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墨書 Inktalez
Dongfang Bubai continued to flip through the pages. The contents of the "Sunflower Manual" were etched in his memory. Upon reading, he discovered that many parts seemed ambiguous and differed from what he knew of the "Sunflower Manual," yet they were even more exquisite!
"This is the complete version of the 'Sunflower Manual,' not your incomplete one. As long as you cultivate according to this version, you won't need to castrate yourself!"
Dongfang Bubai tightly grasped the "Sunflower Manual": "What do you want?"
Bai Tang brushed off the dust from his sleeves: "This is a gift for you, no need for repayment."
"I never believe in free lunches!"
"Well, you can believe it now!" Bai Tang said calmly. She was quite happy, as the system had informed her that she had completed the task of preventing the leader from castrating himself. Not only did she gain ten thousand experience points, but she also obtained the first fragment of the Time-Space Gate.
Dongfang Bubai squinted his eyes, scrutinizing the young man across from him—young lady, your appearance is too deceptive; even someone as experienced as the leader was fooled by you. He tried to find a trace of deceit in her expression but found none. It seemed that this person was speaking from the heart. But are there truly selfless good people in this world?
"Why do you want to help me?"
"Because I like you!"
Dongfang Bubai's face darkened: "I am not a broken sleeve!"
Bai Tang smiled: "Neither am I!"
The leader glared at Bai Tang, who calmly sipped his tea. The tea in the pot had already cooled down; its taste was far from commendable, yet Bai Tang's expression was as if he were enjoying Da Hong Pao, looking completely satisfied!
"Aren't you afraid that I will kill you once I master my martial arts?"
Bai Tang retorted: "Can you kill me?"
What should I do if I want to kill you right now? The leader took a deep breath, reminding himself that the man in front of him was too formidable, and taking action would only lead to trouble. However, the leader vowed that once he mastered his skills, he would make Bai Tang pay.
"Actually, I have a question. You don't seem like an ambitious person. Why do you want to eliminate Ren Woxing and take his place?"
Dongfang Bubai glanced at Bai Tang sideways. "Aren't you supposed to be well-informed about the martial world? How could you not know my reasons for dealing with Ren Woxing?"
Bai Tang spread his hands. "I really don't know. Can you enlighten me?"
Dongfang Bubai shot Bai Tang a cold glare. Unable to defeat him, and thinking about how his wish for the New Year was about to come true, he felt a desire to share.
"Ten years ago, I was just an ordinary person. My father was a teacher in town, and my mother came from a scholarly family—gentle and virtuous. We lived a peaceful yet happy life..."
"You don't happen to have a younger sister, do you?" Bai Tang interjected.
"Of course not! I am the only child in my family!"
Good thing you don't have a sister; otherwise, I would have to start calling you 'Miss Dongfang.'
"Please continue!"
"Ren Woxing destroyed my home. My parents and all the residents of the town were slaughtered by Ren Woxing and his subordinates, just to prevent them from revealing his whereabouts. I was lucky enough to escape because I was out playing, but when I returned, all I saw were corpses and blood everywhere. At that moment, I swore that I would kill Ren Woxing and avenge my parents and the innocent residents of the town! I concealed my background and joined the Sun Moon Holy Cult, spending six years gradually rising through the ranks of the Holy Cult until I caught Ren Woxing's attention. It took another four years for me to become one of his trusted aides..."
"If Ren Woxing truly regarded you as a trusted aide, he wouldn't have given you a flawed version of the 'Sunflower Manual' to harm you," Bai Tang remarked.
Dongfang Bubai was momentarily speechless but then nodded. "You are right. Ren Woxing is treacherous; he cannot trust anyone but himself."
"I heard there's a plum orchard established by West Lake?"
Dongfang Bubai squinted his eyes and said, "You even know this?"
Bai Tang put down his teacup and replied, "You made a foolish decision. Since you've betrayed Ren Woxing, why leave him alive to be locked up? Haven't you heard the saying 'Cutting the grass without removing the roots will allow it to grow again in spring'? Do you think locking Ren Woxing in a dark prison is truly torturing him? With his temperament, can he really be destroyed by just a mere dark cell? You're just asking for trouble in the future. It's better to kill him quickly and take his head to honor your parents and the innocent residents of the town!"
"You really know everything!" Dongfang Bubai snorted. "But you're right, leaving an enemy constantly thinking about you is not a good idea."
"However, Yingying knows nothing. I won't kill her." Bai Tang couldn't understand why Dongfang Bubai treated Ren Yingying so well, not only sparing her life but also giving her a status second only to his own. Even if it was to win over Ren Woxing's people, did it have to be done this way?
"Suit yourself!" Bai Tang liked the Ren Yingying from the original story but disliked the version in this new narrative. He didn't know what kind of person Ren Yingying was in this world, but she was just a young girl now, and Bai Tang couldn't bear for a child to die so early.
"Would you like to join my Moon God Sect? I will appoint you as the Deputy Sect Leader." Dongfang Bubai pondered for a moment and decided to recruit this suddenly emerging expert to his side.
"No interest!" Bai Tang suddenly stood up. "It's too late; I won't disturb your rest. I'm leaving!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he had already disappeared from the eyes of the Sect Leader. The Sect Leader stared coldly out of the dark window. After a while, he withdrew his gaze and opened the "Sunflower Manual" to begin his cultivation.
