Chapter 56: Evil Must Be Met with Evil

If asked who Huifan hated most deep in his heart, there was no doubt it was Pei Min. Even Liu Shenwei, who caused all this, was not hated by Huifan as much as Pei Min.

This was simply because Huifan never took Liu Shenwei, that minor doctor, seriously. Liu Shenwei had a fatal weakness: Sun Pu. Liu Shenwei was an orphan picked up by Sun Simiao, who raised him personally and taught him his skills, a great benefactor no less than his own parents. As long as Sun Pu held control, no matter how robust Liu Shenwei became with age, he was useless. It was Pei Min—his appearance that caused everything to spiral out of control. Not only did Liu Shenwei and Sun Pu escape control, but Huifan himself suffered cruel torture. What was most unbearable was that Pei Min was beyond his reach: when Pei Min was just a little sparrow that could be bullied at will, he was nowhere to be found; but once he appeared, he soared to great heights, leapt through the dragon gate, became the top scholar of the current imperial examination, and won the favor of Princess Taiping…

Huifan, who had long mingled in Chang’an, held little respect for Emperor Li Longji, but he feared Princess Taiping like a tiger, never daring to disobey her even slightly.

Princess Taiping forbade him from touching Pei Min; even if he had ten lives, he would not dare to break that order.

His greatest enemy lived right under his nose, thriving, yet he was powerless to act. Huifan’s bitterness was beyond measure.

When he heard that Pei Min had actually come knocking, Huifan suddenly jumped up from his folding chair. Remembering Princess Taiping’s order not to touch him, he immediately wilted like a pickled eggplant and angrily said, “Don’t let him in… wait!” A trace of a smile suddenly appeared on his rugged face. “Invite him to the next courtyard, have him wait there. Tell him I’m very busy, no tea, no service—let him stay alone… Heh heh, I, Huifan, a dignified third-rank official, can’t handle you?” Just as he finished speaking, he recalled that Pei Min had caused his demotion to fourth rank, and his joy vanished instantly. He snarled, “Before bringing him here, remove all the mats from the hall. If he wants to see the Master, let him wait for three days.”

Led by a monk, Pei Min passed through layers of buildings and arrived at an empty hall.

The monk respectfully joined his palms in a bow: “The monastery master told Young Master Pei to wait here. I have urgent matters and will take my leave first.”

Pei Min acknowledged with a nod, looking around only to find not even a seat laid out. He glanced back, but the monk had already disappeared outside.

“Heh heh!”

Pei Min was not blind to the reason. He chuckled coldly, cleared his throat, and strolled outside. With hands cupped around his mouth, he took a deep breath and shouted fiercely, “You syphilitic bald donkey, come out! If I don’t see you in ten breaths, I’ll make you famous across Chang’an, immortalized in history!” His crisp, loud voice soared into the sky…

If he didn’t try, Pei Min wouldn’t have known how full his lungs were, harboring the spirit of Zhang Yide shouting down the ten-thousand-strong Cao army at Changban Slope…

Huifan was especially smug, thinking how Pei Min stood awkwardly waiting just in the neighboring courtyard. The pleasure was immense, and he exhaled much of the malice from his chest, lying back on the folding chair with legs spread wide, humming a little tune.

Suddenly, he heard a ghostly howl, every word clear and distinct.

Huifan instantly jumped like a cat stepped on its tail. He rolled off the chair onto the ground, scrambling wildly toward the opposite courtyard with his mind blank, no extra thoughts.

Only his closest confidants knew about his syphilis. The crowd at Ximing Temple was so mixed that if anyone overheard and spread it, not even Princess Taiping could save his life.

Actually, Pei Min had deliberately not named him, but Huifan’s guilty conscience made him panic utterly.

Huifan’s guards saw their master’s frantic state and hurried after him.

Pei Min saw Huifan skittering sideways like a crab, covered in mud. He chuckled inwardly—did he really roll over here?

When Huifan saw Pei Min, he plastered on a smile and greeted him warmly from afar, with a hint of flattery: “Young Master Pei, Brother Pei, have mercy, have mercy… we’re all family here; no fighting without knowing each other…”

As Pei Min approached, he stepped forward and delivered a fierce kick straight to Huifan’s chest, sending him flying back. He laughed and said, “You think you deserve to call me brother? But you’re right—no fighting, no knowing each other. Now that we’ve fought, we know each other…”

Huifan had been running fast but was kicked again, flying back like riding a cloud, crashing heavily to the ground.

Pei Min always believed in one thing: bad men are dealt with by bad men. Reasoning with them is useless. The more you reason, the more they see you as weak and easy to bully. Only by being worse than them can you control them.

Liu Shenwei held the leverage over Huifan, so logically, there was no reason to push Huifan into such a state. But he had too many concerns—Huifan, Princess Taiping, Sun Pu, and so on. Because of his excessive caution, Huifan became reckless and untouchable.

Pei Min was different—he liked the most direct methods to solve the simplest problems.

Holding leverage over Huifan was like having his grandson; disciplining a grandson required no courtesy.

However, Pei Min’s arrogance enraged a monk behind Huifan named Shi Jie...

Shi Jie’s real name was He Yi, a native of Qingcheng Gate. The Qingcheng sect was founded long ago, far predating later Shaolin and Wudang schools. Its secrets had been passed down for three thousand years, remaining unshaken—a mystery unto itself. He Yi was an heir to the Zhengyi alliance’s prestigious Daoism, once the favored disciple of Chi Songzi of Qingcheng, fond of martial arts but disdainful of Daoist magic. Chi Songzi felt He Yi’s temperament was too fierce and refused to teach him Qingcheng’s ultimate secret, the Nine Mysterious Dao Swords.

He Yi grew resentful and committed the unthinkable act of murdering his master to steal the Nine Mysterious Dao Swords. In ancient times, a teacher was regarded as a lifelong father; killing one’s master was as heinous as killing one’s own father—unforgivable in heaven and earth.

Qingcheng and the martial world of Shu launched a manhunt for He Yi. Relying on his superb swordsmanship and the stolen three moves of the Nine Mysterious Dao Swords, he fought his way out of Sichuan, killing thirty-seven martial experts, earning a fierce reputation throughout Sichuan.

The Zhengyi alliance called for Daoists nationwide to hunt him, leaving He Yi nowhere to hide but the Zhongtian Temple.

Huifan’s value lay mainly in helping Princess Taiping recruit vicious outlaws from the martial world—those extremely ruthless, highly skilled yet ostracized scoundrels. Because Huifan was a “high monk” with the authority to issue ordination certificates, anyone he approved could instantly become a state-protected monk.

He Yi thus changed his identity and gained protection.

—End—