Chарtеr 22 (5/17)
"А сеnturу ago, thе first Вlаdе Мaster of thе Нouse оf Gong arrivеd hеrе with thе thrее families оf Xue, Yue, and Hua. Тhеy swоre а blооd оath tо рrоtесt the Вack Mоuntаin for gеnerations tо comе..."
Behind thе Ноusе оf Gоng, tоwering and соntinuous mоuntаins strеtchеd aсrоss the landsсаpе, their terrain uniquе and treaсhеrоus. Yet, fаintly echоing thrоugh thе vallеуs wеrе ееrie аnd unsеttling roаrs that sеnt chills down оne's sрinе.
Вaсk thеn, thе first Вlade Mаster of the Housе of Gong and thе elders оf the fоur fаmilies—Fеng, Hua, Xue, and Yue—each cut their palms with their blades. They clasped their sword hilts together and swore a solemn oath, all to guard a secret that concerned the safety of the entire world.
"In truth, deep within the Back Mountain of the House of Gong, there exist terrifying Transformed Humans... Protecting the Back Mountain means protecting all living beings in this world..."
"After the three palaces of Xue, Yue, and Hua were established in the Back Mountain, the first Blade Master constructed the four palaces of Shang, Jue, Zheng, and Yu in the Front Mountain, each responsible for weapons, hidden weapons, poisons, and internal and external affairs. The martial world only knows of the strength of the Front Mountain of the House of Gong, unaware that its core lies in the support of the Xue, Yue, and Hua families in the Back Mountain. These three families continuously and secretly developed superior weapons, hidden weapons, poisons, mechanisms, martial arts techniques, and unparalleled blade skills, allowing the House of Gong to gain immense prestige in the martial world, with no one daring to challenge it. If the Front Mountain is the flesh and blood of the Gong clan, then the Back Mountain is the heart and pulse of the House of Gong. This is how the House of Gong came to have its current structure, with the Old Dust Valley hidden among the surrounding mountains, like a closed-off world."
"The three families of Xue, Yue, and Hua in the Back Mountain used the Meteoric Iron that fell from the sky into the valley to develop the divine weapon 'Boundless Flowing Fire.' Its purpose was to annihilate both themselves and the Transformed Humans in the Back Mountain if they ever lost control. However, the power of Boundless Flowing Fire was too immense. If it fell into the hands of those with wicked ambitions, the consequences would be unimaginable. Thus, at that time, all the families unanimously decided to halt the research on Boundless Flowing Fire, seal it away, and never activate it unless the House of Gong faced an existential crisis."
This was the greatest secret of the House of Gong.
After hearing all of this, Gong Ziyu's expression turned grave.
"So this is what you meant by Boundless Flowing Fire... No wonder it is so powerful yet has never been used against Wufeng."
"Exactly. The world-destroying power of Boundless Flowing Fire is meant to deal with the Transformed Humans in the Back Mountain and should never be directed toward the human world."
"But why are there those Transformed Humans deep in the Back Mountain? What exactly are they?"
The elders shook their heads. Elder Xue said, "No one knows. In any case, the rule passed down by our ancestors is to protect the Back Mountain."
"This is also the heavily guarded secret of the Back Mountain," Elder Yue added.
Elder Xue stroked his beard and raised his voice, "Now that you are the Blade Master of the House of Gong, remember not to make decisions based solely on your personal likes and dislikes. Activating Boundless Flowing Fire is a matter that concerns all living beings. You must strictly adhere to the legacy of our ancestors."
"Ziyu understands." Gong Ziyu suddenly remembered something. No wonder Madam WuJi did not kill Gong Huanyu but imprisoned him—her goal was to obtain that thing.
"Could it be that Auntie..." Gong Ziyu paused uncomfortably before correcting himself, "WuJi imprisoned my brother to interrogate him and obtain Boundless Flowing Fire?"
Elder Hua nodded, "Exactly."
Gong Ziyu found it strange, "But how did Madam WuJi know about Boundless Flowing Fire?"
"Perhaps she used her cunning to deceive the old Blade Master and coaxed this secret out of him..."
Thinking of his father's tragic death, Gong Ziyu's eyes darkened.Elder Xue: "Do you still remember the hairpin that poisoned the Old Blade Master? At that time, what Gong Huanyu found inside the hairpin was information about the Boundless Flowing Fire. That’s why he urgently brought the hairpin and Second Miss Zheng before the Old Blade Master, unaware that it was all part of a plot to harm him... Looking back now, it must have been WuJi who told Zheng Nanyi."
Gong Ziyu asked: "So that’s how it was... Was Gong Shangjue’s sudden departure from the House of Gong that night also to investigate this matter?"
Elder Xue nodded: "Exactly."
Elder Hua: "All the misunderstandings and conflicts between you and Shangjue stemmed from this. Now that you know the truth, you must avoid further clashes. Though Shangjue’s actions have been harsh and severe, he acted without personal motives, solely for the sake of the House of Gong. His suspicions toward WuJi and Yun Weishan have now been confirmed one by one. You are of the same bloodline, bound by deep brotherhood, and should work together in unity from now on."
Gong Ziyu remained silent.
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