"What?"
As soon as Duan Lang finished speaking, the group of martial artists who had followed him to the outskirts of Duzun Fort immediately erupted in chaos. They could never have imagined that the renowned master of Duzun Fort, the Martial Judge, and the sworn brother and in-law of the legendary Sky Saber Song Que—Xie Hui—would actually be a spy planted by the Buddhist sect beside Song Que.
"Brother Duan, you can't be serious, can you?" An Long's jaw dropped in shock, unable to close for a long time. The sheer weight of this revelation was overwhelming.
"Xie Hui, how did Fan Qinghui taste? Must have been quite the experience, huh? After all, even Song Que couldn't get his hands on her, but you managed to." Duan Lang ignored An Long's words. When it came to the Demon Sect, aside from a few like Wan Wan and Shi Zhixuan, Duan Lang had a clear understanding of the rest—they were all a bunch of bullies who preyed on the weak, only useful as tools. Of course, Daniel Davis, his true self, shared the same sentiment.
An Long dared to follow him to Duzun Fort not out of any sworn brotherhood with Xie Hui, but because he had witnessed Duan Lang's true strength. He knew that if Duan Lang made a move, Xie Hui was as good as dead. That's why he had the courage to show up openly; otherwise, he would have found an excuse to hide long ago.
When dealing with the Demon Sect, Duan Lang didn't hold back. He took the opportunity to thoroughly discipline An Long, but considering An Long's status as Shi Zhixuan's devoted follower and his ownership of a merchant guild, Duan Lang chose not to kill him outright.
"Xie Hui, do you think you're stronger than Song Que? I bet you were feeling pretty proud of yourself back then, weren't you? Little did you know, Song Que never even cared for Fan Qinghui, that worn-out shoe. It's only you, along with Ning Daoqi and Liaokong, who treat her like a treasure. How about this: 'Monk, dare to steal the nun from this Taoist?' Should I add, 'Let go of that nun, I'll take it from here'?"
"Shut up!"
A furious roar erupted from the gates of Duzun Fort. A tall figure leaped from the entrance, descending with an overwhelming killing intent aimed straight at Duan Lang. It was Xie Hui, the Martial Judge of Duzun Fort. His usually composed face was now twisted with rage, veins bulging around his eyes, as if he were about to burst with anger.
"Such killing intent. Did I hit a nerve? Trying to silence me?" Facing Xie Hui, who wanted to tear him to pieces, Duan Lang drew the Fire Lin Sword from his back and thrust it toward Xie Hui's fists mid-air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Duan Lang's sword clashed with Xie Hui's fists several times in mid-air. The scattered true qi immediately created several large craters in the ground around Duan Lang. Duan Lang took three steps back, while Xie Hui flipped in the air and landed on the ground, forced to retreat seven steps before regaining his footing.
Once steady, Xie Hui let out a furious roar and charged at Daniel Davis with his fists raised. His twisted expression made it seem as if Daniel Davis had some deep, personal vendetta against him.
In fact, there was indeed a deep-seated hatred. If Duan Lang had come to Duzun Fort for any other reason, Xie Hui wouldn't have immediately attacked, let alone with such murderous intent. But Duan Lang had insulted his goddess. To Xie Hui, Fan Qinghui was his guiding light, his sacred goddess, and he would never allow anyone to slander her.
Yes, slander. While many believed in the schemes of the Cihang Jingzhai's "Heaven's Chosen Emperor" plan and the Buddhist sect's wealth accumulation after they were exposed, the idea that Fan Qinghui had affairs with Ning Daoqi and Liaokong was nothing but a ridiculous joke.
Daniel Davis was well aware of this. However, not everyone possessed the wisdom of Song Que and others. For ordinary people, what could be more entertaining than the idea of a monk stealing a nun from a Taoist? It was a rare opportunity to gossip about Fan Qinghui, Ning Daoqi, Liaokong, and now Xie Hui.
Daniel Davis's goal was to strike at the heart of the Buddhist sect. The foundation of the Buddhist sect lay in the faith of the common people. Once that was lost, the sect's power would be severely diminished. Just look at modern society for proof.
"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it." This saying is no empty phrase. While ordinary individuals may be weak alone, when united as a group or a nation, they can change the world.
Looking back at modern history, it's clear that it was these ordinary people who created history and brought about a new era for China.
"Although boasting that your strength rivals the Sky Saber is an exaggeration, your martial arts are still among the top in the world, probably ranking within the top twenty."
