Suddenly, Fan Qi was reminded of his grandfather.
Recalling the first time he saw his grandfather throw a punch, it was as radiant as Xu Taiping before him.
Then, a conversation that had been sealed in his memory for many years resurfaced in his mind:
"Grandfather, what is the essence of a punch?"
"The essence of a punch is the reason we martial artists fight."
"What's your reason for fighting, Grandfather?"
"My reason is to spare you, Qi, from the suffering of being adrift, to save the Fan family's juniors from the agony of ruin and death, and to protect our Bai Shu Nation from foreign disgrace."
"Qi, you must remember what I've said today."
"Grandfather, I dare not forget!"
The conversation pierced Fan Qi's chest like a series of knives.
Watching the radiant Xu Taiping before him and thinking back to his grandfather's words, Fan Qi's gaze hardened once more, and he clenched his fist fiercely:
"Grandfather, I haven't forgotten, I've never forgotten."
In an instant, the fighting spirit and momentum that had dissipated from him suddenly converged again, and he threw a punch towards Xu Taiping's fist.
"Boom!"
The force of Fan Qi's punch was greater than any he had thrown before.
Just like Xu Taiping in his eyes.
At this moment, Fan Qi, as seen by Xu Taiping, also became radiant.
Not only did Xu Taiping feel it, but the oriole at that time also sensed the change in Fan Qi.
"After shedding his anger, Fan Qi can still gather such a powerful essence in his punch. Could it be that he has gained insight from his match with Xu Taiping?"
The oriole was utterly astonished.
"Or is this his true essence?"
A sudden pang of realization struck him.
However, when Xu Taiping sensed Fan Qi's change, he was not afraid but excited instead.
This Fan Qi was now more worthy of his punch than before.
"Bang!"
With a loud collision, Xu Taiping and Fan Qi were both knocked backward.
They were evenly matched.
But in the next moment, Fan Qi's body burst into a mist of blood.
His vitality rapidly drained away as blood.
The once robust Fan Qi quickly withered, his hair falling out in clumps.
In the end, the once valiant Fan Qi had become a short, bald old man.
And this bald old man was none other than the elder who had blocked the carriage with Xu Taiping that day.
Although Xu Taiping had guessed it during their fight, seeing Fan Qi's face still filled him with an inexplicable sense of empathy.
"Sorry, young friend Taiping, I couldn't give you the fight you deserved."
Fan Qi, his face wrinkled, knelt in the pool of blood.
Xu Taiping said nothing.
He didn't know what to say.
"My body is ultimately too old, even with elixirs to sustain me, it's at the end of its strength."
Fan Qi looked up at Xu Taiping with a smile.
"Hmm."
Xu Taiping nodded.
He could tell that Fan Qi spoke more of regret than resentment, not making excuses for his defeat.
"Young friend, how was my last punch?"
Fan Qi looked at Xu Taiping expectantly.
"Radiant."
Xu Taiping honestly expressed his feelings.
Hearing this, Fan Qi grinned and then slowly lowered his head, murmuring, "Radiant, radiant…"
Finally, he sat motionless in the blood.
The demon in the hearts of Bai Shu Nation's citizens had died.
The sixth princess in the stands watched this scene in shock, motionless as if turned to stone.
After a long while, she too began to weep.
She cried for the dead citizens of Bai Shu Nation, for the group of heroes who had just sacrificed themselves, and for herself.
During the two years away from Bai Shu Nation, Fan Qi had been a shadow over her heart. Without his fall, there was no hope for her mission in the Raven Nation.
"Mother, Fan Qi is dead. With the last secret pouch you left, I will do my utmost to persuade the Raven Nation's emperor to withdraw his troops."
The sixth princess wiped the tears from her face, her eyes filled with hope.
Then, she quickly descended the stairs and ran to Xu Taiping.
"Taoist master, how are your injuries?"
Arriving at the platform, she asked breathlessly.
"It's nothing."
Xu Taiping shook his head and popped an elixir into his mouth.
His injuries were superficial, but without understanding the essence of the punch, the match would have been much more difficult.
"Take Fan Qi's head, your highness."
Xu Taiping handed the Chunhu knife to the sixth princess.
With Fan Qi's head taken, their agreement was fulfilled.
"Yes."
The sixth princess nodded vigorously, then took Xu Taiping's Chunhu knife to the platform.
"The citizens of Bai Shu Nation, you may rest in peace!"
With that, the sixth princess raised the Chunhu knife high and brought it down with a swift cut.
"Thud," Fan Qi's head rolled off.
With that, the Furious Fist Fan Qi exited the stage of the martial world.
***
That night.
In adjacent rooms at the inn, Xu Taiping and the sixth princess, one opened the last secret pouch left by his mother, the other placed Su Chan's sword sheath on the table.
However, the sixth princess, about to open the secret pouch, surely did not know that a beautiful "female ghost" sat beside her.
This female ghost was naturally the Fairy Ling Yue.
"Taiping, did you find anything special about Su Chan's sword sheath?"
Seeing the sixth princess hesitating to open the pouch, Fairy Ling Yue started a conversation with Xu Taiping out of boredom.
"Nothing, it's just a sheath. I've put it in the iron gourd for now."
Xu Taiping replied.
"Keep it there, take it out next time when the Burning Seed matures."
Fairy Ling Yue nodded.
"She's opening it, the sixth princess is finally ready to open it."
She suddenly became a bit excited.
"Fairy Ling Yue, I'm starting to meditate. Keep an eye out for me."
Xu Taiping wasn't very interested in what was inside the sixth princess's pouch.
"Alright, you do your thing, I'll tell you later."
Fairy Ling Yue nodded in agreement, her attention now fully on the sixth princess.
"Sigh…"
The sixth princess took a deep breath, then pulled the string of the secret pouch.
Like the previous pouch, it contained a letter.
The difference was, apart from the letter, there was nothing else.
"This letter must contain mother's advice on how to persuade the Raven Nation's emperor."
The sixth princess was overjoyed at the sight.
She then carefully opened the letter with trembling hands.
Unfolding the paper, elegant and graceful handwriting leapt out at her, unmistakably her mother's.
But as she read the first line of the letter, she froze, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Curious, Fairy Ling Yue glanced over—
"Li Yu, my child, please die for Bai Shu Nation."
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas