Chang Haosheng being nicknamed ‘Old Mother Chang’ wasn’t without reason.
Though reputation was valuable, practical benefits mattered more. When encountering treasures during youthful adventures, while other young prodigies would turn a blind eye, he would meticulously collect them like an old accountant—even if only to aid struggling Martial World wanderers in the future.
That year at the victory banquet, he noticed Yang Yi had deliberately misled the martial arts community about the slaying of Nie Hengcheng, and Yin Dai had half-heartedly gone along with it. His first reaction wasn’t anger or disappointment at these two respected seniors for stealing credit—instead, he immediately thought, Now Fallen Blossom Valley is safe.
It wasn’t that he was malicious, intending to use Yin Dai as a shield for the valley. Rather, he assumed the Azure Tower Sect Leader would be heavily guarded by countless experts, making it difficult for the Demonic Cult to exact revenge. Meanwhile, Fallen Blossom Valley at the time was weak, helpless, and pitiful.
But as it turned out, man proposes, heaven disposes.
Just months after the banquet, the high-spirited Old Sect Leader Yin was ambushed during a journey by a large force set up by Nie Hengcheng’s eldest disciple, Zhao Tianba. With no escape and no reinforcements, he was hacked to pieces.
On the same day, while Old Sect Leader Yang Yi was enjoying a late-life romance with his beloved concubines in a rural estate, Nie Hengcheng’s third disciple, Han Yisu, led a night raid. The slaughter lasted an entire night, leaving no survivors—not even chickens or dogs. Yang Yi’s head was later found in the estate’s cesspool.
Not only that, Nie Hengcheng’s two remaining disciples declared they would exterminate the descendants of the Yin and Yang families, ensuring no heirs remained. They also announced to the other Demonic Cult elders that whoever contributed most to avenging Nie Hengcheng would inherit the remnants of his faction.
For a time, the Demonic Cult’s minions grew restless.
“A centipede dies but never falls down. Though Nie Hengcheng is dead, after decades of leading the cult, he still has many loyal followers. Old Sect Leader Yin and Old Sect Leader Yang celebrated too soon.”
Chang Ning’s tone was leisurely, and Cai Zhao sensed a hint of schadenfreude. Of course, she felt the same.
Claiming credit for heaven’s deeds? Better make sure you have the fate to bear it!
“Was Great Hero Chang guarding Fallen Blossom Valley because he feared the Demonic Cult would seek revenge on our family?” she asked softly.
Chang Ning: “Indeed. My father anticipated that after Nie Hengcheng’s death, his disciples wouldn’t let things rest. So he stayed at Fallen Blossom Valley, not even daring to return home. He waited and waited—but instead of a Demonic Cult attack, news arrived of the deaths of the two elders.”
Cai Zhao fell silent for a moment. “I didn’t know any of this. Thank your father for his tireless efforts in protecting Fallen Blossom Valley.”
That had been the most perilous period for the Cai Family. All the elders were dead, Cai Pingshu’s martial arts were crippled, Cai Pingchun hadn’t yet broken through to the next realm, and Ning Xiaofeng only knew some traps and formations. If the Demonic Cult had launched a full-scale attack, Fallen Blossom Valley would have been slaughtered without resistance.
Chang Ning glanced at her. “No need for thanks. Protecting the weak is our duty.” He emphasized the last part.
Cai Zhao set down her chopsticks and sighed wearily. “Don’t worry. Until your injuries heal, I’ll do my utmost to protect you—to repay Great Hero Chang’s great kindness.”
“Good that you know.” Chang Ning’s eyes curved with amusement, his face full of poisonous sores somehow looking radiant.
Fan Xingjia sat awkwardly to the side, feeling the table’s atmosphere was far too jubilant. Gathering his courage, he interrupted his junior siblings’ delight: “Ahem, so… what happened next? How did the Demonic Cult back down?”Cai Zhao pointed to the now bustling Yin and Yang families and nodded, "Exactly. Since so many from the Yin and Yang families are still alive, it's clear the Demonic Cult's revenge killings weren't successful."
"That was thanks to the resourceful Qinglian Furen," Chang Ning smiled.
In the months following the deaths of Yin Dai and Yang Yi, many more relatives from both families met tragic ends. The Yin family, with its numerous members and prominent targets, suffered especially—after Yin Dai assumed leadership of the Azure Tower Sect, he had promoted many family members, who then became easy targets for the Demonic Cult.
One day, Uncle Yin Six, responsible for the sect's procurement, was found gutted in his bed. The next day, Aunt Yin Three, who tended the sect's gardens, was discovered hanging from a tree with her throat slit. Soon after, the mutilated bodies of Uncle Yin Two and his brother appeared in the horse troughs... The Yin clan was thrown into panic, fleeing Nine Conch Mountain without even holding proper funerals, hiding in remote corners to save their lives.
