While on Mount Hua, my mind is at peace!

Chapter 82 Before Going Up the Mountain

Yue Feng signed a contract with the Six Immortals of Peach Valley and then released their speech acupoints. The Six Immortals of Peach Valley happily tucked the contract away and asked Yue Feng, "When will we get our money?"

"You'll get paid whenever you arrest someone," Yue Feng casually replied. "However, no one needs you to make any arrests right now, so you can move around freely. I'll come looking for you when I need you."

Helpless, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley took out a few small whistling arrows from their sleeves and handed them to Yue Feng, telling him to launch the arrows into the sky whenever needed, and they would come over to help.

For the sake of those few whistling arrows, Yue Feng gave the Six Immortals of Peach Valley a large ingot of silver as a deposit, while also instructing them never to provoke the Huashan Sect again. The Six Immortals of Peach Valley, greedy for money, readily agreed and happily went off to drink.

Yue Feng and Xiong Zhaozhao returned to the Weihe Gang. Xiong Zhaozhao was summoned away by Xiong Tianba, who said that relatives from Huazhou were coming. Yue Feng took the heads of Madam Canghua and Tang Chenyu, exchanged them for the bounty at the Six Doors headquarters in Huayin County, divided them into three parts, left one part for Xiong Zhaozhao, and entrusted someone to deliver the other two parts to Yue Lingshan.

Having finished his tasks, he had nothing more to attend to and went back to rest. The next day, Yue Feng invited a musician from the city to teach him to play the xiao (a type of vertical bamboo flute), and he spent the next half month learning. Huayin County then entered a relatively peaceful period, though countless undercurrents were surging beneath the surface.

That night, Zhou Huapeng quietly came to see Yue Feng and reported that the Huashan tunnel was completed. Qi Lang discussed with him the plan to meet everyone the next afternoon and then act together after midnight. Yue Feng asked Zhou Huapeng how things were going with the Eastern Depot issue, and Zhou Huapeng replied:

"We've made some progress. Young Master Feng, have you ever heard of 'Jade Dragon Manor'?"

Yue Feng shook his head.

Zhou Huapeng patiently explained, "Yulong Manor is a martial arts family in Sichuan, and they have been engaged in medicine making for generations. Yulong Manor usually keeps a very low profile, and its disciples rarely travel in the martial arts world, so their reputation in the martial arts world is not well-known."

Yue Feng hummed in agreement, signaling him to continue.

"However, in reality, the pharmaceutical skills of Jade Dragon Manor far surpass those of any other sect in the martial arts world, and can be said to be unparalleled in the era. As far as I know, even some of the medicines used in the imperial palace were specially made by Jade Dragon Manor."

"The whole thing started with a traitor from Jade Dragon Manor who somehow ended up in the hands of the Eastern Depot. According to that traitor, Jade Dragon Manor not only researches medicine but also alchemy. Moreover, their alchemy skills have recently made a great breakthrough, and there is a high probability that they have developed a life-extending elixir called the 'Longevity Pill'."

Yue Feng took a deep breath, seemingly understanding Zhou Huapeng's meaning: "Are you suggesting we make a fuss about this pill?"

Zhou Huapeng nodded: "Yes. The Eastern Depot took the news of the Longevity Pill very seriously. The head and second-in-command personally led their trusted men to Sichuan. The reason they were so anxious was that His Majesty is getting old and needs the Longevity Pill the most."

"Whether the chief or the second chief manages to seize the Longevity Pill and present it to the Grand Eunuch, they will have the upper hand. And if the conservative second chief wins, the change you desire may come to fruition."

Yue Feng pondered, "What if the longevity pill is fake, or has been destroyed or stolen?"

Zhou Huapeng thought for a moment and said, "In this way, neither the chief supervisor nor the second-in-command will gain any advantage, and the situation in the Eastern Depot will not change much. However, the chief supervisor will suffer greater losses, after all, the Grand Eunuch has given him more real power."

Yue Feng asked, "How much time do I have?"

"From now on, it will take at least six months and at most a year. The refining of the Longevity Pill has only just begun, and the Eastern Depot has sent people to confirm it."

Yue Feng nodded. This way, after resolving the matter in Huayin, he would still have time to go to Huazhou. He could then act quickly and decisively, wasting as little time as possible.

After finishing his business, Zhou Huapeng begged Yue Feng to help him suppress the power of the Golden Wind and Jade Dew Finger. It turned out that when the two met last time, Yue Feng hadn't helped him suppress it because he thought Zhou Huapeng was in relatively good condition. However, in the past few days, the power of the Golden Wind and Jade Dew Finger had become more and more frequent and intense, and despite Zhou Huapeng's profound skill, he was nearing his breaking point.

Yue Feng readily agreed, secretly replacing the old one with a new, perfected finger technique before suppressing it. Zhou Huapeng was completely unaware of the replacement and left, deeply grateful.

After Zhou Huapeng left, another unexpected guest came to see Yue Feng—Feng Buping, whom he hadn't seen for many days. Feng Buping reeked of alcohol, his beard unkempt, and upon entering the room, he sighed deeply, "Brother Feng, I was wrong! Utterly wrong!"

Yue Feng pulled him down to sit and poured him a cup of tea: "What's wrong, Brother Feng? Can't you find a suitable helper?"

Feng Buping shook his head, sighed, and told Yue Feng about his experiences over the past few days.

It turned out that after parting ways with Yue Feng that day, he felt uneasy, as if he had done something very wrong. He went to the foot of Mount Hua as if possessed, pretending to be a swordsman without a sect or school, and wandered aimlessly there.

As fate would have it, one day, Master Mo Da took Liu Qin down the mountain for training and they encountered Feng Buping. Like many in the martial arts world, Feng Buping had always assumed that Mo Da and Liu Zhengfeng were sworn enemies, and was quite surprised to learn that Liu Qin was actually Liu Zhengfeng's son. Mo Da, however, said:

"The grudges of the previous generation should not be borne by the next. Although my junior brother Liu and I have different personalities, we both share the same Hengshan Sect in our hearts. We are ultimately one family, though our paths may differ."

Mo Da's unintentional remark deeply shocked Feng Buping. He found a secluded place and pondered for several days, finally finding the source of his unease—in his heart, he had always only wanted to wrest the position of Huashan Sect leader back from the Qi Sect, but he did not want it to end like the Jade Maiden Peak Sword Competition of yesteryear, where blood flowed like a river.

Now, the Eastern Depot and the Songshan Sect are plotting a brutal massacre, which has greatly deviated from his original intentions. However, given the current situation, he no longer knows how to change it, so he has no choice but to come to Yue Feng in the dead of night to discuss the matter.

Yue Feng was quite gratified after hearing Feng Buping's words. Ever since he met Feng Buping at the foot of Wudang Mountain, he had deceived and taken advantage of him in many ways, and had never felt a shred of guilt, simply because Feng Buping's actions had indeed threatened his family.

The threat has not yet disappeared, but Feng Buping has suddenly realized his mistake. Yue Feng thinks that perhaps he can be given a chance.

"Things have come to this point, there's no way to stop it now. The only option is to throw yourself into the fray and fight to the death. Brother Feng, do you... really want to do this?"

Feng Buping looked directly into Yue Feng's eyes, his gaze unusually clear. He slowly nodded, quietly clenching his fists.