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

Chapter 578 Sacrificing Oneself for Righteousness
Wu Chengyu and Bai Yuchan were scheming and testing each other under the pavilion, occasionally picking up ivory chopsticks to eat a few bites of snacks and drink a cup of yellow wine. If one did not know the content of their conversation, the scene would indeed be pleasing to the eye.

In the vibrant, colorful back garden, a man with an air of otherworldly elegance and a woman of refined grace seemed to be having a pleasant conversation, a scene reminiscent of a philosophical discussion in springtime.

At least Bai Xian'er was somewhat intoxicated at this moment. As Lü Fang pushed her wheelchair away slowly, she kept looking back, her eyes hazy and full of charm. Although she didn't drool directly, she made a swallowing motion.

Bai Xian'er completely disregarded the fact that her husband was pushing her from behind. Lu Fang saw her expression clearly and his face turned ashen, looking extremely ugly.

Not far along, you'll reach the side rooms in the backyard. This is where the officials' wives and children enjoy the flowers and scenery, and also where they can find shelter from the wind and rain. The windows of the side rooms face the garden and offer a view of the pavilion.

The garden was quite large, and it was more than a hundred meters away from the pavilion. Although they couldn't hear what was being said over there, the eyesight of a martial arts practitioner was sharp enough to see it clearly.

At this moment, Bai Xian'er, who had been infatuated with her husband, no longer glanced at Lü Fang. After all, Lü Fang's face was now bruised and swollen, his cheeks were swollen, and his whole face was somewhat deformed, making it impossible to see his former charm.

Bai Xian'er, who was usually so infatuated with this face, now loathed it so much that she couldn't even be bothered to look at it, especially after seeing Wu Chengyu.

Bai Xian'er's heart and eyes were fixed on Wu Chengyu, and she didn't want to leave him for even a moment. She leaned on the windowsill, tilting her head to carefully examine Wu Chengyu. Even just seeing his back was so captivating, completely ignoring Lü Fang behind her.

“My husband, how can there be a man in this world who is more handsome than you? You are more gentle and refined, but this young man is more upright and heroic. He sits opposite my father, but his aura is not inferior in the slightest.”

Unlike you, who always grovels before your father, making him dislike you so much that he doesn't even want to look at you, let alone talk to you.

Most importantly, this young man is much younger than you. You're over forty, and who knows how much longer you can look at your face? But he's in his prime, at least a decade younger than you. How can you possibly compare?

While Bai Xian'er was infatuated with him, she muttered to herself, seemingly talking to Lü Fang, but in reality, she didn't care about Lü Fang's feelings at all.

Completely unaware that Lü Fang's veins were bulging all over his body, his arms were trembling but he was forcibly suppressing it, and his eyes were filled with nothing but rage as he looked at Bai Xian'er's back. He was so angry that he even had the urge to devour Bai Xian'er alive.

He had suffered oppression and contempt in the past, the humiliation of being treated like a pet or a vase by Bai Xian'er, and the frustration of being completely ignored by Bai Yuchan and never being spoken to by him. He also felt resentment at having to serve Bai Xian'er in exchange for a career in officialdom after years of hard study and passing the imperial examination.

When he saw Bai Xian'er's withered arms, he immediately remembered that this woman was using living people to practice evil arts. His concubines and maids had been killed by Bai Xian'er. In fact, the Bai family's Taoist soldiers would often abduct young girls from outside and bring them back as dried-up corpses to be carried out of the mansion.

In Lü Fang's eyes, this was no different from cannibalism. Bai Xian'er's temperament became increasingly violent and strange. One second she was tender and affectionate, and the next she was as terrifying as a demon. This had already completely filled Lü Fang's mind with fear.

Bai Xian'er's words were also telling Lü Fang that she had a new target, and that his face, as time went by, would eventually be unable to attract Bai Xian'er anymore. In a few years, he would be discarded like trash, or he would be tortured and killed by Bai Xian'er like those other girls.

Bai Xian'er's mutterings as she watched Wu Chengyu's retreating figure seemed to lift the lid on Lü Fang's heart, gradually transforming humiliation, resentment, indignation, and fear into an uncontrollable impulse.

At the same time, he recalled that in the prefectural government office, when he followed Ma Cheng and the sixth-rank militia commander into the study, he was instantly subdued, a life-and-death talisman was planted in his body, and he was then tortured in every way.

But the pain wasn't the most important thing. What truly eroded Lü Fang's mind was every word that the militia commander had said to him. These words were like the whispers of a demon, the seduction of the abyss, or the things he had always wanted to do but dared not do.