Nie Hengcheng's followers even reached into Vast Heaven Gate, targeting Yin Dai's eldest daughter and her two young grandsons—Song Maozhi and Song Yuzhi.
Despite Yin Qinglian's meticulous precautions, she discovered the wet nurse secretly poisoning the children—the former confessed her family was held hostage by the Demonic Cult, while the latter admitted to being promised unimaginable wealth. The Big Dipper Six Sects found such threats impossible to guard against.
Yin Sulian, newly married and childless, only needed to protect herself. But Yin Qinglian had young children to safeguard. Knowing the Demonic Cult's boundless resources and ruthless methods were like a parasite impossible to shake off, she realized she had to strike first.
Of course, the most crucial step was to spread far and wide the truth that Nie Hengcheng had been slain by the heroine Cai Pingshu.
But announcing this before the victory banquet would have been inappropriate, and afterward seemed too late. To reveal it hastily during the Demonic Cult's revenge killings would cast doubt on her wise and heroic father, Old Sect Leader Yin—how could he be allowed to die and lose his reputation too?
Soon after Yang Heying's two young sons were silently assassinated, Yin Qinglian dared delay no longer. She summoned her brother-in-law Qi Yunke, newly appointed as sect leader, and Zhou Zhizhen, who had just finished mourning his father. After careful discussion, they agreed:
First, the truth about Cai Pingshu killing Nie Hengcheng must be revealed—but not openly or publicly. They would use tactics to let the Demonic Cult's followers spread the news themselves, while the Big Dipper Six Sects pretended ignorance.
The scattered Yin and Yang families were vulnerable to both covert and overt attacks. But the Cai Family, with only three members, had been secluded in the easily defensible Fallen Blossom Valley, accessible by a single path. With targets concentrated, the Demonic Cult's assaults would be equally focused.
After half a month of laying false trails, Yin Qinglian's spies finally brought confirmed news.
That night, under a moonless sky lashed by torrential rain, Qi Yunke, Zhou Zhizhen, and Song Shijun led handpicked disciples from various sects to set up the Net of Heaven and Earth near the Green Gauze River, not far from Fallen Blossom Valley. After a night of fierce battle, they annihilated the Demonic Cult's forces that had come to raid the valley under cover of darkness.
Zhao Tianba was slain on the spot by Chang Haosheng, who sent his severed head to the Azure Tower Sect as an offering. Han Yisu was crippled by Song Shijun's severe injuries—his fate remained unknown. Qi Yunke, drenched in blood, moved like a whirlwind, personally killing over a dozen elite Demonic Cult fighters.
This battle nearly wiped out Nie Hengcheng's remaining loyalists, bringing an end to the revenge campaign.Thus, the bloody prosperity created by Nie Hengcheng came to an end, and the Demonic Cult entered a declining era of factional strife and internal conflict. Meanwhile, the new triumvirate of the North Star officially took charge, commanding the martial world.
At the same time, the truth that Cai Pingshu was the one who killed Nie Hengcheng could no longer be concealed and became known to all. Yin Qinglian seized the opportunity to spread rumors that "Old Sect Leader Yin Dai reluctantly claimed credit for killing the villain to protect Fallen Blossom Valley, while Old Gate Master Yang got into trouble only because he tried to help." This narrative pleased all factions of the Big Dipper Six Sects.
Fan Xingjia was hearing the full story for the first time and sighed, "Even the remnants of Nie the Traitor are so vicious, cruel, and fearless. Thankfully, Heroine Cai eliminated the leader, or else the Demonic Cult would have run even more rampant."
Recalling the bloody conflicts and schemes of the past, Cai Zhao couldn't help but lament. After a long silence, she finally muttered, "...Qinglian Furen is quite clever." Unfortunately, Yin Sulian didn't possess even half her sister's wit.
"The wisest, the most cunning, the strongest, the cruelest, the most loyal, and the most benevolent—all have perished one by one. Those who survived are merely mediocre and ordinary. Perhaps this is the way of heaven and earth."
Chang Ning seemed lost in thought as he spoke, his brows slightly furrowed and his expression unreadable, like a mysterious face veiled in temple incense smoke. Cai Zhao stared at him in a daze.
The atmosphere at the table grew somber, and none of the three spoke. The rare silence was finally broken by the sound of little Cai Han letting out a satisfied burp.
Chang Ning glanced over. "Junior Sister, you should probably rein him in. If he keeps eating like this, he’ll turn into a ball again."
