FS-novel Chapter 546: In the Martial World, My Brother Song, Everyone Respectfully Calls Him a Great Hero—
Chapter 546: In the Martial World, My Brother Song, Everyone Respectfully Calls Him a Great Hero—
The Rongding Media affair continued to ferment. The internet celebrity circle was on edge, and major media companies began keeping a low profile, yet they still couldn't stop the wave of rectification sweeping down from above. Various issues like tax evasion, live stream irregularities, and selling counterfeit goods... were exposed one by one. Situations that had long been criticized were finally being addressed. Seeing the evidence of crimes and the amounts involved, the public applauded and cheered.These events, however, did not affect other people in real life.
Xiao He was still filming *Super Spacetime Confrontation*, while at the same time, the hit broadcast of *Record of Chasing the Wind* brought even more topics to this summer vacation.
At this point, the plot of *Record of Chasing the Wind* was fully on track. The storyline was clear and straightforward, revolving around Song Chenye's deep-seated blood feud, telling the story of his pursuit of the enemies who participated in the siege years ago and the group of companions he met along the way.
Now, the plot had reached the point where Song Chenye and his companions were preparing to participate in the upcoming Martial Arts Alliance Leader competition. And at this time, viewers also began to vaguely sense something was off.
[Let me share a little-known fact: Song Chenye kills an average of three people per episode. In one episode, he killed dozens. Who the main villain of this drama is, I won't say.]
[In the martial world, my Brother Song, both the righteous and the underworld have to call him a great hero. Not because Brother Song is awesome, but because Brother Song will literally chase you down to kill you.]
[This is a true revenge power fantasy. Brother Song goes door-to-door collecting debts; it's really becoming a legendary tale in the martial world.]
[This is real revenge. I suggest all revenge dramas learn from this. If you don't have this level of capability, don't even bother seeking revenge. Staying low-key is fine too. Otherwise, I'd feel inexplicably frustrated if more family and friends had to die on the revenge journey. Might as well keep lying low.]
[It also let our Brother Xiao kill to his heart's content, tsk tsk.]
The viewership data for *Record of Chasing the Wind* had remained high since its premiere. Online discussions about Rongding Media didn't steal its heat. Secondary creations featuring Xiao He's portrayal of Song Chenye exploded in popularity beyond the fandom.
The most widely known meme was of Song Chenye drawing his sword—
It was the familiar panda head, the familiar close-up facial expression. The only difference was the fifty-meter-long great sword in his hand.
Later, this meme, along with Xiao He's classic "Mo Tun Pulling Teeth" from back in the day, became one of the most widely recognized iconic scene memes associated with Xiao He.
Netizens laughed heartily when they saw it, yet they still hadn't realized the "seriousness" of the situation.
It wasn't until the latest episode updated tonight, when Song Chenye returned to kill his way back to Thousand Leaves Manor, that viewers belatedly realized the problem.
Prior to this, Liu Zhilin had already brought Song Chenye to Thousand Leaves Manor, where they visited Gong Lin, the sworn sister of the Manor Master.
Gong Lin could barely be considered a distant elder relative of Liu Zhilin. In her early years, because the man she loved married someone else, she harbored resentment. She lived at Thousand Leaves Manor year-round, and her temper became increasingly eccentric.
After meeting Song Chenye, she grew even more extreme and hostile.
Seeing this part, almost without Song Chenye needing to ask, viewers had already guessed who the man Gong Lin loved back then was.
—Song Chenye, your dad, what a trail of romantic debts!
Oh, wait, actually, to be fair, Song Chenye's father was quite wronged. After all, he was a dashing, heroic figure of the martial world in his youth. Back then, those who admired him were far more than just Gong Lin.
He couldn't possibly respond to every young lady's affection.
However, while onlookers could see this clearly, Gong Lin could not.
They hadn't spoken for long before a fierce conflict erupted. In the end, Song Chenye's superior skill prevailed. He severed Gong Lin's silk ribbons, as if also severing the forced red thread of fate she clung to, and placed his sword at her neck.
But in the end, Song Chenye sheathed his sword again and did not kill Gong Lin directly.
After defeating Gong Lin, he chose to leave the manor with Liu Zhilin.
At the time, viewers thought the matter had ended there.
Gong Lin was just a pitiful soul who loved but could not have. There was no evidence she participated in the events of that year. Plus, she was somewhat related to Liu Zhilin. It seemed reasonable for Song Chenye to spare Gong Lin for Liu Zhilin's sake.
But then, wow, later, after Song Chenye investigated and found concrete evidence of Gong Lin's involvement back then, he turned right around and killed his way back to Thousand Leaves Manor.
This Gong Lin was one of the murderers of his mother!
She even went so far as to mistreat his mother's corpse in the end, preventing his mother from resting in peace even in death!
By the time Liu Zhilin arrived at the scene, it was all over.
-
The pavilion in the middle of the lake where Gong Lin often stayed was now a river of blood.
Song Chenye stood in the center of the pavilion, looking down from a lofty height at the corpse before him.
Actually, Gong Lin's death was peaceful.
A single sword strike sealed her throat, without any extra suffering.
He did not dismember the corpse or grind her bones to dust as Gong Lin had done to his mother. He merely stood as an avenger, looking down from above upon his enemy, silent, allowing the breeze in the pavilion to gently brush his cheeks.
It was as if the soul that could not rest in peace was lingeringly soothing his inner turmoil.
After staring fixedly at the corpse for a long time, Song Chenye slowly sheathed his Carefree Cloud Sword and turned around.
—Liu Zhilin stood right in the middle of the bridge, looking at him with a complicated gaze.
"You—"
When Liu Zhilin spoke, he found his voice exceptionally hoarse.
And all the words of accusation he wanted to utter were stuck in his throat, choking him, making it impossible to speak.
What could he ask now?
What position did he have to ask from?
Ask Song Chenye why he didn't tell him before taking revenge? Or ask Song Chenye why he absolutely had to kill Gong Lin?
How could he even ask?
The most helpless part of this matter was that Liu Zhilin had participated in the investigation from start to finish. He clearly knew what Song Chenye carried on his shoulders and what Gong Lin had done.
When solid, undeniable evidence was laid out, the relationship between Song Chenye and Gong Lin had already become one of life and death.
What else could he do?
Persuade Song Chenye to spare Gong Lin for his sake?
Or persuade Gong Lin to kowtow and apologize to Song Chenye and his parents?
No, that was simply impossible.
Song Chenye could not let Gong Lin go, just as Gong Lin would never apologize to Song Chenye's mother.
From the very beginning, this was destined to be a deadlock.
So what did it matter whether Song Chenye told him or not?
He could do nothing. At most, he could choose silence, not favoring either side.
But looking at the Song Chenye before him, not stained with a single drop of blood, and then at the familiar corpse lying in a pool of blood, eyes wide open in death, a tremendous sense of panic inexplicably surged within Liu Zhilin.
In that moment, he didn't even know what he was afraid of.
Was it the friend before him who was becoming increasingly unfamiliar? Or the relative in his memory who was gradually twisting? Or perhaps his own helpless self?
So Liu Zhilin just stood there dumbfounded, gazing silently at the young hero before him who, for the sake of revenge, dared to single-handedly storm Thousand Leaves Manor and spare no cost to kill his enemy. A thousand words condensed into nothing but a sigh.
"Go," he said.