Finally, the words Wu Chengyu had just spoken echoed in his mind: 'Confucius said, "To achieve benevolence; Mencius said, "To uphold righteousness." To achieve benevolence... to uphold righteousness...'

Everyone knew that the words were meant for Lü Fang, but no one knew that they were actually meant for Lü Fang.

It was like a fuse that ignited in Lü Fang's heart. His originally pained eyes gradually became clear, firm, and even cruel.

Bai Xian'er was still gazing at Wu Chengyu with fascination, as if she had encountered her most beloved new toy. The original toy was still playable, but unfortunately, its shelf life was short. However, this new toy seemed to be playable for a long time.

Her father will definitely give her this new toy. He has always loved his daughter the most. Since she was born, he has given her whatever she wanted, and this time will be no exception.

Just then, Lu Fang's voice came from behind: "Madam, spring looks warm, but it's actually a bit chilly. You're not feeling well, so have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

Bai Xian'er was suddenly disturbed and became somewhat impatient. She found even a glance at Lü Fang's swollen face annoying, but thinking that this toy could still be used for a few more years, she suppressed her irritation.

She didn't want to look at Lü Fang, so she didn't turn around. She simply took the teacup Lü Fang handed her, drank it all in one gulp, and felt a warm sensation in her chest immediately after drinking it.

Bai Xian'er handed the teacup back, her eyes never leaving Wu Chengyu. But gradually, she realized something was wrong; she seemed to be becoming more and more powerless.

The hands that were originally clinging to the windowsill seemed to be unable to lift up, and even the neck that had been held straight was now somewhat powerless to lift.

Bai Xian'er instinctively felt something was wrong, but blinded by lust, she didn't understand what was happening to her for a moment. Just then, she felt a chill in her back, followed by intense pain, which immediately brought her back from her infatuation.

Bai Xian'er turned her head with difficulty and found that her lover was holding a dagger, which was plunged straight into her back. The face that she had once been infatuated with now only showed resentment, ruthlessness, a sneer, and the pleasure of releasing everything.

Lü Fang was, after all, a scholar who had never killed a chicken. When he stabbed Bai Xian'er, the knife did not pierce her heart directly, and Bai Xian'er did not die immediately.

She practiced evil arts, but from a young age she had also cultivated divine skills and techniques. Even when she was seriously injured, a casual strike was enough to snap Lü Fang's neck.

But when Bai Xian'er subconsciously tried to circulate her inner energy to save her life and fight back, she found that her inner energy seemed to be dormant and could not be mobilized at all. She herself was also powerless and could not even lift her arms.

When Lü Fang thrust out the knife, the string that had been taut in his heart snapped instantly, and an unprecedented impulse burst forth. He saw that Bai Xian'er was not dead, and even turned to look at him, her eyes filled with fear and disbelief.

Lu Fang felt like he hadn't felt this carefree in many years. He wanted to laugh from the bottom of his heart, but found that he couldn't. Yet, the dagger in his hand did not stop.

He struggled to pull the dagger out and then stabbed it down again with all his might. At this moment, Bai Xian'er finally let out a shrill scream. Hearing the scream, Lü Fang seemed to be filled with strength. He pulled out the dagger again and stabbed her several times until Bai Xian'er was completely silent.

As Bai Xian'er's scream rang out, Bai Yuchan's expression changed instantly. He froze on the spot, staring blankly at Wu Chengyu. Just now, Wu Chengyu said that he was going to make a move and that Bai Xian'er would definitely die today. Then he sat opposite him the whole time. But Xian'er really died.

Wu Chengyu's smile grew even brighter. Bai Xian'er's room was more than a hundred meters away from him, exactly within the range of the three-dimensional dynamic map. Lu Fang's every move was under his surveillance, and he clearly heard Bai Xian'er's heart stop beating.

Wu Chengyu didn't move, he just kept laughing. Bai Yuchan wanted to move, but he couldn't move at all. Only the old man in Taoist robes who was adding wine to the wine changed his expression and shot away in a flash.

A few breaths later, the old man in Taoist robes returned to the pavilion, carrying Bai Xian'er's body in one arm and grabbing Lü Fang with the other.

"Master, Miss, she..." Before he could finish speaking, Bai Yuchan raised his hand to stop him. Bai Yuchan silently stood up, walked to the old man's side, took Bai Xian'er's body, and looked at his daughter's still terrified expression after death. Bai Yuchan remained silent for a long time.

