Chapter 348 - 263: Meticulous Arrangements, Setting Sail

Chapter 348: Chapter 263: Meticulous Arrangements, Setting Sail

A moment later, there was a light sigh, and then Master Jingxin walked out from the darkness, pressing her palms together in greeting.

"I knew I couldn’t hide from Benefactor Wu’s vigilance. This humble nun pays her respects."

This should have been Wu Liangchen’s first meeting with Master Jingxin, yet there was something oddly familiar about her aura. Back in the Imperial Capital, Liangchen had more than once vaguely sensed that same elusive presence.

With a cold expression, Liangchen suddenly asked, "Master Jingxin returns to Huangpu Guard but refuses to go home. Is there something troubling you that you cannot speak of? Or perhaps some guilt weighing on your conscience?"

Master Jingxin’s face changed slightly, realizing her greatest fear had materialized.

This Wu Liangchen was clearly someone who wouldn’t tolerate deception.

If she couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation, he certainly wouldn’t let her off easily.

With this in mind, Master Jingxin remained silent for a moment before speaking, "My secular name is Fan Hongyu. Fan Peiqin was my younger sister."

Hearing this, Liangchen finally understood.

No wonder Aunt Fan had instructed him on her deathbed to bring Yang Lian’Er to Master Jingxin in Dinghai City.

So they shared such a connection.

"I was also once the Right Protector of the Heartless Dao. Later, due to various circumstances, I renounced the world and left the Heartless Dao to become a humble nun in Huangpu Guard."

Liangchen didn’t speak, just listened quietly.

"But I never expected that one can’t escape worldly matters so easily. Even though I believed I had left behind all secular concerns through my devotion to Buddha, the world wouldn’t release me. Last year, a letter arrived from the Imperial Capital. The sender was none other than White Fan of the Heartless Dao, Xu Yufeng, who was once my lover."

Through Master Jingxin’s narration, Liangchen finally learned the whole story.

It turned out this Master Jingxin had been the previous Right Protector of the Heartless Dao, and this Xu Yufeng was the previous White Fan.

They had been both colleagues and lovers.

At that time, the Heartless Dao had not yet completely strayed from its original purpose, and the organization was flourishing.

But as the organization grew larger, various contradictions began to emerge.

Eventually, unable to tolerate the Heartless Dao’s practices any longer, she resolutely left and entered the Buddhist order. From that day on, the Right Protector of the Heartless Dao ceased to exist, replaced by Master Jingxin.

But life’s chains are not so easily broken.

Last year, Xu Yufeng wrote her a letter, reminding her of a promise they had made and asking for her help one last time.

With no choice, Master Jingxin went to him, leading to everything that had happened since.

In short, it was a story of love and hatred, cliché yet entirely understandable.

After finishing her account, Fan Hongyu pressed her palms together and said apologetically, "Benefactor Wu, everything I’ve said is true, but it doesn’t change the fact that I aided evil. If you wish to punish me, please do so. I promise I won’t resist."

She spread her hands, standing defenseless before Wu Liangchen.

She understood well that even if she wanted to resist, she was no match for Wu Liangchen. Better to accept whatever came.

But Liangchen didn’t make a move. Instead, he suddenly smiled.

"Master Jingxin, you’re too harsh on yourself. Aunt Fan was my teacher, and since you’re her older sister, you’re naturally my elder as well. As for what happened in the Imperial Capital, now that everything’s been explained, it’s fine."

The reason Liangchen had questioned her so thoroughly was to determine where her loyalties lay.

If she were still obsessed with restoring the Heartless Dao’s former glory or trying to establish some ’kingdom of heaven on earth,’ Liangchen wouldn’t have hesitated to kill her.

After all, he didn’t want another source of instability in Huangpu Guard after he left.

But it turned out his concerns were unnecessary. This Master Jingxin was far more clear-headed than he’d imagined.

She had gone to the Imperial Capital only because she had no choice.

Actually, this made perfect sense. Aunt Fan’s greatest wish had been for Yang Lian’Er to live out her days in peace, preferably with no further connection to the Heartless Dao.

Under such circumstances, how could she possibly have sent Liangchen to find a diehard follower of the Heartless Dao?

Hearing Liangchen’s words, Master Jingxin let out a long breath.

Truthfully, when facing Wu Liangchen directly, the pressure was beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

Even having renounced the world, but not yet having transcended life and death, Master Jingxin couldn’t help feeling some lingering fear.

"Let’s go. Yang Lian’Er is here too. She was the person Aunt Fan valued most, and on her deathbed, she entrusted me with bringing her to you. It’s time for you to meet her," Liangchen said, then turned to leave.

Master Jingxin paused briefly before understanding Liangchen’s intention, then followed him.

When they arrived at the top floor of Jufu Pavilion, Liangchen introduced Master Jingxin’s identity to Lian’Er and the others.

Upon learning she was the long-awaited Master Jingxin, Lian’Er was somewhat stunned, and her eyes soon misted over.

Master Jingxin’s features bore many similarities to Aunt Fan, which reminded her of the late woman, filling her with sadness.

Fan Hongyu was equally surprised.

She discovered that this sole surviving Saintess of the Heartless Dao was still untouched.

This silently shattered all the rumors.

Previously, some had claimed that Wu Liangchen’s rapid martial progress was due to taking advantage of Yang Lian’Er.

"Lady Lian’Er, I’m truly sorry for returning so late. Don’t be sad. Since Peiqin entrusted you to me, I will stay by your side from now on, protecting you all," she said.

These words might have sounded strange at first, but they were actually meant for Wu Liangchen to hear.

Fan Hongyu had discerned Liangchen’s intentions.

He was clearly planning to leave Great Yan, and before departing, he needed to properly arrange for his beloved and sister.

This made her the most suitable candidate.

Fan Hongyu had no objections to this. Even if only for her sister Peiqin’s sake, it was her responsibility.

So these words were essentially a promise to Wu Liangchen.

Liangchen nodded subtly.

Dealing with intelligent people was indeed efficient.

There was another deeper meaning to his arrangement: providing Flower Square with a powerful expert to serve as its guardian.

Though this Fan Hongyu appeared submissive before him, she was genuinely a Third Realm master.

This was no small achievement. In the current Great Yan, Martial Artists who could reach this realm were still as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns.

"Anomalies" like Wu Liangchen were the exception, not the rule.

Through this incident, Liangchen had discovered many flaws in Third Brother Xie.

Though she was kind-hearted and never mistreated others, as evident from how she treated the girls at Flower Square, she was lax in management and somewhat indecisive.

When someone was there to guide her, things were fine, but once she lost that support, she often became lost.

This was precisely what concerned Liangchen the most.

However, Fan Hongyu’s arrival solved this problem.

The former Right Protector of the Heartless Dao had undeniable strength and first-rate tactics.

With her taking the lead and Third Brother Xie assisting, the arrangement would be ideal.

Of course, the main force would still be the brothers of Flower Square.

After acquiring large quantities of firearms, their strength would surely reach new heights.

Wu Liangchen had considered every aspect of the situation, trying to eliminate any risks and ensure everything was foolproof.

For the next two days, Liangchen didn’t go anywhere, staying at Jufu Pavilion with Erya.

Erya seemed to know that Liangchen planned to leave, so she clung to him desperately.

However, her stamina was clearly lacking, and she often surrendered quickly, allowing Liangchen to do as he pleased.

But seeing her pitiful state, Liangchen couldn’t bring himself to push her further.

Several days later, everything was finally arranged. Wu Liangchen set sail with his people, heading straight for the East Sea nation.