Chapter 29

After teaching Lin Pingzhi martial arts, Yue Fangxing did not actually leave far away and naturally heard Lin Pingzhi's request. He thought to himself: I only remember that the Fuyi Escort Agency was wiped out by the Qingcheng Sect, almost forgetting that the Qingcheng Sect did not harm Lin Pingzhi's parents because they were trying to force them to reveal the whereabouts of the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual*. If I can rescue them, Lin Pingzhi's hatred will not be so great. If he is not blinded by hatred, there is a greater chance he will walk the righteous path.

Although he was moved by the idea, Yue Fangxing did not dare to make any promises and naturally did not respond to Lin Pingzhi's request. He recalled that in the original story, Lin Pingzhi's parents were taken by the Qingcheng Sect to Hengshan to attend the retirement ceremony of Liu Zhengfeng, which coincided with his own mission. Therefore, he decided to go to Hengshan and do his best based on the situation. However, this would likely lead to a confrontation with the Qingcheng Sect.

Although Yue Fangxing was very confident in his martial arts, he did not dare to be careless. Thinking that there were still a few days before Liu Zhengfeng's retirement ceremony, he slightly slowed his pace to conserve his energy. If he exhausted himself on the journey and was unable to defeat his opponents, it would delay his mission.

As for the conflict between Linghuchong and Tian Boguang before the retirement ceremony in the original story, Yue Fangxing was not worried. He had fought with Tian Boguang and knew that although this person's martial arts were high, they were on par with his own from over a year ago. Since Linghuchong had obtained the *Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang*, his skills had improved rapidly, and this weakness had been addressed. Even if he was not as strong as Tian Boguang now, there was no real danger, and the conflict might even help his progress.

Although Yue Fangxing slowed his pace to conserve his energy, his current skills were already very high, and his speed was not slow. He still arrived in Hengshan the day before Liu Zhengfeng's retirement ceremony.

Liu Zhengfeng, as a major figure in the Hengshan Sect, his retirement ceremony was a grand event in the martial world, naturally attracting many people from various sects and backgrounds. When Yue Fangxing arrived in Hengshan, he saw a bustling scene of people coming and going. He thought to himself: Why are there so many people here for the retirement ceremony? Could it be that they are not interested in the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual*? If so, my plan might fail!

However, Yue Fangxing was mistaken. He was thinking based on his own knowledge, not realizing that although the news of the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* was not a secret, the information spread slowly. Even with some fast channels, only major forces had access to them, and they would not leak the information to gain an advantage. As a result, most ordinary martial artists had not yet received the news. However, the news was spreading quickly, and since Yue Fangxing had walked from Fuzhou to Hengshan, those sending the news on horseback would not be far behind. Once more people knew, the news would spread widely.

Although he was puzzled, Yue Fangxing did not want to ask questions to avoid arousing suspicion. He followed the crowd to Liu's residence. On the way, he saw a hunchbacked man hurrying away at a street corner, and a young man lying on the ground, dressed in Qingcheng Sect attire. He found it strange but did not want to meddle in other people's affairs, especially since the Huashan Sect and the Qingcheng Sect had not been on good terms in recent years. Why should he invite trouble? Therefore, he ignored it and continued to Liu's residence.

Upon reaching the gate, Yue Fangxing reported his name. When the people at Liu's residence heard he was a disciple of the Huashan Sect, they did not dare to be disrespectful. A disciple of Liu Zhengfeng immediately welcomed him in, and another person went to inform Liu Zhengfeng.

Yue Fangxing followed the disciple into the hall and saw a familiar scene: a short Taoist priest was grabbing the hand of a young hunchback, forcing him. The young hunchback was sweating profusely, but his expression showed no sign of submission. His hand was about to be broken, but he was still enduring.

Seeing this, Yue Fangxing knew that these two must be Yu Canghai and Lin Pingzhi. He was surprised: What is Yu Canghai doing here? The *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* has already appeared, and he is not trying to seize it. And Lin Pingzhi, he is quite fast, arriving even before me, and he is already fighting with Yu Canghai.

He did not know that after Lin Pingzhi arrived in Nanchang, he discovered that the Fuyi Escort Agency branch there had also been destroyed. After carefully gathering information about his parents, he stole a bag of gold and silver from the Qingcheng Sect disciples guarding the place, bought two fast horses, and rode day and night to Hengshan, arriving half a day before Yue Fangxing. Seeing Yu Canghai, he could not contain himself, and the two had a confrontation, with Lin Pingzhi barely holding on.

At this moment, a short, plump middle-aged man wearing a brown silk robe, looking like a wealthy merchant, walked over and said with delight, "It's really Nephew Yue! Truly a remarkable talent. I apologize for not being able to welcome you earlier." His manner was very friendly, as if he were greeting an old friend rather than a junior he had just met.

Yue Fangxing immediately recognized him as Liu Zhengfeng. He thought: Indeed, one cannot judge a person by their appearance. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who would have thought that this man, who looks like a wealthy merchant, is actually a great hero in the martial world and composed the heroic music of *Swordsman*.

Liu Zhengfeng was so courteous, but Yue Fangxing did not dare to be disrespectful. He hurriedly bowed and greeted him, then asked, "Uncle, who are these two?" He pointed to the two men in the hall. He thought: In the original story, wasn't it Mu Gaofeng, the hunchback, who saved Lin Pingzhi? Why hasn't he appeared yet? If this continues, Lin Pingzhi won't be able to hold on much longer.

Looking around, Yue Fangxing did not see any other hunchbacked men, clearly indicating that Mu Gaofeng was not there. He recalled the scene at the street corner and suddenly understood: No wonder Yu Canghai is still here. The Qingcheng Sect's messenger was intercepted, so he hasn't received the news about the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual*. The hunchback he saw earlier was probably Mu Gaofeng, and the young man on the ground was likely the Qingcheng Sect's messenger. For some reason, Mu Gaofeng intercepted him and is now probably on his way to Fuzhou to seize the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual*. Lin Pingzhi is left with no one to save him.

Yue Fangxing's thoughts raced as he considered whether to intervene to save Lin Pingzhi. Just then, Liu Zhengfeng pointed to the two men and said, "Nephew Yue, you arrived just in time. This is the head of the Qingcheng Sect, Yu Guanzhu, and this young friend is surnamed Mu. They have a misunderstanding."

He then clasped his hands and bowed to the two men, saying, "For my sake, will the two of you stop fighting?" As he spoke, he reached out and separated the two without any visible effort.

Yu Canghai, after grabbing Lin Pingzhi, felt that his skills were not deep and wanted to use force, but he was concerned that the hunchback might be related to Mu Gaofeng, the famous hunchback of the north, and did not want to provoke a powerful enemy. Therefore, when Liu Zhengfeng intervened, he let go. Lin Pingzhi's hand had already lost sensation and could only be released.

Although Yu Canghai let go for Liu Zhengfeng's sake, he still felt a loss of face. Hearing the conversation between Yue Fangxing and Liu Zhengfeng, he knew Yue Fangxing's identity. Recalling Linghuchong's actions, he turned to Yue Fangxing and said coldly, "So you are Nephew Yue of the Huashan Sect. You are the son of the Huashan Sect's leader and can make decisions. If the Huashan Sect does not give the Qingcheng Sect an explanation today, well..." He did not finish his sentence, but anyone could understand the implied threat.