Chapter 179 - 115: Are You Kidding? A Huajin Slaying an Embracing Pill?

"I will end my own life."

This decision was a difficult one for Ouyang Hong.

But he had no choice.

This was the only way to preserve Hidden Sword Manor.

If he refused, Zhang Su would act himself.

And if that happened, it was uncertain if anyone from Hidden Sword Manor would be left alive.

Having lived to such an old age, Ouyang Hong had long seen through the veil of life and death.

He just never thought he would end things this way.

After decades of hiding in the Martial Arts Pavilion, just dragging out his existence, he still had to die in the end.

"I heard that Hidden Sword Manor has some disciples in Medicine Valley..."

Zhang Su said.

Hidden Sword Manor had close ties with Medicine Valley, sending a batch of disciples to train there every year.

Among them, some had already become Inner Sect Disciples of Medicine Valley, while others were still in the Outer Sect.

’If they learn what happened to Hidden Sword Manor, will they come seeking revenge against me?’

Zhang Su wasn’t afraid of revenge, but he didn’t want to leave behind unnecessary trouble.

"Young Hero Zhang, rest assured. I will leave a suicide note that will completely extinguish any thoughts of revenge from the Hidden Sword Manor disciples. I will absolutely not cause any trouble for you."

"Furthermore, Young Hero Zhang can review the contents of the note beforehand."

Ouyang Hong immediately understood Zhang Su’s concerns.

"Good. Then write the note."

Zhang Su found some paper and a brush in the Martial Arts Pavilion and brought them to Ouyang Hong.

Ouyang Hong took the brush, his hand trembling slightly.

He deliberated for a long time before he began to write the suicide note.

The note wasn’t long, only a few hundred words.

Ouyang Hong wrote very slowly, taking great care with every word.

After he finished, Ouyang Hong set down the brush and let out a long breath.

"Young Hero Zhang, please review it."

Ouyang Hong handed the suicide note to Zhang Su.

Zhang Su read it carefully and was very satisfied.

The note mentioned nothing about the Infinite Sword Scripture, nor did it contain any inflammatory language.

"Good! I will honor my promise. After you die, this matter will be over!"

Zhang Su folded the note and tucked it into his robes.

"Thank you, Young Hero Zhang."

Ouyang Hong took a deep breath.

A trace of relief flashed in his eyes.

Hiding in the Martial Arts Pavilion for decades, facing these bookshelves and Secret Manuals every day, he had long grown weary.

There was just one lingering attachment in his heart—his concern for Hidden Sword Manor.

Now, that attachment was also gone.

Ouyang Hong propped himself up with his hands and slowly made his way to a chair.

It was the only chair in the Martial Arts Pavilion, resting against a wall and covered in a thin layer of dust.

He sat down and adjusted his posture to make himself more comfortable.

Then, he slowly raised his right palm.

Ouyang Hong closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Immediately, he slammed his palm onto his own head.

A dull THWACK.

Ouyang Hong’s head jerked to one side, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

In an instant, Ouyang Hong’s breathing stopped. He was clearly dead.

Zhang Su stared at Ouyang Hong. His keen perception made it clear that Ouyang Hong was truly dead, not faking it to escape.

A Martial Artist who possessed a Supreme Sword Technique but had never managed to master it in his entire life had now died just like that in the Martial Arts Pavilion.

Zhang Su stood there for a moment, confirming that Ouyang Hong was completely dead before looking away.

He fully intended to keep his promise.

This matter ended here.

Besides, Hidden Sword Manor had no masters left anyway.

Ouyang Yin was dead, Ouyang Chuan was dead, Ouyang Jing was dead, and more than half of the several dozen Huajin Martial Artists were dead.

The remaining people were either at the Inner Force or Outer Force realm; they couldn’t cause any trouble.

It was hard to say how long they could last, as Hidden Sword Manor also had rival factions.

In the past, with a Peak of Danjin Martial Artist like Ouyang Yin presiding, no one dared to make a rash move.

Now that Ouyang Yin was dead, Hidden Sword Manor’s strength had plummeted.

Once those rival factions learned of the manor’s misfortune, they probably wouldn’t let Hidden Sword Manor off easily.

Without Zhang Su even needing to act, Hidden Sword Manor would slowly decline on its own.

It might even be absorbed by another power.

This was the Jianghu.

Zhang Su paid no more attention to Ouyang Hong’s body and turned toward the bookshelves.

The Martial Arts Pavilion housed the Martial Arts Secret Manuals that Hidden Sword Manor had accumulated over centuries. Since he was here, he wouldn’t leave empty-handed.

Zhang Su immediately began to browse through the various Martial Arts in the Martial Arts Pavilion.

Starting from the first bookshelf, he went through them one by one.

Hidden Sword Manor was famous for its swords, and Swordsmanship was its specialty.

Of every ten Secret Manuals on the shelves, seven or eight were on Swordsmanship.

The remaining two or three were on Fist Technique, Palm Technique, Body Technique, and some miscellaneous skills.

Zhang Su read through them very quickly.

He only needed to read them once to know his Compatibility with the Martial Art.

He would take all the Martial Arts with a Compatibility of 90% or higher.

However, the number was very small.

A mere ten of them.

Only two more than he had found at the Jiang Family’s home.

Zhang Su also gathered some Fast Sword Techniques.

There were many more of these.

Zhang Su found more than twenty Fast Sword Technique manuals on the shelves. Their grades varied, but they all followed the path of the fast sword.

Under the influence of the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique’s Divine Intent, Zhang Su could also quickly train these Fast Sword Techniques to the Perfection realm, thereby gaining Compatibility Value.

The Divine Intent of the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique was itself the ultimate expression of speed.

Using the Divine Intent of the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique to cultivate Fast Sword Techniques would allow him to achieve twice the results with half the effort.

Even if Zhang Su had enough Compatibility Value for now, he would never complain about having too much.

Compatibility Value was the key to improving his Martial Arts; the more, the better.

Zhang Su packed up these Secret Manuals, wrapped them in a cloth, and slung the bundle over his back.

He took another look around the Martial Arts Pavilion to make sure he hadn’t missed anything valuable.

He also went up to the second floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion. It stored some of Hidden Sword Manor’s miscellaneous records and insights on Sword Casting, which weren’t of much help for Martial Arts Cultivation.