Chapter 27

Yue Fangxing set out on his journey, but his destination was not Hengshan, where Liu Zhengfeng was about to retire from the martial world, but Fuzhou. Knowing that Liu Zhengfeng was about to retire, the massacre of the Fuwei Escort Agency by the Qingcheng Sect must have happened around this time, as described in the original story.

For the Fuwei Escort Agency, although Yue Fangxing felt sorry, he had no intention of acting as a hero. Not to mention that saving the Fuwei Escort Agency would mean confronting the Qingcheng Sect, which, although the Huashan Sect was not afraid, would be unwise. Moreover, the Fuwei Escort Agency had no deep connection with the Huashan Sect. Even if the Huashan Sect went to rescue them, they might not be truly grateful and might even suspect that the Huashan Sect had ulterior motives. Why should he invite trouble for himself?

Yue Fangxing's purpose in this journey was none other than the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" of the Lin family, which once made the Fuwei Escort Agency famous. The "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" originated from the "Manual of the Sunflower," the same source as the incomplete "Manual of the Sunflower" practiced by the current leader of the demonic sect, Dongfang Bubai. Regardless of whether he could gain anything from it, to understand the martial arts of the demonic sect leader, he had to study the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual." Moreover, both of these came from the Huashan Sect. Since his martial arts had progressed slowly after a breakthrough, he needed to study some profound martial arts manuals to advance further. Given this connection, he could not let the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" slip away. Besides, he had a plan that required the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" to be implemented.

In a few days, Yue Fangxing arrived in Fuzhou. To ensure secrecy, he disguised himself before entering the city. Fortunately, his "Sinew and Bone Strengthening Chapter" was nearly complete, and he could change his physique slightly. As for the heavy sword and other conspicuous items, he could not carry them to avoid being recognized later. He carefully disguised himself as a yellow-faced, bearded man who used his fists and entered the city.

As soon as he entered the city, Yue Fangxing heard about the massacre of the Fuwei Escort Agency. The Qingcheng Sect had acted ruthlessly, not only killing everyone in the agency but also those who worked there. The news spread throughout Fuzhou, and various speculations arose: some said it was because the young master of the Fuwei Escort Agency, Lin Pingzhi, had killed the son of the Qingcheng Sect leader; others said it was because the Fuwei Escort Agency wanted to expand into Sichuan; still others pointed to the old grudge between Lin Yuan Tu and the Qingcheng Sect's Changqingzi; and some said the Qingcheng Sect wanted the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual"... All kinds of speculations were rampant.

Yue Fangxing sighed: in the martial world, strength speaks. The Fuwei Escort Agency lacked strength but had great wealth and overestimated its capabilities by expanding its business, which would inevitably attract covetous eyes. Moreover, with the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual," it was not surprising that the Qingcheng Sect coveted it. The so-called chivalry in the martial world was relative; sometimes, as long as there was a plausible excuse, one could still massacre an entire family.

However, the fate of the Fuwei Escort Agency had little to do with Yue Fangxing, so he did not pay much attention. He carefully investigated the situation in Fuzhou. He noticed that many martial artists had already gathered in the city, and the number of merchants and vendors on the streets had increased, indicating that some people were trying to hide their tracks or that some forces had sent spies. Most of these people had heard about the Qingcheng Sect's massacre of the Fuwei Escort Agency and wanted to take advantage of the chaos, including those who wanted to seize the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual." At present, most of these martial artists' attention was focused on the Fuwei Escort Agency, and the old Lin family residence had not yet attracted attention, but it could not be ignored. In the original story, someone had been guarding the place, waiting for Lin Pingzhi to retrieve the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual," and it was uncertain whether anyone was already there.

Yue Fangxing remained calm and quietly found the location of Xiangyang Alley, waiting for night to fall.

At night, Yue Fangxing changed into night clothes, sneaked into Xiangyang Alley, and leaped onto a roof. He searched several houses, all of which were occupied, and then leaped into a large house. The house had a black door and white walls, with an old vine on the wall and overgrown weeds in the yard, indicating that it had been abandoned for a long time. This was the old Lin family residence.