Watching Xie Hui use those seven steps to dissipate the sword qi from the Fire Lin Sword, Duan Lang nodded slightly. Since this was a martial arts world, how could it lack various rankings? For example, there were the Beauty Rankings, the Eight Sects and Ten Alliances, the Eight Great Demon Sect Masters, the Unique Skills Ranking, and Xie Hui's Judge's Brush, which was also listed among the Unique Skills.
As the master of Duzun Fort and someone Fan Qinghui had high hopes for, Xie Hui's martial arts were formidable. In fact, even among top-tier grandmasters, he ranked highly. An Long was no match for him, and An Long wasn't someone who would casually form sworn brotherhoods with just anyone.
Not to mention An Long, even the Heavenly Lord Xi Ying likely couldn't defeat Xie Hui. Within the Demon Sect, only Shi Zhixuan, Zhu Yuyan, and Zhao Deyan could reliably defeat him. Wan Wan was still a bit short of reaching that level.
"Master Xie Hui, why so angry? Why not share some of your experiences with Fan Qinghui while everyone's here? Let us all learn something. Oh, and while you're at it, how about a word of thanks?"
Facing Xie Hui's frenzied attacks, Duan Lang continued to parry with the Fire Lin Sword while verbally taunting him, causing Xie Hui's eyes to turn bloodshot and his attacks to grow even more frantic.
"Truly the ultimate simp."
Watching the enraged Xie Hui, Duan Lang sighed inwardly. Theoretically, someone of Xie Hui's caliber shouldn't be so easily provoked. In this world, grandmasters and great grandmasters emphasized mental fortitude, but now Xie Hui's mind was in complete disarray.
The world of Double Dragons had no shortage of simps. For instance, Xu Ziling was somewhat infatuated with Shi Feixuan, and even during the reign of Wu Zetian in The Moon and the Stars, this remained true.
Then there was Lu Miaozi, who had once been infatuated with Zhu Yuyan, though he eventually came to his senses. Even Song Que, in a way, was a simp for Fan Qinghui, but these infatuations didn't lead to a loss of principles. Xie Hui, however, was the ultimate simp, willing to risk the survival of Duzun Fort for Fan Qinghui.
In the original story, he did exactly that. If Kou Zhong hadn't backed down, Duzun Fort would have been completely destroyed. Just looking at the situation at the time, it was clear: Lingnan was the Song Clan's territory, and Duzun Fort's influence in Chengdu was largely due to its connection with the Song Clan.
During this period, the Sichuan region had a large population of ethnic minorities, including the famous Three Great Li Leaders and the Ba Alliance, all staunch supporters of the Song Clan. Duzun Fort, located in Chengdu, was essentially a caged bird with no chance of escape. Under such circumstances, neither the Li Clan nor the Buddhist sect could offer any assistance.
While there were Buddhist forces in Lingnan, they were much weaker compared to other regions. The only notable one was the Great Stone Temple, and even that had gained prominence due to Duzun Fort's influence. Both were located in Chengdu.
Through An Long's investigations, Duan Lang discovered the connection between Duzun Fort and the Great Stone Temple. The temple hadn't been particularly famous before, but after Duzun Fort rose to prominence, the temple gradually gained recognition. An Long even personally confirmed that Xie Hui had a good relationship with the abbot of the Great Stone Temple.
If Xie Hui had no connection to the Song Clan and had simply betrayed them to support Cihang Jingzhai and the Li Tang, that would be one thing. But he was related to the Song Clan by marriage—Song Que's sister, Song Yuhua, was married to Xie Hui's son, Xie Wenlong.
Speaking of Song Yuhua, she shared a similar personality with Song Yuzhi—both disliked war. It's worth noting that none of Song Que's children had any ambition, which was quite interesting.
Even the weakest of the Four Great Clans, the Dugu Clan, had its heir, Dugu Ce, who was ambitious and eager to stir up trouble, despite being all talk and no action.
Given this relationship, Xie Hui's decision to support Fan Qinghui over Song Que, even at the risk of Duzun Fort's survival, was the epitome of being the ultimate simp. If a conflict had broken out at that time, only Song Yuhua would have been spared, while Xie Hui's only son, Xie Wenlong, would have certainly died.
"Master!"
As Duan Lang and Xie Hui continued to clash, with Xie Hui's fists beginning to show signs of injury, someone from Duzun Fort threw Xie Hui's weapon toward him.
Duan Lang had been using a loudspeaker earlier, and even now, the loudspeaker was still in his left hand. The commotion had undoubtedly reached everyone in Duzun Fort.
Watching the steel Judge's Brush being thrown over, Duan Lang didn't interfere. Instead, he took several steps back, allowing Xie Hui to retrieve his weapon.
