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Bai Tang Three people stood on the street. On one side of the street was a large mansion, with four big lanterns lit at the entrance, each bearing the red characters "Liu Mansion." More than ten people were holding torches, some holding umbrellas, busy welcoming guests.
Qu Feiyan pointed to two young men among them and said, "That one is Xiang Dazheng Senior Brother, and beside him is Senior Brother Mi Weiyi. Senior Brother Xiang will buy me Rock Sugar gourds to eat, and Senior Brother Mi will play with me!"
As she spoke, the girl's eyes became misty, tears blurring her vision. She wiped her eyes with her hand and said, "Thank you for bringing me back to Laughing Proudly in the World. There's still time; this time, I want to save everyone!"
"No need to thank me, it's just a small effort!" Bai Tang asked, "Do you have any plans?"
"I want to find my grandfather first."
"You want to reunite with your grandfather?"
The girl shook her head. "There is already a Qu Feiyan in this world."
"Then how should I call you from now on?"
"Just call me Qu Yunwu!"
"This name..." It lacks sophistication.
"What? Is it not nice?"
"It's nice!" Bai Tang said with a sour expression, "I won't accompany you anymore; there's a tea house at the street corner. I'll wait for you there!"
Due to the rain, the tea house was packed with people, many dressed in rugged attire, clearly here for Liu Zhengfeng's Golden Basin Retirement gathering. Bai Tang took Karen to find an empty table, ordered a plate of boiled peanuts, a plate of fried green peas, and two bowls of tea while listening attentively to the conversations in the tea house. Karen wore a wide-brimmed hat with a curtain that concealed his unusual eyes, preventing any startled reactions from others.
The quality of tea in the tea house couldn't compare to what Bai Family usually drank; Bai Tang only moistened his lips. However, the boiled peanuts were delicious; the shopkeeper not only added salt but also spices like star anise while boiling them, making the peanuts exceptionally tasty. Not only Bai Tang, but Karen also couldn't stop eating. He felt that following Bai Tang's greatest reward was being able to enjoy various delicacies, which brought him immense happiness compared to his previous life where he could only drink nutritional supplements and occasionally eat natural food.
The plate of peanuts was quickly finished. Bai Tang waved for Tea Doctor to bring two more plates when he noticed several people walking in. These newcomers included both men and women; some were dressed as porters, some held abacuses pretending to be merchants, and one had a monkey perched on his shoulder as if performing monkey tricks. Bai Tang immediately recognized their identities; this group must be disciples from Mount Hua. The one performing with the monkey was definitely Liu Da You, and the only girl in blue must be the grown-up Yue Ling Shan. There were no elderly figures among them; it seemed that Yue Buqun's martial arts had become formidable enough that there was no longer a need to keep someone like Lao De Nuo around as a spy.
"...Yesterday morning, we were about to set off when our Senior Brother suddenly caught a whiff of wine on the street. Looking closer, it turned out to be a beggar drinking straight from a gourd. Our Senior Brother immediately felt an urge for wine and went up to chat with that beggar, praising how fragrant his wine was..." Just like in the original text, as soon as Yue Ling Shan sat down, she inquired about Linghu Chong's whereabouts.
From Linghu Chong's story, they also learned about how he had beaten up the four heroes of Qingcheng, and how Yue Buqun sent disciples to Qingcheng Mountain to deliver an apology letter which led them to discover that the Qingcheng Sect was secretly plotting to seize the Lin family's Evil-Repelling Sword Manual. Without Lao De Nuo around, Liang Fa and Yue Ling Shan became those assigned for missions in Fujian.
"I and my companion disguised ourselves as wine sellers outside Fuzhou City, visiting the Fu Wei Escort Agency daily to observe the situation. We didn't see much, but we did see Lin Zhenan teaching his son Lin Pingzhi to practice swordsmanship. My junior sister shook her head and said to me, 'What kind of Exorcising Sword Technique is this? This is the Evil Exorcising Sword Technique. When evil comes, this Young Master Lin will have to flee in fear.'"
The other Huashan disciples burst into laughter.
However, Yue Ling Shan's face turned red as she said, "Stop laughing! At that time, I didn't know the background of Young Master Lin and made such foolish remarks, which only invited ridicule!"
The Huashan disciples were puzzled and asked, "What does Junior Sister mean? Is the Evil Exorcising Sword Technique really that powerful?"
Yue Ling Shan shook her head. "I don't know if the Evil Exorcising Sword Technique is powerful or not, but that Young Master Lin is certainly not an ordinary person."
The curiosity of the Huashan disciples was piqued, urging Liang Fa to continue.
Liang Fa said, "Not long after we set up outside Fuzhou City, disciples from Qingcheng Sect began to arrive one after another. That evening, my junior sister and I went back to the Fu Wei Escort Agency to take a look. We saw that Yu Guanzhu had led over ten senior disciples including Hou Renying and Hong Renxiong. We were afraid of being discovered by Qingcheng Sect's people, so we stood far away to watch the excitement. We saw them kill several of the escort's leaders and porters with ruthless methods. At that moment, I thought that since Qingcheng Sect's Changqingzi had lost to Lin Yuantu in a duel, Yu Guanzhu must be seeking revenge by challenging Lin Zhenan and his son to a duel. If he won against them, that would suffice; why resort to such cruel methods?"
