Chapter 28

On his journey, Yue Fangxing frequently encountered martial artists riding swift horses, hurrying to and fro. He knew that the news of the *Piyu Sword Manual*’s appearance had already spread throughout Fuzhou, and most of these people were either returning to report the news or had rushed over upon hearing it. He did not wish to meet these people to avoid arousing suspicion, so he mostly chose quiet and secluded paths, using his lightness skills to travel day and night.

One day, while speeding through a forest, Yue Fangxing accidentally spotted a young beggar ahead, also navigating the small paths in the mountains. He found this strange. For the past few days, he had been taking remote paths and rarely encountered any passersby. Now, seeing a beggar, he naturally felt some oddity. Moreover, from the beggar’s steps, it seemed he had some martial arts foundation.

This reminded Yue Fangxing of a saying: In the martial world, if you encounter a monk, a Taoist, or a beggar walking alone, they are likely to be highly skilled. Out of curiosity, he kept a watchful eye and followed the beggar from a distance.

The beggar was indeed peculiar. Instead of going to the bustling market to beg, he seemed to be avoiding something, choosing only secluded paths. Although his face was dirty and hard to see clearly, with Yue Fangxing’s keen eyesight, he could tell that the beggar did not look like someone who had been laboring for years. Instead, his movements and actions still carried a hint of nobility, suggesting he had recently fallen on hard times.

Seeing so many suspicious points, Yue Fangxing immediately thought of a name: Lin Pingzhi, the young master of Fuzhou Security Bureau.

He surmised that this beggar was likely Lin Pingzhi. As the young master of Fuzhou Security Bureau, Lin Pingzhi had some martial arts foundation and came from a wealthy family, so he had never experienced hardship. Even dressed in rags, he could not shake off his long-standing habits. Choosing secluded paths was probably to avoid being pursued by the Qingcheng Sect, which matched the beggar’s characteristics.

Thinking of Lin Pingzhi, Yue Fangxing felt a mix of emotions. In the original story, Lin Pingzhi was a pitiful figure who ultimately castrated himself to avenge his family. Yue Fangxing naturally felt sympathy for him, but Lin Pingzhi was also the murderer of his sister, Yue Lingshan, so his feelings towards him were not positive. This was why, even though he had known for a long time that the Fuzhou Security Bureau would be wiped out, he had not tried to save them. Now, upon seeing him, his first thought was whether to take the opportunity to kill him, thus preventing future events.

However, as soon as this thought appeared, Yue Fangxing shook his head and rejected it. He was not a member of a demonic sect and was not ruthless enough to take a life so casually. Besides, the events in the story had not even begun, so he could not take a life for that reason. Moreover, even if Lin Pingzhi followed the original story and joined Huashan, Yue Fangxing was confident he could keep him under control.

Although he had made up his mind, Yue Fangxing followed the beggar more closely, wanting to confirm if he was indeed Lin Pingzhi. If so, he wanted to observe his character to decide how to treat him in the future.

Yue Fangxing followed the beggar for a while and nodded in approval, even feeling some admiration. The beggar, despite having martial arts skills, never used them to force others to give him food. Sometimes, when he was beaten or scolded, he did not retaliate. When he could not beg for food, he would pick wild fruits to eat, even avoiding fruit trees that belonged to others.

From a martial artist’s perspective, this behavior could be seen as overly righteous, but how many people could truly do it? The beggar, in his current state, refused to use his martial arts to bully others and did not steal, showing that he had not lost his sense of justice, even if it was partly to avoid exposing his identity.

Yue Fangxing recalled a similar scene in the original story, confirming that this person was indeed Lin Pingzhi. He wondered why Lin Pingzhi later became so extreme and疯狂, could the power of hatred be so great that it could so thoroughly distort a person’s soul!

Seeing Lin Pingzhi’s current behavior and thinking of the tragic ending in the original story, Yue Fangxing had the idea of changing Lin Pingzhi’s fate. In the original story, Yue Buqun and Lin Pingzhi were the two most deeply disguised people. However, over the years, he had observed that his father, although having some flaws, never bullied the weak and acted with a gentlemanly demeanor, which did not seem like an act. Moreover, he was about to comprehend the *Haoran Momentum* and had already obtained the *Piyu Sword Manual*, so he would not become a false gentleman in the future. The ending had already changed! Now, with Lin Pingzhi’s current character, could he be guided onto a different path to change his tragic fate?

