Chapter 85

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Chapter 85: Marital Harmony

Ou Peng smiled proudly and said: “Yan’er is absolutely right. A true man stands tall and firm, naturally striving to accomplish great deeds. Farmers take pride in growing their crops, merchants take pride in earning their wealth, and the people of the Jianghu take pride in making a name for themselves. Since I have become the sect master of the Piaomiao Sect, I naturally take pride in the Piaomiao Sect, pride in the brothers of our sect, and pride in expanding and strengthening the sect under my leadership. Perhaps, when I am old and unable to walk, I will come to your Huanxi Manor to retire.”

Ou Yan nodded happily and said: “Huanxi Manor will always have a place for my brother, for my sister-in-law, and for my future nieces and nephews, hehe, even for my grandnieces and grandnephews.”

At this point, Ou Peng suddenly asked: “Yan’er, you are not that young anymore, ah. Do you need your brother to give you some advice on your marriage prospects?”

Ou Yan blushed slightly and said: “Big Brother, you should focus on the affairs of the sect first. If there is someone suitable, I will definitely tell you first. I’m not talking to you anymore, I’m going to chat with Sister Qin.”

She then stood up and walked towards a group of hall masters, finding a middle-aged woman to talk to.

Seeing his sister almost flee, Ou Peng couldn’t help but laugh inwardly, thinking: “It seems Yan’er is of age too. I should start looking for a match for her. However, there are many eligible young men in the martial world, and I need to choose carefully.”

The Sister Qin whom Ou Yan spoke to is the Hall Master of the Ming Cui Hall of the Piaomiao Sect, known as Great Sister Qin. As the saying goes, ‘In the Jianghu, affection runs deep’. Where there are men in the martial world, there are naturally women too, and the Piaomiao Sect is no exception. Besides mostly male disciples, they also recruit some highly talented girls as female disciples. These female disciples, except for a few who train with their own masters like Xue Qing, are generally assigned to Ming Cui Hall. Most famous Heroines in the martial world are exceptionally gifted, and this exceptional talent often manifests in their appearance. Generally, Heroines are beautiful, and people never get tired of looking at them. However, Great Sister Qin is an exception, her appearance is quite plain and, even could be said to be barely acceptable. She had rough, dark skin, looking no different from a countrywoman at first glance, even less attractive than a farm woman. Why is that?

[TL_Note:Ming Cui Hall=Resounding Jade Hall]

You say everyone in the Jianghu practices martial arts, which is inevitably for self-preservation and also for physical fitness. It goes without saying that it gives you a slim figure. If you’re not even slim, you’d be embarrassed to claim you’re part of the martial world. But Great Sister Qin is the opposite. She has a waist like a water bucket and paired with that face, she is naturally less appealing than even a farm woman.

What’s most infuriating is Great Sister Qin’s specialty is the Snake Fist technique. It’s unclear whether she practices it for the sake of martial arts or for some other purpose. However, most people aren’t fortunate enough to see Great Sister Qin practicing the Snake Fist. Those who witness Great Sister Qin demonstrating the Snake Fist either end up beaten to death on the spot by her or are so infuriated they faint. After returning home, they would vomit widely and die.

But Great Sister Qin does have one advantage, a beautiful voice. When she speaks, it’s as clear and melodious as an oriole’s song, truly delightful to listen to. When she sings, it causes a sensation in the Jianghu. It’s unknown how many heroes in the martial world are drawn to her voice, and after hearing her sing, they demonstrate their exceptional lightness techniques to escape. “Thinking of committing a crime with eyes closed, thinking of retreat with squinted eyes, thinking of self-defense with eyes wide open”, is a famous poetic tribute in the Jianghu, written for Great Sister Qin. However, Great Sister Qin also contributes to the martial world in her own way. For a long time, the rate of flower-stealing cases in the martial world has dropped significantly. Many flower thieves have washed their hands and no longer dare to trust their own ears. Moreover, the preferred martial skills of a generation of talented martial artists are now lightness techniques. Great Sister Qin’s efforts in promoting lightness techniques in the martial world cannot be overlooked, so much so that several sects known for their proficiency in lightness techniques have sought Great Sister Qin, eager to honor her with commendations.

[TL_Note: Flower-stealing=Assault]

However, before these sects could take action, an unexpected event occurred, Great Sister Qin’s true love appeared. On that day, while Great Sister Qin was singing joyfully during her bath, our Great Brother Qin, following the sound, became entranced by her heavenly voice. Only after the song ended did he realize the awkward situation. You want to say that Great Brother Qin listened, saw, and then quickly left, right? But our Great Brother Qin had always looked down on lightness skills since childhood, considering them inferior martial arts. Normally, his lack of proficiency in lightness skills wasn’t apparent. However, in this crucial moment, the difference became clear. Other eavesdroppers swiftly departed, agile and graceful, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Poor Great Brother Qin, on the other hand, was easily caught by Great Sister Qin after she got up and pursued him after she put on her clothes. From then on, he fell into Great Sister Qin’s clutches and was coerced into marriage. For a long time after their wedding, whenever he met someone, Great Brother Qin would grasp their hand and say: “I was really foolish, really.” Then, straightening his nearly paralyzed waist, he’d continue: “I only knew practicing lightness techniques was for escaping danger, which is not what a true man should do. I also knew that the flower thieves had exceptional lightness skills for other purposes. So, I disdained practicing good lightness skills, but I didn’t know lightness was also used to save lives. If you can’t practice it well, how can you survive in the martial arts world? I truly regret it. If Heaven gives me another chance, I will tell my master that I was wrong, and if I add a few words after this mistake, I will definitely say that I dare not eavesdrop on others’ songs again.” He then picked up a flask of deer blood and tiger bone soup carried with him and drank it in one gulp, then burst into tears.

