Volume Two: Eventful Autumn Twists and Turns Chapter 136: The Falling Flowers Yearning, the Flowing Water Indifferent

Meng Wuyan led a life fraught with twists and turns, marked by unpredictable trials. She was born in Jingzhou into a prominent martial arts lineage specializing in swords and blades, known as the Meng Sword Manor. Her father and several uncles were accomplished swordsmen, and the estate sheltered over a hundred souls, including formidable martial artists affiliated with the Heaven-Opening Sect, making it a recognized power in the region.

Graceful and captivating, Meng Wuyan had been a beauty since childhood, deeply cherished by her father and uncles. Ordinarily, she would not have been trained in martial arts. Although born into a family of the blade, combat studies were traditionally reserved for boys, leaving her outside that realm.

However, the Meng Sword Manor harbored a widely known secret: the estate housed vast collections of martial arts manuals, weapon compendiums, and sword scores. Girls like her—much like her female cousins—were required to memorize the myriad weapons, hidden projectiles, and combat forms of the pugilistic world from an early age. The goal was for them to eventually serve as living encyclopedias when married off into prestigious martial families.

Firstly, such living encyclopedias were fiercely contested by martial clans, rendering questions of social parity obsolete and even making upward matches entirely feasible. Secondly, once a living encyclopedia arrived at a sect or noble family, she would be pampered and carefully tended to, utterly eliminating any notion of hardship.

Such were the rules, yet exceptions inevitably arose. Meng Wuyan was the eldest daughter, having diligently memorized the combat forms, weapons, and hidden projectiles since childhood, but her father had no sons. He fathered three girls. While such a circumstance might have been accepted by her uncles—daughters being daughters, with no inherent disadvantage—Meng Wuyan’s father was the master of the Meng Sword Manor.

The manor had to be passed down. Handing it over to a young woman completely devoid of martial arts knowledge would result in a predictable future for the estate, as anyone could deduce with their toes. Driven by necessity, Meng Wuyan began practicing the arts of the blade in her early teens.

Her father had initially harbored doubts about her aptitude and talent, but after years of martial training, she not only lived up to expectations, but her signature weapon—the Falling Blossom Blade—became a formidable instrument of slaughter within the Meng Sword Manor.

Her unique internal energy cultivation rendered her movement eerily erratic and infinitely agile, allowing her to break through to the Transformation Realm and achieve initial mastery by the age of twenty-three.

Logically speaking, she had reached the age for marriage. Indeed, had her father possessed a son, Meng Wuyan would likely have wed at sixteen or seventeen. Yet, circumstances compelled them to drag it out until she was twenty-three.

In her father’s mind, he naturally intended to take in a resident son-in-law, preferably a man of the martial world who could subsequently help Meng Wuyan inherit the Meng Sword Manor. The dilemma, however, was that the men within the manor failed to meet his standards, while any outsider of the pugilistic world with a modicum of renown or skill would hardly agree to marry into a family as a resident son-in-law.

Nearly another year slipped away. Meng Wuyan herself remained unconcerned; she always felt she was still young and, blessed with striking looks, had no trouble finding a husband—the right man simply hadn't appeared yet.

Her father, however, grew frantic. Tormented by anxiety, he lost sleep night after night, lying awake wondering if letting Meng Wuyan learn martial arts had been a mistake after all.

Just as her father resolved to relax his criteria for a son-in-law to secure Meng Wuyan’s marriage at the earliest opportunity, the Meng Sword Manor inadvertently became entangled in the clandestine struggle between the Profound Heaven Sect and the Heaven-Opening Sect.

The clandestine struggle between the two major sects appeared serene and peaceful on the surface, while hidden undercurrents surged and countless lives were lost in the shadows.

Although the Meng Sword Manor constituted a regional force in its own right, a mere hundred-odd people caught between two major sects were decimated within half a month, leaving a trail of death and injury.

Desperate to preserve the manor, Meng Wuyan’s father, as the master, alongside her uncles, attempted to pledge allegiance to the Heaven-Opening Sect. This move infuriated the Profound Heaven Sect, and almost overnight, not a single living creature—neither chicken nor dog—was spared within the entire Meng Sword Manor.

While her father and uncles chose to perish alongside the estate, poor Meng Wuyan escaped with her life yet found herself with nowhere to turn, ultimately forced to seek refuge in the Thunder Hall of the Heaven-Opening Sect. From that moment onward, Meng Wuyan banished all thoughts of marriage from her mind, leaving room for nothing save vengeance.

Protected by the Heaven-Opening Sect, she transformed into a ruthless instrument of death, though she cared little for the change, as this was the sole path to eventually avenging her father and uncles.

Heaven rewards diligent effort. Through numerous tribulations, Meng Wuyan finally uncovered the identity of the person who had dragged the Meng Sword Manor into the clandestine feud between the two sects.

It was someone exceedingly familiar to her—a person she had rejected a thousand times over, a sinister villain who sought to destroy what he could not possess.

That man was Murong Feng, an individual who had willingly served as hired muscle for the Meng Sword Manor merely to curry favor with her, a man who had stolen countless glances at her under the moonlight and professed his devotion amidst romantic settings time and again.

Yet Meng Wuyan had never cast a favorable glance his way, speaking to him solely to alleviate her boredom.

Yet this very man, upon departing the manor, had orchestrated such devastation, dragging her entire family down with him. When Meng Wuyan learned of this, remorse consumed her. She regretted ever acknowledging him or exchanging words with him; perhaps, had she not done so, her family might have been spared.

