Chapter 163 - 111: A Sword Nurtured for Thirty Years, It’s Time It Tasted Blood

She didn’t understand Martial Arts, let alone concepts like the Sword Nurturing Skill or the Embracing Pill Realm.

All she saw was the result.

Zhang Su had won!

Hidden Sword Manor had handed over the Secret Manual.

That was enough.

Gu Ying followed behind Zhang Su, her steps light and cheerful.

Her two guards followed closely behind her.

Ouyang Yin made no move to stop them.

The people of Hidden Sword Manor could only watch helplessly as Zhang Su and his party departed.

No one spoke a word.

Only silence remained in the Martial Arts Arena.

Ouyang Chuan stood frozen, watching Zhang Su’s retreating figure disappear beyond the gates of Hidden Sword Manor.

Beside him, Shen Mufeng had had his fill of the spectacle.

He hadn’t come to be a spectator.

He had come to request a sword.

Hidden Sword Manor’s name was renowned throughout the Jianghu.

But after what had just happened at Hidden Sword Manor, it was no longer appropriate for him to remain.

Shen Mufeng sighed and turned to Ouyang Zhi, who stood beside him.

Her eyes were rimmed with red, but she was desperately holding back tears.

Ouyang Pu was dead.

Though she and Ouyang Pu hadn’t been particularly close, he was her Third Uncle, after all.

"I’m preparing to return to the mountain."

Shen Mufeng said.

"Junior Sister Ouyang, are you planning to stay at the manor or return to the mountain with me?"

"I..."

Ouyang Zhi hesitated, turning to look at Ouyang Chuan.

"Zhi’er, you should go back to the mountain with Nephew Shen."

Ouyang Chuan’s voice was laced with exhaustion.

"Focus on your training. Don’t worry about matters at the manor."

Ouyang Zhi nodded.

"Alright, I’ll return with you then, Senior Brother..."

She gave Ouyang Chuan a deep bow.

Then she turned and bowed to Clan Elder Ouyang Yin.

Ouyang Yin said nothing, only giving a slight nod.

Ouyang Zhi straightened up, fell in behind Shen Mufeng, and left Hidden Sword Manor without a backward glance.

The crowd in the Martial Arts Arena thinned.

The vast Hidden Sword Manor, so bustling just moments ago, had now fallen silent.

Only three corpses remained.

Ouyang Chuan stared at the corpses of Zhou Sandao and Jiang Kui on the ground and ordered in a low, grim voice, "Throw these two bodies into the mountains."

His voice was filled with hatred.

He despised Zhou Sandao and Jiang Kui.

Today’s humiliation for Hidden Sword Manor was all because of these two men.

If not for Zhou Sandao and Jiang Kui, why would Zhang Su have come here?

The more Ouyang Chuan thought about it, the angrier he became, wishing he could hack the corpses of Zhou Sandao and Jiang Kui into a thousand pieces.

Ouyang Jing stood to the side, silent.

He bore some of the responsibility for this affair.

After all, he was the one who had brought Zhou Sandao and Jiang Kui to Hidden Sword Manor.

’It wouldn’t be a bad thing to have a couple more trusted subordinates,’ he had originally thought.

’Who could have imagined it would lead to such a catastrophe?’

Ouyang Jing lowered his head, not daring to meet Ouyang Chuan’s eyes.

As for the last body, it belonged to Ouyang Pu.

Ouyang Pu’s body lay in the center of the Martial Arts Arena, a pool of dark, congealed blood beneath it.

Ouyang Chuan’s gaze fell upon Ouyang Pu’s corpse, and a look of grief filled his eyes.

Ouyang Pu was his younger brother.

He was also the chosen successor, personally groomed by the Clan Elder.

’To think he died just like that.’

’Dead, right here in the Martial Arts Arena of Hidden Sword Manor.’

Ouyang Chuan took a deep breath and turned to face Ouyang Yin.

Ouyang Yin stood at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, his ancient face betraying no emotion.

But Ouyang Chuan noticed that the Clan Elder’s eyes were a few shades darker than usual.

’That’s grief,’ Ouyang Chuan knew.

’The Clan Elder is just used to hiding his feelings.’

Ouyang Yin had grown accustomed to life and death over his long years.

In his youth, he had battled horse bandits on the northern steppes, single-handedly carving his way through a company of nearly one hundred men with his sword.

He himself had lost count of how many fell to his blade in those days.

On his journey south, he challenged masters from every school, winning far more than he lost.

Some died by his sword, while others nearly claimed his life.

For him, life and death were commonplace.

But this was different.

He had personally raised Ouyang Pu.

From the time Ouyang Pu was a child, he had taught him the sword, taught him Sword Nurturing, and taught him how to be a man of character.

For more than thirty years.

Though they lacked the official title of master and disciple, their bond was no less real.

Ouyang Pu’s talent wasn’t exceptional, but his strengths lay in his diligence and his steady, composed nature.

Ouyang Yin had believed that in a few more years, once Ouyang Pu’s Sword Nurturing Skill reached Great Success, he could take his place and become Hidden Sword Manor’s new Stabilizing Needle.

But now, Ouyang Pu was dead.

Dead, right here in the Martial Arts Arena of Hidden Sword Manor.

Ouyang Yin sighed.

"See to it that Ouyang Pu’s body is given a proper burial."

"Yes, Clan Elder."

Ouyang Chuan replied in a low voice.

Then, Ouyang Yin turned and walked, step by step, toward the back of the manor.

His steps were slow, his stooped frame appearing especially ancient in that moment.

The disciples in the Martial Arts Arena parted to make way for him, bowing their heads in respect.

Ouyang Yin paid them no mind, walking straight across the Martial Arts Arena to a secluded courtyard at the back of the manor.

The courtyard was small, with only a few stalks of green bamboo planted within.

The bamboo leaves rustled in the wind.

Ouyang Yin pushed open the courtyard gate and went inside.

Ouyang Chuan did not follow him immediately.

He remained in the Martial Arts Arena to arrange for the disposal of the bodies.

Two servants carried away the bodies of Zhou Sandao and Jiang Kui and tossed them into the mountains behind the manor.

Ouyang Pu’s body, however, was carefully lifted onto a stretcher and covered with a white sheet.

Ouyang Chuan personally escorted Ouyang Pu’s body to the manor’s mourning hall.

The mourning hall was silent.

The only sound was the soft crackle of burning candles.

Ouyang Chuan stood in the mourning hall, silent for a long time.

Then he turned and walked toward the Clan Elder’s courtyard.

Before long, Ouyang Chuan arrived at the secluded courtyard.

The courtyard was small, its gate left ajar.

Ouyang Chuan pushed open the gate and walked inside.

The courtyard was silent.

Ouyang Yin stood in the center of the courtyard, his back to the gate.