"Kirin Demon Duan Lang, how dare you...!" With the Judge's Brush in hand, Xie Hui finally regained some composure. He glared at Duan Lang, wanting to say something but suddenly choking on his words. He couldn't bring himself to utter anything vulgar about his goddess.
"Dare what? Why not say it? 'Duzun Fort, Supreme Above All'—what a bold claim. Xie Hui, you really know how to simp for Fan Qinghui, don't you? Even willing to sacrifice your son and the survival of Duzun Fort for her. Tell me, is Xie Wenlong even your son? Or do you and Fan Qinghui have some illegitimate child hidden away?" The phrase "Supreme Above All" was a Buddhist slogan of the time.
"Nonsense!" Just as Xie Hui's anger had begun to subside, it flared up again. He swung the Judge's Brush at Duan Lang, and with the weapon in hand, his strength noticeably increased. Unfortunately, for Duan Lang, this change meant little.
"Is it really nonsense? You and Fan Qinghui's plan was to wait for Song Que to lead the Song Clan's army to conquer the world, then seize the opportunity to cause chaos, wasn't it? You've been secretly working on this for decades. How can you dare to do it but not admit it?"
Of course, Xie Hui couldn't admit to this now. The Li Clan had only recently taken Chang'an and was far from the dominant force it would later become, having yet to defeat Dou Jiande, Liang Shidu, Luo Yi, and other northern powers.
Under such circumstances, if Xie Hui's true intentions were confirmed, the forces in Chengdu would eliminate him without the Song Clan even needing to intervene.
"When you founded Duzun Fort, why did you choose this location? Wasn't it because you planned to hold out here and buy time? If I'm not mistaken, there's a considerable stockpile of weapons and equipment inside the fort, right? Oh, and you probably still have letters from Fan Qinghui hidden away, don't you?"
Duzun Fort was located on the south bank of a river in the northern outskirts of Chengdu. Its construction was similar to that of the Flying Horse Ranch, built against a mountain wall. In fact, its terrain was even more advantageous than the ranch's, as it had a natural moat in front, making it a truly defensible position.
The entire fort resembled a miniature imperial city, complete with all necessary facilities. With sufficient supplies, destroying the stone bridge in front would allow the fort to hold out for a year or more without issue.
The location of Duzun Fort might not raise eyebrows at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that something was amiss. Generally, major powers rarely established their bases far from populated areas, preferring to stay within cities for convenience.
Of course, places like the Flying Horse Ranch were exceptions. The ranch was built where it was due to its purpose, as was the Song Clan's mountain stronghold.
The Song Clan's stronghold was situated in a similar environment to the Flying Horse Ranch and Duzun Fort, but this was due to historical reasons. The Song Clan's ancestors could be traced back to the Edge of the World era, a time of constant warfare and foreign invasions, necessitating strong defenses.
But present-day Sichuan was different. Thanks to the Song Clan's influence, the region had enjoyed decades of peace. Even during Emperor Wen of Sui's reign, Lingnan wasn't attacked; instead, a single edict led to Song Que's surrender.
If the rest of the Central Plains were in chaos, overrun by bandits, while Lingnan remained peaceful, building a stronghold in such a defensible location would raise suspicions.
Just look at the Four Great Clans. Aside from the Song Clan, whose stronghold was historically justified, the other three clans all had their mansions in the luxurious districts of cities.
"You...!"
As if his deepest secret had been exposed, Xie Hui's expression suddenly changed. His movements faltered for a moment, and in that instant, a flash of fiery red light streaked past. A pained cry followed as Xie Hui's left arm, still clutching the Judge's Brush, flew off, blood spraying everywhere.
"It seems I hit the mark. You didn't destroy Fan Qinghui's letters, did you? How interesting." Duan Lang had initially been speaking randomly, but seeing Xie Hui's reaction, he realized he had stumbled upon the truth. He decided not to hold back, aiming to find the letters Fan Qinghui had left behind.
If he could find and publicize those letters, it would certainly make for an interesting spectacle.
"Stop him!"
Despite the pain of losing an arm, Xie Hui ordered his men to attack Duan Lang. Given the earlier commotion, everyone in Duzun Fort had undoubtedly heard it. In fact, Xie Hui's personal guards had appeared shortly after he emerged, but without his orders, they had held back.
Now, with the command given, the guards and the steward immediately sprang into action. The only ones who didn't move were Xie Wenlong and Song Yuhua, who stood by the gate, seemingly still trying to process what was happening.
"Trying to go back and destroy those letters, are you? Not going to let you have your way." Seeing Xie Hui turn and rush toward the fort's gates after ordering his men to attack, Duan Lang immediately guessed his intention.
(End of Chapter)
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