Yet what was done could not be undone. The Meng Sword Manor was no more, and she would never again behold her parents or her younger sister. Remorse was swiftly eclipsed by a murderous intent, replaced by a desire for dismemberment and endless, agonizing slaughter.

On the night Murong Feng died, blood flowed like a river, and not a single flying insect escaped the Murong estate.

Murong Feng himself suffered hundreds of cuts inflicted by the Falling Blossom Blade, each strike deliberately evading his vital organs, leaving him to endure exquisite agony throughout the entire night until death finally claimed him.

Witnessing Murong Feng’s heartbreaking, soul-rending expression as he begged for death, Meng Wuyan finally felt that her profound vengeance had been exacted and that her parents and sister could rest in peace.

Believing her great revenge fulfilled and expecting to spend the remainder of her days in solitude, Meng Wuyan unexpectedly crossed paths with Wu Chengfeng—a man destined to alter her fate once more.

During the biennial oath-swearing ceremony of the Thunder Hall, Meng Wuyan beheld Wu Chengfeng for the first time.

She had merely heard members of the sect whisper that the Hall Master was a youthful and handsome fellow, having never laid eyes on him herself. Upon first arriving at the Thunder Hall, she had desired an audience with the Hall Master, yet days of imploring on her knees had yielded nothing.

She had not anticipated that the Hall Master would not only be remarkably young, but also possess a countenance capable of stirring Meng Wuyan’s dormant romantic yearnings—a face that brought her spirits back to life and altered her resolve.

Yet the rules of the sect stood firm; as an ordinary member, she was barred from seeing Wu Chengfeng, let alone initiating any further connection.

After exhausting all possible schemes to secure a meeting, she resigned herself to the belief that fate had not bound them together. That was until she laid eyes upon a certain maidservant—the very person tasked with delivering meals to Wu Chengfeng three times a day.

Aside from their facial features, Meng Wuyan and this maidservant shared an identical height and build.

Meng Wuyan bestowed a generous sum of silver upon the maidservant. Whenever mealtime arrived and the maidservant was on duty, Meng Wuyan assumed her place, delivering the meals to Wu Chengfeng, stealing a couple of glances after handing over the food, and retiring just as the maidservant would have.

This routine persisted for dozens of days until one afternoon, as Meng Wuyan delivered Wu Chengfeng’s meal as usual, she was intercepted before she could withdraw.

"You have come to deliver my meals day after day, for dozens of days on end. The food is entirely untroubled by any flaw; what on earth is your objective?"

Meng Wuyan was profoundly shocked by Wu Chengfeng’s query. She had imagined her deception flawless, known to none save the maidservant, yet Wu Chengfeng had not only detected the anomaly but had observed her for so long—a realization entirely beyond her expectations.

Meeting Wu Chengfeng’s interrogative gaze, Meng Wuyan voiced the thoughts dwelling in her heart. Figuring that since he had deigned to question her, he surely would not broadcast the matter, she boldly poured out her affections, only to receive a reply she found utterly unacceptable.

"You say you love me?"

"Yes. Ever since the oath-swearing ceremony, you have occupied my every thought, and I longed endlessly to see you. But the sect has its rules, leaving me no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."

"Marriage demands social parity. By what status do you presume to discuss marriage with me? Even if I cast caution to the wind, would the resulting talk not become a laughingstock?"

"No! I am the daughter of Meng Qing from the Meng Sword Manor. Few in this world surpass my knowledge of martial arts and weaponry. Though the Meng Sword Manor suffered annihilation, I remain a living encyclopedia contested by martial clans. I am willing to become your concubine for your sake, provided you grant me a recognized status."

"You are actually Meng Qing’s daughter? And you are truly willing to settle for a mere title?"

"I can be a concubine. As long as you give me a status, I will be utterly devoted to you."

"I have grown weary of those prominent clans sending proposals day after day. If you are willing, I shall grant you a status—not as a concubine, but as my legitimate wife."

"Legitimate wife?"

Meng Wuyan could scarcely believe her ears. Wu Chengfeng had actually consented to marry her, and as his proper, legally wedded wife at that.

"Yes, you heard correctly. A legitimate wife. Yet there is a single condition; agree to it, and we shall wed on an auspicious day."

"I agree! I will agree to any condition."

"Once we marry, you and I shall be husband and wife in name only. We shall bear the title of spouses without partaking in the physical reality of marriage."

In an instant, it felt as though a bolt had struck from the blue. Meng Wuyan could not comprehend how the Wu Chengfeng she had yearned for could genuinely propose a marriage restricted to mere appearance.

"What? No physical reality? Do you not desire children?"

"That requires no concern of yours. If you agree, we shall set the wedding date."

Hearing Wu Chengfeng’s response completely severed the affection Meng Wuyan had harbored for the man of her dreams, replacing it entirely with hatred.

"I am so devoted to you, and though countless others vie for my hand, I do not spare them a glance. For your sake, I was even willing to be a concubine, yet you merely treat me as an expediency? A mere tool for convenience?"

"What you choose to think is your own affair. I have offered you an opportunity; whether you seize it depends entirely on your own capacity."

"Hmph! An opportunity? An opportunity to serve as your expedient excuse? A warrior may be killed, but not humiliated. I, Meng Wuyan, swear an oath today: one day, I shall return to claim your head to avenge today’s insult. Should you ever dare to take a wife and father children, I will ensure your lineage is cut off and you spend your final days in solitary desolation."

With tear-filled eyes and a heart ablaze with hatred, Meng Wuyan departed the Thunder Hall.

Wu Chengfeng dealt no fatal blow, simply watching her leave as he shook his head with a helpless sigh. "This girl wanted to negotiate, yet her temper is remarkably fierce."