[TL_Note: deer blood and tiger bones are known to be aphrodisiacs]

After marriage, Great Sister Qin no longer set foot in the martial world, living with Great Brother Qin, leaving those sects that wanted to present her with commendations empty-handed.

It was also an accident that Great Sister Qin joined the Piaomiao Sect. Great Sister Qin and her husband met their enemies in the wilderness and the two were seriously injured and faced a life-or-death situation. They were fortunately saved by the passing Piaomiao Six Tigers and brought to the Piaomiao Manor for treatment. Sadly, Great Brother Qin’s injuries were too severe, and he passed away shortly after arriving at the manor. Great Sister Qin, however, miraculously escaped the jaws of death. She then decided to join the Piaomiao Sect and eventually took charge of the Ming Cui Hall. The name “Ming Cui Hall” was derived from the poem, “Two golden orioles sing among the emerald willows, a line of white egrets soar into the blue sky”, which complemented Great Sister Qin’s persona quite well.

When Great Sister Qin joined the Piaomiao sect, naturally, there were many followers who remembered her singing from years past in the sect. Among them, many sympathized deeply with Great Brother Qin’s fate. There were also quite a few who had been pulled by Brother Qin. However, the final parting between Great Brother Qin and Great Sister Qin left them all astonished and it is unforgettable to this day. They remembered vividly the moment when Brother Qin was at his last breath, Great Sister Qin took Great Brother Qin’s hand and said: “Brother, I know that you were forced to marry me back then. I know that I wronged you. You followed me and I really made you suffer, I’m so sorry.”

Weakly shaking his head, Great Brother Qin held onto Great Sister Qin’s hand with all his remaining strength and said, “No, you are wrong. Meeting you has been my greatest happiness. The ancients said well, ‘After the lights go out, all women are the same’. But actually, they are all wrong. After the lights go out, you are the best in the world. What else could a husband ask for with such a wife? Can you sing one last song for me?”

So, Great Sister Qin dragged her frail body, managed to part her cracked and bloody lips, and sang: “A lone cold plum stands proudly in the snow…” In Great Sister Qin’s lingering melody, Great Brother Qin closed his eyes and tears streamed down Great Sister Qin’s face. However, to everyone’s surprise, after the song ended, Great Brother Qin forced his eyes open and said: “By the way, the deer blood tiger whip soup you cooked is also very good.”

Great Sister Qin understood and forced a smile: “You are good, I am good too.”

Then Great Brother Qin loosened his hand and traveled straight to the west.

Great Sister Qin also fainted in agony until she woke up a day later. She then dragged her injured body to arrange Great Brother Qin’s funeral and cut her hair to pledge herself, never to marry again or sing again in her life.

When this matter spread to the outside world, everyone lamented: “Endless affection, a single plum blossom’s departure.”

Therefore, Great Sister Qin also earned unanimous respect from the entire Piaomiao sect.

Ou Yan was no exception, she liked the Ming Cui Hall Master, a fellow woman, and they often got together to chat. Besides, Sister Qin’s voice was very pleasant to listen to.

However, before Ou Yan could exchange a few words with Great Sister Qin today, Zhang Chengyue approached Ou Peng and whispered a few words. After Ou Peng nodded in agreement, he stood up and summoned First Elder Hu and Second Elder Li from the Piaomiao Six Tigers. The three of them then left the council chamber.

As the three walked out, they followed the corridor to the back of the council chamber, passing through a row of spacious houses, they entered a courtyard with a large hall opposite it. In front of the hall was a plaque bearing the inscription “Law Enforcement Hall”, indicating it was the location of the Piaomiao sect’s Law Enforcement Hall. Standing there was a robust and solemn old man, the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, Liu Yuzhou.

Upon seeing Ou Peng and the others approaching, Liu Yuzhou stepped forward and greeted respectfully: “Greetings, Sect Master Ou.”

Ou Peng quickly returned the greeting and asked: “Hall Master Old Liu, has Shui Yupeng been brought to the hall?”

Hall Master Liu cautiously replied: “Yes, Sect Master, the escort was handled very carefully this time, so it took a bit longer. Along with him are some of Shui Yupeng’s family members. They’ve all been taken care of according to Sect Master’s instructions, and there have been no casualties.”

Ou Peng nodded satisfactorily and said: “Thank you for your hard work, Hall Master Old Liu. I can only feel at ease entrusting this matter to you.”

Hall Master Liu smiled and said: “Sect Master Ou, you’re too kind. It’s my duty.”

Ou Peng chuckled: “Hall Master Old Liu, no need to be modest. You’ve been the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall for longer than I’ve been the sect master. Your careful handling of this matter is a credit to the Piaomiao sect. Alright, let’s go in and see this leader of the Luo River Gang, see what we can gain.”

With that, he led the way into the Law Enforcement Hall, with the others following behind Ou Peng.

The hall of the Law Enforcement Hall was spacious, with few chairs placed around. The windows were also few and shuttered, letting in no sunlight, giving the place a cold and dreary atmosphere. Most of the disciples had gone to the council chamber or the courtyard, leaving behind only a few sharp-eyed disciples.

These disciples held their swords, standing alert without any hint of slackness, because seated in the middle of the hall was Shui Yupeng, the recently captured leader of the Luo River Gang.