The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 577 The True Colors Revealed
As the sun rose and set, another day passed. At noon, Wu Chengyu appeared once again in front of the prefect's residence, carrying a food box.

The first time he came, he sneaked in under the cover of night. The second time, he returned home as the male owner, using Lü Fang's face. Only this third time, he used his own face and arrived as a guest, even if he was a vicious guest who came to take his life.

At this moment, there were no servants at the entrance of the prefect's residence. Only the old man in Taoist robes stood at the entrance to greet the guests. The old man had a very serious expression and stood with his head held high. The moment he saw Wu Chengyu, his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked him up and down.

"You are the distinguished guest that Master mentioned today. I have been waiting for you for a long time. Master is waiting in the pavilion in the backyard. Please follow me, esteemed guest."

He was very polite in words, but he didn't move. He stood in the middle of the gate, and Wu Chengyu had to go around him to enter, which was somewhat impolite for a host.

Wu Chengyu tilted his head and looked at this so-called ghost slave. A top expert serving as someone else's servant, even though he was a Taoist soldier trained from childhood, was still quite frightening.

Wu Chengyu stepped onto the steps, not going around, but heading straight for the old man. The old man immediately held his breath and prepared for battle. But just as he was separated from Wu Chengyu by only one step, the old man's expression changed drastically.

He felt as if he were bound hand and foot by layers of invisible ropes, and then dragged aside by an irresistible force until Wu Chengyu walked past him.

“Your master says I am both an honored guest and an unwelcome guest, but no matter what, it is not your place to test me, you servant. I have seen many top masters, but you are the first servant to do so. In terms of spirit alone, you are far inferior to Qiu Qianren.”

The old man in Taoist robes turned pale. Wu Chengyu had subdued him instantly without him even lifting a finger, leaving him no room to struggle. If he wanted to kill him, it would be even easier. The thought of giving Wu Chengyu a hard time vanished immediately, replaced by a cold sweat.

Only then did he realize that he had underestimated Wu Chengyu because of his young age. How could he possibly offend someone who was treated as an honored guest by his master?

After Wu Chengyu entered the mansion gate, the soul-guiding threads on the old man's body instantly disappeared, and his body regained control. At this moment, the old man dared not move rashly, his face was pale, and he dared not speak. He could only hurriedly take a few steps forward and reach out to lead the way.

Before long, Wu Chengyu arrived at the backyard, led by the old man in Taoist robes. There was a pavilion there, with artificial hills and streams, and flowers in full bloom. Inside the pavilion was a stone table, and next to the stone table were four stone benches.

Bai Yuchan was sitting on the stone bench, not turning his head to look at the visitors, but looking with great interest at the clusters of magnolia flowers around him, their white and blue-purple colors complementing each other, and the swallows chasing each other on the wall, fluttering slowly.

Although it was only noon, the sun was not strong today. The weather was bright and warm, with birds singing and flowers blooming. The magnolias, in particular, had an air of elegance. The white jade toad, with its ethereal and otherworldly appearance, blended perfectly with the spring scenery, making one reluctant to disturb it.

"In March, flowers bloom on every branch in Jiangnan, a gentle breeze stirs the curtains, and swallows vie to fly. What a beautiful picture! Senior, you are truly in high spirits."

Since Wu Chengyu was an unwelcome guest, he naturally had to break the tranquility first. Bai Yuchan seemed to have been disturbed, so he turned his head and said irritably.

"Since you are able to appreciate this vibrant spring scenery, you should have a love for beauty. Yet you come with a murderous aura. I knew you were there as soon as you arrived at the door. The swallows on the wall were startled away by you. What a spoilsport."

Then Bai Yuchan frowned even more: "Your murderous aura is almost visible to the naked eye. Heaven knows how many people you have killed over the years. Taoist disciples have such a great bloodlust, yet you have achieved this at such a young age. Where did you get this good fortune?"

Wu Chengyu ignored Bai Yuchan's disdain, simply placed the food box on the stone table, then plopped down on the stone bench opposite Bai Yuchan, resting his elbows on the table and supporting his chin with his hands, appearing completely unguarded and quite natural.

"The residence of the prefect of Pingjiang Prefecture is not small. It is about 300 meters from the gate to the backyard. The Soul Locking Realm of the Innate Realm must have a distance limit. So, senior, are you trying to tell me that the range of the Soul Locking Realm should be about 300 meters around yourself?"

How could it be that simple? The senior is a cunning old fox; he's definitely understated. He's trying to trap me with his first words, taking advantage of my inability to distinguish truth from falsehood.

"As I see it, the range of your soul-locking ability is definitely no less than a mile, but of course it can't be any more; you're not a god."