Yue Fangxing did not dare to be careless and carefully checked the surroundings. Although it was unlikely that anyone was paying attention, it was better to be safe than sorry. After confirming that no one was around, he began to search the yard carefully.

Yue Fangxing searched several rooms but found no clues. He was not in a hurry and continued searching slowly. Finally, in a room in the northwest corner, he found a Buddhist hall. In the center hung a black-and-white painting of the back of Bodhidharma, depicting his nine years of meditation. On the west side of the hall was an old cushion, and on the table were a wooden fish, a bell, and a stack of Buddhist scriptures. Recalling the original story, he knew that the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" was likely here. He looked at the painting and saw that Bodhidharma's left hand was behind his back, seemingly holding a sword gesture, and his right index finger pointed to the roof.

Yue Fangxing leaped up and clawed open the roof, and a clump of red material fell into his hand, which was the robe Lin Yuan Tu had worn when he was a monk. Opening it, he saw it was covered with small, dense characters, with the words "Martial supremacy, castration" at the top, which was the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" that had once made Lin Yuan Tu famous.

Lin Yuan Tu had been a monk and was sent by his master to the Huashan Sect to retrieve the "Manual of the Sunflower." He used cunning to obtain the content of the manual and wrote it on the robe to avoid forgetting it. Later, for some unknown reason, he never transcribed it and did not destroy the robe.

Yue Fangxing was overjoyed and carefully examined the manual, finding it profound and difficult to fully understand. He did not dare to be negligent and spent some time memorizing it. Then, he carefully burned the first part with a fire striker, which contained the crucial eight characters, and placed the robe back in its original position, covering it with soil and tiles.

After completing this, Yue Fangxing sighed with relief and set fire to a nearby house. Worried that no one would notice, he also set fires in other places. Fortunately, the houses were mostly wooden and already decayed, and soon the flames spread, creating a fierce fire. Yue Fangxing watched for a while, and when he saw the neighbors come to put out the fire, he quietly left.

Actually, Yue Fangxing had initially planned to burn the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" directly, but he felt it was a pity for such a martial arts treasure to be destroyed silently. Therefore, he decided to burn only the crucial eight characters and then bury the robe as it was. If the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" was not burned, it could be considered the will of heaven, and it would also help him implement his plan.

Yue Fangxing thought to himself: Lin Pingzhi, although I burned your old family home, you are already homeless and cannot return. If the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" is not burned, fewer people will trouble you, and this can be considered a fair trade. As for reading the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual," he felt it was justified. Regardless of what the Huashan Sect's ancestors did, Lin Yuan Tu's actions could not be denied. As a disciple of the Huashan Sect, he had the right to read the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual."

The next day, Yue Fangxing sat in a teahouse, listening for news. If the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" was not burned, it would certainly be discovered. Moreover, the fire last night would alert the martial artists in the city, and they would soon realize that the fire was at the old Lin family residence, which would be suspicious.

Sure enough, by afternoon, all the martial artists in Fuzhou were talking about it. When the fire broke out in Xiangyang Alley, some local martial artists remembered that it was the old Lin family residence and went to investigate. The news could not be hidden, and by the time everyone rushed there, someone had already found the robe. A fierce battle broke out that night, resulting in many casualties.

The robe containing the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" was not a rare item, and although it was not burned, it was charred and torn into several pieces during the battle. Some people seized the pieces and fled in the chaos. Most of the martial artists in Fuzhou were now searching for the pieces, and other martial artists would soon arrive upon hearing the news. Who would not want to obtain a martial arts manual?

Yue Fangxing smiled. The situation was even better than he had expected. Not only could he implement his plan, but no one would obtain a "complete" "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" in the short term. If Zuo Lengshan was interested in the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual," he would certainly send people, reducing the forces available for Liu Zhengfeng's retirement ceremony. If more martial artists came to Fuzhou to compete for the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual," the attention of the Songshan Sect would be focused here for a long time, greatly reducing the pressure on Huashan.

Having achieved satisfactory results, Yue Fangxing did not linger. He left Fuzhou, retrieved his heavy sword and other items, and headed straight for Hengshan to attend Liu Zhengfeng's retirement ceremony.

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