Cai Zhao, flustered, pulled her younger brother away from the table and discovered his round little belly was already stuffed to the brim. She scolded, "You little piglet! Have you never seen food before in your life?"
Between hiccups, Cai Han tearfully complained about having to endure a long period of vegetarian meals at his grandmother’s house. Fan Xingjia smiled wryly and called for a servant to bring tangerine peel tea to aid digestion.
"You wretched girl, you’re actually here?!"
A shrill female voice rang out from the side. Cai Zhao and the others turned to see a beautifully dressed woman in her mid-twenties standing there with a hostile expression, one hand on her hip and the other holding the hand of a thin, sallow-faced boy of about six or seven in fine robes.
Before Cai Zhao and the others could react, Yang Xiaolan, who had been sitting nearby, hastily stood up and bowed. "Greetings, Mother."
Yang Xiaolan was the daughter of the Four Stallions Gate’s master. By this address, the woman could only be Yang Heying’s wife, Madam Sha.
Madam Sha tugged her son forward and immediately grabbed Yang Xiaolan’s ear, berating her loudly, "You wicked, heartless girl! Sitting here feasting while your brother suffers. Do you even care that Tianci has been playing outside all this time without a bite to eat? How could you just sit here and not bring him anything?!"
The woman’s nails were long and sharp, and she pulled hard, instantly turning Yang Xiaolan’s ear red and swollen.
Yang Tianci clapped his hands and giggled. "Big Sister’s ear is red again—it looks like braised pork! Heehee, heehee!" He was born with a frail constitution, his face perpetually pale. Even speaking a few sentences left him breathless, prompting Madam Sha to fuss over him with cries of "my precious darling."Fan Xingjia couldn't stand it any longer and quickly interjected, "Madam Sha, please wait. Young Master Yang had quite a few snacks before he went out to play, so he shouldn't be too hungry. Besides, he insisted on going alone without Miss Yang's company, and he had four or five servants with him. How could anything happen within the grounds of Dusk Micro Palace..."
"You don't care because he's not your son!" Madam Sha turned and snapped. "Sect Leader Yang has only this one heir left. If anything happens to him, can you bear the responsibility, huh?! Not even Sect Leader Qi could protect you then!"
Fan Xingjia had never encountered such a shrewish woman before and was at a loss for how to respond. Just then, a blur passed before his eyes—Cai Zhao stepped forward, moving past him.
"Madam, may I ask your ranking in the Yang household?" Cai Zhao inquired with a sweet smile.
Madam Sha was taken aback. "What ranking? I'm the only daughter in my family..."
"I wasn't asking about the Sha family, but the Yangs. What's your ranking among Sect Leader Yang's wives?" Cai Zhao's smile made Fan Xingjia uneasy. "Judging by your youthful beauty, I'd guess you're sixth or later—seventh wife? Eighth? Or perhaps ninth?"
"How dare you insult me?!" Madam Sha trembled with rage.
Cai Zhao feigned innocence. "I was merely complimenting your youth and beauty."
"Junior Sister, you've misunderstood. There's no seventh, eighth, or ninth wife—Madam Sha is the wife," Chang Ning interjected smoothly. "After Sect Leader Yang's two sons were killed by Nie Hengcheng's faction, he took in twenty or thirty concubines at once. Among them, Madam Sha was elevated to wife after giving birth to Young Master Yang."
"Twenty or thirty?" Fan Xingjia didn't know whether to be amazed or horrified.
Cai Zhao nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see. To rise above twenty or thirty others—Madam Sha must be truly exceptional."
Though Madam Sha was domineering in the Yang household, she wasn't entirely witless. Noticing Cai Zhao's refined attire and Chang Ning's disfigured face, she realized the former was not to be trifled with and the latter was best avoided. Gritting her teeth, she stamped her foot and turned away. "Stupid girl, hurry up! I'll let your father deal with you!" With that, she dragged her son by one hand and a stumbling Yang Xiaolan by the other as she stormed off.
Fan Xingjia watched with concern. "Oh dear, I hope nothing happens to Miss Yang. With the ceremony approaching, it wouldn't do for her to be beaten or scolded now."
"With a father like Yang Heying, what good can come of it? But even a vicious tiger doesn't eat its own cubs—she probably won't be in mortal danger," Cai Zhao muttered unhappily.
"I'd heard before that Four Stallions Gate has had only one heir for five generations, and the Yangs place great importance on lineage. Poor Miss Yang—she's fourteen or fifteen but looks no older than twelve or thirteen. Tsk, tsk. What do you think, Junior Brother Chang? Huh? Junior Brother Chang...?"