The old man threw Lü Fang to the ground. Lü Fang screamed as he was thrown, then lay flat on the ground without getting up. He just chuckled wildly, as if all his grievances and fears had dissipated from him.

Bai Yuchan stood motionless, holding Bai Xian'er, for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. The old man in Taoist robes looked grief-stricken but dared not move. Lü Fang was already laughing so hard he was rolling on the ground. Only Wu Chengyu picked up his ivory chopsticks, took a piece of the Biluo shrimp, put it in his mouth, and slowly savored it, shaking his head.

Bai Yuchan finally came to his senses. He placed Bai Xian'er's body in the arms of the old man in Taoist robes: "Take the young lady downstairs and find someone to clean her body and change her into clean and beautiful clothes. Xian'er doesn't like to be in such a disheveled state."

After the old man in Taoist robes left, Bai Yuchan sat back down on the stone bench in the pavilion, his face calm and expressionless, staring intently at Wu Chengyu. From beginning to end, he seemed not to have glanced at Lü Fang even once.

“I never imagined that you would not carry out this third assassination attempt yourself, but instead use this good-for-nothing. I also never expected that this good-for-nothing would actually dare to lay a hand on Xian’er. This time, I have lost.” Wu Chengyu shook his head and said, “You know you have lost, but you don’t know where you went wrong.”

He pointed at Lü Fang, who was already laughing too hard to continue: "In your eyes, he's a piece of trash, not worth a second glance, and you wouldn't even bother mentioning him."

But is he really a good-for-nothing? He came from a poor family, had no power or influence, and relied on his years of hard study to finally pass the imperial examination with flying colors, becoming the second-highest scorer in the first rank. In terms of talent, there are probably very few people in the world who are better than him. So why do you call him a good-for-nothing?

You, Bai Yuchan, cultivate Taoism; I, Wu Chengyu, practice martial arts; and he, Lü Fang, excels in literature and strategy. We are all among the top in our respective fields, each with our own unique abilities. None of us is superior to the other, so what gives you the right to look down on him?

Wu Chengyu never underestimated Lü Fang. In feudal times, aside from those with shady family backgrounds, who among those who could truly pass the imperial examinations was not a talented individual?

The top three in the imperial examinations were even more extraordinary than the fierce competition of thousands of soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge. Every year, many students could get into Tsinghua and Peking Universities, but only a handful of people could win the imperial examinations.

In terms of difficulty, the ancient imperial examinations were far more difficult than the modern college entrance examinations. Calling these people "academic superstars" would be an understatement; they were at least academic geniuses.

Taking Wu Chengyu as an example, if he had transmigrated not to a martial arts world, but to a normal feudal society, unless he had a cheat code that directly imparted knowledge, Wu Chengyu could at most rely on his own knowledge to do some small business.

He would never even consider taking the imperial examination. He knew his own limitations; he simply didn't have the ability or the aptitude for it. In his previous life, he would have been grateful to have been admitted to a 985 university.

The phrase "studying diligently for years" is definitely not as simple as it sounds.

Having laughed heartily until he was completely exhausted and knew he was going to die, Lü Fang, who had no will to struggle, sat up upon hearing Wu Chengyu's words and stared intently at Wu Chengyu.

Wu Chengyu glanced at him, then looked at Bai Yuchan again: "Lü Fang did indeed take a shortcut because he was greedy for officialdom and unwilling to be unappreciated. He became your son-in-law and achieved his current status."

But this is not because of your profound cultivation or noble morality, Bai Yuchan, but simply because of your power and the martial force you wield.

You are valued by the emperor, admired by believers, and treated as a dignified national advisor. Everyone in the court and the public has to give you some face. You use the power that comes with all this to suppress and control the fate of others, and gradually you look down on everyone.

Ever since Lü Fang married Bai Xian'er, you have ignored his talent, and you have taken the humiliation and contempt he suffers for granted, always keeping him high above you.

Ultimately, you're increasingly disregarding your own humanity, thinking yourself a god, seeing everything as insignificant as ants and plants, completely forgetting about human nature and failing to understand people's hearts.

But do you know who Lü Fang is in my eyes?

He was the second-highest scorer in the imperial examination, so his talent goes without saying. When he came to Suzhou to take over as the prefect, he asked about the national economy and people's livelihood of Suzhou, the implementation of various policies in Pingjiang Prefecture, and whether the people's lives were peaceful and healthy.

The former prefect was an old bureaucrat who knew the underhanded ways of officialdom. Even he sighed that the new prefect had ambitions and at least the will to stand up for the people.

An ambitious person, a person who has studied diligently and is full of talent, will naturally always have a sense of pride.