Yue Fangxing pondered this and found it highly possible. Although Lin Pingzhi was in such a dire state, his behavior still showed a sense of justice, which was better than many who claimed to be righteous but engaged in petty theft. Moreover, he was currently undergoing a significant change in character, and with proper guidance, it was possible to strengthen his sense of justice.

Although he had this idea, Yue Fangxing still wanted to test him to see if he was worth cultivating. A thought came to him, and he had a brilliant plan.

He reached into his chest and took out a booklet, which contained his sword practice notes from the seaside, intended to enrich the Huashan Sect’s martial arts. He opened the booklet and tore out a few pages, which described the first two forms of the *Hunyuan Pile*—the *Galloping Horse* and the *Solid Rock*—and their practice methods.

The *Pile* technique was the most challenging test of one’s perseverance and the best way to temper one’s character. Yue Fangxing had stood in the *Pile* for three years before truly practicing martial arts, and he deeply understood its importance. Although he did not know Lin Pingzhi’s exact martial arts level, he assumed it was not high, otherwise, he would not have been defeated by a few Qingcheng Sect disciples, leading to the destruction of his family. Moreover, from his steps, it seemed he had practiced the *Pile* but still had some instability, indicating weak foundations, which were major taboos in martial arts. This showed that the Fuzhou Security Bureau’s lineage was not as long as a sect’s, and their methods of cultivating the next generation were not effective. Even if they were not wiped out by the Qingcheng Sect, they would still decline.

Now, by teaching these two *Pile* forms, Yue Fangxing wanted to further test Lin Pingzhi’s character and consider his martial arts development. If Lin Pingzhi practiced well, it would show that he had a strong character and some insight, making him worth cultivating. If he could not practice well, there would be no need to cultivate him. He would give him the opportunity and see if he could seize it.

Having made his decision, Yue Fangxing leaped forward, using his lightness skills to speed away.

Lin Pingzhi had endured great hardships in recent days, but the belief of rescuing his parents had kept him going without a moment’s rest. Therefore, since being rescued, he had been rushing to the Nanchang branch for help. One day, while navigating a small path in the mountains, he suddenly heard a voice.

"Are you Lin Pingzhi of the Fuzhou Security Bureau?" The voice was not loud but very clear, as if speaking directly into his ear, yet it seemed to come from all directions, making it impossible to determine the speaker’s location.

Lin Pingzhi was greatly alarmed. He had been carefully avoiding being recognized to prevent the Qingcheng Sect from pursuing him. Now, this person had revealed his identity, and he did not know if they were friend or foe. His mind raced: "Who are you? If you can help, I will reward you generously!"

He knew that since the person had asked, they likely knew his identity, so he did not hide it and instead tried to lure them with a promise of reward, showing his quick thinking and maturity.

The voice replied, "You will know in time. I see that you still have a sense of justice, so I will teach you two forms of martial arts. Let’s see how you fare."

Lin Pingzhi was greatly startled. He thought the person had just coincidentally encountered him, but now he realized they had been following him all along, observing his every move, while he had not noticed at all. If the person had any ill intentions, he would have been completely helpless. As he was still in shock, he saw a few pages of paper flying towards him. Before he could react, they suddenly slowed down, and he instinctively reached out to grab them.

This made Lin Pingzhi even more astonished. Paper was a soft material, but the person had controlled it with such precision, making it move fast or slow at will, showing an incredibly high level of martial arts. He immediately knelt down, "Elder, my parents have been captured by the Qingcheng Sect. I beg you to help rescue them. The Lin family will be eternally grateful." He knew that the person’s martial arts were so high that they were likely a senior in the martial world, so he did not mention any reward but instead appealed to their emotions.

Lin Pingzhi knelt and called out for a long time but received no response, feeling deeply disappointed. But thinking of his parents still in captivity, he forced himself to continue. He then remembered the person’s words and unfolded the pages he had caught, hoping to find something useful.

(End of the page)