Fan and Cai turned simultaneously, only to find Chang Ning already seated behind the dining table. "What's there to say? If I were Miss Yang, I'd rip out that woman's tongue along with her throat," he remarked flatly, his words chilling.
Fan Xingjia forced a nervous laugh. "Junior Brother Chang, you jest."
"I'm not jesting." Chang Ning's expression remained cold. "That Yang brat is weak by nature—if he doesn't grow up useless, it'll be a miracle. But Miss Yang has excellent foundations. Even if her comprehension is average, with proper training, she'll achieve greatness in time."The siblings' innate talents weren't something Cai Zhao had paid attention to, but after some thought, Fan Xingjia agreed: "That's true. Though Miss Yang is somewhat frail, her bone structure isn't bad at all."
"Never mind the future—just based on Miss Yang's current cultivation level, if she didn't want to, that Madam Sha wouldn't even be able to touch the hem of her robe. It's just that her temperament is too timid to resist." He never had any sympathy for spineless people.
Chang Ning's sharp words came as a surprise. Cai Zhao frowned at him: "Madam Sha is one thing, but there's still Sect Leader Yang above her. How could Miss Yang possibly make a scene?"
"That depends on whether she wants to 'fulfill her filial duties' by swallowing her pride or stand up for herself in anger. The world is vast—there's always a place to belong. The path is something one carves out for themselves; no one else can walk it for them."
Fan Xingjia found this view too extreme and laughed it off: "Junior Brother Chang, you're a man, so naturally you think anywhere under heaven can be home. But Miss Yang is still a woman—it's not that easy for her, is it?"
Chang Ning raised his head to meet Fan Xingjia's gaze directly: "Cai Pingshu was also a woman."
Fan Xingjia was taken aback.
"When she went to Tu Mountain to face Nie Hengcheng in battle, she went alone—she didn't ask anyone to accompany her for courage."
"In this world, some people can't resist, and that's understandable; others can but won't, only knowing how to wallow in self-pity. Miss Yang's background and innate talents are already better than many women in the world. If she's willing to endure beatings and scoldings, nothing others say will make a difference."
Fan Xingjia was left speechless.
Cai Zhao lowered her head, suppressing the moisture in her eyes.
After drinking tangerine peel tea to aid digestion, Cai Han still suffered from stomach pain and bloating. Fan Xingjia suggested taking the little one to the medicine hut for treatment. Cai Zhao expressed concern and wanted to accompany them, which startled Fan Xingjia—if Cai Zhao went, Chang Ning would surely follow, and who knew what trouble these two troublemakers might stir up once they left.
So Fan Xingjia volunteered to take Cai Han alone, asking his junior brother and sister to 'behave' and stay put—he'd be back soon.
Watching Fan Xingjia carry the groaning Cai Han away, Cai Zhao turned back to Chang Ning: "What you said earlier—did Great Hero Chang tell you all that?"
Chang Ning: "Mm. My father said Heroine Cai was the person he admired most in his life. Strong yet not bullying, mighty yet not tyrannical, kind and magnanimous, content with her lot. My father always deeply regretted arriving one step too late during the Tu Mountain battle."
Cai Zhao shook her head: "Actually, Uncle Qi was supposed to accompany Aunt up the mountain that year, but Aunt had already resolved to perish together with the Demon, so she knocked Uncle Qi out beforehand."
Seeing the girl's melancholy expression, unable to shake it off for a long time, Chang Ning chuckled lightly: "Let's not dwell on these sad memories. How about something more amusing? When my father told me stories about your aunt, I often found it strange—she and Sect Leader Qi risked life and death together so many times, fighting side by side. How come no one ever speculated whether there was any... well, romantic involvement between your aunt and the sect leader...?"
Cai Zhao burst out laughing: "Of course there wasn't."
"Why not?" Chang Ning grew curious.
"Because my aunt had a fiancé."
Chang Ning was astonished—a rare reaction for him.
Cai Zhao suppressed a laugh: "Great Hero Chang is truly an upright man. He actually didn't tell you about this."
"Who was it? Have we met him?""I saw him just now. It's the master of Jade Pendant Mountain Manor, the great hero Zhou Zhizhen. My mother told me that Uncle Zhou was a noble and refined young man, polished like fine jade, a truly remarkable figure. He was betrothed to my aunt since childhood, but the marriage never happened, so people rarely mention it to avoid awkwardness."
Suddenly, the two felt a shadow block the light above them. Looking up, they saw an elegant and handsome middle-aged scholar standing before their table.
"Zhao Zhao, why didn't you come greet me?" Zhou Zhizhen asked with a smile, one hand resting behind his back.
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