Zhi Hua sneered, “What’s so remarkable about the Great Compassion Palm? Why would I need to scheme to steal and learn it? This set of techniques was, of course, personally taught to me by the abbot of Shang Qing Temple.”
The directness of his words, tinged with a faint bitterness, stunned Huo Ling Long. She replied, “The Great Compassion Palm is never taught to outsiders. If the abbot personally taught you, it wasn’t theft, but clearly, you infiltrated Shang Qing Temple under a false identity, deceived the abbot, and gained his trust. If that’s not meticulous scheming, then what is?”
The sly charm and ease in Zhi Hua’s eyes seemed to shatter into fragments, replaced by an indescribable hatred and cruelty.
──Could this be his true gaze?
His voice turned icy. “I didn’t need to sneak into Shang Qing Temple and pretend to be a monk. This is a debt he owed me. He owed me his entire life. A mere Great Compassion Palm—how could that possibly settle the score?”
He began to laugh grimly, his words laced with venom. “He may refuse to pass it on to others, but he couldn’t bring himself to deny his own son, could he?”
These calm, almost casual words struck Huo Ling Long like a thunderbolt on a clear day. She staggered back a step, utterly speechless in her shock. Even the sibling pair stood with mouths agape, astonished.
At last, he had said it. At this desolate ferry crossing, shrouded in rain and mist, Zhi Hua had casually revealed the truth to three of his enemies, as if venting the hatred that had been bottled up inside him for years.
His laughter, sharp and bitter, echoed chillingly through the drizzle and soft clouds. “And who would believe it if I said it aloud? The infamous Black Demon Fox of the martial world is nothing more than an illegitimate son—a bastard child of the self-proclaimed righteous and moral abbot of Shang Qing Temple!”
His laughter grew more terrifying, sending shivers down their spines.
Taking a step forward, his expression twisted with malice, he growled, “And why would this be an unspeakable secret to me? If Shang Qing Temple wants to cover it up, wants to keep it hidden from the world, what does that have to do with me? As the esteemed abbot, exalted above all, he dared to deceive an innocent woman—so why shouldn’t he pay the price for it?”
Huo Ling Long’s heart trembled with a chill born of his hatred. She murmured, “No wonder, six years ago, the abbot of Shang Qing Temple suddenly passed away, leaving behind a mystery that puzzled the martial world. It must have been because he discovered your true identity and your motives. He was killed by you. So this is why Shang Qing Temple has been so desperate to keep the Great Compassion Palm a secret from the outside world.”
At the mention of that day in the temple at Wushi Ridge, Huo Ling Long’s heart ached as though pierced by a blade. The thought that she had almost doubted Zhan Zhao pained her even more. “And yet, I wrongly accused him!”
Zhi Hua snorted coldly. “That was his way of seeking escape. He is, after all, my biological father. How could I let him die so easily? Did he think that by dying, he could resolve everything and put an end to our enmity? If that were truly the case, the world would indeed be far too just.”
Huo Ling Long’s mind raced like lightning, and a thought burst from her lips without hesitation:
“So, you’ve been using this secret to blackmail Shang Qing Temple! You must have demanded they not interfere with your actions under the condition that you wouldn’t use the Great Compassion Palm. Otherwise, if news spread that the Great Compassion Palm had been taught to an outsider, Shang Qing Temple’s reputation would be utterly ruined, and this prominent martial sect would be finished, wouldn’t it?”
Her words struck Zhi Hua, causing him to momentarily falter. He quickly composed himself, and when he spoke again, the agitation in his voice had vanished. “Forcing these self-righteous, meddling bald monks to tread carefully has certainly saved me a lot of trouble. That night at Chong Xiao Tower, if Zhan Zhao hadn’t been so difficult to deal with, I wouldn’t have been forced to use the Great Compassion Palm on him!”
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