"You guys stay outside, I want to talk to Wu Shuang alone."

After giving the order, without waiting for Jiang Yiwei and Liu Xunyi's response, Luo Tianjin walked towards the room.

……

In the Teng clan's villa, Teng Sanshi sat alone in the hall, in a trance, as dumbfounded as a wooden chicken.

He had been sitting here in meditation for two hours since returning from the top of Mount Hua. Teng Cang and the others did not dare to disturb him and could only wait outside the hall, each with a worried look in their eyes, but no one knew what Teng Sanshi was thinking about.

"Elder Teng Qiner is back."

Accompanied by an excited shout, a young disciple ran into the garden excitedly, followed closely by Teng Qiner, who was ordered by Teng Sanshi to secretly go to Jiangzhou to inquire about the news of "Teng Rou".

"Girl, where have you been these past few months?"

Seeing that Teng Qin'er was safe and sound, Teng Cang was overjoyed at first, but then he became angry and scolded, "You suddenly disappeared. Do you know how worried the elders in the clan are?"

Teng Qiner stuck out her tongue awkwardly and said with a smile: "It was my fault to leave without saying goodbye. I apologize to you here!"

"No rules!" Teng Cang asked with a tense face, "Where have you been these past few months?"

"I..." Teng Qin'er hesitated, then changed the subject and said mysteriously, "I'm going to do a good deed."

"Just you? What good can you do?"

"I will explain this to you later. The most urgent thing right now is to meet the clan leader."

Teng Cang looked Teng Qin'er up and down with a suspicious look in his eyes, but did not ask any more questions. Instead, he pointed towards the hall and whispered, "The clan leader is resting in the hall, but he seems to be in a bad mood. You..."

Before she finished speaking, Teng Qin'er ignored everyone's surprised looks and Teng Cang's eyes that were about to spit fire, and trotted all the way to the hall.

"Qin'er greets the clan leader!"

It was already dark, but there was no candle lit in the hall, so it was dark.

"Girl, you're finally back." Teng Sanshi's tone didn't seem surprised, and he even sounded a little impatient, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Clan leader, what are you..."

"What was the result of this trip to Jiangzhou?"

Hearing this, Teng Qin'er's eyes straightened and she said confidently, "Although I have not seen Xiao Zhirou in person, I have searched all the wise men in Jiangzhou and have learned everything about the 'past and present' of Jueqing Valley. Therefore, Qin'er dares to assert that the Lord of Jueqing Valley, Xiao Zhirou..." At this point, Teng Qin'er's voice suddenly lowered a few degrees, "It is the eldest lady."

After saying that, Teng Qiner took two steps forward with excitement in her eyes and said excitedly: "Chief, the eldest lady is not dead, she is still alive..."

"I already know." "What?"

As soon as Teng Sanshi said this, Teng Qin'er was shocked and asked in surprise, "How did the clan leader know?"

"No matter how much evidence there is, it cannot prove that blood is thicker than water between father and daughter." Teng Sanshi's voice sounded like crying and laughing, and he sounded extremely tired. "Today, I have seen Xiao Zhirou with my own eyes on the sword arena. With just one glance, I have concluded that she... is my Rou'er. The bond between father and daughter can only be understood but not expressed in words."

"Congratulations, Chief! Congratulations, Chief!" Teng Qin'er quickly knelt on the ground and congratulated Teng Sanshi repeatedly.

Teng Sanshi's reaction was far less joyful than Teng Qin'er had expected. Instead, he asked in bewilderment, "Why are you so happy?"

"How can we not be happy when a father and daughter are reunited and the family is reunited?" Teng Qin'er was stunned and said in astonishment, "For more than 20 years, the clan leader has been obsessed with the eldest daughter and has lost his appetite. He has always hoped that the eldest daughter can come back to life. Today his dream has come true, so why is the clan leader not very happy?"

"How can I not be happy that my Rou'er is still alive?" Teng Sanshi said with a bitter smile, "However, is Xiao Zhirou of today still the same Teng Rou of the past? Is she now the Lord of Jueqing Valley, a cold-blooded, ruthless, and murderous heretic demon? Is she still the eldest lady of the Teng clan who was shocked by the good and hated the evil? Is she still my kind-hearted, simple and honest daughter?"

"This……"

Teng Qin'er had never expected that Teng Sanshi would have such concerns. Her face changed immediately and she was shocked. She wanted to open her mouth to explain, but her tongue was tied and she was speechless for a moment.

"You're right. I've been thinking about it for more than 20 years, thinking about it for more than 20 years, and waiting for it for more than 20 years." Teng Sanshi continued, "When I learned that Xiao Zhirou was Teng Rou, I could hardly control my emotions. I wanted to find her immediately, meet her at all costs, and do my best to make up for what I owed her and her mother."