"My junior sister and I thought that Fu Wei Escort Agency was doomed this time. Who would have thought that Yu Guanzhu's viciousness angered Young Master Lin? This Young Master Lin turned out to be a hidden master with internal strength even greater than our senior brother’s. His lightness skill and hand techniques were incredibly profound. When he clashed with Yu Guanzhu, he actually forced him back three steps. From my observation, Yu Guanzhu might have suffered internal injuries but was just holding back without spitting blood. That Young Master Lin didn’t stop; he plunged into the Qingcheng disciples and we heard several screams as Qingcheng disciples fell one after another. Young Master Lin returned to his original position and said to Yu Guanzhu: 'You Qingcheng Sect are shamelessly coveting my Lin family's Exorcising Sword Technique while employing such despicable means. I will repay you tooth for tooth, blood for blood; for every person you killed from Fu Wei Escort Agency, I will kill an equal number from Qingcheng Sect.' Upon hearing this, Yu Guanzhu could no longer contain himself and spat out a mouthful of blood because among those dead Qingcheng disciples was his son Yu Renyan."
Liang Fa continued, "The revenge for killing his son made Yu Guanzhu furious; disregarding his own injuries, he charged at Young Master Lin in a reckless attempt to fight him to the death. The outcome was predictable. Young Master Lin did not seek Yu Guanzhu's life; just like him—Qingcheng Sect killed how many people from Fu Wei Escort Agency? He would kill how many from Qingcheng Sect—neither more nor less. In the end, Yu Guanzhu was severely injured and had to be carried back by his disciples. This time at Liu Shishu's Golden Basin Retirement Conference, Qingcheng Sect will definitely not participate."
"The Evil Exorcising Sword Technique is so powerful!" Lu Dayou exclaimed, feeling admiration and respect for Lin Pingzhi. To be able to stand against a sect leader and protect one's own family—what a true man!
"Young Master Lin's martial arts follow a masculine path and utilize palm techniques rather than the Evil Exorcising Sword Technique," Yue Ling Shan recalled Lin Pingzhi in his flowing white attire defeating a sect leader with grace, stirring something in her heart. But then she thought of her senior brother, causing those feelings of youthful infatuation to dissipate immediately.
At that moment, the sound of rain fell like beans, growing heavier by the minute. A vendor carrying wontons appeared through the rain and took shelter under the eaves of the teahouse. The elderly man selling wontons tapped on bamboo slats while steam rose from the pot.
The Huashan disciples were already hungry; upon seeing the wonton vendor, their faces lit up with joy. Lu Dayou called out, "Hey! Cook us nine bowls of wontons with extra eggs!"
The old man replied eagerly, "Yes! Yes!" He lifted the pot lid and tossed wontons into the hot broth. Before long, he served up nine steaming bowls.
Bai Tang looked at the steaming wontons in blue-and-white porcelain bowls—snow-white wrappers encasing pink fillings with green scallions floating atop the broth—making one's appetite surge.
"Old man, please cook us two more bowls of wontons!"
Bai Tang's attitude was friendly and approachable. This old man selling wontons was no ordinary person; he was He Sanqi, a master from the Yandang Mountains in southern Zhejiang. He had made a living selling wontons since childhood, and even after mastering martial arts, he continued to travel the rivers and lakes with his wonton pole, which had become his trademark. Although he possessed great martial skills, he lived a simple life, relying on his business for sustenance, and was respected by others in the martial arts world. There were countless wonton sellers in the market, but one who sold wontons and was also a martial artist could only be He Sanqi.
He Sanqi glanced at Bai Tang and realized that this girl had seen through his identity. However, since she did not point it out, he pretended not to know and added a little extra to the two bowls of wontons he served her, making Bai Tang extremely happy.
Meanwhile, the disciples of Huashan continued to eat wontons while discussing matters related to the Fu Wei Escort Agency. The third disciple, Shi Daizi, asked, "Second Senior Brother, what happened next?"
Liang Fa replied, "After the people from Qingcheng Sect retreated, Young Master Lin suddenly turned towards the place where my junior sister and I were hiding and said: 'You two have been secretly watching my Lin family for several days. Are you not with Qingcheng Sect or do you also wish to seize my Lin family's Evil Sword Manual?' It turned out that our movements had already been noticed by Young Master Lin these past few days. We had foolishly felt proud and looked down on the people of the Lin family."
"We cannot let Young Master Lin misunderstand us. Even Yu Guanzhu is not a match for Young Master Lin; my junior sister and I are certainly no match! We quickly emerged from our hiding place to reveal our identities and explained to Young Master Lin that we had inadvertently discovered Qingcheng Sect's conspiracy. Our master sent us to Fujian to investigate and help if we had the chance. Unfortunately, our martial skills are too weak; we are no match for Yu Guanzhu and could only watch from afar without being able to assist. Young Master Lin is a person of great courtesy; after hearing our account, he not only did not blame us but also expressed his gratitude. His demeanor and character left us in awe."
Yue Lingshan interjected, "Young Master Lin's demeanor is very similar to my father's!"
Lu Dayou expressed surprise, "Isn't Master skilled in both literature and martial arts? Could it be that Young Master Lin is as well?"
"Of course!" Yue Lingshan replied. "Not only is Young Master Lin skilled in martial arts, but he is also talented in literature. I heard that he passed the Scholar examination at fifteen years old, and he excels in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."
"Is he really that impressive?" Lu Dayou said with his mouth agape in disbelief. "Practicing martial arts and studying literature both require focus and perseverance. How can Young Master Lin manage to excel in so many areas while still mastering martial arts?"
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