At this point, Wu Chengyu opened the lid of the food box and began to speak eloquently: "Today I came to your door for the third time to assassinate your crazy daughter. I really can't hide my murderous aura, nor do I want to. I'm just telling you openly that Bai Xian'er will die today."

However, as I've said before, we should discuss heroes over wine. There aren't many in the world who are qualified to discuss with me, but you, Bai Yuchan, certainly have that kind of prestige.

So, besides killing people, I also have to treat people to a meal. I'm a person who likes to be polite, so I naturally have to be respectful when treating people to a meal. Look, I brought some side dishes, all of which are the most seasonal delicacies in Suzhou in spring.

I once told someone that the only thing in this world that should not be missed is good food, so I hope you will appreciate my kind intentions.

The food box was small, containing four kinds of dishes, which Wu Chengyu took out one by one and placed on the stone table.

A dish of braised bamboo shoots, a dish of shrimp with green snails, a dish of green rice dumplings, and a dish of shepherd's purse mixed with dried tofu—not heavy meat dishes, but light and elegant. Even Bai Yuchan couldn't help but nod in approval when he saw it.

"As fellow Taoists, you Quanxing people truly know how to enjoy life. These dishes are quite thoughtful."

Wu Chengyu said, "Otherwise, if everyone were like you, constantly emphasizing tranquility and inaction, detached from worldly affairs, and yet still not becoming immortals, abandoning all the pleasures of being human, how mentally ill would they be?"

"Fine, I don't really respect you much anyway, so I'll just call you Old Bai. Old Bai, if it weren't for the fact that you at least have a biological daughter, meaning you've had your share of sensual pleasures, I might not think much of you. At least you have some humanity left."

Wu Chengyu arranged the dishes and took out two pairs of ivory chopsticks, but suddenly slapped his thigh: "A miscalculation! With dishes but no wine, how can we discuss heroes?"

"Old Bai, I'm from Suzhou. Since you've come, I've treated you to some food as a gesture of hospitality. But this mansion belongs to your son-in-law, and you're also a host here. How about bringing out some wine?"

Bai Yuchan was not offended. He turned his head and glanced at the old man in Taoist robes. The old man immediately understood and left. A moment later, he brought back a wine pot and two wine cups.

The old man poured wine from a pot and stood behind Bai Yuchan. Wu Chengyu picked up the wine and tasted it: "Indeed, it is good wine. It is mellow but not too strong. It is sweet aftertaste. What's more, you have a top expert serving you as a servant. Old Bai, your style is even higher than that of an emperor."

Bai Yuchan didn't understand what "high-class" meant, but he knew what Wu Chengyu meant. He took a sip of wine, picked up his chopsticks and tasted the bamboo shoots, and replied.

"Top masters, as long as their cultivation techniques are strong, their resources are sufficient, and their chosen disciples are of decent aptitude, can always produce a few. This is nothing special in our Daoist sect."

Reaching the pinnacle of mastery is no easy feat; it requires talent, rigorous training, and extraordinary opportunities—all are indispensable. Therefore, there are very few truly masterful individuals in the world. For you, at your age, to possess such cultivation is indeed remarkable; you truly deserve to be called a hero. However, since we're here to drink and chat, there's something I'm somewhat puzzled about, and I hope you can enlighten me.”

Wu Chengyu knew that the initial show-off phase of a duel between masters was over, and it was time to get down to business. He gently raised his hand, signaling Bai Yuchan to continue.

"Since you already knew that you were born with the ability to lock your soul, and you were already locked onto by me during the first assassination attempt, why did you still use disguise to come for the second assassination attempt yesterday? It seems a bit too careless."

At that time, although you did not know that the Soul Lock could distinguish between truth and falsehood, you should have known that once locked, no matter what form you took, as long as you entered my perception range, you would immediately alarm me.

Therefore, yesterday's assassination attempt was completely impossible to succeed. You know this better than anyone else, but you still came, needlessly wasting your second chance to assassinate someone.

Young friend, you are cunning and treacherous, and would never do anything pointless. Therefore, yesterday's seemingly mutual testing assassination attempt must have had another ulterior motive. But I cannot understand what your true purpose was.

Wu Chengyu raised an eyebrow: "There is indeed another purpose, but it won't work if we say it out loud. The important matter is not yet settled, so we can't spoil it in advance."

Just as I finished speaking, I heard a sharp voice behind me: "Oh, you've come again. You're incredibly audacious."

Without turning around, Wu Chengyu knew that his target had appeared. Bai Xian'er was sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed over by her lover, Lü Fang. Upon seeing Wu Chengyu's back, she immediately shouted angrily.