After leaving Heimu Cliff, Bai Tang didn't know where to go. The plot wouldn't start for at least another ten years; what could he do now? Without tasks, how could he collect fragments of the Time-Space Gate?
"Ding! Task: Teach Lin Pingzhi martial arts so that he becomes a top-tier expert in the martial world before his family is exterminated, ensuring the survival of the Fuwei Escort Agency!"
The system humanely assigned Bai Tang a task.
Bai Tang quickly clicked to accept; he needed to hurry to the future world and couldn't waste time in Laughing Proudly's world. He had to gather all the fragments of the Time-Space Gate as soon as possible.
Heimu Cliff was located in Hebei Province, while the Fuwei Escort Agency was in Fujian. Traveling from north to south would require passing through many territories, such as Huashan and Wudang...
Huashan is located in Shaanxi Province and is known as one of the Five Great Mountains. Originally called "Flower Mountain," it was named because its peaks resemble a lotus flower that cannot be separated. In ancient times, "Hua" and "Hua" were interchangeable; as described in "Shui Jing Zhu," it looks like a flower from afar, hence its name Huashan. In the center of the eastern, western, and southern peaks lies a peak attached to the west side of the eastern peak, lush with trees and serene surroundings filled with many unknown rare flowers and herbs. It is said that this was where Nongyu, daughter of Qin Mugong, cultivated herself during the Spring and Autumn period; thus, it is also known as Yu Nu Peak. Historical records describe Nongyu as stunningly beautiful and knowledgeable in music; one night she dreamt of playing music with Huashan hermit Xiao Shisheng, becoming soulmates and later marrying each other. Tired of court life, they rode dragons and phoenixes to Huashan.
Bai Tang walked up the mountain while admiring the scenery halfway up: Yu Nu's washing basin with clear water flowing that never freezes in winter nor rots in summer. Additionally, there were Yu Nu's dressing table, Yu Nu Cave, and Xiao Shi Cave; on the west side of this cave was another cave called Long Cave. It is said that whenever Xiao Shi played his flute here, a divine dragon would lie down inside.
Yu Nu Peak may not be as high or perilous as the outer three peaks but boasts exquisite scenery with many inscriptions left by generations such as "Holding Up with Both Hands," "Pulling Out Sword for Good Fortune," and "Pillar in Midst," all written with great vigor.
Atop Yu Nu Peak stands a dangerous cliff with a cave where disciples of Huashan School were punished for breaking rules throughout history. The cliff is barren with no grass or trees; apart from one cave, there is nothing else. Huashan originally had lush vegetation and serene scenery; however, this dangerous cliff is an exception—it's traditionally said to be a pearl from Yu Nu's hairpin.
In ancient times, Huashan's founder used this cliff as a place for punishing disciples mainly because it lacked grass or wood—no insects or birds—so that punished disciples could reflect without being disturbed by external matters.
Bai Tang's destination was precisely this cliff that granted immense Golden Finger power to the protagonist in Laughing Proudly. While passing through Huashan, he accepted several tasks; among them was helping Yue Buqun revive Huashan and dispelling any thoughts of obtaining the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique. This task was difficult to accomplish; Bai Tang thought long and hard about it—he could only give Yue Buqun an exceptional martial arts Secret Manual so that he would become powerful enough not to resort to practicing Evil-Repelling Sword Technique out of desire for reviving Huashan.
In The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, Yue Buqun is portrayed as a hypocrite; Bai Tang agreed but felt that Yue Buqun's actions were ultimately for Huashan School's sake. Even if he made mistakes, he shouldn't end up being betrayed by everyone and killed by a Nun. As a leader responsible for his sect's interests, how could he lack cunning? Just like how leaders from Shaolin and Wudang sought to prevent merging with Five Mountains Sword School that threatened their positions by courting Linghu Chong—because they stood on Linghu Chong's side they were right while Yue Buqun became wrong simply because he wasn't on the protagonist's side. How pitiful!
Bai Tang walked into the cave and saw a smooth large stone on the ground, so he sat down on it. His eyes were only about a foot away from the stone wall, and he noticed that the left side of the wall was engraved with the three large characters "Feng Qingyang," carved with a sharp tool, the strokes vigorous and about half an inch deep.
Bai Tang smiled at the three carved characters and raised his voice, saying, "Senior Feng, Bai Tang has come to pay his respects. Please come out for a chat!"
No one responded. Bai Tang, undeterred, called out several more times.
Then he heard a cold voice say, "Stop calling. Are you trying to summon Yue Buqun?"
Bai Tang laughed, "If not for that, how would you come out to meet me, senior?"
Bai Tang was certain that Feng Qingyang did not want others from the Huashan Sect to know of his existence, so he deliberately called out his name loudly, which indeed forced Feng Qingyang to appear.
Suddenly, an old man in a blue robe with white hair appeared at the entrance of the cave. He looked gloomy, his face like gold paper: "Young man, how did you know that Feng is hiding in Huashan?"
Bai Tang smiled and bowed to Feng Qingyang: "I am Bai Tang, nicknamed 'The One Who Knows All in Jianghu.' It is an honor to meet you, Senior Feng!"
"The One Who Knows All in Jianghu?" Feng Qingyang raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you are aware of everything happening in Jianghu?"
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