Chapter 29

Su Zhong casually sat on the stone stool, but his back was as straight as a rod.

Yue Lingshan spoke eloquently, gesturing with her hands non-stop. In no time, she recounted all the major events in the martial world over the past two months.

Although Lin Shi had already heard these news, she was still deeply worried when she heard them again.

"Yang'er, will you be in trouble for killing Zuo Lengchan?"

Su Zhong smiled gently at Lin Shi: "Don't worry, Mother. I'll be fine."

"But those people are always clamoring to teach you a lesson. I'm afraid someone might incite others to gather and cause you trouble." Lin Shi was still uneasy.

"No need to worry. Our Peach Blossom Island is far out at sea. Without someone to guide them, they might not even find this place." Su Zhong explained to Lin Shi slowly.

Lin Shi felt that this made sense and her expression relaxed slightly.

Yue Lingshan, however, giggled: "Are you planning to be a turtle in its shell?"

"Not a turtle, but a sea turtle." Su Zhong was not bothered by being called a turtle. Instead, he joked about himself.

"How can you talk like that." Lin Shi lightly hit Su Zhong, her face showing a scolding expression, but her eyes couldn't hide her smile.

After everyone laughed and played enough, Su Zhong's face showed a confident smile.

"If anyone really dares to use me to gain fame, let them try my deadly sword. The sea is vast; a few ashes thrown in will disappear quickly. Can they fill the sea?"

Lin Shi quickly tugged at Su Zhong's sleeve: "Alright, alright. Let's not talk about these things. You're still so young; don't always talk about killing."

Su Zhong nodded obediently. However, he was taken aback. Over the past dozen years, his thoughts had indeed revolved around killing. Even the sword techniques he created were deadly. His killing aura was indeed too heavy.

Fortunately, Su Zhong's sword heart was now complete. He didn't kill for the sake of killing. Thinking of this, Su Zhong felt even more grateful to Lin Shi.

If it weren't for her careful care when he was young, Su Zhong would not have this attachment in his heart.

Otherwise, he might have fallen into pure killing, and the deadly sword technique might have become an extreme killing technique. Instead of the current technique that leads to death through life.

Yue Lingshan suddenly smiled strangely: "Do you know, you have a nickname now?"

"What nickname?"

"Hehe. In the martial world, they say you are the bane of sect leaders." Yue Lingshan covered her mouth and giggled.

Everyone in the pavilion also laughed helplessly. This nickname was not a good one. With such a reputation, the sect leaders would be very wary of Su Zhong. It was possible that some sect leader might even target him.

"Why such a nickname?" Su Zhong was not bothered. It didn't matter what he was called; as long as he had his sword, he was fearless.

"Of course there's a reason. Look, let me count them for you." Yue Lingshan eagerly counted on her fingers.

"The first time you appeared in Hengshan City with the name of the deadly sword, Liu Zhengfeng, the half-sect leader of Hengshan, disappeared from the martial world. Not only that, you also killed Yu Aizi, the sect leader of Qingcheng Songfeng Temple. Finally, there's Zuo Lengchan, the Five Mountains Alliance leader, who lost his life because of you. He couldn't be a sect leader anymore. What else could you be if not the bane of sect leaders? Hehe..."

Su Zhong smiled. He was about to go find Dongfang Bubai. Even if he lost in the duel, with Ren Woxing by his side, Dongfang Bubai would definitely die.

If calculated this way, the nickname of the bane of sect leaders was indeed well-deserved.

"Yang'er, are you out of seclusion to take a look around, or are you out for good?" Lin Shi asked nervously. Her worry was not unfounded. Su Zhong had started living in seclusion and practicing martial arts at the age of six. One could say he had been in seclusion for ten years.

During this period, although Su Zhong had gone out many times, he was still often away from his family. Lin Shi was afraid that if Su Zhong went into seclusion again, another ten years would pass.

She was very concerned about her eldest son. She didn't want him to be isolated and not interact with others, fearing that his character might be affected.

Su Zhong gave Lin Shi a reassuring smile: "If nothing unexpected happens, I won't have many opportunities to go into seclusion in the future."

"That's great. You're so young; you can't always stay cooped up in the house. It's good to go out and walk around. Martial arts can be practiced gradually." Lin Shi was very happy.

Su Zhong nodded in agreement: "I'll listen to Mother."

"Big Brother, what do you mean by few opportunities to go into seclusion?" Lin Pingzhi asked curiously.

"My martial arts have reached a bottleneck. No matter how long I stay in seclusion, there won't be any progress. So I won't be going into seclusion much in the future. Since you're also on Peach Blossom Island, I'll guide you in practicing the deadly sword technique these few days, hoping you can achieve great success soon and not keep Father and Mother waiting." Su Zhong laughed heartily.

Lin Pingzhi's face turned red from Su Zhong's laughter.

Lin Zhenan and his wife looked at Lin Pingzhi and then at the lovely Yue Lingshan. They thought they made a perfect match, truly a golden boy and jade girl.

Although Yue Lingshan was bold, she felt embarrassed under Lin Shi's gaze. Although she didn't know what Su Zhong meant by "keeping Father and Mother waiting," her intuition told her not to ask.

However, Su Zhong's words made her feel surrounded. She was a bit resentful.

She glared at Lin Pingzhi, who was still blushing: "Xiao Linzi, you're so old and still shy? Humph! What a wimp."

After these words, the laughter in the pavilion grew louder.

Yue Lingshan rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction and said to Su Zhong angrily: "My father is so powerful and goes into seclusion every year. Seclusion is very useful. Are you just trying to be lazy when you say it doesn't improve martial arts?"