As for Lü Fang, he was bruised and swollen. Half an hour after Wu Chengyu left yesterday, he limped back to the prefect's residence, clearly having suffered a great injustice.

Wu Chengyu turned to look at Bai Xian'er: "Back then, I could still find you somewhat acceptable. Now, you're practically insane."

Yesterday, the assassination attempt on Wu Chengyu used Lü Fang's face, and Bai Xian'er didn't know what he looked like. Now that she saw Wu Chengyu's true face, this crazy woman's eyes lit up, and her greed was evident.

She was initially cursing, "How dare you hurt my husband! Do you know how precious his face is? I can't get enough of looking at it every day, and now you've beaten him so badly he's almost disfigured..."

Then the woman suddenly changed her tone: "You, you young man are quite handsome, you're like a rare beauty. Just in terms of facial features, you're even better than my husband. My husband is more scholarly, while you have more of a heroic air."

How wonderful! My husband is over forty, and I was worried that he wouldn't be able to look good in a few more years, but who would have thought that I would meet someone even more handsome today.

"Father, why not just not kill him? Capture him and leave him for Xian'er to deal with. A man like that is better left alive."

These words sent chills down Wu Chengyu's spine. He had never imagined that one day he would be regarded as a beauty by someone else. Goosebumps instantly appeared all over his body. This woman was both a madwoman and a lovesick fool. Madness is not scary, and lovesickness is not scary, but madness and lovesickness are really a bit scary.

Bai Yuchan frowned deeply. Bai Xian'er's words almost broke his composure and made him lose his composure. At the same time, it made Lu Fang behind Bai Xian'er's face extremely ugly. His body trembled uncontrollably, his veins bulged, and his teeth were about to break, but he forced himself to endure it.

Bai Yuchan said, "Xian'er, take your husband and leave. Don't get in the way. Just apply some medicine to your lover's face and it will be fine."

When her father spoke, Bai Xian'er dared not disobey. She merely pursed her lips, but her eyes remained fixed on Wu Chengyu until Lü Fang slowly turned and drove away in her wheelchair.

Wu Chengyu, however, spoke up sarcastically: "Confucius said to achieve benevolence, Mencius said to uphold righteousness. A scholar who has fallen to this state is truly unworthy of being called a man."

Lu Fang's body trembled slightly, and his hands, which were pushing the wheelchair, turned white with force. In the end, he disappeared into the backyard without saying a word.

Bai Yuchan shook his head silently, while Wu Chengyu was somewhat puzzled: "Your daughter was just willful back then, but she wouldn't have gone this crazy. She practiced evil arts and absorbed the life essence of young girls. Don't tell me that you gave her these evil arts."

Bai Yuchan sighed, "Xian'er was too eager for quick success in her cultivation. A few years ago, she suddenly went into a state of demonic possession, and she became like a withered tree. She will die soon."

At the time, she searched everywhere for a cure, but found an evil practice in my study, which ultimately led her down this path of no return.

As her father, I was unable to heal her injuries or stop her from practicing that evil art; I was truly unworthy of being a father.

Wu Chengyu suddenly interjected, "I think you deliberately gave her that evil technique. How could she obtain an evil technique that sucks people's life essence so easily? Only the Taoist sect, which has been passed down for thousands of years, might have some of these techniques in its collection."

And it just so happens that the cure for her demonic possession happened to be found in your study.

Old Bai, back then she caused trouble everywhere, and you followed her around cleaning up her messes every day. Now she's neither human nor ghost, and you still spoil her, letting her fall into this state.

As the saying goes, spoiling a child is like killing a child. But you've spoiled your daughter so much that she's become a madwoman, a bloodthirsty monster. You're not only unworthy of being a father, but you've also wasted all those years of spiritual cultivation.

Bai Yuchan was speechless and didn't want to talk to Wu Chengyu about these things anymore, so he brought the topic back to the beginning: "Let's talk about your assassination. So the second assassination, which seemed like a child's play, was actually preparation for today's assassination."

"I have indeed puzzled you, young friend. You are right here in front of me, there is no outsider in the prefectural government, and there are no reinforcements in sight. Where do you get your confidence?"

Wu Chengyu was somewhat smug: "You are known as a living immortal, but you are still human after all. Your ability to lock the soul and distinguish truth from falsehood can see through my disguise and tell whether what I say is true or false. But as long as I don't say it out loud, you will never know what I am thinking."

In fact, I've already made my move, but you know nothing about it. However, what's really troubling me is that once I succeed, Old Bai, you'll definitely kill me. How am I supposed to escape? It's a real headache.

No sooner had Wu Chengyu spoken than a scream suddenly came from the main hall in the backyard. It was Bai Xian'er.

(End of this chapter)