Long Wei had circled the entire cottage but found nothing. The state of the house remained largely unchanged, except for the front floor, which was soaked in blood, and the scratches on several surfaces,clear signs that a battle had taken place not long ago.


    The bonfire in front was now blackened, emitting only a thin wisp of smoke, likely extinguished the night before.


    Yang Feng, examining Beng Sui’s corpse, estimated that he hadn’t been dead for long.


    “Not even two sticks of incense have passed,” he said somberly, lamenting the loss of the Mystic Devil’s treasured flute.


    Long Wei widened his eyes. “Really?”


    The old man nodded.


    “That means it just happened, and the killer hasn’t gone too far yet.” Long Wei studied the two lifeless bodies sprawled in the courtyard. Beng Sui’s eyes remained wide open in shock. “What do you think the killer gained from murdering them?”


    “I believe I can guess,” Yang Feng said seriously. “I haven’t told you about what happened ten years ago when the Mystic Devil and I clashed with them, have I?”


    Long Wei nodded in acknowledgment. To be honest, he hadn’t been too curious before, but now that Yang Feng seemed to know the implications of this event, his curiosity suddenly stirred.


    “Is it related?”


    “Very much so.” Yang Feng walked to the side of the cottage. “But before that, we need to bury them first.”


    Long Wei immediately frowned. “These scoundrels?”


    The old man, who was just about to strike the ground with his internal energy, paused and turned to Long Wei. “And what of it?”


    “They slaughtered the villagers of Mingxia. I’d bet my head that they never buried a single victim,” Long Wei said, his voice laced with anger. “Let them rot here. We should focus on finding a hiding place.”


    “The hiding place is near. Trust me, I know a perfect spot in this area.” Long Wei began to dig into the ground with his immense internal strength, swiftly creating a deep hole. Then, he stopped again. “You seem to hate them a lot.”


    “Yes!”


    “Remember your past. How many people do you think cursed your pirate crew when you raided them?”


    Long Wei froze, his breath catching for a moment. His past,an entire lifetime filled with crime,had never crossed his mind in this way.


    Still, he defended himself. “We didn’t kill people at random. At least not for fun.”


    “Then what for?”


    “For wealth.”


    “Wealth stained with the blood of innocent people?”


    Long Wei clenched his teeth. “Many of them fought back. Some even hunted us.”


    “And?”


    “We defended ourselves.”


    “And?”


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    “We took their treasures.”


    “And?”


    Sensing something amiss, Long Wei halted his rebuttal. His breathing grew heavy, his face reddening.


    Yang Feng stopped digging. “And then what?”


    Long Wei averted his gaze, staring bitterly at the two corpses, feeling cornered by Yang Feng’s words.


    “If you had never resorted to piracy in the first place, do you think you would have been hunted and pursued?”


    “Life at sea is harsh. When all you see is the vast ocean, anything can happen,whether it’s being attacked by sea beasts or other pirates. If we didn’t pillage, we’d be the ones pillaged.”


    Yang Feng nodded in understanding. “That makes sense. But what I’m asking is,if you, or rather your crew, had never turned to piracy, would you still have been hunted and despised?”


    “I already told you, pirates would have hunted us first!” Long Wei shouted. “They would have come for us first.”


    Yang Feng’s expression remained unchanged. “You had the strength to fight back. That’s what true self-defense is,an honorable fight. Unless, of course, you were the ones who attacked first.”


    Seizing the chance to steer the conversation away, Long Wei pointed at the two corpses. “Self-defense and honor? Fine. And yet, the ones we’re about to bury are men who killed indiscriminately. I know my past was filled with crime and dishonor, just like theirs. Do they deserve to rest peacefully in the embrace of the earth?”


    Yang Feng suddenly laughed. “That’s funny, but you have a point.” His laughter grew louder until his shoulders shook and his head tilted back.


    Long Wei smirked in victory, thinking Yang Feng had changed his mind about burying them. Without hesitation, he spat on the faces of Beng Kui and Beng Sui.


    “But we are humans with hearts,” Yang Feng said. “Let’s say we hated them while they lived. What we despised was their actions, not them as individuals.” He turned back, smiling meaningfully. “Wei Ji, look at their bodies. Do they look any different from ours once we die? Will our corpses glow just because we were slightly better than them?”


    “What are you saying?” Long Wei still refused to accept it. “If their bodies are devoured by wild beasts and left to decay, it’s simply the consequence of their actions in life. That’s justice.”


    “And who are you to decide what is just? Are you a god who sets the laws of this world?”


    “It is justice! They were evil in life, and the world will treat their corpses just as cruelly!”


    “Well, well... now you’re sounding like a god yourself.” The old man shook his head. “Wei Ji, when someone dies, as humans, our only duty is to take care of their remains with respect. We don’t need to concern ourselves with justice or the consequences of their past actions. Just handle the burial, and that’s that.”


    “But,”


    “That’s what separates us from those you call scoundrels.” Yang Feng gave a brief smile before turning back and digging again. “Think about it and choose. If you want to remain the same as you were in your past,a life of crime, meaningless existence, and no honor,then stand there and wait until I’m done. But if you wish to follow my path, the path of a warrior, to leave the past behind and reclaim your honor, then forget their wicked deeds and see them as mere humans who deserve a proper resting place.”


    Long Wei clenched his fists, tempted to crush the corpses into dust. But after standing in silence for a while, an inexplicable force compelled him to help Yang Feng.


    “Why not use that treasured staff to dig? It’d be faster.”


    “Idiot, this is a heirloom staff. Do you think it’s so lowly that it should be used just to dig graves?”


    ***


    “The Mystic Devil’s real name was Tui Keng. He was my junior disciple when we trained under the legendary warrior known as the Black Lion. Have you ever heard of the Black Lion?”


    Long Wei pushed aside the overgrown vegetation blocking their path. “Never. Not even once.”


    “If you had, that would be strange, because his name disappeared nearly fifty years ago.” Yang Feng laughed heartily. “Tui Keng and I traveled across the land fulfilling our master’s orders,upholding justice and eradicating evil. Along our journeys, we often crossed paths and traveled together for some time before parting ways again.”


    “After several years apart, Tui Keng inherited extraordinary medical knowledge from a reclusive sage whose name he never disclosed. He was also the one who turned this flute and staff into powerful relics, coating them with a special medicinal substance that greatly enhanced their durability. Later, he gifted this staff to me,” Yang Feng said as he stroked the bamboo staff resting at his waist.


    As they spoke of the past, they continued their ascent up a towering mountain that Yang Feng assured would be a perfect sanctuary. Now, Long Wei was convinced,reaching even the mountain’s base had been a grueling task.


    “One day, we met near Mingxia Village with the same goal,to eliminate the Death Twins. We succeeded, but at the cost of our stolen relics.”


    “I’ve heard that part before,” Long Wei interjected.


    “And also one of the Sky Jade.”


    Long Wei stopped dead in his tracks. “What?”


    “You heard me right,” Yang Feng said seriously. “The Sky Jade was stolen by them.”