Chapter 45

Lingxu Zhenren had been pursued by his enemies for years but remained unharmed, and later established the Qingyun Temple, which was enough to prove his strong and agile mind and extraordinary wisdom.

After a moment of thought, Lingxu Zhenren decisively said, "Since the other party is a prestigious and righteous sect, and is so concerned about their image in the world, their collusion with evil forces to destroy our entire sect years ago must have been a great conspiracy. Now that they no longer openly hunt us, it is likely because they fear the truth of those years will be exposed. If we continue to hide in the shadows, it will only create conditions for the enemy to carry out their sinister plots. They would kill us, who are unknown, as easily as dealing with stray dogs, and no one would care. But if we can re-establish our sect and inherit the Kunwu Sect, with the clear evidence of the bloodshed from those years, we will surely attract the attention of the martial world. In such a public setting, our old enemies would not dare to easily expose themselves again. This way, we would have a chance to survive."

Lingxu Zhenren's thinking was quick and his reasoning clear. In fact, it was indeed as the old Taoist had guessed. The hidden enemy had really gone into hiding after the bloodshed of those years, not daring to reveal a single detail of what had happened. After all, the Kunwu Sect was a well-known righteous sect in the world. Slaughtering a righteous sect was as serious as rebels attacking government agencies, almost equivalent to raising a banner in rebellion.

The Kunwu bloodshed of those years had become an unsolved public case, hanging high in the Ming Hall of the "Six-Fan Gate" in Shenjing City, reminding the government and the major sects of the martial world that the bloodshed of a hundred years ago had not been resolved. If a suspicious sect were to attack the Kunwu Sect again, the first to react would likely be the bailiffs and constables who had been humiliated a hundred years ago, and they might even be immediately suppressed by the government and the righteous martial world.

Therefore, after such an analysis, whether the Kunwu Sect was destroyed by righteous people or by powerful villains, they would not dare to extend their hands to this revived sect again.

After a series of arguments, Lingxu Zhenren was certain that his judgment was correct and affirmed his thoughts. He then ordered with a resolute voice:

"Qingyan—"

"Disciple is here."

"After the sect competition, issue a decree to close the mountain. All disciples must close their doors to practice martial arts and are not allowed to leave the sect. Teach the disciples the 'Thirty-Six Swords of Qingyun' and the 'Shuiyu Palm.' You and your fellow disciples should select elite disciples to focus on cultivating, and from these core disciples, choose the best to teach the 'Yuanyu Gong.'"

"Disciple obeys." Qingyan was overjoyed; his master, who had endured for many years, had finally decided to re-enter the martial world.

Lingxu Zhenren walked to the window, pushed it open, and outside, the sun was high and the light was bright, but it could not dispel the cold in his heart. He sighed deeply and said resolutely:

"My disciple, we will bury ourselves in practice for ten years. After ten years, we will face the enemy again."

"Yes, Master." Qingyan's expression was also filled with excitement.

Lingxu Zhenren's thoughts turned, and he said softly, "In addition, I have another task for you to complete for me..."

Unnamed Courtyard.

The courtyard was not called "Unnamed Courtyard" because it had no name; its name was indeed "Unnamed Courtyard."

The black background with white characters, four large characters, were written by Qingxuan himself, who, in his previous life, had been a college student and had a decent foundation in calligraphy.

After practicing the "Taiji Peiyuan Gong," Qingxuan was about to practice the "Thirty-Six Swords of Qingyun" when a ragged child suddenly burst into the courtyard, with a cold and indifferent expression, staring at him as if he were the owner and Qingxuan an uninvited guest.

"Little brother, who are you?" Qingxuan put away the wooden sword and asked softly.

The boy did not answer.

Qingxuan frowned slightly and continued, "Are you a new disciple brought back by one of the senior brothers? Don't you know the way to the main hall?"

New disciples were temporarily housed in the side rooms of the main hall, waiting for formal entry into the sect.

The boy's face was as stiff as wood, and he remained silent, staring intently at the stone table in the courtyard. There was a pot of tea and a plate of pastries. The boy's stomach growled, betraying his thoughts.

Qingxuan relaxed, realizing the boy was hungry.

"You're hungry? Come and eat."

To his surprise, the boy blushed and turned to leave.

"Hey, don't go yet."

Qingxuan lightly flapped his arms, using his considerable internal strength to leap over the boy's head like a large bird. He landed somewhat clumsily but successfully blocked the boy's path.

The boy's eyes lit up at Qingxuan's awkward movement, but then he became extremely angry when he realized he was blocked. His eyes flashed with a hint of malice, and his right hand slowly slipped into his pocket, gripping something tightly.

Qingxuan had no ill intentions in blocking the boy, but the boy's actions made Qingxuan's heart skip a beat. The intense killing intent, the fierce look in the boy's eyes, and the object tightly held in his pocket, which seemed to be a dagger, were all alarming.

Qingxuan was secretly alarmed: How could this little boy have such intense killing intent? He must have been brought back by one of the senior brothers.

Qingxuan frowned slightly, looked at the boy who resembled a little wolf, and smiled. After all, he was just a child. Qingxuan moved gracefully, sliding toward the stone table as smoothly as a boat gliding over a lake.

As Qingxuan moved, he intentionally increased the distance between himself and the boy. Qingxuan had once watched a documentary that said every wild animal has a warning line. If another animal enters this line, it increases the animal's tension. Gentle animals will actively increase the distance, while aggressive animals will remain still, staring intently at the intruder. If the intruder makes any extra movements, the animal will attack.

Qingxuan sensed a wolf-like quality in the boy, a lone wolf, fierce, low-key, cautious, and sensitive...

So Qingxuan decided to stay outside the boy's warning line to make him relax.

Qingxuan glanced and saw the boy's hand, which had been gripping the weapon, relax.

Indeed, his judgment was correct.

Qingxuan smiled warmly again, lightly tapping the wooden sword on the porcelain plate, causing the three pastries to jump into the air. The wooden sword moved, and the pastries landed neatly on the blade, evenly spaced and steady.

He extended the sword, gently offering the pastries to the boy, his movements graceful and without a hint of aggression.

"Come, little brother, it's our first meeting, let me treat you—" Qingxuan's sunny smile could melt any hostility.

Qingxuan's years of sword practice were not in vain. This seemingly simple, effortless sword technique was breathtaking.

The boy, who had been hostile, was stunned by the sudden sword technique and then infected by Qingxuan's sunny smile. He stared wide-eyed at the pastries, hesitating to take them.

Qingxuan did not retract the wooden sword, still smiling, and waited quietly for the boy's reaction.

Finally, hunger overcame pride, and the boy released the dagger in his pocket, slowly reaching out to take the pastries from the sword.

Qingxuan's smile grew warmer.

Xiaofeng, still wary of the young Taoist, thought to himself: I didn't expect a child my age to have such advanced martial skills. The martial arts in this temple must be profound. I must stay, I must learn...

He bit into the pastry, his mind filled with thoughts, not even tasting it.

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