"This is human nature, and it's what the clan leader should do."

"But when I calmed down and sorted out everything carefully, I found that I couldn't be so reckless, and even more so, I couldn't be so selfish."

"Selfish?" Teng Qin'er was puzzled. "How can it be selfish to recognize your own biological daughter?"

"As a father, it is only natural for me to recognize my daughter. It is not selfish at all. But as the leader of the Teng tribe, I cannot ignore the greater good and the righteous path and insist on recognizing a heretic demon as my relative."

"This..." Teng Qin'er finally understood Teng Sanshi's concerns. She couldn't help but feel anxious and shook her head repeatedly, "Patriarch, please forgive Qin'er for being rude. I think what you just said is completely absurd."

Teng Sanshi glared at him and asked, "What did you say?"

"I..." Under the pressure of Teng Sanshi, Teng Qin'er subconsciously took a step back, and then mustered up her courage and argued with Teng Sanshi, "Chief, no matter she is Teng Rou or Xiao Zhirou, no matter she is the eldest lady of the Teng clan or the master of the Jueqing Valley, no matter she hates evil or is cold and ruthless, it can't change the fact that she is your daughter, and it can't change the fact that she is a woman of the Teng clan, right? Covering up and concealing it blindly will only hurt the eldest lady's heart again and again, and make the chief's heart hurt again and again. There is no wall that is impenetrable. This matter is not only known to us, but also to Luo Tianjin and the people in the Xianwang Mansion. Even if the chief and the eldest lady don't meet again today, one day you will recognize each other as father and daughter. Does the chief want to draw a clear line with the eldest lady for life?"

"As a father, knowing that my daughter is still alive is more important than anything else." Teng Sanshi hesitated and muttered to himself, "As for whether she recognizes him or not, it's actually not important."

"Chief, you only see that the eldest lady is the Lord of the Heartless Valley and a heretic demon. But have you ever thought about why she has fallen to this point? Why did she become the cold-blooded Xiao Zhirou?" Teng Qin'er asked righteously, "You have always said that you owed the lady and the young lady, but when have you ever compensated them? Do you know how much suffering the eldest lady has endured over the years? How much grievance has she suffered? How much bitterness has she tasted? As a father, he only cares about whether his daughter is alive, but not whether she lives well. Not only does he turn a blind eye to all the suffering she has experienced, but he also despises her current identity. Isn't it a sin? Little did he know that the eldest lady's transformation into the Lord of the Heartless Valley might be the only way for her to live safely to this day. Otherwise, based on the clan leader's words of being startled at the sight of good, hating evil as much as she hates it, being kind-hearted, and simple and unsophisticated, a weak girl with no one to rely on, wandering in the dangerous rivers and lakes full of blood, rain and wind, and wolves everywhere, I am afraid she would have died a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand times!"

Every word that Teng Qin'er spoke was like a heavy hammer, striking hard at Teng Sanshi's heart.

I don't know when? The rock-hard Teng Sanshi burst into tears and cried with his face covered.

Although Teng Qiner's words were impulsive and sometimes disrespectful, her original intention was kind and she had no intention of committing an offense.

"Girl, as a member of the Teng clan, aren't you afraid that Xiao Zhirou will bring disgrace to the Teng clan?" Teng Sanshi stopped sobbing, his tone extremely complicated.

"Compared to the stigma of being close to pagans, I am more afraid of outsiders saying that our Teng people are heartless, cold-blooded and hypocritical."

"you……"

Teng Sanshi frowned, the anger in his eyes disappeared in an instant, and he said with emotion: "Girl, every word you said today is as sharp as a knife. I am ashamed and embarrassed."

"Qin'er dare not!" Teng Qin'er kowtowed in fear.

"You are right, I am the one who is pedantic." Teng Sanshi waved his hand and said, "Tonight, you not only corrected my foolish views, but also gave me hope."

"hope?"

"Yes, you have given me hope for the future of the Teng Clan!"

Teng Sanshi laughed loudly, not waiting for Teng Qiner, who only half understood the answer, to ask, "Girl, you are tired after traveling so long, are you feeling exhausted?"

"Qin'er is full of energy and not tired at all."

"Very good!" Teng Sanshi slowly stood up and said with a smile, "Since you are not tired, why don't you accompany me to a place?"

Seeing that Teng Sanshi was in a new spirit, Teng Qiner thought for a moment, then immediately showed joy on her face and said excitedly: "The clan leader wants to go..."

"Asking knowingly."

……

(End of this chapter)