Su Zhong was not angry. He leaned back slightly and said bluntly: "That's because your father hasn't mastered his martial arts. Have you ever seen your great-grandmaster go into seclusion?"

"Great-grandmaster's martial arts are superb, so he doesn't need to go into seclusion." Yue Lingshan said, suddenly opening her eyes wide and looking at Su Zhong in disbelief: "You have such a thick skin, comparing yourself to my great-grandmaster. Are you really brothers with Xiao Linzi? His skin is very thin."

Su Zhong smiled without saying anything.

Yue Lingshan thought Su Zhong was feeling guilty and wanted to press her advantage. But she suddenly remembered that this young man, younger than herself, had killed the prestigious Zuo Lengchan of Songshan!

In her eyes, Zuo Lengchan's martial arts were on par with her father.

Doesn't that mean his martial arts are really better than her father's?!

Or even on par with Great Uncle Feng?!

Yue Lingshan was lively and adorable, and Lin Shi liked her very much. She let her play and laugh with her eldest son. Everyone else also laughed and watched the show.

But as they laughed, they felt something was off. They remembered that they had just talked about Su Zhong being the bane of sect leaders. They immediately associated it with the deceased Zuo Lengchan.

Everyone suddenly realized that Su Zhong's martial arts might have reached a level they couldn't imagine.

Lin Pingzhi was extremely excited, his already red face turning even redder: "Big Brother, can your martial arts really be compared to Great Uncle Feng?!"

Lin Zhenan looked at Su Zhong with anticipation. The famous Lin Yuan Tu was not his ancestor, which had made him depressed for a long time. But if his son became a world-class expert like Feng Qingyang, he felt his life would be worth it. He would surely leave a significant mark in the family history.

Su Zhong chuckled: "He's old. The first three hundred moves are even, but the last hundred moves, I will definitely win."

The people in the pavilion looked at each other, all finding it hard to believe.

This seventeen-year-old boy sitting next to them, could his martial arts really surpass the great Feng Qingyang?!

It was like a beggar next to them suddenly claiming to be an emperor. The impact was enormous.

"Then aren't you invincible in the world?" Yue Lingshan was shocked, her mouth wide open in surprise.

Su Zhong waved his hand, bringing the stunned crowd back to their senses: "Not at all. The martial world is full of hidden dragons and tigers. How can anyone be invincible? Besides, there's the top expert, Dongfang Bubai. We haven't fought, so we don't know who is stronger."

"You didn't say he is... he is..." Yue Lingshan couldn't continue.

Su Zhong, however, became serious.

"Although he is a eunuch and has some mental issues, his martial arts are undoubtedly the best in the world."

Everyone nodded, each lost in thought.

Su Zhong didn't care about their thoughts. He was looking forward to meeting the strange Dongfang Bubai soon. He was very curious to know whether his sword or the other's needle was more powerful.

...

"Congratulations, Lord, for escaping the cage." Xiang Wentian knelt on one knee, trembling with excitement.

Ren Woxing stepped forward and helped Xiang Wentian up: "Ha ha, Brother Xiang, please get up. If it weren't for you, I would still be in that dark, sunless dungeon."

"This is due to Lord's great fortune. I dare not take credit." Xiang Wentian said respectfully.

Ren Woxing laughed heartily, looking very pleased. He was very satisfied with his right-hand man. It was no wonder they were comrades-in-arms. After more than ten years, Xiang Wentian still thought of finding him and eventually rescued him.

"By the way, has anything significant happened in the martial world? What has Dongfang Bubai been up to these years?" Ren Woxing, a formidable figure, quickly calmed down and became concerned about the martial world.

"Dongfang Bubai's behavior has been very strange. For the past few years, he hasn't spoken a word. He has handed over all the power of the Divine Sect to the despicable Yang Lianding, causing chaos in the sect. He should be flayed alive." Xiang Wentian said with hatred.

"Oh! You mean Dongfang Bubai no longer manages the sect?" Ren Woxing's eyes lit up.

Dongfang Bubai was a person like him. Once he became the leader, how could he not take action? But Dongfang Bubai had become silent.

Ren Woxing thought of the *Manual of the Sunflower*, the bizarre technique he had personally given to Dongfang Bubai. Although he didn't know what the problem was, Dongfang Bubai definitely had a problem.

Could the *Manual of the Sunflower* have a fatal flaw like the *Sucking Star Great Technique*? Was Dongfang Bubai in seclusion to fix the flaw?

Ren Woxing's mind was filled with various thoughts.

Xiang Wentian continued: "Speaking of significant events in the martial world, besides the commotion caused by the young lady, the most significant is the unexpected death of the Songshan sect leader, Zuo Lengchan."

Ren Woxing coldly snorted: "What's the name of the person Yingying likes? Is he worthy of my daughter?"

Xiang Wentian leaned forward respectfully: "That person is the one who dueled with Lord. He is the former eldest disciple of Huashan, who received the *Nine Swords of Dugu* from Feng Qingyang."

Ren Woxing's eyes lit up: "That young man. His sword technique is indeed good, but his internal strength is too weak. But he can practice it gradually in the future. Being a disciple of Feng Qingyang, this identity is acceptable."

As he spoke, he suddenly paused and turned to stare at Xiang Wentian: "You said Zuo Lengchan died?!"

Xiang Wentian felt a wave of pressure, thinking that Lord was indeed a formidable leader, still exuding his dominant aura.

"Yes, he was killed by the deadly sword, Lin Yang."

"Deadly sword? Interesting. Although Zuo Lengchan's character is not good, his martial arts are excellent." Ren Woxing said thoughtfully.