That's why I used some methods to lure him into making a move. The humiliation and contempt you all brought him, the fear and resentment after seeing Bai Xian'er kill people to practice her skills, and his own forgotten pride—once these things were amplified, things became simple.

As for my second assassination attempt, what puzzles you is why I still acted despite knowing that Soul Lock was involved, as if it were child's play.

On one hand, I was tricked by my ancestor. I didn't know that the Soul Lock could distinguish between truth and falsehood. I was only thinking of playing mind games with you and seeing if I could find out more about your background.

On the other hand, I want to see for myself what place Lü Fang holds in your heart. If you pay too much attention to him, it will be difficult for me to use him to make a move.

As I predicted, you didn't even bother to look at him, and you ignored him from beginning to end, so naturally you didn't take any precautions.

In the end, all that was needed was a dagger and a bag of powder that could temporarily dissipate someone's powers. All that was left was to stay with him and give him a chance to make a move. The final result was exactly as I had predicted.

Therefore, for this third assassination attempt, I didn't need to carry out it myself. I manipulated people's hearts, and you happen to be unaware of that. That's all.

On that day in the study of the prefect's office, Wu Chengyu did not use the Life and Death Talisman to control Lü Fang, but rather used psychological suggestion through verbal persuasion to gradually influence Lü Fang.

The grief, humiliation, ambition, and resentment of years of hard study in Lü Fang's heart were all unearthed by the ultrasonic waves of the art of persuasion. Under the powerful psychological suggestion, Lü Fang gradually developed the determination to perish together with Bai Xian'er. Finally, he completely erupted after Wu Chengyu said, "Confucius said to achieve benevolence, and Mencius said to take righteousness."

Bai Yuchan listened to Wu Chengyu's words with his eyes closed, but his expression changed from initially unpleasant to indifferent: "Well said, I have learned a lot."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Chengyu felt layers of invisible ropes binding him, making him unable to move. At the same time, Lü Fang, who had just killed his wife, was pulled up from the ground and floated in mid-air.

Wu Chengyu had already suffered two losses from this move and was prepared, but at this moment he had no strength to help Lü Fang. From the moment Lü Fang killed Bai Xian'er, Lü Fang was doomed to die, and no one could save him.

Lu Fang, however, remained fearless as he was pulled up. His muscles and bones creaked under the tightening invisible ropes, and his face gradually turned purple, but his brows relaxed and his posture straightened unconsciously, as if the pride Wu Chengyu had spoken of had returned.

"I, Lü Fang, was greedy for power back then, and the humiliation and contempt I suffered afterwards were all my own doing. Retribution is inevitable, and I have no one to blame but myself."

Bai Xian'er practiced evil arts and killed so many innocent girls, yet I could only turn a blind eye. It was a waste of all the years I had studied the classics; I was unworthy of being human.

Whatever the reason, I finally have the courage to kill this demon and rid the world of this scourge. It is a great comfort in my life, and I can die in peace.

Heaven and earth have no end, human life is as fleeting as the morning glow. A humble gentleman possesses virtue; what more could he desire than to persevere to the utmost?

"Lu Fang has sacrificed himself for righteousness today, how splendid! Brother Wu, we've only met twice. Lu Fang thanks you greatly."

As soon as Lü Fang finished speaking, his eyes were no longer filled with fear, but with calm and fearlessness. Finally, under the full force of Bai Yuchan's invisible rope, his bones and muscles broke, and he passed away with a slight smile.

Looking at Lü Fang's corpse lying on the ground, Wu Chengyu felt a pang of shame. It was a pity that Lü Fang had died. People are selfish. Wu Chengyu had prepared an escape plan for today, but he could only use it on himself.

But at that moment, Wu Chengyu noticed that Bai Yuchan's temperament seemed to have changed. Originally, he was just a Taoist immortal, but now he seemed even more ethereal and less human.

At that moment, a thought flashed through Wu Chengyu's mind, and he asked, "It seems that Soul Locking is not necessarily limited to locking enemies. Although there is an upper limit, I should not be the only one whose soul you have locked. If you want to protect Bai Xian'er, locking her soul will naturally allow you to perceive her every move."

I used Lü Fang to kill someone, and your accident wasn't fake, so you never locked onto Bai Xian'er.

It's as if you also want her dead, Bai Yuchan, what on earth are you up to?

　My brother-in-law brought over some hairy crabs the night before last. I was worried they would spoil by the next day, so I ate two extra. As a result, I had diarrhea all day yesterday and didn't write anything. I apologize to everyone.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)